AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Well, the bad thing happened. But I'm still here. And it's okay. So: Happy Friday y'all!

I'm just going to start with an advanced apology: I am sorry to anyone and everyone who knows anything about soccer (or, to use the correct name, "football". You use your foot to kick a ball. Foot-ball. But I digress). I am not a soccer fan, or even a huge sports fan for that matter, but this fic – this dang fic – made me do it. It made me write a soccer scene.

Thank you so much for all of the love that you have been showing this story. I have been blown away by the comments, reviews and DMs, and the likes and favourites and bookmarks. You are all too kind and I am so grateful!

With that said, I hope you enjoy!

MORE THAN A MATCH

When Yamato woke the next morning he was surprised by just how well-rested he felt. In comparison to the cold floor of the Kaiser's cell, and the stone floor of their mountain hideaway before then, the small pallet bed might as well have been a cloud. It was still early, judging by the pale pre-dawn light outside the hut. Gabumon was still sleeping soundly, as were Takeru and Patamon, and across the tent Yamato thought he could make out Jou's silhouette still curled beneath his blankets.

Carefully he slipped out of bed, tucking his digivice in to Gabumon's paw before creeping over to retrieve Taichi's bag from the pile beside a sleeping Tentomon. Inside he found an assortment of shirts and shorts alongside brand-new sets of underwear and socks still in their packaging (Yamato couldn't help but think that perhaps Sora had had something to do with that). He pulled an outfit together and tucked it under his arm before heading down to the river. He followed it upstream until he found a sharp turn where the surrounding riverbank and bushes would afford him some small measure of privacy, and after one final check to make sure he was alone he quickly stripped off and plunged in to the icy water.

He made it back to the fire shortly after dawn, dressed in Taichi's black polo-shirt and long khaki shorts. He crossed paths with Jou (who was wearing a loose blue t-shirt that barely reached the waistband of his long summer shorts) near the main campfire which was in the process of being lit, and when Jou saw the wet clothes draped over Yamato's arm he directed him towards the clothesline at the back of the big hut where he could leave them to dry.

Hikari joined them a little while later. Judging by the wet hair gathered at the base of her neck and the bundle of wet clothes in her arms, she too had been to the river to clean up before changing in to some of Miyako's clothes. She was wearing a loose yellow summer dress that was cinched at the waist with a braided brown belt, and a pair of thin cream socks that came up over her knee.

"You look nice," Yamato greeted as she sat beside him.

"Thanks. Sora left me notes." And from the pocket of the dress she withdrew a folded piece of paper where Sora had drawn a few different options for how Hikari could piece the clothes together to make a number of different outfits. Yamato raised an eyebrow and Hikari laughed again as Tentomon arrived with Miyako's bag of food, closely followed by Gabumon and Tailmon.

"Is that the food?" Gomamon asked, eyeing the bag hungrily as he circled the fire towards them. Tailmon nodded and Gomamon twisted over his shoulder. "C'mon, Jou, time to eat!"

"I should go get Takeru," said Yamato, though as soon as he said the words Takeru emerged from the hut, and Yamato blinked in surprise.

Whilst Taichi and Miyako (and Sora, no doubt) had been able to throw together outfits of some decency that were a close enough fit, Daisuke had left Takeru with an oversized grey t-shirt and a pair of too-small shiny soccer shorts that seemed to be creeping in all the wrong places judging by the awkward way he was walking.

"Nice pants," Yamato teased as Takeru sat down gingerly beside him.

"There was nothing else in the bag, and when I saw that Jou had changed I thought I'd go wash my old stuff and put this on," he said, tugging at the hem of the shorts. Patamon swooped overhead and took up his usual perch, looking down at Takeru's lap with a smile.

"I like them!" he chirped decisively.

"Of course you do; they're shiny," Tailmon teased.

"Was there anything else in my brother's bag?" Hikari asked, glancing between Jou and Yamato (and, pointedly, not at Takeru). Jou shook his head.

"Two shirts, and two pairs of shorts," Jou answered. "There was an undershirt and a jacket, and a spare pair of socks, but I don't think they'll help much."

"Thanks," Takeru sighed, "but it looks like I'm stuck like this until my clothes dry off."

"I'll go check on them for you!" Tentomon offered before fluttering off towards the hut. Hikari finally met Takeru's gaze then, and she pressed her lips tightly together as she tilted her head slightly.

"I might have a pair of pants that might fit," she offered. "We found them a while back but they were too big for me. We kept them in case they might come in handy."

Takeru went with her to retrieve them, and then came back via the big hut to search through what was left in Taichi's bag. By the time he was done Daisuke's clothes had been cast aside altogether, and Takeru had paired Hikari spare trousers with Taichi's undershirt, a pale grey hoodie which he let hang unzipped, and a navy cap.

