"Happy birthday!"
"W-woah! I didn't expect you here!"
"That was the point, yeah! You are now officially two years away from becoming a fully fledged adult! How does it feel?"
"Well… I don't think it will feel much different from now, aside from the fact that I'll legally be allowed to drink, get a driver's license and be tried as an adult in case I get caught"
"Having absent parents sucks, huh?"
"Hey! They are very loving parents, okay? It wasn't like that before. It's just that they've been very, very busy for the last few years!"
"Woah, calm down! I didn't mean to talk shit about them or anything! So, how are you gonna celebrate your birthday?"
"Well, the same as the other years: a night doing whatever with you and Ricky"
"Of course you will hang out with your favorite team!"
"It's easy to be my favorite when it's my only one I've been part of"
"I guess I'm refunding the gift I got for you"
"Hey! I was just joking!"
"Theeeen…?"
"Okay, fine! You guys make me very happy! In fact, I hope we stay together and strong for many, many more years…!"
Fire
Komet opens her eyes gasping, instantly sitting up. She quickly looks around, and sees Sonne and Lua talking to each other.
Lua quickly approaches her, looking worried. "Are you okay? Is the nightmare back?"
She sighs and places her hand on her forehead. "No… It was… It was nothing. Nothing to worry about"
"If you say so… Then let's skip to the important part! Bigger puss!"
Sonne approaches her, hiding something behind him. Then he shows what it is: a cake with 20 small candles on top of it. Lua grabs his flaming tail to light the candles.
"Happy birthday!" says both in unison
"Wait, what?" Komet checks the calendar on her smartwatch. It is, in fact, the day of her birth. "But how? How is it October already? !t doesn't feel like I've been in the Digital World for 3 months already"
"Well… It makes sense if you consider that you fell unconscious very often, and there's also the weird timeskip in Werushat too" says Lua
"Two weeks after we arrived in this world. Three days after the first fused as Icarumon. Two more days for the second time we fused. You stayed unconscious for about 19 days total. If we add the time we skipped in Pharaohmon's realm, then that brings you to a total of 39 missed days in your life" says Sonne
Komet frowns. "More than a month? That's insane… No wonder why my mind still thinks it's earlier than that"
"That doesn't matter now. Let's have fun! Birthdays are made to be enjoyable after all!" says Lua
"Thank you, really. I guess that means this is my second birthday we are celebrating together, right?"
"That is correct. However, during the first birthday we were nothing but just your AI assistants. Unfortunately celebrating closely was not an option for us, aside from the fact that back then we were not as intimate" says Sonne
"Nah, I don't care that we knew her for just 3 months back then, I already liked her a lot-"
Komet hugs both tight. "Thank you for existing in my life. If it wasn't for you both I… I…" She shoves her face on their bodies. "You're my best friends. You two mean a lot to me. I want you to know that I love you with all my heart"
Sonne crouches to get to Komet's height, and together with Lua, they hug her tight.
"Now, make a wish and blow the candles! Don't forget to tell us what you wished for, of course!" says Lua
"Hey! You still didn't tell us what the cake is for! Are we really not getting a share of it- Oh, bonding moment?" asks Bancho Lilimon, who just appears at the door
Lua turns at the bancho. "It's her birthday today, so of course we are celebrating it!"
She raises one brow. "Celebrating… The day someone was born…? Never heard of it"
"W-wait, is this not a thing here?"
Bancho Lilimon shakes her head.
"I believe this is a Human World custom only" Sonne whispers to Lua
The bunny gives a nervous smile. "Oh… Well… You see-"
"But a celebration is a celebration, and hell no we're gonna miss it! Come, the others are in the other room!" Bancho Lilimon grabs Komet by her arm and drags her to the other room.
"Hey! Be gentle with her!" protests Lua. She grabs the cake, and together with Sonne, they follow the bancho.
In the main room, Bancho Leomon and Bancho Mamemon sit on the couch talking to each other. Or maybe arguing or competing. Bancho Lilimon tells them what is going on.
"A celebration? Hell yeah, let's celebrate together then! Go get the beer, Mamy!" says Bancho Leomon
"You go get it yourself, fucker"
"Alright, alright!" the lion gets up and walks towards the mini fridge. He opens it, but the fridge is empty, so he looks shocked. "We are out of drinks!"
"Tough luck. Go fetch some"
He growls and goes upstairs, squeezing through the trapdoor exit. The others hear him opening a door, then saying 'Shit!', followed by the noises of fistfight. After a thud, they see his head appearing through the trapdoor
"They found us! Let's go, quickly!"
