AN: Hey guys! Sorry it's been a little while, but I've been busy. I was working on moving, finding a dog, starting school. And, I'm not too proud to admit, trying to Digivolve Omnimon Alter-B and Omnimon Alter-S in Re:Arise. Because the only thing cooler than Gallantmon to me? Edgy, spiky Omnimon variants. Well, and Gallantmon X. Hard to beat a lightsaber lance. I hope you guys are all doing well, too.

Anyways, responses:

To Jacquelinemueller53: Yeah, it's getting bad for the main trio and their Digimon. But we're also running full steam towards the Digital World, so I'm excited!

To Guest: Jen and Commandramon are kind of surprising to me. When I originally planned the story, they were supposed to be one offs, but I really liked their almost reverse relationship to the mainline, with Commandramon really taking the lead role between them. They're fun, and not used so often as to get stale, so it's fun to bring them back.

To Old Style: Yeah, the title was a little misleading, but it did get pretty close. And while they are okay with each other now, they might not have been if May hadn't shown up. I'm glad the fist fight felt good. At the end of the day, they both have pretty good reasons to hate each other. Taj probably could use therapy, but with everything going on he's kind of stuck unable to do it. I think Henry probably tried to get him involved a while ago, but without the information on why Takato and Rika left the results have mostly ended up deepening the connection Taj has with Henry, with the person 'who was there for Tasuke.' He always thought his parents left for no reason, so Henry is his dad, even if he doesn't usually call him that. Jen and Commandramon have been up to a lot, mostly in the background. Lots of people in D-CARD are pretty weary of Gethen: I don't know if anyone picked it up, but he had the guy who he took to meet Henry killed because he thought the man might have known too much. More than a few people would be willing to believe Gethen's not a good guy, and not all of them are Tamers, either.
As for the Digimon with the red markings and the gems on their bodies, it's not specifically something that Lucemon or his henchmen can control. Evil Mega Digimon with low self control would be ecstatic to have a chance to Load legends like Takato and Rika. They usually end up dead, because attacking either – much less both – of them is suicide, usually. As for Ryo helping Takato, Rika, and Henry in a big fight, he's... Ryo. We'll leave it at that, for now.
The Henchmen themselves are pretty strong, but they wouldn't go head to head with Beelzemon. Especially since he's been Blast Mode for the past decade. But there are Digimon out there who would fight him, and most of them would be glad to get on Lucemon's good side, or Load Beelzemon and use that against Lucemon later.
As for the Nurseries, they operate more like... So when the Firewall went up, the Digital and Real Worlds had been overlapping more than before. Nothing apocalyptic, yet, but where the two realities were sliding into each other at times. Those sections of the Digital World kind of got... cut off by the Firewall separating the Digital and Real, but couldn't reconnect with the Digital World either. So, they began floating around, inaccessible to anyone for a while. Henry got his family and Tasuke safe harbor by building the first Nursery out of one for D-CARD, while HYPNOS and other nations used the Monster Makers or copied the existing work. However, Henry didn't program the 3Ds, so the Key Program specifically only deals with the Firewall.

To grabdog: I actually really like Jen and Commandramon, too. A lot like Reapmon, they were actually planned as One-Offs, but after I wrote them they became too cool and different, so now they're actually really important! As for the Cinnabon obsession, no. It is not a reference the loveable... centaur... scorpion... thing, but just the fact that there is in fact a Cinnabon in the real life mall where BG Bio-Emerged in the story. But thank you for reminding me of Animorphs again!

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you when the next one comes out!

Episode 31: School Trip: Digimon, DC!

"Tasuke, wait a minute!"

I sighed and retracted my hand from the handle of the door. "So close..." I mumbled under my breath. "Dang it."

"Does this mean no Kinnaebon before school?" BG growled angrily.

I nodded. "Probably, Buddy."

"Dammit!"

I rolled my eyes but turned from the door. "What is it, Henry?" I shouted back.

His voice came from the basement. "I just want to talk."

"Let's just leave," BG remarked coolly.

"Tell BlackGigimon not to worry – I'll call you in late so you can pick up some Cinnabon."

BG was already at the top of the stairs. "Let's hear the man out, Taj!"

Digjmon stomachs.

