AUTHOR'S NOTES:

One day, I will have a consistent update schedule again…

I am so sorry for leaving you in the dark for 2 whole months (I honestly thought it had been like 3 weeks). Life is crazy.

Thank you so much for all the love on the last chapter! I always knew going in to this that Vamdemon was still going to be my Big Bad, but I didn't wanna wait until the finale for him to show his fanged face.

Hope you enjoy where the story goes from here!

SOMETHING TO DO

The café was warm and cozy, filled with the enticing smell of coffee and a warm buzz of chatter and clinking mugs.

They were sitting n the same booth they'd been in almost three years ago when Taichi had reached for her with sweaty palms and stumbled over his confession that he needed her, wanted her, loved her. Over a coffee not unlike the one Sora had now, he had poured his heart out to her, truly speaking to her for the first time since their return. Sora could still remember the butterflies in her stomach.

The booth was unchanged. Even the weather was much the same; the warmth of late-summer and the gentle haze that had settled beneath the cloudless sky. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that she was just turned ten and Taichi's endless stirring was not absent or distracted, but rather nervous and excited.

He was staring out of the window, chin resting on his hand and brow knotted in a troubled frown. Sora had tried to start several conversations about the coffee or the weather or the cake that sat untouched between them, but Taichi's mind was a thousand miles away and Sora had selfishly sealed her lips, knowing exactly what he wanted to talk about but not quite having the courage to bring it up. For an hour, just an hour, she'd wanted to pretend that they were normal.

Taichi had always been their leader, even when there had only been four of them to lead and nowhere to go. He'd tried to tear himself away from it, shunning any and all responsibility when he finally accepted that there was no way back to the Digital World or his sister. Sora tried not to remember the painful months that followed when Taichi refused to talk, barely speaking at school and retreating from everyone and everything as he tried to keep his parents from falling apart. She'd tried to forget the way Mimi had cried when he refused to come to say goodbye before she moved away, and she'd tried to bury the way Taichi had cried when he'd lost his chance to talk to her.

In many ways, Mimi's departure had saved him. It had forced him to accept that the world would not stop for him and his grief. In weeks that followed, Taichi slowly began to piece himself back together. Mimi received a long email apologising and asking how she was doing. Slowly Taichi began inviting them back in to his life, sharing his ailing mother and telling them how his father had left them for work, and when he finally found his feet beneath him again he had taken Sora out for coffee.

Now it had been a week since they had been locked out of the Digital World, and Sora was beginning to see traces of the old Taichi reappearing. Longe, pensive silences. A shadow behind every smile. The situation was somewhat better than before, given that they were all together – digimon and humans like – but Taichi was still left with the knowledge that there was an enemy to fight but no way to fight him. Being powerless did not suit Taichi; it seemed impossible for him to bear it gracefully.

She sighed quietly, lifting her tepid latte to her lips. The froth had long since melted and the mug no longer steamed. The drink slid down her throat, cool and tasteless, and she scrunched her nose at the texture before setting it back down on its saucer. The gentle clink drew Taichi's attention, and he blinked several times before offering her a small, sheepish grin.

"Sorry," he mumbled. He glanced down at his coffee; the froth had gathered in pitiful clumps, and he gently nudged it away.

"You have a lot on your mind." She paused, steeling herself. It wasn't fair to Taichi to hide from it any longer. "Do you want to talk about it?" He shook his head, then paused, and then slumped against his seat with a defeated sigh.

"I wouldn't even know where to start…" His hand moved to the back of his neck and he rolled his head from side to side. A tension headache. It had been creeping up on him for days; Sora had seen it in the stiffness of his shoulders and the occasional grimace. She reached in to her jacket for the sheet of aspirin she'd pocketed several days ago in readiness. When she slid it silently across the table, Taichi gave her a look that was half amusement and half relief. He chased the pills with a mouthful of cold coffee and a grimace.

"Mimi e-mailed," she said as he slipped the rest of the sheet in to his pocket. "She and Michael got home okay. They had to check Palmon and Betamon as hold luggage." Mimi had sent pictures of their borrowed suitcases, which had been padded to the brim with pillows and blankets and snacks to keep the digimon comfortable for the long-haul flight.

