Nighttime visitor [mirei]

[Observer]

Renee only shook her head and sat down, upon hearing the child's words. The palmon should have not given such promises before hearing her story. Because Renee was pretty sure it would convince her otherwise. Inside she hoped that the plant digimon would not leave, but her rational part utterly suffocated that hope, and forced to accept that chances of ... not scaring the child away are ... slim. Very slim. If not outright zero. Anyhow, she had gotten this far. There was no turning back.

- My designation number is DCLN - RM - 01 (pr). Digimon clone - Renamon model - zero, one. Prototype. I am not a real digimon, real ones come from digital world, I was made in a Hypnos laboratory. They created me, and after me several others, to serve as their soldiers against the digimon that come to this world. To kill them. Larry, the man you saw, is not my tamer, though he serves a similar purpose. My overseer. Together we form a pair to ensure more effective destruction of any digimon we encounter. - Renee still did not turn around, allowing the information to sink in. If that wouldn't scare her off, the next part surely will. She was pretty certain about it.

- I was ... am a very ruthless and efficient digimon killer. I scored 79 confirmed kills, and not all of them were vicious evil digimon that came here to purge and destroy. Some of them were like golemon, kind, and harmless. Some were children ... like you. I killed them without a single thought, and absorbed their data, so they could never reborn. I enjoyed it too. I loved my job, and with each kill I proved the digimon whom I hated so much, were inferior to me, despite I were a clone. Until one day... - Renee stopped for a second, the memories flowing back into her head. She could never forget that fateful day, the pain burned the images right into her memory, and the scar served as an eternal reminder.

- Until I fought an enemy I could never beat. Not even with Larry's help. I lost my eye... I ran... I left my overseer behind... I were a coward. And in the end ... I were rescued by digimon I hated so much, against whom I fought and whom I deleted without mercy... It felt strange, awkward. I felt ... indebted. And I repaid them. With supplies, with information. I hate to owe something to anyone. - Renee made that part incredibly short. The palmon did not need to know all the details. Plus she knew enough already...

- My overseer found out... Were he a lesser man, he'd bring me in without thinking, because I am simply a clone, they could make another one. But he didn't. He feared Hypnos would discover my ... treachery, collaboration with the enemy, so he hid me here. And here I lived, and met you... The rest ... you know yourself...

[Mirei]

"sis ... you ... waaaah!!"

The truth was something so terrible, so shocking that the palmon cried once more again, and this time she was weakly hitting the youkomon with her hands after forming a fist with them, that was the only way she knew of releasing all her sadness and frustration after listening to what her "sister" said. She was indeed a cold blooded murderer, and in the past she would've hesitated not to kill the plant digimon without showing any hint of remorse.

"You bad, bad! .. *sob sob*"

She continued hitting the fox digimon with her weak fists and once she got tired of that, surprisingly embraced her sister. She was having a hard time assimilating the information and when it finally happened, she processed the information and decided to stop hitting Renee; it was true that she acted like a complete monster, but now she was so nice, so warm that ... that the palmon simply couldn't hate her even if she wanted.

"Big sister ... You were bad before .... but now you are nice. Don't go back to the bad days and be my big sister forever! ... I don't care if those baddies created you, big sis Renee is still big sis Renee, we can still be happy ... and we can help other digimon to be happy too. My nanny Rosemon said that before she used to beat other digimon to eat their data, but she changed and become a nice nanny who helps kids all the time. I'm sure you changed too and I'm going to make sure you don't go back to being a meanie!"

Once more she reminded those precious lessons taught by her nanny Rosemon; she was a punk rebellious togemon always looking for trouble but she matured and become a mother-like figure for many digimons; that was the proof that people can change if given the opportunity.

"And we can help the man with glasses too, he was made bad by those Hypnos baddies and it's not his fault he and you did bad things!"

She wasn't even sure about what she was saying, but what she was sure about was that Hypnos was behind everything bad that happened to the clone and the human and both of them were now nice guys because Renee was nice with her and the man with glasses loved the youkomon.

[Observer]

- You ... you will not abandon me? Won't run away? - Renee sounded very surprised, when the child's frustration, fright and anger suddenly ... vanished? But ... but why? The answer was found fast enough, the answer was ... fear. The child feared to be alone. This was why she clung to anybody who showed her kindness... Even if that one was a horrible murderer in the past... or maybe she believed Renee had changed? The fox really tried to, but never expected anyone to believe in her that way. Often she did not even believe herself...

