Heeeyy! Another promise I couldn't keep... I am so sorry for this late update! There was a lot on my plate actually.. and it just kept getting more and more and without me even noticing it two months have passed. I had some issues, one of them actually affecting my health so I was forced to stay away from my notebook.

But what matters is that I am here now and ready to share this one with you all. As always; I don't own digimon but I own my OC's! Please excuse my imperfect English grammar.

This chapter's soundtrack: "Yesterday – the Beatles" – it inspired me a lot.

Enjoy!


Loss

The sun is shining through the curtains, engulfing the whole room in a warm, golden light. The immense brightness prevents me from going back to sleep. But that is fine by me, for now. My heart is still beating too fast and I can feel the sweat on my back. The images still haunt me, sending shivers down my spine.

I close my eyes and rub my nose against her soft skin; her scent fills my nostrils and I can feel my body relaxing as soon as her fingers brush through my hair. I grab her hips on both sides and nestle on her chest. I can hear her heart beating steadily: thud – thud, thud – thud, thud – thud.

I love this.

I love her.

Her fingers continue to brush through my hair while her other hand lays on my left shoulder blade. I feel her drawing circles on my skin; something she does when she knows I'm disturbed. It's her silent way to show me her empathy, to show me that she's there, and that I don't have to hide from her.

Her chest suddenly rises; she's taking a deep breath. I prepare for the worst.

"Want to tell me what your dream was about?"

Yep, the worst thing she could probably ask.

Without me even intending to, my body stiffens completely. My hold on her tightens instinctively as soon as the images come back to me.

No. No I don't want to tell her.

I can't.

But she never was someone who would just leave it alone:" considering your reaction whatever you dreamed must have terrified you."

Her voice is so soft, and so full of worry that I fear I'll burst any second. I want to tell her. I want to spill everything out and hide in her arms from whatever mind fucking dreams are coming at me.

But I never was someone who could simply do that.

This is not who I am.

I do not give in to fear.

I feel her shifting beneath me; judged by the way she is stretching her arm out I can guess that she's checking the time.

It takes her several seconds before she slowly tries to sit up in our bed but I only tighten my hold on her and push myself up. I wrap her in my arms and bury my face in the crook of her neck.

Please don't go.

Don't leave me. Please

My reaction is so untypical that she does not try to get up a second time; instead she wraps her arms around me and covers both of us up with the blanket that somehow slipped off of me.

"Tai... what on earth did you dream?"

I lost you.

This is what terrifies me.


DAVIS' POV

The streets are empty; somehow all of them vanished. Or maybe they were killed and it just slipped my attention. The only thing that is still present is this awful looking digimon whose gruel laugh echoes through the whole city.

He's laughing at us. Although we won the battle, it is obvious that we are the losers here.

I can't bear to hear him any longer.

I just can't.

It's too much.

I unglue my gaze from them and look for my digimon partner's gaze to somehow tell him to finish this bastard off, but an ear piercing scream coming from the sky prevents me from doing so. I stumble back and cover my ears from the awful sound.

It is only when I hear Phoenixmon scream its attack that I realize it was her.

"STARLIGHT EXPLOSION!"

The massive attack illuminates the whole area, engulfing it in a sick reddish light before it connects with Belphemon's battered body, killing him in an instant. His body dissolves into million tiny bits of data, but nevertheless he never stops laughing.

Not for a second.

I give my best to not lose my balance now but the blast of the attack makes it way harder than I thought.

I know what comes next; I nervously scan the faces of my teammates who don't look all that bothered about the upcoming spore attack. They don't even seem like they realized what the hell just happened right next to them. They're all staring at the girl in Tai's arms.

Alec is the only one who somehow overcomes his shock and looks up to the remains of Belphemon's body. He's just about to raise his hands that are already glowing in a faint white light but once again Phoenixmon's cry sounds from the sky. We both look up to the bird like digimon that looks nothing like the Phoenixmon I knew so far.

She's on fire; literally.

I gasp in surprise and it is obviously enough for Ken and Izzy to snap out of it and look up to the source of my interest.

"Oh my god."

"What is with her?"

"She's hurting. Bad", Alec answers our question; his knowing glance still glued on the digimon.

Phoenixmon flies in a circle before she screams out one more time and sends a massive beam of fire towards the floating spores. They dissolve as soon as they get in touch with her attack, leaving behind nothing but heavy smoke.

I can do nothing but gape stupidly at the image in front of me. Izzy is the one who snaps me out again.

"Where is she?"

What?!

My gaze immediately snaps back to our leader because my first instinct was that Izzy is talking about her. But she's still lying there with Joe right next to her lifeless body. I'm too far away to make out what he is doing but his hands are shaking and I think he's holding a syringe.

What the hell?

"A digimon always follows his partner..." Motimon drives my attention back to the others and I knit my eyebrows in confusion at him.

"So Biyomon is gone then", Minomon states.

Realization feels like a bitter pill and I look up once again into the endless, dark sky, hoping I'd see her again but the digimon surely are right.

If Sora is gone then... –

A girl's cry interrupts my thoughts and we all turn around to Mimi who fell down on her knees right next to her best friend's head. The digidestined are all gathered around them while Matt places a reassuring hand on his girlfriend's shoulder all the while his gaze is stuck on our leader.

I feel my heart beating faster with every step I come closer to them. Everyone is wearing similar expressions of shock, dismay and sadness.

Alec slowly follows us, holding onto his injured arm and judged by the way he is limping I can guess there are a lot more injuries his uniform is preventing us from seeing. I wait for him to catch up and place his arm wordlessly around my shoulder, supporting him the best I can. I can tell from his surprised face that my actions surely were unexpected but he flashes me a thankful smile.

