This chapter is probably one of my favorites. Haha.

Unfortunately, the friends once again found themselves falling through the sky.

This time, the fall was only a couple of feet, leading to most of them landing roughly on the ground. Only Renamon and Biyomon were spared the crash, as the fox landed on her feet while Biyomon flew down to land on a bench. The group groaned, slowly picking themselves up off the ground. Yoko and Judai had to be helped to their feet, and Tadashi was dragged up to a standing position. Once everyone was (mostly) on their feet, Shizuka turned to glare at her partner. The bird shifted uncomfortably, clearing embarrassed.

"How and why did you de-Digivolve in the middle of a freaking portal?" She demanded.

"I don't know! It just happened!"

"Just happened? How do you just—"

"Take it easy, Shizuka! It's not like she meant to!"

"It doesn't even make sense!"

Daiki huffed loudly, striding over to the twins who were currently butting heads. He grabbed both of them by the back of the shirt and pulled them apart just in time to keep Shizuka from smacking her brother. The girl glared up at Daiki and readied a punch, but the silver-haired male shoved her. She stumbled and grumbled under her breath in anger. When Tadashi was released, he fixed his clothes and opted not to say anything. Daiki folded his arms, staring down at the girl that was muttering to herself.

"This isn't the time," he told her.

He glanced over his shoulder at Mikami. Shizuka followed his gaze and sighed.

"Yeah, whatever."

"Hey, what time is it?" Judai suddenly asked.

Blinking, Yoko looked up. "Looks pretty late. The moon is really high in the sky."

"There's a convenience store a couple of blocks from here. We could check the time there."

"Wonder how long it's been here…"

"We were in the Digital World for about a month, weren't we?"

They began making their way out of the park. As they walked, Daiki placed his hand against Mikami's back and smiled at her. She attempted to smile, but he could tell that it was forced; it just didn't reach her eyes. The group talked as they made their way down the street, discussing their theories on how much time had passed. It was hard telling just how different the time was in the Digital World and in their world. No matter what, they all hoped that they hadn't been gone long.

At the corner of the block, Yoko dashed ahead to reach the store. She waited for the others, clearly eager. Once they reached her, she hurried inside, heading straight for the counter. The clerk jumped at the sight of her, eyes wide.

"Excuse me, but what day is it?" She asked.

"U-uh…May 27th," he said.

"Really?"

"Um…yes?"

She turned, looking at everyone else as they walked in. "Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Gabumon asked curiously.

"It's been a whole day!"

"What? A day?" Tadashi exclaimed.

"Our parents are gonna skin us alive," Judai groaned.

"I have a feeling Andre is going to lock me in my room," Mikami mumbled, shaking her head.

Sighing loudly, Yoko let her shoulders drop. "My dad isn't gonna let me out of the house for a month."

"We should probably head home," Daiki said, rubbing the back of his head. "Wonder if mom is finally gonna kick me out of the house," he muttered. "Alright, let's go. We can just drop you guys off one by one."

"You'll probably be running off pretty fast anyways," Shizuka replied.

"What's that mean?"

"We all know Yoko's dad is gonna pin the blame on you one way or another."

Frowning, the oldest folded his arms and looked up at the ceiling. "Yeah, no kidding. Let's just go. We're not making things any better by stalling. Though I wish it would make it better. I am not looking forward to this…" He whispered the last part under his breath.

The clerk watched them walk out, mouth hanging open. It wasn't until they were long gone that he found himself leaning against the counter. "W-were those monsters? Weren't those the missing kids…?"

~0~

Judai was the first to arrive home.

The others stayed long enough to say goodbye before heading down the street. The blond was left there fidgeting, wondering how in the world he was gonna explain to his parents why he had been gone. He had told Dorumon to hide in the bushes for the time being; the boy wasn't sure how they were going to react to see a small furry creature that could talk. For all he knew, they could have a total freak-out and panic. That was the last thing he needed. It was bad enough that he was going to get crushed by them when they answered the door and saw him standing there.

He had seen the posters when he and his friends had been walking to his house. Their parents had reported them missing.

Taking in a deep breath, he pressed the doorbell and waited.

It seemed like it had been less than a second when the door flung open to reveal his mother. She immediately trapped him in a hug, squeezing him tightly.

"Oh, my baby boy! I was so worried! Where were you?!"

"M-mom…can't…breathe," he gasped.

