Coming Home - SplashTOMATO - Digimon Savers (2024)

Chapter 1: To the Other Side

Chapter Text

1. To the Other Side

The single bed suite that Masaru first roomed in those couple years back turned into his steady crashing pad whenever he stopped by Digicon Valley. The only time others had occupied the room was during his extended travel to the southern lands, when he made it a particular point to tell Tobucatmon to let others use the room. Back then, he didn't know how long the trip would take him, after all. It would've been a waste to let the room gather dust. If the room was still occupied when he was back, that would've been no big deal for him. During all other times, the room had been left open for him and his VIP treatment anyway.

He never requested for things to be like that, it was just what Tobucatmon (and Piyomon, by extension) insisted on in order to keep him coming back more often... And it kind of worked, since Masaru would eventually remember and feel guilty for not using the room during his frequent ventures to other regions in the Digital World. Still, he couldn't find it in himself to stay in Digicon Valley for longer than a few days before he headed out again. There was plenty of going in and out, as he never needed more than a few weeks in any land to come back with a new entourage of Digimon who wanted to check out Digicon Valley.

After staying in Digicon Valley for more than a few days, instead of being homesick, he'd come to miss camping out instead. After all, before Tohma's visit, he'd been camping out just about every day for over three years. He'd come to enjoy sleeping under the vast sky of stars within the Digital World. He'd come to enjoy the fresh, open air of the night. If he were back in the human world, there would likely be the sound of cicadas to lull him to sleep along with the rest of the nightly atmosphere of the wild...

Even back in his room in the Daimon house, he would fall asleep to the sound of cicadas during the warm summer nights. Sadly, there was no real equivalent of those sounds in the Digital World.

Still, he didn't NEED to feel any homesickness after Tohma's visit. Tohma had changed so much for him... in so many manners of the saying...

.....

Sure, there were plenty of things he missed from the human world. He was just a lot more accepting of the fact nowadays, and knowing with confidence that he'd get to experience those things he missed again someday kept his spirits up and going. He had to remind himself on occasion that there was no point in constantly missing what wasn't there, and to just live in the moment. Remind himself that instead, there were always things to look forward to.

Learn from the past. Look to the present, to the future.

Speaking of things to look forward to... at long last, he was making a trip back to the human world.

Also known as the 'Real' World, as Tohma and apparently other humans preferred to call it. After hanging out with Digimon all these years, he habitually called it the human world like they all did.

The fighter had pretty much no idea why it took two years since Tohma's visit for things to be okay for him to make a trip back to the human world, but at the same time, it ONLY took two years this time.

He'd been in the Digital World for six straight years. He hadn't hit the big ten like his father had, but at least he was in his own body the entire time. And it wasn't like his time in the Digital World was ending. Coming back to the human world was just for a visit. Like visiting another region of the Digital World as he often did... kinda.

Considering that he'd spent such a large portion of his 20-year life in the Digital World, independent of other humans... it felt strange to consider that he was...'coming home'. Coming home, as in coming back to his hometown, back to the family house he used to call 'home'... Coming back to the place he had spent 14 years in... but for him, it used to be the only place he ever knew for those 14 years. The Digital World had changed everything about that...

The day for him to return to the human world wasn't far off now. Before his return, Tohma would spend a night in Digicon Valley with him, and he was definitely looking forward to showing his companion what had changed in the past couple years.

But even more than that, he was looking forward to seeing how the human world had changed. Looking forward to it... In both anticipation and nervousness. Seeing his family for the first time in six years, reuniting with the things he grew up with throughout his childhood... Even as aware as he was of the upcoming happenings, he wasn't sure what he could do in 'preparation' for the onslaught of nostalgia he would encounter. And forget about nostalgia... a lot of things were sure to be completely different for him altogether.

So he didn't really bother trying to prepare. He was going to let things happen as they came. That was how he normally let things fly, and things would just work out in the end. He was sure of it.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

He walked in from one end and walked out the other in a seamless sequence, with Tohma's hand holding his as if guiding him onto a red carpet. There was certainly no red carpet to greet them on the other side, however... Just an assortment of large, strange gadgets... And Tohma's butler.

The first thing he noticed was that there was no one else in the vicinity of the massive room they ended up in. He wasn't expecting a welcoming party, since Tohma informed him that 'extremely restricted authorization' was required to be anywhere near a Digital Gate, and there were still various medical checks he had to go through before he could be 'released' and see any family members.

"Are we... in your library room?"

"Why, yes... I'm surprised you figured that out just at first glance. This room looks nothing like it did six years ago."

"It was just a hunch..."

Six years ago, this was what Masaru mentally called the Norstein library, with ceiling-high shelves covered end-to-end in books. He remembered a majority of them were on subject matters he had no idea about, like microbiology, genetics, and other specific science topics he couldn't even read the titles for... Now, none of those books were around. The shelves themselves were completely gone, replaced with computer equipment.

There used to be a set of giant couches in the center, and Masaru had spent a few evenings there in the past, as it was an excellent place to get some quiet downtime after a tough DATS mission. Whenever he'd gotten roughed up particularly badly, he didn't want to go straight back home and have his mother worrying about why he was wobbling around, so resting up at Tohma's place for a few hours was always enough to get him back solid on his feet. Sure, he could've rested up in the DATS doctor's office instead... but Tohma's place was way more comfy. The DATS doctors always seemed on edge whenever he was around... And Tohma always welcomed him, even if the blond made that co*cky smile whenever he asked...

Thinking back on it, there was probably more to that smile even back then...

"I've donated the books to a university library, if you're wondering. I have digital copies of anything I wanted to keep for reference, or otherwise I'm fine with what memories I have of them..."

There was a pause between the two before Tohma spoke again. "I spent a lot of time here after you left, working with those books at my lab desk..."

Tohma looked over at his work station next to the gate they had warped through just earlier. It was actually a combination of three desks, each with their own setup of monitors and paperwork piled on top. Masaru could just imagine Tohma immersed at the center of the three desks, going back and forth among them and working through that genius brain of his.

"A lot's happened, even in just this one room, huh," Masaru noted. "Well, guess I'll see what six years has done to the rest of the world soon enough."

"Take your time, Masaru. I planned this to only be for a week so that you wouldn't get overwhelmed... But after this week, you can choose as you want... To be here, or to go back to the Digital World. Wherever you need to be to sort things out. For now, I'm assuming you're going back to the Digital World so that you can see Agumon again..."

"Hmm, I thought the week limitation was just because of that buffet thing or whatever you said it was last time."

"You mean the buffer? I've long solved that issue; it should be safe for even a large number of people or Digimon to traverse through this particular gate at any pace. Obviously, we're not just going to send troves of people through the gate anytime soon, and we still have to go through various red tape to actually USE the gate, but... We're in talks about scaling the gate for our future plans."

Masaru didn't respond. He assumed the 'we' Tohma spoke of referred to the genius and his circle of other scientists and government officials he worked with. That entire circle he didn't know the first thing about...

"That's something you don't need to be concerned about for a long while yet. Best concentrate on catching up with everything else first..."

Catching up... Yeah, he definitely had a lot of that to do.

"Shirts off, Masaru."

"Huhwha?"

"Medical exam. You've been in the Digital World for six years and I doubt you've properly visited a doctor in all that time. Anyway, this was also required by DATS whenever we came back from the Digital World, if you don't recall."

"Mmm..." Masaru grunted in displeasure. He DID remember, considering that he was thinking about the DATS doctors just moments ago. But he wasn't going to make a big point of it...

"But hey, this'll be done by yours truly. Beats having the DATS doctors or strangers poking at you, right?"

"I'm pretty sure you 'examined' me enough last night before we got here. We have to do this again?"

"Ma..." Tohma blinked several times as he cut himself off, seemingly holding back a blush. He subtly tilted his head towards the butler, and Masaru tilted his own head in return, with only a slightly apologetic look on his face. Tohma cleared his throat. "It's protocol."

"Yeah yeah, fine."

The top half of Masaru's garments went off, revealing his chest scar. An additional two years hadn't changed the scar's appearance all that much; if anything, perhaps the skin color difference wasn't quite as stark... Just perhaps.

"Does your butler have to stick around for all this?" Masaru looked over at the butler briefly, who otherwise seemed to have no reaction to anything, including Masaru's scar, as he brought up a tray of supplies for Tohma.

"He's just providing assistance. Don't worry, he's also medically certified to conduct this examination."

"How did you get a butler like that..."

"I think you'd find it interesting how many people with medical certifications don't actually work as doctors in our world."

"You're one of them too, I guess."

"I don't have an active practice, yes..."

"Mm..."

They completed the medical exam without much extra flair, and Masaru was cleared to head out into the world yonder once he put his clothes back on.

But before that, Tohma had some business to finish up. The butler brought in a tray with a thin block of some sort on it, and Tohma asked Masaru to sit down on the two-seater couch in one of the living rooms. Tohma sat down next to him with the block in hand.

"What's that?"

"The new Digivice."

The original plan was for Masaru to try it out back in the Digital World, but since he was going back to the human world anyway, Tohma decided to wait until he got back.

Tohma handed over the block, and Masaru just stared blankly at it. "This is... the new Digivice?"

"Yes, it's integrated into a smartphone. You saw me use mine back in Digicon Valley, didn't you?"

"This... flat thing is a phone?" Masaru blinked in slight disbelief, turning the device around in his hands. He did vaguely remember Tohma calling Gaomon into a mystery device, as Gaomon still wanted to use his Digivice bed for the night, but he hadn't really been paying attention to it otherwise. "Where are the buttons?"

"On the sides here. The only physical buttons are power and volume buttons; everything else will come up on the screen when you need it."

"Hoh..."

Tohma turned the phone on from one of the side buttons. After navigating through some menus, he handed the phone over to Masaru and asked him to follow the instructions on the screen.

Masaru sat there blankly again for a while, just staring at the screen in a bit of silent awe.

"Fingerprint calibration...?" he read off slowly after getting over the awe of the large screen overlapping his grip.

"There's a fingerprint reader on the power button, so as long as it recognizes your fingerprint, it'll unlock. I added my own fingerprint to it too, so if there's anyone else you trust with it, you can have them add theirs in this setting screen as well."

"Uh sure, maybe later..."

After the fingerprint calibration, Tohma proceeded to demonstrate various features about the phone.

"Now do note that certain functions involving Digimon will shift the CPU to prioritize those, so you might notice that some apps might not run in the background while you're doing something like realizing Agumon from the device. Although... I'll assume you won't be bothering with most apps in the first place..."

Masaru frowned and shrugged, and Tohma simply furled his eyebrows upward in sympathy.

"Yeah, I have no idea what any of that meant just now."

"And that's fine for now. Bottom line is... Take good care of it, Masaru. This device is hyper custom-designed and contains technology that's considered to be many years ahead of what the consumer market currently has to offer. Nevertheless, it's still our first run of combining it with Digivice technology. There's still plenty of room for improvement, especially as technology advances. For now, there may be some... Bugs involved, but nothing extreme... I would hope."

It was another whirl of words that went completely over Masaru's head, but Tohma knew it'd be like that already.

The blond turned his head abruptly as he remembered something. "Oh, and the charger."

"Charger?"

Tohma handed over a block of sorts and several cables. "These phones drain battery much faster than the old Digivices, and especially now that you're in the human world instead of the Digital World, you'll need to remember to keep it charged. The Digital World has the convenience of keeping everything charged without you having to do anything, so I'm sure it'll take a while for you to get used to it while you're here, but... here. The charging block, and the cable to charge it. A couple extra cables just for good measure. For now, it's best if you set it to charge before going to sleep every night."

Masaru remembered seeing some classmates with flip phones back in his school days. Having Tohma tell him that this... flat block thing... was a phone was rather unsettling, somehow.

"So... I can call up Dad and Mom with this? ...And Agumon, when I go back?"

"Well, cell reception doesn't work between worlds quite so easily yet--I'd have to set up a special line for the devices you want to reach, sort of like how Professor Daimon was able to arrange over-the-air updates for the old Digivice. Anyway, we'll get to that later. One step at a time, right? Get more familiar with the device first."

"Sure... You said it can do other things? Like what?"

"All the usual things your old Digivice did like keep a calendar and set reminders, alarms, other notes... But it can do plenty of new things, like surf the Internet, play some graphic-intensive games, take pictures and record videos..."

"Wow... a phone can do all that these days?"

"Yes. There are some development groups out there pushing for this technology to be applicable to other... accessories, like a watch or a pair of glasses. As for how long it'll take for such concepts to actually become practical... I wouldn't be able to say. It's not what I'm focused on at the moment, but it's out there. If you ask me, there are still far too many limitations with those peripherals to even consider them comparable to what we can do with a dedicated console that a phone brings to the table-"

"Tohma..."

"Oh... Not relevant to you, right. I went off kilter there, didn't I... Anyway, let's see how you handle it this week here in the Real World before you dive back into the Digital World."

Masaru thought back on Gaomon's smug face when they were discussing the new Digivice back in the Digital World. He had a premonition that the darn dog Digimon had every right to be making those expressions...

"For now... see if you can find the Digivice functions on it without my instructions. I'll observe."

One end of Masaru's mouth twitched, but he accepted the challenge.

First off... the screen was blank. He wasn't used to that, since the Digivice at least always showed something on the screen, such as the time...

"Uh... power button..."

It was pretty awkward for Tohma (and the butler) to be watching him as he fiddled with the device, as he eventually figured out how to get past the lock screen. After that... he started touching things on the screen left and right without really thinking about what he was doing. Tohma had to stop him not before long.

"At least read what's on the screen before you start tapping randomly!"

"I did! You expect me to know what it means?!"

Tohma wanted to bury his head in his hands for a moment. "Look, you just ended up in a note-taking app. What you need to do is..."

After a long session of literal hand-holding for explanations, Masaru finally found the Digivice functions. So much for Tohma just 'observing'...

Tohma sighed as Masaru continued to slowly process what was on the phone screen. "Your complete lack of intuition for navigating this shouldn't come as a shock to me, yet it does. You have no appreciation for how much engineering know-how was required to develop these to be user-friendly in the first place, do you..."

"Of course I don't. Err, I mean...... Huh?"

"It's still a wonder to me how you managed to inherit your father's brawn, but none of his brain..."

"Hey, I'll get the hang of it eventually, like the old Digivice! Just... give me some time. Gotta tell you upfront though, you said I should charge it every night? I'm never gonna remember..."

"I'll call. And text. I'll force you to remember every night this week."

Masaru paused as he looked over at Tohma. "What, you gonna nag me like my mom does to clean my room?"

"No, I'm nagging you like your..." It was Tohma's turn to pause. "Your..."

"What? Boyfriend?"

Tohma blushed.

"I prefer the term 'partner' for now..."

Another pause. Masaru ended up blushing as well. "...Ah, sure."

So maybe that's what people call this, Masaru thought to himself. It was a different type of 'partner' from the one that Agumon and he used with each other.

Ah...

"Well, you can head out to your parents' place now, unless there was anything else you wanted to do first."

"Naw, I'll head there now. Say, isn't there anyone else in the mansion? Like your sister?"

"Relena has been staying here recently, yes..." Tohma's sentence drifted off, and he turned towards the butler.

"Lady Relena is out doing some window shopping at the moment. She'll be back before dinner."

"I see. Well, you won't see her today, but she'll be around for the rest of the week."

The butler left their presence to prepare the limousine for transport once they reached the front hall, leaving the two other men alone. Tohma immediately took the opportunity to pull Masaru in for a close moment.

"......T-Tohma, hey..."

Tohma spent one day with him in Digicon Valley before coming back to the human world with him. As for the 'examination' they were talking about earlier... That had happened in the shower of the hotel room. Being in the Digital World, Agumon and Gaomon were spending that night with them too, after all... The room next to Masaru's usual VIP room had been reserved for Tohma to have his own bed this time, although naturally it ended up being a trade with Agumon, who reveled in the thought of having his own room (Gaomon as usual still preferred the Digivice bed). Masaru reminded his yellow friend that he'd have the other room to himself too while he was back in the human world. In the meanwhile, they still hung out together in the usual room after doing some catching up around the city.

Masaru could still feel the swelling of embarrassment in his cheeks from when Gaomon tactfully pulled Agumon out of the hotel room to go on a lengthy 'nightly stroll' out in the city. But even with the two Digimon out of the picture, Masaru and Tohma didn't want to leave things... excessively evident before the midnight refresh, so they opted to take their business to the shower room.

That had been quite an experience in itself...

And of course it wasn't enough. It never was. In fact, Masaru thought taking in that 'dose' of Tohma before heading back to the human world might've been a mistake, since now it was all so fresh in his mind. Being in Tohma's arms like this, after those years of absence, feeling his warmth now...

He wanted more, but he also had a lot of things he needed to do first.

"I'm coming to spend the nights with you after a couple nights at home," Masaru spoke quietly near Tohma's ear.

"Yes, that's what we agreed on," Tohma replied in a similar tone.

Masaru was fine with crashing at any place as long as he was welcome--it was what he'd been doing for the past six years anyway, be it camping outside or visiting his pad at Digicon Valley. At first, he figured he'd just stay with his parents the entire time when he came back, but Tohma was the one who asked if he would come stay in the Norstein mansion. The thought of doing that hadn't even come to Masaru before then. After all, that would mean that...

....... It meant a lot of things, really.

He insisted on needing a couple days back with the parents and Chika to start things off, so he could spend some proper time with them. He didn't need more than just those couple days. It wasn't like he'd be 'overstaying his welcome' by staying there longer either, knowing his mother would insist on him just staying for as long as he wanted, it was just...

Masaru had long left the nest. He was free to go where he wanted. His father was there to protect the family. They hadn't even seen him in six years.

Still, family was important. He hadn't been thinking too deeply about what might've changed with his family after all this time, but he was going to find out soon enough. A couple nights at the Daimon residence was enough for that. And he could always go to see them during the day afterwards, for the remainder of his trip. And even on later trips.

Right... he was back. Back in the human world. The world he was born in, the world he grew up in. The world he likely thought would be the only one he'd be on until he met Agumon.

Things were so different now, but he was fine with this.

Especially with this moment.

He tightened his grip around Tohma's waist, and Tohma did the same in return.

"Welcome back, Masaru."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

The first thing Masaru noticed upon leaving the Norstein residence was... how freezing cold it was. In some part of his head, he did remember that it was January, and thus it was pretty much the coldest month of the year for Yokohama. At the same time, the Digital World mostly lacked the concept of seasons, with the temperatures being the same year-round and only changing depending on which region he was in. He rarely needed to head into the snowy areas during his travels. He'd gotten used to being in the warmer parts of the Digital World.

Even the cold mornings of the hotel room in Digicon Valley were nothing compared to this. After all, he was still sleeping with only a tank top on in that hotel room. The 'cold' there was only relative to the rest of the usually hot daytime. The human world, though... There wasn't even any snow around in the city, but it was still freaking cold.

Tohma offered him a winter coat before they stepped into the limousine outside the front entrance. A coat with modest style, coming from a noble like him. Meanwhile, the winter coat Tohma wore bore all the white fluff and sky blue flair to enhance his prince factor.

"Your mother picked this out for you, if you're wondering. She requested to have me give it to you upon arrival. She picked out the same size I wear, so I hope it's still an okay fit..."

Tohma... Of course he'd gotten taller. He was already a hint taller than Masaru two years ago, and the fighter had completely jinxed himself in hoping that the difference hadn't gotten worse. There was probably a full fist-worth of difference in their heights now. Masaru's eyes weren't meeting Tohma's unless he tilted his face upwards significantly. These... nutty Norstein genes or whatever...

Regardless, the coat was a fine fit. "Great, thanks," Masaru said quickly without bringing attention to the thoughts going through his head.

As the limousine headed out of the mansion property, Masaru let himself soak in the nostalgic view of the roads and other familiar man-made structures of his hometown of Yokohama. The limousine windows let Masaru look around as much as he wanted without letting anyone outside the vehicle see how much gawking he was doing. Tohma gave him that moment of nostalgia before he brought up a particular subject...

"I know you've already well... Accepted the challenge to come back to the Real World for a while, but... I have to warn you again. A lot has changed... and is going to keep changing drastically."

Masaru was still looking outside at that point, and he didn't really have any response to Tohma's comments.

"Some things... Are still high in the midst of changing. Some big things may happen even during the time you're here. You're sure about staying with me in a couple days?"

"Big things..."

"To be upfront, I mean... With my family. The Norsteins. As much as I wish I didn't have to deal with this particular part about it during a time like this..."

Ah, right. Tohma the nobleman.

Masaru thought to just brush it off like he usually did. "Never stopped me before, don't see why it would stop me now."

"I'm not sure if you're aware of everything I'm referring to... But all right. We'll take it slowly if we can. Either way, I doubt it's all going to happen during this first return."

"First return..." Masaru repeated.

"You'll be going back and forth in phases, after all... Mostly at your own discretion, of course. Although, I assume you'd still rather be in the Digital World for the most part, at least for a while yet..."

"....."

"Just remember, you don't have to stick with only one or the other."

Masaru took a deep breath before responding... With a grin. "Right on that."

Tohma smiled back.

"Besides, what do you even take me for? A man like me can handle whatever comes his way, regardless of which world he's in."

"I'm really counting on that 'never give in' aspect about you," Tohma said with a suddenly sullen tone.

Masaru turned away from the window to look at Tohma. "Hey, you've got it all the same. We'll be fine."

That said, Masaru finally took a moment to really process what Tohma was telling him. He'd only been thinking about his own family this whole time when it came to returning to the human world. Now that he was involved with Tohma, and seeing Tohma right there with him, he realized there was Tohma's family to consider as well...

Tohma's... family... The Norsteins...

Tohma H. Norstein.

'Huh. So this is a thing, too.'

Well, as Tohma said, he could take it slowly. Masaru needed to see his own family first.

Tohma gave him a smile of relief... and rested a hand on Masaru's.

Man... he was never going to get over this feeling in his chest, was he. That dose of Tohma back in the Digicon Valley hotel... Ah, his mind was going places again. This wasn't the time for it.

Still, he quietly accepted Tohma's hand for the rest of the ride to the Daimon residence, and he resumed looking out the window.

They were at the last street before arriving when Tohma finally let go.

"Relena and I will join you for dinner with your family on the third day before you come to stay with me. I'll call you tonight to remind you to charge your phone."

"Phone? Oh, the Digivice..." Masaru reached into his pocket, confirming to himself that all the things Tohma had given him were still there.

"It's a Digivice, but first and foremost, it's a phone. So I'll be calling it that, and you should as well. Keeps it confidential at the same time. Anyway, we're almost there, so... have a good time, Masaru. See you in a few days."

Masaru could see figures growing larger of people he mostly recognized as the limousine approached. They were all waiting outside the house for him.

Tohma pulled Masaru in for a kiss before the limousine came to a full stop.

The butler could see them... but Tohma had to be aware of that already. And his family, waiting in plain view outside the vehicle window... couldn't see inside the limousine's tinted windows. Right.

After some flustering moments, Masaru stepped out of the limousine.

"Masaru-niichan!" Chika was the first to respond as she immediately went to give him a hug.

She obviously looked the most different, while his parents looked mostly unchanged to him. He just stood there taking the hug at first, rather in awe of how she no longer had to hug his lower waist. It was (almost) a normal arms-around-shoulders hug.

"Chika! You got taller!"

Chika gave a small laugh. "You got taller too, Masaru-niichan!"

'Not as tall as Tohma...'

"Not as tall as Tohma-kun though!"

Masaru looked back at the limousine. The window was rolled down and Tohma was there, just quietly watching. 'Dammit, he probably heard that, too.'

Suguru and Sayuri chimed in and exchanged hugs with their son.

Amazing... six years had passed since his absence, but in just those few seconds of being with them, he almost felt like he had never left. Even with how much Chika's appearance had changed, she still exuded every aura of the younger sister Masaru remembered from years back. That bright smile, that blunt yet innocent attitude... they were only even more distinct now.

"Thank you for bringing him," Sayuri gave Tohma a gentle head tilt and her wonderful smile. "I'll be cooking all the big favorites when you and Relena-chan come over in a few days. Would you like to join us for lunch today too?"

"I appreciate the invitation, but I actually have some business I need to attend to. Bureaucracy concerning Masaru's return and all..."

"Huh? Is it something so urgent that you can't even stay for lunch?"

"Yes, actually... I'll talk to you later tonight, Masaru. Just focus on catching up with your family."

"......"

"Masaru, are you hungry? I've got curry ready for you in the house."

"Curry?? Yes!!"

His mother always did have the best things to say. He wasn't exactly hungry, but he definitely had no reason to turn down the offer.

Chapter 2: The Daimon Family

Chapter Text

2. The Daimon Family
It was kind of amazing to see Chika already older than the age he used to be before he left for the Digital World. And in Chika's case, she was already prepping for high school exams and other things that Masaru had the uh... fortune to not have to bother with.

After lunch, all four of the Daimons hung around in the living area. The TV in the background provided white noise with some random variety show, but it didn't detract attention from the Daimons as they sat down together, with Masaru at the focal center.

"How's school for you these days, Chika?"

"Pretty good."

"Chika's in the top 5% of her class and should be fine to go to most any high school she wants," his father chimed in. Not even bragging, just stating facts.

"I still haven't decided which one to go to..."

Masaru let his mouth hang for a moment before speaking again. "Top 5%... Do you spend all your free time studying or something?"

"I'm pretty sure it's just average amounts of studying? No cram school or anything either..."

"......" He had suspicions even six years ago when she was a wee little kid, but this confirmed it. All the brains from the Daimon genetics went to the sister.

Fortunately, she changed topics before he could dwell on it any longer. "Oh yeah, you gotta see Ikuto while you're here too! He lives in the neighborhood now."

"Whoa, he does? How's he doing?"

"He's fine! ...For the most part. It's so funny, his voice changed a whole ton in just the recent year. No longer the squeaky kid... and he can speak proper full sentences now. I drilled all the grammar into him."

Chika smirked in Masaru's direction, and Masaru couldn't stop the corner of his lip from twitching. Masaru remembered an occasional streak of Chika putting on a smug attitude six years ago. The intensity of that streak seemed to have elevated to new heights after all this time...

From what Suguru explained, the Noguchis had moved into the same neighborhood a few years back once there was vacancy, in order to help Suguru in his research once again, and to give their children the city experience as they grew up. It was what Ikuto wanted too, after all. Apparently, the boy who mostly grew up in the wilderness of the Digital World wanted to 'finally get out of the boondocks' and see what big city life was all about.

Man, Ikuto... he could barely imagine how the guy was doing now...

Funny. He remembered Tohma mentioning once that it was like Masaru and his father had switched places between the Digital World and human world. The same could be said for Ikuto and himself as well. But considering the obvious age differences and other circ*mstances, surely Ikuto must've had to go through the most change out of everyone. Ikuto hardly knew anything about the human world before he suddenly started living with his human parents and even having a little sister.

"If he's in the neighborhood, I guess I'll go check up on him tomorrow... And if he's around."

"He should be. I can take you!" Chika chimed in to seal the deal. She pulled out something from her cardigan pocket...

Masaru raised his eyebrows at the sight. "You've got one of those too? I just got one."

She was tapping the device with one hand with utmost familiarity. "A cell phone? Yeah, everyone's getting them these days. A lot of my friends just got theirs recently too. We're not allowed to bring them to school though..."

"So what're you doing?"

"I'm texting Ikuto." Some short beep boops later, and Chika quickly finished with a smile, putting the phone back in her cardigan pocket. "He says we can hang out tomorrow for lunch!"

"Dang, that was instant."

"That's the beauty of it!"

After catching Masaru up with some more context of how things were back in the real world, the father Daimon brought up his urge to hear Masaru's stories from the Digital World. There were so many stories to cover, Masaru easily spent the entire afternoon on them. At some point, Chika brought her text books over to the living area to study while she listened. Sayuri wandered into the kitchen and brought out snacks and refreshments once in a while, and the stories would just keep coming.

The young fighter went through as many stories as he could remember, starting with his run-ins with Hippogriffomon (he showed off his scar briefly, but his entire family just made light work of it as he expected), the development of Digicon Valley, his journey to the Southern Islands...

The Southern Islands in particular had Suguru's attention at peak. Masaru tried to explain his experiences there with the Digimon, but it was difficult to contain with just words. The best he could come up with was saying that most of the Digimon there looked different from usual... There were other Greymon on the islands, but they were completely different from his GeoGreymon or even the regular Greymon that was within the Digivice database. The same went with a lot of other Digimon he was familiar with like Tyrannomon, Garurumon... A lot of them were spikier, or had more radical colors, slimmer or fatter bodies, things like that.

"That sounds something like the Galápagos Islands of the Digital World. It must house tons of different species variations never seen anywhere else. Oh man... I've gotta check that out myself one of these days. A new goal!" Suguru said with sparkling eyes.

"One of these days..." Masaru repeated. "And in a way that makes it so you don't have to leave the family too long, right?"

"Hey, who knows. We're trying to reach a point where Sayuri, Chika, and everyone else can come all together. Heck, even Mrs. Noguchi is starting to open up to going to the Digital World again some day."

"Ikuto's mom? Ah yeah, I remember..."

Even before leaving for the Digital World, Masaru was plenty aware that his cravings for danger and adventure were on the excessive side compared to others. Back when Piyomon showed up at their house, his concern for Chika with the possibility of her joining DATS displayed this awareness. He didn't run his long expeditions in the Digital World without concern for his family as well.

He understood how important family was above all else. He fully understood the feelings of Ikuto's mother back when she was sobbing, lamenting the thought of losing her son once again.

He still remembered the distressed look on the face of Ikuto's mother from many years ago, during that strange incident when a Digimon took over an entire house, holding her hostage. So even someone as sensitive as her, as someone who already knew what potentially happens in the Digital World, still had the courage to venture once again into the world that took away her son for ten years...

At the same time he understood these familial ties, his pride as a man and his thirst for adventure still drove him ahead.

"That's the goal, Dad. We'll make it happen."

Suguru nodded in full approval just in time for Sayuri to show up with a plate of freshly cut apples and a small basket of mandarins.

"Is Agu-chan still doing well? Is he eating enough?" she asked as she sat down next to Suguru.

"Oh he eats... eats too much, as usual. I don't get how he can eat so much but nothing really changes about him?"

"Consumed food is digitally converted in the Digital World rather than digested normally, Masaru," Suguru cut in with the facts as he dug into the apple slices. "I'm sure he's expending plenty of energy when he fights and evolves to validate how much he eats."

Masaru joined in. "Ah, right... I think I heard someone explain that to me before. But he ate soooo much while he was here, too. That doesn't get converted digitally here, does it?"

"Digimon still use the bathroom in both worlds, if I remember correctly. Even BanchouLeomon did."

"Hmm, yeah."

"And yes, their excrement still turns into digital energy even in this world. While I haven't witnessed that happening myself, this is information that DATS had documented back in the day."

"You saying DATS studied Digimon poop?"

"Of course. It's all for science. Don't you find it funny that Digimon know how to use toilets even though they aren't human?"

"Now that I think of it, Agumon's had more trouble in the dumpster than I ever have..."

"Masaru-niichan, can you stop talking about that kind of stuff already?? It's so gross..." Chika gave him a judging look from across the table where she was studying.

"Hey, Dad was the one who first brought up digestion and all that."

"Masaru-niichan......."

"Well, whatever. It's good you mentioned Agumon, anyway. He's finally starting to take his own stand on things after all these years being with me almost 24/7. He's even gonna run his own battle royale in the coliseum while I'm gone."

"It's truly like you raised a younger brother," Sayuri said with one of her trademark smiles.

"Mmhmm. He's my pride and joy!"

"That's what someone would say for their son, not their little bro," Chika said smugly. "To be fair though, Agumon's the youngest of the DATS Digimon, so I can see why it took so long for him to start acting independently. It's like he's finally doing his first solo errand."

"I know the other DATS Digimon are doing their own thing these days too, but I wouldn't say he's just doing his first solo errand... that's like an elementary school kid thing, isn't it?"

"Well, just look at him compared to the other DATS Digimon! Lalamon has an entire idol career going, Gaomon is playing the cool wandering ranger, and I hear that even Miki-san and Megumi-san's PawnChessmon have been doing a lot behind the scenes in the Digital World as well."

"How come you know so much about these DATS things, Chika?"

"Dad and Tohma work together a lot, right? So I hear things from Dad sometimes. The other ex-DATS people taught me a lot, too. A lot of them work for our local police department now. And I wanna get a government job dealing with the Digital World when I can. Anything that lets me see Piyomon again!"

"Oh..."

Masaru still remembered worrying his head off about the possibility of Chika being forced to join DATS back when Piyomon was in the human world. To think that she would want to do something similar on her own accord, now that she was older... Even with the Digital World still closed off to everyone, save for Tohma and himself...

"You coming back makes huge implications for my future career, Masaru-niichan. So let that make you feel important or whatever if you want, but just so you know... You won't be the only human in the Digital World soon enough, I can guarantee that!"

The times really were changing.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

After dinner, they were back in the living room again, only this time Suguru did most of the talking.

He had plenty of his own stories to tell. He stated upfront that Sayuri and Chika had heard all of them over the years already, but nonetheless they both stuck around to hear the stories once again, and to witness Masaru's reactions to them. The father Daimon started recounting tales of traveling with BanchouLeomon in the Digital World, splitting notes with Masaru about his various observations.

Chika shrugged at the end of an exciting story about BanchouLeomon versus a gang of Digimon that tried to threaten the Royal Knights. "Dad... he hasn't published his book on these yet. He's been working on it for soooo long, ever since he got back..."

"He's writing a book?" Masaru said with eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh that's right, I should show it to you."

Suguru brought out a massive manuscript of sorts, organized with dividers and all the works. Masaru thought it was a dictionary at first. "It's written, but there are a lot of reasons why it hasn't been published yet. It's coming though... soon."

He started skimming through the pages full of texts, diagrams, and sketches of Digimon and the Digital World, and Masaru couldn't help but be awed.

"I've read through it all," Chika stated, "It's really funny how he left out all the details about him literally becoming BanchouLeomon, but you can't tell the difference at all. I mean, if Dad can punch the ground to make an entire lake come out of it, as a HUMAN, then everything else he did as BanchouLeomon sounded just like more of that. Who's actually going to believe in all of this regardless of BanchouLeomon's involvement? He even has the gall to keep mentioning BanchouLeomon in his stories, but he wrote it like they were acting separately instead of as one being."

"The perks of having your own daughter as a beta reader..." Suguru said behind chuckles. "Anyway, Masaru, I'm not expecting you to read through this whole thing. But if there's anything you see that catches your attention and you want me to expand on, let me know. I'll add you to the online doc for my notes so you can access it from your phone whenever you want."

"Online doc, wha...?"

"Here, I'll show you how to use it. Just don't show it to anyone who wasn't already involved in DATS, if you catch my drift... The usual confidentiality."

"Yeah, sure..."

Suguru fiddled with Masaru's phone and gave his son the run-down of how it all worked.

"Oh and FYI, this doc is just the notes. It's nothing like how the book is being written. The book is honestly just a bunch of fluff to get people warmed up to the idea of the Digital World existing at all. Except... That's what makes it so hard for me to write. I have a tendency to ramble on in tangents, and that doesn't help the original intent for persuasion..."

After the incident with Belphemon and their battle against Yggdrasil, it was obviously impossible to keep the Digital World's existence under wraps. The situation fell completely out of the National Confidentiality Ministry's hands, and it took months of working with various government entities and... media outlets to finally get to a point where people went on with their lives without constantly prying into the status of a certain world that they had no simple access to.

Suguru described how their old DATS Chief, Yushima Hiroshi, with his mysterious ways, managed to keep all the DATS members out of the public eye. In one fell swoop, the old man converted/merged all of Yokohama DATS's frontal force into the local police department (PD), and he made a bit of a show by 'retiring' from the PD Chief position and handing it over to Satsuma Rentarou, their old DATS Captain. Despite being retired, even now, the old man was still occasionally showing up in his fisherman vest at Suguru's workplace, with all the other ex-DATS scientists.

Suguru himself lucked out in terms of having to deal with the public, as his occupation even before entering the Digital World was shrouded in obscurity, and the media never caught on that he was involved with the entire Digimon fiasco in the first place. Also thanks to Yushima, he was able to resume his career work in Digital World research almost as if he hadn't disappeared for ten years to begin with.

The story of the whole fiasco sent Chika into a small fit of giggles as she mentioned all of the manga and anime that sprouted up in recent years that were obviously inspired from the existence of a parallel world. "Although instead of a parallel world, the main character is usually getting sent to some generic fantasy world or such. There's too many of them now! I'm not into any of them though, 'cause reading them just makes me miss Piyomon..."

"You coming home for the first time after all these years is the start of the conclusion for this book, Masaru," the father chimed in.

"What do you mean by that?"

"After all the ramblings, after all is said and done... You're here now. With a new set of stories, with your own personal experiences. Naturally, I'm not going to delve into YOUR stories in my book... But you'll be featured within the ending remarks... The final impression... Or in another perspective, the first impression of a new beginning. If you're okay with that, of course."

"It's fine with me, Dad." Masaru took a moment before saying his next words. "More like... Were you always this talkative?"

"I think working with a certain someone of high intellect and vigorous youth for these past years has influenced the way I converse at times, sure."

Masaru blinked a few times as he vaguely understood the point. "Dad, you don't mean..."

Suguru suddenly laughed. "I'm still my own person in the end, silly. We all are. Tohma is his own person, and so are you. And I'm proud of you, Masaru."

Suguru's final remark came just as suddenly, and he excused himself to take a bathroom break.

Masaru was still a bit flabbergasted, but he made sure to show his appreciation anyway. "Thanks, Dad."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Once the sun finished setting, an old familiar pattern commenced of his mother filling the first floor bathtub with steaming hot water for the family to take turns using for their shower time. Back in those days, Chika would always go first followed by Masaru, although Masaru did take first dibs back when Ikuto was staying over. Tonight... Chika still went first.

And she gave Masaru such an awful scowl of sorts when he nearly barged in, thinking it was his turn since he still remembered the old timing of it, when in actuality she was still getting dressed. It turned out Chika was taking a lot longer than he remembered her taking to finish up...

Well, she was a teenager now. He suddenly remembered all the girls in his school around the time were uhhh... hyper sensitive to all sorts of 'private' matters. It re-dawned on him that Chika was that age as well. Reasons he stayed away whenever he could...

"Masaru-niichan, you idiot! I'll tell you when I'm done!"

At least it was a short incident, as Chika was already back to her peppy self when she came out dressed to tell Masaru she was done. Without further ado, Masaru took his turn to wash up.

Back in the Digital World, he didn't even need to take showers or baths since the midnight refresh would take care of that necessity, but he'd still use the shower in his Digicon Valley room just for the feel of it. He liked showers. He liked the feel of hot water beating down his back, running down his skin on cold days. It was a therapeutic exercise of sorts.

His room remained in almost the exact same condition as he had left it, save for a couple boxes of books planted in one corner... his father said he hadn't gotten the time to process which books he wanted to keep versus donate in those boxes.

The things he originally wanted to bring to the Digital World, like his favorite manga and baseball, were still there on his desk. Looking at them now, he was glad he didn't bring them after all. Everything he had brought into the Digital World had either ended up getting wrecked or getting digitized to fit into his Digivice (following that one update that was done over-the-air). Even his backpack was just another piece of equipment stored digitally in his Digivice. Tohma mentioned he could realize the items in his Digivice back into the Real World, but he didn't feel up to doing that just yet.

The rest of the Daimons had settled into their rooms for the night, and suddenly Masaru found himself amidst the silence of his own room, with no one else around. It was actually the first time in years since he'd been alone in his room. Oddly enough, it made him remember years back in junior high school when he was doing a considerable effort of studying at his desk... Which consisted of barely reaching double digits in minutes before he'd fall asleep, face planted against the pages of his school books.

Some of his school books were still on his desk. He barely even recognized them; their contents were just so far out of his head for him to even remember what the covers looked like. He might as well have been seeing them for the first time again.

'Well, not like anything I learned in school has actually helped me in the Digital World...'

He consciously tried to think of a time when his schooling had actually mattered, at least beyond basic reading, writing, speech, and the like... He gave up after a few minutes (with some mind wandering), when the device he had left at his bedside rang. The new Digivice... The phone. The screen showed Tohma's name.

Tohma called him at 9 pm, exactly on the hour. After some fidgeting with the screen and trying to figure out how to actually respond to the call, Masaru brought the thin block up to his ear with a "Hello?"

"Hello. Good to see you were able to pick up."

"Ah... mm."

It was the first time he'd ever gotten a phone call from Tohma. He'd heard him through the DATS headpiece intercom years ago, but something was different when there wasn't a particular sense of urgency in this form of communication. Very... Different...

There were no more DATS missions here. There was no immediate world-threatening crisis demanding their attention, either. Just the two of them, in private... in each other's thoughts.

Masaru flopped down onto his bed, taking short notice of how nicely he sunk in the mattress he used to use nightly.

"How'd your first day back home go?"

"It was fine... My family's great all the same, and it's really nice seeing them all again. We talked with each other allllll day. And hey, I'll be seeing Ikuto tomorrow."

"Oh, good. Send him my regards, if you would. I haven't gotten a chance to see him for... likely a whole year at this point...”

"Was his voice still a squeaky chipmunk's when you last saw him?"

"Hmm, if you mean if his voice had changed at all... no, I don't remember such a thing."

"Hah, yeah. Chika says it just happened in the recent year. Guess I'll find out soon enough."

"I see... A late bloomer, if I had to label it. I'll have to find out the next time I see him."

"You could come with me. Are you busy tomorrow?"

"I am, unfortunately..."

"Baww. Maybe later in the week? When I'm at your place?"

"...We can certainly try. Do be aware that there's a lot of red tape we need to work through together when you're with me. That, along with working out more details for the future of the Digital Gate, your role in maintaining the balance of..."

Tohma's voice was always calming to him, but hearing it through the phone was sweet serenity... Tohma's speech mannerisms had gotten a hint softer in general over the years, and Masaru was all there for it.

Masaru felt a wave of ease gently wash over him as Tohma spoke to him through the phone, and he pressed his ear a bit closer as he settled further onto the bed. Closer to the speaker, to the source of the sound, to hear him more...

