Chapter 1
GuilTamer: So, when do we leave?
TerrierTamer: When I'm 30.
GuilTamer: Be serious!
RenaTamer: To think, that came from you, Takato.
GuilTamer: Hey!
TerrierTamer: Sorry, I just don't think my parents are ready for me to leave again.
CyberTamer: I could probably sneak out.
LeoAngelTamer: My Dad says I can go.
GuardroTamer: Really, Jeri?
GuilTamer: Yeah her parents trust me to look after her.
GuardroTamer: Now don't get into that again. o_O
LopTamer: I think its cute! ^_^
RenaTamer: Oh please! I though you weren't allowed in this chatroom Suzie.
LopTamer: I am too! Tell them, Henry!
TerrierTamer: *sigh* Sorry guys. Dad didn't think it fair for us all to have a chatroom for only Tamers and Suzie not allowed in it. -_-;;
LopTamer: None of you like me! ;_;
LeoAngelTamer: I like you Suzie.
LopTamer: You're the only nice one Jeri.
CyberTamer: You guys shouldn't leave Suzie out of everything. She was a pretty good Tamer when we were in our battle with the D-Reaper. Got us out of a few jams as I recall.
GuilTamer: Come on guys! We need to know if you're coming!
GuardroTamer: I don't know yet. I still gotta ask my Mom. She'd kill me if I lied to her... like last time.
TerrierTamer: You shouldn't have lied to her in the first place.
GuardroTamer: How else was I supposed to get permission?! At least I didn't just leave a note like Kenta.
LeoAngelTamer: Where is Kenta? Shouldn't he be here chatting with us?
GuardroTamer: He's probabley busy trying to come up with another card game strategy for my to beat.
RenaTamer: Now aren't we feeling a little cocky?
CyberTamer: I wouldn't be that boastful around the Digimon King and Queen.
GuilTamer: I'll call Kenta later. Back to the subject: ARE YOU ALL COMING???
LopTamer: I will if Henry does!
TerrierTamer: I don't think we should go. Its dangerous and we don't have much of a ride home.
GuilTamer: We have to go! I made a promise to Guilmon.
LeoAngelTamer: And we could always get transportation. We just have to get the Digignomes to help us make a new Arc. ^_^ We just have to wish for it.
TerrierTamer: I'm gonna get dragged into it either way -_- So I guess I'm in.
LopTamer: Yay! ^^
RenaTamer: Well I'm going no matter what my mom says. She trusts me now anyway. If worse comes to worse I could always get Grandma's permission.
GuardroTamer: Man you are lucky Rika. My parents don't trust me at all.
RenaTamer: Neither do I but I still put up with you don't I?
GuardroTamer: Haha. Very funny-NOT!
VRAKOLAS has joined the chat room.
GuilTamer: Who's that?
CyberTamer: I dont' know him.
RenaTamer: Hey! Get out of here!
GuardroTamer: Yeah! Tamers only buddy.
VRAKOLAS: I
VRAKOLAS: WILL
VRAKOLAS: GET
VRAKOLAS: TAMERS!
LeoAngelTamer: This is wierd.
TerrierTamer: WHO ARE YOU?? IS THAT YOU KENTA??
VRAKOLAS: RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS
RenaTamer: NO FLOODING ALLOWED!
GuardroTamer: Get out of here you wierdo!
VRAKOLAS:SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOS
LopTamer: This is scary Henry!
TerrierTamer: Lets kick him out!
VRAKOLAS: MUST HAVE TAMER BLOOD! I SMELL BLOOD OF TAMER!
CyberTamer: You'd better watch what you say around here buddy!
GuilTamer: Alright I am hereby banning VRAKOLAS!
VRAKOLAS has been kicked out and banned from the Chat Room.
LeoAngelTamer: Oh thank goodness.
GuardroTamer: What a nut job. He was crazier than dog that chases parked cars!
CyberTamer: Amen to that Kazu.
GuilTamer: It was a bit creepy.
TerrierTamer: Just a little unnerving.
LopTamer has left the Chat Room.
LeoAngelTamer: Where did Suzie go?
TerrierTamer: I don't know.
RenaTamer: I think that Vrakolas guy scared her a bit.
TerrierTamer: LopTamer-Here I am.
TerrierTamer: TerrierTamer-She was too scared to stay in her room alone.
LeoAngelTamer: I'm feeling a little scared too. I think I might come over Takato.... Would your mom mind?
