Well, I did not end up getting a second chapter written over the course of my winter break, but that's okay. My Lost schedule is still mostly on track. I realized pretty quickly that getting two chapters written just wasn't happening. The winter break is always busier—as well as being shorter—and even after the holidays are over, my store does inventory the first week of the year. And then I was sick the whole week after that. And not like the kind of sick where you can be productive too… But the kind of sick where it's exhausting just to lounge around the house all day. There were literally times I just put my headphones in, lay back on the couch, and stared at the ceiling for a few hours. Not to mention, chapter thirteen is another novel. And before I knew it, school was starting again, and here we are.

Thank you for reviewing chapter eleven: dnofsunshine, Angelfish369, ToastyToaster22, Berry Doyle, and Sweet Cari! Almost every one of you mentioned the mystery of the boy at the end, and it kept me… anchored, I guess I'd say. It's funny. I've found that I sometimes get so caught up in planning the later story—where that reveal has already happened—that I forget that you all aren't in my head with me.

Chapter Twelve: Encounter

Kari opened her eyes very slowly. She was unable to see more than a foot in front of her due to the misty atmosphere of the Dark Ocean, but for the first time, there wasn't even a touch of anxiety in her thoughts. This in-between world was mysterious, but it no longer frightened her. TK had been using it as a gateway for years, after all.

Sure enough, this time she was able to see a clear path winding through the fog, shining under her feet just like the Digivice in her hand. The shadowy creatures that had surrounded her on her last journey kept their distance now, shying away from the light.

Kari followed the path with her head held high. It didn't feel like long at all before the light grew brighter. But she wasn't afraid, even when it blinded her completely, and in a few seconds the light died down, and Kari found herself back on Earth.

Her Digivice had not been kind enough to direct her right back to her apartment, however. Kari's journey through the Dark Ocean ended with her on some nondescript stretch of pavement. She couldn't place the town in the dark. With few other options, she started walking. She passed a few residential streets and a bakery, but the front lights were all out for the night. She'd have to look for an open store to get directions. Or maybe she'd get lucky and hit a train station first. But she ran into a distraction almost immediately after leaving the neighborhood with the bakery behind.

She couldn't make out the words at first, but a girl's voice cut through the night's peace. Her first thought was that she'd found someone to ask for directions. On the heels of this was the realization of the girl's angry tone. Maybe something was wrong. Kari picked up the pace.

She found herself in a mostly-empty parking lot. All she saw at first was the girl standing at the other end of the lot. Red hair stuck out from her ponytail in stiff, angry spikes, matching the scowl on her face. But Kari couldn't see what the girl was glaring at. Feet planted firmly on the ground, her face was turned up to the sky. She wasn't left in suspense for much longer.

Just as Kari moved to step inside, something flew down in front of her. Knocking her off balance. She landed on her butt on the pavement with a hard, "Oof!" She looked up to see a white cat clinging to the chain link fence beside her with its large paws. But there was something… odd about it. It was wearing gloves for one, and Kari spotted a ring sparkling on its tail in the moonlight. But she didn't get a chance to examine it further.

"On the fence, Renamon! Don't let it escape," the other girl called, her voice harsh. And a second later, something much larger than the strange white cat dropped down from the shadows above her. It was a fox… but even stranger than the cat, standing tall and graceful on its hind two legs and wearing gloves as well.

Gloves that Kari got a close-up look at as the fox—Renamon?—wasted no time in lunging after the cat immediately after touching down. The cat sprang out of the way, leaving Renamon's claws tangled in the fence. But it immediately turned to face its prey for the next round, and Kari frantically pushed herself to her feet. The cat had entered a crouch, perhaps getting ready to fight back, and Kari's muscles finally caught up with her racing mind.

"Stop!" Kari cried, propelling herself forward so she was positioned between the two creatures. Digimon, her mind supplied. Because what else could they be?

She could feel the tension radiating on either side of her—the cat on one, the fox on the other. She could clearly read the sentience in Renamon's eyes as she hesitated. She had no trouble differentiating between Kari and her target. For some reason, that awareness seemed to make this whole violent scene that much worse.

"What do you think you're doing, little girl? Get out of the way." The one barking orders had moved to get a better view of the three of them, eyes locked firmly on Kari.

Little girl? Intimidating as she was, from this angle, Kari could see that the girl wasn't any older than she was. She didn't recognize her, but then she didn't recognize this neighborhood either. The girl probably went to the local school.

"Rika," Renamon said softly. She raised a paw ever so slightly, pointing at Kari's hand. In which, Kari realized now, she still held her Digivice. But it had changed during her journey through the Dark Ocean. It now looked identical to the one TK had, only the plating around the sides was pink.

