A.N.: Chapter one arrives!

Honestly, the logical (and logistical) problems raised by some of the events in the various Digimon series have always intrigued me. There are so many questions left unanswered, and so many things glossed over which, realistically, would be hard to ignore. I can't promise to come up with an answer to everything in this fic - there's a plot which needs to happen, and that really does need to be the priority here - but I cannot resist exploring at least a few things as I go. Hopefully in a good way, so let me know what you think!

Part One

Adventure's End

Chapter One: Aftermath

Silence met Koushiro's words, and he suddenly felt the eyes of more than a hundred Chosen Children upon him - some worried, some surprised, and more than a few annoyed. No one wanted to interrupt the celebrations - and the Odaiba Chosen in particular were all too aware that this could be the last time they saw their partners for years.

"I'll be honest, I hadn't really expected all of you to come here at once," Gennai said. "But it shouldn't be a problem to open gates to the places you came from, as long as there's a computer somewhere nearby. It might take a while to get everything organised, but with your help, Koushiro, we should manage it smoothly."

"And what happens after we go back?" Taichi asked, letting a hand rest on Agumon's head. "Will it be like before?"

It wasn't until Gennai smiled that anyone relaxed.

"Well, things are certainly very different this time," he said. "When you defeated Apocalymon, the Digital world still needed time to reform. It was too risky to keep a gateway open - who knows what could have leaked in, and weakened or damaged the world as it returned to normal. And of course, then my companions and I needed to remove the evidence of the Digital world from the governments of your world. Were it not for Oikawa, I might have to say the same this time, but as it is, the Digital world is whole and healthy. There is no need to keep it contained in the same way - although, I cannot keep every gate open at once. They will need to be opened manually with your digivices."

"But only the newer digivices can open a gate," Mimi said. "What about the rest of us?"

Gennai frowned in concentration. "Well, that's a bit of a tricky one, certainly. But I see no reason why the gates can't be reconfigured to work with both kinds of digivice. In the mean time, I'll see to it that each gate opens a few times a month so that you can come and go. For now, when you return, think carefully about whether your partners will go back with you - whichever choice you'll make, you'll be stuck with it for at least a week or two. I'm afraid there will be no Imperialdramon to fly around the world and open up a gate for you."

Daisuke hugged his partner, turning to see Ken do the same. There was no denying that it had been fun to fly all around the world. But if losing that ability was the only price they had to pay for saving the world, it had to be worth it. And who was to say what the future would bring? There was always the chance that they'd be able to jogress again some day. Daisuke kept the thought to himself, though. After all, to be able to jogress, that would have to mean the world was in danger again. There was no way he was wishing for that.

It was late by the time the last gate closed. Koushiro rubbed his eyes, and absently reached for the cup of tea he had been drinking, only to find that it was already empty. Shaking his head, he put it down and leant back.

"They're home," he said. "All of them. We had a few close calls, but so far everyone managed to find a cover story, too."

"I think you'd better get some sleep now, Koushiro," Tentomon said. "You've been sat there for hours. Even your parents fell asleep a while ago, and they asked me to make sure you got plenty of rest as well. They were very worried about you."

Koushiro sighed. "Well, it's all over now," he said. "Or, the dangerous part is, at least. We've still got a lot of work to do."

In so much as it was possible for Tentomon to frown with confusion, he did. Somehow, Koushiro could always tell the difference. He sighed.

"There's still the matter of the fact that the only people who can open a gate to the digital world live here in Japan. If the digital world is going to remain accessible, as Gennai said - and it will have to, considering that most of the Chosen Children took their partners with them when they went home - then we're going to have to find a way for the others to open a gate when they need to. Not to mention, the sheer number of Chosen is going to make the cover up a lot harder this time. At least before, we didn't have to worry about digimon still roaming around while Gennai and his counterparts removed the evidence. That made it a lot easier for people to forget, or push it to the backs of their minds. With the number of digimon currently running around… I can foresee a lot of potential problems."

"Are you saying that you think we should go back to the digital world?" Tentomon asked.

"Of course not! We're partners, Tentomon, and I certainly wouldn't wish for us to be separated again given any choice. I'm merely making an observation that the situation is likely to be more complicated than the others are anticipating. Keeping the digital world a secret from the world's governments is going to be a difficult task. But Gennai and I agree that announcing its existence publicly is a bad idea. I think it's going to be a rather busy new year."

Tentomon tilted his head to one side. "All the more reason to make sure you have a good night's rest then, wouldn't you say?"

Koushiro gave him a tired grin, and powered down his computer. "Well, you've got me there."

To start with, Mimi had insisted on staying in the digital world until the end - as one of the original Chosen, surely she had earnt the right to spend some time with her friends? She lasted past their loud and long celebrations, and stubbornly refused to go home when Koushiro and Gennai started opening gates for those Chosen who needed to get home quickly. The first few waves had been sent safely back with their partners before she began to nod, and had to sit on the grass next to Palmon, leaning against her partner to conceal how tired she was.

