[Wow, I am so sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter out. The past two weeks have been really hectic for me and I can only expect it to get rougher. Nevertheless, I promise I'll do my best to make it up to my faithful readers. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this latest installment…]

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"So is there any way that we can keep NightmareOmnimon from regenerating?" asked Izzy.

"It's hard to tell," said Shibumi. "It all depends on how much it has evolved since we designed it. Without some solid information on it, there's no way to be sure."

"Hey, hold on just a minute…" said Izzy, reaching into a bag that he had been carrying with him since they had all left their own world. "There just might be a way."

Izzy then pulled out his trusty, old pineapple laptop, the one that Gennai had modified long ago to up-link with the digivices. Izzy set it down on the table and flipped it on.

"What are you thinking, Iz?" asked Tai.

"Just gimme a sec," said Izzy, waiting for his computer to finish booting up.

Izzy waited impatiently for the next few seconds until his computer was up and running. He then grabbed his digivice and plugged it into the adapter on the keyboard and began to access the digivice's memory files. Everyone just watched Izzy working at his computer with the same voracity that the DigiDestined had come to expect of him. A brief time later, after searching through page after page of meaningless data, Izzy finally came to what he was looking for.

"Bingo!" said Izzy.

"What is it?" asked Henry.

"This is the data my digivice collected during the fight with NightmareOmnimon," Izzy explained. "I think that if we can analyze it, we just might be able to learn something from it."

"What exactly?" asked Yamaki.

"To be honest, I don't have a clue," said Izzy. "But right now, it's the best chance we've got. If we go back into battle with that guy again without any new information we'll get slaughtered!"

"Hang on a minute, Izzy," said Tai. "I didn't know our digivices could keep data on our fights like that."

"Well yeah," said Izzy. "In addition to the digimon we've encountered, they store more general data in their memory banks for forty-eight hours. I can access that data with my laptop, but up until now I've never found a use for that feature."

"There's still no guarantee that it will help us," said Daisy. "Come on, if we plug your computer into our network we could do more with the data."

"Of course," said Izzy.

Izzy stood up with his computer and followed the six programmers to one of the cubicles to get to work.

"So, guys," said Tai. "Is it just me, or does it seem like Izzy always know more than he tells us?"

"I think he just gave up trying after he noticed that we don't listen anyway," said Mimi.

"Maybe it would be good to listen more carefully from now on," said Joe.

"Good thinking," said Sora.

"Hey, is anyone else a little warm?" asked TK.

"Boy, I thought I was the only one who could feel it," said Kari.

"They really should turn on the air conditioning," said Cody.

By that time, things had grown quiet at the Akiyama residence. Shou had fallen asleep in the midst of doing his homework, so Ayaka had brought him into his and Ryo's room and put him in his bed before retiring to her own room. Mr. Akiyama was in his own room, still wide-awake. Monodramon had gone to the living room and had fallen asleep on the couch. Ken, Davis, and Ryo, who had donned a red, wool turtleneck, were talking quietly in Ryo's room, careful not to wake the sleeping Shou. Ken and Ryo sat on Ryo's bed, while Davis leaned against the wall.

"My memories are still pretty blurry," said Ken. "I can only remember bits and pieces of what happened back then. I'm sorry."

"Hey, there's nothing to be sorry about," said Ryo. "The fact of the matter is, my memories aren't exactly in pristine condition."

"What? How do you mean?" asked Ken.

"Well… after you and I managed to take down Milleniumon, we got separated," Ryo began. "After that, I wound up in a series of adventures, each of which involved going up against Milleniumon in stronger and stronger forms. Somehow, after all was said and done, I wound up here, right back in my own world. I'm not sure how it happened, but my brain was completely fried by that point. My memories were scrambled. I couldn't have picked you out of a lineup. It was out of sheer luck that I ran into my family. Just as things started to get normal again, and my memories began to fill themselves in, Monodramon came barging into my life again. I still couldn't remember who he was, but he's been a good friend to me for a long time now, and I believe what he's told me about the past. But to make a long story even shorter, I ended up spending a few months in the Digital World to keep Monodramon, or rather Cyberdramon, from tearing everything he sees apart."

"Cyberdramon?" asked Davis.

"Monodramon's Ultimate form," Ryo explained. "He's extremely wild; he won't even listen to me when there's a chance for a good fight. I can't really explain why his personality changes so much when he digivolves."

"Have you tried asking him?" asked Ken.

"Of course I have," said Ryo. "But whenever I do, he always gets evasive and he changes the subject, like there's something he doesn't want me to know. I usually just let it drop after that."

"Weird," said Davis.

"So Ken, what have you been up to?" asked Ryo.

"Well…things were pretty strange for a while," Ken hesitated. "But then I joined the rest of the DigiDestined, and everything has been great ever since."

"Okay, sure," Ryo said suspiciously. "It's perfectly alright if you'd rather not say."

