Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. And I do not own Heroes of Olympus. But I'll tell you all about it when I see you again.

Author's Note: Written for the Novel with Prompts Challenge found on the Digimon Fanfiction Challenges forum. The prompt for this chapter is "tie".

Reminder: I post all review replies on my personal forum topic found right here on this site. Just navigate to the little button at the top of the screen to Forum to Anime to Digimon to Digital Connections. The topic you are looking for is called "Blurring Boundaries: And so it begins..." Or you can go to my profile and use the direct link there!

So sorry about the delay with these last two chapters. (That's right, there's one more, and then we're done!) I was trying to rush to finish this story before I had to leave town to house sit for a week. That house sitting gig really threw off my rhythm, so upon returning home, I just took a little R&R as I waited to get my mojo back. The last chapter was pretty difficult. There's so much I want to make sure I want to say before the end. Even now I'm purposefully leaving out information that I wonder if I should have or not. Should I have added this tidbit so that you aren't expecting something to happen that won't? I don't know. But either way, one more chapter... Just one more.

Enjoy!

Chapter Fifty-Three

Takato hadn't felt this jumpy since he and Guilmon had been left all alone with Datamon and Karatenmon. At least, for now, Takato waited alone so that he could get his bearings straight.

The subway beneath his feet bounced along the tracks as the train took them through Tokyo and toward West Shinjuku. They'd gotten lucky somehow and ended up with a subway car all to themselves. Takato liked to think that maybe after everything they'd been through, destiny was giving them a little bit of breathing room, but he knew that they had probably just gotten severely lucky. But right now, he needed to be alone to his thoughts, and the others that he rode with were seeing fit to give him his space.

So he waited for them to arrive in a separate car at the back of the train. Even Guilmon was with the others back in the other cabin. His dreams the night before had been worse than he'd wanted to share – even with the people that he now considered to be among some of his closest friends. His memory was still foggy, but it was all there; he just had some leftover cobwebs to clean out. The day he'd drawn Guilmon in class, and the night he'd met him, living and breathing and very much real. The day he'd met Rika and Renamon. The day he realized that he and Henry were going to be friends for a really long time. The day Kazu and Kenta had found out his secret. He could see all of their faces: Henry, Rika, Kazu, Kenta, Ryo, and Jeri. He definitely remembered Jeri. He wasn't sure what she meant to him, but the feelings were strong. One thing he did know for sure was that he liked Jeri a lot.

Takato pulled his D-Power out of his pocket and moved to sit on the subway bench behind him. After becoming Gallantmon again – and, yes, he definitely remembered doing that before, many times before – the device seemed different to him somehow. More important. It was an extension of him as much as it was an extension of Guilmon.

"I'm a Digimon Tamer," he murmured to himself.

He ran his thumb over the screen of the device. It remained off and silent. He thought about Henry and Rika, and he wondered if they were looking at their D-Powers right now, too.

"I wish I could talk to you guys," Takato said, knowing he sounded foolish talking to himself, but he had to talk to somebody. "But I know you guys are alright. You're looking out for each other. And, boy, would I love to see the look on Kazu and Kenta's face when they realize that I got to meet the digidestined in person."

Only silence responded to him. He didn't mind. It was better that way. The D-Power suddenly responding to his voice would've been creepy.

"I remember some things," he said. The more he talked, the less self-conscious he felt. "I remember how much I relied on you guys, but also… how much you guys relied on me. We were a team, a good team. Even… Even Kazu and Kenta, even though I know they drive you crazy, Rika. And… Jeri, too. She doesn't feel like she's part of the team anymore, but she is. We couldn't have done half of the things we did as kids without her, and don't even get me started on how I would have never passed English if she wasn't around. Jeez, Mrs Oshimi hated me. But not you, Jeri. You… everybody loves you. I… I wish you guys could hear me right now. There's so much I want to say…"

Takato took a deep breath. "I'm okay. I'm doing my best to get back to all of you, and I know… I know it's probably going to be a while. But I just hope you're all okay, too. And… if there's any way you could get to me first… that'd be great. I… I miss you guys so much. I… I don't know how I could keep doing this without you…"

The top of his head tingled. He realized someone was standing in front of him. His head snapped up, and he found a man standing in front of him in a brown hooded robe, with a kind smile and a choppy brown ponytail at the base of his head.

"Gennai," he said.

Gennai moved to sit down next to him. "You already have, Takato, and you will. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for, but you are also not alone here. You have Davis, Kari, Ken, Yolei, and Cody. They're not just the digidestined; they are also your friends. Together, you all can do great things."

"You got me into this. Why did you send me to this world?"

"I think you know," Gennai said. "An exchange of hearts was necessary. It was the only way to bring the groups together seamlessly when the time comes. I had to give you both time. Because when the curtain falls…"

"I didn't agree to this."

