Chapter 2

"How was your first day of school?" Zoya asked when Mirai and Chassy returned that evening. "You're home later than I expected. I hope you weren't stuffing your faces with ice cream."

"Mom, I'm more responsible than that," Chassy said with a slight whine. "Our tour just got delayed a bit, because we had Jonah and Taki and one of his friends with us."

It was the best excuse they had been able to come up with on their short walk home. It was flimsy, sure, but on the off-chance Zoya mentioned it to the other families, the fact that they were all late would at least match up.

"Well, so long as you had fun and neither of you has much homework, it's fine." Zoya turned back to the food on the stove, trusting that the girls would share about school if they wanted. Chassy disappeared upstairs to her bedroom, leaving Mirai to follow Zoya into the combined family room and kitchen.

"School was good," Mirai said. She leaned her bag against the wall and plopped down on the couch. "I think I already made a friend, but everyone else might have scared her away. I don't think she's good around lots of people."

"Taki's mother was like that in school. She was positively terrified of Taeko at first."

"She was afraid of Mama?" Mirai asked. This was news to her. "Why? Did they meet on the battlefield or something? I don't see how else Mama could be scary."

"Nothing like that," Zoya said with an awkward laugh. "Taeko stared at her a lot when she first transferred into our class. She was just curious about the new girl, but Nagisa thought she had done something wrong. But obviously they're close friends now, so hopefully it will be the same with your new friend."

"I hope so. Chika seemed really nice." Mirai said as she skimmed the shelves of movies and games in the living room. None of them looked like what she wanted, so after a moment to steel herself, she asked, "By the way, where is Mama?"

"Still at work, I think. She should be home for dinner. Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to ask her something."

"Something you can ask me?"

"Maybe, but I'll just wait until she's home so I don't have to ask twice."

"That's fine," Zoya said, throwing a glance Mirai's direction. Her eyes landed on the bag, and she fought back a sigh. "Why don't you put your bag away and wash up so you can help me with dinner?"

Mirai complied, a little embarrassed that she had been so distracted that she had neglected to put her bag away. Upstairs in her room, she leaned her bag against her desk and quickly changed out of her uniform, looking it up and down for any noticeable stains. There was a bit of dirt on the back of the skirt, but nothing she thought would require too much explaining. She made to leave, but then paused in the doorway to look back at her phone on her desk. After a moment's hesitation, she picked it up and slid it into her pocket, deciding it was safer to keep it on her after everything that had happened.

Once they had returned, Chassy had been quick to try to pass the entire experience off as a mass hallucination or a dream. Mirai and Haruki pointed out their scratches and scuff marks as proof that something had happened and now, as Mirai scrubbed her hands in the bathroom, she was relieved to see that most of the damage was easily passed off as the result of a trip on the pavement. In the end, it had been Jonah who pointed out that they just needed to look at their phones.

Everyone, even Chassy, had been surprised to see that their phones looked totally normal. Mirai turned hers on, hoping to see the unfamiliar app that had brought them home, but never got far enough to look. There, next to the basic phone and contact apps on the home screen, was an unknown app. The symbol looked like a stylized version of the device she had had in the Digital World. It was labeled "Digivice."

"Digimon, Digital World, Digivice?" Taki chuckled as he looked over her shoulder. "That's some naming sense."

"Wait, wait! Digivice? Mama has something like that, right? From one of her shows!"

"Now that you mention it, it sounds familiar. It's one of her favorites, too, I think," Chassy said, trying to remember. "Now that I think of it, it might just be called 'Digimon'."

"Are you suggesting we ended up in a TV show?" Jonah asked, incredulous.

"We should talk about this tomorrow," Haruki said, checking the time. "Do we want to try to get back to the Digital World tomorrow?"

There was a round of agreement before they all went their separate ways. Mirai had hoped that she would get the chance to discuss the whole experience a little bit with her sister, but when she re-entered the kitchen she saw that Chassy had also been roped into helping with dinner. She would just have to wait a little longer.

"Mama, what was that show I used to watch when I'd come over when I was little?" Mirai asked at dinner after Taeko had returned home. "Digi-something, right?"

Chassy nearly choked on her food, needing to down an entire glass of water to calm herself. Oops, Mirai had forgotten to give Chassy something like a warning. Play it cool.

