I don't own digimon.

Story 76

Germinacide Pt 5: Decapitation

Sora Takenouchi liked to believe that she was done with this whole 'chosen child' mess. Much in the way she gave up soccer and then tennis, that's totally how it works. If that actually were the case, my mother would be a vegetable. Okay, a plant-based humanoid but with the personality one expects out of say… beets. Bubbly and sweet, but not much in the way of personality or really motives. Yes, moving on is great and all. But do you really leave that part of you behind? Can a pok- digimon really just go away, even if you tell them that you'll be there for them? I highly doubt it. Which was exactly the reality that the chosen of love found herself in. The sound of clockwork gears moving and bird tweeting echoed through from under the miniscule door crack. Jolting the chosen of love awake, she rubbed a hand in front of her face. Nothing in the way of blood, she reached out to the lamp. Turning it on, she stood up. So much for a peaceful night's sleep.

"U ̄ n... (Ugh…)" Sora muttered as she got up from her bed. Staring down at her current attire, her nightgown was suitable enough for whatever it was that needed to be dealt with tonight. Nonetheless, that didn't stop Sora from grabbing her best pair of snippers. If it did turn out to be some kind of assailant, these could come in hand to beat them up. If they didn't accidentally break first and/or be taken away from her. But what were the odds of that happening? Quite high, actually. I sincerely hope that you have something else on hand to take on whatever wants a pound of your flesh. "Okāsan, nani ka atta no? (Mom, is something wrong?)"

Ms Takenouchi doesn't answer. If anything, the sounds coming from the hallway were now even louder. If that was even possible here. Letting out a sigh, Sora gingerly pushed the door open. Staring out, she could feel the vomit exit her mouth. Her mother laid slumped over, lacking anything in the way of a head. A pool of blood came down, her vomit meeting it.

"Nande? (Why?)" Sora whispered, the sound of chuckling echoing about the hallway. Looking around for the source, her eyes eventually found their way to a taller than normal Biyomon. Nothing in the way of a shackle around their foot, what she could only assume to be the blood of her mother proudly covering their pink feathers.

"Yakunitatanai kurōn, anata ni au no o dore dake matta ka shitte imasu ka? (Useless clone, do you know how long I've waited to meet you?)" the piyomon greeted and Sora froze. Instead of sounding like her digimon partner, the voice that came out sounded like an older, frustrated version of her. What could have possibly happened to create this beast.

"Ē to… koko ni wa sanshō-waku ga arimasen. (Uh… I don't have a frame of reference here.)" Sora announced, the sound of bone being shattered by metal echoing about. "Mata, kurōn to wa dōiu imidesu ka? Taichi no sentaku wa tadashikatta ni chigainai ―― (Also, what do you mean clone? I'm fairly certain that Taichi made the right cho-)"

Sora's statement was cut off by shards of bone being thrown her way. Getting off to the side, she took the time to compose herself. It was clear that this Piyomon thought that Taichi had somehow chosen wrong. But they had no way of proving that. Nanomon had made it very easy to figure that out. Unless… No. It couldn't be. Between Victoria, the existence of Kuro Neko and now this, there was no denying it.

Sora Takenouchi was a clone. Not in the case of Taichi leaving the original behind, but instead being forced to choose between two copies of a copy. It didn't matter which one he had chosen, an entirely different Taichi had made a choice so long ago that changed the course of history. Did he know the chain of events that would occur? Most likely not. And yet, that didn't change the fact that she was still Sora Takenouchi. Clone or not, she made her own choices. Not that strange piyomon likely saw it as such.

"Ima wakarimasu ka? (Do you get it now?)" the piyomon announced as Sora stood up. Heading for the piyomon, she was met with yet more bone shards. Thankfully, her opponent ran out midstream and shifted to high speed wind. Slightly harder to get away from, but with less risk of getting damaged by a family member's bone shards.

"Kon'na ko to arienai! (This can't be happening!)" Sora thought and scurried back into her room. Closing the door behind her, the chosen of love did a double take. Her eyes obviously had to be messing with her here. On her bed sat a young girl. Couldn't be any older than she was upon first meeting Piyomon. Dressed in what looked to be a patchwork tunic, patches of pink feathers litter the parts of her body that are visible. The start of a beak hangs around the nose, making the strange cross between human and piyomon eyes all the odder.