"Wow! Impressive, Leo! You managed to screw up harder than the last time!" scoffs Bancho Mamemon
"Shut up, you pygmy! That's your fault!"
Bancho Lilimon facepalms and turns to Team Twilight. "Let's just go. We will head to our other hiding spot. I'm sure we left some beers there"
They nod and immediately go upstairs with the other banchos. They go outside and see Bancho Leomon punching some small dinos holding rifles, while someone on a megaphone is telling the citizens to stay inside their houses until further notice.
"That's a shitton of Commandramon! How the hell did they find us so quickly?" the flower bancho asks
"Bad luck, bad timing" he growls
"Fuck this" says Bancho Mamemon, already tired of the mess. He gets his bat, spins it twice around his hands and starts beating the dino soldiers up.
"Hey! Leave some for me!" says Bancho Lilimon, also joining the fray
Komet looks nervously at the mess while climbing Sonne's back. Before she realizes, her mind is already in a different place.
"What the hell? Ricky! We were supposed to be as stealthy as possible, you know?"
"What? Would you rather get caught?"
"We wouldn't get caught!"
"Too late. Even because this fucker deserved it"
"You- Ngh! This is not time for grudges! We should focus on our shit here and leave before the police come!"
"Then what are you still doing here, bitch? The machine is right there. Do your job!"
"R-right…!"
"Are you shaking…?"
"..."
"Sigh… Yeah, yeah, I know, it's your first time doing this. Look, I've been doing shit like this for some time already. I know what I'm doing, and I'm watching your back. Regardless of what happens, we'll be safe. I'm a badass after all. Now, go, no time to waste!"
"O-okay, I'm going- Ricky what are you- My gods… I guess he has a grudge with a lot of people here, huh… Okay, focus on hacking!"
The sound of an explosion snaps Komet out of her thoughts. She looks behind her back and sees a tank monster followed by around ten Hi-Commandramon, all chasing them.
"What the hell? When did that escalate so quickly?" asks the lass
"What do you mean 'when'? Are you asleep?" asks Lua
She doesn't answer. Instead she frowns, closes her eyes and shakes her head. "Keep those memories away. Bury them. Don't let 'her' return"
After some time, the group finally shake them off and arrive in their second hideout, which looks almost like a copy paste of the first one: two rooms, couches, mini fridge…
Bancho Leomon opens the fridge and sees many bottles of beer. "Awesome! Problem solved!"
"What are you waiting for? It's time to celebrate Komet's day of birth! Hurry up!" says Bancho Lilimon
"No one here is a Child anymore, right? Good!" He grabs the bottles and throws them to each one of them.
Sonne grabs the beer and groans. "I cannot comprehend how they can be carefree after facing such danger. They are also careless in their actions"
Lua also grabs the beer. "Nah, I believe they know very well what they are doing! Everything is going right, isn't it? It's just that they like to make everything more exciting! Sometimes a bit too exciting even" She opens the bottle and drinks from it.
"Their ways to execute their… 'Plan'... Contrasts a lot with Komet's methods. Hopefully she is dealing well with this drastic change." He opens the bottle, sniffs the beer and grimaces.
Komet grabs her bottle. She looks at it intensely.
"My gods, Ricky! He wasn't joking when he said you're almost mummified!"
"Don't fucking overreact. It's just a broken arm and a broken nose"
"And a lot of bruises. I knew drinking was a bad idea…"
"Would you rather wait until adulthood?"
"Yes? Like a responsible person?"
"You know you are calling yourself irresponsible, right?"
"Yes, I'm aware. I should have listened to my guardian angel, but nooo, I was convinced by this demon right here somehow"
"You're welcome"
"Take this more seriously! It's my fault that you ended up like that-"
"Nope, stop this bullshit. Sure, we fucked up, but that in no way justifies what that perv tried to do with you. Of course I had to teach that asshole a lesson!"
"I was so bad that I don't even remember what happened. I heard they ganged up on you and the guy didn't get nearly as injured…"
"Worth it. He left you alone and this is what matters"
"Sigh, I wish I hadn't drank…"
"Well, what's done is done. It was a fun experience. We could even do this ag- OUCH! You bitch! Is this how you treat your injured friend?"
"This injured friend needs to be taught a lesson, you know?"
"Fuck you"
"I love you too"
"Whatever. I'll leave now. I don't feel like getting an earful today. See ya"
"Ricky, wait!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Thank you"
"Earth calling Komet. Hello? Is anyone there?" says Lua
Komet flinches. "A-ah!"
"What's up with you today? You seem out of this world!"
