A/N: The title for this one is a tad too overdramatic for my taste, but I couldn't come up with any better. Ah well. Regardless, I hope you enjoy :)

Digital World, Monochrome Town

Several days had passed since Jeri and the others had left the Chuchidarumon village, but there was still no sign of her classmates and Rika.

For the first day after leaving the village, they had all felt pretty good about themselves. They had done a good thing, helping those poor Digimon, and Jeri was so proud of Leomon for saving Guilmon from that awful bike. It made her feel like she had helped, too. And then when Takato and Henry had made up from their little fight, well, everything had been just peachy! Just how she liked it.

But the longer they went without finding the others, the harder it got on them. Takato, especially, had been acting kind of funny. He wasn't really that much different from normal, but his goofiness and cheer seemed more… forced, she supposed. He was always goofy, of course, so she couldn't be completely certain, but she just couldn't shake the feeling. The past few days, whenever she saw Takato smile, she felt like she was staring into a mirror.

Or at an old picture, anyway.

She glanced over at Leomon, who remained present and vigilant at her side. If having to slow his pace to remain beside her bothered him at all, he showed no sign of it.

I'm so glad you're in my life now, Leomon. You make me smile for real.

Leomon seemed to sense her eyes on him, and looked over at her, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. "Everything alright, kid?"

"Hehehe, you bet!" she giggled, flashing her partner her brightest smile. She enjoyed doing that. The ends of Leomon's lips curled up into a small smile of his own before he returned his gaze to the path ahead.

Jeri turned to face forward again too; she might run into something otherwise. The area they were currently in was weird, even by Digital World standards. They had gotten here when someone - she honestly didn't remember who, at this point - had suggested going back to the flag to wait for the others. Apparently, they had just missed them, because Guilmon picked up on Dorumon and Renamon's scents and followed them out into the desert. Both scents had vanished in front of a small temple in the sands, so they thought that maybe, the other group had gone in there.

Unfortunately, they were wrong, and in exploring it, they had somehow ended up in this wacky place. It was a town, sort of, but it was completely drained of color, and the angles on all the buildings and even the road itself were weird, like the entire world around them was drawn as modern art. The ground at their feet could be awkwardly sloped even when it looked completely flat, or perfectly level and look like it twisted somehow. It gave her the jeebies, and she thought even Guilmon and Terriermon were starting to look oddly blocky and angular.

"Look!" called Guilmon suddenly. "It's chocolate!"

Most of the group turned in his direction, and to Jeri's surprise, there really was a little carton of chocolate on a table right next to him! It looked pretty yummy, too. Guilmon reached out for a piece, and without a second's hesitation, popped the whole thing right into his mouth.

"Waaaah!" he cried, suddenly stumbling around. Jeri thought he looked like he had spun around too much in an office chair and then gotten up too fast.

"Guilmon, what's wrong?" asked Takato.

"Not chocolate…" the dinosaur cried.

"Lemme see!" said Terriermon, hopping up onto the table. He promptly repeated Guilmon's mistake, but at least as he whined, he managed to stay standing in one place.

"You shouldn't eat everything you see," advised Leomon, leaning over some so he wouldn't tower over everyone else. "Things aren't always what they seem to be."

"I could try, but when I see food, my brain shuts off," complained Guilmon.

"I don't believe this, I've finally become Guilmon," deadpanned Terriermon.

"You're both incorrigible," agreed Henry with a nod.

"Hey, do you guys hear something?" interrupted Takato. He held a hand up to his ear and aimed it down an alleyway. "I think I hear someone talking…"

The group fell silent for a moment, and sure enough, there was an echo coming from down the alley, and it didn't sound much like a wild Digimon on the rampage. Jeri clasped her hands together in front of her chest and smiled wide. "Maybe it's Rika and the boys!"

"Whoever it is, they sure are chatty," commented Henry.

"I see the boys, but that doesn't look like Rika!" said Takato. Henry and Jeri both stepped forward to see into the alleyway, and sure enough, three boys were approaching - and the two in the lead were very obviously Kazu and Kenta.

