Disclaimer: Digimon is the property of Toei, Bandai, Saban and Disney (It might be back with Saban for all I know).

Research; Revelation

by

The Analyzer

Botamon's eyes were wide, taking in the balcony door, the various cabinets, and the bunk bed of Taichi's room.

"So, what do you think?" Taichi asked. "A bit more spacious than the previous room, right?"

Botamon thought it over. He nodded in Hikari's hands.

After having filled in the rest of the Chosen Children on what happened, Taichi negotiated the date and time they would be at Koushirou's house. Taking Mimi into account, the eleven Chosen Children would arrive by 11 a.m. the next day. There was much excitement about meeting one of the Digimon from the Hikarigaoka incident and Taichi's thumbs were sore by the time he closed his D-Terminal. Daisuke and the others took turns returning home until the Yagami siblings, their partners, and Botamon remained. Agumon had waved them off before returning to his area, eager to reunite with Botamon.

"See you later!" Agumon had said. "I'll teach you some of the games I know."

Botamon giggled mysteriously and nodded in reply.

Presently, Hikari glanced at her brother with a wry smile.

"We used to sleep in this bunk bed too, but I was on top. I finally got my own room though, and you could see how much he misses me."

She nodded at the top bunk, where a curtain partially obscured a couple of boxes.

"Hey, I've accumulated a lot of soccer stuff and books over the years. Do you remember when Agumon and I got buried while trying to find my address book?"

"You still have a lot of books which can avalanche over you." Hikari teased. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've become a packrat."

"Oh…you're lucky you're my sister, or I would seriously make you pay for that!"

They laughed, even Taichi. They were apparently loud enough to be heard through the rest of the apartment, for Mrs. Yagami poked her head in.

"Oh, you three are back. How's Agumon doing, Taichi?"

"Fine as always."

"And what about you, Hikari? You said something about an emergency. You're safe, thank goodness, but what happened?"

"Well…" Hikari traded nervous smiles with Taichi before lifting Botamon into prominence.

"Oh, he's so cute!" Mrs. Yagami stared adoringly at the baby Digimon. "Who's that Digimon? Hopefully not Agumon, since it's really an emergency if he goes to that level."

"This isn't Agumon, though he will evolve into one eventually." Taichi said. "His name is Botamon."

"Hello, Botamon. I'm Taichi and Hikari's mom." Mrs. Yagami patted Botamon, who crooned at the affection. "You talk as if you know him. When did you meet him before?"

"A long, long time ago." Hikari said slowly. "Mom, do you remember us telling you the damage in Hikarigaoka was related to Digimon, not terrorists."

"Yes. I think I recall hearing you say something about it."

"Well…Botamon was there. He was one of the Digimon fighting during that time."

Needless to say, their parents were quite surprised when one of the individuals who instigated the Yagami's move from Hikarigaoka was currently rooming with their daughter. When the man of the house was informed of this, he was a bit nervous about her daughter being squashed if Botamon reached his enormous Agumon stage and having to replace another bed. Hikari assured her father she would sleep with him in futons when the baby Digimon became Koromon (She failed to mention the futons would be torn apart instead).

At any rate, the Yagami parents eventually accepted Botamon's presence. Mrs. Yagami gave him impressive portions when dinner arrived and allowed him to sit on the table next to Hikari.

"Itadakimasu."

Thanks were uttered by every single member of the table except Botamon, who attacked his portions on the last syllable. They all stared as they picked their meal at a more dignified pace.

"He sure has Agumon's appetite." Mrs. Yagami commented.

"He ate the catfood when he was with us at Hikarigaoka." Hikari said.

"Yeah, it was why I was scratched by Miko." Taichi said between mouthfuls.

"That explained his temper when I got home." Mrs. Yagami mused.

At that moment, Miko appeared at the table. A look of malevolence was thrown in Botamon's direction as the cat began to beg for helpings.

"Looks like he still holds a grudge." Tailmon said.

"Maybe we should keep your door locked, Hikari." Taichi said. "That way, Miko won't sneak in for a little revenge."

"I refuse to believe he'd be that vengeful." Hikari replied.

When Botamon finished his portions, he begged for more and Mrs. Yagami couldn't say no to that soulful stare. Hikari glanced at her brother.

"On the other hand." she whispered out of Botamon's earshot. "Maybe I should lock the door to prevent him from raiding the fridge."

After many extra helpings and subsequent to Mrs. Yagami planning for a grocery outing the next day, it was time for bed. Botamon was mesmerized by Tailmon's feats of acrobatics as Hikari subtly locked the door, having already washed up and put on her pajamas. She hoped Botamon didn't bug her about taking precautions in the middle of the night.

"Okay, Botamon, Tailmon, time for bed."

The lights were flipped off. Hikari settled under the covers, Tailmon on her right and Botamon on her left. Tailmon closed her eyes and, by all appearances, went to sleep. Hikari remained awake for a bit longer, petting Botamon and whispering comfortingly. Botamon's eyelids slowly slid down and soon he began to snooze. Smiling, Hikari drifted off herself.