He was glad no one else was there to see how flushed his face probably was.

Tohma was in full rambling mode, but he quieted down as soon as Masaru cut in.

"Say... I didn't get a chance to ask them, but..."

A question came to mind, but honestly it was a thought he didn't realize all throughout the day since he'd been caught up with... catching up with the family. It was an important question, though...

"Does my family know? About... us?"

There was a brief pause before Tohma answered. "...Your father knows. I left it up to him whether he wanted to tell the rest of your family. He said he would, though I don't know when or if he actually did."

"Mm..."

"If the rest of your family is anything like him, which I'm sure they are... They're truly only concerned for your happiness. And that's all there is to it... for them."

"Right..." Masaru briefly thought back on his interactions with his father earlier that day, but he wasn't sure what to make of it. Either way, he couldn't settle with keeping the matter vague with the rest of his family. "Guess I'll have to ask them myself at some point... somehow."

Tohma grunted gently in response. In a moment's passing, curiosity started to build in Masaru's mind.

"So... how did you let Dad know? When? Where?"

"Whoa there... It was only a few weeks ago. I formally invited him over to my residence for a one-on-one lunch, outside of work hours. I had a lot to discuss with him regarding progress on Digital Gate technology. Since I was also working on inviting you back home, I told him my plans for that and... it came to me that it was the appropriate time to tell him."

There was something incredulous about the way Tohma said the last part... but he had a more pressing question in mind.

"And what about your family, Tohma?"

"........ It's a work in progress."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'll have to tell you about it later in the week, when you're with me. Don't worry about it for now."

Masaru left his mouth open for a while, about to say something, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to say it. Tohma obviously had something planned, and it would be easier to get it out of him in person, when they were together later in the week... Just as Tohma had mentioned. At least he could hold some expectations this way...

"Okay. I'm holding you to that."

"Absolutely. Don't forget to charge your phone, Masaru."

"Mm?"

"This is the reason why I'm calling you in the first place, if you don't remember already."

"Ah... Ah yeah, right. I do remember..."

"I'll talk to you again tomorrow night. You must be tired after all the catching up you've been doing for your first day back."

"I'm fine? All I did was stay here all day and chat around with my parents and Chika. And it's probably just more of that tomorrow with Ikuto."

"Just keep pacing yourself. There's a lot more to catch up with than just the people you're already familiar with. A lot more..."

"Is that a challenge? I'll take on anything that comes my way, you know that already."

"I do....... I best let you off now; I still have work to do."

"Work, still? This late? And you're telling ME to pace myself?"

"Your concern touches my heart, it does..." Tohma's voice trailed off, but not long enough for Masaru to butt in about it. "I love you, Masaru."

Masaru's breath halted. It caught him off guard, and he was once again glad there was no one physically there with him.

Hearing it so close to him, for only his ears... For a brief moment, he longed to be there with Tohma, to hold him in his arms and mutter his affection back at him, and all that corny jazz.

The time would come, but not for a couple nights more.

Until then, even though Masaru was still a complete newbie to this cell phone biz, he still knew what to say at a time like this.

"Idiot. I love you too, Tohma. Talk to you later... goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Chapter 3: Ikuto, Suguru

Chapter Text

After breakfast, Masaru went through his old wardrobe to change out of his pajamas. He came across a few things he'd completely forgotten he had and surprised himself as he found out that they still fit him, even after the growth he had over the years.

'Hmph, not as much growth as Tohma's anyway, right.'

Yeah, he was still on that...

Well, to his benefit, at least he didn't have to Realize his clothes out of his Digivice; he could still use what was in his closet. Getting things that were oversized for him definitely worked to his benefit in the long run. He picked out a sweater, a vest, and an old pair of heavy pants he had saved for the chilly weather. With the coat and Digivice--err, phone that Tohma handed to him yesterday, he then headed out for the day.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

To Masaru's surprise, both Chika and Ikuto had grown tall enough to almost reach Masaru's shoulder in height... almost. He had another bout of surprise when Ikuto went in for a hug as soon as the Noguchi house door opened. He was about the same height as Chika, but if he was a late bloomer, then he still had plenty more to grow.

Noguchi Ikuto. It was strange thinking of the kid with his full name.

"Masaru! Welcome back!! How're you doing?"

Just like Chika mentioned, he no longer spoke like a caveman or 'jungle boy'. To be real, there shouldn't have been a reason for him to have broken Japanese in the first place. Chika blamed it on Falcomon's terrible teaching abilities. So... she had personally drilled Ikuto's language skills up to par. That seemed to be the quick gist of it at least, although Chika seemed to enjoy telling the extended version of the story. Ikuto would just make a meek face while she rattled on.

The three of them went to a nearby family restaurant just outside the neighborhood for lunch and a place to continue their chat.

"Hey, Masaru-niichan. Do any cooking while you were in the Digital World?" Chika brought up off-handedly after the waiter took their orders.

"Why would I need to? The Digivice provides all the food I'd need. Well, the instant kind at least... We've got meat fountains and such, too. If I wanted something really custom-made, the Digital World is full of great restaurants now."

"Restaurants? I never saw restaurants when I was in the Digital World..." Ikuto said without hiding his awe.

"You can thank me for that when you can finally see it again! I've lost track of how many bullying troublemakers I've converted into cooks... with my fist!"

"But you can't cook for yourself at all?" Chika butt in.

"Like I said, why would I need to??"

"My brother... 20 years old and he can't even use a rice cooker to save his own ass."

"I-I can use a rice cooker! It's just been a really long time since I've done it..."

"You were always terrible with machines, so I wouldn't be surprised if you ever forgot to add water like that one time-"

"Hey, we don't talk about that!!"

Needless to say, Sayuri and Chika always handled all matters related to cooking after that one incident.

After some more squabbling and banter between the Daimon siblings, their orders arrived.

There was one particular thing Masaru noticed while they guzzled down their burgers and fries: Ikuto was kind of aloof throughout the entire meal. Sure, he was quick to show his emotions when he first saw Masaru, but after the reunion atmosphere wore off and they started going through catch-up conversations, it just as quickly ended up with Chika doing all of the talking. Ikuto was never much of a talker as far as Masaru remembered, but surely he had more things he wanted to say after all these years.

"Ikuto, I haven't heard much from you besides the basics. I know we could let Chika give me all the details, but I've heard enough from her today."

"Hey..."

Ikuto laughed with his shoulders without actually laughing. "Well, you have to admit she does a pretty good job at talking. Good enough to fix up my sentences and get me through school and all."

"It was soooo much work. You better be grateful!"

"You were... a drill sergeant, that's for sure," Ikuto said plainly.

"A drill sergeant? Do you know what a real drill sergeant is actually like?"

"I've seen it from that one movie... That really old one you made me watch with you... Mountain Frump?"

"Huh. Oh, so you remember that."

It almost felt like... Ikuto had developed a sort of inferiority complex when it came to Chika. It seemed pretty subtle for the most part... But it was still obvious enough whenever Chika led around the conversation.

And after a while, with the three of them eating, not much conversation was going on at all... Chika was busy scarfing down her burger, and Ikuto still wasn't initiating any conversation even though he looked like he had plenty of thoughts in his head waiting to be heard.

Masaru idly noticed that Ikuto had lost his one unique hair trait, the side lock that Ikuto's little sister also (and still) had. Masaru got to greet the little sister when they stopped by the Noguchi residence, and it was great to see that she adored having Ikuto around as an older brother.

Yeah... that sensitive age, huh. Heck, these two were even older than when Masaru joined DATS. He started thinking about what he had just heard on the way over to the restaurant.

They were going to the same school together. She walked with him every morning. He would stop by the Daimon residence every morning and wait for her so they could walk together. She had spent a lot of time with him to hash out his speaking habits and catch him up in academics. Having to catch up with over seven years of academics must've been quite a hurdle in itself, but Chika stuck it through with him the entire time, all these years, and she was STILL at it.

It'd been that way for almost six years with them, since the Noguchis had moved into the neighborhood almost immediately after Masaru had left.

Masaru quietly watched the two on the other side of the booth as they continued eating. His younger self probably would've blurted out the obvious call-out here, but now he knew he needed a more tactful approach to the situation.

He finally had a chance when Chika temporarily left to use the restroom, after everyone had finished eating.

"Hey, Ikuto."

"Hmm?"

Masaru leaned back on the restaurant bench, letting his arms stretch out all along the backside. His posture oozed with ease as the boy sitting across from him continued to sit stiffly. "You got a problem with my sister or something?"

The boy jerked his head awkwardly. "W-Where did that question come from?"

"It's pretty obvious from the way you've been acting here. What happened with you two?"

...More tactful, but ultimately still straight to the point.

"Nothing happened..."

"Doesn't seem like nothing."

"Okay, yeah. She has no idea but... I really like her."

Ikuto fell silent, as did Masaru.

'Well, that got awkward fast.'

Then again, Ikuto was always so straightforward and blunt about things, just like Masaru...

After freezing up for a moment, Masaru blinked a few times to get back on track. "Uhh... What's to like about her? You sure this isn't some puppy crush?"

"...You're calling it that too?" Ikuto muttered.

"Hmm? Who else called it that?"

"My friends at school..."

"So you DO have other friends."

"What, is that so surprising?"

"Nah, just relieving to hear. Anyway, back to my question..." Masaru lowered the right of his two arms that were hanging level to his shoulder. Instead of completely leaning back in the seat, he shifted one side to the front in an attempt to look more approachable. "Are you sure about this? What do you like about her?"

Ikuto had his hands resting on his knees as if he was some average salaryman at an interview, and Masaru was the one conducting the interview.

"Well..." Ikuto started off slowly. "She's always there for me. It was really tough for me starting out here, y'know? With the way I spoke, and not being familiar with a lot of things about the human world..."

Masaru could only roughly imagine what the kid had been through, but it wasn't like he was particularly good at imagining himself in other people's shoes to begin with.

"Other people find it fascinating or such at first, like I'm a foreigner or an exchange student. But only at first... after I spend time with them over the years, they stop gawking at me. Instead, the guys at school... they start trying to take advantage of me and bully me... all sorts of terrible things. Chika would always be the one who stuck up for me... And before anything really bad happened."

"......" Masaru had his fair share of bullying experiences in his shortened school life. Mostly in the sense that he'd be the one rescuing someone else from getting bullied, whenever it crossed his path. He'd earned a solid reputation for himself at school for his tendency to find fights, regardless of which side of the fight he was on.

He remembered a specific incident that got him in trouble with the police, the one incident his mother would always bring up whenever she needed some collateral persuasion...

The fighter snapped back to attention as he realized Ikuto had been going off into details about the multitude of times Chika had rescued him... As expected of a fellow Daimon.

"We've been through a lot, and now I can't imagine myself without her," Ikuto said with a heavy sigh, catching up with his breath after a long speaking session. "I just... Feel like she completes me. You understand that feeling, don't you?"

"Eh?" It was definitely the most Masaru had ever heard the kid talk, and the sudden question back at him caught him off guard.

"Or at least Tohma understands it. You're the one who completes him. All he ever does is talk about you, when it's not about his sister or Digital World things..."

Masaru blinked hard. "Wait, wait... I never said anything about me and Tohma, but you already know?"

"Well, yeah..."

"'Well, yeah,' my ass... Did Chika tell you? So she knows too??"

"Yep."

"Ugh, but this isn't about me or Tohma right now. I just wanted your take on YOUR situation. And since I haven't been around, I can't really make heads or tails of what you two should be doing in the first place. I'm not you."

In all honesty, Masaru was feeling flustered as heck on the inside, but he refused to let that show.

"That's just the thing then. You're not me, and you haven't even been around all these years. How would you know what I'm supposed to do?"

"Hey, you're the one who tried to compare yourself to me. Remember, you're your own man. But every man's got things they need to think through before making any moves they might regret."

"Hmm? I swear I've heard you try to argue the exact opposite for the sake of manliness... Like a man's gotta just move before they think, or something like that."

"Depends on the situation!" Masaru paused for a moment as Ikuto finally asserted things for the first time since their reunion. In some part of his mind, he was recalling moments when he actually did move before he made time to think... And he shook his head. It was too easy to get into a logic loop at the rate he was going. "Look, I'm not trying to talk you out of this whole idea about liking Chika or whatever..."

"But you kind of are."

"Am I, really..."

At that moment, Chika appeared in the distance from the restroom area. Masaru thought their conversation was going to get cut short, when she suddenly stopped, still a good distance away from their table. It looked like a friend or classmate was also in the restaurant, and the two girls started up a conversation of their own.

In all honesty, Masaru just wanted to know how Ikuto was holding up, but at the same time, he hadn't talked to the guy in six years. Now that the little kid he once knew was so much bigger, it felt awkward... At least Ikuto must've felt that way, from all the body language he was emitting.

Awkwardness of this level never stuck around long for Masaru though, since he constantly laughed it off and would be up to opening with a man-to-man fist fight no matter the situation. Well, a fight wasn't really necessary here though...

As Ikuto observed Chika in her lively conversation in the distance, Masaru raised a fist to him to bring his attention back.

"Huh, what's this?" the younger one asked.

"A bro fist. Just wanna make it clear to you that you're still cool with me."

Ikuto should've expected it, really.

Masaru spoke of how the two of them first met, with Ikuto diving legs first to viciously attack someone who was easily twice his size.

"That's SUPER embarrassing to hear about now," Ikuto said in response to Masaru's reminiscence.

"But it was an awesome first impression! You were just a bratty kid bursting with all this fighting energy. And yet you were really honest and pure with your feelings when it came down to it. And here you are, still being honest with me, or at least I hope you are. That's nothing to be embarrassed about. It only gets harder to stay like that as you get older, so it's really just admirable..."

At that point, Masaru was thinking about his own personal struggles in getting himself to admit his feelings to Tohma.

Ikuto gave a look of confusion at first. After some downward gazing filled with silent reflection, he finally brought up his own fist to 'clank' against Masaru's. Masaru smiled in return.

"I'm sure you'll get things sorted out all in due time."

"Masaru..." Ikuto said with emphatic relief. "I'm just glad you don't think less of me after all these years."

"Why would I do that?"

"I dunno... l've changed a lot since we last saw each other." By whatever miracle timing of it all, the kid's deepened voice squeaked in the middle of his sentence. He half-frowned after it came out.

At least he was aware of it, Masaru thought to himself. "It's a complicated age, kid. If you want my take, maybe it's still too early to really make anything out of it, and that's okay. That's perfectly okay. That's how it was with me, too."

"You, too?"

"Just... might wanna avoid doing anything you'll regret. Or not, as long as you learn from it," Masaru crossed his arms as he found himself doing a mini lecture. "Give it time. Time will tell. At least you're not making plans to leave town anytime soon, right?"

"Naw, my whole family really likes it here..."

"And by the time you can visit the Digital World again, well... Chika can probably go with us too. I know she really wants to see Piyomon. That'll be quite the trip, won't it? You two can reunite with your Digimon together. You have that in common, too."

Ikuto put on the most obvious blush Masaru had seen on anyone in a long time.

Seriously, what an honest kid.

"I know you said not to compare, but... How did it go with you and Tohma? Was Tohma the one who confessed first?"

Maybe a little too honest.

"You're asking for a REAL awkward story there, Ikuto," Masaru replied frankly. "But in short, yeah... He beat me to the punch. I mean, figuratively. Literally, that's another story..."

Ikuto blinked a few times at him. "I'm not sure if I want to know what you mean by that."

"Even if you did, it's a story that only our fists know the full extent of. It's between Tohma and me. You still have your own story to figure out, Ikuto."

Ikuto blinked even more at him, but then noticed Chika was heading back to their table. "I'll figure it out one of these days..." he muttered before quickly shifting gears to greet her with a warm smile.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Suguru had reserved a private bathhouse with hot springs that evening, and thus father and son were there together in one of the bedrock baths. The two of them in private. Naturally, the two Daimon ladies wanted to go as well, but Suguru had forgotten to get them their own spot, and the place was already booked otherwise. Despite their extreme displays of dismay, Suguru only looked half apologetic for the ladies as the two men left the house.

On a chilly winter night like that one, the hot water felt even more relaxing than ever. Naturally, it was then when Suguru saw the massive star-shaped scar across Masaru's chest for a second time. He barely batted an eye at it, however. Instead, he complimented it.

"Quite the battle scar you've made for yourself there, son."

"Thanks!"

"Now, you know your mother didn't show it back at the house, but she was very concerned when she saw it."

"I'm sure she was... But she doesn't have to be. I learned my lesson, and I'm not letting it happen ever again."

"Be sure to tell her that yourself when you get the chance. She needs to hear that from you directly."

"Roger that, Dad."

Soon after they soaked in the warm waters, Suguru began telling Masaru of more tales from the Digital World. However, the mood as he talked was nothing like how it was back at the Daimon residence. These were stories that he hadn't told the other two Daimons yet, or anyone else for that matter... No one else in all these years. These were morbid stories, stories with more than meets the eye and more implications to larger problems at hand. These were stories that Masaru himself had similar experiences with, and without realizing until then, he too had avoided telling the other family members about them.

For example, the whole situation with the Flamon and Strabimon who had fallen into Digicon Valley... Their situation was unlike any other normal Digimon. Somehow, they carried some elements of human biology that were normally not present in Digimon of the Digital World. They had blood and organs like a normal organism, undigitized... Or perhaps still digitized, in an unusual way.

Masaru himself was much like them, made of blood and organs, volatile... Yet even so, he didn't even have the option of turning into a Digiegg if he sustained too much damage. He had but his one and only life.

"You're correct in that Digimon don't normally have innards like you described. That Flamon and Strabimon... I could only suspect that some element of them is actually human and not Digimon," Suguru mused.

"Really? But they claimed they had faint memories of their past lives... Wouldn't that only happen if they'd been turned back into a DigiEgg at some point? Wouldn't that make them Digimon?"

"But as you just mentioned... You still have your blood and organs in the Digital World, and so do they. Come to think of it... Do you remember the BioHybrids?"

Masaru took a moment to recall the term, as it sent him many more years back into his memories. Back then, his father had technically helped him find a way to fend off the BioHybrids... Back when he was BanchouLeomon. "What about them?"

"They were both human and Digimon as well, weren't they? When you defeated them, how did that work out?"

"The human went unconscious, and a DigiEgg came out separately from them..."

"Right. On a normal basis, if you damage a Digimon's 'wireframe' enough, they revert back to DigiEgg form. So in the case of the BioHybrids, it was more like they were embodying the power of a Digimon as their exterior, but they were still existing as a human as they always were previously."

"Uh......"

"Flamon and Strabimon aren't the same as those BioHybrids. They're closer to us humans, yet somehow they're still considered to be Digimon."

"I... don't get it."

There were beings out there that defied these otherwise clear separations between humans and Digimon. Flamon and Strabimon, the BioHybrids, even the DigiGnomes... Suguru delved into other such similar occurrences with situations that blurred the lines.

Even Suguru's entire ordeal as BanchouLeomon embodied both of their souls... Suguru admitted that he could write another book entirely on that specific phenomenon. Perhaps someday... But for now, he was fine keeping his personal experience to his single self, and Masaru was fine with that all the same.

Masaru shared more of his stories, giving Suguru more food for thought. Suguru had even more to talk about in return. The father did have several more years of experience in the Digital World over his son, after all.

They were ultimately trying to make sense of everything, but to Masaru, talking about it all was just having an opposite effect and thus causing more confusion. He ended up ruffling his hair dramatically at some point. "Agggh, why's there so much weird stuff we gotta watch out for?? Why can't we just keep things simple?!"

Suguru chuckled at his son's cries of defeat. "I was waiting for you to react that way, and my expectations were finally met. I'm amazed you made it all the way through. I can't think of any other stories I've been holding back, at least for now."

They'd spent a long time in the bath by then, and Masaru was starting to feel dizzy from all the heat. Just as he was thinking about getting up, his father went ahead and did so before him.

"Oh, Masaru. You learned how to use a razor, right? And you haven't been needing to use one in the Digital World because of the midnight refresh."

"Yeah..."

"You might want to start using one again when we get home."

"Ah?"

As Masaru got up from the bath, he brushed his chin and just then realized he had quite a bit of a stubble going. It'd been so long since he'd felt it, and it was already so prickly to the touch after being in the human world for just a couple days.

Back during his DATS days, he had just started shaving. He hadn't even brought a razor with him to the Digital World... Though it turned out he never needed one anyway, fortunately for him.

And now that he was checking himself, he noticed his fingernails were longer than usual too.

Hair and fingernails... They didn't grow in the Digital World. Suguru's hair didn't grow in the 10 years he was there. Masaru's didn't grow in 6 years.

When Masaru asked the reasoning behind it, as they headed out of the bathhouse, Suguru had a textbook explanation ready for him. "Hair and nails are made from dead skin cells. So... As those skin cells die in the Digital World, instead of adding to the length of hair and nails, they get converted into digital energy that helps power the meat fountains you've likely seen throughout the Digital World. The Digital World is VERY efficient with providing energy for itself."

"Dang..." Masaru had his fair share of eating from the meat fountains himself. Digital World meat was... pretty good, to be honest. Like giant slabs of ham on a bone. Now that he knew that his own energy was part of the whole system, like he was eating a part of himself... he felt a little weirded out for a short while. But just for a short while. In the back of his mind, he recognized that the connection was really indirect in the end, similar to how vegetables benefitted from fertilizers created by animal waste in order to grow.

.....

Thinking about the juicy taste of the fountain meat quickly overwrote whatever else he had just learned.

"It's really quite fascinating how biological functions work in the Digital World. I could go on about it for days... or maybe I'll write a separate book about it someday. Hmm, I mean, I absolutely should, if we're planning to bring other people in... Ahhh. My work's never done."

"Haha..." Masaru sighed as he noted that he had inspired his father without really meaning to.

As they headed outside, the sun had long gone and the temperature had fallen even further. Masaru could see his own breath escape as he exhaled, and he was reminded once again of the chilly winter season. He had plenty of heat retained from the bath to make light work of the cold, however.

"Must suck if you want to grow out your hair while loving in the Digital World, but at the same time, it's nice not having to spend time on extra maintenance. Leaves me more time for fighting!" Masaru pumped a fist up in the air for emphasis.

"Mmm. Say, Masaru... Do you see yourself still fighting every day in twenty, thirty years from now?"

"Hell ya, absolutely! It's in my nature's calling. I wouldn't be me anymore if I couldn't fight."

"If you'd been born in an older era without any of the digital technology we have today, I bet you would've been living a mercenary life. Hah, get a load of that thought... That's what I get for reading one of those isekai books..."

"Huh? What makes you bring up something like that?"

"Just watching out for the son I'm proud of."

"Huh..."

Suguru seemed to have a lot more on his mind as he gave his son a side look, but he wasn't divulging the details.

Masaru was fine with that. Getting to spend time with his father at long last... hearing all of his stories, getting to see the world a bit more like him... it was all such an eye opener. Technically, Masaru had spent some time with him back when he was with BanchouLeomon, but now with Yggdrasil's restrictions gone, he could hear everything that had previously been held back. And he'd gotten to hear so much...

"I'm so glad you came back, Dad. I really thought you were a goner back then."

"And I'm glad that you're back too, Masaru. You've definitely polished up that manliness like I told you to, and I'll be looking forward to seeing where it takes you in the future as well."

"Hey, it's not all just me, right? It's not like YOUR life is over... Anymore..."

Suguru made a half-nervous laugh, recognizing all too well that he'd cheated death in a way that possibly no one else ever would. "I never go a day without remembering what I'm grateful for... So for as long as I can, I'll do what I can to help carry on my ambitions for both our worlds."

"Ambitions, huh..."

"Yeah. You'll be working with Tohma on those developments, so I'll leave it to him to explain the details as they come. It's going to be a long process either way, so I hope you're ready for it."

"Of course I am! I'll show you exactly how much I've polished up my manliness!"

"That's my boy."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

As Masaru laid on his old bed that night, after getting his nightly reminder from Tohma to charge his phone, he took a few moments to suck in the silence around him. No Digimon hanging about him, no one in the house making a ruckus, not even animals outside to hear, with the cold winter keeping everyone indoors or hibernating.

He was going to Tohma's place after dinner the next day, so he would be saying goodbye to this nostalgic old bed once more. Come to think of it, he hadn't actually spent a night at Tohma's place before. He'd never even seen Tohma's bedroom or anything of the sort. With a mansion that big, the beds must've been huge too... Well, he'd find out soon enough.

Besides that... He also just realized that he hadn't gotten the chance to talk about Tohma with his family, yet again. They were all going to be having dinner together soon, so he was hoping to hear from them before then... And time was going quickly. Knowing himself, he thought he might forget again when he woke up the next day, all the way until dinnertime. And that would be awkward...

Or did it really even matter? If apparently his father, Chika, and Ikuto already knew, his mother probably knew as well, and nothing had changed otherwise. That was already the best outcome he could've hoped for, right?

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Somehow, he managed to remember the next morning, so he asked Sayuri right away as she was finishing up a batch of fried eggs for breakfast.

"Mom... Did Dad tell you anything about um... Tohma and me specifically?"

"Hmm, I don't remember anything off the top of my head. Is something the matter?" She untied her apron, hanging it on the side of the fridge, and gave Masaru a curious look.

"Oh... Uh... Are you sure? You're not just forgetting or something, are you?"

"I don't think I'd forget anything about you. I'm your mother! And Tohma's such a remarkable man, it's hard to forget anything about him, too. What was it that you think he told me?"

"Err... "

"Come on, don't leave me hanging now that you mentioned it."

"Well...... About that..."

"Masaru... Your father may be back with us, but we still shouldn't keep secrets from each other."

"I know, I know..." He was just having a hard time handling the fact that it seemed his mother was the only one who hadn't figured it out or was told anything. Everyone else knew, and while his mother wasn't the sharpest knife on the block, she was... Still his mother. "Tohma said that me going to his place for the rest of the week was to make things convenient for whatever business we have to take care of with the government, but..."

He swallowed before committing the words out of his mind.

"It's not just for that. I... want to be with him too. He... means a lot to me now."

Sayuri blinked a few times. "He means a lot to all of us, doesn't he?"

Masaru tilted his head sharply. "Remember that one time long ago when I said if I ever found 'that special person' like Dad is for you... I'd let you know first thing? It kinda slipped my mind until last night though..."

Sayuri blinked some more. "You mean Tohma's that special person for you?"

"Mmmm... yeah," he reiterated for good measure.

"Oh, Masaru... That's wonderful!"

Sayuri suddenly enveloped her son in a bear hug--as in Masaru being a giant stuffed bear for her to latch onto.

"Huh?"

He had a feeling that his mother would be fine with the outcome, but he hadn't expected such... instant enthusiasm?

"Are you sure Dad didn't tell you anything?"

"Thinking back on it, he might have mentioned that you had a lot of big news to tell us once you were back. I got so caught up in all the talk about the Digital World that I assumed that was all the news. After all, you had that big accident..."

"Oh yeah... The scar... I'll make sure nothing like that ever happens again, Mom. I learned my lesson for good when that one happened. A man can't protect anything worthwhile if he can't even protect himself, after all."

"I'm very glad to hear that."

"In other words, I just gotta fight better!"

Sayuri just smiled back, as it was all she needed to do.

Masaru blinked, realizing that he'd gotten off track from his own point about Tohma. At the same time, was there really a need to go back to it? His father, his mother, his sister... They were all fine with Tohma, and that was that. It was the best outcome he could've hoped for. It was just less for Masaru to worry about, not that he was actually that worried about his own family in the first place. His worries lied elsewhere, in places he wasn't even able to define just yet...

Chapter 4: DATS - Now PD

Chapter Text

On that same morning, after receiving bear hugs from his mother, Masaru headed to the local Police Department office where Yoshino was stationed. She had invited Masaru with the honor of coming in early to show him around. Naturally, she had Chief Satsuma's permission, and to no one's real surprise, the rest of the ex-DATS members had also come in early to see the man who came back from the Digital World.

The department floor was all a bustle as soon as he came in, with all the usual niceties and admiring of how everyone was doing after six years apart. The two operator ladies, Kurosaki and Megumi, looked almost not a day older from Masaru's memories. When he spoke his mind, the ladies laughed wholeheartedly and waved him off, thinking he had gotten better at flattery. Chief Satsuma stayed quiet for the majority of the time, despite how he would normally be grunting at the group to get back on task.

The joyful moments were relatively short lived that morning however, as an incident came up on the call, requesting more hands on deck. The call needed additionall officers to handle, so Chief Satsuma sent out the crew who was already in the building, including Kurosaki and Megumi, to handle the situation, and then the Chief himself left the office for a meeting of sorts... High office position things.

It was just Yoshino and Masaru left in the office at that point, when Yoshino broke the news to him.

"Now don't freak out about this, Masaru... But Kouki's working here too. He usually gets in right before I go out on patrol... And I pair patrol with him sometimes, too."

Masaru had to blink a few times before he was able to process the information. It was a name he hadn't heard in years, after all... but it was a name he never forgot. "Kouki... You mean... THAT Kouki?"

"The only one we collectively know, yeah. He doesn't have any memories of the you-know-what stuff. He's... different now."

"No way..."

Over tea, Yoshino summarized her encounter with Kouki that led up to their current situation.

Basically, Yoshino found Kouki riding around town on his motorcycle without a helmet on, so she pulled him over. She didn't even realize it was Kouki until she went up to him for questioning. And despite not having any of his memories, Kouki straight up invited her out for dinner.

Yoshino actually took Kouki up on his offer... Because free food. Other than the free food, it was mostly a whim, to be honest. If she had been in any other mood, perhaps she would've turned him down instead. But she didn't.

Things just sort of snowballed from there.

He'd offer free meals just to see her again. Always when she was off duty, of course. He was fairly persistent about it, even when Yoshino turned him down at various times (usually for plans with other friends).

During one of their outings, just weeks later, they witnessed a woman getting mugged in the streets. Yoshino sprung to action to catch the thief, and to her surprise, Kouki had also given chase in a way that ended up cornering the thief to his surrender. They had unintentionally tag-teamed to catch the criminal.

The thief was a super feisty guy. Kouki kept the thief in check (he might or might not have given the thief a few full punches to the cheek) as they brought him all the way back to the police department. Yoshino tried to take things from there and shoo Kouki off, but Kouki continued to strongarm the thief and made his way into the department building. At that time, Chief Satsuma and old man Yushima happened to be in the office (typical workaholics at those crazy late hours).

Naturally, they were surprised to see him...

That was when Kouki found out that the PD was low on staff, and it gave him ideas...

Thanks to some assistance from Yushima and Chief Satsuma, Kouki left his part-time job at a motor shop and joined the police force full-time. It was a massive reform any way Masaru looked at it.

Still, he was working at the bottom of the barrel, doing dull security type of work and neighborhood street patrol. At first, Yoshino refused to let him work under the same chain of command as hers... But he kind of had to, as being under a different chain meant going to another police station altogether. Their station was a small anomaly of an existence already; it had most of DATS's ex-personnel and had only been around for six years, but in the public eye, people had assumed they'd been around since the existence of policemen in general. As a 'senior' cop, Yoshino was allowed more jurisdiction over her shifts, but there were still a decent amount of times when she and Kouki got paired up to do patrols. Yoshino would always be the one driving.

The incident with the purse snatcher that got Kouki into the police station wasn't just a fluke. When trouble got big enough and multiple cops were needed, Yoshino and Kouki turned out to be a wondrous duo to stop crime in its tracks.

"So... that's it. So he's here now," Masaru implied a question, requesting confirmation.

"Yep... Speedrunning a career change, that's for sure. Speak of the devil..."

"Yo, Yoshino! Who's this dude here, another troublemaker in the neighborhood?"

Masaru pumped his fists as a gut reaction, but quickly realized it and forced himself to open up his palms as he turned to meet the 'new' guy.

A white-collared shirt, blue tie, tailored pants, and an officer's cap, all arranged straight and proper... Kouki was almost completely unrecognizable. Heck, he didn't even have the lip ring that used to be quite characteristic, at least from Masaru's memory of him...

Memory... Right, Kouki's memories of being a BioHybrid had been completely wiped. But Masaru still remembered.

Kouki looked at him not with the haughty, condescending intent that he used to have... But instead with a sort of... refined intensity befitting of someone in law enforcement. It sent an odd chill down Masaru's back.

Maybe the outfit was contributing to most of it, what with his stiff tie and shirt tucked in smartly... Maybe not. Either way, he looked like a completely different man from what Masaru remembered.

"This is an old friend from the neighborhood. His name's Masaru. It's his first time back in six years, so I'm showing him around a bit."

"Whoa, six years? Where were YOU all that time?" Kouki faced the brunet in all casualness, clueless to the reactions he was setting off in Masaru's mind.

"Uh... Work business." Masaru somehow managed to sum up a canned response to its ultimate short form. He spent the next moments just trying to keep his head clear.

"Hmm? What kind of business is that?"

"Not YOUR business, that's what!" Yoshino cut in without mincing words. "You clocked in yet? You're out on patrol first today, since everyone else is out and I need to man the office."

"But that's not how we usually do this. It's usually you go out first, or we go out as a duo."

"Everyone else is out on a call, if you haven't noticed that it's just the three of us in here right now."

"Hmm..." Kouki took a good look around the empty office space. "Didn't notice, since you're the only one I look for when I get in."

Yoshino took a half step back from where she was standing.

"YOU. Out on patrol, now! I'm not letting you watch this office in your lonesome. And Masaru's visiting, so that's all the more reason I need to stay until the others get back."

"Haa? Okay fine, whatever..." Kouki adjusted his hat as Yoshino pushed him on his way, and he shot Masaru with a fierce and fiery glare. "Don't get too chummy with her now..."

"Hmph, I'm already spoken for. I'd say I'm the least of your worries."

"Oh yeah??" Kouki moved towards the brunet forehead first.

Masaru motioned in a similar manner. They were nearly the same height, with Kouki still having the slightest advantage, so it was easy to meet head-to-head in their instant face-off--until Yoshino gave Kouki another push to get moving.

"No dawdling, and no instigating fights!"

To Masaru's surprise, Kouki backed off instantly. "Fine. I've got the honorable duty of keeping the streets clean so that we don't have to work overtime. I'll make sure you have time for dinner with me tonight, Yoshino."

Kouki still had the last say as he left the office in as much of a storm as he entered. Yoshino blushed up a storm of her own on her cheeks.

"At least you two are on first-name basis," Masaru noted, ending on a high note.

"Th-That's just how we all run with each other in this team, except for Chief Satsuma and his superiors! Chain of command and all... It was the same way at DATS, y'know."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just teasing." Masaru waved an arm dismissively, then switched gears to get serious. "He really has it in for you."

"I mentioned he was speedrunning a career change..."

Kouki was chasing Yoshino big time. He wanted to be promoted above her in the PD, even though she had many, many years above him. Yoshino knew that Kouki would need to serve in basic patrol for at least two years before he even had a shot at promotion, and even after that, he would probably need another full year to actually get an opportunity to move up. Kouki knew this as well, and somehow he was fine with that prospect.

So there he was, right there with her, in law enforcement. It was quite the transformation.

Masaru couldn't help but scratch his head as he mulled over the story. "This whole thing is still going over my head... Man..."

Kouki still had no memories of his time with Kurata or as a Digimon. He was aware some big incident happened six years ago concerning some supernatural phenomenons, but he never really concerned himself with it, as he was busy enough making his own ends meet, recovering from his coma.

With a new cup of coffee in hand, Yoshino confided in her more personal thoughts on the matter. "By all means, If I had my life set, I'd be steady with Hitoshi... Hanamura Neon at this point... But the man's busy. He's doing acting roles lately that have him working with all these famous actresses, and it's starting to get into a world I can't see myself getting involved with even as an outsider. I'd rather stay out of the entertainment spotlight, and I especially don't want my family to see me in that kind of situation either. I just... Want to live my life in peace."

Masaru had a cup of coffee as well. "Nothing wrong with that."

"I did seriously consider Hitoshi at some point. And I did see him again recently. But after the memory manipulation, somewhere deep inside, it still hurts when I'm with him. I know it was just an amplification of his feelings that caused his incident with Digimon long ago, but something about it just was never going to sit right with me."

"But it's okay with Kouki?? Even if HE doesn't remember what he did either, he took the lives of so many Digimon under Kurata's orders, you know! He did way worse than Neon ever did from how I see it..."

"Yet look at him now, Masaru. Again, he has no memory of what he did or barely what he was even like when he was with Kurata. Look at how he is NOW."

"...Yeah. He's completely different. I can see that clearly."

"I haven't actually gone along with any of his advances so far, aside from free food. I AM honestly happy to see that he's turning his life around, but I'm not sure how to take it when I'm apparently his sole inspiration for it now..."

There were moments when Yoshino saw the potential.

Even a broken clock was right twice a day. Kouki still acted like a rude badass, but he had definitely matured compared to his days with Kurata. The prude edge to his snarkiness had been pruned, and now he was just edgy at most.

Kouki used to eat nothing but junk food back when they were enemies. Potato chips, candy bars, sugary drinks... those used to be his main sustenance. But apparently after settling back into human society, he'd fixed up his diet. He still had a sweet tooth, but he kept his sugar urges in moderation. Either way, he had to fix up his diet even further if he wanted to join the PD in the short amount of time he'd made it in. There were physical tests and all. He avoided eating meat in excess and he ate his vegetables.

When he first got his police uniform, he refused to tuck in his shirt. Even Chief Satsuma's outlandish yelling barely got him to do it for one day, and then he'd forget again the next day. Yoshino didn't want to constantly hear the chief lecturing, so she dropped a tip for the newcomer... That she preferred men who looked 'pristine for the job'.

And that was all it took for Kouki to wear the uniform properly, consistently.

"He even treated me to a sweets buffet one time, and he didn't give a flying F that he was the only guy in a whole restaurant full of girls who were probably prettier than me. Not that I REALLY checked... I was focused on the sweets, of course..." There was something somewhat unconvincing in her tone.

They'd been at this for a year now, ever since that day she had to flag him down on his motorcycle.

Still... She had mixed feelings about somehow being that one catalyst for Kouki.

"What does he even see in me...?"

Masaru gave her a stern look.

"Yoshino... you deserve happiness, and I'm not to judge whether or not Kouki can provide it for you. I'll just say that if he's already come this far for you, maybe one good turn deserves another. But only maybe."

"Masaru..." Yoshino looked somber for a moment, but she quickly changed her tempo. "And what about you now? 'Already spoken for'... I take it that things are going well with Tohma then?"

Masaru almost choked on his coffee. "Haa? Why does everyone seem to know already? Tohma's not showing me off to everyone, is he?"

"Tohma's never told anyone directly unless he was confronted about it, I can tell you that. He's not the type of person to do so."

"Then how..."

"Your sister."

"...Okay, everything makes sense now."

Yoshino grinned with a hint of smugness. "You're so easy to read... You've got it nice, you know. Tohma's dead serious about you."

"....."

"He's literally turning the world on its heels for you. We haven't directly talked in a while, but I've seen what he's been doing on the news. It's big stuff, Masaru. And it's for you."

In an attempt to cover his embarrassment, Masaru lifted an arm to scratch the back of his head.

"And for Gaomon, and for his family too, sure," Yoshino continued. "But in the end, after all is said and done... It's for you. Absolutely no doubt about it. Tohma's a good man."

"That, I know."

"With these other men... I can't be too sure. Once in a blue moon, I see something in Kouki that makes me think it could work out between us in the long run. But I'm still not confident enough for it. We're not quite there yet... At all, really. He honestly still needs a lot of improvement, even though he's made a lot of progress already."

"I'm certainly impressed with it, at least."

"Well... His rate of progress is also what kind of scares me. He's changing... A lot. Almost faster than what I can keep up with. At some point, I don't know what I'll need to do..."

Masaru made a rare sigh as Yoshino finally took another sip from her mostly untouched coffee. Masaru was almost done with his.

"I know I'm not the best person to get advice from, but from the way I see it... If a man's willing to stake everything he has for something, or someone... Then it's a fellow man's duty to accept that resolve, no matter what it is."

"I'm not a man, Masaru."

"Haha... did I word it like that? Sorry, old habits, y'know... Anyway, just follow your feelings when it happens, Yoshino. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"It's nutty seeing you trying to give me advice. But what about you then? How serious are YOU with Tohma?"

"Huh? I'm serious, of course. A man doesn't half-ass these kinds of things."

"But I mean, you do know Tohma's a noble, right? Outside of Japan... You'll probably have to deal with things overseas if you stay involved with him..."

"After how long I've spent in the Digital World, going overseas sounds like a midnight snack."

"I'm guessing you meant 'a walk in the park'... But the Real World can be a lot scarier than the Digital World in certain ways you probably still don't know about..."

"Hey, when it happens, I'll take care of it. That's what a man does."

His fist went up to solidify his words. Yoshino took another slow sip of her coffee, her expression considerably calmer than before when Kouki was around.

"Well... I wouldn't expect any less from our manly, Digital World fighter. Let me know how things go after it all goes down, keep me in the loop and all. Um... I'll let you know if something happens on my end, too."

"Done deal."

Once coffee was finished on both sides, and they had properly exchanged contact information (it was Chika who had arranged everything prior, as she had Yoshino's number), Masaru headed out.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

By the time Kouki came back from his rounds, most of the others had made it back into the office as well. The morning case came with a fair amount of aftermath to keep the office busy and bustling with noise.

Kouki looked up from his desk as he filed his daily report and stared at the door where Chief Satsuma's office was. The Chief was back in the office too, but aside from peeking at his tall silhouette from between the blinds, he didn't have too much of an immediate presence when the door was closed. Kouki pouted and made sure that Yoshino heard him from their neighboring desks. "Chief Satsuma's got it easy, man. Just sits in the office and makes sure the rest of us get our sh*t done. Sounds like a seat I want in the future."

Yoshino continued typing at her desk and didn't shift her eyesight from the monitor for even a second. "Ohhhh no you don't. I've been doing this for way longer. I'M getting that seat before you ever do, that's for sure."

"We'll see about that..."

