I don't own digimon.

Story 66

Neko out of the bag

Tailmon wanted to curl up and die. Not only had she been knocked out of her evolved form, that stupid furry woman had grabbed her and taken her to their abode.

"Wa ̄ i! Kiti-san ga kaette kimashita! (Yay! Ms Kitty is back!)" Chouko announced as she ran over to Tailmon. Scooping the feline digimon out, the urge to die increased within. Of course the little hellspawn would find her the moment one of her mothers opened their mouths. "Mama, Kiti-san to asonde mo īdesu ka? (Mommy, can I play with Ms Kitty?)"

Kuro looked over to her daughter and nodded. Handing Tailmon over to the young girl, an attempt was made to break out from the mother's grip. But all that accomplished was Kuro's grip holding strong until she handed over to Chouko.

"Kanojo ni kiwotsukete kudasai. Kiti-san wa hijō ni koware yasuku, chūi ga hitsuyōdesu. (Just be careful with her. Ms Kitty is extremely fragile and needs care given to her.)" she explained and Chouko nodded. Heading for her room, the child didn't get particularly far. Mostly on the part of Tailmon getting in an uppercut and breaking out. Heading in the direction of the door, she was unable to escape Kuro's paws. Scooped up once more, Tailmon really wanted to knock the mascot head off of Kuro's head. Perhaps that would shut the cat mascot up. Pulling her paw back, she gave it a try. Hikari was bound to realize that she was gone and would attempt a rescue operation. At least, Tailmon hoped she would. The last thing the feline digimon needed was being used as a toy for a young girl. They were obviously parenting her wrong. All the more reason to punch that stupid mask right off her face. Which was exactly what Tailmon did next. Connecting with relative ease, the mascot head fell to the ground. Watching it for just a second, Tailmon's gaze shifted to Kuro's actual face. Or at least tried too. For some reason, her eyes simply refused to look at her captor's actual face.

"Kono 1tsu no hōhō de, anata wa chōdo anata no pātonā no yōdesu. (In this one way, you're just like your partner.)" Kuro announced and Tailmon rolled her eyes. Her captor was obviously spouting bullshit at this point in order to keep her tra-

Before Tailmon could finish her thought, the door opened up. From the limited crack available to her, the feline digimon could just make out Hikari. Absolutely pissed, a chair was cradled in her left hand.

"Anata ga anata no pātonā o toraeru to iu watashi no kēsu ni hairu mae ni, anata wa hontōni kanojo no kōdō o kontorōru suru hitsuyō ga arimasu. Bikutoria ni wa, sono yama ni tsuika shinakute mo jūbun'na mondai ga arimasu. (Before you get on my case of taking your partner captive, you really need to get her behavior under control. Victoria has enough problems without you adding to that pile.)" Kuro screeched and looked at Hikari. Watching her eyes dart away, she motioned for the chosen of light to approach. Hikari refused. Instead, she raised the chair up.

"Then just leave then." Hikari announced and watched Kuro approach. Swinging the makeshift weapon into Kuro, the chair bounced right off and landed somewhere off to the side. Now on its side, it was almost the perfect comparison to this clusterfuck

"Riyū wa gozonjideshou, Yagami-san. (You know exactly why, Ms Yagami.)" Kuro countered as she got in front of her target. Staring Hikari down, their eyes met. But instead of sparks, feelings of pain and frustration. "Kekkyokunotokoro, watashi wa betsu no sentaku o shita no wa anata dakedesu. (After all, I'm just you who made a different choice.)"

Silence fell over the hallway. Hikari pulled her eyes away. This couldn't be real. The person in front of her was some weird furry who aired on the side of a creep.

"Uso-tsuki. (Liar.)" Hikari announced and pushed Kuro away. Trying her hardest to get away, that gave her a great view of Gatomon getting grabbed by Chouko. Heading back to her room, the door closed behind the child. Just for added effect, she locked the door as well. Looking back to Kuro, an attempt was made at punching. Didn't even come close and gave Kuro more than enough to respond with a kick back. Knocking Hikari to the ground, the chosen of light stood back up. Cracking her knuckles, she took yet one more try at this. All to get the same result.