"Joe! Why isn't it working?!" Mimi's shriek makes both of us jerk and turn back to the scene in front of us.

Tai is still holding onto his dead girlfriend. Although I don't want to, my gaze automatically falls down on Sora's ashen face. Tears dwell in my eyes and I don't bother to hold them back somehow. This was one of my closest friends. Someone I considered family.

"I – I don't know. I did everything that was written and it worked! The liquid turned clear! It should work! Why – "

"Because she is dead, Joe", Alec interrupts him, his voice calmer than his gaze gives away.

Everyone turns towards him; several tear strained faces look at him and I can literally see how their last hopes are damped down by Alec's explanation.

"The cure only works if the individual is still alive when it enters its system", he adds in a whisper.

Mimi stares at him, her tears falling down her face. She is shaking, literally shaking. Her chest rises and falls beneath her heavy uniform before she breaks down again, burying her face in the red – head's chest. Her sobs are muffled by the fabric of Sora's uniform but the sound is enough for all of us to avert our gazes.

I can't take this.

I feel like I'm suffocating.

DemiVeemon silently turns around, staring at the spot where we last saw Phoenixmon. "Biyomon..."

"Sora please, open your eyes!" Mimi's voice, once again, makes me jerk and I force my gaze back to them. It is only now that I finally bring myself to look at Tai properly.

He's still sitting on the ground, his arms wrapped around the upper part of Sora's body. His helmet is placed on the ground next to him, revealing his face that looks like stone. His lip is split and the bruise on his left eye turned into a dark shade of purple already. His hair sticks to his forehead where blood is dripping out of a nasty looking gash and from what I remember I know he has another injury on his abdomen.

"He can't bear it much longer", Alec whispers in my ear. I turn towards him in surprise but he just nods towards Tai who does not look like he'll move any second.

His gaze is completely empty. Although his brown eyes are back, indicating that he is no longer influenced by the power of darkness, I've never seen him look this foreign to me. He looks like a damn zombie.

I try to process the information Alec just gave me but I can't come up with a clear thought since Mimi's sobs are the only thing I can hear right now.

Alec slowly separates from me and limps towards a silver shining item on the ground. T.K follows his movements in deep interest, causing Kari's attention to be driven away from Mimi too. She hastily dries her tears and frowns lightly when she sees the Item Alec just picked up; a trident.

No, Kazumi's trident.

My chest tightens at the sight and fresh tears form in my eyes, blurring my sight slightly.

"W – What happened to them Alec?"

Alec fixes the weapon on his back before he lifts his head to face T.K. His – now completely – blue eyes shimmer suspiciously but he blinks the tears away before they fall down.

"Their mother being dead means they were never born. They're gone."

"These goddamn motherfuckers", T.K balls his hands angrily. "We should hunt them down. Now."

I grit my teeth, frustration rolls over me. As much as I want to do that, I doubt everyone will be ready to go right into battle after what just happened.

Think Davis... what should we do?

Mimi's cries still echo through the whole city, invading my mind. It is driving me crazy.

There is only one demon lord left, it can't be that hard, right?

"Sora", she just keeps on weeping.

Can someone just shut her off, please?

"Sora, please open your –"

"Mimi! Stop crying for fuck's sake!" Matt's angry voice makes all of us quiver in surprise, including Tai.

The girl stops in an instant and straightens herself, her whole body still trembling. She slowly gets up and turns towards her boyfriend, her eyes red from her cries and her face turning the same shade out of anger.

SLAP

"My best friend just died you asshole!"

Matt instinctively places his hand on the spot where she just slapped him and eyes her, his gaze cold as ice. His eyes narrow dangerously and he takes a step towards her.

"Right. Ever thought about how he must be feeling then?!" His voice rises towards the end of the sentence and he gestures towards Tai. Or, what's left of him.

The brunette eyes his best friend with that weird stare of his, not saying a word.

Mimi turns towards him and I can visually see how she's trembling even harder than before. But it surely is not out of sadness right now.

"Good! He deserves that because it is his freaking fault that she is dead!" She screams out of the top of her lungs. I can't do anything than to gape stupidly at her. I can't believe what she just said.

"Mimi!" Yolei hisses in shock.

She doesn't even acknowledge her saying anything. Instead she's addressing Tai directly now.

"I hate you. I honestly hate you Tai! You should have been in her place – "

"Okay that's enough", Izzy steps in and grabs her by both of her arms, pulling her aside. Much to my surprise she doesn't even bulge. She's still glaring angrily at our leader but at least she finally shut her mouth. We watch both of them walk towards one of the nearest buildings where Mimi slowly sits down on a broken wall and buries her face in her hands. Izzy squats down in front of her, rubbing her back gently.

We all stare at Tai, waiting for some reaction. But he didn't even twitch when Mimi screamed at him. The only thing that proves that he's still alive is his chest that rises and falls steadily.

Kari is the first one who regains control over herself and approaches her brother slowly:" Don't take it seriously, she's just angry. She didn't mean what she said."

Tai slowly turns towards her and stares at her before his eyes start to glister all of the sudden. He blinks several times before he tilts his head towards the sky, preventing the tears to fall down his face.

"Tai, it's okay to be sad", Agumon whispers quietly, placing both of his paws on his partner's left arm.

Out of the corner of my eye I spot several digidestined wiping their tears furtively.

"Digidestined", a new voice sounds all of the sudden. We all turn around in unison.

It takes us several moments to process who is standing right in front of us. While I already know the small pink digimon who's flying in the air, I am beyond surprised to see a friend standing next to her, I thought was dead.

"Andromon?" Kari asks, disbelief clear in her voice.

"Piximon, what are you two doing here?" Alec asks before he nervously steals a glance at Sora.