"That's good." More silence. Taichi lifted his fork to poke at the slice of cake, and then thought better of it and put the fork back down again.

"How's Hikari?" Taichi let out a small groan, his lips twitching to something that was either a smile or a frown. Maybe it was both.

"She keeps saying she's fine," he answered. "Tailmon's still not quite recovered from what the Kaiser put her through, so whenever I ask Hikari how she's doing she just says she's worried about Tailmon." Sora nodded. Piyomon refused to speak about it, but Sora saw her checking her leg every now and then, and she'd caught her partner jolted from sleep more than once.

"You're worried about her."

"You saw how she was when we told her what happened with Vamdemon. What he said." He sighed and picked up his fork, turning it over and over in his hands. "It's like she feels personally responsible for bringing him back, like it's her fault the Digital World is danger, only Tailmon isn't exactly taking it well so Hikari's pretending like she's fine. She's so… stubborn." Sora smiled.

"And where do you think she gets that from?" Taichi ignored her, slumping back in to his seat with a pout. Sora tried not to laugh.

"And now she's decided she wants to save the damn Kaiser," he growled, toying with the fork so vigorously that Sora half expected him to bend it in half. "I can't even insult the guy without her frowning at me. It's like she forgot that he took our partners and turned them against us!"

"Vamdemon did make it sound like he might have had something to do with it," Sora offered. Taichi's shoulders slumped a little.

"Don't worry, I know. She keeps telling me." He huffed, gripping the fork by its prongs and tapping the handle repeatedly against the back of his hand. "There's just something about him, y'know? He was too good at being mean. He enjoyed it. Yamato was right – he's not just some dumb kid following orders. Ichijouji is smart. But I try and tell her this and she just doesn't listen. I'm worried she's gonna do something reckless. Again."

"She's not a little girl anymore," Sora said as gently as she could (because Taichi knew, and she knew that he knew, even if he liked to forget sometimes). "She can take care of herself."

"But that's the other thing," he countered, sitting forwards and pointing with the handle of the fork like an accusatory finger. "You saw her out there against the Kaiser, throwing herself around and jumping headfirst in to danger. She's reckless and impulsive and – what are you laughing at?" Sora was biting her lip to keep from giggling out loud, but she couldn't hide the shaking in her shoulders. Taichi didn't look amused.

"Reckless, impulsive, stubborn… Don't you see it? She's become you!" It took a moment for Taichi to process what she'd said, and when the words finally registered he slumped back in his chair and let the fork fall onto the table with a noisy clatter.

"She shouldn't have," he grumbled. "I'm an idiot." Sora's giggles faded and she reached across the table, taking his hands in hers and giving them a gentle squeeze.

"You're her big brother," she soothed. "And if being like you is what's kept her safe so far, then maybe you're not as much of an idiot as you think." Taichi opened his mouth, but whatever he'd been planning to say quickly faded away and he instead sighed and tugged gently on her hands, pulling her closer until they were almost nose-to-nose over the table.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, leaning in closer until their foreheads were pressed together. Sora placed a kiss on the tip of his nose.

"It's okay." And this time, it truly was. "You have a lot on your mind. It's good for you to get it out in the open." He shook his head, his eyes burning in to hers.

"I don't just mean today," he said, his voice suddenly solemn. He leant back, holding her hands tightly in his own as he turned to stare out of the window again. "I've not paid as much attention to you as I should have. To us."

"Well with Hikari coming back and the Digital World open again-"

"But even before then," he countered, turning back to her. "You've been there through thick and thin, dealing with my parents, dealing with me… You deserve a nice, normal boyfriend who buys you flowers and takes you to the movies. When was the last time I did anything nice for you?" Sora faltered; there were a hundred lovely things he'd done for her, she knew, but her words failed.

"There's today," she finally answered, and immediately kicked herself.

"Exactly, and look at how that's turned out," he sulked. "I wanted to spend some time with you, just the two of us, and instead I can't stop thinking about how Vamdemon is probably destroying the Digital World and there's nothing we can-" Sora tugged him closer, almost enjoying the way his breath hitched in surprise. She waited a moment to ensure she had his full attention before rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand in small, slow circles.

