I don't own digimon.

Story 76

Germinacide Pt 8: Gunshot Wound

Yamato was fairly certain he was seeing things. There was simply no way that the sky was now red at this time of night, lit by portals. Add in the digimon running about, things were definitely a mess. Hopefully Taichi and everyone else was doing alright. If not, he was more than willing to lend a hand. That's what friends do, after all.

"Yamato-san, anata to kaiketsu shinakereba naranai ten ga arimasu. (Mr Yamato, I have a score to settle with you.)" a voice announced, Pinocchimon's stupid mug intruding on Yamato's personal space. Revolver in hand, his finger already on the trigger.

"Pinokimon? (Pinochimon?)" Yamato announced and got up from his chair. Throwing it at his target, it bounced right off of Pinocchimon. Firing off a shot in retaliation, the bullet managed to miss the chosen of friendship. Landing in the wall, that was all it took to stop it.

"Kuso! Watashi wa hotondo anata o motte imashita! (Damn it! I almost had you!)" Pinocchimon announced and got a look from Yamato. While they hadn't dealt with him after the reboot, he had honestly hoped that someone would do him in. But no, that was asking too much from the digital world. So it fell to him to figure this out. But how exactly? The last time he faced Pinocchimon, he had Metal Garurumon with him. Perhaps he could find a friend to help here. But that was unlikely.

"Sate, anata wa mi o makasemashita. Nande koko ni iru no? (Well, you gave yourself away. Why are you even here?)" Yamato announced, staring at his opponent. Getting a shrug from the puppet digimon, the chosen of friendship let out a sigh. Of course Pinocchimon would be difficult. Of course it wouldn't be easy.

"Watashi ga shitte irunara fakku. Shikashi, sore wa ima wa kankei arimasen! Takeru janakute kimi ni amaeru yo. Sore wa anata ni dono yō ni kikoemasu ka? (Fuck if I know. But that doesn't matter now! I'll settle for you rather than Takeru. How does that sound to you?)" Pinocchimon announced as he cycled the revolver. The casing fell to the ground, the puppet digimon taking the time to kick the casing at Yamato. Landing right below the bullet hole, it too managed to miss Yamato. Met with a raised eyebrow, Yamato didn't know what to do here. Unless something changed, he was about to get shot. Even if someone did intervene, it was likely that Pinocchimon was not the only one who wanted a piece of him. Likely Cherrymon and perhaps Skull Greymon even. But he would cross that bridge when he got there.

"Watashi mo sō shinai hō ga īdesu. Moshika shitara, issho ni asoberu aite o mitsuke rareru kamo? (I would prefer not too. Perhaps you could find someone else to play with?)" Yamato suggested, only to get a glare from Pinocchimon. Raising the revolver back up, Pinocchimon inched the gun closer. Tempting as it would be to push the gun, that was just asking for someone to be shot.

"Īe! Ichigeki de shinanai pureimeito o mitsukeru no ga dorehodo muzukashī ka shitte imasu ka? Ningen wa sugurete imasuga, tsuneni nō to iimasu. Dakara shikataganai. (No! Do you know how hard it is to find playmates who don't die in a single hit? Humans are better, but they always say no! So I have no choice.)" Pinocchimon announced, his words falling into the silence. Yamato stared down the barrel of the revolver. This was something Taich would do, not him. Didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, even if Taichi would no doubt get a chuckle out of this. Because of course he would.

Shoving that thought away, Yamato kicked at Pinocchimon's legs. Knocking him to the ground, the revolver was sent up into the air. Not wasting the chance, Yamato swiped the firearm away. For the number of guns the world of television and movies had treated him too, something about holding an actual gun felt foreign to him. Like something he wasn't supposed to be holding. Far heavier than it would seem, the chosen of friendship's hands were trembling. Calming himself down, he regained his composure. At least, enough of it to hold the gun straight and possibly pull the trigger.

"Oi! Sore wa watashi no jūdesu! (Hey! That's my gun!)" Pinocchimon announced as he swung his fist at Yamato. Colliding with the air, the sound of something rising with the exterior walls of the building echoed about. Tempted as Yamato was to sneak a glance out the window to discern what that might be, he decided against it. Whoever or whatever it was, was bound to make their presence known and throw some kind of wrench into both of their plans. For the numbers of years that patch between adventures, one would at least think that the enemy would change their tactics. But no, that was asking too much here.

