This chapter is pretty short, more of an epilogue since I didn't want to rehash Tale of the Other Woman.

A Rising Tide

Coming back to life was an ordeal.

Hikari opened her eyes to a world awash in white. It took her a few moments to realize that she was in the hospital.

"You're awake." Sora's face brightened with relief. "How are you feeling?"

"Alive," she said in a voice raspy with disuse.

"That's the most important thing," said Taichi, who had hurried over from his corner. "We were really worried about you."

Sora stood. "I'll get the doctor and let the others know you're awake."

Taichi sat down. Up close, Hikari could see the stubble on his chin, noticed the sheaf of papers on his lap. She felt such fondness for him then that tears sprang to her eyes.

"How long was I...?"

"Almost a week." He paused. "Do you remember anything?"

She shook her head slightly - too much movement still hurt - and then remembered. "Kazuki and Takeru -"

"They're both okay." Hikari relaxed. "Kazuki has been staying with Sora and Yamato, and Sora is probably calling Takeru as we speak."

Sensing her tension, Taichi rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "He told us what happened with Dagomon. You saved everyone. Tailmon and Patamon were able to evolve to ultimate and defeat Dagomon and his army thanks to your crest."

Hikari clutched the hospital bedsheets, while Taichi watched her, unspoken questions lingering between them. Have you reconciled? What will happen now?

There was only one correct and proper answer. Now that they were no longer in the Dark Ocean, they would go back to their parallel lives. Free of regrets from college years, free of Dagomon's shadows, and free of each other.

Takeru came with Haruka, though she stood to the side, as if she were a bystander.

Under Takeru's intense gaze, Hikari tried to include Haruka in their conversation. The other woman was gracious, making polite small talk and waving away her apologies for the mess she'd made of their vacation. Hikari admired her composure; she couldn't have done better.

Then things became a little uncomfortable when Haruka excused herself so she could pack for her trip home.

"Go home and pack," Hikari told Takeru, confused that he wasn't following. "I'll be fine."

"I'm not leaving."

"Takeru -" she said, a warning. It was one thing to have romantic declarations when they were on the run from a dangerous sea monster. It was quite another to do so when his wife was in the same room.

"Do you really think I'm going to leave you, after almost losing you so many times?" he asked. "I'm never going to let you go again, Hikari."

And then he started to cry. Without thinking twice she reached to pull him into her arms, rubbing his back in the same way she'd once used to comfort him after nightmares about Angemon. Tenderness waged a battle against guilt. She shouldn't be doing this, she didn't have the right to hold him like this, but at the same time, how could she turn away when he was in pain, when she caused so much of the pain?

She could only give Haruka an apologetic look, to which the other woman returned a tired smile before she slipped out of the room. Hikari swallowed the lump in her throat, because she understood exactly how Haruka was feeling.

We're more alike than we thought.

Takeru visited every day until he had to return to Tokyo. As difficult as it was to say goodbye, Hikari almost breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe things could finally go back to normal.

For a while, things did return to their normal routine. Kazuki restarted school, armed with tales that regaled his classmates, and Hikari even started to paint again. Despite everything that happened, she still found the activity therapeutic, although she destroyed Dark Ocean and gutted the apartment of Nobu's old belongings. Nightmares of Nobu and Dagomon began to fade.

Then one day, she learned that Takeru and Haruka were getting a divorce.

The building loomed before her, the address matching the slip of paper from Haruka.

"I'm not here for your apologies," Haruka had said, during their meeting at the coffee shop. "Please, you must talk to Takeru because he needs you in his life."

Did he really? She certainly hadn't brought that much joy to his life as of late.

I could still walk away, Hikari thought, glancing back at her car. She imagined getting in and driving back to Nagoya, to safety.

Except she was done running away from confrontations. Takeru deserved more.

She knocked and he opened the door. They hadn't spoken since the divorce beyond the basic pleasantries. She hadn't known what to say - what could she say? - and more than that, she'd been consumed by guilt.

The guilt didn't dissipate at the sight of his haggard face.

They faced each other across the threshold, a silent question hanging in the air between them.

Do second chances exist?

Hikari took a deep breath. "Can I come in?" she asked.

His face softened into a tentative, even hopeful, smile. He stepped aside and she followed him inside, shutting the door behind them.

Fin

And we are finally done!

Gray was part of a larger story that I never finished writing, so there're some unresolved plotlines. In particular, Kazuki was supposed to have his own adventure in the Digital World after escaping from Dark Ocean, which is why we skip from him being kidnapped to rescued.

Thank you to all my readers and reviewers! It's bittersweet to close the chapter on this universe after many, many years of thinking about it, but I am so lucky I had such great support along the way. Take care and stay safe everyone!