"So, you're sure that they're at the village?"

"Yes."

"And how are you so sure?"

"Reports said they were heading in this direction. They have been stopping at every village."

"Really? Why would they do that?" She wondered aloud.

Thinking about it, she realized that they had probably been trying to figure out where she had been taken. She could just imagine how each of them would react. It was going to be a pain dealing with Shizuka considering how adamant she had been against Mikami coming. In hindsight, Shizuka had been right; Mikami coming with them had ended up being a problem. The only other person she could see having a big reaction to her suddenly reappearing would be Daiki. Either he would be elated or downright angry. It was hard to guess. Maybe even both.

"They have been interrogating Digimon," Beelzemon answered. "According to eyewitnesses, they were doing so with…questionable methods. Supposedly it was Daiki and Renamon."

Mikami stopped in her tracks. Daiki she could see doing that, as he often let his temper get the best of him, but Renamon? Renamon, the one who always seemed to be the voice of reason, interrogating someone? She had always been the one to keep them on the right path when they started veering. There was no way she would ever do something like that. It just wasn't possible.

Considering what they had all been through… No, she couldn't—wouldn't—believe that Renamon would do that even after everything that had happened.

Then she blinked. The way Beelzemon said Renamon's name seemed strange. Somber, almost. Why? As far as she knew, the first and only time they had ever even been near each other had been at File City.

Beelzemon, finally noticing that she was no longer behind him, paused and turned around. "Is something the matter?"

"No. Just thinking. So, uh, how close are we to the village?"

"Just over the next dune."

Wow, they were that close? "What if they aren't there?"

"I am sure the residents would be willing to help you."

"Yeah," she muttered quietly. "Good point."

Neither spoke as they climbed up the dune. Mikami was too focused on trying to decide what to say to her friends to pay attention anyways. She knew they would all panic the moment Beelzemon was mentioned. Maybe it would be for the best to leave out the whole "being taken to Laylamon's castle" part and lie about the abduction. Then again, they would figure out pretty quickly that she was lying. They wouldn't press her for details, though, so being vague could work. It wasn't like she was going to keep it from them forever. They would understand.

She hoped.

From the top of the dune they looked down at the settlement. In the dead of night, the only light came from the lanterns on the small buildings. Mikami took in a deep breath.

"You're not going back, are you?"

"I have to. I owe her."

She wanted to question him. More than that, she wanted to yell. What could he possibly owe a psychotic nutjob like Laylamon? What had she ever done for him? During her entire stay at the castle, all Laylamon had done was act like Beelzemon was nothing more than her servant. Like he was dirt. Still, nothing Mikami said would convince him. She simply sighed and nodded.

"Thanks for helping me. Guess this is goodbye." She added, "For now," under her breath. Whether or she wanted to or not, they would end up running into each other again.

Because we're enemies. Not friends. I have to remember that.

Even though she wished that wasn't the case.

"Safe travels, Mikami."

"Yeah. You too."

There was a pang in her chest as she watched him turn his back to her. Something in the back of her mind told her going back to Laylamon wouldn't end well for him. Whatever Laylamon had threatened to do had to have been pretty bad for him to help Mikami leave. Bad enough for him to put himself in danger. And now he was going back.

It's not like I can stop him.

Instead she focused on getting down the dune, almost falling over when she hit the bottom. It took a few seconds longer than she liked for her to get her balance back. Breathing in to steel herself, she walked into the village. There was no one outside, which wasn't a surprise to her. She squinted at the small signs, trying her best to read them in the faint firelight. Finally, after a few minutes of searching, she stumbled upon what she was looking for: the inn. She swung the door open and had to blink a few times to get used to the lights.

An orange monkey stood behind the desk, facing the shelves along the wall.

"Excuse me," she said, walking up to the desk.

"Yeah? What?"

"Are the DigiDestined here?"

That caught his attention. He turned towards her, a scowl on his face. The annoyance changed to surprise fairly quickly.

"Wait a minute. You're—"

"Are they here?" She repeated.

"Yeah."

A smile spread across her face. After what felt like an eternity, she had finally found her friends. She still had no idea what to say to them, though at that point she wasn't worried about it. All she wanted was to see everyone. Just looking at them would make her feel better.

"You, uh, want me to go get them for you? Don't know how happy they'll be about me waking them up at this time of night, but…"

"That'd be great."

