Halfway down the stairs, the sound of a news report caught Mikami's attention. She stopped to listen.

"…that a satellite disappeared from orbit two days ago. There has yet to be any information regarding what satellite it was, how it disappeared, or where it could have gone."

Wonder how that happened. Weird that an entire satellite could go missing, she thought.

She brushed it off as she walked into the kitchen with her arms behind her head.

"Good morning, Andre," Mikami greeted. "What's for breakfast?"

The man, who was standing over the stove, looked over his shoulder at her. She opened the fridge and stuck her head inside to dig around for something to drink. After grabbing the carton of milk, she pulled it out and shut the fridge. He turned his gaze back to the food.

"I'm cooking omelets with a side of kobachi. How's that sound?"

"Sounds pretty good."

"You sound like you're in a good mood."

With a shrug of her shoulders, even though he wasn't looking at her, she pulled one of the cabinets open. "I had a good night's rest. Want me to pour you a cup of milk?"

"That's good to hear. And yes, if you would."

She grabbed two cups and poured milk into them. "I think I'm gonna call the others to see if they'll hang out today. That okay with you?"

"I don't mind."

After setting one of the cups down onto the counter near Andre, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. Taking a sip of milk, she scrolled through her phone, deciding to send a group message so that everyone could see it. When she caught sight of the date, she paused, lowering the cup.

"It's been a month…"

"Come again?"

"Oh, nothing," she said. "I really lost track of time. Didn't realize that it's been a month since we came back."

"Time has flown by, hasn't it?"

"That's the truth."

She was drinking out of her cup again when her phone began to blare as an indication that someone was calling her. The sudden noise startled her, making her spit out a bit of milk from her mouth and causing her to nearly drop her cup. Setting the cup down, she grabbed a paper towel to wipe her face off and then answered her phone. Andre watched her with mild curiosity.

"What is it, Daiki? I just about choked on some milk—"

"Mikami, you need to come to the park right now. It's important."

"What could be that important—"

"The portal reopened."

She sucked in a breath. "I'll be there as soon as I can. What about the others?"

"I already called them."

Nodding, Mikami hung up and looked at Andre. "We need to go to the park. I'm gonna run upstairs to grab something and meet you outside."

Quick to realize that what was happening was important, Andre turned off the stove and said, "Alright. Just hurry."

She hurried out of the room and bounded up the stairs two at a time. Keeping her pace after reaching the top of the stairs, she ran straight into her room. The first thing she grabbed was the pair of goggles sitting on the nightstand, which she put around her neck. She then pulled open the top drawer to grab her Digivice. With the items in hand, she made her way outside to where Andre was waiting in the car.

The moment they pulled up to the sidewalk, Mikami unbuckled and hopped out before Andre had a chance to turn off the car. She wasted no time in running into the park, forcing the man to hurry after her. Near the play equipment, her friends and their parents were waiting. In the sky, the portal to the Digital World was clearly visible. Mikami slowed to a halt, watching as her friends exchanged uncertain glances. Daiki stood and walked towards her, keeping his eyes to the ground to avoid meeting hers.

"What do you plan to do once the portal reopens?"

"You…you should stay behind."

"I'm going to go with my friends, no matter what."

"We can't risk letting you go."

"Even though you may be a hindrance to them?"

"If we did, we'd…you could…"

She took a second to look down at the Digivice in her hand. When she raised her head, Daiki was staring down at her. The way he was rubbing his arm made her wonder if he felt guilty about the having to tell her their decision. She looked behind him to see the others staring at the two with apprehension. They were worried for her safety, and rightly so. All of them were probably prepared to say goodbye and leave her behind for her own safety—something that wasn't easy by any means. Doing that meant they knew there was a chance that it would be their last time talking.

They're all trying to put on brave faces, she thought, but they know things are going to be different when they get there.

Surprisingly, Mikami felt calm about the entire situation. Had something similar happened before everything they had been through, she probably would have been angry. However, after taking the time to think about the conversation she had with Ryu, she had come to realize just what he had meant.

That didn't mean she agreed with him.

"I won't let your backs be the last thing I see of you."

Daiki's eyebrows shot up at the declaration. Though he wanted to object, he was unable to think of what to say, and instead made a quiet, half-choked sound.

"Mikami—"

"No way," Shizuka said as she walked up to them. "There is no way you're going. It's hard telling what we're gonna face when we get there."

"I know that."

"Then you know that you should stay here."

"I'm not staying behind."

Shizuka's hands curled into fists. "Damn it, Mikami, don't be a stubborn idiot!"

"I get that you're all trying to protect me, and I appreciate it. Really. But...I couldn't live with myself if I just let all of you leave, especially if you never come back."

"We will come back."

"And you know that for sure?" Mikami asked with a frown.

Shizuka opened her mouth to argue, only to close it again, realizing that Mikami had a point.

"If you were in my position, wouldn't you feel the same? Wouldn't you want to go?"

