Chapter 24

Kona fidgeted in her chair, picking at the purple cast on her left arm. She couldn't help but smile at the surprising amount of signatures lining her forearm. She'd never known that many people, had always been a loner. But as she looked down at the hodgepodge of bumpy, scribbled sharpie, she realized just how many people had come into her life within the last year that she couldn't live without.

"At least you can still code with one hand!"

Kari's handwriting was still girlish and perfect, despite the texture of the brace. And Gatomon had even Digivolved to Angewomon just to draw a long, looping heart right next to Kari's.

Harada's was your typical, hurried man-writing. "Wish I could see the other guy!"

And after many protestations of "why?" and "what's the point?", M had finally scribbled "Get well soon asshole," with a giant swooping Zorro-esque M right next to it.

Kona chuckled under her breath, gently running a finger over his signature, appreciating it, despite the sarcasm. Her finger kept running along the cast, finding Reena and Owen's signatures just below M's.

"This is nothing, invincible girl!" ~Reena

"Not even Digimons can take out our Kona!" ~Owen

Digimons. With an S. Typical dad move.

Kona's smile widened as she recalled the hours-long talk she'd had with them, explaining everything. They were quiet at first, which had made Kona nervous; that they would realize how crazy she sounded, and decide she wasn't worth the trouble.

But she eventually trailed off, exhausted from filling the silence with words so that they couldn't tell her she was insane.

Reena and Owen had looked at each other quietly, and of course it was Reena who spoke. She always spoke first in times of adversity, because of her constantly level head.

"Well of course this is all confusing... and... scary for us. But we didn't sign up for this, for... being a family, because it was going to be easy. We wanted this because it would be difficult. We wanted the trouble, the arguments, the worry. It's what makes a family... a family."

Kona had made a face at the cliche line, but couldn't help but admire the sentiment. Where previous fosters had balked at her haywired personality, the Seuhlos actually appreciated the challenge.

"And if this is what you say it is, if... he's what you say he is..." she trailed off, motioning to M where he stood silently, leaning against the far wall.

"Then... we believe you," Owen uncharacteristically chimed in, a muted smile on his face. "Just... don't be surprised if we suck at this whole... adjusting... thing. At least for a little while."

Kona grinned as she ran her fingers over Owen's signature.

Even the cute guy at the local coffee shop, who always took her and Kari's orders, had run around the counter that morning and written "get better right meow," and drawn a terrible cat that looked more like a cow.

Kona's smile began to fade as the absence of one signature became glaringly obvious.

"Amaya," M said in hesitant welcoming, and Kona jumped as Officer Mori entered, her expression flat and unreadable. She closed the door behind her, but did not sit at the chair opposite Kona's desk. She looked unyieldingly at M where he stood against the wall, keeping out of the sunlight pouring in the window. She crossed her arms as her stare made M swallow hard, averting his gaze and leaning complacently against the wall once more.

"I just spent more than an hour on the phone with General Shiro, in which he threatened to have me fired, my property seized, and my life destroyed if I don't become his puppet in this little vendetta he has against you," she finished sharply, pointing a long finger at M. "He eventually settled for daily updates on your exact location, a backdoor tracking system on our entire digital database, and a guarantee that he will have uninhibited access to this police station if and when he decides to come for you. So I basically just told this man he is free to walk into my house, with my brothers and sisters," she motioned to the other officers through the closed blinds, "and drag someone out. And I have no authority to stop him. So I need an explanation. Now."

Kona swallowed hard, unprepared to deal with Amaya's level of anger. It was warranted... but still unexpected. Amaya was always the friendliest person Kona knew.

"I uh..." Kona began, her voice shaking and eventually failing. She cleared her throat, looking down into her lap and picking at her sleeves. Before even a second went by, she felt M's comforting hand on her shoulder, and she immediately felt stronger.

"I don't really know where to start," Kona said, still afraid to look up at Amaya. "About eight months ago, when I was still living on the streets, I found and gained access to... a..."

She paused, looking up at Amaya, whose expression had not changed.

