AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Happy Friday! I just wanted to quickly say thank you so, so much for all the love and support that I've received on this story. The reviews, comments and DMs have been greatly appreciate, and have given me some serious warm fuzzies.

I hope you've had a great week, and I hope you enjoy today's update!

HOPEFUL REUNIONS

Jou stood and stretched, working the kinks from his spine and mopping the sweat from his brow. He'd never done well in arid climates; the heat dried out his throat and made his hands sweat, and his burning tongue felt three sizes too large for his mouth. He forced a smile as the Gazimon thanked him and hobbled away, clutching his tightly bound wrist against his chest. Luckily there was little more than a few scrapes and bruises; injuries that he could easily treat with his small bag of supplies (though he did offer sanctuary to a RedVegiemon who had taken Fladramon's burning fist to his face and was still suffering severe scorch marks that reeked of burned tomato).

Taichi was the worst hit out of all of them; the RedVegiemon's fiery attacks had singed the back of his hair and his neck, leaving him with a patch of angry red skin along his collar. He'd taken off his jacket and tie and loosened his shirt, but had refused all other treatment, choosing instead to stand at the edge of the plaza and peer down towards the forest below. Jou moved to stand at his side, clearing his throat softly.

"Everything all right?" he asked, and quickly kicked himself. No, everything was not all right. If everything was all right, Taichi would have been handing out orders and rounding everyone up so they could move on to their next great adventure. Instead he was staring in to the distance with a mix of hope and despair playing across his face.

"I was hoping…" Taichi began, his voice so quiet that Jou had to strain to hear him. After a moment he continued, slightly louder than before. "With all the noise we made, anyone in a ten mile radius would have heard it. I thought I saw something moving in the trees and I thought-" Taichi stopped suddenly and swallowed, and the tight lump in his throat bobbed up and down nervously. His fingers curled in to trembling fists. Jou turned his gaze towards the trees below and for a minute he thought perhaps he saw something too – a slight twitch along the treeline. He pushed his glasses further up his nose and leant forwards, trying to figure out if the shadow at the edge of the forest was a friend, a foe, or (more likely) an errant tree branch dancing in the breeze.

Taichi took a deep steadying breath and turned back to the village, and Jou turned with him. For a moment they stood and watched the hustle and bustle of the digimon as they set their town to rights again. Already the Gazimon had handed out several lengths of rope, and together with the Vegiemon and RedVegiemon they were making quick work of breaking up the remains of the Tower and carrying them out of town.

"Any sign of her?" Taichi asked. Jou didn't need him to clarify who he meant, and he shook his head slowly.

"Not yet," he answered. "We were heading out to try and look for any sign of her when we found Gabumon." Taichi swallowed again and nodded stiffly. A shadow swept across the plaza and they looked up, following Birdramon as she circled overhead. Koushiro had confirmed that the destruction of the Dark Tower had removed any restriction on their digimon's evolution, and Birdramon was revelling in her freedom, swooping through the air and trilling jubilantly as she ducked between clouds. Sora too seemed overjoyed, and as Birdramon tucked herself in to a steep dive Jou saw Sora spreading her arms wide against the incoming gale.

"Are you coming home this time?" Taichi's question made Jou's heart hammer against his ribs, and he spluttered through several brief coughs before finally managing to compose himself. He nudged his glasses higher up his sweating nose.

"I can't," he said, hating the tremor in his voice. He cleared his throat again and mumbled about having too much to do – his field hospital was busier than ever, and he'd need to train apprentices and restock the supplies and look for strong guardians before he could even think about leaving – but there was something in Taichi's expression which suggested he wasn't really listening. As Jou trailed off in to silence Taichi fixed him with a strange look, but he said nothing further.

They made their way to Koushiro and Tentomon who were poking and prodding at the shards of the fallen tower. Koushiro straightened as they arrived, though he continued to frown down at his digivice.

"Looks like I can't get anymore data now that it's been destroyed," he said, clipping the device back on to his belt. He lifted his head and glanced around. "This does confirm my theory, though; the towers must extend the Kaiser's reach."

"And inhibit our ability to digivolve," Tentomon added. Koushiro nodded.

"We'll need to keep an eye out for them wherever we go," Koushiro said.

