-~-

"Bah!" her short blue, silver-streaked hair tossed back as Ryoko swiftly turned around, crumpling and clenching the piece of paper in her hand. Mumbling nothings to herself, Ryoko stomped into the living room and plopped down onto the long couch.

"Kakumon," Pixie sighed and threw her covers off her, glancing down at the small Digimon lay asleep by her feet. "Kakumon, are you awake?"

Kakumon groaned, "I am now…what is it this time, Pixie? You know we have to wake up early tomorrow so your parents wouldn't catch you sneaking out."

"Hai, but that's the point," Pixie frowned. She sat her sadness on her elbow and inched closer towards Kakumon, "I have never lied to my parents—especially do something like this! I know how worried they will get but there's no other way I can tell them. And if I did, I'm sure they won't let me step foot out of this house ever again—they'd probably think I've gone bonkers!" she exclaimed but then hushed herself, hoping she wasn't as loud as she thought she was.

Shaking her drowsiness off, Kakumon crept up beside her tamer and giving her a reassuring smile, "Cheer up, Pixie! Maybe, if you just leave your parents a small note not to worry, I'm sure they'll be fine! And besides, we'll all be there with you!"

Pixie slightly smiled and tucked them both in, I hope you're right, Kakumon, I hope you're right.

'You can laugh your life away but misery will never get you. A mixture of ice and fire will battle over my soul, but I will win.

My life will change but there will always be a place in my mind where the sun touches your skin, in such a way,

Where the look that you have will stop my world, just to look at yours.'

"Not really your usual writing, is it."

"Duskarmon!" Suki scowled and quickly shut her poetry book and clung to it, turning towards to face her. "Didn't anyone ever teach you never to sneak up on someone like that—you don't see me invading your personal belongings!" Duskarmon softly laughed and settled herself on Suki's nightstand.

"I'm sorry, Suki, but you know how curious us cats are," she delicately put it. She watched with silver eyes as her tamer stuffed her book, along with all her other stuff into her backpack. "Is it the Digiworld that's bothering you? You know I'll be right there with you, as goes for the others, Suki."

"I know."

"Then what's wrong?"

Sighing, Suki surrendered, "I'm just, having second thoughts…about going, that is."

"Scared?"

"No, not at all," Suki replied, looking over at all the stuff she was planning to bring, for the fourth time already. "Or maybe I am. Can we just drop this, I don't wanna talk about it, all I want is to get this whole night over with and go to the Digiworld and leave everything and everyone here behind for the time being."

Duskarmon pounced from the table to the bed, "Well, if that's what you wish…but I'm sure your mother will be fine," Suki dropped her head. "And as for that interesting piece you wrote—it'd be nice to see more of him," Suki quickly turned to her about what she said, but she was already asleep.

Penmon slightly sighed in aggravation as Garrod paid him no heed, walking back and forth from his closet to packing bags, his azure eyes in deep reverie. Waddling over and hopping on his bed, Penmon settled himself on top of Garrod's bag in hopes of being noticed.

"Ow—hey!" Penmon exclaimed as he was gently shoved from his position. Garrod kept on going, this after that, his heavy, almost knee-high boots thudding across the floor. Misao was probably still awake so it didn't matter if she heard him; unlike the others Garrod was honest and told her what kind of crazy adventure he was about to embark on…*Flashback*

"The Digital World?" Misao asked, putting down her fork and stared across to Garrod. Garrod nodded and Misao just let out a tiny smirk, "Okay then, but don't expect me to pack anything edible for you, you'll be better off eating those—Digimon before having a taste of what monstrosity I cook up."

Garrod's eyes widened, "You—You're letting me go, just like that?"

"What do you want, a signed agreement?" Misao laughed mostly to herself and went back to her food.

Garrod pounded his fists on the table, "But aren't you worried I might get hurt—killed, possibly?! Just what kind of guardian are you—Ow!" Garrod clutched the throbbing spot where Misao had landed her kendo stick on and sat back down.

Giggling maliciously, Misao put her stick back down, "I trust you, Garrod, and I know Penmon—that is his name right?—I know he will take care of you just like you took care of him that time you fell into the Digital World long ago."

"Oh…"

"What's the matter, Garrod?" Misao asked. "Don't you trust yourself?"

—thud! Garrod quickly got up in reaction to his fall and found Penmon staring angrily yet playfully down at him. "You just had to use that attack on me," Garrod slightly chuckled and sat down.

"Well," Penmon said. "How else would I have gotten your attention?"

"What do you mean you're not going?!" Gatomon exclaimed and followed her tamer into her small porch.

Hikali swiftly turned around, "Shh! My parents might hear you, Gatomon—and I didn't say I'm not going—I just can't."

"Oh, big difference," Gatomon pounced onto the railing. "And I thought you love challenges like this, there used to be a time where I see you running into things without hesitation and what happened?"

Hikali sighed and made a bubble noise with her mouth, "Sean and Michael, I don't wanna just leave them without saying anything—especially, what will my parents do when they wake up tomorrow morning and find me gone! And, I really want to go, honest!"