"Anata wa sore de watashi o utsu tsumoridattanode, watashi wa sore o toriagemashita. (You were going to shoot me with it, so I took it away.)" Yamato countered, getting met with a frustrated expression from Pinocchimon. Attempting to flip the chosen of friendship off here, his fingers didn't quite have the articulation necessary to accomplish such a feat. The result was closer to that of a juvenile trying to come across as 'cool', but instead 'cringe'. Normally not a bad thing… if not for the fact that Pinocchimon was trying to murder him here.

"Shikashi, sore wa watashi no jūdesu! De wa, mō sonzaishinai dareka kara sore o te ni iretara dō narudeshou ka. Sore ga ima no watashi no jūdeari, sore ga subetedesu. (But it's my gun! So what if I got it off someone who no longer exists. It's my gun now and that's all that matters.)" Pinocchimon countered, Yamato raising an eyebrow. What exactly did Pinocchimon mean when he said he got the gun off of someone who no longer exists? Did he mean it in the sense that the person who had picked it up was dead? Or did the puppet digimon mean it in the most literal sense, the person being erased? If it was the latter, then how did Pinocchimon know that this person didn't exist? Had he witnessed their erasure from reality or was this just one more mystery the digital world had to tease its chosen with.

Shoving those thoughts away, Yamato let out a deep breath. Whatever the answer was didn't matter right now. What did was pacifying Pinocchimon in a safe, sane fashion. All while you hold a high-powered firearm. I quite wonder if you actually understand irony. Yes, the man with a creature capable of turning into a talking werewolf decides that he's going to space. Yeah. That totally checks out. Still don't get how you'll manage to miss your target entirely and end up on mars. I'm no rocket scientist, but either fuel in this universe is lighter than it is in ours or you managed to mess up the throwing of the digi-port. You really don't want to have one of those floating out in space. Though, I guess that has nothing on the train that Rie and her digimon took to get to Gorgon Castle on the moon. I should really visit one of these days. The views are nice, but it isn't anything special. Especially since I'm theoretically able to see all of Neo Digia. That doesn't matter.

"Ano hito ga inai tte dō iu koto? To iu koto wa, kono jū mo sonzaishinai to iu kotode wanaidesu ka.

(What do you mean that person doesn't exist? Doesn't that mean that this gun doesn't exist either?)" Yamato countered and got a shrug from Pinocchimon. How that was supposed to answer the question was beyond him. Especially with whatever else might be coming.

"TK no jūdattakara, sonotōri. (Because it was TK's gun, that's how.)" a voice announced and Yamato's gaze shifted to the far end of the room. There, a tall wolfman stood. Dressed in a fancy blue and silver jumpsuit, they looked like they had been ripped out from one of those super sentai shows. A katana hung at his side, doing little to hide the massive hole in the wall. What is with people and their need to break people's walls. Yes, housing in Neo Digia as a hole is something that can be bought for pennies on the dollar. As housing fucking should be. If you want a massive home to flaunt your wealth, that's when it costs money. I have to imagine these apartments cost quite a bit of money to rent. Perhaps you all could just pick the lock and get in that way? Don't reinvent breaking and entering when you can just… pick the lock? But what do I know? I met my (future) husband when I surprised him.

"Omae wa ittai dareda? (Who the hell are you?)" Yamato announced and the wolfman shrugged. Approaching the pair, he whistled a tune.

"Namae wa rūpe, dōyara kono konran ni shōkan sa retarashī. Sō iu wake de, watashi wa anata no tame ni kono baka no o shiri o kera sete kudasai. (The name is Lupe and it appears I've been summoned into this mess. As such, let me kick this idiot's ass for you.)" Lupe announced and picked Pinocchimon up. Reaching for the neck area, it's surprisingly easy to snap. Which is exactly what our mecha wolf kamen rider parody did. With remarkable ease, I might add. Watching Pinocchimon's data disintegrate, his gaze shifts over to Yamato. Still holding the gun up, he was very much confused by what the fuck was going on. Let alone why the gun hadn't disappeared. "Hora, ima wa subete yoku natte imasu ka? (There, is everything better now?)"

Yamato shook his head.

"Īe. Watashi wa hotondo uta remashita, soshite subete ga machigatte imasu! (Fuck no. I nearly got shot and everything is wrong!)" Yamato announced, flashing the gun at Lupe. Oh god. They don't show proper gun safety in those shows, do they? I figured as much. Lupe is probably not the worst person you could accidentally shoot. At the same time, probably best to not shoot anyone. For obvious reasons, of course.