Piximon follows his gaze before his expression darkens; sadness washes over both of the digimons faces before T.K drives their attention away.

"Andromon, how come you're alive?"

The cyborg only gives him a small smile:" well the two brothers have very advanced technologies."

"I'm glad it worked", Alec whispers quietly before, once again, he becomes the main focus of our attention.

If they are able to bring digimon's back to life without the help of primary village then maybe ... –

"Does that mean you can bring back humans too?" Yolei asks, taking the words right out of my mouth.

Alec's face darkens and all of the sudden he looks pissed:" Don't you think I'd bought back my brother by now if I could?"

Yolei's cheeks turn into a light shade of red before she averts her gaze and mumbles an apology.

"Andromon! Oh it's good to see you", Mimi calls out before she embraces her long – time friend. Izzy joins Tai's left side without saying a word. However the glance he shots Mimi when she separates from Andromon doesn't go unnoticed by me. She turns away from him and stays next to the digimon for now.

"Uh... I sure am happy to see both of you but what? – ", Joe repeats Alec's former question.

"Well digidestined, we sure have met under better circumstances", Piximon says before he quietly approaches our leader who's gazing up to him with wide eyes. The nearer Piximon gets the harder he seems to hold onto Sora. His paleness starts to seriously worry me and I can tell by the look of how the others are observing him that they have similar thoughts as I do.

"Tai", Piximon makes an attempt to reach for Sora but as if lighting just struck him Tai jerks and presses Sora tight on his chest. I try to ignore the weird angle her head falls back and her Bordeaux hair falls down like a curtain. Izzy on his left and Matt on his right side instinctively place a hand on his shoulders but instead of calming down, the brunette just shudders and wordlessly shakes his head.

"Like hell he'll let go", Mimi whispers quietly before leaning into Yolei who somehow ended next to her, with her arms wrapped around her.

"Tai you have to let go of her. I will take her to the base, she will be safer there", Piximon tries again.

Tai looks at him for a second before, once again, shaking his head. His expression is one mixture of pure devastation and something very Tai – unlikely; fear. He actually looks terrified, and the bleeding injury on his head doesn't make it any better. I steal a glance at the lower part of his stomach which is covered by Sora's body but from what I can see there is blood smeared all over both of their uniforms. If it belongs to her or to him I'm not really sure.

Damn it, he has to let go so we can take care of him too. There's no need to lose another one.

Alec slowly limps towards Tai before he kneels down in front of him. I can't help but remember the evening a few days ago when their roles were completely reversed; back then it was Tai who knelt in front of Alec who was in a shock stare, holding onto his brother in an almost identical way as Tai is holding Sora right now.

"Let go of her Tai. She is dead."

It takes him several seconds before he manages to fix his gaze on Alec, but when he does, it's like someone just pushed a button; the tears he tried so hard to keep at bay fall down his face as his hold onto Sora loosens.

Piximon does not waste another second; he creates a sphere, engulfing Sora's body and himself in it:" I'll take care of her."

With that he gives Andromon a weird look before he lifts them up in the air and disappears in the distance.

Our gazes linger at the dark horizon where Piximon's sphere looks like a tiny little star and I allow myself for a swift second to take a deep breath and try to get a clear mind. To say that I am overwhelmed by all of this would be a massive understatement.

"Tai, let me see; I can help you", Joe snaps me out of it again and I look up to see that both; Izzy and Matt placed Tai's arms around their shoulders and are trying to get him up while Joe examines his ripped uniform.

"I – I'm fine Joe", his voice sends shivers down my spine. He sounds like his vocal cords will tear any second.

"Oh Tai...", Kari whispers more to herself than to any of us. We can't do anything than just stand by, like idiots.

"Listen digidestined", Andromon speaks up, causing all of us to turn away from Tai's miserable form and towards him instead.

"I know that you all must be very sad about everything that has happened up until today – "

Uh oh...

"But our enemies are very vulnerable now and our troops at the front need help...", he does not bother to explain further. He said enough for all of us to understand the real cause of why he accompanied Piximon.

I gulp nervously and wait for anyone – most likely Mimi – to explode, but much to my surprise everyone stays silent, although I can clearly feel the tension in the air. I look at my teammates who all wear similar, weird expressions; for the first time in my life I have absolutely no clue what they must think right now.

I myself can't think of anything else than to hunt the last one of these demons down and take vengeance. And much to my relief someone else obviously does too.

"Let's go then", Matt's declares, his arm still wrapped tightly around Tai whose head is hanging low.

It takes her exactly five seconds to register what Matt just said and – as I predicted – to explode.

"Are you insane?! We just lost one of our closest friends! What about giving us time to mourn?!" Mimi's cheeks turn red out of anger and she looks ready to launch herself at her own boyfriend.

"I just lost the two last people I cared about the most. I will not let them get away with this. And you shouldn't too", Alec remarks.

"Aren't you done seeking revenge Alec?" An unexpected voice sounds and we all turn around to Tai who's slowly straightening himself, letting go of Izzy and Matt while doing so. He runs his fingers through his hair, revealing the gash on his forehead that painted the right side of his face deep red already.

"I wanted revenge, see what happened", he spreads his arms, mentioning to the destroyed city. I let my gaze wander about all the chaos we've caused during our fight and feel my heart sink. Most of the buildings crashed down when our digimon's were attacking Belphemon and his allies.

Alec doesn't even twitch:" I warned you. I said you should dig a grave for yourself when seeking revenge, remember?"

"You didn't mention her with one word", Tai's voice cracks and I can see him balling his hands into fists.

Oh no

"You're right but you look pretty dead to me too though."

He has a point...

Matt bends down and grabs one of Tai's blades that somehow landed in the dirt, before he lays his hand on his best friend's shoulder again. Tai turns around to him, his gaze falling down on the blade almost immediately.