"Yā. Namae wa arimasu ka? (Hi there. Do you have a name?)" Sora cooed and watched the girl raise her arms up. Attempting to lift up into the air, Sora could make out more feathers. Hanging from her arms, it almost looked as if she had been experimented on. A set of metal claws looks to have been tossed off to the side, but Sora chose to leave those alone.

"Sukai. (Skye.)" the girl chirped, not even managing to get off of the bed. Instead, her gaze watched as Sora took a seat on the bed. "Watashi wa… watashi wa… mama ga hoshī dakedesu. Anata no o karite mo īdesu ka? (I… I… just want my mommy. Could I perhaps borrow yours?)"

Silence fell over Sora's bedroom, the chosen of love debating how exactly to go about actually telling her. At her age, the only thing that was to come was Wizarmon. Yet, she had a feeling that paled in comparison to whatever it was that Skye went through.

"Sukai, mama ga inaku natta. Watashi ga kawarini anata no mama-yaku o yatte mo īdesu ka? (Skye, my mommy is gone. Can I act as your mommy instead?)" Sora suggested, tears beginning to fall down Skye's face. Sora took care to wipe them away. A shame she didn't have any tissues to give her companion. Pulling Skye in for a hug, she accepted the gesture. Giving a hug back, it did some work to calm both of them down. "Ōkē, sukai, dō yatte koko ni tadoritsuita ka shitteru? (Okay Skye, do you know how you ended up here?)"

Skye stared down at the bed, then it's back over to Sora.

"Shiranai. Chotto, piramiddo. Tsugini kono heya. (I don't know. One moment, pyramid. Next, this room.)" Skye answered as she ended her embrace with Sora. Looking over to the door, what looked to be cracks had begun to form in the wood. Was this piyomon really trying to break through for the sake of taking her place? Why else would they go through all this trouble of breaking through? "Hiretsuna tori ni taisho sa sete kudasai. (Let me deal with the mean bird.)"

Sora raised an eyebrow. Grabbing her snippers once more, that was Skye's cue to grab the claws. Slipping over her fingers, they reminded Sora of Piyomon's claws. Not that she could put her finger on what it was exactly that did it for her. Probably the sharp tips. Shoving that thought out of her mind, the piyomon managed to break through. Split between her and Skye, the strange bird digimon decided to go for the former first. Attempting to bite down, Sora responded with a kick to the stomach and smashing the snippers into her opponent's neck. Knocking the piyomon back, that provided more than enough space for Skye to get in a couple slashes. By no means enough damage to defeat the piyomon, it did scratch away specks of pink onto the floor.

"Bitchi! Son'na toki, watashi no hane o nuri naosunoni dore dake no jikan ga kakaru ka shitteru? (You bitch! Do you know how fucking long it takes to repaint my feathers when that happens?)" the piyomon announced, puffing their chest feathers out for good measure. All that reasonably accomplished was getting kicked by Sora again. Knocking her back into the hallway, that gave Sora and Skye just a moment to catch their breath.

"E ̄ to… ikebana kurai ka na? (Uh… about as long as it takes for me to do a flower arrangement?)" Sora suggested and got the piyomon equivalent of a middle finger. Quite impressive considering the lack of articulation piyomon has in their talons to begin with.

"Kono apāto ni aru kuso mitaina hana o zenbu mitsukete taberu no yō ni sono koto ni tsuite? ! (I'm going to find every fucking flower in this apartment and eat it. How about that?!)" the piyomon announced and ran in the direction of where the flower arrangement supplies were. For now, Sora and Skye followed right behind.

"Sore de… nanika shumi wa arimasu ka? (So… Do you have any hobbies?)" Sora inquired and got a shrug from Skye here. In retrospect, that should've been obvious. Skye didn't seem like the sort that had much in the way of time or free will to actually do stuff that wasn't surviving and/or gathering food. "Anata no bājon no Taichi-tachi wa ikite imasu ka? (Are your versions of Taichi and the others still alive?)"

Skye came to a stop. Shaking her head, oily tears fall down. Sora did her best to wipe them away, but it was no use. Slipping right through her fingers, they land comfortably on the ground. Then it's right back to looking at Sora here.

"Karera wa nanomon no tasuke o karite etemon ni yotte korosa remashita. (They were killed by Etemon with Nanomon's help.)" Skye explained as she reached for Sora's hand. Grabbing hold, a squeeze followed. Sora looked away, trying her best to recount memories of that day. But all that came through was a mix of pain and anguish, the realizations of tonight making all the more worse.

