Author's Notes: I seriously didn't think the TakumiXYuuko thing would be so popular... I just threw it in because I thought it'd be cute and funny, but I never really intended it to be important. I always meant for it to be there and it would be eventually be resolved in a minor way. Like Ryota and Sakura's relationship. I mainly think the most important aspect of the game was Takumi's friendships, especially with Kyoko. So I guess, kind of like a reverse of my Persona 3 story. Anyway, it's time for Nokia to be a hero!

"What?" Nokia paused as Yuuko finished explaining to them what had happened in Akihabara. "Where did Takumi go?"

"It would seem that he's gone," Kyoko seriously stated with crossed arms.

Nokia tried to let out an easygoing laugh to cut the tension that was beginning to grow in the room. "It's okay! Takumi's disappeared like that before and then came back as if nothing had happened," she pointed out, remembering the last time he went off on his own. "I'm sure it's just a character quirk!" She crookedly smiled at Yuuko. "Are you, uh, feeling me?"

Kyoko shook her head. "Except this time, it's different." She finally placed the goggles she had been analyzing down on her desk.

Nokia's eyes widened at the sight of them. "Is this… Takumi's?" She knit her eyebrows together and shook her head in disbelief. "What's going on? Hey, Kyoko-san! Yuuko-chi?" Nokia looked between them.

"I don't know," Yuuko lowered her gaze as a guilty frown appeared on her face. "By the time I noticed, he had already…" she fell silent, unable to face what had happened.

"Takumi was caught up in a cunning trap by LordKnightmon, it seems," Kyoko stated.

"A trap by LordKnightmon!?" Yuuko knit her eyebrows together as a part of her felt responsible for falling for it.

"LordKnightmon used whatever trickery she could to eliminate both you and Takumi," the detective continued. "It seems Takumi took all due precautions," she proudly smiled at the boy's skillful luck. "We're lucky we at least found his Digivice. I analyzed preexisting log data to determine the location at which we lost my assistant," she nodded before looking up at her monitor.

"D-did you find Takumi?" Nokia asked. "Where, where? Where's Takumi?"

"In a place we know," the woman crossed her arms. "The last place registered in the log is the area that was used to demo the EDEN updates."

Yuuko gasped at that. "That area has been cut off since the Eaters showed up. Given how the main areas have taken priority for reconstruction and maintenance, I imagine this area has been rather neglected."

"Hmm…" Kyoko brought a hand up to her mouth. "The Digital Wave strength is off the charts in that section. A Royal Knights hideout?"

"But we were in Akihabara…" Yuuko knit her eyebrows together. "And then when I wasn't looking, Takumi went off alone to another area…" She lowered her gaze again. "I… didn't notice…"

"That just shows how clever the trap was," Kyoko stated, trying to reassure the girl it wasn't her fault the detective's assistant was missing. "It would probably be a waste to tell you not to worry, but anyway, acting is better than fretting. Takumi knows that very well. That's why…" her eyes flashed, "We're going to get my assistant back from LordKnightmon!" she declared with a nod.

The raven-haired teen looked up at the detective in surprise before nodding in understanding. "Yes, of course…!"

"Excellent, Kyoko-san!" Nokia crossed her arms and smirked. "That's exactly what we have to do!"

"Hmm…" Kyoko smirked and picked up Takumi's goggles. "Let's start with this Digivice… I'm entrusting this to you, Shiramine Nokia," she nodded and placed them in the red-haired girl's hand.

"That's exactly what we have to do!" Nokia nodded. "Part Tw—!" she paused before staring at Takumi's Digivice. "Wait, what? To… me?" she nervously asked with a crooked smirk.

Kyoko crossed her arms and nodded to the leader of Rebellions. "Just bring the Digimon Takumi met and have them join in the rescue effort. We will most definitely need their assistance! The Digimon seem to trust you in particular," she said before looking over towards Yuuko who quickly averted her gaze. "You should be able to draw out their power."

"R-roger that!" Nokia nodded. "I will lend a hand…" She shook her head. "No, no! Make that two hands!"

Yuuko clenched her fists and turned to the turquoise-eyed girl. "Nokia-san, I'll go with you!" she told her. "It's my fault Takumi is missing, so I must help!"

"Oh?" Nokia grinned at her. "Will you be pitching in too? Two schoolgirls, flailing all over together!"

Yuuko blinked at her as Nokia was just as random as Takumi, perhaps even more so. "Y-yes… Let's flail on out!"

"I'm not sure why you're flailing about," Kyoko blinked at the pair of girls, "but please, find my assistant." The teenagers seriously nodded to her in understanding. "It goes without saying that I'll be your backup," the woman smirked.

"Yay! Let's go!" Nokia exclaimed. "Hold on, Takumi! We're comin' to rescue you!"

"Uh… yeah!" Yuuko also tried to cheer.

Kyoko chuckled at their enthusiasm. "Shiramine Nokia, give me your Digivice. You can't log in to two EDEN accounts at once, after all."

Nokia blinked at that. "W-wait! But what about Omegamon!?"

"I know you're worried that Omegamon can't tag along, but the Digimon my assistant raised will be plenty of help," the detective reassured her. "There's no need to be concerned. They've been with him for a long time now and will, of course, be more than willing to help you find their beloved tamer," she chuckled. "Head to EDEN's upgrade preview area. I'm counting on you to find my assistant."

Yuuko frowned to herself. "Kyoko-san… do you really believe he's okay?"

"Eh?" Nokia blinked at her friend. "Yuuko-chi?"

"Oh?" the detective raised an eyebrow at the raven-haired teen. "Are you worried about him?" Yuuko lowered her gaze, resulting in Kyoko shaking her head at the girl. "I believe in my assistant and his capacity to persevere. He won't give up on his beliefs so easily because he knows what will happen if he does."

"What if someone he trusts forces him to give up on those beliefs of his?" the raven-haired teen asked.

"He'll still believe in them with all his strength," Kyoko answered with a certain nod. Yuuko stared at her with wide confused eyes. "That's just the sort of person my assistant is. I believe in Takumi and he believes in everybody, despite the difficulties. That is what 'connects' him to the world he so wishes to protect."

"That's right," Nokia nodded as she crossed her arms. "It's because of Takumi that I was able to form Rebellions and evolve Agumon and Gabumon into Omegamon. I guess… he helped me evolve too."

Yuuko thought back to when Takumi Connect Jumped into Eater Eve to save her and when he assisted her in facing Yuugo's avatar. "I see…" She chuckled to herself. "So he was only able to help me back then because of those beliefs."

"Takumi really is always helping everyone around him," Nokia noticed. "But now it's our turn to help him!" The energetic girl clenched Takumi's goggles tightly in her hand. "Let's go, Yuuko-chi!" She ran towards the agency's television and pointed the boy's Digivice towards it. She grunted as she tried to use the pair of goggles to activate Takumi's ability to dive straight into EDEN.

"What are you doing, Nokia-san?" Yuuko frowned at her.