The monkey nodded and pointed towards a grouping of tables and chairs. "Why don't you go sit and wait over there? I'll be back with them in a minute."

"Okay. Thanks."

When he disappeared up the stairs, she walked over to the nearest chair and almost collapsed onto it. It felt good to just sit down, relax, and not have to worry about a homicidal Digimon barging into the room. It had taken less than half a minute for her to start dozing off, but the sound of footsteps kept her from fully falling asleep. She sat up and tapped her foot against the floor, careful not to be too loud. A group of sleepy humans and even sleepier Digimon came stumbling down the stairs soon after, following the rather amused innkeeper.

"Why'd you have to wake us up anyway? It's the middle of the…night…"

The agitated voice of Daiki trailed off the moment he set eyes on her. The grin that spread across her face was involuntary; she couldn't stop herself. It was a relief to know for certain that she had made it back, seeing as how sudden the kidnapping had been. All of them gaped as if they couldn't believe that she was sitting there.

Daiki licked his lips and tried to speak. After a moment of struggling with his words, he quietly said, "Mikami?"

In a chipper tone, she responded with, "Hey, guys."

Before she knew it, she was no longer in the chair and was instead being lifted up into the air. Red spread across her face as he squeezed her with a little too much force.

"D-Daiki! Too tight! Let go!"

The moment she was safely back on her feet, she pressed her hand against her chest and took in a deep breath. Then she was pressed against his chest again, though he was much more gentle the second time. Then everyone else decided to join in. Mikami found herself in the middle of it all, trying not to laugh and cry at the same time despite her best efforts to keep her emotions in check. Luckily she avoided actually sobbing. They stayed like that for several minutes until they began to let go, one by one, to give her and Daiki space.

"You're back. You're really back," he whispered. "We—we looked everywhere for you. We couldn't find you."

Seeing the brief frantic look that crossed his face made her feel guilty. "I'm sorry."

"No. No, don't apologize. It wasn't your fault. It was mine," he said. He slid a hand into his hair and grabbed a fistful. "If I hadn't let you come none of this would've happened and—" He breathed out sharply through his nose. "I thought I was going to lose you for good."

"Well, you didn't." Mikami reached forward and tugged at his hand until he loosened let go of his hair. He stared at her until she gripped his hand in hers, making him look down at their intertwined fingers. "I'm fine. The only thing that matters is that I'm here now, okay?"

Deciding to remain quiet, he nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. It was Dorumon who broke the following silence.

"So…what happened to you?"

"Long story," she replied with a huff. "Honestly, none of you are going to like what happened. Not sure I even want to talk about it. At least, not yet."

Shizuka snorted. "Look, I'm sure you've been through a lot, but I think we deserve an explanation."

"Yeah, you do. Especially since you tried so hard to find me." She leaned against Daiki and closed her eyes. "Right now, I just want to sleep in a bed knowing you'll all be there when I wake up."

"We should be getting back to bed," Tadashi said before anyone else could speak. "We need to be rested for tomorrow."

Murmurs of agreement followed. They shuffled their way back upstairs, with Daiki keeping his arm around Mikami. She was happy to let him hold her. She didn't even complain when he insisted she stay in his room. There were no extra rooms anyway, plus the bed was big enough for both of them to fit comfortably.

It wasn't long after her head landed on the pillow that she fell asleep.

She was disappointed when she woke up before morning.

She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and squirmed. Feeling far too warm, she slid out of Daiki's arms. When she sat up, she made sure to keep the blankets on him. A quiet murmur came from him, but he settled down and let out a loud snore. Though she had only slept for a few hours, she felt more rested than she had since the night before they left home. Stifling a yawn, she stretched her arms out and looked out the window. Knowing she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, she climbed off the bed and opened up the window to enjoy the cool air.

Though she had decided to be vague when explaining to everyone what had happened, she found herself changing her mind. It would be better to not say anything at all rather than risk slipping up and telling them something she didn't want them to know.

I can't tell them yet, she decided, biting her lip. They'd do something stupid if they knew, like try to go to Laylamon's castle. Once all of this is over I'll explain to them. I just hope they won't too mad at me.

"Mikami? What're you doin'?"

She glanced at the bed to see Daiki propping himself up on his elbow.

"Did I wake you up?"

"Nah. What'cha up to?"

"Getting some fresh air," she answered. Her mind drifted to what Beelzemon had told her. "There's something I want to talk to you and Renamon about. It's important."