Agumon finished up his last round through the forest. Night had fallen and a half moon shone light on the treetops. The nocturnal Digimon made their soothing sounds, making Agumon pleasantly drowsy. Despite the brief battle, it had been a good day. He had spent time with his partner and he made a new friend in Botamon. Agumon looked forward to meeting him again and playing games together.

Agumon began looking for a good tree to rest under, with enough shade to block the moonlight. He eventually found one in a pine he knew didn't shed its needles much. Lying against its impressive trunk, Agumon began to fall asleep.

Suddenly, there was a rustle above.

Agumon looked up drowsily, wondering vaguely if he inadvertently intruded upon a tree dweller's resting place. He saw a form perched above him, apparently trying to sleep. Something about that black and green pattern seemed familiar. His tired mind tried to remember what Digimon had that kind of pattern.

Then a blur of color flashed through his memory. Agumon suddenly stood up, wide awake and angry.

"You!"

This seemed to startle the form in the trees. What appeared to be its head gazed down, revealing sharp blue eyes. Then it took off and circled the tree before landing in front of Agumon.

"Well." Falcomon said. "This is an unfortunate encounter."

Agumon glared. "What are you doing here? Going to kill me in my sleep?" Then he recalled that bird he had briefly seen when Taichi pulled him. "Wait. You overheard Taichi and me talking about Botamon. You were the one in the tree we rested under."

"Yes. It wasn't deliberate, though." Falcomon added when Agumon opened his mouth furiously. "It was a simple stroke of fate. And no. I had no further plans to confront you today and I was planning to rest, but fate works in mysterious ways."

The two stood there for a moment, Agumon sizing Falcomon up and Falcomon just staring coldly.

"Well. What are you going to do now? You're going to attack me, right?"

Falcomon's stare turned appraising. "As advantageous as that might be, I don't feel like attacking anyone tonight. I require sleep. Since I would be unlikely to attain that around you, I'm going to find a more suitable tree."

Falcomon turned, and began to walk away. Agumon stared at him with surprise. It seemed the bird Digimon wished to avoid direct conflict with him. Could it be because Botamon was out of reach? And on that note…

"Why do you want to kill Botamon?"

Falcomon slowly turned around.

"Why? Because it's dangerous and it's my duty to put an end to it."

"But he's not dangerous. He's cute and nice and he listens when you speak."

"Unlike certain Digimon I know."

"Hey, Taichi decided to check the little guy because of you. Now he's going to have to deal with suspicion and funny wires being attached to him."

Agumon expected Falcomon to react with indifference. To his surprise, the other looked intrigued.

"Is that so?" Falcomon said slowly. "Well then, we won't have any argument the next time we meet."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see. If anything, this is rather refreshing. I didn't want to fight with you anyway."

Before Agumon could reply, Falcomon took to the air and was lost in darkness. Agumon stared into the night long after he vanished.

*What did he mean by that?* Agumon thought. *Does he…not want to be our enemy?*

The Yagami siblings stood in front of the Izumi residence at eleven sharp, Taichi knocking at the door. Hikari would have done the honors, but she was nervous and making an effort to comfort Botamon. For some reason, he hadn't reacted well to being told he was going to be checked up on. Tailmon sat on her shoulder, looking oddly thoughtful.

The door was opened by a smiling Mrs. Izumi. "Hello, Hikari-san, Taichi-san, Tailmon-san. Nice to see you again."

"Hello, Mrs. Izumi." Taichi and Hikari said, stepping in. Tailmon nodded to her in greeting.

"So this is the popular Bota-chan Koushirou-kun's been talking about?" Mrs. Izumi asked, smiling fondly at the Baby Digimon.

"Yeah." Hikari said carefully.

"Oh, don't worry, I already got the answer from my son. He's the reason that our brief stay in Hikarigaoka was short. Though I'm sure it's not his fault."

Mrs. Izumi moved a hand out and Botamon nodded permission to be petted. This distracted him from his nervousness and he purred at the attention. Taichi and Hikari exchanged glances, speculating on how Mrs. Izumi got the answer out of Koushirou, when the boy in question appeared.

"Hey, you two. I was just making the last checks when you arrived. I set up the live feed for Mimi-san and she's probably staring into my room, yawning to herself."

"Time differences always confuse me." Taichi muttered, starting to follow Koushirou.

Hikari lingered with Mrs. Izumi, who was still petting Botamon. Botamon gazed with apprehension at Koushirou.

"You sure look nervous." Mrs. Izumi said.

"He's experiencing doctor jitters." Hikari explained.

"I should make some snacks for him. Snacks made Koushirou-kun feel better when he was scared of doctors."

Koushirou went red, and quickly said, "I'm sure snacks would be good, Mom. I just hope you can deal with a Digimon's appetite."

"I have enough experience with Tentomon-san, so hopefully I'll make enough."

Mrs. Izumi drifted off to the kitchen. Botamon seemed to look relieved at the mention of snacks and was stifling giggles at the still-red Koushirou. Hikari couldn't help letting out a few giggles herself as she followed Koushirou into his room.

