Chapter Text
The breakfast before him left much to be desired, and it was obvious Reina knew that from the look on her face. Asuka took a bite of the egg toast, noting the taste of warm bread and the eggs with still runny whites. “I’m sorry, Kyo,” Reina said. “It’s fine, I’m just glad you didn’t go overboard like last time,” as he made a cup of coffee for them. The comment on her last breakfast disaster, the red head berried her flushed face in her hand as Pristimon gave head pats from on top of her dead.
Asuka chuckled, “Reina, if it’s too much trouble, you can always ask me to help.” Reina stood up, slamming the table. Her eyes watered a bit as she glared at the older person. Then she began yelling, “Your ‘help’ is exactly why it’s so much trouble for me! The moment you saw me struggling, you would have taken over. How am I supposed to learn if I can’t do anything!”
Kyo walked up and set a tray of drinks in the center of the table. “Cut him some slack, Reina, you know how Asuka is, looking after you is how he shows he cares.” Reina sat back down, pouting, grabbing her tea but not drinking it, letting Presimon enjoy the scent first. Kyo kissed his boyfriend on the cheek as he handed him a coffee and sat down. “Although Reina does have a point, you do tend to be a bit overprotective.”
Red eyes narrowed as Asuka brought the coffee up to his pouted lips, “well she was able do it herself today.”
“Well, it was because you slept in Asuka.” Makoto Chimed in, Chiropmon, hoped on his Sholder is as his eyes zoomed in, “You don’t usually sleep in, it’s unusual.”
Asuka stayed silent as he stared down at his black reflection in his coffee. He would rather forget last night’s nightmare. But he can’t ever forget his reason for being here. Even if his reason wakes him in a cold sweat, though last night was worse than usual, he. He’s lucky Kyo had calmed him down each time he woke up, but he’s still embarrassed. Asuka was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Siesamon’s head on his lap. He loosened his unknowingly hand, allowing Kyo to hold it, as he gave Asuka a reassuring look. Red eyes looked back fondly ashe calmed down; Asuka took another sip of his coffee.
“Yah, got to thank Kyo for giving you a fun night, so I could actually do something for once.”
Asuka choked on the bitter drink he put down, wiping his mouth as he coughed. He’s aware of how sassy the girl can get when she’s mad, but that was too far.
And Siesamon seemed to agree, “Reina! A young lady should never make such innuendos at the table, or anywhere for that matter,” She scolded, walking over to the girl. “That was a bit too far,” Pristimon agreed.
“I don’t get it. What kind of fun were they having?” The twelve-year-old Makoto asked everyone went silent. “I am quit curios about this as well,” the hooded bat chimed.
Multiple glares are thrown at Reina, who avoids them, trying to escape the awkward situation of her own making. The sound of a car honking outside had Reina jump up, shaking her Digimon resting on her head. “Well, would you look at the time, those bounties aren’t going to collect themselves!” Then she ran off.
“This isn’t over, Yonge lady!” The horned dog gave out a sigh and turned to Makoto and Chiropmon, “Pay no attention to her, all you need to know is that it was a rude joke you should never repeat, understand?”
“We understand Siesamo,n” Makoto nodded before getting up. The dog Digimon smiled as she watched them leave, “Such a polite boy, Reina could do to learn from him more.” Siesamon followed the kids to the car with Cougarmon trailing behind.
Asuka was about to go as well when he felt a tight grip on his hand. He looked to see Kyo’s worried gaze. “Last was bad, I haven’t seen you have so many nightmares in one night in, well… five years. You could take the day off while I look after the kids, if you’re not feeling up for it.” Asuka smiled, but he was not sure if it reached his ears. He cupped his boyfriend's head as he planted a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry about me, beloved, I can handle myself just fine.”
“Alright, but try not to push yourself, ok?” Kyo said as they walked hand in hand to the car. Asuka laughed, “Shouldn’t I be the one saying that, after all, a successful bounty means another mouth to feed.”
Truthfully, the thought of last night did make Asuka anxious. There was an old saying his mom once told him. Those nightmares of the past mean a coming change, so he couldn’t stay back. Hopefully, he will finally get something from Maki about his brother.
The Image of a Panda standing on two feet appeared with the number five thousand floating below it on the sapotama hologram. “The target is a Pandamon and ultimate level Digimon, the intel says it has been terrorizing a town,” Maki explains.
“Five thousand credits, not bad, but kind of cheap for an ultimate, the eight of us can handle this job, no problem.”
“Actually, Reina, I was hoping just you and Makoto to take this one. I need Asuka and Kyo for a personal job.” The suggestion caused two pairs of hands to slam the table, annoying the intel broker.
“Seriously!?” “No Way!”
“Come on, Asuka,” Reina wined, “we’re ready for this.” The older glared at Maki, “There is no way I’m letting Renia and Makoto go on a job on their own, especially agents an ultimate Digimon. So, you'd better have a good explanation for this.”