"It might keep you from giving me any more bald spots," he said to Patamon who tested it out uncertainly.

"I can't help it if your hair is slippery," Patamon retorted. He hunkered down on the hat with a contented sigh. "This is much better!"

They picked out the perishables from Miyako's bag and quickly sorted them in to piles of what would need eating, what would need chilling, and what could probably survive a day or two in the shade. Beneath the food was a small collection of first-aid supplies, and Jou scooped them up excitedly to add them to his existing supplies, and he disappeared with Gomamon and Tentomon to update their inventory. Hikari and Tailmon left to forage for nuts and berries (with a promise that they wouldn't go too far) and Takeru looked as though he might have wanted to join them, only to glance at Yamato from the corner of his eye and settle back on the wooden bench.

"You don't have to stay with me, y'know," Yamato said. Takeru offered him a bright smile as he handed Patamon another candy bar.

"I want to," he answered. "I haven't had a chance ask you about, well, everything."

"Everything?"

"What happened to you after Apokarimon? Where did you go? Where have you been all this time?" Yamato chuckled and raised his hands.

"Ah – everything," he said. Takeru grinned and Yamato smiled. "Why don't you go first? You always were better at telling stories."

Takeru had been found by Ogremon a few days after their battle with Apokarimon, and they'd stayed with him a while before being discovered by Gennai. He spent a week or two at Gennai's underwater house until a distress call had arrived for Gennai whilst he had been out. Unsure of what else to do, Takeru had left a note and taken some supplies, and then he and Patamon had set out to help Elecmon at Primary Village, where they'd stayed for some time until the Kaiser's tyranny had pulled them away. It seemed they'd had a series of colourful clashes in the Kaiser's early days, and then Takeru had found the Digimental of Hope and the attacks had lessened (though Takeru had been dismayed to learn that the Kaiser wasn't gone, and instead had just moved his attentions further south).

Yamato's story was fairly boring in comparison. He and Gabumon had spent several months wandering a dense forest before finally coming across a small village of Tanemon who helped them find their way to the rolling fields beyond. Yamato had chosen a path at random, and had spent several days trudging along by himself until he had stumbled across Hikari and Tailmon. They'd stayed together for a couple of months until a fire had driven them apart. Yamato and Gabumon spent days looking for them with no trace until they had come across the Crest of Friendship carved in to the side of a mountain, and they'd stayed there in the hopes it would help Hikari and Tailmon – or anyone else – find them. They'd been oblivious tp the Kaiser and his cruelty until they'd overheard a chance conversation at the mountain market that had sent them towards Santa Geria.

They talked all the way until lunchtime, when Jou asked them if they wouldn't mind helping take food and refreshments to patients who couldn't make it to the fire. Takeru and Patamon ran back and forth bearing platters of food while Yamato and Gabumon made their way around the camp with two large canteens of water and a satchel full of whittled cups.

Hikari and Tailmon returned shortly after midday with sacks of nuts, berries and a haul of fish. While they sorted the food and ate a small lunch, Yamato watched Jou bid goodbye to a baby Pupumon who had finally regained the use of his injured wings. He left the camp in the company of a burly Gotsumon who promised to escort him back to his village on his way home.

At mid-afternoon the camp fell in to a lull, and Tailmon used the last of her catnip to brew a tea that helped shift the last aches and pains from Yamato's bones. The fire had died out after lunch, and Jou and Gomamon were building it back up ready for the evening.

"So no visitors today, huh?" Gomamon asked as he handed Jou another branch. Jou nodded.

"Looks that way." He sat back on his heels and dusted his hands. "It's almost a shame – I think I'm getting used to being around people again." Yamato rolled his empty cup between his hands.

"Well then why don't we go and see them instead?" he suggested. Hikari stiffened and Jou spluttered while Takeru sat up with a bright grin. "Taichi said something about a soccer game. Shall we go?"

"I – I don't know that we can," Jou stammered. "We don't even know how to get back-"

"We do," Tailmon said brightly, glancing up to Hikari who grimaced. "We've seen Daisuke and the others go through the gate a few times now."

"But we can't," Hikari countered.

"You haven't tried since your digivice evolved," Tailmon pointed out. "What if that's the key to opening the gate?"

"We won't know until we try!" Takeru said brightly. Jou cleaned his glasses on the corner of his shirt (perhaps, Yamato thought, to avoid the curious look Gomamon was giving him).

"But is it a good idea?" he asked. "What if they're not ready for us to come back?"

"What do you mean, Jou?" Gomamon asked.

"Well… What if they've gotten used to not having us around?" he asked. "We've been gone a while – what if things have changed?"

"What things?" Jou grimaced and slipped his glasses back on to his nose.