GuilTamer: Of course not Jeri. My parents love you.
GuardroTamer: And so does Takato. I bet you guys just wanna be together so you can smooch! Kiss kiss kiss!
LeoAngelTamer:.... O_O;;;;
GuilTamer: STOP THAT KAZU!!!
CyberTamer: Its none of your buisness what Takato and Jeri do!
RenaTamer: Don't mind Kazu. He's just jealous you have a girlfriend and he doesn't Takato.
GuardroTamer: Am Not.
RenaTamer: Are too.
GuardroTamer: AM NOT!
RenaTamer: ARE TOO!
TerrierTamer: LopTamer-By the way they fight you'd think they were boyfriend and girlfriend.
CyberTamer: Kazu's too late for that position ^_~ Right Rika?
RenaTamer: Don't make me come over there and beat you Ryo.
* * *
The Next Morning...
"Kenta, you're here!" exclaimed Takato with a smile as he walked up to Guilmon's old hide-a-way. Kenta stood, leaning against the concrete building, looking off into the sunrise.
"Yeah, I'm here," said Kenta in is soft, gentle voice. He sighed and looked over at Takato. "Are the others gonna be here soon?"
"Yeah. Jeri'll be here in a few... minutes," said Takato, his voice changing slightly when he saw the look on his friend's face. "What's wrong?"
"My mom's sick," sighed Kenta. "I don't wanna talk about it."
"Well, okay," said Takato trying to keep the pressure off his friend. Takato didn't quite understand his friend's behavior. Kenta's mom had been sick before and she wasn't a frail person but he seemed really, truely upset about it.
"Hey! Chumly! Guess who's here?" yelled Kazu running up to them both. "Isn't it awesome? My mom gave me permission to go but she made me clean my room first." Takato laughed.
"Well, I'd have to say that was a pretty fair trade off," chuckled Takato. "How did you little sis take the news?" Kazu frowned. Not long after the Digimon returned to the Digital World, Kazu's mother had given birth to a baby girl and over the 4 years she had been with them, he had grown quite attached to her.
"Is she alright?" asked Kenta forgetting his own problem and reached toward his friend. Kazu sighed and looked up into the sky.
"I told her last night... she cried and... she called me Kazu," muttered Kazu. Takato smiled.
"Really? Michiko actually called you 'Kazu' instead of 'Zuzu-chan?" asked Takato. Kazu smiled at that.
"Yeah, I guess she's done with the baby-talk now."
"No more Zuzu-chan, then?" asked Kenta.
"I guess not," chuckled Kazu scratching the back of his head with a laugh.
"Oh, look! Its the goggle-heads!" called out a familiar femal voice. The three boys turned to see Henry and Rika walking down the path towards the little concrete shack.
"I resent that!" yelled Takato. "I haven't worn goggles in over 2 years!"
"Oops, my mistake," sniffed Rika sarcasticly.
"I'm sure you still have them stashed somewhere in that pit you call a 'room', Takato," joked Henry.
"Hiya! Did I miss anything?" asked Jeri running up as fast as she could, her backpack jumping up and down on her back, nearly overflowing.
"Jeri, do you plan on living in the Digital World for the rest of your life or is you pack just lumpy?" asked Kazu, cocking his head to the side.
"I had to pack a lot!" insisted Jeri. "I double-knotted the ties so all the food won't fall out."
"Food?" asked Kenta blinking.
"You don't need to eat when you're in the Digital World, Jeri," said Henry. "Don't you remember?"
"Of course, I do," answered Jeri smiling. "Its just I thought Guilmon and the others would like a snack. They haven't eaten anything in over 4 years for all we know."
"I never thought of that," said Takato trying to picture Guilmon holding back from eating that long. He couldn't see it happening.
"Hey, look! It's Ryo!" cried Kazu who nearly knocked Takato to the ground when he threw his arm up to wave over the legendary Tamer.
"Hey, guys. What's up?" asked Ryo. Henry half-expected Terriermon to pop-up and say something like 'the sky' but it come. Seeing all his Tamer friends together was starting to play tricks on his mind.
"Its nice to see you again, Rika," said Ryo, giving her his charming, first-class smile. She turned her face away and gave him her usual tart reply, "Whatever."
"I see you haven't changed," joked Ryo.
"Did you expect me to?" asked Rika. He just smiled at her, making her feel a bit nervous.
"Alright, I think we're ready to go," said Takato turning to lead them all into Guilmon's old hide-a-way but he stopped when her heard a little voice yelling behind him.