"Hey hey hey!" called Kazu, waving a hand in the air. "We haaaave returned!"

Takato brightened immediately, beaming wide and running towards the other group in a hurry. "It's about time! You had us worried, you know!"

Kazu and Kenta ran ahead to meet him, and Kazu struck a pose he probably thought looked cool. "Well, you know, we ran into some trouble, but nothing I couldn't handle!"

Henry and Jeri soon caught up, but the third member of the other group was still taking his time approaching. She tilted her head to the side as she looked around the boys to check on him.

That's not Kou…

She wondered, briefly, who the boy with the odd clothing might be. Then a large, black digimon with red wings stepped out from behind a corner, shadowing the newcomer and scaring her half to death.

And that's definitely not Dorumon!

"Uhh, w-who is that?" she asked, trying to inject some pep into her voice to hide how startled she was. She was pretty sure she just squeaked, instead.

"That, my friends, is the Legendary Tamer Ryo Akiyama!" proclaimed Kazu with such enthusiasm, Jeri felt like she was meeting the Queen of England. The boy's tone reminded her of overzealous retainers to important samurai in those movies her dad liked to watch.

"He rocks!" Kenta helpfully added.

"If Tamers were cars, he'd be the monster truck!" continued Kazu. Ryo made an awkward face.

"Aw, come on, I wish you guys wouldn't say that," said the "Legendary Tamer," sounding more than a little embarrassed.

"Oh, cool!" said Takato, apparently recognizing the name. "I can't believe it's really you! Kazu's told me all about how great you are." The goggleheaded boy paused when he noticed Ryo's lumbering partner, standing several feet behind the group. "Don't tell me that's your partner?"

"Yeah!" said Ryo, smirking a little. "That is Cyberdramon."

"Awesome!" said Takato, moving past Ryo to approach the tall Digimon. "Nice to meet'cha, fella!"

Cyberdramon bared his teeth and growled, tensing his entire body. He nearly shook with barely constrained rage.

"Errrr, okay," said Takato, taking a few careful steps back. "I, uh, don't think he likes me very much."

"Hahaha, don't take it personally," said Ryo, approaching his menacing partner and patting him on the arm. "He's not the socializing kind, but he's really just a puppy on the inside, once you get to know him."

Cyberdramon growled again, showed more of his fangs, and opened and closed his massive clawed hands several times. Not once did he look away from Takato.

"Play nice, boy," said Ryo, frowning. Despite the apparent threat to Takato's life, he seemed more annoyed than worried.

"Puppy, huh?" quipped Terriermon. "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it."

As if on cue, Cyberdramon kneeled down on one knee and turned his gaze to the ground.

"Hey, he sits! Does he roll over?"

Another low rumbling sound came from the mighty Digimon, and Terriermon let out an eeeek! before wrapping an ear around Henry's head and whispering something in his partner's ear. Jeri couldn't hear what it was, but she was close enough to hear Henry's reply.

"Like they said, that's Ryo," the blue-haired boy was explaining. "He's a really well known card game player who a lot of people say is the best there ever was, but he went missing after a tournament a year ago."

"He's probably gotta be the best to keep Cyberscarymon over there under control," said Terriermon. Jeri found herself nodding in agreement at that, despite the fact that she wasn't even supposed to be listening. It got her a weird look from Terriermon when he noticed, but the little rabbit just shrugged and continued. "I mean, he looks even meaner than Rika."

Henry sighed. "Try not to provoke him, please."

"What, me?" said Terriermon. "Neeeever."

"Wait a minute," said Jeri, turning back to the main group. "That reminds me, why aren't Rika and Kou with you?"

The whole aura around Kazu and Kenta shifted immediately, becoming incredibly uncomfortable as both boys seemed to just deflate. Kenta scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, she got all mad, and, you know…" he said. "Just… took off."

"What about Kou?" asked Takato, his voice oddly stiff. His interest in Ryo and Cyberdramon seemed to have evaporated into thin air.