"Things… Things like beds. What if we don't have beds?"

"Can't you make one?" Gomamon asked. "You've made lots of beds in the Digital World!"

"It's different in our world, Gomamon," Jou answered with another grimace. My brothers and I… we used to share one room, and it was very cramped. What if they didn't keep the third bed? Or the wardrobe or my toothbrush?" Yamato might have laughed at the thought of a lost toothbrush if it didn't bring with it thoughts of everything else that might have been discarded over the years.

Yamato's father had always been a busy man, and Yamato wouldn't have been surprised if his room was exactly the way he'd left it before he'd gotten on the bus to summer camp. His mother, on the other hand, preferred a more minimalist life and was prone to frequent bouts of tidying with a bi-annual clear out. Would the contents of Takeru's room have begun to count as clutter over the years? How long had their parents clung to the hope that they would come home from a world nobody could return to? How long would they live with the clothes and toys and trinkets before they would be placed in to storage or given away?

"Then we have a back-up plan," Takeru said after a moment of thought. "If they're not ready for us to go home, then we'll invite everyone back here after the game to… hang out, I guess, and then we can just go home another time." Hikari fiddled with the hem of her dress.

"But what about the things Koushiro asked us to do?" she asked. "We were supposed to go back to the Kaiser's cells to see if we could help all those digimon."

"If we can find them again," Takeru countered. "The Kaiser will have strengthened his security, if he hasn't moved all the digimon to another prison. Wouldn't you rather go home, at least for an afternoon?" Hikari opened her mouth, and for a moment Yamato thought she might object until she smiled slightly and nodded.

"I… Yes. Of course I would," she said with a laugh that didn't sit right with Yamato. He frowned and she turned to Tailmon who had wrapped her tail around Hikari's ankle.

"Then let's go!" Takeru exclaimed. "There's gotta be a terminal nearby, and if our time is synced with theirs then maybe we can make it before the game starts!"

And that, apparently, was that. Takeru and the digimon took the platters to the river before anyone could object. Jou quietly excused himself to do one last frantic lap of the camp to find his delegates and make sure everything was in order, while Hikari muttered something about finding a jacket as she rushed back to her hut. Tailmon didn't move to follow, and after a moment she glanced at Yamato who answered the unasked request with a nod. He stood and stretched before following, pausing in the doorway to watch as Hikari pulled a pale blue cardigan from Miyako's bag. Then she reached for her satchel and tipped it out on to the nearby blankets. She sifted through the items, placing several back in to the satchel before she sat back on her heels with a heavy sigh.

"Something on your mind?"

Hikari jumped and span to face him, and for a moment he saw a rainbow of emotions flash across her face before she hid them all behind a smile as she invited him in with the assurance that nothing was wrong.

"Uh-huh…" he drawled. "So that wasn't you back there trying to find an excuse for us to not go home?" Hikari turned away without a word, turning her attention back to her belongings as she began to pack the rest away again. Yamato sighed and knelt beside her, dropping any pretence in the hopes that perhaps she would do the same. "Hikari, will you tell me what's wrong?" She paused, turning something over in her hands as she pursed her lips.

"It's nothing," she said, lifting her head with a smile. "It's just… It's silly. It doesn't matter."

"Hikari-"

"Here." His voice died in his throat as he stared down at the battered harmonica in her hand. Yamato reached towards it, hardly able to believe it was so close after missing it for so long. He curled his fingers around it, feeling the familiar cool of the metal against his skin.

"I found it after the fire," Hikari said softly. "Tailmon and I went out looking for berries because I was feeling better, and then we saw the fire. By the time we got back, everything was destroyed. We didn't mean to leave, but-"

"Trust me," he said, "I've never been happier that you didn't listen to me. I thought that…" He trailed off, unable to say the words out loud, and Hikari nodded slowly.

"We thought it too," she murmured. He slipped the harmonica in to his pocket.

"So, are you going to tell me why you don't want to go home?" She stiffened and curled her fists in Miyako's cardigan.

"I just… I think I'm better off here, that's all," she answered at last.

"But what about your family?" he asked. "They must miss you, and Taichi-"

"He doesn't miss me," she mumbled, though she seemed to regret the words. She dropped her head, hiding behind a curtain of hair, and Yamato frowned.

"That's not true, Hikari. I'm sure he's missed you more than anyone-"

"Then why hasn't he asked me to come home?" She lifted her head, her watery eyes burning in to him as her lip trembled. "If he wants me to go back, then why hasn't he asked?"

Yamato didn't have an answer to that, and Hikari lowered her head again, wiping at her eyes. He swallowed thickly and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in towards him and squeezing softly.