"The digimon here seem happier without it, too," Palmon added. Jou glanced around too; there was a definite pep in almost everyone's step, which made the stormcloud hanging over Gabumon that much more prominent. Taichi seemed to notice it too, and he crouched next to the digimon and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll find him, Gabumon," he said firmly. "Him and Agumon." Gabumon nodded a little.

Despite their victory they traipsed back down the mountain subdued. Jou trailed behind, wondering whether or not he should walk the others to the gate or leave them at the base of the mountain. The more he thought about it, the more he realised he wanted to stay with them. Human contact had been sorely missed over the past few years, and contact with the other Chosen was something he would treasure more than anything. But if he went with them to the gate, and if the gate pulled him through… He didn't know if he was ready to face up to his father and his brothers just yet.

It was a quandary that Jou had been debating since seeing Koushiro and the others. Personally, he couldn't be prouder of the work he had accomplished in the Digital World with his roaming hospitals, but he knew all too well that his father would have wanted him to have been making his way towards medical school by now. His work on digimon might be the first of its kind, but he could guarantee that if it had nothing to do with human medicine his father wouldn't want to hear a word of it.

And as for his older brothers… he wondered what they would be doing now. They'd both been well on their way to becoming doctors, following in their father's footsteps, but Jou hadn't forgotten his conversation with his eldest brother Shin in the shadow of the Convention Centre. Shin had told him it shouldn't matter what their father wanted, and that Jou should follow his own passions. While Shin had been a natural-born doctor, Shuu had had to work hard to earn their father's attention; he'd been away at a summer intensive when Jou had left for summer camp. Between them, Shin and Shuu had set their father's expectations staggeringly high, and not for the first time Jou was left wondering if perhaps it might be easier to just stay in the Digital World forever.

"Jou? Could we talk for a moment?" Koushiro's quiet voice pulled him from his reverie and Jou noticed that they had fallen some way behind the others. Jou nodded, and when Koushiro slowed down a little Jou was quick to match his pace, increasing the distance between them and the others.

"You're not coming back, are you?" Koushiro's question was more of a statement, and Jou shook his head. Koushiro seemed almost relieved behind his disappointment.

"Why? What's wrong?" he asked. Koushiro glanced ahead to Taichi before answering.

"Daisuke heard from the Kaiser that Hikari and Tailmon were heading north," he explained. "He seemed to imply that… that she wasn't likely to last long. It sounded as though she was up against some pretty dangerous odds, and if she survived then the Kaiser had some of his controlled digimon waiting for her." Jou swallowed heavily.

"North," he repeated solemnly. "We can search for her there. Is that why Taichi's so…" He couldn't put his finger on it. He certainly wasn't himself; or, that was to say, he wasn't the Taichi that Jou remembered. To his surprise, Koushiro shook his head.

"He doesn't know," Koushiro mumbled quietly. "It's… Things aren't as simple as they used to be." There was more to the answer, that much was obvious, but something about the way Koushiro never took his eyes away from Taichi's back kept Jou from asking. After a moment Koushiro cleared his throat and unclipped his digivice, studying the screen intently despite it only showing the standard map. "I've been trying to find something that might help. Miyako allowed me to examine her digivice – the new model – and they have a number of features that surpass our own. For example, they're not only able to track each other and us, like ours can, but these new devices can identify each other." Jou nodded, remembering the colourful dots that showed up on Iori's digivice that helped them track down Daisuke.

"You think you can use that to track her down?"

"Her and Takeru, and maybe Yamato and the Kaiser too. His dark digivice can't be too much different from the others-"

"Wait – the Kaiser has a digivice?" Jou hissed in surprise. "He's a Chosen Child – like us?" Koushiro's nod was slow and solemn.

"I'm afraid so," he answered, "but I think something has gone wrong. All these new Digidestined seem to take after some of us. For example, the armour that Veemon uses to digivolve seems to be formed from the crest of Courage, while Miyako and Hawkmon have Love, and Iori and Armadillomon use the crest of Knowledge. And forgive my presumptions, but based on the positive theme amongst our crests, I can't imagine there being a crest of Cruelty or Malice or Wrath."

"So you think perhaps he has one of our crests too?" Jou asked, sceptical.

"It's only a hypothesis at best, and I have very little to go on," he said, "and I could be clutching at completely the wrong straws, but I think perhaps there's more to this than meets the eye."