I tossed my bag onto the couch and moved downstairs. Momentai yipped from downstairs, meeting up with BG and barking until my partner grumbled and followed to play with him, and he was busy chasing BG around when I got down there. BG was, of course, trying to hide the fact he was having fun himself.

I glanced over at Henry, who had his weird jewelers' glasses on and was staring intently at his Digivice – basically a cream and green tamagotchi toy, compared to the ones Davis, May, and I used. He glanced over when the last stair creaked beneath my foot and sighed. He removed his jewelers' glasses and replaced them with his prescription. "Tasuke, I'm not sure what happened with Davis and May. It has to have something to do with those bruises on your face, right?"

I turned my face away from him, trying to hide my blackened right eye. "Yeah."

He glared sternly at me. "Has your friendship recovered?"

I shrugged. "Yeah. A little."

"It won't happen again."

"No, Sir."

His gaze softened. "Good. Then I'm happy, Tasuke. Those two are friends you will probably have... forever," he noted sadly.

I nodded, but I wasn't really paying attention. This was all leading up to something else, I could tell. "What do you want, Henry?" I asked, a little angrier than I wanted to. A lot like with Davis and May, I knew I had done something wrong. Henry had helped me... come back from it. He was the only reason I did, but he and I had been avoiding each other since then. With the story revealing all the things he'd ever lied about to me, it made me wonder how much more there was. He said there were things he wanted to tell me, but we'd just... stopped at this point.

Henry nodded slowly. "You really take after Rika," he muttered with a laugh. He nodded. "Tasuke, there's... I wanted to stop putting this off. I'll tell you whatever you want, right now. I'll answer any question."

I stared at Henry, a thousand questions about my parents, their Digimon, my grandparents. And the one that tumbled from my mouth was this: "Why did you lie to me?"

Henry didn't seem nearly as surprised by that question as I was. He nodded towards the chair beside him and waited for me to sit with him. "How much do you remember about when you were that young?"

I shook my head. "Not much, really. We were moving all the time for your job, up and down the coast for years. At least until you got a job here," I replied. His frown deepened. "So, that's not the story, then."

"Tasuke," he began turning back to the Digivice. "After your parents disappeared, HYPNOS was determined to do whatever they could to find me. They believed our Digimon were all gone, but they thought that me and my father could bring them back. They tried to collect all of the Monster Makers that made the Digimon in the first place, and they tried to collect me. And when they realized no one knew where Tasuke Matsuki was, they tried to collect you."

"But why? I was just a little kid!"

"One of the Monster Makers was called Shibumi. He believed that the Digital world had grown beyond what anyone could control, and that it would always find a way to connect with the children of our world. Even back then, they knew – everyone knew that you would be joined with a Digimon eventually." He gestured at me. "So they sent HYPNOS agents after us. We barely escaped them by heading out on the road the moment I thought one was getting close, and that nearly wasn't enough a few times."

"But then why lie to me about that? It had to be easier when I knew why we were running."

Henry chuckled and shook his head. "Tasuke, the moment that you hated Digimon was the moment I knew you weren't in danger – or at least when I believed the lie I was telling myself," Henry admitted. He wrung his hands for a few moments, then smoothed out his pants. "You were a far less desirable target when it became clear you not only did not believe in Digimon, but that you hated the idea of them. It was not long after that when I met an up and coming D-CARD agent."

I glared at my Digivice. "Gethen."

"Yes." Henry crossed his arms and glowered at the ground. "I didn't like him, even back then. He was smug, and he knew too much about everything. He looked at you like... like a weapon he couldn't wait to use. But he offered us a way out, and I knew I had to take it. I had to keep you safe, because after years of running, you were so... tired and angry. You needed stability and peace. So, I... built a workaround into the Firewall. I believe you'd call them... 'pocket dimensions.'"

"The Firewall separates Earth and the Digital World," I realized. That meant... "But other Digital Dimensions can still connect to it."

"At least partially. The connection to our world meant the Firewall was only porous, but it gave Gethen's organization a large influx in Digimon, long before any other nation learned how to set up Nurseries of their own. Being responsible for making the United States the only nation with new Digimon meant that Gethen was slingshot right to the top, and with that I knew we were completely safe here."

"Then you could have told me the truth when we were safe, couldn't you?" I asked. I shook my head. "How can you justify lying like that?"

