AUTHOR'S NOTES:

This week has gone by so quickly! I can't believe it's update day again already. How are you? I hope you're safe and well, and I hope you enjoy today's chapter (which was unofficially co-authored by my cat. Please excuse any typos, she doesn't have thumbs.)

TEARS AND TROLLEY CARS

"Can't we just have a little more time?" Sora begged. "Please, Gennai-"

"I'm sorry, Sora, this is out of my control," he said. "In just a few moments, the gate will close forever." In the sky, the shadow had travelled almost completely across the sun until only a sliver of light remained. Taichi clenched his fists painfully and cast his eyes around the trees.

Where are you, Hikari?

"And the others?" Koushiro asked.

"Don't worry, we'll look out for them!" Tentomon exclaimed proudly. Mimi was clutching her hat to her chest tearfully as she looked around their small group.

"And when I find them, I'll send them on their way," Gennai promised with a solemn nod.

"What if they can't make it back through?" Mimi sniffed, wiping her tears on the back of her gloves.

"You said the gate would close forever," said Koushiro. The corners of Gennai's lips curled in to something akin to a smile.

"'Forever' is a word that tends to be used rather loosely round here," he said. "It's probably more factual to say that we just don't know when the gate will open next, but I'm sure I'll find a way. And if all else fails, I'm sure Hikari's light will find its way back to you all. I know she wouldn't want to be separated from any of you, especially you, Taichi." Taichi ground his teeth together at the mention of his sister's name. The thought of her out there, all alone, without him…

"I'm not going," he growled. He heard Sora take a deep breath, and Mimi hiccupped as another wave of tears took over and she bawled in to her hat.

"Taichi, we have to go," said Sora, and he heard her voice crack painfully.

"Not without her," he said, turning to stare at another patch of foliage. "She's coming, she'll be here any minute. I know she will." He saw the sun in the corner of his eye; the gate was closing, and fast.

"As much as I hate to say it, we can't stay, Taichi," Koushiro intoned. "The Digital World has to rebuild, and we have to go home."

"And what about the others?" He finally turned to face their small gathering. Of their group of eight, only four of them had made it to the trolley car. Taichi and Agumon had managed to find their way to Primary Village where they regrouped with Gennai who had escorted them and their partners to the small beach where they'd spent their first night. Mimi had been waiting by the time they had arrived, hugging Palmon tightly and weeping in to her hat. As Gennai had made his way back to Primary Village to find the others, Ogremon had brought a rather dazed Koushiro and equally-stunned Tentomon in to the clearing. Finally, as the sun had started to darken with the opening of the gate, Gennai, Sora and Piyomon had appeared. In a solemn voice, Gennai had told them that a number of digimon had ventured forth to try and find their remaining companions, but that the chances of them being found before the gate closed were slim. Taichi drew himself up to his full height and planted his feet in the in the sand. "If they can stay here, why can't we?"

"It's not like they're choosing to, Taichi," Sora stated in a hollow voice. She took another deep breath, this one slow and steady. "We have to go home. We have to tell y-your parents, and Yamato's dad and Takeru's mom and Jou's family… We have to-" Her voice shivered and she sniffed. "We have to tell them that… that everyone's okay-"

"But we don't know that!" Taichi yelled. "We don't know they're okay! How am I supposed to go home without at least seeing her again? How, Sora?"

"Don't yell at me – it's not my fault!" she snapped, drawing herself up tall and standing so close he could smell the salt and sweat of their final battle. Her eyes were spilling a waterfall of silent tears, and a desperate fire burned in to him. Her shoulders shook with rage and anger and fear, and when she spoke again her voice was barely above a whisper. "I don't want to lose you too, Taichi. Please come back with us." Taichi eyed the tree line again and clenched his fists. After a moment, a large claw linked itself through Taichi's fingers.

"We still have a few more minutes," Gennai said solemnly. "Why don't you get on the trolley car, and we'll wait to see if they turn up."