Their conversation fell short as they approached the small mound of earth that bore the dated television set. Here they paused, and Taichi again turned over his shoulder to scan their surroundings. They'd passed through the forest and emerged onto the dry, compacted ground, and Taichi was staring in to the distant trees. Sora placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and Taichi sagged heavily against her support.

"I guess we should head home then," he said solemnly. His dark eyes fell upon Jou. "You sure you won't come back with us?" Jou tried to smile as he shook his head.

"Maybe next time," he answered. "I've got-"

"Too much to do, I got it." For a moment Jou wondered if Taichi might try again to stay, but finally he gripped Jou's forearm firmly. "Be careful." Jou nodded.

Daisuke raised his digivice to the screen, and Jou found himself blinded by a bright flash of light. When it cleared, Taichi and the others were gone, as were Veemon, Hawkmon and Armadimon. Jou took a tentative step forwards, examining the world that appeared on the television screen. The others had landed in a tangle of limbs and feathers and claws, and Jou laughed as he watched them untangle themselves with a chorus of groans and yells. As Daisuke, Miyako and Iori each realised they hadn't been separated from their partners, the signal fizzled and was slowly replaced by a burst of static before the television screen went completely blank.

In the silence that followed, Jou heard something rustling in the trees behind him. A deep growl confirmed that Birdramon had not de-digivolved in Sora's absence, and the knowledge made him feel a little more confident as he turned back to the treeline. He straightened slowly and watched as a figure broke from the trees in a sprint. It was human-like in proportion, covered in foliage from head to toe with a long wooden staff strapped across its back, and Jou felt his palms break out in a film of sweat as it came closer, its long, loping strides bringing it too close too quickly, and Birdramon spread her wings with a warning cry. The figure skidded to a halt, and to Jou's surprise it started to laugh – a giddy, elated sound.

"I thought – when I saw – I can't believe it!" His familiar voice trembled, and he covered it with a laugh. "It's you! It's really you!" Jou blinked at the figure, watching as he lifted his hands to the vine-covered helmet. Golden hair spilled over his shoulders, and tear-filled blue eyes stared at him with such happiness and hope that Jou felt something warm settle in his chest.

"Takeru!"

Taichi sighed and sagged heavily against the kitchen counter, watching the rice spiral round and round the microwave. He needed to become a better chef, he mused. There was no point keeping his mother up to date on her medications if he couldn't even feed her properly. He needed to take a cooking course. He needed to look up some recipes online.

I need to find Hikari.

From the moment Daisuke had told him that he'd seen her, Hikari had consumed his every thought. It was becoming more and more difficult to focus at school, and soccer had become an inconvenience and not just a distraction. Even his mother's medications were administered absently, although he'd been doing it for so long it was hardly a task that required the utmost attention.

The shrill wail of the microwave drew him from his thoughts and he untangled his fingers from the delicate chain about his neck, tucking the crest back under his t-shirt. Yet again he'd messed up the timings, and as he tested a piece of chicken he found it chewy and dry despite the marinade. Not that his mother would notice. Whether he offered her burnt toast or caviar, she would ignore it all the same. He grumbled under his breath as he spread the rice across three bowls and poured the chicken and sauce on top, immediately wrapping one over and setting it back in the dark microwave to keep it safe from Miko. The cat had been sitting in front of the fridge for the last half hour, watching him hurry around the kitchen, swishing her tail and mewing excitedly whenever there was the slightest chance of food dropping on to the floor.

Three times they had tried to give the cat away to friends or neighbours, and three times she had reappeared in the apartment – curled up on Hikari's pillow or, after they'd gotten rid of the bunk beds, on their bedroom windowsill. As his mother's health began to decline, and as his father began spending more time in the office, it had been easier for Taichi to simply admit defeat and add cat food to the weekly food shop.

"Mom, here," he murmured as he pressed the bowl in to her hands. She continued to stare absently at the television, barely acknowledging the food or the utensils he wound between her fingers. Taichi stifled a sigh and returned to the kitchen, dropping heavily in to a seat at the table. He propped his cell phone against the empty vase that acted as a centrepiece and loaded up the highlights from the last match between FC Tokyo and Gamba Osaka. As he took his first mouthful of dinner, he was surprised to hear the front door open and close quietly. His father slipped off his shoes and slipped silently in to the kitchen, looking as though he might keel over at a moment's notice.