"I could say any number of things, Tasuke. I could tell you it was because of Lucas. I wasn't lying when I said he looked at you like you were a tool. If anything could make it more likely you would become that weapon to him, it was belief in Digimon. You couldn't become a Tamer. I could tell you that it was because it was part of the deal we made – that your name as Matsuki was let go, and I didn't want to risk telling you too much. I could say... anything that happened," Henry began. He grew very quiet and suddenly couldn't look at me. "But Tasuke, those would be lies. The reason – the only reason that I didn't tell you, is that I – I was happy. I'd raised you for years. I'd been there at every... every PTA meeting, every principal's call, every skinned knee. I taught you to ride a bike, I comforted you to bed when you cried. I know that I only recently admitted it, but – looking back – I was happy that I was your dad. I always told you they would come back, but it felt like I had to. Besides, telling you everything would have forced you into a life I didn't want you to be part of. You would have dedicated your life to this, to something you don't even enjoy. But you also would have dedicated your life to leaving. It was selfish, Tasuke. I'm... sorry."

I swallowed, and it hurt my suddenly dry throat. "So that's it? You just wanted to be my dad?"

Henry laughed once and he averted his gaze to the ground. "It sounds so stupid when you say it like that," he admitted with a sad smile. "But the idea, now especially, that you wouldn't be my son... it hurts. It hurts like you won't understand until you are looking at your own son and explaining why you made your decisions."

I shook my head. I didn't know what to make of all this. I didn't know what to do after learning about all this. It's... What do I do with this? What did I expect from him? I took a shaky breath and clenched my fists. But I'd been quiet for a while, so I said the first thing that came to mind: "What else have you been hiding from me, Henry?"

"You're right. The time for secrets is over," Henry agreed. He looked at his Digivice. "Sometime near the end of last year, my Digivice began to behave... odd. Out of the blue, it was developing functions, abilities – even entire pieces of hardware – that were not present in the thirty years I've had it.

"I'm fairly certain, from what I've heard about your adventures from May and her boyfriend, that the developments are tied to the evolution of your own Digivices and your bonds with your partners. The technological leaps of my D-Arc occurred nearly in tandem with each Digivolution you and May experienced. It's very unlikely there's no connection."

"So? What does this have to do with secrets?" I wondered, getting impatient.

Henry looked annoyed with me for a moment, but pushed it down. "Tasuke, the most important change was one I didn't event think was possible. My Digivice isn't designed to be a communication device, but all of a sudden I was able to send... text messages to your parents. It became easier as time went on. They know you have a Digivice, they know you have a life. And what's more... you somehow sent them a video message before Christmas."

I froze. "I what?"

"A video message. They asked if you were okay. I told them you were," Henry said. "I haven't told them anything else. About Reapmon, or D-Card, or the past few weeks. They knew Jeri was here -"

"You told Katou, but not me?" I snarled angrily.

"I tried to hide a lot from her. I tried to hide your status as a... 'Digidestined' from her. She told me she confirmed your identity to HYPNOS," Henry explained. He shook his head. "I would never have let her – Had I known... I understand why she did it, now that she's told me. But we aren't friends anymore. I won't let anyone who treated you like that be around us."

I felt better when he said that. "Why did she do it?"

"She works in experimental pediatric psychological treatment. There are children who need her – your age and much, much younger who have no one. No one but her, and HYPNOS threatened to take that away," Henry explained. "But – and maybe it makes me a bad person – I don't care about that. I care about you."

I frowned a little and turned away. I guess Katou did have an okay reason for what she did. But I wasn't going to forgive her. There had to be a better way. "Tasuke." I shook my head and looked up at Henry. He sighed and turned to his Digivice. "I've found a method to create a message to your parents. The instructions are here, in my desk." He opened a drawer and showed me. "I can do it now, if you want to talk to them."

My eyes widened and I turned to the Digivice. A message to my parents? The people I hadn't seen in more than a decade? My mom and dad. "I sometimes dream about that last day I saw them. All the Digimon, back at the old house. I dream about it a lot, actually. It – It hurts, Henry. It hurts that they left me. It hurts that you lied to me. It all just – it all just hurts."

I stood up and started for the stairs. "I'm going to get to school, Henry. Tasuke Joryawa still has a life to live, after all."