"C'mon, Taichi, please," Sora whimpered, tugging at his hand. "Just get inside."

"If we're ready to go, then all they have to do is get on with us," Koushiro added, as Sora gave Taichi a sharp enough pull that he staggered two steps closer to the shining trolley car. Taichi blinked back the tears and gripped Agumon's paw tightly.

"I'll find her, Taichi," Agumon promised. "I wanted to wave you goodbye, but this is more important. I'll go get her!" He let go of Taichi's hand and flashed him a smile. "I'll find her!" He sped off towards the trees, and after embracing Sora one last time Piyomon followed.

"Goodbye Sora!" she called over her shoulder. "I'll always remember you!" Sora's mouth opened but she could only offer a wordless sob, and she clutched her hands to her chest as she followed Koushiro on to the trolley car. Mimi came next, sobbing dry tears. She clutched Palmon's vines for as long as possible as she walked into the trolley car, and as soon as her hand was free she sped to a window and opened it, clutching the vines again. Taichi rested his hand on the door, one foot on the step and one on the grass, stuck between two paths.

"C'mon, Taichi," Koushiro said softly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Taichi's chest clenched painfully, and he glanced at the sky. The gate was barely a sliver now, hardly visible against the harsh sunlight that poured around it. Taichi sighed and stepped inside, finding himself a seat by the window. Agumon and Piyomon had reached the trees, and they disappeared from view. Taichi felt his heart leap to his chest.

Hurry, Agumon!

The car jolted, and the wheels began to hiss and squeal beneath them. Taichi blinked, and then his stomach twisted violently as he threw himself from his seat.

"No – No – NO!" he screamed, reaching the doors. He dug his dirty nails into the crease, pulling – tearing – scratching – tugging, but the doors refused to move. "Gennai!" he roared, pounding on the glass. "GENNAI!"

"I'm sorry, Taichi." He was barely audible over the moving car, which was slowly gathering momentum. Taichi wasn't sure if it was the growing distance or the realisation of what he'd done, but their mysterious mentor suddenly looked very small.

"GENNAI!" he cried again, slapping his palm against the glass. "Gennai, please! Don't do this!"

"I have to," he called back, his voice growing quieter by the moment. "Goodbye, Taichi. I will find them-" Gennai turned suddenly, his attention drawn by a commotion at the treeline, but the car gave a jolt and suddenly they were flying through the air. Taichi pressed himself to the door, desperate to see what could have drawn the old man's focus. He smacked at Sora's tentative hand and raced for the window, prying it open wider for a better look. A cry went up behind him, and suddenly there were hands grabbing at his shoulders and his shirt and his arms-

Taichi woke slowly, the dream fading but the memory remaining. He stared at the ceiling and let the tears roll down his cheeks and pool on his pillow. His stomach clenched and his heart skipped several painful beats, and before long Taichi had smothered his face and was heaving painful sobs into the damp pillow. His head pounded, his eyes burned, and his heart was filled with such a painful emptiness that for a minute he thought he wouldn't ever gather the strength to rise from his bed.

He hadn't felt this bad in a while, he thought absently as his aching heart resumed its normal rhythm. In fact, the only thing that hurt more than the memory of abandoning his sister was the memory of his mother's face when he told her; the recollection of the light fading from her eyes as she turned from him and walked away, falling in to his father's arms, lifting her head long enough to stare at Taichi, her gaze strangely absent, and say in a calm, collected voice:

"You promised to look after her."

Taichi closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of the memory, but he saw Gennai's face smiling back at him and he punched his pillow. Gennai had separated them. Gennai had set the car in motion and sent them on their way. Gennai had abandoned Hikari and the others when they had needed him most. Gennai had left Taichi to endure torturous years alone as he watched his parents slip further and further away from each other, and even further from him.

He dragged himself to his feet and in to the bathroom, brushing his hair and his teeth and washing the sleep and tears from his eyes before going back to his room. He pulled on his uniform and stuffed his tie in to his pocket before turning back towards his bed where the crest of Light had been hung around his bedpost. He slipped it around his neck and stood for a moment, clutching at it for strength before tucking it under his shirt and emerging from his room.