"Mōshiwake arimasen. (I'm sorry to hear that.)" Sora answered and turned her attention ahead. There, the piyomon had gotten to work destroying all the flowers. Throwing about plastic containers and vases against the wall, they weren't quite successful on that front. If anything, this was more than enough to let their opponents approach. Though, that didn't explain why Vamdemon was staring through the currently open front door.

"Ano… ano kyodaina kyūtai no aru tatemono ni an'nai shite kuremasen ka? (Uh.. would you mind directing me towards that building with the giant sphere?)" Vamdemon announced, doing his best to look in Sora's direction. Watching as she picked up a vase, the chosen of love threw it at him. Beaning him in the head, that was enough to throw his balance off and knock him down. All it took to kill him.

Turning back to their opponent, Sora squeezed Skye's hand one more time.

"O ̄. Anata wa kare o koroshita. Yokatta to omoimasu. (Oh. You killed him. Good for you, I guess.)" the piyomon announced, Sora taking the time to clear her throat.

"Watashi ga anata ni totte kawatta koto ni anata ga okotte iru no wa wakarimasu. Anata wa sono ten o hikakuteki meikaku ni shimashita. Koko de anata o tasukeru tame ni watashinidekirukoto wa arimasu ka? (I get that you're mad that I replaced you. You've made that point relatively clear. Is there anything that I can do to help you here?)" Sora announced and got a vase thrown her way. Ducking in time, the vase managed to shatter into a million pieces. Turning back to the piyomon, she got a glare to boot.

"Mazu, tokeiji kake no piyomon to wa yobanaide kudasai. Kawari ni, Takenouchi sora to yonde kudasai. Betsu no hi ni anata o nanto yobu ka o kangaemasu. (For starters, you will no longer call me Clockwork Piyomon. Instead, you'll call me Sora Takenouchi. We'll figure out what to call you another day.)" Clockwork Piyomon announced, her gaze shifting to Skye. Stepping forward, the clockwork bird digimon got ready to charge up some kind of attack. In turn, Skye charged forward. Pulling her arms back, what follows is a series of strikes. Enough to tear into her metal and reveal the internals, Sora could just make out the flesh underneath. Ragged and dead, it somehow didn't decompose. Likely the result of whatever had happened to their body. Likely the result of Nanomon, that didn't change how fucked up it was. What could even possess him to do that? It didn't even make sense. All the more reason to figure this out.

"Ē to, watashi wa jibun no namae ga sukidesu. Īe. (Well, I like my name. So no.)" Sora countered and watched Clockwork Piyomon stomp up and down. Skye scurried back, shooting Sora a look in the process. Giving her a shrug back, their attention returned to Clockwork Piyomon.

"Sentaku no yochi wa arimasen, meinu. Moshi sōnara, osoraku sakkā o shi ni ittadeshou. (You don't get a choice, bitch. If you did, you would've probably gone to play soccer.)" Clockwork Piyomon announced and Sora nodded. Yeah. Playing soccer was the first thing that came to mind. Tennis maybe. At the same time, Sora also needed to help support her mother. She couldn't work forever, after all. Eventually, she would need to support her and in turn - inherit the school. Ironically, her death meant it technically ended with her. Unless there were other students. While Sora wouldn't put it past her, that didn't change the fact that it would likely end up being her 'project' at some point or another.

"Hai, shikashi jinsei wa sono ten de kōheide wa arimasen. (Yes, but life isn't fair in that regard.)" Sora countered, only to be treated to a small table being thrown her way. By no means the first thing to come to mind on things that needed to be thrown, it was certainly one way to show that this was the wrong answer here. Not that she could say with certainty what the right answer was here.

"Un. Jinsei wa kōheide wa arimasen. (Yeah. Life not fair.)" Skye announced as she put her full attention into looking at Clockwork Piyomon. Getting a glare back, she raised her claws up for the clockwork bird digimon to see. Even in the little light offered to them right now, the threat was clear.

"Ē to… raifu no manējā ni, watashiniha kore ga nanimonaikoto o tsutaete kudasai! (Well… tell life's manager that I'm having none of this!)" Clockwork Piyomon announced, looking around for something to throw here. Finding nothing but flowers, she settled for that here. Throwing them as hard as possible, they don't quite get the same reaction as, say, throwing a table or bin. Especially when said projectiles land harmlessly on the floor. "Torunitaranai kurōn ga, watashi ni ataisuru jinsei no jama ni naru koto wa yurushimasen! (I will not let one insignificant clone get in the way of the life that I deserve!)"