"Well, he… he went too," admitted Kenta.

"Even though the whole thing was Rika's fault, he still went with her!" huffed Kazu, crossing his arms. "Seriously, Takato, you need to have a talk with that kid."

Takato sighed and shook his head, giving Kazu a look. "Rika wouldn't have done that in the first place unless one of you guys did something to make her really mad."

"W-What are you looking at me for?" said Kazu.

"Well, it was our fault, Kazu…" sighed Kenta.

"Actually, I… think all of this is my fault," Ryo cut in, drawing the group's attention.

"No no no!" protested Kazu, waving his hands dismissively. "It's Rika! That chick is nuts!"

"Kenta, tell us what happened," said Henry, resting his head in one of his hands like he had a particularly bad headache.

"Kazu kept saying how much of a better tamer Ryo is than her," explained Kenta. "And that the only reason she's Digimon Queen is that he wasn't around to kick her butt anymore."

"Gee, way to go, Kazu," said Takato, becoming crestfallen. "She's gonna be mad 'til the next millennium."

"This is… really bad," said Henry. "It's dangerous out there. Something could happen to them."

"But Rika's so strong!" said Jeri, hoping her words would cheer Takato up some. "And she has Renamon! And Kou and Dorumon went too. They can all protect each other!"

"Yeah... yeah, you're right, Jeri!" said Takato, pumping a fist in the air. Unfortunately, whatever confidence he gained seemed to slip away just as quickly as it came. "Or, at least I… hope so, anyway…"

"They might actually be better off this way," said Leomon, trying to reassure the gogglehead. "Please, have faith in your brother and your friend, Takato. From a certain point of view, this could be a boon for them. Now Renamon and Dorumon have only their own charges to look after, and that should make things much easier for them. Rika and Kou could not be in better hands."

Takato looked up at Leomon for a moment with an expression Jeri couldn't quite read, but his eyes sure were watery. He wiped them with his sleeve, hardened his expression and nodded in agreement with her partner.

Jeri placed a hand on Leomon's wrist and smiled up at him, which he returned with a brief nod. Oh, but she loved her partner so much.

He always knows just the right thing to say. I wonder if he realized I was trying to cheer Takato up and wanted to help me? Ohh, of course he did! I need to step it up, he deserves to have the best tamer ever!

"Well… I still feel like this is kind of my fault," said Ryo, "so maybe I can make it up to you by showing you guys a place we can stay the night? Should be lights out soon, and I know a place around here that has actual beds."

"You know this place?" asked Henry. The new addition to the group smiled back.

"Yeah, I've been to most of this layer of the Digital World several times," he said, prompting more than one member of the team to raise their eyebrows in surprise. "I've already been told about the whole situation with Calumon, and I'd like to help as much as I can. So please, let me start with this."

Jeri and the two boys she had been with the past few days shared a brief look between each other and nodded in agreement.

"Well, alright then," said Terriermon, speaking up for them. "I suppose, since you asked so nicely, we'll allow you to show us the way to nice, warm beds. Don't forget this generosity."

Ryo chuckled as he turned around and pointed at a tower looming over the strange, angular houses of the town. "Haha, you got it, Terriermon. It's over this way, just follow me."

###

Digital World, Forest Zone

As the champion in front of her laughed, Renamon's eyes briefly flicked back towards her partner and the boy on the ground.

"Don't listen to him, Kou," she reassured. "Dorumon is injured, but he is alive. This coward ambushed us, but could not fight us both at the same time. He set after the two of you to gain an advantage, knowing Dorumon could not keep up with his speed."

"And the advantage has been gained," taunted the wolf. "Only one of you now."

"Just who do you think you are!?" demanded Rika, carefully setting Kou's arm back down and apparently giving up on lifting him. She drew a card from her holder and held her D-Arc ready. "Let's show this guy what we're made of, Renamon! Digi-"

"Black Mind."