On a small table in the corner, there was an odd box. It had many wires and tiny suction cups and buttons which blinked colorful lights. It was as though a microwave have been disassembled and inexpertly put back together with a dash of prettiness added in. Hikari stared, having a difficult time processing its presence. Botamon apparently didn't know what to make of it either, staring at it with wide eyes (Which Hikari was faintly relieved to note didn't hold any fear yet). Hikari almost didn't hear the cheerful greeting from the computer.

"Hey, Hikari-chan! Hey!"

Hikari took her eyes off the odd contraption and looked at the computer screen. Mimi was waving cheerfully from a small window on the desktop. She could make out a window over Mimi's left shoulder where night emanated.

Hikari moved closer, smiling broadly. "Mimi-san, it's good to see you. How have you been?"

"Oh, things have been fine. Michael showed me a set piece his father snuck off with and it's pretty weird holding something I've seen in a movie. Anyway, how are you? Have you enjoyed that magazine I've sent you?"

"It was pretty interesting. I was in the middle of reading it when I got called about Botamon's birth. Here, let's introduce you."

Hikari brought Botamon closer to the screen.

"Hi, Botamon." Mimi waved. "I'm Mimi. I saw you defend the neighborhood from Parrotmon. You changed all of our lives that night, especially mine and not because you made me lose my favorite teddy in the hasty move."

Botamon didn't know how to respond to that last comment. It must have showed on his face, for Mimi laughed.

"It's alright. I whined about it a lot, but I got over it. It's just so good to see you again."

Botamon nodded, looking happy as Mimi babbled on. Hikari smiled, glad that he was distracted from the task at hand and making friends. Maybe those ties would get him through this unnecessary ordeal.

For the next few minutes, the door bell rang a couple of more times and the rest of the Chosen Children drifted into the room. Botamon squeaked at Daisuke's group warmly, though he was rather abrupt with Ken. Then the three remaining ones arrived. Yamato intimidated Botamon at first with his reserved demeanor, but once they got to know each other, he purred at his gentle touch. Sora's motherly nature didn't take too long for him to warm up to and, while Jyou irritated him with deciding to do his own checkup, he didn't complain too much.

Finally, seven Digimon and eleven humans crowded the room, with another squinting through the computer. Koushirou stepped toward Hikari, who held Botamon.

"Well, let's begin."

He put a hand forward, but Botamon shrank away. Hikari glared, and Koushirou grimaced.

"Maybe you should do it." Koushirou walked up to the machine and waved at it. "Please place Botamon in here and attach these wires where I instruct you to."

Reluctantly, Hikari placed Botamon in the odd machine, where he shook slightly.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you'll be safe." she murmured, patting him in an assuring manner.

Hikari followed the rest of Koushirou's instructions, placing the suction cup-ended wires on selected sections of Botamon's round body. She calmed him down with a soothing word or two when he became too nervous, stroking him consistently.

"That should be everything." Koushirou finally said.

"What are all those suction cups for, Koushirou?" Yamato asked.

"They are supposed to read his digital signatures." Koushirou explained. "I'm going to watch them closely to see if there are any irregularities. I'll record them, so you won't have to repeat the experience."

Koushirou tried to smile pleasantly at Botamon. Botamon looked slightly less uncertain.

"Will this be painless for him?" Sora said, concerned. "He looks like he's going to get a flu shot."

"I've talked it over with Gennai-san and he assured me the process is safe. He said Botamon might feel some strange buzzing afterwards, but there won't be any lasting effects."

Koushirou began to wave for Hikari step back, but stopped himself.

"Do you want to stay close to him?"

"If that would be possible, yes." Hikari said carefully.

Koushirou nodded. "It's possible. He would be less distressed in your presence, so it'd make the process easier. Though the important thing is that he remains okay."

Hikari was touched by Koushirou's thoughtfulness. While she still believed this entire checkup was unnecessary and upsetting, half of her felt like kicking herself for distrusting her friend. She should have known that he would take steps to minimize his discomfort. She smiled gratefully as he returned to his computer. As she touched Botamon soothingly, he heard the tap of keys and the machine activated with a hum.

The hum continued as many lights blinked on and off. Botamon's expression of fear lessoned slightly, a bemused look coming to his eyes. Apparently whatever Botamon was feeling was bizarre. Still, he didn't look exactly comfortable. Hikari glanced up at Koushirou.

"How long does this need to be?"

"Just a couple more minutes." Koushirou sounded distantly thoughtful, absorbed in the readings.

Hikari spent the rest of the time distracting Botamon by sharing some anecdotes she hadn't mentioned yesterday. Fortunately, the bizarre feeling didn't escalate and Botamon gave her his complete attention. By the time Koushirou shut down the machine, Botamon was wincing a bit, but not ultimately upset.

"That should be enough." Koushirou announced. "I'll analyze these readings and discuss them with Gennai-san."

Koushirou typed some more, then returned to the machine. He helped Hikari undo the wires from Botamon's skin and Hikari cuddled the baby Digimon in her arms.