"Yes, but…"

"If I go, at least I'll be able to know whether or not you're okay. If I stay here, I can't know. The only way any of us would know what happened to all of you is if you didn't come back for several days—weeks, even."

The younger girl turned to look at her brother with an expression begging for help. There was no doubt that Tadashi would examine the situation in a logical light rather than an emotional one. Mikami wouldn't be able to win in an argument him no matter how hard she tried. She should have known that Shizuka would try to get help from him when she was unable to convince Mikami herself. He stood and approached them with a blank expression.

"We should let her come with us."

An indignant look appeared on Shizuka's face when her brother spoke. Daiki seemed to be relieved. Judai and Yoko were confused. The reactions of their parents were varying degrees of shock.

Mikami was pleasantly surprised.

"What? Are you kidding?" Shizuka asked. "Please tell me you're kidding. You can't be serious."

"I am. You would know for certain if I was joking," Tadashi muttered. "I know that I rarely include my emotions when coming to a decision, but right now I am. It is highly unlikely that Mikami will be targeted as a threat and as long as she stays out of harm's way, she will be fine."

"This is going to come back and bite us in the ass."

"Most likely."

"So she should stay behind!"

"Maybe we should ask the others how they feel."

Shizuka spun around to stare at Judai and Yoko. The two looked at each other and then glanced away to avoid Shizuka's eyes.

"I don't want to say goodbye to Mikami," Yoko said, twiddling her thumbs.

"And you, Judai?"

"I don't want to either."

With an exasperated groan, Shizuka threw her hands up into the air. "I swear you're all idiots! Obviously I'm the only one with a brain now, but fine, whatever. We'll take her with us. Biyomon, get ready!"

She stalked away to a spot with more space, Biyomon right behind her. As the bird Digivolved, the group of friends scattered to say their goodbyes to their families. Taking in a deep breath, Mikami walked over to Andre. The man stared down at her with an uncertain, worried gaze.

"Are you sure about this?"

"I have to go. I just have to."

"I understand." He placed his hands on her upper arms. "Promise me you'll be careful."

Both of them knew that it was a promise that would mean little, but it would help to make both of them feel better.

"I promise," she said as she wrapped her arms around him. "I love you, dad."

She let go and hurried away before he could say anything else to her. He had been a father to her ever since he had adopted her. Calling him that was hard for her, but after everything he had done for her through the years, it was the least she could do before she left just to let him know how she felt. She refused to look back when he said her name, even as she climbed onto Birdramon's back.

Once everyone was on, the bird took off and flew through the portal.

~0~

The city was burning, and there was nothing Mervamon could do.

Even if she was able to do something about the flaming buildings, all her attention was focused on her opponent. Their battle was a deadly dance consisting of strikes and dodges, each taking turns in trying to subdue the other. One would lash out, the other would move out of the way, and then their roles would switch. The fight kept Mervamon on her toes, forcing her to anticipate what attack would come next and how to react. Her adversary's movements were predictable, yet he was fast enough that blocking him proved to be difficult. There were no openings for her to do anything other than use her sword and her Medullia. She had even been injured a few times by her opponent's claws.

In addition, the battle was taking its toll, as she was slowly becoming tired simply because of how long they had been fighting.

Unfortunately, Mervamon made a mistake.

She had been sure he was going in for another punch. As such, she began to move to avoid the attack only to be caught off guard when his leg suddenly swung upwards and struck her in the stomach. That single blow caused her vision to black out for a moment as pain flared in her abdomen. She placed her hand over the area and coughed. When her sight returned, he had taken a step back to get ready to attack her again.

There was no time for her to dodge the barrage of punches that came soon after. Then she felt her legs swept out from under her, followed by a kick that sent her skidding across the ground. Grimacing, she pulled herself up until she was finally on her knees.

How can he be so strong? For as long as our battle has gone on, he isn't even winded, and yet I'm…

It took more effort than she would have thought necessary to get back onto her feet, even requiring her to use her sword as a crutch.

"Yield."

"Never," Mervamon spat. "I will never surrender to a monster like you, not after what you've done to this city."

"The citizens of this city were spared."

"And yet you destroyed their homes."

The red-eyed demon tilted his head to the side, staring at her with a scrutinizing gaze. Mervamon felt her skin crawl but pushed the feeling aside and raised her sword once again. Her reaction made him shake his head as a response.

"You can barely stand, yet you plan to keep fighting me?"

"It is my duty to stand against evil. Either I defeat you or die trying!"

"You're a fool."

He reached down and pulled a gun from the holster on his leg. Narrowing his eyes, he pointed the weapon at Mervamon. Her hands unconsciously tightened around the handle of her sword. What he said was true; at that moment, she was using every ounce of willpower to remain on her feet. If she was lucky, she could muster enough strength for a few swings. The problem was that he was much more powerful than her. One more hit from him in her current condition would be enough to render her useless.

"If you insist, then so be it. I'll put you out of your misery."