Sangloupmon vanished from sight, sinking into his own shadow in an instant. Renamon's eyes widened in recognition; the wolf had used the same trick to catch her and Dorumon off guard before. And given Rika's actions, and the fact that Sangloupmon seemed to have fought a tamer before, that could only mean…

"Rika, look out!" Renamon called for the second time that day. She spun around, grabbed both humans by their collars, and leapt into the air. Both cried out, Rika in shock and Kou in pain, but not half a second later did Sangloupmon's jaws emerge from the shadows on the ground where Rika had been standing, snapping shut with an audible click. As Renamon landed on a nearby tree branch, the rest of the wolf's body arose from the shadows on the ground, which had turned black as pitch and rippled like water until the evil Digimon emerged completely.

"So very quick," said the champion, laughing softly as he did so. "I am impressed. Perhaps you would have made worthier prey than the little knight."

Renamon did not grace that with a response, instead simply releasing Rika once she was sure the girl wouldn't fall, and gently placing Kou down on the branch as well. Luckily, she had landed on a very old tree, and the branch was thick enough to support them - it was big enough around that it could have been a tree itself. Without taking her eyes off her foe, she said to Rika, "See to his wounds if you can, but do not touch your cards. He knows about you, it will just make you a target."

Rika's eyes widened. "But… but Renamon, if I don't help you, how are you going to win? And what if he targets us anyway?"

Despite the dire situation, Renamon couldn't keep a small smile from her lips. Sometimes, it still seemed like only yesterday that Rika would have been upset at the thought of having to help her fight, and Renamon would have been disappointed to need her aid. She was silently glad that they now knew what true strength was.

If only we could use it.

Her smile turned into a frown as she locked her eyes on her opponent down below. "Don't worry, Rika. I will ensure that you both stay safe, no matter what."

As she leapt back down into the fray, she heard Rika cry, "But I need to keep you safe too!"

But it was too late. As she dove down, arms crossed in front of her head defensively, Sangloupmon leapt at her. She couldn't dodge, or he would hit Rika, so she let the wolf clamp his fangs down on one of her arms. Pain surged through her body, but the Power card hadn't worn off yet.

Renamon twirled twice in mid-air as she fell, with Sangloupmon still attached to her arm. On the third spin, she grabbed the wolf by the neck with her free paw, mustered all the strength the card had given her, and used her momentum to slam him into the side of the thick tree. The champion gasped in pain, releasing his hold on her arm just in time for her to flip over and land on her feet.

Sangloupmon bounced off the trunk and hit the ground with a thud. Out of the corner of her eye, Renamon saw Rika grab hold of Kou so the tree's shaking wouldn't knock him off their perch, but she didn't have time to watch much more. While Sangloupmon was still down, she leapt into the air once again, crossing her arms in front of her chest and gathering her power to attack.

"Diamond Storm!"

She threw her arms wide and the shards rained on her foe. A few lucky hits to the head caused him to flinch, but for the most part, he seemed to take them like they were nothing more than particularly heavy rain drops. Even as they fell upon him, he climbed to his feet. Renamon frowned; the Power card had finally worn off.

"You are skilled, but weak, I am afraid," said Sangloupmon as the last of the shards bounced off his fur and dissipated. "Allow me to show you a true death by a thousand cuts."

"Sticker Blades!"

By now, Renamon was plenty familiar with this technique, but that didn't make it any less dangerous. Sangloupmon's fur bristled as blades of various sizes, from needle thin to as large as one of her fingers, exploded outwards in her direction. She tried to dodge, but even with her speed, some of the blades grazed her midsection, her left leg, and most painfully, her wounded arm. Renamon grit her teeth through the pain, refusing to give Sangloupmon the satisfaction of her cries.

But he was perceptive, and even if she didn't voice her pain, the grin on his face told Renamon that he knew the damage had been done. It helped that he voiced it, too.