"Don't let her death be meaningless Tai. Not hers", Matt's fierce tone makes all of us shudder and I feel the tension fade away lightly.

One by one relaxes and the anger overshadows our sadness all of the sudden. In the end it is so much easier to be angry than sad and if that is what will push us through then so be it.

Tai examines his weapon silently before, ever so slowly; he lifts his hand and takes it. As soon as his fingers graze the handle, the blade starts to glow in an intense orange light, blinding all of us. Our leader for his part seems unfazed by it because he nonchalantly fixes the sword on his belt before turning around and facing us all. He's breathing heavily and now that he is standing upright I can see the dark spot on his uniform; exactly where Daemon must have hit him, hard. He looks every one of us deep in our eyes before his gaze stops at Mimi.

All of the sudden the tension is back at full force. The two of them silently stare into each other's eyes before – and I can't believe that I witness something like that again – silent tears escape Tai's eyes. I can tell that Mimi saw it too because she sighs deeply before she closes the distance between them, wrapping her arms around him.

Tai instinctively returns her hug and buries his face in her hair.

I swear to god I've never heard someone cry so hard. Hell, I didn't even know that he was capable of doing so.


GENNAI'S POV

It feels like the walls are closing in on me. I am suffocating. My clothes feel too tight and the steel of the wall feels too cold. I am shivering... but at the same time I can feel the sweat on my forehead. I place my hand on the wall, preventing me to somehow lose my balance because of my knees' trembling. Deep down I feel that something inside of me just broke apart and that from this day on I will never be the same.

I will never send them away without any doubt, or fear for that matter.

I will never be able to look at any of them without being reminded of what has happened.

I will never ask them for help again, terrified of what could happen to them.

I knew this day would come eventually.

I clearly felt it when one of them died and although I can't bear to be left in the dark about who it is, the thought of finding out horrifies me. I've never been so scared in my entire life and this fear only intensifies when I feel Piximon's aura entering the base.

I am not ready for this; Instead of going up I force my legs to carry me to the opposite direction and towards the familiar doors of the command center. From three floors above me I can hear Piximon's voice calling for several white soldiers who appear almost immediately. Without me even intending to do it I turn around again and walk towards the elevator, but instead of entering it I lean on the railing so I am able to look up to the floor Piximon is flying in the air right now.

Although the inside of this base is only lightly illuminated, I clearly catch sight of the Bordeaux hair of the person the white soldiers just laid down on a stretcher. I feel my heart sink and nausea creeping up. My eyes are glued on Sora's lifeless body before my sight gets blocked by the white blanket they cover her with.

I obviously must have made some noise because Piximon turns towards me almost immediately. We lock eyes for half a second before my mind switches off and I stumble backwards into the darkness of the corridor again. I support myself on the cold steel of the walls again, afraid that when I fall, I won't find the strength to get up again.

My airways tighten and my sight blurs.

My legs keep going until a sharp, painful sensation shots through my hip. I bend over and hold onto the aching spot, realizing that I actually walked into one of the computer tables of the command center. The desktop is still lit up, reminding me that I was actually working on something before, all of the sudden, my world crashed down.

"Gennai", Piximon's voice disrupts the silence I was engulfed in for the past hours.

I shake my head violently. No I am not ready to face him.

I am not ready to accept this. Any of this!

I feel like I just lost a child.

For all I know she somehow was my child. At least ... I loved her like my own.

My sight blurs more, but this time not because of the lack of oxygen in my body but because I can't hold back the tears any longer.

I slump down on the chair I was sitting on before and bury my face in my hands, preventing myself to sob, or make any sound for that matter. I was never one to show too much emotion, even less when there is somebody around me.

"Gennai I am very sorry for your loss", Piximon starts again, but I find no comfort in his words.

If anything, they make everything worse.

How could this happen? Why her?

What about the others?!

As soon as the thought crosses my mind the image of another, broken digidestined flashes through my mind and I quickly wipe my tears off my face. I grit my teeth and force myself to breathe through my nose, slowly getting control over my body back. I turn around and look into the big, sad eyes of the pink pixy digimon that is waiting nervously for any reaction coming from me.

"H – How", I start but I can't get the words out. The fear of finding out is too big.

"The leader? He did not say a word. He looked very bad though", Piximon answers my question without me even needing to ask.

"And the twins?" If Tai is okay I am sure the rest of the digidestined will be too, he will make sure of that. But if Sora is dead then...

"Gone."

Oh No...

I loved these two... how am I supposed to tell him that they're all gone? That I let his kids go on a mission and that they did not make it? How can I destroy his life like this?

"What about Biyomon?" It feels like the fear is choking me and it takes all my willpower to keep asking all these questions I need the answers to. I just need to know, even if it will crush me.

"She... killed Belphemon. But from what I saw she vanished..."

"A digimon follows his partner." Although this does not surprise me it still hurts very much. Everything hurts actually. Every breath I take feels like it lacks oxygen, leaving me slightly light – headed.

I keep on swallowing hard in an attempt to control the nausea that won't go away. I feel so sick and after glancing on the screen of my computer the feeling only intensifies.

"Gennai... the white soldiers carried her into her room. I better go and check everything up and... Prepare her, for the transport into the real world."

In other words he'll go and take care of the corpse.

I can only nod, barely listening to a word Piximon is saying. Instead my fingers run over the keyboard automatically and within a minute I have a communication window ready that will allow me to contact the time dimension of Dylan and Kazumi.

"Gennai, are you sure you are ready to talk to him?" Piximon asks, the nervousness in his voice more than just obvious. I don't have to take a look at him to know that he is knitting his eyebrows in deep worry.

"He deserves to know Piximon."