"You okay, sis?"

"Fine," Chassy gasped. "Swallowed wrong," she explained lamely. Luckily, it seemed Taeko, at least, was still more focused on the question.

"Digimon, yeah," Taeko said just as she gulped down her own food. The sparkle in her eye was even stronger than the one she got when talking martial arts with her dad, and it unnerved Mirai just a little. "Why?"

"Do you still have it?"

"Do I still… well, of course I do! It was my favorite show as a kid. I have all the seasons, and some of the old games packed away somewhere, too. Want to watch the show together after dinner? We can start with the original Digimon Adventure. Oh, I should go dig out some of my old toys to show you!"

Suddenly Mirai wondered how she could have forgotten. Her mother had all kinds of merchandise for it, much to Zoya's chagrin. Mirai had once been rooting through a drawer in the master bedroom when she found one of the toys. It must have been a special model or version or something, because it was one of the few times her Mama had yelled at her in anger, telling her that it was not a toy and she shouldn't have been in that drawer anyway. Zoya came to her defense, but it had left her wary of the show and her Mama's toys after that.

"Actually, I was wondering if Chassy and I could watch it in her room," Mirai said nervously. Her mother visibly deflated.

"We want to watch it without commentary," Chassy said, giving their mother a pointed look. Taeko looked like she was about to protest, but Zoya was faster.

"Let them make their own opinions, dear. You come on a little strong," she said, elbowing her wife. To the girls, she added, "Just don't stay up all night, and don't let it get in the way of your homework down the road."

"We won't," Chassy promised.

"So where do we start?" Mirai asked once they were settled in Chassy's room.

"Episode 1, I assume," Chassy said, giving her a weird look. She was already pulling up the menu screen.

"No, no, I mean about this afternoon," Mirai clarified, keeping her voice low. "We haven't talked about what happened before we met up in the fight against Golemon."

Chassy let the menu animations play and started to explain. Mirai learned the flower Digimon with Chassy was called Floramon, and that their experience was not dissimilar to hers and Dracomon's. They had met up with Jonah and Pandamon on their way to the village. When they had heard the sounds of battle, Pandamon had insisted they go help, and off they went.

"Do you... think we should tell Mama?" Chassy asked, looking in the direction of her parents' bedroom hesitantly.

"No way," Mirai answered immediately. "There's no way she wouldn't tell Dad and Papa and they would never be okay with me running off somewhere so dangerous. Besides, she seems to take this show way too seriously."

Mirai forced the memory of her mother's angry yelling from her mind.

"What do you think this show has to do with what happened, anyway?" Chassy asked as she looked the box over. It seemed normal enough to her, if a bit dated. Mirai grinned, snatching up the remote.

"Why don't we watch and find out?"

"We only got through three episodes," Mirai pouted at her sister.

"We'll keep going tonight, I promise," Chassy said as she led the way to the park. They had managed to rendezvous briefly during lunch, at which time they decided that a secluded part of the park would probably be the best place to try to get back to the Digital World.

"It sounds like it gives us something to work with, at least," Jonah said. "The Digital World itself seems pretty similar from what you've described."

"Does that make those Digimon we met yesterday our partners?" Haruki asked. "I hope so, I liked Cutemon."

"Partners, huh?" Taki muttered.

"Well we won't know for sure unless we can get back!" Mirai said hastily. "Anyone have any ideas on how to summon that light?"

"Why don't you try that app you used to get us home yesterday?" Taki suggested. "Or even just that 'Digivice' app or whatever. I got that one, too."

It turned out that they all had. Mirai was the first to try it out and was only mildly surprised to see her phone warp into the device she had in the Digital World the day before. At least now she knew that it was called a Digivice. The others followed suit, and soon they all had located the app Mirai claimed she had pressed: a round portal looking icon labeled "Gate".

"I propose we hold hands this time," Chassy said when Mirai looked for confirmation to proceed. She grabbed Jonah's hand in with her left and used her right to link her arm around Mirai's. Taki then placed himself between Jonah and Haruki, leaving Haruki to grab Mirai's other arm. They somehow managed to keep hold of their own Digivices, which all reacted when Mirai activated the gate.