"Slowing down, Renamon?" said Sangloupmon with a laugh. Above them, Kou suddenly cried out in pain once again, louder than before. Renamon's eyes widened in alarm, but she didn't dare look away, and the dark digimon in front of her laughed again. "You're distraught, aren't you? This isn't how it's supposed to go. Your precious humans aren't supposed to get hurt. They're supposed to give you strength." He bared his teeth and hunched over, spreading his blade-armored paws wide and lowering his head, ready to pounce forward at her. "But you must have known not all your enemies would be so stupid. Maybe you could have beaten me in your champion form, maybe not. But I'll not give you the chance to find out. You will fight this battle alone!"

And then Rika fell from the sky.

"Renamon's never alone!" screamed the fiery tamer as she landed hard on Sangloupmon's back, gripping the fur behind his ears as hard as she could with one hand.

"L-Little pest!" howled Sangloupmon as he tried to shake her off. Try as he might, the girl's grip was strong, but Renamon didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. Either way, she charged.

I've got to help her!

"This is for my friends!" cried Rika as she lifted her other hand, the one not gripping Sangloupmon's fur, high over her head. For the briefest of moments, digital sunlight glinted off the object she held, and then she brought it down as hard as she could on the champion's head.

"AAAAGGH!" roared Sangloupmon in a fury as he was wounded by one of his own Sticker Blades. Rika didn't have nearly enough strength to pierce the champion's skull, but it still made a painful cut across the wolf's scalp and bit deep into one of his ears. The champion thrashed about in a rage, this time successfully throwing Rika off, but Renamon caught her safely and leapt away from the frothing wolf. She set her down gently and stood protectively between them.

"That was stupid," Renamon stated bluntly.

"Y-Yeah," agreed Rika, her voice shaky as the blade clattered to the ground. She was clutching the hand that held it tightly, and Renamon realized that it probably had not had a proper handle. Rika had held it by the blade itself. "But it worked on Harpymon, r-right? We're… we're a team."

Despite how afraid she had been and still was for Rika's life, Renamon smiled, recalling the time her partner had attacked the aforementioned Wild One with a stick to protect her. Rika was right. They were a team, whether they had cards or not. That was what truly made Renamon strong.

"You… YOU…!" snarled Sangloupmon as he glared at the two of them.

"Yes," said Renamon, relaxing her stance. She stood tall and proud, looking down at the wolf despite his superior size. "Us."

Rika's D-Arc exploded with light.

D-I-G-I-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N

Renamon, Digivolve to… Kyubimon!

As the light faded, Kyubimon spread her tails, completely hiding Rika from Sangloupmon's view. She had seen his Black Mind several times, and deduced that he could only warp to shadows he could see. Rika would be safe if she was hidden.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised…" growled the wolf. "The little knight digivolved the first time without cards as well."

"If you thought you could beat us just by listening for the words "Digi-Modify" and threatening our partners, you thought wrong," said Kyubimon as her tails began to burn with blue flames. "It was more strategy than any of our previous opponents have had, but you underestimated us all the same. And now…" She bared her own fangs at him, allowing her rage at his actions to show through. This digimon had hurt Dorumon, Kou, and almost Rika as well. His time was up.

"Now?" Sangloupmon prompted, apparently not impressed.

"Now you pay!"

"Fox Tail Inferno!"

Nine orbs of flame raced towards their target, and nine orbs struck dead on. Sangloupmon smiled, and exploded in a blast of blue fire and loose black data.

"Way to go, Kyubimon!" cheered Rika, stepping out from behind her partner's tails. "What a hit!"

"...I don't like this, Rika," she admitted, watching the remaining data drift upwards and away, nearing the branch Rika had leapt from.

What was that smile? Why didn't he dodge? ...and why is that data so oddly colored?

"What's wrong?" asked Rika, placing a hand on Kyubimon's side. She followed Kyubimon's gaze upwards, but her eyes settled on something besides the data. "Oh… can you get him down, in this form?"

Kyubimon's eyes widened in realization when Rika mentioned the boy still in the tree. Sangloupmon's data suddenly pulled itself back together just over the branch, and, she assumed, just over Kou. Kyubimon couldn't see at his angle, but the wolf's plan was clear.