"You've been very good, Botamon." Koushirou smiled at Botamon. "Thank you for being patient."

Botamon stared at Koushirou thoughtfully. Then he nodded happily.

At that moment, there was a knock and Mrs. Izumi stepped into the room with a plate full of snacks.

"Are you finished with the checkup?" Mrs. Izumi glanced at the machine and threw a puzzled look at Koushirou. Koushirou shrugged sheepishly and Mrs. Izumi turned her smiling gaze at Botamon. "Well, here are your snacks Bota-chan, so you can dig-"

Botamon abruptly squealed and launched himself at the plate. Mrs. Izumi nearly dropped the plate and hastily placed it on top of the machine.

"Oh, my." Mrs. Izumi said. "It really throws me when a Digimon does that. It's cute, but startling."

"Aww, he gets a plate all to himself." V-mon sulked.

"Tell you what. Why don't all of you stay around for lunch and I'll make some snacks for all of you. Some of you might have to help, though, since there are so many of you around."

There were cheers from the Digimon and a few from the humans. Mrs. Izumi smiled at the enthusiasm and Yamato walked up to her, leading the few humans and Digimon with cooking skills. They were about to talk about who would do what when there was a golden burst of light.

Everyone turned to the source. They only had a second to glimpse Botamon's form shifting before the light died down and a pink head with long ears and red eyes stood in his place.

"Oh, my!" Mrs. Izumi exclaimed. "What happened to Bota-chan?"

"I evolved." The pink head replied with a young, but faintly growly voice. "I'm Koromon now. Thank you for the food."

"Oh, you're welcome, Bota – I mean, Koro-chan." Mrs. Izumi said, trying to resume her pleasant expression. "It's a pleasure to see you…enjoy the snacks so much."

"I did?" Koromon looked surprised, then thoughtful. "Funny, I don't remember…"

"Great, you can talk now." V-mon said. "Agumon's going to like hearing about this."

Koromon giggled. "He's funny, but I like him." He turned to Hikari. "I'm glad I can talk to you now, Hikari. Thank you for taking care of me."

"The pleasure is all mine."

"This calls for a party." Daisuke declared. "Let's celebrate Botamon's evolution into Koromon."

There were cheers all around, and Koromon seemed to flush in pleasure. Daisuke was grinning excitedly, until Mrs. Izumi spoke.

"That sounds lovely. That means you're going to help, of course?"

Daisuke froze and slowly turned to the smiling Mrs. Izumi.

"Well…I'll see what I can do." Daisuke laughed sheepishly. "I'm not exactly the best cook, so…"

"I'll keep an eye on you." Yamato said, throwing an arm around Daisuke and leading him out of the room. "Now, let's see what tasks won't result in you poisoning us all…"

As the cooks among them left and the others prepared for the party, Tailmon watched silently. She was so glad to see Hikari so happy about Koromon, but she couldn't bring herself to tell her about the unsettling event she witnessed last night…

The Yagami siblings returned to their apartment nearly five hours later. Their mother greeted them by dropping heavy hints that homework was calling and they better finish it. At that point, Taichi asked Koromon if he would keep him company while he figured out difficult math problems. Of course, Hikari knew that it was partly an excuse to put off his homework, but since she knew he was being simultaneously sincere, she consented to it.

Hikari found herself alone in her room with Tailmon, answering each question on an English sheet and occasionally squinting at it in concentration. After she settled into the routine, she began to notice that her partner was acting strange. Tailmon was generally aloof, but she rarely had that kind of hidden worry in her blue eyes. Hikari put down her pencil and sat next to Tailmon.

"You're pretty quiet. Is something the matter?"

Tailmon hesitated, then made a unconvincing sound of dissent. Hikari became concerned.

"Come on, you can tell me. Unless it's something really bad, I won't tell anyone."

Talmon took a moment to answer. "I know you are happy to be with Koromon again and I'm glad that you're happy, but something strange happened last night concerning Koromon."

An ominous feeling settled slightly in Hikari's stomach. "What do you mean? Did he hurt you?"

"No. He never laid a finger on me. When I woke up in the middle of the night to get some milk – I forgot the door was locked - I heard some sounds. Koromon – Botamon then – was shaking oddly in your arms. His eyes were so pale they were almost white. I swore I heard him squeaking strange computer sounds and he sometimes whimpered horribly. I didn't know what to make of it, so I stayed awake until the symptoms went away. I wanted to tell you, but I kept losing my nerve. I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize, Tailmon. I'd probably act the same if I were in your position."

Hikari frowned thoughtfully. This didn't sound good. What was happening to Koromon? Did he catch a virus of an earthly or digital nature? Or did it have something to do with how his Digiegg acted? She didn't want to believe that Koromon could do anything bad. However…

Hikari looked around and reluctantly began going through her things. Retrieving her camera and her D-Terminal, she connected the two and uploaded a few pictures.

"What are you doing?" Tailmon asked.