"And it's not just sitting around, y'know. He has to attend really high stakes meetings with super important people, make all the decisive calls, make public appearances and talk to the media... It's a lot of pressure and responsibility. Knowing the right thing to say, at the right time... that takes a lot of work and experience. You've still got a lot to work on before you can get on his level. Heck, you're still trying to catch up to ME."

"Oh, I'll catch up. And I'll get ahead of all of you... If that's what it'll take to get you to see me for who I am."

Yoshino went still for a moment, lacking a comfortable way to process Kouki's statement. There were so many ways that what he was saying could result in things going wrong, after all... Yet she was mildly sure that in Kouki's mind, he only had one obvious goal.

She still had time to decide if it could work out, if that was how it was going to be. Only the future would tell.

Chapter 5: Chika POV, and a Handover

Chapter Text

Whenever folks asked me where my older brother went, I'd tell them that he skipped a few grades and went off to college overseas. Obviously, anyone who knew I had a brother in the first place generally knew what kind of guy he was to begin with, so no one REALLY believed me. And that was the point. I wasn't allowed to tell people where he had actually gone, nor did I personally want to tell them. At least not until the time was right. And back then, I had no way of telling if there would ever be a 'right' time. That sucked a lot, but that's what it was.

Thankfully, no one really got on my case about it. My family already had a reputation for being eccentric, so no one really tried to get into the deep details about our circ*mstances. They'd see that my father was back after being gone for ten years, and then they'd somehow come to the conclusion that my brother was probably doing something similar. It was just the Daimon thing to do, to go on a super long pilgrimage... or something. Never mind the fact that my brother was only 14 years old when he left...

Maybe there was an element of resentment or jealousy to the whole thing, I'd admit. My brother got to skip out on all the yucky realities of the Real World for these past six years. Sure, I was aware that he still had the consciousness to 'keep his duties as a man' to come back home someday and make a name for himself. But with nothing set in stone, it seemed more and more like he had completely abandoned the Real World with each passing year he was gone. Every day, he was just out there in some parallel dimension, having the time of his life without having to deal with any other humans. There were so many times when I wished I'd been the one who could've gone, to spend my days with Piyomon. I wished I could've been the one to make a fresh start in another world and go on adventures in the open wilderness...

It never helped that Dad told me so many of his adventures in the Digital World, but I wanted to hear those stories nonetheless. I felt it was really important for me to listen to those stories, not only to learn more about the Digital World, but to learn more about my father whom I had zero memory of previously. Mom and my brother had always looked up to him so much during the entire decade he was missing, I couldn't help but keep my hopes up about him as well. It was such a memorable moment for me when I first got to hug him, after the world-threatening crisis was finally over. But who would've known that moments later, he would basically be in my life in place of my brother...

For a long time, I had no expectations for my brother to consider anyone he had left behind in the Real World... even his family. I had assumed that everything in the Digital World was paradise to him. I thought it was totally in him to completely forget us while he was out there having a blast. He had no reason to come back, after all, and he was always such a dense blockhead...

Thinking like that upset me though, and it pushed me to make a goal to one-up him some day. Not in some villainous, malicious fashion, I mean--Just enough to make sure he knew the full impact of his decisions and make sure he manned up to them.

...Sigh, I said it. There was just no getting away from the manliness talk when it came to my family.

Anyway, I needed a tangible way to reach this goal, and once I started up junior high school, I already had an idea of how to achieve it. It happened to be in the form of landing a future job with a certain amount of authority in regards to handling the Digital World. My parents liked the idea, but considering that they were fine with Masaru leaving to go to the Digital World, I would've been so weirded out if they had any issues with me wanting to do things in a more logical... reasonable fashion. I was the one dedicated to finishing my education, at least.

It wasn't until almost 4 years after Masaru-niichan had left... Tohma-kun came back from his trip to the Digital World. And after seeing Tohma-kun afterwards, I finally realized that so many of my assumptions about my brother were completely wrong.

Tohma-kun met up with us at our house after his trip. He was elated to tell us that he had met Masaru-niichan in the Digital World, and that we could start taking real steps into opening up travel between the two worlds once again. Apparently, he and Dad had an extensive outline about how we would progress with the re-opening... An outline with landmarks at every five years, for ages to come... I read what I could of it, with as much as I could comprehend. It was riddled with all this wild lingo I couldn't hope to process at the time. Dad reassured me that with enough time and study, I could catch up and get involved from the early stages.

Tohma-kun reassured me as well.

"Even Masaru was able to understand some of it, though I didn't get much time to explain it in detail with him. But for you, Chika-chan, just study a bit and I'm sure you'll be an expert in no time. It'd be wonderful to have you be a part of the Digital World's future."

He'll probably never know it, and I'd prefer if he never knew, but hearing him say that... It gave me so much of a confidence boost that all of my free time from then on went straight to studying. Undoubtedly, I made fewer friends at school since I wasn't into the idols, trendy fashions, and whatever nonsense other girls were into at the time, but none of that mattered to me (my idol fascination started and ended with Hanamura Neon... It was a definite 'phase' when I think back on it).

Things around me were about to undergo huge changes once again, and I wasn't going to miss out on joining the front line if I had anything to say about it.

"Hey, Tohma-kun... If this all works out, that means Masaru-niichan's coming back home in a couple years, right?"

"Well, it'd be a temporary stay for starters, but yes. I think it would be best to make it a gradual transition, since we won't be able to bring Digimon into the Real World for a much longer time."

"And Masaru-niichan's okay with that?"

"It's still a ways out, so I haven't confirmed it with him yet, but I don't see why he wouldn't want to come back with me."

"Mm?"

Tohma-kun suddenly shook a hand in front of himself, as if trying to wave off what he had just said. "I mean--he did mention that he was interested in coming back. Y-Your father is the one most insistent on it. As ironic as it is, considering he was the first to approve of Masaru leaving in the first place."

At the time, Mom and Dad were talking between themselves and hadn't really heard this part of the conversation. Tohma-kun started going through more of the minute details for the Digital Gate, but I'd already caught onto something else by then.

His ears were burning a bright red... Embarrassingly so. To me, it stood out like a sore thumb with how pale he normally was otherwise.

Huh? It wasn't like he'd said anything particularly embarrassing... Or did he?

Well, either way... It all meant that my brother still had us in mind. Of course he did... I couldn't help but think about how silly it was for me to assume that he'd forgotten us. In reality... I just missed him, kinda.

"No worries, Chika-chan... He's missed you all, too." As the red finally started to fade off of Tohma-kun's ears, I heard him direct a bit to me with his usual, calm voice.

I hadn't meant to say any of my inner thoughts out loud, but I apparently did. Also embarrassing...

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

A year later, Tohma-kun visited Japan again. That was when I also met Tohma-kun's little sister, who was just barely younger than me. Her name was Relena, and she had been studying Japanese on her own so that she could be with her brother during his time in Japan. Technically, I had seen her once before, right after the Digital World crisis was resolved. Those were only short glances back then, however, and she hadn't been present in any of the following celebrations. Since then, 5 years had gone by... She was no longer bound by a wheelchair.

She made a huge first impression on me when we first saw each other. I just stood there, dumbfounded at the sight of her massively long and flowing blonde hair, like she had just come out of a red carpet party at Hollywood. She must've been growing that hair her entire life for it to be that long. And beautiful?? Did she have someone professionally style it? But naw, I found out later that it was just her natural state of being. The Norsteins had maids to help out, but she had learned to take care of herself as soon as she had the physical capability to do so.

She walked up to me and gave me a tight hug. I was too awed to react properly; I knew a lot of Europeans were quick to hug amongst friends, but even to people you literally just met?! Did she think I was anyone special or something? If anything, she was the special one here...

"My brother has told me so much about you, Chika! I hope we can be great friends."

Her Japanese seemed well practiced. I replied in my scrubby English since I didn't know a drip of German. "Thank you, Relena. I hope we can be great friends, too."

It made her cheery face appear even more bubbly than ever, and she hugged me again while sputtering something in what I assumed was German.

"She says she's so happy to finally meet you properly," Tohma-kun translated. "She hasn't gotten much of an opportunity to make friends with people of her age back in Austria, since she's only recently recovered from her condition."

"Recovered..." I remembered seeing her in a wheelchair, and while she could walk a bit, she was very obviously frail back then. But here, she seemed fine and light on her feet...

"It's all thanks to my dearest brother, Tohma."

Thinking that Tohma-kun was the one to find the cure for all that... He really was such a genius.

Tohma-kun and Relena stayed a whole summer in Japan, during which time we spent practically every day with each other. On the sideline, Tohma-kun had asked me a favor... to be Relena's friend and teach her more Japanese, and she would in return teach me English and some German if I wanted it. Tohma-kun didn't even need to ask the favor from me, since I would've done something like that anyway.

Ikuto joined up too, and all-in-all, we had one heck of a summer. Not only was I going places every day (mostly to the Norstein mansion), but I was learning new things all the time, too. Heck, I even made another friend that summer thanks to Tohma-kun... another girl of the same age, named Yuma. She too was occasionally at the Norstein mansion, brushing up on her English skills while letting Relena practice her Japanese.

Tohma-kun let me know upfront that Yuma also had a Digimon partner who had returned to the Digital World. It was pretty amazing that I could talk about Digimon with all three of these friends, and they all shared the same hope that we could see our Digimon friends again someday.

Yuma seemed kind of airheaded on first impression, but as I got to know her, I found out soon enough that she had the fiercest sense of determination when it came to certain things. I remembered one time when I wondered out loud if people would ever be able to fully accept the presence of Digimon in the Real World, and she clung onto that so quickly... So passionately, suddenly she was all "YESSS, they will! They just have to!!", grabbing my arms and shaking them enthusiastically to the thought. It caught me by surprise... but I had to agree with her.

Sadly, Tohma-kun and Relena had to return to Austria after the summer ended. Yuma ended up going with them as well, with a special visa to let her study overseas. Ahh, the lucky gal! I wanted to go too... But well, I could still do what I could in Yokohama, along with Ikuto. The time I spent with Relena and Yuma helped me realize that we were our own little generation ready to do big things when our time was ready. There was still plenty to do no matter where we were, as long as we had our hopes for Digimon to keep us together. As corny as it sounded, that was the reality of it.

It wasn't long after the summer when Tohma-kun was awarded his Nobel Prize in medicine. In fact, after the fall season ended and winter kicked in, Tohma-kun and Relena were back in Japan once more. Yuma had remained in Austria to focus on her studies. Yuma had an older brother in Japan who started working with Tohma-kun after his Digital World trip. I wasn't allowed to meet that older brother, or anyone outside of Tohma-kun's direct line of work for that matter... There was something complicated about that, although it was just yet another motivation for me in choosing my career path.

Things were constantly changing, but I refused to be left behind.

And now, there was my brother here...

Almost six years after leaving, he was finally back.

It was... fun having Masaru-niichan back, but a good chunk of me honestly didn't want him sticking around for any longer than those couple days he intended to stay.

It was all the subtle things, like him staring at all of the things in the streets, rattling off about the stores that had come and gone around the local neighborhood, and then rattling about the awesome places he had in the Digital Worrld instead... And then watching him gawk around like a tourist felt awkward when he used to live here himself... Or him noticing that Dad was using a tablet in the morning instead of the newspapers and having his mind blown. Heck, he couldn't even figure out how to use our one-button water boiler when Mom asked him to help make tea in the morning. He made a big deal out of it, saying that in the Digital World, he could just get hot water to realize from his Digivice... Honestly, none of it should have mattered to me, but for some reason, it kind of irritated me. My brother was so much older, but no doubt he'd been spending all these recent years in the Digital World fighting his brains off 24/7. Really, that wouldn't be different from what he was doing in the Real World, but at least if he had stayed in the Real World, he would've still been going to school. But nope, he had tossed that aside too...

The biggest difference between my fabricated story of him going overseas and what he was ACTUALLY doing was... well... he was in a different world altogether. If I had to be honest, the task of 'catching up' upon coming back would've been way over his head even if he HAD stayed in the Real World. He never even made it through junior high school... How was he going to make it through anything else as an adult in the Real World?

And when was he ever going to get over his urges to fight everything? I knew that he was an idiot full of animal fighting instincts and all that, but he was still my brother, and I expected him to carry some level of maturity over me to show for his age. But as far as I could see from him upon his return, he hadn't changed a bit, and I was well surpassing him on maturity levels...

My brother was leaving to go to Tohma-kun's place after dinner that evening, and I was doing some grocery errands with Ikuto. Ikuto wasn't going to be at my place for dinner, but his parents had things they wanted from the grocery anyway, so he joined up with me. A small tiff I had with my brother just earlier was stuck in my mind the entire trip, and Ikuto finally noticed on our last leg back.

"You seem more irritable than usual today, Chika."

"Oh really?" I snapped back before I could stop myself. Ikuto visibly winced, and I had to take a moment to pause. "Sorry, Ikuto... You're right." I grabbed onto his shoulder in reassurance... More for myself. Then I realized I had a big load of groceries on the arm I grabbed him with, and I had sloppily smacked him with the bag while I was at it.

"...It's okay," he said, wincing again but trying to not let it show in his voice.

Ikuto was always like that around me. Mellow, frank, honest, and maybe a little too nice to me.

"It just gets on my nerves sometimes when I think about Masaru-niichan."

"Huh? Did he do something wrong?"

The way Ikuto said that so innocently, as if Masaru-niichan could do nothing wrong to begin with...

I sighed.

"I can't say that for sure... And you know what? That's the problem with it all."

"Not sure I get what you mean..."

"Neither do I, Ikuto. Neither do I..." I shrugged, then changed the subject. "So... what did you two talk about while I was talking to my other friend at the restaurant yesterday?"

"Oh? N-Nothing much. I mostly asked about him and how he's been doing. Normal stuff, y'know."

"Normal stuff, right... What even counts as normal in our family these days?" I sighed. My hopeless brother... The more I thought about the whole situation, the more it jumbled up my thoughts. "Did I mention that he's staying at Tohma-kun's place for the rest of the week?"

"Oh, I didn't know that. Tohma must be really happy about that."

"Eheh..."

For literal lack of better words, Ikuto's frankness was going to be the end of me one of these days.

Even before my brother left for the Digital World six years ago, there had always been a small inkling in my mind that knew something was up between my brother and Tohma-kun beyond just boys being boys. With those two, things were... very different, for so many reasons.

That one time when I noticed Tohma-kun's ears going red was just the beginning of my confirmation. When he came back to Japan after being crowned a Nobel Prize, he made yet another visit to my family's house. Once he had a private moment with me, he immediately asked if I could make time to spend with Relena once again. That was no problem for me, but I also had to wonder why Tohma-kun bothered with our family so much in the first place. After seeing him get the Nobel Prize, I was growing ever more conscious of how much of a genius he was, on top of being a noble overseas... It was always something that made me a bit anxious around him, and once in a while, I'd get really subconscious about it like that moment.

"The Daimon family is incredibly important to me, Chika-chan. You, your parents, your brother..."

"Even Masaru-niichan?"

"Yes, especially him... In fact, I believe it's a good time for him to come back home, pay us all a visit."

"He's ready to come back??"

"I've been making the preparations to invite him back. I'll be coordinating with your father concerning that, so you'll likely hear more from him in the coming days."

"Masaru-niichan, back in the Real World..."

"Yes..."

I distinctly remember him staring seemingly far off into the distance, even though he was actually just looking at the floor next to me. His ears had gone red again, and I couldn't help but ask.

"You miss him too, right?"

With one blink, his eyes widened just enough for me to notice while I was already looking at him, but he blinked again and was back to normal.

"Yes, I do miss him. I did tell him I wouldn't take as long this time to see him again, and I'm making true on that word. I know he wants to see all of you as well."

I was honestly a little stunned to see Tohma-kun readily admit such things to me. I could see he was tacking on bits about my brother 'wanting to see everyone' to provide some misdirection, but I caught on more than he probably realized.

On a later day, after Dad returned from a visit to Tohma-kun's, Dad sat Mom and me down for the update I was expecting concerning my brother's return. He also mentioned my brother had a lot of important things to tell us. I straight up asked him if Tohma-kun was involved. The somewhat blank yet impressed look I'd often see on my Dad was directed at me, and he just gave me a simple nod. Mom didn't seem to catch the hint, but I didn't feel like elaborating on the subject back then.

It was easy to put two and two together at that point.

For some reason, Tohma-kun was infatuated with my brother. And my brother... had probably reciprocated the feelings. Considering how much... contained delight Tohma-kun would give off in his aura whenever Masaru came into the picture, it was the only way I could think of it.

Masaru could tell us if he wanted to. Knowing him however, he'd probably just never bother until it punched him in the face. It, as in a situation where he had no excuse or any way out... There was bound to be something eventually, it was just a matter of when. Until then... I'd just have to keep dealing with this dolt of an older brother.

Back to the present... there he was, lazily spending his last moments in the house, lounging around on the couch in the living room, yapping about whatever came to mind.

"When I was first starting out in the Digital World, there were days when I was like, 'Do I even need to bother with clothes? It's not like any of the Digimon care if I'm out there naked or anything.' But then I'd think about the ever-so-slight chance that I might stumble across another human, so..."

I held back a strong urge to bop him on the head. "I can't believe you'd even think about that!"

Dad was news browsing on his tablet next to us. "I thought of that too, quite frequently! That's my son, all right."

"Right? It's a perfectly natural thing to think of... If you were stranded on a deserted island, wouldn't you want to just spend some time running around naked?"

I could feel the skin wrinkle up between my eyes. "No??? I'd want to get off that island as soon as possible! Or adapt to survive and such! Also ewww! Why are you even bringing that kind of thing up in front of me? Are you a nudist??"

"I'm not a nudist! It's just a figure of speech about how cool it is to have so much freedom in the Digital World. I didn't find any other humans there in the six years I spent there and all. And I went to a lottt of places."

"Masaru's just pointing out that 'indecent exposure' is a human-made concept."

"Yeah, get on with the program, Chika!"

"Haa? Daaad!"

"Just think of it from an educational perspective, Chika. For me, it wasn't until I met BanchouLeomon when I realized that Digimon can even become aware of the concept of nudity the same way that humans do. Before that, I pretty much accepted my use of clothes in the Digital World only as a means of protection against the external elements. By the way, BanchouLeomon takes his fashion from exactly where it looks like it's from... A good dose of old school gangster movies."

I gave my dad an exhausted glare. He completely missed the point. Masaru was giving him a smug grin like nothing better could've been said.

"Both of you, agggh!"

One tactless Daimon man in the house was more than enough already...

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

(End Chika POV)

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Tohma was scheduled to come in about a half hour, and Masaru was still making light conversation with Suguru as the both of them watched the evening news on TV. Chika had just finished setting up the dinner table for six people and opened up her books to do some studying next to the two men.

"Are you forgetting anything, Masaru?" Sayuri called from the kitchen, simultaneously occupied with cooking.

"All I need are my Digivi-... my phone and the charger."

"What about your clothes?!" Chika said with a slightly disgusted expression. "This isn't the Digital World."

"Ohh... oh yeah. Guess I could bring some change of clothes."

Leaving aside the acidic tone in Chika's voice, Masaru dashed upstairs and came back down 5 minutes later with his old school gym bag stuffed with clothes.

"That's enough?" Chika eyed the bag with raised eyebrows. There was probably only enough for a couple outfits in the bag.

"Mostly the essentials. I'll likely drop by here again later in the week anyway. And I can borrow something from Tohma if I really need to. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Chika shrugged. "Heh, now isn't that convenient."

10 minutes later, Tohma arrived (early). Relena was with him, just as planned. Sayuri was still busy in the kitchen, but the rest of them all exchanged hugs for greetings, including Relena and Masaru, as well as of course Tohma and Masaru. Naturally, there was an extra layer of affection in Tohma's hug with him. Maybe it was in the clench of the arms, or the subtle lingering look that came afterwards... It'd only been a few days since he'd last seen Tohma, but he could still feel his heart skipping as soon as their eyes met.

Masaru was probably already blushing, but there was nothing he was going to do about it at that point.

"Tohma... Good to see you."

"You too, Masaru."

All in all, it was truly a good feeling welcoming the two Norsteins into the house.

It was also Masaru's first time formally meeting Relena. Finally, after seeing her once many years ago, and then hearing about her from Tohma's visit to the Digital World, he could speak to the girl who had been freed from life in a wheelchair. Her positive, bubbly presence exuded an aura of inspiration everywhere she went. She was quite a sight to behold.

Chika and Relena started talking up a storm to each other in their opposite languages (Chika with German, Relena with Japanese), and Sayuri came out of the kitchen to stack mountains of food on the table. In the midst of it all, Tohma had a few words with Suguru and then turned to face Masaru.

"Have you kept yourself busy while waiting for me?"

"Huh? Of course I've been busy. I haven't even had time for a fight the entire time so far. Nothing like the Digital World where I'd get to punch a Digimon at least once a day or so."

"Picking a fight every day... Did you set yourself up with a quota or something?"

"You could call it that, sure. I don't actually keep track. I mean, there are days like during tournaments when I go through a huuuge pile of guys. You saw it yourself."

"I still can't believe you turned that exact spot where I left into your personal coliseum... What if I had spawned there in the middle of your tournament?"

"Give me some faith, man. You gave me a time and I set out to finish the tournament before that deadline! And YOU ended up showing up way late, so look who's talking now?"

"I already apologized for that... Last minute business calls and all..."

"Hey, I'm a busy guy too! That coliseum doesn't run itself, you know!"

"Very well, I'll acknowledge that. Maybe you could consider your time here in the Real World as a vacation of sorts."

"Vacation? Hah, what fun's a vacation when you can't do the thing you like doing most?"

"...You can use my boxing facilities when you get to my place tonight. I'll spar with you."

"Now that's what I wanna hear!"

"Masaru-niichan, professional fighter..."

Tohma nodded to Masaru's sister. "He most certainly is, Chika-chan. He's been implementing quite a few of his specialties with his work in the Digital World, and we can only expect him to go to even greater heights with what we have planned for the future."

"Oh, really..." Chika eyed her brother quickly with suspicion, but then shifted towards Tohma with an inquisitive expression. "Tell me more!"

"I wish I could, but it's still highly confidential for now. I can let you know that Masaru will be the first to hear about it when the time comes, considering he'll be the most involved."

Masaru blinked a few times in succession, unsure of what Tohma could possibly be planning. Well, with how things sounded, it was likely something that he'd be totally up for anyway, so he just nodded along, as if he knew what Tohma was talking about at all (he had no clue). He was just looking forward to using the boxing facilities later, and enjoying dinner with everyone now.

With perfect timing, Sayuri brought in one last mountainous plate of food and sat down with everyone else. "Okay, everyone. Dig in!"

"Thanks for the food!" As approved, Masaru went in without hesitation.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

After eating, it was time for Masaru to head off to the Norstein's, like a hand-off of the baton.

"Ready to go?"

Masaru felt a touch of deja-vu at Tohma's question. Ah yes, it was just like the time when Hippogriffomon had asked him before his trip to the Southern Islands. Going from being his greatest obstacle to reaching the islands to being the one to directly take him there... What a world of difference that came about.

He answered the same way as he did to Hippogriffomon back then. "Ready as I'll ever be."

On the limo ride over to the Norstein's, Tohma tried showing Masaru some more features that his phone had. Masaru knew he wasn't going to retain anything that Tohma was talking about, especially with how their hands kept overlapping each other in the process...

And Tohma was well aware of it all the same. "I'll make sure you get it one of these days... But it's partially up to you if that's going to become harder to accomplish than my Nobel Prize."

"You always know how to provoke a guy."

"And I'm always open for you to prove me wrong."

"Oh, you know I will."

Relena giggled in the seat in front of them. "Are you two always like this?"

"If you mean Tohma always trying to one-up me only to get his ass handed to him in the end, sure."

"I don't recall that ever happening... I do remember quite a few instances of that happening to YOU, though. Why in fact, when we first started teaming up together..."

"Yeah, Drimogemon handed your ass to ya. Remember that? Figuratively, of course. If it weren't for me, you would've been in real big trouble back then..."

".....I was thinking more about the Numemon mission before that."

"We BOTH got trashed on that mission! Not something I wanna remember! I swear, if I end up getting nightmares about that tonight, I'll..."

"That only happened because you...... Why are we even doing this? This was all over six years ago. We're so much better than that now."

"Right on that. We should settle it in the boxing arena like old times."

"You'll never be settled until you have complete victory though."

"Same goes for you. You know I'm never giving it to you."

"......"

Relena could only keep smiling sweetly at the two men provoking each other in cycles for the rest of the ride.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Masaru had a feeling that as soon as Relena and the butler were out of view and he was completely alone with Tohma that he'd be swarmed with affection. In this case, a simple full upper-body hug, with Tohma actively refusing to give Masaru any space to back out of it. It went on for longer than usual, too.

Masaru gave in after short resistance, however, and leaned into the embrace. "It's only been a few days, Tohma... Did something happen?"

"What makes you think that?"

"...You're not kissing me straight away."

Masaru was alluding to their week in the Digital World those two years ago when the same observation was noted, only now the sides were flipped. Tohma had to give a small laugh.

"I'm fine... Just had an ugly reminder of something the other day, and it's been hard to clear it out of my mind. But you're here now. And I'm here for you too, Masaru..."

Masaru grew curious about Tohma's 'reminder', but he wasn't given any time to think more on it. After softly speaking his name, Tohma brought Masaru in for another tight hug. It was a hug so tight, it was like he was trying to absorb all of Masaru's warmth through their winter clothes. Well, that would've been easier to do without clothes on at all, obviously...

Masaru blushed up a mini storm of red and put in an effort to finally get some breathing room between them. During the process, Tohma's face brushed up against his, and Masaru found himself giving in to what he wanted just the same... His lips locked onto Tohma's, and they pushed into each other with all intense desires.

He could finally satiate his thoughts of want after that night in the Digital World. And Tohma wanted it all the same.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

The next morning, Masaru found it difficult to get up from bed... It was too comfy. Come to think of it, it was his first time actually waking up at Tohma's place. He had a top class tempurpedic mattress and something that felt like silk lining all the sheets... Everything was built to give him the best sleep he'd had in years without even trying.

But he still had to get up at some point. Sunlight gently peeked behind the tall curtains, and Masaru really needed to go to the bathroom like he hadn't gone in half a day. Maybe twelve hours had actually passed in his sleep. He checked his Digivice--his phone, and he was right. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually slept in that long.

Tohma had woken up at pretty much the same time as him.

"Hey uhh Tohma, got a razor I could borrow?"

"I had a feeling you'd ask." From under the sheets, Tohma reached out and touched the stubble on Masaru's chin.

"I skipped having to use one for six years, so yeah, I forgot to bring one..."

"I have plenty that you can use."

After their morning routines, Masaru had an arm slung over Tohma as the blond went through emails on his phone.

"By the way, you mentioned something about bureaucracy or something I gotta deal with?" Masaru asked.

"Ah, that... just follow along with me and you won't have anything to worry about."

"Uh, okay..."

"Did your family not tell you about it? I just assumed they had, considering they were the one who asked me to go through with this in the first place..."

"About what?"

"Today's event..."

"Event...?" Masaru repeated in confusion.

"It'll only take up the morning, at any rate. The rest of the day after that is ours for the taking."

"But what are you even talking about?"

A knock on the door stopped Tohma from answering.

"The garments are ready, Master Tohma."

"Time to make preparations. Come in."

"Huh??"

Without another moment to spare, the butler and a stream of four other maids came into the room. Two of them were carrying a pile of clothes. Masaru looked upon them in continued confusion, and then at Tohma...

Tohma smiled back with only a slight hint of remorse. As Masaru suspected, the genius was not-so-discreetly reveling in keeping him clueless...

Chapter 6: Conversations Between Tohma and Daimon Suguru

Chapter Text

(A couple weeks before Masaru's return...)

From a surface perspective, Tohma and Suguru, both deep in their respective fields of sciences, had little reason to interact with each other. Tohma was working on discovering a cure for a disease previously uncured, and Suguru was working with the government on ecological discoveries. Perhaps correlations could be made within the results of their work, as there had been the potential for Tohma's cure to come from the subjects that Suguru studied... But the public had no knowledge of that. What the public saw was a noble with a Nobel Prize, won through the cure that he had discovered, and just another family man with a stable government job.

But under the surface, the two had a tight-knit working relationship... So tightly knit to the extent that Tohma was often exchanging calls with the professor regardless of day or nighttime. They were both making huge plans for the future of their world (and another), and there was one person in particular whom they were making those plans for.

More specifically, one man in particular. For Suguru, it was his own son. For Tohma...

Despite how often Suguru and Tohma interacted with each other, they had never held a conversation solely with the two of them in private before. They had private video calls, sure, but in physical presence, they were only having casual lunch outings while eating ramen or udon. Of course, those happened only during the times when Tohma was even in Japan, as for more than half the time, he was in other countries.

Today though... Today was different.

Today, Professor Daimon was spending the afternoon with Tohma for a certain agenda of discussions. For this, it was one-on-one with Masaru's father, to speak of many private matters... beyond their work.

Their families. Masaru's family. Tohma's family too, potentially.

Relena was with him in the living room as he waited for Professor Daimon's arrival. She had just come back from a lunch outing with Chika.

"So Chika tells me that her brother is probably coming home soon!"

"Yes, in a few days if all goes well."

He was still waiting for confirmation from Gaomon that Masaru was ready to go back to the real world for a week, but he had full confidence that it was going to happen. So confident, he could see Masaru's nod of approval in his mind, as clear as day...

"I hope I get to meet him soon! You always look so excited whenever you talk about him."

Tohma shook off a strange shudder that had run through his shoulders, as if it were odd timing for him to think of the fighter. "I've only mentioned him a couple times to you, Relena."

"Yes, and I remember both times so well! You really can't wait to see him, can't you?"

The innocent smile on Relena's face was almost too much for Tohma to deal with. He kept silent out of embarrassment, feeling heat creeping up his cheeks as he hesitated to answer, until a knocking sound came from the door near them.

"Master Tohma, your guest has arrived."

"Show him inside," Tohma said with a sigh of relief.

Relena giggled to herself as she turned towards the hallway. "I'll be in my room for a while."

On the other side of the door was Professor Daimon. Despite all the times they'd been on the phone with each other, exchanged emails, gone on lunch trips... the professor had never once stepped foot into the Norstein mansion before. Part of it was a matter of simply being too busy, with their schedules (particularly Tohma's) never lining up to make room for it. That day, however... nothing was more important than having this time with the professor.

As they sat down together in the living room, Tohma's butler presented them with freshly brewed tea and a set of snacks before leaving the room to their privacy. Suguru was all quietly polite and full of calm smiles as he leaned over his seat to catch the tea's aroma, identifying the jasmine notes... a stark contrast from the distant memory Tohma had of certain other Daimons who had visited many years ago.

Waiting for the tea to cool, Suguru opened up the conversation with a question. "Is Relena back? Chika was out shopping with her, I believe."

"Ah yes, you just missed her. She went to her room. Did you want to see her?"

"No need, I was just curious. It's so nice that those two are getting along so well."

Over the recent years, Tohma had ended up spending a lot of time in Japan to work with the Noguchis regarding the Digital Gate. The mansion in Japan gave him private space from the rest of his family to do his research, save for Relena as soon as she recovered... But that was more than a welcome change to him.

Even before her recovery, Relena wasn't one to let her brother's frequent absence deter her. She even studied Japanese in 'secret' with the help of the maids at the Austrian Norstein residence. Of course, that was all textbook Japanese and limited media in the end, so she still needed a lot of actual practice once she started spending time in Japan. But that was where Chika helped out.

Professor Daimon switched subjects. "I take it that approval for Digisoul filtering is going smoothly?"

"Quite so. I've managed to make clean implementations using the knowledge the DigiGnomes gave me. It's just... I went through so much red tape just to get this trial period approved... It still feels like a long way before we can scale it up to the larger public."

"Once we have solid results to show for it, I'm sure scaling will come at a better pace. But no need to rush it, Tohma."

"I'm well aware that I've been pushing things at a fast pace, Professor. I've even already finalized the scaling methods with our collaborating manufacturers."

"Just glad you're keeping me in the loop. Wow, you even finished that step, too? That could've taken years by itself... But then again, like you said, the real challenge lies outside the manufacturing process."

"Yes... the public, and the Dark Area itself..."

Tohma had long spoken with Suguru regarding his plans for filtering negative emotions into the Dark Area. The Dark Area existed to have such emotions pool into it, and while some in the past had tried to harness the power created there, Tohma instead sought to channel those powers to feed into a symbiotic cycle that would benefit both Digimon and mankind.

Tohma enlisted the aid of Yuma's brother, Kagura Tsukasa, as an expert of the properties of the Dark Area. Tsukasa was one such man who had tried to harness the power created in the Dark Area for his own ambitions. In Tsukasa's case, however, forces from within the Dark Area had influenced his actions beyond his original intent. The man had only wanted to one-up Tohma, but instead he ended up bringing forth a terrifying being who tried to dominate all in existence.

Four years after the incident he caused, Tsukasa was allowed to continue research for the government, under Tohma's supervision. At first, the government wanted to alter Kagura's memories as well, but Tohma ensured that didn't happen. Kagura needed to remember everything he had done in the past. For himself. For Yuma.

Tohma was the reason Kagura Tsukasa didn't just rot behind bars for the rest of his life (although he was also the 'reason' that Kagura was behind bars in the first place... in the loosest sense possible).

Once in a blue moon, Tohma would wonder if Kurata would've had a similar opportunity had he lived after the Belphemon fiasco. He wondered if Kurata would have had the chance to contribute to society, make a positive difference in someone's life again... But there was only so much point to considering what was likely never going to be. The reality of the situation was that Tsukasa was still present and alive, while Kurata... wasn't so much.

Kagura Tsukasa was a changed man after serving four years behind bars, having had plenty of time to repent and blessed with the fortune of Yuma's visits keeping his spirits alive. Even 'behind bars', he was still allowed to read books, browse the internet (heavily monitored, of course), and have access to writing tools and whatnot to keep himself busy. Tohma would pass messages from Yuma to Tsukasa, regarding the potential future at hand, to further motivate him. Tohma made it clear upfront that he still wanted to work with Tsukasa once he was allowed to.

Even released from prison, Tsukasa's access to the outside world was severely limited; he wasn't allowed to travel out of the country, let alone go to the Digital World and whatnot. He had to live completely under government confinement--with his record, he had no other choice but to serve under the government as they had assigned him anyway. He was out of jail, but considering how he was kept secluded from the rest of society in a government facility, it was more like he had only moved to a different type of jailhouse. In any regard, it was better treatment than a regular prison...

Spending only four years in prison for all the wrongdoings he committed seemed light, in all honesty. Tohma was the one who endorsed his early transition into parole (using any and all tools he had at his disposal), immediately after returning from his solo trip to the Digital World. Still, Kagura Tsukasa understood the weight of his 'sins' and was willing to spend the rest of his life under this parole as long as his sister Yuma was happy.

And she was. She had great friends, she had dreams to aspire to, a brother she could still call family... After learning that Renamon was the mayor of an important Digimon settlement in the Digital World, Yuma only wanted all the more to see him again. Tsukasa was there to help realize that dream.

In the meanwhile, there was still a lot of work that had to be done on Tohma's end.

"I had plenty of ideas for a scalable version of a smartphone with Digisoul filtering, but in the end, I had to go with the proprietary route. It's been a major conflict with me since I'm a big supporter of replaceable parts. Making it replaceable presents a huge risk though, since someone could potentially manipulate the Digisoul filtering function as a result. At the same time, I don't want to remove that freedom... Being able to replace individual parts when one part goes wrong rather than having to replace the entire device is better on sustainability and other long-term factors..."

"You're more into the hardware than I ever had the knowledge for, but I think I understand where you're coming from. How about keeping only the filtering compartment irreplaceable, while everything else remains as usual?"

"Companies are already trending toward making everything proprietary, sadly. I don't want to be a part of that trend, but at the same time, I'd HAVE to in this case, if we want to ensure the safety of the Digisoul filtering system. The most I can do is help ensure the filtering component is at its best in every device, so that it never becomes a liability... Always easier said than done. There's only so much I can do about it..."

"We can't all win everything, Tohma."

Tohma took a sip from his tea cup before speaking again. "I bet your son thinks otherwise."

"Speaking of which, there's still yet a bigger challenge to all this, regardless of the public, or this Dark Area business..."

"You mean explaining all of this to Masaru in a way he'd understand? Considering how important his involvement will be in all this, he should at least TRY to understand, at least."

"It's not as if you HAVE to have him understand EVERYTHING," Suguru added in a strange manner of sympathy. "Just motivate him into doing what he needs to do, and you'll be set."

"Professor Daimon, you do realize this is your own son you're talking about?"

"And I would've thought that after all these years, you'd know how to handle him..."

"There's only so much I can do when it comes to him..." Tohma veered his gaze away, running through various thoughts in his head.

"I have a pretty strong feeling that I know what you're capable of when it comes to him."

Tohma left his mouth gaping for a short moment, unable to put his racing thoughts into words.

So instead, the professor continued. "I also know that after all these years working on this project with you, you're not doing this solely to see Gaomon again, or even just to prove yourself to certain people. You have other extremely personal reasons for this."

"Huh?" Tohma stirred in his seat, knowing he was doing a poor job at covering up his emotions, but Suguru gave him the mercy of switching subjects with his next words.

"This might just be all my ego talking, though. Pardon if I seemed to be making assumptions... I'm no saint like any of the Digimon tried to make me out to be. I have ambitions, and they're pretty selfish ones."

Tohma took another sip of tea, trying to relieve some nervousness that had built up. "You've always been completely respectable to me, Professor Daimon."

Suguru laughed and started plucking the treats on the tiered tray. He picked up a triangular-looking pastry from the middle of the 3-tier rack and took a bite. "I'm lucky to have you guys around to make these ventures into the Digital World in my stead. Now I just get to be an old man trying to tout both manliness and pacifism in these constantly changing times."

"Pacifism... True, it's what we ultimately stood for at DATS."

"Some people attribute the utter violence of world wars as the catalyst for rapid development of technology, but I'm here to prove them wrong. Our simple desires to do great things can do just as well, and in fact better. I mean, if we were strife with war, we wouldn't get to enjoy these nice conversations over these great snacks. What is this, by the way? I like it."

"It's a scone," Tohma replied, smiling with some reservation. "I'm the same way, Professor. I just worry sometimes if what we're doing could result in something that spells disaster further down the line..."

"They say only hindsight is 20/20. Mitigating anomalies as a foresight... that's what your genius self is here for, am I right? No pressure."

Tohma furled one brow at the older man.

"But seriously... There's only so much we can worry about in the current timespace we can work with. You just keep concentrating on what you do best." Suguru, having finished the scone, took a long sip of tea before giving Tohma a staunch look. "I'm here to back you up, and I'm grateful that you're with us, Tohma."

"And I'm grateful to have your assistance and experience on board. I know you've heard it countless times already, but truly, everything you've done has been a huge boon for us all."

"Like I said, I'm just an old-"

"I don't mean only these last six years you've been working with me. Everything you did in the Digital World before that... And even before the Digital World was discovered... I......." Tohma's voice trailed off completely.

Suguru let the young man's words settle in for a moment before speaking again. "All this flattery seems out of place somehow. You didn't have me come here today just for us to go through these work-related formalities again, did you?"

"No, there was certainly more to this than just work. But I... don't know where to begin with the other things I had in mind. After all, you're already aware that I'm awaiting a response from Masaru regarding his first return..."

Daimon Suguru was far more intellectually cultured than Masaru, and over the years, Tohma continuously found himself amazed at how different the two were in that aspect. Suguru never let details slip past him if he ever caught onto something he needed to address. Although Masaru was also stubborn once his mind was set, there were still fundamental differences with how they expressed their obstinance.

In this case, Masaru likely wouldn't have noticed a certain number of details in the first place. He wouldn't have noticed this subtle flattery to be so far out of place, for instance. At the same time, he might've called Tohma out on the whole thing far earlier in the conversation, strictly out of gut instinct. Suguru just had more tact.

"Then I'll try moving this along." The older man sat back with his shoulders slack, cupping his crossed knee with his palms. "You've been a different man ever since you came back from the Digital World a couple years ago. And it's not just about what the DigiGnomes put into your noggin."

"But they DID give me a lot to work with... We've loaded our past two years with all this development and planning, yet we're still at the first step with everything. Even if or when Masaru comes back, there's still so much to d-"

"That brings me back to my point about why you're doing all this. It's ONLY been two years since you came back from that trip, and we've gone from barely allowing one person to go to the Digital World for a week, to already being in talks of officially opening up the Digital Gate to the public. I know I skipped a lot of steps by saying that, but this is exactly why I know it's not just about the Digimon for you."

Daimon Suguru's gaze firmly met with Tohma's before he continued.

"It's about that man, my son, who's there in the Digital World right now. It's about what all of this means to him... And from him to you. Masaru is important to you. Perhaps in ways even more important than mine."

"W-What do you mean by that..."

"It's fine if you want him to stay with you when he comes back. Assuming he wants the same."

Daimon Suguru had more tact than his son... Or at least Tohma thought he did. In the end, he was just as frank all the same.

Well, at least there weren't flying fists involved. Just drinking tea. Suguru took another sip.

Tohma tried to keep his voice from stuttering as he spoke up. "I've been running under the assumption that he'd be staying at the Daimon residence. I couldn't just..."

"You don't have to keep beating around the bush, Tohma. If you're a man, stand by your dreams with your head held high. If he wants to be with you, and you want to be with him, then I'll respect that dream."

"...I never once even brought up the implication that Masaru and I were... like that."

"Tohma... I study animals for a living. Don't underestimate my ability to notice these things."

Tohma almost gave a nervous laugh, but instead it came out as a short puff of a sigh.

"As I said, you've been a changed man ever since you came back from the Digital World," Suguru continued. "Every time Masaru came up in our conversations since then, your face wouldn't show it, but your ears would."

In that instant, the blond cupped both of his ears with hands. He had no idea...

Yet... with the way things were going... perhaps...

Suguru laughed, loud enough to practically echo through the large room. "No need to get defensive or anything at this point. Maybe we can talk more about this later? I'd like to hear more details about your plans for Masaru's return first. We've discussed it in broad terms, but I'm guessing you have a deeper breakdown of the schedule at this point."