"Jōkyō ga yoku nattanode, jū o oroshite itadakemasu ka? (Now that things are better, could you please put the gun down?)" Lupe announced and Yamato reluctantly lowered the gun down. Setting it down on the floor, his attention shifted back to Lupe. So many questions echoed about his mind right now. Who the heck was this Lupe guy? Was he some kind of human? Digimon? Some mix of the two? Perhaps he was neither of those things as a result of the fuckery that is this universe. Hard to really say.

"Ē to… tasuke ni kitekurete arigatō. (Uh… thanks for coming to my aid.)" Yamato announced, looking around for the lightswitch. Finding it, he gave it a flick. The lights came on, revealing a quaint little apartment. A picture of Yamato meeting an older Japanese man meeting in Vienna of all places hangs proudly on the wall. Right next to a frame displaying the group chosen picture. Oddly, there wasn't a third picture to balance it out. A couch facing a television was put on the far edge of the room, but it looked to have not been used in some time. Especially when compared to the shuttle models on the counter. Quite an odd place to keep them, but I guess there are worse places to have them displayed.

"Mondainai. Hyotto shite, anata no denwa o karite mo yoroshīdesu ka? (No problem. By any chance could I borrow your phone?)" Lupe announced and got an eyebrow raise from Yamato. What was the worst that could happen here? Probably just call someone to let them know that they ended up here.

Reaching into his pockets, out came a smartphone. Handing it over to Lupe, he watched him unlock it with ease and navigate to the phone screen. Punching in the number, Yamato did his best to see who it was - Jun Motomiya. Why the heck did he need to call her of all people. I can think of a bunch of reasons. Honestly, I'm actually surprised that their paths didn't cross in any public fashion during the back end of DAO. Though, considering what happened right before the end, maybe that's for the best.

"Kore wa Junna no ka dianana no ka? (Is this actually Jun or Deanna?)" Lupe announced and let out a deep breath. Pulling the phone away, his gaze shifted to the floor. Staring for just a moment, he hung up and handed the device back to Yamato.

"Boisumēru ni tōtatsu suru no wa watashi ni makasete kudasai. Shikata ga nai. (Leave it to me to reach the voicemail. Oh well.)" Lupe announced, getting treated to a look from Yamato here. To be fair, that kind of response doesn't leave much in the way of context. Let alone explain why exactly this is a big deal. Nor will I. If it actually was a big enough deal, then I would just go on a huge rant about it.

"Watashi ni ate sasete kudasai. Kore wa Jun ga apāto de mitsuketa shitai no koto? (Let me guess. This is about the body that Jun found in her apartment?)" Yamato announced and felt Lupe's gaze lock onto him. Meeting his eyes, he found them to be lenses. Done up to look like his own eyes, it was kind of creepy to the chosen of friendship. Why someone having the same eye color as him wasn't that strange. Yet, someone had gone through the trouble of coloring the lenses that way. Like this was somehow an alternate version of him. But that couldn't be possible. There had to be some kind of mistake going on. Yet, there was no mistake. "Seikaku ni wa… anata ni nani ga okotta nodesu ka? (What exactly… happened to you?)"

Lupe let out a chuckle.

"Sasaete kureru to omotte ita josei o shinrai shite kudasai. Kanojo wa sō sezu, watashi o suzumebachinosu ni tsurete itta. (Put my trust in a woman I thought would have my back. She did not and led me right into a hornet's nest.)" Lupe explained as he looked around for a seat. Settling on a folding chair, he walked over and grabbed it. Opening it up, he took a seat.

"Would it be wrong of me to assume that person was Deanna?" Yamato answered and Lupe nodded. While that was one mystery solved, it didn't change the fact that he still did not know how his guest got here in the first place.

"Un. Tokei shikake no piyomon ni tsureteitte kuremashita. Jibun no ishi ni hanshite, karada no arayuru bubun ga yūki-teki kara kikai-teki e to ikō suru no to onajiyōna koto wa arimasen. (Yeah. Took me right to Clockwork Biyomon. Nothing like having every part of your body go from organic to mechanical against your will.)" Lupe muttered and silence fell over the room. The sound of someone climbing up continued, bringing with it the shaking of leaves. "A shame that Clockwork Biyomon didn't appear. Would've loved to repay the favor tenfold."