"Anata ga shitte iru, watashi wa anata ga anata no pātonā o iji suru yō ni naru riyūda to omoimasuga, karera wa sō shimasendeshita. (You know, I guess that's why you get to keep your partner but they didn't.)" Kuro countered and Kari's face went red with anger.

"Naze watashi no tomodachi wa karera no pātonā o ushinau hitsuyō ga arimashitaga, anata no yōna fakkā wa dejimon o motte iru yō ni warutsu ni ikimasuga, ōkina torihiki wa arimasen ka? ! Kotaete kudasai! (WHY THE FUCK DID MY FRIENDS HAVE TO LOSE THEIR PARTNERS WHILE FUCKERS LIKE YOU GET TO WALTZ AROUND LIKE HAVING A DIGIMON ONCE MORE IS NO BIG DEAL?! ANSWER ME!)" Hikari screeched, vertigo suddenly coming over the chosen. Trying to fight it, she eventually found Kuro holding her.

"Wakaranainode, gārufurendo no yō ni furumau no o yamete, dō iu wake ka sōdesu. (I don't know, so stop acting like my girlfriend and I somehow are.)" Kuro announced and cradled Hikari in her arms. Taking a moment to unlock the door, she passed through with ease. Back inside, the pair headed for the couch. Setting Hikari down within, Kuro took a seat on a nearby chair. Waiting a moment for her captive to stop struggling, the cat mascot let out a sigh. "Soredewa, ohanashi o sa sete itadakimasu. (Now then, I would like to tell you a story.)"

.

The dark ocean wasn't really a place one wanted to themselves at. Especially not one Kari Kamiya. Faved with the stress of situations far beyond her control, the darkness decided to take one more crack at turning her to their side. Kari

"Ugh…" the digidestined announced as she stood up. Leave it to her to end up here. If anything, this kind of felt like a vacation. Not a good vacation, but technically a vacation of sorts. Now, if she could just not run into anyone who might get on her nerves, then she could relax and at least pretend this was somehow somewhere tropical. At least for a moment. Knowing her luck, that would very much happen. Probably in the next couple of seco-

"Sup." a voice announced and Kari spun around. Standing before her was a woman dressed in a violet lolita dress.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Kari screeched and swung her hand forward. Missing Victoria entirely, that got the digidestined a chuckle. Not that Kari could see anything remotely funny about this. Not one bit. If anything, this just made her want to punch her even more.

"Well, I had to rescue your sorry ass after the world kind of died." Victoria answered and silence fell over the digidestined. That couldn't be true. There had to be some other explanation for this here. Yeah. She would just need to bide her ti- Wait. If she was down here, where exactly was Gatomon. Had to be around here. That was just the nature of this world. Unless one of the scubamon had stolen her partner.

"Where's Gatomon then?" Kari screeched and Victoria stared down at the sands. Leave it to that being the first question the digidestined asked. Not that the black cat blamed her for wanting to know that over why she chose this place over the digital world. Even if the answer boiled down too, because that prevented any accidental encounters by way of the next Kari in line.

"Gatomon… didn't make it." Victoria announced and was promptly tackled to the ground. Fighting off her attacker, she tried to keep the less than nice things that she wanted to say here to herself. True as they felt to her, they would do little in actually helping the situation and instead harm it. Even if it did feel like Kari was a touch full of herself here. "As far as I can tell, her data is now inside of you."

The words rang out and Kari froze. Victoria was clearly lying here. Why else would the black cat claim something as ridiculous as that? Gatomon was bound to pop out of nowhere and at least lead her out of this place. Victoria would just need to find her own way as payback for her treachery on top of teleporting her here. Better yet, how exactly was she able to freely come down to this place? Every time it happened to her, it felt random and out of nowhere. What did the black cat know that she somehow didn't? Trying her hardest to shove that thought out of her head, it only made it dig deeper within the digidestined's mind. Why couldn't it just leave her alone like everything else. Kind of like the splotch of gray fur near her elbow. Reaching down to her elbow, Kari gave it a tap. There was no way that was actually there. Her mind had to be playing a nasty trick on her. Probably the result of all the people dying and the stress brought upon her body. Yeah. That had to be it.