"You want to tell him that not only his wife whom he's known all his life but also both of his kids are dead? Do you consider this a good idea?"

My heartbeat accelerates and I can feel my whole body shaking. All of the sudden I feel so unbearably cold again and I have to remind me that whatever I will decide for now, it won't change the fact that he – all of them actually – deserve to know what happened. They trusted us – me! – to keep the twins safe.

I failed them... so I have to take full responsibility.

My silence obviously speaks volumes because Piximon's voice sounds again.

"He will blame himself."

"It was not his fault."

It was mine.

"They came here because of him. And when he was here he told them to stay here. There is no way he won't blame himself."

"Tai will blame himself no matter what I will tell him. This is just who he is."

With that I click on the "Call" button and lean back in my seat, staring at my reflection in the black screen of the giant computer.

The screen lights up suddenly and I am met with ocean blue eyes who stare at me through the screen. The girl is dressed in an olive, tight t – shirt and her blonde hair is bound in a ponytail. There's a scar running across her face but apart from that you'd never guessed that this girl was attacked with acid. Jessica's hard features soften the second she realizes who she is facing.

"Gennai! Long time no see, what's up?"

The cheerfulness in her voice is making everything even harder and I gulp again. I breathe in deeply through my nose before I speak up.

"Where is Tai?"

"Uh uncle Tai is looking for aunt Sora actually. She kind of disappeared without telling anyone anything", she rolls her eyes in annoyance.

"You know how it is; you forget one time to tell anyone that you have to pee and everyone immediately assumes that you got kidnapped. Or died." she adds the last part before chuckling lightly.

I for my part feel like I just got slapped. I can clearly sense how the color is draining from my face and my palms get sweaty. This won't end well.

"Whoa Gennai I am just joking, are you okay?" She narrows her eyes at me and leans forward, her blue eyes literally piercing me up. She looks so much like her father now and it surely is intimidating.

"C – could you get Tai for me? I uh... have to talk to him."

She grabs the handles of the chair she is sitting on, getting off her seat while doing so:" Yeah, let me just – "

She breaks off when the doors of their command center slide open. Her gaze sticks to the door and she sits down on the chair again before stealing a nervous glance at me.

"Oh! Uncle Tai, did you find her?" She's looking into the far corner of the room so I am not yet able to see him but I curse the odds for this kind of coincidence.

"No", his voice sounds tight and I can clearly hear how worried he must be right now. "Who are you talking with?"

The voice gets nearer and before Jess can answer, the all too familiar face of the older version of Tai appears on the camera. He leans his elbow on the chair Jessica is sitting on and I can clearly sense that he sees right through me because the surprise in his face is replaced by suspiciousness almost immediately. I can see the skin on his chin hardening, indicating that he is gritting his teeth in anticipation.

"Y – you might want to take a seat Tai", I can't bear to look at him but looking away right now would be the most disrespectful thing I could possibly do.

He stiffens visibly:" I am fine standing."

Okay. Here goes nothing. Just do it... it's like ripping off a plaster.

"Our Sora is dead."

I finally avert my eyes and wait for any reaction coming from either of them.

But there is none.

Instead I just hear how someone – Tai I assume – slumping down on a chair. No one says anything and after what feels like an eternity I even feel stupid for breathing too loud.

It feels like time has stopped.

– Until Jess inhales sharply all of the sudden and drives my attention back to the screen. Tears are streaming down her blank face and she looks like she just saw a ghost. Her chest rises and falls extremely fast and I fear for a second that she is going to hyperventilate. Her eyes are wide and she's white like a piece of paper.

"The last thing I said to him was to rot in hell" Her voice breaks and the terrified look in her eyes intensifies. She covers her mouth with both of her hands, bending down while doing so.

I steal a glance at future Tai who is leaning in the chair. His right hand supports his head, covering his lips while doing so. His index finger is placed at the end of his eyebrow and he looks like he is trying to process what I just said. And he is taking his damn time. His chest rises and falls steadily. The only indicator that he indeed realized what I said is him keeping his eyes closed for longer than necessary whenever he blinks.

Jess shots out of her chair all of the sudden, standing stiff right in front of her "uncle"

"Commander I request immediate authorization to go and help them." She is still breathing hard while angrily wiping her tears, though it is of no use; the tears won't stop streaming down her face.

To say that I am shocked would be the understatement of the year. I nearly choke on the air I am breathing in and only stare at the two of them, waiting for Tai to react – somehow.

But instead of saying anything he just stares at the daughter of his best friend with an unreadable expression. He did not move his hand, nor does he look like he even registered what she asked him for.

His chest rises before he slowly shakes his head. Without me even intending it I feel the disappointment spread inside of me, although I certainly don't think that it would be a good idea to send another of their children here. We lost two already.

But his words surprise me:" I have no right to decide such a thing Jess. Go ask your parents."

His voice sounds stronger than I'd expected and I can tell Jess is startled by what he just said. But instead of questioning him further she just shots me a glance before she leaves. I'm sure I will have trouble forgetting her tear – stained face.

I am left alone with him but he does not look like he really cares if I am here or not. He slowly bends forward and buries his face in both of his hands. His simple, gold wedding ring falls into my sight and I feel the pain wash over me again.

They were perfect for each other.

"Tai. I am so terribly sorry... I don't know what to say I – "

"I can't do this right now Gennai. I'm sorry", he straightens his posture before he leans forward and disconnects the call.

The screen turns black again.


MATT'S POV

The cold wind feels like tiny little needles on my face. The temperature sunk so fast and so low that the only thing that is keeping me warm right now must be my uniform... and the fire we managed to light up in the middle of our circle. We're all seated around the comforting warmth in silence. Everyone seems to be lost in their own thoughts.

