[Left Behind]

Summary: Yamato doesn't make it through Vamdemon's gate. How do the kids continue without him and how does he survive for over a decade in a Digital World ravashed by the Dark Masters?

Pairings: Taishirou. Debating between Jyoumato, Jyoukeru, Jyoumi. One-sided Sorato, if you squint.

Warnings: Violence, language; the usual.

A/N: This is a complete rewrite of my other fic of the same name, which I've now removed. I stick to the Japanese terminology as much as possible, but generally with Digimon levels, some Digimon names and attacks, I will use English terminology.

This is also a mix of some continuities; rather it's partially based on my headcanon, so you may see some similarities. Namely, that Adventure is indeed a 'sequel' of Frontier, but it won't be brought up enough to steer one away. I just needed it to explain some of what's going on in Yamato's half of this. The Homeostasis did exist in the show/novels but I've taken some liberties (also from my headcanon). The Z'd-Hou is from Digimon Masters. Since Z'dMetalGarurumon can be obtained in (the card game?) via a WereGarurumon, I'm rolling with it.

I hope you enjoy.

[1]

-By the Way-

The air grew stale. All the dust had settled. Yamato wiped the crumbs of concrete from his hair and eyes as he tried to sit up. He felt vertigo and fell back into the bed of rubble. A voice telling him to go to Hell rang in his head. Then he heard a much nicer voice. Tsunomon calling out for him and the familiar hopping noise of an In-Training Digimon.

"Over here."

The tiny Digimon appeared on a small slab above Yamato and looked down at him with worry. "Are you okay, Yamato?"

"Just dizzy. What happened?"

"The castle was destroyed!" Tsunomon cried and he hopped down a peg.

"No. Stay up there," the blonde urged, sitting up again. His mind settled and he pulled his legs close to him. His shoulder felt sore. Still, he could move all of his limbs and took a sigh of relief. "I'm alright."

Tsunomon shivered with more worry as Yamato made his way up. He was now at the top of the rubble and he could now see they were standing on a mountain of concrete stairs. The podium that held the cards was shattered down the center. The cards were long gone. The gate itself stood, but was inactive; nothing more than a door leading to nothing.

"Yamato~" Tsunomon insisted. His tamer picked him up and looked around more. He could see where Gennai had spoken with them only hours ago. The metal hologram's base was shattered.

"That's right..." Yamato whispered to himself. "We were fighting Dokugumon."

"I took him down, Yamato... but I wasn't fast enough. We just missed the gate."

The tamer hugged his Digimon close, "It's not your fault, Tsunomon. I just hope the others are alright."

Takeru...

Taichi opened his eyes to a bright, blue sky. His body was greeted with a shivering cold and he knew: either he was dead or they made it back home. As he stood, he looked around for his group. What was it everyone had told him...? He was the leader? Officially. He wasn't sure how it happened, but he didn't mind, either. According to Yamato, the group was a complete mess with him. He grinned and scanned the grounds. Koushiro was a few feet from him and Taichi reached out a hand to help the boy stand.

There was Sora, to his right. Biyomon seemed to have brought her something to eat, but she wasn't touching it.

Jyou and Mimi seemed to be discussing something.

Then that left Takeru.

Wait. That was only six of them. Where the Hell was Yamato?

As if he could read Taichi's mind, Takeru exclaimed, "Where's Oniichan?"

"He's missing," Sora whispered.

"Gabumon, too," Patamon added.

Taichi whipped around. Nothing but snowy campsite. Yamato had to be with them. He had to be. Taichi did the only thing he knew to do when something was wrong and looked down at Koushiro. The little redhead shrugged and looked at Jyou and Mimi.

"You can't believe that, can you?" Mimi asked. She tugged at Jyou's vest. "I'm sure it was a mistake."

Taichi drew closer, his shoes crunching the frozen ground beneath them. "What's going on? Do you know where Yamato is?"

Jyou pulled himself from Mimi. "He didn't make it through the gate."

"...maybe he just got up and wandered off?" Taichi shrugged.

"Without Takeru? Really?" Jyou hissed so the younger sibling wouldn't hear.

"What are we going to do, Taichi?" Koushiro questioned. "We can't abandon our mission of finding the 8th child."