"Taichi, we were never going to be normal," she began softly (because no matter how much she denied it, it was pointless to pretend to be something they weren't). The tempest behind Taichi's eyes calmed just a little, and she smiled. "We haven't been normal since summer camp, and we've been through so much. We've battled monsters, seen other worlds, been turned in to keychains…" She paused, intertwining her fingers with his. "We lost our friends, and we had to live with it, knowing that we would never really tell anyone what happened. And then we found them again. We always thought everything would be better when we did, but it was never going to be that simple. Life never is. This relationship could never be about just us. We have our friends, our partners, our families, the Digital World… they're all tangled up in each other. And that's okay."

Taichi's eyes had become glazed and unfocused, like he was staring through her. He was lost in some deep thought again, and Sora sighed through a smile, wondering when she'd lost him. She tugged on his hands gently. "Taichi?" He blinked, and when his eyes met hers she saw a them alive with possibilities.

With hope.

"Summer camp." Sora tilted her head, confused, and motioned for him to go on. "That's where is all started. Why can't that be where it all ends?"

"I'm not sure I'm following-"

"Think about it," he said, his eyes sharp and clear and intensely focused on her. "That's where we first went to the Digital World. What if there's some sort of weakness there; some way to access the Digital World without using the gates?" Sora chewed her lip thoughtfully but Taichi's mind was made up. He reached for his phone, frantically tapping out a message – to Koushiro, she guessed. He sent it, and a few second later his phone buzzed in his hands. Taichi's face lit up.

"He thinks I could be on to something!" he exclaimed, slipping the phone back in to his pocket. He grabbed his jacket in one hand, and grabbed Sora's hand in the other. "C'mon!"

"Come on! One more slice!"

"Daisuke, I'm full!"

"Naw, c'mon, it's the last one. You can't just leave it!"

"Really, I can't."

"Then I guess I'll hafta have it!" He grinned victorious as he grabbed the pizza from Hikari's plate, demolishing it in three large mouthfuls. Hikari giggled, leaning back in her chair and placing a slender hand over her stomach.

"I don't know how you can eat so much," she laughed. Daisuke grinned.

"The Motomiya appetite is world-famous!" he boasted, puffing out his chest and feeling the pizza and soda slosh around inside his stomach. (Perhaps he had eaten a little too much.) "One time, my sister finished off twelve whole boxes of cookies because she was feeling snacky." Hikari laughed again, and Daisuke beamed. She hadn't laughed much while she and Tailmon had been apart. It was nice to hear her laughing again. Her eyes flicked to his chin.

"You… You've got a bit of sauce… here…" she said, trying to point out the area on her own chin. Daisuke grinned and stuck out his tongue, which only made Hikari laugh more. "No, other side." His tongue lolled out of the other side of his mouth and Hikari rolled her eyes. Still laughing, she pulled a napkin from the pile and reached towards him. Daisuke's breath hitched as she gently wiped the sauce from his face. His cheeks burned.

"There, got it all," she said with a smile as she crumpled the napkin.

"Th-thanks."

"Ice cream machine's broken," Miyako announced loudly as she slid back in to her seat, placing two drinks between them, "so of course that means no milkshakes. I didn't know what to get you, Hikari, but Takeru said you'd probably like this one." She nudged one of the cups towards Hikari as Takeru and Iori rejoined them. Iori passed Daisuke his drink. Hikari peeled back the lid, glancing down at the soda inside.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Delicious," Takeru answered before taking a large sip of his own drink. Hikari raised an eyebrow.

"It's green." Takeru laughed.

"Hardly the weirdest thing we've ever drank, given how unpredictable the Digital World is. I once drank something that looked like orange juice that tasted like mouthwash. Go on, try it." Hikari put the lid back and took a tentative sip through the straw. After a moment her eyes widened, and she smiled as she drank some more.

"What flavour is it?" she asked, taking another sip.

"It's supposed to be melon," Miyako answered, "but it's way too sweet. They need to bring the peach back – that was delicious."

"Miyako used to come here every day after school when they had it," said Iori. "She blew threw her allowance in less than a week."

"And I'd do it again!" she proclaimed, taking a loud slurp of her soda.

Daisuke stuffed his mouth with a fistful of fries to keep from grumbling, trying his best not to sulk.