Sora raised an eyebrow. The chosen of love didn't know where to begin with a statement like that. Could Clockwork Piyomon even hear the words that she was spewing out? It almost seemed like she couldn't. Which made it that much harder to get across her own feelings in the hopes of empathizing with the clockwork bird digimon. Instead, she was disgusted by this version of her's behavi-

Sora didn't get a chance to finish that thought, watching in horror as the regular-sized Clockwork Biyomon's body began to shift and twist about. At times, the body of the deceased Sora Takenouchi were on full display, letting gawk and laugh at what remains of the former chosen of light. At least until you realize you're staring at someone's attempt at a humanoid piyomon. While resembling a Piyomon, you were far better off sexualizing something like Garudamon rather than everyone's favorite pink bird. Meeting Sora's gaze far too easy, the clacking of the metal beak was not helping matters in the slightest.

"Hora, anata no karada o sukinsūtsu to shite tsukaitai to omoimasu. (You know, I think I want to use your body as a skinsuit.)" Clockwork Piyomon announced, pumping their chest one more time for good measure. At least she doesn't have boobs in this design. Whether or not that makes it worse, it's a subjective opinion. Much like everything that's been created so far. Art is art… when it actually feels like it has intent behind it. You can tell a computer to make you some art, but does it know why it's going about the process? Can it give a reason for each stroke, for each shape? Just because it can take an input and give out an output, doesn't mean that it understands the meaning of its creation. Sorry. Needed to get that out of my head.

"Hada o mamoritai to omoimasu, arigatōgozaimashita. (I would like to keep my skin, thank you very much.)" Sora answered as Clockwork Piyomon charged her way. Stepping off to the side, her opponent sadly came to a stop a couple steps behind her. Spinning around, what looked to be a roundhouse kick followed.

Hitting Sora with relative ease, the chosen of love was sent into the nearby wall. Creating a massive hole, she stood back up and dusted herself off. A far cry from being crushed by Machinedramon, but it didn't really hurt. Whether the result of her finding out she was a clone or some other possibility, that meant nothing to Sora right now. No, her focus was on dealing with Clockwork Piyomon. But how exactly to go about that? She didn't seem like the sort that was just going to give up her goal because something silly like 'logic' had been thrown into the mix. No, she seemed far more keen to throw it back and force herself to fit.

"Watashi mo. (Me too.)" Skye added as she jumped onto Clockwork Piyomon's back. Punching her claws into her opponent's body, the hybrid did her best to cause damage to Clockwork Piyomon's shell. While she did accomplish some of that, it wasn't enough to keep the clockwork bird digimon from throwing her off as well. Even as the sound of heavy machinery echoed about. "Sora, are wa nani? (Sora, what is that?)"

Sora let out a sigh. While she had a pretty good idea what this was, it didn't change the fact that it was likely coming for its pound of flesh. Hopefully this would be a small and not the massive one. That one was an absolute dick and a half.

"Mugendoramon, kuso yarō, ore wa nanika o shite iru saichūdatta! (Mugendramon you dumb fuck, I was in the middle of something!)" Clockwork Piyomon announced, staring in the direction of the door. Lasting a couple seconds, it's back to her opponents. Taking a moment to clean her beak, what looked to be hair came out. Likely that of Sora's mother, it didn't help matters.

"Semete haha no nokori no atama o hakidashite kuremasen ka? (Could you at least vomit out the rest of my mother's head?)" Sora inquired and Clockwork Piyomon shook her head. Ignoring the alarm bells ringing about in her head here, she kept her focus on the clockwork bird digimon.

"O ̄. Sorede ima, anata wa kanojo no nokori ga hoshīdesu ka? Kanojo o chirarito mita toki, haita to omotta? Ki o torinaoshite, feikā! (Oh. So now you want what remains of her? I thought you threw up when you caught a glimpse of her? Make up your damn mind, faker!)" Clockwork Piyomon announced, playing with the hair for a couple moments. By no means impressive, it was quite clear what her tactics were. Perhaps too clear. Was this some kind of trap? Was Clockwork Piyomon about to make a move in the hopes of killing one or both of them? Or did she have something else entirely planned.