"I'm sending a few photos to Koushirou-kun." Hikari replied, typing a message. "I don't want to believe it or be suspicious any longer, but if there's something wrong with Koromon…"

She left the sentence hanging as she finished the message and sent it. She sighed as she stared at her homework, wondering how she could concentrate on it now with worries about her friend plaguing her mind.

Her nervous musings were interrupted by a crash and a yell.

Startled, Hikari ran out of the room, Tailmon close behind her. She found her brother near the open refrigerator, pulling at something that made munching sounds. She moved closer and found the inside order of the refrigerator destroyed. The various levels were lopsided and had even fallen out, food spilling onto other levels and on the floor. Koromon was ravenously eating a piece of packaged ramen inside the refrigerator, an unsettling gleam in his eyes.

"What are you doing, Koromon?" Taichi was shouting, fruitlessly attempting to pull Koromon away. "Mom's going to kill us for what you've done, we don't need to make her angry by straining the house budget!"

Koromon just continued as though Taichi hadn't spoken. Hikari felt her worry peak as Koromon ravaging behavior increased by the second. Before he could move onto the next piece of food, Hikari moved forward, also grabbing him.

"Koromon, stop! You're hurting us by doing this. You don't want us to go broke, do you?"

Koromon slowly stopped struggling. Hikari cautiously lifted him up and turned him to face her. That unsettling gleam had vanished, replaced by a look of bemusement.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking at the three of them. "Why do you look so angry?"

"Why do we look so angry?" Taichi repeated. "You just ate nearly half of the food in our fridge! You'd expect people to be angry about that!"

"I did that?"

"Yeah, you did. You remember munching on our last package of ramen, right?"

When Koromon continued to look confused and a bit upset, Taichi's angry expression was gradually replaced by his own look of puzzlement.

"You do remember, don't you?"

Reluctantly, Koromon shook his head. "I just remember coming here to get a snack. The next thing I knew, Hikari was yelling at me."

Hikari and Taichi traded looks of worry, but Tailmon frowned thoughtfully.

"Is this common?" Hikari asked.

Koromon hesitated, then nodded. "Every time I eat, I forget what happens. I mean, I want to remember the good taste and being full, but I don't."

There was silence. Koromon cringed at the looks of bemused worry directed at him. Taichi hastily looked away and began cleaning up.

"You return to your homework, Hikari. I'll deal with this."

"Here, let me help!" Koromon hopped next to him.

"Hey, there's no need, I can-"

"No, it's my fault, I-"

Hikari reluctantly left them to clean up the mess. She returned to her homework, but she couldn't concentrate. She could no longer deny that there was something strange about her dear friend, even though he was ignorant about it. For a moment, she didn't know what to do next. Then she took out her D-Terminal and typed another message to Koushirou.

*If Koushirou-san and Gennai-san have more information, maybe they could save Koromon from whatever is wrong with him.*

Meanwhile, Taichi watched out of the corner of his eye as Koromon helped with the cleanup. He used his antennae-like ears to pick up the spoiled food and carefully wipe the floor. His eyes were blank except for some flashes of guilt and Taichi felt sympathetic.

"It's alright." he said. "You couldn't help it."

"I know." Koromon said. "Still, I feel guilty."

"You're just like Hikari. She feels guilty about all kinds of things. If you listened to her, she would think she was responsible for everything from the asset price bubble in the nineties to mixing colors with whites in the wash."

That made Koromon smile. "I kind of like that about her. It makes her nice."

"Hey, are you saying I'm not nice?" Taichi teased.

Koromon flushed. "I – I didn't mean it like that! Honest!"

Taichi laughed. "You and Hikari are definitely a perfect match."

Koromon frowned as he continued wiping the floor. "What does she have in common with Tailmon, though? She's also nice, but very serious and doesn't talk much."

"That has to do with her past. She had a hard life before meeting Hikari. She used to work for the bad guys."

Koromon's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah. He found Tailmon and made her his servant, whipping her whenever she stared at him defiantly. She still has some scars from that, which she hides with gloves. If he didn't decide to go after Hikari, who knows what would have happened to her."

There was thoughtful silence, as Koromon continued to wipe the mess up.

"What was the name of that bad guy?"

Taichi smiled wryly. "Vamdemon. Kind of hard to forget, since he came back to life twice and each time, we defeated him by the skin of our teeth."

He looked at Koromon, who looked as uncomfortable as if he were back in Koushirou's strange analyzer machine.

"Hey Koromon, are you alright?"

Koromon jumped, and welled up a smile. "It's nothing. That guy sounds very creepy."

"Tell me about it." Taichi muttered, watching him out of the corner of his eye. "If he comes back one more time, I'll have WarGreymon pull his teeth out!"

Koromon didn't reply.

They cleaned up everything else in silence. When Mrs. Yagami returned home from shopping to find much of her refrigerator stock gone, Koromon apologized profusely while Taichi expressed his regret for being incapable of keeping him away. She wasn't exactly pleased, but she couldn't stay mad long at any properly tearful youth. Nevertheless, Mrs. Yagami told Taichi he would accompany her for her second shopping trip and pay for the restock while Koromon would be watched over by Hikari. He grimaced at that cut in his allowance. As he left with his mother, though, his spirits were lifted by the sight of Koromon bouncing up to Tailmon to embrace her. He was a bit thrown when Tailmon looked stunned and guilty after the hug.