Gatomon hesitated before quickly running back into her room and coming back with something between her teeth. Hopping onto her shoulder and running her soft fur against Hikali's cheek, Gatomon let the picture she always carried drop onto her hand, "We're all gonna be there for you, Kali," she said as Hikali stared into her friend's smiling faces. "It might not seem that great without Michael and Sean being there, or your friends and family, but I know they would want you to do this if they knew that you were destined to. Besides, that's what I was here for, you can't back out on me now."

"Hai, you're right," Hikali clenched her fist and smiled humbly. "An adventure of a lifetime is lying for the taking and I can't just pass it out! And it's not like I won't come back or anything, right?"

Takashi let out a huge yawn and stretched his arms out, trying to shake the drowsiness away and tried concentrating on finishing his schoolwork, schoolwork given by his own parents! Do bad in school once and you get the reputation of being empty-headed, Taka grunted and tapped his pencil on his forehead, racking his brain for answers but only kept wandering back to the subject of tomorrow.

"Takashi!" His called from downstairs. "Are you finished with your homework, yet?"

"Almost," Taka called back. Sighing he crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back, playing around with the pen in his mouth. "Hey, Tentomon."

"Yes, Tashi?" Taka cringed at the name.

Taka leaned farther back to be able to see Tentomon buzzing around, "What is it like, the Digiworld, I mean. Garrod said he's been there and told me about it but, I mean he was only there for a little while."

"Well," Tentomon started, "that's really a question of mystery there, there are lots of ways to describe the Digiworld but the one thing there that fascinates me the most is the ancient ruins, interesting Digimon, evolutions—"

"Don't you ever think out of that box of yours," Taka chuckled and kept leaning back and forth. "I mean—is it beautiful, smelly, big, what? I'm dying with curios—woah!" he yelped when his chair suddenly fell back, tossing him to the ground. Tentomon buzzed a chuckle and looked down.

"Well one thing's for sure," he said. "Whatever's waiting for us in the Digital World we'll face it together."

Kin crept around the house, his arms both trying to support the weight of food he was planning to pack for Minami—and probably Tanrei, too. Just before he walked into his room he saw a glimpse of light from the room down the hall, Minami's room. What's she up to now? Kin shook his head and rolled the food into his own room, where Rokumon himself slept.

"Knock, knock," Kin poked his head in from the door crack and spotted Minami, with Kokomon weirdly lying on her head, both asleep at the foot of Minami's closet doors. Kin slightly chuckled and admired the two for a second, before taking a blanket and covering the two up. Glancing over the half-packed bags lying beneath him, he cast a concerned face to his cousin and whispered a silent prayer before quietly walking out, and turning off the lights for the moonlight to seep in.

Unlike Minami and Kokomon who had no trouble sleeping, Agumon and Talon sure found that they had their own matters to think about. Surely Talon thought that his uncle won't even notice that his nephew would be gone for a while—maybe forever—not like he's ever worried for me, Talon hunched and stretched his legs, he smirked, and he surely won't miss his wallet. Sighing, Talon laid back on the roof of his uncle's *five-star* home and stared right past the stars, only keeping in touch with reality through hearing his Digimon's gentle breathing.

—Cashmon slid in and appeared leaning on the glass door across the living room without Ree's notice. Slightly gnawing on her glass of water, Ree angrily tapped her foot with a rather perturbed look on her face. Staring through the tinted glass and at the crumpled letter on the table, Ree's anger took over and she bit down too hard and broke the glass she held, water spilling all over her pants.

"Ah!" Ryoko cried as she rubbed harder on the soaked pants and cursing to her clumsiness. Cashmon let out the smallest chuckle and shook her head, Ryoko shot her a glare, "And what is so funny? Didn't I tell you I wanted to be left alone?"

Her position ever stable, Cashmon replied, "Hn, I don't think I ever got the memo," Ryoko just made an irritated sound. "I'm sorry, Ree, I didn't mean to take your temper further."

"Iie, it's okay," Ryoko sighed and sat back down, before Cashmon could've opened her mouth she quickly said, "I am not worried about the Digiworld if that's what you're thinking, well, not in that way anyway. Oh, this is ridiculous, I might as well unpack my things." She got up and began walking towards her room, when she was gone Cashmon quietly strode over and read the letter that had made her tamer so furious.

"Nani?! What do you mean you're not coming tomorrow, we need you!" Tanrei practically yelled over the phone, causing the rest of her family to give her looks. "Eh," Tanrei laughed nervously and crept out of the living room and into her own room. She briskly closed the door behind and her and walked across the room and out onto her porch where no one can hear her.

"Hmmphf," Casimon's eyes fluttered open as s/he felt the soft shaking of the floor and shutting of the glass door. "T-Tanrei?"

Tanrei leaned her back against the railing, "Sorry about that…now what were you saying?"