She let go of him and looked down at him. "My goodness! How did your hair get this long?"

He grinned awkwardly, spotting his father standing behind his mom.

"Mom, Dad, there is a lot that I have to explain. But first things first…"

~0~

Shizuka and Tadashi were next.

They had decided not to hide the truth from their parents. This was because of the fact that their father would be quick to find out that they were hiding something. They were going to explain every detail, from the moment they were sucked into the portal to when they got back. The only thing they weren't going to say was what happened to Impmon. That was personal to all of them, but it was mostly because Mikami wouldn't want anyone to know. The two weren't sure how their parents were going to react, but it was better than lying. Maybe they would think the twins were insane; they wouldn't care.

Tadashi stood back with Biyomon and Gabumon was Shizuka grabbed the spare key hidden in the cactus pot. She unlocked the door and swung the door open, announcing, "We're home!" while doing so.

They found themselves confronted by their dad as soon as they were in the living room.

"And where exactly have you two been?" He demanded. "And why do you have those with you?"

"Hey!" Biyomon exclaimed. "That's rude!"

"Biyomon, shush!" Shizuka said, flicking the bird.

"Look, dad, I'm sorry. We'll explain everything," Tadashi told the man.

"I expect you to."

~0~

"You are grounded for a whole year!"

Yoko shrank back, hiding her face in her hands as she listened to her screaming father. One would think that she would be unaffected by it after having been in the Digital World, but she hated seeing her father upset. He was frightening when he was angry! She found herself being dragged into the living room and being forced to sit down. She watched as he ranted, walking back and forth in front of her with his hands thrown up into the air. He was so frustrated that he hadn't even noticed that Salamon was sitting by the fireplace patiently. The redhead wished her partner would help.

"Dad, please—"

"I can't believe you! I thought you were responsible!"

"I didn't—"

"Those friends of yours are a bad influence!"

"No, they're—"

"I am never letting you near them again!"

"DAD!" She screamed.

He stopped, staring down at her. Listening to him lecture was one thing, but talking about her friends in such a way? There was no way she was going to let him do that!

"It wasn't their fault! We all got…" She trailed off, looking at her partner.

Her dad noticed her gaze and froze at the sight of the Digimon.

"Salamon, help me here, please?" Yoko pleaded.

"What am I supposed to do?" Salamon asked, tilting her head to the side. "You could explain better anyways."

"I-is that a…" Her dad tried to ask the question, but couldn't get the words out of his mouth.

"A talking animal? Kinda?" Yoko offered. "Um…she's a Digimon. My friends and I ended up in the Digital World. We're DigiDestined. She's my partner. Please don't kill me."

Her dad stared, not speaking a word.

"Uh, Dad? Are you okay?

~0~

"You sure you're gonna be okay?" Daiki asked once again.

"I'll be fine," Mikami said.

"If you need anything, you know where to find us," Renamon reminded her. "Don't hesitate to talk to us if need be."

"I won't."

She watched them reluctantly leave to head to Daiki's house. She knocked on the door after a moment of hesitation. A voice confirmed that someone was home, followed by the sound of footsteps. The door was opened by her adopted father, he was looking behind him and replying to something his wife said. When he looked forward, his eyes locked onto Mikami. She shifted from one foot to the other, looking away from him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a gentle hug that made her feel ashamed of herself.

"My god, your mother and I have been worried sick," he said, voice cracking. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm sorry, Andre," she whispered.

Andre carefully grabbed her chin to turn her head towards him. "Did you get hurt?"

"No," she quickly said, before swallowing. "Not much."

He let go of her and ushered her inside. His wife hugged the girl and sat down with her on the couch.

"Are you hungry?" Andre asked.

"Not really," Mikami answered, leaning against Sasha.

The man rubbed the back of his neck. "Honey, what happened? Why'd you disappear like that?"

"…What if I told you…I went to the Digital World?"

Andre stopped and lowered his hand. "What?"

"Should've known you wouldn't believe me," she breathed out.

"The Digital World, huh?" He mumbled. "Guess that makes you a DigiDestined."

Mikami's head shot up to stare at him. "How did you know that?"

He let out a sigh, smiling. "Looks like I have some explaining to do, too."

~0~

"Are you going to kick me out?" was the first question Daiki asked when his mother opened the door.

"No, but I am going to make you sleep in the doghouse," she answered. "Get the hell inside. You two, foxy."