I feel the girl next to me shiver with the next gust of the wind and wrap my arm around her, pulling Mimi closer to me. She leans her head on my shoulder, her gaze focused on the only one who refused to sit alongside us.

Tai is sitting several meters away on the ground. I can't really tell what he actually is doing because we're literally engulfed by darkness. The sky is covered in clouds and the night just made everything worse.

We're in the middle of a giant desert and if it wouldn't have been for Alec and the maps Izzy has, we would surely be lost by now.

Every now and then one of us turns around and checks if our leader is still there, conscious. Joey did his best in somehow patching him up but I can tell that my best friend is still in pain. I surely won't start on commenting his mental state now. God only knows how he must be feeling right now.

"I feel terrible", Mimi whispers quietly but it is loud enough for everyone to hear.

While I still need the time to process the meaning of her words, Kari obviously expected Mimi to say something like that sooner or later.

"Don't worry, I doubt he really heard you back there anyway." Her voice is hoarse and her eyes turned into a light shade of red. I didn't have to check on her on our long walk today to know that she was crying the whole time. She not only lost her roommate but in a way she lost a family member.

We all did.

"But I still said it. I should – ", she says before she lifts her head off my shoulder and prepares to get up on her feet. But Alec interrupts her.

"Let him be for now Mimi." He's sitting between T.K and Davis, his shoulder wrapped in heavy bandages. Joey and Andromon somehow managed to set his arm.

"But we're his friends! He should not be alone with this right now", Izzy chimes in, his worried glance never leaving Tai's crouched down silhouette.

As much as the sight hurts me, I can't argue with Alec right now:" Alec's right guys... sometimes it's best to just be alone for a while. He knows we're here, he'll come when he's ready."

My teammates eye me with unsure glances before I see the doubts slowly fading in their expressions.

"Man... I can't believe the most epic couple died", Davis whispers quietly.

"Tai is not dead Davis", Cody retorts irritated.

"Well, as Alec said earlier; he doesn't really look very alive either", Kari speaks up again. She eyes her brother with an unreadable expression before I see her lower lip starting to tremble lightly. I feel my heart ache and am just about to get up and approach her but my brother is faster. He carefully grabs her hand with his right and wipes a single tear off her cheek with his left hand.

"If Sora would see him right now she would probably slap him and tell him to get a grip", Yolei says more to herself than to us but it is enough to get a few chuckles in response.

"Yeah and Tai would not stop complaining how bad it hurt", Mimi adds, giggling lightly.

"She was such a badass, I loved her for her attitude", Yolei responds, her smile fading lightly.

"She was one of the most powerful women I've ever met. Her sheer presence sometimes intimidated me", Joey adds, smiling at the memory he just shared.

"She was so selfless, it often got to the point where she would literally forget about herself because she was so worried about everyone else. I still remember how she always made sure I was okay back then when we were here for the first time", T.K joins them.

"She forgave me for everything I did. She didn't even want to hear my apology", Ken chimes in too, surprising me with his memory of her.

"We became friends the moment we met, although I was so shy at first and didn't really talk too much. She never seemed bothered by it", Cody says, his brows slightly knitted.

"She always knew how to deal with people individually. It was like she could read you in a completely different way than anyone else. She always knew what I was going to say or whenever I disliked something. She just had to take one look and she knew... I never understood how she did that", Kari adds, her eyes filling with fresh tears again.

"I always felt calmer whenever she was around. As if there was nothing really to worry about", I say, allowing myself to join their nostalgia and mourn one of my oldest friends.

"When I first met Tai the only thing he talked to me about beside soccer was her. He could go on for hours and talk about how good she was in sports and how he's known her for all of his life. I wanted to meet her for a long time and when I finally did I was so proud to call her my friend too. She was awesome, although she scared the shit out of me sometimes", Davis says, earning a few chuckles in response.

"She was so smart. Whenever I came to a dead end she helped me to get through it and find a solution for literally everything. And she also made me understand that it was okay to not know the answer to everything. I will always be grateful for everything she taught me", Izzy says, sighing deeply.

"She was my best friend. I loved her. Still do", Mimi says, her shoulders shaking lightly because of her sobs she's trying to suppress. I lay my hand on her lower back what causes her to turn towards me. Her big, brown, sad eyes stare at me for a second before the tears fall down her cheeks again.

"It's fine Meems. Of course you're allowed to cry. I'm sorry I snapped at you before." She slowly nods before she wraps her arms around me and buries her face in the crook of my neck. I just hold her, for as long as she needs to be hold. I close my eyes and rock her back and forth; hoping instantly that it somehow comforts her.

"I loved how she could see right through me. Although I always said that it bothered me I never really meant it. It felt so good to have someone who does not need any words coming from you. She knew that I've always loved her. She knew that I never stopped although I argued that I did. She knew it all."

We all look up to Tai who's standing between Alec and Davis, the fire lighting up his face; his eyes are swollen, but at least they're brown.

"I could show her a side of me that no one else ever saw. I told her things no one else knew, things I wasn't very proud of, but she accepted my faults. And when I had trouble to understand anything because I felt so trapped, she came by and somehow put the record straight. She helped me see things right. She guided me through every day. She always said that she is following my lead because I am your leader. But in fact I was following her. And now I can't see the way anymore."

We stare at him wide – eyed but he seems unfazed by it. He slowly sits down between the guys and turns towards Alec.

"What were the twins like?"

Mimi slowly straightens her posture again and eyes Alec with her teary eyes. It's like someone just poured water over our heads. In all this chaos we obviously managed to suppress the fact that we not only lost Sora... but her future kids too.

Their future kids!

"Oh my god", Mimi whispers.

"Alec – ", Yolei starts but once again, he interrupts her.

"It's fine guys. The twins were not a steady part of your life."

