Agito, Sanjou (Mae)

At first, Hinomaru was silent when he heard Mae's words... but few moments later, he laughed out loud. Dear him, this girl is just precious! "...That's why I said you're great. Listening to other people is a luxury that not everyone have, especially when time is the most precious resource in this world. You who used it to listen to people are indeed special. But yes, I can understand your sentiment... pftheheh..." the Hawkmon is still amused after all. Talking with her reminds him of the good old time. He laughed even harder at the joke about the judicial position taken semi-seriously. Goodness him!

"...I'd seriously adopt you as my own daughter if you're interested, you know?"

Hazard guess? That's pretty much true though. "I'd say that you have enough evidence to back up that 'guess' of yours. Either way as what we'll do..."

"I think we'll just take some easy time or... rebond in some way or another," Koutarou interjected. He's seem done from brewing some tea for three of them. "Please enjoy, some chamomile tea with a bit of a ginger and honey, hopefully can make you relax somewhat."

"Hmmm, is that so? A pity, but I'll keep the offer open for anytime. But even then I think a father wouldn't be a great father without knowing personally their child. I know you have Kappy's data, but even then... that's not 100% you, right? That's why, perhaps it'll be easier to start slow and just be friends, and maybe once we know one another better you can consider that again."

It's amusing that Mae doesn't have the reaction of a cat whenever they drink something hot. It almost felt like Digimons are naturally better than their biological, analog counterpart in resistance. Either way...

"I think that's the reason why I'm here to begin with," Koutarou answered. "I'd like to find it, and probably defeat it in some way or another. I'm not going to obviously risk myself for the second time. I... I had a taste of its strength, so I think I know my limitation somehow... but at the same time, that creature had my memories. I had no idea whether it's bitter, sweet, sad, or happy, or anything like that at all... I... I still want to know. And that's why the old me wrote that book."

"Though, I think the lady is asking something like... where can it be found."

"That's the thing, do you remember? The book said something about its appearance can be triggered, and can be avoided by some way."

"....Yes, I do remember that fact that it can be triggered, can be completely avoided... but as of HOW I don't remember, unfortunately."

"Thought as much...."

Upon hearing the barb, Hinomaru just laughed hard like never before. "Oooh that was a fine roast, young lady. That, I applaud you, is some great roast. My sides has committed self-seppuku. But there are truth in that. Kappy-dono indeed always speaks in memetastic ways. I have no idea why, but he just do. I always find it amusing in one way or another. I'm not a great straight talker either, considering many found my way of speaking is weird. So I guess I found his to be some sort of fun to hear."

Question about the book... "It's not that it's not written," Hinomaru corrected. "It's erased. Cleanly, like it's never written to begin with. I know for sure that we'll write everything, code or not, in this book. But thing with it is if it's erased then it is erased... and that Digimon have power to warp reality to certain extent. Anything connected to that memory can be severed, that is if it's allowed to completely mature...

In worst case, if it attacked.. let's say, me and Tono this time around with full power... the end result will be I'll be a Solo Digimon without awareness of my past life as a partnered Digimon, Tono would forgot everything about Digital World, that book becomes an empty book, and you never remembered you ever met two of us...

We're currently at dead end. However, considering there are no cases of amnesic people, I think it... it's a case of it going dormant for now. As of who else know this... I guess everyone else in our team knows..."

"Yeah, all of them lost their memories... but their Digimon should remembered in one way or another." Koutarou agreed.

"Have you ever heard the saying... memories makes up everything? This thing basically works under that premise. At its worst it actually can completely make people forgot someone as is they never existed," Hinomaru answered. "...However, it have a limitation for sure... a limitation or a goal I have no idea... but over several cases I saw, it cannot erase any memories prior to someone become a chosen.... At least that was Tono said before he lost his memories."

"Good job, old me," Koutarou muttered. "I assumed it's the usual team?"

"Ah yes, we're just group of friends, but we're practically inseparable you see," Hinomaru commented "so to save time we said that we belonged to same tea--"

"Excuse me!" someone suddenly cut his words. Hinomaru looked at the one who called and found a young boy with Monodramon.