"I'm sure there's a reason. Maybe it's what Jou said – maybe he just wants everything to be ready for when you come home." She sniffed and dried her cheeks again, but said nothing. He gave her another squeeze before letting her sit up again. "And, hey, even if something has happened, you've always got me. And Takeru."

"And Tailmon," she murmured, leaning her head on his shoulder. He nodded and let his head rest atop hers.

"We're all here for you, Hikari. We're not going anywhere, and neither is Taichi. We don't have to be alone anymore." She sat up and dried her cheeks with a nod before busying herself with her belongings – wrapping her bow and her quiver full of arrows in blankets and tucking them next to the wall of the hut, and then after one last hug they made their way back to the others. Takeru was waiting with Gabumon, Patamon and Tailmon, and they were watching as Gomamon tried to pry Jou away from Floramon.

"And don't forget to wash the bandages every day – twice a day – and make sure they're dry before you use them again," Jou was saying in a panicked fluster. "And there's more antiseptic in the supply bags now, oh and plasters too, and proper pins for the bandages-"

"I know, I know," Floramon sighed. "I helped you put them away. Now go! We'll be fine!"

"If you want me to stay-"

"I want you to leave me in peace!" she laughed, though her petals bristled as she ushered him away. Yamato grabbed him by the shoulder and marched him out of camp, ignoring his fretting as he seemed to remember an endless list of things he'd forgotten to do. They passed by Tentomon who had taken to spending his afternoons patrolling the perimeter, and when Gomamon announced that they were looking for a Digital Gate Tentomon proudly informed them that he knew exactly where to find one. By the time they had left the cover of the trees, Jou had finally stopped fretting and Yamato removed his hand from Jou's shoulder.

They found the terminal barely ten minutes away from the forest, and as they approached the screen lit up with a burst of static that brought them to a halt. Suddenly Yamato felt nervous, and he stuffed his sweaty hands in to his pockets as he glanced back over his shoulder to Takeru who gave him a bright grin. Hikari smiled too, though hers was filled with uncertainty.

"I guess this is goodbye for now then, Jou," Gomamon sighed.

"G-Goodbye?!" Jou spluttered. Gomamon nodded.

"Tentomon hasn't been able to go back with Koushiro, so I'm guessin' I'll be stuck here without you for a while." Jou's face paled and he slid his glasses up his nose.

"Well then maybe I should stay-"

"Don't be silly!" Gomamon exclaimed. "You should go back and see your family. Maybe soon I'll be able to visit too."

"Does that mean Gabumon will have to stay here too?" Yamato asked, reaching for his partner's paw.

"Most likely," said Tentomon. "Koushiro thinks it's the new digivices that allow partner digimon to travel through the gate, so Patamon and Tailmon should be fine." Patamon's eyes lit up.

"I get to go to your world, Takeru?" he squealed. He barrelled in to Takeru's chest and Takeru squeezed him tight.

"Looks that way!"

"I'm glad we don't have to split up," Hikari said softly. Tailmon nodded and leapt up on to her shoulders, wrapping herself around Hikari's neck and rubbing their cheeks together. Yamato knelt down to bring himself to eye level with Gabumon who was smiling up at him.

"Will you be okay?" Yamato asked. Gabumon nodded firmly.

"I'll be just fine," he answered with a beaming smile. "I'll stay with Gomamon and Tentomon so you know where to find us." Yamato nodded and squeezed Gabumon's paw tightly.

"I'll try not to be away too long," he said. Gabumon wrapped his arms around Yamato's neck and hugged him tightly.

"You should go and see your family. I know you miss them, even if you don't say it." Yamato felt his cheeks flush, and he buried his face in Gabumon's fur until the heat melted away.

As they drew closer to the old television, the static on the screen slowly began to give way to an image. At first it was little more than a blurry silhouette, but the picture soon cleared to reveal a shock of auburn hair and Koushiro's surprised expression.

"Uh… hey, guys!" he greeted, blinking away his surprise. "I didn't expect to see you!"

"Same here!" Takeru laughed, kneeling down infront of the screen.

"Are you coming through?"

"If we can," Takeru answered. "Can you help us?"

"O-Of course! You just need to hold your D-3 up to the screen and the gate should open for you." Takeru nodded.

"Okay, here we go!"

"WAIT-"

The world exploded with light, wrapping itself around Yamato like a blanket and squeezing. His heart stopped and his breath caught in his throat, and for a moment he was shapeless within a void of data until suddenly he was tumbling forwards. His fingers clipped something hard and his face grazed something cold as he found himself wedged amidst a pile of bodies pressing at him from all sides.

"Sorry, Koushiro," Takeru wheezed. "Did I do something wrong?"

"I was only going to ask you to let me get out of your way," came Koushiro's muffled reply.

"Whose elbow is that?" Jou gasped. Hikari squeaked out an apology and soon the pile of bodies began to wriggle as people started pulling themselves apart.