"Mom, I'm making breakfast, do you want anything?" he asked as he entered the lounge. The only light came from the television, casting a milky glow over his mother's skeletal complexion as the cheerful morning show hosts babbled on about some kid genius from a nearby city. His mother was grey now; grey streaks in her hair, grey lips, grey skin wrapped like tissue paper around brittle bones. The most colourful thing about her now were the heavy purple bags beneath her vacant brown eyes.

"You have to eat something." The words fell on deaf ears as his mother continued to stare at the TV. Some days he wondered if she even knew he was there. He sighed and coaxed her in to drinking a few sips of water before setting the glass down. "I'll make you a sandwich. You like sandwiches."

"Hikari liked sandwiches," she whispered, and her eyes flicked from the television to the picture of Hikari that sat proudly on top of the mantelpiece. It was Hikari's first day of school; Taichi remembered it vividly. Hikari had been awake all night with excitement, bouncing around their bedroom, organising and re-organising her pencil case, choosing the perfect barrette at four in the morning. By five AM, she had dressed herself. White socks with a perfectly turned-down lace trim, a pleated white skirt, lemon polo shirt and pale pink cardigan. The barrette had gone from a butterfly to a caterpillar to two white hair grips before finally settling on a single, pink clip. Taichi had laughed as she had fumbled with the accessory; by the time she had secured the grip her fringe had fallen completely in between her eyes, but she couldn't have been prouder.

Their mother had straightened her already-perfect collar, and tucked a wisp of wild, brown hair behind her ear, and placed a delicate kiss on Hikari's forehead. Taichi had waited patiently, his hand gripped tightly around the present he'd bought for her first day of school, waiting for the perfect moment to show it to her. It never came. Hikari had tied her own shoes and fastened her own summer coat, and every time she patted at her chest for the missing whistle which had been wrapped in paper and tucked in to Taichi's pocket, he had been ready to give her his gift. When she followed their mother out of the apartment without a word, grinning from ear to ear as their mother took their picture side by side in the doorway, Taichi had felt his heart sink at the thought she may have outgrown the charm, but the watering eyes as they began their walk to school told him otherwise.

"I'm sorry, Taichi," she'd whispered in a tiny, trembling voice as her hand clutched at her chest. "I lost it." She'd burst in to silent tears, and Taichi had blinked in surprise before he'd swallowed over the nervous lump in his throat. He fumbled with his pocket, wrapping his fingers around the present.

"I took it," he'd offered quietly, pressing the badly-wrapped present in to her hands. "I wanted to make it pretty." The whistle had hung for years from a thin twine string that Hikari had knotted around her neck. For her birthday Taichi had asked Sora to help him pick out a beautiful pink ribbon, long enough to be tied in to a bow. It had cost all of what little pocket money he'd manage to save, but the ear-to-ear smile had made it all worthwhile. She'd slipped it over her head as though the ribbon were made of glass.

She would be found later that day collapsed under the school's outdoor jungle gym, curled up on the ground and blowing quietly in to the whistle in short, gasping breaths.

Taichi cut through the sandwich with more force than was needed to slice the tender bread, feeling the handle of the knife bite in to the heel of his hand. Anything to stop himself remembering how small Hikari looked in a hospital bed.

The sandwich went untouched, as did the pills that Taichi set out carefully on the counter. His mother didn't acknowledge him when he told her about the soup in the fridge for her lunch, or when he told her that he'd be late back from school because he'd scheduled an extra soccer practice and then he was going to hang out with Sora. His father was supposed to be home tonight, but Taichi wasn't holding his breath.

With a heavy sigh, Taichi packed his school bag and soccer kit and headed out into the early morning air.