"Before you get all defensive on me, I can see the fur as well." Victoria announced and Kari forced her gaze back to the black cat. No longer pinned, she was proudly standing as if nothing had happened in the first place. It was actually kind of annoying to the digidestined. The least Victoria could do was stay down and take her punishment like a woman and not a spoiled brat. But at the same time, she was bound to know more about whatever was going on with her body. At least, the digidestined hoped. "Do you want me to speed it up or would you rather suffer through it?"

Kari stared down at the ground. Why did Victoria have to be so kind to her? She had been nothing but rude to the black cat. While Victoria was by no means a Saint in the slightest, the black cat at least tried to be nice to them. In turn, they had responded less than pleasantly. Now, the shoe was on the other foot.

"Speed it up." Kari muttered and watched a cocoon of violet light form around Victoria's body. Shattering seconds later, LadyDevimon stood in her place. Pulling the digidestined in, she lifted Kari up. Holding her close, care was taken to not scratch and or impale her. Especially with the layer of gray fur beginning to engulf Kari's skin.

"Is that better?" Victoria cooed and felt Kari move about within her grip. By no means comfortable for either person, this was kind of romantic. Not that Kari was bound to feel the same way. Though, getting her lunch would at least smooth over having absolutely nothing.

"Not really, but I'll take it." Kari answered as she felt her hands give way to cat paws. Forcing her claws out, she brought them back in. This all felt so alien to her. Like something that shouldn't be possible in the slightest, but very much was. Raising further questions in her mind, none of those so easily answered here. Especially not while in the middle of transforming into a digimon. Her level had to be around that of Victoria's. What she was lacking right now was experience. Both battle and actually being a digimon. Things Victoria knew a lot about.

"Hmm… you'll need a new name. How does Kuro Neko sound to you?" Victoria explained and 'Kari' stared down at the ground. A far cry from her current name, something about it felt right. Like it was somehow the missing link within all of that.

"I wouldn't mind you calling me that from now on." Kuro announced and felt her body grow a couple inches. Meeting Victoria for the moment, the cat mascot had a feeling that wouldn't last. Once Victoria set her down, she was bound to revert back to her human form. Could she possibly do the same? Kuro doubted it. There was something different about Victoria, but the cat mascot couldn't put her finger on what exactly that might be. Perhaps if Victoria opened up to her, maybe the truth would come out. Yes. That was the mission now. Or something along those lines as her head took on a more feline appearance. Straining her neck to look into the water, Kuro was met with the feline version of her old eyes. "I think you can let me down now."

Victoria nodded and set her companion down. Reverting back to her human form, a sigh followed.

"Could I at least get you a bite to eat before setting you off on your own in the wider world?" Victoria inquired and Kuro's head turned light gray. Nice as it would be to eat something before getting thrusted off into the digital world, where exactly was she going to be taken. There was no food in the Dark Ocean. At least beyond the Scubamon who called this place home. Unless that was what Victoria had in mind. The cat mascot doubted it. Before she could debate the matter further in her head, she felt the black cat grab hold and pull her towards the water. Before she could open her mouth and object, they were already submerged. Staring below, one could just make out a large bubble structure. Within, buildings carved from the rocks beneath the Dark Ocean's waters reside. Chief of which, the massive castle belonging to one Daemon. "Whatever you do, don't go any further than the bubble. After that, it's an endless hole or a portal to parallel dimensions."

Kuro nodded, not completely comprehending what was going on right now. Was this always here or was this just a special case? Much like everything else thrown her way, the answer felt right out of reach. Nor was Victoria taking the time to explain the how or why.

"Do I need to worry about being made queen?" Kuro whispered and Victoria shook her head. While the black cat understood her friend's concerns, that was the least of their worries right now. They needed to get some food and head onto the Digital World. Beyond that, they would just go their separate ways and figure things out from there. Simple. Or at least, simple up until the point in which things went wrong and/or changed. Shoving that thought aside, the pair descended down to the bubble's entrance. Passing through with relative ease, now came the hard part - finding a place to eat. Nothing in the vicinity looked to be labeled with a sign or something similar. A fact that did little to stop Victoria from pulling her companion along in a particular direction. Nearing the edge of the bubble structure rather quickly, they stopped in front of a small shack. A scubamon was currently in the middle of grilling. Looking up from what they were doing, they scooped up a pair of kebabs.