"Takumi could Connect Jump…" the redhead responded as she shook Takumi's goggles around. Nokia chuckled as nothing was happening. "Figured that wouldn't work." Nokia sighed and walked around the sofas, passing Takumi's whiteboard. "Huh, so this is a real detective's case board… Whoops, there's no time for that! We've got to go save Takumi, quick!" The easily distracted girl finally made it to the agency's exit. "We're off, Kyoko-san! Just leave Takumi to us!"

Yuuko wryly smiled at that. "Hopefully we'll be able to save him… It might just turn out that he'll have to save us instead though…" She politely bowed to the detective. "We're going."

"Have a safe trip." Kyoko chuckled as the two girls finally left. Now that she was the only one in the agency, the detective leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. "You really do have such interesting friends that care about you, Takumi." She seriously frowned to herself as she studied Takumi's last few recordings of EDEN again.

"I… want to stay here forever…" his recorded voice meekly stated. Although it was subtle, Kyoko distinctly detected the bitter selfishness reflected in the teen's weak tone.

"Takumi…" the detective thought about her assistant's current state of mind. "Will you allow yourself to be saved?"

Nokia looked around at the blindingly white space. "Hey, Yuuko-chi! Is this one of the upgraded sections of EDEN?" she asked. "What I mean is… there's… nothing here, right?"

"No, all of the data here has been overwritten," Yuuko stated. "This was probably EDEN before it launched. This is a reproduction of Cron as it was back in the very beginning. I saw it in reference videos. I'm sure of it," she nodded to Nokia.

"Well, what do you know?" Nokia crossed her arms. "Huh. I guess that's why this place feels so familiar to me. Like I've got déjà vu." She frowned as a strange sense of nostalgia washed over her. "There's been a tightening in my chest. It's a really weird feeling…"

"That must mean you…" Yuuko stared at the girl in surprise as she remembered what it was LordKnightmon had revealed to her and Takumi earlier. "No, never mind," she frowned. "I think it's because we've been here before."

"What?" Nokia blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't believe it before, but now I do," Yuuko knit her eyebrows together. "The answer lies ahead," she said, staring at the road ahead of them. "If we press on, we will surely…" she clenched her fists together and started off, in the hopes Takumi would be there waiting for them.

"What?" Nokia didn't understand and watched as Yuuko went ahead of her. "Hang on, Yuuko-chi!" She quickly chased after her but paused as she heard a woman's voice speaking to her.

"Can you hear me?"

"Who's that!?" Nokia cried out in surprise. Yuuko stopped too as she searched around them.

"Takumi is gone, so for now, I'll help you," the voice stated. "Alright, close your eyes…"

Nokia and Yuuko obeyed before they felt the world around them fade. Both girls looked around in surprise as they found themselves in a strange room. Mirei smirked as they answered her call without a problem. Nokia nervously shrunk back under the woman's gaze. "S-so… where are we?"

"Welcome to the DigiLab," Mirei nodded. "Originally this space was for Takumi to raise his Digimon, but… Destiny has… shifted," she stated, "and I need your help. Your destinies reside elsewhere, so functionality is limited. Nevertheless, please use this place effectively," she pointed over to the terminals.

Yuuko studied each facility carefully. "I see… This is how Takumi is able to train his Digimon and care for them. It's no wonder his team is always so well-prepared for battle."

"Well, we'd better buck up too!" Nokia cried as she scrolled through the Cyber Sleuth's vast collection of Digimon. "Let's begin the Save Takumi At All Costs Initiative!"

"Right!" Yuuko nodded in agreement.

The two girls continued further into EDEN's Beginning before Nokia spotted something ahead of them. "Ah! That! Look at that, Yuuko-chi!"

"Huh!?" Yuuko's eyes widened as she ran towards the red-haired boy waving at them. "Takumi!?" She flinched as the boy flashed in front of her and was replaced by a crying younger boy resembling their friend. "Is that really… Takumi?" As the girls got closer to him, the small boy tensed up before wiping his face with his arm. He quickly turned around before running away from them. "Takumi!"

"I don't know why," Nokia frowned, "but we gotta get out of here! Let's go, Yuuko-chi! Let's follow Takumi-chan!" She quickly took off after the young boy.

Yuuko remained in place though as the child felt extremely familiar and it wasn't just because he looked like Takumi. "That's… that's it!" the girl exclaimed before looking at the ground. "I remember now. Yes, way back then…" she frowned to herself, "Onii-chan and Arata were saying that they had found something 'interesting'…"

"Oh, crap," Nokia said as she ran back towards her. "What are you doing, Yuuko-chi?" she asked. "Our prey is getting away!"

Yuuko watched Nokia take off again and worriedly knit her eyebrows together. She absently followed Nokia into Galacta Park and both girls froze as they saw a group of children gathered around a strange light.

"Knock it off!" a girl with black hair frowned. "It might be dangerous!"

"It's okay, I said!" an older boy with messy black hair reassured her. "You're such a scaredy-cat, Yuuko!"

"I… I am not!" the girl pouted. The younger Yuuko turned to look at the girl with long red hair at her side. "But if it is dangerous… Why don't you stop too, Nokia-chan?"

"Hmm…" the younger Nokia thought about it before cheering. "It's okay, it's okay!"

The worried girl looked over to the quiet red-haired boy nervously standing behind them. "Hey… Takumi-kun… You agree with me, don't you?"

The scrawny boy nodded and meekly called out to the older boys. "H-hey… Yuugo-san… Arata-san… Aren't we s-supposed to report w-weird things we find to the a-adults?"

"Man, you're such a wimp, Takumi!" Arata laughed at him. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

Yuugo flashed the younger boy a reassuring smile. "It'll be alright! Papa said everything in EDEN is completely safe! And I told you to drop the honorifics, didn't I?"

"S-sorry," Takumi lowered his gaze and frowned at the floor, "Yuugo…"

"Onii-chan, you promised me you'd stop picking on Takumi-kun!" Yuuko scolded her brother.

"N-no, it's alright, Yuuko-san," Takumi shook his head. "H-he's right… I-I… shouldn't be s-so formal… with my f-f-friends…" he stated with a blush. "U-um… w-we're friends, right….? Y-yuugo?"

Yuugo shook his head at him. "Of course, we're friends!"

"Ah…" the obedient boy sighed in relief. "F-friends…" he nodded.

Nokia giggled at the introverted boy. "Takumi-chan's like a cute baby brother! He's so easy to tease!"

"E-eh…!?" Takumi tensed up at that. "T-that's not true… is it?"

"Of course, it's not!" Yuuko reassured him.

Arata laughed as he put Takumi into a headlock. "Well, aren't you something, Takumi? Getting a girl to fight your battles for you!"

"S-sorry…" the boy muttered but he didn't struggle out of the bigger boy's grasp.

"Hey, Arata, let him go," Yuugo smiled. "You know he's not really comfortable with telling you off."

"Right, right," Arata sighed as he listened to his best friend. He helped Takumi straighten up but sternly shook his head at the quiet boy. "Stand up for yourself, huh, Takumi? You'll never get anywhere with that attitude. You want to be strong like my best bud Yuugo, right? Then buck up!"