"Kanojo o hōmuritai. Kanojo no tomodachi ga keiiwoharau koto ga dekiru yō ni, watashi wa kanojo no kanzen'na karada o motte iru koto o nozomimasu. (I want to bury her. I would prefer to have her complete body so that her friends can pay their respects.)" Sora explained, only to get laughter from Clockwork Piyomon. Because of course she did.

"Hontōni? Ano babā no koto son'nani ki ni suru no? Kanojo koso ga, anata no mirai ga anata kara ubawa reta riyūdesu! Dōshite mienai no? (Really? You care that much about that old hag? She is the very reason that your future was stolen from you! How can you just not see it?!)" Clockwork Piyomon screeched, getting right up in Sora's face. More than ready to spit whatever else of Ms Takenouchi's head she swallowed up here, yet the chosen of love held her ground.

"Kono mirai ga sukina no kamo shiremasen. (Perhaps I just like this future.)" Sora answered, Clockwork Piyomon attempting to push her away. All that accomplished was her opponent stepping out of the way and letting Skye get in yet another beating here. Launching Clockwork Piyomon up into the ceiling, it wasn't particularly hard for her to get down. Explaining to the person managing the apartment building why there was a bird-head shaped hole in the ceiling was going to be a challenge. One that would have to be solved after this mess had blown over. "Yaritai koto, mitai koto ga madamada takusan arimasu. Anata no rieki no tame dake ni watashi no aidentiti o nusumu koto wa arimasen.

(There are still so many things that I want to do and see. None of which involve you stealing my identity for your benefit alone.)"

Clockwork Piyomon froze, the sound of Mugendramon trying their best to keep themselves entertained echoed into the apartment. While no matter right now, it would definitely need to be dealt with in some fashion.

"Jibun de fakku shite kudasai. (Go fuck yourself.)" Skye added, her remark getting a look from Sora. Ignoring it for now, she got back to slashing her opponent's body. While getting quite close to Clockwork Piyomon's flesh, it still was not enough to get through. If anything, she had just made the clockwork bird digimon that much stronger.

"Sō sō. Watashi wa hontōni watashi no o shiri ni bō o ireru no ga daisukidesu. Īe. (Oh yes. I truly love to get a rod up my ass. Not.)" Clockwork Piyomon announced and headbutted Skye. Knocking the hybrid back, she just managed to get a low sweep in. A perfect opportunity for Sora to smash her snippers into Clockwork Piyomon's head. By no means a devastating attack, Clockwork Piyomon had to see how futile this was… right? She had to have an escape strategy should things go badly. Dying here of all places would suck. "Kimi wa dōdeshou? Anata wa romanchikkuna jesuchā no joō ni chigai arimasen. Kareshi wa dōdesu ka? Anata o aishitekureru hito ga iru hazudesu. (How about you? You must be the queen of romantic gestures. How's the boyfriend? You have to have someone who loves you.)" Clockwork Piyomon announced and Sora's cheeks went red. Giving a nod, the chosen of love took a moment to compose herself. While her opponent was right on the money, that didn't change the fact that asking a question like that was just rude. Yet, she would answer anyway.

"Hai. Watashiniha kareshi ga imasu. Sore wa dōdesu ka? Anata no mono wa dō iu wake ka yoidesu ka? (Yes. I do have a boyfriend. What about it? Yours is somehow better?)" Sora suggested and stared right at Clockwork Piyomon. Looking between her and Skye at the moment, words sputter out of her beak. Nothing coherent in the slightest, which makes this all the more hilarious. To me, at least.

"Mochiron kareshi no kata ga īdesu! Nantekotta! Watashi ga ningen ni natta toki, kare wa watashi o motto aishitekurerudeshou. Dakara anata no karada o watashi ni kudasai! (Of course my boyfriend is better! Heck! He'll love me even more when I'm human. So give me your body!)" Clockwork Piyomon shouted, her words falling on deaf ears here. Even more so as Sora and Skye's gaze came upon her once more.

"Kareshi? (Boyfriend?)" Skye announced, Sora trying her hardest to not chuckle here. Of all the things to happen tonight, having to explain what a boyfriend is was not one of them. Would Skye even get her explanation? The chosen of love could only hope.

"Ren'ai kanjō o daku dansei. (A man that you have romantic feelings for.)" Sora explained and Skye nodded. Looking back to Clockwork Piyomon, they got a shrug from the clockwork bird digimon. For once, she had nothing to add.

