Finally! At long last, I'm getting back into this fic. It only took like what, five months? Yeah yeah, gomen. But in another week or so, we'll really be getting back on track here. I'm serious. 'Cause right now Tamers is my favourite of the first four seasons, so I'm having fun with this fic again, whereas I had originally stopped due to writer's block. But I actually have a good outline ready to follow, so that makes it even easier. Yay me.

I'll only be writing here and there over the course of this week, due to some business that struck close to home, but afterwards, this story will be in full swing.

Back to storytime! Hoorah!


Departure

Takato's digicompass led him right to Henry, sitting at a bench at the playground in the middle of the park. He sat by his friend with a casual sigh, but the latter seemed oblivious to him.

"Henry?"

No response.

"Henry, we've got to go back. Corvusmon's still out there."

The other boy shook his head. "I'll only put you in danger. I can't control it."

"That's not true. You defeated Aquarimon, didn't you?"

"But Terriermon. I let him down. I can't even keep a promise for him." Henry's eyes took on a glassy look as he spoke.

"That's not true either. He asked you not to let his data get lost and you didn't."

Henry looked up, confused. "What?"

"He was going to be deleted anyway. You absorbed him, so his data isn't lost."

The digimon child's expression softened and he looked away. "You think so?"

"I'm sure of it! Come on Henry. We need your help to fight Corvusmon. Terriermon will always be with us as long as you're around."

Henry bowed his head and closed his eyes as he began to weep again. He stood after several moments. "I'll go. I don't know what to do, but I'll try something."

Takato smiled, "Great! We'll go when we're all ready, okay?"

"Who's going?"

"Whoever meets up at the hangout," he replied. "Us that can bio-merge, basically. And you of course."

Henry nodded, and then replied with doubt in his voice, "I'm really not sure if I'm still GreyXaldramon."

Takato rose to his feet and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It doesn't matter, Henry. As long as you're there, we've got all we need."

The grey-eyed boy finally managed a small smile. He turned to look Takato in the face. "Thanks."

The goggle-head beamed in reply. "Welcome back, buddy. Let's go meet the others then, huh?"

Before Henry could hesitate any more, Takato turned and led him out of the playground. Perhaps there was no more time for doubt. They would have to do this and do it with everything they have. Henry simply wasn't certain that he was up to it. So many things had happened recently, and one of the most important of which he hadn't even been conscious for.

He followed Takato despite his own discouragement, trying to reassure himself that when the time came, he would be able to be of some aid to his friends. Henry thought about what he would do should he stay. He really didn't know what. Though his friend's previous words about Terriermon had helped brighten him up somewhat, Henry still found himself perpetually on the brink of breaking down. Takato was probably right about his promise to Terriermon, but that didn't change much. Henry knew what he had done, and knew he could never forgive himself.

The two boys shortly arrived at the hangout, where Rika and Renamon were already waiting with Guilmon. The girl was leaning against a nearby tree, looking as bored as Takato had ever seen her. Yet, when she lifted her head upon hearing their approach, he saw the concern in her eyes. He took a glance aside at Henry, and saw that the other boy was walking with a lowered head. He could feel the pain radiating from his friend's demeanour. It hurt to even look at him. Takato glanced back up to Rika as he neared the doorway of the Guilmon house. She didn't look back.

"Henry?" Rika ventured, her gaze on the boy in question.

The boy lifted his eyes to meet hers. Takato pondered the look on Henry's face. Somehow, his friend had managed to keep his feelings from showing on his expression. All the pain had been bottled up to the point where only those who were there for the incident could tell something was wrong, such as Henry's fellow Tamers. But the look that replaced Henry's broken one was also rather unfamiliar to Takato. His face had hardened. The only other time Takato could recall such a look was back when they all were faced with the task of confronting Zhuqiaomon, the Sovereign. Through it all, Henry's greatest concern was for the safety of his innocent, helpless sister. Everyone knew he was worried sick, and yet, he steeled himself, becoming crass even in front of little Suzie. When the others were hesitant for fear, he stepped forward and gave his demand brashly, ordering the huge, irritated mega.

Takato wondered. Could something similar happen soon? Henry was again suppressing overwhelming emotions; it would be no surprise if he snapped anytime soon. The goggle head turned again to Rika, and saw a strange contrast. Whereas Henry's atmosphere betrayed his feelings, though his expression was stony, Rika's expression showed what she was feeling, though her atmosphere suggested boredom.

"Welcome back," she told Henry, with a small, understanding smile appearing on her face.

Henry's face softened in return, though he didn't voice his reply. The girl, acknowledging his apparent wish to remain silent, tried to strike up conversation with Takato.

"So what's the big idea?"

"We're going back," Henry suddenly said, catching them off guard. His voice was steady compared to beforehand, where it had sounded like it was on the verge of cracking at any given moment. The two other Tamers glanced sharply at him, surprised. He still wasn't looking at them, but rather staring straight ahead at the empty space between the two. He continued, his words relaxing a little. "Aren't we."

"Yeah," Takato confirmed after a pause, noting that Henry's words were more of a statement than a question. "That's the idea."

