Okay guys, it's only the epilogue after this...so enjoy!

Together

It was a soft, muffled growl that greeted TK to consciousness. He slowly peeled his eyes open. Sunlight beat against his window, but the shades were drawn so the room was still relatively dim. His last dream was a haunting one, though nothing happened that he could recall. He remembered garbled voices and inhuman cackling. The only sense he had known was hearing. He had seen nothing, felt nothing, but he had heard them, and that was disturbing enough. He was glad it was over, though he wondered what had woken him up. There was a dull throb in his chest, yet that had already been there when he fell asleep. TK attempted to get up, but his muscles screamed in protest, and he let himself drop back down with a small grunt. He had never been so stiff in his life. After his basketball games, his coach would have the team stretch and walk it off for at least five minutes to reduce cramping. There had been no opportunity for him to do so last night.

The rumble came again, this time accompanied by a vibrating in his stomach. That made sense. Another day or so in the Dark World, and he would have starved. Now that he had recovered on sleep, it was time to get some food in his stomach, somehow. TK gave another go at sitting upright, but each muscle was strained with the movement. He kept at it until he felt his body begin to cramp. Relinquishing, he fell once more to the pillow.

TK wondered if anyone else in the house was awake. Tokomon wasn't beside him, so he assumed at least a few of them had woken. For the first time since waking, TK stopped moving and wondering, and decided to just listen. He did so just in time to hear a distant metallic clink. Several clinks. And then high-pitched voices.

"Tsunomon! Back off! We've got to save at least some of the food!"

"But I wanna digivolve! How did you do it so fast?"

A third voice, "Guys..."

"Nevermind! Get the knife off the ground, Tsunomon!"

"But..." Tsunomon started.

"Come on! I'm the one holding the tray!"

"Guys!" TK recognized the third voice as Salamon.

"What!"

Tsunomon continued, "If you need something sharp, just use my horn. Otherwise, there's nothing I can do!"

"Huh?"

"No hands, genius."

Silence.

"Someone, just put the knife back on the tray," Patamon said in a defeated voice.

"Patamon," Salamon said. "It's an omelette. You don't even need a knife."

"Where'd it come from then?"

"Well, that orange narwhal over there tried to get into the cupboards and fell into the sink. Matt left his dirty dishes in there."

"...oh."

"So, are you gonna check on him any time soon?" Salamon asked.

"No! I don't want to disturb him yet!"

"If not now, when? He's been asleep for at least twelve hours!"

"Well...oh alright. Just to see if he's awake."

"I'll go with," Salamon said. "Only for a minute though. And stay out of the fridge Tsunomon! I still don't see how Matt can leave him by himself for five minutes."

"He doesn't usually. Matt just forgets how much more immature he is than Gabumon."

"Yeah, I guess. But you both are still just a couple of doofuses."

"Shut up."

The two rookies were coming close to TK's room. He lifted his head, and with a little difficulty, propped himself up on his elbows. He glanced at the doorway just in time to see the two come in, Patamon hovering and balancing a tray in front of him, while Salamon trotted forward with a goofy grin on her face. Upon seeing TK awake, Patamon gaped, dropping the tray of food. Luckily for TK, Salamon was ready for Patamon's mishap, and jumped forward, catching the tray in her mouth and landing smoothly on the bed. She laid it gently on TK's lap and turned to the still shocked Patamon.

"See? Doofus."

The orange rookie frowned at her for only an instant before jerking his attention back to TK. Shooting forward suddenly, he shrieked out in ecstasy. "You're awake!"

Laughing, TK caught his partner out of the air and held him close. Salamon smiled at the two before hopping off the bed. "I'll just go and make sure the others aren't worried about that scream, okay boys?"

The blond and his partner ignored her, but that was expected. As TK embraced Patamon, he couldn't help but smell the food put before him. While still holding his partner with one arm, he reached out for the chopsticks, and helped himself. He paused once, only after the first bite. "Matt's?"

Patamon smiled back. "You would know."