"I do..."

Tohma always knew that every one of the Daimons had a big heart. Still, he'd held back on telling any of them about his relationship with Masaru. In all honesty, he thought it would only prove to be a distraction to all parties if he let that become a focus point in his conversations with the Professor. He needed every bit of focus he could hold onto so that he could realize his long list of goals.

His long list of goals... that ultimately led to that one person.

Even today, he had only intended to go over his plans for Masaru's return. Although it was true there would be certain additional conveniences if Masaru were to stay with him during some duration of the return, he had no issues just going to the Daimon residence whenever he needed to. He DID want Masaru to stay with him ultimately, but this first return didn't have to be the time for that. There was still so much to be done before that day.

But...

He'd said something along that line two years ago, to Masaru directly in the town hall auditorium of Digicon Valley. 'It's going to be a while yet before I can stay with you. We've made it this far... We just have to keep pressing on.'

Still a while yet... He'd spent so many years thinking like that, perhaps something in him was refusing to acknowledge that things were changing, even though he was the one propelling those changes in the first place.

This shift had to happen sooner or later. If anything, the father Daimon had just made everything easier for him.

As Tohma laid out the schedule he had planned out for Masaru's return, indicating various medical tests, the number of bureaus they had to physically visit, the 'important' people they had to meet, and all such details... he suddenly felt lighter somehow. A burden had been lifted.

Tohma could feel a sense of cleansing everywhere within his system. He always had faith that Suguru was the kind of person to have a big heart that even such a special relationship was welcomed with no malice whatsoever. Nonetheless, to experience it in such a personal moment... Once again, Tohma quietly awed the power of the Daimon family.

After going through the schedule explanation, Suguru held a hand to his chin and nodded.

"Is there any flexibility in this schedule of yours?"

"Considering that I don't even have confirmation from Masaru yet, none of these absolutely have to happen on the designated days I've noted. They just have to happen at one point or another during his return."

"Good, good. Tohma... You turned 20 recently, right?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"When Masaru comes back... I was thinking you two could have your Coming of Age ceremonies together. Unless you've already decided not to go through it, of course. I wasn't sure, since your father isn't Japanese and all..."

Tohma paused before answering. "I've heard and read up about it, but I haven't given it too deep a thought... I have dual citizenship, and as far as things go in Austria, I've been an adult there for many years already..."

"Heh... More like you've been a NOBLE there for many years. I've known you long enough to see that it's time you had the real deal, in good ol' traditional, Japanese fashion. What say you?"

Suguru gave Tohma a calming stare of approval, so calming that chills went down the blond's back.

In actuality, Tohma was well aware of the advertisem*nts for the Coming of Age celebrations that had been littered all over the city, mixed in with the sooner-to-come New Year celebrations. In those advertisem*nts, there were often images of newly-branded adults dressed in fancy kimonos and suits, the sight of which always struck a chord within his certain memories long passed...

And here was Suguru, earnestly suggesting him to make the most of the opportunity. Ah... There really was something about all of the Daimons that always ignited the suppressed passions inside him.

"......I can have specially tailored hakama and professional photographers arranged for the both of us."

Suguru visibly tilted back in reflex. "I won't stop you from pulling out a few stops, but just don't go overboard with it all."

"Just ensuring a memorable experience for an important, once-in-a-lifetime event, Professor."

"Heh... Well, I'm glad my son chose to be with someone so meticulous."

Tohma didn't know how to respond to that remark. It was more like... That remark kept invoking more questions he wasn't sure about asking. Questions that were likely too direct, questions that would likely put further strain on his thoughts if he were to actually ask them...

For now, there was one... fundamental question he needed to ask, at least.

"Professor..."

Chapter 7: Coming of Age

Chapter Text

The second Monday of the year was designated as the Coming of Age day in Japan. All across the nation, people who had reached the age of 20 in a certain year-long threshold would celebrate the major milestone of reaching adulthood, as a rite of passage.

And there in Yokohama Arena, Masaru and Tohma were dressed in full haori with hakama for their ceremony. For Masaru, it felt a little late for it, since his 20th birthday passed what felt like a long time ago, several months before Tohma's. In fact, Masaru's birthday on April 2nd was very interesting to Tohma due to the fact that the date was exactly on the start of the annual cutoff.

"Imagine if you'd been born just one day earlier, Masaru. You would have completely missed this opportunity window, being stuck in the Digital World. Unless there's a concept of Coming of Age in the Digital World as well?"

Masaru shook his head. "Definitely not."

The brunet finally caught up with his bearings after going through a speedy makeover session with Tohma's attendants, having a short photo session with a paparazzi-worth of photographers (Tohma mentioned they'd be taking more pictures after the ceremony as well), and getting chauffeured over to the venue. He was well familiar that Tohma was a man of plans, and he was just getting carried along another string of them. Well, it wasn't like he had any better ideas for the day...

Masaru had to admit though... the haori and hakama were super comfortable. He saw that the majority of other men strutting into the venue were wearing full-fitted suits with their neckties and fancy shoes, while the fighter had plenty of freedom with his open sleeves and ultra-wide traditional pants. He mentally nodded in approval with his wine red colors.

And Tohma was there next to him, looking as elegant and crisp as ever, in a deep navy blue... He had his glasses off, and somehow the haori and hakama he wore went with his pale color schemes so well, Masaru couldn't take his eyes off. Damn it, why did that genius have to look so good in everything he wore?

Tohma caught him staring as they made their way to the main arena for the ceremony.

"Don't think I mentioned it yet, but you picked out some nice threads for the occasion, Tohma. Thanks."

"They're custom tailored. Yours finished only moments ago, actually," Tohma noted. "The physical exam when I got your measurements made it possible."

"Man, are you ever gonna lighten up on the multitasking thing?"

"Not when there's still so much left to do, Masaru."

"I know... But at least while we're here..."

"You look good in yours, Masaru," Tohma said with a sudden change of tone, flashing his trademark smile.

Masaru didn't really bother trying to hide his blush. "...You too."

They finished passing through the hallway into the main open section, and Masaru had to hold back a gasp. As far as the eye could see, people were lined up nearly shoulder-to-shoulder at the seats, waiting for the ceremony to start. He was plenty used to seeing crowds of Digimon covering the seats of his coliseum, or the music concert stadium, but to see what looked like tens of thousands of humans the same age as him, all around him... that was yet another new sight for him.

"Here we are..." Masaru uttered to no one in particular. They filed in to take a couple seats in one of the remaining sections that had any vacancy at all.

Tohma started off with a story of sorts as they waited for the event to start. "When I was young, I wanted to get so many things done, and I wanted them done as soon as possible. But I had to be an 'adult' to do a lot of these things, so early on, I looked up the meaning of 'adult' in various parts of the world... There are numerous studies that show that the human mind doesn't reach full maturity until around age 20. However, Japan has been pushing to lower the age requirement for what is considered to be a legal adult, since in many other countries it's at age 18, or even lower for certain situations. For example, you only need to be 16 to legally drink beer or wine in Austria... and of course, under proper supervision, I've had it when I was much younger at social gatherings..."

"Hmm, expected of a noble," Masaru said short and plainly.

"Well, I'm not the one who decides what age is considered legal for this and that circ*mstance. The point here... is that the concept of age itself is fluid in its meaning. Saying that... I can guarantee that the experiences we've been through have brought us to 'adult' status far earlier than Japan's denomination landmark of 20 years of age."

"Complicated way of saying that we've been grown ups for a long time already, eh."

"Essentially."

"Yeah yeah, I agree with you. Doesn't mean we shouldn't enjoy the ceremony though, am I right?"

"Indeed, that is a separate matter. Who knows... in the future, perhaps even this age 20 denomination will change in Japan."

"Even though it's probably been like this for hundreds of years already?"

"Only time will tell."

"Yuh huh..."

As they waited in the arena, surrounded by other young adults chattering amongst themselves, idle thoughts ran through Masaru's head. Coming of age... It meant becoming an adult? As if he wasn't one already? Well, what defined being an adult anyway? Thinking 'maturely'? Being able to take care of oneself independently?

Being... 'Experienced'?

Experienced... With what exactly?

Tohma was right, the concept of 'becoming an adult at this specific age' seemed silly in the first place the more he thought about it.

But... Rituals were rituals. Like the party to celebrate Tohma's heroics in Digicon Valley those couple years back, just going through the motions had meaning in itself. It wasn't just for them, but it was also for those around them. Masaru's parents wanted him to go through it. Tohma's family... well, Tohma himself was there with him.

Yokohama was one of Japan's largest cities, and the thousands of new adults in the vicinity was just a microcosm of the population. Masaru was simply one speck of that microcosm, but he had everything in him to stand out above all others in his own, special way. And Tohma fared the same.

"You mentioned you won some kind of special prize or something... A Noob prize or whatnot?"

"The Nobel Prize in Medicine. Only one person in the world each year can receive it."

"Hmm..." Masaru mused for a moment without opening his mouth. "Was the ceremony for that fancier than what we had back in Digicon Valley?"

"No, nothing quite matches up to that experience..." Tohma stared long and unmoving in Masaru's direction, seeming to happily recall the moment from his expression. His content expression soon turned into something much more difficult to read, however. "Though I suppose the celebration for the Nobel Prize was the first time when both members of my family were present with me."

Tohma continued staring, but it was more like he was staring past Masaru at that point. The fighter didn't miss a beat.

"Both..." Masaru thought once more of Relena and Tohma's father, the latter of which he'd only gotten a short glimpse of many years ago. If those were the only two being inferred, then...

Tohma was looking more and more distant as the moments passed.

But before Masaru could delve deeper into his thoughts, a number of older folk showed up on the center stage of the arena, speaking into the mic and projecting their voices across the entire area. With everyone else around him showing their full attention to the center, including Tohma who had snapped out of his stupor, Masaru ended up following along. The fighter hadn't had to deal with formal speeches and the like since that celebration in Digicon Valley. Not that that was much of a formal speech either, though.

At least this speech from the most important-looking old man in the venue was definitely practiced. When Masaru made an exaggerated yawn and asked who the heck the guy was, Tohma berated him by saying it was Yokohama's mayor, with a few other local officials next to him. Masaru just shrugged; not like he'd been around to know them.

When the ceremony finally ended and everyone started spilling out of the venue, various groups of newly-appointed adults stuck around outside to meet up with each other and take photos. Tohma found a more open area for the two of them.

"Let's wait here for the photographer, Masaru. I'll call him over."

While Tohma pulled out his phone to make the call, Masaru stared up at the dome exterior to admire the sight. Soon enough, however, he noticed a certain man break apart from a small group nearby. The man approached him...

"Masaru, is that really you?!"

It took a long moment before he realized it was an old friend of his... A fellow friend who wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps. In this friend's case, it was to succeed his father's manju business.

"Koichiro?"

He looked mostly the same from how Masaru last remembered him, save for looking extra sharp in his business suit and his overall matured figure.

"I can't believe you're here..." He pushed up the frame on his glasses as if he was trying to make sure he was seeing correctly.

"How's Shiratori doing?"

"Good as always, thanks to you! My old man's still at it too. We've been trying to make our manju more hip with some variety lately, but the originals are still the bestsellers!"

"Can never go wrong with the originals, right?" Masaru laughed. "It's great seeing a familiar face here finally!"

At that moment, Masaru realized the group of guys Koichiro was with were old schoolmates. He used to see them on most days of the week, back in junior high school. In all honesty, he barely knew anything beyond their faces. Paying attention during school was certainly never in his practice. Still, they undoubtedly knew him by his reputation as a street fighter, and most of them were visibly shirking back. It was a bit of an amusing sight with all of them wearing similar business suits. They'd just undergone the coming of age ceremony, yet Masaru couldn't help but feel like they were still in school somehow.

Koichiro was the one who was different from them all, having never judged Masaru before actually getting to know him.

"I thought I'd never see you again! Your sister said you went to study overseas, and that just sounds crazy coming from you... But I guess you really did?? Who's this with you here?"

"Oh... This is Tohma. Tohma, this is my old friend Koichiro!"

Tohma had been long done with contacting the photographer, and he turned to face Koichiro with a formal tilt of his head. "Tohma H. Norstein."

"As you can see, he's kind of a stuck up guy who has to get his middle name in whenever he introduces himself, whatever it means."

"Nice to meet you, Tohma-san!" The man brought out a hand for a handshake as Tohma shot Masaru a grievous look. Nevertheless, Tohma shook Koichiro's hand with a courteous smile.

"Nice to meet you, Koichiro-san. Masaru was indeed... overseas. Not with me most of the time, to say... but I'm back here with him now."

Koichiro tilted his head in confusion for lack of context, along with slight surprise at Tohma's fluent speech.

"I'm half Japanese if you were curious. From my mother. I spent some of my early years here before going overseas, and I've been going back and forth ever since."

"Ohh, I see." Koichiro looked slightly bewildered, all in a positive sense at least. "How did you meet Masaru?"

"Through work. We do research for the government, in a joint effort across various countries around the world. There's some peacekeeping and diplomacy involved, too. You might hear more about our work in the coming years, but I can only speak about it in general terms like this for now."

"Wow... Sounds big and important. I knew your father worked for the government, Masaru, but I didn't think you'd end up doing it too. I mean... Research? Diplomacy?"

Masaru grinned cheekily. "It's just a fancy cover up way of saying that I get to do whatever I want, honestly."

Koichiro laughed. "That's great then! I'm glad to hear you're doing well for yourself, it sounds like."

"Sure am! Hey, I should stop by your place for some manju before I go."

"Whenever you want! Your sister still stops by once in a while. We give her VIP treatment too."

"Hah, thanks, man. You're on the ball as always."

"Eheh, oh you're embarrassing me..." Koichiro raised an arm to scratch the back of his head to modestly accept the compliment, just like old times from Masaru's memories when they were in junior high school together.

It was a habit that Masaru himself ended up picking up on occasion. Seeing that unchanged part from his old friend softened up his smile even further.

Koichiro's eyebrows lifted above his glasses in a curious expression as he proceeded. "So I gotta know... what was it like overseas? You're pretty much the only guy in our whole class who ended up leaving the country as far as I've heard. And you see all the classmates back there who never even left the city, like me..."

Koichiro took a glance at the group he was with, and everyone was talking amongst themselves at a respectful distance, probably having their own catch-up conversations just like them.

Masaru took a glance as well, but immediately went back to face Koichiro. "Well, you've got a perfectly fine reason to stay here. As for me, I'm just happy that I've got plenty of ruffians to fight every day!"

"Ruffians? So where are you usually these days?" Koichiro asked with a couple innocent blinks.

"The Digita-"

"Masaru." Tohma's voice cut in.

"Aaahhh... Confidential! I move around a lot... I've been keeping myself busy. That's really all I can say right now."

"Ah yeah, Tohma-san did say you had to keep it in general terms," Koichiro was quick to dismiss the subject. "Then... How long are you staying here in Yokohama?"

"Only a few more days here. But I'll be back once in a while."

"Great! Things just aren't the same without you around."

"Hey, now you're the one making me feel embarrassed."

"But it's just the truth of it. I really missed you."

"......" The words echoed in the fighter's body for a moment, stirring the pot of emotions within. Those words came out so casually from his old friend here, yet a couple years ago, Masaru had so much trouble admitting that to Tohma...

A tap on the shoulder made him turn around before he could continue their conversation. Tohma kept his hand on the brunet's shoulder. "Masaru, the photographer is here. Did you want a picture with Koichiro-san?"

"Huh? Oh... Yeah, that'd be great! How about it, Koichiro?"

"Oh, uh... Sure, if that's okay with you."

"Of course it is!"

Tohma stood back as Masaru and Koichiro posed for the cameras with the photographer and his assistants. They had a few good laughs doing the typical V sign that was common around all the other young adults taking pictures around them, then they took one more shot of them posing peacefully with one arm over the other's shoulder in a buddy hold. They created an interesting contrast with each other, with one wearing a modern business suit, while the other was clad in old fashioned Japanese kimono.

Koichiro exchanged contact information with Masaru so that Masaru would send him the pictures afterwards. It was Masaru's first time adding a contact on his phone, and Koichiro ended up having to show him how, step-by-step. Tohma stood by silently through the whole process, but he seemed to have a careful watch on Masaru...

The man in glasses perhaps noticed Tohma's eyes on him and Masaru and felt conscious about it. "I don't want to hold you guys up too long with your photographer here, so I'll get going now... It was nice seeing you again, Masaru. Keep in touch? I'll text you!"

"Yeah! Good seeing you too, Koichiro."

Koichiro looked a little hesitant afterwards, as if he wanted to say something much more but was holding back. Masaru was about to get him to cough it up, but Koichiro quickly turned to face Tohma instead.

"And good meeting you too, Tohma-san. Maybe we'll get time to talk more some time!" Koichiro pumped both of his fists, suddenly portraying high enthusiasm.

"Yes, our schedules are fairly packed this week, but perhaps we could meet up the next time Masaru and I are in town. I certainly would like to learn more about his friends."

"Eheh..."

Koichiro quickly tilted his head down one last time before leaving to rejoin his group of people, who had conveniently decided to start heading out of the arena area as soon as he came back.

Masaru gave Tohma a bit of a funny look, but Tohma dismissed it with a smile.

"It's nice that you were able to find a familiar face here with the thousands of people who came here today. Yokohama's no small city, you know."

"That last bit you said to him..."

"What about it?"

"...Well, Koichiro didn't seem to think anything of it, so I guess it's fine. Let's get these photos done and move on with whatever's next in this... packed schedule."

"Right... To tell the truth, today's schedule isn't packed at all. I had to shift appointments that were previously scheduled today for the following days, so things will be tighter then as a result. But for today, the rest of the day is ours now that the ceremony we just had is complete. This photoshoot is purely just for commemoration."

"Sure... Fine."

"Truly nice to have someone to commemorate the experience with..."

Masaru paused at Tohma's trailing comment, realizing there would've been zero chance of Tohma coming across anyone he knew here. Tohma never went to school in these parts, after all. Tohma never actually grew up around these parts at all... Or did he?

He made a mental note to ask about certain things later on, but for now, they had a photographer to work with.

"I definitely don't get an excuse to wear this stuff on a normal basis, so let's get posing for the cameras!"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Masaru was taken slightly aback when Tohma suggested they head to the Daimon residence that evening for a dinner reception of sorts. They had spent most of the afternoon with the photoshoot and then checking out various places around town... Almost strictly in a date fashion, except with their outfits, surrounding people knew they were coming from the Coming of Age ceremony and assumed they were just old friends. Strangers had no reason to think anything more of the two men having a good time window shopping and taking selfies together in their hakama.

Or at least it seemed to be a good time for the most part, except when Tohma would occasionally blank out in front of a random sales display or out into the crowds of other people who were also still dressed up from the ceremony. He was blanking out an awful lot, really.

"Don't suppose it was your father's idea for you to do the Coming of Age ceremony, was it, Tohma?"

"No, this all came from YOUR father, Professor Daimon. My father wouldn't be familiar with this at all..."

Tohma proceeded to continue stare hollowly at the shop displays. Masaru didn't know how to follow up.

After they finished shopping around, they went to the Daimon residence, literally not even a full day after leaving it, where they got to change back into casual clothes (as Tohma's entourage had prepared for that as well). Masaru enjoyed another peaceful, homecooked dinner and had his first real go with alcohol, thanks to Tohma bringing in some fancy bottles of wine, and Suguru bringing out the beer and sake. Chika, the only underage person in the house, smelled up the calm before the storm and dismissed herself to go study in her room as soon as she finished dinner.

Tohma was long familiar with alcohol already, much to Masaru's chagrin at feeling left behind. That chagrin naturally led to Masaru drinking perhaps one too many glasses, and he had his first experience with tipsiness. It turned out his tolerance for alcohol was much lighter than he preferred, especially with Tohma seeming to fare much, MUCH better with the same amount.

Tohma added a note. "I only drink alcohol socially, by the way. I prefer tea in any situation, given the freedom."

Masaru, in his groggy stupor, could only groan as Tohma proved his point.

Suguru laughed at the two of them sitting together on the couch opposite of him, and he took a drink of wine himself. He and Tohma had been discussing quite a bit with Masaru sitting in silence, continuously taking sips of every drink that had been brought in. "Masaru, you're gonna have to build up your tolerance if you want to get anywhere close to Tohma's level. The Digital World has its share of places to get alcohol though, doesn't it? Did you never think to get drinks there? I doubt they age check..."

"Yeah, but... I never had time to check those places out," Masaru said groggily. "Who has time... when there's so much fighting to be done?"

"Fair enough. I myself would rather be checking out wildlife for research than drowning out my mind for the night. It's definitely a luxurious mindset to have in Japan though, what with all those salarymen and office ladies out there depending on alcohol to get through the stress of their day jobs. But just think of it... nothing beats an exploration of the pure wild!"

"Oh honey, you still haven't had enough adventure after those 10 years?" Sayuri said from her spot next to Suguru. There was a glint of something ominous behind her gently closed eyes...

"Don't worry Sayuri... You can come with me when the time comes! Our nest will be empty once Chika's old enough, and maybe by then we'll be free to go to all the places in the Digital World I keep telling you about."

"Oh, that would be wonderful!"

Masaru inwardly groaned at the thought of his parents treating the Digital World like a sightseeing tourist vacation, but at the same time, he was honestly quite fine with it. His parents deserved that at least, after a full decade of being separated. A whole decade without each other... thinking about it, that was such a long time...

"Tohma... I don't know what I would've ended up doing if it took a whole decade for you to show up... I already thought some things were falling apart when I didn't have you around for three years..."

"......" Tohma frankly looked a little uneasy with Masaru admitting such a thing in front of his parents, but Masaru just took another (large) swig of sake and started rambling.

"I tried so hard to brute force my way past Hippogriffomon back when she was hunting me. She's actually cheat, you know? I found out recently that she's actually an Ultimate level Digimon... She purposefully devolves to Perfect level to nerf herself. But even when she's like that, she can handle Ultimate level Digimon easily anyway. Hell, in some ways it makes her stronger than an Ultimate since she conserves energy better than the usual Ultimate. Isn't that... so cheat?"

"Seems like a perfectly reasonable way to manage oneself, if you ask me. It's impressive that she has the ability to do that kind of thing at all. Then again, I guess Lalamon does something similar."

"Explains why she's so freakin' fast, too... I never had trouble keeping up with anyone when it came to speed before her..."

"You're already an anomaly with being able to face Ultimate-level Digimon evenly with your bare fists," Tohma said with a sigh.

"Ultimates, Perfect, Adult... none of it matters to me in the end. I'm the fastest... strongest in the land... And yet she was faster... so I gotta be faster too..." Masaru suddenly perked his head up, as if straightening his posture was a way to prove something. "I've made some good progress over the years, but she still has the upper hand... For now. My manliness won't stand for it though! I'll be the victor someday!"

"What's this, you actually complaining about a lady giving you trouble, Masaru?" his father teased lightheartedly.

"The times are changin', pops!" Masaru leaned over on the table again to support himself, slurring over some of his words. "Even in the Digital World, I hear about this 'gender equality' bizzness or whatever... Basically means I shoodun be so dismissive about competin' with girls or somethin', right?"

"Interesting to hear that kind of talk makes it into the Digital World. I wonder through what mediums specifically..." Suguru's eyes visibly widened in curiosity.

"But dun worry, I'm still never gonna actually hit a girl or anything like that, as long as they're not asking for a fight. But Hippogriffomon... She DOES ask for the fight, at least for speed... so... I'm 'ere, trying to fight her speed."

"I have my doubts that a human can physically surpass Hippogriffomon's speed in general, but I'm sure you'll find a way to get your win anyway, Masaru," Tohma said. He was probably just humoring the fighter, but Masaru wasn't in any condition to process the statement beyond its surface meaning.

He slipped an arm over Tohma's shoulder and moved closer, awkwardly creating a dip in the couch they were sitting on. "Thankszz for the support! I'll need more practice... I guess you're speedy too, Tohma... You're pretty fast on your feet when you box."

Masaru sluggishly sank his free fist against Tohma's chest and left it there. The motion resulted in the brunet practically breathing against Tohma's neck area. A brief thought ran through his head wishing that the collar around Tohma's neck was gone and that he could see everything under it...

"Know what? We should spar right now. And now that I think of it... We didn't even get to spar last night! I forgot until now 'cause we were too busy... doing other THINGS to each other... Very... Good... Things..."

Tohma let out the shortest instance of a wince as he caught onto the fighter's line of thought, before turning his expression back to his usual stoic frown. He unwrapped the arm around his shoulder and held the brunet back at a distance. "Masaru, it's getting late. I think it's time to go."

"Wuh? We just finished dinner... The night's jus' gettin' started."

Actually, two full hours had already passed since they had dinner, and even without the drinks, they were well past their stay. "We have a busy day tomorrow, and we're starting early... so we best get settled in early for the night back at my place. C'mon, get up."

Suguru and Sayuri just smiled in awkward amusem*nt at their drunk son. Perhaps they had missed what he had alluded to just earlier... And for that, Masaru witnessed Tohma sighing a large breath of relief as they left, but he was too intoxicated to process why.

Ignorance was bliss.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

A limo ride later, back in the Norstein mansion, Masaru teetered his way into their room with Tohma trailing behind ready to spot him.

"I suppose you'd rather wait for the morning to shower, but that's up to you," Tohma led Masaru over to the side table where charging cables had been left the night before. "I'll go ahead and take a quick shower now, then it's off to sleep. In the meantime, put your phone on the charger and get ready for bed. There's water on the table too. Be sure to stay hydrated."

Tohma was about to leave the room when Masaru bumped right into his back.

"Masaru... Did you understand what I said?"

The brunet crept his arms around Tohma's backside, leaning in as much as he could without completely falling over. "Hah? We're not gonna do anything tonight? But I'm... horny..."

Tohma could feel himself flushing redder than ever, but he held strong. Surely, that was the alcohol talking.

Under a variety of other mutually safe circ*mstances, he honestly might've followed through with Masaru's drunken desires. But not tonight's circ*mstances. "You're also very drunk, Masaru. We have to head out early tomorrow, and you're probably not going to feel well in the morning. Get to sleep early so we have more time to work off your hangover."

"Che... I held out on drinking all these years, so where's my wild time now that I'm buzzed? Buzz killerrrrr, how do you expect me to sleep when I'm like this?"

Masaru pressed in even further, and Tohma knew exactly what he was feeling from the fighter's lower half. His eyes widened, but he would still not be deterred.

"Masaru... Listen to me. Be glad you've got family to celebrate the occasion with. That dinner tonight at your parents' place was... a world's difference from my social upbringing."

Masaru backed up as Tohma turned around, but kept the blond in his hold.

"I'll be here for you tonight... and in the morning. I'm here for you..."

"...Tohma?"

"Just do as I said... Charge your phone, drink some water, go to bed. We can talk more in the morning."

With that, Tohma moved Masaru off and left the room.

When Tohma came back into the room, his hair freshly dried after using his hairdryer, he half expected Masaru to still be wobbling around. Instead, the fighter had done exactly as instructed and was already passed out in bed.

Tohma paused, taking in the moment to behold the man in his bed with nothing to interrupt him. It was the rarest of events for him, considering he had essentially never seen Masaru sleep before him once they had become lovers.

"I'm not surprised to see that you're a lightweight, but that was still quite the display tonight, Masaru..."

The brunet was snoozing blissfully away on the bed, and Tohma allowed his mind to recall the night beforehand. A night abundant of raw passion and lust...

He had to shake his head and bring himself out of his imagination soon enough. He needed to get to sleep early too... After checking over his phone one last time, he settled into bed and snuggled right up to Masaru's side. Masaru grumbled a bit at the contact as Tohma brought his chin to rest on Masaru's shoulder, but he showed no signs of waking up otherwise.

To think, it was also their first night together since then where they... Didn't get intimate...

Although in all honesty, just snuggling was perfectly fine with him in terms of intimacy for that night. As long as Masaru was there with him, Tohma felt like he could take on the entire world if he had to. In the back of his mind, he was aware that these were exaggerated thoughts fueled by a slight alcohol buzz. But they were thoughts he truly felt in his heart and mind, even if he'd never had the chance to fully express them verbally.

The thought of fighting the entire world didn't actually matter that much to him in the end, however. It was just a certain subset of people back within his fatherland that had been plaguing him for quite some time now...

The latter moments of his private conversation with Daimon Suguru played in his mind before he drifted off to sleep, his forehead nearly planted against Masaru's cheek...

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"Professor... If I were to take Masaru to Austria some day... Not permanently, of course... What do you think the biggest hurdle would be while he's there? The biggest hurdle... for him."

Suguru gazed at Tohma, who had turned away and started sipping his tea. The tea cup didn't hide the wrinkles of worry on the noble's forehead, but Suguru seemed to know that Tohma was gently giving him all the time he wanted to answer.

"Take Masaru all the way out to Austria, huh? Funny, I'd think the first thing someone would ask when trying to get permission to wed a father's child is if you can 'keep him happy' or such, but you're already going for the honeymoon?"

Tohma's eyes widened like the apocalypse was upon them, and his glasses visibly slid down his nose a bit. "W...Wed? Honeymoon? P-Professor, that's not..."

A sly grin crept up the professor's expression. "Haha... Chika was right, you ARE a fun one to tease."

"Tease?" Tohma's eyes widened even further in confusion. He couldn't recall Chika ever doing that to him. But furthermore...

"Sorry, sorry. I got a little carried away," Suguru bowed his head in an apologetic manner. "As for your actual question..."

The professor sat deep in thought for a while, allowing Tohma a moment to recover.

"I've only had brief stays overseas, and only for work reasons. In lieu of that however, Masaru spent a long time exploring the Digital World."

"I don't see how his time in the Digital World would help prepare him for what could happen overseas... It's a whole different dimension of culture shock, and on top of that, he hasn't even been with humans in general for six years."

"True enough..."

"When you came back from the Digital World, you only had to acclimate to new technologies that had developed since your absence. You'd already established yourself as an adult in this society... But Masaru doesn't even have that experience. He only knows whatever he picked up on the streets, what little time he spent at school and at DATS..."

Suguru raised his hand to stop Tohma. "Yes, in retrospect, I admit it might not have been the best thing to let him out there for so long at his age, even for the sake of manliness... But he's still fine, right? And he has you now."

Tohma froze up. He fully knew what the professor meant, but he wasn't going to let himself get teased again, even if there were more wholesome intentions this time around.

"I'm not... supposed to be a replacement for Masaru's lack of social upbringing."

"Well, I certainly don't mean to lead it that way. Truth of the matter is that most of his future depends on you. His future... Whether he just keeps living it out in the Digital World... Or he lives it out... with you."

Tohma felt his chest tighten at the professor's statement. Completely forgoing the thought of being teased, now the professor was just outright smacking truths on him.

"So just keep that in mind when you're taking him places, and that's pretty much all I can ask for."

"Professor..."

Tohma was reminded of various times in the past when he would challenge Masaru to contests where supposedly his intelligence would've won him the upper hand, yet somehow he would still come out even. Masaru always had ways of catching up or getting the upper hand, even in the most obtuse ways...

"Like father, like son..."

"And on that line, if you don't tie him down with something to keep him around, he's gonna run off and perhaps disappear again like I once did. I mean, these years with him in the Digital World are already like that for the most part, huh. Every day here, I've got Sayuri to thank for keeping me in my place..."

"Ahah... That's another function of the plan we have in mind, at least." For a brief moment, Tohma imagined Masaru being tied down to a figurative boulder chiseled with the words 'PLAN' in giant characters.

"True on that. Sorry I didn't help you much with your original question. I don't know too much about how he takes particular changes. I may have been watching over him when I was one with BanchouLeomon, but those interactions were still extremely limited. You would certainly know him more than I would in his more recent years. I'm the father who was missing for his entire school education, y'know?"

"Right..."

"So... your own father. Does he know about you two?"

"...Absolutely not. He knows near nothing about me... I mean, at least things aren't to the point they used to be when he actually didn't know anything about me. But I still find communicating with him rather awkward..."

"You never did have a normal father/son relationship; I can see why it'd still be a struggle for you even at this point in your life."

"If only I could talk about things like I can with you. I can talk about work with you just fine... And the other things that connect us..." Tohma took a deep pause to collect his bearings, though he still couldn't stop the heat creeping up to his ears. "But when it comes to something... Someone... Like Masaru... And telling my father about it... I don't know where to even start."

"Well, the words will come to you when you need it someday, I'm sure."

"Thank you so much for the support, Professor Daimon."

"Seems kinda strange to hear you still call me that after all we've discussed... Especially if we'll be part of the same family at some point."

Tohma brought a hand up and motioned as if to wave off Suguru's comment, obviously flustered. "I-I should be with Masaru, together in front of you and the other Daimons, before we were to even bring up such a thing..."

"Oh, no need to feel reserved after all that! Really, you're already family to me now that you've come out with it. And you definitely don't have to keep calling me Professor when we're in private company. You can just use my first name."

"I'll likely still be calling you Professor Daimon regardless of what happens... It's a difficult habit to break after all these years working with you."

"Suit yourself," Suguru shrugged, caught the time on the watch on his wrist, and got up from his seat. "I should probably head out soon. Sayuri wanted me to pick up some groceries on the way back."

"Oh... I don't mean to hold you back. Please, by all means."

"It's fine. I'm glad we could talk this through, Tohma. Not just about the professional side of things, but... these more personal... family matters as well."

"And I'm glad you were willing to hear me out. Many of these things... I haven't brought up with my father yet.
I talk to you much more than I do with my own father..."

"And I've probably had more interactions with you than I've had with my own son, even though I was with him during his younger childhood. The irony goes in all directions here."

Suguru motioned towards the living room hallway, indicating that he was on his way out. Tohma nodded and got up as well, preparing to see the professor out.

The father had a few things left to say before going. "It doesn't end there though, right? We're only getting started... Things are just starting to change for the better, for real."

Suguru was about to pass through the doorway when he stopped and looked back at the young noble, standing at about the same height as him.

"Your family... my family... We're here to protect them and do better for them. That's what matters most in the end."

"Spoken like a true Daimon." Tohma lifted his chin as if taking in the pride of the Daimons for himself, although he was obviously aware that he was a different person. "Yes... Thank you, Professor."

"And as you already know... you're always welcome with the Daimon family. Hope you'll stop by for Sayuri's cooking when Masaru comes back. She'd love to see you again, too."

"I'd love to."

Chapter 8: Bureaucratic Errands

Chapter Text

Masaru started off the next morning with a monstrous groan as Tohma's phone alarm went off. The alarm was a strange mix of dubstep and some other eclectic sound effects. It was the same alarm as the morning before, but as always, it was one HECK of a loud alarm, and Masaru's head wasn't taking it in good spirits. He knew well enough that Tohma needed it to be that loud in order to wake up, but it felt like it was on a completely different level that morning.

"Tohhhhmaa..."

He dragged himself over the other man to reach the phone on the tableside. He turned the alarm off, then unceremoniously slumped over the other man who was still asleep under the blanket. The sudden weight stirred that man awake, eventually.

"Mm..." Tohma grumbled.

"Tohma, I feel miserable."

"Good morning to you too..." Tohma sat up, forcing Masaru to shift down to Tohma's legs. "Let me guess, your head hurts like someone's hammered it in from a fight."

"Yeah... that's one way to put it."

"Well, we'll need you to feel better within the next couple hours, since we have a meeting with the Confidentiality Ministry this morning."

"Huh? What do they want with us?"

"Oh, they ALWAYS want something with us. I can't even send a surrogate to handle affairs with them. But even if I could, we need YOU to be there in person this time. And... Don't worry. I'll interpret the jargon for you. In fact, it'd be best if you didn't open your mouth at all while we're there."

Masaru wanted to talk back some smack, but another shot of pain ran through his head and his vocal uttering came out as another groan instead.

"But first, we need to fix your hangover. Did you wake up at any other point last night?"

"No..."

"Good, then it seems like your headache is the worst of it. I have just the right tea for that." Tohma shifted out of Masaru's sluggish hold on him and got out of the bed. "And take a shower before we go. Look fresh at least. It's not just the Confidentiality Ministry, too... it's going to be a long day."

Masaru took a moment before attempting to get up, but he ended up just groaning again.

Tohma's phone went off again, much to their disturbance. That same rambunctious morning alarm... Masaru felt his stomach go queasy.

"You hit snooze instead of turning off the alarm, I see," Tohma observed without much surprise as he turned off the alarm himself, this time for real.

"Mmmmgth..."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

After drinking some tea with a light breakfast and then taking a shower, Masaru already felt almost 100% back to normal. Tohma shook his head at him briefly, then handed him a towel as he got out of the shower.

"Did you not use the hairdryer?"

"Naw, it'll dry up soon enough... back to your room?"

"Mm."

"Now that I think of it, where'd your butler go? Didn't he used to follow you around everywhere? I thought noblemen like... didn't have to do anything for themselves."

"We just had the coming of age ceremony to signify our adulthood. I'm perfectly capable of getting around on my own, Masaru..."

"Yeah, but it's still weird not seeing him around with you in these parts."

"Well... When I was younger, I used to have my butler attend to me after I took showers, to hand me my towel and bathrobe. It was only during prep stages for my trip to the Digital World when I had him stop doing that, amongst various other things that tied him to my daily life. I needed some semblance of independence to prepare for the trip, after all."

"How about laundry then? Guessing your maids are still doing all that."

"You're not doing your own laundry in the Digital World either."

Masaru grinned and spoke through his teeth. "You got me there. Ain't the refresh great?"

Tohma sighed in slight exasperation. "I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but not having to do certain things lets me focus on other tasks at hand. There's always a reason for what my attendants do."

"Hey, I'm not trying to criticize."

Masaru's hair was still damp, and he only had Tohma's bathrobe on... And it was just the two of them, standing around in Tohma's room in the morning. As he idly rubbed his hair on the towel Tohma handed to him, he realized he had a bit of a memory blank on what happened the night before. The only thing he could really remember... and he couldn't remember anything of what he actually DID... was a need to hear Tohma out on whatever he was holding off talking about.

Whatever was plaguing this absolute genius with better alcohol tolerance than him...

He leaned into the blond, lining up his forehead against Tohma's shoulder. Yes, his hair was wet, but not wet enough to get on Tohma's clothes at that point. Still, Tohma gave him a curious look downwards.

"Hey Tohma. Can I punch the guy who invented genetics?"

"Genetics wasn't 'invented,' Masaru... If you mean the one who DISCOVERED genetics, well... he's long departed this world."

The brunet let a moment of silence pass before speaking again.

"We used to be the exact same height, right?" Masaru tried to sound off-hand as he brought it up.

"Back at DATS, yes..."

"Chika told me that guys usually go through one massive growth spurt and then that's the end of it. But you... You're still getting taller after all these years?"

"I'm pretty sure it stopped right after my trip to the Digital World a couple years back. Maybe if another couple millimeters or so tacked on after that, I wouldn't have noticed."

"Haa. Is your mom tall too or something? Your dad was pretty tall too, from what I remember."

"My mother... Yes, she was tall."

"Was..."

"She died when I was young."

Masaru felt something heavy sink into his stomach.

"Tohma... Sorry, man."

"Why apologize? If anything, I should be the one apologizing. There's a lot you probably don't know about me."

Masaru felt a rush of deja-vu, and he spent a moment trying to figure out where it was coming from. Ah right, back when Tohma first visited Digicon Valley, he had had a conversation with Gaomon about his lack of knowledge about Tohma's background.

Tohma's eyes softened up as they shared gazes. "But it's best if you did know... And well... I suppose after this morning and afternoon's agenda, it'll be as good a time as ever to talk to you about it."

"Not now?"

And just as quickly, Tohma's expression tightened up again. "No, we're under the clock right now. I'll be able to talk more about this tonight. For now, go get dressed."

"Fine, fine..."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Director Hashiba was exactly as Masaru last remembered him--a small, old man with nothing particularly noteworthy to compensate for his lack of height. Maybe the man had some more gray hair, but Masaru had never paid attention in the first place. Masaru only knew that despite the old man's (lack of) features, there was nothing good to come out of getting on his bad side, and he should avoid reaching that point if he could do anything about it. In any case, all it took was keeping his own mouth shut while Tohma steered the helm. It was supposed to be all it took, if only he could keep his mouth shut whenever he wanted to yawn as well...

Their time at the Confidentiality Ministry went relatively smoothly, save for Masaru's excessive yawning prompting Director Hashiba to direct questions at him at certain points of their meeting. Tohma would have to interject and politely remind the Director to refer to the reports he had submitted, which detailed all the answers already. It was pretty obvious that Tohma was being overly polite each time he had to reiterate this 'reminder,' as Masaru could easily notice a slight twitch in the blond's eyebrow every time it happened. At one point, Masaru had to hold back his laughter from seeing Tohma's exasperation. Tohma stepped up his game to maintain appearances.

"Well, Director Hashiba. As you've seen for yourself today, Masaru has passed all health inspections and is doing fine after being back here in the Real World for three nights. You do recall what we negotiated for next steps as a result of this, I take it?"

The stout man grunted through his nose, lifting his chin to give himself a meaningless amount of additional height that he didn't have over the two guests.

"I most certainly do recall," the old man said with some reluctance. "Hmph, you should be glad I managed to get this done before retiring. This being my last year and all... When will I finally get that Florida vacation I've been dreaming of?"

"I'm sure your final blessings will carry on far beyond your tenure for the betterment of us all, sir," Tohma said in the most obscenely flattering tone Masaru had ever heard. Thankfully, he switched off that tone quickly with his following comment. "If you don't mind my curiosity, about the subject of the next incoming Director..."

Masaru sipped on the tea served from the center of the conference room table and looked around. There was a small entourage of government workers sitting with them in the conference room they were in--all of which were older men with lips sealed tightly as they watched Tohma and the Director go back and forth. Masaru couldn't tell if any one of them looked like a potential next Director, but it didn't sound like the Director was talking about any of them. Until...

Another man entered the conference room, looking a little disheveled and holding a folder stuffed with papers.

"Ah, good timing, there's the man of the hour. Todomatsu-san, come and meet the one who will be in charge of maintaining peace in the Digital World," Director Hashiba said. "His name is Daimon Masaru."