"This is all gunna sound really crazy, but just hear me out, okay? And if it still sounds crazy, you can fire me, arrest me... whatever..."

Amaya raised an eyebrow, but her steely resolve remained.

Kona took a deep breath as she realized Amaya wasn't going to make this any easier. M squeezed her shoulder slightly in support, and she reached up to rest her hand on his for a moment.

"I accessed another world," she said, looking down at her hands to avoid the probably judgmental glare she would be getting. "A Digital World. Viruses, vaccines, files, archives... they're not just things, they're... real.They're Digimon. They're living things, creatures, places, beautiful and unbelievable. It's not just some unreachable and intangible series of numbers on a computer screen. That's just... what it looks like from the outside. It's like... looking at the ocean. All you see at first is reflections, and light, and... movement. But it's so much more..."

I'm rambling. She doesn't care what it looks like, she probably doesn't even believe me...

Kona sighed. "Well it's a really long and complicated story, but really what you need to know is... every human life form has a corresponding digital one. A partner, a... another piece of themselves. And..."

She paused again, looking up at him and smiling. His hand tightened on her shoulder once more, and he returned the grin.

"He's mine," she said, looking back at Amaya finally. Her expression had softened, but she still didn't speak.

"But even that is too simple of an explanation. He's more than that. Just recently I learned that he's a very special Digimon; part of every world there is. Part human, part digital, part... shadow..."

Kona could feel M's body language shift as he tensed.

"That's what happened two days ago. A force of darkness took over him, using an old digital vulnerability to effectively steal his body... like a virus takes programs. That's why he hurt you, hurt me..." she picked at her cast out of habit. "He would never do those things, had he been himself. But he wasn't. Until it killed him..."

Amaya's expression finally changed to one of worry. At least she's intrigued... maybe she won't decide I'm crazy.

"But Digital codes can't be fully destroyed like humans can, and he used that part of himself to resurrect. And he came back, stronger than ever, to keep the monster that killed him from doing the same to you and me... to all of Odaiba."

She reached up again, resting her hand on top of his again for support.

"So... I guess... long story short... there are dangerous ones... ones that Shiro and his agency should go after. But he isn't one of them. He's the one whose job it is to keep them out. He's... our guardian. I know it sounds cheesy, and crazy, and... if you wanna tell me I'm insane and to get out of your police station and take my problems with me... I will."

She paused, taking a deep breath and appreciating that M never left her side. She chanced a glance at Amaya, attempting to judge her reaction.

Amaya took a deep breath, her eyes going slowly from Kona to M. She thought quietly for a long time, but Kona took a page from Reena's book and simply let her.

"So..." Amaya began slowly, uncrossing her arms and appearing more curious than angry. "You're not... human?" She asked, the question obviously directed at M.

He smiled fiendishly, his fangs very visible as he looked down at Kona for a moment.

"I thought that might be your first problem" he said smoothly, looking back up at her with reserved suave. "And I feel that... it won't suffice to... simply apologizing for misleading you, and for... allowing you to... do what we did... without... understanding..."

Kona looked up at him as he stumbled to form the words, finding color coming to his cheeks. Kona smiled wide, and he tightened his grip on her shoulder hard in punishment.

"You know what, this conversation is probably better had in private," he said hurriedly, to which Amaya finally smiled with amusement. "Dinner, tonight?" He continued. "I'd invite you over to my place, but... I don't have one."

Amaya giggled, her body language finally relaxing. "Smooth, Casanova," she said, stepping forward and plopping into the chair opposite Kona's desk, her anger apparently subsiding.

"That's the second time someone's called me that," M said with heavily saturated charm, taking a pen from Kona's unicorn mug and placing it in his teeth as he leaned back against the wall.

Amaya grinned. "Dinner at my place it is, then," she said as she watched him. "Will I be on the menu?" She asked suggestively.

Kona's eyes instantly widened, and she turned her head slowly to see how M would take it. Should have known.

He rolled the pen back across his teeth, making a fang visible before sliding it from his lips. "Do you wanna be?" He asked with dripping sexuality.