TK went back to eating, and didn't stop this time until the plate was empty. It took him less than two minutes, which wasn't long, considering it was Matt's cooking. When he finished, TK set the tray aside, and scooted back until he was resting against the headboard. Patamon didn't fail to notice the discomfort the movement gave him.

"Is it bad still?"

"Nah, just sore." TK stretched his arms a little, testing to see how much of the pain was in his chest. He dropped his arms in an instant. "But I'm definitely still hurt."

The rookie nodded in acknowledgement, and the two fell into comfortable silence. A short-lived silence. Matt soon burst through the door, his face lighting up as he saw TK sitting in his bed. He ran over, a grin brightening up his tired face. Several times the older brother opened his mouth so say something, but words failed him. Eventually, Matt broke stares with TK and looked away. He spotted the empty plate next to the younger brother.

He finally formulated a sentence. "So...you liked it?"

TK sighed contentedly, lifting his right hand to his left shoulder. "Just like Mom used to make."

Matt huffed and folded his arms. "I resent that."

There was a short exchange of laughs, but for a moment after that, the brothers could only smile at each other. Besides his oversized shoulder, the older blond looked perfectly healthy. Until TK noticed the dark bags under his eyes. He was safe in assuming that they all looked as tired. Matt grinned wider, breaking the silence.

"Thanks for not dying on me."

"Anytime," TK chuckled.

Kari walked in moments later, followed by Gennai and most of the digimon. One look at her face, and TK could tell that she had the rough night he was hoping she didn't. Her very posture mentioned that she was ill at ease. TK wished he could help her somehow, but he knew it would only fade with time.

"Are you all right?" He couldn't help but ask.

Kari plastered on a smile. "I'll be okay. I just want to go home, and see...Taichi."

TK nodded in understanding. He remembered her first encounter with the darkness, and how he had scolded Kari for her dependency on Tai. He regretted that now. After all, in his first dreams, Matt was the first person he called for when Patamon failed to protect him. The helplessness had been a new feeling for him, but she had to live with it for most of her life. She always had Tai there for her, unlike TK, and so the adjustment was harder for her. The blond understood now what it felt like.

Gennai spoke up. "I've contacted Izzy and told him you all have made it back. They'll be coming this afternoon once classes are over."

It was as the digital man said. Around four thirty, hours after the remaining Digidestined had finally awoken, Yolei spotted a welcome sight outside. "Hey! It's, uh, what's-his-mon!"

"Kabuterimon!" Sora finished with a smile.

Izzy's digimon was approaching along the horizon, with the rest of the Digidestined piled on top. The six children were gathered on the banks of the lake, awaiting the others' arrival, and all stood when they saw the approaching champion. They had washed up over the course of the day, and Gennai had generated TK's digital green and yellow shirt for him to wear as opposed to the tattered clothing he had worn in the Dark World. It was a way to avoid questioning, which everyone was sure the blond would be uncomfortable with.

Kabuterimon landed gracefully, though a bit too slowly for Tai. Vaulting off before the champion's feet even touched the ground, he landed rolling, jumped to his feet, and sprinted forward in one motion. Kari ran out to meet him, and the two collided in a fervent, long-awaited embrace. Satisfied that she was with her brother at last, TK turned his attention to the others, who were just disembarking. Davis ran over to his DNA partner.

"KEN!" The goggle-head stopped short when he got a good look at his friend. "Man, who'd you pick a fight with?"

The raven-haired boy glanced over at TK before shrugging. "The wrong guy."

Davis didn't pick up on any of it. "Oh. Well, I guess I would've done the same. As long as he didn't stop you."

"He did."

"What?" Davis exclaimed, now alarmed. Ken sighed.

"I'll explain when we talk about it."

Mimi's shriek filled the air. "Sora! What happened to you?"

The auburn-haired girl hobbled forward with the help of the crutch Gennai fashioned for her. "One close call too many, I guess." She said with a little smile. The several hours of sleep she got that previous night certainly helped brighten her expression.