And with that, I left Henry in the basement, BlackGigimon running at my heels. "I'll... I don't know, I guess I'll see you when I get home," I called back hollowly.

X X X

"Hey, what was this text about? You know Henry's still weird about me being out too long after school," I told Davis and May as BG and me walked into the warehouse.

"Show up on time," Davis pointed out. "Then maybe we could get out of here before dinner."

"Hey..." I grumbled.

"I thought you were trying a new 'showing up on time' thing, Dummy!" Dorimon admonished.

"I'm trying!" I defended. "Right, BG?"

"He's not very good at it," he said instead.

I stared at him, mouth wide open at his betrayal. "Wh- I – I thought you had my back!"

"He's not going to lie for you, Grumps," Huckmon said, chuckling under his breath. "But hey, at least you're trying, right? Even if you fail at it."

"This isn't fair," I whined.

"Aw, it'll be okay," May said, coming up and patting my shoulder. "Knowing you, it'll be later than sooner, but..."

"May!"

"Enough," Davis said, though he was smirking at me, too. "The Director contacted me."

We all got very serious, very fast. "What did he want?" May wondered anxiously.

"To talk to all six of us. It can't be anything good." Davis paused and walked over to the couch. He leaned against the back, and his shoulders sagged. "I think I was right before. It's to tell us we're already on that trip to Washington next week."

"If he wants to see us in person, why not just come here?" BG wondered.

"Well, that's the easy part." I looked around at everyone. "For the past few days, I've been thinking about what he could want, and there's only one answer, guys. We've got all three Ultimate Digimon, and I can access the Key function now. I know it's the same for you guys, so..."

"Without any preparation? He just wants us to break the Firewall out of nowhere? In like the worst, most dangerous place for the government to do it?" May wondered. She frowned. "But... he's usually so put together. Like he's a thousand steps ahead. No way."

"I don't know," Huckmon interjected. " After the attack on Denver, he's probably got people breathing down his neck. G-Man might need results now."

"If that's the case, we'll find a way to refuse," Davis said. His face soured and he let out a sigh. "But we need to be prepared for what that means. For all of us." He pushed off from the couch. "We wouldn't have protection anymore. We wouldn't have backup anymore. But, worse... Whatever deals we made would be void. He can get rid of so much more than any of us thought. I might have to leave. And after that, when we're split up, he'll definitely send that Reapmon after us again. He'll collect us one by one."

"Why wouldn't he just attack our families?" I wondered.

Davis shook his head. "That is definitely a possibility, which is why I... am going to try and contact Smith."

I clenched my fist. "You want us to – to trust her!?" I growled, the idea sending angry shivers running through my gut.

"She wants to stop him as much as we do," Davis pointed out.

I snarled and turned away. "I... don't trust her."

"The enemy of our enemy is at least our ally, right?" Huckmon cut in. "Give it a try, right?"

"Fine..." I agreed begrudgingly. "But if she tries to hold Henry hostage to get to me and BG, I'm holding you responsible."

"I'd take responsibility," he acknowledged resolutely. "And I'd save him myself."

I clenched my jaw and gave a stiff nod of understanding. "Then I guess that's everything."

"Wait - Even if all this works and our families are safe, there's still one problem," May pointed out after a moment. She took a step towards Davis and grabbed his hand. "You and Huckmon'd be alone if he came after you."

Davis let out a dry laugh. "Huckmon and I can take care of ourselves. It's you four I'd be worried about," he told her. "And you know what, we're DigiDestined. We can find a way back to each other if we try. We're meant to be together, all three of us."

May let out a sad laugh. "KayKay," she agreed.

"Aw. You saps." They turned to BG and shot him a glare, but we just laughed in spite of it.

Davis eventually chuckled a bit, too, before pulling out his 3D. "Well... I guess we should call him, then," he sighed. He led us towards one of the back rooms, and the six of us stood in front of a large set of television screens with a camera above it and a computer plugged in to the side. A trio of stools were present for our Digimon to be seen. Davis motioned for us to stand across from the camera while he shut the door and began to start up the call. He moved over with us and stood beside Huckmon as the call dialed and rang, readying himself for the conversation.

"Ah, finally. I assume Agent Joryawa was late?" The first thing that Gethen said was I was late. Of course.