"Careful, Patamon, you're on my tail!"

"Sorry!"

The weight on Yamato's back disappeared and he quickly rolled on to his side, freeing Koushiro who had been trapped beneath him. He pushed himself to his knees and straightened his tie and blazer before standing.

"We weren't expecting you!" Koushiro said, dusting off his sleeves.

"We came to watch a soccer game!" Patamon exclaimed. Takeru quickly shushed him.

"You have to be quiet, remember?" Patamon's eyes widened.

"Oh! Right!" And he dropped heavily in to Takeru's arms, still and stiff like a furry little statue before whispering: "We came to watch a soccer game." Takeru chuckled and tickled his tummy and Patamon stifled a squeal.

"What are you doing here?" Jou asked.

"I was trying to get some more time with the Digital Gate," Koushiro answered. "If I can figure out how to replicate it on my own computer, then we won't have to rely on using the computer lab and it'll be easier to come and go."

"You don't want to watch the soccer game?" Patamon asked.

"Soccer's not really my thing anymore," he answered. "But I can take you down if you'd like to watch?" Patamon nodded eagerly and Koushiro reached over to close the gate and shut down the computer. He packed his laptop back in to his bag and slung it over his shoulder before hesitating. "Remember, digimon aren't known here. The others are here too, but they're acting like stuffed toys when they're around other people."

"I can do that!" Patamon chirped before going stiff again, his little cheeks puffed with determination. After a moment his ears began to twitch and Takeru poked his cheek.

"You're allowed to breathe," Takeru laughed. Patamon let out a heavy sigh of relief. Tailmon meanwhile was staring at Koushiro with an arched brow, and when he merely shrugged she rolled her eyes and allowed Hikari to scoop her from the ground.

Koushiro led them through the school and out towards the pitch where a small crowd had gathered for the occasion. A coach was pulled up by a high embankment, and a procession of young boys in green shirts and black shorts were filing down the steps towards the field. Yamato spied Taichi some distance away, deep in conversation with Daisuke who was nodding intently at whatever Taichi was saying. They didn't notice as Koushiro led Yamato and the others along the side of the pitch towards the tiered benches where the seats were surprisingly full.

"The match is kind of a big deal," Koushiro remarked when Yamato mentioned the size of the crowd. "Tamachi have won the junior league by a significant margin for the last few years, while this is Odaiba's first year of being eligible to enter. It's only a friendly match, but against a team like Tamachi they need all the support they can get. Ah, there they are."

The others were sitting along one of the benches about halfway up the stands. Sora and Miyako were deep in conversation whilst Iori was looking down to a soccer-sized ball of cream fur in his lap. He was the first to spot them, and as Koushiro began to lead them up the stairs Iori leant in to Miyako. She glanced to him and then followed his gaze to Yamato and the others, and she shot to her feet with an excited squeal before scrambling over the others towards the stairs.

"You came!" she exclaimed. She made a beeline for Hikari and grabbed her wrist. "I'm so glad. I am not a soccer fan. I only came to see Ichijouji and he's not even here, so I need someone to keep me sane until this is all over!" Tailmon glared down at the hand around her partner's wrist while Hikari covered her surprise with a smile and allowed Miyako to drag her down the bench to a seat between her and Iori (she did manage a glance over her shoulder to Takeru who laughed and followed, setting himself on Iori's other side). Koushiro and Jou followed, shuffling past Sora to sit between her and Takeru, and Sora made everyone shuffle down to make room for Yamato.

"You came," she said as he sat down beside her.

"Yeah," he answered with a smile. She smiled back before turning to glance down the line, waving at Hikari who was quickly pulled back in conversation by Miyako who was scooping a small pink digimon off the ground and squeezing it tightly against her chest.

"Isn't that Taichi's jacket?" she asked, pointing to Takeru (who was being introduced to the small digimon in Iori's lap). "And… who's pants are those?"

"Hikari's," Yamato answered. Sora turned back, her eyes wide and a question on her lips, and Yamato laughed. "Trust me, it's better than Daisuke's clothes."

"Oh no," she said, laughing in to her hand. "What did Daisuke give him?" Yamato described the clothes with the straightest face he could muster, but at the memory of the shiny shorts he let out a snort that had Takeru glancing to him from the corner of his eye. Sora bit her lip to keep from laughing and looked like she might have had something to add when a sudden hush fell over the crowd.

"No! They can't start yet!" Miyako whined, pushing and pulling at her partner like an accordion as the teams began to move in to position. "He's not here yet!"

