Author's Notes: IMPORTANT- I posted the last chapter in May. I think fanfic was having some problems with notifications around that time because one of my reviewers said that they only knew I posted it because of my post on A03. So, you may have missed the last chapter. Please read that first if you did.

Also, as I've been thinking of the timeline in my head, I believe I made everyone a year older in school than they are supposed to be. So, that has been fixed in all the previous chapters. It didn't change the story at all and I probably could have written this whole thing without changing it, but it was bugging me. Sorry.

Also, you may notice some other changes to the story, with the titles of the chapters. I changed all that. Anyway, the Demon Lords will have their own Arcs. Anytime you see an Interlude chapter like this, we are in the past. Just FYI.

And sorry this took so long. I meant to have this out months ago.


It had been almost a year, and it was still weird.

Miyako pulled her arms tighter around herself, careful not to squish the Digimon in her arms. The covered walkways of the Courtyard meant that she didn't have to trudge through the snow. But they didn't stop the cold winter air from biting across her cheeks.

They had lived in Headquarters for a year now. And sometimes she could not believe this was her life.

She looked down at her partner in her arms. "Are you warm enough, Poromon?"

"I'm fine, Miyako."

She smiled in fondness and kept walking toward the House. In truth, she didn't have to live here at all. After Takeru and Hikari were kidnapped, Gennai made it clear that keeping the remaining original six Digidestined safe was their number one priority. They had to move into Headquarters for their safety, with or without the rest of them. Given the choice, once they knew the stakes, their parents went along with the plan.

Of course, that was weird, too. It was strange to think that another world had turned eight kids into something more than human. Especially since they didn't look any different.

But it was different for her. For her, Daisuke, and Iori. Gennai may have given them Digimon partners; his Knights, he called them. Yet, for all other intents, they were still just normal kids. For the three of them, the safety of Headquarters hadn't been a necessity. Gennai told them they could stay behind.

Unanimously, they decided to come.

For Ken, it was a different matter altogether. Headquarters was the only place they were sure could keep his dark spore repressed. At least, until they could figure out a way to remove it. Gennai speculated that either Angewomon or MagnaAngemon, channeling their partners' respective Crests, could use their healing powers to remove it. For obvious reasons, that was not an option they could pursue at the moment. And they hadn't figured out another way to get rid of it.

Before she entered the House, her eyes lifted to the sky. Strips of the Digital World crossed the blue. It had appeared six months ago. Like the last time it happened, no instrument on Earth could confirm it was there. But everyone could see it. For the first few weeks, it was all the news could talk about but not anymore. Miyako figured out that humans could get used to anything. It wasn't even put on as an end note.

Unfortunately, they all had something else to worry about now.

Her hand turned the doorknob open, but stopped when Taichi's voice came over the intercom. "I need all the Digidestined to come to the Conference Room immediately."

Her heart seized. She hoped this wasn't what she thought it was. Miyako raced back the way she'd come. She knew that many of the others would get there before her. They would have still been in the Classroom. She'd finished her lessons that day, it was where she had been coming from, but many of the others hadn't yet.

She was right. Most of the others were already in their chairs by the time she arrived. As she walked to her seat, she saw that Koushiro had his computer hooked up to the large screen. It was exactly what she feared. There was another attack. This was the fourth one since the sky changed.

Within another few seconds, as Miyako was sitting down, Jou and Ken arrived. Other than Koushiro, who was always the first one done, they had been the ones who finished their school work before Miyako today. Taichi didn't wait for them to sit before he started. "Where is it?" he asked as the two boys found their seats and set their partners on the table. Miyako thought she knew what he was asking beyond the question alone. Taichi wanted to know if it was somewhere they could get to. Somewhere they could save.

Koushiro frowned and shook his head. Ice settled in her chest. She knew it was not good news. "It's in New York. America. It started about ten minutes ago." Grim silence met that news, because they all knew what that meant.

There had been three Digimon that had come across the barrier since the Digital World appeared in the sky. The first had been Snimon. He appeared in London, and they didn't even learn about it until the next day. Koushiro read a story about a monster in London and recognized him from one of the amateur photos taken. Reports said that he only appeared for less than a minute before he was gone again. There had been some property damage but no serious injuries.

If there was anything to be grateful about the second attack, it was how lucky they'd been. It had happened in Tokyo, but even then, if Sora hadn't been in the city and nearby, it might have been a lot worse. They had been lucky that her father had been visiting from Kyoto and she went to see him that day. She said that Kuwagumon stayed longer than Snimon, but Garudamon kept him contained until he disappeared.