"Yeah but I loved them anyways", Kari counters, catching Alec off guard obviously. He looks at her completely dumbfounded.

"I did too", Tai adds quietly.

"Same here", I say. The others nod in agreement.

"We all did, they were amazing", Mimi says before wiping her eyes dry.

"I – ", Alec starts but this time he doesn't get to finish.

"Tai asked you a question... what were they like? Apart from the digital world and its mess", T.K asks.

Alec stares silently at my brother before he takes a deep breath. His gaze focuses on the flames that are dancing in the night air. I can see him grinding his teeth and closing his eyes – obviously unsure what he should tell us. Nonetheless he slowly starts to talk.

"They were kind and loving and... loyal. Although Kazumi seems to be like her dad at first sight she has so much more features of her mother. She is generous and would never try and harm you in any way. She loves deeply and cares for everyone else. She's very disciplined; she got up at five in the morning to go down to the training center. This is why she is so damn good in everything she does, because she completely dedicated herself to it. She's strong and tough... and has a very very bad temper."

We chuckle in response while Alec takes his time to continue:" Dylan was different though. He is like two sides of a coin at once; He cracks jokes in the worst times and catches you completely off guard by that because usually he is very serious and level – headed. On the other side however he can be a hot – head and rush into situations without thinking. He was very impulsive and would have done everything for the people he loved most. He was the perfect copy of his dad."

He falls silent again and furtively rubs his eyes. No one says anything; instead it seems like everyone is still processing what Alec told us about them. I can clearly see them being exactly how he described them... it would have been a pleasure to spend time with them without being in this whole mess.

But I won't ever see them again I guess...

"I can't believe they're all gone", Mimi whispers before burying her face in her hands again.

Me neither.


JESS' POV

I try my best to keep up with his pace but seeing that he is angry he is walking fast. Very fast!

"Uncle Tai!" I call out for what feels like the millionth time. But he's obviously done hearing me out because he just keeps walking towards the elevator. As soon as he steps into the glassed square he presses the button for the right floor. I accelerate my pace and slip into the elevator before its doors close. I hear my uncle exhale annoyed but he refuses to even look at me. He stubbornly stares at the display over the closed doors.

"You know that this discussion is still going right?" I speak out again but before I can add anything the elevator stops with a "bing" sound and Tai exits it without a word, walking away from me again.

UGH!

"Uncle Tai! Come on! You said I should ask my parents! And I did exactly what you said!"

I see his shoulders stiffen before he turns his head in my direction:" Yes because never, in a million years I would have thought that Matt would approve this insane idea of yours!"

"But Uncle Tai I – "

He stops suddenly and I bump into his back. I take a step back and realize that we actually came all the way from the dorms to the entrance of the hospital wing.

"No Jess. If your dad won't be reasonable about this then I will be: you're not going anywhere." He looks at me with his intense, stern expression he usually wears when he's in his full 'commander mode'. I gulp nervously and bring up all the courage I have to stand my ground.

God is he intimidating.

"They need help! God only knows how they're handling the situation right now! They are in the middle of a freaking catastrophe!" I throw my arms out in frustration while I think about the younger versions of not only my parents but their whole team.

For what I've seen they weren't really experienced. Sure they could kick some ass... but it takes more to be a good solider than to be able to fight the enemy. It's the mental abilities that make you strong, not your muscles.

"Did you ever stop and think about how we are feeling right now?" The change in his tone makes my determination crumble lightly. I look up into his eyes again and regret it instantly. He did not show any emotion after Gennai told him the news what made me believe the rumors I've heard from the digimons in the base. They always claim that he somehow lost a part of his humanity during these years. But it's moments like these that prove me otherwise.

Although he tries his best to prevent it from happening, several tears stream down his face. The sight is so foreign to me that it takes me a moment to realize that he actually asked me a question. I'm just about to open my mouth when he speaks up again.

"They lost one member of their team Jess. We lost three. I lost three. And I can't lose you too."

His words hurt me. But the pain of losing them hurts me more and this is what fuels my determination at this point.

"But –"

But he obviously just lost his patience with me;" Consider it an order coming from your commander Jessica! This discussion is over."

With that he pushes open the door of the hospital wing and disappears from my sight.

I growl angrily before leaning against the steel wall and staring up to the neon lamps on the ceiling.

What can I do? I can't leave without commander's approval...

Well technically I can. But how on earth am I supposed to build up a time gate on my own?

"If looks could kill these lamps would have exploded by now", a voice sounds from the doors of the hospital wing, catching me off guard.

I look over to spot one of my favorite persons in this base. Koji grin lightly at me, his dark blue hair is tied in a ponytail and his glasses look like they'd fall off his face any second. He's dressed in grey pants and a matching grey t – shirt; the usual uniform the medics in our base wear.

"Are you done with your shift?" I ask since I usually don't see him outside the hospital wing at this hour.

"Yeah, uncle Tai had something to discuss with dad", he just shrugs before he starts walking towards the elevator. Seeing that I don't really have any reason to stay here anymore I accompany him.

"Guess commander won't let you go then hm?" He asks, his smile never leaving his face.

I just shake my head 'no' before I press the button for the elevator to arrive. I feel Koji's eyes on me but I refuse to give in to him right now. I know he wants me to talk to him about everything that is bothering me right now because I – as well as Tai – did not really say much after we received the news. And I guess Koji is just waiting for my façade to crumble so he can be there for me.

But I don't need anyone. The only thing I need is to get back in time. Literally.

"I respect and love our uncle. But I am going, with or without his approval."

The elevator arrives with its annoying "bing" sound again and we synchronically step inside. I fail to catch sight of Koji's expression but judged by his next words he must be still grinning like an idiot.

