The sun had just reached the horizon when music began to blare from the second floor of the Toriya household. The dreadful noise could only be described as a horrendous mixture of jazz and heavy metal. A hand snaked out of the mound on the bed, groping for the device that the music was originating from. Once the phone had been grabbed, Daiki poked his head out from the pile of blankets and shut the alarm off. He dropped the phone back onto the nightstand. The blankets were then shoved onto the floor, letting the young man flip over onto his back and stare up at the ceiling.

Back to the same old stuff as before.

He combed his fingers through his hair and exhaled.

Better get ready for work.

He forced himself to sit up. His muscles decided to protest by cramping up. Groaning, he stood up and popped his back into place by twisting around. With that done, he headed into the bathroom to shower. Normally he preferred warm water, but at that moment he found himself turning on the cold water instead. He leaned against the wall and enjoyed the feeling of the cold water for a few minutes, just trying to relax.

Maybe it was the fact that he had finally registered that they were really home. It wasn't a dream or an illusion. After an entire month of being in a different world, they had managed to make it back. The problem—if it could even be described as that—was trying to get used to it again, despite the fact that it had already been a few days.

Daiki dragged his hands down his face. There was no point in figuring out why he felt the way he did. The only thing to do was to get through the day and hope he could get a good night's rest.

Once he had finished showering, getting dressed, and making himself look at least somewhat presentable, he headed downstairs. The smell of food was the first thing he noticed when he reached the first floor. When he poked his head into the kitchen, he could see his mother cooking. Renamon was sitting at the table reading the news on his tablet. Stomach grumbling, Daiki walked into the kitchen and stopped beside his mother. She spared him a moment's glance when he leaned against the counter, but turned her gaze back to the skillet.

"What're you cooking?"

"Steamed rice, fish, and nori. Want some?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll get the plates."

He caught her smiling at him and hid his smirk behind his arm as he reached for the cabinet. Renamon lowered the tablet when Daiki walked around the table to set the plates down. He moved to stand beside his partner and raised an eyebrow at the story she was reading.

"Mom teach you how to use that?"

"Yes."

"And you chose to read the news?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

He was tempted to say it was because of the fact that she was reading a story regarding the "sudden reappearance of a group of missing children" that occurred a few days prior. However, he decided it was best if he didn't comment. Sitting down, he leaned back and stretched out his legs. Nelia came over and placed food on Daiki's plate. She paused before turning to Renamon.

"Would you like to try some?"

Renamon looked ready to refuse, but a glance from Daiki made her change her mind. "I would be delighted."

Nelia, pleased, was quick to grab a third plate from the cabinet. Once all the food had been distributed, she clapped her hands together and began to eat. Daiki was about to take a bite of the rice when he stopped to look up. Renamon, despite being unsure, bit into the fish. Her eyes lit up, and she turned to look at Nelia in surprise. The woman beamed, making Daiki snort in an attempt to stop his laughter.

"This is amazing."

"Thanks! Cooking is a bit of a hobby for me."

"Only a mere hobby? I would think you would be a chef."

"Oh, no. Believe me, if I had the patience for that, I would be one."

"One would think the pay for such a job would be a great incentive."

"Yes, well, I doubt I'd last a week with my short fuse." Nelia laughed.

The conversation made Daiki stop once again to look at his partner. "They have chefs in the Digital World?"

"Of course."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I mean, we went to an inn that had a bard, and File City did have a mayor."

"Did you forget the fact there were also restaurants in File City?"

"Oh, yeah. That's true. Wonder what else…" He trailed off, looking at the clock. "Uh oh, gotta go. Love you, mom! Bye!"

As he hurried to his feet and ran out the door, Nelia yelled, "Love you too! Be careful!"

"Yeah, sure! See you when I get home!"

He couldn't believe he had wasted so much time. He grabbed his helmet off the table near the door and slipped it on. Once he was outside, he hopped onto his motorcycle and started. He was speeding down the highway less than a minute later. While his boss wouldn't be harsh on him, the man was still going to be unhappy about the fact that one of his employees was late.

Fifteen minutes passed when he rolled into the parking lot. Tugging his helmet off his head, Daiki slid off his bike and hurried inside. The sound of the doors sliding open caught the attention of his boss, who frowned. Judging from his expression, Daiki guessed the man was a feeling mixture of displeasure and relief. Maybe he hadn't been expecting Daiki to come back to work so soon?

"Sorry, boss. Lost track of time talking with my mom."

Sighing, the man waved his hand in Daiki's direction. "Don't worry. To be honest with you, I was worried sick when I heard you went missing. I don't mind you spending time with your mom. Also, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Rowan?"