"We'll see who will pay, now!" howled Sangloupmon in triumph as he reformed in the air above the unprotected tamer. He lifted a claw just as it finished reappearing, and looked ready to let gravity do the rest.

Kyubimon stepped forward and spread her tails wide to hide Rika from sight once again as she leapt, so the champion wouldn't be able to just teleport to her instead, but as she sailed through the air, she realized that split second might cost Kou his life.

No!

"Metal Cannon!"

A metal orb flew out of the trees and impacted with Sangloupmon's claw, sending him recoiling into a spin that made him miss the branch. Grinning in satisfaction at Dorumon's last second save, Kyubimon altered her tactics to finish their foe off once and for all.

"Dragon Wheel!"

The blue flames engulfed Sangloupmon once again, and he slammed into the ground howling in fury as they burned at his data. Kyubimon landed nearby, spread her tails, and hit him with two more Fox Tail Infernos just to be sure before he finally exploded.

Once again, the data was that odd black color, as opposed to the usual red. Still, Kyubimon knew a way to prevent him from reforming. She closed her eyes and began to pull, drawing the data inwards like she had done countless times before. She wasn't supposed to be this kind of Digimon anymore, but this wasn't about strength. She needed to be sure he wasn't coming back.

"Metal Cannon!"

Another metal orb raced out of the woods, this time slamming into her side and breaking her focus before the black data could reach her. She whirled in the direction it came from, just as Dorumon came stumbling out of the trees.

"M-My apologies, but you must not absorb that data!" he stammered.

"But he could reform again!" Kyubimon protested.

"He can and he will, but you dealt significant damage to him that time - we have time to run!" said Dorumon, sounding oddly panicked and afraid. Kyubimon raised an eyebrow at him.

"Dorumon, what is the problem?" she asked. "This is not like you."

"Just trust me, please! I… I can explain it all when we are safe!"

"No need."

All present gasped and searched for the source of the disembodied voice, but it came from all around them. Sangloupmon's data dissipated farther, this time, and now surrounded the whole area they were in.

"A pity the little knight stopped you, Kyubimon. You would have made a fine vessel."

Kyubimon gasped in shock as she realized what Dorumon had saved her from. Her foe had intended to possess her. Was such a thing even possible?

"But no matter. I concede defeat. Now that you all are together again, I am no match for your power, even if I were to reform - I could never stand against mighty DoruGreymon or wise Taomon. Yes, I know of your ultimate forms as well."

"Who… who is this guy?" said Rika, walking up to Kyubimon's side. "This is seriously freaking me out."

"You would never just give up, Sangloupmon," growled Dorumon. "Get on with it. Say what you have to say."

"Ah, little knight. Short and to the point, as you always have been with me… when you weren't running for your life."

"Out with it!" barked Kyubimon. For a moment, it was silent, but then the black particles in the air briefly stirred, and the sound of a low, quietly amused laughter echoed off the trees.

"Very well, very well. I do concede this battle - but we shall have another. Follow the river north, and you shall find a cave. Face me there tomorrow when the light fades, little knight, and we shall finally settle our feud."

"Your feud," grumbled Dorumon. "I've never known why you hate me so. I should be perfectly content to leave you to rot in your cave while I take my allies and leave."

"You will come. If your hate for me will not bring you, then your love for your friends will."

"What's that supposed to mean, you dumb wolf?" demanded Rika.

"If you do not meet my challenge, the one you seek will be forever lost. The choice is yours, little knight. If you do not seek me, I shall likely never find you again. But deny me my hunt, and I shall deny you yours."

"Calumon!" gasped Dorumon. "You… you fiend!"

Kyubimon snarled in rage and flicked her tails, and nine orbs of flame burst to life on their ends, firing off in every direction. The flames raced through the sky, trying to engulf and consume the floating black data, but it simply blew out of the way and rose into the sky as Sangloupmon's laughter echoed in the trees.

###

Digital World, Monochrome Town

Takato couldn't sleep.

Sure, the bed was comfortable after days of nothing but the hard ground. Sure, he was happy to have found Kazu and Kenta again. Sure, it was cool meeting Ryo, and the new boy had been a huge help.