"Mochiron Taidesu. Naze watashi wa matto to nanika kankei o mochitai nodesu ka? (Obviously it's Tai. Why the hell would I want anything to do with Matt of all people?)" Clockwork Piyomon announced, puffing their chest feathers out and clicking their beak about. The perfect opportunity to shove something in there. More specifically, as many flowers that the chosen of love could get her hands on.

"Sukoshi tachidomatte baranokaori o kagubekida to omoimasu. (I think you should take some time to stop and smell the roses.)" Sora announced and pulled her knee back. Kicking up as high as she could manage, that was more than enough to knock Clockwork Piyomon over in spectacular fashion.

Not satisfied with that, Sora picked her alternate self up. Throwing Clockwork Piyomon over her shoulder, the walk that follows is long and boring.

"Nē… watashi wa sono koto ni tsuite jōdan o itte imashita. (Hey… I was just kidding about that stuff.)" Clockwork Piyomon announced, ignoring the flowers in her beak right now. Sadly, her words fell on deaf ears. You reap what you sow, bitch. Why you even thought that would work in your favor is beyond me. Though, I also never liked you. Even when you were supposedly on our side near the end of the mess with the Order. Something about you made me think twice.

"Sorekara haha no atama no nokori o hakidashimasu. (Then puke out what remains of my mother's head.)" Sora answered, her voice taking on a strict yet motherly tone. Of course, Clockwork Piyomon did not obey. Which meant going to the natural conclusion of this piggyback ride - right to Sora's room. Heading for the window, I think one can see where this is going. "Ja, hai. Watashi wa anata o bassuru hitsuyō ga nai koto o nozonde imashitaga, anata wa watashi no te o kyōyō shimashita. (Fine then. I was hoping that I wouldn't need to punish you, but you forced my hand.)"

Opening the window up, Sora shoved Clockwork Piyomon's head through. Once she was satisfied with the results, she slammed the window down with all her might. A clean cut through the clockwork bird digimon's neck. Note to self. Don't get on her bad side.

Pulling the window back up, Clockwork Piyomon's head falls onto the floor. As for her body, that decided to fall to the ground. The head was not that far behind, even if the facial features looked to be still functioning.

"Fu ~u. (Phew.)" Sora thought, quite proud of that act. Making quick time through the hallway once more, she took the time to calm herself. She had just murdered an alternate version of herself. She should feel disgusted in herself. Yet, the only thing the chosen of love felt was fear. Mugendramon was still outside of the apartment, more than ready to throw down against her. Perhaps Skye had an idea of what she could do. If not, perhaps telling him off would be a valid strategy. The worst he could do was smash her into a building. She could probably take it.

"Mugendoramon ni taisho suru junbi wa dekimashita ka? (Ready to deal with Mugendramon?)" Sora inquired and got a nod from Skye. Staring at the chosen of love, she can tell what has transpired. With it, a question in Sora's mind. One not asked lightly. "Have you killed people before?"

Skye nodded.

"Hajimete wa saiakudeshita. Ano hito o saisho kara korosu tsumori wa nakatta. (The first time was the worst. I hadn't even meant to kill that person initially.)" Skye explained as they headed over to the front door. Right over the balcony, Mugendramon awaited. Doing his best to keep himself ready for the fight ahead, he looked… bored. This was no doubt not what he was expecting to find himself doing here.

"Matte. Anata wa watashi ga chokumen shite iru hitobitodesu ka? (Wait. You're the people I'm facing off with?)" Mugendramon announced, leaning forward in order to get a better look at what he was dealing with here. Returning to a neutral idle position right after, he tried his best to hold in his laughter.

While the cyborg digimon did that, Sora's gaze returned to Skye. Waiting to see if she had anything else to add here. When the chosen of love got silence instead, her attention returned to Mugendramon.

"Hai. Kon'ya wa dejimon o 2-tai taoshita. Sanbun'noichi to wa? (Yes. I've already killed two digimon tonight. What's a third?)" Sora boasted, puffing her chest in a similar fashion to that of her clockwork counterpart. While technically not true, I'm willing to give Sora the benefit of the doubt here. She has absolutely earned it tonight.