The newcomer placed the massive folder on the conference table and swiftly bowed towards the brunet, both hands placed flat at his sides. "I'm Todomatsu Akio, I'll be the next Director here at the Confidentiality Ministry once Director Hashiba retires at the end of the year. Good to meet you, Masaru-san."

It was another typical business suit man, just narrowly taller than Hashiba, but something about the way the man carried himself made him stand out from the rest of the bunch. Maybe it was the excess strands coming out of his slick-back hair, or maybe it was the statement of the rose enamel pin on his breast pocket... But above all...

He looked like he was still in his 30s, a stark contrast from all the other Ministry fellows who were easily in their 50s and older. So this was the guy replacing old Hashiba?

After staring for a while, Masaru scrambled to stand up and imitate the bowing gesture in return. "Nice meeting you, Todomatsu-san."

"Daimon has had a long history with us at the Ministry," Hashiba said with a flair of awkward confidence that Masaru was all too familiar with. "It'll be good to finally see him in a new role where he can truly commit his... talents."

As if Masaru hadn't already been doing that all this time...

But this 'new' role that others kept bringing up... Maybe it was time to finally hear the deets on it.

Todomatsu took a seat and opened the folder he brought in. "I've heard a bit about you from Tohma-san. I've been compiling this paperwork so that we can debrief the details for your role and have you sign off on these disclosures... Make this official and all. Shall we proceed, Masaru-san?"

'Debrief the details', huh? Todomatsu already seemed to have the same idea in mind.

The Confidentiality Ministry, at least coming out of Todomatsu's mouth, knew quite a lot about the Digital World. He explained the existence of the Dark Area, which, like the rest of the Digital World, had been sealed off from the Real World.

Masaru still remembered his fights in the Dark Area back when he was with DATS, and there were plenty of epic ones he had fond memories of. Even if the big baddies were mostly just scuffed versions of the Demon Lords, there was a unique thrill in taking them down that he never quite experienced anywhere else.

Still, talk about the Dark Area was confidential even under normal DATS settings, after all they had gone through to contain the threats that erupted out of it years back. Now that he was hearing about it again, six years later, he couldn't help but anticipate the challenge of the fight that was bound to happen.

"Negative emotions were initially supposed to go straight into the Dark Area, but that changed when the Dark Area was deactivated... They flowed into the rest of the Digital World instead, and human intervention caused further disruptions within the balance between the Digital and Real Worlds. Negative feelings ended up excessively affecting Digimon, and they would spill into our world and cause many problems. But Tohma-san here has a solution..."

Tohma explained that his solution to negative feelings excessively affecting Digimon was to separate the processing of such feelings, and then completely redirect them towards the Dark Area. The Dark Area was already a natural magnet for human negative feelings, as long as it was active. In fact, as far as Yuma's brother, Kagura Tsukasa's research deduced, the Dark Area was where all the negative feelings were ORIGINALLY supposed to go. Digimon of the rest of the Digital World originally had their hand in dealing with the threats that grew in the Dark Area.

But that was the old Digital World, where elite entities like the Twelve Olympian Gods and the Royal Knights were unified in keeping the Dark Area threats at bay. There had been a fine balance between these entities and the Dark Area, to the point where humans had gone a long time without even realizing the existence of the Digital World. However, it only took one incident for it all to change...

After the huge mess Kurata made by killing Mercurimon and triggering the Royal Knights to threaten the Real World, the rest of the Digital World would be at a huge disadvantage if they were to try fighting against the Dark Area threats on their own. Duftmon and LordKnightmon needed time to recover from being turned back to Digieggs, and many parts of the Digital World had been destroyed in general from the near collision of their two worlds. The decision to seal off the connection between the Digital World and the Real World altogether allowed the Digital World time to recover, as well as let it take a well-needed break from dealing with the Dark Area.

To re-open the Digital World also meant to reactivate the Dark Area if they wanted to restore the previous balance from the past. Someone would have to keep the Dark Area in check once again...

That was where Masaru (and his entourage fighting gang) came in. It was going to be up to him to cover the gaps that the missing great entities of the Digital World had left behind, and he would need to cooperate with the remaining great entities to aid him in his new duty.

His friendship with Hippogriffomon was a cornerstone for what was to come. As a key figure between human and beast Digimon, she had many connections to the other great entities within the Digital World.

Masaru already had ties with basically all of the Royal Knights. Mercurimon was one of the Twelve Olympian Gods, and he'd met a handful of the others during his travels. If he ever needed their help, he was ready to seek them out.

In a way, Masaru had been following the grand plan the entire time without ever knowing it. He'd already done plenty of 'networking' in the Digital World in preparation for it, yet only now he was hearing details about the rest of the plan. The only hint Tohma had ever given him concerned Hippogriffomon a couple years ago, dropped just moments before he had to go back to the human world, yet that was still only the tip of the iceberg.

"Of course, redirecting negative feelings into the Dark Area works as a double-edged sword... we have to ensure that the amount flowing in doesn't overwhelm our capacity to keep it in check. We can't just have EVERYONE thinking negatively all at once, or things will obviously get chaotic. Our holistic intention is still to reduce the amount of negative feelings that enter in the first place. But that's an issue to work out with human society on a different level, and certainly not something we can just resolve in our meeting here today. What we CAN resolve today is how those emotions get filtered to Digimon and the Digital World."

Filtering emotions that reach Digimon... It sounded like such a strange thing to do, but Tohma figured out a way to do it.

"Not EVERY bit of negativity has to be directed to the Dark Area. Some of it will end up leaking out to the rest of the Digital World, no matter how thorough we are with the filtering system," Todomatsu carried on as Tohma took a break in his explanations. "And that's fine. It's okay for anyone to feel negative emotions to a certain extent, that's natural... But we have to account for situations when any single person's negative emotions may pose a problem to the filtering system. Through Tohma's expertise, we've found ways to do just that."

Once again, Tohma spoke up for the explanation, cutting his tea break short. "The filters are a powerful cog in this wheeling cycle of balance checks. We even have the ability to sever a human's ability to channel their feelings altogether if they cross a certain threshold in a concentration of negative emotions."

Masaru looked at the blond with full curiosity (and confusion), and the blond added to his explanation. "It's a very, very high concentration threshold, to be fair. Think of... the time when ShineGreymon went berserk. This system is in place to prevent things like that from happening again."

"Oh..."

Right. Masaru's intense wrath was what caused ShineGreymon to go berserk long ago. While his case was an outlier, it certainly wouldn't bode well to have incidents like that occurring... Anywhere, ever.

"Your phone is already equipped with this new filtering system, Masaru," Tohma pointed out. "The plan is to have all phones equipped with this filter within a few years. It'll be the base requirement for a person to interact with the Digital World in any capacity."

"Not every person will own a phone, so the filtering capabilities are already limited in that sense... The filter can be applied to other electronics, however their distribution rates are much smaller... But because of this, we've reprogrammed the Dark Area to act as a stronger magnet against any 'loose' traces of negative energy, again to avoid it affecting the rest of the Digital World. So it makes your role even more important than ever."

"The Dark Area will have structured areas where energy combines to form Digimon for you to defeat. Defeating them will feed into the Digital World's energy cycle all the same, so it's an incentive for the rest of the Digital World dwellers to take part in the 'culling'... Gardening... Cleaning... Whatever you want to call it."

"To put it in layman's terms... The Dark Area will become the place where negative feelings go to die."

"Dang... Good thing I like fighting, though this systematic approach sounds kinda awkward to me already."

"It only gets more systematic, Masaru. You can only stay in the Dark Area for a designated amount of time in a given period. Any longer and the negativity will start affecting you, too."

"Eh?"

"You can think of it like a Dark Area Coliseum if you want. You do your periodical gauntlet runs and then leave to do other things. Also, you generally just don't want to be in the Dark Area for too long, regardless if you love fighting or not. There are still plenty of fights to be had outside of the Dark Area... and plenty of other things you want to do in life, right?"

Tohma stared a little wide-eyed at him.

He got the message. "Yes, sir."

"And don't ever think for a second that you're the only one cut out for this role. You just happen to have a good trump card in mastering the Burst Mode and having a general interest in this sort of thing. Even Yoshino, Ikuto, and I could potentially help out if it comes down to it. And there will be others eventually."

"Others?"

"Yes... Re-opening the connections between the Real World and Digital World will inevitably give rise to new Tamers and partner Digimon. Other Tamers... Other human and Digimon partners to help maintain the balance with the Dark Area. Any of which could potentially be stronger than you and Agumon."

"Well, that's great then. Having more rivals just motivates me more!"

"Of course that's how you'd take it. I wouldn't have assumed any other way." Tohma flashed the brunet a corny smile, then went to pour himself some tea.

"Hopefully, the other great entities will be back in full force before you have to retire, too," Todomatsu added.

Masaru blinked at the added comment. No way he was going to let that go unanswered. "Talking about me retiring, already? I haven't even gotten started!"

"My apologies. It's just that we need to keep the full long-term plan in mind, especially in these early stages, so that we create a solid foundation for ourselves and future generations," Todomatsu reasoned. "You're a key player in all this, Masaru-san... But always keep in mind that it's not just about fighting. We'll need you to continue serving as a role model for humanity in the Digital World... And that includes mentoring those who will come after you."

"Oh... Sure..." Masaru felt a little awkward in response.

Todomatsu ran through the details of a certain timeline on his papers for Masaru to follow. The main gist was that as long as Masaru achieved certain milestones, he would be guaranteed this and that kind of monetary or 'life-securing' benefit...

Honestly, he didn't even see a need to care for any of it. It wasn't like he needed human world money for anything. Well, at least he could pay for his own meals when he was visiting. After all, he'd been freeloading his entire trip so far...

Tohma must have noticed the conflicted thoughts running through Masaru's mind, as he once again gathered the fighter's attention. "Masaru, remember how Sayuri was handling your wages back when you were working with DATS? We can arrange it similarly here."

Masaru wanted to sock a small fist at Tohma for calling his mother by her name so casually (it still felt awkward), but in the presence of all the adult men he wasn't so familiar with, he held back. "Do whatever you need to do. I'm just here to fight."

After another long slew of 'debriefing', Masaru signed a large stack of papers, and it looked like his part was done at last. All this junk about health coverage, pensions, and whatnot... A lot of it had gone over his head, and he'd need Tohma to explain it again to him later in private. By the pitying looks Tohma gave him as signed the papers, the blond already knew he'd be doing more explanations at some later point. But at the same time, since Tohma didn't make any interjections, there didn't seem to be any problems with whatever he had signed. He put his trust in that.

"We thank you for your time today and look forward to working with you in the future, Masaru-san."

Todomatsu offered a business-like handshake, which Masaru accepted readily. It was already more than Hashiba ever did, considering the old man liked to keep his hands behind his back or his arms crossed whenever the fighter was around. Case in point, Hashiba still had his arms crossed as they finished their exchange.

'Well, what do ya know,' Masaru thought to himself. 'The future of the Confidential Ministry actually seems pretty bright... or at least decent.'

"Again, my apologies if I've sounded harsh in any of my explanations of the material. I was even worse when I was working through it with Tohma-san..."

"I'm glad you're always strict with me, Todomatsu-san," Tohma interjected. "It's absolutely in line with your position as the next Director, after all. Before we adjourn today, I wanted to update you on a few developments regarding our partnerships with the phone manufacturers..."

Masaru tried to keep up with the conversation afterwards, but he quickly realized it was pointless to try as they started throwing around big business and government lingo that he'd never heard of. He thought the meeting was finally done, but Tohma and the others still seemed completely strapped to their seats as they talked on and on.

Well... Masaru was done paying attention. Instead, he started doing a thing he picked up whenever he was stuck somewhere with nothing else to do... Image training.

He'd picture a strong opponent in his head, and then he'd imagine different ways to approach the fight. He'd also mix up the context and environments where the fight would occur, planning out things differently depending on the situation. It was really difficult to hold back the urge to shadow box whenever he did this image training, and the best way for him to hold it in was to keep his arms crossed and clench his clothes under his elbows.

Director Hashiba gave him a judging look of a side eye for the crossed arms, despite still having his own arms crossed, but otherwise carried on observing the conversation between Todomatsu and Tohma.

The fighter ran through at least eight different ways to take down the recent pack of Boogiemon who had been trying to terrorize his boxing center. Not that he really even needed to work on that scenario, as he trusted Agumon and the others in Digicon Valley had the situation under control without him.

Despite this, he ended up imagining another eight scenarios, and then he moved onto other targets, each with dozens more scenarios to fight through. A true necessity, as after a short break where Hashiba and Todomatsu excused themselves, another slew of adults came to meet them and discuss things with Tohma.

The long afternoon session was rife with more government authorities that Masaru didn't even remember the names or roles of at the end of the day.

Whatever was going on, Tohma was carrying the major load for the both of them. He'd known this was how it was going to be before coming along, but seeing it in action reminded him of the time when Tohma had been the guest at Digicon Valley's town hall meeting...

Masaru hadn't been to another town hall meeting since then. He'd met a good handful of the folk who had wanted to ask Tohma questions but didn't get to--some even had the gall to come to the boxing center without any intention of fighting. But Masaru still humored them, for as much as he was capable of... In the end, most of them would ask questions he didn't know the answers to.

Everything from Toucanmon's "I've been reading up on some economy books to better my business, but there's one thing I still don't get. What's a supply chain?" to Terriermon's "Who was the greatest strategist of all time and why is it Zhuge Liang?" ...Who? Tohma was the only real 'strategist' he knew and that was plenty enough for him to have to deal with.

The same Tohma who had just told him earlier in the morning that his mother was no longer alive...

"Masaru, we can leave now."

"Huh?"

By the time he had stopped spacing out with his thoughts, it was just the two of them in the large conference room. Everyone else had left already.

"Are you okay?" Tohma asked with concern. "I'm... amazed you actually managed to stay quiet throughout that entire meeting... And not fall asleep."

"I picked up a few tricks to help pass the time when I've got nothing to fight. Had to do a lot of it while traveling to far places in the Digital World and all."

"I see... How are you feeling right now, then?" Tohma got up from his chair, indicating Masaru to do the same.

Masaru followed the other's signal, welcoming the stretch on his legs at last. "Just hungry."

"Same. We didn't get much time for lunch, and we had a long afternoon session. So we'll go back to my place to eat and rest... And we'll have the rest of the day to just... talk... If that's fine."

"Fine by me, but... You've done an awful lot of talking today already."

"But not with you."

"Heh... What am I, dessert? The thing people always have an extra stomach for?"

"Hmm, I like that comparison. I'll always have room for you."

Masaru opened his mouth as if to retort again, but he just ended up leaving his mouth gaping for a while as he felt a blush encroaching his cheeks. Instead, he gave Tohma a firm hand to the shoulder and nudged him to leave the stuffy conference room. Tohma graciously obliged.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

After dinner in the presence of the usual Norstein butler and maids, the two men finally had the rest of the night to themselves. Under usual circ*mstances, Masaru would have his hands all over Tohma already, but that wasn't in his intentions (for a while yet) that night.

The fighter still had his priorities in place. He'd been waiting to ask all day.

"It's just the two of us, Tohma. So... You wanna tell me more about your mom yet?"

"You really always get straight to it..." Tohma gave Masaru a side eye, but it was one of affection as he loosened his tie to settle into comfier clothes for the night.

Masaru was fine without having to change for the moment (even though he'd been forced to wear a tie and formal suit just the same), so he plopped down onto Tohma's massive bed face first before turning around. "Yeah, so what's it gonna be?"

While Masaru was looking up at the ceiling, Tohma suddenly came into view, his shirt completely unbuttoned. Masaru found himself admiring the view for a moment, but then he did a slow blink before realizing that the other man was kissing him. Distractions...

Despite recognizing the distraction, Masaru still returned the kiss, which only lasted a few seconds before Tohma pulled back and resumed changing his clothes. The fighter grumbled a few casual insults to the noble in his mind as he blushed, but he kept waiting.

Once Tohma had put on a more casual V-neck long sleeve, he sat down on the bed next to Masaru and sighed. Masaru sat up as well, ready to hear him out.

"During the Coming of Age ceremony, I was... thinking about my mother, and how things could've been if she had been around for the ceremony. She... died in a traffic accident when I was young. "

"....."

Instead of saying anything, Masaru rested a hand on Tohma's shoulder and let the silence speak for itself.

"It used to just be the two of us, living modestly in a small house. My youngest years were spent with her here in Japan."

"Not in Australia?"

"Austria..."

"Yeah, Austria. What about your dad?"

"Until my mother passed away, I'd only seen my father through photos she would show me. She'd tell me that they had met when my father was studying abroad in Japan, but that he had important things to do overseas, so he couldn't be with us."

"What... and you were fine with that explanation?"

"I was too young to understand back then... All I cared about was that my mother was there for me, so I never thought to question the circ*mstances further. It wasn't until she was gone... when I came to Austria to live with my father... when I found out the full, real situation. The Norsteins never officially acknowledged my father's relationship with my mother. My parents even got married in Japan, and the Norsteins never acknowledged that. Back then, my father was forced to leave us and return to Austria, to play the ideal 'Norstein'... Almost like my current situation..."

Masaru scratched the back of his head and let the blond go on, but he didn't expect to hear such caustic words come out next...

"Even when she finally decided to acknowledge me as a Norstein, she's always been a thorn..."

"...Tohma?"

Tohma shook his head. "No, I won't go into that right now. You're asking about my mother, not her."

Masaru raised his eyebrows shortly, but let Tohma continue on.

"My mother passed away not long after I turned six. Your father... he disappeared into the Digital World when you were four, right?"

"Yeah..."

"In that case, you probably also knew what it was like... when others would ask you where your father was..."

"I'd tell them that he was working overseas. That's what I was supposed to tell most other people, anyway... If they tried to pry further and I wasn't particularly close to them, I'd get them to stop one way or another."

"Hah, working overseas... Such a convenient excuse that wasn't a complete lie, indeed. The same one used for when you were in the Digital World."

Masaru made a dry chuckle.

As Tohma looked over at him idly, sitting in bed together, Masaru started to feel more subconscious about Tohma in relation to himself. Even if they were both fellow men with passionate manly souls, he'd always thought of Tohma as someone who had grown up in a completely different environment from him. But here, he was hearing revealing bits that things had started off mostly the same for the both of them...

They had both lost one of their parents at such a young age. But one was lost permanently, while the other was reunited with them now. Masaru felt his stomach hollow out as he remembered the times when he was certain he had lost his father for good. And he realized... Tohma had been living with this feeling about his mother for much, much longer...

In lieu of words, Masaru grabbed Tohma and pushed both of them down onto the bed. He held onto Tohma's shoulders tightly, practically rubbing himself into Tohma's face, and Tohma simply responded in kind.

Masaru closed his eyes in melancholy. "I don't have to use that excuse for my family anymore. But you, Tohma..."

"There's a saying that time heals all wounds, Masaru. I lost my mother when I was still so young. And you're here now to hear about it. That means a lot to me..."

"And I'll admit, I thought this whole time that the noble life was all you ever knew."

The one thing that set Tohma apart from other nobles... he wasn't BORN in that aristocratic environment. He grew up in a modest Japanese house, in a modest Japanese neighborhood... with only his mother...

"No, it was anything but... Home cooking, going to the playground, checking out events happening around town... I used to do all of that. And my mother would spend all the time she could with me, teaching me in her gentle and graceful ways."

"Teaching you? Like being homeschooled?"

"Well, I went to school regularly on top of it... But my mother actually taught me around 30 languages while I was with her."

Masaru gave him an empty stare. "What."

"To be fair, she focused on four of them for the most part, namely Japanese, English, Latin, German... and well, Austrian-German by extension... For the other languages, it was mostly just basic alphabets, vocabulary, grammar... Once you have a handle on German and Latin, all the other European languages come naturally."

"I-Is that how it works... Meanwhile, you don't need to know any languages to guess what grade I'd get on my English tests back in the day."

Tohma chuckled. "I'm still impressed you picked up on DigiCode at all. I doubt you had any study materials for that."

"I wouldn't have used study materials anyway. There's just more and more of it cropping up in the Digital World as time goes by, so I ended up learning it whether I wanted to or not. Anyway, I learn better through practical use, intuition... That kind of thing."

"Intuition... That's valid, I suppose. Nonetheless, it's still considered part of the study." Tohma smiled a bit as he recalled more about his mother. "My mother had a gift for languages... And for picking up knowledge in general. I assume I inherited a lot of my studying skills from her. That said, I'm fluent in over 170 languages in large part thanks to her."

"Okay, okay, I get the deal. Don't need to rub it in more..." Masaru shifted from nuzzling Tohma's face to practically wanting to bite into him at that point.

The noble cleared his throat.

"Once in a while, I still have dreams about those peaceful days. It only took that one moment for everything to change. Change completely..."

Dreams... Masaru thought about the dreams when his own family would show up. Of course Tohma would have those too...

"Kind of strange, isn't it. It's like something in me is sending me reminders, making sure I don't forget those days. Even though I don't need those dreams to remember them..."

"Who knows, maybe you do," Masaru said firmly as he shifted back a bit to get a more solid look at the blond. "I have dreams about my family too, Tohma. But they're always warped realities. I'm never reliving anything that actually happened when my family's in the picture. It sounds like you're actually reliving old memories, though..."

"Yeah. That lifestyle with her was completely different from how it is nowadays, with the nobility..."

"Well, you sure have us all fooled into thinking you're a pure-bred prince or whatever."

"That's hardly the intent," Tohma admitted. "Especially the pure-bred part. And not the prince part either. We've been over this, haven't we? Being a noble isn't the same as being royalt-"

"Yeah, I know. The prince part is just for me. Corny as it is, you're still a prince to me, and me alone. MINE alone, even."

"...."

Masaru would never get tired of Tohma's subtly flustered reactions.

Tohma recomposed himself. "It's complicated, being of multiple nationalities and ethnicities. I've done what I've had to in order to make the best of what I am. You're the first outside my family and Gaomon who knows these details about my Japanese side, this personally. I have to disclose the fact about my mother when it's brought up in interactions with other noble families, but I keep it strictly business-like in manners. Just like the last time I had to bring it up... although..."

Tohma gave a distant stare, and Masaru sensed there was something that he didn't want to touch upon, at least for now.

"You know I don't get any of that complicated stuff in the first place. But... thanks for talking to me about it." They nuzzled some more, holding each other with enough affection to make Masaru almost forget another thought still pressing his mind. He pushed on. "Now, your dad..."

Masaru felt Tohma physically tighten up in his hold.

"If I had the option, you wouldn't be involved with my father's side at all..."

"Doesn't sound like there was that option in the first place."

"And it's complicated. You just said you don't get any of the complicated things, so what should I even tell you?"

"I mean, you can still TELL me things. It's just... I'll need to figure out the rest of it for myself one way or another, like I usually do..."

Tohma clicked his tongue and sighed, but not at Masaru in particular. "...I suppose it's inevitable, so I should just tell you now. Certain events... happened before I met up with you again this week."

"Events...?"

"Back in Austria."

"Huh? You weren't in Japan?"

"Factoring in travel time, I was only there for one night before coming back."

"But... you were calling me at night."

"That was right before the flight. I slept during the plane ride, and it was night again by the time I arrived in Austria."

"Oh." Masaru had many other questions, but he thought it best to stick to his priorities. "So what for? Why just one night?"

"Family issues..."

"I figured that much, but... specifics."

"......Nothing has been made official outside our residence thankfully, but... my grandmother set me up with a suitress."

Masaru gave Tohma one long stare before speaking again. "What's wrong with that?"

"Do you know what a suitress is?"

"...Someone who makes suits for you?"

"No..." Tohma put on the slightest of distant smiles. "It's someone who wants to marry me... for my lineage."

"Someone who wants to... marry... you..." The brunet's words slowed to a crawl as he realized the meaning behind them.

"It's essentially an arranged marriage."

Masaru scratched his head. "That stuff actually happens these days...?"

"There's still a heavy culture of it happening in many places around the world... I've already made it clear with everyone involved that I'm not following through with their intentions. The suitress was understanding, but my grandmother... isn't. I was trying to resolve the situation when I went back before meeting up with you again, but... I've only managed to postpone things. At the end of the week, I'll need to go back again... Settle matters for real this time, hopefully."

Masaru took a moment to process Tohma's words. "The end of the week... after I head back?"

"As originally planned, yes."

"I'm not FORCED to go back to the Digital World after the week is up though, right?"

"No... As I mentioned at the beginning of the week, you're free to choose after this week is done. The important part for you to come back to the Real World at all was to take care of affairs like what we did today, and the other was to ensure that nothing is wrong with your vitals after being back in the Real World for a full week. After we've safely cleared those hurdles, you and I are the first persons given permission to go back and forth between the Real World and the Digital World as we see fit... as long as we keep a detailed record for the time being. What you do with that privilege... is up to you."

Upon hearing that, Masaru gave Tohma a solid gaze, determination lined across his narrowed eyes.

It was a big move, but... the time called for it.

"Tohma... take me with you."

"Huh?"

"To your family's place. Overseas."

Tohma's previously distant expression went even more hollow before he finally snapped back to attention. "You'll keep Agumon waiting if you do that."

"Agumon knows how to take care of himself. Heck, he's probably having the time of his life running the Coliseum under his complete authority while I'm out. We can just send him a quick word that I'll be out for another week or so."

"True, I can have Gaomon relay the message. But Masaru... that's a huge commitment. Not just for changing plans, but going to Austria, meeting my family... CONFRONTING my family, even... You sure about this?"

"Who do you think I am??" Masaru's voice rose. "If there're things that need to be settled with your family, then the sooner it's done, the better. A man doesn't leave those important to him hanging out to dry."

Tohma stared deeply at him without saying anything.

Masaru stared back at the blond, slapping his palms against his knees. "I know what that look means... You already know I have regrets about the past... About what I've done to you. I'm not repeating those mistakes ever again. I'm not leaving you behind."

Even if Tohma already knew that to be wholly true, he still had his walls up. "I'm just having trouble picturing how you being there will help with anything. These are Norstein family issues, and the way they do things is unlike any common-"

"Doesn't matter who else is involved. I'm here for YOU, Tohma."

And Masaru would always find it in him to break down those walls.

They shared deep stares for a palpable moment, when Tohma ended it with a disquieted curl of the eyebrows. "However complicated it gets, everything just seems to break down into only one or two things with you."

"That's how I roll, man. If you've got conflict, then I've got my fist to answer it."

Tohma swallowed and took a deep breath with an extra sigh. "You're an adult now, Masaru. They'll definitely have you arrested if you try going around punching people in Austria, ESPECIALLY any of the nobles, so don't you dare..."

"I won't! As much as I like fighting, you know I don't just go around punching people without reason."

"Your reasons can be excessively loose as far as I'm concerned... But fine. We've made it this far." Tohma leaned in, bringing their foreheads together with an arm around Masaru's shoulder. "I'll take you with me."

"...Really?"

Tohma blinked at him as their foreheads continued to connect. "Why are you doubting me when you were so sure about this just earlier? A man doesn't back down on his word."

"I mean, even I know this isn't some easy decision to make..."

"It's not. I've already made preparations for you to come with me if you were so inclined. You may be difficult to calculate at times, but I've learned ways around that over the years, Masaru."

Masaru chuckled. "Good."

With matters settled for the moment, Masaru closed the gap between them. He'd had enough sitting still for the day. Tohma didn't need any more words to show that he felt the same way.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

There was one more stipulation Tohma had asked of Masaru in order to bring him to Austria... The fighter needed to improve his English. Masaru barely had any to start, and after six years of not having to use what little he learned at school, he was almost back to nothing. Tohma would have preferred that Masaru picked up German as well, but considering there was at least SOME amount of a base to work with in English, he had hoped to work upon that base...

Whenever they weren't attending to the remaining plethora of bureaucratic errands, Tohma spent their last few days in Japan drilling English into the fighter, with varying degrees of little to zero success. At the end of the week, after sitting down together at the study desk, Masaru threw his hands up and reiterated how he was a better learner in a practical setting rather than dealing with lessons and textbooks.

"I'll learn way more while I'm there, so why bother until then?"

"Every bit helps, but you might have a point. I'll never stop being amazed at how little you retain compared to when I study..."

"Thanks."

"That wasn't a compliment..." Tohma sighed as he shut the workbook that Masaru had barely put any progress into. "If you can't communicate with anyone there, and your fists are out of the equation, I still don't see how you being there will do anything for my situation..."

"Yet you still want me to go with you."

"More like you took it upon yourself and demanded to come."

"I could still go back to the Digital World instead, y'know."

"But you wouldn't. Not until you've finished your business with my family."

"You see how it works now, eh?"

"I do."

Along with Tohma's usual gentle smile came a hint of something somber in his tone. Masaru caught it, but at that point, he still didn't know what to do with it... other than give Tohma his usual punches. But it didn't seem to be the right time for it, so instead he leaned in to have another way with the otherwise contemplative blond.

"I do..." Tohma repeated.

Chapter 9: The Norstein Family Name

Chapter Text

Franz Norstein knew he wasn't always the brightest bulb in the room, or honestly the brightest bulb in most any situation, but he did his best to keep his intentions within a clear conscience... at least to the best of his abilities... Within the limits of his circ*mstances...

Needless to say, more often than not, he ended up not making the impacts in life he truly wanted rather than actually getting his ideal results. Yet life would still carry on, regardless of his actions and regardless of his... inactions. Regardless of his lack of ability to follow through with his convictions to the bitter end...

He deplored that part about himself, and he detested how long it took him to become aware of his shortcomings in the first place.

It had taken him far too long...

For far too long, he'd relied heavily upon his noble name to get through most of his life. With just the power of his noble name, he had access to the best education, the best connections, the best experiences mankind could get... He'd grown up assuming everything in life would be laid out for him, and he only had to go with the flow in order for all things to land comfortably on his lap.

The common course of a nobleman such as himself was to travel and study abroad during his time in college. For two years, he would immerse himself in a completely different culture, and afterwards he would return to Austria with much broader perspectives, in order to provide better for his family... or so went the noble intent. Franz had elected to go to Japan for this period, enthralled by the country's beautiful sceneries in nature.

His mother had also happened to travel to Japan as an exchange student during her younger years, and HER mother had done the same. The Norstein attraction to Japanese culture seemed to run deep within the family. For generations, the Norsteins had connections with the Japanese, ranging from politicians to businessmen, so it was only natural for Franz to continue those relations.

There were no objections to his choice. Franz had the best tutors prepare him for the exchange.

Or... he had thought they had all been the best, until he met a certain someone in class during his time as an exchange student.

She was a native Japanese, but she was unlike any of the others. While all of Franz's other classmates only ever tried to communicate with him in Japanese or rudimentary English, she skipped all such hurdles and caught Franz's attention with his hometown language. Her fluent handle on Austrian-German was what captivated him from the start, but the spark she carried with every other minute thing she did was what kept him from ever looking away.

When he thought to impress her with his knowledge, she would always have a way to impress even more upon that knowledge. Yet there was nothing malicious or conceitful in the way she presented her knowledge to him. It was just the way she was, her natural being. There was nothing 'manufactured' about the way she went about her business, either. She was just a lone being with an endless thirst for knowledge. She had so much to share of her own experiences, and yet she always took interest in what Franz had to share as well.

In the simplest sense, she turned all his perspectives in life upside-down. All the things he had previously thought were mundane details to be ignored in life, she was able to transform into a lesson to hold to heart.

He loved that about her. Being with her made him realize how much was still missing from his life--even being surrounded by the 'best' in all classes couldn't compare to what she had. Franz could only realize his lack of completion because of her.

Soon enough, Franz reached a point where he could no longer bear to even imagine himself without her. Thus, he asked for her hand in marriage during his second year as an exchange student. Despite still being a student herself, Franz guaranteed she wouldn't suffer any strife for the rest of her life under his care. He stood to guarantee her happiness.

The two hadn't even so much as kissed back then, but it was all the obvious that they were smitten for each other. She accepted.

He truly thought he had the power to grant her a lifetime of happiness back then. He tried to change the gears of his life to focus solely on her, as his heart desired. He used his Norstein name to take residence within a mansion in Japan, to welcome a new member of the family soon to come...

It all happened so quickly, he didn't even have time to tell anyone back in Austria about what had transpired during his schooling. It wasn't until the final trimester of her pregnancy, when Franz's 2-year exchange period was about to end, when the rest of the Norstein family finally found out...

He thought it would work out. They were already husband and wife under Japan's law. He had established residency in Japan with a specialized Norstein mansion, and they were already in the last stretch before welcoming a new Norstein to the family. He'd taken so many steps into adulthood over his two years as an exchange student, he was sure his family would be proud to see his progress.

Instead... They refused to acknowledge the marriage, let alone acknowledge the upcoming child. Franz's orders were to immediately return to Austria after the exchange period was over, and to never see the Japanese woman ever again.

It all came as a shock, and Franz froze up in the presence of his mother as she threatened to disown her son for his 'miscreant behavior' against the Norstein name.

Of course, there were plenty of hush dealings to go along with the whole upheaval, with agreements that the Norsteins would continue to send financial support to Franz's to-be 'illegitimate' son and the mother... As long as the mother held up her end by moving out of the Norstein residence (the Norsteins agreed to keep the residence out of convenience as it was 'cheaper' to keep and use for business, rather than demolish or sell the property), and never again initiating contact with the Norsteins moving forward...

Franz didn't have the will to go against the demands of his mother. In the end, he didn't have the will to go against anything his family demanded. He was back to letting things happen to him, just going with the flow and never straying from the path already outlined for him.

And just years later... The one person who had sought to change that part about him would no longer be on this earth.

He had abandoned her and the child. Unwillingly, but nonetheless abandoned.

Yet despite everything, he still kept fond memories of her silently within himself. The way she dazzled him with her knowledge of all things, the way her elegance was beyond anything he had ever seen compared to any of the nobles who claimed elegance... Back in those days, Franz was the one trying to impress those around him as he flaunted his status as a noble exchange student in Japan. However, in her presence, it took all in his power just to be able to hold a candle up to her fire.

Those were such beautiful times... Unfortunately short-lived.

And even those precious memories were tainted by his mother's piercing words. "Surely, she had an easy time seducing you, considering that you were so young and naive."

Words coldly uttered in front of him... And in front of Tohma.

Absolutely unacceptable... If he had had the courage to speak up about it back then. But he didn't.

Instead, he remained silent. He turned away from both his mother... and his son that he had met for the first time only days before.

Again, he could only stand back and watch. Watch as others judged him, watch as those around him went on to make good on their ambitions. Watch as his son carved out his own purpose in life...

To see his son graduate from university... with a PhD, nonetheless, at age 13... in his mind, he wanted to jump for joy and smother the young Norstein in hugs to show how proud he was. If things had been different... However, he was quite conscious of his son's scathing judgment of him. He knew that he had deserved such an outlook, considering his past actions and complacency. There was an emotional wall between them, preventing Franz from presenting his true feelings to his son.

But he still had room to change. The crisis with the Digital World nearly destroying the Real World brought forth a kind of awakening for the father Norstein. Up until then, he had done everything with the intention of holding up the Norstein legacy and maintaining its noble reputation.

Yet in those moments when life and death were within arm's reach of each other, Tohma proved to him that there was more to life than just a legacy of a name. The Norstein legacy was still important, but Franz had come to terms with what was even more important to him.

What they shared wasn't just a noble bloodline... It was a family. A family, with each member having their own wishes and longings for life.

In the past, Franz had made the choice to abandon his true wishes, even at the cost of leaving behind the only woman he ever truly loved. But Tohma was not him. Tohma shouldn't need to suffer the same way he did.

Franz never tried to force Tohma into dealing with nobility unless he absolutely HAD to. He knew to let Tohma focus on being who he wanted to be, and he knew Tohma was studying to help Relena. Even though Relena was born from a different mother, her sibling bond with Tohma was something special...

Franz understood early on that Tohma had an element of tenacity unlike anything he'd ever come across. The way Tohma's deep connection with his half-sister led up to his accomplishments that granted him a Nobel Prize... The fact that he was about to embark on his next goal to peacefully unite two parallel worlds... Taken out of context, everything sounded ridiculous coming from a single human. Actually, even with all the context, it was still ridiculous. But this was simply how Tohma was.

Over the years, Franz took it within himself to passively dismiss his mother's demands for Tohma to carry on the Norstein lineage. He quietly withstood his mother's demands to make another successor become a reality as soon as possible. He understood that she was just old fashioned, and she wanted to see the progress of future Norstein generations with her own eyes while she still could. He understood that, but...

Not long after Relena's condition was confirmed cured and her rehab had drawn to a close, Franz had a private conversation with his son.

In that conversation, Franz brought up the existence of an arranged suitress for his son. In response, Tohma stated he would sooner leave the Norstein legacy than go along with an arranged marriage.

The young Norstein had made a bold move. Especially as Franz recalled certain moments during the Digital World crisis, when Tohma seemed to carry all his pride with the Norstein name... In retrospect, it was Tohma emphasizing his connection with his family... With Franz, with Relena. It was the Norstein FAMILY that he cared for and wished to protect.

To Tohma, there was only one other member of that family, and it was Tohma's mother.

Even Relena's mother... Had passed away not long after giving birth to Relena. Tohma had never properly met her, as he hadn't even been acknowledged as a full Norstein back in those times.

There were no others.

No... there were others, no matter how much he inwardly denied them. One in particular, Franz's mother... Tohma's grandmother.

"This is all coming from her orders, I presume."

"Yes," Franz answered simply. Masking the answer would only serve to upset Tohma even further.

Tohma never saw eye-to-eye with her.

Franz's mother only saw Tohma as an outsider deep down anyway. It wasn't until he won his Nobel Prize when she finally acknowledged him as a 'proper' Norstein, and by then there was obviously no sign of sincerity from the move. Even if she tried for an extensive period to get Tohma to comply to noble standards after Relena's birth, it was all out of her insistence in having the Norstein legacy carried onto another generation in some form or another. She never saw Tohma as his own human being. To that end, she never saw ANY of the other Norsteins as fellow human beings for as long as Franz had known her... certainly not even her own son.

"I'm well aware that Relena was originally supposed to be the successor until Grandmother found out about her condition... Immediately after birth."

Franz opened his mouth as if to say something in return, but he couldn't bring himself to actually say it. Tohma gave him a look of exasperated sympathy.

The younger Norstein had been ready to impart certain personal memories to his father for some time, and this seemed to be the time to do it.

"It's strange. I went through a long, long trail of thoughts in my head back during those times, as I didn't hear about Relena's condition for myself until some time later. Regardless, the fact that someone could be better accepted into the 'family' just by being born... It never sat right with me. When I finally met Relena for the first time, all by herself in her baby crib, at first, all I could think about was how she had so much more of a family to care for her than I did at the time. I was in the mindset that you only took me in out of obligation, and in actuality, I was truly alone with no family. I was frustrated with it all back then... Upset about being in a place where I didn't feel like I belonged and having no one truly wishing I was there."

"Tohma... It's my fault you felt that way. I'm-"

Tohma raised a hand at elbow's height to stop his father. "No, apologies won't do anything at this point. This was all a long time ago. Just keep hearing me out for now."

Franz was already quite resigned at that point, so he kept his mouth shut and listened.

"I was going through all that... But here was Relena... As someone born as a 'worthy' Norstein, she had her life of happiness completely set for her from the start. For that fleeting moment when I first met her in her crib, when no one else was around... I was envious of her. Envious of this infant with no developed volition of her own yet. Envious enough that I still remember the sensation of gripping those cold crib bars to this day..."

The older Norstein looked at his son with apprehension, but Tohma sent him a small, reassuring smile.

"But then... Relena smiled and held my hand from between the crib bars. She somehow managed to wipe away all those terrible thoughts I'd had just moments ago, just with that simple interaction. When I later learned about her condition... I knew I had to do something to keep that smile going. The rest is as you already know it."

Franz slowly nodded. "So that was what happened... You fought so hard for her, to help her keep that happiness in her life."

"Yes, and to grant her freedom from her ailment. She's the reason I understand freedom as I do today. I'll be as clear as I need to in order to communicate those freedoms. Do you get why I'm even bringing this up, Father?"

"I do... Now that Relena no longer has her condition, she's capable of carrying on the Norstein name. Yet despite that, Mother is insistent on you succeeding the name even now. And you have issues with that."

"The main issue lies in that... Relena regaining physical normalcy just gives Grandmother an easier grip to wrap her reins around the entire family. Even if I refuse, she has another option she sees as available to her now."

"You make it sound like she only sees you two as-"

"Prize horses, yes. That's how ridiculous this can and WILL be when you think about it."

"She would never..."

"Has she ever once in your life been an ally to you? Or was it always for the Norstein name?"

"...She's just concerned for the family given her age..."

"She was already unrelenting in her demands when I first met her, and age hasn't treated her any better, Father. You should know even more than me that she won't see things differently."

"Still..."

"Bottom line is... Relena's only just gotten freedom for the first time in her life. I won't let anyone take it away from her. But I'll do it in a way that doesn't compromise my own freedoms as well."

Franz could only make another sigh. He wanted to support his children, to give them everything they truly wanted. However, he had obligations coming from the family name to keep in consideration, and he couldn't simply abandon those obligations after upholding them all this time. He recognized that this was one of his main weaknesses, not being able to act when he felt like he needed to... Yet at that moment, he still had no idea what to do.

"If Grandmother still thinks the Nobel Prize was achieved as merely an act of offering to the Norstein name, then she has understood NOTHING about me after all these years." Tohma's last words to his father in that conversation were all he had left to say about the subject, for the next few days he had to dedicate his time to prepare for Masaru's return.

And once again, Franz was left trying to figure out how to do what was best in the end.

Do what was best... For himself? For his son? For Relena? For his mother? For the Norstein name?

For who?

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Tohma was fully aware that he'd gone off on a long, one-sided rant when he last spoke to his father, but over the years, he had come to realize that Franz was still the verbally meek man he always was. There had been a few instances when his father had been able to speak out beyond his expectations, but in the overall scheme of things, the old man was still very much acting as just another cog in the wheel of nobility. Once his father's authority cards had stopped working on him, Tohma found that he had a much more productive time just cutting down to business when it came to important talks.