Santa Geria was peaceful place, offering food and shelter to any who passed through the arid desert, but the once-beautiful landscape had been marred by a towering, black obelisk. The dark needle rose high in to the sky like the point on a sundial, casting a long, menacing shadow that steadily crept over the village. It had been in place by the time Yamato and Gabumon had arrived, but judging by the nervous looks and harsh whispers that surrounded it, it was a new and unwelcome addition to the community.

Much like Yamato, it seemed. Whilst it was fair to admit that Gabumon attracted more than his fair share of wary glances with his vibrant yellow skin and rich blue fur among a sea of beige buildings and brown residents, most eyes turned to Yamato with caution or outright fear that suggested something more than a fear of strangers. It had taken several minutes to convince the locals that Yamato had nothing to do with the giant obelisk, but before he could ask his own questions a gathering of Vegiemon had arrived and immediately begun sweeping the town's citizens towards the central square where, they were told, they would be given further instruction from their new master.

It had been rumours of the Kaiser that had finally drawn Yamato and Gabumon away from their long-term residence to the east of Server. They'd existed for years on their own, ever since the fire, and for months they had been camped at the base of a cliff that bore the Crest of Friendship carved in to its face – a sign, Yamato had decided. If nothing else it was an obvious indicator for anyone who might have been looking for them.

They ventured out every few days to explore the hills and valleys or to visit the village nestled at the foot of the mountains for supplies. It had been here that they had heard news of the Digital World's would-be ruler, and it had been rumours of an Agumon captured while defending a village inhabited solely by Caprimon that had convinced Yamato that their calling card might soon start to attract the wrong kind of visitor.

Finally the crowd stopped moving and Gabumon tugged hard at Yamato's sleeve, forcing him to crouch lower to the ground. Yamato nodded silent thanks to his partner; drawing attention to himself probably wasn't the best thing to do judging by the way the Vegiemon were carefully scrutinising the crowd. Yamato didn't like their odds if it came to any kind of fight; Gabumon was strong, but even if he could digivolve (which the Gazimon assured them wouldn't be possible) he would still have been greatly outnumbered.

A silence fell over the crowd and Yamato peeked through the sea of twitching ears to the grand steps at the base of the monument. A single figure emerged from behind the towering stone, decked in navy and gold and silver. His eyes were obscured by dark goggles, and what remained of his face was twisted in to a deep sneer.

"This," he began with a grand gesture, "is my Dark Tower. It represents my power, and is a reminder that you are under my control. Anyone who attempts to disobey me will face punishment for their crimes. Now step forth, and submit to the new order." The words were spat with such disdain that Yamato heard himself growl that was lost under the furious roar of the crowd. Gabumon placed a calming paw on his elbow. The Kaiser frowned, and from beneath his cape he withdrew a slender, leather whip which he cracked once. Silence followed.

"I see you can't be trusted to make the right choice," he spat coolly. "In that case, perhaps you require a little encouragement." The whip snapped again, and several tiny shadows emerged from the base of the spire. Yamato squinted at them, and watched in horror as one of the rings latched on to the paw of the nearest Gazimon. The defenceless creature cried out in agony before doubling over on itself. After a moment of shuddering, it stood tall and scanned the crowd with its glowing red eyes. Then, to Yamato's horrified surprise, it surged forwards and grabbed another of the digimon standing closest, pushing them forwards as though nominating them for the next ring.

Chaos erupted as the Gazimon tried to flee, stumbling and crashing in to each other as the Vegiemon circled them, pressing them in tighter. They were sitting ducks. Gabumon pulled at Yamato's elbow.

"Yamato, you have to go!" Gabumon hissed. Yamato shook his head.

"No, I'm not leaving-"

"But, Yamato-"

"You are." Gabumon blinked in surprise and Yamato took the opportunity to continue. "He can't be allowed to get away with this; you have to get help."

"But why don't you go?" Gabumon asked, tugging Yamato's hand desperately. Yamato eyed the rings, which were slowly advancing through the crowd accompanied by the Kaiser's wicked laugh.