She kept her eyes on him as he aimed the gun at her chest. She would be able to block one shot, but she doubted she would be fast enough to block any consecutive shots.

"Mervamon!"

Her head turned to the right in time to see a blue blur fly past her. Her foe was sent skidding backwards, having raised his arms in time to block the blow. A bipedal wolf stood there, fists raised. More Digimon soon joined him, ending with a massive red bird landing in an open space nearby.

As she watched, the DigiDestined came into view.

"Daiki? Judai?" Mervamon muttered.

"Mervamon, are you okay?" Judai asked.

"I can't believe it," she mumbled with a laugh. "You're really here."

"We're sorry it took so long for us to get back," Daiki said. He turned to look at the gunman. "Don't worry. We'll deal with him."

The statement made Mervamon's eyes widen. "No, you can't! He's too strong for you to fight. You'll never win."

Shizuka scoffed. "You're joking. We've got five Ultimates here. There's no way he could beat us."

The Digimon in question lowered his arms, letting his gaze sweep across the group. "You must be the DigiDestined," he observed.

"Well, aren't you a genius," Shizuka said. "Who are you?"

"My name is Beelzemon," he answered. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "My mission is complete. I have no other reason to stay here any longer. Until we meet again."

"Wait a sec—!"

Before Shizuka could finish her sentence, Beelzemon leaped onto a large piece of rubble and then into the air. A Pteramon swooped down from the sky, catching him, and flew away. Garudamon moved to follow him, only for Taomon to move in front of her and motion for her to stay. With the threat gone, Mervamon's sword fell from her grasp as her strength finally failed her. Her legs gave out next, but Daiki caught her before she hit the ground. WereGarurumon took over and helped her to sit with her back against a stone block.

Mervamon looked at the group of Digimon with pleading eyes. "I hate to ask, but can you go see if anyone needs any help?"

They nodded and, without waiting for their partners to say anything to them, hurried off into the rubble. The humans decided to gather around Mervamon, hoping for answers.

"What happened here?" Tadashi asked.

"Beelzemon came with a group of troops. They destroyed the city."

Yoko stared at the damage with a concerned gaze. "What about all the Digimon who lived here?"

"Hurt, but alive. For some reason, Beelzemon ordered for everyone to be spared."

"If we had just gotten here sooner, maybe we could have helped," Daiki said.

Mervamon shook her head. "It would've been useless to try. Your partners would've been defeated by Beelzemon."

"How long has it been since we left?" Mikami wondered aloud. "A month here was only a day back home, so…"

Tadashi looked down, doing the math in his head. It was easy to tell when he figured out the length of time by the expression on his face when he raised his head.

"Two and a half years."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"We've been gone for over two years?" Shizuka asked. "Damn. How have things gone here?"

"The Resistance held ground for a long while until Beelzemon showed up. He just…appeared out of nowhere one day," Mervamon explained as she tried to sit up. "Since then, it seems like Laylamon's army keeps getting stronger and stronger. We've been doing everything we can to keep innocent Digimon safe."

"Great. This isn't gonna be easy," Daiki muttered.

Judai bit his thumbnail. "If we want a chance, our partners will need to be stronger."

"How? We can't just force them to Digivolve," Yoko said. "But there has to be a way, right?"

"Every time our partners needed to Digivolve, they did," Mikami pointed out. "All of you just need to have faith in your partners."

The way she spoke made Mervamon glance at her, but once she took note of the expression on Mikami's face, she turned away.

"So, what are we going to do?" Judai asked. "We've been gone for so long that everything seems different."

"Right now we need to focus on finding out as much information about Laylamon's army as we can. The more we know, the better prepared we can be during our fights," Tadashi stated.

"Your best bet would be Web City," Mervamon said. "It's well protected and Zudomon makes sure to stay up to date on recent events. He can give you more information than I can."

Daiki nodded. "Then it's settled. We'll head to Web City. First things first, though, we'll do what we can to help here." He turned around and raised a fist into the air. "Let's get to work everyone!"

Mervamon was quick to notice the scars on his arm.

There was a chorus of agreements from the group before they all split up to find their partners. Despite what she had been through, Mervamon felt a smile tug at her lips. Grunting in effort, she grabbed hold of the rubble she had been leaning on and tried to pull herself up. She paused when a she felt a hand grip her arm and looked to see that it was Mikami. With the brunette's help, Mervamon was able to get to her feet. She looked down at the human with a grateful expression.

"Daiki and Judai seem different," Mervamon said.

"They've both been through a lot since the last time they saw you," Mikami replied.

"What happened to Daiki's arm?"

"Long story," Mikami said with a sigh. "You should take it easy."

"Believe me, I know. I feel like I've been run over by a stampede of Monochromon." Grabbing her shoulder, Mervamon moved her arm around. "I have a feeling it's going to be awhile before I can fight again."

She stopped when her eyes landed on her sword.

I hope I can have a rematch with him someday.