"Hikari, wake up."

Hikari groaned as she was pulled from blissful unconsciousness. Blinking her heavy eyelids at the living room ceiling (She followed up on her promise to sleep in her futon in case Koromon evolved overnight), she found Tailmon's blue eyes staring at her seriously.

"What is it?"

"It's happening."

Suddenly feeling alert and a bit worried, she slid out of the futon slowly.

"You mean-" she whispered.

Tailmon nodded. Hikari moved slowly so as to not disturb Koromon, a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. When her gaze fell on him, she froze.

Koromon's pupils had vanished, leaving only the whites to stare vacantly at nothing. He shivered in Hikari's arms, as though catching a draft that wasn't there. That was disturbing enough, but what alarmed Hikari more were the sounds he emitted. He altered between monotone uttering of what sounded like computer code and terrified whispers, little of which Hikari could understand.

"…but…no…will…do it…"

"Koromon." Hikari gently shook him. "Koromon, it's I, Hikari. It's alright, you're just having a nightmare."

Tailmon shook her head. "He won't hear you. I did everything to wake him up last night that wouldn't wake YOU up, but he didn't respond." Her expression turned thoughtful. "I don't know how, but something about this seems familiar…"

"Is there anything we can do for him?" Hikari asked.

Again, Tailmon shook her head. "I'm afraid not. He got better by the morning last time. All we can do is silently support him until night ends."

Hikari's caring side balked at the thought of just leaving Koromon like this, but she saw no other option. So she settled back into the futon and did her best to soothe Koromon, petting him slowly and murmuring reassuring words into his ear. Apparently Koromon was so involved in whatever he was going through that he didn't even calm down marginally and Hikari felt tears of frustration prick the corner of her eyes. Tailmon ended up being the one who comforted her, running her claws through her hair. Blinking away the wetness, she allowed weariness to deliver her into an uneasy sleep.

The next morning, a sleepy-eyed Hikari arose, momentarily unsure of what was causing her concern. The sight of one of Koromon's ears brought it back to her and she sat up hastily, nearly jostling her sleeping partner from her position.

"Koromon." Hikari whispered, touching him gently.

To her relief, Koromon turned around and met her gaze. She noted the look of shaded unease in those crimson eyes. She didn't want to address that immediately.

"Morning, Koromon. I'm sorry, did I awake you?"

"No, you didn't." Koromon sighed, looking unlike his cheerful self. "I got up before you and was just thinking."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Koromon shook his head. "No. You might hate me."

"No, we won't. You just need to talk and we'll listen."

"I can't. You won't understand."

Koromon was beginning to look distressed, so Hikari dropped it. When her partner awoke, she filled her in on his refusal while she showered.

"I wonder what could be distressing him so much." Tailmon mused from her position on the toilet tank.

"I don't know." Hikari replied as she soaped her hair. "Whatever it is, he seems scared, so the secret's probably something he can't help."

Tailmon nodded. "I've been thinking that. Don't worry Hikari, I no longer consider Koromon himself to be guilty."

There was a knock outside the door and Taichi's voice drifted in.

"Hikari, we're going to Gennai's place after breakfast. Koushirou e-mailed me and Koromon needs to be there for the results and possibly some more tests."

"Okay! Will Agumon be there?"

"Yeah." Taichi sounded amused. "He just can't wait to reunite with Koromon and be an Oniichan."

Hikari giggled. "That's going to be precious. I'll be out of the shower in the minute."

"Okay."

"Koromon's not going to be happy at the sound of that." Tailmon said.

"Yeah. And with whatever secret he's hiding, he's probably going to be terrified of the thought of the results being read." Hikari frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe I should ask Gennai-san to make it more private…"

Needless to say, Koromon looked uncomfortable when Hikari told him about it at breakfast. He ate Mrs. Yagami's breakfast with his usual gusto, but he was more withdrawn between helpings, looking as though he was expecting to be vaccinated. Their parents gazed at Taichi and Hikari quizzically and they shrugged helplessly in return. They deemed it wise not to tell their parents that Koromon probably had something dangerous inside him. When they went to go to the Digital World, Mrs. Yagami held them up for a bit.

"See you in the afternoon, Koromon." She patted his head. "I'll have some lunch for you when you return."

Koromon drudged up a grateful smile.

Seconds later, they were walking the forested path toward the lake where Gennai's home was located. It was a cool spring day with clear skies. Tailmon found herself on edge. They were back in the Digital World, back within the grasp of that manic Falcomon. She wouldn't be the least surprised if he intercepted them before they reached Gennai's home. The Yagami siblings seemed to feel the same. They stuck close to each other, Taichi keeping a wary eye out while Hikari clutched Koromon protectively. Koromon seemed too caught up in his own worries to notice.