"WAIT! WAIT! HENRY, YOU LEFT MEEEEEE!" yelled Suzie running as fast as her legs could carry her. Henry sighed and rolled his eyes as she trodded up to them, breathing hard, her pink D-Power rattling with each step. It wasn't as if Henry disliked his sister, she just always followed him. People called her his shadow, and she pretty much was. Sometimes he just wanted her to leave him alone!
"Henry, why did you leave me??!!" demanded Suzie, stomping her foot. Takato looked over her and thought how different she now looked, compared to how she used to look. She was now the same age they had all been when they first left for the Digital World to save Culumon. None of them had changed much, besides growing taller, but she had changed drastically. She was about as tall as Jeri had been but she still wore pink blouses and pants. She had let her hair grow out long and it was now far below her knees. She had lost her 'large eyes of innocence' as Henry called them but her smile could win-over most anyone.
"Sorry, Suzie. I just forgot," replied Henry with a sigh. Takato then noticed there was a change in Henry. It seemed almost natural to him now to see Henry wear his glasses, since he had worn them every since he had turned 14. It was bound to happen sooner or later, near-sightedness was in his genes.
"You did not! You just didn't want me to come, did you, Henry?" whined Suzie. Henry rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath.
"Its okay, Suzie. You still made it," said Ryo, trying to calm down the frustrated 11-year-old.
"Ryo's right. Let's just go to the Digital World," piped in Jeri, wrapping her arm around Takato's and dragging him first into the shack. Once everyone was inside, they stopped and looked silently down into the hold Guilmon had dug so many years ago. For some reason, no one had ever filled it in, but that may have been because no one wanted to fill it in.
"Gee," said Kenta, breaking the silence, "it sure looks a lot smaller than I remember it."
"Yeah," agreed Takato, remembering how Guilmon had been just his size... Would Guilmon still be as tall as him? No, Digimon always stayed the same size, well, unless they were Bakamon.
"It looks dark," muttered Suzie, biting her bottom lip.
"And dirty," added Jeri.
"Well, I'm not afraid of a little dirt. Or the dark," sniffed Rika taking the first step down into the hole. She was then followed by Takato, Jeri, Henry and then the rest of them. They had to crawl on their hands and knees for a bit before they finally saw it. The port to the Digital World. They sat their, for only a few moments, watching it, like kids watching a fire on a cold night on a camping trip. Takato took a deep breath and slowly lifted his hand to the warp. It tingled slightly as he felt it reverting from DNA to digital matter.
"It feels... just like it did 4 years ago," muttered Takato. He smiled and looked towards Jeri. "Ready?" She smiled back and took his other hand in her and together, they plunged into the data port.
* * *
Takato lay, face-down, in a vast wasteland. He had hit the ground so hard he had made a crator in the sand. Jeri was sitting up next to him looking around. Takato put his head up and took a breath, sneezing as the sand was breathed up his nose.
"Are you okay, Takato?" asked Jeri, helping him get into a sitting position.
"Yeah, I'm fine. How about you, Jeri?" he asked. She smiled and nodded to show she was okay.
"Ahh! My head!" groaned the voice of Kazu, making Jeri giggle. They climbed up out of the pit and stood up. Most of the others had already climbed out of the crators they had made on impact. Suzie was having a little trouble.
"HENRY! HELP ME OUT!" she yelled, trying to pull herself up the sandy walls. Takato noted that there were things that never did change: like how spoiled Suzie was, how helpful Henry was and how egotistic Kazu was. Henry reached down and helped to pull his sister out of the sand pit.
"Why does that always happen?" asked Kenta as he rubbed the sand out of his eyes.
"Somethings are meant to be unknown," said Rika as she tightened her blue hairband that had loosened during their fall.
"Alright, now that we're all in the Digital World, how on earth are we supposed to find our partners?" asked Kazu.
"I never thought of that," muttered Jeri.
"We'll just have to track them on our D-Powers," answered Takato pulling out his golden D-Power. He smiled as he watched the tracking arrow circle around and around. Then, the arrow stopped, quivering only slightly, as it pointed south. The rest of the Tamers pulled out their D-Powers and watched their arrows twirl around before pointing in the same direction.
"That's just like them," said Henry smiling. "Keeping the team together."
'I'm almost there, Guilmon,' thought Takato as they began to walk towards their partners. 'I'm coming back. I'm keeping my promise.'
To be continued....