"Matte. Tokeiji kake no piyomon o koroshita? (Wait. You killed Clockwork Piyomon?)" Mugendramon announced, the laughter immediately stopping upon saying that. Staring at Sora, what sounded like a couple swears followed. "Ē to… jikan o mitekudasai! A ̄ … hoka ni yaru koto ga aru. S - (Uh… look at the time! I have uh… other things to do. S-)"

Mugendramon didn't get a chance to finish that sentence, Sora taking the opportunity to throw Skye right at him. By no means a conventional way at dealing with a problem like this, it could be effective. On the bright side, it is hilarious watching Mugendramon of all digimon attempting to swat what is the human equivalent of a flymon. Or would it be a stingmon in this analogy?

The point is, Mugendramon managed the impressive feat of hitting himself while trying to attack someone far smaller than him. In turn, the tubes on his back supporting his body were slit. Partially by way of his own stupidity, but partially by way of Skye tearing right through him with her claws. Far sharper than they appear, she moved onto scratching into Mugendramon's armor. While thick, it didn't go all the way through the cyborg digimon's body. Made it all the easier to get to the fleshy parts and do massive damage. At the same time, it was just as easy for Mugendramon to land blow after blow on Skye. A battle of attrition, one likely to be won by the former than the latter. Not that this stops Sora from heading to the stairs and taking them down two at a time. If nothing else, she had to get down here to ensure Skye had some form of moral support. If there was a Skye to give moral support too.

"Genkide ite kudasai, sukai. (Please be alright, Skye.)" Sora whispered as she reached the bottom. Stepping out, it takes everything in her power to keep her gaze there. Mugendramon had been reduced to digital bits, leaving just Skye standing amid it all.

"Haiburiddo. (Hybrid.)" Skye muttered as she got one more scratch in for good measure. That was what it took to end this. Then it's back over to Sora. Waiting for the chosen of love to reach her, a hug followed. "Kōun o. Gomen'nasai. (Good luck. I'm sorry.)"

Sora shook her head.

"Watashitachi no dochira ni mo sekinin wa arimasen. Watashitachiha sentaku o shitanode, ima wa tansho o ukeirenakereba narimasen - (Neither of us are to blame for this. We've made our choices and now have to live with the cons-)" Sora answered, cut off by Skye suddenly fading out of existence. In her place was Piyomon. A very confused Piyomon. Right in the middle of grooming herself, no less. Taking a couple seconds to realize where she was, what looks to be a smile forms on her face. A far cry from the generally sorrowful atmosphere the human world has taken on here.

"Ē to... Kon'nichiwa, Sora? (Uh… hi, Sora?)" Piyomon greeted and watched her partner crumple to the ground. Tears fell down her face, the realization of the horrible act of cruelty she had just committed on another version of herself. "Dō shita no? (What happened?)"

Sora stared up at her partner. Where to even begin with a story like this? Thankfully, she didn't need to make that choice for now. Hikari and company were running up to her. Yes. It would be far better to do that. There kind of was no going back from this.

.

Meiko Mochizuki knew she was in over her head. That just went without saying these days. Leave it to her to get away from all her escorts and end up in a part of the lab that was best to be checked while it wasn't infested with digital monsters.

"Watashi kara hanarete kudasai… (Please get away from me…)" Meiko screeched as she ducked into a corner. Slumping down, she allowed herself time to catch her breath. The chosen would be alrigh-

"Kon'nichiwa, madamu. Watashitachi wa izen ni atta koto ga nai to omoimasu. Soredemo, anata ni tsuite no nanika ga shitashimi o kanjimasu. Watashi wa sore ni ha o oku koto ga dekimasen. Watashi no aisuru gorugonmon wa dōdesu ka?Kon'nichiwa, madamu. Watashitachi wa izen ni atta koto ga nai to omoimasu. Soredemo, anata ni tsuite no nanika ga shitashimi o kanjimasu. Watashi wa sore ni ha o oku koto ga dekimasen. Watashi no aisuru Nagato wa dōdesu ka? (Hello there, madam. I don't think we've met before. Yet, something about you feels familiar. I can't put a leaf on it. How about you my beloved Nagamon?)" a voice called out, Meiko haphazardly pointing her flashlight in their direction. Before her was a massive green humanoid. A lavender flower petal 'gown' of sorts grew out of her body, making the yellow and cyan snake wrapped around her all the more interesting. Focused on Meiko, a sense of kinship hung over the chosen. "Arufa no furawātakeshi tomōshimasu. O ai dekite kōeidesu. (My name is Flower Takeshi, a member of Alpha. It's nice to meet you.)"

Harlequin's Notes:

Ugh. Happy Hollidays or something.