Just as they were halfway there, a black and green shape emerged from the bushes. They tensed as Falcomon stood in the middle of the path.

"I see that you have evolved, It." he said coolly. "Very unwise to give me unnecessary difficulties."

"What are you doing here?" Taichi demanded. "If you're thinking about hurting Koromon, you have another thing coming to you."

"You have another thing coming to you. Very soon, you're going to discover the true nature of the creature you hold so much affection for."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the results of all the suspicion and funny wires." Falcomon smiled. "Your partner told me about them the night before last. It's going to be such a relief when the results are read."

Taichi tensed. "You talked to Agumon? I swear, if you hurt a single scale on his hide-"

"It's alright, Taichi." said a voice. "He didn't hurt me."

Out of the bushes emerged another figure. Agumon glared at Falcomon as he moved to stand next to his partner.

"Agumon, thank goodness!" Taichi said, relieved.

"So you followed me." Falcomon said.

"I knew you were going to attack poor Koromon after I heard he was going to be checked by Gennai." Agumon said. "What else did you expect me to do?"

"So what I said to you that night hasn't sunk in yet?"

"What is he talking about, Agumon?" Taichi said.

"I haven't the slightest clue, but I've realized something. His gripe with Koromon, his insistence to kill him…I know who he is, Taichi." Agumon pointed at Falcomon. "You are…Parrotmon!"

There was silence. The group stared at Agumon before staring at Falcomon, who was smiling. In her own shock, Tailmon faintly took note that Koromon was looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"I was wondering when you would realize it." Falcomon said quietly.

"You're…you're Parrotmon?" Hikari sputtered. "THE Parrotmon from that time seven years ago?"

"Yes. It's been a long time since I walked the streets of the Real World, Chosen Children."

"This is some reunion." Taichi muttered. "You being Parrotmon…it's unreal."

"Believe it. I became reborn around a year ago, retaining my memories. I trained very hard just to get to the Child level. So I could fulfill my mission - to kill the creature in your arms!"

Falcomon pointed at Koromon, who trembled more than ever. Hikari gripped him and glared.

"Knowing who you are doesn't change anything." she said. "We're not going to allow you to harm Koromon and that's final."

"You said you didn't want to fight us." Agumon said diplomatically. "We don't want to either. Why don't you come with us and explain everything? I'm sure we can settle all of this and no one will get hurt."

Falcomon didn't react the way they hoped he would. He narrowed his eyes at them all, expression full of anger – and disappointment.

"Fools." he said. "All of you. Fools."

He threw out his wings and launched himself at them, his eyes fixed on Koromon. Tailmon and Agumon moved to defend their partners.

"Baby Flame!"

"Neko Punch!"

"Scratch Smash!"

There was a whirl of claws and wings and teeth as blows were exchanged. Tailmon had to be careful not to punch Agumon in the jaw and Agumon had to be careful to direct his Baby Flames only at their opponent. Falcomon was quick. He parried and dodged their blows. His wings gave him a good advantage, so she had to rely on Agumon for distant attacks. If only there were a way to clip those wings…of course!

"Agumon!" Tailmon yelled. "Give me a boost!"

On instinct, Agumon quickly turned and kneeled, putting his hands together. Tailmon ran forward and Agumon thrust her into the air with a yell.

"Cat's Eye!"

Tailmon's eyes flashed scarlet and Falcomon slowed, clearly in a trance. Tailmon took her chance as she closed in. She put her claws out and slashed at Falcomon's wings. There was a cry of pain and two figures fell from the sky. Tailmon landed with a cat's grace. Falcomon fell to the grass in a heap and struggled to get to his knees. Before he could fully stand, they made their move.

"Baby Flame!"

"Neko Punch!"

There was an explosion of dirt and the air was filled with earthy fog. When it cleared, a battered and bruised Falcomon lay on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Well?" Agumon asked. "Do you surrender?"

Falcomon gritted his teeth and pushed himself up with all the strength he had left.

"Not yet. I can't give up yet. I WILL complete my mission!"

And to their horror, he began to glow.

"Falcomon, super evolve!" he hissed. "Parrotmon!"

There was a burst of light. Like something out of the past, Parrotmon's green visage emerged from the light, talons snapping, blue eyes wild. He flapped his wings as he towered over Agumon and Tailmon, who suddenly weren't so confident.

"Mjolnir Thunder!"

There was a crash and lightning descended from the heavens, striking the feeble opponents. They gave a cry as electricity coursed through them. When it ended, they were both spread eagled on the grass.

"Agumon!"

"Tailmon!"

The pair twitched and tried to get up, but they were too weak to move. Parrotmon stared the frozen Yagami siblings down.

"Well? Do you surrender?"

"Not if your life counted on it!" declared a voice.

Parrotmon turned, but an X-shaped beam of energy exploded against him. Hikari looked up and smiled in relief as XVmon led the rest of the partner Digimon onto the scene.

"Sorry we're late!" Daisuke yelled from his partner's back. "Ken had to clue us in on why you both didn't come."