Yamato raised an eyebrow. He had meant to ask about this Clockwork Biymon, but Lupe had cut him off. Opening his mouth up, he didn't get a chance to even speak. Mostly on the account of the vines that were wrapped around his chest.

Craning his neck to see the source of the vines, Yamato had a pretty good idea of who it was. Not that this fact stopped him from looking. Cherrymon had somehow managed to get a grip on the building without somehow crushing it. Quite an impressive feat, even if this too raised further questions into the nature of digimon.

"Cherīmon, koko de nani o shite iru no? (What are you doing here, Cherrymon?)" Yamato announced, only to get an eye roll from Cherrymon here. Totally the response he wanted to see. Not, I don't know, an explanation on how the fuck he was doing this.

"Watashi wa tachiyotte, watashi no gensen shita adobaisu no ikutsu ka de anata ni gekirei no hanashi o shiyou to omoimashita. Sore wa anata ni dono yō ni kikoemasu ka? (I thought I would pop in and give you a pep talk with some of my cherry picked advice. How does that sound to you?)" Cherrymon announced and Yamato shook his head. This was the exact opposite of what he needed here. Advice was the furthest thing on his mind right now. What the chosen of friendship needed was answers. Answers to all these questions that were refusing to give him peace. But no, that was asking far too much from the world right about now. He would just have to roll with the punches and hope for the best. What other option did he have here? Bite into his bindings? That obviously wouldn't work.

"Watashi wa adobaisu o motomeru kibunde wa arimasen. Demo arigatō. (I'm not in the mood for advice. But thank you.)" Yamato answered, only to feel the binds around him tightened up. Of course it wasn't going to be simple. Why the fuck would it be? I know your expectations are low, but holy shit. You might want to raise them a little. Just in case something bad happens. Especially like right now. This is honestly the perfect example of this in action. "Rūpe, chotto tetsudatte kurenai? (Lupe, a little help here?)"

Lupe got up from his chair. Walking over to the vines, he slashed through with ease. Pulling Yamato off of the chair, he threw the chosen of friendship off to the side. Then it's back over to Cherrymon.

"Ōkina aidea wa nandesuka, cherīmon? ! (What's the big idea, Cherrymon?!)" Lupe announced and raised a fist up in the cherry tree digimon's direction. All that got him was an eye roll from Cherrymon.

"Watashi wa chōdo ikutsu ka no adobaisu o ha shite ita. Sore no dokoni gai ga arimasu ka?

(I was just leafing some advice. Where's the harm in that?)" Cherrymon countered and Lupe flashed a claw in his direction. Bad enough that he had to deal with this stupid talking tree yet again. What next? Digitamamon deciding that he needed to make a meal… with his feet? Or worse, Etemon showing up and deciding to hold a con-

"Back from the dead once more, it's Metal Etemon!" a voice announced, forcing Lupe to split his attention between Cherrymon and the aforementioned Metal Etemon. At the moment, the metal ape digimon had managed to find himself a proper microphone and harmonica of all instruments. You would think someone like him would go with the guitar, but no. That was asking a touch too much from Metal Etemon here. That, or these were the first things he could get his hands on and he settled for that. Whatever the reason was, it didn't particularly matter. What did matter was a swift end to this performance. Metal Etemon's feelings be damned.

"Sore wa watashi no hāmonikadesu, kaeshite moraemasen ka? (That's my harmonica, could you maybe give it back?)" Yamato announced as he approached Metal Etemon. For that remark, the metal ape digimon raised the harmonica out of Yamato's reach. Nice idea, held back by his opponent going to his back and climbing on.

"Get off of me!" Metal Etemon announced as Yamato climbed up to his head. Reaching out to the harmonica, he managed to grab it with ease. Shoving it into his pockets, then it was just a matter of somehow getting down. Or at least would have, if not for Metal Etemon choosing to grab him off his back and hold the chosen of friendship out in the air. "See? That wasn't particularly hard. Now.. where's that dark hole when you need it?"

Yamato shot his captor a look. That couldn't be possible. One, the dark hole had been in the digital world. Secondly, that required some kind of doubt. At the moment, Yamato found himself in the human world and was quite confident in himself. Which nullified both factors and righted itself. At least, he hoped that was how it worked. If not, then he was likely to be in for a world of hurt. One not quite so easily pulled out of once it got its grip on you.

