A.N.: Okay, so this is going up a little later than planned, but it's still Wednesday! I had hoped to write this out yesterday, or at least earlier today, but a most delightful heatwave kinda put a halt on that. Oh well. I made it! Hope you enjoy the chapter, and as usual, let me know what you think (I mean, only if you want to of course. I'm not pinning you down or anything).

I'm less confident writing Taichi's PoV than some of the others, so I do apologise if it's a little OOC. Hopefully I have managed to pull it off though! (This is the main reason I've held off doing a Taichi PoV until now, basically.)

Taichi had stopped pacing, for the moment at least. Instead, he was staring out of one of the windows, hungrily watching the sky for signs of an approaching dawn. His right hand idly rubbed the clumsily bandaged scratch just above his hip. They might have fought the beasts on the island off, but he hadn't made it away scot free.

Damn Koushiro for being right. Damn this stupid world for being back to front. His body was screaming that it was only mid-afternoon, and that he should be out there looking for his sister. He had been, not that long ago.

And then he'd messaged Takeru for another beacon, and Daisuke had replied instead, telling him that Takeru was back in the real world and looked a complete wreck. Man, when Yamato found out about that mess, there was gonna be trouble. Wherever he was now, it probably wasn't far enough away to save him from the mother of all punches when Yamato learnt that Taichi had allowed his little brother to put himself in danger.

Urgh. That train of thought led to unpleasant places. After all, there was nothing he could do for either Yamato or Hikari for the moment. That was the whole problem, in fact. Because it was too dark and, in the wake of Koushiro's unexpected visit to this place, apparently too dangerous to fly around at night.

He'd been better off not knowing there were monsters here. If it hadn't been for the fact he would need Agumon to keep his strength for finding Hikari, he would have kept going regardless, and damned the consequences. He was pretty sure his partner felt the same way. Tailmon certainly did.

Still, he'd promised. And he could grudgingly accept that, seeing as he was the only one left in this place who could do anything for the time being, it made sense to be careful. Getting his mother to talk to him was a low blow from Koushiro though. He could have ducked out on a promise made to anyone else. Of course, that was probably the exact reason Koushiro had done it. Honestly, the guy was too smart for his own good sometimes.

His phone bleeped. Which of them was it this time? The sender confused him at first. He'd been expecting Mikayo, but instead Jou's name flashed up on screen.

:Taichi. Sora woke up. Apparently she was attacked by another giant bird. Doesn't sound like the one that attacked Takeru. She soun:

Wait. Takeru had been attacked? Jeez, no one told him anything. Although, it was odd, no doubts there. Jou wasn't one to rush things. So why had he sent a message which seemed to cut off in the middle?

The phone bleeped again.

:New problem. Takeru and Koushiro just vanished somehow. Patamon is gone too. Daisuke said it was just like when Takeru vanished into the other world, except neither of them was asleep. They must have appeared back in the world where you are. Daisuke says there's a chance they'll appear in the air and could be injured.:

He swore loudly.

"What's wrong, Taichi?" Tailmon asked, looking up sharply. She'd been investigating one of the side rooms, by the light of a branch Agumon had set alight for her. His own partner had a similar torch, and had turned to look at him.

"Sora's safe, but Takeru and Koushiro are back here somehow," he said, staring at the screen in his hand. "Honestly, this world just gets better and better. Agumon, you find any more food? Looks like we're gonna need it. From the sound of what Jou said, they're gonna be in trouble."

Agumon nodded. "There's not a lot, but a few of the boxes have food. I told you my nose is never wrong!"

Taichi forced a smile onto his face. "Well, we'd better gather up what we can," he said. "If we don't hear from those two soon, I don't care what promises I made. No way am I just gonna sit here when I could be doing something."

Sunday, 1:56pm

"Look, look! She's waking up!"

"Hush, you. Remember your orders."

"Well, she doesn't look dangerous to me."

Hikari wished the voices would stop. She felt groggy and sick, and her head throbbed. It hadn't helped that she had just woken up from some rather disturbing dreams which couldn't seem to make up their minds if the were about a forest, a desert, or some sort of building. The details were rapidly fading as the blur in front of her resolved into thick wooden bars; two faces behind them were watching her intently.

Wait. That wasn't right.