No one liked to think about the third attack. They hadn't been able to save Rio de Janeiro from Shellmon's rage. Like the rest of the world, they could only helplessly watch as the Digimon destroyed part of the city. It had been longer than the last two attacks but the Digimon had disappeared like the other two.

But these three attacks had all been by Digimon they'd encountered before. And not in a good way. The Digimon on the screen right now wasn't like that. Miyako knew this one. She'd met this one.

This was different, and Miyako felt terrified of what it could mean.

"But it's Frigimon," Mimi protested. "He's our friend." Her eyes flitted around the room as if searching for support. "I mean, he wouldn't attack New York even if he did get pulled into the real world, right?" Miyako wanted to believe her. She gripped the bottom of her coat in her hands.

Judging from Koushiro's somber expression, this wasn't the case. "All the reports I've scanned say otherwise."

Ken rubbed the back of his neck. Miyako recognized the gesture. It was a nervous habit he adopted after they learned about the dark spore resting there. "You said that darkness is spreading across the Digital World, right?"

Folding his arms across his chest, Koushiro nodded his head even as his eyes narrowed. Miyako could see him puzzling out why Ken was bringing this up. "Correct. I haven't found the cause for it, but it has been increasing in the last few months."

"What if they're infected? Like me? We all know that the dark spore changed me into the Kaiser. Could it happen to them?"

Motimon rubbed his head. "It wouldn't be the first time something like this happened."

"The dark rings," Iori said.

"The black gears," Jou added. Silence fell for a moment as everyone absorbed this new theory.

"But if it is like before, can't we save them?" Tanemon asked.

"That's right," Bukamon said, slapping his fin to the table. "We got rid of the dark rings and black gears."

Koushiro tilted his head and rested his hand on his chin. After another moment, he shook his head. "Even if we could, there is no way to get to New York in time to check. Or at least, I would hope that this attack, this crossover from the Digital World, would finish before that." His frowned deepened as he continued, "There is something else I'm more worried about."

Leaning back in his chair, Yamato muttered, "What now?" Miyako couldn't blame him for that attitude. Already, so much had gone wrong—Hikari and Takeru's disappearance, the attacks in the real world, the darkness spreading. How much more would they have to take before they could actually do something? She understood Daisuke's constant frustration completely.

Koushiro didn't speak for a moment as he looked back at the screen. When he did speak, he didn't turn back to look at them but kept his eyes on the image from New York. "If the darkness continues to spread and our friends can be infected by it, soon we will have few allies left to help us." A heavy silence followed.

"What if we brought them here?"

Miyako's eyes landed on Koromon. "Bring our Digimon friends here? To the real world?" she asked. She never would have thought of that. She always assumed that their partners could come here because of the special connection they shared.

"Myotismon brought his army," Tsunomon pointed out. "I don't see why we couldn't do the same."

Taichi looked at Koushiro. "Is it possible?"

"I would have to ask Gennai to be sure," Koushiro admitted. "But logically, it would make sense. He's been here for over a year himself, and he is as much a digital entity as they are."

Taichi nodded even as he grimaced. He did that whenever Gennai was brought up. Miyako knew his feelings toward Gennai had something to do with Hikari and Takeru, but she didn't completely understand them. "We'll talk to him. Everyone else wait for us to come back. We might be going to the Digital World to save some of our friends."

"Koushiro?"

The red-haired boy paused as he was about to leave. He looked at Yamato and hummed in inquiry. "Turn it off," the blond murmured, nodding to the screen.

"Oh, right. Of course.

As Koushiro went to unplug his computer, a part of Miyako was thankful to Yamato for saying that. It was depressing to watch something they couldn't fix.


The bright colors of Primary Village lifted Mimi's spirit as she walked in with Jou. The older boy had his doubts that they could convince Elecmon to come with them. In truth, Mimi was sure they would never get the guardian to leave his babies. But he was one of their friends they knew for sure where he was. As Mimi pointed out, they could ask him if he knew where anyone else was. And they could ask about Patamon. If anyone was going to know how to help their friend, it would be him.

A few dark tendrils had curled about the forest when they arrived, but Primary Village looked untouched. Mimi hoped that it would always remain this way. She hoped that the darkness never touched this place.

"Hey, guys." The little red and purple Digimon hopped up to them. "I thought you might be showing up to take care of things." His grin was wide as he asked his next question. "Where's Takeru and Patamon? I sure miss those guys."