Taichi gritted his teeth. He looked to everyone's faces. They were worried about Vamdemon, about this new Chosen Child, and about Yamato and Gabumon. How could he be expected to choose? "Let's split up, then."

"We just got back together!" Mimi insisted.

"Besides," Jyou snorted, "How do you expect to send out a search party when we have no idea how to get back to the Digital World again?"

"Hold out your Digivice," Koushiro suggested.

"That is how we got there before," Jyou agreed. He held his out in front of him. As did Taichi.

"I-it's not working," the brunette said, once again looking to Koushiro. Taichi tried shaking it. He contemplated stomping on the damn thing if it meant getting back to Yamato, but then Koromon nuzzled his ankle and he picked up the pink ball into his arms.

"Perhaps the Digivice works different here."

"I had trouble last time I was here," Taichi reminded. "There's also been something else bothering me. Doesn't it seem like no time has passed at all? I think I can still see our original footprints in the snow."

"That's just insane," Jyou insisted, then he heard a voice calling out to them. "Ah-! It's Mr. Fujiyama. What are we going to tell him? What am I going to tell him? I'm responsible for all of you."

"Calm down, Jyou," Koushiro urged. "We'll just tell him the truth."

"That he got left in another dimension? Sounds reaaal believable to me," Jyou snapped.

"Stop. Both of you," Taichi breathed, watching his breath float on the air. He looked to Takeru, who had remained silent as they stood there discussing his brother. "I'll think of something, Jyou."

Mr. Fujiyama met them at the top of the hill, looking them over. He counted in his head and quickly came to the same realization Taichi had. "Where's... Ishida?"

"We're not sure," Taichi stated.

"Not sure?!"

"He's missing," Taichi said again. "I was with him last. So, please, don't blame Jyou for this."

Mr. Fujiyama looked them over, "I'll deal with Kido as necessary. Yagami, what in the world are you carrying?"

"S-Stuffed animal," Taichi stammered. All of the kids looked to him.

Jyou was grateful Taichi had done his best to stand up for him, even if it would be fruitless by the time Jyou's father, Shou, heard about it. The eldest put that thought aside and helped to explain away the Digimon. Uncharted trails. Stuffed animals. Anti-littering was sure to be a good enough reason to distract their teacher.

"Is that where you lost Ishida?" Mr. Fujiyama demanded.

You make it sound like we traded Yamato for a bunch of stuffed animals, Sensei. "I- Maybe. Like I said, he just wandered off."

"Kids a troublemaker," Fujiyama mused to himself. "Probably ran away."

Takeru heard him and stamped his foot in the snow, "Oniichan wouldn't do that! He wouldn't leave me here!"

Taichi had to wonder if the boy was demanding those facts be heard by Mr. Fujiyama or by Takeru himself. He looked back to their teacher as he flipped through the clipboard in his hands. He then looked to the children. "You do realize every group except yours has packed up and is ready to board the buses home, don't you?"

"We're... leaving?" Jyou questioned.

Fujiyama glared at him. That same glare of disappointment he knew all too well from his father. "Yes. I'll handle Ishida's situation from here. You kids need to get home." He turned to leave, "What a mess this is..."

Taichi crossed his arms, Koromon squeezed between his elbows, "I wish he could handle it from here. Truth is, we need to handle it."

"We can't leave Yamato," Sora pressed. "We need to see if there are other ways to get into the Digital World and go get him."

"We can't do anything about it now, Sora," Taichi reminded. "We should all get back home and think this over. We need to decide what to do about Vamdemon first."

"Are you saying he's more important than finding our friend?" Sora snapped.

"You know that's not what I'm saying," Taichi retorted.

"Listen to Taichi," Takeru interrupted. "He got us all together before. He can do it again. I have hope in you, Taichi."

This made the brunette smile, "Thanks, Takeru. I hope you're right."

Nightfall made it hard to see. Yamato was glad he had been an observant person, otherwise he may not have remembered the way back to Gennai's house under the lake. His legs were ready to give out; and his arms, too, from carrying Tsunomon, but Yamato insisted even when the Digimon demanded he could do fine on his own.