He cocked an eyebrow but didn't question her. "Sure. I'll go get her."

While he was out of the room, she sat down on the edge of the bed, tapping her fingers against her leg, and debated on how to confront them. Best to be upfront about it, since that would be the easiest way to get an answer out of Daiki. She was certain Renamon would be level-headed about the whole thing. Wouldn't see? It was doubtful that she wouldn't be, but after hearing about what she and Daiki had done, Mikami wasn't completely sure.

When Daiki walked back into the room, his partner with him, she stood back up.

"Okay, what did you want to talk about?"

"You two were interrogating Digimon," she said, keeping her voice as even as she could. "About me."

The partners exchanged a glance. An exhausted sigh came from him as he leaned against the doorway. Renamon folded her arms, eyes downward.

Their silence confirmed it. "So, it's true."

"How'd you find out?"

"Let's just say I heard a few things." Eyebrows furrowed, she frowned at them. "Stooping to their level? Really?"

"There is no denying what we did was wrong," Renamon said, shaking her head. "We were desperate to find you. The thought of losing you after…"

Mikami nodded and offered a smile. "I understand. Just don't let yourselves be like them, alright? You're better than that."

"You're not mad?" Daiki asked, surprised.

"A little bit, but I can just imagine how all of you felt while I was gone." If it had been one of the others who had gone missing, she would have felt the same as them. "Promise me you won't do anything like that again, though. Please?"

"Okay. Yeah. I promise." Scratching the back of his head, he chuckled. "Or at least try. You know my temper."

"I, too, will do my best," Renamon said, raising her head to meet Mikami's gaze. "I am sorry."

"Don't worry about it. You were doing what you thought you needed to do." To emphasize her point, she took a step forward to pat Renamon's arm. "What are we doing today?"

"Heading to the Resistance Headquarters."

That made her raise both her eyebrows. "Really? Wait, they have a headquarters?"

"Yeah. We got a message from Angela asking us to come. Told us where to find it and what to say to the guards when we get there if they ask us anything."

"Angela, huh? So she joined the Resistance…" The last time she had seen the woman she had been worried. After all, Angela and Devimon had decided to stay behind to face off a group of soldiers. To know that she was alright was a relief to Mikami. "Glad to hear she's okay. It'll be nice to catch up with her."

"You say that so casually."

"I guess I just want things to go back to the way they used to be between us," Mikami admitted with a shrug. "It's not like she did all those things because she wanted to. Besides, I treated her poorly even when she tried being there for me. Only fair that I try to patch things up."

"True."

Renamon cleared her throat. "We should wake the others. The sun is rising."

"This is gonna be fun," Daiki muttered. "Want to join in?"

"You know I wouldn't pass up an opportunity to bug the others," Mikami said with a laugh.

Within the following ten minutes, the trio snuck into each of their friends' rooms to wake them up. The results were entertaining, much to Mikami's delight, despite a brief sparring match between Daiki and an irritated Shizuka. It took another five minutes for everyone to be awake enough to get ready to set out. It wasn't long after they headed outside that they were flying on Birdramon's back. Mikami, much to chagrin, ended up on the bird's back, though she didn't voice her complaints.

"I can't believe you guys woke us up so early. We've been travelling so much the past few days that I think we earned an extra hour of sleep," Shizuka said in a sour tone.

"The sooner we get there, the better," Salamon pointed out.

"She does have a point. It'll be better if we rest there anyways. Angela did say it was well guarded in her letter," Judai added.

Shizuka muttered a few choice words but said nothing else.

The rest of the flight was quiet. When they landed, it was on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The only noticeable landmark was a large, damaged stone arch. Confused, Mikami stared at it, wondering why they were there. It was then that Daiki and Renamon walked through the arch and disappeared. Nothing but a slight ripple in the air marked where they had gone. Her mouth dropped open.

"What just happened?"

"There's a cloak around the island," Tadashi explained.

"Laylamon's goons never found it? That's a bit surprising."

"Most of them seem to lack common sense."

"True."

She couldn't help but gasp when she walked through. The sight of the massive castle sitting atop the island was astonishing. Even the number of Digimon she could flying and walking around the castle was surprising. How something that big, with so many Digimon there, could be hidden so well was beyond her. A shout from Daiki made her pull her attention away and hurry to catch up with the group. By the time they made it across the bridge to the gate, they had caught the attention of almost every Digimon outside.