After a long, tense week of school and unable to vent their frustrations in the Digital World, Daisuke had thought of no better way to spend his Saturday than to take Hikari for pizza. After several days of gathering his courage (a phrase DemiVeemon laughed at without ever explaining why), he had finally stumbled out an invitation.

"That's a great idea!" Miyako had chirped, appearing from apparently nowhere just in time to invite herself along. "We should bring Takeru, too – and Iori!" And then she had taken over Saturday's schedule with no consideration to the plans he might have already made.

(Although, having spent so much time just preparing to ask the question, he hadn't actually gotten around to planning any of the details, and he still wasn't sure what he would have actually done if Hikari had said yes and Miyako hadn't stuck her nose in.)

"So, what do you guys wanna do now?" Miyako asked, looking to Hikari and Takeru. They glanced at each other with a shrug.

"What would you guys normally do a Saturday?" Takeru asked. Miyako reached for another fry, twirling it through her fingers.

"Usually working," she answered. "Mom and dad do stock take at the weekends so they make us work the counter, and everyone else usually makes plans so I have to cover."

"What about you, Daisuke?" Hikari asked. Daisuke grinned.

"Video games," he answered. Miyako sat up a little taller.

"What kind?"

"Soccer, mostly. Gotta keep my skills sharp!" He flashed Hikari and grin and saw Miyako roll her eyes.

"Iori?" Takeru asked.

"Normally I'd be helping my grandfather at the dojo."

"Do you usually have a class today?"

"No, but on Saturdays I help grandfather clean and tidy the equipment." Hikari smiled and Takeru nodded.

"We could go and help too," Takeru suggested. "Your grandfather did get me in to a class and he helped Hikari get access to the Kyudo range. It would be nice to repay the favour."

"That's very generous," Iori answered, politely shaking his head, "but grandfather didn't ask for anything in return." Daisuke panicked; the last thing he wanted to do on a Saturday afternoon was to spend it in a musty old dojo cleaning sticks and bows.

"It's not about asking," Hikari said with a smile. Daisuke glanced to Miyako, hoping she would interject, but she was leaning back in her chair absently munching on a fry.

"O-o-o-or…" Daisuke began before he could stop himself. Every eye turned to him and his mouth ran dry. He floundered for an idea. Soccer? No, he didn't want to have to explain the rules to Takeru, and Miyako would only whine. The arcade? He didn't really take Iori for the video game type, although maybe he could convince Miyako to teach him and Takeru how they worked while Daisuke challenge Hikari to a little one-on-one table soccer-

A sudden shrill beeping drew everyone's attention, and from various bags and pockets they withdrew their D-Terminals. Daisuke breathed a sigh of relief and pulled his from the pocket of his shorts.

FROM: Taichi
TO: Everyone
Got an idea on how to defeat Vamdemon. Meeting at Yamato and Takeru's place ASAP.

"I wonder what it could be," Takeru muttered, glancing to Hikari who gave a small shrug in response. Daisuke gripped his drink.

"We'd better not keep 'em waitin'," he said, wrapping his lips around his straw and gulping down his soda. The ice cubes rattled, and about halfway through he felt a stabbing pain behind his eyes. He recoiled, his head jerking to the side as he spluttered: "Brain freeze!"

"You know you can just bring it with you," Miyako sniggered. Daisuke glared at her (though his left eye refused to co-operate, frozen in place, and it felt more like a crazed squint). Miyako laughed again, taking a pointed sip from her drink as she headed towards the door with Iori in tow. Hikari and Takeru waited for him, the former holding out his jacket for him.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Daisuke grinned.

"Sure am!" he lied, ignoring the ice pick wedged in his brain. He shrugged his way in to his jacket and swiped his half-finished soda from the table. "Let's go!"

The digimon were already at Takeru's place. His parents' apartment was almost in the middle of everyone else's, and it had made as good a meeting spot as any, with the added bonus that his parents already knew about digimon so their partners could move freely around the apartment without worrying about anyone coming home too soon. Daisuke felt like he was spending more time at the Ishida-Takaishi apartment than in his own home. Between soccer club (which had become more intense since their stinging defeat to Tamachi), trips to the Digital World (which started and ended in the Ishida-Takaishi lounge), and their unofficial de-briefings (which became more and more official each time they happened), Daisuke only really went home to sleep and eat (and even then, Takeru's dad liked to make sure they were well-fed and often takeout or had something delicious in the oven).

