Four years, and it felt like the world should change eventually. But for those four years things mostly stayed the same. There were small changes, there always were. Growing up, new ages, new grades, new schools. Same friends though. Because they understood each other like no one else in the world could.

Tai's horns only got bigger. Eventually, his hair wouldn't be able to always hide them, even now they were starting to push the limits, but for now it was mostly a secret. Kari was also pretty sure a lot of other people knew about them, but Tai was Tai and a great guy so people looked the other way.

Matt took up guitar. Every so often he would complain about how asymetrical his hands were. The claws on his left hand were cut and trimmed short so that the parts of his fingers that were still flesh could hold down the strings. The claws on his right hand remained long, plucking and strumming the strings easily. Most people didn't notice, just figuring that as a kid in a band he painted his nails and was extravagant.

Izzy was diligent in school and didn't look any of the others in the eyes when he revealed his new pet beetle. He picked up a habit of clicking his extra six teeth together whenever he was bored or nervous or lost deep in thought.

Sora and Mimi didn't show much change. Sora's feathers got a bit thicker, and if people bothered to look closely it was pretty clear that it wasn't hair. The feathers themselves seemed to radiate heat, and in the winter they'd take turns playing with her feathers and warming their hands in it. Mimi figured out how to use her needle-hair to style it in ways that should've been impossible. The other digidestined were bombarded each day with new pictures of Mimi with brightly colored hair and flowers threaded in.

Joe's snow-white hair never changed, and he grew it out long. Some mornings, he'd ruffle it and muss it up and think of Ikkakumon. When he felt like he was drowning in the work load from his school, he'd slip out at night and go to the river, swim down to the bottom and remind himself that he'd be okay, he didn't drown easily. Not anymore.

TK wore baggy jackets in the summer to hide the lump on his back that was his wings. In the middle of the night, he'd stretch them out and ruffle the feathers. He wasn't crazy enough to jump, of course, but he did wonder if the limbs were capable of flight now.

Kari wrapped her tail tight tight tight around her hips and kept it hidden. The golden band that Tai had given her couldn't stay on her tail, far too bulky, but she kept it on her wrist and when school and life got tough she'd close her eyes and feel the cold metal and imagine that Gatomon was there comforting her.

That was their world.

And then a second one opened up to them once more.

oOo

Davis felt himself come apart and then be refit together. He wasn't in the computer lab anymore, the old school room replaced with an unfamiliar jungle.

"Is this… the Digital World?" Davis asked, gawking at the trees and underbrush like nothing he'd ever seen before.

"Yeah. Yeah it is." Davis turned around to see TK and Kari behind him. Kari was by a tree, one of her hands running across its bark. Tk was just standing there, looking up at the leaves overhead, a content smile on his face. Something giant behind TK shifted, moved, stirred, and Davis remembered Tai talking about monsters that existed in the digital world.

"TK, behind you!" Because sure Davis wasn't too fond of the guy, but he didn't want him being attacked by a digimon.

"Where?!" TK spun around, and the white things spread out wide and turned with him and - oh, they were on TK's back. Giant and feathered wings that beat the air once before folding back up on his back, somehow looking much smaller than when they were spread out.

"I don't see anything." Kari walked up next to TK, looking out to the jungle, and a purple and white tail twitched back and forth, a golden circlet sitting near the end.

"Wh- what the hell?! Wing-, t-tai-, what's going on here?!" Davis shouted and the other two teens turned around. The wings and tail twitched again and they shared a look that Davis didn't understand, couldn't interpret.

"It's a long story." TK laughed, and the wings spread out again, giving a good and strong flap that rustled the leaves on the ground and whipped Davis' hair. "It's not important, right now we need to find Tai."

And find Tai they did. Along the way the two others attempted to explain they extra limbs, but it all boiled down to 'It just sort of happened' with maybe a shrug added on to the end. At some point during the search Davis also realized he was wearing a new outfit - a really cool outfit - but it seemed like such a little thing compared to what TK and Kari had.

"They're really close now." The trio perked up, all recognizing Tai's voice.

"TK!" The second voice Davis wasn't nearly as familiar with, but the way the other two stiffened clearly said that they were.

"Patamon?!" TK's voice cracked as an orange and white blur zipped through the air and into TK's arms and then he fell to his knees. "Patamon."

"You guys made it!" Tai rounded a corner with an orange dinosaur and a cat on his left and right.