They finally found the lake, but Yamato wasn't quite sure how to open it. Then, the water parted and he remembered how adorable Gomamon had looked the first time. Yamato headed down, finally letting Tsunomon hop on his own.

In the garden, Gennai was waiting for them. It was hard to tell, but the old man was wide-eyed. "I heard about your situation and have been expecting you."

That wasn't exactly what Yamato wanted to hear. "Who told you? Who knew besides us?"

"That isn't important."

"My ass," Yamato breathed. "Look, I need to get back to the others."

"That isn't possible at this time," Gennai informed, sprinkling flakes across the water for his fish. "As you know, the Gate has been destroyed, save the remnants of a useless door."

"So? I'm sure there's other ways."

"There will be, or rather, there used to be a time when one could get to the Digital World or leave via Trailmon, but that isn't an option, either."

"Thanks," Yamato remarked.

"You're situation has put us in quite the pickle, young friend," Gennai said. He turned back to Yamato. "I know, you've been wondering why you're here. Who chose you."

The blonde didn't move, save to follow Gennai with his eyes as the old man started for his porch. The place reminded Yamato so much of his grandmothers. It had been the first place, in some time, he trusted himself enough to sleep under the same sheet as Takeru- although, Jyou had been more of a help than anything else. Yamato worried for both of them, and the others to an extent, as he finally followed Gennai inside.

The old man had gone off to his kitchen and was making tea.

"Well?" Yamato demanded. "Couldn't you have told us sooner?"

"I am not the one to tell it," Gennai said, a bit begrungingly. "Be patient. High beings don't just come down off their mountains for some kid who demands to know the meaning of life."

"I think you're exaggerating," Yamato snorted. He took a seat alongside Tsunomon, who was curled on a pillow and already asleep. Briefly, Yamato smiled as he watched his friend rest. Gennai returned with tea and sat across from him.

"The Homeostasis," Gennai said.

"The what?"

"They are the force that balances this world; eight beings made to keep us locked in a state of grey. Too much light and we're blinded by our own wishes. Too much darkness and we drown in our own sorrow and hatred."

"Moderation," Yamato muttered. "So, they brought me here?"

"Not just you, but yes. They selected you once they realized Taichi and Hikari held something special that helped Digimon evolve. You all are connected to them in one way or another."

"Don't give me that red thread bullshit."

"There are many forces in this world, Yamato Ishida."

The blonde blinked. Never had Gennai addressed one of them directly. He figured he hit a nerve. That was fine. Yamato was having a bad day, feeling he deserved to take a stab at someone. "I never asked to be involved."

"Most heroes don't. We gave five heroes a choice and although they performed admirably, you could say that they failed."

"Speak normally, Gennai. What are you talking about?"

"Normally. Normally this wouldn't be necessary, but your one slip up has derailed decades of work."

"Well, damn, sorry I missed the memo."

"Our world was ruled in ancient times by the Celestial Digimon. They made the Soveriegns after Lucemon was revived."

"Lucemon..."

"Some say he is the original god of the Digital World, even more ancient than the Celestial three. Kids like you defeat Lucemon in the future of the real world and destroyed him forever."

Yamato leaned his head into his hand. "I don't understand."

"Children from the future of your world, journeyed into the past of our world to save it."

"That's insane... Original Chosen Children. Before us...?"

"Anyway, the Soveriegns are the current rulers of the Digital World. The Homeostasis are like a committee that work in their place, since the Soveriegns were sealed away by the Dark Masters. It's a temporary fix, but the best we can do."

"You've completely lost me. Who are the Dark Masters?"

"They've been at work since before you were even Chosen," Gennai explained, pouring himself a second cup of tea. "Their time is drawing near. That is why it was so urgent you get Vamdemon out of the way and find the 8th Child before their rise to power is too great."

"W-Well, there must be something I can do."

"I'm not sure that's what you really want."

Yamato hesitated, looking to Tsunomon and to Gennai again, "What do you mean?"

"Did you stay here of your own accord? It's an easy question."

"...you're saying I wanted to stay here?" Yamato barked. This woke Tsunomon who rolled backwards as he was startled. Yamato pulled the tiny Digimon into his arms. "I didn't want to stay here! I want to be with my friends! I wanna go home!"