GuilTamer: So, when do we leave?
TerrierTamer: When I'm 30.
GuilTamer: Be serious!
RenaTamer: To think, that came from you, Takato.
GuilTamer: Hey!
TerrierTamer: Sorry, I just don't think my parents are ready for me to leave again.
CyberTamer: I could probably sneak out.
LeoAngelTamer: My Dad says I can go.
GuardroTamer: Really, Jeri?
GuilTamer: Yeah her parents trust me to look after her.
GuardroTamer: Now don't get into that again. o_O
LopTamer: I think its cute! ^_^
RenaTamer: Oh please! I though you weren't allowed in this chatroom Suzie.
LopTamer: I am too! Tell them, Henry!
TerrierTamer: *sigh* Sorry guys. Dad didn't think it fair for us all to have a chatroom for only Tamers and Suzie not allowed in it. -_-;;
LopTamer: None of you like me! ;_;
LeoAngelTamer: I like you Suzie.
LopTamer: You're the only nice one Jeri.
CyberTamer: You guys shouldn't leave Suzie out of everything. She was a pretty good Tamer when we were in our battle with the D-Reaper. Got us out of a few jams as I recall.
GuilTamer: Come on guys! We need to know if you're coming!
GuardroTamer: I don't know yet. I still gotta ask my Mom. She'd kill me if I lied to her... like last time.
TerrierTamer: You shouldn't have lied to her in the first place.
GuardroTamer: How else was I supposed to get permission?! At least I didn't just leave a note like Kenta.
LeoAngelTamer: Where is Kenta? Shouldn't he be here chatting with us?
GuardroTamer: He's probabley busy trying to come up with another card game strategy for my to beat.
RenaTamer: Now aren't we feeling a little cocky?
CyberTamer: I wouldn't be that boastful around the Digimon King and Queen.
GuilTamer: I'll call Kenta later. Back to the subject: ARE YOU ALL COMING???
LopTamer: I will if Henry does!
TerrierTamer: I don't think we should go. Its dangerous and we don't have much of a ride home.
GuilTamer: We have to go! I made a promise to Guilmon.
LeoAngelTamer: And we could always get transportation. We just have to get the Digignomes to help us make a new Arc. ^_^ We just have to wish for it.
TerrierTamer: I'm gonna get dragged into it either way -_- So I guess I'm in.
LopTamer: Yay! ^^
RenaTamer: Well I'm going no matter what my mom says. She trusts me now anyway. If worse comes to worse I could always get Grandma's permission.
GuardroTamer: Man you are lucky Rika. My parents don't trust me at all.
RenaTamer: Neither do I but I still put up with you don't I?
GuardroTamer: Haha. Very funny-NOT!
VRAKOLAS has joined the chat room.
GuilTamer: Who's that?
CyberTamer: I dont' know him.
RenaTamer: Hey! Get out of here!
GuardroTamer: Yeah! Tamers only buddy.
VRAKOLAS: I
VRAKOLAS: WILL
VRAKOLAS: GET
VRAKOLAS: TAMERS!
LeoAngelTamer: This is wierd.
TerrierTamer: WHO ARE YOU?? IS THAT YOU KENTA??
VRAKOLAS: RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS RUN TAMERS
RenaTamer: NO FLOODING ALLOWED!
GuardroTamer: Get out of here you wierdo!
VRAKOLAS:SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOS
LopTamer: This is scary Henry!
TerrierTamer: Lets kick him out!
VRAKOLAS: MUST HAVE TAMER BLOOD! I SMELL BLOOD OF TAMER!
CyberTamer: You'd better watch what you say around here buddy!
GuilTamer: Alright I am hereby banning VRAKOLAS!
VRAKOLAS has been kicked out and banned from the Chat Room.
LeoAngelTamer: Oh thank goodness.
GuardroTamer: What a nut job. He was crazier than dog that chases parked cars!
CyberTamer: Amen to that Kazu.
GuilTamer: It was a bit creepy.
TerrierTamer: Just a little unnerving.
LopTamer has left the Chat Room.
LeoAngelTamer: Where did Suzie go?
TerrierTamer: I don't know.
RenaTamer: I think that Vrakolas guy scared her a bit.
TerrierTamer: LopTamer-Here I am.
TerrierTamer: TerrierTamer-She was too scared to stay in her room alone.
LeoAngelTamer: I'm feeling a little scared too. I think I might come over Takato.... Would your mom mind?
