A.N.: A (slightly) longer chapter! This took me a while to get through really, as there was a lot which I wanted to cover in order for the story to progress. I'm not quite as happy with all of it as with other chapters, but I did have a lot of fun with some parts. Let me know what you think! (And I wonder if you can guess which parts were the most fun to write...)

"Takeru. Takeru. Come on, you have to wake up now."

His head hurt. Come to think of it, everything hurt. Something had happened, hadn't it? It was hard to focus; he couldn't remember what it was. All he could think about was how much his head hurt, and his arms, and how stiff and achey he felt. He just wanted to sleep. Sleep until all the pain went away.

"Stay with us Takeru. It's important to stay awake... Look, I think he needs a real doctor."

"What are we going to tell them happened? They'll never believe the truth."

Why were people being so loud? He just needed to sleep, and then everything would be better. The room was bright, and every time his eyes started to open the light hurt his head. Why couldn't they turn the lights out and leave him alone?

"... is here. Patamon, he's in here in the bedroom."

Wait... Patamon? But Patamon was in the digital world. He hadn't been to see him in a week because of the nightmares.

The nightmares.

In dreadful shuddering waves, his memory came flooding back. Over and over he ran for a pale rectangle that marked safety – and fell short. Yamato cried his name and vanished. And above him, death fell downwards in a tumble of wood and stone.

He didn't even realise he was screaming until he heard Patamon beg him to stop. Patamon was here? Pushing past the throbbing headache, he opened his eyes.

It was disorienting, at first. People seemed to tower over him, stretched unnaturally tall. It took a minute to realise that he was lying on the floor.

"Takeru, can you hear me? Do you know where you are?"

That was Jou. He blinked, feeling his ragged breathing start to even out.

"I... I'm home?" he croaked, and then broke into a hacking cough. Why was his mouth so dry?

"Okay, good. Now, do you have any numbness or tingling sensations anywhere? We need to know if we can move you or not."

"It just hurts, Jou."

"Okay, Takeru. We'll get you more comfortable in a minute. Just stay with us, okay? I know you're tired but you need to stay awake." He turned to face someone out of sight. "I really don't know that I'm the best person to be doing this. What happened to you two, anyway?"

"There was an earthquake."

"Yamato?" Takeru tried to sit up, then fell back, exhausted. Turning to the side, he saw the others watching from the doorway. Yamato was sat just behind Jou, holding Patamon. Both had almost identical expressions of worry on their faces.

"You need to rest, Takeru," Jou said. "Don't try and sit up."

"I'm okay," he replied. To judge from the sceptical looks which that got, he probably didn't look it. "I'm not seriously hurt, I mean. It's just aches. And... my arms. What happened?"

Yamato tried to smile. He looked more like he was about to cry. Patamon flew out of his hands and landed so close to Takeru's face that they both went cross-eyed looking at each other.

"Why didn't you tell me?" his partner asked. "You were in trouble and you didn't tell me."

Takeru closed his eyes. Patamon was right, he knew that. But at the same time... it had been such a short time since it had really started. When had there been a chance to go to the Digital world?

"Okay little guy. Hop up out of the way. Let's finish checking him over and then maybe we can get him somewhere more comfortable," Jou said, scooting Patamon into the air.

He got Takeru to move fingers and toes, and checked for numbness. After hearing Takeru's account of what had happened, and looking over his head for any signs of injury, he finally allowed Taichi and Yamato to help him up onto the bed. They propped him up with pillows, and cushions from the living area.

It was a shock, seeing how filthy and battered he and Yamato both looked. They had scrambled through the building in such a rush that he hadn't even fully registered Yamato falling down. And yet his brother's face was filthy, save for tear tracks, and they were both covered in scrapes, bruises, and at least a few deeper cuts.

"I take it back," he said, after taking a sip from a cup of water Jou handed him. "Maybe your place is as bad." His brother smiled, barely.

Patamon settled into a comfy spot by his hip, and closed his eyes. It didn't seem as though he were prepared to move any time soon.

Yamato shooed the others out of the room and sat on the bed. Gabumon remained in the room, sitting close enough to the bed that Yamato could rest a hand on his shoulder. For a few minutes they sat in silence.

"I didn't know I'd get sucked in," Takeru said at last. "I mean, I don't know that I would have stayed back if I had known, but I didn't. The plan was just to wake you up."

Yamato sighed. "I know. It was just a rather nasty shock seeing you appear in my own personal nightmare, is all. And then, when that building came down, and you were still inside..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

"You vanished," Takeru said, picking at one of the dressings on his arm. It was a miracle they had held up as well as they had. "You were running back to help and that place kicked you out. But hey. We're both alive, right? So it could be worse."

Yamato looked at him, eyebrows raised. Then, abruptly, he burst out laughing.

"You never change, Takeru," he said, standing up. "I'm going to get Jou. He's still insisting we both go to a clinic so a real doctor can check us over."

