Yugioh/ML Chapter 26
Enter the Kwami World

Once Ladybug and Rena Rouge moved through the portal, their senses were overwhelmed by a barrage of extreme experiences. Ladybug counted herself lucky she wasn't epileptic. After some unknown amount of time, the experience faded and they were now in a vast horizon, lit by some invisible sun. All around them were floating islands, with kwami of all sorts inhabiting them.

"It's so beautiful." Rena looked around, taking it all in.

"Master Fu, are you seeing this?" Ladybug asked, but received no answer. "Master Fu?"

"We are in another world." Tikki reminded Ladybug. "We may be unable to reach him."

"Oh, yeah. This is your home, right?"

Tikki nodded, barely able to contain her excitement. "Come on, let me show you around."

Mullo left to return to her own residence while Tikki and Trixx showed the two humans around. They visited the various islands, which had a smorgasbord of environments, and a multitude of kwami who were very interested in the humans, as they had never seen them before. Soon, Ladybug and Rena Rouge were answering functionally any question one could possibly ask about humans, to the best of their ability.

Without the Sun to mark the time, they could only guess how time passed in this realm. After what felt like hours, the two humans were finally left alone, the kwami's curiosity satisfied. They rested near a waterfall which somehow fell uphill, a notion neither had the energy to question.

Ladybug leaned on a tree that she was certain wouldn't be native to this environment in the human world. "Hey, Rena. I know we've been doing it all day, but can I ask you a question?"

Rena Rouge was sitting on a rock near the reverse waterfall. "As long as it isn't what a car, a sofa, or a shirt is for."

"Fair enough. How did you and Trixx meet? It seems like all the other kwami that come through the portal get fused into a human."

"According to Trixx, he got lucky and managed to avoid the storms. He then made his way out of the Cluster and found me on the replacement server. I told him about the fact that I've been trying to figure out your secret identity, and that seemed to impress him. He said he admired my boldness, and offered to aid me in my quest. We've been together ever since."

"Wait, what was that about trying to figure out my secret identity?"

Rena giggled. "Sorry, I'm curious by nature. I mean, it's one of the biggest mysteries of Link Vrains; who is Ladybug? Plus, I'm pretty sure I'm very close."

Ladybug raised an eyebrow. "How close?"

"Hmm, I'll tell you when I'm sure. Don't worry, I don't plan to expose you or sell you out to Sol Technologies or anything like that. I've heard that they've been up to some shady stuff, especially regarding the Kwami they've been capturing. They're next on my list."

Ladybug had heard those rumors too, but had been too preoccupied with stopping the hybrids to really worry about that. Perhaps she should look into that, she wondered.

"Ladybug, Rena!" Tikki flew up to them, Trixx right behind her. "There's a special kwami here to see you!"

Ladybug didn't even try to hide the fatigue in her voice. "Tikki, if this is another kwami who's never seen a basketball before…"

"No, no! This is different! Everyone, meet Nooroo, the kwami of Evolution and leader of the Kwami!"

A pinkish-purple butterfly kwami flew up and observed both humans. "Welcome, our esteemed guests to our humble realm. I take it your stay has been pleasant?"

"It has." Ladybug said as she got up and walked towards Nooroo, then bowed. "Thank you for your hospitality." Rena Rouge also got up and bowed.

"Tell me, what brings you to our world?"

"Tikki and Trixx heard some strange signal originating from the portal, so we went through to investigate."

A look of realization seemed to hit Nooroo's face. "Ah." He turned to face Tikki and Trixx. "Would the signal happened to have sounded like this?" He then seemed to concentrate as his body pulsed with energy, though nothing noticeable seemed to happen.

"Yes, that was it!" Tikki answered. "You were making that sound?"

"I have been performing experiments with the gathering of data just outside our portal, in the hopes of saving the kwami who enter the digital construct. That sound you heard is a byproduct of a technique I use to analyze that data."

"What kind of experiments?" Trixx asked.

A smile like a child wanting to impress their parents found itself on Nooroo. "Let me show you."

…

Nooroo led the group across the islands towards one that, if Ladybug and Rena's sense of direction could be trusted in this place, was in the center of the islands. There, a group of kwami were doing experiments with small clouds of data.

"We have no short supply of data to work with. That Cluster is the largest gathering of data I've ever seen. One of your finest works, Tikki, despite the circumstances."

Tikki giggled and, if Ladybug's eyes didn't deceive her, started to blush.

"We're working on how to disassemble the data formations, thus allowing us to one day disassemble the Cluster itself."

"Well, with how much data you're pulling out of the Cluster, won't it just disassemble on its own?" Rena hesitantly suggested. "I admit, I know nothing about this sort of science, so if that sounded incredibly stupid-"

"Oh, not at all." Nooroo assured her. "That would work, under normal circumstances. But with such a convergence of raw data, the Cluster is self-propagating. We could pull at it for centuries and it would only grow."

Near one of the experiments, a human woman in a blue dress with blue skin stood waiting for the group. In her duel disk sat a peacock kwami.

"Who's that?" Tikki asked, her earlier adoration giving way to concern. "She looks hurt."

Ladybug thought she looked familiar, but couldn't place where.

"Ah, yes. We found her on one of the more remote islands, completely without memory. Duusu, the kwami of Emotion, has been taking care of her while she recovers."

"Greetings, honored guests." The woman placed her hand on her chest in a formal salute. "I am Mayura, Duusu and Nooroo's humble assistant." She then turned to Nooroo. "Master, we have the reports on the latest experiment involving logarithmic harmonics. It has yielded remarkable results."

"I should probably take a look at this." Nooroo said. "Please, feel free to look around. Any assistance you can provide is most appreciated."

And so, the guests were left to observe all of the experiments, completely unaware they were being observed as well, by a most unwelcome guest.