"R-right," Takumi nodded. "I-I understand, Arata-san… er, Arata."

"So," Yuugo asked, "what do you want to do, Takumi?"

"Right now?" the blue-eyed boy blushed. "I want to eat…" He tensed up as his friends stared at him strangely. "Oh…! S-sorry! You mean about the l-light?" Takumi stared at the glowing ball for a while. "Just w-what is it exactly?" he asked as he reached his right hand out to it. His fingers lightly brushed against it and he flinched as the sphere burst into a strange glowing tear in EDEN's space. "Ah!" he let out a yelp as he toppled backwards.

"Takumi-kun!" Yuuko knelt at his side.

"Takumi-chan!" Nokia looked him over too.

"I-I'm fine!" he stammered as he got back up.

Arata looked open at the cracked hole that opened up before them. "Hey! Look at this, Yuugo!" he exclaimed. "We can go inside here!" He quickly demonstrated by sticking his head into the hole to look around.

"You're right, Arata!" Yuugo's eyes glowed in excitement as he did the same. "You wanna check it out?"

"Yeah! Let's go!" Arata eagerly nodded. "You'll come too, won't you, Takumi?" he turned towards the red-haired boy who tensed up. "You were the one who opened it up, after all!"

"Eh!? M-me…?" Takumi stared at the hole in wonder. "I… w-want to explore it w-w-with everyone!" he nodded.

Arata and Yuugo smirked to each other before diving straight into the crack. Takumi gulped as he quickly chased after them. Nokia giggled as she joined the three boys on their adventure. Yuuko hesitantly looked around, but not wanting to be left behind, she quickly followed too.

When the children disappeared, the present-day Nokia stared at the strange hole in surprise. "Wh-what was that just now? Takumi and Arata and me and you and…"

"And my brother…" Yuuko knit her eyebrows together.

Both girls walked closer to the crack and Nokia's eyes widened. "That light!"

"It can't be…" the raven-haired teen nervously frowned.

Nokia reached out a hand towards it, but paused as a gentle voice began speaking to her. "Are you sure about this?" Yuuko tensed up as it felt very familiar to her and both girls turned to see an older, ghostly version of Yuugo approach them. "The past sleeps beyond that light…" he told them. "The lost… and forgotten… past."

"Onii-chan!?" Yuuko gasped.

"Y-yuugo-kun!?" Nokia stared at him in disbelief.

"Yuuko…" Yuugo kindly smiled at his sister. "At long last, we meet again."

"Onii-chan…" the younger sibling began to cry. "It's really you!"

"Even I'm not sure if I'm really me," Yuugo frowned. "I seem to be more of a phantom these days… giving rise to Eaters."

"Huh…?" Nokia blinked.

"What do you mean?" Yuuko asked.

"When I joined the EDEN beta test eight years ago, I encountered an Eater and was attacked," the boy explained. "My mental data was absorbed and I couldn't return to my body. But my mental data was not destroyed. It remained, captured by the Eater, in some place."

"Some place?" Yuuko knit her eyebrows together as she studied her brother's completely digital body. "If we go there, can we help you?"

"I won't say where," Yuugo shook his head. "I want you to stay away from danger. I'll just say it's a place in the Digital World."

"The Digital World!?" Nokia exclaimed.

"And while I've been there…" the boy continued, "I've been watching over you all. There were times when I believed I revealed myself, I appeared as a phantom."

"Ah! So you're the 'Ghost of the Pale Boy' everyone's been going on about!" Nokia realized.

"That was a fragment of my memory that the Eater had digitized," Yuugo stated. "Have I convinced you I'm not really a ghost?" he asked them with a sad smile.

"I guess so," Nokia nervously answered as she crossed her arms. "But ghosts aren't scary anyway…" she tried to bluff.

"So then the reports of a boy in white being spotted whenever Eaters appear…" Yuuko frowned.

"You could say that the Eaters and I are the same," Yuugo nodded to her. "The Eaters are one and all. All Eaters share all memories and all information in all instances. I am but one part of that network. So wherever an Eater is, so too am I. Conversely, I cannot exist without an Eater."

"Onii-chan…" His sister's eyes worriedly stared at him.

"Yuuko…" the older brother stared into her face, "Will you really go? The Digital World lies beyond this light… A lost past awaits you there. It takes a lot of bravery to learn this truth," he hesitantly stated.

Yuuko lowered her gaze to the floor and thought about it. "I've learned how to be brave," she told him. "From Papa and from you… And from my friends," she nodded, looking towards Nokia and Takumi's goggles. "That's why I'm going!" she stated to her brother.

"Wow, Yuuko-chi!" Nokia smiled at her. "That's… something unreal!" She crossed her arms and grinned at her friend. "Can I hug you and squeeze you?"

"Eh?" Yuuko turned towards the red-haired girl in surprise. "What's this? All of a sudden? Nokia-san, wait! Hang on!"

Yuugo stared at them both with an odd frown before chuckling. "All right, I understand," he nodded. "If you're mentally prepared, move into the light. Be careful…" he warned them. "Like I said… Wherever I am, so too are the Eaters. And as for the truth…" Yuugo's expression dampened. "Tell Takumi… none of this is his fault… No matter how much I call to him, he won't respond, but if it's you two… I'm sure he'll be fine." Both girls gasped as Yuugo faded away.

"Uh…" Nokia didn't really know what to say.

Yuuko sighed. "Wait for me, onii-chan. I'll be the one coming to see you next!"

Nokia nodded at that and flashed the raven-haired girl a smile. "And I'll be with you, okay? And Takumi too, of course! And I'm sure that dork Arata will be there, too!"

Yuuko stared at her friend in surprise. "Of course," she smiled. "Because you're all my friends," she nodded. "Friends…?" She paused as thought back to Takumi's firm resolve whenever it came to his friends. Her smile faded though when she compared the Takumi she knew with the younger Takumi she just saw. "Takumi's… fault?" She clenched her fists as she made up her mind. "So we really do have to save Takumi…"

Nokia nodded as they turned face the portal to the Digital World. "Let's go, Yuuko-chi!"

"All right, Nokia-san!" the raven-haired girl nodded back. The two ran towards the portal without another thought.

"I've lost their signal as well…" Kyoko frowned at her monitor and began typing a few codes into her computer. She sat back in her chair and closed her eyes as she tried to come up with a backup plan. After a few minutes, her eyes snapped open and she was on her feet. "This marks the end of a long blank." She crossed her arms and smirked to herself as she prepared to make her move.

Yuuko and Nokia spotted Takumi's younger self rushing ahead of the child Yuugo. The introverted boy turned around to face Arata as Yuugo ran past him to get a better look of the strange jungle. Takumi shared a few words with both boys and eventually Arata and he nodded to each other. The three children took off again to see what else they could find.

Yuuko watched them disappear into the distance while Nokia looked around in wonder. The red-haired girl smiled at the wondrous sight. "So this is… the Digital World?"