"You think that's a good idea?"

Yamato paused by the door handle. "For me? No, I'm fine. But, you hit your head pretty hard Takeru. And look at your arms. You were injured to start with, and then got trapped in a house that was falling down. If you don't see someone today, you'd better plan to go on Monday. Jou told me about the blisters, and how they can get infected."

"I hate you when you're right," Takeru said, wincing as he tried to fold his arms. He let them drop by his sides again, making sure to avoid Patamon.

"What are brothers for?" Yamato said cheerfully, walking out of the room. Gabumon looked over at the bed before following him, and nodded at Takeru. He understood. He'd keep an eye on the older boy, when the others left and he no longer had to pretend to be fine.

Takeru sat in silence for a minute or so, before Patamon turned around.

"Are you going to tell me what happened now?"

He sighed. "I suppose I should. I hadn't meant to keep it from you. It just all happened so quickly. I can't believe it's been less than a full day already."

Saturday, 5:00pm

"Well we have to think of somewhere we can go," Koushiro said. "If the four of you are at risk of vanishing in your sleep, someone needs to be there – to alert the others if you go, and to help if you're injured when you return. That would take a little too much explaining for parents to understand. Much as I have theories as to how this all works, they're still very much untested – and as Yamato and Takeru proved earlier, this is still something which can work unexpectedly, causing major complications!"

Taichi shrugged. "I'll keep watch over Hikari, and Yamato has already said that he'll watch Takeru. I don't see what the problem is. We can sort out the rest in the morning. You're not going to be able to help if you're dead on your feet, Koushiro. You need sleep more than any of us, because you're the one we're counting on to work this whole thing out!"

"But Taichi, I think you're missing the point," Sora said, leaning across the table. "You and Yamato are already worn out. What happens if you can't stay awake? Then all four of you would vanish. You need someone there who isn't being affected by this."

"Well then, Agumon can keep an eye on me, Tailmon can watch Hikari..."

"Taichi, I don't think that will work," Takeru said. "If we start getting sucked in, can we really expect our partners to hold back? Much as I don't want any of them in danger, if I get pulled in again, I don't think Patamon would just sit and watch."

From atop his head, Patamon cried: "Of course I wouldn't! I'm not letting you out of my sight again until this is over, Takeru." From their positions around the table, Tailmon, Agumon and Gabumon voiced their agreement.

There was silence.

"Then we need to call in some of the other Chosen Children," Yamato said at last. "Jou shouldn't stand watch – he has to study, and we will need his help if anyone is injured."

"Besides," Takeru said. "I called him up in the middle of the night once already. He needs to rest. Koushiro too."

Koushiro shook his head. "I need to be awake. The sooner I can work out what's going on, the better. And as I won't be sleeping anyway, I might as well keep watch over one of you."

"Why don't you watch over Taichi," Sora said. "Hikari will need to call either Mimi or Miyako to keep watch, and they can help make sure that you stay awake too."

"What about you, Sora?" Jou asked. Yamato cleared his throat. "Oh. Nevermind then."

"Takeru?" said Taichi. "Who's your first choice?"

Takeru frowned. It was strange to be thinking about who he would rather have watching him while asleep.

"Daisuke," he said at last. When the response was an array of somewhat surprised expressions, he added: "It's not fair to drag Ken into this unnecessarily, and Iori is too young. Who else is there?"

The silence continued for a few more seconds until Koushiro nodded. "It's a fair point. Okay, I think it's time to start making phone calls. We've got a long night ahead of us."

Telling his mother what had happened in the last twenty-four hours was not going as he had planned. Although, "not as planned" was a somewhat misleading way of thinking, since he hadn't actually made a plan at all.

Mrs Takaishi had been involved with things relating to the digital world before. She knew of some of the dangers they had faced. Takeru had thought that, along with Koushiro's parents, she was one of the most relaxed and supportive of their links to the digital world and the dangers they faced there.

Apparently, this relaxed attitude did not extend to coming home and finding her youngest son covered in bruises and burns. It had taken everything in Takeru's power to convince her that Patamon was not guilty in some way, and to persuade her not to throw things at him for letting it happen.

Now, having heard the full story, she was crying. Takeru looked helplessly at Patamon. What was he meant to say? He'd been cheerfully oblivious on that day he'd sailed off into peril on Ikkakumon's back. Explanations had been so much easier then. And at least with Oikawa it had been a less immediate danger – it was all safely over before she knew the full details.

"Koushiro's doing all he can to get hold of Gennai, and to work out what's going on so we can stop it," he managed at last. "And, that's why I've asked Daisuke to come over tonight. There might be a way to stop it happening."

"And I'll be there to protect him this time, Takeru's mum," Patamon added. "I won't let anything bad happen."

"You think I'm just going to go to bed, knowing what might happen?" she asked, wiping her tears away. "What kind of mother would that make me?"