"You can lie to yourself, but not to me."

"What kind of game is this?" Yamato sneered.

"What's going on?" Tsunomon insisted.

"We're leaving," Yamato scoffed, kicking the coffee table as he started for the door. "I'm going to go find these Dark Masters and kill them myself."

"Oh, really? Do you know that their strength exceeds that of even a perfectly evolved Digimon?"

"...what are you saying?"

"They are of a higher level. The Mega level. You wouldn't stand a chance with even two Megas against them. Not the way you are now."

"What, seperated?" Yamato barked. "Then help me find a way back!"

"I told you, there is no other way," Gennai said.

"So... I'm supposed to wait here and do nothing?" Yamato whispered. "While my friends are fighting that freak and the Digital World is going down the drain? It's like... it's like every home I've ever known is being destroyed."

"Precisely. Although..." Gennai hummed. "There is one thing that may help you."

"Yeah?"

"As I said, I am not the one to tell you. Our guest will be here shortly."

"K-Koushiro?"

"Taichi!" the redhead exclaimed. He rubbed his tired eyes. Luckily, he hadn't been sleeping. His parents still hadn't left the livingroom. They were still talking about him. He had worried them.

"Is everything alright, Koushiro?"

"Yeah," the other replied, "I almost had the signal of the 8th child."

"You're kidding. Me too."

"What? Really?!" Koushiro exclaimed. "He must be closeby, then. We should work on a plan in the morning."

"Yeah, for sure," Taichi replied. Then there was some silence, crackling on the line. "Koushiro, you had me scared. The way my Mom talked, you were hit by a bus."

"That sounds rather dramatic," Koushiro chuckled. "I just figured our leader should be informed. However... I do have another theory. I've been going over the probability of the 8th Child's distance in the relative time you called-"

"Get to the point, man."

"What if the other signal was Yamato's?"

The blonde's name rang in his ears. "Mm... so what, he just up and left the campsite?"

"You heard Mr. Fujiyama. He was quick to jump to the assumption that Yamato had run away."

"Yeah, but..."

"Also, Jyou and Mimi seemed to be discussing other possibilities."

"Whaddya mean?"

"If Yamato is in the Digital World... who says he didn't want to stay?"

"Oh, come on, Koushiro. He was as homesick as the rest of us."

"Perhaps..." Koushiro mused. The boy hadn't realized until that moment how much hearing Taichi's voice had soothed him. He had completely forgotten about the light down the hall, even if it was gone now, anyway. "I'm glad... you were worried about me."

"You're my friend, Koushiro."

"You... aren't worried about Yamato."

"What makes you think that?" Taichi snorted. Hikari gave her older brother a strange look as she went to brush her teeth. "I worry about him."

"I'm just surprised that you haven't been looking for ways to rescue him. We've already been gone nearly eight hours now. Think, Taichi. We were gone for five minutes and it felt like... like months! I've been trying to calculate the exact conversion-"

"Koushiro."

"Yes, Taichi?"

"We can discuss it at the meeting tomorrow, okay? I just called to check on you. I'm glad you're safe."

Koushiro bit his lip. Was I too adamant in my opinion? Did I leap to conclusions myself? I suppose this entire matter has us all stressed. "I'm sorry if I upset you."

"You didn't."

"Taichi..."

"Was there anything else, Koushiro?" Taichi asked with a yawn.

"N-no, there isn't."

"Alright. Goodnight, then."

"Good...night, Taichi..." Koushiro hung up the phone and fell back onto his bed. Tentomon had just about finished his plate of bread, fruit, and cheese and gazed over at his tamer.

"Koushiro-han?"

"Yeah?"

"We're all worried about him. Even us Digimon are worried about Gabumon."

"...yeah." Worried about Yamato... he's selfishly the last thing on my mind. In fact, I can't shake Taichi from the forefront of my thoughts. I guess, without Yamato, I feel like I can open up to Taichi more. Comfort him, somehow. Comfort him?

"I think the battle with garbage breath has tired you worse than I, Koushiro. Why don't you call it a night?"

"Yes. Minds do function better after a good night's rest."