"Thanks, boss."

"Did you even hear me?"

"So what's on the agenda for today?"

Rowan took in a breath and pressed his fingers against the side of his nose. "Just man the counter for me, will you? I have some new people applying for the night shift that I'll be interviewing."

Not paying too much attention to the man, Daiki gave him a thumbs up and walked around the counter. "You got it."

"I'm going to assume you're ignoring me. If anything happens, you know where I'll be."

"Yep."

The door to the office swung open. Standing in the doorway, Rowan looked back. "Glad to have you back, kiddo."

When Daiki prepared to answer, Rowan closed the door, cutting him off. Chuckling, Daiki turned and leaned against the counter.

Time went by slowly and without much incident at first. After a couple of hours, a rather bothersome customer came in who decided to harass other customers and raise a fist to Daiki. Needless to say, Daiki was happy to remove the man by force. People came and went like clockwork with few words said after that. The only person who tried to have a conversation with him was a talkative woman who badgered on until her daughter dragged her out. When his break rolled around, he switched out with one of the younger workers and went to the break room to relax.

He was halfway through a box of donuts when Rowan strolled in. A girl was following him, clearly excited and nervous.

"Daiki, this is Naomi. She'll be working the night shift," Rowan said, motioning to her. He turned. "Don't worry, Naomi, he won't bite."

She nodded and raised a hand. "Hi."

Daiki waved and swallowed down the food in his mouth. "Nice to meet you. Want a donut?"

~0~

"Thank you for the help, Renamon," Nelia said as she washed the dishes. "It's usually a pain to do all this myself."

Renamon dried the plates with care before looking at the woman. "No need to thank me. Think of it as a way to pay you back for your hospitality."

"You shouldn't worry about that. After all, you are Daiki's friend!"

"That may be true, but it would impolite of me to make you do this work alone. I am your guest."

"Well, no matter what, I'm glad you're giving me a hand."

The fox smiled and slid the plates into the cabinet. Her mind began to wander when she looked at Nelia again, leading to her thinking about Daiki. His interaction with the woman was the first time in days that she had seen him content.

"I apologize if I am bothering you, Nelia, but may I ask you a question?"

The woman seemed surprised by the question when she turned to Renamon. "I don't mind at all! What do you want to know?"

"Has Daiki always had trouble with dealing with his emotions?"

"A bit," Nelia said, resting her hand on the counter. "He's always been a stubborn boy, but his emotions began to get the better of him after he met Mikami."

"Why do you think that is?"

"Because that's when his father started…" She trailed off and let out a remorseful sigh. "I always regretted marrying that man. I wish I would've seen him for who he really was sooner. Somehow I blinded myself to the fact that he was hurting Daiki until it was too late."

Renamon turned her gaze away. "I'm sorry."

The response was not what the fox would have expected. Nelia laughed and wiped a tear from her eye.

"It was mine own fault for not realizing. But, to be honest, I think it was for the best. Daiki has told me plenty of times that he wants to make sure no one goes through what he did. Makes me so proud to be his mom. And it made me stronger, too. Sometimes we have to face hardships to become better people."

"I suppose so," Renamon murmured, "but there are times when those hardships are too much."

"Did something happen? Something the kids didn't want to talk about?"

Lowering her head, Renamon tried to prevent herself from showing her emotions. That didn't prevent her eyes from watering. Nelia moved over to wrap an arm around the fox, earning a small noise of surprise and protest.

"Look, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. If you feel like you need to, though, I'm all ears."

"We…we all lost someone close to us."

Renamon gripped the counter tightly. Thinking about it brought back the memory of the incident. It wasn't something she wanted to dwell upon, let alone remember. Keeping it in hurt just as much as remembering it did, though.

"I can't help but wonder if there was a way to prevent what happened. Scenarios where we save him keep playing through my mind."

"It's pretty obvious that you're blaming yourself. Don't! It wasn't your fault or anyone else's. Things happen that are beyond our control. Do you think he'd blame any of you for what happened to him?"

No, he wouldn't. Renamon could imagine Impmon ranting and raving over her blaming herself. There was no doubt he'd go so far as to hit her for it. Envisioning his reaction made her smile despite the sadness.

"It's gonna be hard to get over losing your friend, but just think about what he would want you to do, okay?"

"He was more than just a friend to me," Renamon whispered. "To think it took losing him to realize that…"

Nelia pulled the fox closer in an attempt to comfort her. "Have you talked to Daiki about how you feel? Or any of your friends?"