"I… Ahm… Can you excuse me…? I… I would like some time alone…"
Lua frowns. "Is everything alright…?"
"I-It is, don't worry! Oh, which reminds me, I must call Anpu! You two wait here, I'll be right back, okay? Enjoy" She waves at them and quickly goes to the other room.
The room is dark and has no windows. She sits down and sighs. "They remind me of them… Of those days…" She shakes her head. "I know you are trying, but you are not coming back. Everything is over, it has nothing to do with me anymore! As soon as I bring justice for Hydra, I'll break free from this chain and finally leave everything behind. And then-!"
She wipes her cheek. She feels wet. "Am I… Crying…?"
"Well, shit, I guess she hates us, huh?" says Bancho Lilimon
"Just another one to the big collection" says Bancho Mamemon
"That's fine if you are an outsider. But this is not acceptable if you are one of us! Where's the respect?" growls Bancho Leomon, getting up. "I'll fix that-"
"W-wait, hold on! She doesn't hate you, I can guarantee that" says Lua
He sits back down. "Can you?"
"Yes, I can! This is not how she acts when she is annoyed at someone or something. She's more like… Away from this world. She has her head in the clouds since we arrived here for whatever reason"
"'Whatever reason?' You don't even know what's going on with her? Aren't you gonna try to find this out?"
"Hey, it's not that simple, okay? She asked for some time alone"
"So you are gonna find out after she comes back, right?"
"Ahm, well…"
Sonne stands up. "I understand your point, Bancho Leomon. Lua, come with me"
"Huh?"
Sonne walks to a corner, away from the banchos. Lua follows him. "I just came to the realization that not only we know little to nothing about her days between the beginning of her teenage years and before she joined Diamlock Tech, she also actively avoids talking about said subject" he says
"Yeah, I'm aware. I tried that once, but I didn't get much that day aside from the fact that she tried to… Well, you know. Then she had a nightmare about… Uuh… Has she ever told us what her nightmares are about?"
"No. Besides, if you recall the past events, you will notice a pattern regarding said nightmares"
Lua rubs her chin, trying to remember. "Hmm… She had them… Whenever she was faced with subjects she didn't want to talk about- Wait! She has nightmares every time we try to talk about something she's trying to avoid!"
Sonne nods. "Not only that. I believe this situation is heavily linked to said unknown past and her guilt. She will not talk to us about it if we do not take the initiative, and I believe she will not stop struggling if she keeps it to herself"
"Are you implying that the BAN-TYO and whatever we're doing with them is reminding her of those 'forbidden things'?"
He nods. "Her response to it is always to flee. Something must be done to bring a positive change"
Lua opens a big smile. "Oh wow, you really made an emotional analysis now! You have come a long way since we came to this world, bigger puss! From a servant that would just obey her orders and ask for a punishment whatever you think you failed to someone actively trying to understand feelings and get something changed!"
"It is still part of my role to take care of her and her health"
"Well, yeah, but what I mean is that you are really acting more as a friend than a servant, and this is awesome!" She jumps on Sonne's shoulders and quickly pets his long mane, making it messy. "Look at this bigger lion! A true friend!"
He sighs. "Not this again…"
"Yep! This again!" She jumps off. "So, are we gonna confront her?"
"I yet do not know of a way we could do it without scaring her off"
"I don't know either, but we're definitely doing something. Let's go!" She grabs his hand and together they go towards the other room.
As soon as they get there, they hear sobs and a faint cry. Lua looks at Sonne. He nods, and together they come into the room.
Komet whips her head towards them, startled by the room suddenly being lit because of Sonne's fire. "W-What are you doing here? I-I told you two to-"
"We were worried, then we heard you crying, so of course we had to come in! Did the BAN-TYO make you cry? We're gonna make them pay for it!" says Lua
She wipes her tears. "N-no, no! They didn't do anything wrong. It's-"
"We know they didn't. You're crying because you remembered something that makes you sad. It's related to Hydra, isn't it?"
"H-huh? Where's that coming from?"
"You don't normally act all that weird and distant when around Digimon, especially when they are friendly. Unless you are confronted with something you don't want to talk about, like how it happened a few times already!"
Komet swallows hard and looks away.
"You often talk about bringing justice to Hydra and mention your appreciation for him, but little we know about the relationship between you two, the same way we barely know anything that happened during your teenage years. So I believe it is safe to assume that both cases are linked to each other. Is my logic correct?" asks Sonne
She doesn't answer.
"We would like to learn more about your past, Komet"
She's still looking away without giving an answer.
Lua pulls her ears down and groans impatiently. "What's wrong with you? Why don't you answer us?"