The light engulfed them once again, but this time Mirai found comfort knowing that Chassy and Haruki, at least, were definitely with her. The group was deposited in the clearing they left the day before. Their landing was unsteady, but they were able to remain standing. The clearing was much the same as they had left it, the dirt and leaves still disturbed from the previous day's fight. The Digimon themselves were nowhere to be seen. With the village visible a short distance away, they decided it would be the best place to go.

"How did things go with Chika today?" Chassy asked once they had started walking.

"Better, I think, but do you have any idea of how far your reputation reaches?" Chassy shook her head, and Mirai sighed. "It sounds like even the elementary school students know you're popular. Or have you just been this popular your whole life?"

"Whole life," Taki said, arms behind his head and sounding none-too-impressed. "It's so unreal it's annoying."

"You're just upset that it meant everyone was staring when she returned that CD you left at her house," Haruki teased. Taki turned a fine shade of scarlet.

"I am not! Why should I care about something like that? It was years ago!"

"I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble," Chassy said sincerely. "I really wish people wouldn't stare."

"I noticed my fair share of stares today," Mirai sighed. "Seems like our departure yesterday was hot gossip."

"You get used to it," Jonah said.

"Do you?" Taki asked. His tone earned him a glare from Jonah. He shoved his hands in his pockets and grumbled. "I'm just saying! Sorry."

"People will get bored and move on soon," Haruki reassured Mirai. "Chastity's popularity may be pretty stable, but I think it's pretty superficial, so people don't pay much attention to the people around her. They just look at her and don't see much else, you know?"

Jonah scoffed, but did not say anything further.

"By Chika, did you mean Koeno?" Haruki asked quickly, and Mirai nodded, relieved for the change of subject. She did not like thinking about her sister being objectified by the whole school. It was too weird. "She was in class with me and Taki last year. She seems nice, but I never really talked with her much."

"She's pretty shy," Mirai said, already fond of the girl. "Maybe we should start with having lunch together tomorrow, just the first years?"

"Sounds good to me," Haruki said. "I can come to your classroom if that's easiest."

Mirai beamed at him and nodded enthusiastically. Operation: Win Taki's Heart might succeed after all. She just had to be careful about who she included in activities. Start small, with former classmates eating lunch together. She was still lost in thought as they came upon the village, so she didn't register her name being called until Dracomon barreled into her.

"You came back! Where did you go yesterday?" Dracomon asked excitedly as he backed up enough to look up at her. The other Digimon swarmed them, all asking similar questions in rapid fire.

"Slow down, slow down! One at a time, now," Chassy said. The Digimon looked at each other, and then at Dracomon, as he had been the first to reach the group of humans. He repeated his original question.

"We went back home, to Earth," Mirai said. "I didn't mean to make us leave so suddenly. We're still figuring out our Digivices. Oh, uh, these things," Mirai added as she waved hers around for them to see.

This set off a new wave of questions, ones that the children struggled to answer. They were still very much in the dark themselves, and they were not so sure about sharing their discovery about the Digimon franchise on Earth just yet.

"Is there something you want to say?" Jonah asked suddenly, addressing someone a short distance past the group. Mirai looked up and saw Gotsumon standing there nervously, clearly caught off-guard by being addressed. He kicked at the ground a bit, careful to avoid looking at their faces.

"Sorry about yesterday," he muttered. "Things are kinda hazy, but I shouldn't have attacked you. So sorry about that."

"He apologized to us already," Dracomon explained quietly to Mirai. "He's been a bit of a bully lately, but that's water under the bridge now."

"We should go introduce you all to the village elder," Floramon said, tugging on Chassy's sleeve. "He simply refused to believe that we had encountered humans."

"Yeah, let's go prove to Jijimon that we're not lying!" Dracomon said, fluttering his wings. He looked indignant for a solid two seconds before he took off excitedly, leading them through the village.

The buildings were scarcely taller than the humans, and Mirai really hoped that they would not have to all try to squeeze into one. It made sense though, as the Digimon that came out to see them were no taller than Gotsumon, and he only came up to her waist. Mirai tried to ignore the stares and excited whispers, having had enough of that at school. From what Mirai learned last night, she would guess that she was mostly looking at Baby II and Child level Digimon (whatever those terms meant), and she figured from their perspective they were the equivalent of unicorns just casually walking through their village.