In the most cynical perspective, receiving the Nobel Prize worked against him, as it made his grandmother even more determined to arrange a suitress. Now that Tohma had proved himself to be 'a worthy noble', even though that had never been his intent, his grandmother had magically found more reasons to want him to represent the Norsteins within the world of nobles. In order to do that, he would need a suitable 'partner'.

A wife, selected against his will.

But simply put, Tohma wanted no part of an arranged marriage. He wasn't going to repeat the same mistakes as his father.

At least not all considerations were cynical when it came to his father. He had a feeling that his father understood him, deep down. His father never conveyed any intention of making Tohma suffer the same fate as his own; he only presented the implications of it as he was pressured to do so.

...Perhaps Tohma had to get the dust to settle on his life before he could ever get a long heart-to-heart with his father. He had a feeling that spending that time would be cathartic for both of them. Until then...

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

A few days after Masaru confirmed his interest (ie demanded) to go to Austria with Tohma, he set foot outside Japan and the Digital World for the first time. By the time they had landed, the sun was already starting to set, so the two of them went to Tohma's private villa a short distance away from the main Norstein mansion.

It was a small house by Tohma's standards (but it was still bigger than Masaru's place in Yokohama), nestled in the midst of the bustling streets of Salzburg. It had two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a large roofed balcony on the second floor, a spacious living area with a working chimney, a kitchen with bar-style seating, and another spacious study area where Tohma did most of his work. Last but certainly not least, there was a workout area in the basem*nt, including a whole boxing ring, just like the one Tohma had back in Japan. That made it a second personal boxing ring...

Tohma outright admitted that he had arranged the location to get away from the noise of the nobles whenever he was in Austria. A quiet place without interruptions from the nobility was essential for his research, and most of all, he'd be out of the judging eyes of particular people...

Sure, there weren't interruptions from maids and butlers going in and out all the time (although Tohma noted that his butler and a maid would come over a couple times a week to do housework), but since the villa was smack dab between a barista cafe and a lunch restaurant, they would often hear the murmurs of people outside, people coming and going, socializing in various manners. Tohma said it was a welcome white noise as he worked in his study, or it was easy enough to play some music over it. Masaru inwardly agreed when Tohma played a track on his music system while giving the house tour. Even a simple piano tune was enough to cover up the outside murmurs.

"It's also a great boon at night, as those places close up when the sun is gone... This area gets extra quiet. It's quite remarkable."

Still, the villa setup didn't lend itself towards Masaru's goals of getting face-to-face with the other Norsteins right away. Tohma quickly assured him that the refuge was absolutely necessary. Either way, nothing would start immediately, as they just had a long flight, so Masaru simply made his way onto Tohma's bed once he settled in enough to get ready for sleep.

"So what's a good way to do this? Just drop in and say hi to your family, tell them you're in good hands and there's nothing to worry about?" Masaru kicked back on the bed as Tohma joined him on the other half. He idly noted that the bed was smaller than the one in Tohma's mansion back in Japan, as well as the room itself. But it was still a king-sized bed... And it was still a big room.

"Did you forget our plans already, after all the practice we did?"

"No, of course I didn't. But in the end, we only went through the starting intros and other baseline junk... none of the actual meat in between. Sure, you'll be the one doing most of the talking... but I want to set the record straight with them myself, too. Once they hear from the both of us, I'm sure they'll understand."

"There's no way it'll be that easy with my grandmother... And just how do you expect to communicate that to them, with only Japanese and your fists that you shouldn't be using?"

"Guts and determination!"

Tohma sighed. "As I still expected. Lend me your phone."

"Huh?"

"I'll ask my family to speak in Japanese when we're with them, but they're far more accustomed to speaking German and may slip into it at certain points. So I'll teach you to use the phone's auto translation functions that I just upgraded with my customizations."

Tohma fidgeted with Masaru's device for a couple minutes before he handed it back.

After a few grueling, hand holding tutorials, Masaru successfully translated some sentences Tohma threw at him in German. The brunet's eyes glittered once he experienced the result. His phone was able to transcribe Tohma's gibberish and display a Japanese translation of it even while Tohma was still speaking. On top of that, he could have the phone read the translation out loud to him... And even more, he could do the reverse by speaking to the phone in Japanese and have the phone relay the message in German. Tohma noted that English translation was an option as well.

"Whoa, this is wild..." Masaru looked at the phone in his hand as if he were looking at a new Digivice all over again. "But wait... If I could just use something like this, why did you have me study all that time before we got here?"

"It's still better if you can do at least the most basic things without having to rely on tools like this. And the technology's not perfect; it has plenty of limitations..." Tohma put out a short sigh of hesitation. "Things get misconstrued easily with machine translation, even with all the customization I've put into yours. I'm not genius enough to perfect machine translations anytime soon with how expansive each language can get. But I'll have you know that what you have is years and years ahead of what the current market can provide."

Masaru peeled his gaze from the phone back to Tohma.

"We don't have to head into the Norstein mansion right away tomorrow or anything like that, do we?"

"Not necessarily... Why do you ask?"

"Was just thinking it'd be better if I got some extra practice using this before diving into noble land..."

"Mm, sure... But we shouldn't keep my grandmother waiting too long. She knows that I was only supposed to be in Japan for one week, so she's expecting to see me soon."

"Got people stalking your schedule like that, huh? Yeesh... Do you ever catch a break?"

"Not when there's still so much left to do. With all the extra precautions we have to take when it comes to the Digital World, that just means there's that much more work I have to manually supervise-"

"I'm tired of business this and business that... That's all that's happened since we met back up." Masaru pointedly set the phone down and gave Tohma a serious look. "I'm finally back here in the human world with you, but all we've done is go through all these weird meetings or study... and then get silly with each other every night."

"Silly..." Tohma repeated unceremoniously. He went red. "Not every night..."

"Well yeah, you've been too distracted these past couple days to even get in the mood, but... Man, it's my first time overseas in the human... the Real World. You say that there's still so much left to do... Well, that should include taking a break once in a while to really cut loose."

"I had a good break with you back in the Digital World..."

"And that was the Digital World! There are things we can only do now that we're here... And we should do them."

"What exactly do you have in mind?"

"I dunno, I've barely even thought about being here until just a few days ago. There were plenty of things I could think of back in Japan, but we can save those for another time. Right now, we're here. Even if you don't have any plans in mind, I'm fine taking a day to just wander around town with you. Keep it loose and casual, aye?"

"Loose and casual, you say..."

"You gotta know what I mean by that by now, right?" Masaru jeered in Tohma's direction. "We'll do... non-noble things."

Tohma's typically tired-looking eyes had looked even more tired than usual for the past few days, but at that moment, they seemed to regain some light of life as Masaru's words settled in. Tohma gave a slow, resounding utterance. "Yeah."

Masaru grinned, although not with a full-powered smile. It seemed he was finally feeling a bit of jet lag after losing half a day to an airplane ride, yet he was still excited all the same for the prospects ahead. Nonetheless, it was such a warm smile...

"For one full day, before we do any family business... Make up for all those meeting errands and yucky studying you made me do... That good with you?"

"Yeah..."

"Then it's settled. We're going on a date tomorrow."

Chapter 10: Salzburg Date

Chapter Text

Leave it to Masaru to leave out the detail that a 'date' included an intense hour-long boxing session at Tohma's personal arena first thing in the morning. Furthermore, he insisted that they would have these sessions every day as long as he was there. Tohma was fine with the 'requirement', but he had to question why the fighter had to be so adamant about using the facilities so regularly in the first place.

"Hey, YOU'RE the one who has multiple boxing facilities. You've got one both here and in Japan... Gotta make sure both get good use!" Masaru attempted to reason as they cooled off.

With a towel wrapped around his shoulders, having just taken a quick shower with Tohma, Masaru scanned the area where the spacious villa remained devoid of other people.

"Well, you're here to use it now," Tohma said as he rested a hand on Masaru's arm in affection. "In the past, I've had trainers, pros, ex-pros and the like visit... but you're right. This is my private property and I have to personally invite others in order for them to use it. At some point, perhaps I'll open it up for public use as well."

"Now you're just trying to show off your celeb status."

"And you're amongst them."

"Pah. I'm just here to fight. Although... you've got my interest the next time you invite those pros over. I'll show you I can thrash 'em all the same as I do to you."

Tohma smiled. "I'd like to see you try."

.~.~.~.~

"Tohma, what's this?"

"Want to try it?"

"Hell ya!"

"Zwei Schnitzel, bitte."

The easiest way to start things out for the actual date was to venture out into the market streets and eat whatever looked nice. Long gone was the Tohma who used to try using his gold-embossed credit card to buy from the local shops. Here, he had plenty of cash on hand.

After an early lunch, the two made their way to the small shops in the shopping area of the city. The area was lightly covered in snow, and the weather overall called for mild snowfall throughout the day, so the two had bundled up in thick winter attire for their outing (Masaru had packed lightly for the trip since Tohma insisted that he would cover for anything he needed in the cold winters of Austria).

Rather than calmly window shopping like the usual tourist, however, Masaru was more like a man on a dire mission. Perhaps it was because he'd been in the Digital World for so long, or it was just in his nature, but the fighter didn't back down a single bit when it came to approaching the foreign people all around him. He didn't care how he looked as he pointed his phone at storekeepers and asked them random questions in Japanese for his phone to translate.

The storekeepers would gently humor him anyway, perhaps out of amusem*nt of the presence of a complete foreigner, or perhaps in amazement of the technology he was using to translate between the two languages. Finally at a tipping point, Masaru got so deep into the interactions that Tohma had to step in and apologize for the disturbance as he started pulling the brunet out of the store.

"Masaru, these people have jobs to do..."

"Hey, it's not like anyone else is here!" It was true; there were occasionally other people around in the shops, but like Masaru and Tohma, they were just sightseeing. All was telling that the rush of the previous holiday season was long over. "And they don't mind, right?"

Masaru tapped his phone and let it spit out the auto translation, after which the previous shop owner he was in front of laughed and said, "Not at all!" Masaru didn't need to look at his phone to grin back at the shop owner.

Tohma just smiled as well, though the smile didn't reach his eyes, and he continued pulling the brunet away.

"Hey, what's the big deal?" Masaru pouted as they ambled down the street, getting farther away from the store.

"It's not a big deal, at least as long as we're lucky enough..."

"What do ya mean?"

Tohma kept a stern face as he motioned towards Masaru's device with his other hand. "I mentioned that the technology on this phone is years ahead of its time, right? You really shouldn't just be using it every instance you're out here. There are multiple reasons why that is, and the most important one is that the masses need time to take things in incrementally."

"...Haa?"

"That phone processes things in real time much faster and more accurately than anything else out there currently, at least for that size. For any other person to be doing these things, they'd have to bring out a giant block that's larger than any of the laptops out there right now... Not to mention the size of the power source it'd have to draw from, and-"

"Tohma, get to the point."

"Look... I know you just wanted to get some practice in, but... only use it when you absolutely need to. I don't want to draw too much unnecessary attention."

"Maybe you could start with letting go of my arm, then?"

"....." Tohma had been holding onto Masaru's wrist like he was guiding some sort of lost child ever since they left the shop. In all honesty, he thought he could keep up the pretense of 'holding a lost person' until their next stop. Masaru looked absolutely brilliant in the black blazer coat and scarf he picked out of Tohma's wardrobe, and Tohma just wanted to bathe in the presence of the man he loved so dearly... But... the brunet had a point. "Ah..."

Tohma let go, and the two continued walking side-by-side on the chilly street. For a few blocks, they wandered between other sets of people who occasionally turned corners or went past them, as they weren't going particularly quickly for a lack of destination. He stole glances at the brunet every few steps, and each time, Masaru seemed to be occupied with the sights around him.

Yet things did not bode well with Tohma. He pined for the time when he could hold Masaru's hand without lingering anxieties hovering in his mind.

To think... In the Digital World, they could hold hands all they wanted, with only Digimon surrounding them... There had never been hesitation in his mind to do so ever since that fateful concert night.

But here, in the Real World... With all the judging bodies around them... Would there ever come a time without this difference of expectations?

"...I'll be fine with it whenever you are, Tohma."

Masaru's words cut into his thoughts. Suddenly, their eyes met, and they both stopped walking. They had just arrived at a more populated plaza area, and people nearby continued to walk around them as usual, at higher frequency.

Difference of... expectations? But wasn't that the entire point of Masaru's visit to Salzburg, to subvert those expectations? If he didn't start now, when would he actually start?

He took a slow and deep breath, observing the fog his exhale produced, then reached out for Masaru's arm again. This time, he wrapped his own arm around Masaru's in a link hold, then secured the hold with his hand in his pocket. In this way, it could've been interpreted as two buddies just sticking close together to keep warm. Many of the ladies around them linked arms with each other as they walked around anyway, so why couldn't the two of them do just the same?

It was... a start. He had other reasons why he didn't want to stand out, in this particular place... But as long as Masaru was physically there with him, he wanted to keep him close by.

Masaru simply gave him a knowing smirk as they started walking again.

"I was getting tired of holding up the device all the time anyway, so I'll let you do the interpreting work for the rest of the day."

"So now you're going to have ME ask all your mundane questions to every shopkeeper you can bother?"

"Hey, I won't slave-drive ya. I was forcing myself to come up with conversations with those shopkeepers. 'What're you selling here?' or 'What does this do?' you know, just things to PRACTICE with... I'm not genius enough to instantly be perfect with this stuff on the spot..."

Tohma rolled his eyes as he caught Masaru casually mocking him.

"Well, at least you got some good practice in. Any idea what place you want to see next?"

"That clothes store has a bunch of funny looking hats! Let's check that out! They'll let us try them on, right?"

Tohma looked ahead of where Masaru was pointing, where he saw a fancy boutique with a variety of bowler hats, talls hats, and similar objects on display. "I'm sure that's fine with them. I've gotten a suit tailored there before."

As they approached the boutique, Masaru leaned into their locked arm hold, practically resting his head against Tohma's shoulder. Tohma let him lean in, allowing himself to welcome the surge of warmth that Masaru gave... But it was only for a moment.

The brunet lifted himself off when a certain figure approached them, but he kept their arms linked. The figure stood alone, stopping right in front of their direct view. Tohma froze in place.

"Tohma, fancy seeing you here."

Before they could enter the boutique, right outside the shop, seemingly by pure coincidence... was a familiar face he'd seen only days earlier, in the same city. A face he didn't expect to see again so soon...

She was overdressed for a city outing, wearing a white and excessively fluffy fur coat that billowed around her long, also fluffed-up skirt. Even on the snowy streets, she was in high platform heels that peeked out from below the depths of her long skirt. On her head, she carried a wide-brimmed hat that wrapped around her chin with ribbons and her French beige hair.

She seemed to have a fine handle on herself, despite looking like a fluffed up bird of sorts. Of course, Tohma would never vocalize those observations.

"Hey Tohma, who's this co*ckatrice-looking lady?"

Tohma felt the end of his mouth twitch. Of course Masaru would say that without hesitation. At least it broke Tohma out of his frozen demeanor, and he gently let go of his link with Masaru's arm to present more of himself to the newcomer.

The 'co*ckatrice' lady politely tipped her head in Masaru's direction. "The name is Clarisse, if I may make your acquaintance."

"Whoa, you speak Japanese?? Uhh, I'm Masaru."

"My apologies, but this is the extent of my Japanese for now. I need to have some words with Tohma..."

She responded in an unamused tone. "It's a coincidence. I go on a routine walk almost every weekend around town, and I've been doing this for the past few years. YOUR appearance is the outlier here."

"Is that so..."

"I'm usually here with a friend or two, but not today... And with all due respect, Salzburg is a rather small place, Tohma. Is it so surprising that we came across each other here?"

"I can't even have a day of peace to myself here unless I hermit in my villa, apparently."

"You have your own villa here? That's the first I've heard of it..." It was easy to see that Clarisse wasn't the type to be good at toning down her emotions, and her voice carried serious concern upon hearing what was news to her.

Meanwhile, Tohma wasn't making an effort to tone down his feelings on the matter as well. "I'm sure Grandmother lets that detail 'slip' from her mind quite frequently, as she assumes she can have me summoned to the Norstein mansion no matter where I am regardless."

" I did find it unusual that she'd never give me a straight answer whenever I asked about your current whereabouts..."

"Surely she would rather keep up the pretenses that I live in complete unity with the rest of the Norsteins, rather than have to offer explanations to anyone about why that isn't the case."

"...I wish I knew why your relationship with your grandmother is so strained. She's always been such a sweet lady to me..."

"It's not something you need to be concerned about. She's not going to be your in-law or anything..."

"......"

Tohma looked to his side for the first time since starting their conversation, and he saw Masaru shifting glances between them in complete confusion. 'He could take his phone out to at least translate what we're saying...' he thought, but then he remembered that Masaru had intentionally stowed away his phone for the rest of their date.

"Clarisse, like I said before... you deserve what's best for you. And you know that it's not-"

"I do know... I just... need more time to work it through."

A staunch of silence ensued, and Tohma realized it was his cue to move on. He motioned towards Masaru to start moving away, but the brunet just stood there in continuous confusion.

"Let's go, Masaru."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Go." Tohma turned one last time to the lady in waiting and spoke in the most sincere tone he could muster for the moment. "Again... I wish you the best, Clarisse. Goodbye."

Clarisse didn't seem as willing to answer as sincerely in return, but she still responded nonetheless. She tilted her face away and her eyes remained locked in dismay in his direction. "Goodbye, Tohma."

She was about to walk away, when Masaru suddenly lobbed a small fist against Tohma's chin, and her attention was brought back. Tohma looked at him with wide eyes, literally gobsmacked.

"The girl's practically crying, Tohma. What'd you DO to her?!"

"What? We were just talking!"

"Then why does she have a face like the whole world is about to come crashing down on her?!"

Clarisse stepped forward with her head held high to meet on eye level with Masaru. Her expression turned on a dime, and she no longer looked anything like Masaru had described. "I'm fine, really," she spoke up in Japanese.

"You sure? Tohma can be pretty dim-witted about people's feelings, so if he's done anything out of line to you, just-"

"No, no, that's not the case at all..." Clarisse started to follow up.

"Speak for yourself, Masaru!" Tohma interjected, hand coddled against his stinging chin. "I could refute so many parts about your claim right now..."

"Haa? Try me."

"There, THAT. Your brashness has interrupted Clarisse's attempt to move on with her day. I'm sure she has other things she needs to d-"

"If you hadn't left her looking as sad as she was, I wouldn't have minded whatever conversation you had! But a man shouldn't willy-nilly ruin a lady's day and expect no retribution for it. Now go apologize to her, or something! Fix it!"

Tohma paused at the fighter's words, at a loss for words. And in that pause, Clarisse made a small laugh. It was a laugh mixed with a number of moods that Tohma couldn't quite read, but that was no doubt Clarisse's intent anyway.

"So this is who I lost to, huh?"

A bolt of deja-vu struck a chord in Tohma's mind. A vision of bleak darkness, of the BioHybrid, Nanami telling Tohma that she had lost to Masaru, rather than Tohma himself...

The circ*mstances were quite different this time, however. They were in broad daylight, for one. They were surrounded by passersby, and Masaru himself was standing next to him... by his side. Instead of holding an overwhelming sense of self loss, Tohma held only inquisitive concern for the lady in their presence.

Masaru blinked repeatedly at her in confusion. Clarisse laughed again at the sight, but a note of lightheartedness sang in her tone this time.

"Rest assured, Mr. Masaru. Tohma's not to blame for my troubles. This is something for me to deal with, on my own terms."

"If you're so sure... If you need anything, any friend of Tohma is a friend of mine. Man's word."

Tohma tilted his head in his companion's direction. "I didn't realize you had such a chivalrous streak in your lectures about manliness."

"Hey now. Just keeping it real, y'know," Masaru turned to face Clarisse, who returned his gaze with steady eyes. "But again, if you're fine, then you're fine. Ladies have a strength of their own that men can't emulate."

Both Tohma and Clarisse had their eyes on the brunet at that point. And Tohma felt it once again... A special sort of clearing in his thoughts that only Masaru and the other Daimons could make happen. Masaru especially had a way of making even the most heavy burdens on him suddenly seem... relatively trivial, completely normal, and that everything would be all right.

Clarisse and Tohma shared glances with each other next, and once again, everything seemed so clear.

She was fine.

"Yes, yes... I think we've had enough of your manly speeches for the moment, Masaru," Tohma tugged Masaru's arm, and he made sure not to let go.

"When will you be seeing your grandmother next, Tohma?" Clarisse asked.

"Tomorrow for afternoon tea. Have you spoken to her yet regarding our arrangements?"

"Only briefly, but she was not so receptive... as expected. I'll need to speak to her again, when I can deem it a good time..."

Masaru blinked at their exchange, but he didn't butt in.

"Well, you have my contact information if you need it," Tohma commented courteously.

"Hmm? You won't be ghosting me?"

"Ghosting?"

"Err... Ignoring my calls and messages, pretending like I don't exist."

"I see... You understood Masaru's perspective on manliness that he explained earlier, right? I'll be keeping that in mind."

"....."

"We really should get going. Goodbye again, Clarisse."

"Goodbye, you two."

Once inside the boutique, Tohma made it a point not to look back outside. The shopkeeper greeted him, and he greeted back. It was someone he hadn't seen before, which he was thankful for, as he needed some extra space for the moment... It seemed the shopkeeper had also seen them standing outside the boutique for a while, as he gave the pair some time to themselves after the short greeting.

"So... What was that conversation all about anyway?" Masaru asked, idly looking at the mannequins set up at the front area.

"Clarisse... she was the suitress my grandmother sent."

Masaru balked. "She was?? She totally talked to you like you were old friends or something. That was the atmosphere I got out of it, at least."

"She's not the typical noble, that's for sure. Her family name is prestigious, full of money, and owns a few global businesses around here. She fits the bill in all aspects, so my grandmother has been pushing... THAT agenda."

"Does your family even need more money?"

Tohma made an emphasized blink. "Of course not. But it's the prestige that matters..."

"The prestige that matters... To get your family's approval?"

"Essentially, yes."

"Then I just gotta prove my prestige too, don't I?"

"Nobility doesn't see fist-fighting as anything prestigious..."

"I've got more than that! Everything I've done in the Digital World-"

"The challenge is getting my grandmother to understand the value in that. As far as she's concerned, the Digital World means nothing to her."

"Well, that's only 'cause she's never been there, and we're changing that, right?"

"There are complications with that idea as well..."

"Aggh, this isn't the time for that kind of talk anyway! Let's save it for later..."

"Funny to see you take the atmosphere into account for once."

"Hahah... The shopkeep's coming over." Masaru hushed up as the shopkeeper finally approached them again and asked them in English if they had any questions.

Tohma tended to the shopkeeper, asking if they could try on the hats on display. They went to try them on after getting approval, although it was rather obvious from the silence that their minds weren't focused in the moment.

Not focused... Not even Tohma, who normally prided himself in being able to shake off his emotions if they were interfering with his goals... When push came to shove however, his goals were inherently tied to his emotions in the first place. Emotions stood at the essence of Digisoul, after all.

Over time, he had learned to accept the advent of emotions that came with the turnings of life. But even if he accepted the advent, that didn't change what he felt about the situations that hit home for him. Having Masaru there with him, knowing his intentions and agreeing with those intentions... It only drove in the message further.

Tohma's nobility didn't matter in the Digital World. If he'd had the luxury, he wondered if he might've done something similar as Masaru and stayed in the Digital World himself. The thought honestly never came to him until Relena was cured and his grandmother started giving him more 'attention'...

But for him, staying only in the Digital World truly meant running away from reality. Even his private villa was a form of escape, and he could only rely on it as long as his conscience would allow him.

His eyes settled on Masaru as the brunet picked out his fifth hat and tried it on, adjusting its position with the aid of a full body mirror on display... He was going from simplest to most fancy, and this was a silk hat that came with an ornate feather and fabric flower arrangement.

Masaru was free to go wherever he wanted. The fact that the fighter was there with him, at that moment... there FOR him... was enough drive for Tohma to commit to settling issues with his grandmother once and for all.

"Don't think I've actually seen anyone wear a top hat... No wait, there was that Ganemon that one time... Ugh, I only remember him 'cause he was trying to con Agumon into selling the coliseum. I made sure he won't go around conning people ever again though."

"I can already tell how that went down."

"How's it look on me, Tohma?"

Tohma gave him an extensive and serious lookover, seeing that with the long blazer coat, the hat didn't seem much out of place with the overall appearance. "It's... not bad, actually. You naturally look good in just about anything."

"Oh..." Masaru went quiet again as Tohma kept looking back at him. His fidgeting made it all too apparent that he wasn't used to receiving such compliments from Tohma, and Tohma only found that all the more endearing.

"And what about you? They've got hats in lighter colors over here, too. I wanna see how they look on ya!"

The brunet pulled Tohma by his hand so casually, disregarding being in the sight of anyone else in the shop--they were few, but they were there. And likely because of Masaru's use of foreign language, the two of them were drawing a bit of attention around them... It wasn't enough for anyone to approach them, however, and with some relief, Tohma went on to oblige his partner's request.

Masaru was such an unorthodox choice. But it was Tohma's choice. And there was only so much the noble could do to see that his family and others around him would respect his decision. If not... then he could only keep at it until they did. That was all there was to it.

In their preparations for the next day's greeting at the Norstein's, Tohma only went over scenarios to ensure that no one would 'step out of line' while they would be sitting down together in the same room for a certain period of time. But knowing Masaru, something was bound to go awry, and that was well within calculations... and thus, Tohma bid this extra day to affirm his commitments in his mind.

.~.~.~.~

Masaru was never one for complicated thoughts, but he knew Tohma had to be going through a lot of them in recent days.

Complicated things, namely things like dealing with the Digital World's future, dealing with family, dealing with MASARU... all while trying to fit into multiple, various roles as an adult.

Within those generally complicated matters, Tohma's family matters seemed to have an especially large can of worms waiting to spill out. Sure, Masaru had his own share of drama with his father in the past, but looking back on it, it had all been drama external to his actual family, and they had all only gotten caught up in it. Losing his father to the Digital World for ten years, getting involved with Yggdrasil's skepticism against humans... These happenings... these tribulations... they only brought his already close family even closer in the end. The ties within his family were as positively tight-knit as most anyone could hope for.

With Tohma, however... it was all internal. Tohma's family itself had issues to deal with, all stemming from some nobility business or whatever it was he was dealing with since ages past. Masaru had come along, assuming he could do something about it, even though he didn't have any solid plans in mind. Even now, after spending a day with Tohma in Salzburg, he still didn't know what to do.

Tohma's family... Tohma's sister seemed really kind and sweet, and Masaru could readily see that Tohma cared for her just as much, if not more, than Masaru cared for Chika. The only reason he even thought to compare it like that was because Tohma went off to find a cure that won him a Nobel Prize, just for her...

Masaru had met Tohma's father for only a brief moment, long ago, after the Yggdrasil fight... but he had never spoken to him. He knew he needed to have a good talk with the Norstein father at some point. And there were apparently others in Tohma's family that he hadn't met yet... Tohma's grandmother in particular.

"For your information, my father and grandmother can both speak Japanese. You'll need to use the translator for any of the Norstein attendants who aren't my personal butler, however."

After a long day out in the town and coming back from dinner at a restaurant Masaru picked out (randomly), the two bundled up around Tohma's fireplace for some quality time under a giant, thick blanket. Quality time... Without most of their clothes on. Masaru called it skinship.

"Where IS your butler, anyway? He came with us on the plane ride and dropped us off here, but I haven't seen him around since then."

"He's stationed at the main Norstein mansion until I message if I need something from him. He's honoring my request for private space while I'm here, otherwise..."

"Uh huh..."

The brunet got the message a while back that the Tohma he used to know who had his butler do most of his 'busywork' was no longer there, and the Tohma nowadays relished in his 'independence' as an adult. It was still a bit of a funny sight whenever Tohma tried to play it off as if it were all a natural part of growing up, as if everyone had a butler and maids in their lives. That butler was still almost always around when they were back in Japan, after all... Always there to prepare perfectly nutrient-balanced premium meals and do all the other housework, along with the other maids... Even though the butler wasn't present for the moment, there was evidence of the butler and maids' handiwork all over the villa, with the sparkling tabletops and not a speck of dust to be seen anywhere.

These thoughts ran through Masaru's head as he stared at Tohma's chest, which was barely covered by a white silk chiffon drape he'd put on seemingly just for show. Meanwhile, Masaru was perfectly fine going straight under the blanket without anything on.

Yet the look on Tohma's face... The man always looked tired, but as the light of fireplace flames reflected across his expression, highlighting the slight bags under his eyes, Masaru couldn't help but consider... Tohma was only 20 years old, yet it was like he had already lived through an entire renown doctor's AND a renown science researcher's career... and then some. He'd done so much for his sister and for the future of the Digital World... but what had he done for himself thus far? What had the Norstein family done for him?

The fighter bopped his head into Tohma's barely covered chest, and he wrapped his arms under the drape and around Tohma's back.

Tohma didn't immediately react to Masaru's advances. "I should send him word of our schedule tomorrow..." He was still thinking about the butler.

"Tohma... The day's not over." Masaru moved his hands to wrap around the blond's shoulders. "We're not heading into the deep end until tomorrow, so for tonight... Stop thinking about it."

"....."

"I know that's easier said than done, but... At least try, for yourself."

Tomorrow, they sought only one thing from Tohma's family... Acceptance. Acceptance to just be who they were. The sort of thing Masaru never thought about until it sort of smacked him in the face.

Just that one thing meant so much to the young Norstein, yet in that moment, it was apparent in Tohma's eyes that it was also the one thing most far away from reach.

Masaru was fully on terms with his feelings for Tohma. He still had so much he wanted to do with him, be it working towards the future of the Digital World or just going on simple dates and experiencing the wonders of life. In Tohma's words, words that reverberated in his head every so often ever since he heard them those few years back... 'One world isn't big enough for the both of us.'

At the same time as having these ambitions, he didn't want to pressure Tohma out of his family duties. He'd fight tooth and nail to make sure Tohma had all the support he needed. But if Tohma's own family wasn't going to provide the support, then that just meant Masaru had to step up his manliness and do it himself.

But family was important, too...

Still, regardless of what could happen... He refused to back down when it came to his feelings all the same.

He loved Tohma, and Tohma loved him back. Whatever fight he'd have to go through in order to get others to accept it, he was willing to tackle... Even if he couldn't literally tackle it. He knew the difference between being manly and just being violent, and this was the time to prove his manliness went beyond his fist.

Tohma's grandmother wanted 'prestige', and in Masaru's own viewpoint, he had prestige in spades when it came to fistfights and the Digital World. But apparently Tohma's grandmother didn't see value in anything pertaining to fighting, Digimon, or the Digital World... With the way things were for the moment, with no one else even allowed to go to the Digital World...

Well... he hadn't even met the grandmother yet, so there was only so much he could ponder to begin with. If he tried to think about it any deeper, things would just get complicated in his head. So he followed his own advice and stopped thinking about it. Instead, he concentrated on what was in front of him... Tohma.

Just for that night, he wanted to feel Tohma in his arms before heading into that 'deep end' the next day.

Tohma brought a hand up to Masaru's bare waist and pressed their bodies closer, bringing the brunet's face up to meet him.

After a long kiss, Tohma leaned the both of them down onto the soft carpet and proceeded to touch everything he had access to. "I don't trust myself to be completely free of distractions tonight, but tell me we can do this again once we're truly free..."

"This, as in get silly with each other in front of a fireplace?"

"Silly? You're still calling it that?" Tohma said with a frown.

"I can call it other things... I was calling it skinship just earlier, but we're moving past that, obviously..." Masaru twisted his lips for a short moment and then in a quick tone shift, narrowed his eyes. "We're making love."

Tohma went still, as if he hadn't been expecting such a straight-laced wording.

Masaru went on. "And of course we can do this again. It's exactly what I want..."

He didn't put to words the whole context of what he wanted... that he wanted Tohma's look of bliss whenever they made contact... Tohma's deep gasps of relief whenever he released his emotions from inside... Tohma's warmth in its purest simplicities, physically and emotionally.

He wanted so much... And with every moment of intimacy with Tohma, he'd engrave another memory to make certain that Tohma felt the same way.

Chapter 11: The Suitress

Chapter Text

During Tohma's 'errand' in Austria, back while Masaru was busy spending time with his family, the young noble originally thought that the order coming from his family was to simply show his face in the main Norstein mansion, considering he hadn't done so since receiving his Nobel Prize. He'd still see his father on occasion, as he dropped by Tohma's private location in order to check on Relena, who was spending increasingly longer periods there when she wasn't instead in Japan. Truth be told, there was no medical reason for Relena to spend time at Tohma's private location instead of the main mansion at any point. She simply liked being at Tohma's villa, likely for reasons similar to Tohma's. She was always welcome company.

Anyway, Tohma did realize he was perhaps being a little too dismissive when he declined several requests to appear in the Norstein mansion in the recent year... He had honestly just been too busy with Digital World matters to even think about dealing with anything that involved his household name.

But this order... He'd received news that his grandmother had fallen ill, and his presence was once again requested. This time, he had no excuse valid enough to pardon him.

The pessimistic side of his mind had instantly assumed it was a trap. The timing of it was all too shrewd as the Norsteins should've known he was supposed to be in Japan that whole week to make progress on dealings with the Digital World. With Relena cured and Tohma's 'contributions to society' secured, the Norsteins had no reason to care whatsoever for the Digital World. So calling him back during such a crucial time for the Digital World was just another passive-aggressive way for his grandmother to give a message. Again, that was his pessimistic outlook.

His optimistic side had hoped nothing truly serious was happening, that his grandmother had actually fallen ill but not seriously so, that it was just a minor cold and old age was lending to exacerbating the event. But ultimately, his pessimistic side brought down even that thought, as he just flat-out knew that regardless of whether it was a trap or not, nothing good was to come out of the summoning.

His pessimistic side won. His grandmother didn't seem any different from when he last saw her, aside from the usual signs of aging. Considering that she was hardly beyond the age when other non-nobles were retiring, of course she was fine. Fine... physically.

She made no apology for feigning illness. The first thing out of her mouth when she saw Tohma, after basic greetings, was an intent for Tohma to meet a certain someone... a suitress. The suitress had already met Tohma some months previous, but only briefly... And Tohma had definitely not been in the headspace to deal with the situation back then, having spent all of his waking hours arranging approvals for Masaru's return. He hadn't even had a proper conversation with this suitress.

And the suitress was already invited to spend the night... With him, in his room. In fact, she was already waiting in his room when his grandmother disclosed the information.

"Nothing subtle about this at all, I see," Tohma muttered as he got ready to leave his grandmother's room. "It'd be a disaster if the public were to find out about this."

But who actually kept track of them 24/7 like that? No one but themselves, obviously. They didn't carry any of the celebrity status that royalty had, and even though Tohma's Nobel Prize had elevated his family's status, that highlight was only momentary for the media. Now that the cameras were gone, the usual underhanded happenings of the upper class could thrive with little scrutiny.

His grandmother didn't even think to comment on his departing words. She likely knew just as well that Tohma had no interest in making an exposé out of himself or the family.

The whole outcome was absolutely outrageous, and he wanted to do anything he could to get out of it.

If things had gone his way, he would've withdrawn from the building right there and then to hermit back into his personal villa. However, a massive blizzard swept in while he was in the mansion, and no one was allowed to leave that night. They would have to wait until dawn the next day for the weather to clear up before they could set foot outside.

He had his suspicions when the private Norstein aircraft had brought him in late into the day, so that by the time he reached the mansion, it was already near sleeping hours. The blizzard coming in at that exact timing solidified those suspicions... Everything was intentional, even the timing with the blizzard.

Tohma was ready to physically march out there himself, sneaking past all the attendants in the mansion, even defying his own butler. The distance to his villa was nothing compared to the distances he'd cross in his morning running routine. However, as soon as he opened the door to head outside, pushing past his butler who tried to stop him, he was met with an explosive wind howl and a fierce blast of icy snow in his face. If he had left the door open for a second longer, surely something would have left a deep mark on his pale skin, penetrating even the thick scarf he was wearing.

He quickly came to understand the risk that would occur on him if he were to remain in that blizzard for more than a few minutes, trudging through snow that had already almost built up to his knees. The intensity of the blizzard was so severe that even his strong will ended up listening to his instincts to stay inside the mansion. The snow itself wasn't as much of an issue--the piercing wind in such negative temperatures was the greater threat. This particular winter in Austria was far more intense than anything he'd experienced before.

He sighed with a full breath as came to recognize the situation. He had basically been confined to spend a night with the suitress, alone in his own room.

On the flip side, he knew he had to face up to his situation sooner or later. He had to make his intentions clear at some point, and if he started by declining suitresses, perhaps the rest of his message would be easier for his family to process. A slim chance that it'd be any easier to process, really...

His grandmother had given him a 'fact sheet' on the suitress to go over before he went to his room.

Clarisse "Cherish", an extra name that had been added implying that there was the option to call her that if so inclined. She was a year younger than him. A Salzburg native. The portrait attached to the sheet had her in an extravagant, vintage dress as if she were going to a Victorian ballroom dance. There was no actual requirement to be dressed as such for a suitress portrait; it was simply how she had decided to present herself. Such ballroom dances were still popular in the capital city, Vienna, after all.

Tohma memorized the sheet by the time he reached his room, and he knocked on the door without hesitation. It was a strange feeling, knocking on the door to his own bedroom, even though it was a room he rarely used in recent years.

"Yes? I'm here," came a feminine voice, spoken in German.

The sooner he could deal with it, the better. Tohma opened the door and found her sitting at the edge of his bed. She was already in her sleeping attire, modestly covered and laced up for the chilly and stormy winter night.

Tohma promptly presented her with a greatly toned down, yet still courteous smile. "Clarisse? I'm Tohma H. Norstein."

Clarisse's eyes lit up upon hearing her name called. She was holding a book about advanced economics, although surely she hadn't been focusing too well on it considering how dimly lit the room was. Her bookmark remained wedged between the early pages of the book.

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm very familiar... I've been looking forward to this. It's good to finally be with you, Tohma," she responded with subdued enthusiasm. "I do hope you're okay with this arrangement..."

Tohma observed how she was sitting on his bed, the sheets behind her in slight disarray from being clutched before his arrival. He took a deep breath. "Unfortunately, no... I'm not okay with it."

"What? But..." Her voice trailed off, obviously apprehensive about completing her thought.

It was sleeping hours, but Tohma didn't feel a hint of tiredness in his body. It wasn't just the jetlag (although he did sleep on the ride over), and even if it was, he had little intention of sleeping during his time there. Sleeping was out of the question when... something like this was happening in his room.

Earlier, he had requested his coat to be brought to him so that he could take it to his room. Normally, the attendants would take the outerwear to keep them in a separate room, but he had reasons for keeping his coat on his person.

He pulled the long ottoman in front of his bed a good two meters away. It was an extra long ottoman with storage space that he'd gotten to store most of the extraneous records and heirlooms concerning his noble name, records and heirlooms that he could honestly leave at any point... The ottoman itself was just long enough to support his height if he laid down on it. He placed his folded-up coat to the side and sat down on the ottoman, facing Clarisse's direction. The coat would function as a decent cushion if he needed to rest his head for the night. Even though he wasn't getting any more sleep, he could feel a headache looming in at any moment.

"I'll be staying on this ottoman tonight. I'll move it out farther when you're ready to sleep, but we can talk until then if you'd like."

Clarisse opened her mouth, but nothing came out. After a while, she closed her mouth again and then just shifted her position awkwardly on the bed.

Tohma continued out of sympathy. "Please, don't take it personally. That's to say that... This isn't your fault. You just have the misfortune of this situation being what it is..."

"I don't understand..." she started off quietly, lost.

"I have no intention of abiding with an arranged marriage. I don't want you getting your hopes up for something that absolutely won't happen."

"Absolutely? How could you say that without even having so much as a conversation with me first?"

Tohma didn't respond immediately, and Clarisse took it as a sign to continue speaking.

"Well, maybe we should break the ice a bit. I'm sure you've read my fact sheet, but that has limits on what it says about me. After you know more about me, maybe you'll change your mind."

Once again, Tohma didn't respond, and it was with full intention. One step at a time... He didn't need to explain himself quite yet, especially when this suitress was so occupied with trying to make an appeal to him.

They spoke for a few minutes, with Clarisse leading the conversation as she put more context into her background.

She was beautiful. She was kind. She was lovely.

She was relatively cultured too--she wasn't some stereotypical sheltered noble. She had mingled with many cultures, knowing German, Dutch, Spanish, French, Italian, and decent bits of many other languages like Russian, Chinese, Korean, and... Yes, Japanese. She certainly wasn't on the same 'prodigy' level of Tohma, with his mastery of hundreds of languages, but from the perspective of her peers, she was well ahead of the curve. While many of the other noble ladies of her age were fully entrenched in the gossips of modern trendy cultures, Clarisse made it a point to take a step back and look at society as a fuller whole. History and the lessons taken from history were in her main interests, but she made the intent to stay informed about current events as she humanly could, and it showed from her displays of knowledge.

Her family owned a well established company with several manufacturing factories throughout the country as well as overseas in China. When asked about the status of business affairs within her family, she had confident and competent answers to follow through.

She was impressive, admirable... Taut with most everything that would leave a deep impression with anyone under ordinary circ*mstances.

But she wasn't the one Tohma loved.

She couldn't save Tohma from the shackles that the Norsteins kept trying to lock him in.

Tohma never did touch his bed that night. As he settled onto the ottoman with his phone in hand, Clarisse expressed her shock that he could even tolerate sleeping away from his bed. She assumed he was going to sleep eventually since the hours were turning quite late.

Tohma gazed past her, to the dimly lit lamp near the bedside that provided just enough visibility into the room at night. It was expected that the lamp would be on all night. The atmospheric lighting, combined with the howling winds of the snowstorm outside, reminded Tohma of the Digital World and the nights he spent in caves and hideouts. "I've slept under much rougher conditions. Don't worry about me."

After spending their whole conversation keeping a pleasant face, Clarisse finally furrowed her eyebrows in a wince. "...You don't want to share a bed with me that much, is that it?"