Ryoko knocked her chair back and forth, "My stupid parents sent a stupid letter that said they were coming home tomorrow! Can you believe that? My whole life they treat me like they don't want me around and now the most important day of life they decided to come out and play!"

"Gosh, and they can't come home to an empty house, can they," Tanrei pondered.

"Rei-chan, you know what, I don't care. They didn't care about what I did when they were here and they wouldn't care now that they're back, I should just go and they wouldn't even notice—"

"Don't say that!" Tanrei said rather defensively. "It may not seem like it but I bet your parents really do care for you—and you love them! You're just afraid to show it," Ree grunted from the other line. Tanrei smiled a bit, "I'm a dork, I know, but at least give them a chance."

Ree sighed, "Fine but I'm still not going to be there once my parents arrive, I'm going to the Digiworld and that's that. You know, it shouldn't even have taken this long to have figured out what I should do, I swear I can be so clueless at times—" Tanrei blinked.

"Ree? Hello, are you there?" shaking her head, Tanrei figured she had been hung up on. Figures, she sighed and turned around to the night, lightly tapping the phone on her head as her own way of thinking hard. Thoughts of the Digiworld, the adventure to come, and the things they'll all be facing together swirled in Tanrei's head—we could even be stuck there forever, Tanrei thought up and set her elbows on the railings, worse, one of us might get—no, I shouldn't even think of that.

"What do you think about Ryoko?" came a silk, deep voice behind her. Tanrei's eyes slightly averted beside her and saw a tall, cat-like human standing behind her, paws long and slender but deadly as knifes, its eyes beneath a black mask and auburn hair spiking down to her shoulders.

"So you really are a girl," Tanrei giggled a bit but Miyumon's face stayed stern. "I don't know my opinion about her, she's kinda as unpredictable as they come, picking fights whenever she could but could never seem to be a match for her parents. Maybe it's just that—Miyumon?" she turned and a concerned face came across her face as she caught the aware look on Miyumon. "Wh-what is it?"

"…I'm not sure," Miyumon whispered and kept her eyes among the shadows, her white fur prickling as she watched. Tanrei began to cower behind her. "Don't be scared, Tanrei, just get back," Miyumon warned as she hunched up onto the railing, getting read to attack. "Illusion—!"

"Wait!" said a voice from beneath—no, two voices—Tanrei laid a hand on Miyumon's shoulder and peered in closer. She sighed when a pair of emerald eyes appeared, followed by the spiky blonde hair of Kerry Moniko and his Digimon, Boomon, cradled in his arms. "I come in peace," Kerry slightly mocked and held his hands up.

Miyumon grunted, slightly disappointed that it was no opponent she could battle, and walked back inside. Tanrei shook her head and turned back, "What are you two doing here? Huh—Jack, you're here too!" she exclaimed when Jack came out. "Where's Scalemon?"

Jack dug his hands into his jeans, "Poor thing's wiped out so I just left him at home, me, I'm too excited to even stay still," he chuckled. "Good thing I bumped into Kerry and Boomon here or I would've ended up walking in the dark all by myself."

"You're up late yourself, Tanrei," Kerry stated then smirked. "Or did you wake up to have a midnight snack?" Tanrei stuck her tongue out.

"Mou, why are you always in my case…I was just talking to Ryoko, she said her parents were coming back tomorrow," she said.

Jack whistled and rocked back on his heels, "That's a shocker, but I don't think Ree will have any problems coming through. And besides, didn't she say that she lived at a different house than them? And that they don't even bother her."

Tanrei grinned, "Eh, I guess we both kinda forgot that at the moment."

Jack shook his head, "Stressed. Hey, Tanrei, just curious, you don't happen to have a laptop you can bring to the Digiworld, too, do you?"

"Well, no, not really. Why would I need one? Almost half of us already have them."

"Hai, I know. But I was talking to Garrod and Minami and we figured that, since we found a way to somehow link the Digivice and laptop together we could possibly obtain some sort of map of the Digital World. So we wouldn't get lost or anything, get more information or use it as a locater in case we get split up," Jack replied.

"Always thinking about every detail, what's the fun in that," Boomon pointed out. "It's not much of an adventure if we already know everything."

"But we won't, and it's better to be prepared than to come empty handed," Jack said. "Don't think that this trip will all just be a vacation for us, the rest of the world is probably counting on us and I being the leader am taking this as seriously as I can and I think you all should, too."

Kerry grunted, "Pace yourself, Jack, we're not that careless."

Sighing, Jack nodded and came to the conclusion, "Hai, I know, I know…I guess I'm only trying to do the right thing and be your leader, that's all. Maybe we should all head in, we have a big day ahead of us."

"No kidding," Kerry mumbled as they both turned and began walking away. Invited by the new moon, darkness spread across the sky where it looked as if glitter had spilled over it. Tanrei watched as the they disappeared into the shadows once more before turning to go inside.

-Well, now that that was finished. We're really sorry for the long wait and we're trying not to make a promise we can't keep here but we're gonna try and have the next chapter up in a short time.-