"There's a bowl in the microwave for you," Taichi offered, swallowing heavily. "It should still be hot." This was rewarded with an exhausted smile, and his father grabbed the bowl before joining Taichi at the table. Together they watched as keeper Masaaki Higashiguchi ruined yet another of FC Tokyo's attempts to score. He passed the ball to Omori who sprinted down the centre of the field, meeting almost no opposition.

"This wasn't a great game for Tokyo," his father said quietly. Taichi blinked in surprise and almost choked on his mouthful of rice, having been so used to meals in silence. He chased the mouthful with a gulp of water and blinked back the surprised tears that had pooled in his eyes.

"Yeah, it wasn't their best," he wheezed, taking another sip. He coughed again to clear his throat. After a moment of silence, his father sighed and rested his hands on the table.

"Your mother's not getting any better, is she?" Taichi took another slow mouthful of food before shaking his head. His father's jaw clenched tightly and he stiffened in his seat. "I thought not." Suddenly the soccer match seemed insignificant. Taichi turned it off and poked at his dinner, having lost his appetite. It seemed that his father's hunger had also vanished, with the meal barely touched. His father sighed heavily and pushed the food away.

"Why don't we get out of town?" his father suggested suddenly. "We could go visit your Aunt Kikuro. Your mother loves Odawara. I've been approved for some time off, and it would do us all good to get out of the city for a while. We could take a day trip to Hakone, spend the afternoon in Gora Park. Your mother loves the rose garden…"

"I can't," Taichi said with a shake of his head. "I have to… I need to stay in town." His father fixed him with his tired, dark eyes.

"But you haven't got any games coming up, so I'm sure you could miss a soccer practice or two," he said. Taichi stumbled for a moment.

"Sora and I are working on a project," he stammered. "It's for history. She'd kill me if I left her to handle it solo."

"And your mother is less important than a report?" Taichi winced, but the statement was said more with curiosity than with anger. "Sora's a smart girl, and she knows how hard you work for your mother. I'm sure she won't begrudge you taking some time off this once. And if she can't do it alone, then I'll write a letter to the school. Unless, of course, there's something else going on…" He fixed Taichi with such a knowing look that for a moment he wondered if his father knew about the Digital Gates opening up again and about Taichi's secret trips to the Digital World. He almost gave in, and the story was on the tip of his tongue before he bit it back. There was no proof; no reason for his father to believe him. The crest of Light burned against his chest, but a trinket was not a person and his father would not understand its significance. And perhaps some time out of Odaiba would do his mother good. He tried to smile when he told his father there was nothing else, but when he cleared his full plate away moments later his father was still watching him closely.

Yamato groaned and rolled on to his side, rubbing at his pounding head. Everything ached, and his palms still stung from the grazes he had earned when the Kaiser had thrown him in to his new home. He took a deep breath through his nose and grimaced; he was already starting to attract quite a smell.

He could only hope that Gabumon had found help.

"Ah, you're awake." Yamato groaned and rolled his eyes; the Kaiser's juvenile voice ground a little more of his nerves each time. He peered at the boy from the corner of his eye and forced a smirk.

"Ah, you're back," he said, mocking the Kaiser's tone. To his disappointment, the boy didn't rise to the jab. Yamato closed his eyes again, rolling onto his back and trying not to grimace at the shiver of pain that lanced up his spine.

"Are you enjoying your stay?" the boy sneered. Yamato tucked his hands behind his head in an attempt to appear casual. The cold stone bench froze his knuckles.

"Is there a reason you're checking up on me?" Yamato asked. "I think we both know that I've tried everything I can think of to get out of here." The Kaiser began to chuckle, and Yamato felt a knot twist in his stomach. He forced himself to remain calm when he continued, "Ah, you're here to gloat about something. Did you finally grow your first chest hair?" The chuckling slowly faded, and the Kaiser took a step closer to the bars of his cell.

"I found something rather interesting, and I thought you should be kept informed," he said coolly. Whatever caused the Kaiser to chuckle could not be good, and the fact that he was delivering it in person only increased the likelihood that he was here to enjoy Yamato's reaction first hand.