"Oooookay," Kona interjected uncomfortably, burying her face in her hands. "Maybe keep the boudoir talk where it belongs."

"Sorry, Kona," Amaya said with a grin, turning back to face her. "Look, I'm gunna level with you two," she continued, tapping a finger on her knee repeatedly. "I get it... I mean... I kind of get it. And I'll do my best to understand and... not overreact. And I have no problem standing up to those pricks at O.A.R. but... you're gunna have a fight on your hands with those guys. They're bad news."

Kona nodded. She'd had a sneaking suspicion in her mind for two days that walking away from those guys had been purely luck.

"Well I will hel..." Kona began, but was interrupted by the bing of her email alert.

She turned to find a strange email with no sender. Usually she'd be wary of opening emails like that, but with her coding skills and M by her side... there weren't many viruses that scared her anymore.

She looked to M cautiously before clicking on the link within, and he shrugged nonchalantly.

She opened the link, recoiling slightly as a video chat window opened, revealing a familiar face...

"Gennai?" M said quietly from beyond Kona.

"Hello, Kona. Myotismon," Gennai said with a welcoming smile. Kona thought she recognized the stone walls and strange electrical pillars behind him. Before she could speak though, M chimed in.

"What are you doing in my castle?" He said, slightly perturbed.

Gennai smiled wide, wagging a chastising finger back and forth. "I believe this mansion belonged to the Agents first. You are essentially a squatter."

M made a hmph sound, leaning back against the wall and replacing the pen in his teeth to chew on it anxiously.

"I'm contacting you both because you had more pressing matters to attend to when we last met. But now that I have your attention, there are a few things you need to know.

"First, the bad news," he said with a more serious tone. Kona's shoulders dropped as she waited.

"The Shadow World has been without a Guardian for centuries. Viruses run rampant through the Digital World, and suffering afflicts humans across the globe. This isn't going to be as simple as reinstating the Shadow Guardian to his post. You can guard a gate all day long, but if enemies have already come through..."

Kona deflated. "So... you're saying we have to track down centuries of enemies?"

"Well when you put it like that... it does sound a bit overwhelming," Gennai said with a laugh Kona did not share. "But for the first time in the Digital World's long history, the Shadow Guardian has been united with his partner. That's never been done before. I, for one, can't wait to see what's possible."

Kona rearranged, not convinced. "Forgive me if I don't share your optimism," she began, looking down at her brace. "But we were almost defeated by a single program and a couple of meddling humans."

Gennai wasn't deterred. "Yes, but now you have an army of allies. Kari, Angewomon, Me... and the wonderfully talented and incredibly smart young police officer sitting in your office."

"I can already tell I'm gunna like this guy," Amaya said with a grin. A small, almost jealous growl escaped M, and Kona couldn't help but smile.

"Sure, it's a daunting task," Gennai said. "But I have every confidence the two of you can handle it. And I've even begun researching escaped Shadow beings to start tracking down, to take some of the load off. So?"

Kona turned to face M, who had put a nice crease in the plastic of the pen he was chewing on. He shrugged. "If we could take on War Cry, everything else should be a cakewalk."

"I'm glad he feels that way!" Gennai said as Kona turned back to face him. "Because I've got a doozy of a first task for you. I'm sending you the information on the virus now," Gennai said, obviously typing on a keyboard out of frame.

Within seconds, Kona received a dossier in an attached email detailing a very old, very destructive virus.

She clicked through it, trying to gauge how difficult a fight they had before them.

"Huh..." she began to read aloud, looking through an impressive list of programs and files it had destroyed in the past.

"A mega level Digimon whose base information was stripped away when it was defeated and exiled to the Shadow World. It has spent years attempting to resurface, and data shows it is very close to or already has found a way to escape."

"What's the virus called?" M asked, stepping forward to look at the computer screen.

Kona scanned down the list of known information.

Attack and defense record: attack date 10/6. Attack location: Shadow-File Island gateway. Damage: nearly catastrophic. Containment percentage: 32%. Name:

"Pied piper..."

Fin.

Thanks for reading! Kona and Myotismon will return!