Updated: 4/11/21

I DO NOT OWN DIGIMON ADVENTURE, 02, TAMERS, FRONTIER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!

Chapter 15: Arriving at Your Destination

Tamer Digital World: Location: Level 2 – Gekomon Lake

Minami looked around at their surroundings with interest. They'd spent the rest of yesterday going around the lake in an attempt to find the inhabitants of this level, but despite the signs of life and habitation, they just couldn't find where the village was. Not even a hint of a path. Kai and his new Gotsumon friend were getting frustrated – many of the other Digimon were – but Alice remained calm. Minami admired that about the other girl.

"So, what now? Do we just spread out and search around in a spiral or something around the lake?" Kai asked.

"Haven't some of the other Digimon tried that already?" Gotsumon asked. "Jijimon just left again with another group a short while ago."

"You boys need ta learn patience," Babamon was sighing. "You knew this wouldn't be easy. Be grateful things are cooler here down by tha lake."

Minami tuned out of the recurring argument. No one knew what to do and the shrine for Takuya was their only real clue and evidence that there were even Digimon living on this level. She went back to observe the stretch of water closest to their camp and stared out over the lake at the shrine. It was kind of peaceful. The sound of water lapping at the shore and the soft crackling of the distant bonfire coupled with the sound of wind in the trees made her feel at peace. It also made her long for home and her father, reminding her of the beach house they lived in during the summer in Okinawa.

"Are you alright?"

Minami looked up and saw Alice standing next to her, also looking out over the lake.

"I'm fine." Minami said softly. "Just a little homesick I guess."

Alice nodded before her gaze sharpened and squinted at something in the distance.

"Oh! How could I be so stupid?!" the blond suddenly exploded. "Gekomon! Jijimon and Babamon said that there were Gekomon living on this level. They're water Digimon. They must have a village under the lake!"

"How do you figure that?" Minami asked.

"Look," Alice said, pointing. "See that shadow under the shrine? There are support beams beneath it, keeping it in place. It's not a raft or set up on rocks like we thought. They continue down deep into the lake and you can't see anything down there. We've looked around the surrounding areas, so where else could they be?"

"But didn't the Gekomon that Takato and the others met live here on land making milkshakes?"

"Yes, but who says that this is the same lake where they fought Orochimon and met Guardromon? We could be on the other side of the level from that particular Gekomon Village."

"I suppose," Minami mused, trying to see into the water.

"What are you girls talking about?" Kai asked, joining them.

"I think the Digimon we're looking for live in the lake," Alice told him.

"Well that figures," Gotsumon grumbled, eyeing the water warily.

"Ok, so how do we get down there?" Minami asked.

"We swim of course!" Kai grinned. "How are you in water, Alice?"

Alice frowned. "I'm decent."

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Kai crowed, casting off his shirt.

"Hold on!" Alice said, grabbing his arm. "There's something I want to test first. You two wait here."

Minami traded a confused glance with Kai before nodding and watched Alice wade into the water in her black dress until the water closed over her head.

They waited for a few minutes, and Minami was getting more and more anxious the longer Alice remained underwater. After about five minutes Alice reemerged from the water, calm as a clam and walked ashore looking satisfied about something. Something was strange though as she rejoined them.

"You're not wet!" Kai exclaimed, reaching a hand forward to feel Alice's skirt.

Minami startled in surprise and did the same. Kai was right. Alice's skirt was still as crisp and lacy as it had been before she'd walked into the water. Her hair wasn't even damp.

"I was able to breath underwater too," Alice said, looking a little smug.

"WHAT?!" Minami and Kai exclaimed in shock.

"I re-tested a theory that Henry had when he and Takako were stuck in underwater caves during their trip here. Remember? Mr. Yamaki and Mr. Wong mentioned it back at Hypnos HQ. If you think you won't get wet, you won't, and if you think you can breathe underwater you can breathe normally. It's all mind over matter."

"Sweet!" Kai grinned. "Let me try!"

Minami watched as Kai dashed off slashing into the water and dove under. He was gone for five minutes before he resurfaced with a beaming grin.