"Gatomon!" Kari knelt down, arms open wide as the cat with a tail that matched hers ran into them. Davis looked at the reunions and then looked back at Tai, who wasn't looking at the digimon or the wings or tail, but looked far more suprised to see Davis. Davis just grinned at his personal inspiration.

"I told them you'd be fine, Tai."

"Uh, hi Davis. What a surprise." Tai blinked and scratched the side of his head. Tai's hair was usually so fluffy, and it still was, but was a bit more toned down, a bit less carefully-crazily styled and Davis could see a sharp point poking out.

He knew the team all whispered about 'Tai, the Demon of the Soccer Field' and joked about the dual meaning of it.

Huh.

Horns.

Figures.

oOo

When Ken was the Digimon Emperor, his hair was a mess and they only say him on brief occasions. When Ken was in the human world, his outfit was immaculate and so was his hair.

They heard nothing from Ken, had thought they'd seen the last of him, and then he showed up with his partner.

He wasn't wearing his Digimon Emperor outfit, and he actually looked like he did in real world. Except for, of course, the long dark-green antenna. He didn't say anything to the Digidestined as he caught worm in his arms, simply turned around and walked away.

The next time they saw him, arriving to their aid with Stingmon in full form, the antenna were still there. After the fight was over and they met up with him more closely, Yolei noticed TK and Kari's extra appendages twitching nervously. After he walked away, Yolei was the one who asked the question that had been on her mind for a while now.

"How long until we start changing?"

Kari and TK shared a look, but had no answer.

oOo

"Guys, check it out!"

Davis ran into the computer room with his shirt off.

"Oh my god, Davis, have some dignity!" Yolei cried out, putting his hand in front of her face.

"No, really, look!" Davis insisted, and patted his chest. "I'm finally getting my superhero stuff!"

"Huh, what do you know, you are." TK stared at the marking on Davis' torso, as did Cody. It was the familiar V/X that ExVeemon had. The two girls were still looking away. "You should probably put your shirt on though."

"Yeah," Davis conceded, pulling the shirt out from under his arm and shook it out before slipping it back over his head, " And that's not all, I have hand spikes too!"

"Let me see!" Cody grabbed Davis' hand and ran his finger over the point, like the tip of a kitchen knife poking out of the back of his hand. Davis grinned and held up his other hand for the others to see and grinned even brighter when Kari came over and took his hand curiously. Her hands were always more calloused than he expected them to be, but that was part of what he liked about her.

"Now I can beat up the digimon on my own." Davis bragged. Gatomon scoffed, rolling her eyes, arms folded.

"I've heard that one before."

"We'll crush anything in our path!" DemiVeemon cheered, bouncing up and down next to Davis.

It wouldn't be until a couple days later he wondered how he was supposed to hide the blades.

oOo

During class Cody ground his back against his chair as he sat. His back had been itching since yesterday morning and it hadn't shown any sign of getting better. If anything, the itch had gotten worse.

"Are you okay Cody?" Yolei whispered, looking at him with deep concern.

"Yeah," Cody grunted, reaching behind himself and scratching the skin with his nails. "Just itchy or something. I'll probably ask my mom about it. I was hoping it would go away." Cody never got around to asking his mom about.

That day as they went into the Digital World, Cody scratched his back a little bit more came away with blood from his back and his finger on his hand.

"Cody, are you okay?" TK was the first notice.

"My back," Cody rubbed the blood between his fingers and wincing as he bothered his cut. TK was upon him in a moment.

"I'm going to take a look, okay?" Cody nodded and TK lifted the back of Cody's shirt."I wish Joe was here. He always has supplies."

Cody flinched as TK touched the part along his spine that was bleeding.

"Well?" Cody asked. He heard TK sigh.

"I don't know how else to tell you this, but Cody? You're growing spikes."

"... oh."

oOo

"Alright, let me see them."

Yolei felt blood rush into her cheeks as Matt entered the computer room. Matt was absolutely astoundingly hot. Sure, he was probably too old for her, but he was really good looking. She wasn't about to go crazy over him, of course, she was being a lot more careful after how her crush on Ken turned out with him being the Digimon Emperor.

"Uh, yes, let me just," Yolei bent down and and untied her shoes, taking them off and removing her socks. She wiggled her toes, tapping them on the floor, and the talon - talons - clicked on the shiny floor. Matt sat down across from her and held out his left hand. The tips were short and rounded, just barely starting to get back to the point that they were supposed to be. He dug into his bag and pulled out two metal files and two odd looking clippers, handing one set to her.

"Alright, so you want to slowly work your way back with the clippers - be careful of the quick…"