A few of the Digimon approached them with questions, only to be shoo-ed away by Dracomon and the others with the promise that they could talk after visiting Jijimon. This did little to get the villagers to leave, as many of them chose to follow them in excitement. Haruki, like Mirai, looked overwhelmed by the attention, and Mirai was impressed that Cutemon managed to stay securely on top of his head with how much he was swinging it around. Jonah was clearly taken aback by the attention, but did not seem displeased, only confused. Next to her, Chassy looked right at home as she exchanged pleasantries with the Digimon she passed.

When Mirai looked back, she saw that Taki was weaving oddly through the crowd. Kudamon miraculously stayed at his heels, and Mirai could not help but wonder if he was not attempting to put a bit of distance between himself and the small Digimon. She frowned. Sooner or later he was going to trip.

"Lookit, Jijimon! I told you we saw Humans!" Dracomon said, drawing Mirai's attention forward once again. Before them was a large, round building, easily large enough to house them all and then some. She was surprised that she had not noticed it before, as it was a good deal taller than the rest of the dwellings in the village. The entrance, too, was taller, and Mirai figured that it must have been built with visitors in mind. Certainly, it dwarfed Jijimon, who now stood in front of it.

"So you did, young ones." Jijimon looked up at the children; or at least, Mirai thought he did, but it was hard to tell through his bushy hair. "Do come in. I would like to speak to all of you."

The five kids filed in and sat on the floor at Jijimon's invitation. As expected, their Digimon companions sat next to each of them in turn. Gotsumon sat off to the side, and Jijimon remained standing in front of all of them.

"I wish I could say I was happy to see you," Jijimon began, "but in truth your arrival concerns me greatly. Legends speak of Humans as powerful warriors that defend our world against evil, but none have been seen in almost a thousand years; the Olympians have maintained relative peace in that time. If you have been called to our world despite this, then it is most likely in grave danger."

"What kind of danger?" Chassy asked nervously.

"Wait! Who are the Olympians?" Taki asked. "They sound old and important."

"They are indeed 'old and important,' as you say," Jijimon harrumphed. "They are the rulers of the Digital World, the ones who brought order when there was chaos. Lunaria, the land in which you stand, is ruled over by the great Dianamon. But as for the danger, I am afraid I cannot-"

The building began to tremble, causing Jijimon to catch himself on his staff. Panicked shouts could be heard outside. Everyone fled the building when it sounded like it was hit by something. Once outside, the source of the panic became immediately apparent. There were three huge, grotesque dragonflies attacking the village, alternating between streams of electricity and some sort of energy beam. Mirai failed to suppress a shiver as she remembered the Flymon from the day before.

"Yanmamon!? Where did they come from?" Jijimon cried. Before he could say anything further, Taki had hoisted him onto his back and ran to get him out of harm's way. Mirai wanted to scold him for running from a fight, but he was helping someone else and running away did not sound like such a bad idea.

Dracomon did not share Mirai's fear, immediately climbing onto the roof of a nearby building so he could try to hit their attackers. Mirai cursed as his Baby Breath attack did little more than annoy the Yanmamon, who dodged by flying just out of reach of Dracomon's attack. Mirai looked around for help. Jonah and Pandamon were protecting the fleeing villagers from attacks and debris, while Haruki and Cutemon helped move the smaller, slower Digimon to safety. Kudamon, at least, soon joined Dracomon, his Holy Shot seeming to do some damage to the Yanmamon when it actually hit.

"Chastity, throw me! I should be able to slow them down if I can just get close!" Floramon said, pumping her fists. Chastity nodded and picked Floramon up. Throws had never been her specialty in dance, but Floramon was small enough she figured she could at least get Floramon up there. She turned this way and that, but each time she got ready to throw her target would move.

"They're too fast! There isn't anywhere for me to aim."

"What?" Mirai said, turning to look at her sister. "Don't we have any way to slow them down or corral them?"

"None of us in the village can fly," Floramon said, despondent. "Dracomon has wings, but..."