Down on the field, Taichi patted Daisuke firmly on the shoulder before making his way towards the edge of the pitch. He took a mouthful of water and ran a hand through his hair before turning towards the stands. At last he noticed them, and as he stared up at them slack-jawed Yamato leant back and offered a small wave with a sly grin. When Hikari waved at them he finally seemed to snap out of his stupor long enough to let out a bark of surprised laughter. On the pitch Daisuke seemed to have noticed them too judging by how he was jumping and waving (and generally making a fool of himself). Takeru and Jou were already waving back, but it was only when Daisuke had attracted Hikari's attention that he stopped with a grin and moved in to position. Yamato glanced to Sora who was watching the exchange with an amused smile, and Yamato found himself wondering if the baggy t-shirt and shiny shorts were really the only clothes Daisuke could spare.

Ken ground his teeth and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. Yet another of his menial feats had attracted the fascination of the masses, and the thrice-damned reporters had kept at him with their worthless questions in pursuit of unearthing something they might present as journalism. How long did it take? Was it hard to do? What was the hardest thing about being a genius? Worse than the questions had been the nasal, neurotic voice of the reporter from Fuji TV which, when coupled with the saccharine sweet floral perfume that she appeared to have bathed in before the interview, had left Ken with a pounding headache.

The car finally slowed to a stop and Ken cast his eyes over the meter: three thousand Yen exactly. Ken left strict instructions that it be charged to the school. He'd gone to great pains to remind the reporters that he couldn't have succeeded without the school's curriculum and facilities; surely a taxi fare was a small price to pay for all the free publicity he was bringing them.

He stepped out of the taxi and hitched his soccer bag higher, glad that he'd changed before leaving Tamachi. He cast his eyes over the pitch below; a sizeable enough crowd, though it seemed that the game was already at halftime judging by the way the teams were gathered around their coolers. As he began to descend the steps towards the pitch he found himself surrounded by a gaggle of excitable fangirls who swarmed around him like flies, swooning and sighing and begging for an autograph. He schooled his features into a well-practiced smile and quickly excused himself, striding forwards and forcing the swarm to scatter. Excitable murmurs began to ripple through the crowd as more and more people noticed his arrival, until a particularly shrill scream caught his attention.

He looked before he could stop himself, and for a moment the world was lost to blind fury as he stared at their familiar faces. They were all here, even her. He singled her out in a second, watching as she smiled down at the idiots on the pitch below. He had almost entertained that perhaps she was like him – lost and alone, but without the power to do anything about it – but any notion of similarities between them went flying of the window when the bespectacled girl beside her started tugging on her arm and she did little more than laugh. The taller girl was staring at him, slack-jawed, and when he flashed her his most dazzling smile he took great pleasure in her slight swoon. It took all his self-control to keep the smile from becoming a smirk; these insects were as docile as the rest of the swarm, it seemed.

"Ichijouji!" Coach Tanabe greeted warmly as Ken joined the team by the cooler. "We're so glad you could make it!" Ken eyed the scoreboard; 5-2 to the opposition. It was no wonder they were so happy to see him. He bit back a quick remark; it would not help him here.

"I can only apologise for the delay," he said, bowing his head and offering the coach his most charming smile. "I hope you haven't suffered too much without me."

"You have a busy life to lead!" Tanabe said. "We're just glad you could find the time." Ken smiled and ducked his head again before allowing himself to be pulled away by Hoshino. The boy removed the black band from his arm that marked him as team captain and quickly passed it to Ken, who accepted it with a gracious bow.

In the last minute of half-time he briefed the team on their path to victory. Unlike academics, which were easy to breeze through without much thought, soccer was a chance for Ken to stretch is tactical mind. This wasn't just kicking a ball through the grass; this was war, and it was undeniable that his troops had begun to perform better once he had made them understand that. Under his command it was no longer a game of simple attack or defence, nor of simply guiding the ball; with a player here and a pass there, it became a game of manipulation, not just of his own team but of those who opposed him.

All in all, it was not dissimilar to his strategy for the Digital World, only on a smaller scale.

They took their places for the second half and Ken had to force himself not to react as his opponent drew closer. The boy was walking backwards, shouting a last-minute joke to a teammate and allowing Ken to finally put a name to a face: Motomiya. They were of a height with each other, and when Motomiya finally turned to face him Ken almost laughed at the ridiculous way the boy practically dissolved before him.

"I-Ichijouji Ken!" he spluttered, practically buzzing with childish wonder. "Wow! I mean… yeah! Wow! It's an honour to play against you! I can't believe it!" He offered his hand for a handshake, but before Ken could take it a cry from the stands drew their attention.

"Daisuke! Do your best!" The girl was standing in the seats, her brown hair dancing behind her as she dropped her hands from her mouth and stood rigid. She wasn't staring at Motomiya; she was staring at Ken, squinting past a spill of colour on her cheekbone with a look of furious familiarity. Ken met her eyes and she lifted her chin by the barest fraction, as though she suspected – no. She knew. He smirked to hide his fury; that was an issue he would have to sort later.