"It's not... I'm not asking you to be somewhere else, mum. But Daisuke is one of us. If... if anything happens, he can get hold of the others straight away, using his D-Terminal."

"And you can take that with you too, yes? If... if you get taken away, you'll still be able to use it to talk to the others?"

Takeru gaped. He was aware of Patamon bouncing up and down excitedly in his peripheral vision. How had none of them – not even Koushiro – thought of that?

"I... we haven't tested that. But, possibly? I'll make sure to keep it and my D3 on me the whole time. Oh, that'll probably be Daisuke at the door. I'll get it."

He started tapping out a message to Koushiro as he walked to the door, mentally kicking himself for not having thought of it himself. No doubt Koushiro would feel the same. If they had a way to stay in touch, no matter where they were, that would be a huge relief. Hitting send, he opened the front door.

"Oh man. I mean, I know Koushiro said you got hurt and all, but he never said you were totally beat up!"

Takeru sighed, and rolled his eyes.

"Thanks Daisuke," he said dryly, letting the other boy in.

"How's Hikari, and all the others? I can't believe things are kicking off again and I'm outta the loop."

"I'm not exactly sure it's a loop you want to be part of, you know," Takeru said. "I mean, I'd happily trade places with you if I could, but I have to admit you'd be getting a raw deal."

Daisuke grinned. "Well, if I get really bored I can always tag along for the ride, right?"

Takeru blinked, not sure if he'd heard correctly. "Uh, you do know what this place is, don't you? I almost got crushed to death just a few hours ago."

"Oh, well sure. But you didn't, did you? I mean, you got zapped outta there before anything permanent happened. So what's the worry about?" Daisuke sat down on the sofa, shrugging.

"But Takeru said you can only leave if you get very scared," Patamon said, flying over. "If you aren't scared, you wouldn't get brought back."

"Can you be sure about that though? I mean, you've known this for all of one day."

"Do you really want to test that out?" Takeru asked, incredulous. "My goal in all of this is to avoid going there completely, if it can be helped."

"You planning to stay up all night then?" Daisuke replied, folding his arms.

Takeru sighed and hung his head, wondering what had possessed him to think Daisuke had been a good person to call.

"Are you intentionally trying to make me feel more hopeless about all of this?" he asked eventually.

Daisuke frowned. "Course not. I'm just curious. I mean, no one has told me how this whole thing works yet. I just got a call from Koushiro out of the blue asking if I've had any nightmares recently, and then a few hours later you called and told me you need me to babysit you or whatever."

Patamon harrumphed. "Takeru does not need a babysitter, Daisuke. You need to be here incase he gets taken away to the other place, so you can tell the others, and so you can alert them if he's injured when he gets back. You'll need to send a message to Koushiro straight away."

Takeru stifled a yawn. Part of him wanted to collapse from exhaustion now, and just accept that he couldn't escape a return to the nightmare world. The rest of him saw the obvious sense in trying to delay the inevitable – particularly as he wasn't sure he was in a fit state to avoid danger.

The time inched by. His mother hardly let him out of her sight, even while she was cooking. Eating only increased the weariness creeping over him. He caught himself nodding off at the table, and looked up to three worried faces watching him.

"I'm fine," he said shortly.

"Perhaps you should go and lie down for a while," his mother suggested. "I could wake you in a couple of hours. You did say it won't happen until late at night."

He looked at the clock. It was only half six – that should be time enough to regain some lost energy. Nodding, he got to his feet.

"Wake me around ten?" he asked. "I could probably sleep later, but I don't know that I want to risk it."

Daisuke got to his feet as well. "So what, I sit and watch you then?"

Patamon nodded. "That's what Koushiro said."

Saturday, 10:00pm

Takeru woke at ten – barely. Messages from the others confirmed that Yamato, Taichi and Hikari were struggling to stay awake too. Night after night of broken sleep had worn them down.

He tried playing video games, but after losing for the fifth time in a row to Daisuke, it became obvious that he wasn't able to focus. His mother hovered in the background, trying to watch over him without making it obvious that she was doing so.

Increasingly, he became aware that he was missing things – little skips of time where he was nodding off, to be woken by Patamon, or by Daisuke making a loud remark. As the hands on the clock crawled towards midnight, the skips seemed to happen more often, and last longer.

"Hey, you gotta stay awake, Takeru."

He wasn't sure who had said it this time. He just nodded, and forced his eyes open once more. He had to stay awake. Had to stay in the real world. Had to ignore the part of him that just wanted to close his eyes and go to sleep...

Sleep. It inched over him, slowly enough that he didn't even notice. His mumbled "I'm awake" got slower, and less distinct, until even Patamon shaking him didn't elicit a response. He would just rest his eyes for a while, that was all. It wasn't sleeping to lie back on his bed. He was still awake. It would be fine...

Nearby, waves were crashing on a beach. He could hear branches rustling in a stiff breeze. Opening his eyes, he found himself standing on a grassy field, in between a beach and a forest. The wind was picking up. He was back.