"Look, Mimi," Koushiro had said at last. "It's getting on for four in the morning in America. I think you should go home and sleep."

If it had been just Koushiro saying it, she would have argued - despite the fact that she could barely keep her eyes open. But of course, it wasn't just Koushiro. Sora was giving her that concerned, motherly look, and the others all had variations on the same theme.

"Oh, all right," she had said, between yawns. "But come get me soon. I can't open a gate on my own."

And then she had tumbled back into her very own bedroom - Koushiro had taught her how to stop the computer from sending itself to sleep the first time she'd accessed the digital world from America. She clambered into bed with Palmon without even bothering to get undressed.

Morning had come and gone by the time she opened her eyes again. Palmon was still there though, like something out of a dream.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" her partner cried, hopping up and down. "It's a new day, and we won! You saved the digital world again!"

Mimi smiled. "Well, the others did more than us, this time," she said. "But…you're right. It does feel pretty good!"

She threw back the covers, and laughed to see her clothes from the night before. "I'd better get dressed before I go downstairs. My parents will wonder what on Earth I've been doing." She sighed. "I'm not sure they really understand the digital world."

Palmon stared at her, arms folded. "You're telling me."

"We'd better come up with an excuse then. I can't exactly tell them I was out saving the world last night. And, I guess this means I can't introduce them to you?"

"I don't know, Mimi. I think Koushiro wanted us to lie low until he and Gennai worked things out, at least."

"Hrrrm." That called for a plan then. Mimi looked around, eyes eventually landing on the closet. "Well, maybe I can make up a camp bed for you in there," she said. "You won't have to stay there all the time, just when my parents come in. Until we work something out. I really will have to get the others to sort this out though. You just don't fit in among my toys any more, Palmon."

Palmon looked around the room they had spent the last few days sharing. It was true enough. Mimi hadn't outgrown the large collection of soft toys she'd had in Japan, but the newer additions tended to be smaller and more glittery. She had several potted plants in the room, but the thing about those was that they were, naturally, in pots. With the start of term approaching, unless Koushiro and Gennai worked out a way to let Mimi open a gate to the digital world soon, they were likely to run into difficulties.

"Well, we'll work it out later. For now, I'm going to go fetch something to eat," Mimi said. "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"

She trotted down the stairs, peering around the corner into the dining area before walking in. Her parents were sat at the table, eating lunch and watching the news.

~…global event which plunged the world into darkness for a few minutes around 3am Eastern time. So far, no weather experts have been able to put forward a theory for the strange occurrence, although some are speculating that there is a connection to the Christmas monster sightings…~

She cleared her throat. "Morning! Or, well, afternoon!"

"Mimi!," her mother cried. "You slept so late! Are you sick, sweetie?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine!" Mimi said, thinking fast. "I just… you know, wanted to make sure I was awake enough to stay up for New Year tonight, so I got a bit extra sleep. A girl needs her beauty rest, after all!"

It took her a little longer than she would have preferred to satisfy her parents curiosity. They seemed rather concerned about the mysterious blackout of the night before - especially as they'd apparently caught a glimpse of Lilymon on Christmas eve. She couldn't wait for the point at which it all started to fade from their memories again. After all, it had worked out like that last time, hadn't it? After a while, everything had just gone back to normal. She'd got the memo about that, too. How Gennai and the others had gone through and removed all the information about the digital world. Life would certainly be a lot easier once it had all blown over. And this time would be so much better, because they had promised that she could keep seeing Palmon as often as she liked.

Sneaking food to her room for Palmon was another problem. It had certainly been a lot easier during those few days she'd hidden her partner in their Tokyo apartment. Concealing food on the rather longer walk she had in their American home was more problematic. She kept waiting for her mother to ask why she was carrying a beach bag around with her everywhere. Or to question her as to where all the snacks were going. It was a blessing it had been Christmas, really. The house was packed with food left over from the festivities.

"I tell you, Koushiro and Gennai had better find a solution soon," she said, as they sat on her bed together once more. "It's one thing to hide you here for a few days, but quite another to have to hide you here all the time."

Palmon nodded. "Plus, it's more fun when we can go for picnics together, instead of being inside all the time. I miss sinking my roots into the dirt."

Mimi frowned. "You know, that actually gives me an idea," she said, looking at the potted plant on her window. "Maybe we can find a way to hide you in plain sight!"

She clapped her hands delightedly. "Yes! That's it! I'll go buy a really big pot, and if we put some dirt in it you can stand there when they come in. You can wash the dirt off in my bathroom without them ever knowing!"

Grinning, she picked Palmon up and danced in a circle with her partner around the bedroom floor. Things were going to be so much fun now that she could see her partner all the time. Life just couldn't be better.