"When?" Rika asked.

"Whenever you're all ready. I don't see any point in rushing this."

Guilmon spoke up, "What about Kazu and the others?"

"I don't know, boy," Takato pondered. "I don't really think they'd want to go back so soon."

"I told Ryo we may be going back. He said we would come when he can," Rika said.

"Don't forget about me!" Came Impmon's voice from above. "I know I'm in!"

The rookie jumped down from where he had been listening in on top of the shack. He folded his arms behind his head in a gesture of confidence.

"Ready when you are! I know I sure have some unfinished business on the other side." Impmon made a fist.

"You said it," Henry mumbled as the conversation went on.

"How long has Impmon been here?" The goggle boy asked no one in particular.

Guilmon responded matter-of-factly, "The whole time, Takato."

"Anyway," Rika cut in. "We're good to go right now, right Renamon?"

"Right."

"Wait," Guilmon intervened. "What about bringing food?"

"Remember last time, Guilmon? The bread didn't even make it into the Digital World." Takato replied.

"That's because you dropped it, Takato."

"Really?"

"Don't you remember?"

"Can we just go already?" Henry said harshly. Despite his surprise, Takato didn't turn to look at his friend. The tension in Henry's words was tangible. The goggle boy closed his eyes for a moment and took a slow, quiet sigh before replying.

"Yeah, let's go."

The group entered the Guilmon house and crawled through the still active field. Being the fourth time now that they had entered by this route, the ride to the Digital World was a breeze. Takato noticed that the craters they crawled out of were much deeper. It was apparent that they had been landing in the same places each time. It was strange, considering that sporadic randomness was the norm in the Digital World, as opposed to this display of consistency.

Guilmon had landed in the same pit, landing right on top of Takato. They struggled to untangle themselves, and finally stood breathless, especially the Tamer.

"Okay, boy, it's official. You need to take a break from all that bread."

"Aw, but why, Takatomon?" Guilmon whined. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, but seriously, you've only been getting heavier ever since you fell asleep on me that one time."

"Sorry, Takato, but your bread is always so good! And besides, I'm still a strong fighting digimon, aren't I?"

"Well yeah, but then again, can you get me out of this hole?"

"No problem!" The digimon said enthusiastically, and proceeded to push his partner up the steepened slope.

The two trudged up halfway, making steady progress, until one of Guilmon's footholds broke away under his weight. There was a moment of pure terror for the two as Guilmon tried to regain his balance, waving a hand and a foot in the air while still trying to hold Takato up. High pitched sounds escaped his throat as panic welled up. "Hang on Takato!"

Guilmon's final foothold slipped away, and the two tumbled all the way back to the bottom of the crater. Guilmon landed first, on his back, and then Takato came down right on his stomach. The digimon let out a loud yelp that died down into a whimper.

"Takato, you're heavy..."

"I guess I should cut down on the bread with you then, huh boy?" Takato replied with a smile. He glanced back up at the slope. "Aw, nuts... Well, let's try that again when you're ready, Guilmon."

"Hey, Takato, what about over here? It's not as steep."

"Good thinking. Boy, even I can walk up that!" Takato said with a shake of his head, and started the climb. The Tamer and his partner had few troubles with the new route, and surfaced to see how the others fared. He arrived just in time to see Henry and Impmon each grab one of Rika's hands and hoist her out of another of the craters. Renamon jumped out after Rika was on solid ground.

"How did you get out so fast, Henry?" Rika asked after taking a look at the pit he had fallen in.

The boy shrugged slightly in reply. "I climbed."

Impmon chuckled at that. "More like jumped."

"You what?" Rika asked, incredulous.

"I climbed," Henry insisted.

Rika frowned, skeptical. "Seriously? That hole's steeper than mine…"

"Seriously!" Impmon answered for the boy, smiling in his mischievous way. "He jumped up the wall like any digimon. I just rode on his shoulders."

Takato, standing unnoticed nearby, decided to make his presence known. He could tell Henry was growing tired of the conversation. Or uncomfortable of the direction it was heading. "Hey, well we made it out pretty easy."

Rika turned her attention sharply to him, and then walked past him and took a look into the crater. Within a moment she faced Takato again. "I'd be worried if you two had any trouble at all getting out of that. Henry actually had a challenge on his hands."

"You're reading too much into it," mumbled the dark-haired boy, wanting to avert the attention away from himself, but at the same time not really wanting to talk at all. It was hardly a wonder that his statement went unnoticed.

Takato, meanwhile, exchanged an uneasy glance with Guilmon, deciding that their first attempt to climb out of the pit had better go unsaid. They followed Rika to the other two craters. Both had almost sheer faces for walls, as opposed to the crumbling mess that was Takato's crater. It made sense that Rika and Renamon were still climbing out by the time Takato had surfaced, but the fact that Henry was already up and helping them was reason enough to be curious. After all, it wasn't as if Impmon had done anything to help him out.

Rika and Takato stood over the crater for only a moment before an abrupt gasp from Henry caught their attention. They turned to see their friend standing on alert, staring at one of the nearby buttes. The two followed his gaze, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The next instant, Guilmon gave a snarl, his eyes narrowing, while Renamon stiffened, her fur bristling. Impmon glanced around uneasily.