"No. None of us wanted to bring it up with one another until we had time to come to terms with the ordeal. We also didn't want to risk speaking about it in front of Mikami."

"Why wouldn't you—oh," the woman said in realization. "He was her partner, wasn't he?"

Renamon nodded before pulling away and turning her back to the woman. "I'm sorry for wasting your time like this. I should not have involved you in my personal problems. Please do not let Daiki or the others know about this."

Sighing, Nelia put her hands on her hips. "I won't tell any of them if that's what you want, but don't think this was a waste of time. If I helped you in any way, then it wasn't a waste of time. A friend of Daiki's might as well be family to me, and I sure as hell won't let family hurt. Don't be a hard-headed idiot."

Renamon took in a breath to help settle her mind. "Yes, you're right. My apologies. I suppose I am simply used to being rational and ignoring my own emotional state that I feel as if I shouldn't speak of it."

"Remember that if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. There are others counting on you, so take care of yourself too."

"Of course." Turning, Renamon tried her best to smile. "Are there any other chores you need help with?"

~0~

"Shift's over, boss! I'm heading home!"

Rowan, who had been explaining the ropes to Naomi, poked his head out of his office. Naomi peeked over his shoulder to look at Daiki, waving at him. He stopped walking long enough to raise a hand in response. Working with the younger girl was definitely going to interesting, if nothing else.

"Be careful driving. I better not hear you got yourself hurt on that damn bike of yours!"

"Yeah, yeah! It's not like I haven't been driving it for over a year now. Calm down, I know how to drive it!"

Goodness, the man was more overbearing than his own mothers at times. Daiki would even say Rowan worse than Yoko's father! Snorting, he sat down on the bike and prepared to put on his helmet only for his phone to make a noise. Sliding it out of his pocket, he glanced down at it. Of course it would be his mother texting him. Making a detour to stop by the grocery store was going to tack an extra half-hour onto his drive. After sending her a reply, he put the helmet on and pealed out of the parking lot.

With the sound of his bike filling his ears, Daiki raced down the road. He revved the bike and flew past several cars, earning frustrated yells from the drivers. He took the next right turn sharply and sped up.

Can't wait for everyone to get back. Maybe I'll get some sleep.

A scream made him jerk. He had just hit the brake when something slammed into the side of his bike. A moment of weightlessness was followed by a sharp pain in his arm.

He wasn't aware he had passed out until he came to with a person standing over him shouting. Groaning, he moved and hissed when his left arm throbbed. Grimacing, he looked down at it and felt his breath hitch at the sight of the blood covering it. While he didn't think it was broken, it was clear that his arm had been torn up when he was thrown off his bike. The person near him was talking to him, but he didn't hear because of the ringing in his ears. He did his best to sit up and use his other arm to take off his helmet. Judging from the blood smeared on his visor, he had a busted nose as well.

Trying to calm his breathing, Daiki took in a few deep breaths and turned to the woman. Even though his eyesight was a bit blurry, he could see people running down the street. He let his gaze move to the direction they were coming from and froze in place.

"Are you listening? We need to get you out of here!"

"Leave."

The woman, bewildered, stared at Daiki. "What?"

"Just go."

"I can't just—wait!"

He pushed himself to his feet, only to stumble. The woman caught him, careful not to touch his injured arm. He patted his pockets; both his phone and Digivice were gone. A quick glance around led to him spotting his phone. The thing was shattered. Licking his lips, Daiki looked the woman in the eyes.

"Do you have a phone?"

"Yes, but why would you—?"

"I need it."

"It can wait. You're hurt."

"Look, that big monster over there is here for me. So give me your phone and go. And if you see the cops, tell them to focus on evacuating people and keeping them away."

She hesitated for a moment, then handed the object over and dashed off. Fumbling with the phone, Daiki did his best to dial Nelia's number.

"Hello?"

"Mom," he gasped, "tell Renamon I need her."

"Daiki? What's going on?"

"Just tell her, okay? Tell her to look for a damn giant white snake."

He hung up before he could get confirmation. Because he was unsteady on his feet, Daiki nearly tripped over himself trying to find his Digivice. A glint of pale, dusty gold caught his eye underneath a small pile of rubble. He pushed through the pain to give it out, shoving pieces of metal and concrete away. What he found made his heart drop. He picked up the device, staring at the cracked screen in disbelief.

"It's broken," he muttered. "It can't be broken!"

"Tell me where the DigiDestined is!"

Whirling around, Daiki watched the snake slither towards a frightened boy. Without thinking, he picked his way through the rubble.

"Leave him alone! It's me you're looking for!"