Her steps faltered, the words of greeting dying on her tongue. Mimi had never had to tell anyone about them before. When it had happened, she had still been in America. There hadn't been anyone for her to tell. She hadn't told her parents about it. In the beginning, she guessed she viewed it as Digidestined business. Even though her parents had known about Digimon, she hadn't felt the need to tell them.

And in the beginning, none of them thought it would be more than a day or two before they got them back.

Her parents learned about it from Gennai, when he told them all the truth and the necessity of Headquarters became clear. So, Mimi had never had to say the words, explain out loud to someone who didn't know, that Takeru and Hikari were kidnapped.

Palmon wrapped her arm around Mimi's leg. She looked down at her partner, grateful for the reassurance, but the words did not come. She couldn't bring herself to be the one who destroyed the hopeful smile on Elecmon's face.

Another moment passed until a hand laid down on her shoulder. She gasped and turned wide-eyed to Jou. The silent words he spoke flooded her with relief. He would handle this.

"You remember the Kaiser, correct?" he asked.

Elecmon nodded, rubbing his chin with his hand. "Of course. The kid came stumbling into this village a few days after the battle and found his partner again."

Mimi jolted in shock. She hadn't known about that. Ken had never told them. She looked at Jou and it looked like he was as surprised as her. "Yes, well," he recovered. "In the final battle with him, Takeru and Hikari were kidnapped. We still haven't found them."

Elecmon's expression turned somber. "That's terrible. I suppose that's why all this darkness has been spreading. I've been wondering about that for a while." He clapped his hands together. "What can I do to help?"

"It's Patamon," Jou continued. "It's been more than two years since he regressed back to a Digi-Egg. No one knows more about them than you, so we were hoping you could help."

"Two years, eh?" Elecmon scratched the side of his head. "I've never had an egg stay like that for that long. Did you bring him with you?"

"No. Actually…"

"We want you to come with us." Mimi interrupted the conversation, unable to contain herself any longer.

Elecmon's jaw dropped for a second. "Where? To your world?"

Mimi crouched down to be more level with the red Digimon. "Please, Elecmon." She didn't want to see anymore of their friends like Frigimon.

"The darkness is infecting our friends, so it isn't safe here," Palmon explained. "Please come back with us."

He shook his head. "I can't leave my babies."

Mimi nodded, wiping the tears away. It was what they thought he would say. She didn't want to accept it, but she knew she would have to.

Gomamon said, "What about Patamon?"

"Well, all I can say is that if hasn't hatched in so long, maybe it's because he doesn't want to." He rubbed his chin and closed his eyes. "Maybe he's waiting for Takeru."

"Jou, look out!"

Mimi looked over as Gomamon cried out. She could see the glow of the Digivices and knew that Gomamon or Palmon (or both) were Digivolving. The next thing she knew Jou slammed into her side, pushing her into the ground. Her eyes squeezed shut as the breath was knocked from her. Pain laced down the side of her that hit the ground. Jou's body covered her own. She opened her eyes, about to demand what his problem was, when a bright light caused her to shut her eyes again.

A loud booming sound broke out, so loud that it almost sounded like it was coming from everywhere at once. A wave of heat rolled over them as the ground shook. Jou clutched her tighter to him, burying her face into his chest. She felt small debris hit places he wasn't covering. The debris was hot and burned when it hit bare skin.

Hands cupped her face after Jou moved off of her and pulled her up to sit. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at Jou. She could see his mouth moving, but she couldn't make out any sound beyond the ringing in her ears. But, knowing Jou, she could guess what he was saying.

"I'm fine." Her voice sounded muffled even to her. He stopped talking but frowned and didn't move away. Mimi thought of her own hearing loss and realized that maybe he couldn't hear her either. "I'm fine," she repeated, enunciating her words so he might be able to read her lips.

His face was still grim, but he nodded and helped her to her feet. Mimi studied her friend closer. Dust and dirt covered him from head to toe. Through the dust, she could see scrapes and red marks on the bare skin of his arms. There was a cut on his forehead above his glasses and a long red gash across his right cheek. A small trail of blood ran down to his chin. Her hand reached up and brushed the blood, noting that it was already almost dried. "You're hurt," she murmured. A warmth spread in her chest as a rush of gratitude flowed through her. He protected her. She frowned, because that made her realized she had no idea what he had protected her from. "What ha…" She cut off as her eyes turned and caught sight of Primary Village. Her hands clasped over her mouth and tears prickled her eyes.