"It's a very beautiful place," Yuuko smiled. She studied the jungle's various plants before something caught her eye. "Nokia-san! That's…!"

Nokia looked over to where Yuuko was pointing at and gasped as her younger self was speaking to two very familiar Digimon. "Umm… Who are you?" the orange dinosaur asked.

"Ahem! I'm Nokia!" the girl exclaimed. "And just who are you?" she curiously asked back.

"Me?" the dinosaur smiled as he began jumping up and down. "My name is Agumon!"

The fur-wearing Digimon shyly hid behind his friend as he stared at the ground. "I… I'm Gabumon."

"Agumon and Gabumon?" Nokia brought her hand up to her mouth before giggling. "What weird names!"

"Hey, they're not weird!" Gabumon looked up at her.

"You're the one with the weird name!" Agumon nodded in agreement.

"As if!" the girl pouted. "My name's not weird!" she laughed.

In the distance, the other kids were gathered around a group of Baby I Digimon. "Whoa!" Arata stared at the creatures in surprise. "What are these things?"

"There's a lot of weird things here," Yuugo stated.

"Huh?" Yuuko frowned at the two boys. "They're not weird. They're cute!" She crouched to the ground and began to pet a Botamon's head. "Right, Takumi-kun?"

"That's right!" the boy's blue eyes glowed as he picked up a Kuramon and hugged it. "Ah…! So cute!" he grinned.

"You think so?" Arata frowned at them and scratched his head.

"Hmm…" Yuugo brought a hand up to his head. "If you look closely, I guess they're cute?"

"No, they're definitely cute, Yuugo-san," Takumi stated. "Ah… Yuugo," he quickly corrected himself. He picked up a Punimon and placed it on his head. "Hey, hey, Yuuko-san! Look, look! Which of these do you think is the cutest?" he asked her. "For me, it's definitely this one!"

Yuuko giggled at how animated the redhead was at their discovery. "Takumi-kun is cutest!"

"E-eh…?" Takumi's cheeks turned red. "M-me…?"

"Of course, Takumi-chan!" Nokia giggled in agreement from where she stood.

"I-is that so…?" the shy boy sheepishly smiled.

Arata laughed at him. "Jeez, it's hard to tell if you're really a boy or not." He shook his head before looking back up to the girl not with them. "Hey, Nokia! I told you not to go off on your own!"

"Hey, Agumon, Gabumon!" Nokia grinned at the two Digimon. "Come and play with us! We're on a big adventure right now! You can join us on our big adventure!"

"Uh, s-sure!" Gabumon nodded.

"Yeah!" Agumon cheered.

The kids and the Digimon took off further into the Digital World as the teenage Nokia frowned to herself. "Agumon, Gabumon… So we did meet before, after all."

The two teenagers followed the kids a while longer before Arata quickly rounded everyone up to go. The child Yuuko sadly frowned at that. "Are we really going home already?" she asked.

"I-I…" Takumi frowned. "I want to stay…"

"If we don't go soon, the adults will get worried," Arata pointed out.

Nokia let out an excited cry. "That was fun! We got to make new friends, too!"

"N-new… friends…?" Takumi blinked as he looked at all of the Digimon they met and played with. A small smile appeared on his face. "Y-yeah, we d-did!" he nodded. "I… I want to play with them again!"

"We definitely gotta come back here!" Nokia agreed. "All of us!"

"Y-yeah…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as his four friends turned towards the portal leading back home. He frowned to himself as he didn't really want to go. If he did, he would have to part with his friends. He would also have to return to the real world, where things such as sorrow and loneliness exist. "It'd be great if the present can last forever…" he muttered. A weird wave of static washed over them but the redhead didn't seem to notice.

His friends however gasped in surprise. Yuugo tensed up as he stared at the way home. "Huh!? What!?"

"If only the past can last forever, too…" Takumi clenched his fists as he wanted to prolong their stay for as long as he could.

"Something's… coming…" Yuugo gasped as he backed away from their only way home.

The children watched as a strange black and white creature with tentacles emerged from the portal. They backed away from it out of fear but Takumi remained still. "Forever and ever…" he muttered with his eyes closed. "We should never, ever leave here!" he cried out, not wanting to be alone anymore.

"Takumi!" Yuugo called out to him. "You shouldn't stand there!"

"Huh!?" Takumi opened his eyes and finally noticed the monster that emerged from the dimensional crack. "Ah…!" The boy was frozen in place, but thankfully Yuugo sharply pulled him back to safety.

"Takumi-chan!" Nokia let out a scared squeak.

"Let's get out of here!" Arata shouted.

"But where can we run to?" Yuuko asked.

"We can only go back the way we came!" Arata exclaimed.

"But…" Yuuko shrunk back and frowned at the Eater standing in their way.

"It's okay, Yuuko," her brother reassured her. "I'll draw that thing away so you can escape," he told them. "Go! Run!" Yuugo took a step forward, ready to lure the Eater away.

"You can't do that, Onii-chan!" Yuuko cried. "It's too dangerous!"

"Arata," Yuugo clenched his fists, "look after the others, okay?"

"Yuugo…" Arata stared at his best friend with wide eyes. He nodded though as he accepted the responsibility of protecting the younger kids. "Okay, leave it to me!"

Finally snapped out of his stupor, Takumi quickly called out to the older boy. "Yuugo-san!" He wanted to stop his role model but Arata firmly held him back.

The teenage Nokia gasped as she fearfully watched the kids run for their lives. "That's right," she managed to find her voice. "Back then, we…"

Yuuko shook her head as she couldn't believe what was happening right in front of them. "No… Onii-chan… Stop!" she cried out, despite knowing the past couldn't be changed.

"Yuugo-san!" Takumi screamed when Yuugo was cornered by the monster.

"Onii-chan!" the younger Yuuko called out too.

"Yuugo, this way! Hurry!" Arata hoarsely yelled on the top of his lungs.

"It's… I'm okay!" Yuugo tried to put on a brave face for them. "I can handle it! You have to get out of here n—" he tensed up as the Eater let out a terrible screech. He turned to face it but the monster suddenly engulfed him.

"Yuugo!" Takumi watched as the older boy was gone.

At his side, Yuuko screamed in despair. "Noooooo! Onii-chan… Onii-chan!"

"N-no…" Arata couldn't believe it. "Y-yuu…go?"

Nokia began to cry. "We… we gotta help him…" she struggled to say between her sobs. "Hurry… We have to… save him…"

"Help… him?" Arata hesitantly gasped. He stared at Yuugo's arm poking out from underneath the Eater and screamed. "There's nothing we can do! There's no time!"

"Yuugo!" Takumi tried to run towards his friend. Despite his fear and tears, he wanted to do everything he could to save him. He just had to. "Yuugo!"

Arata quickly pulled the reckless redhead back. "We have to give up!" he cried. "There's no way! Otherwise, we'll be… We'll be next!"

