Kyoko sighed, burying her face in her hands. Returning to detective work hadn’t been hard - truthfully, she hadn’t entirely stopped. But with the digital world now separated from the human world once again, the cases she handled were a lot less… interesting, and they came with a lot more…
Paperwork.
There was no way around it. Laws and ordinances and legal-speak meant forms upon forms, paperwork up to her neck. As a digital authority, Alphamon hadn’t needed to get a search warrant - they were a revered royal knight. What digimon would deny them their duty? But as the human Kuremi Kyoko, she suddenly was no different from anyone else.
Well, she was a detective, but that didn't mean much in human society. Any halfway-intelligent journalist could dig up most of the cases she looked into. While it was reassuring for the human world to have so many laws holding up peace and cohabitation, the Alphamon aspect of her itched to deliver justice as swiftly and succinctly as possible.
Really, one would think she'd be used to the paperwork since she was probably more Kyoko than Alphamon by her estimations... But, alas, no dice. Kyoko sighed deeply. Maybe some coffee would pick her up. Caffeine had a way of making her productive, even if she crashed and burned afterward.
As if on cue, the door to the detective agency opened and in stumbled Ami. A smile instantly lit up Kyoko's face. The two were dating, though it was being kept hush-hush until Ami graduated. They only had a few more months ahead of them before the time came, thankfully. Kyoko admired her girlfriend for a moment.
It was grounding to see her in a school uniform, to arrive with a bag full of homework and notebooks. The fuzzy coat she wore spoke to her restored physical presence - no longer part-digital, half-eaten scraps of data. Ami smiled back as their eyes met.
"Hey, just thought I'd drop in and do some homework here. If you don't mind?" she explained. Kyoko shook her head. Ami didn't even need to ask; that invitation was a given between them.
"I don't mind at all," she agreed. "It's been slow today and I could use the company." She rose from her chair and walked over to the coffee machine. She’d run out of mayonnaise a few days ago, so her coffee would be woefully bland. Still, caffeine was caffeine.
Ami had a textbook laid out alongside a homework sheet on the couch, fiddling a mechanical pencil between her fingers. At a glance, it looked to be English homework. Kyoko averted her eyes. She’d be of little help with that. There wasn’t exactly a school for digimon, and even in her human memories she hadn’t excelled in the subject to any real degree.
Sights turned back to the tedious forms awaiting her, Kyoko got back to work. The two sat in companionable silence, interrupted only by the sounds of their writing utensils against paper and Kyoko's occasional sips of coffee. Absorbed in her work as she was, it was only when she heard a thoughtful hum from over her shoulder that Kyoko realized she was being observed.
Jerking in surprise, she whirled around to find Ami at her back, leaning over to see what she was writing. She was notably close now that Kyoko had turned to see her, and she smiled mischievously at Kyoko when she saw her gaze snag on her lips for a moment. Ami kissed her cheek indulgently, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she pulled back.
"Do you need help?" she ended up asking. Kyoko blinked at her for a few moments, mind taking time to catch up.
"Don't you have homework to do?" she rebutted. Ami shook her head.
"I finished up a bit ago," she explained. A bit? How long had she been done, and Kyoko hadn't realized? "I got curious about what you were up to, so I came to look. Looks like you've got a lot of work yourself." Ugh, exactly! Being a detective was fun and fulfilling, but it also had its low points like any other job.
"Nothing I can't handle," Kyoko tried to smooth it over. If she were being honest, there was still a solid two thirds of the original stack left to do. Judging by the skeptical expression Ami wore, she could tell as much. "I'm the adult here, Ami. I shouldn't have to go to you for help with every little thing. Yes, this is very different from what I used to handle as Alphamon, but it's also my agency to manage."
Ami opened her mouth as if to disagree, but closed it. Her hand reached forward to rest on Kyoko's shoulder and that familiar guilt-ridden heaviness visibly struck her features. Shoulders sagged, her mouth screwed up into a tight frown and she turned away. Kyoko sighed, placing her hand overtop Ami's where it continued to rest on her shoulder.
"Ami, I know you feel responsible for bringing me back here with you," the part of Kyoko that was still wholly Alphamon spoke up, "but I don't regret it. Not for a moment. If you want to help, I suppose I can't stop you, but I don't want to take advantage of your kindness. You give too much to others and don't save enough for yourself. I know that better than anyone, I'd think."
"I know you don't blame me, but I still feel bad about bringing you back without knowing if that was what you actually wanted or not..." Ami admitted. She turned back to Kyoko, and seeing the smile awaiting her cleared up the storminess of her mood a good deal. "It's just... We're partners. I'm supposed to help you. I worked alongside you all that time when digimon were causing mayhem, I just want us to be able to go back to that. To be like that again."
"A lot has changed since then, and I think I owe you an apology," Alphamon responded.
"Huh?" Ami's face scrunched up, looking perplexed.
"I was single-minded in my efforts, and I saw you as a fun toy, an interesting experiment and not as a person in the capacity I should've. Becoming permanently human and merging with Kyoko has altered how I view my actions, and... I was wrong to bring you into everything, to throw you headlong into events and a world you didn't understand or have any obligation to. For that, I'm truly sorry."
Her own wave of guilt, the silent, stalking type that lurked in every dark corner, waiting to spring forth, hit Alphamon. When she'd found Ami, her first thought should've been concern for her wellbeing, or perhaps the desire to help her. And she did plan on helping, but it wasn't out of the goodness of her heart. Ami was useful, a puzzle to be solved. Alphamon's mind, at the time, was consumed by nothing but intrigue.
Perhaps it was their increasingly multifaceted relationship speaking, or merely the by-product of a digimon-human mind fusion, but she was disgusted at her own flippancy from such a short time ago.
"Alphamon..." Ami trailed off. Kyoko kept her eyes stubbornly pointed away. She had no right to see Ami's reaction. No doubt it wouldn't be a good one. Perhaps she'd rouse from the honeymoon phase, and-
Kyoko found herself being pulled into a crushing hug, cheek pressed against Ami's collarbone. It became suddenly difficult to swallow and she shut her eyes as they stinged, awash with emotions outside her control. Warm and solid against her was Ami, resting her chin atop Kyoko's head as her arms kept the two huddled together. Kyoko's arms, unsure, slowly wrapped their way around Ami in turn.
"Don't keep beating yourself up over me," Ami murmured, voice thick. "I forgave you a long time ago. Besides," she continued, pulling back to look Kyoko in the eye, "I wouldn't change a thing." Hearing her own sentiment echoed back at her, Kyoko chuckled, shedding a few tears. They hugged again in earnest, Kyoko listening to the comforting feeling of Ami's heart beating away.
What did she do to deserve someone so understanding and patient in her life? Alphamon was no saint, despite their position as a royal knight, and there was a reason Kuremi Kyoko worked alone to begin with. But, being held in such a way, Kyoko found her own doubts abating. Perhaps it didn't matter why, in the end, just that they found each other. Kyoko was the one to pull away after a few moments. Wiping her eyes, the pile of paperwork still to be done sat before her, less daunting than before.
"How about we finish this up, and I can take you out for an afternoon date?" she proposed. Ami smiled at the idea. She had to be hungry, her last meal would've been lunch at school. Ami softly pecked her forehead, hand brushing over the collection of papers.
"Sounds like a plan. Now, where should I start?"