"No! I'm not—" started Ken. "…Thanks for understanding."

"Hey, it's no big deal," said Ryo. "Sometimes things happen that we'd prefer to forget about."

"So now you're hanging out with these… tamers was it?" asked Davis.

"Yeah," said Ryo. "I met up with them while I was in the Digital World. Without them, I'd still be stuck there."

"What were they doing there?" asked Davis.

"Looking for a friend," said Ryo. "They finally found him too, and not a second too soon. If we'd been just a little bit late, we would all be just another snack for the D-Reaper."

"The D-Reaper?" asked Davis. "But I thought—"

"So now what's happening?" Ken quickly interjected.

"Well, I imagine the Sovereigns are still trying to fight it back," said Ryo. "I just wish there was a way to know how it's going. Uh… could you guys excuse me for a sec?"

"Sure," said Ken.

"I'll be right back," said Ryo, quickly standing up and heading out into the living room, being sure to shut the door behind him.

"What do you suppose that was all of a sudden?" asked Ken.

"I don't know. Maybe he had to go to the bathroom or something," said Davis. "That's not the point. When the rest of us met up with the Sovereigns back in Geno's base, they told us all about this 'D-Reaper' and how it was defeated MONTHS ago!"

"I know all about that," said Ken.

"What? How could you know?"

"That virus may be smart, but he's also extremely pompous. While I was serving under him, he let the whole plan slip out, including a few tidbits about the D-Reaper and the important role it would play should his primary plan fall apart. Now that it has, it's very clear why he has brought us to this place… and time."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Davis, trying to whisper. "Are you trying to tell me that we're in the PAST?!"

"Exactly," said Ken. "The virus needs something that only the D-Reaper can provide, and since the D-Reaper has already been destroyed in our time, it had to move to a time where the D-Reaper still existed. I'm still not entirely sure how it managed to accomplish such a feat."

"Okay…" said Davis. "So, what happens after it gets whatever it needs from the D-Reaper? What is it trying to do?"

"That was the part he kept very quiet about," said Ken. "And now that he's been abandoned by the Vanguard, I'd say he's gone off the deep end. There's no telling what he'll do now."

"Well, if he's here for the D-Reaper, then shouldn't he head for it right away? Why waist any more time, especially since we can't even find him."

"I think there's a more pressing question. Ryo said that the D-Reaper was fighting against the Sovereigns in the Digital World, so why would NightmareOmnimon come here?"

After closing the door behind him, Ryo stood silent for a moment.

"What is it, sis?" asked Ryo after a few seconds.

"How did you know I was here?" asked Ayaka from where she stood in the shadows.

"When you spend a few months fighting for your life, you learn to pay close attention to your surroundings."

"Sorry…" she said. "I hope you don't think I was spying on you and your friends."

"That's sure what it looked like," said Ryo.

"Again, I'm sorry," said Ayaka. "It's just… I missed you, Ryo. We all missed you, especially dad."

"Could've fooled me," said Ryo. "The very second I saw him he was angry."

"Of course he's angry," said Ayaka. "You should expect it by now. Every time you disappear, it feels like you're gone and you're never coming back, and then one day you just show up at the front door again, usually completely mixed up."

"It's not like I plan it… every time," said Ryo. "Besides, with the way he acts toward Monodramon he should be glad I'm not gone even more."

"That's just like you, Ryo," said Ayaka, showing more and more sign of being upset. "You care so much more about your friends than you do your family. I just don't get you."

"I don't need to take this," said Ryo, starting to walk away.

"There you go again," said Ayaka. "Run away, it's what you're best at. It's the same thing you've done ever since mom left."

Ryo froze in his tracks, his back turned to his sister. He looked hurt by that last sentence, but he didn't respond.

"You're always saying how you can't help disappearing. I think you actually LIKE getting away from here, from us."

Ryo tried to keep himself calm, but it wasn't working very well.

"Listen to me, Ryo. I'm your older sister. I can't let you do this to yourself. I can't let you just keep on running away from your real problems for your whole life."

"I'm not running," Ryo choked out. "I have to keep fighting. I have to make sure everyone, both human and digimon, is safe."

"Sooner or later, the fighting has to stop; when it's all over, you'll still have the same problems you've been trying to ignore your whole life."

Ryo was silent for a few seconds.

"You don't have any idea what you're talking about," Ryo finally said.

"Urgh!" groaned the increasingly frustrated Ayaka. "You are so much like dad that it's scary!"

"Oh please! The two of us couldn't POSSIBLY be more different!"

"Maybe on the surface, but I have never met anyone more stubborn than you two are!"

"That does it, I'm gone! Tell Davis and Ken to get out here. I'll wake Monodramon up."

"And there you go once again! Ryo Akiyama: defender of the weak! Champion of justice! Guardian of all life! You can put on your little act of being 'Mr. Perfect' for your friends, and they might fall for it, but sooner or later you'll end up right back here again, on the front step, like a lost puppy."