"There's something up there," Guilmon growled.

"A visitor," Renamon concluded. Takato walked over to stand behind his partner, which brought him within earshot of Henry.

"Why am I feeling it?" The dark-haired boy mumbled to himself.

Takato frowned in confusion at his friend. What Guilmon and Renamon were feeling…did Henry now sense it as well? The goggle head saw the gooseflesh rise on his friend's arms. Henry visibly shuddered. His posture was tense and seemed ready to react at the slightest provocation, and yet his eyes displayed fear. There was no aggression present in his expression, as opposed to the digimon's.

A growing rumble set the remainder of the group on alert. It was an Airdramon that showed itself over the top of the butte, roaring at his newfound enemy. The Tamers unleashed their digimon.

"Digi-modify!" Takato and Rika cried in unison. "Matrix digivolution activate!"

"Guilmon matrix digivolve to... WarGrowlmon!"

"Renamon matrix digivolve to... Taomon!"

Henry had taken his digivice out along with the other two, but his hand froze halfway to his card stash. Terriermon...

The battle that ensued over his head faded away as he stared at the new D-power. It was green like his old one, though the colours were inverted so that the trim was white. It was the one he found in the sand after Terriermon...

Henry's eyes smarted at the memory of that terrible moment. He had let his guard down; he had let Corvusmon seize control for one fatal instant. Takato may have been right as to what happened to Terriermon's data, but Henry's guilt wouldn't let him forget. He saw that moment playing before him. He saw the sword, bearing down upon his friend. He saw his friends' faces...how could they manage to trust him after that? Did they?

He heard his name, suddenly. The others were calling him frantically, bringing his mind back to the present battle. Henry could sense something coming, looming above him like a cold shadow. He jerked his head up to see Airdramon diving down on him. His legs sprang into action; he leapt out of the way just in time. The dramon smashed into the ground, raising a cloud of dust. Henry rolled to his feet, not losing any momentum, and ran out to the others as Taomon and WarGrowlmon reengaged the enemy. Impmon took a place between Airdramon and the humans, ready to digivolve if necessity called for it. The two other ultimates took care of the remainder of the battle quickly, however, Taomon teasing the enemy while WarGrowlmon took aim.

"Atomic Blaster!"

Airdramon was caught up in the cloud of flaming red, its data released in its defeat. Silence followed as the two ultimates dedigivolved. The digimon looked to the humans for their next pointer.

Takato soon spoke, letting the silence pass and the dust settle. "That was kinda random, don't you think? I mean, we've only been here five minutes and we're already being attacked."

"I'm thinking Corvusmon's already messing with us," said Rika.

Renamon and Guilmon came up, the former speaking her thoughts. "It's our own presence that's attracting the nearby digimon. There's a lot of strength among us that would make any digimon want to fight."

"It went for Henry, though," Takato said thoughtfully, and then turned hesitantly to his friend. Henry averted his gaze. "Is it really true he's a digimon?"

"That makes sense," Impmon gave his opinion. "Didn't you see those reflexes?" He finished with a solid punch to Henry's leg. The boy hardly flinched as he frowned down at the rookie. Impmon grinned.

"Let's see how strong an arm you got," he said, assuming a fighting stance.

"No..." Henry said with some restraint.

"Come on, pal. I'm ready for ya."

Henry shook his head. Impmon dropped his fists, a dismayed look on his face.

"Seriously?"

Henry turned on him with a dark glare and a sharp voice. "I'm serious! Okay?"

The rookie lifted his hands in submission. "Alright, alright, have it your way, buddy. Don't bite my head off."

"Leave him alone, Impmon." Rika cut in while Takato walked up to Henry.

He laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Hey, it's going to be okay."

The digimon child shook his head slightly, but otherwise didn't reply. Takato sighed, and decided not to push further. He turned his gaze to the nearby landscape, wondering which direction to travel next. They all were motivated enough to face Corvusmon in a grand showdown, but there was still nothing to show them where to go. He looked from Rika to Henry, a question on his face. Neither returned his glance. They were all staring at the horizon. Takato narrowed his eyes, looking. In a moment, he recognized the distant shapes, and pulled out his D-Power, readying for another battle.

"I guess there was no point in dedigivolving, guys. Here comes more trouble."

Henry stepped back so he was behind everyone else. There wasn't anything more he could do, except possibly distract the enemy, though the idea was too reckless for his liking. He could only stand and watch as multiple ultimate level digimon came charging over the dusty valley.

Just our luck.

The digichild stiffened. He was hearing a voice again; yet, it wasn't Corvusmon's. His blood ran cold. The voice was more familiar than Corvusmon's. Why?


Next chapter is in development, I assure you.

PS: i am rewatching the series...on crunchyroll (meaning the japanese sub) so if people are seeming a bit out of character (or i accidentally put a Ruki instead of Rika), that explains that: it's the japanese side of em!

(pps: henry has the best voice actors for both languages imo :D )

Review please, culu?