"Greetings, DigiDestined!"

The booming voice of the knight standing on the wall made them all cringe.

"Open the gate!" He shouted, momentarily turning his attention to someone on the other side before facing them again. "We were told you would be coming! I do hope you were safe during your journey here! My friend Shoutmon will show you to the conference room!"

"Why is he yelling?" Gabumon wondered.

"I wish I knew," Biyomon said.

Salamon shook her head. "I wish he'd quit."

They rushed through the gate the moment it was open, if only to get away from the obnoxious knight.

"Is it just me or does this place seem even bigger on the inside than the outside?" Judai asked, looking around the massive hall in awe.

Before anyone could respond, a small red Digimon came running towards them, waving his small arm back and forth.

"Hello! My name's Shoutmon. Follow me!"

He began walking towards the stairs the moment he finished talking. He led them through the gathered crowd of Digimon and up the stairs to the set of doors at the top.

"Not sure we really needed him to show the way," Shizuka whispered to her brother, who nodded in agreement.

Daiki swung the doors open and paused.

Staring at them from the far end of the massive table was a familiar lion.

"Leomon?"

"BanchoLeomon," he corrected with a toothy grin. "It is good to see you all again."

No one was surprised when Salamon and the others ran forward to crowd around him. Mikami watched with a smile on her face, not noticing someone approaching her until she felt someone spin her around. Wide green eyes were the first thing she saw. Mikami leaned back in surprise at the frantic look on Angela's face.

"Vritramon sent us a message about what happened. Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you? Who took you?"

"Angela, slow down," Mikami said, placing her hands against Angela's shoulders. "I'm fine. No one hurt me. And you don't have to worry about the two that kidnapped me. They're…gone."

Angela let go in order to slide her hands on her face. She lowered her arms and chuckled. "Sorry. I was just so worried. I wasn't able to go out to look myself because of how busy things have been. Are you…are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Mikami repeated.

"This is not the time for small talk," a curt voice interrupted.

All eyes turned to watch a humanoid bird enter the room. From the way Angela shifted, Mikami guessed the Digimon was in a position of power. A handful of other Digimon entered as well. Each glanced at the DigiDestined as they gathered around the table.

"You are right, Silphymon," BanchoLeomon said. His eyes drifted to the group of Digimon gathered near him. "I apologize, everyone. We can speak of personal matters later. There are important matters to discuss."

Daiki folded his arms. "Well, fill us in."

BanchoLeomon nodded. "There was decline in activity recently from Laylamon's army. However, it seems her forces are preparing for something. We have yet to find out what their plans are, but we need to be ready to intercept them at a moment's notice. I have no doubt the next battle could be a turning point in the war. Too many of our allies have lost their lives this year alone. Losing is not an option."

"Don't worry. They'll be the ones to lose," Shizuka said, punching her open palm. "We'll make sure of that. We've got Tadashi's big brain on our side, after all."

Snickers came from Judai and Yoko until Tadashi fixed a glare on them.

"I assume you mean he is a strategist?" KendoGarurumon asked.

"I am capable of devising strategies."

"No offense, but I'm not too sure I trust a human to plan our battles," Vritramon mumbled. "Even if you are a DigiDestined."

KaiserLeomon let out a sigh. "Vritramon."

"I understand why you're skeptical," Tadashi said. "Right now, we should focus on deciding what we're going to do. We don't know what Laylamon is planning. The best thing to do would be to prepare plans for different possibilities. The last thing we want is to be caught off guard."

The trio looked at each other and then turned to Silphymon. A small nod showed that she was in agreement. When they turned to BanchoLeomon, he closed his eyes and nodded.

"We should begin as soon as possible. There is no telling when Laylamon will make her move." He sighed. "All of you are free to explore the castle if you wish. Angela can show you to the sleeping quarters if you'd rather rest."

"I'd rather stay and start discussing our plans," Tadashi said. "The sooner we make a decision the sooner we can begin preparing."

"Agreed. And the rest of you?"

Despite the early start to their day, none of them were particularly tired.

"We'll settle for wandering around," Daiki answered. "It's probably better for us to be up anyways. You know, just in case something happens."

"Angela, would you be willing to show them around?"

"Sure thing, boss."

She motioned for them to follow, and the group left the room. BanchoLeomon leaned against the table and glanced at everyone.

"Let's get started."