"I don't care! Yuugo is my… Yuugo is our friend!" Takumi roared as he struggled against the taller boy. "We have to save him!" He tried to wrestle Arata out of his way. "YUUGO!"

"Shut up!" Arata punched the younger boy in the gut to silence him. "We need to go! We need to get outta here! Running's all we can do!"

Takumi clenched his fists as he stared at the Eater. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Arata was right. There was nothing he could do to protect himself against the monster or stop it from coming after the rest of his friends. He forced himself to turn around. "L-let's… Let's go!" he called out to the crying girls. He made sure they were ahead of him before following them to the exit.

Arata was right behind him but he stopped to get one last look of his best friend. He tensed up as Yuugo's arm twitched. The raven-haired boy screamed at the sight before turning around and escaping.

Suddenly the world turned white. The teenage Nokia and Yuuko frowned at the conclusion of such a horrible memory. The raven-haired girl took in deep breaths as she tried not to hyperventilate. "Onii-chan… Onii-chan!" She closed her eyes as she tried to forget the images repeating themselves in her mind.

"So then this is our forgotten past?" Nokia asked. "This all really… happened? And if he's remembering this too…" The red-haired girl clasped her hands over her heart. "Ara…ta!"

Yuuko frowned as she also realized why Arata threw himself away for power. Still, she was also worried about Takumi since she now understood why the Cyber Sleuth is the way he is. "Takumi…"

Both girls looked around to see where they could go, but paused as the scenery around them changed again. They were back in Galacta Park with all of the children, or rather all of the escaped children.

The younger Arata gasped as he stared at the space the portal had been before. He watched as Takumi stubbornly tried to search for a way back into the Digital World. "Yuugo!" Takumi frantically cried out. "Yuugo!"

When the redhead finally gave up, Arata shook his head at his friend. "This is… cyberspace," he reminded the sobbing younger boy. "It's not reality," he said with uncertainty. "Which means that Yuugo—the real Yuugo—must be safe," he tried to rationalize. He brought a hand up to his forehead. "I watched out for all of you. It was all I could do… All I could do…" Arata began to cry too.

"Yuu…go…" Takumi fell to his hands and his knees. His stared at his dripping tears as he thought back to his selfish wish of wanting to have his happy moment last forever. Because of him, the first friend who had ever reached a hand out to him was now gone. "I'm sorry, Yuugo…" He closed his eyes and continued to sob to himself. "I'm so sorry…!"

The older Yuuko frowned to herself as around them, Galacta Park faded into its current dilapidated state. "My brother was protecting us," she shakily said. "And to think… I had forgotten… everything."

"Could that Eater actually have come from our world, then?" Nokia asked. "Is it our fault that the Eaters came to the Digital World? Did Takumi really…?"

"Indeed!" a jeering voice told them before LordKnightmon dropped down from the sky. "Have you recalled the heinous crime you committed? The seal on your memory has at last been broken," she sneered. "If you don't remember, this all means nothing." The girls tensed up as static washed over them and Eaters suddenly appeared to surround them. LordKnightmon relished the sudden looks of panic on their faces. "You stumbled heedlessly into the Digital World and foolishly called the Eaters with you. The door closed with the trash left behind. Then the world's order began to unravel. Thus begins the world's end!" the Royal Knight exclaimed.

Nokia and Yuuko backed into each other as the Eaters closed in on them. Yuuko let out a panicked gasp and Nokia screamed as there was nowhere else for them to go.

"That's right!" LordKnightmon watched in anticipation as they squirmed. "Tremble in despair! Pay for your crime! Begone from existence!" The Digimon's voice suddenly became higher and more feminine. "This feeling, girl, gives me shivers of joy," she maniacally giggled before it soon reverted back to LordKnightmon's gloating laugh.

Kyoko clenched her fists around the steering wheel of her Alfa Romeo Montreal and floored her gas pedal. The street was completely empty as she sped down the road with a determined frown on her face. "Heh… 'Choose the future…' I will believe in that uncertain possibility!" Despite already being at the highest gear, Kyoko quickly reached for the gear shift. She quickly maneuvered the lever towards her and let out a fierce cry as a digital distortion opened up before her car. The vehicle crackled with red sparks, but without hesitation, she drove straight into the opening.

The car glowed in a yellow light and Kyoko calmly continued forward as the vehicle became pure energy. It combined with her to form a Digimon with black armor and a flowing blue mantle. Her red eyes glowed as she focused on the path before her. She picked up the signature of Takumi's half-cyber body straight ahead and quickly rushed forward to save her assistant and his friends.

"Eh?" Nokia looked around the empty network in confusion. "What? What!? Was that… Was that an Eater? But what is this? Where are we?"

Yuuko's eyes widened as she spotted Takumi down on his knee, panting for air. "Ah, Takumi!" His eyes were closed and his body was completely battered and bruised. His digital signature was even more unstable than before and wanting to help him, Yuuko started for his side. She paused though when she noticed the large Digimon looming over him.

Takumi's eyes snapped open at the familiar presence. He pushed himself back onto his feet and turned to face the large Digimon that had saved him once before when he had been lost in the Digital World. "It's y-you…!" he gasped in surprise.

"What?" Nokia tensed up, uncertain whether this new Digimon was on their side or not. "Another incredible Digimon has appeared! I can't believe it! What is going on!?"

The black-armored Digimon turned to face LordKnightmon and protectively stood in front of the hurt Cyber Sleuth. Yuuko blinked at the newcomer's actions. "You will… protect us?"

Takumi winced due to his chest pain and frowned to himself. "W-why…?" he asked. "Why would you s-save me…?"

"You!" LordKnightmon glared at the large knight. "You dare interfere with me!? I don't know who you are, but get out of my way! No, crush them!" she tried to order the Digimon. "Delete them, immediately! Those humans have destroyed our Digital World! They are criminals who must never be forgiven!"

Takumi's frown deepened as he hung his head in shame. "That's r-right…"

The mysterious Digimon shook her head as she began to speak. "I am like you… A Digimon who took a human host and who acted as one of them," she told LordKnightmon.

"What?" LordKnightmon stared at the Digimon in surprise.

"And therefore, this I now ask you," the Digimon nodded, "Do these people deserve to be purged from existence?"

"Oh really?" the pink Royal Knight frowned as this newcomer was just like Omegamon. "And your conclusion is that you will stand alongside the humans? That is an unfathomable error. Your logic is utter nonsense!" She looked over towards Takumi and his friends in disgust. "Humans!" she spat. "They are filth, polluting the world of the Digimon as they scatter foul data about them. And the woman who became my flesh! And the throngs of people she manipulated! It was all offensive! Foul! Utter foolishness! Even those who preach of peace," she glared at Takumi. The redhead lowered his gaze but let the Digimon continue her rant. "Foolishness and hypocrisy! Humans exist only to be purged! The universe demands their extinction!"

"There are indeed times when humans commit errors," the new Digimon nodded, looking back at Takumi, "make the wrong choices and act foolishly… But the same can be said of us Digimon." Her words made Takumi look up at her, but the Digimon already refocused her gaze on LordKnightmon. "And you see only one aspect of humans and Digimon. Could it be that the other aspects are hidden under the surface where you can't see them?"