GuilTamer: Of course not Jeri. My parents love you.
GuardroTamer: And so does Takato. I bet you guys just wanna be together so you can smooch! Kiss kiss kiss!
LeoAngelTamer:.... O_O;;;;
GuilTamer: STOP THAT KAZU!!!
CyberTamer: Its none of your buisness what Takato and Jeri do!
RenaTamer: Don't mind Kazu. He's just jealous you have a girlfriend and he doesn't Takato.
GuardroTamer: Am Not.
RenaTamer: Are too.
GuardroTamer: AM NOT!
RenaTamer: ARE TOO!
TerrierTamer: LopTamer-By the way they fight you'd think they were boyfriend and girlfriend.
CyberTamer: Kazu's too late for that position ^_~ Right Rika?
RenaTamer: Don't make me come over there and beat you Ryo.
* * *
The Next Morning...
"Kenta, you're here!" exclaimed Takato with a smile as he walked up to Guilmon's old hide-a-way. Kenta stood, leaning against the concrete building, looking off into the sunrise.
"Yeah, I'm here," said Kenta in is soft, gentle voice. He sighed and looked over at Takato. "Are the others gonna be here soon?"
"Yeah. Jeri'll be here in a few... minutes," said Takato, his voice changing slightly when he saw the look on his friend's face. "What's wrong?"
"My mom's sick," sighed Kenta. "I don't wanna talk about it."
"Well, okay," said Takato trying to keep the pressure off his friend. Takato didn't quite understand his friend's behavior. Kenta's mom had been sick before and she wasn't a frail person but he seemed really, truely upset about it.
"Hey! Chumly! Guess who's here?" yelled Kazu running up to them both. "Isn't it awesome? My mom gave me permission to go but she made me clean my room first." Takato laughed.
"Well, I'd have to say that was a pretty fair trade off," chuckled Takato. "How did you little sis take the news?" Kazu frowned. Not long after the Digimon returned to the Digital World, Kazu's mother had given birth to a baby girl and over the 4 years she had been with them, he had grown quite attached to her.
"Is she alright?" asked Kenta forgetting his own problem and reached toward his friend. Kazu sighed and looked up into the sky.
"I told her last night... she cried and... she called me Kazu," muttered Kazu. Takato smiled.
"Really? Michiko actually called you 'Kazu' instead of 'Zuzu-chan?" asked Takato. Kazu smiled at that.
"Yeah, I guess she's done with the baby-talk now."
"No more Zuzu-chan, then?" asked Kenta.
"I guess not," chuckled Kazu scratching the back of his head with a laugh.
"Oh, look! Its the goggle-heads!" called out a familiar femal voice. The three boys turned to see Henry and Rika walking down the path towards the little concrete shack.
"I resent that!" yelled Takato. "I haven't worn goggles in over 2 years!"
"Oops, my mistake," sniffed Rika sarcasticly.
"I'm sure you still have them stashed somewhere in that pit you call a 'room', Takato," joked Henry.
"Hiya! Did I miss anything?" asked Jeri running up as fast as she could, her backpack jumping up and down on her back, nearly overflowing.
"Jeri, do you plan on living in the Digital World for the rest of your life or is you pack just lumpy?" asked Kazu, cocking his head to the side.
"I had to pack a lot!" insisted Jeri. "I double-knotted the ties so all the food won't fall out."
"Food?" asked Kenta blinking.
"You don't need to eat when you're in the Digital World, Jeri," said Henry. "Don't you remember?"
"Of course, I do," answered Jeri smiling. "Its just I thought Guilmon and the others would like a snack. They haven't eaten anything in over 4 years for all we know."
"I never thought of that," said Takato trying to picture Guilmon holding back from eating that long. He couldn't see it happening.
"Hey, look! It's Ryo!" cried Kazu who nearly knocked Takato to the ground when he threw his arm up to wave over the legendary Tamer.
"Hey, guys. What's up?" asked Ryo. Henry half-expected Terriermon to pop-up and say something like 'the sky' but it come. Seeing all his Tamer friends together was starting to play tricks on his mind.
"Its nice to see you again, Rika," said Ryo, giving her his charming, first-class smile. She turned her face away and gave him her usual tart reply, "Whatever."
"I see you haven't changed," joked Ryo.
"Did you expect me to?" asked Rika. He just smiled at her, making her feel a bit nervous.
"Alright, I think we're ready to go," said Takato turning to lead them all into Guilmon's old hide-a-way but he stopped when her heard a little voice yelling behind him.