Mimi sighed, somewhat satisfied, and wrapped Sora in a tight hug. As soon as the two friends released, Mimi was bombarded by a teary-eyed Yolei. TK turned to the three remaining Digidestined: Izzy, Joe, and Cody. Joe's ecstasy he could understand, but TK had never seen Izzy or Cody so elated. He doubted anything but the newest, state-of-the-art laptop would trigger a happier response from the red-head. TK smiled passively through all the tearful greetings and beaming welcomes, concerned questions and rather painful embraces. Davis was among the last to meet up with him, and what he said certainly brought TK's mind back down to earth.

"Dude, you look different... Like..." The goggle-head paused, scratching his head. TK watched him expectantly. Tai came up behind Davis, looking the blond straight in the eye. He was seeing it too, whatever it was.

"Like...older..." Tai finished for Davis.

Out of his peripheral, TK saw Matt lower his head and turn away, but he forced himself to keep a straight face. "Guys who don't sleep look old."

"You think so?" Joe asked worriedly. TK chuckled.

"In all honesty, yes. But you get what? Six hours of sleep each night?"

"Five. On average."

"Better than nothing."

Tai cut in, "You didn't sleep the whole time?"

TK frowned at him. "I couldn't even if I wanted to. You'd understand that if you were there."

"I believe you."

"Hey! Whatever if TJ looks like an old man! I'm starving!" Davis said suddenly.

"Well, weren't we planning a picnic before this all started?" Yolei asked. "I can't remember."

"Sure were," Matt said, his mood abruptly turning cheerful. "It was TK's birthday yesterday, and Tuesday was the only day most of us could manage to show up. Looks like we had a better turn out than we planned."

Indeed, all twelve of the children were present with their digimon. That in itself would normally be a reason to celebrate, so they wasted no time in getting the picnic ready.

Yolei took charge, "Okay! Let's get this party started then! Davis, you're volunteering to go to my family's convenience store and get the food and drinks."

"I'm what?" He blurted.

"Go on! And remember, some real food. Don't just get a bunch of candy, you got it?"

"Wait..."

"We are waiting...on you! Get going!"

Davis slumped and strolled off, Veemon in tow. The goggle-head mumbled, "Nice having you back, Yolei."

"I'll go with him," Mimi spoke up, starting off. "Just to make sure he follows orders."

"Right, thanks Mimi."

The rest of the group went into discussion. Things they would normally argue over seemed so simple now. Where they would eat. What they would eat. What they would do afterwards. When they would go home. How the missing six would explain to their parents. TK knew his job would be among the easiest, his mom having known about the DigiWorld for some time. According to Tai, Kari had been staying with Yolei and vice versa. It was a wonder they pulled that off. Cody mentioned that Davis had been covering for Ken, while Sora's mother somehow guessed what was happening. The auburn-haired girl shrugged. Her family already knew of the DigiWorld. Later on, as they waited for Davis and Mimi to return, Matt and TK sat on the grass overlooking the lake, content in the moment for the first time in days. Weeks.

"What do you suppose Davis and Tai meant?" Matt asked his brother quietly.

"About being older?"

"Yeah."

TK sighed, "More than they know. I definitely feel older, and I'm sure the others do too."

In truth, it was the whole experience with the World of Darkness. The trials and terrors of it all aged the children beyond their years. They were steadily losing innocence; they were maturing unusually fast. TK had nearly forgotten what it was like to be eight, even though barely five years had passed.

Presently, Cody approached them, interrupting the brothers' musings with a small smile on his face. TK grinned back. "Hi, Cody."

"Hey, TK." The boy replied quietly. He paused shortly, and then held forward his hand towards his DNA partner. "This is yours, I believe."

TK's smile widened as he recognized his old hat in Cody's hand. Taking it, he chuckled, "Yes it is. Thanks, Cody."

As the blond slipped the fisherman cap on, he felt a sense of satisfaction that wasn't there before. He felt secure; he finally felt victorious. He had been taken to the darkest of dimensions and come out alive, and not only alive, but with his enemies defeated. He knew that he will never be the bright, carefree child that many people knew and loved, but he was the same person. He had the same hopes and dreams. He had a life to live, and now, with his hat back on, he was taking a step back towards this normal life.

Well...there you have it...I feel like it was a bit rushed, but oh well.

Review? Eh?