"Nice friends you got there," he said, accepting Motomiya's handshake (and taking entirely far too much pleasure in how Motomiya could do little more than stifle an excited squeal).

With a sharp blast of the whistle, the second half began. Ken allowed Motomiya to take control of the ball, and for a while Ken merely followed as the boy took the ball down the field. Ken glanced over his shoulder to Fukuda, and with a sharp nod his teammate took a wide pass at the boy. Motomiya dodged the attack in plenty of time, tucking the ball beneath his feet and darting around Fukuda without breaking his stride. So he wasn't entirely unobservant, Ken noted, though if he'd been paying more attention he could have simplified the manoeuvre. He nodded to Igarashi and Asato and they closed in. Motomiya spied both of them from the corner of his eye a fraction too late and he had no other choice but to backpedal, knocking the ball between Ken's legs and twisting around him. Motomiya didn't even glance behind as he streaked down the field. For all that it revealed about him, Ken let it slide.

Sakamoto and Nomura sprinted forwards to block Motomiya on both fronts while Hayashi centred himself in the goal, waiting to see which way the ball would go should Motomiya slip past their defences. Fortunately for them, the boy wouldn't be given the chance.

Having learned all he wished to learn about the opposing captain's skills (or lack thereof), Ken sprinted to Motomiya's side and stole the ball with his usual ease. Ken's teammates had already positioned themselves strategically behind him, and once Ken had control of the match it was a simple matter of running the ball down the centre of the field. Surprised by the sudden turn of events the opposing keeper was too stunned to watch the ball correctly; he dove left and the ball sailed straight through the centre of the goal. Ken turned in time to see Motomiya's eyes flash as he realised he'd been played for a fool, and Ken could tell by the way he strode forwards that he wouldn't let it happen again. Good; it would be even more satisfying to crush the boy when he was giving it his all.

Despite the best efforts of the team in red (and they clearly were the team's best efforts, however laughable they might have been) the match continued in Tamachi's favour. Motomiya's teammates were even less competent than he was, and under Ken's command the Tamachi team were handling them with ease, leaving Ken to deal with Motomiya. Whether the boy realised it, the game had quickly dissolved in to a one-on-one match; the other players on the field were mere accessories, and without their assistance Motomiya fell for every trap Ken laid for him. If he'd known that a single game of soccer would reveal so many weaknesses, Ken might have offered a friendly head-to-head weeks ago.

The problem, however, didn't lie with Motomiya alone. On his own he was brash, bold and over-confident. It was the others at his side who helped keep him in check and stopped him from doing anything too reckless.

Perhaps that was the answer, he thought absently as the game drew to a close. They were so far ahead now that their victory was assured, and as usual Ken had released the reins a little, allowing his team the freedom to be a little more experimental with their strategy. Ken trailed after Asato as he brought the ball back down the pitch, but his mind was miles away. Separate the boy – no, separate the team. Pick them off one by one. For an added bonus, throw in a little distress, some disgrace, and a sprinkling of humiliation and he had the perfect recipe for-

The pain in his shin was sudden and blinding and Ken tripped over something large and fleshy. Suddenly he was skidding along the grass on his cheek, his mind scrambling to process what had happened, and when he finally came to a stop he rolled to his side to see Motomiya grinning victorious, still lying in the grass from his sliding tackle.

With the final whistle Ken drew himself to his feet and rejoined his team. He wiped the mud from his face and dusted the grass from his shorts as his teammates congratulated and thanked him in equal measure. Tamachi might have won, but more than Ken's leg was stinging from his personal defeat. When the teams lined up to congratulate each other for the match, Ken hung back, hoping that he might be able to avoid Motomiya amidst the pleasantries and make it back to the shuttle bus before he lost the last of his cool. He was not so fortunate; Motomiya was the last in his line too, and with nobody behind them there was nothing to stop the boy from keeping a tight grip on Ken's hand.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry about your leg," he said, still shaking Ken's arm vigorously. Ken forced a smile and Motomiya smiled back. "I just saw an opening and had to go for it, y'know? I'm sure you've done it hundreds of times."

"Thousands," Ken answered dryly, but the tone was lost on the boy.

"Ichijouji!" Hoshino called. "The bus is here!" Ken finally managed to extract his hand, and he used it to give Hoshino an acknowledging wave. When he turned back to Motomiya, the boy was still grinning like an excitable puppy.

"Hey, uh, how about a game sometime, just you and me?" he asked. "I'd love to really go one-on-one with ya sometime!" Motomiya shoved a hand in to his pocket and withdrew a crumpled piece of muddy paper with a phone number on one side and an e-mail address on the back. Ken allowed himself an indulgent smirk as he plucked it from the boy's grubby fingers.