"Yes, sSr."

Gethen chuckled. "Well, I suppose I can forgive it this time." He was sitting at his desk, papers we couldn't see arrayed around him. He picked up a pen and began filling something out before turning back to us. "Tell me, how are all of you? The attack by HYPNOS must have been rattling?"

"We've recovered," Davis said, taking the lead here because of his experience talking with Gethen. "We haven't seen HYPNOS since it happened, though I suspect they're still here somewhere."

"Driving off four Ultimate level Tamers and Digidestined is impressive." Gethen said, and my gut sank. I was right. His gaze focused on our Digimon. "And you three?"

Huckmon opened his mouth, but Dorimon cut in. "I could use more licorice."

Gethen let out a chuckle. "Very well. I'll have... 'care packages' set up." He looked at all six of us now. "So, the six of you are being called in to Headquarters in Washington. Your school has already been supplied with the requisite permission forms and information. I have had the trip moved up to make this easier for us. You leave on... Hm, let me check -" He began rifling through the papers. "Ah, here we are. Tomorrow."

I inhaled some spit and began violently coughing. "T-Tomo – Tomorrow!?" I finally managed to shout out. I coughed a few more times, being given an amused look by Gethen. "You – That's a little short notice!"

"You'll be set up with an itinerary when you leave with your peers. Your rooms will have further instructions for communication and arrival," he explained, ignoring me. "We'll meet on your 'free day' early next week. Dorimon, BlackGigimon – you're cleared for the flight as emotional support dogs. Huckmon, I trust you will be able to find your way onto the flight on your own."

"Oh. Yeah. That's... great." Huckmon lowered his voice, "Another flight alone in the storage compartment..."

"I expect all six of you to be there." Read, demands we be there. "Don't be late."

He glanced over his computer. "Ah, my next meeting is here. Don't be late, Children."

"... At least -"

"Don't!" Davis began, holding his hand up to me. "Don't say it."

X X X

I barreled through the door, BG at my heels. "Tasuke! You're home later than -"

I blew right by Henry, frown never leaving my face. I should have known that our break from Gethen was too good to last. If he was really connected to Reapmon like that Smith lady had apparently thought, then that meant he was behind way more than we ever knew. Other than the, erm, underwhelming show where he had appeared, Reapmon was one of the most evil Digimon out there, so working with him was a bad idea. Of course, so was Beelzemon and he was apparently chummy with Henry and my parents, so maybe the official information wasn't as correct as I'd thought. But we knew Reapmon was bad news. We met him and he definitely was, which meant that Gethen was bad news. Did he bring that Krampusmon to the real world on purpose to attack us? Did he leak our locations and send people after our families to get us to Digivolve to Ultimate faster?

But worse there were all these possibilities of what he could be planning. If he was connected to Reapmon, there was a distinct possibility he was connected to way more dangerous Dgimon, too. And that said a lot. Henry and my parents had a Beelzemon on their side. Who knew how many there were, or if there were any who matched the original description of Beelzemon. Either way, there's the problem of the other Demon Lords. Just one is more than any of us can handle even when all three of us are together, but if there were more? Two, or worse all seven? And, I forced myself to realize, once those Demon Lords betrayed Gethen and came here... I had done enough damage myself, but with those monsters here there was no telling how many people they would hurt.

No, our only real option was cutting him off here and now, in our world. Without a path to the Digital World, Gethen couldn't do nearly as much damage, and neither could his 'allies.' We needed to stop them here and now. "Thinking about Reapmon?" BG asked as I pulled out my suitcase and began stuffing clothes Id need for our week long trip to DC. I wasn't going to pack any collared shirts, though. Gethen wasn't getting any more respect from me.

I sighed and tossed one pair of my jeans in. "Yeah," I admitted after a second.

"Me too! I can't wait to beat him in a fight," he growled.

I let out a snort. "That's... not quite what I was thinking," I told him.

He gasped. "You think I'd lose!?"

"Also not what I was thinking," I replied before he accidentally lit the corner of my bed on fire again. "I'm more worried about what comes next, BG. If we mess this up, we don't get a second chance to keep Mega Digimon from running around. And if Davis hasn't figured Mega Digivolution out after all this time, maybe we'll never be able to."