Or at least, what was left of Primary Village.

The warmth in her chest extinguished as ice gripped her heart instead. The once bright block-like walls were charred hollow shells of what they used to be. Half-destroyed cradles were upturned everywhere, dotting the place. A large crater was all that was left of the center of the village. Togemon and Ikkakumon stood in front of them, blocking a lot of her vision of the village, but she could see enough.

A black silhouette hovered above the center of the crater. The dust was settling, giving a better view by the second. Maybe it was because they were back here again, but the figure reminded her of Devimon. Large red demonic wings stretched out behind them. The dust settled enough for her to make out the rest of him. His body was gray down to his black pants and spiked-toed boots. A black shoulder guard rested on his right shoulder. Too long arms ended with red wrapped hands and gold spiked claws. Red orbs embedded down the left side of his chest matched the color of his wings. His face was covered in a gold mask with two horns coming from the top.

"What have you done to my babies?!" Elecmon rushed at the mysterious figure. "Super Thunder Strike!" He launched his attack at the figure. But it didn't matter. The other Digimon batted away the attack and it exploded as it hit the ground. It reminded Mimi of Myotismon, when nothing had affected him until Angemon and Angewomon had come. Then, the Digimon hit Elecmon, swatting him away. The red Digimon slammed into the ground and didn't move.

The warmth of the crest of Sincerity filled her. She could see the green glow coming from her chest, though she did not look down to see it. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the silver glow of the crest of Responsibility on Jou's chest. Within seconds, Togemon Digivolved into Lillymon and Ikkakumon into Zudomon.

The other Digimon approached but stopped before he got close. Mimi's stomach churned and she side-stepped closer to Jou. "How interesting. We didn't expect to find Chosen Children here. The Masters are enjoying playing with the two they have. Perhaps I should have you join them?"

It took Mimi a moment to realize what he was talking about. She gasped as the thought hit her. "Jou, he has the kids."

"I know. But Mimi, we have to get out of here."

"What?" Jou didn't reply other than to grab her hand and start running in the opposite direction. Mimi stumbled the first few steps until she managed to catch herself. Her head turned back in time to see Zudomon slam his hammer down to create his attack. Her eyes landed on Elecmon, still unmoving on the ground. "Lillymon, grab Elecmon!" She knew she couldn't save Primary Village, but they could at least save it's guardian.

She didn't get a chance to see if her partner heard her because Jou tugged her hand again. This forced her to turn her attention back to where she was going so she wouldn't trip. As Jou pulled her, Mimi finally figured out they were heading back to the gate portal.

As they reached the small television that served as the portal back to their world, Lillymon came flying alongside them, Elecmon in her arms. She set Elecmon down on the ground and stood by Mimi.

"Go," Jou said. "Take Elecmon with you."

"What about you?"

"I'll be right behind you. I can't leave Zudomon."

Mimi nodded. She crouched to place a hand on Elecmon's back, hoping that this worked. Lillymon set her hand on her shoulder as Mimi held out her Digivice to return to Headquarters. Light encased her and the next second she was tumbling back into the Gate Room.

Elecmon was still with her. It worked.

But as she stared at the guardian, her mind went back to what she had seen. Primary Village, all those Digi-eggs and babies, all of it was gone. The horror of what she witnessed gripped her, immobilizing her.

"Mimi? Are you…alright?"

"Mimi…"

She heard Ken's question and Tanemon's murmur, but she couldn't bring herself to answer either one. The images played over and over in her mind.


The room lit up as Jou arrived with Bukamon into the Gate Room. He turned immediately to Ken. "Do you know how to set up a gate on a laptop?"

The younger boy's eyes went wide at the sudden question. "Y-yes."

Jou let out a sigh of relief. He was glad Ken knew how, because he had no idea how to do it. And it was important that they set one up right away. "Take one of the laptops and set up a gate outside. Find the nearest portal to Taichi and Koushiro. They'll be bringing Centarumon, and he won't fit in here."

"Right." Ken left the room, presumably to do what he instructed.

Jou looked at the Gate Room's monitors. "Mimi, can you send a message to everyone? Tell them to grab our friends and come back right now."

Bukamon pressed his fin to his arm. Jou looked at his partner, humming in inquiry. "What?" Bukamon looked passed him and nodded in Mimi's direction. Jou looked at his friend. Mimi sat on the ground. One hand was still resting against Elecmon's back. The other was wrapped loosely around Tanemon on her lap. She gave no indication that she had heard Jou at all. Her gaze remained unseeing, fixated on something only she could see. But Jou could guess what it was.