“I knew you would say that,” Maki let out an exasperated sigh. “Luckly I prepared for typical Asuka overprotectiveness. Truth is, I have my doubts about this bounty. I posted it because it was sent by the Ministry of Civil Protection, but there were gaps in the story.”
“What do you mean, Maki?” Makoto asked.
“Well, firstly, the location of the bounty is completely out of the ministry’s eyes.” Kyo hummed, raising an eyebrow, inquiring further. “I looked into it, and that town is so old school the residence doesn’t even have E-Pulse chips, much less sapotamas. The ministry isn’t known for being concerned for areas like that.”
The mood tensed a bit as Asuka scowled, but Maki paid it no mind as she continued. “Also, there have been no reports of cold heart in the area.” Cougarmon spoke up, “A stray ultimate Digimon but no cold heart, why did they put up the bounty in the first place?” Maki tuned to them, “According to the ministry, this digimon is the culprit for a string of thefts. But when I investigated the incidents, I concluded a Pandamon isn’t capable of this. I’m still not sure if a digimon is even involved. They may have increased in that area, but this thief has been spotted elsewhere. The things stolen were mostly food which digimon don’t eat, and the reports indicate the culprit is likely a small child, definitely not 6ft panda bear.”
Asuka scratched the back of his head. “ok I get that this job is suspicious, but Kyo and I can easily go with the kids to confirm this. Why do you need us to do your dirty work?”
His glare was met with a snake-like smile from Maki as she spoke, “Well… I believe this has something to do with the previous bounties, like that Mocmon. The fact that someone is getting information before we do implies there’s a leak. I want you and Kyo to look into it. I think this is beneficial for you to. The kids gain experience and a bounty for your team. Also, sending you on this job is just me holding up our deal.”
Asuka flinched from the mention of their “deal”; confliction washed over his face, trying to decide what to do. Kyo rested his hand on Asuka’s shoulder, catching his attention. The serious look in golden eyes said all that was needed. Asuka let out a defeated sigh, “ok, fine, we’ll do it your way.”
Reina jumped in excitement, “Really!” Asuka faced the young girl with hands on his hips. “But you will make regular check-ups on the communicator, and if you run into any trouble, you pull back and call us immediately. No running headfirst, you hear me; as the oldest,t you need to look after Makoto.”
“Right, I know, you can count on us, Asuka. Comon Makoto lets go before he changes his mind.” Reina grabbed Makot’s arm and ran out of the bar.
“Do you even know where you’re going!?” Asuka shouted after them. Kyo turned to the drunkard sitting at the ba,r “Yosshi mind giving them a ride?” The old man yawned and got up to catch up with the kids.
Reina stretched in the back of the car. “Man, for once in grateful for Asuka and Maki’s deal.” As the girl laughed, Makoto looked worried. “Reina, don’t be mean. Every time that mysterious deal comes up, Asuka comes home depressed.”
Reina looked ashamed, but it quickly turned into an angry pou,t “well at least we won’t have to deal with his and Siesamon’s indecent nagging for a while.”
“Reina!” Prisimon scolded
“Uh, I’m sorry; I just can’t stand how overprotective they are. Maybe if we do well on this job, they might at least let us do bounties when they go on their secret excursion.”
“I think you should lay off the guy; he’s just trying to look out for his family.” Yosshimura tries to defend, but the young girl just pouts “by keeping us sidelined.”
The old man looked solemnly from the car's mirror. “Look, I shouldn’t be telling you this; so, don’t say a thing to him. But when he was young, Asuka lost something extremely precious, and it left him with a hole in his heart he still can’t fill. Now he has glowing dawn, and it has helped a lot, but that just makes your pain affect him more than you know.”
As his passengers were left to think, Yosshi spotted the town and came to a stop in front of the gate. As he let them out, Yosshi called out, catching Reina’s attention,n “I know Asuka can be a bit much, but you’ll understand one day, when you find yourself with a 'helpless' younger sibling of your own.”
“Huh!? What do you-”
And with that, the car drove off
“Ok, Maki, you better have something this time, I’m in the mood for another dead end after that stunt you pulled.” Aska crossed his arms, glaring at the barwoman. Who only offered a coy smile in return “Oh, you doubt my skills, do you? I’m just working with the clues you gave me, which isn’t as reliable as you think it is.”
“I trust my own memories more than your ‘sources’.”
“Well, you don’t seem to trust your own family much; You still won’t tell them about your brother.”
“I’m just trying to protect them.”
“Or are you just trying to make up for past mistakes? They’re not a replacement for Tomaro, you know.”
A loud slam left the room in a tense silence Maki looked away from Asuka’s pained glare with guilt. “Sorry, that was too far.”
Kyo placed a comforting hand on Asuka’s shoulder while Siesamon rubbed their head on his leg. Golden eyes turned to address Maki, “The reason we agreed to split up with Reina and Makoto is that you said finding the leak could help us find Tomaro; how?”