A blast caught their attention, and Mirai looked up just in time to see Dracomon and Kudamon go flying as they suffered a direct hit. Kudamon, small as he was, was knocked out cold, but Dracomon still struggled to stand. He blearily saw Mirai's feet stamp past him and turned to see what she was doing. She scooped up as many rocks and debris as she could as she ran, eventually sliding to a halt some distance away. To Dracomon's horror, she started throwing rocks at the Yanmamon.

"Over here, you overgrown sticks with wings! You give dragons a bad name!" Mirai shouted at them as she attacked again and again.

"Mirai, are you crazy? What do you think you're doing?" Chastity asked, panic slipping into her voice.

"Drawing their fire, what does it look like?" Mirai shouted back. Indeed, the Yanmamon turned their attention to her once the rocks started finding their targets. She did not stop throwing even as she backed up, leading the Yanmamon away from the villagers. Dracomon stumbled to his feet. Rocks were starting to rain down around him, and he saw that Mirai was quickly running out of ammo. Mirai was his friend, his partner, he needed to protect her...

Mirai's Digivice started to glow, and Dracomon along with it. A lightbulb went off in Mirai's head, and she dropped the rest of her rocks to grab her Digivice. Instead of the symbol from the day before, "Digivolve?" was flashing on the screen. Seeing no other option, she pressed the main button, and her Digivice released an ear-splitting wail. For a moment, it looked like some of the rocks around Dracomon's feet started to glow as well, but the light that engulfed Dracomon drowned out any other glow that might have been in the vicinity.

When the light faded, a much larger dragon had taken Dracomon's place. His wings were far larger now, and he gave them a great flap as he pushed off the ground and after the Yanmamon. The Yanmamon scattered, but Mirai's partner had no trouble keeping up, swiftly grabbing one with his claws and throwing it into one of the others. She cheered.

"Who is that?" Jonah asked as he ran up with Chassy. It seemed that most of the villagers had successfully evacuated.

"That's Dracomon! Well, right now he's..." Mirai said ecstatically before trailing off, realizing she had no idea what this new Digimon was called. She thought Digimon were supposed to announce the name of their new form, like Greymon and Garurumon did in the show. She certainly hadn't heard her partner say anything, so maybe that was just a convenience of television. She glanced at her Digivice and saw an app that resembled an information icon flashing. She tapped it, and a picture of the dragon appeared, along with information about his attacks and stats. "Oh! He's Coredramon now. Isn't he the coolest?"

Coredramon dodged the attacks of the third Yanmamon as he charged. Once he was close enough, he used his tail to flick his opponent to where the other two were still trying to reorient themselves. Now that the three were all gathered in one spot, Coredramon inhaled, puffing out his chest.

"Blue Flare Breath!"

He exhaled a burst of flames the most gorgeous blue Mirai had ever seen. She could feel the heat from below, but she could not bring herself to look away. The flames engulfed the offending Yanmamon, who released screams of pain. They fell from the sky, charred and smoking, but what caught Mirai's eye was the black cloud that seemed to be flickering in and out around them. She ran to get close, Digivice in hand. The cloud reminded her too much of that shadowy aura she had seen around Golemon the day before.

This time, her Digivice did not glow or release a shrill screech as she got close. She closed the information window and quickly scanned the apps available to her. One of them bore a symbol similar to the one that appeared before. She tapped it, and the symbol filled her screen. It was a geometric symbol, sort of like a bunch of diamonds arranged to look like a water drop, or maybe a flame. Once she thought she was close enough, Mirai pressed the button and turned the screen to the falling Yanmamon.

Light poured out of the Digivice, and once it faded, a trio of small, larval insect Digimon were falling in place of the Yanmamon. Mirai made to catch them, but Coredramon was faster. He caught them before they could hit the ground. He carefully landed and lowered them to make sure they would not be injured further. He de-Digivolved with a small flash, but before he could get his bearings again he was scooped up into a crushing hug from Mirai.

"Dracomon you were so cool!" she cheered, making Dracomon blush.

"Thanks, it was nuthin'," he said. "You were in trouble. I had to help somehow."

"Is it over?" Chassy asked as she cautiously approached with Floramon. Kudamon was cradled in her arms, though he seemed to be awake. Jonah and Pandamon were not far behind.