"Okay, okay! I admit it! I'm trying to escape this… this HOLE!" said Ryo a bit louder than he should have. "But aren't you and dad always saying the same thing?! You have these plans of going off to college somewhere! He thinks that life will be perfect once he gets just the right job! You both want out of here just as much as I do! The only difference is that I've found a way out that can actually work, and you two are jealous of it!"

"Jealous?! Asked Ayaka incredulously. "Fine then! Go! See if I care! I hope you get everything you want living with those… those… MONSTERS!"

Ayaka stormed off into her room. She almost never showed such passion as she was showing now, but she just couldn't help it. Whether Ryo knew it or not, she loved him and her whole family very deeply. For eight years, ever since she was just nine, she had been trying to keep the family together. Despite all her efforts though, they were drifting apart. Ryo was usually the source of the tension. The first time he left home was when he was just six, not long after their mother had left. At that time he ran just a few blocks away, but as time went on his excursions took him further away and for longer periods of time, until he ended up taking trips to some far off dimension that only a select few could even reach. Also contributing to the troubles was Monodramon. He was perfectly sweet in his Rookie form, but still, their father had no great affection for him, or any digimon for that matter. When he'd heard about Ryo winning the digimon card game tournament the previous year he was more angry than proud. Recently though, Ayaka's plans to go off to school seemed to be hurting the family just as much as Ryo and Monodramon. She was a bright girl, very talented. She'd managed to get a pretty good scholarship to a school in Osaka, but she wasn't even sure she'd go. She felt that if she left then the three boys would only grow apart even quicker. More than anything, she was worried about Shou. He'd always depended on her like a mother.

Now alone again in the nearly pitch-black living room, Ryo leaned back against the wall and sunk slowly to the floor. The only noise was Monodramon's gentle snoring from the couch. Ryo was in quite a state. Everything that Ayaka had said hit home, but he was too proud to admit it. Ryo slowly curled his legs up and rested his chin on his knees with his back firmly against the wall. He wrapped his arms around the front of his legs, holding himself tight. Ryo would never let anyone see him like this; he couldn't even stand seeing himself like this. It was pathetic. He was supposed to be the strong one, the brave one, the one who always knew what to do and say. But now he felt like a small, scared child.

"Dammit…" Ryo muttered under his breath. "How does it always come back here, to this point? Why can't it ever get any easier?"

Ryo lowered his head, burying his eyes in his knees. He could feel tears began to form, but he held them back. His iron will would not let him cry, not ever. It agitated Ryo to no end. With almost anyone in the world, Ryo could perfectly reflect every single positive trait one could have; he was brave, caring, compassionate, noble, and very friendly. With his family, though, he was brash and irritable. When he was all alone like this, he could feel those two aspects of his personality crushing down on him. That's why he tried to get away from them as much as possible. Deep down, Ryo knew that he hated the person he was when he was around them, and the only way to get rid of that person was to never be around his family.

Ryo had come to a decision. He pushed himself up off the wall and back into a standing position. He closed his eyes for a moment and slowed his breathing in order to center his thoughts. After a few seconds, he was once again perfectly calm. He walked swiftly over to Monodramon and shook him awake. Monodramon snorted suddenly at the surprise of being awoken as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He rolled onto his back and looked up at Ryo.

"Ryo?" asked Monodramon, still a bit dazed. "What's going on?"

"Shh…" Ryo hushed the digimon. "I'll explain in a second. Just keep quiet and wait here."

Monodramon hopped down off the couch and stretched as Ryo briskly walked to his bedroom where he opened the door as quietly as possible and stepped inside to find Ken and Davis apparently waiting for him.

"Hey Ryo, we have a few questions for you," said Ken.

"Sorry, we can't talk now," said Ryo. "Grab your stuff. We're heading out."

"What?" asked Ken and Davis together.

"I'm taking you guys to meet your friends, and then I'm outta' here."

"Where are you going?" asked Davis.

"The DigiWorld of course," said Ryo. "I've made a decision. I can't just sit back and relax while the Sovereigns and all the digimon are fighting for their lives. Monodramon and I are going back to help. Now hurry, we've got to go."

"Um, alright," said Davis.

A few minutes later, Ryo, Ken, Davis, and Monodramon had all gathered near the front door to the tiny apartment. They all had their stuff together. Ryo had donned a backpack with a few vital supplies for his approaching trip.

"Let's get going," said Ryo.

Just as Ryo reached for the doorknob, the phone rang. Not wanting the phone to awaken anyone else, Ryo quickly ran over to it and picked it up.

"Hello?" asked Ryo.

"Ryo Akiyama!" shouted a female voice on the other end. "You better get your heroic butt over here right now!"

"Rika?" asked Ryo curiously.

"Of course it's me!" replied the voice. "We've got a big problem! It's Takato!"

"I'm on my way," said Ryo.

He hung up the phone.