"I DON'T WANNA!" she answer bitterly
Sonne and Lua flinch.
Komet sighs. "I… I'm sorry… I don't want to talk about that… I don't want to remember that. What's gone is gone, and there's nothing I can do about that. Even because, like you said, I evolved, so there's no reason to bring up something that has nothing to do with me anymore"
"Nothing to do with you? Komet! This is about your life, of course it has something to do with you! Besides, if that was really gone, it wouldn't be tormenting you up to this day!"
She sighs and looks down.
"So, please! Open your heart! Tell us what happened that bothers you so much, about your friend Hydra or at least about what you did when you were a teenager! We promise that whatever happened, whatever you did, we will never leave your side!"
She still looks down for some seconds, then shakes her head. "I'm sorry. I'm not ready for that. I'd like to focus on our missions first. I'm really sorry about that…"
Sonne sighs and sits down beside her. "No pressure, Komet. Our goal is not to force you to do anything, but to give you guidance to help you solve your troubles. We are your friends, after all"
Lua does the same as him. "Yeah! And we will never let go of your hand, no matter the situation! We will walk by your side and wait until you feel ready to tell whatever happened! Oh, also! There's a chance you will have a nightmare because of this, isn't it? So we are gonna snuggle you so hard on your sleep that we're gonna squeeze the nightmare out of you~"
Komet sighs and smiles. "Saying 'thank you' a lot of times is not gonna be enough to show how much I'm grateful for having you two. I just wish I wasn't such a burden to you two with my stupid emotional inconsistency. But I promise I'm trying my best to put an end to this"
Lua hugs her. "Don't say that! No one is a burden to no one here! We'll always back each other up!"
Sonne hugs both and picks them up. "Always"
Komet nods and pets both on the head. "Always"
They keep hugging each other, enjoying the moment in silence. After a few minutes, Sonne puts both back on the floor.
"Oh, right, I still need to call Anpu. Are you gonna join?" asks Komet
"Nah, there's not much for us to talk about. You can fill us in later. We are going back to the other room. Oh, that reminds me! The BAN-TYO think you dislike them because of your lack of interaction" says Lua
"Ah, crap! I really didn't want to give this impression… I'm gonna apologize to them as soon as I'm done here"
"You better be fast, because it's still your birthday today, and I don't want to end the day without celebrating it properly! The others are eager to celebrate too!"
Komet nods and projects the interface of her smartwatch, while Sonne and Lua leave the room, slowly going towards the main room.
"I still have concerns" says Sonne
"About what?" asks Lua
"About her still unwillingness to talk about the past. I am afraid of the possibility of her postponing it indefinitely, extending her internal struggles"
"Well, if she keeps bottling it up, then we will open that bottle somehow, even if some force is necessary. But we will find a way to deal with that. We are Team Twilight, after all!"
"You sure love to mention that whenever you get the chance"
"I do and I don't plan to stop!"
Sonne looks towards the couches, where the three banchos are sitting. Bancho Leomon looks at him, gives him a proud smile and a thumbs up. Sonne nods back.
Komet ends the call with Anpu and walks to the room where everyone else is.
"Happy birthday!" says everyone in unison
The room is decorated with random colorful objects and confetti. The wall has something written in Digimoji, which she assumes it's related to her birthday. The cake that Sonne gave to her earlier that day sits on the table, surprisingly surviving the messy escape from the previous hideout. Sonne grabs his own tail and lights all 20 candles.
"Congratulations for being born on this day I guess?" says Bancho Mamemon, opening a big smile while grabbing his bottle of beer. "I have no idea why your homeland celebrates this shit, but it's good shit, man! Call me whenever it's the day of your birth celebration that I'm in"
"I have a better idea! Why don't we all move to their place? Then we just get to know our days of birth and celebrate it every year! That's gonna be at least seven celebrations a year!" says Bancho Lilimon
Komet giggles. "Thanks everyone. First, I'd like to apologize for being mentally absent from whatever happened. I don't hate you guys, you are quite fun actually, despite the shenanigans" she gives a nervous smile. "About going to my homeland... Well, I'll owe you that. Now…" She grabs her bottle of beer and raises it. "Long live the BAN-TYO! Long live Team Twilight!"
Everyone also raises their bottles. "Cheers!"
"Komet! Komet!" Lua grabs the cake and brings it closer to her. "The wish! You need to blow the candles and make a wish!"
"Oh!" Komet closes her eyes. "A wish… What should I wish for…? A safe return to my world…? That we successfully finish the investigation…? No… Maybe I should wish for something more personal… Something for myself… For us…!"