"I was hoping you'd say that", he says before he presses the button with the number 43 on it.

"What do you mean?" I ask him dumbfounded. He readjusts his glasses before he steps out of the elevator. Without any word I just follow him to the open doors of the command center.

I knit my eyebrows in confusion when I spot the two people in front of the giant computer. My confusion grows even more when Koji approaches them nonchalantly, being not the least surprised by their presence.

"So? How far are you guys?"

Ayame, one of mine and Kazumi's closest friends and Izzy's daughter, turns her chair towards us. Her red hair is tied in a messy bun with a pen stuck into it. She's wearing black sweats and a tight white shirt. She flashes me a sad smile before her gaze sticks to Koji.

"Almost done. Shin'ichi here is a genius." She gestures to the boy sitting next to her.

Said boy turns his chair too and flashes me a smile. His lightly lavender colored hair is messy and he too is dressed in sweats and a shirt. They have the day off obviously; otherwise they'd be dressed in our uniforms – like me.

"Well, we both inherited our fathers' intelligences", he winks at Ayame before turning towards the screen again.

"Your mom is pretty smart too Shin'ichi", I add, thinking about my slightly crazy aunt Yolei.

"I know, I just don't want Ayame to feel bad about having only half a genius brain – OUCH", he holds the aching spot on his right shoulder before looking at his red headed teammate in annoyance.

"Okay, maybe I deserved this."

"Oh you sure did", Ayame responds, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"You sure as hell didn't inherit your dad's patience", Koji says, chuckling lightly.

"Oh that has nothing do to with inheritance. She just spent way too much time with Kazumi", I say. And immediately wish I wouldn't have said it.

They twitch in unison as if I just slapped them all at once and where before there was this light, amused atmosphere, is nothing left but the deep sorrow we've been in for the last few hours.

A sudden *bing* sounds and a female voice speaks up:" Time gate completed."

It is enough for all of us to snap out of it again and look up to the green, blank screen. Realization slowly sinks in and I look at my teammates in awe.

"Y – you did this?"

"It was obvious that uncle Tai wouldn't let you go after what happened to the twins", Koji starts, fumbling with his glasses again.

"So Hitoshi told Ayame and me that we should make sure that there will be a time gate ready for when you decide to go on your own", Shin'ichi says, grinning lightly.

I can't help but grin too when I think of that loudmouthed boy with his burgundy, spiky hair. To say that I am surprised about Hitoshi foreseeing my intention would be a lie. In contrast, I would be surprised if he wouldn't have seen this all coming.

"Where is he anyway? I haven't seen him since yesterday."

"He's scouting with the others", a voice sounds, coming from the doors. I feel my blood freeze and I can tell by the wide eyes of the others that they must be feeling the same way.

I gulp and turn around, facing my father who's standing several meters away from us. He's dressed in his uniform, his helmet is hanging on his belt and his hands are buried in the pockets of his pants. His gaze is fixed on me and without him even saying anything Koji, Ayame and Shin'ichi get the hint because they silently exit the room, sending me sympathetic glances on their way out. The steel doors close behind them, leaving me alone with him.

He crosses the few meters before he comes to a halt right in front of me. I stare into his ocean blue eyes and wait for him to say anything.

But he stays silent.

Instead I feel him grabbing my hand, placing a small, smartphone like device in my hand. I look down on the item in confusion before I press the only button on it. It lights up in a heartbeat, showing several dots on the screen. It reminds me of the function of our digivices that allows us to track each other.

"I don't know where you'll end up when you cross the gate", my dad starts, catching me completely off guard with his words. I look up to him in shock but he continues as if he didn't just drop a huge bomb.

"But this device works with DNA prints of us. It is much more precise than their digivices. This way you won't have any trouble finding them."

"Thank you dad", I mumble, still looking at the device in my hand.

"And this", his voice catches my attention again, causing me to lift my head again. My sight lands on the weapon he is holding in his hand and I feel like someone just punched me in my gut.

The shining orange – red bow looks like lava in my father's hand. I shakily grab the bow and put the quiver on my back. Hot tears fill my eyes when I spot the symbol of the crest of love on the bow and I bite on my lower lip to prevent myself to sob.

"She wanted to give it to you for a while now. Now go. And please be careful", my dad says and it takes me a moment to process all of this.

"W – what about uncle Tai? He said I couldn't go."

"I'll take care of him."

"He'll kill me", I huff in frustration, being torn between seeking my revenge and following my commander's orders.

Dad grabs me by my shoulders, making me look directly into his eyes again.

"He adores you Jess; he's just worried about you. Now go! And don't you dare to die on me young lady!" With that he pushes me towards the white mass of light that somehow appeared right in front of the giant computer screen. I can see the fear in my father's eyes and the fact that he is letting me go anyway only proves how well our relationship has developed throughout these years.

I feel my heart beat in my throat and the nausea kicking in, but I am not backing off now.

"Jess?" My dad calls me again, causing me to turn around again.

"What?"

He visibly grinds his teeth before he speaks up again:" Make sure they don't kill Lucemon."

I don't get to answer because before I even realize what is happening I stumble backwards into the gate, blacking out almost immediately.

END OF CHAPTER 19.


Whew... another chapter done. We are slowly coming to an end my friends! But don't worry there is still a lot ahead of us.

How did you like this one? I know it lacked action.. But I felt like I just had to somehow pay tribute to our beloved Sora.

Did you get my hints – can you guess whose kids they were?

Please R&R!

To my reader "Mac1826" – first of all thank you for loving this story as much as I do! I'll answer your questions in a DM!

This time I am not going to promise to update within some period of time... I most likely won't be able to stick to that promise again. I don't want to disappoint anyone of you.

Well then, stay healthy everyone!

24/03/20