Renamon stifled a glare at the woman, finding the name to be annoying, and followed her partner inside. Daiki went straight to the bridge to dig out a sandwich, making his mother grumble. He chewed on it while waiting for the woman to do something. She lashed a hand out to smack the top of his head, but there was barely any force behind it.

"You have any idea what you put me through?"

"Can't be near as bad as what happened to me and my friends," he replied offhandedly. "You're not gonna say anything about her?" He motioned to Renamon, who was ignoring the duo in favor of looking at the pictures on the wall.

"What? She's a Digimon. Big deal," Nelia said.

"Oh," Daiki grunted. "Am I gonna hear about how you know that?"

"I dunno. Maybe." She cocked an eyebrow at him. "You're not surprised that I know?"

"Honestly, nothing really surprises me anymore."

"So, how'd you end up in the Digital World?"

"We got sucked up into a portal and fell out of the sky," he stated, waving the half-eaten sandwich around. "Landed in a lake. Mikami almost drowned. Lot of things happened after that."

Renamon cleared her throat. "You may not be curious as to why, but I want to know how she knows about the Digital World."

Nelia simply grinned.

x-x-x-x-x

The next morning, they were all at the mall.

While their parents talked with each other, the group of friends and Digimon opted to eat breakfast and relax. After such a long time fighting, they needed a real break. Until something happened, they planned on spending as many days unwinding as they could. Judai was asleep, his head on the table. Yoko was leaning against him with Salamon on her lap and Dorumon on her legs, since she had her legs stretched out on the seat. Biyomon was perched on the back of the bench right behind Shizuka. The lilac-haired girl was stuffing food into her face faster than what should be humanly possible. Her brother was tinkering with his Digivice, which was worrying Gabumon. Mikami had taken a whole bench to herself to lay down and stretch out, though she was wide awake.

Daiki was chugging coffee.

"I was told an excessive amount of coffee is unhealthy," Renamon said.

"Probably is," he said, "but I'm tired."

"Why not take a nap? Judai seems to be doing so."

"He…does that," Daiki mumbled.

"I assume that it's a habit of his?"

"More or less." He downed the rest of his cup. "I'm gonna get some more coffee."

"Daiki," Renamon said, "you've had three cups."

"Yeah, and it wasn't enough."

The fox placed her paw against her snout. She knew why he was drinking so much coffee, but she wished he wouldn't. Nelia had warned her that he probably would and that it wasn't good for him. He hadn't slept well, but that was no excuse for him to be ordering so many cups. The young man came back with not one but two cups, avoiding Renamon's gaze.

"Are you going to tell me why you couldn't sleep?" She asked.

"Back off," he snapped.

"Toriya," she said in warning.

"Don't start on me. Just let me drink my coffee."

"It's unhealthy."

"Oh, look at you. Just because my mom told you that, you suddenly think you're a freakin' expert!"

The shout drew the attention of the others, leading to him yelling, "What're you looking at?"

"Grumpy old man," Yoko whispered with a frown.

He slid the second cup farther away to focus on the first. Renamon was very much tempted to slap it out of his hand, but she didn't want to cause even further trouble. She stood up and walked over to the others, leaning over the back of the bench to look down at Mikami. The brunette waved slightly with her hand as a sign that she acknowledged the fox's presence. Looking down at her, Renamon couldn't help but let her thoughts drift. She had to force herself to stop before she started thinking about things that she didn't need to.

"Anyone want a milkshake?" Shizuka asked suddenly. "I'm in the mood for milkshakes."

The mention of milkshakes seemed to wake up Judai, who opened his eyes to look at Shizuka. "That sounds good. Neapolitan, please."

"Of course you'd wake up for milkshakes," Yoko said with a giggle. "Strawberry for me!"

"Vanilla," Tadashi said, not bothering to look up from his Digivice.

Shizuka stood up to lean over the table, looking at Mikami. "What about you?"

"Rocky Road, I guess."

"Kay, I'll be back."

When she walked off, Renamon turned her attention back to Mikami. "I'm sorry to ask, but is Daiki always this bad when he isn't able to sleep?"

This caused Mikami to sit up and turn around to face the fox. "He didn't get any sleep?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. He woke up several times last night."

"Do you know why?"

"He won't tell me. Considering the fact he was tossing and turning, he either couldn't get comfortable or was having nightmares."