"Eat up. Not much longer until the new world appears." the scubamon explained as Victoria accepted the treat. Handing one over to Kuro, she watched the cat mascot chow down. By no means a proper meal, it would serve nicely to recharge. If she was lucky, perhaps there would be some kind of prey to hunt and/or food to eat.

"New world?" Kuro announced, setting the kebab stick on the counter. The world was just destroyed. What was this about a whole new world? That couldn't be possible, but a lot of things that were impossible were in fact very possible up to that point. What was one more thing at this point?

"Yes. Homeostasis has been picky when it comes to when things go right. Even when the heroes get close, it isn't good enough in their eyes. God forbid the heroes lose and/or come up with a solution that doesn't quite work within the parameters that have been given. Bad enough that we had a girl get pulled in due to their shenanigans and get replaced with Belphemon of all people." the scubamon explained, Kuro's gaze shifting to Victoria. A nod followed. Setting her kebab stick on the counter beside Kuro's. Part of the cat mascot kind of wanted to ask for further information, but she let that thought slip away. Knowing her luck, they would run out of time before Victoria was able to finish her explanation and/or story. Instead, they needed to head back to the surface and head for the digital world. Or whatever world might await them on the other side. "Good luck out there."

Both women nodded. Turning their attention to the edge of the bubble structure, they passed through with ease. Heading up to the surface, Kuro took a moment to look for anything resembling sea life. But all the cat mascot witnessed were Scubamon floating about. Not even a MarineDevimon to break up the monotony of the Dark Ocean's seafloor. But no, that was asking far too much from this nightmare of a place. Perhaps some other day such a wish would be granted and all would be right in the world. Kuro honestly doubted it. That scubamon made it all sound like this was just a normal occurrence for all parties. How many times had she as Kari gone through the same events, only to end up at the same point as before. Had Gatomon been aware of this fact on some subconscious level? Part of the cat mascot wouldn't be surprised here. Not that she could ask what remained of her former partner. Victoria might know, but would she really divulge that information before heading back to the Digital World? Kuro didn't think so. Shoving that thought away as the surface came into view, she felt Victoria reach out to her paw. Grabbing hold, the pair rose out of the water. Walking onto the black sands, time was taken to catch their breath.

"Ready to go?" Victoria whispered and reached into her dress pocket. Out came a Pink D-3. Kuro accepted her digivice back, looking around for anything in the way of a TV. Eventually coming upon one that was suitable for their travels, the pair headed over.

"Digi-port open!" Kuro announced and the pair was pulled through. On the other side, they would part.

.

"Soshite sore ga watashi ga hontōni Bikutoria ni atta hōhōdeshita. (And that was how I truly met Victoria.)" Kuro explained and Hikari rolled her eyes. Catching it with ease, the cat mascot shot her subject a look. Then it's over to the door. That mess with Jun had to be near its end, right? Victoria and MadameLilithmon couldn't be that far behind. "Shitsumon wa? (Any questions?)"

Hikari sat herself up. While the context was nice, that didn't change the fact that she had gotten her assed kicked by an alternate version of herself. Or was this a case of the closest thing to the original version of her kicking the ass of an alternate version because she didn't listen. Could be either, but Hikari let that thought fade.

"Ima, pātonā o torimodoshimasu ka? (Do I get my partner back now?)" Hikari inquired as the apartment door opened. Victoria and MadameLilithmon enter right after. Looking in the chosen of light's direction, a chuckle escaped the black cat's lips.

"Chō ko-san, Yagami-san no neko o tsurete kite kuremasen ka. (Chouko dear, could you bring Ms Yagami's cat over to us?)" Victoria announced, the pitter patter of feet echoing their way. Looking in the direction of Chouko's bedroom, one could make out a bright pink dragoness dressed in a child's princess dress was cradling Tailmon to the best of her abilities. A mix of paint and glitter covered the feline digimon's fur. Doesn't explain the pair of blades at the dragoness's side. Did remind Hikari of Fladramon of all digimon, though.

"Mama, koko ni iru yo! (Here I am, mommy!)" Chouko announced and held Tailmon up. Victoria accepted the gift, handing Hikari her digimon partner right after.

"Ē to... Arigatō. (Uh… thanks.)" Hikari muttered and got up from the couch. Heading for the door, she didn't know how to feel. At least beyond having a crudton of things to think about. Which was good enough for now. Maybe after giving her partner a bath.