I don't own digimon.

The following chapter contains swearing, on top of a touch of ableism (discrimination of those with disabilities).

Story 3

For her own good

Layla didn't understand what was going on. It hadn't been her intention to head to her parent's home. Especially after getting an apartment. No, she was going to run a couple errands. Errands that didn't take her anywhere close to this forsaken place. But by some strange force, she was back here. Fuck. How long had it been? Sometime after high school, probably right after all those people fell into comas. It seemed like yesterday when that occurred. The fact that she could so vividly remember it was less of a blessing and more a neurological curse. She wasn't anywhere close to that crazy woman or anyone afflicted with her twisted sickness. No, Layla had gone about her day like nothing had happened. There was no strange feeling, no second guessing of a kissing part to herself that could be filled by the presence of a digital partn-

Layla didn't get to finish that thought, an ovaloid object slamming into her forehead. Reaching down, her hand met a charred digivice.

"Okay…" she thought and brought the device up to her head, a million different thoughts running through her head. Why would someone go through the trouble of trying to destroy it? These things were damn near indestructible. You could probably drop it off the Empire State Building and it wouldn't break. Probably look even newer than when you got it initially. The nature of these things. Like how some people just get out ahead even though their abilities are so woefully unprepared for the tasks assigned. She worked her ass off every damn day. But no, she was too 'childish' for a manager position. Whatever the fuck that meant. Just one more reason to deny her advancement. Screw SSI, screw DVR and all the other similarly-named agencies that seemed to only shackle her from actually getting work beyond the measly twenty hours they allowed. Twenty hours was for those incapable of strenuous work. She was more than capable and ready. Crap. She had gotten on a tangent in her own hand and gone completely off track. Didn't matter. She was going to get to the bottom of th-

"We're doing this for her own good."

Vertigo set in, gravity doing the rest of her work. God, why did it have to happen now? She had been doing so good too. Staying out of trouble, working on her college assignments…

.

When Layla's eyes opened up once more, she found herself not laying on the pavement in her childhood neighborhood. Instead, the college student found herself sitting on a chair in an unfamiliar room. The walls were covered in strange symbols and red marks, with little in the way of anything to really tell where one wall began and another began - not counting the doorframe. As for the floor, that was a shapeless void with darkness swirling about.

That didn't explain the lack of any rope or tape to bind her. Why go through all the trouble of pulling her in from the outside. Unless they had some kind of grudge or vendetta against her. When was the last time that had happened? Probably in middle school. It was also the last time she had actually been in a public school. Everything after that was done in private places meant to 'cure' her. Whatever the fuck that meant. Could one really cure Autism in the same way that you could with some infectious diseases? It definitely wasn't the result of vaccines. If it were, those scientists would've probably changed the method of which they were created and how they were given. Or at least, give alternate ways for people to be immunized. That was common sense. Something that felt like a rarity these days. Not hard to really gain too. Even in the face of all the idiots swirling about this country. But that was the least of her worries at the moment. No, she needed to get to the bottom of where she was and why she had been dragged there in the first place. Only an idiot wo-

Screams brought an end to that thought, forcing the college student up on her feet and towards the door frame. Poking her head out, she took the time to look for the source of the scream. But try as she might, the person or perhaps digimon eluded her. How rude of them. At least give a sign that there definitely was someone there.

"Do you know how long I've waited?"

Turning around, Layla found herself facing down a large hulking mass of black something or other. Maybe if it was a bit smaller, it would probably look like a teddy bear. Maybe it was a teddy bear gone wrong. Occasionally, there would be a story around campus about one trying to attack people for not accepting their hugs. Even after being scolded for that behavior by their partner and told to wait in the special digimon lounge. If she was a seven foot tall teddy bear, she would just smash people with her massive arms. Maybe then people would actually pay attention to her. Man, that would be a hoot. Not that Layla would actually do that. The charges alone would be nearly impossible to cover on her shoestring budget because of fucking SSI. Hard enough to get an apartment, let alone a car. At least public transport was manageable. A bit slow, especially when they're never on time.

"Uh.. are you listening? I'm your partner." the back blob announced, screams echoing back from further in the building. Much as those people needed to be rescued, that was the least of her worries. No, she needed to get to the bottom of this supposed digimon partner thing and how she fit into it.

"If you're my digimon partner, then why didn't I know about you?" Layla countered, trying her best to find the face of whoever this digimon might be. If it was a digimon. She had seen cosplays that were at or well exceeded the art of the character. This didn't seem like one of those cases. No, even those cosplays had a way of telling whether or not there was a person under all of that.

Yet, her opponent let out a sigh. Then it's right back to looking at her. Well, that's what it looked like from her angle.

"I was burned alive." the digimon announced and grabbed hold of Layla. "Your moronic parents thought the best solution to me appearing was to douse me in gasoline with the digivice and set it ablaze."

The words roll out. Try as Layla might to scour her head for any memory of such a time, none came to her. It was as if it was eluding her for the fun of it. How awful. If she could just fucking focus for longer than a couple of seconds. God, why did it have to be today of all days?! She was already stressed out enough without everything else in the world going wrong. In between juggling a job, school and a social life, this mess had no fucking place in her life. Why didn't they understand that? Did anyone actually take the time to even try to get to know her? Was there really anyone who would care.

"I'm doing this for your own good." the blob continued, only to get a foot smashed into their body.

"If it was for my own fucking good, then why didn't anyone tell me?!" Layla screeched as she smashed her hands into the digimon. Stumbling back, everything began to swirl about. The walls became the floor, the floors became the walls - vice-versa. Nothing about this made logical sense. At some point things had to reach a breaking point. But when exactly? Or by what exactly?

The answer as it would turn out, came a couple seconds later. Bright light flooded her vision, eyes forced shut. Gravity took hold once more, pulling her towards the floor. But no impact came.

.

"Miss?"

Layla's eyes fluttered open. The strange room and the black blob digimon thing were gone, getting replaced with the sterile walls of what she could only assume to be a hospital. That, or an insane asylum. Possibly both.

"How did I get here?" Layla whispered, the nurse's gaze turning to the door. This was a damn near easy question to answer. At least in her mind. She couldn't have gotten back up after the seizure and walked over to the hospital. That's just silly.

"It would be easier if I let him explain rather than me." the nurse remarked and headed over to the door. Pulling it open, in came the black blob. Well, it was more of a large teddy bear creature thing.

Now, Layla could make out their features - the few patches of yellow skin that hadn't been burned away, the patches on the legs. Heck, she could make out the part of the eye that had been replaced in the past.

"Layla, I'm sorry this took so long for me to meet you." the teddy bear explained as he walked in, bending down to meet his partner. "I know this probably is not the way you expected to meet me, so let's try this again. I'm Monzaemon."

Layla looked up to the oversized teddy bear. Reaching out, her hand met his. Even beyond that weird seizure coma, she was just going to make the most of this. Like that one time...