"Tailmon?" she croaked. Her mouth felt dry and unpleasant, and she coughed. Hadn't she been in the forest?

"What language is that?" said the first voice. It belonged to the small face on the left, which watched her with bright green eyes.

"I said be quiet!" the second voice replied. "It's not your job to worry about that. It's your job to watch her. Now wait here while I go notify them that she's stirring."

The face on the right turned, scowling, and flew off. Hikari just had time to see a blur of deep brown wings before it was gone. The remaining face watched her, green eyes wide in a face which held none of the cynicism and irritation of its former partner's.

She blinked. As the groggy sensation faded more, the situation she was in made increasingly little sense. She was lying on a bed of some sort, in a stone room with bars blocking one wall. Her head rested on a pillow, albeit a pretty thin one.

"Where's Tailmon?" she asked eventually, trying to sit up. Her body felt like one giant ache.

The creature watching her shook its head.

"Nuh-uh," it said. "I'm not falling for that one. I'm supposed to just watch you, not talk to you."

Hikari frowned with confusion. "But you talked to me just then."

The creature froze, an expression of horror on its face. In spite of the surrealness of the whole situation, Hikari couldn't help but smile. While she was pretty certain that this creature wasn't human - the wings were a giveaway there - it didn't look as though it was much more than a child. Surrounding those big green eyes was a face whose open honesty made it instantly likeable.

"I…. No one will believe you!" it replied, pointing its finger triumphantly. "So there's no point telling anyone, because they will always take my word over yours. You're just an outsider. And you're human too, and Teca said humans always lie."

"Hadn't you best stop talking then?" Hikari replied, smiling softly. Whatever was going on, she didn't want this cheerful… not human in front of her to get in trouble. It nodded rapidly, and took a step back.

This allowed her to look at it more clearly. It was short - perhaps only three feet high - and had the proportions of a child of about five or six. In fact, it would have looked as though it were a child but for the pair of stubby wings emerging from its back. They folded downwards like a moth's, but flapped back up again with every fidget. Its hair was a brown, curly mop which reached down over its ears. It wore what she could only assume was a dress, although in reality it was little more than a gathering of brown rags. A young girl had been left to guard her, when they thought she was dangerous? What was going on?

With nothing else to do, she took in her surroundings. The bed was a thin mattress on a stone shelf. A worn blanket had been lain over the top. There was nothing else on her side of the wooden bars. Curiously, there didn't seem to be a door. How had they gotten her in? And more importantly, how was she supposed to get out? Tailmon might be somewhere nearby, waiting for her. Or had these strange creatures caught her partner too? She couldn't really imagine Tailmon going without a fight. Then again, that might have been why they regarded her as dangerous.

The silence stretched out. She tried coughing, to clear her throat, but that only made her more aware of how thirsty she really was. How long had she been asleep? The more she tried to piece together her last memories, the less sense they seemed to make.

"Nonie!" The first voice was back.

Hikari watched as the child in front of her spun to look at the speaker, clasping hands behind her back. The wings fluttered up and settled on top of them. The expression on the girl's face was familiar - Hikari recognised it as a particularly good example of "I am clearly far too cute to have even considered doing something I was told not to do".

"Yes Alwyn?"

"Time for you to go. They'll be here shortly."

The speaker - Alwyn - looked older than Nonie, but not much taller. He was dressed in a tatty pair of trousers, and a loose shirt. Hikari couldn't help but wonder how he had managed to get it on over the pair of wings jutting out of his back. They weren't much broader than his shoulders, but they still seemed something of an obstacle. Of course, there were probably more pressing matters she ought to be thinking of at that moment, but the whole situation had taken such a sudden turn to the surreal that despite everything, a part of her was still waiting to wake up.

He cleared his throat, and she jumped. Blinking, she realised that the girl had left while she'd been staring at him.

"What are you?" she asked.

"I could say the same to you," he replied, crossing his arms. "And when the elders arrive, you had best be able to answer that question to their satisfaction. You appear human, and yet you traverse the forest alone save for a cat with whom you exchanged words. Tell me, what manner of feline was that? A shapeshifter? A demon? The result of an enchantment or curse?"

Hikari blanched. "What do you mean was? Where's Tailmon now? She isn't here?"

