It had been a while since the digidestined had been forced to camp on the digital world forests. Not much had changed, excpt maybe a small decrease in the number of digimon that wanted to kill them, their reputation had begun to precede them it seems. But that didn't stop them from being cautious. That night , like they did all those years agoe, with gomomon's help they cought a few fish and roasted them on a fire that agumon had made. If you were to listen in on their conversation that night you would not believe they had just been treathened by a creature they had tought dead, or that the faith of a world lay on their shoulders yet again. They sat around the campfire, close enough to keep out the chill of the digital night. They sat there, laughing and exchanging old stories they had lived trough together, like old war veterans recalling their time at the front lines. They laughed and they joked and never broth up piedmon, it wasn't trough confidence or ignorance they did so but out of familiarity. When you carry the weight of a world on your shoulder more then once it becomes less of a burden and more like a backpack you are forced to carry to class.
"I'm stuffed." Loughed agumon patting his oversized stomach.
"Beats the first time we ate here." Loughed Tai.
"Our fishing skills haven't changed a bit." Giggled Sora as she leaned on Matt trying to keep her hands warm. Like most of the other didgidestined she was stuck in her school uniform which was neither fashionable nor feasible for winter camping.
"speak for yourself." Piped in gomomon."I'm becoming quite a pro at it I must admit."
"tough I swear Matt's cooking was better the last time." Continued Palmon as she drank some of the fresh water from the earth.
"hey! I didn't have much to work with." Protested matt.
"Tough you have to admit it has gotten pretty bad." Admitted gabumon.
"Ok so next time you cook." Retorted Matt.
"I say next time Mimi cooks, I heard she's making quite a hit in in states." Observed Izzy.
"well being a digidestiend has some perks." She said playfully winking at her friends.
"I don't think I've ever tried your cooking." Admitted Hikari.
"If it's anything like what sauce she likes with her fried eggs it wouldn't recommend it." laughed Takeru, causing the rest of the digidestiend and their digimon to lough. That's when Joe stood up and stretched.
"well I don't know about you guys but I've had enough excitement for one day."
"I agree." Yawned Izzy. "So who's going to keep first watch.?"
"not me I need to catch up on a lot of sleep." Complained mimi.
"Well I don't mind." Said Takeru. "the last time we did this you guys would't let me keep watch."
"Alright takeru, if you inisist." Loughed Matt. At that point everyone, as if in sync, stood up or began to lie down ready to get back in the routine of sleeping on the cold hard ground again.
"Aren't you going to sleep Hikari?" asked Gatomon as she curled up on her partner's feet.
"Neh not yet, I'll keep watch with takeru." She said while stifflign a yawn.
"You two be good, okay?" giggled Sora as she lay down beside Matt with gomomon and biyomon between them.
"What!?" Tai, who until that point had faked sleep shot to a sitting position.
Takeru just rolled his eyes.
"She was joking tai." Loughed Matt without looking at his friend.
"no funny business ok?" added mimi half giggling.
"great now I won't be able to get to sleep." Whined Tai as he lay back down. Snores quickly began to erupt from his unconscious body. Slowly all the digidestined begn to settle into their own mysterious dreams.
"why are we the ones they always have to pick on?" whispered Hikari as she stroked gatomon's head.
"I think its because we are the youngest." Observed Takeru as he poked the embers with a giant twig. Patamon sat on his lap not asleep but not as such awake.
"but we never picked on cody like that!" complained hiakri, although Takeru knew she wasn't really offended by their friends comments.
"That's because we suffered our own torements and never want the little guy to go trough the same thing." Laughed Takeru.
They sat there momentarily in silence. Takeru looked up at the star-lit sky, for one still fresh to the digital world they may have seemed confusing, but, just like in the real world ,the night sky here held an infinite number of constillations. A cold breeze ruffled his blond hair making him shiver slightly and pull his school blazer around him. He wished he had his raincoat, the school uniform was horrible in the weather.
Hikari wasn't any better, infact as she tried to stretech her school skirt in such a way for it to try reach her ankles she silently cursed her accursed school uniform. Takeru, having noticed this, gave a silent sigh and silently unbuttoning his blazer he took it off and threw it over his freiend's shoulders.
"No way!" she instantly protested. "you're just as cold as I am!"
"Hush!" takeru warned giving her a small smile. "I'll be fine."
Hikari knew she should throw the blazer back at him and force him to wear it but... it was still warm from when takeru had been wearing it... it even smelled like him…
She gave a defeated smile and leaned againt his shoulder. "Don't protest." She warned. "panguins huddle together to saty warm. It's the least I can do."
They both laughed and let the small space between them to be filled by the cold winter wind.
Takeru wasn't sure how long they sat like that, it was hard to tell time at night but eventually, still leaning on his shoulder, hikari dozed off. Takeru stayed up for as long as he could but the minute he cought himself half dozing he carefully placed hikari on the ground, covering her with the blazer. He reluclantly woke taichi up before huddling besides patamon and gatomon as he closed his eyes.