But none of that did anything to help calm his nerves.

He sighed and looked around the room. There were two long rows of beds, and Takato lay on one in the very back, across from Jeri. He glanced to his right over at the other beds, where everyone else slept relatively peacefully, though it was hard to call Kazu and Kenta's sprawling "peaceful." Ryo especially was sleeping like a rock, and had been from the moment he had laid down, in spite of his warning about the Knightmon in the halls who wanted to decapitate people.

I don't think even a typhoon could wake them up. I wish I could sleep that soundly right now.

He stared up through the windowed ceiling at the distant orb of data that represented his home. It was comforting, in a way, that it always seemed to be visible no matter where he went in the Digital World. It made him feel like he wasn't completely cut off from the family and support he had known his whole life. After all, Mom and Dad were right there in the sky, watching over him even now.

He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered a little, despite the warm blanket covering him.

Why am I so nervous? It's not like I'm alone here. I've got Guilmon, and Henry, and… and even Jeri. Even Jeri! It's like a dream come true.

Though he questioned himself, he knew full well why he felt so scared.

What kind of a Tamer am I if I can't even keep my own brother safe? I guess now I know how Matt always felt in the show. At least I haven't gotten into any fist fights with Henry.

He briefly imagined himself and Henry rolling through the snow on a broken up File Island, kicking and screaming, fighting about whether or not they would look for Kou or continue on with their mission. Despite how ridiculous he found it, he couldn't help but notice the parallels between their current situation and the one the Digidestined had found themselves in when Devimon broke up File Island.

Does that mean we'll all meet wherever Calumon is? I hope so. This has been fun, but… I want to go home. I miss Mom and Dad's cooking.

He sniffled a little, then quickly sat up and rubbed his eyes. Now was not the time to start crying, it might wake someone up. After glancing around the room to make sure he hadn't already done just that, he felt his stomach grumble a little. He figured thinking about his parents' cooking was responsible. Ryo had said earlier that in the Digital World, you only ate when you wanted to, and thinking about home definitely made him want to.

Carefully leaning over the edge of the bed, he lifted his bag up into his lap and opened it up, looking for a snack. He removed the mostly useless contents one by one. A compass that meant nothing to the Digital World, a map of Japan his Dad had insisted he take, his sketchpad - well, that one wasn't useless. But as his hand dug around in the bottom of the bag, he felt something odd and lumpy.

Emptying the rest of the bag's contents, he peered down into it and found a strange patch attached to the bottom. One of the corners was sticking up, and when he picked at it, the patch pulled away like a sticker, revealing a small object and a folded up piece of paper.

"Wha…?" he said, not realizing he had given voice to it. He picked up the small object and examined it closer. Once out of the bag, he easily recognized it as an omamori - a good luck talisman. "A good luck charm? I didn't pack this…" Checking over the bag and the contents again, he verified that they really were his, and not his brother's. He made a brief hm of satisfaction and picked up the piece of paper next, unfolding it as quietly as he could, revealing it to be a letter. He recognized the handwriting immediately.

"From Mom…" he breathed, trying to angle the letter to better read it in the digital moonlight.

Dear Takato,

There's so much I wanted to tell you before you left, but there wasn't time… so I'm writing this letter to tell you how proud your father and I are of you.

Takato's eyes watered immediately, but he did nothing to try and prevent it. How could he?

It seems like only yesterday you were a little baby putting spinach up your nose - you always knew how to make me laugh - but look at you now! So independent, and so brave!

Was he, though? He didn't feel independent, or brave. He missed his Mom and Dad. And despite all his friends, and his very own Digimon partner, he felt like he didn't know what he was doing without his brother around to have his back.

I know I've been hard on you sometimes, telling you to get your head out of the clouds and into your schoolbooks, but the truth is, I love everything about you. Even the quirky parts! ...you get that from your father.

He smiled softly, able to hear his mother saying those words clearly in his head. Whenever he or Kou did something she thought was stupid, she usually had a story to tell about their dad doing something similar.