"Maybe the puffball and Huckmon can't, but we definitely can," BG remarked proudly. "Those two couldn't figure this out if they tried their hardest!"

"You do realize we reached Ultimate and Champion last, right?"

BG grinned. "Exactly, it's our turn to be first!"

"That's... Sure," I gave in, knowing that there was no point in disagreeing at this point.

"Tasuke?" My door was pushed open and Henry waked in. He frowned as I turned to him. "What's going on, Tasuke?"

I grabbed one of the lenses of my goggles and began to move it around to resettle it. "We're going to DC."

Henry's response was immediate. He was on my bag, pulling out everything I'd already packed. "Not even in your dreams."

"Henry, there's no other choice," I told him, but he just kept pulling my clothes out. "Henry, Gethen called us himself!"

"Then we run!" Henry snapped, turning on me, eyes turning red and teary. He glanced down. "I won't let anyone put you in danger. Not again."

"It's not just us anymore!" I snapped.

BG nodded. "If we don't go, he'll come after everyone," he pointed out. "I think we could take them, but everyone else is worried about people like 'Dan.'"

I walked over and grabbed a shirt from Henry, stuffing it back in the bag. "Henry, I'm doing this."

"It's my job to protect you, Tasuke. I'm not letting you march off into more danger than you could imagine!" Henry snapped. He grabbed my arms and shook me slightly. "I have to keep you safe."

"Henry..." I pulled his hands off. "You did for all this time. And now, without Terriermon... You can't protect me. You can't protect you. You can't protect anyone." I shook my head. "Henry, you don't get a choice here, because you can't change anything."

He flinched like I'd actually hit him. "I..."

I began shoving all my clothes back in. "It's my turn to keep you safe, Dad, so back off."

X X X

Henry and BlackGigimon traded a glance then silently left the room and Tasuke behind. Henry shut the door behind them and continued to give a quiet, sad look towards the boy behind it. After a moment, he turned around and began walking down the stairs, silently telling BlackGigimon to follow him. The Digimon bounded after on his heels.

Henry went into the kitchen and a kettle on the stove, watching it for a second before walking back over to the couches and gesturing for BlackGigimon to sit beside him. "What about your water?"

"I'll know when it's ready," Henry remarked calmly.

BlackGigimon chuckled nervously and jumped up to sit beside Henry. "It's not Tasuke's job to keep me safe. It's not his job to keep anyone safe."

BlackGigimon frowned and grunted. "So what made you and your Flopsymon different?"

Henry growled. "Terriermon and I... there was no one else."

"Same with me and Taj," BlackGigimon retorted, stomping one stubby foot down with as much authority as he could muster.

"That – That's not the same."

"Why?" BlackGigimon wondered. He sighed and shook his head. "You just don't want us to do it, that's all. It's different because now all you can do is worry and watch like everyone else did back then."

Henry wanted to deny it. But he couldn't. "You don't know what you're getting into. I've dealt with governments like this before. For my entire life. I..."

"Don't have a Digimon."

Henry felt the fight leak from his body and he crumpled into the couch. That simple statement had hurt him. "BlackGigimon, Tasuke is the most important person in the world to me. And, I know, to you. Maybe I can't help him. Maybe I can't do anything. But I can keep him from going."

"Davis said they'd just come after everyone right away. I think we can take them, but -"

"But it would be dangerous for everyone else," Henry agreed sadly. He shook his head. "I couldn't stop him if I tried, could I?"

"He's my partner – we don't stop charging ahead!" BlackGigimon exclaimed proudly. He grinned at Henry. "We'd go if a thousand enemies tried to stop us!"

Henry tried to laugh, but it just came out as an exasperated sigh. "I can't tell if the problem is that I raised him, or that Takato and Rika had him," he grumbled. He rubbed his forehead for a few moments, only stopping to stand up once the kettle began to scream. He poured the water and began making some tea before coming back over. Henry took a sip to calm his nerves. "BlackGigimon, I know you'll keep him safe. So for now, just... just sit here with me. Just for a minute."

BlackGigimon cocked his head to the side. "Er... whatever," BlackGigimon muttered, confused by the request. He glanced around, feeling increasingly awkward and uncomfortable due to the silence.