The Kaiser clicked his fingers, and Yamato twisted his neck to see the panels on the back wall of his cell shiver and morph into a large screen. He raised an eyebrow; the Kaiser might only be a kid, but Yamato had to admit that he had an impressive set up. The screen sprang to life with a burst of static, and two images appeared. On the far left, Yamato saw the top of a thick forest bathed in a burning heat, while on the right the land seemed colder and the trees further apart. The screens zoomed in, with the image on the left closing in on a small enclosure that wasn't covered by trees. A twitch in the foliage, and Yamato saw a head of navy hair emerge from the bushes.

He bit the inside of his cheek to hide his surprise, and was happy that his head was turned away from the Kaiser.

"A friend of yours; am I right?" the Kaiser prompted. Yamato let out a shuddering breath and shrugged as Jou paused to rub his glasses and talk to someone out of sight.

"An acquaintance," he said, trying to keep his voice vague and passive. This only seemed to make the Kaiser chuckle more.

"So just a friend in passing? A distant memory? I'm sure you wouldn't mind then if something were to happen to him." The screen on the right flickered as the image began to play, and at first he saw tiny wolf-like creatures chasing two ants across the ground. "What about them?" the Kaiser asked. "I could always pick them off and leave your acquaintance unharmed."

The image zoomed in, and Yamato realised with a terrified gasp that they weren't small digimon, they were giant trees, and the ants were in fact all too recognisable.

"No…" he breathed, feeling faint. Hikari had grown since he'd last seen her, but she looked just as small as ever as she sprinted away from the oncoming hoard. Close on her heels, Tailmon darted this way and that, deflecting what attacks she could with her tail. The Kaiser chuckled as Hikari stumbled and fell, and Yamato felt his heart jump to his throat as he watched the girl tumble through snow-dusted grass. In a heartbeat, she had unhooked the bow from around her shoulders and knocked an arrow, and with a silent yell she released it at the nearest wolf, fracturing the dark ring around its collar. Tailmon darted between its paws and swung at the ring with a furious cry. The ring shattered, and the wolf stumbled slightly, causing his brothers to falter. As he began to turn on his kin, urging them to stop, the Kaiser grunted and snapped his fingers again. Hikari and Tailmon disappeared as the image of Jou filled the screen.

"What about him?" the Kaiser asked. Yamato was about to snap that he'd already spoken for Jou when another figure emerged from the trees. At first, the body of vines and leaves made Yamato wonder if Gomamon had found himself a new evolution, but then his eye caught the shaggy blonde hair, the warm blue eyes, the vibrant smile-

"NO!" he roared, throwing himself to his feet. The room was filled with a burst of static, and suddenly Yamato was listening to the sound he had missed most: Takeru's laughter. It was just as bright and hopeful as ever, and Yamato felt weak as he beheld his brother for the first time in years.

"So there is a connection," the Kaiser drawled with a sneer. "And here I thought that it was just a happy coincidence. Such a shame he won't survive to meet you for a family reunion." Yamato threw himself at the bars, gripping them tightly.

"Don't you touch him!" he ordered. "If you hurt him, I'll-"

"You'll what?" the Kaiser asked, smirking. "Set your digimon on me? Oh, I'm terrified. A shame that he won't be able to help you either; the next time you see your little friend, he'll be wearing one of these." He revealed a Dark Ring from under his cloak, and Yamato reached for him, wanting nothing more than to feel the satisfying impact of his fist on the boy's pre-pubescent jaw. The Kaiser stood confidently out of reach, barely flinching. "Maybe I should set your Gabumon on him… Now that is a rendezvous I wouldn't want to miss! Perhaps I'll even bring you up to the bridge so you can watch it with me."

Yamato's heart skipped several painful beats, and his words died in his throat. The Kaiser laughed all the way down the dark corridor, his chuckles echoing as he strutted away. Yamato turned back to the screen, taking in every detail of his little brother. He looked so much older, and Yamato wondered how much of the eight-year-old remained. Whereas Yamato remembered him barely taller than Jou's hip, Takeru now stood almost at a height with Jou; just less than a head shorter. He was covered from the neck down in greenery and shrubbery, and Yamato saw a green helmet tucked under his arm. A small yell made Yamato jump, and suddenly Patamon emerged from the trees behind them, circling through the air before taking his all-to-familiar perch atop Takeru's head. Yamato smiled; some things never changed.

He kept staring long after the screens were taken away from him, and when he closed his eyes he saw Takeru smiling back at him.