"No, you didn't. But you chose this life, Takato. The moment you accepted Guilmon as your partner in your heart, and you brought him to life with your wishes and dreams… You chose to become a savior of not just your Digital World, but all worlds out there."

Takato tried to control his anger, and more importantly, his pain. He looked down at his D-Power, and he thought about Davis's crest – two things that did not belong together. He had become a contradiction, a mixture that according to every evil digimon they had faced so far was just as likely to end the worlds as their Master's plans.

"You're free, and I have my memory back… just like you promised," he said, "but I'm not home. I want to go home."

"When the time is right, you will find your own way back," Gennai said. "We cannot risk reopening the bridge until that time comes, when we are at our strongest. And you need this time, Takato… You need these next few months with your new friends, your new home. You need to see and experience everything that you will be fighting for, because before the end… even you will face doubt and despair and want to give up. And you will need this time to remember why you can't."

"How can I trust you after everything that's happened?" he asked. "You're telling me that I'm going to be stuck here months when I want to go home now."

Gennai's expression was almost impossible to read – guilt? Regret? Affection? Possibly all three. As much as he appeared human, Takato knew he was not. He had seen him on his television screen as both an old man and then the young face that appeared before him now. He was no more human than Guilmon, but that did not mean that he wasn't on his side. But as a Digital Entity, his reasons for doing something were never simple.

"My first and foremost concern has always been the safety of my world and the digimon that live in it," he said. "And right now, my world is in danger. As is this one. As is yours. And as is Guilmon's."

"Bringing me here has completely destabilized this world," Takato said. "It seems to me that you're doing as much damage as they are!"

"The prophecy demands that certain rash actions must be taken. The Demon Lords have risen. Each can only be defeated by the greatest heroes of all the worlds, and these heroes are divided between two worlds. If we remain separated, we cannot win. If we throw you together at the last minute and expect you to save the worlds without any warning, you will not win. Huanglongmon was counting on this. Bringing you here was a risk, but it was one that had to be taken. When the time is right, the twelve of you will unite, and you will be able to bring the two groups together effortlessly. You will be the tie that binds. But even then this will be the most dangerous adventure, the most important journey, ever attempted by any of you."

Takato stared down at his blank D-Power.

"Great," Takato said. "So no pressure."

"There is a lot of pressure," Gennai agreed. "But there always is when it comes to the most important journeys, for they would not be important if they did not matter."

"But why leave something so important in the hands of a bunch of kids?" Takato asked. "I'm only fifteen!"

Gennai sighed so unhappily that despite his anger, Takato felt almost guilty for asking.

"I have often debated about whether or not using children to fight our battles has been the right thing to do," Gennai said. "If you want the truth, Takato, I've often argued against it. Children are the only humans who can enter our world. They are untainted, untouched by the darkness that the Human Worlds impress upon their adults. Children are remarkable, and the idea that we would be damaging that innocence for our own world… It never set right with me."

Gennai turned to look at him.

"But I was wrong," he said. "There is something… purifying about you children. You all are special. Instead of falling into darkness when faced with darkness, all of you shine brighter than ever. That light inside never dims. Even now, as you all grow older, the light in your hearts is just as strong as it ever was. That's why the digidestined are chosen, by the strength of their hearts. And that's how real tamers are made, by using that strength of their heart to bring their dreams into reality. You all are special, much more so than any of you realize, and you all will save all of the worlds… I believe in that. I believe in you."

His words settled over Takato, as heavy as sandbags. Two, three – or was it four? – days ago, he'd been terrified of the idea of leading the digidestined into a simple journey to save Gennai or die trying. Add on the day that he learned that there was something bigger at stake, another entire prophecy, and he'd been ready to run for the hills.

He was still terrified now, but something had changed. He no longer felt alone. He had his friends – not Rika, Henry, Kazu, Kenta, Ryo, or Jeri. Not the ones he was longing for. But friends all the same, new friends, and the best of friends. And maybe this wasn't his home, but he was pretty sure he could learn to love it just as much. It was something to fight for. He also had Guilmon, who while pretty goofy was probably the most important thing in his life right now.

Takato had to stand up and accept his destiny, just as he had done when he faced Belphemon one-on-one. Sure, it seemed impossible. He was very likely to die. But his friends – and multiple worlds, apparently – were counting on him.

"What if we fail?" he asked.

"Great victory requires great risk," Gennai admitted. "Fail, and darkness will encompass everything. Worlds will fall. Death and destruction will be everywhere. Digimon will murder humans. Humans will destroy digimon. The Demon Lords will enslave every world out there. Huanglongmon will wake, and the very earth beneath our feet will rise up against all of us. It will be the end."

"Great. Sounds… great."

The subway car door slid open. Izzy poked his head into the car.

"Next stop is ours," Izzy said. "I hope you're ready for this."

Takato swallowed down his nerves. When he looked back toward Gennai for some courage, he realized the digital entity had vanished.