The elevator in their apartment building was old and rickety and far too small for all five of them to fit inside together. Daisuke headed for the stairs out of habit, pausing as he heard the ding of the elevator arriving.

"I don't think I can handle the stairs after all that pizza," Miyako muttered, glancing apprehensively at the staircase.

"You really should work on your stamina," Iori said, his tone polite but very matter-of-fact. Miyako pouted.

"I know, but… the elevator is right there…" she said, glancing dramatically over her shoulder. "It would be a shame not to use it." And when she inched towards it Iori gave a heavy sigh.

"I'm taking you with me next time Grandfather goes for one of his walks," Iori said, his voice half-promise and half-threat. Miyako only grinned and made for the elevator, dragging Iori along with her.

"You guys coming?" she asked. Daisuke didn't miss the way Takeru and Hikari eyed the elevator cautiously before answering.

"I think I'm just going to take the stairs," Takeru finally answered. Hikari nodded.

"I need to walk off all that food," she added, as if they hadn't already walked five blocks from the pizza place. Miyako shrugged and reached for the buttons.

"Suit yourselves!" she chirped, waving as the elevator doors slid shut. Takeru chuckled, glancing down at Hikari.

"Enclosed spaces not your thing either?" he asked as he led them towards the stairs. She smiled and shook her head.

"Not when I can avoid them," she answered. "What about you, Daisuke?" He shrugged.

"I mean I don't mind 'em, but they always smell. It's like every apartment building in the city uses the same cleaning spray and it makes my nose itch." The tip of his nose began to tingle just thinking about it, and he scrunched up his nose to make it go away. Hikari giggled.

Miyako and Iori were waiting for them when they left the stairwell. Takeru led them down the walkway towards his apartment, and called out a quiet greeting as he opened the door and led them inside. Miyako and Iori followed, and Daisuke held the door open for Hikari who paused.

"Thank you for today. I had a really nice time." She smiled softly and Daisuke's heart skipped a beat. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and smiled back.

"Me too."

It had taken the better part of an hour to get everyone gathered in their small apartment (except Mimi, who joined them via video link on Koushiro's laptop), and another twenty for Taichi to explain his idea. Badly. His excitement to finally have something to do spilled in to his words, and whilst Yamato knew enough to understand the significance of what little he could make out, it was clear that the newer members of the team weren't quite as lucky.

"So there's a big evil digimon in the Digital World, and we're going… camping," Daisuke said slowly, his eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Camping's just a cover," Sora answered. "We'll tell our parents that we're going camping with Mr Ishida, but if all goes well then we'll hopefully find a way back to the Digital World."

"So battle the evil guy during the day, and then come back home for s'mores and ghost stories at night."

"Not quite. If we do find a gate to the Digital World, it won't be like the one you're used to. We might not be able to come back right away."

"So we will be camping," Takeru added, "We'll just be in the Digital World instead."

Yamato liked being at home. He enjoyed being with his family – all of his family, even if it was a bit awkward at times when Takeru wasn't around – and he enjoyed the little things like air conditioning and hot water on command and knowing that what you ordered from the vending machine was what you were going to get.

But when Taichi had explained that his plan would probably mean spending some time in the Digital World, Yamato had struggled to hide his relief. Home was nice, but home was noisy. From the constant humming of electronics to the always-present hum of traffic and the noises from their neighbours, Yamato had felt like he hadn't had a moment of true silence since coming home, and he needed a break.

He wasn't the only one. Hikari had practically beamed at the idea, while Jou's face had melted in to a relieved sort of half-smile. Even Takeru, who seemed to have had no problems adjusting to life back in the analogue world, had smiled a little too eagerly.

"I think it's a wonderful idea!" Poromon chirped, wiggling his way out of Miyako's arms. "I think it would be good for you to spend some time living in our world."

"I dunno," Miyako mumbled, chewing nervously on her lip. "This guy seems really powerful, and what if Sora's right and we can't come home again? Ever? I mean you guys thought you might never come home when you first went to the Digital World. What if we end up stuck there?"