"Your companion disappeared as you were apprehended. Now tell me. What manner of beast was she?"

Hikari sat back on the bed, feeling sick. Tailmon had vanished? That had to mean she'd returned to Earth. If that was the case, the others would be worried about her. She had to send a message and let them know she was alive and healthy. Without thinking, she went to grab her D-Terminal, and found it missing. After patting her pockets and realising her D3 was gone too, she looked up. Alwyn was watching her, his expression as surly as it had been the whole time.

"Where is it," she said, standing up. "Where are my things?"

"Your belongings are being held securely for the time being. We cannot take risks. At such time as you are able to provide a satisfactory explanation for your presence in the forest, they shall be returned."

Her stomach clenched. "Please," she said, walking closer to the bars. "I have to get a message to my friends. And my brother. I didn't know I was trespassing - I just woke up in this world, and I was lost."

For a moment she thought he might relent - certainly his expression softened a little. Then he frowned again, and her heart sank.

"And the cat?" he asked.

"Tailmon's my partner! She's not from this world either, so she's certainly not going to put you in any danger! She's a digimon, only you won't know what-"

"The cat is a digimon? And you travel with her and say she is no threat?"

Hikari took a step back, shocked by the venom in his voice. His wings buzzed as he took to the air, hovering so that his eyes were on a level with her own.

"Wait, so you've heard of digimon?" she said, when the shock had passed enough for her to speak. "I don't understand. This isn't the digital world, and it's not Earth. How do you know about them?"

"For months now, their kind has begun to supplement the dark forces arrayed against us," he replied. "They press upon us, bringing ever greater distortions in their wake. And you speak of them as friends?"

He spat on the floor, making her jump. Beyond that, she was too surprised to do anything but continue staring at him, while the mass of jumbled thoughts in her head ran riot. It was all so close to making sense that it made her want to scream with frustration.

It hit her. Eyes widening, she gasped.

"I know why I'm here," she whispered.

Alwyn didn't move, although he raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you've thought of an excuse? Do tell me."

She could feel the nervous energy bubbling up inside her. It made sense. And she was stuck here, with a possible answer and no way to get it out. Raising her hands to her temples, she cradled her forehead. How could she explain?

"You have to believe me - I think I know what's happening," she said after a moment. "It has to be - we saved the digital world a year ago. If digimon are here now, there has to be something going wrong that we need to fix. Please, you need to give me my D-Terminal! I have to tell the others!"

Sunday, 2:26pm

Taichi was just about to set out blindly when his phone bleeped.

"It's Takeru," he said, in answer to Tailmon's hopeful expression. Her ears had pricked with every message since Hikari had been captured, waiting for news from her partner.

Agumon looked over from the bags of supplies that they had gathered. "What did he-

"Shit! We gotta go. Agumon, you're gonna have to fly. Tailmon, I'll need you to help me look out for a clearing in the forest."

Tailmon nodded, looking worried. "What's happened?"

Instead of answering, he thrust his phone into her paw while he started gathering the supplies to go.

:Taichi, we need help. Landed on a roof that collapsed, and we're stuck. It's a train station in the forest. There's a track that runs through the trees. You can see it from the air like a line running parallel to the coast. Station is where the track splits in two. Not sure how long until the debris collapses. Patamon unconscious.:

Agumon had already gone outside to digivolve, without waiting to hear what was wrong. Taichi shielded his eyes as he walked out of the building and held up the digivice - he'd learnt the hard way that the light it created in this world was enough to nearly blind him.

"And again, Greymon," he called up to his partner. When he opened his eyes, Tailmon was carrying one of the makeshift sacks they had put together on her back.

"Here's your phone, Taichi," she said, offering it to him. "I'll hold onto this one."

He nodded, murmuring his thanks, and shoved it into his pocket. "We'd best get going. I don't know how easy it's gonna be to spot this place."

Climbing on to his partner for the ride proved a little tricky with the extra baggage they were carrying, but after a couple of false starts he found a way to hold on to the supplies and stay put. He could tell that Tailmon was incredibly worried about Hikari - she didn't even tease him about how easily she was able to clamber up by comparison.