"Took him long enough to reach that conclusion!" Taichi shot back.

Even from a distance, Ken's blush was visible and Stingmon was somehow able to look offended without a facial expression.

The ten Digimon gathered around Parrotmon as he struggled to get a tree out of his wing.

"All of you are against me, are you?" he snarled. "I knew you wouldn't see the truth!"

"What is he babbling about?" Garurumon asked.

"He thinks Koromon's the worst threat to the Digital World since the Dark Masters." Aquilamon said.

"You've got to be kidding." Togemon replied. "That little guy? He's delusional."

"I'll show you delusional." Parrotmon said. "Sonic Destroyer!"

Another bloom of brown clouded the air. The cries of attacks, the sound of greenery being damaged, and injured Digimon soon followed. The Chosen Children were all but invisible to each other as they coughed their way through the dust, trying to avoid being caught in the crossfire. The grass seemed to explode at random intervals, sometimes very close to where a Chosen Child was standing.

Like Hikari, for instance.

Hikari yelled as the shockwaves of an attack sent her into the air. She landed onto the grass, dazed.

"Hikari!" There were footsteps and Taichi was kneeling beside her. "Hikari, are you alright?"

"As soon as stars stop sparkling in my eyes." Hikari gingerly moved into a sitting position and stopped cold. "Koromon. Where's Koromon?"

"I don't know. Weren't you holding him?"

"I was, but that explosion must have made me lose my grip on him." She gripped her brother's arm. "We have to find him before Parrotmon does!"

Taichi opened his mouth, probably to tell her to take it easy – but a scream pierced the air. They traded looks before running toward the source of the scream, dodging explosions as they went. Hikari felt a lump in her throat hearing the scream, but her fear shot up at the warping sound accompanying it. By the time they closed in on the scream, Koromon's voice seemed to have become deeper. Ken was the first to emerge into view, on the ground with a shocked expression.

"I didn't mean to hurt him." he blurted out. "I was just going to pick him up and carry him to safety but when I touched him-"

The deep-voiced scream devolved into a whimper of pain. Hikari darted toward it, not even slowing down when the source of the whimper was revealed to be an enormous dinosaur.

"Agumon!" Hikari kneeled next to the big Agumon curled up into a ball. "Agumon, what's wrong?"

The only reply was more whimpering. Taichi kneeled down next to him, staring.

"What's going on? What's wrong with his veins?"

Hikari looked. Thin links of black were spreading through the big Agumon – BigAgumon, she noted to herself distractedly, to set him apart from her brother's partner – like sinister spider webs.

"What's this?" Hikari murmured, distressed. "What's going on?"

She suddenly noticed Tailmon and Agumon tottering toward them, leaning against each other.

"Tailmon, Agumon! Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine, though I'm going to be twitching for the rest of the day." Agumon said, then he looked at his larger counterpart. "Is that Koromon? He's huge! What's wrong with him? Is he alright?"

He tottered forward in concern, but Tailmon stayed behind, struggling to remain on her feet.

"I know this feeling." she whispered, eyes wide. "I recognize it now!"

"What's going on?" said a voice. "What are you all doing? I order you all to stop fighting! NOW!"

There was a sudden hush over the battlefield.

"All parties, devolve at once! There has been a big misunderstanding! Everything needs to be explained!"

Silence followed, a silence filled with confusion and hesitation. Then the sounds of Digimon returning to their Child forms followed. As the dust began to clear, the other Chosen Children emerged, helping up their bruised and battered partners. Falcomon looked more beat up than ever, but his blue eyes were wide and alert as he struggled to his feet. A grim-faced Gennai became visible.

"Gennai, what's going on?" Yamato asked, cradling Gabumon. "Taichi and Hikari have been attacked and you're ordering us not to stop their attacker."

"I will explain everything soon. First…I've been studying the test results from Koushirou's examination."

Puzzlement registered on every person's face from that pronouncement. There were a few exceptions. Koushirou was gazing at Gennai as though his worst fears had been confirmed. Tailmon's expression was filled with dread. Still whimpering, BigAgumon slowly raised his head. He was petrified. In contrast to everyone else, Falcomon had a look of grim satisfaction.

"Okay," Daisuke said, "what does this have to do with a nutty bird with a terminator streak?"

"Koromon – Agumon – has a program inside him. A dark program designed to make him seek the destruction of everything and everyone in his path, combined with the power necessary for such destruction. I've decoded the digital signatures for the program." Gennai's mouth thinned. "The origin of the program comes from a very familiar source. One you've all faced twice before."

Hikari's gut twisted. "No. No, you can't possibly mean-"

"Don't!" BigAgumon begged. "Don't say his name! Please!"

"Why? It's the truth, isn't it?" Falcomon went to stand next to Gennai and pointed directly at BigAgumon. "You're a tool of the former great evil, Vamdemon!"

To be continued…

Sorry for the lateness of the chapter I promised from my lj. My mom is a busy woman and two days were required for the proofread. She and Higuchimon are thanked for the beta. The next chapter will be posted next Sunday, that I swear to!