"It's a chance we have to take," Sora answered. "Our partners weren't made to survive in our world. The longer they're away from home, the weaker they'll become."

"And there's no guarantee that Vamdemon will stay in the Digital World," Taichi added, his expression grim. "He's already tried to take over our world once. It wouldn't surprise me if he wanted to try again." Yamato's mood soured a little at that, his thoughts straying towards Vamdemon's last visit to their world. He noticed Hikari running her fingers through Tailmon's fur, her hand lingering on her partner's back. Jou turned towards Koushiro's laptop.

"Mimi, will you be coming with us?" On the screen, Mimi stifled a yawn and pulled her duvet tighter around her shoulders. It was a little past one in the morning for her.

"I can't make it back to Japan in time," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Michael still has the gate on his laptop, so we'll join you once it's working again."

"This is all assuming we can even get to the Digital World in the first place, and that we can figure out what's stopping the gates from working," Koushiro interrupted, his face set in a deep scowl as he continued tapping away at his laptop. "We're working on less than a theory here. This could all end in a simple, disappointing camping trip."

"Well it will with that attitude," Mimi answered, sticking her tongue out at him. "Send me lots of pictures, okay? I wanna see how the campgrounds look now."

"I don't think my mother will let me go camping with a chaperone she's never met," Iori said quietly. Taichi leaned back in his chair with a smile.

"Don't worry. Hiroaki – Mr Ishida – has already said he can go round and introduce himself to your parents if they wanna meet him before we head out." Yamato glanced at Taichi then, an uncomfortable feeling brewing in his stomach. "He already knows about the Digital World, and he's happy to cover for us if any of our parents call and we're not there. And," he added, looking at Hikari, "Natsuko's said she'll check on mum while we're away."

Yamato shifted uncomfortably, aware that the conversation was carrying on around him but too distracted to listen. He frowned at the feeling niggling behind his navel. It was a familiar feeling; strange and uncontrollable and brought to a boil when he looked at Taichi. Was it jealousy? Yamato's frown deepened. It was. He'd felt like this before, back when… His eyes landed on his brother.

Back when Yamato had believed Taichi might have been a better brother for Takeru than himself.

He stared at Taichi again. First Takeru, and now their parents; it seemed Taichi was destined to have a closer relationship with Yamato's family than he ever could. Bitter eyes strayed to Hikari, and his mind drifted back to the months they'd spent together. A cynical part of him might have called it victory, but it wasn't; not really.

The jealousy quickly faded when he realised Hikari had also zoned out of the conversation around them. She was staring down, eyes fixed on her hands which lay palm-up in her lap. Every now and then she would curl and uncurl her fingers, a small frown pulling at her lips.

Beside her, Tailmon lifted her head and caught Yamato's eye. Yamato glanced pointedly to Hikari and Tailmon looked up at her partner, studying her for a moment before gently nudging her head in to Hikari's elbow. Hikari jumped, glancing down at Tailmon who tilted her head back towards Yamato. Hikari looked up then, catching Yamato's eye, and he raised an eyebrow with a silent question. Hikari paused and then offered him a loud smile. I'm okay, it said. When his frown pressed her, her smile widened. Really, please don't worry. And with that she turned back to her brother, ending his silent interrogation.

Yamato looked away too, ready to let his gaze drift around the room only to find Takeru watching him. His brother glanced from him to Hikari and back again, a confused expression on his face. Yamato forced a smile, which Takeru returned, and suddenly Yamato felt foolish for dwelling on the past. Of course Taichi had a better relationship with their parents; he'd been there. It was hard to be a family from the other side of a digital rift.

And as for Takeru, it didn't matter who was the better brother; they'd both left him abandoned in the Digital World.

Slowly the meeting broke apart and the others drifted apart to make their arrangements. Jou was going to speak to his brother to put together a list of commonly expected "camping" injuries and brush up on his medical knowledge, as well as ensuring they knew what supplies to bring. Miyako offered to check her family's store for extra inventory, and promised to get any discounted snacks before they were thrown out ("It's only a best before date. They're still fine to eat, we just can't sell them to anyone."). Hikari left with her to buy something for dinner, and when Taichi called out for her to get him some fried chicken from FamilyMart Miyako gave him a scathing glare before stuffing her shoes on and stalking out of the apartment with Hikari, Iori and their partners trying not to laugh as they followed. Takeru went with them, eager to catch the last of the sunshine, and Patamon tagged along with the promise of ice cream.