They flew quickly at first, knowing that they had to be several miles from the clearing. The stars lit the world below enough for them to see clearly, although not so well that he could spot the line marking the train track which Takeru had mentioned in his message.

After a while, he realised the coast was getting nearer. That didn't seem such a bad thing at first - after all, he knew that Takeru had started out in the water. Of course, the only risk there was that they would overshoot and miss the clearing.

"We need to go higher," he called. "We're too close to the trees to see this line he talked about!"

His partner nodded, and Taichi clung on as the world below him receded. Forest, stretching out for miles and miles. Where was that line? It had to be around here somewhere. And they were counting on him - who knew what state they'd end up in if he was too late.

"There, Taichi! I see it!"

A gloved paw pointed to a think, slightly darker line in the trees. Just as Takeru had promised, it ran sort of parallel to the coast, although he couldn't see any clearings just yet. Apparently MetalGreymon had seen it too, for he veered in that direction a moment later.

For the first time in hours, Taichi felt optimistic. Yes, it was true that he was rushing to the aid of two of his friends who were in trouble. But he'd done that sort of thing before. He knew where he stood with rescue missions. And it sure as hell beat sitting around waiting. With the wind rushing through his hair, and a starlit world laid out below, he could almost - almost - believe that it was just like old times again. Despite the gnawing worry in his chest, he even found himself smiling.

Naturally, this was the exact moment that something ricocheted off of MetalGreymon's head with a sharp clang. He clung to his partner as the massive digimon turned in the air to face the direction the attack had come from.

You just had to get cocky, didn't you, he told himself ruefully. A huge bird flew nearby, with black glossy wings, and something moving on its back. Even as he watched, it seemed to rear taller. A moment later, MetalGreymon growled with pain as the attack struck.

"Giga Destroyer!"

He and Tailmon clung even tighter as his partner launched a counter-attack. The two missiles flew through the air, and for a moment Taichi was certain they would hit. At the last moment the bird pulled into a rapid dive, twisting to avoid being hit, and they detonated in the trees below.

"It's too fast!" Tailmon yelled. She handed the bag to Taichi. "Get closer! You can throw me across and I'll take them out. Just be ready to catch me afterwards."

Another shot whistled past, and he groaned as the heavy bag swung into the cut on his side. Much as he hated the plan - Hikari would kill him if anything happened to Tailmon - he had to admit that it sounded like their only option. MetalGreymon was just too big. This bird was small and nimble. It hadn't seemed to find it hard to dodge the attack, and it could return fire silently and rapidly. They didn't have time to wear it down, either. Takeru and Koushiro needed them now.

"Okay," he said. "You'd better be sure about this."

Tailmon nodded, and he urged his partner closer. Apparently, their foe hadn't expected them to charge. The miss had been useful then - they'd thought he was only capable of ranged attacks. As they drew closer, Tailmon didn't wait to be thrown - she leapt through the air and immediately attacked the shape on the bird's back.

It was almost impossible to follow the fight. Mostly this was because as soon as she had leapt, MetalGreymon dived down to be underneath the bird. Taichi strained to see what was going on for a few seconds, but was forced to give up and cling to his partner instead.

"Hey, careful!" he cried. "Don't get so caught up catching her that you drop me!"

The fight didn't last long. There was a long screech as the rider fell from the bird. As Tailmon jumped clear, MetalGreymon launched his trident arm, catching her and reeling her back in. Now riderless, the black bird cawed loudly and wheeled away.

"That was too easy," Taichi remarked, as Tailmon settled back down and they resumed their flight. He could just about make out her rather scornful expression. "Alright, alright, I know it was you doing the fighting and not me, but, honestly? Aside from the whole being in the air thing, it wasn't like you were in any real danger."

"You do have a point," she said at last. "I will admit that I was surprised by how quickly I was able to tackle that creature."

"Well, I think we should stay on our guard. No telling when something stronger might come along."

"They hit pretty hard, too, for such small things," MetalGreymon remarked. "I don't know what that attack was, Taichi, but it certainly didn't feel like any attack from a digimon."

Taichi frowned. "Are you okay? Can you keep going, or do you need to stop?"

His partner laughed. "It'll take more than that to stop me!"

Relieved, Taichi returned his attention to the forest below. The sooner they found Koushiro, the better. It was time they started to get some answers about this place.