"Dude, this is so sweet!" he crowed. "Minami! Gatsumon! You have got to try this!"

Gotsumon looked uneasily at the water. Minami didn't blame him. And yet the rock Digimon lifted his head high and marched into the water, sinking… well, like a rock. When he didn't surface, Minami carefully waded in after him before plunging under.

It sure felt like water. She floated and drifted with the current as if she was in water, but she reminded herself that this was the Digital World. Earth physics and laws of nature didn't necessarily apply here. As long as she believed she would, she'd stay dry like Alice had. It helped seeing Gotsumon looking relaxed, though he had his arms crossed at a beaming Kai. Minami couldn't help giggling, completely forgetting for a moment that she was supposedly underwater. When the water didn't enter her lungs and choke her, Minami took in a deep breath, relishing in the cool air that entered her lungs. Odd, but nice. She wondered if they could talk underwater too.

"Minami, isn't this the coolest?!" Kai called out to her.

Well. That answered that question.

"Yeah." She smiled, swimming over to him.

"Let's go see if we can find that village now," Alice said, suddenly appearing beside them with Babamon in tow.

"Right!" Kai and Gotsumon cheered, pumping fists in the air.

Frontier Digital World: Location: Flame Terminal

Yutaka was exhausted. They'd been at it all morning, summoning their data rings and actually transforming into their Human Spirit Evolutions. Again, Shinya got his transformation down after a couple of tries. Yutaka's had taken a bit longer, but each time he did it right, the easier it was to replicate the process. But just the act of transforming was draining. Even before they'd tried using their spirit powers and practiced fighting, Yutaka was tired. Now after a couple hours of rough housing and using techniques and attacks he'd never employed before he was ready to call it a day. His body ached so much.

He'd done well, however, all things considered. Shinya as Mokuseimon had a lot more energy and stamina, but Yutaka dominated in their skirmishes because he had actual fighting experience in Tae Kwon Do. But even so, the knowledge and instinct on how to use Tetsukomon's swords came naturally as if he'd been fighting with the weapons for as long as he'd been fighting with his fists and kicks. When he broke his evolution his whole body protested against moving too much, however. Those maneuvers had taken their toll.

"Uh!" Shinya moaned, falling back on the ground, arms and legs flung out haphazardly. "Stick a fork in me, I'm done!"

Yutaka chuckled, falling back with a moan himself.

"I think you both have done enough for now," Sorcermon said, sounding amused. "You may have the rest of the morning off. I'll see you later this afternoon.

"Great," Yutaka drawled, barely finding the energy to wave goodbye to the retreating back of their sensei.

"If I can move by then," Shinya huffed.

"I'm sure you'll find something to motivate you," Yutaka said.

"Yeah right. I'm not moving for anything or anyone right now."

Then Shinya's stomach grumbled. Yutaka couldn't hold back a laugh, tilting his head to the side in time to see Shinya's face flush in embarrassment as he rolled onto his side and curled in on himself a bit.

"…Still not moving right now."

"Sure," Yutaka agreed amiably, unable to keep a smile off his face. Then his own stomach growled and he huffed. "Looks like we're both hungry. Want to see what we can find to eat?"

"Can't move," Shinya sighed tiredly. "I think I'll just lie here and starve."

"Yeah… Not happening," Yutaka huffed, forcing himself back up onto his legs. Oww… They felt like they were made of cinderblocks. "Come on, Shinya. We can get something to eat and then pass out back at our hut."

Shinya whined, but offered his hand up. Yutaka rolled his eyes, grabbing the boy's hand and pulled him up to his feet, shoulders and back muscles protesting the entire time.

"Come on, squirt," Yutaka sighed. "Let's find some grub."

The two of them trudged back into the main hub of Flame Terminal's town and wandered about looking for the first thing that appeared appetizing, though the both of them passed up many food stalls in favor of finding a place that had a sitting area. They were relieved to come across a small restaurant owned by a flock of Biyomon.

"Sit down! Sit down!" their hosts cried happily. "Come in and have a seat!"

"Gladly," Yutaka groaned as he and Shinya were seated at a table in the middle of the restaurant.