"Watashi ga yorokonde soko ni hairu to omou riyū wa nanidesu ka? Gozonji no tōri, dāku hōru wa hassei shimasen. Anata wa sore o setsumei shimashita ka? (What makes you think I'll go willingly into there? For all you know, no dark hole will appear. Did you account for that?)" Yamato announced and felt Metal Etemon's grip loosen ever so slightly. Not enough that he could get out of, but enough to cause some doubt in the metal ape digimon's mind.

"The dark hole will appear for me! I just know it!" Metal Etemon announced, trying his hardest to regain his confidence in the face of Yamato's taunting. Even as he swung his fist about. "Come on out, dark hole! I know that you're here!"

But no dark hole appeared. If anything, it probably made the dark hole even less likely to show up and create havoc for those that were vulnerable to such phenomena.

"Osoraku dākuhōru wa hazukashigariya de, kyōsei-teki ni oidasa retakunai nodeshou ka? (Perhaps the dark hole is shy and doesn't want to be forced out?)" Lupe announced, splitting his attention between Cherrymon and Metal Etemon. More the latter than the former at the moment, he made his way over. Pulling his fist back, he smashed his fist into Metal Etemon's stomach. Knocking the metal ape digimon back, that was the necessary change that Yamato needed to get out from Metal Etemon's grip. Falling to the ground, he stared up at his opponent. A shame he didn't have the gun on him. Even if he somehow did, would it have any effect on Metal Etemon? Probably not. All it would likely accomplish was make things worse. Which was the exact opposite of what he wanted to occur here. Especially in the face of any other threats that might show up. Forcing his gaze over to Lupe, he watched the wolfman tear into Metal Etemon's body. Taking care to get the microphone away, Yamato found it in his possession. While it hadn't gotten much use as of late, he would put it away once this whole mess was over. Yeah. That would work best.

"Nē, nante kare o kazaritatete, watashi o hitori ni shite oku nante! (Hey, how dare you spruce him up and leaf me all alone!)" Cherrymon announced as Metal Etemon shattered into digital data. Yamato stood up, his focus shifting to the cherry tree digimon. Lupe was not that far behind, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Metaruetemon ni wa Yamato ga ite, anata ni wa arimasendeshita. Sore dakedesu. (Metal Etemon had Yamato and you didn't. That's pretty much it.)" Lupe answered and got an eye roll from Cherrymon.

"Ōkei, ima watashi o kiritaosu junbi wa dekite imasu ka? (Oakay, now are you ready to cut me down?)" Cherrymon announced and got a nod from both opponents. Heading for him, Lupe took the lead. Cracking his knuckles, Yamato looked for the gun. Somehow, it evaded his gaze. Quite annoying. Not that it grew legs and walked off. It's very likely something is obscuring it. If you're lucky, whatever Cherrrymon does next will make it appear. If not, the apartment is small enough that you shouldn't have to worry on that front.

"Dare ga anata o kiru koto ni tsuite nani ka iimashita ka? (Who said anything about cutting you down?)" Lupe announced, whitish blue energy forming around his claws. Slashing at the air, icicles came raining down. Slamming into Cherrymon, gravity did the rest of the work. Pulling the cherry tree digimon to the ground, that was likely to be the last of the digimon that needed to be dealt with.

"Hitotoki no yasuragi ga e raremashitanode, shitsumon shite mo yoroshīdesu ka? (Now that we have a moment of peace, can I ask you a question?)" Yamato inquired and Lupe nodded. Turning his attention to the chosen of friendship, he waited in anticipation of whatever Yamato wished to know.

"Tokeiji kake no piyomon to iu dejimon o agete imashita ne. Kyodaina piyomon ga kikaide mo aru dakena no ka, soretomo mōsukoshi fukuzatsuna no ka? (You mentioned a digimon by the name of Clockwork Biyomon. Are they just a large biyomon that's also a machine or is it a bit more complicated than that?)" Yamato answered and was treated to a chuckle. By no means the response expected here, perhaps there is more to that stupid mechanical bird than meets the eye. Or perhaps not. Hard to say.