Suddenly, she felt ... something was happening with her. Not metaphorically, but ... literally. As the plant digimon kept clinging to her ... the fox's body suddenly started glowing ... like a light of evolution? Maybe, maybe not. In fact, the reaction was completely ... inverse, so to speak. When the dust and fog cleared out, the palmon was still clinging, yet ... to another, much smaller frame. Renee somehow managed to ... de-evolve. Get back into her old body. But aside from that ... little changed. The fox expected to become her less caring self, but ... it was still there. It didn't go away. The trait she thought she inherited with evolution, well, maybe it had less to do with the actual process, and more with Renee herself.

- If that is what you wish... I will stay, and be your sister ... forever... - she said softly, and patted the plant digimon on the head. She may not have nine tails now, but she had her hands to compensate for everything... Strangely enough, she did not even notice she reverted back, her powers and abilities to evolve further were still there, and she could use them ... at any time.

- Are you done yet Renee... Oh... - Larry came about when he saw the flicker of light from her de-evolution. He looked a bit ... dazzled, confused, when he saw that the child still did not run away, even after everything that was said. He wasn't able to fully comprehend it, as Renee wasn't. But they both learned something very important today...

- But how did you...

- She's not like us Larry, not from the world we live in... In her world ... even the likes of us deserve a second chance... - Renee explained softly, not letting the child from her embrace. It just felt ... so nice, so natural. And Larry understood. She was happy here. She did not need to be dragged back to war. Just leave her here, and let her be happy. Even if this happiness did not involve you.

- I think they're going to give me a new digimon to oversee soon... They cannot keep me without work forever...

- Larry... I have no right to condemn you. Be the best trooper for Hypnos you can ever be... Obey to kill, to save yourself. And if required, forget about my existence. It will hurt, but the pain will pass. Just ... whoever that clone will be, give him, or her, the same treatment you gave me. More than just another clone...

[Mirei]

"I won't run away, promise!"

The small digimon answered with the honesty of a pure children and continued hugging the large ... uh? is she no longer larger? suddenly she found herself losing hug-able surface until where once there was a youkomon, now lied a smaller, humanoid looking fox. It was Renee, who de-evolved and promised to always be her sister. Despite no longer looking like a huge big sister, her touch was still warm and her hand felt really nice when the renamon patted the palmon's head.

"I think everybody who was bad but decided to be nice deserves a second chance, that's what my nanny always told us!"

She didn't understand why those two acted like granting a second chance was something so weird that happened rarely. For her, it was very simple: baddies who continue being bad = punishment! - Baddies who decided to become nice people for real = yayz!

It was something so simple, yet it seemed to be a concept so alien for those under the cruel hand of Hypnos that the little digimon guessed something was really wrong in this world. That was further supported by what the fox and the human said shortly afterwards about the man with glasses having to kill only to avoid being killed himself by his own employers, that was so cruel, so evil that she wanted to do something!

"Big sis Renee, I'm determined to learn from you how to fight, so I can defend myself and someday defend others like you do!"

The time for games was over and the time to learn about responsibility began. She repressed her power to evolve for long and wished to always be a child, but in this world of hardships where not everything is love colored she had to learn how to fight and mature into an adult digimon. She didn't want to originally, but now she had a reason to want to grow up and would do any kind of training big sister Renee programed for her for the same of becoming as strong as her.

[Observer]

... The nighttime visit was finally over, as both parties had to leave, for it could not last forever. Larry left with a promise to take good care of whatever digimon he would be assigned with. He both liked and didn't like the idea - he wanted to take care of clones like they deserved, when risking their lives for the human world, but at the same time ... grew afraid of making connections with them, for some day he'll have to break them, and it will be painful ... very painful. Still, a promise was a promise, made to one person he would never ever break his connection with... It takes a lot more than a few hardships to break a bond forged by fire...

Renee found out something important today as well. There were now two people who knew who she was, and still accepted her for who and what she were. But she made a mental note to keep this secret an actual secret. For she did not know for how long she'll continue to be that lucky, and it would sooner or later happen ... she will get rejected. She decided to be more careful, regardless... But enough of that for now, there were more important issues... Like palmon's request, for instance.

- Fighting is something I can do very, very well. I will teach you...