"He's why," he said tightly. "You saw the looks we got when we walked in to town; now I know why. I can't be seen running away. I have to make a stand, something that people will talk about. I need to show them that not all humans are like him." He was gripping Gabumon's furry shoulders tightly, and his eyes bore in to his partner's, praying that Gabumon would understand. When no rebuke came, he pulled his digivice from his belt and placed it in Gabumon's paw. "They may not trust humans anymore, but they can trust in this. You have to find help." Gabumon's paw tightened around the device, but his eyes flicked to the oncoming rings and he hesitated.

"I can't just leave you behind," he reasoned. "What if you get captured?"

"Then you'll have to come save me," Yamato answered with a grin. "I believe in you, Gabumon. Go! Go!" Gabumon checked over his shoulder, watching the RedVegiemon closing in, but Yamato had seen them. "I'll cause a distraction – Go!"

Gabumon sucked in a large breath and pushed his way back through the crowd, clutching the digivice close to his chest. As he ran towards the RedVeggimon, Yamato pulled himself upright, towering above the panicked Gazimon.

"Hey!"

The yell wasn't directed at anyone in particular, but it drew the attention of the square instantly. Most importantly, it drew the attention of the self-styled Kaiser. The boy (and he was only a boy) examined Yamato from behind his goggles before sneering. With another snap of his fingers the RedVegiemon surged forwards, wrapping their thick vines around Yamato's arms and his neck. As he gasped for air they tugged him through the crowd and forced him to his knees before the Kaiser. The boy slowly descended the stairs.

"A human?" he mused, crouching to Yamato's eye line. "Well you're just popping up all over the place, aren't you? Like rats on a sinking ship, crawling out from the woodwork. Hold him." The Vegimon's weedy arms tightened around Yamato, holding him in place as the Kaiser's hands rifled through Yamato's pockets. The Kaiser straightened, having found nothing, and his curious face twisted once more in to a dark glare.

"As I suspected," he said coolly. "Not even a digivice. You're pathetic." He placed a strong hand on Yamato's shoulder and threw him into the dirt; the action was rewarded by a dark chuckle that rippled through the captive audience. Satisfied, the Kaiser clicked again, turning his back on Yamato.

"Take him away," he ordered. "I'll deal with him later." Yamato was dragged to his feet and he swayed slightly from side to side, feeling suddenly lightheaded. The vine around his neck tightened and he gasped for air, blinking back tears. As he stared towards the outskirts of the village, he saw Gabumon's gleaming pelt tearing across the sand. That, at least, gave him some comfort.

Miyako tapped her foot impatiently against the smooth tiles of the computer lab. She checked her watch for the third time, and was dismayed to find that the minute hand had only moved one notch. Time seemed to be moving slower today.

She knew why, of course; it was the same reason that she'd spent the night tossing and turning instead of sleeping, and the same reason she'd barely paid attention to any of her classes (she'd listened enough to know that there would be an English test on Friday and that she wouldn't be scoring highly on it). Her mind was full of Hawkmon and Holsmon and the feeling of soaring through digital skies with the wind in her hair. It had been terrifying and exhilarating all at once, and the moment it was over she found she couldn't wait to do it again.

The door slid open and in slipped Taichi, Sora and Koushiro. For a moment, their appearance gave Miyako pause, and she wondered if ten-year-old Miyako would ever believe that the cool upperclassmen would be voluntarily hanging out with her in just a few short years. While she didn't particularly count herself as much of a social butterfly, she couldn't ignore the social standings of Yagami Taichi and Takenouchi Sora – the king and queen of the soccer field (even if the latter had more recently moved her talents to tennis). Koushiro was cool in his own way; this was a fact Miyako had decided long ago when the young man had arrived one day to help out at the junior school computer club. Miyako had never met anyone who could speak fluent binary.