"WAIT! WAIT! HENRY, YOU LEFT MEEEEEE!" yelled Suzie running as fast as her legs could carry her. Henry sighed and rolled his eyes as she trodded up to them, breathing hard, her pink D-Power rattling with each step. It wasn't as if Henry disliked his sister, she just always followed him. People called her his shadow, and she pretty much was. Sometimes he just wanted her to leave him alone!
"Henry, why did you leave me??!!" demanded Suzie, stomping her foot. Takato looked over her and thought how different she now looked, compared to how she used to look. She was now the same age they had all been when they first left for the Digital World to save Culumon. None of them had changed much, besides growing taller, but she had changed drastically. She was about as tall as Jeri had been but she still wore pink blouses and pants. She had let her hair grow out long and it was now far below her knees. She had lost her 'large eyes of innocence' as Henry called them but her smile could win-over most anyone.
"Sorry, Suzie. I just forgot," replied Henry with a sigh. Takato then noticed there was a change in Henry. It seemed almost natural to him now to see Henry wear his glasses, since he had worn them every since he had turned 14. It was bound to happen sooner or later, near-sightedness was in his genes.
"You did not! You just didn't want me to come, did you, Henry?" whined Suzie. Henry rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath.
"Its okay, Suzie. You still made it," said Ryo, trying to calm down the frustrated 11-year-old.
"Ryo's right. Let's just go to the Digital World," piped in Jeri, wrapping her arm around Takato's and dragging him first into the shack. Once everyone was inside, they stopped and looked silently down into the hold Guilmon had dug so many years ago. For some reason, no one had ever filled it in, but that may have been because no one wanted to fill it in.
"Gee," said Kenta, breaking the silence, "it sure looks a lot smaller than I remember it."
"Yeah," agreed Takato, remembering how Guilmon had been just his size... Would Guilmon still be as tall as him? No, Digimon always stayed the same size, well, unless they were Bakamon.
"It looks dark," muttered Suzie, biting her bottom lip.
"And dirty," added Jeri.
"Well, I'm not afraid of a little dirt. Or the dark," sniffed Rika taking the first step down into the hole. She was then followed by Takato, Jeri, Henry and then the rest of them. They had to crawl on their hands and knees for a bit before they finally saw it. The port to the Digital World. They sat their, for only a few moments, watching it, like kids watching a fire on a cold night on a camping trip. Takato took a deep breath and slowly lifted his hand to the warp. It tingled slightly as he felt it reverting from DNA to digital matter.
"It feels... just like it did 4 years ago," muttered Takato. He smiled and looked towards Jeri. "Ready?" She smiled back and took his other hand in her and together, they plunged into the data port.
* * *
Takato lay, face-down, in a vast wasteland. He had hit the ground so hard he had made a crator in the sand. Jeri was sitting up next to him looking around. Takato put his head up and took a breath, sneezing as the sand was breathed up his nose.
"Are you okay, Takato?" asked Jeri, helping him get into a sitting position.
"Yeah, I'm fine. How about you, Jeri?" he asked. She smiled and nodded to show she was okay.
"Ahh! My head!" groaned the voice of Kazu, making Jeri giggle. They climbed up out of the pit and stood up. Most of the others had already climbed out of the crators they had made on impact. Suzie was having a little trouble.
"HENRY! HELP ME OUT!" she yelled, trying to pull herself up the sandy walls. Takato noted that there were things that never did change: like how spoiled Suzie was, how helpful Henry was and how egotistic Kazu was. Henry reached down and helped to pull his sister out of the sand pit.
"Why does that always happen?" asked Kenta as he rubbed the sand out of his eyes.
"Somethings are meant to be unknown," said Rika as she tightened her blue hairband that had loosened during their fall.
"Alright, now that we're all in the Digital World, how on earth are we supposed to find our partners?" asked Kazu.
"I never thought of that," muttered Jeri.
"We'll just have to track them on our D-Powers," answered Takato pulling out his golden D-Power. He smiled as he watched the tracking arrow circle around and around. Then, the arrow stopped, quivering only slightly, as it pointed south. The rest of the Tamers pulled out their D-Powers and watched their arrows twirl around before pointing in the same direction.
"That's just like them," said Henry smiling. "Keeping the team together."
'I'm almost there, Guilmon,' thought Takato as they began to walk towards their partners. 'I'm coming back. I'm keeping my promise.'
To be continued....