"Digimon the same as humans!?" LordKnightmon was appalled by this comparison. "You have been humanized! You're mad! There is one thing I share with humanity… Their superiority complex when crushing helpless foes!" she declared. "That was a particularly sweet emotion in the woman Kishibe's data. It bordered on the bewitching!" the Royal Knight laughed.

"Oh, my," the mysterious Digimon shook her head. "Such words are not up to the noble standards of the Royal Knights."

"Cease your prattle!" LordKnightmon snapped at the insufferable Digimon standing against her. "What would the likes of you possibly know of the Royal Knights?"

"I know nothing," the new Digimon shrugged. "That is why I continue asking these questions."

"In the end you are just like them," LordKnightmon scoffed. "Unenlightened! Have at you, then! I'm ready to take out the trash!"

"So it is a fight you seek after all," the mysterious Digimon sighed. "Very well," she nodded. "It would seem this is the only way." She turned to face the Cyber Sleuth. "Lend me a hand, Takumi?"

"Eh? M-me…?" the boy blinked at her with wide eyes. "C-can I really…?" he frowned to himself. "I m-mean… I-I'm not…" He shook his head as he slowly backed away from the regal knight. "I… have no r-right to…"

"Or… will you simply vanish as she wishes?" the Digimon asked him. "Together with Shiramine Nokia and Kamishiro Yuuko?" She smiled as he paused to consider the consequences of what would happen if he didn't fight.

"I…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he clenched his right hand into a fist. The Digimon noticed the familiar flicker of his desire to protect his friends spark in his brilliant blue eyes. "I won't let that happen," he seriously nodded to her.

"Hang on…" Nokia crookedly smirked. "What? What… is this all about? You know who we are? Who… are you!?" she asked the strange Digimon.

"Would it help if you drank my special blend?" the Digimon chuckled.

"Ah…!" Takumi blinked at her as he suddenly realized why the Digimon's presence was so comforting to him. "You're…!"

"Caviar or mayonnaise," the Digimon nodded to him. "Your choice. Or would you prefer both?" she continued to chuckle.

The red-haired boy managed to smile at her as tears began running down his face. "Kyoko-san…!" he cried as he brought his arm up to his eyes.

"What!?" Nokia exclaimed in surprise. "No… No flippin' way! K-k-kyo… Kyoko-san!?"

The Digimon known as Kyoko nodded to the red-haired boy as he pulled himself together. "Now then, my assistant! Take back your Digivice from Shiramine Nokia. It's time to get to work."

"Understood!" he nodded. Takumi turned towards his best friend and she quickly tossed him his goggles. He immediately put them on and called out his Digimon before focusing on his current task. "I'm ready whenever!" he cried out.

"Let's go, Takumi!" his boss nodded.

"So you refuse to accept your punishment!" LordKnightmon roared at the blue-eyed brat. "Spiral Masquerade!"

"God Bless!" Craniummon quickly called for Avalon to defend his master before knocking the attacking Royal Knight back with his Claíomh Solais.

"Atomic Ray!" HiAndromon fired the beam made of both neutron energy and nuclear energy.

"Burst Shot!" SaintGalgomon fired a barrage of bullets at the Royal Knight to keep her busy long enough for Takumi to readjust the settings of his Digivice.

When everything was finally set up, the Cyber Sleuth curiously scanned his boss's data and his eyes widened at the sheer power she contained. "W-whoa… N-no way…"

The Digimon smirked but focused on the battle. She held out her right hand as a green magic circle appeared. "Digitalize of Soul!" Beams of energy shot out from the mystic seal and LordKnightmon winced as she was bombarded by them. As it has been a while since she had last used her powers though, the black knight blinked at her hand. "Hmm… It seems I'm a bit rusty…"

Even so, the attack had still done a number on LordKnightmon. "Ungh! Such… Such power!" the pink Royal Knight gasped. "It can't be? You're one of the Royal Knights!?"

The other Digimon shook her head and chuckled. "I'm just a detective. Nothing more. Okay, it's time to close the books on this one. I'm an investigator, not a fighter. I should have learned some martial arts," she mused. "Takumi, I leave the rest to you."

Takumi hesitantly tensed up. "M-me…?" He lowered his gaze and frowned to himself. "I… I understand…" the boy seriously nodded. "I'll protect my friends, n-no matter what!" he cried out before wincing in pain.

"Wait!" Yuuko called out. "Takumi, please! Let me join in too!"

"Yuuko…" Takumi shook his head at her. "This isn't more revenge for your father, is it?"

"I see," the Digimon known as Kyoko stared at the raven-haired girl. "This is your fight as well," she nodded to Yuuko. "Very well. Strike the final blow with your own hands. You deserve that honor."

"Don't encourage her!" Takumi frowned. "Revenge is not a good reason to fight!"

"Of course it's not!" Yuuko shook her head. "My reason to fight this time is to support you!"

"H-huh?" the boy knit his eyebrows together. "Why would I need…?" he winced as his agitation only made his body hurt more. "Ngh!" he reached a hand towards his burning chest.

Nokia winced at the boy's injuries. "Yeesh, Takumi… You must have been through Hell…"

LordKnightmon chortled at that. "And yet even Hell isn't enough to purge his sins…"

"N-no… it isn't…" Takumi frowned to himself. "I really was the harbinger of darkness…" He clenched his fists. "Because of me… everyone is in danger! I don't need… no… I don't deserve to be protected or saved by anyone…" He clenched his eyes shut. "I have to face my crimes and atone for them myself! I won't let anyone else get hurt because of me!" he shouted.

"That's even more reason for me to fight at your side," Yuuko nodded to him. "We can't just let you go off on your own. It's not up to you to decide whether or not you deserve our help. Even if you don't believe you deserve it, you do definitely need us."

Takumi opened his eyes and looked at her in surprise. "Yuuko…"

"That's right!" Nokia cried. "You're always saving us from trouble, right, Takumi? Now it's our turn to save you! It's not completely your fault all this stuff happened! You're just a victim of circuses."

"Circumstance…" Takumi smiled at his friends. "But yeah… I get it… Thanks, Nokia, Yuuko…" He paused to look up at the Digimon who was his boss. "I'm sorry, Kyoko-san… I must have worried you too…"

The Digimon smiled at him. "Even if you continue to blame yourself, I know you won't run from your responsibilities. I still believe that you can surpass yourself and evolve alongside your friends, whether they be human or Digimon!"

"I understand," Takumi nodded as he turned back towards the raven-haired girl ready to fight. "Alright then, Yuuko. I'm counting on you to watch my back."

"It'll be just like when we were kids," she teasingly smiled, "me always protecting you from Onii-chan and Arata-san."

"I can totally live with that," Takumi chuckled before wincing. "Considering I might not be able to last long on my own…" he groaned. He shook his head and focused his attention back on LordKnightmon. "All right! Prepare yourself! This time you're definitely going down! I'm sorry we couldn't reach a compromise, but… I won't let you hurt my friends and destroy humanity!"