The aggressive girl came closer, slowly. Kari didn't relax even slightly, and the girl's pretty purple eyes narrowed suspiciously. In fact, as she came closer, Kari found herself taking note of the strangest, minute details. The girl's features were almost too perfect—model material, for sure. And her clothes, while plain, were distinctly high-end. This neighborhood wasn't terrible, but Kari got the feeling she wasn't a local. A rich girl, slumming it? And what was she doing with these Digimon?

"Who are you?" Rika demanded. Only then did Kari realize that there was something in her hand as well. It would have to be a different model, certainly, but it could definitely be a Digivice. A blue one. "Don't tell me you're a Tamer too?"

"A Tamer?" she repeated, confused. "So… are you not the ninth Digidestined?" For this was the conclusion she had come to.

Rika's brows furrowed even more. She seemed to be struggling to hold on to her intimidation factor amidst her own confusion. It was her turn to repeat the strange terms being thrown at her. "Digidestined? What are you talking about?"

Kari wasn't sure who was more confused at this point, and the Digimon's postures seemed to reflect this. "But if you're not a Digidestined, how did you get to the Digital World?" Rika didn't answer, but the look on her face made it clear that she had no idea what Kari was talking about. "If you've never been to the Digital World… how did you meet Renamon?"

Before Rika could answer, a harsh light lit up the street behind them. Headlights from a car. Rika snapped into action at the sign of the intrusion. In a matter of seconds, Renamon had scooped her up and was whisking Rika away across the rooftops, little more than a shadow in the night.

Kari was slower. The headlights had almost reached the entrance of the parking lot when she and the cat darted to a shadowy corner where they weren't in danger of being seen. They remained crouched there until the car had passed and then turned to each other. Kari could only imagine the shocked look on the cat-Digimon's face was an exact mirror of her own.

The Digimon brought her paw up to the Digivice in Kari's hand. It had been glowing faintly this whole time, but a frantic beeping started up once it was in contact with them both. Their eyes met again. Kari wasn't entirely sure what to think, but she was certain that her life was about to be irreversibly changed. Again.

"You have my Digivice," the Digimon said, nearly a whisper. "Are you the partner I've been searching for?"

"I'm Kari," she answered. Because that was the only answer she had.

"Gatomon."

"Gatomon," Kari repeated slowly, taking in her new partner and all that meant.

…

This was not the first time Wormmon was grateful he was so small. Not that any of the others ever really bothered him, but the Emperor's hideout had the feel of a place that ought to be snuck around. Remaining as inconspicuous as possible at all times had become an ingrained habit.

The Emperor was out at the moment. He didn't know where. The Emperor didn't share that sort of information with Wormmon.

Wormmon scuttled into the room with the screens. It was always such a dismal-looking place, even when everything was alight with activity. Now only the nine screens in the middle of the room remained turned on. One was pitch black, as always. And one was bright and alive, as always. The remaining seven were usually a fuzzy gray, showing nothing but static. And six still were. But one of those seven had come alive since Wormmon had last checked and was shining fiercely.

His first reaction was joy. Joy and relief that reared up within him so suddenly that it nearly brought tears to his eyes. But this joy was followed by a reflexive dread. The Emperor was not going to be happy…

…

By the time Kari found a train station, she learned that she was not as far from home as she'd thought. Her travels through the Dark Ocean had simply dropped her off in a direction she didn't usually go. It was still the dead of night when she got home, but that was better than dawn, which had been her original estimation.

She pointed out the terrace of her bedroom to Gatomon before going inside. She wasn't yet sure how she was going to keep a large digital cat hidden in their small apartment. One obstacle at a time.

As she'd feared, the sound of her key turning in the lock was enough to make a light snap on in the next room. Her mother had been a light sleeper for years. Four, if she wanted to be exact. Kari worked to cover up her wince before they came face to face.

"Kari," Mrs. Kamiya said, surprised. "I thought you were staying with Yolei tonight?"

"I was going to," she answered, thinking quickly. "But then, her sisters were both sick, and I didn't want to catch anything this close to school starting up again, so I came back. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

Luckily, her mother was easy enough to assuage. As soon as her parents' bedroom door clicked behind her, Kari hurried to the phone to update Yolei. But to her dismay, it was a frantic Mrs. Inoue who answered.

"Oh, Kari, thank god! Is Yolei still with you? She should have called by now."

Her instinct to cover for her friend was immediate. "Yes. She's staying over here tonight. I'm so sorry. She just fell asleep when I realized she forgot to call."

Not that long ago, Kari wouldn't have listed lying as an ability she was particularly adept at. But she managed to ease the worries of Yolei's mother as well. She only wished she could say the same for her own. When she'd arrived home, Kari had been exhausted. Now her mind was racing once more.

If Yolei wasn't home, covering for her, then where was she? How was it that a day with so many breakthroughs had left her with even more mysteries than before?

Review please!

I don't own Digimon.

Here's your short chapter in between two massive ones. Even so, I feel like enough happened to excuse its shortness. The first of the Tamers has been introduced. Almost all the actors are in play. We're making progress, one step at a time. Thank you for joining me!