Daisuke's abrupt entrance brought a sudden end to her musings and she tried not to pout. He had a reputation all his own, and one that Miyako would rather not be associated with. She was a year above him, and yet she still heard the tales of his repeated tardiness, his lack of tact, and his explosive temper. Still, it seemed that they were stuck on this adventure together (and she couldn't help but wonder what sins she had committed in a past life to find her destiny so closely tied to his). She watched as he grinned and readjusted his goggles, practically mooning over Taichi, but the soccer star was too distracted in a quiet conversation with Sora and Koushiro to notice the boy-who-would-be-his-clone, and Miyako found it oddly satisfying to watch Daisuke's shoulders slump.

Cruel? Yes. But he brought it on himself. Still… Miyako had gone through her own phase of mooning after upperclassmen (there were several girls in her older sister Momoe's class who had exuded an air of 'cool' that Miyako had strived towards for years), and there was only so long she could watch Daisuke pining before she was painfully reminded of her own unrequited friendships.

Miyako sighed and turned back to the computer screen. She had been the first to the computer lab, determined to keep her promise to Koushiro to hold it for them and not let anyone in, and whilst waiting for the others to arrive she had been streaming the news channel (the only channel allowed on the school's network); the light-hearted chatter of the early afternoon presenters had been better than the silence of an empty classroom.

What had been a rather dry segment about some idol group had now turned to coverage of the recent computer programming competition, which had this year been held in Tamachi. Miyako had almost entered; Iori had printed out the application form and presented it to her in a pristine plastic wallet that had sat on her desk for weeks until she had talked herself out of it. She was good with computers, and had more than a few successful programming projects under her belt, but her self-taught skills would pale in comparison to the pros. She watched as they showed several of the shortlisted entrants before settling upon the winner. Ichijouji Ken was a boy genius who had already achieved more at age eleven than Miyako would in her lifetime, and something about his cool arrogance suggested that he was all too aware of his own success.

As the stream changed to old footage of his past achievements, Miyako reached over and turned it off. She was more than aware of his achievements, having followed his career with bitter fascination since he first appeared in a copy of Famitsu magazine Miyako had picked off the shelves of her family supermarket. He had been eight then, and after showing "a natural flair" for computing he had been offered a place at an exclusive junior academy. Miyako had spent many years wondering just had far she could have gone if her parents had put her natural talents in to a fancy private school.

"Can we get going?" Taichi finally asked. Miyako glanced at the clock again.

"Not yet," she answered. "Not until – oh! Iori!" The youngest of their group had slipped silently into the room, and he dropped in to a stiff, formal bow.

"Please excuse my lateness," he said softly. Sora looked like she might have said something but Taichi had already pushed himself away from the wall and was striding towards Miyako.

"Well let's get this gate open then." Miyako swivelled quickly in her seat and held her red digivice up to the screen in a fluster. As the gate opened, she was vaguely aware of Sora whispering at Taichi and frowning.

They landed in the middle of a vast desert, and Miyako heard Daisuke groan over her shoulder.

"This wasn't where Hikari was either," he mumbled under his breath. Miyako ground her teeth together. She'd yet to meet the girl, but she felt as though she knew every tiny detail about her, from the way she walked to the way her eyes sparkled in the firelight and how she laughed and how soft her hands were. In the week since she'd first travelled to the Digital World, every third word out of Daisuke's mouth had been about Hikari – if it wasn't some point of his own fascination, then it was something that he expected to win him favour with Taichi, gushing about how brave and fearless she'd been in the face of danger. Miyako's only satisfaction was that Daisuke's ploys rarely worked, and often ended with Taichi appearing more upset and agitated than before.

They ploughed on through the dry heat, scanning the surroundings for any sign of life and, more importantly, their digimon. After almost quarter an hour of walking Miyako was beginning to grow restless. She wasn't sure how this whole thing was supposed to work, but from what she'd seen of their last adventure she'd assumed the digimon would be ready to greet them when they appeared. In hindsight, it was possibly not the most logical conclusion to jump to; the Digital World seemed extensive, and seeing as they seemed to appear in a new place every time it was unlikely that the digimon would always be ready to greet them. Unless their digivices automatically tuned in to the gate nearest their partners, but even then there was no way to truly tell how far apart the gates were from each other...