The pink Royal Knight laughed at his pitiful declaration of war. "Trash of your ilk hopes to strike me down? To strike down the dazzling rose of perfection that is an honored Royal Knight?" She made a fist and glared at the cause of all of this misery with intense hatred. "Don't mock me… human… Don't be so conceited. How dare you make light of me!?"

"If humans really are darker than Digimon, you're even worse to willingly turn your back on your light…" Takumi seriously stated. "Even if I'm the harbinger of darkness, I'll show you the light I'm striving for."

"You insolent brat…!" LordKnightmon raised her Pile Bunker in preparation to shut him up. "Urgent Fear!"

Takumi flinched but Yuuko had her Digimon quickly defend him from the Royal Knight's attack. "Gaioumon!"

"Phosphorous Fire Slash!" the Dragon Man swung his sword to deflect the Pile Bunker.

"Everyone, let's go!" Takumi nodded to his team to aid him.

"Claíomh Solais!"

HiAndromon pulled out the metal baton he carried on his back. "Copy Paste!"

"Saint Punch!" SaintGalgomon flew up into the air and dove towards LordKnightmon with his arm outstretched. As his punch landed, a fiery explosion burst out of his fist.

The pink Royal Knight roared as she tried to throw the four Digimon off of her. "Spiral Masquerade!"

Takumi ordered a tactical retreat. "LordKnightmon specializes in close-quarters combat. The farthest her Spiral Masquerade attack can reach is about three meters, so keep your distance!" he advised them.

"So during your time I've kept you isolated, you studied my attack patterns," LordKnightmon scowled at him. "It won't do you any good though!" She pulled out a rose and smelled it. "Sweat, beautiful sweat!" She charged towards Gaioumon and Yuuko's eyes widened as the Digimon's speed had increased.

"Use your Phosphorous Fire Attack!" Her Digimon's swords glowed as he fired a fiery light at the Royal Knight.

LordKnightmon roared as she shot shockwaves through Gaioumon's body. "Urgent Fear!"

"Yuuko, your Gaia Reactor attack!" Takumi suggested.

"Right!" she nodded. "Let's go, Gaioumon!"

"SaintGalgomon! Giant Missile!" Both attacks detonated into a powerful explosion and Takumi didn't allow the field to clear itself of the smoke as he ordered another attack from his super-gigantic Machine Digimon. "Burst Shot!"

When SaintGalogmon finished unloading all of his ammunition, HiAndromon cleared the cloud of dust with his Spiral Sword attack. The Cyborg's eyes widened when LordKnightmon suddenly charged towards him. "Sweat, beautiful sweat!" she laughed as she threw her rose at HiAndromon to distract him. "Spiral Masquerade!"

"HiAndromon!" Takumi cried out as his Digimon collapsed. He wanted to run towards his fallen Digimon but paused as LordKnightmon seemed to be expecting him to rush towards her. He clenched his fists and called out to Craniummon. "Drive her back with your End Waltz!" he ordered.

"Gaioumon! Another Phosphorous Fire Slash!" Yuuko called out.

Takumi willed his body to move and he dug through his bag for a revive capsule. As he began patching up his Digimon, he tensed up as he sensed LordKnightmon rapidly coming towards him.

"Urgent Fear!" LordKnightmon smirked as she pulled her shielded arm back.

"Takumi!" Yuuko cried out in a panic.

The boy quickly dodged to the side and frowned as the Royal Knight's face was right in front of his own. He raised his right arm up and called out one last order. "Xros Combo!"

"Saint Tackle!" The large Cyborg shoved the Royal Knight away from the Cyber Sleuth.

"Copy Paste!"

"Claíomh Solais!"

"Phosphorous Fire Slash!"

Takumi collapsed to the ground and let out a relieved sigh. "Ah… W-we did it…" He winced as his entire body hurt and found that he could no longer get up on his own.

LordKnightmon frowned as she found herself at the feet of the large black knight Digimon. "Why… would a Digimon like you… choose to make an enemy of me?" the pink Royal Knight asked. "Is this the will of Yggdrasil?"

"It is because you believe that that I am with the humans," the Digimon known as Kyoko replied.

Craniummon nodded in agreement. "It cannot truly be the will of our lord to destroy an entire world for the sake of our own. And if it is, then would it not be our responsibility as the Royal Knights to free our lord from madness?"

LordKnightmon let out a broken laugh. "If that is so, then what have we been doing? What exactly are the Royal Knights?"

"Why don't you tell me?" the black knight asked. "What were you and Duftmon planning?"

The defeated Royal Knight chuckled. "It'll feel good to get it all out. Very well. I'll tell you. Duftmon is… He is using the Digital Line from my Paradise Lost Plan to fuel the Digital Wave… He is trying to gain immense power… enough to destroy the human world… and the Eaters… in one fell swoop." Her body glowed as her data began to break down. "Merging with a human… seems to have had only a negative effect on me… What makes you and I so different?" she asked the strange Digimon.

The Digimon known as Kyoko paused for a moment as she considered her answer. After a while she lifted her gaze towards Takumi who was being supported by Nokia as Yuuko checked the extent of his injuries. Craniummon hurried over to his temporary lord to check on him too and the large black knight only watched as Takumi patted the purple Royal Knight's armor for a job well done. She closed her eyes and chuckled to herself before finally responding to the fallen knight. "I wonder…"

LordKnightmon turned her head towards the teens too and frowned as she didn't quite understand. Even worse was the fact that Takumi was staring at her with an expression akin to sympathetic pity and guilt. "LordKnightmon…" he sadly lowered his gaze.

Yuuko also frowned at her as she hesitantly approached the fallen knight. "Farewell, LordKnightmon… No… Rie-san…"

LordKnightmon lowered her gaze as perhaps she understood after all, given the woman Kishibe's strange attachment for Yuuko, caring for the girl while all the time cursing her. "This is it!" she spoke in the woman's sickeningly sweet voice. "Our final, final farewell, it seems. You mustn't cry, even if it's sad!"

"I always hated the stupid way you talked," Yuuko lowered her gaze. "The fakeness of it? The attempts to sound younger? You were ugly and pathetic, in all honesty."

"Oh my, my, my! So unexpected!" LordKnightmon smirked. "And I… how I felt about your adorableness? Or should I say your brazenness? Impertinence? Gloominess? Your lame personality? You make me want to puke! I abhorred you!" she giggled. Finally, she could no longer sustain her form and her body burst into a shower of rose petals.

Yuuko closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Nokia frowned at her in worry. "Yuuko-chi…"

When the raven-haired girl opened her eyes, she shook her head and gave Nokia a reassuring smile. "I'm fine now…" She knit her eyebrows together when she saw Takumi was still staring at the flower petals with a downcast expression on his face. "More importantly…" she walked up to the boy, "are you okay, Takumi?"