Tohma stayed frank. "It's out of the question. It wouldn't be right of me to do so."

Clarisse sighed.

"I knew it. Your heart is set on someone else already..."

Tohma didn't respond again. The lack of denial only signaled confirmation to her.

The lady who had originally intended to sleep soon found herself at the edge of the bed instead of under the sheets. "Who is it?! How did you meet?!"

"How we met..." Tohma found it a bit strange that the consecutive second question was asked in the same tone of urgency as the first.

While he considered, Clarisse pointed out another tidbit...

"I mean, this is quite frankly our fifth time meeting..."

Tohma had to do a double take on that statement. He considered himself to be more observant than the average person, yet he had no idea they had met that many times already. He could recall at most two other occasions where they had met--one immediately following the arrangement a couple months ago, and another at some other noble gathering he'd been forced to attend the day afterwards... The two never even had the opportunity to speak to each other during those events. He wasn't even in Austria after that. He had to assume the other two times occurred prior to the arrangement, meaning that she had already been aware of Tohma on two other full occasions, while Tohma had no memory of such.

After all that, this was their first time having a conversation... He stopped himself short of vocalizing his deduction. It would only serve to embarrass her further.

"If only we had properly met sooner..." her forlorn voice cut through his thoughts.

"I'm sorry to say it, but that wouldn't have made a difference," Tohma stated. "I never intended to marry under this kind of setup. It'd be repeating my father's mistakes, and that's the last thing I'd ever do. That's all there is to it."

Clarisse's eyes widened in silence before she finally let out a resigned sigh. "I see... And what if I hadn't been introduced as a suitress to begin with..."

"Either way, we'd be business acquaintances at most. Even after all this, I would ask that to be the extent of our connection."

"Not even... as friends?"

"...That might have been possible if I weren't a noble."

"You truly don't have much faith in your nobility, do you."

"It's not about that. I've come to terms with who I am, and I'll always recognize that there's noble blood inside me. But BECAUSE I've come to terms with who I am... My noble relationships will only ever reach business level."

"What's that even supposed to mean?"

"It means that there's a firm boundary between my identity as a noble and my identity as... Just myself. Do you know what it's like, being able to exist without any ties to your noble title?"

"...I can't really say that's something I've bothered to think about. Why bother when it's not what I am?"

"That's what I thought at first as well, before I met him."

"Him...?"

"Thanks to him, I can dream in ways I never could as a noble. Thanks to him, I have dreams that carry far beyond the importance of any nobility, dreams bound by no such limits." Tohma paused for a moment, and their eyes met for the first real time that night. "Thanks to him, I can be my true self."

Clarisse looked dumbstruck at Tohma's words. "But no matter what, you're a Norstein by blood... You're a noble, no matter how much you try to separate yourself from being one."

"I shape my own identity in the end. I have my own principles. And those principles aren't bound by noble rules in ANY capacity," Tohma countered sternly, but softened up immediately after. "However, it's true that I was raised to be a Norstein from a very young age, so many of the typical noble habits have had their way with me..."

"Wait... you aren't a Norstein by birth?"

"Not completely. My mother was Japanese, and I spent my youngest childhood days with her. I didn't come to Austria until after my fifth birthday. Even then, I wasn't accepted as a true Norstein for a long time..."

Clarisse furrowed her eyebrows again, disturbed by the details she was hearing. "Your grandmother never mentioned anything of this manner."

"You mean she never mentioned anything about my mother? My true beginnings?"

"No... She said you were a well-traversed, prime example of a noble... that you were practically flawless. There was simply no room for any deviance in the level of confidence she had in you."

Tohma felt something turn dense in his mind, and he decided to clear off some of the pieces plaguing it. "Of COURSE she'd say something like that to you, in order to paint me in the best color possible."

"'Paint' you? Is that how you see this?"

"I'm not surprised whatsoever; she's always been like this. A long time ago, she made it very strict with me that I'm not to speak to anyone about my mother... She even tried to forbid me from speaking about her to my own father."

"That's so..." Clarisse didn't finish her sentence.

"I even obeyed her for the majority of my childhood. It wasn't until I was fourteen when I finally disobeyed... I still remember that moment clearly in my mind. I lashed out at my father, who never once defended my mother's dignity before that point."

Clarisse, clearly realizing she wasn't getting much sleep that night, adjusted her sitting position on the edge of the bed.

"Things were complicated back then as well," Tohma continued. "But since then... There's been no turning back. If I truly want happiness, I have to pave the path to it myself."

"Complicated back then as well, you say... Meaning things are complicated now all the same?"

"Yes... I've reached a minimal understanding with my father since then, but there's still much more to it now."

"Then... Because of... him? This person who brought about your true self?"

"...In large part, yes..."

"Please... Tell me about him."

Once again, Tohma fell silent. This time, there was an atmosphere of uncertainty in his hesitation rather than point-blank defiance.

"Please..." Clarisse repeated. She looked him straight in the eyes. "I promise to keep it private. I just need to know... To fill this void. I want to know."

Tohma looked back at her, and after another pause, nodded. If there was anything he could do to ease the tension in the room, to give both of them some peace of mind, even if only a bit... this was it.

He explained how he first met Masaru, leaving out all mentionings of Digimon and DATS and just focusing on the time he spent with the fighter. He described the times when Masaru went out of his way to help him, claiming it was in the name of his principles (his manliness), the times when Masaru's brashness had led them through thick and thin, despite Tohma's differing judgment... However, those were just the starting basics, and certainly, a number of others would have been able to do the same thing... To some extent.

Just... no one would... COULD take it to the extent that Masaru did. Others would have quickly backed down in the face of Tohma's near indoctrinating pressure, but Masaru would only take that pressure as fuel for his own fire. A fire that lit everything in its path and consumed Tohma with nearly everything he had... And once Tohma had managed to rise past the scorch, he learned that having that spark continuously inspire him was what he was missing in life.

It was all fluff at a certain point, but Clarisse listened without interrupting. She sat near the edge of the bed in full attention as Tohma went into details... as much as he could without divulging too much into the confidentials.

"When all is said and done, I wouldn't be here as I am now if not for him..."

"All right... I've got a better understanding now, Tohma. Thank you," Clarisse said with a heavy sigh when Tohma took a break from his ramblings. "You should know that it pains me to say this... but I won't ask you to look my way after hearing all that. It's clear to me that you've... been places that I haven't, and I won't be able to close the distance between us no matter how much I wish that weren't the case."

To Tohma's curiosity, she suddenly kicked back on the bed and crossed her legs. Her long night gown normally went all the way down to her ankles, but in the crossed legs position, her calves peeked out, and she didn't seem to care.

And frankly, Tohma didn't care either. In fact, her stance was a sign that she was comfortable enough to get more casual with him, and that brought him a certain level of comfort as well.

Even when her tone started to get more cynical and stark, Tohma only sensed himself feeling lighter on the inside. She spoke again. "You know... You're truly lucky that I was the one chosen to be here tonight. I'm sure most others wouldn't be this... understanding of your situation."

But despite loosening up, he still held himself as the gentleman in the room. "That doesn't change the fact that I've caused you trouble, however..."

"If you think this is going to affect my social standing in any capacity, I've already taken the precautions to keep this whole courtship attempt fairly private. Only your and my direct families know about this. And in any case... Don't think about it too deeply. I don't need you to be worrying about me as if it makes any difference in the end, because it won't."

"......"

Clarisse huffed and scooched farther back into the bed to cover herself with the blanket. With a grandiose yawn, more of her pretenses of formality faded away. "I'm very aware of how well off I already am. I'm really one of the last people you should concern yourself with."

"That's not true. Don't devalue yourself like that."

"Devalue? But I literally just said I'm aware of how well off I am..."

"I meant disregarding your social standing and all such matters. I meant you, purely as yourself. You deserve happiness, Clarisse. It's just that I'm not the one who can help you achieve it, at least through these forced arrangements."

She sat silently for a moment, then sighed again in resignation. "And you deserve happiness too. Right, I get it. I'm just going to sleep this off before my mood sours even more. I'll leave first thing in the morning, assuming the storm will have calmed down by then and the roads are cleared."

She started shuffling into the bed to settle in, when Tohma spoke again. "If it helps your mood at all... I take back what I said about us being only business acquaintances."

She sat up again. "...Oh?"

"A mere business acquaintance wouldn't listen to all that about my background... My identity... and then still regard me in a positive light afterwards. If you're still okay with it, we could affirm our friendship here."

"Hmph, what kind of cheesy development is this? Is this all because I acknowledged that you deserve happiness too? NOW you're okay with being friends?"

"Well... yes. And as a reminder, YOU're the one who first brought up being friends."

Clarisse turned away, but not before putting on a defensive pout. "I don't know if I can accept 'friendship' from someone I was intent on marrying just moments ago."

"Then what was your intent by bringing it up earlier?"

"I thought..." she stopped herself. "Don't even make me say it."

Tohma blinked, and Clarisse mumbled.

"It's not as if you're about to take any interest in me. I can't get my hopes up..."

"You're right. I'll never take any interest in you as a romantic target," Tohma said bluntly. Just minutes ago, he wouldn't have been comfortable saying those particular words, but the circ*mstances had changed. "But again, you're much more adept than the usual business acquaintance. So just... answer me this. Do you think it's impossible for us to be friends?"

"...I suppose I'm not following what's motivating you to even insist."

"In all honesty, you vaguely remind me of someone else who wanted me to... Be her ally. She had to... move on not long after, but I think if our circ*mstances had been different, I truly would've been good friends with her. It'd be a wasted opportunity if the same were to happen here."

Clarisse's appearance differed significantly, with her darker hair and lack of extravagant makeup, but Tohma couldn't help but wonder if talking to Nanami would have been like this had these ladies swapped places in life. He mentally shook his head at the thought soon after, however... In the end, these were two different individuals, and it wouldn't be respectful to either of them to keep making the comparison. Still, his intent to extend his figurative hand remained.

"A truly good friend is hard to come by in our lot," Clarisse admitted after some pause. "But I'm in no mood to give you a straight answer tonight. It's way past my normal sleeping hours, and even though my mind is overloaded right now, I just want to sleep..."

"Fair enough. Sorry if I overstepped myself in offering."

"Don't apologize... I'm not sure what all to think for the moment, but I know for one that you don't have to be apologizing to me... Just let me sleep."

"Right. You won't hear another word from me tonight. Good night, Clarisse."

"...Good night... Tohma."

As Tohma intended, he didn't say another word, and he did stay up for the rest of the stormy night while Clarisse slept in his bed. He passed the time reading from his phone on dim settings, sitting on his ottoman, propping up his glasses once in a while. The howling outside provided a source of white noise to keep the lady asleep throughout the night. Even when he went to the restroom, or to get a cup of water on the table near the room entrance, pouring from a vase that the attendants supplied every night, he was quiet enough to not disturb the one sleeping in his room.

Once dawn arrived and the storm had subsided, Clarisse left without much of a morning greeting to anyone in the mansion. Tohma left the mansion not long after to head back to Japan. He slept on the long plane ride once again.

It had been literally only one night at the Norstein mansion, yet by the time he arrived back in Japan, the sun was already showing signs of setting. It was nearing time to make preparations for dinner at the Daimon residence.

Relena greeted him as he returned, excited for the dinner, and Tohma embraced her with a silent but deep sentiment of gratitude.

Chapter 12: Afternoon Tea

Chapter Text

The next morning, Masaru was the first to wake like usual. He felt like he just had a dream about punching nobles even though he clearly knew not to actually do that, unless it was Tohma... But it wasn't like he could control his dreams. Considering that he was used to taking on hoards of rowdy Digimon back in the Digital World almost on a daily basis, he was surprised he didn't have stronger memories of these fighting dreams. Well... Another morning boxing session would probably help clear out his urges. The rest of the day was going to be pretty big for him and the aforementioned noble, after all.

The two of them did eventually make it to bed after their... intense moments in front of the fireplace. They even managed to put clothes on for sleep, with the extreme chill of winter nights fighting against the household heating. Despite going to bed as normal, the brunet woke up with Tohma sleeping soundly on his chest... No doubt due to how the brunet had moved around in his sleep. He remembered the times when Tohma was with him in the Digital World, and the same thing had happened...

Masaru had only an oversized long-sleeve on (borrowed from Tohma's wardrobe), and as his body caught up to the world of the awakened, he felt a draft on his more exposed shoulder, the one opposite Tohma. The brunet pulled up the blanket cover with his free arm... Over Tohma's head, to cover his own shoulders. Tohma continued to snooze away, completely covered by the blanket.

The cover was a relatively lighter blanket from the main winter comforter that covered them, so Tohma was probably fine breathing-wise. Still, the blond would probably get really warm from being sandwiched between the blankets and Masaru's own body...

Or not. Tohma, the heavy sleeper, made no extra movements after the blanket went over him. More opportunities for Masaru to mess with him in secret...

Except when he was about to do so, Tohma had lifted himself off already. The blond had immediately woken up from his phone alarm, even though he normally needed at least a full minute to get up and turn it off. His phone was already in hand, and within moments, he was getting dressed out of his sleep wear.

...Tohma was a completely different sleeper when his schedule called for it, apparently. Meanwhile, Masaru slowly sat up from the bed. Tohma was about to put his formal wear on when Masaru reminded him about their daily boxing session. Tohma seemed a little hesitant at first, but he soon switched gears to abide by his partner's reminder.

"I suppose I should appreciate your insistence on consistency," Tohma noted as they headed towards the basem*nt. "Now if only you could apply that consistency to anything else we practiced for today..."

"Hey, we'll be fine. Has anything ever gone wrong when I'm involved?" Masaru motioned in a haughty manner, thumping a fist to his chest. "...In the end, at least. I'm still here, fully intact, after all."

They had just arrived at the hallway leading to the basem*nt. Tohma stopped in Masaru's path and gave the fighter a long, hard stare. Masaru stopped as well, blinked in return, then...

He dodged a fist that came seemingly out of nowhere.

Tohma had tried to punch him, but Masaru's morning senses were too sharp to get hit.

The irking thing, though... it was a pretty serious punch. If Masaru had been any fraction under prime condition, he would've eaten the fist directly in his lower chest... where his scar was. In fact, he'd only gotten away with getting grazed as he had sidestepped for the slip.

Masaru's initial reaction was to exclaim, "Hey, what was that for?!" but Tohma didn't reply at first. The blond appeared to be deep in thought about something... Which weirded out the fighter in return. The main point of going to the boxing arena was to get them warmed up for the day, but Tohma was already firing off at will.

"It's good to see you've improved over the years. You would've taken a fall and then come hollering for revenge in our early days."

"Well, yeah... But that doesn't explain why you had to do that out of the blue," Masaru retorted with furrowed eyebrows. "And it's weird hearing you compliment me, when you never do whenever we're actually sparring."

"I have to admit that I haven't been concentrating much during those. I've had so much on my mind..."

"Yeah, I can tell. But that was a good punch just now, Tohma."

Tohma looked dubious. "Are you just trying to return a compliment?"

"No, I really mean it. I want more of those punches... After we deal with today."

"Mm. So a serious spar will motivate you... That motivates me, too."

"I bet you're just dying to hit me with all you've got. You gotta let loose more often, man."

"Boxing isn't the only way I let loose, as you should be well aware."

Masaru went red. Tohma always said those kinds of things with a straight face and a steady gaze...

The brunet wanted to make some kind of spicy comeback, but he also wanted to get boxing already, so that he could respond with his fist. He let the awkward silence speak for itself, and they resumed their way to the basem*nt.

.~.~.~.~

Once they had finished their boxing session, Tohma quickly resumed his switch into formal attire. His movements showed that he was still distracted as before, but there was an extra edge of determination to make it the last time he'd be like that.

"Time to get down to business, huh," Masaru commented as he cooled off around the entrance of Tohma's room.

"Yes..." Tohma finished arranging his suit tie before turning back to Masaru. "They've requested my presence for afternoon tea at the Norstein mansion. We're going immediately after lunch, so we'll only have a light meal before we head out. It's time you met her... My grandmother, Rosa."

"Oh... She has a name."

"Of course she has a name. Her full name is Rosa Maria Josepha Aloysia Ca-"

"I'll never remember that! Why are there so many? Do people even use those full names for anything??"

"They're used in publications where it's important to have them..."

"What about the H in your name? What's it stand for?"

"You'll never remember it."

"Yeah, you're right. Forget I asked."

Tohma adjusted his sleeves, checking his finished look in the large mirror on the outer end of his walk-in closet. "More importantly, we need to get you dressed."

"Eh?"

The blond walked back over and pulled Masaru by the arm, urging him to come over, and led him to the walk-in closet.

"The coming of age hakama wasn't the only thing I had tailored for you. Ever worn a suit before?"

"Not really. Closest thing would be my old school uniform..."

"No problem then, since this isn't exactly a suit either. You'll look fine in this and have the same flexibility as you do in your normal clothing."

"If you say so."

Tohma sighed as he handed the brunet the first piece to put on. Masaru looked at it with a raised eyebrow, but he took it without a word and started swapping out his clothes.

"I'll run you through basic manners and etiquette again during lunch. You've probably forgotten everything, after all."

"Manners and eti... All that again? You guys have a lot of weird rules..."

"We only have a fighting chance if you can remember them... Just remember and heed them, and there's hope for us."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"You'll remember, right?"

"...I'll do what I can. This is important to you, after all."

Tohma paused midway as he buttoned up Masaru's top. He gave an unfiltered smile that sent the brunet's heart melting way too early in the day, and he finished with a lingering kiss to seal the embarrassment deeper into memory.

.~.~.~.~

It was one thing to say that he'd remember their plan and all the rules that came with it, but actually following through was the real challenge...

After the final preparations of the morning, Tohma's butler chauffeured the two men to the main Norstein mansion.

Just as anticipated, an entourage of people waited for them right at the entrance room of the mansion. More specifically, it was Tohma's father, Franz, a plethora of maids, and an older lady that Masaru had to assume was Tohma's grandmother. Her hair was fully grayed out, trimmed carefully around her tall face. Subtle yet still apparent makeup covered the wrinkles on her face. The maroon gown she was wearing had so many designed layers to it, Masaru couldn't tell where one started and where another one ended. He tried not to stare at any particular spot, as difficult as it was. Fortunately, Tohma's butler stepped in at a good time to take Masaru's winter outerwear off his shoulders and provide a distraction.

'Here we go...'

Masaru had a bit of an old-time, classic look going on, with loose long sleeves on a white top, a red bowtie, black dress pants, a long vest that reached almost all the way to his loafers, and an equally long, wool cape to provide him even more coverage for the winter climate over his jacket. Aside from having to make sure the bottom ends of the cape and vest didn't latch onto stuff as he got in and out of the limousine, Tohma was right; he had no problems moving around and stretching any which way even with all this formal attire on. Nothing felt overly stiff or constraining. Still, he was glad to take off the cape and jacket and hand it to Tohma's butler. The wool was heavy on his shoulders, and Masaru preferred to keep his shoulders light in case a fight ever came up. Even though he wasn't supposed to be having any fights here...

"Es ist schön, zurück zu sein, Vater, Großmutter," Tohma said as he approached his family with open arms. In slight contrast to Masaru, Tohma had his usual white top, vest, and tie on... Except they were fancier versions of each. The cuffs had been pulled back on his white sleeves, yet they still fully covered his arms. His vest was much stockier than his usual lightweight one, and he kept it fully buttoned up. Even his tie had a fancy texture to it that Masaru wasn't used to seeing.

The eldest lady in the room took a pointed effort to be the first to speak to Tohma. "Tohma! Willkommen zurück, mein lieber Enkel." She spread open her arms to greet the young blond, and he shortly embraced her in return. His father, more reserved in his movements, embraced Tohma afterwards.

"Let me introduce you," Tohma switched to Japanese and held a hand up in Masaru's direction. "This is Masaru Daimon, the son of Professor Daimon as you know I've been working closely with. I actually met Masaru long before I met his father... I can explain in more detail once we're settled down with tea. Masaru, this is my father Franz and my grandmother Rosa."

The brunet made a practiced bow with his arms held straight against his sides. "Masaru Daimon. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The most basic of formal greetings... Masaru couldn't help but feel awkward, knowing it wasn't strictly his style. But he understood how crucial this was for Tohma. And besides, it wasn't his first time pretending to be... extra courteous... to the Norsteins.

It was just... This time, instead of trying to curry Tohma's favor, he needed to curry this family's favor... For Tohma. The situation had come full circle.

"If possible, may we converse in Japanese while he's here today, for his understanding?" Tohma requested.

Franz nodded gently and met Masaru's eyes. Masaru remembered him, but he couldn't tell if Franz remembered in return. Regardless, they had never spoken to each other, so they might as well have been meeting for the first time anyway. "Franz Norstein."

Tohma's grandmother presented herself next but didn't say anything at first. She just... looked at the brunet. Masaru immediately sensed a muted hostility in her gaze. His initial instinct was to furrow his eyebrows, but Tohma's drills ran through his mind before his muscles made any significant movements. 'Never scowl at her. Always smile or at least keep a neutral expression in her presence.' It was the one thing he drilled the most, amongst a long list of other things that Masaru had trouble remembering.

"Rosa of the noble Norstein family. The young Mr. Daimon, is it? Strange of you to come all this way if you don't speak the common languages here," the elder lady stated, raising her chin.

She'd intentionally said that with a certain drab to her tone, in Japanese. Masaru willed up the most neutral expression he could muster.

Tohma did indeed drill the rules and etiquette into him before their arrival. Every action there had been pre-enacted in Tohma's villa beforehand. In fact, everything was going exactly according to Tohma's 'script' thus far. Even this comment about Masaru being only able to speak Japanese... Tohma had predicted it at this exact timing. But no matter how many times they had simulated the event, seeing it happen for real tugged at his fists more than he anticipated.

The most important thing at the moment was for Masaru to hold back any and all 'extreme' reactions.

Thankfully, he was already used to the extravagant glamor of the mansion interior, even though it was on an even grander scale than the one in Japan. The entranceway must've been at least twice as large, but Masaru had expected that after all the preparations he'd done with Tohma.

And honestly... nothing was as grand as the sights he'd get to see in his coliseum. In fact, there were plenty of other places in the Digital World that impressed him more than all the fancy shines of rich mansions. He consciously kept those thoughts to himself as Tohma humored his grandmother and urged them to move onto the next room to get comfortable.

They walked past several rooms in a large hallway to get to a relatively smaller room 'well fit' for the four of them (and a small group of attendants weaving in and out of the room). The room was still at least twice larger than the entire lower floor of Masaru's home back in Yokohama.

Multiple tiered trays of treats were spread across a large, round table laced with white cloth. A butler different from the one Masaru knew poured tea for the Norsteins as they took their seats. Tohma gently indicated a seat next to him for Masaru to sit down.

The chairs were crazy expensive-looking... Each one looked like a miniature throne of some sort, embellished with carved wood from top to bottom, and then topped off with the softest velvet on the seat cushion that Masaru had ever seen.

"Whoawha!" The brunet made a squelching noise of surprise as he plopped onto his seat, getting an even softer impact than he expected. "Dang, that's quite the sink. I could fall asleep sitting on this."

He was only joking, but Tohma's grandmother was quick to give him a disapproving stare. Masaru tried smiling back with a small "haha", but Rosa seemed to ignore the interaction, instead turning her attention to the butler who handed him her tea. She muttered something to the butler, who nodded and continued serving the table. He turned to Tohma, who gave him a quick translation that Rosa had requested the butler to play his 'usual' calming repertoire on the piano in the room after he was done serving tea. Masaru found the piano in a far corner of the room and briefly awed at the sheer distance to it. Surely the room was used for other things than just having tea? The entirety of his boxing center goers and then some could probably fit in it...

Haa... Masaru adjusted his posture, resting his closed fists straight against his knees. Yeah, he felt out of place and he knew it was going to be like this. He just needed to keep telling himself how important this was to Tohma, and to get through it without causing any major turbulence. As for how to go about doing that exactly... Well, there were plenty of treats on the table to distract him in the meantime.

Once settled down with tea in hand, freshly served from the butler, Franz started up a conversation with Tohma. "How is Relena faring in Japan? I still worry for her..."

"Your worries are unnecessary, Father. This isn't the first time she's been without us in Japan. We have plenty of our attendants stationed at the Japan mansion to aid her," Tohma responded. "Rest assured she's doing well for herself there. As a matter of fact, Masaru's younger sister Chika is about her age, and they get along remarkably well."

"Masaru's sister, hmm... I do believe I've met her before as well..." Franz scratched his chin. "Way back then..."

"She's a wonderfully bright personality, with a promising future," Tohma took a sip from his own tea before finishing off his flattery. "Just like Masaru here. A trustworthy ally to have in these ever-changing times."

Masaru was scarfing down the sweets on the tiered tray set in front of him when he suddenly remembered that he was supposed to show 'restraint' in consuming them. Kind of already too late for that; he was already on his fifth scone, third macaron, and he had his hand on his second of the small, savory sandwiches.

"TROUBLING times, certainly," Rosa brought her cup of tea up for a sip as she spoke with poorly veiled sarcasm. Over the rim of her tea cup, Masaru could see yet another disapproving glance in his direction.

Masaru made a distinct effort to slow down his chewing. He put his food--the sandwich--on his plate for the first time, and set to cutting it into pieces with the fork and knife that had been on his plate side. Truth be told, Tohma had recommended him to do this during their practices, since it was a simple way to get him to slow down. He'd just forgotten until that moment...

"Oh... So you CAN use cutlery," came Rosa's sudden, distinguishably pronounced observation.

Tohma sent another pacifying smile in Rosa's direction while Masaru held back his visceral reaction to send glowing cat eyes. 'Did she ACTUALLY just say that? Yeah. Yeah, she did.'

For some long minutes, the Norsteins exchanged small talk that flew over Masaru's head, until Tohma brought up a subject relevant to the guest in the room...

"While I can't speak too far into details about the Digital World quite yet, I can inform you that Masaru will be playing the role as a key ambassador when the time comes."

"This one, truly?" Rosa set her cup down, but her expression remained mostly unchanged. "So he's representing the uncultured savagery of the Digital World, then? I'm starting to understand this more now..."

Masaru swallowed the last of his sandwich and opened his mouth to retort, but Tohma spoke before him.

"Grandmother, you've only heard about the Digital World from news outlets, and those news outlets never truly understood anything about the Digital World. They only saw the unfortunate violence and reported about that in their usual sensationalist ways. The wider perspective in this matter is that there's still so much territory in the Digital World left for the rest of us to explore. Masaru here has already been through much of it."

"Sure have! Been through every continent in the Digital World."

"In our line of work, we've been dealing with the Digital World for years and years," Tohma added. "Masaru and his father have the most experience dealing with it directly."

"The amount of years spent with such... foreign territory would never change its intrinsic barbarianisms."

"Barbarian...?!" Masaru repeated.

Once again, Tohma stepped in. "I can assure you that the Digital World is far beyond primitive notions, and in fact it's rather a hotbed for pushing the limits of humanity's potential."

"Hah, you could say the world's ugliest slums are a hotbed for pushing the limits of humanity's potential all the same," Rosa jeered, unmoving. "I don't see why you spend so much time on these strange ventures, Tohma. The Norstein name needs only to focus on itself in these... Once again, TROUBLING times."

"I'd never be satisfied with that, Grandmother."

"Come again?"

"The world of the Norsteins shouldn't be limited to these mansion walls and the glitter of nobles. I certainly won't let it limit me, and the other Norsteins... Relena won't either. Even this entire world is too limiting for me."

"If you're not satisfied, what would you do with our world then?"

"That's where the Digital World comes in. The Digital World holds so many possibilities to explore, possibilities that would translate into our world for the better. If we could open that up, we'll have an entire new world of-"

"An entire new world? How absolutely unnecessary."

"I understand that the thought of opening up a new world might seem intimidating when certain people aren't even seeing the PRESENT world for what it is."

Rosa rang silent on her seat, her eyes narrowing in scrutiny.

Tohma continued. "I've already told you this, but my wish is to carry the Norstein name as a pioneer in this venture. It's going to take many years--decades, perhaps... For people to share our level of understanding, but I'm set on seeing this through and making this my life's work. I only ask for your good will in supporting our efforts, Grandmother."

"Hmph," Rosa quickly huffed at the direct request. "How do you expect to carry on ANYTHING when you haven't a successor to your name?"

"The world... The human world and the Digital World themselves are my successor, the way I see it."

The lady Norstein vehemently shook her head. "That's a preposterously obtuse way to see things. I highly doubt the world will do anything for you once you've grown old and bedridden like a son or daughter would."

"Let's set aside that matter for now, Grandmother... Strictly in terms of succeeding nobility, isn't the noble cause originally to serve the better of people as a whole, to help bring aid to those in need so that we may all rise together? Have you not understood my broader message for curing Relena's condition? How I expressed my hope to help others who suffered the same condition? Whether or not I carry on a bloodline isn't even up for discussion here as far as I'm concerned."

"Trying to cast the matter aside won't serve you well under the name of the Norsteins, Tohma." Rosa's voice went up a full pitch.

"Now, now, Mother..." Franz finally spoke, raising an arm to motion for calmness. "We have a guest here..."

Rosa held silent for a moment before making another huff and taking a sip out of her tea.

After an awkward pause, Franz smiled modestly to everyone and then turned towards Tohma. Tohma actually looked surprised for a moment, as if he hadn't expected his father to ever step in, but he soon smiled back and brought up a new subject for them to discuss.

Father and son slowly exchanged some anecdotes about current events around the world, while Masaru sipped on his tea and paced down his snacking. The brunet could readily see that the old lady in the room was unamused by their conversation the entire time. She wouldn't so much as glance their way, and instead she stared out the massive window where white clumps of snow occasionally got stuck and melted on the glass.

Masaru was just as unamused, but for different reasons. This lady's grandson had just spilled out his heart and soul to convey his hopes for the future, and she looked like she couldn't care any less. The fighter was aware that he wasn't supposed to cause turbulence, but his manliness was still on the line.

"Hey, Rosa."

"Boy, watch how you address those in higher places than yourself."

Inside his head, he thought briefly, 'Man, I can't even BLINK without this lady judging me,' but he took an extra moment to move on and piece his other thoughts together.

"Look, I get all the 'respect your elders' stuff and all, but I'm not letting this slide," Masaru sent an unwavering stare in her direction. "Do you have ANY respect for what Tohma's done for your family all these past years?"

The man in question turned quickly to face Masaru and left his mouth hanging open. "Masaru..."

Masaru shot Tohma a side glance, narrowly arching his eyebrows, effectively silencing the blond. He turned back to the elderly lady. "This guy literally crossed worlds while finding a cure for his sister... Your granddaughter! Your grandson did all that for her! And now he just wants to keep doing the whole noble thing with the Digital World involved! But all it sounds like to me is that you only care that the Norstein lineage continues, like Tohma's your prize horse or something."

Masaru's words seemed to have struck a chord within the young Norstein, even though they were meant to have an effect on the eldest one in the room instead. Tohma noticeably froze in his seat, fingertips clinging to his tea cup in mid-hold even though he had just taken a sip. Rosa only continued her muted scowl.

"Besides... What's your deal with assuming everyone who isn't a noble is like this and that? I may not be a noble, but that doesn't make me any less of a man than anyone else. A man knows what matters, and you gotta be REALLY out of touch if you're assuming things like nobility matter when it comes to just being able to appreciate your family."

"Huh! The audacity of this commoner to judge how I perceive...!" Rosa's voice went up yet another pitch. She made one glance at the others around the table before she stopped herself short. "I will not have an outsider speak of how I should conduct my family affairs. If you wish to remain at this table, I highly recommend that you keep your comments to yourself, Mr. Daimon."

"That's all I wanted to say right now anyway," the brunet replied loosely. Rosa flung figurative daggers from her eyes, to which Masaru quickly silenced himself... With a forced smile, once again remembering his instructions.

Tohma sighed at the display, openly expressing how exasperated he was with the interaction.

"Let's hear more from you, Grandmother. How have you been recently?"

Rosa straightened herself up for the umpteenth time before answering. Initially, she spoke of her daily woes in a broad sense, once again putting all implications on Tohma's presence to do something about them. Tohma just let her ramble for a while, and eventually, she moved on to regale memorable snippets from outings with her fellow friends at other tea parties.

The young noble just kept nodding and once in a while, summing up something to score brownie points with Rosa's long tangents. While it wasn't obvious from the plastered smile on the blond's face, Masaru could tell that Tohma wasn't truly... invested in the subject matter. But Tohma was also sticking to the plan he'd established before coming here.

Don't upset the grandmother. Don't drop any bombshells on the Norsteins to make the conversation awkward.

Rosa continued to keep her chin raised to the point that she would be giving wayward gazes to everyone else in the room as she spoke. She had started talking about some of her more... Expensive trips around the continent of Europe, using the Norstein private jet.

"The wine in Sicily was quite divine, but I would still vouch that the wine here in Salzburg still holds up to its own caliber of...."

Masaru was pretty sure he hadn't said anything for a good fifteen or so minutes at that point. He reminded himself of his role over and over... But as more time went on, he was finding it harder and harder to hold himself back. He'd eaten his fill of snacks within the earlier fifteen minutes of the entire occasion, and now he was low on other options to keep him occupied... he wanted to do some more image training, but he needed to keep his focus in the room... For Tohma's sake. He tried refolding his table napkin in the fancy way it originally was when he first entered, with little hope of actually being able to do so.

Well, he'd already broken out of the plan at least once... He wondered if there was any meaning in getting back on track since he had already deviated. But then again, Tohma was right there with him, still keeping his practiced smile, still spouting that polite nonsense... He was still going with the plan as far as Masaru could tell.

A maid stepped in to refill everyone's tea.

"So Tohma, truly you didn't come to this afternoon tea session just to give your commoner friend here a taste of noble life, now did you?" The grandmother spoke in a flat tone, once again unamused as she held her tea cup and dish. "I'm still waiting to hear about your progress with Clarisse."

"If I may make a recommendation, Grandmother," Tohma's said with his own change of tone.

"Hmm?"

"Times are changing faster than ever, and the ones who adapt the best will come out on top. It would be in your best interest to maintain a good relationship with Masaru and the Daimon family. They'll hold status beyond that of commoners... Or even nobility in due time. Wouldn't you agree, Masaru?" Tohma motioned for Masaru to speak.

The fighter had a practiced answer for his moment to 'gloat'. "My VIP status at Digicon Valley definitely shows no bounds. My reign there just keeps expanding as time goes. And beyond that, the entire Digital World, across every continent there, knows of my feats and accomplishments by now."

Tohma had explained (embellished) many of those accomplishments to Rosa previously in their conversation, and he nodded in affirmation. "Yet the largest developments are still yet to come for our worlds."

Rosa's expression remained sour as ever. "I find that hard to imagine. This is about your frivolous ventures again, I take it."

Tohma remained steadfast just the same. "They're not frivolous ventures. They're my life's work... And I need you to understand that Masaru is a crucial part of that. I wouldn't be here today without him. Many of my commitments from here on... are with him."

"...What?" Rosa made a few blinks in concession, uncertainty in her voice, as if she hadn't heard Tohma's projected words clearly.

Honestly, Masaru wasn't sure he'd heard the young noble correctly, either. He did a double take, releasing the napkin he'd ended up folding plainly onto the table.

"Tohma, none of this relates to your arrangements with Clarisse," the elder lady said with a lack of discernment.

Tohma looked at Rosa with the most serious gaze he'd given since the start of the afternoon session. "I'll be as frank as I can then, since it seems I haven't been making myself clear enough... I won't be accepting any marriage arrangements to succeed the Norstein name. My legacy will end with Masaru as my partner."

"......"

Both Rosa and Franz surely heard the younger Norstein's words loud and clear. If his words weren't obvious enough, the hand that rested on top of Masaru's hand on the table, in plain view, was also there to do the job. Their joined hands spoke through the dense silence that poured into the room.

Masaru fumbled with his other hand under the table where others couldn't see, feverishly tapping the soft cushion of the chair with his fingertips. Uhhh... Ehhhh?? Tohma sure had to pick a dramatic way to put that out there. Then again, Masaru was just as ready to declare something similar at that point, although in simpler words...

But... This wasn't part of the plan. Tohma never mentioned doing something like this during their rehearsals... They were supposed to pass by this tea session peacefully, without raising any risky flags.

So why was Masaru having to bear the brunt of Rosa's death glares? And why were those glares the most intense they'd ever been since their initial encounter? Glares so intense, Masaru was starting to question the worth of all the manliness he took pride in...

No... This wasn't the time to back down.

The fighter straightened himself up, similarly to how Rosa had been doing repeatedly just earlier. He held up both his and Tohma's hands in the air for emphasis. "Well, there you have it. Mum's the word."

Tohma curled his eyebrows at Masaru's sudden English. "Where did you even learn that expression? And anyway, this is the complete opposite of that idiom..."

Masaru tilted his head. "Whatever! All that matters is... Rosa, if you truly care for your family, you'll let Tohma make his own decisions and let him live up to them."

Rosa abruptly stood up from her seat.

"I've heard enough of this. Unless there are any pressing matters requiring my presence, I'll be excusing myself to attend to other business. I shall leave it to Franz to... see you out," she said nonchalantly. She turned towards the other Norsteins in the room. "Franz... I do believe this guest has spent long enough in the premises of the Norsteins to satisfy any curiosities he might have had as a commoner getting to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Tohma, I'll still need to hear from you regarding further steps with your future marriage with Clarisse."

Masaru blinked at her a few times, letting go of Tohma's hand in the process. "Did you even hear anything of what Tohma just said?"

One of the maids approached Rosa as she turned away from the table, presenting her with a handkerchief. Lifting the handkerchief to her mouth, she left with her final caustic words. "I don't know how you inveigled Tohma into refusing the correct way of succeeding the Norstein name, but rest assured you won't have your way in the end."

Masaru dropped all remaining thoughts of their plans, and he ended up throwing furious sparks from his eyes in her direction. But not like it mattered; Rosa had turned her back on them and had left the room before she could even see his defiant expression.

An awkward silence followed as the elderly lady's residual presence slowly emptied out of the room.

"We can leave if you want us to, Father."

Back on the other end of the table, Franz and Tohma remained sitting across from each other, at the same distance they'd kept since the start of the tea session. Despite the distance being the same, the atmosphere between the two seemed different...

"No. Honestly, I'd like us to talk some more... If that's all right with the two of you." Franz tilted his chin more downward than usual as he spoke, a habit Masaru quickly noticed when the older man was hesitant about anything. He didn't need to be like that about anything here at this point...

"Father, are you sure? But Grandmother just said..."

"She's the one who left the room. I'm still here, and so are you. So let's talk."

"......" Tohma just looked at his father, a bit awe-stricken.

"That's what we came here for," Masaru butt in, smiling faintly. Well, at least one person in Tohma's family was willing to stay after what he'd just presented...

.~.~.~.~

With a certain someone out of the picture, the demeanor of the remaining Norsteins suddenly transformed like kids who just found out that they were having a snow/typhoon day instead of having to go to school... To a certain extent, at least. Franz Norstein still had a concerned expression after shrugging off the stiff posture he'd been maintaining.

"Are you certain about this... Decision of yours, Tohma?"

"As certain as I've ever been with all of my decisions, Father."

"Your grandmother spent an awful lot of time arranging a suitress for you. She took a great deal of her personal time with each candidate, getting to know each one. There were dozens and dozens of them, day after day, expending so much social energy..."

"Yet she did all of that on her own accord. I never asked for any of it. And if she knew anything about me in the first place, she'd know that I was against this kind of arrangement from the start."

"Clarisse... She's the safest choice for the Norstein lineage."

"And I'm not giving up on my choice, no matter what may come. I won't be doing the same thing you did to Mother."

Franz's face froze over for a visible moment.

Tohma continued. "I'll commend Grandmother in that she picked someone with more compassion than her. Clarisse knows not to stay in an unfavorable situation and has already withdrawn her interest in a forced marriage with me. It seems Grandmother is refusing to acknowledge that, however..."

"I'd understand this more if you'd found someone of... Similar stature to what is expected of a nobleman. But... This is..." The father Norstein looked over at Masaru and simply sighed. "You've already made history, but things like this will also end up in the history books if this is how you want it."

"I don't see how that's of any concern."

"The Norsteins see it as one. You've managed to achieve great things that no other Norstein has, and you would sully your greatness like this?"

"Sully... you don't seriously think that, do you, Father?"

"......" He looked downwards once again.

"You've told me before, but tell me once again... who's your favorite composer?"

Franz raised an eyebrow. "What's this about?"

"Just answer."

"...Tchaikovsky."

"Not Mozart?"

"Mozart was born in Salzburg, yes, and his achievements are a tale of glory on their own level. But nothing else has captured my heart as deeply as Tchaikovsky's works. Your mother loved his music as well. One of my fondest memories with her was going to a concert where they played his Violin Concerto, and it was just so beautiful..."

"Tchaikovsky was gay."

Franz's eyes widened as Tohma cut into his ramble, but he was quick to make his rebuttal. "Tchaikovsky wasn't a noble."

"Tchaikovsky was HUMAN. A human whose music has a place in your heart. I'd just like to know if knowing this about him has affected your perception of his music."

".....I suppose it hasn't. It simply couldn't, after all my attachment to it..."

"Then I would greatly appreciate it if you could apply that same logic to your son and his accomplishments."

Franz made a deep sigh. "Tohma... For the record... I do respect your decision."

"You're sure spending a hefty amount of words trying to sound like you don't."

"I know... It's as if your grandmother is speaking through me instead of my own words sometimes."

"She's left the room."

"Yes, and I've had enough of her mindset today. So from now on, I'll be speaking from my own mind while you two are still here. I have... Questions."

At first, Franz had questions only for Masaru, which made complete sense given what had just transpired. His questions were mostly the basics, such as how they met and how long they'd been... involved with each other. Masaru felt a little strange answering the latter, as he'd state that it was during Tohma's visit to the Digital World a couple years ago, and then he'd start remembering the details behind it all... How he'd held in his feelings for so many years, even after crossing through to another world away from Tohma... but naturally, he left those details out when answering Franz.

