Old Ones Return (V)

*Kapurimon does this, while staring at Leomon*

<(But they need your help too...>
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*Everyone follows Thiera to the castle*

Renamon: "I said only what most would say."

"Don't sell yourself short. So, can I count on you?"
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*Thiera turns.*

T"Are you coming?"

A<...Sure.>

*Agumon follows the crowd.*
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*Eventually, Monodramon stops phasing in & out & is able to move, though his abdomen is still in a lot of pain.*

Ts"He can't really help them if he doesn't know what happened to them."

Renamon: "Yes, of course."

*Lunamon hops back to join Agumon*

<Why the long face?>
---

<(I hope they're alright.)>

*And so Euryale hugs Renamon.*

"That's great. Really puts my mind at ease."
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*Agumon looks away.*

<It's none of your business.>
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*Eventually, Leomon comes back.*

"What's wrong?"

Leomon<Don't trouble yourselves with things you can't change. If you're going to fight Kurata, then I need to take you to see Baihuman's seer.>

OOC: "Genetics," would've been the better answer.

Renamon reciprocates as everyone else is going into the castle.

Lunamon:<Need a hug?>
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*Kotemon stares at Leomon*

But what about our tamers?

Leomon<I'll take that as a "Show us the way.">

*And so he turns & heads for a wedge-shaped cliff jutting out in front of all of the others, supported from below by a monolithic rock. Tsune & Gomamon follow.*

Ts"Heh. Is the seer going to be a baboon?"

Leomon<What? Of course not.>

*Tsune scowls.*
===========================
*The layout has not changed.*

A<No, go away.>
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*Euryale is briefly taken aback, but smiles.*

"Alright, we should probably go catch up to the others now."

Lunamon:<Fine, but you're not weak or anything.>

*And so she fucks off back to Kylie*
---
*Kotemon follows*

Renamon: "Yes."

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Monodramon follows, dragging its ass.

*Leomon leads them into a rather simple cave, shallow, but dug out in a spherical fashion. This leaves the ground illuminated well, but most of the cave essentially dark. In the shadows at the back of the cave is a marble pedestal, on which sits a large book.*

"I thought you said that you were going to take us to see a seer."

Leomon<I am. Take note, Wisemon does not like to be troubled. So only ask it a few of the most important questions you can think of.>

*Leomon's claw glows with gold-orange energy, & he holds it out over the book, careful to keep it close, but not touch it. Runes on the book react by glowing red. Leomon quickly pulls back as it flies open, pages flipping as though driven by a strong wind. Each page is filled with more glowing runes. When they finally come to a rest, Wisemon slowly drifts out of the pages, taking on a corporeal form once he's free of them. As it holds out its hands, points of light drift to its palms from seemingly nowhere, becoming its space time stones.*

Wisemon<Why have you summoned me here, Leomon?>

Leomon<These children & their Digimon partners have some questions for you.>

*He stands back, gesturing broadly to the Tamers.*
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*And so Agumon heads off down the left corridor. Euryale then comes in the entryway with an arm still around Renamon, & looks around.*

*Kotemon hangs back behind Tsune*
---
*The pair go off to find bedrooms*

Renamon is now uneasy being in a position usually reserved for Taiyo.

Taiyo: "How'd it go?"

"Pretty good."

*And so Euryale finally lets go of Renamon, going to stand by Taiyo, facing Renamon. She holds a finger up.*

"Oh, & one more thing: No standing guard tonight. Go have some fun. Or sleep. Y'know, whichever."
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*Wisemon narrows his eyes in the awkward silence.*

"Why the fuck is everyone looking at me? I don't have any problems."

Wisemon<Your question is based on a fundamental misunderstanding.>

"It was rhetori--"

*One of the stones flash & a projection fills the walls of the cave, as though they are standing inside of Tsune's kitchen, watching as Kurata & her mother have tea nearby.*

Wisemon<Kurata will stop at nothing to eradicate your Digimon, & he will use any association of yours to do it.>

*The other stone flashes, replacing the projection with an army of black silhouettes rising up around them, only red eyes & odd red blobs along their bodies visible.*

Wisemon<But you will not be able to fight back. Even if your partner COULD Digivolve, he would not stay that way, for Kurata has isolated the data that the D-Reaper uses to prevent Digivolution, & used it to create a new breed of hybrid Digimon. I can fix both, if you are worthy.>

G<And, uh, if not?>

Wisemon<Then I will not hesitate to destroy you all so as to prevent you from threatening the Digital World.>

G<...Oh.>

*Kotemon stares at Wisemon*
---
*As soon as bedrooms are found, the group goes to bed*

Renamon blinks in confusion and looks to Taiyo who wraps her arms around Euryale's.

Taiyo: "I think that's an order."

Renamon: "Right."

And so Renamon buggers off.

===================================

Presumably in their own room, Azuma & Hitomi just sit in silence.