She pinched the bridge of her nose. The heat was making her head hurt, and the warm sand underfoot was beginning to roast the soles of her feet. She tried to think of anything she wouldn't give to have Holsmon fly her to a cool lake where she could kick off her shoes and relax.

"Daisuke!"

Miyako's head snapped up at the cry and she saw Veemon barrelling towards them at an incredible speed. Daisuke grinned, but when Veemon didn't return the gesture his face quickly turned to worry.

"Veemon, what's up?" he asked. Veemon's large eyes were filled with worry and he bounced anxiously on his heels, looking over Taichi, Sora and Koushiro.

"You have to come quick!" he babbled. "We found a digimon and he needs our help!" Without waiting another moment, he tugged on Daisuke's cuff and pulled the boy along the hardened sand. The others followed, and the scorching air burned Miyako's lungs as they climbed a sandy ridge. As they mounted the peak, the sand suddenly became a lush forest; the hard ground immediately gave way to cool tufts of thick green grass, and the canopy of leaves provided well-needed relief from the burning sun. Here Veemon finally slowed a little and Miyako sagged forwards, gulping in the suddenly-cool air.

"Miyako!" Her head snapped upright at Hawkmon's voice, and she held out her arms as he swooped from the sky, though he didn't take her up on the offer and instead hovered at eye-level. "I'm so pleased to see you, but we do find ourselves in quite the situation. Ah, Taichi; he's been asking for you." Miyako looked at Taichi who had tilted his head in confusion. He opened his mouth to ask, but Hawkmon nodded back towards the trees and quickly doubled back on himself.

Miyako followed closely behind, not willing to let Hawkmon out of her sight. She was so focused on her partner that she didn't notice Armadimon until her toe got caught on his shell. With a surprised yell she tilted sideways, but something wrapped around her wrists and waist and carefully set her back to rights again.

As the vines retracted, Miyako followed them to the source. The digimon was almost lost amongst the foliage, and it was the vibrant pink-and-yellow flower on its head that drew Miyako's attention. A tall, yellow style sprouted from the centre of the petals with a drooping, swirling, orange-tinted stigma at the top. From underneath the petals two large, green eyes blinked out from the digimon's dappled green face, and its large mouth was upturned in a gentle smile. Its arms were covered in leafy veins, and the digimon's fingers were the purple-tipped ends of the vines that had kept Miyako from falling. Its feet were thick and faded to a deep brown, spreading over the earth like the roots of a tree.

"Careful," the digimon said in a soft, tender voice. She glanced over Miyako's shoulder then, and her eyes widened with a bright smile. "Sora!" she called. She hurried from the hedge, stretching her leafy hands wide and rushing to embrace the girl in a tight hug.

"Palmon! It's good to see you!" Palmon quickly turned to greet the others, too. The commotion attracted the attention of Jou who had been hunched over a small figure, and with an exhausted smile he turned to greet them.

"Hi guys," he said softly. As he walked closer, Miyako looked at the nervous patient. Most of his body was yellow and reptilian, with worn scales and dull claws for toes. His stomach was covered in a jagged red-and-blue pattern that was mostly hidden by the bandaged, scaly arm that peered out from beneath the striped pale-and-dark-blue fur pelt. Several gleaming teeth hung from the creature's oversized upper jaw, and a gleaming golden spike emerged from the digimon's forehead, sprouting from in between his large amber eyes. The two ears of the pelt trailed down his back, falling either side of his spiked tail. Sora's soft gasp drew Miyako's attention while Koushiro muttered something under his breath, and she watched as Taichi's shoulders tensed as he took in the strange digimon.

"Gabumon," he breathed quietly. The digimon looked up with tired eyes and grimaced, although Miyako imagined it was supposed to be a smile.

"Hello, Taichi."