"I look forward to it."

Despite Odaiba's defeat, Daisuke had been in high spirits after the match and had only stopped talking about his tackle against Ichijouji when Miyako had berated him for not getting an autograph. After narrowly avoiding a lengthy tongue-lashing, Daisuke had regaled them with how "The Rocket" had agreed to a game some time – just the two of them. Daisuke had repeated the soccer star's words a hundred times before Sora had been successful in changing the conversation.

Unfortunately, they didn't start talking about where Hikari and the others were going to stay for the night, and the uncertainty hung over her until she thought it might suffocate her. As soon as the opportunity arose, Hikari found herself telling the others about the picnic, and once the plan was agreed she had volunteered to return to the Digital World – alone – to gather the food from the camp and scout out somewhere for them to eat while Taichi and Daisuke showered and changed.

"How about that spot up the river where we were fishing this morning?" Hikari suggested as she and Tailmon picked their way through the trees back towards Jou's camp. "It's not that far from the gate, and it's pretty secluded." Tailmon nodded.

"And well-hidden," she added. Hikari glanced at her as their hut came in to view.

"You think there might be trouble?" she asked. Tailmon nodded.

"We broke in to the Kaiser's prison and freed a prisoner," she said. Her lips curled in to a satisfied smile. "And Takeru punched him. Twice. I'm surprised he's not tried to retaliate." Hikari shivered; in all the excitement of being reunited with (almost) everyone, she'd tried not to think too much about their last run-in with the Kaiser.

"Maybe I'll bring my bow," she said softly. "Just in case." Tailmon nodded, and they veered towards the small hut. Tailmon led the way inside, only to freeze, and as Hikari's eyes adjusted to the dim light within she saw why.

"What are you doing here?" Hikari demanded. The Kaiser chuckled darkly and turned to face her, tucking his hands behind his back.

"Waiting for you, actually," he answered. Tailmon growled low in her throat.

"What do you want?" she hissed. The Kaiser brought a hand to his chin with a thoughtful hum.

"What do I want?" he repeated slowly. "Well, complete control of the Digital World would be a good place to start. Perhaps your friends grovelling at my feet. But right now, what I want, is you." A chill ran down Hikari's spine and she glanced to her bedroll, only to see the blankets in disarray. The Kaiser chuckled.

"Looking for this?" His other hand emerged from behind his back, his fingers wrapped tightly around her bow. Hikari sucked in a sharp breath as the Kaiser turned it over in his grip, examining the nicks and scars. "It is beautiful. And what a story it tells. Didn't I give you this one?" He pointed to a particularly large dent and smiled. "Yes, I did. Such a shame that its story has to come to an end." He gripped the bow firmly and bent it the wrong way until the wood cracked and splintered. Hikari's heart plummeted.

"Hikari!" Tailmon snapped. She bounded past Hikari's ankles and slipped outside. Right. Outside. Tailmon could evolve outside. Hikari sucked in a breath and tried to follow, but something thin and sharp snared her neck as the Kaiser looped the string of the bow over her head and pulled it back sharply.

"I don't think we'll be evolving today, do you?" he hissed. Tailmon froze. The Kaiser chuckled and pressed Hikari forwards, the string of the bow still wrapped around her neck. "And don't think of asking for help. Nobody will hear you." He marched her towards the big hut, and Hikari bit her lip as she saw the scorched dwellings all around them. The firepit had been trampled, and the roof of the big hut had been destroyed beyond repair.

"What did you do?" Hikari sobbed. She felt the Kaiser shrug. "Where are they?"

"Most of them fled," he answered. "They were of no use to me. As for the others… they should not have fought back." He tightened the string around Hikari's neck and she whimpered. Tailmon growled and flexed her claws, but shadows shifted behind her as several of the Kaiser's minions emerged. They were outnumbered; laughably so. Hikari clenched her eyes shut and bit back tears, and the Kaiser chuckled.

"Now, how about we spend a little time together?" He clicked his fingers and a shadow swooped overhead. He unwound the string from her neck and cast the bow aside, but before Hikari could break for freedom he had wrapped an arm tightly around her waist and leapt impossibly high in to the air. An Airdramon swooped below them, and Hikari heard Tailmon yowl. She twisted in the Kaiser's grip to see several fiery Coronamon pinning her down.

"Don't hurt her!" Hikari begged.

"Don't worry," the Kaiser hissed. "She's coming with us." Another Airdramon flew through the camp, its tail sweeping huts and shelters aside, and the Coronamon bundled Tailmon on to its back. Soon the camp had disappeared beneath the canopy of trees, and Hikari let out a choked sob as she saw the clouds of thick, black smoke that twisted in to the sky.