"I think so," Mirai said as she set Dracomon down on the ground. She cast a worried glance at the fallen Digimon. They were not as wounded as Mirai would have expected, but they were still out cold. "Do you think the same thing that happened to Gotsumon happened to them?"

"If that is the case, then I was right to be worried," a gruff voice said from behind them. Jijimon, flanked by Taki, Haruki and Cutemon, approached them. "From what I saw, it looked like those Kunemon were infected with a powerful, evil virus that caused them to Digivolve."

"So that's what we have to fight, huh?" Taki mused.

"I would say so."

"Is there anything we can do to help fix things up?" Haruki asked, looking around at the destruction. Luckily most of the structures were still relatively intact, but it would take some time to clean up.

"We would not refuse your help today," Jijimon said, also evaluating the damage. "But I believe your mission lies elsewhere. The Digital World is far larger than this single village. Starting tomorrow, you ought to see what this world truly has to offer. I suggest working your way Northeast, to Lunaria's capital. You are more likely to learn of the state of the world there than in a small village out in the sticks."

They thanked Jijimon for his advice and set about helping repair the village. They discussed travel options as they worked. Taki suggested that they might be able to gate directly to the capital, but that plan was ultimately dependent on a lot of trial-and-error in figuring out how to use their Digivices, if it would work at all. Based on their current experience, they would probably gate in to wherever they gated out from, so at the very least they could pick up their partner Digimon the next day at the village and head out from there. After that they would have to figure it out on the fly.

By the time they left, the village was in a livable state once again. They said goodbye to their partners and prepared the gate. Chassy insisted they link arms again to be safe. Just as the light burst from their Digivices, Mirai caught a rush of movement to her side, but did not get the chance to see what it was before she and the others were deposited in the park in the human world. She really wished she had noticed even a second sooner, because there, in the middle of their circle, Dracomon was beaming up at her.

"We're home!" Chassy called, somewhat loudly, and Zoya was startled to hear a great clatter on the stairs. She came out into the hallway to get a look, and she could have sworn she saw a blue tail disappear into Mirai's room. She did not have long to stare, as Chassy inserted herself into Zoya's field of vision.

"Could Mirai and I have dessert upstairs tonight?" Chassy asked. "So we can eat it while watching Digimon?"

"That's fine with me," Zoya said, taken aback. "I'm glad you two seem to be enjoying it. By the way, were you hanging out with your friends again? I hope Mirai wasn't waiting for you after dance club."

"Oh, yeah, we were!" Chassy said. Thinking quickly, she added, "We're thinking of forming an outdoors club. There's lots to explore around here, so…"

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Zoya said absently, casting another glance up the stairs even as Chassy ushered her back into the kitchen, offering to help with dinner.

"Yeah, so since we'll spending so much time outside, we'll probably start bringing a change of clothes with us in an extra bag, maybe even our sneakers?" Chastity said as she washed vegetables. She was more distracted than Zoya had ever seen her as she rattled off preparations for this club. It sounded unusually involved for an afterschool club.

"What exactly do you plan on doing in this club?" Zoya asked with a chuckle. "Because I feel like a walking club would be more your speed, Chassy."

"Oh, well, it was Mirai's idea, really," Chassy said, suddenly very interested in the carrot she was holding. "Hiking, camping skills, maybe survival stuff? Definitely survival stuff. You know how she is. Takes after Mama."

Zoya was not entirely convinced, but it did sound like the sort of thing Mirai would come up with, especially if Taki was influencing her. His mom always said he was a handful. She knew she should be worried, but they did not put their kids through martial arts practice every morning just to fret over a new hobby, especially not one that involved the outdoors. With the way the neighbors went on and on about trying to get their children away from their computers, she ought to be grateful. She forced any concerns to the back of her mind and focused on making them all a healthy, hearty dinner.

Taeko and Zoya had never seen the girls eat so quickly. They asked for seconds (a rarity from Chassy) and then practically begged to be allowed to finish upstairs, impatient as they were to get back to Digimon. Taeko was more than happy to comply, even helping them gather their things, but as the girls ran upstairs her suspicion made itself plain on her face.

"They're hiding something from us," Zoya said once she heard the door to Chassy's room click shut. It was painful to admit. "If it was just Mirai I would understand, but Chastity? She comes to me for everything."