The snake turned to Daiki with a hungry gaze. He took a step back, trying to keep some distance between him and Digimon.

"Appears that you are without your partner, little human."

Rubble halted his progress. Daiki glanced at it for a moment and then glared at the snake. "Yeah. You kinda caught me at a bad time. I was running an errand for my mom."

"Trying to act brave?" A forked tongue slid out of the creature's mouth. "I can taste your fear. This presents a difficult choice for me. While it would rather easy for me to kill you, I think it would be fun to torture you."

"Are all of you assholes this sick in the head?" Daiki retorted. "Jeez. Must be from spending all that time under that crazy lunatic you call a leader."

The snake's tail flung through the air, hitting Daiki and wrapping around his ankle. He was yanked off his feet, his head centimeters from hitting the ground. He swung in the air like a pendulum, the movement making his eyes water from the pain in his arm.

"Hold your tongue lest I rip it out!"

"Whatever you say, scaly douche."

With an angry hiss he was released, only to have the tail grab hold of his injured arm. He screamed, squeezing his eyes shut. Darkness ebbed at the edges of his vision, followed by his heart pounding against his chest and a burning pain radiating from his arm. It made him nauseous; he had to fight back the urge to vomit.

"Humans are fragile things. It is astounding that one of you were not killed sooner. Though I suppose I should be grateful since it has provided me the chance to get rid of you personally."

"How 'bout…you piss off?"

No response came, as the snake shifted his gaze abruptly. A golden blur slammed into the snake's head. The grip on his arm loosened to the point that Daiki found himself falling. Something caught him and landed behind a large piece of metal. It took him a moment to realize that he had been rescued by none other than him partner.

"Hey," he said breathlessly. "What took you so long?"

The fox looked him over, her eyes eventually resting on his arm. "You're injured."

"I'm fine. Worry about the snake."

Renamon nodded and stood. "Where is your Digivice?"

"Broken."

"What?"

He pulled it out of his pocket and held it out to her. He chuckled. "Didn't think anything like this would be happening today."

A glint of determination in Renamon's eyes made Daiki frown. She walked past him, making him twist around to look at her.

"Where are you going? You can't fight him as a Rookie!"

"We did not come this far to give up due to fear. If I turn my back now, I will be undermining Impmon's sacrifice. No matter what, I will not let it be in vain."

She walked out into the open, making the snake cock his head in her direction.

"Ah, you must be the puny human's partner."

"Sandiramon."

"So you have heard of me."

"Yes, I know of the Devas," she growled. "A group that once stood for peace in our world. Now you attack those who cannot protect themselves under the guise of making the world a better place. The only thing you and Laylamon's other followers have done is ruin the lives of innocent Digimon."

"What a shame that you are so misguided."

"Misguided? How so?"

"Because you do not understand what it is that Laylamon wishes to do. You and many others blindly followed the word of the Royal Knights. You did not question them. It was they who were a danger to our world. Laylamon wants to fix the damage they wrought."

Grabbing at the rubble, Daiki pulled himself up, biting his lip to keep from making any pained noises. He leaned against it and closed his eyes. There he was, hiding like a coward while letting his own partner risk her life. Of all the times to start being afraid, his mind had chosen one of the worst moments.

Come on, Daiki, you're better than this. You've never been afraid to fight before. Why be now?

"The only thing she and her followers are doing is causing more destruction. We will stop every single one of you."

"Then your friends will have to do it without you!"

His eyes snapped open. Dashing out from behind his cover, he yelled, "Renamon!"

The Digivice lit up, broken screen and all, nearly making him drop it. At the same time, golden light surrounded Renamon. Sandiramon stopped with a hiss, blinded by the brightness. The fox's body began to shift, transforming into her Champion level. Instead of stopping there, it continued to changed, becoming bipedal and larger. Daiki gaped when the light faded and looked down at his Digivice. It was displaying information on his partner's new form.

"It's fixed…?" He mumbled in confusion. "So she's Taomon now."

He raised his gaze and watched Taomon look at him.

"I knew you could do it."

Grinning, Daiki gave her a thumbs up.

Sandiramon bared his fangs. "I had been told the DigiDestined seemed to possess the power to Digivolve when needed. I must admit that I am surprised to discover it is true. You still won't stop me from fulfilling my orders."

"That's where your wrong, snake," Taomon said. "I will defeat and absorb you. Then my friends and I will return to the Digital World to put a stop to your precious Laylamon."