Henry spat out his tea when Momentai ran up and leaped onto the couch, curling up comfortably on Henry's lap. The dog whined and shook the tea off before glaring at his owner. "Sorry, Boy," Henry said to placate him. He pet the dog soothingly and chuckled. "Even without Terriermon here, he's still telling me to Momentai."

"Uh... Okay? Whatever that means," BlackGigimon muttered. "You going crazy?"

"I'm just... accepting what I can't change," Henry sighed with a smile at the dog. He shrugged. "I'll just have to trust that you and Tasuke can come home safe. He's better at this than I was, so if I could do it, I'll just have to hope I taught him well enough to do it too." He placed his tea on the coffee table and scratched Momentai again. "So I'm deciding to relax – or at least keep myself from panicking." He stopped moving. "I've become my father. I'd wish Tasuke won't learn how this feels like my father used to for me, but I'm sure that's pointless."

X X X

The three of us sat on the back of the bus, Dorimon and BG sitting – less than quietly – in dog crates. BG was beside me, while Dorimon was sitting on top of Davis' and May's laps. "This Worshinton place is very boring. Is it all just this bus?"

"You know it's not just the bus," I whispered to BG. I leaned in front of the crate. "And dogs can't talk."

"You're no fun," he grumbled quietly.

I looked up and around to make sure that no one heard BG. Seemed like everything was good. My resting scowl apparently did a lot to make me, as May called it, 'Unapproachable.' Apparently that scowl literally never stopped paying off! I shot the scowl around again for a second then turned to May and Davis. "So, Lovemons, you guys are noticing this, too, right?"

May cast a glance out the window, then turned back and leaned towards me. "If you mean the cars following the bus, yeah," she whispered.

Davis frowned. "I wonder if they're the same guys who were tailing us inside the airport, too."

"They found us in the airport?" I muttered in surprise. I shook my head when I realized that, of course they did. "Nevermind. Spies – Duh."

"At least Smith said she and some friends can keep an eye on our families. We can... well, not relax, but at least enjoy the sights," May pointed out, mostly to calm her own nerves.

"Yeah..." Davis began, only stopping when our History teacher cast an interested glance our direction. "So, what are you most excited to see out here?"

I rolled my eyes. "International Spy Museum?" I offered mockingly.

"Ha ha," he grumbled.

May chuckled a little. "Well, I'm excited to eat at the restaurants! We get to choose where we go every night, so we can try a bunch of places this week!"

"Hm," I muttered. "And you Davis?"

"I... don't know," he admitted quietly. Well that just confused us more. "I've never had an opportunity to think about that before."

May grabbed his hand. "Too busy?" She shook the crate when noises began to come from inside and Dorimon, grumbling, went quiet again.

"I honestly thought I'd be stuck doing this forever," he admitted. He shrugged and chuckled as he flashed her a grin. "I guess there's a lot I need to figure out, huh?"

"Well, there's a lot we need to do first," I told him. "Finish high school, go to college... save the world. You know, just teenage things."

Davis couldn't help but let out a snort. "Besides," I continued. "Most people don't know what they want to do until they've been in college for a couple years, Davis. Just make sure you impress May's parents. They won't let you be a philosophy major and date their daughter."

"Taj," May grumbled at me. She sighed after a moment and shrugged, turning back to him. "He's not wrong. But I'd keep you safe!"

"Never safe," I mouthed from behind her back.

"Everyone, we're almost at the hotel," the teacher said, standing up and looking back in the bus. "Drop all of your stuff off – and anyone with a pet, please make sure they won't leave any messy surprises behind and leave them behind. We're going on a guided tour of the city's monuments – I expect all of you to take notes and fill out the questionnaire. It is graded!" The bus erupted in groans. "Hey, this isn't a vacation, it's a school trip! Now get ready!"

"Might be nice to take a break from you," I whispered into BG's crate.

He fixed his golden eyes on me. "Right back at you."

"Okay, ouch," I muttered with a grin. "Hey – don't get in too much trouble, okay?"

His eyes shifted from side to side. "As long as no one starts trouble with me."

X X X

"Okay, they're gone," BlackGigimon said after a few seconds of staring at the hotel door, making sure that Davis and Taj – forced roommates for the trip, while May had her own room – weren't going to come back.

Huckmon appeared out of thin air, pushing the window open and sliding through. "Finally. How long until they get back?"