After witnessing the destruction of Primary Village, any normal kid would be horrified by what they had seen. And Jou was. Unfortunately, they had all lost the luxury of being normal kids the moment their hands wrapped around the Digivices at that summer camp. Or maybe it was the moment that Digi-Egg landed in Taichi's and Hikari's laps at Highton View Terrace. The moment where all this really began. Regardless, they didn't have time to be horrorstruck. Not when the others could still be in danger.

Jou walked over to Mimi and knelt in front of her. Gently, he rested his hands on her shoulders. She jerked at his touch and looked at him with wide, shining eyes. "Mimi," he said, keeping his voice even and calm. "I know it was horrible, but I need your help. Our friends could be in danger. We have to send them a message telling them to come back right now."

She blinked at him. "But…why? How are they in danger? We were the only ones in Primary Village."

"He said, 'we'," Jou answered. His lips turned down in a frown.

"What?"

"The Digimon said, 'we were not expecting you.' Which means there might be more of them out there, so we have to warn them."

Fire lit her eyes again. "Shouldn't we go back and fight them? We're the Digidestined. We should be protecting the Digital World."

Bukamon piped up. "We can't. Didn't you see the darkness?"

"The darkness?"

"While you and Jou were running, it was spreading out from the forest, covering everything quicker than it had before," Tanemon answered.

Jou shook his head. "I had to use my Digivice to keep it at bay long enough for Zudomon to reach the portal. When we came through, what remained of Primary Village was covered in it. I don't even know if we can use that portal again."

"What's happening, Jou?"

"I don't know. But I don't think it's a good idea for us to be separated right now."

"Right. Okay. I'll send the message right now." She reached into her bag and pulled out a D-Terminal, typing the moment she opened it.

Jou stood back up and gazed at the monitors. He knew only a little about what each one showed. They all relied on Koushiro to interpret what they meant. He looked down at Elecmon. He wished he could help the Digimon. His lip twitched as he remembered creating a sling for Ogremon. He knew from experience that as long as they weren't deleted, Digimon healed far more quickly than humans. When Elecmon woke up, he would ask if there was anything he could wrap up and bandage for him.

It felt like hours passed before the door slid open. Taichi strode in with Koromon, followed by Koushiro and Motimon. Behind them, Andromon ducked through the door. When he straightened, the Android Digimon's head almost touched the ceiling. Koushiro led their friend over to the computers. Wires shot out from Andromon, hooking up to various ports. The images on the screens began to change.

Jou's attention moved to Taichi when their leader spoke, "Sora, Miyako, Iori, and their partners are all safe. As you can see, they brought Andromon back. Thanks to Mimi's message, we got out with Centarumon. The temple collapsed around us as we left. If Mimi hadn't sent that message…"

"Taichi, come look at this."

Both of them walked over to Koushiro. The screen in front of him showed an area covered in black. A small mountain peak showed above the darkness about in the center of the screen. "Andromon was able to bring a visual of the Digital World." Koushiro was frowning deeply, and Jou knew that couldn't mean anything good.

"What is it?" Taichi asked.

Koushiro's finger pointed out the small mountain peak. "That mountain is Infinity Mountain."

Jou blanched. If that was Infinity Mountain, that meant… "That's File Island?!"

Koushiro nodded in confirmation. "What's left of it."

Taichi's face tightened. "What about the Piximon group?" he asked. He hid it well, but Jou could still hear the note of desperation in his tone.

"Currently executing search parameters," Andromon interjected. "Signal located. Estimated arrival time: three seconds."

"What?"

The room lit up again as Yamato, Tsunomon, Daisuke, and DemiVeemon tumbled into the room. Piximon was clutched in between them. Yamato pushed himself to his feet. "What happened? We got Mimi's message."

"We can't go back."

All eyes fell on Taichi. He was looking at the monitor still showing what had been File Island. His eyes moved to Mimi and finally landed on Jou. Jou was conscious of what he looked like. He knew he hadn't come out of the attack on Primary Village unscathed.

"I can't—we can't lose any of you." Left unspoken but clear was the addition of 'we can't lose you like we lost Hikari and Takeru'. "If the darkness can get to our Digimon friends and turn them against us…if what happened to Ken could happen to us…" He shook his head. "It's too dangerous. We can't go back to the Digital World."