Azuma: "There's no coming back from that is there?"

Hitomi: "I don't know. I don't understand why you'd have wished to do that."

Azuma: "I wanted them...the enemy to know that they will fall. I wanted them to see that we can be as cruel to them as they have been to us, but now I'm..."

Hitomi: "Afraid of being like them?"

Azuma: "Yes. When I was enlisted in Hypnos it was after I had helped those who were in trouble putting that above the current danger. I felt like I was being a hero. Now...that brief time is gone."

Hitomi: "Only if you forget it. What happened with Senthose will always be with you, but you can overshadow it by being a good person."

*Not knowing that Azuma is emoing out, Euryale merely smiles at Taiyo.*

E"Shall we retire, Madam?"
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*Renamon eventually finds Agumon wandering the corridors.*
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*Tsune turns to leave.*

Leomon<Where are you going?>

Ts"I'm sure we could accomplish a lot more doing literally anything else than listening to this guy telling us nothing useful. Or attacking us."

Wisemon<I answer what is requested of me. It is not my fault that you can't decide what you wish to know.>

*Tsune whirls around & points a finger at him.*

Ts"I WISH to know what we could actually DO that would make us so USEFUL in your oh-so-humble opinion!"

Wisemon<Assuming that was a question, I possess power, given to me by the Sovereign Baihumon, which, when downloaded into Digimon, can prevent those Digimon from degenerating in the presence of the D-Reaper's Data Strain.>

*The scene changes to a scene of the 4 Sovereigns.*

Wisemon<Each Sovereign possesses this power. But it was not originally theirs. It was created by you humans years ago, & delivered to them just recently by another group of humans. Like you, only more...seasoned. Heroic. I hear they survive. Perhaps you could join them. But first, you must rescue your own.>

*The scene once again changes. Ghostly figures with warped voices recount the scene of how Kotemon's & Monodramon's partners were taken to Hypnos HQ...& had their memories erased. The partners turn a corner & are then walking inside their house, which they take off their shoes & begin their typical routines.*

Wisemon<You will need to restore their minds & your bonds, if you are ever to Digivolve again.>

*Kotemon looks up at Tsune*

<Then that's what we'll have to do!>

Taiyo: "Right."

===================================

Azuma: "How have you managed to stay with me despite the wrongs I've commited?"

Hitomi: "We all have our flaws. If we were to abandon others because of them all we would have is pain and loneliness. All we can do is accept the flaws of others and help them overcome them and grow as better people."

Azuma: "Thank you."

Hitomi: "For what?"

Azuma: "For being you."

She blushes and briefly averts her gaze, biting the corner of her lip for a moment before looking back to him, smiling.

Hitomi: "Thank you. I don't know how to be anyone else."

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Renamon: "Hello."

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Monodramon: "How do we restore their memories?"

*Agumon turns when he hears someone talking to him.*

<...What is it?>
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*The images rewind, getting faster & faster. They slow down again as they near the days the Digimon met their tamers. At this point, they also start condensing, & in a flash, transform into 2 cards, each depicting one of Wisemon's stones with ghostly clocks & galaxies coming off of it.*

<I understand that you can be modified with the use of cards. THESE cards will each grant you temporary use of one of my Space-time Stones, which can preserve & reproduce any object or event that they are exposed to, as long as you can recall them. But you...>

*He points at Tsune & the cards shuffle, a Digivolution card appearing amongst them.*

<...Will be needing this.>
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*After looking for a room that isn't too dusty, Euryale eventually just settles on one. Looking in a chest at the foot of the bed, she finds extra bedspread, so she sets about taking the current one off, wiping the headboard with it, tossing it on the floor, & then changing it.*

"I guess there's no Maidmon, huh? Or, if there is, His Royal Highness didn't think it important to hire one."

<But how will we modify ourselves without our tamer's d-powers?>

Taiyo: "I don't think anyone's been here for awhile."

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Agumon seeming troubled, Renamon resolves to turn around and go back rather than press anything further.

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Monodramon: "We must take it to them."

<Okay, fine, don't tell me.>

*Agumon sets off in the opposite direction.*
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"If you were paying attention, at no point during that whole slideshow did Hypnos take their D-Powers. They're probably in the last place you left them."

<Very astute. But you will also need one more thing.>

*A red flash of light from the space-time stones covers the cave. The Digimon feel all tingly.*

G<I feel all...tingly.>
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"Yeah. Whatever this castle was for, its owners moved out a long time ago. That's why King Drasil could just take it for himself. And, given that Senthose knew about it, Kurata probably wants a piece of it, too."

*Once the bedspread is in place, she smooths it out, kicks her shoes off, & climbs aboard.*

Taiyo follows suit.

Taiyo: "But we won't let that happen, right?"

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Renamon continues on her way, looking about not really sure what to do now.

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Monodramon growls.

Monodramon: "What is this?"