"Here's our menu," a Yokomon said, offering them a big leaf with writing on it. "Today's special is yakisoba with miso soup."

"I think I'll have that," Shinya said, not even bothering to look at the menu.

"…Same," Yutaka said, after looking at some of the other – and highly questionable – meal options. Miso soup and yakisoba was at least familiar in comparison to some of the bizarre sounding dishes like Mushroomon Mash Cakes and Yokomon's Specialty Radish Salad and Greens.

The Yokomon took back the leaf-menu and… what? –Crawled? Puttered? Scrabbled? How do you even begin to describe how a tentacled radish looking plant creature moves? Anyways, she left to put in their order. (Was it even a she?)

Shinya was sprawled back in his chair, his neck craning occasionally to observe the other patrons in the restaurant. Many were looking back, equally as curious to see humans, as Yutaka and Shinya were to see the variety of Digimon.

A Biyomon served their meal and even though the dishes didn't quite taste like they did back home on Earth, everything still tasted great. After eating, Yutaka tried to pay their server for the meal with the Digi-dollars Bokumon had given to them for spending money, but the Biyomon refused, saying it was an honor to serve the DigiDestined Warriors, especially the brother of the Fire Warrior, Takuya. Shinya became real silent after that exchange, but they accepted the courtesy of a free meal and returned to their hut. Yutaka watched Shinya worriedly as the boy curled up in his bedding and fell asleep. Yutaka settled next to the smaller boy in his own sleep space and dozed off as well. He awoke a little while later when he felt something latch onto his sleeve. Opening tired eyes he saw that Shinya had scooted closer and reached out in his sleep. Yutaka grasped the hand and slowly untangled it from his shirt, but the movement woke Shinya anyway.

"…Sorry," Shinya mumbled, and started to scoot away.

Yutaka mentally cursed himself and quickly tried to fix the boy's misconceptions. He still held Shinya's hand and tugged on it gently to halt the little boy's movements. Shinya looked up curiously, watching Yutaka readjust his sleeping position so that he was lying on his side facing Shinya. Yutaka tugged on Shinya's hand, this time encouraging the movement forward. Catching on quickly, Shinya crawled the remaining distance between them and snuggled into Yutaka's arms, a hiccuped sob ripping through his throat as he buried his face into the older boy's chest.

"Shh, Shinya," Yutaka said, rubbing the boy's back in an attempt to sooth him. "I'm right here. You're not alone. We're in this together."

Shinya whimpered and shook in Yutaka's embrace, but he took comfort in the other boy's words and presence. Yutaka wasn't trying to tell him that everything was going to be ok, because it wasn't. Takuya was dead. Nothing anybody said could make that better. But Yutaka… he understood. He wasn't trying to replace Takuya. At least it didn't feel like that to Shinya. Yeah, Yutaka was acting like an older brother to Shinya, but he wasn't actually trying to be Takuya. He was there when Shinya needed him, but let Shinya have his space as well, and that's what Shinya appreciated most. The space.

"Go to sleep," Yutaka whispered in Shinya's ear. "I've got you."

And he did. Shinya felt himself relaxing instantly and fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

The Adventure Digital World: Location: The Forest of Signs

The forest was hot and humid as the sun reached its peak in the early afternoon. The metal of the random road signs throughout the forest flashed in the sunlight and the air around them shimmered in the heat. Yumi nearly burnt her arm when she stumbled into one.

"Uh," Keisuke groaned, wiping his forehead. "It feels like we're in Okinawa."

"No kidding," Saito huffed. "We're not even in the desert yet."

They'd found the Temple of the Digivice that morning after setting out from Primary Village, but Centarumon hadn't been in, so instead of braving the maze inside the temple alone, the group had decided to go on to the Yokomon Village.

"I can't believe that it's so hot even in the shade," Hiroaki sighed.

"We'll be puddles before we make it out of here," Haru chuckled.

"Well aren't you chipper," Yumi scowled at her friend as he strolled along beside her.

"At least there's a breeze," Haru pointed out.

"Not much of one," Yumi grumbled as she undid the bun she had on top of her head and restacked the hair, pinning it in place with a few hair clips.