I'll make you a deal. I won't worry myself sick over you, if you promise me you'll come home safe and sound.

Lots of Love,

-Mom

P.S. The Guilmon Bread still needs a little work!

P.P.S. The lucky charm carries all my love with it. We miss you, son.

P.P.P.S. Kou, sweetie, if you've taken your brother's bag, please go look in your own.

Takato gently set the letter down by his side and looked down at the omamori in his other hand. He wasn't sure when they had started in full, but he could feel the tears running down his cheeks, and one of them fell onto the charm.

"Thank you, Mom…"

"Takato?" asked a voice.

"Hm!?"

Takato's eyes snapped up suddenly, trying to find where the voice had come from, but the tears in his eyes made it difficult to see. He wiped them away as quickly as he could, both to fix his vision and to hopefully spare himself the embarrassment of being caught crying for his mommy if it was Kazu who had woken up.

His heart leapt up into his throat when he saw that it was Jeri sitting up in her bed instead. He almost would have preferred Kazu, at least then he would know what to expect. Jeri just stared at him, eyes fully open. It made him uneasy… even since she had become a tamer, he wasn't used to this much attention from his crush.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly.

"O-Oh, yeah, I'm fine…" he squeaked, breaking eye contact with the girl and looking back down at the letter. Her eyes were just too much right now. So many emotions were washing over him - fear for his brother and Rika, doubt in his own ability as a tamer, the bittersweet joy his mother's letter brought, and now embarrassment at how he had to look to the girl he had been crushing on all year. His first crush ever. He noticed the letter shaking slightly, and realized his hands were trembling.

"Well you don't look fine," said Jeri matter-of-factly.

"I-I just have trouble sleeping," Takato said truthfully. He quickly followed it up with the best lie he could think of. "I t-think it's because I have something in my eye."

"Are you crying?" she asked, and he winced. He wasn't a very good liar.

"No, of course I'm not…" he said as his eyes betrayed him, and another tear slid down his cheek. "...crying…" He closed his eyes in shame and waited for Jeri to just roll back over and sleep, now that she realized what a wimp he was. He heard her bed creak, and figured that was it.

But then he heard footsteps.

Opening his eyes again, he saw Jeri standing next to his bed, and he quickly looked back down at the letter when he felt her gaze fall on him.

"Takato, what is that?" she asked quietly.

"It's just something that… my mother gave me," he admitted.

"It is for luck?" she asked, prompting him to turn his head back in her direction. She was staring down at the omamori in his other hand, her expression still completely neutral.

He nodded once. "Uh-huh."

"I bet she misses you a lot," said Jeri. She gripped at one of her arms, where Takato noticed her puppet usually was, as a hint of emotion finally started to show on her face - but in the midst of his own storm, he couldn't quite tell what it was.

"She does," he agreed. Studying Jeri's face closer - now it was her avoiding his gaze - he felt his worries melt away as his heart was flooded with concern for the girl standing before him. She had come to cheer him up, but she looked… so very sad.

Was it something I said? Am I making her worried about me?

He did his best to perk up, and gave her his best smile. "But… I'll see her soon! All we have to do is find Calumon. And once we do that, then we can all go home."

Jeri watched him for a moment, and then, well, in Takato's eyes, she almost literally brightened, closing her eyes and smiling wide as she quietly hummed in agreement. He was really glad her eyes were closed, because for a moment, all he could do was stare at her smiling face as heat rose in his cheeks.

Then Jeri giggled. "What would your mom think if she saw you with Cyberdramon?"

"Are you kidding me? I'd be grounded until I was a hundred," he said, and they both laughed. He was surprised with how comfortable he suddenly felt. Jeri being so close still made his heartbeat skyrocket, but… laughing together, he didn't feel quite so awkward, anymore. "You know what, Jeri?"

"What?"

"I'm really glad you came along."

He watched her as she looked up at their home in the sky, brushing a strand of hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. She looked back down at him and grinned.

"Hehe, me too."