Komet blows the candles. Everyone claps, then starts chatting for the rest of the day while playing random games, until it gets late in the night. Everyone is sitting on the couch, enjoying the rest of the night without being disturbed by the D-Brigade.
"Let's play one last game! What's the coolest quote that comes to your mind, and why?" asks Bancho Lilimon
"Easy! For me it is 'It's never too late to give up'. It's a good reminder for all those weaklings that dare to challenge me that they can still run away with their tails between their legs!" says Bancho Leomon
"No! I mean a quote that is important to you! Not something as stupid as your face!"
"Alright, alright. This one is for those who might be afraid to try. 'Trying doesn't guarantee your success, but not trying guarantees your failure'! You might not win against me, but keep that fire burning that you will get somewhere"
She raises a brow. "Why do you need to make everything about not beating you? Whatever. What about you, Komet?"
"There's one that always comes to my mind… Something he told me, and I never forgot it…" She looks in the direction of her friends. "But, uhh… It's not a good moment to say that… I know they will make sure to use it against me"
Everyone looks at her, waiting for an answer.
"Well… There's one that my boss told me. 'Sometimes a big change just requires a sip of coffee and a stroke of the pen'. Something like… Well, I'd need to give a lot of context for that… Can I pass it to Lua?"
Lua nods quickly. "Yeah, sure! This one I heard recently from a powerful and nice ruler called Pharaohmon! He said something like this: 'Memory is what prevents past mistakes from repeating. Memory is what makes generations live, remember what they are fighting for, and pass the flame of hope to the next generation. The world might be ending, but as long as someone is carrying the flames of hope and keeping their memories alive, a new dawn will always rise'"
Komet looks at Lua, and notices she is looking directly at her.
"I had this in my mind for some time, until I realized this: it's important to keep your memory alive, because memory is like a bridge that links the past to the future! If you forget important events or people, be those good or bad, you create holes and gaps in that bridge, which will make it harder for someone to head forward, especially yourself" finishes Lua
"I am truly impressed that such reflection came from you, Lua" says Sonne
She scowls. "I'm not sure if you are really impressed or just mocking me!"
Komet looks at nothing, wondering. "'Don't forget, remember… Memory is like a bridge that connects the past to the future'… Is that so…?"
Who are you? Who am I? What are we?
After some time, they all get ready to go to sleep. After all, they will head to Central Network Palace the next day and hopefully finally return to the Human World. Komet lies down on the corner, and both Sonne and Lua snuggle her, even though it's not the normal time for Lua to go to sleep. She smiles. "They feel like giant plushies". Then she closes her eyes, ready to fall asleep in the warmth of their bodies.
"What? Do you want me to do this with Drake? But he is so insufferable!"
"I promise this is just because you two didn't get the chance to properly meet each other-"
"No, he is a piece of shit, an asshole! I refuse"
"I'm sorry, but this is a necessary evil. I'm sure y'all want it to feel like a loving family, right?"
"If he did, he wouldn't keep treating me that way"
"Look, I promise he is not a bad person per se, but I can't figure out why he can be… Erm… Shitty at times. Sure, we see each other as closer brothers, but our age gap doesn't help much. You two are about the same age, I'm sure it will work better. After all, I realized that you can be pretty good at finding the truth, so-"
"You want me to figure out why that dick is such a rebel. Sigh"
"You do too. Do you think I haven't noticed that?"
"..."
"So I think this will benefit the both of you"
"You don't get it. If whatever truth exists, he will just hide it forever"
"'Three things cannot hide for long: the Moon, the Sun and the Truth'"
"Huh…?"
"It's a quote from someone I don't remember. Look at all these three. The Sun is pretty much straightforward. It will hide for some time, but it will always shine with splendor later, so you will easily find it. The Moon has its moments, it likes to be tricky. It will try to hide during its darkest phase, but if you look at the sky carefully, even in the darkest days, you will find it. And finally, there's the Truth. People try to hide it under many layers of lies, but like the Sun and the Moon, it's still there, just waiting to be spotted. In fact, the more layers of lie you try to add, the more the lie becomes more evident, until it's finally exposed"
"It feels like you are challenging me now"
"Is it working?"
"SIGH… But I guess I love this quote now, and I'll take it to heart. Maybe I should make it my motto when I go on a hunt to get those stupid scammers and corrupt people!"
"I'm glad you like it! Now, good luck with Drake!"
"Hey, are you running off? Hydra!- Ugh, he already logged off… 'Three things cannot hide for long', huh? I'll have a good time proving this over and over again"
Unless I am the one hiding.