"Come on, Yumi, we should almost be there. There is only a five kilometer stretch of desert between the forest and the oasis where the Yokomon Village is," Haru said, trying to be optimistic.

Hiroaki had to give Haru credit for looking on the bright side.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Saito suddenly asked, stopping in his tracks.

Hiroaki cocked his head to the side, trying to hear whatever it was that his friend had heard.

"A stream?" he asked, turning in the direction he thought he could hear the running water.

"Thank Kami, I'm thirsty," Yumi huffed, following her husband as Saito took off.

"We could take this opportunity to refill the canteens," Keisuke mused, following the other two.

Haru simply shrugged, an amiable smile on his face as he and Hiroaki brought up the rear.

"Yumi's right," Hiroaki said. "You are rather chipper, Haru."

"Hmm?" Haru blinked before his smile widened. "I suppose. I'm just… happy. It's nice to be back in the Digital World. I know that things are serious, what with both of your sons missing and everything, but… I missed this place. I've been dreaming of coming back ever since we returned home all those years ago and now that I'm back… it just feels so surreal. It's like I'm dreaming and I don't want to wake up."

"I understand," Hiroaki said, smiling as he watched Gabumon race ahead of them towards the stream Yumi, Saito and Keisuke were now splashing around in.

"Ah!" Yumi gasped with satisfaction, splashing water over her face, hair and warm skin. "Much better!"

"Most refreshing," Keisuke agreed after filling his canteen and splashed a few handfuls of water in his hair and down the back of his neck.

"Alright guys, enough playing in the water," Saito sighed after everyone had had their fill of water and had cooled off. "We should get moving."

"What's the hurry?" Haru asked. "It's hot and that desert is going to give us all a heat stroke if we head out during the heat of the day. "I say we hang around for a little while and wait for the sun to start setting. It'll be cooler that way."

"Sounds good to me," Yumi sighed, soaking her feet in the water.

"We have been traveling practically non-stop since we arrived in this world," Keisuke pointed out. "A couple hours break won't hurt anything."

"I suppose," Saito said slowly, looking nervously over at Hiroaki.

"It's fine, Saito," Hiroaki said. "I'm no use to Matt and TK if I have a stroke trying to cross some damn desert."

Everyone seemed to relax all at once now, and Hiroaki realized just how apprehensive they'd been over his answer. Hiroaki was touched by their concern, but even though he was worried about his sons, he wasn't going to be irrational and stupid. Matt was practically an adult now. He'd watch over TK and TK was no pushover either. And they had their friends and a whole big group of others to watch their backs. His sons would be all right for a little while longer. Or so he hoped.

"Kyaa!"

Hiroaki was broken out of his musings when Yumi cried out in surprise and he saw something pink dart into the foliage.

"Are you alright?" Saito demanded.

"I'm fine," Yumi reassured him. "He just startled me, that's all."

Haru was crouching down by the bush the pink thing had darted under.

"It's ok, we won't hurt you," Haru said, voice soft and friendly. "Come on out. We didn't mean to scare you."

A pink head poked out, nose twitching in the air as it's ribbon-like ears quivered. It was a Tokomon.

"Hey there, little guy," Haru said, holding his hand out. "Don't be afraid."

The Tokomon sniffed Haru's hand before coming out.

"Hi, I'm Haru," Haru said, "and that's Yumi and Saito, Keisuke, and Hiroaki. We're just passing through. We didn't mean to disturb you."

"Are you humans?" the little Tokomon asked.

"We are," Haru beamed. "Pleased to meet you, Tokomon."

The Tokomon smiled and played with Haru in the stream.

"I wonder what the little guy is doing out here all by himself," Yumi mused.

"I wonder," Saito agreed, watching their friend play with the Tokomon that reminded them so much of the partner that Haru had had as a child.

Will Alice, Kai and Minami find that Gekomon village? Will Yutaka and Shinya get used to fighting as in their Warrior forms? Will Hiroaki's friends find their Digimon partners? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!

It was pointed out to me that I gave chapters 13, 15 and 19 the same name (Getting Somewhere) so I've renamed this chapter and 19. :P