"I could understand if it was just the club. What gets me is their sudden interest in Digimon. Chastity never showed any interest, even when she was younger."

"Get this – I'm pretty sure I saw a tail disappear into Mirai's room when they got home. They were pretty intent on getting food up there." Zoya paused. "I'm almost afraid to hope. Lately I've been asking myself if it really was a dream, after all."

"Don't you start, too."

"It's just that so much time has passed, and no word. Even now…"

Taeko walked over, then, and wrapped her arms around Zoya.

"Have a bit more faith in your partner," she murmured. It was something Taeko had been saying for years, so Zoya's response came naturally as she gave her wife a small smile.

"Which one?"

Mirai had a hard time convincing Dracomon to hide in her closet while she and Chassy had morning practice. Zoya had never invaded her privacy, but it was her habit to come in and vacuum and gather any dirty laundry while the girls were outside. She was relieved to find him still huddled behind her shoe boxes and made a mental note to make a bed for him if he insisted on staying.

"I found a gym bag you can use," Chassy said as she quietly slipped into Mirai's room. "I have a small bag for my own things, so don't worry about me."

"What's the bag for?" Dracomon asked, sniffing at it curiously. It was one of Chassy's old dance bags, and it smelled a touch musty.

"It's for smuggling you to school in," Mirai explained. Chassy left, carefully shutting the door behind her. She looked around her room for something to attach to the bag to mark it as hers and found an old rubber strap of a cute fire-breathing dragon. Dracomon watched her carefully as she wrapped it around one of the strap loops.

"Yesterday, what did you mean when you said the Yanmamon were giving dragons a bad name?"

"Oh, well, they looked like dragonflies," Mirai laughed, embarrassed. "I guess I wasn't thinking. I just really like dragons, you know? And I couldn't stand that something with 'dragon' in its name was senselessly destroying the village like that, especially when you were trying so hard to protect it."

Dracomon ducked into the bag, just barely peeking out.

"You gotta stop making me blush," he mumbled happily.

"Mirai! I'll be outside!" Chassy called from downstairs. Mirai hurried to get Dracomon safely packed into her bag and went stumbling down the stairs, her freshly cleaned socks almost making her slip on the hardwood. She had to get out the door without being seen. There was no way she could let her Mama know about Dracomon.

She was halfway through getting her first shoe on when Taeko stepped into the entryway. Mirai cursed her luck and put on her best smile when she was inevitably addressed. She just hoped that Dracomon would not squirm.

"Mirai, I realize I'm a couple days late," Taeko began awkwardly, "but now that you've started middle school, I wanted you to have these."

Taeko held out a worn pair of goggles. The strap had recently been replaced, but otherwise Mirai recognized them as the goggles her mother wore in all of her old photos. She reached out to take them before hesitating.

"Mama, are you sure? Aren't these really important to you?"

"They are," Taeko admitted. "I have a lot of memories with these goggles. But it's about time I passed them on. They've been doing nothing but gathering dust the last few years."

"But why me? Shouldn't Chassy get them? She's the oldest."

Taeko fumbled over her words, but after a few false starts seemed to gather her thoughts.

"When I was your age, I wore these because I thought that a hero had to have goggles. Of course, that's not true," she laughed, "but I still think they're good for a leader to have. And since you're the founder of your new outdoors club, I thought they would come in handy."

Mirai mulled this over as she looked at the goggles her mother once again held out to her. She took the goggles almost reverently. They were heavier than she expected. She ran a thumb over the lenses, feeling all of the small nicks and scratches that had built up over the years. Her mother was not giving these to her lightly.

Trying not to jostle Dracomon too much, she pulled the goggles down around her neck. Taeko stepped forward and helped her get them up on her head without disturbing her hair buns. They sat there comfortably, and Mirai could not deny the confidence boost that came with them. She thanked her mother with a hug, pulled her other shoe on, and ran out the door to join Chassy.

She was finally ready for her Digimon adventure to truly begin.

A/N: The series that influence this fic are Adventure, 02, Appmon, and Frontier, in that order. I'm sure there's plenty of influence from the rest of the franchise, but those are the ones I consciously look at for inspiration. Just getting that out there.