Enraged, Sandiramon lunged at her. Taomon was quick to swing the giant brush in her paws and smack the snake in the side of the head with it. Stunned, the snake couldn't recover in time to avoid another strike from Taomon. The blow hit his jaw, driving his head upwards. The fox was preparing another attack when the snake's tail knocked her aside. The blow sent her crashing into a heap of debris, sending fragments of metal and concrete up into the air. A sizable piece was pushed off her as she attempted to get to her feet.

"After I kill you, I'll rendezvous with my allies and finish what we came here to do."

"Your allies?"

Sandiramon chuckled, amused by her confusion. "Yes, my allies. Four other Devas came with me to deal with you DigiDestined."

A snarl came from Taomon, who launched herself forward. Sandiramon twisted out of the way and snapped his mouth down onto her leg. She let out a cry before jabbing the end of her brush into his forehead. His jaw dropped open from the force of the hit, allowing her to break free. The snake shook the pain off, aggravated, and swung his tail at her. She dodged and threw several talismans onto Sandiramon. He looked down at them and was about to laugh when the talismans exploded, making him careen backwards. Before he hit the ground he caught himself, only to have Taomon deliver a series of hits with her brush that made him topple over.

"Why do you insist on defending a world that is not your own?" He demanded.

"Because it is the home of my friends and their family. That is enough of a reason for me to protect it!"

Sandiramon sprang up and wrapped himself around Taomon, squeezing her as tightly as he could. With her jaw firmly clamped shut, she grimaced. Struggling made him tighten and loosen his grip repeatedly. He laughed each time she grunted, finding joy in the pain he was causing her. Knowing that there was no way to wiggle free given her circumstance, she concentrated on the rhythm he was moving at. Just as he began to relax, she pulled her arm out and slapped a talisman on his face. She shielded her face when it went off and barely landed on her feet once free.

She scooped up her brush. Using it, she painted a giant Sanskrit character in the air.

"Talisman of Light!"

She swung the brush, hurling the massive character at Sandiramon. The moment it hit him, it detonated, sending out a dust-filled shockwave that almost knocked her off her feet. Once the dust had settled, she watched the snake collapse and disintegrate. Taomon let out a breath and absorbed the data before she reverted to her rookie stage.

Her ears caught the sound of Daiki moving. She turned to find him leaning on a piece of concrete that was embedded in the ground. He grinned, giving her another thumbs up.

"Good job."

"It was thanks to you that I could fight."

"Heh," he panted. "You know, we got really lucky that the cops didn't show up."

Renamon frowned, tilting her head to the side at the sound of how weak his voice was. Every other word came after a brief pause in which he would try to take in a breath. It was almost as if he was having trouble breathing. He also looked much paler than normal.

"Daiki, is something wrong?"

"To be honest, I don't…don't feel so good."

He pitched forward without warning, alarming her. She ran forward and caught him, holding him gently as she lowered them both to the ground. Though his body was limp, she could hear him breathing and feel the beating of his heart. Since she had no experience with human injuries, she wasn't sure what to do.

The sound of squealing made her go rigid. She glanced behind her to see a car come to a sudden stop, leaving black marks on the road. A man with wild grey hair poked his head out of the vehicle.

"Get in the car."

"Excuse me?"

"That boy needs medical attention. Get in the car so I can take him to the hospital."

Looking down at the prone form of her partner, Renamon knew it was her only chance. Even if the man had ill intentions, she could deal with him. With a nod, she picked up Daiki and carried him over to the car. The man hopped out long enough to open the back door, making it easy for her to put Daiki in the back seat. She slid in next to him to keep him upright and slammed the door shut.

"Hold on tight."

The car was roaring down the road within seconds. Renamon leaned forward, prompting the man to glance over at her for a moment. Noting the suspicion in her expression, he turned away.

"Who are you?"

"My name's Ryu."

"Why were you there when all the other humans had fled? Why did the police stay away? Why do you not seem surprised by me?"

"You do realize it's hard to answer questions when you keep asking them, don't you?"

The fox made an indignant noise.

"Look, I get that you're suspicious of me. That's understandable. If I told you I was an old friend of Nelia's, would that make you feel better?" When there was no response, he continued. "I've known her since I was a kid. Now to answer your other questions, I was nearby because I was keeping an eye on things. I also made sure the cops didn't get in the way."

"How? Daiki and Nelia told me quite a bit about them, and they seem fairly determined to do their job."

"Let's just say I have my connections."

"And my final question?"

He didn't answer her, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.

"You know about Digimon."

Ryu shrugged. "You could say that."

"Do you know who the others are?"

"Yes."

Dissatisfied with his answer, Renamon narrowed her eyes. "Who are you really?"

He merely chuckled and sped up.