Soon there was only Taichi left. Agumon and Gabumon were curled up in the corner, napping next to an empty biscuit tray, and Taichi was careful not to disturb them as he gathered the plates and mugs and set them just right in the dishwasher (a trick Yamato still hadn't gotten the hang of).

"How's your mum doing?" Yamato asked, following Taichi in to the kitchen. Taichi closed the dishwasher jabbed his finger in to the button.

"She's getting better," he answered, though his voice was solemn. Yamato frowned.

"That's a good thing, right?"

Taichi turned to lean against the counter, folding his arms and pursing his lips.

"She's doing better because Hikari's found that her light seems to make it all go away," he answered, scowling at the floor. "Every night Hikari's sitting with her, trying to make herself glow so mum will feel better."

"Why's that so bad?"

"Because we still don't understand it," he answered. He lifted his head, and there was a shadow in his eyes. "She doesn't even know what she's doing or why it's happening but she'll keep doing it because mum's getting better. That's what she does. The damn light could be killing her for all we know and she still wouldn't think twice." Yamato leant against the counter beside him, spending a moment in companionable silence. He remembered walking through the desert when Hikari didn't want to tell anyone she was sick. He remembered finding her wild with a fever after they'd all been separated, and listening to Tailmon complain that Hikari hadn't mentioned it. He remembered the unexpected snow and how Hikari had given him her blanket because he'd mentioned he was cold, and he remembered spending a week watching her battle a fever and a rattling cough. He shook his head gently.

"She is pretty stubborn." Taichi scoffed, though it came with a smile.

"Understatement." A pause, and then he added: "Sora said something similar."

"Hikari takes after you."

"Sora said that, too."

And not for the first time, Yamato couldn't help but feel a little bit responsible for that. As weeks turned in to months after the gate had closed, Yamato had found himself spiralling. Long walks often ended in dark caves, and only Gabumon's voice could lead him back out of them. He'd known he had to keep moving forwards – for Gabumon's sake, if nobody else's – and he'd found himself thinking of Taichi, who had always kept moving forwards even against the steepest of odds.

What would Taichi do?

He took to asking himself the question whenever he was faced with a tough decision. Starve in safety, or risk the wilderness for food; what would Taichi do? Wallow in loneliness or move forwards with hope; what would Taichi do?

When he had found Hikari, he hadn't known what to do. It was one thing to be an older brother to Takeru, who was used to being by himself sometimes, but Hikari had been quiet and scared and fragile in ways that Takeru had never been. Take care of Hikari; what would Taichi do? Keep Hikari safe; what would Taichi do? He asked the question of himself so often that it became a mantra, and soon Hikari picked it up too.

Sometimes it had become almost like an inside joke. They used to ask each other whether Taichi would want his eggs scrambled or fried; whether he would want to dive in to a lake or jump in to it; whether he would go over the fallen tree or under.

But sometimes it pushed them, as Taichi would have pushed them. It pushed them to keep pressing on in search of shelter when they were cold and tired. It pushed them to keep one eye on the horizon when sometimes all they wanted to do was look down. And it pushed them to keep going, even after the fire had driven them apart.

"The digimentals are still in the Kaiser's base."

Yamato looked up, blinking several times as his brain jumped track to catch up to Taichi's train of thought. The digimentals… He hadn't forgotten, but it was fair to say that with everything else that had been happening he had lost sight of them. Perhaps they all had. Taichi ran a tired hand over his face and let his head tip back with a groan.

"Reckon Ichijouji will hand over the keys to the castle if we ask him?" Yamato asked.

"Can't trust myself not to punch him on sight."

"Can't say I would stop you." Taichi snorted, the corners of his lips curling, though the smile quickly fell away.

"If all else fails…" Taichi began. His head tilted forwards again, his smile gone. "Maybe. But I can't say I'll be asking him nicely."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."