"Kanojo wa katsute… Soradattaga, Taichi ga ketsudan shinakereba naranai konran ga atta. Mā, kare wa machigatta sentaku o shi, dētamon wa Sora o `yori yoku' suru tame ni jibun jishin ni sore o torimashita. Sekkaku shikaketa tokei shikake no tori-gata dejimon ni shite, sugu uragira reta dakenanoni. (She was once… Sora, but then there was the mess with Taichi having to decide. Well, he picked wrong and Datamon took it upon himself to make Sora 'better'. Even if all that accomplished was turning her into a clockwork bird digimon and immediately getting double crossed by her.)" Lupe explained and Yamato nodded. While the explanation helped, he still felt lost. There were so many more questions that he wanted answered and so little time to ha-

Yamato's thought was swiftly cut off by the sound of a gunshot going off. Gaze bouncing about in search of where it had come from, his gaze came upon the kitchen. There, Diablomon of all digimon had managed to not only squeeze himself in but also, managed to get their claws on the revolver. Waving it wildly about, all rules for gun safety had gone out the window. Not that Diablomon was even expected to know anything about that subject to begin with.

"Let's Play A Game." Diablomon announced, cracking a smile to confirm that they were in fact serious about all of this.

" Watashitachiha nanika no mattadanaka ni imashita, diaburomon. Matte moraemasu ka, soretomo mada purei shinaide kudasai.(We were right in the middle of something, Diablomon. Could you maybe wait or better yet, not have us play at all?)" Yamato announced and got a glare from Diablomon. That was very much not the response that the mega digimon wanted to see here.

"You will play and you will like it." Diablomon announced as they split their gaze between Lupe and Yamato. Gun swinging back and forth between the pair, his finger somehow remained out of the trigger. The one and only saving grace they had right now. If you could even call it that.

"Wakatta. So no baai, gēmu no rūru wa nanidesu ka? (Okay. What are the rules of the game then?)" Lupe inquired and got a chuckle from Diablomon. Shooting them a look, that brought a swift end to that mocking.

"You spin cylinder, close eyes and pull trigger. If gun not fire, you pass gun on. If gun fires, you lose." Diablomon announced and Yamato froze. There was no way that was what Diablomon wished to play here… right? It flew in the face of all reason. Yet, his ears had very much not deceived him. Diablomon wished to play russian roulette of all things. Were they out of their mind? They were at a disadvantage here. He would very much die if the gun would go off. Would the same happen with Lupe or Diablomon? Yamato wasn't certain. Nor did he want to know. Yet, he had a feeling that the answer to that question was going to come up. "Let start with Yamato!"

Handing the gun over to Yamato, the chosen of friendship accepted the gift. Staring down at the firearm, he took care too get a good grip. Pointing it at Diablomon, he pulled the trigger. Watching the gun fire, the bullet slammed into Diablomon's head. Stumbling back, his body began to flicker.

"No fair! You cheat!" Diablomon announced and attempted to swipe the gun back. But all that accomplished was a punch from Lupe.

"Ano toki, anata wa kare ni jū o watasubekide wa nakatta. (You shouldn't have handed him a gun then.)" Lupe answered, Yamato handing the gun over to him. Shoving it into his pocket, the pair watched Diablomon turn into digital data. Afterwards, their gazes met. "Anata no kangae ni makasemasu. Jun ni attara, watashi ga kanojo ni chūmoku shite iru to tsutaete kudasai.

(I'll leave you to your thoughts. If you see Jun, tell her I have my eye on her.)"

Yamato nodded, watching Lupe exit his apartment. Afterwards, he pulled out his phone. Punching in the number, he got ready to call Taichi. Perhaps he would kn-

Yamato didn't get the chance to finish that thought, a gunshot echoing forth. Heading for the door, he found it open. Poking his head out, there was no sign of Lupe or the gun. Nor was there blood or any sign of a casing.

"Wakatta? (Okay?)" he muttered and brought the phone back up. Pressing 'call', he waited for Taichi to answer…

.

Over 9700 kilometers (6000 miles) away, a palmon took the time to look into the mirror. When was the last time she had worn anything? It had to have been before she was infected. Not that her current human needed to know that fact.

At the moment, Mimi had chosen to give her a pink a-line dress. She much rather have something far more fancy, but beggars couldn't be choosers here.

"Palmon, quelque chose ne va pas ? (Palmon, is something wrong?)" Miami called out and Palmon shook her head. Pulling her gaze away from the mirror. Thoughts of taking advantage of her situation filled her mind as she returned to her partner…

Harlequin's Note:

The man that Yamato is shaking in the picture is Takao Dai, first Japanese Astronaut to spacewalk. At the time that Tales of the Returned takes place, he was working at the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs in Vienna. Which was where the picture was taken.