"Yes, how may I assist you, young one?"

"Um... did any of you see a little girl, shorter than me, about eight, with a Piyomon?"

"Can't say I have seen them, lad... Your friend?"

"Sister actually... She was with me, and suddenly out of nowhere she's gone..."

"...Hm, concerning... Miss Mae, I think this is a cue for your future insight," Koutarou commented.

The future is a strange thing isn't it? Among many images that strained Mae's mind would be an image of a girl and her Piyomon. As the time goes on, more and more image seem to lost as the stream of possible futures are slowly cut one by one, like it's a predestined ending. There's one funny thing about future... Mainly...

Even if past and the presents are deluded from the presence of the culprit, the future is not so. Even if the present and past tracks are erased, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

Mae would see one among the visage of the culprit. It shape is... so vague. It have all the elements from each field... Dragon head, angelic and demonic wings, mermaid tail, furry body, machined torso, vine-like arms, bird talons and floating Digicores, three of them. It smelled both Vaccine, Virus and Data at the same time. Part of it is semi unrendered, almost like an incomplete Digimon. Red strings, almost threadlike, puncturing its body and tangling it. On its arms are scissors...

Mae would probably felt a chill down her spine as the image of the Digimon suddenly stared straight at her, almost as it noticed being seen.

I SEE YOU

And it vanished... that future is gone. The rest of the future only showed the girl being lost in a forest.

"Lass... Lass, are you well?" Agito asked Mae. That silence was really concerning. "What did you see?" he asked finally after Mae said her piece. He knows that tone so much, one that she might hates a lot considering how it's used by her father a lot when shit gone down. But Agito have no time for pleasantries or nostalgia at the moment. He's fully focused on Mae's well being.

Koutarou is ready with the tea and all, offering her to drink it again. "Before we go, you should probably drink. It's to help you relax somewhat. Hinomaru, would you---"

"Right away. Madam! Please lend us your map!"

It's not nice to hyperventilate and then go looking for the kid after all... But either way, when the map is presented, it's seem that the nearest forest is about ten minutes walk away.

"I think I know the answer of what's waiting there... the Bondbreaker won't attack if you're in public, so... Lad I think you  should stay here." Hinomaru told the boy and his partner.

"What? B-but..."

"I'm sorry, but this will be dangerous. Surely you understand what that entailed?"

The boy eventually backed down but not without one last message to make it clear.

"Please bring my sister back... please."

"Umu, you have my word. Well, then, shall we?"

Koutarou had no idea why or what made him do this, but his legs already spontaneously heading toward the forest for some reason, along with Hinomaru who led them.

"...You seen it?"  Hinomaru asked as they walked toward the forest. He nursed his head as if there is a flash of pain that hit him. Either way... this seem made him remember something. "...Yes, I remember an important piece now... That thing will mostly attack chosen, and completely disregard solo Digimons. The way of its attack pattern is to strike in place where it's most likely to not be disturbed by any eyewitness."

"Which means...?"

"Yes, I fear that's the case. We should go there immediately. If it appeared, then..."

"It would be too late to act. How to banish it then?"

"Eyewitness. In return for erasing our memories of its presence, it will not have power to break bond. Which means either we rescue the sister first, or we need to look at it long enough for us to be 'aware' of it. Miss Mae being one who saw it thorough fabric of time means we could do a bit of a preemptive attack on it. Thing is... Miss Mae, can you... dodge it long enough for the rest of us to look at it? Because at the moment, Tono's status is not a chosen... but a mere normal human who is in possession of Digivice. If you don't do this, then... it'll attack the kid for sure."

"...I don't like this strategy."

"But there's no other choice, Tono. We're no longer as powerful as we are in the past, and my data has yet stabilized. I'm floating in status between a 'chosen's partner', and 'solo Digimon'. I cannot evolve like this, and most likely could never... Our hope is in Miss Mae."

...it's at this time that suddenly the air felt odd. It felt... oppressive, and felt like everything gone silent.

"...It's unmistakable. We're within its 'Boundary'"