Masaru would look to Tohma, who simply looked back at him like some lovestruck idiot-genius with nothing held back now that things were out in the open with his father. Well... That was exactly what it was.

On the brighter end of things, Masaru came to understand more about Tohma's father after speaking with him directly for a few minutes, compared to the entirety of the time when Rosa was present.

And he could tell... Franz did respect his son's decision. Deep down inside, he was proud of his son and all of his choices. The older man just... had a tendency to avoid conflict whenever possible, preferring to err on the side of convenience whenever it landed on his lap. It was an unpleasant characteristic Franz had plenty of self-awareness for, and it was something he confessed trying to be better about.

For now, it was enough for Tohma to open up and smile at his father as they spoke.

.~.~.~.~

A man doesn't back down on his decisions, or so Masaru often lectured. But after almost two more hours, Masaru started questioning his decision to stick around longer. The two remaining Norsteins ended up talking to each other for way longer than he ever thought was possible given how quiet the older one had been with Rosa around. The natural lighting in the room had completely changed since they first entered, and he could only take so much more...

Not that there was anything particularly wrong with Tohma's father, especially compared to the grandmother. It was just... A lot of their conversations were super embarrassing. It didn't take long for the father Norstein to get into the real personal stuff.

"When did you know it had to be Masaru?" The father asked.

Tohma looked oddly... pleased to hear the question. "It's a bit complicated to pinpoint exactly when I knew it had to be him..."

Embarrassing, indeed... Even Masaru hadn't asked anything like that yet, mostly since he was able to pinpoint his own realization so distinctly, but he wasn't ready to admit it... He was honestly curious to know on Tohma's end, though...

"After the crisis with the Digital World, when Masaru said he was leaving without ever knowing when he'd return, that was enough of a catalyst for me to make my commitment."

Man, was he listening to himself? Crazy Tohma... Any regular person would've committed to NOT seeking that person who was going to leave the human dimension without ever knowing when he'd be back...

Not to say anything about Masaru himself, holding his own feelings all the same, years later...

Masaru was no different. But he was just left to wiggle around awkwardly as the two Norsteins continued discussing their... intense commitments.

Soon enough, they were going deep into their memories of Relena, and then Tohma's mother, to the point where Masaru felt like his presence was actually invisible.

"Every time, she would wait outside the lecture hall for my classes to finish so that we could eat dinner together. We didn't have cell phones back then, so if something came up, I wouldn't have any easy way of knowing. One time, she didn't show up, and I managed to find a note from her buried in the tree trunk she'd usually wait under. However, it happened to be pouring rain when I got out, and so when I opened the note, part of it was impossible to read... particularly the part when she said she would be returning. She apparently had to be out of town for a family issue, but I had no idea when she'd be back, or if she was coming back at ALL..."

"That must've been quite stressful..."

"Oh, absolutely. It was only for two weeks in the end, but every day I didn't get to see her after classes made me realize how much I wanted to be with her. So on the day she finally showed up again, I proposed to her. Right there, in front of the lecture hall. Didn't matter that my classmates were around."

The brunet grumbled internally. Masaru had enough with one Norstein guy, and now there were TWO in the room with only one of him to keep them in check. At that point, maybe he just needed to give Tohma some actual privacy with his father. So he let that happen. The fighter excused himself from the room, insisting that he needed to go to the bathroom, get some fresh air, and stretch his legs... And he set out to do just that.

After some relief in the bathroom, a maid accompanied him all the way outside the mansion, and he wandered right out the large entrance he'd come in. The maid spoke to him quite suddenly, and with the help of the phone translator, he found that she was asking if he'd like his outerwear to be fetched for him. He passed on her offer, ensuring her that he'd be back after a short while.

The maid bowed as he left, and he was soon by himself outside the mansion. He hadn't checked the exterior much given that he'd arrived in Tohma's limo, but now that he had a good look by himself, it was a MASSIVE driveway... A gigantic roundabout area that he was pretty sure he'd only seen from pictures of giant 5-star hotels, complete with a fancy water fountain in the center.

He wandered over to the fountain and sat on the edge, taking in the outside scenery. At some point, it had stopped snowing. While the fountain itself wasn't running in the cold weather, it looked like someone was still maintaining it and keeping snow off of it. A vague sense of deja-vu swept over him as he thought of the meat fountain back in Digicon Valley. The place where he had taken a good, long break with Tohma as they toured the city... Where he had leaned deep into Tohma's back, longing for him even though they were already present together, and they were already touching...

Masaru shook his head. There was no need to reminisce too deeply. They'd come a long way since that moment, all for the better. He only had room to fondly look back on that memory.

If anything, what had just happened back inside the giant mansion was more prevalent in his mind. Now that he was finally alone with only his thoughts accompanying him, he had to wonder if Tohma had intended to tell his folks from the start. Knowing Tohma... yeah, that was likely the real plan.

That conniving Tonma... Masaru mentally prepared to give him a good thrashing for their next boxing session. For now, well... he wasn't going to interrupt an important father and son moment, even if it was going on for hours.

There were signs that daylight was on its way to setting, as the winter days were short to begin with. Still, streaks of the warm sun greeted his walk down the long driveway lined with snow-covered garden bushes. The sight of a late day sun shining over a sheer white landscape was one Masaru had few experiences with, and he couldn't help but walk in silent awe of the scenery. Even in the Digital World, snow mostly occurred in high, foggy mountain areas where not much sunlight reached in the first place.

He brushed a hand against one of the garden bushes for the heck of it, uncovering some of the bare twigs below the heavy layer of snow. Just like that, there was a new blot of dark brown in the vast blanket of white that had dominated his view. He took a step back to admire the sight, then he continued on his way. The driveway had been paved to have the snow removed, so at least he knew where he was going as long as he followed the path.

Around midway through his walk, he started hearing the murmurs of other people. The snow and walls of the mansion gate up ahead muffled the voices, but he knew they had to be coming from the other side of the gate. As he reached the end of the path, he noticed an unusual gathering of men on the other side of the brick walls...

They were all wearing hoodies and caps like a bunch of punks. They definitely didn't belong. It seemed that they hadn't noticed him at all, with how quietly he'd been walking from the other side of the gate.

There was no one physically guarding the gate since entrance permission was done through an intercom. At the side of the vehicle gates was a gated door for a person to pass through. Masaru went up to it and snuck a closer look at the hoodlums, when he heard a hissing sound.

He saw a spray can through the bars of the gate door. Multiple spray cans. They were doing their thing with the brick gate walls. It seemed that Masaru wasn't the only one who had the urge to ruin the sheer white landscape. Except... the snow hadn't built up on the sides of the brick walls, so they weren't white to begin with... but that apparently provided the right surface that these hoodlums needed for their 'urge'. Their 'project'.

There were eight of them, smirking to themselves and chuckling as they marked the walls with cans labeled in outrageous colors. If Masaru had to guess, they looked to be high schoolers.

"Hey, you lot got permission to be doing that?"

They looked over at him on the other side of the gated door, unimpressed. They continued on without another care.

"Hey! Did ya hear me?!"

Masaru suddenly remembered that they probably didn't understand him, but at that point, it didn't even matter. He noticed the gated door could be opened on his end with a latch. It looked like a one-way exit... But he was going for it.

Before the group could say anything, he was with them on the other side of the door. Masaru took a good look at their 'progress'... They were well on the way to drawing a mighty fine, gigantic male genitalia on the wall, in a mix of rudimentary bright colors. The piece was already done, in fact... at that point, they were just adding some finishing touches in the form of... smaller versions of the same genitalia. Although... It wasn't so fine, really. Even Masaru could've drawn it better. Not that he would anyway, though.

"Yeah, that's not cool, guys. You aren't getting away with this!"

His fists went up... With his phone in hand. He started taking pictures of them in the act. The kids continued to hold their spray cans, giving him death glares. One of them was chewing gum and spat it against the wall the exact moment he started pressing the 'take picture' button on the camera app. He managed to get a good shot of it, and he continued snapping shot after shot.

Needless to say, the others weren't going to sit back and let it happen. Their own fists went up... and from that point, it didn't matter whether the hoodlums understood him or not.

They threw the first punch. Masaru slipped past it easily. But with that, all cards were on the table.

Chapter 13: Confrontation

Chapter Text

All the preparations in the world couldn't have prepared the fighter for what happened outside the Norstein mansion gates, perhaps... IF that fighter had been anyone else. But Masaru was different.

Tohma found him after the run-in, mildly bleeding, battered, and bruised. Since the fighter was nowhere to be found within the Norstein residence after he finished speaking with his father, he called the fighter's phone and let out a heavy sigh of relief once the call was answered.

The gang had tried to take his phone, seeing as it contained something they didn't want him to have... And they went without success, as Masaru was too good for that. Holding himself up against eight amateurs was nothing new for him. Heck, he'd taken down much larger Digimon crowds single-handedly.

He even boasted that he never once went for the punch on his own. He only used their own attacks against them.

"I've only been here for a couple days unannounced and I'm already making friends with the local gangs even when I'm not looking for fights. Fighting really is just in my nature's calling."

His clothes were ruined, but all for a good cause. Even if the guys weren't adults, they definitely had experience in regular street fights. They played real dirty and had the brains to gang up on him in coordinated attacks. The one moment that turned the tables for the fighter was when his vest and shirt got shredded from multiple guys pulling hard on anything they could get their hands on. They had tried to get his hair, thinking that it was a weak point, but he had slipped past those attempts easily. However, with the numbers cooperating against him, his constant slipping maneuvers to protect his hair left his torso vulnerable, and so they grabbed that. Maybe they were trying to knock him cold in the snow, but that was never going to happen with the adrenaline he'd built up, letting him stay rooted with both arms off the ground.

As their next tactic, the ones grabbing his torso revealed the blades of their knives. They were only short, Swiss Army type knives, but they were still a threat to his human skin. His top layers ripped, revealing the full length of his well-built chest, massive star-shaped scar and all. His appearance sent the punks into a temporary shock of some sort, and that was enough to make quick work of them from that point on.

He needed that opening, actually... three of the guys who were just hanging in the back while the others grabbed him had baseball bats. If any of them had hit him hard enough, THEN he might've been slugged to the cold, snowy ground. Masaru sent everyone else to the snowy ground instead, for each time they tried to throw a fist at him. No matter how much they swung their bats, they'd never hit Masaru, and they'd only end up swinging at each other. Even the knife blades were no threat, as the boys were too riled up to make any attacks with conviction. He'd been through 'worse' fights, like the ones he'd had against huge packs of Goblimon and their giant club weapons. These human punks were just more of the same.

Eventually, the gang gave up the fight and ran for it. It still cost Masaru some bleeding on his cheek, but once Tohma found him, he was quick to drag him back into the Norstein mansion and bandage it up.

"No one had firearms or anything?" the blond asked with concern as he finished treating Masaru's cheek.

"Firearms?? Hell, no... it was just a bunch of little punks. High schoolers."

"High schoolers who managed to make you bleed." Tohma's tone was deadly serious... as if he hadn't made Masaru bleed multiple times in the past himself.

"I didn't even lift an arm until the blades and baseball bats showed up."

"Whether you fought back or not won't really change anything at this point... But you thinking to get camera footage is probably the most impressive outcome from this."

"Haha... The whole thing smelled pretty scandalous to me. It got me thinking back to when Yoshino was having problems with photographers for that one mission with that one celebrity guy. For better or worse, photos have their uses."

"I didn't even teach you about the camera function on the phone..."

"Chika did! She kinda got mad at me for some reason after she taught me, but I don't even remember why..."

"Uh... Okay..."

Tohma had one of the maids bring in a substitute long-sleeve shirt and vest for Masaru to wear, and the two moved to a changing room for some privacy. Before going in, the maid asked if they needed assistance in changing, thinly hiding her shock at Masaru's torn-up condition, but Tohma turned her down. Once they were alone, Tohma was quick to lock Masaru in a tight embrace before handing him the new top to change into. Masaru took the shirt with a flustered face.

"I have to deliberate, however... The timing of this is too coincidental for comfort." Tohma put a hand to his chin in contemplation as Masaru changed. "I've never heard of the Norstein mansion having issues with vandalism, but all of a sudden, you happen to be around when it happens. This had to be intentional."

"...Are you saying... someone set this up?"

"Yes, and we have an apparent suspect... My grandmother. "

Masaru blinked, stopping briefly as he slipped an arm through one of the shirt sleeves. "The fuh? But she was literally with us just a few hours earlier."

"And the few hours after she left is plenty of time to set up this kind of low-level trap."

"What if I just didn't go on that walk outside? I never would've seen them in the first place."

"THAT wasn't her intention, I'm sure. She was originally trying to have you framed for the vandalism itself. Even if you had a solid alibi, she had plenty of ways to make it look like it was your fault anyway."

"That's ridiculous..."

"It is, and I won't settle for this. I have to do something."

"Hey..."

"She had to have paid someone for it, and if I can trace the funds, even if it's across multiple proxies..."

Masaru finished buttoning up the new shirt and proceeded to put on the vest. "That's more work than it's worth, Tohma. She only wanted to ruffle my feathers or something by having a bunch of amateurs do it, if that's what it even was. At worst, it was a few guys with knives and baseball bats, and they were all still chumps. Really, we can just let it slide."

"That's okay for YOU to say, but who's to say it couldn't have been worse? She wants you out of the picture, completely. I wouldn't even put it past her to hire a professional assassin, that's how serious this is."

"The heck? But she didn't."

"How do we know that for sure? There could be someone literally lurking outside the mansion right now, waiting to get a good angle on you."

"Dude, she's your grandmother, not some kind of yakuza ringleader!"

"There's a fine line between the actions behind organized crime and the actions behind certain high echelons of society."

Masaru finished buttoning up the vest, threw his hands up for a moment, then used one to grab Tohma's collar. "For crying out loud, Tohma..."

Tohma gripped Masaru's shoulder with equal intensity. A certain fire flashed in his eyes, but it simmered down just a moment later. He spoke with renewed calmness. "I do doubt she'd be able to arrange a professional under such notice, at least. Either way, we're going back to Japan and sending you back to the Digital World first thing. Fortunately, Relena is still in Japan, too... We can let this whole fiasco simmer over."

Masaru let his jaw drop. "Aren't we just running away by doing that?"

"I'm keeping you safe."

"Well, I'M not settling with this. This isn't the manly thing to do."

"Then what's your manly idea of resolving this?! We've already confronted her directly, and you saw how she dealt with that."

"We just need to talk with her again, set things straight for good."

"You really think you can change this perspective she's held for her whole life just by talking with her one more time?"

"We all gotta start somewhere! Think of it as my first task as the Digital World ambassador."

"A rather tall hurdle to start on. And I have qualms with you mixing that ambassador role into this situation..."

"You were mixing it in yourself at the tea session just earlier! It was in the plan! It's more your idea than mine!"

"I'm just doubting if it even helped us today. It's more than possible that she's dead set on getting rid of you regardless of your standing, because you're..."

"...A man."

The massive room's atmosphere went still with a long silence. Tohma broke the silence with a shaky sigh, and he brought a palm up to rest his face in it, closing his eyes between his fingers.

Masaru came closer and took hold of the noble's hand, trapping it in his fist.

"Look, Tohma... I know I don't show it sometimes, but I do realize what I'm up against here. To be honest, I wish your grandmother were a Digimon like Hippogriffomon. Then I'd at least have more experience dealing with that. But... nope, she's unlike anything I've had to deal with before."

Tohma gave him an awkward stare. Masaru's logic had hit weird places at that point, but at least he was trying.

"But she's still your grandmother."

The noble continued to stand by without saying anything, just letting Masaru hold his hand.

"Your grandmother's just as stubborn as you are... except there's the extra challenge in the fact that I can't directly communicate with her through my punches, and she's probably gone through her whole long life without anyone to give her any punches, even figuratively."

"All too true."

"Come now, take me to your leader," Masaru switched off to an uncharacteristically 'pomp' speech pattern, lifting their held hands in an exaggerated angle. "I absolutely must have words with her."

Tohma gave a concerned look as he opened the door and led them out. "You aren't going to talk like that with her, are you?"

"Naw, that's about the extent I can keep up the charade before I don't know what I'm doing anymore. It's not my style."

"Naturally."

"And what charade would this be about?" came a different voice from the end of the hallway.

Tohma's swallow was loud enough for Masaru to hear in the spacious hallway. Rosa Norstein was already standing there, only a dozen meters away. She saved them the effort of looking for her, at least.

The setting sun beamed with intensity uncharacteristic of winter through the tall windows of the hallway, illuminating half of Rosa's figure while casting a deep shadow with the other half. She had a couple maids in attendance with her, but she stood at the front line, ready to confront the brunet.

Masaru had a response ready for her. "A charade where I pretend to be the typical aristocrat you know and love so much."

Rosa put on a grim frown. "Do you mean to mock me with that level of sarcasm? You'll need far more than that to even think you can impress me."

"Far more what? Nobility, prestige? Appearances? Is that really all you care about?"

"Masaru, you could take it down a step..." Tohma spoke next to his side, quietly implying that the fighter was getting a little too direct with his words.

But that was the point in the end. If Masaru couldn't use his fists, he had to use the next most impactful thing he had. He didn't show any signs of backing off. He brought out his phone and pointed the screen in Rosa's direction to show the pictures he had taken just moments ago.

"Speaking of appearances, it APPEARS the Norstein mansion had a surprise visit from some dudes who meant to do actual harm to that lovely appearance, right on the entrance gates. I got 'em to scram, but you'll probably want someone to clean up after them."

Rosa looked mildly appalled for a moment as she saw what exactly was scrawled onto the gate walls, but otherwise kept stoic.

"Absolutely dreadful. I'll see to it that it's removed swiftly."

"Grandmother..." Tohma said quietly, but firmly, "Has something happened recently to invite this kind of attention to the Norsteins precisely during Masaru's visit? We've never had vandalizers before."

"I would assume it's only a testament to the ilk this man associates with."

"Of course you wouldn't know," Tohma said with matching disdain. "Or acknowledge having any hand in it..."

"If you have the time to be making such strange comments, how about finding the time to arrange the date for your upcoming marriage to Clarisse?"

"Grandmother, I believe she already told you that she's not going through with the arrangement."

"I don't recall anything like that."

Tohma, despite telling Masaru earlier to tone down, stopped following his own suggestion. "...I'm growing tired of these full-on lies."

"Boy, you will watch what comes out of your mouth, or else--"

"Yo, Rosa." Masaru cut in unceremoniously. The lady glared daggers at him, but his gaze back at her didn't waver. "Are you happy with what you're doing here? Are ya winnin'? Or just trying really hard at something you should keep your nose out of?"

"...!" At that point, Rosa was too infuriated to give a response.

The fighter continued. "I'm just saying... That's how it looks to me. Tohma isn't your trophy horse or something for you to manipulate, but you treat him like he is, and I haven't seen anything from you that would make me think otherwise."

To Masaru's side, Tohma noticeably froze up when he mentioned the words 'trophy horse', just like before... but Masaru kept his gaze on the lady.

Rosa took a moment to calm down, then tilted her head as her expression remained supercilious. "Is there a reason I should be concerned with what you think at all, Mr. Daimon?"

"You don't have to care about what I think. This is about YOU and TOHMA."

The elder Norstein huffed in exasperation. "You've already overstayed your welcome, but if you're going to be this obstinate about being here, tell me something. What are you trying to get out of meddling with our family to this extent?"

"I'm not trying to 'get something' out of this. The only thing I want here is to make it clear that TOHMA should be the one who decides what he wants to do with his life... Not you. Not his household name."

Rosa maintained her look of impunity. "It isn't in your position to speak on behalf of our household name."

"Oi, I'm not trying to do that! I'm just trying to make a point, and my point is that your household name shouldn't be dictating the way Tohma gets to live his life in the first place!"

"And my point is that an outsider like you has no say on this matter. It's clear to me that your influence is not one to be appreciated in the Norstein family."

"Haa? Influence?? I'm not even trying to... Like I said....... Aaaahh, I'm repeating myself and this is just going in circles!" Unable to use his fists, Masaru shoved both hands onto his head and shuffled his hair.

He had an inkling thought that something like this would happen, considering that it was almost exactly how things went during the tea session. But push came to shove, and knowing that he couldn't use ANY of his physical prowess to get his point across, the situation was starting to seem bleak.

Haa... things were so much simpler when it came to others like... Hippogriffomon. No wonder Tohma hadn't sorted it out yet. Masaru finally experienced the difference for himself. "How can I get you to just... understand... And let him be..."

Rosa huffed out from her throat, unmoving.

"Rosa?"

A different voice chimed in from behind Masaru and Tohma, echoing gently in the hallway.

"Clarisse...?" the elder lady responded. Her next comments were in German, but it was easy to see that her mood had immediately brightened from the new arrival.

The young woman who Masaru had met just the day before stepped into view. Masaru almost didn't recognize her since she had a completely different outfit on, with no hat or frilly coat... Just a simple cardigan over her long one-piece skirt. Well, then again, they were indoors this time...

She gave one quick glance over at the two men in the hallway before turning her attention back to Rosa.

The young lady gave the elder Norstein a resolute smile, and then continued speaking in Japanese. "I wasn't originally going to come here today, Rosa... I was going to sit it out another week or two. But after meeting him yesterday, I know what I need to do now."

"And what would that be?" Rosa asked.

"To re-emphasize what I was trying to discuss with you yesterday. To withdraw my interest in marrying your grandson."

"Das kann nicht sein..."

It was then when Masaru noticed Clarisse had gotten Rosa to speak Japanese to her... at least for one response. The elder Norstein quickly pressed back in German in response to Clarisse's declaration. Clarisse started going back to German as well, in a fervent reasoning tone, so Masaru finally pulled out his phone. By the time he had gotten the translations going (displaying silently on his screen), the two ladies were practically neck-to-neck, determination glowing on both ends. Tohma stood by him, realizing just as well that the ladies had taken control of the conversation, and that he needed to wait it out.

"Clarisse, this can't be what you truly want..."

"This isn't ABOUT what I want... I won't tie down Tohma's existence against his will. I simply won't. That's all there is to it."

"But there IS more to it... For the future generations of our families..."

"I've seen others in my family delighted to be with their suitors or suitresses, and yet others, MANY others... Not so happy," Clarisse cut in firmly. Her face donned the look of torment that Masaru remembered seeing the day before. This time, the look was directed towards a different Norstein... "Please, dear Rosa. I'm sure you realize things don't have to be like this. Don't subject your family to this despair. Let them find happiness on their own terms."

"Clarisse..."

On the sidelines, Masaru kept his phone out, vigorously (but silently) reading the translations showing on his phone. He went without translating whatever conversation this young lady had with Tohma the other day, but he definitely needed whatever context he could get at that moment.

One thing he realized for sure... Rosa was always so caustic towards Masaru, but she was an angel when it came to Clarisse. Granted, the fighter hadn't really approached the elder Norstein with much tact, now that he thought about it. But even if he had made a better first impression, how much of a difference would it have made?

Clarisse spoke for long lengths, while Rosa interjected on occasion and held silent otherwise. It sounded like the younger lady was telling a story of some sort, but as Masaru read the translations, it made only less and less sense to him as she went further into the details. While it wasn't Masaru's first time feeling lost in the discussion, seeing that the translating tool wasn't helping him in the slightest left him feeling pretty hapless.

He looked towards Tohma to see if he could get any better assistance, but the other man's lips were sealed as the ladies spoke. In the end, Masaru was left to watch the ladies speak and motion in theatrics without knowing what was going on. He put his phone away and just listened earnestly. Clarisse was clearly emotional with her words, and while Rosa tried to remain stoic at first, her emotions started to become more visible as the moments passed.

Finally, after many more rounds of back and forth, Rosa uttered something, seemingly in defeat... however, it was spoken quietly, as if it was only for Clarisse to hear in the first place. Clarisse gave the old Norstein a warm embrace, then backed up with a gentle smile on her face.

"You see? It really is that simple." Clarisse went back to speaking Japanese again as she turned once more to face Masaru and Tohma.

Tohma nodded, but Masaru just stared back with wide eyes. Whatever was 'simple' apparently wasn't simple enough for the phone translation to pick up on.

He could probably ask Tohma about it later. But for now...

Tohma reached out and took Masaru's hand in his own as they stood side by side. The blond was calm and composed, fully aware that everyone else in the room could see them.

Masaru, on the other hand, was a bit bewildered. "So that's it? We're... good now?"

The elder Norstein gave the two men in the hallway one last scrutinizing look before emphatically closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she spoke once again in Japanese. "Clarisse, would you care to stay for some tea and perhaps dinner? I'd appreciate your company while I... make necessary considerations."

"Absolutely, Rosa."

After a short word to her maids, Rosa left the scene almost as suddenly as she appeared, with one of the two maids following her. The other stayed behind to escort Clarisse.

The young lady put a hand to her waist as she looked at the two men who were still holding hands. She seemed to be expecting a comment.

"Quite a showing for an early display of friendship, Clarisse," Tohma pointed out.

"I did this in the interest of BUSINESS, Sir Tohma," Clarisse said as she hovered her free hand over her cheek, parodying an uncouth attitude. "I think having you and your family owe me a favor down the line would prove to be quite beneficial."

"I question if that's your true intention..."

The lady laughed once. "You're free to take it as you will. And the same goes for you, Sir Masaru."

"Eh?"

"You've restored my hope to find happiness in ways I never expected, in all frankness."

"Oh..."

The sun had set by then, and the lights in the hallway suddenly turned on.

Taking note of the lighting, Clarisse made motions to move on. "You two should get going. I can't guarantee that she'll be singing all the praises for you overnight, but I won't make the situation worse for any of us; you can count on me for that."

"Thank you, Clarisse," Tohma said with a slight bow.

Masaru gave Clarisse his thanks as well.

Masaru still wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but Clarisse's cheeky smile and Tohma's decisive grip on his hand were all he needed to confirm that it had been worth coming across the ocean to be there that afternoon.

.~.~.~.~

At the end of the day, Tohma's grandmother was never convinced of Masaru's 'prestige' or anything of that matter. Sadly, those were just the current circ*mstances... The Digital World wasn't open to humans yet, and everything Masaru had been doing was still hidden from the public's eye.

But as long as Rosa was willing to let Tohma do as he wished, and not tie him down to the burdens of nobility, that was enough for now.

There was a process to everything. Small, slow steps were expected... At least in Tohma's words.

And at least... it was enough that Tohma didn't feel the need to 'send' the fighter back to the Digital World immediately. Not that Masaru would've gone back quietly, anyway.

Back in Tohma's villa, with the two of them alone again, Tohma immediately buried his face into Masaru's shoulder. The blond leaned in with practically all of his weight, dragging both of them down onto the floor just beyond the main entrance.

"At least let me take my shoes off, man!" Masaru barked as he lifted Tohma off. Tohma didn't say anything, but he got up and hastily took off his own shoes while Masaru did the same.

And then he was immediately back in Masaru's space, pressing in with intense kisses and holding onto the brunet with a certain aggressiveness that only Masaru knew from past experiences...

Ah... yeah, he understood all too well. Masaru had been wanting to do the same thing. He grabbed back with both arms and refused to let go as the two of them took a long moment to simply... be with each other.

Whatever happened that day had no doubt been a huge drain on Tohma's mental capacity. Tohma had been dealing with that grandmother of his for practically his entire life... And despite all that had happened, they were still only getting started.

That Clarisse girl had completely taken over Masaru's spotlight, now that he thought of it. He didn't have any actual complaint about it, since he knew that whatever was going on with the ladies was way out of his element...

When Tohma finally let them move out of the hallway, Masaru commented straight away. "You were right, Tohma... I'm not sure if me being here actually helped in the end."

"You're a fool."

"Aah?"

"No, I mean... If you weren't here with me, Clarisse wouldn't have been there to help us just earlier. You being here DOES matter."

Masaru groaned slightly as he gazed upon the other, reacting to the greater-than-usual tenseness the blond was emitting, but also acknowledging the strange vote of confidence. "So what DID the two ladies talk about? What actually convinced your grandmother to finally get off our case? The phone translations weren't working so swell back there."

"Mmm... how do I put it in a way that would make sense to you..." Tohma pondered. "It was very much as you put it before... women have a strength that only they possess. Clarisse seems to have a way to connect with Grandmother in a way neither of us could."

"Uh, well... Cool, but that still doesn't explain anything. What did she SAY?"

"I could tell you right now, and there's a lot to it... or I could tell you over tea again."

"Tea, again? We just came back from having tea..."

"If anything, the tea session at the mansion happened too early in the day. Even my grandmother mentioned having tea again before we left. We really enjoy our tea around these parts," Tohma said with a smirk. "But what I'm really suggesting is that we... clean our palate a bit after what we went through earlier."

Masaru feigned a guiltless face. "No, no, you don't."

.~.~.~.~

The sun had just set by the time their tea was ready, and Tohma brought over some tall stools to the kitchen island for the two to sit down together, bar style. He then brought in a tray with a large teapot and two tea cups, and he poured the readied tea for both of them.

The tea had a gentle, fruity taste to it, and Masaru had to admit that it was the best tea he'd ever had so far. Maybe he preferred the sweetness of it, even though he hadn't added any sugar... Tohma smiled in a similarly gentle manner at the feedback, saying it was a simple peach tea, and Masaru could only let himself melt in warm feelings as he continued sipping.

It was certainly a stark contrast to their typical boxing sessions or even their other outings together. Under just about any other circ*mstance, he would've preferred duking it out again, but... he couldn't ignore the absolute sense of calm from the mystifying aura he got out of their mutual silence. He'd gotten some silence just earlier, when he was alone outside the Norstein mansion... but now, Tohma was there with him.

He didn't even think to get into the nitty-gritty until he started his second cup. "So, Clarisse... What did she do back there?"

Tohma poured his own second cup and set it aside to cool.

"Clarisse... She assuaged Grandmother with a modern tale with a moral. I'd heard wind of the story from other places beforehand, but I never had the time to hear about the finer details of it like she described. It was a recent happening--reckoning, I should say... A reckoning of what potentially happens if you push certain old-fashioned arrangements in this day and age."

"So you mean the whole arranged marriage thing, huh? That kind of stuff does sound like things that only happen in fairy tales or such. But it's real..."

"Fairy tales? Japan still has a culture of arranged marriages too, you know. It's less than 10% of marriages nowadays, but even then, it shouldn't be THAT much of an exotic concept."

"Well, guess where else I haven't been living for the past six years?"

Tohma took a deep breath and an even deeper look at Masaru, subliminally warning the brunet about a long-winded explanation to come. Masaru just looked back, as prepared as he ever could be for what was to come next.

"It was an extremely high profile marriage, in another country... The groom was the successor of one of the world's richest families, while the bride was the daughter of an important politician. A situation not too different from mine had I gone along with marrying a suitress... As my grandmother wanted. The groom in this situation had originally just gone along with this supposedly mutually arranged marriage. However, not even a year after the marriage, the groom's side of the family was exposed for their excessively abusive behavior, uncovering the lack of love in a marriage of convenience, underhanded financial bribes, political scandals... the entire mess."

"Political scandals? What's that even mean?"

"The father of the groom was colluding with people who held political power, and not just the bride's family. These facts got out to the public, placed on tabloids, the Internet, everything... The real clincher was the gruesome aspects of the aftermath, because it had been such a high profile marriage..."

Tohma paused a bit as he recounted the details. "It affected the entire family, even though there was only one member who made all the abusive calls in the end... And it was the groom's father. He had bribed various political figures with capital endowments, at the same time threatening to undermine the bride and her family's political reputation if anything were to displease him."

"Uh... I'm already kinda lost. The groom was okay with whatever this mess was?"

"Of course not. The groom had a courteous but non-romantic relationship with the bride beforehand, but the father pushed it towards this forced marriage. The father had control over his family like that. You see... This father used his son to carry out his ultimate agenda... To not only hold power in wealth, but power over the entire nation as well--Although if we go into the thick of it, those two ambitions have a lot of overlap to begin with, but that's another story... Anyway, the marriage was set up to be a catalyst tool for the father to establish his hold over the country both politically and financially. If anything went out of his favor, he had the power to ruin certain people's lives in order to get what he wanted. When a competitor company had the ability to lay roots into the father's business, he would use the bride's political connections to surmise and implement legislative change that would force the competitor out of his playing field."

"Uh... Okay? How do people let something that twisted happen without some punching going around to stop it?" Masaru butt in with all frankness.

"The same reasons why you can't go around punching my grandmother, Masaru."

"Huh... I get what you're saying, but the only REAL reason I never punched her was because she's a LADY. Even if I cared that she was someone in power or whatever, you should know that's never stopped me."

"You're a real special case..."

"Yeah?"

"But sadly, there's no Masaru in this story to punch anyone to their senses. The ones in power in this story are the ones with power in wealth... Used in certain ways, money can even buy you an entire nation. At least that's what the father thought."

"......"

"Still, you're right for the most part. You can't do such outlandishly abusive things in this day and age without the possibility of repercussions... And that was exactly what this corrupt man got. Eventually, the groom could no longer bear the burdens his father had placed upon him. He gathered evidence and exposed his father's dealings to the public, every last dirty detail."

"That sounds more like it. So the groom's still a good guy!"

"Is he still the good guy if he has to condemn his own father?"

"Well..." Masaru hesitated, somberly remembering his own similar complications with his father in the past.

"Again... It doesn't end there, either. The groom... he'd been complacent by undergoing the marriage in the first place, even though there was no love in it. Until he finally spoke out about it, he'd let his father make all sorts of backdoor threats to the bride's family, knowing that they didn't stand a chance against his father's wealth. The groom wasn't immune to the aftermath... And neither was the rest of his family. His entire family paid the price for the father's actions."

"....."

"Naturally, the marriage fell apart, and the father was arrested for his crimes. The groom was freed from his father, but it was definitely not an end to the troubles in his life. News media tried to pry the family for more information, day in and out. Despite the groom's efforts to keep the blame within himself and his father, many outside the family came to assume the worst in every one of them. The groom's whole family ended up getting shut out from all that used to respect them... even their closest ties. Every aspect of their lives was affected. After a fiasco of a court case, they had lost everyone's trust, for good. Their relationships, their assets, generations of wealth, be it business, political, and even personal... all turned against them."

"Huh? But the father was the one who did all the nasty stuff..."

"That goes to show how high profile the marriage was, as it all came back to them like a reflected laser shot in the end... And certain societies are cruel to the bitter end. Just because they were in the same family, every outsider assumed that they were involved in abusive, corrupt acts, regardless if they were proven innocent by court. Everyone in the groom's family had to constantly deal with being scrutinized no matter what they did. They lost their reputation, their friends... Imagine the vandalism incident we just experienced happening every day. That was only the beginning. People would have no respect for their privacy, break into their property, and violate any sense of humility they could hold onto. This family was legitimately dealing with DEATH THREATS everyday."

"Yeesh, where's the police in all this?"

"The police can only do so much. In some countries, they're actually quite worthless, to be frank... Sometimes they can be as much of a tool to corrupt power as any other. But that's a different story..."

"For sure, none of this would go down like this if I were there."

"Surely, the family tried with all they still had. But humans are truly relentless out there, Masaru... Instead of finding any hope for redemption, the groom's family members were driven into a corner so deep, one of them... the groom's sister... thought to end it all in the most extreme way possible... with her own life."

"......"

"And just like most everyone in the family, she wasn't remotely involved in the forced marriage or abuse to begin with. They found her dosed with a deadly pill, with a farewell letter at her bedside."

"Hmm..."

"Clarisse's story made another good point... that as this world becomes more 'connected' through the aid of technology, the fundamental way people interact with each other will change as well... and not necessarily in better ways. The implications she made, with regards to how people are seen... perceived... in the public eye... and how that affects our own emotions... She knew how to get my grandmother to become more aware of her own behavior. It was as if she knew that we're planning to reopen the Digital World, to reopen that connection between our emotions and how they affect those around us... And that the two of us are large proponents of the whole thing."

"Uh... wow. But how WOULD she know? Does she even know anything about the Digital World?"

"Of course she doesn't, nothing more than the rest of the public does at the present. But... that'll change soon enough. Things will only grow more complicated as we progress..."

"Yuh-huh, I'll leave whatever complicated stuff to you, 'cause I've already been through enough complicated stuff to last me the rest of the year, and it's still January..."

Tohma just nodded in agreement. "At this point, I'm not sure if you're even ready to start diving deeper into the future Digital World plans, after all this other stuff that's transpired. Maybe you need a break..."

"Oh? But that's a different thing altogether, Tohma. I'm ready to dive deeper at this very moment. Heck, you could still take me back to the Digital World like you said you would now that we've settled some things here."

"Hah... We can at least take it easy for the rest of today. I... would still appreciate your company for tonight."

"Well, duh. You won't get rid of me that easily, after all that went down. And despite saying that I'm ready to head back to the Digital World, what I'm REALLY going to do is stay for another few days, another week even, if it has to... Just to be with you."

With a wry smile, Tohma looked at his tea cup and took a sip.

"You're making Agumon wait again."

"Anyway, I'm staying for a while, whether you like it or not."

Tohma opened his mouth as if to say something in return, but after a long pause, nothing came out.

A calm settled in at long last. Tohma took more sips, his eyes planted on Masaru's at that point. Meanwhile, Masaru had been looking back at him practically the entire time. The moment Tohma set his cup back on the counter, Masaru shifted his chair over and embraced the blond with both arms.

Tohma froze. In terms of affection, Masaru would often initiate small advances like hand-holding or arm-locking, but these... Full-bodied approaches tended to bring Tohma to a standstill, pooled in emotion.

"Tohma... If I could tell the entire world in one go that we chose to be with each other, as in... You're MINE... And I'm yours... As crazy cliche as that probably is... I'd do it. In some ways, this whole deal about connecting the Digital World to everyone... this is how I'll be able to tell them all how much I love you."

"Masaru..." Tohma's voice spilled with heavy contemplation, despite just saying the other's name.

Masaru felt the weight of the noble's voice, and he set out to lift it. "And it's the same for you, right? I mean... it's not just about the two of us, sure. There's everyone else we love and care for... My family, your family, Agumon, Gaomon, and all our other friends... This is for all of them, too. But in the end..."

Thoughts of all the people he'd met in the past couple weeks sped through him. His father, his mother, Chika, Ikuto, Yoshino, Koichiro... and even people he'd only met briefly like Todomatsu, Clarisse, Tohma's family... Masaru fought for all of them. He fought for them, he fought for Agumon and his friends in the Digital World... he fought for Tohma.

And he knew with all his soul, and all of his DigiSoul, even... that Tohma felt the same. He gazed at Tohma within his arms, and Tohma leaned in to share the embrace.

"I'll always be with you, Tohma. Even if I'm out in the Digital World doing my thing. And you'll always be with me."

Another quiet moment passed between them. At some point during Tohma's storytelling, the murmurs from outside the villa had dissipated into the night, finally allowing actual silence into their atmosphere... Or at least enough silence for Masaru's manly heartbeat to make its way to Tohma's eardrums as he pressed up close. Eventually, Tohma backed up from Masaru's hold to take another sip of his tea.

"Although..." The tea seemed to put a bit of typical haughtiness back into Tohma's voice. "I'm sure you have better things to do than making sure every fellow you fight knows that you're taken."

"Of course, you silly... I'm not actually going to go around shouting about you everywhere I go." Masaru gave a backhanded slap against the blond's shoulder... and then kept his hand there. "But well... If anyone asks... I'll always answer them truthfully."

They shared gazes again, and Masaru felt the need to repeat himself.

"You're mine. And I'm yours." He formed a fist with the hand that was on Tohma's shoulder and gave the blond a light chest bump before going back to his own tea. "So if any other weird stuff goes down with your family... With the other Norsteins... Just know that I'm with you."

"Family, huh..." Tohma switched back into contemplation. "I take pride in being a Norstein, but not because of its nobility. It's because it's simply who I am, and the Norsteins are my family."

"Even though you've got an entire half that isn't noble to begin with..."

"Yes, my mother... My mother will always have a precious place in my memories. Relena is my dear sister, even if only half related. My father... For a long time, I held vices against him for his past inactions. But that's changed... Franz is undoubtedly my father and part of my family. If my grandmother ever learns to truly accept me for who I am, I'll be more than ready to call her my family as well. It hasn't happened in the 15 years I've known her, but... Anything's still possible."

Masaru just sat quietly, barely taking a single sip of his tea as Tohma spoke about himself. For once, it felt like he was witnessing Tohma's full palate of feelings about his family--even if in the fighter's head, he was imagining it with Tohma pointing a thumbs up or thumbs down at each family member lined up in front of them.

"Until then, however... if it comes down to it, you heard it yourself when we were with her. I would leave behind the entire nobility if I have to."

Masaru grinned a little sheepishly. "You could always come be part of my family. All of my folks already like you, so it's not like we'd have to do any convincing with them. Keeps things simple, doesn't it?"

"You're just casually proposing to me now."

The brunet quickly turned red. "S-So what if I am? That's just payback for what you tried to pull on me those couple years back in front of Hippogriffomon!"

"Oh, you remember that."

"Of course I remember... how could I forget..."

Tohma had his eyes firmly on Masaru again, and the fighter could only stare back with his manliness on the line.

"Masaru... You're already family to me as well. Always will be."

"Tohma..."

One could easily describe Masaru as the completely oblivious, brainless fighting maniac he was... but he was also the one who cared deeply for his family, enough to gently caress his sister before saying an extended goodbye, whose spirit quaked when he found out Yggdrasil had taken over his father's body... whose very soul ached when he thought Tohma betrayed him... And of course, enough to keel over on his knees in a bloody fit of tears when he had met his match against the greater forces at hand.

Masaru had a wide range of feelings, and plenty of them to express. And he definitely put those feelings into action whenever possible.

Admittedly, he had some hesitations knowing Tohma had someone looking to marry him... For a fleeting moment, he was concerned if his involvement with Tohma was holding Tohma back when it came to family.

But the fighter came to an answer for his concerns just as quickly; he absolutely wasn't holding Tohma back.

This was Tohma's choice, as Tohma vehemently voiced earlier that day. This choice, he would never change, even if it meant throwing out his nobility entirely. But it should never have to come to that.

Masaru knew his own choice loud and clear.

"Glad to have you, Tohma."