The boy didn't dare to look directly at her as he answered. "Not really…"

"I thought so…" Yuuko sadly frowned. "I can only imagine what it is you're feeling right now… You must have been through a lot."

Takumi kept his head down and remained silent, prompting Nokia to look at him in concern. "Hey, Takumi," the turquoise-eyed girl nervously began, "why are you so down? You should be happy your friends came to save you!"

"Friends…?" the boy knit his eyebrows together.

Yuuko quickly noticed the pain hidden in his blue eyes. "That's right," she nodded to him. "We came to rescue you because we're friends!" Takumi's frown deepened, resulting in her giving him a heavy sigh. "No, you're right… Only Nokia-san came to rescue you as your friend. I'm here because I feel responsible for your disappearance. I have no right to call myself your friend."

Nokia's eyes widened in alarm. "Yuuko-chi…!?"

"No, it's true," Yuuko shook her head as she worriedly frowned at Takumi. "I took your kindness for granted and allowed myself to become absorbed by my desire for revenge. LordKnightmon used my feelings to her advantage to lure us into her trap in Akihabara… You really had been right all along, but because I didn't listen to you, I ended up losing your friendship…"

"Hey, that can't be right!" Nokia frowned. She tried shaking the quiet boy she was holding up in order to get him to say something. "Takumi! Tell her you're both still friends!"

Takumi only responded by hanging his head even lower than before as he still refused to look up from the ground. Yuuko knit her eyebrows together as she could no longer see what sort of pained expression he was wearing. "I'm sorry, Takumi, for everything that happened. I shouldn't have said all those nasty things to you, but I did anyways. I said those things while misjudging you for a simpleton who couldn't understand what I was going through, but in fact, it was the other way around. You didn't deserve any of it…" Yuuko gave him a grateful smile. "You have always been a good friend trying to reach out to me in my despair, so thank you. Even if you can never forgive me and no longer consider me your friend, please know that I will always consider you my friend." When she finally finished her apology, she watched him carefully for a while before sighing to herself as he really didn't seem to want to respond to her.

"Ah…" Takumi frowned to himself as he finally spoke up. "How am I supposed to follow up an apology like that with one of my own…?" he asked.

"Eh?" Yuuko blinked at him in surprise. "You want to apologize…?"

"O-of course," the boy seriously nodded before lowering his gaze again. "I… was never upset with you… I told you once before that I'd accept you as my friend, no matter what you say to me."

"You did…" she nodded to him. She put on a small smile and sighed in relief. "It's that same flowery logic I had been hoping to use on you."

"That… actually surprised me…" Takumi admitted to her as he knit his eyebrows together. "I didn't really think anyone would rescue me…"

"Why not!?" Nokia asked. "We couldn't just leave you here!"

"Maybe it'd be more accurate to say I didn't want to be rescued…" Takumi mused.

"Takumi!" his best friend glared at him. "We went through a lot of trouble to find you! And we were super worried too! Heck, you can't even stand on your own right now!" she pointed out as she held him up.

"Y-yeah…" he nodded, "But…" He sadly frowned at the ground. "LordKnightmon was right about me after all… Everything that happened was because of me… It was me who opened the path to the Digital World. And I might have called the Eater, too…" He shook his head. "Yuugo's accident, Arata's Eater corruption, both worlds growing more and more unstable… That's all because of what I did back then…!" The Cyber Sleuth tried to stand without Nokia's help but nearly fell.

Yuuko shook her head at him as she caught him. "I don't believe any of this is your fault at all."

"It's… not?"

"Of course, it's not!" Nokia scolded him as she and Yuuko helped keep him upright. "It's not like you meant for all this to happen!"

"Even so…" Takumi knit his eyebrows together and avoided their gazes, "it did happen… All because I couldn't bear to return to a world where it's possible I'd be left alone…" He clenched his eyes shut as he felt the urge to cry. "I'm no better now than I was back then!"

"Didn't I tell you before that you should be proud of who you are?" the Digimon known as Kyoko finally spoke up.

"Huh?" Takumi lifted his gaze up at the regal black knight.

"You came all this way believing that everyone can surpass their inner darkness and evolve," she reminded him. "Don't tell me you've given up on your own light now that you know the truth."

The detective's assistant lowered his gaze as he thought it over. In the end, he shook his head. "No. You're right," he finally stated. "I'm no longer the same child from back then. I know what I have to do now. And I know… I don't have to do it alone," he smiled at his friends who came to save him. "It's because of everyone I'm connected to that I can be proud of who I am now." He smiled at the two girls holding him up. "Thanks, Nokia, Yuuko," he nodded, "for rescuing me." He looked up at the Digimon standing over them. "And thank you for always believing in me…"

The Digimon gave him a kind smile and nodded, glad her assistant was back to his usual self. "Okay, we'd better report back to the agency. I'm sure there's a lot you want to ask me. And we need to discuss our next move while we work on repairing the damage you sustained."

"Thanks, Kyoko-san," Takumi gratefully smiled at her. "You really are always saving my life…"

"So…" Nokia knit her eyebrows together. "Are… are you really Kyoko-san?"

The Digimon shook her head at the confused girl and chuckled. "If you'd tasted my coffee, you'd know by now, I expect."

"Eh?" Nokia crookedly smirked.

"The Hatcho Miso Cream Cheese Wasabi Blend…" the Digimon mused. "It's not on the market yet, but it'll be a hit. Why don't you sample it for me, Shiramine Nokia? I'm afraid it's a bit too strong for my assistant in his current state."

Nokia let out a panicked scream and dropped Takumi. "M-me!?"

"It really is Kyoko-san, isn't it?" Yuuko smiled as she quickly caught the Cyber Sleuth before he could fall again. "Yes, it must be."

"Yeah…" Takumi chuckled at the Digimon's reassuring presence. He gave his boss a heartfelt smile. "The one and only…"

"Please, Kyoko-san!" Nokia pleaded to the regal black knight. "Take the wasabi out!" she yelled.

"That's what you wanted to ask her, Nokia-san?" Yuuko asked. She shook her head and closed her eyes before letting out a sigh. She opened them again as she sensed the boy she holding up lightly laughing at it all. She smiled at his genuinely happy expression. "Let's go home, Takumi," she told him.

"Let's," he nodded, glad that his friends had come to pull him out of his despair.

Final Notes: And Takumi is safe! I'm guessing the silent subtitled lines playing in cutscenes belong to Takumi... But those lines had been so out of place in the game that it was weird... At least I made them make sense... Arata and Takumi really are too sensitive, but the way their sensitivity is on opposite spectrums of each other. For Arata, I guess he suffers from survivor's guilt and the fact that he abandoned his best friend. For Takumi, he probably has more of a guilt complex. It's kind of like how Taiki in Xros Wars can't turn his back on people in need, but for Takumi, he's willing to go to extreme measures to see everything work out. The thing about Taiki though is that his weakness wasn't really exploited as much as it could have and his stance never really matured. For Takumi, I hope he grew a little... I mean, saving others is fine and all, but he really needs to stop doing it at the cost of his own safety.