"good night takeru." Mumbled a small voice.
Takeru was so drowsy he tought it was Kairi.
When he woke up the next morning the sun was already peaking over the tops of the trees. Takeru, blinking against the sudden light, was vaguly aware of gabumon lying besides him, his fur keeping him warm. Takeru gave a knowing smile, no matter how much he grew up he would always be matt's little brother.
Careful not to wake the still sleeping gabumon and patamon takeru sat up. The majority of his friends were still asleep, the fire had seemingly long died out, kairi slept curled up besides him. he tried to stop his eyes from absentmindedly drifting in her direction. he was mentally glad he had been asleep during the other digidestined watches because who knows what they had thought when they saw them. He scanned the sleeping friends, palmon and biyomon were nowhere to be seen and he could make out joe's shadow closer to the lake, presumingly he was talking with gomomon. Realising how early it must still have been, takeru laid back on his back and looked up at the brightening sky unable to withhold a smile. He had missed this.
As the sun continued to rise the chosen children slowly began to stir awake until the camp was a buzz with life. It had turned out that the early risers, Biyomon and palmon, had gone to collect fruit for breakfast and the campfire was lit once again, keeping away the biting cold.
"why couldn't the digital world give us warm clothes like it did davis and the others?" Complained Mimi as she rubbed her hands togatehr.
"I never understood that." Admitted Izzy as he bit into a juicy digiberry. "that feature doesn't effect us or else we'd now be wering clothing a couple fo sizes too small."
Mimi sighed. "digital winters, we didn't get musch of that the first time we were here."'
"but we had snow!" reminded Palmon.
"But that wasn't realy winter, just something weird of the digital world. I mean like rain and wind and actual cold."
"you mean like right now?" piped in Agumon. "I hate being a reptile in this weather."
Izzy was about to say something when their conversation was rudely interrupted by a beeping digivice.
"That's weird…" murmered mimi and she pulled out her digivice, it was beeping and had clusters of little lights portrayed on its screen.
"the last time our digivices did that was when we separated remember?" commented tai trough a mouth-full of food.
"but we are all here." Said joe making a quick head count.
"well my digivice definatly found something." Insisted mimi.
"it's a bit weird that only your digivice is reacting." Observed Sora.
"oh if only I had my laptop." Mused izzy.
"maybe the digivice has found a crest?" observed Hikari still wrapped up in takeru's blazer.
"That would make sense." Said takeru turning his head to look at her. " that might explain why only Mimi's digivice is reacting."
"yeah probably the creast of sincerity is close by." Continued Matt.
"hmm I wonder how the V2 are going to find the crest without a digivice." Observed tentomon.
"well peidmon probably found a way so we better find these crests before they do."
The digidestiend all nodded their heads in agreemenet.
The quickly cleaned up their camp and, with Mimi in the lead, walked trough the now familiar woods.
"hey joe do you think some of the crests could be found on server continent like they had last time?" asked Gomomon.
"I hope not." Said the doctor to be. "I have no idea how we'd get there."
"you think Zudomon could get us there?" asked Patamon.
"I highly doubt it, unles we somehow find the crest of reliability before that. I'd say we'd have better luck with Angemon or Garudomon." Explained Joe.
Patamon's ear drooped. "T.K I hope joe finds his crest soon I don't like the idea of flying everyone to server contintent, that's a long way!"
Takeru loughed. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
"Who knows." Added Hikari. "If I find mine before that Angewomon could help out as well."
Gatomon crossed her arms in annoyance. "I am not a taxi Hikari."
"Guys quiet." Whispered Sora. "If piedmon really did copy datamon's replication design the V2s shouldn't have digivices."
"That means they might be following us." Finished Biyomon.
"Stalkers." Murmered Mimi as she continued to follow the beeping light on her digivice.
"Hey mimi." Said Palmon pulling on Mimi's already stretched out jearsy. "this place looks really familiar."
"tell me about it." said mimi as her eyes scanned the forest around them. over the thick ticket, she could just make out the tops of bell towers and houses. "OMG I know where we have to go!" exclaimed Mimi running in the general direction of the buildings. Palmon followed closely.
"Mimi!" yelled Izzy and the rest of the digidestined, obviously confused, followed their friend trough the forest. They only stopped when they collided with a suddenly stationary Mimi.
"Toy Town!" gasped Joe.
"What?" questioned Hikari slightly lost.
"this is the place palmon first digivolved to togemon." Explained Mimi, her voice sounding distant.
"Do you think monzaemon is still here?" asked Palmon excitedly.
"Only one way to find out." Mimi answered smiling down at her partner.
The digidestined casualy but cautiously entered the strangely quiet town. All that could be heard was mimi's digivice who's beeping increased with each step they took.
"it empty." Observed hokari as he walked passed yet another neglected shop window.
"I have a bad feeling about this place." Admitted gatomon.
"let's just find Mimi's crest and get out of her." Whispered Takeru.
"we won't have to look long." Buzzed tenetomon as he returned from scouting ahead. "there's a giant cactus in the center of town!"