“As I said, the information Asuka gave me is only leading to dead ends. I haven’t been able to even hear a word of a Sapotama glitching, so I’ve only been able to provide info based on the description of the Digimon from that night. It’s strange, according to Asuka. Tomaro’s e-plus could glitch Sapotamas with the slightest touch. And although there are a lot of monkey digimon, the number of times they’ve come up as leads is suspicious.”
“I’ve long suspected the mesentery may be interfering. Whether they were involved in Tomaro’s kidnapping or not is still up for debate. But It’s been obvious they are hiding information relating to him. Even the fact that he existed at all.”
Asuka let out a low growl, looking down and clenching his fist in frustration. Right, how could he forget, ‘it was like that from the beginning, but after that night they made it official. To the world my brother never even existed’. “The point?”
“Right now, the Ministry that is hiding the information currently has a leak. And I am sending you two to fix it.” Maki placed a hand on her cheek, giving a cunning smile, “So no one will complain if you take a little something from said leak.”
Kyo nodded, “Got it, come on. We have work to do.” As he led his boyfriend out of the bar, they stopped when hearing Asuka’s name being called from behind the bar. They turned to see Maki’s guilty expression. “I really am sorry about what I said. I know you don’t see the kids as a placeholder.” Then her face morphed into a more serious expression, “but for that reason, I truly believe you should tell them. They deserve to know the danger their family is in.”
The door closed with the ringing of a bell.
“Huh, this town is pretty peaceful, doesn’t seem like they’re being terrorized by digimon.” Makoto thought as he and Raina walked through the town. He was fascinated by how different it was from the city. No one was using Sapotamas, going about their daily lives; it was like he walked into the scene of one of his old movies. Suddenly in the corner of his eye, he saw a bright purple light moving in an alleyway. Makoto jumped back, bringing Chiropmon closer. He adjusted the glasses but saw nothing there. Mabey Reina was right he has been watching too many horror movies.
Speaking of, Makot turned to his partner, who was still walking with a grumpy face. “That Yosshi, what does that mean? ‘helpless’ younger sibling. Is that how Asuka sees me? Well, I’ll show him; well, get this bounty no problem.” Makoto attempted to stop Reina’s ranting so they could keep a low profile, when they herd a near by stall owner shout. “Hey, looks like I’m the first to be visited by our thief today.”
“Excuse me, ma'am, did you say something about a thief?” Reina asked as they approached the stall.
“Oh! haven’t seen you kids, before. Here I have some fresh, hot minced meat cutlets you can sample,” the stall woman offered.
Makoto was distracted momentarily by Chiropmon jumping at attention. He decided to put the strange idea of his digimon wanting to try human food to focused on the task at hand. “Not, thank you mame, were not hungry. Actually, we came here because we heard the rumours of a food thief in the area. But you don’t sound upset at all.”
The man from the next-door stall laughed, “Kids these days sure love a good mystery. Truth is, we use the term thief loosely. They’re just a customer who does not know how shopping works.”
The stall woman held up a brown envelope for the confused kids to look at. “You see, every time the ‘thief’ comes, one of the stalls gets an envelope full of cash, so at the end of the day all the store owners meet up and divide the money between our customers’ purchases.”
Reina looked like they had gone senile. “That’s it, and you all are ok with this? Feels like there are a lot of holes in this arrangement.” The girl sighed,d scratching her head; either way, it didn’t seem like there was a Digimon here.
“Sorry, it’s not an interesting story, young lady. But we don’t mind how things are; this town has always been close-knit. We usually meet up at the end of the day anyway; this is just an interesting thing to talk about.” The stall lady apologized. The other man bellowed out a proud laugh. “Besides, no one would cause trouble here, not when we have our town protectors.
Before they could ask more a loud bang rang out. Three men in ski masks holding metal pipes kept shouting about the residents leaving. While the residence looked either scared or annoyed, “not these guys again,” the stall woman groaned.
Makoto and Chiropmon were looking attentively at the scene reminiscent of his movies. Reina, on the other hand, just scowled angerly “I am not in the mood today to deal with this.” Pristimon tried calm their partner down, but Reina was too worked up, she was about to attack them. But then she felt something soft land on her shoulder.
“Yonge visitor pleas stand back” Reina was shocked to see her bounty target walk pass her. The townspeople began to cheer at their arrival, then Pandamon engaged with the men they called “Kauala Kai”. Makoto stood next to Raina and began to whisper, “Looks like Maki’s intel was half right. There is a Digimon in this town, but rather than terrorizing, it seems Pandamon is the town protector they were talking about.”
It was when Pandamon took down two of the men that they collapsed suddenly. This gave the third man a chance to take the stall woman hostage, pointing a knife at her, causing her to drop the cutlet she was holding. Reina was about to step in, then Chiropmon perked up “Makoto! Thers-”.
“How dear you!” out of nowhere, the man was knocked back, releasing the stall woman. “That was my minced meat cutlet, how dare you ruin my souvenir!” right in front of them stood a fuming green gecko Digimon. They froze and slowly looked back at everyone staring at them. “Ah! I messed up.”