"I'll talk to him," Mikami said, looking at the silver-haired boy with a hint of concern.

"You also look rather tired."

The brunette waved her off. "I've never been able to properly sleep unless I'm buried in blankets."

"And you weren't?" Renamon asked with a hint of amusement.

"I was," Mikami replied, "but I kept waking up to snack on food."

"Never imagined that you'd be one to do that," Tadashi commented.

She shrugged at the statement. "I missed having Sasha's food. You can't blame me for that."

"She is a really good cook," Yoko admitted.

Shizuka came strolling back to the table with a tray that had their milkshakes on it in her hands. She set it down with a grin, a smug look on her face. One by one she set down their milkshakes in front of them, and then she took her seat while grasping her mug. Judai dug in quickly, using the spoon to shovel it into his mouth. Mikami took a bite, eyeing Shizuka with curiosity.

"What'd you do?" She asked.

Shizuka placed her hand against her chest, trying to stifle the smile. "Who? Me? Nothing!"

"Spit it out."

"I just got these at a discount, that's all!"

"Did you threaten the poor man?"

This made Shizuka grin again. "Actually, no. It was a girl. She said, "I'm giving you a fifty percent discount 'cause you're so pretty. Don't tell my boss!" Never would've thought that would happen!"

Mikami stared at her, dropping her spoon into her milkshake. "What?"

"I'm being completely serious right now."

"Did you find yourself a girlfriend?" Tadashi teased, keeping his gaze down.

"Aw, is someone jealous? Besides, I already have a girlfriend!" At this, Shizuka grabbed Biyomon and held the bird in her arms. "See?"

"Biyomon is not your girlfriend."

The bird in question closed her eyes and shook her head. "I have no idea what is going on, but I do not want to know. Please let go of me."

"You should ask that girl out," Yoko said while struggling to keep a straight face.

Shizuka released her partner and elbowed the redhead beside her in the ribs. "Come on, you guys, I don't do dating. Besides, what makes you think I swing that way?"

The humans all stopped to stare at her, making her burst out laughing when she noticed that even Daiki had focused onto her. "You guys are jerks!"

"I'm confused. You all make it seem as if females liking one another is a strange occurrence," Renamon said, titling her head to the side.

Tadashi smirked. "It's not, but it's fun teasing Shizuka since she hits on a lot of people."

"I do not!" The girl objected. "Okay, maybe I hit on people every now and then."

"I see."

"You know what that means?" Judai asked the fox.

"Believe it or not, but it is not uncommon in the Digital World for Digimon to flirt."

"Huh. I never would've guessed."

"So, does Shizuka limit herself to females?"

Mikami snorted. "Oh, no, she flirts with girls and guys. You never got to see her doing it in the Digital World, but it's a work of art when she starts."

"Our partners do not need to know this information!" Shizuka declared, slamming her hand onto the table. "I demand retribution!"

This prompted Daiki to shout, "Too bad!" She shot a glare over to him, but it was clear that it was fake. Everyone at the table suddenly began to laugh, Digimon included, and Shizuka covered her mouth trying to not. Their parents were looking at them from across the food court, but they didn't care. This was the first time in a long time that they had hung out like this without trying to tear each other's throats out. It was nice! Renamon excused herself, letting them continue with their banter, and trotted back over to her partner.

He looked at her and brushed his fingers through his hair. "So, is Mikami okay?"

"She…appears to be doing better," Renamon said, sitting beside him.

"That's good. I've been worried about how…" He trailed off, playing with his cup. "…How what happened might affect her."

"Why is that?"

"She's always had a strong reaction to the people close to her leaving," he whispered. "Ever since she was little. I was hoping that she wouldn't become withdrawn again."

"But why would she?"

"I told you that she lost her parents when she was little, didn't I?" When the fox nodded, he put his palms against the table. "What happened scarred her. I was the only person she told. One of the few people who actually know what happened, too. I won't tell you everything, but it was her dad that led to her becoming an orphan. She saw everything." He lowered his head, massaging his temples. "I was afraid that losing Impmon might drive her over the edge again. I guess we were lucky."

"It wasn't that we were lucky. We were there for her to lean on." Renamon grabbed the cup of coffee away from Daiki, but there was no complaint from him. "She's still hurting. It's not hard to see. We'll just have to continue to stay by her side."

Daiki looked at the girl in question with a smile. "I don't mind that in the least."

I love this pairing!