"We've got a few hours. At least!" BlackGigimon exclaimed.

Huckmon grinned and nodded at the door. "Then I'll open that up, grab the fuzzball, and we're going out for a night on the town!"

BlackGigimon grinned. "Finally, I shall see everything this world has to offer! What can I eat first?"

"I have a whole night of things planned," Huckmon explained. He jumped and grabbed the handle with his mouth, using his weight to turn it and pull the door open. He dropped and bounded out towards May's room. "Even you'll be full after this."

"That's a lot of food," BlackGigimon muttered, willing to entertain the idea he could even be full.

It didn't take too long for the three Digimon to find their way through the city, using BlackGigimon's powerful nose to track down what they were looking for. "Finally! The Captain Candy Jar!"

"I don't think that's what that says,'" Dorimon muttered dryly at BlackGigimon.

"Yes it does!" BlackGigimon shot back.

"That's not the point!" Huckmon exclaimed. He moved ahead, marching up to the edge of the alley and glancing out. "The point is, we're going to go in and get our fill of candy! Licorice, chocolate, hot tamales!"

BlackGigimon frowned and cocked his head to the side. "What's a hamale?"

"A tamale, BG," Dorimon said, earning an annoyed glare from BlackGigimon. "A hot tamale is a cinnamon candy! But like so much cinnamon that it burns your tongue."

"That doesn't sound like a cinnamon roll at all," BlackGigimon grumbled unhappily after a moment of thought.

"Ah, so you're scared?" Huckmon asked, sealing BlackGigimon's decision with three words.

"I'll eat all of them!" BlackGigimon growled, immediately running off.

"Wait – I have a plan for us to... and he's gone," Huckmon said with a sigh.

"What did you expect? He relies on Dummy to think for him, so how patient could he be?" Dorimon remarked dryly.

BlackGigimon dashed through the door to the candy store door as someone opened it, zooming in and dashing around. "What the hell? Is that a dog!?" He ignored the people shouting about him, bolting through the store and managing to get his jaws on bags he saw humans filling with candy. People yelped as he jumped on top of the containers and managed to fish out candy in the bags. "A smart and ugly one?"

He turned his head, the half dozen bags of candy dangling from his mouth. "Hey!" he growled, though it probably sounded like a canine grumble between all the bags.

"Well, grab it!" one of the guys at the store told the other.

BlackGigimon snarled and dashed, candy flying from the bags that trailed from his jaws. Someone dove for him and he bolted in the other direction, dropping a bag of large, round candies that spread across the floor. The person tried to follow, only to slip and flip onto the ground in a heap. Another one rushed after him, leaving a third behind to check on his coworker.

"You'll never catch – Crap!" Another bag tumbled from BlackGigimon's jaws, forcing him to leave it behind. He sped up, barely dodging a grab from the second person chasing him, then sprinning and running between his legs. He slammed into one leg and stumbled, dropping another bag as he charged towards the door. The man slipped onto his face, leaving one man standing.

"... Yeah, this isn't worth this job," the last guy muttered as BlackGigimon ran through the glass of the front door and charged away. "I'm not fighting demon dogs over some gumballs and licorice."

"Good – ugh – call," the guy who slipped on the jawbreakers coughed out, voice hoarse.

BlackGigimon sprinted back into the alley, grinning wide. "Got the candy..." he muttered before realizing he'd dropped everything but a quarter filled bag of peanut shaped cnadies.

Huckmon and Dorimon looked at each other, then back at him. "Well, at least you can provide a distraction," Dorimon said before stepping to the side to reveal a mountain of various candy bags and boxes. "And the ninja over here can go in and get the candy."

"I hope Davis isn't mad I took all the money for this..." Huckmon muttered as he stared at it. Then his eyes fixated on some of the chocolate. "Eh, who cares?!"

"Yeah, who cares!?" BlackGigimon exclaimed, the peanuts long forgotten as he charged the mountain. "Now, where are these Tom Hamale things?"

"Wow..."

Everyone turned towards the now wide eyed kid staring at them while her mother spoke on the phone. Dorimon frowned. "What? Never seen a talking dog before?"

The kid was dragged away a half second later, his mother ignoring his insistent claims that he'd seen three talking dogs.

X X X

Wow, I guess Chumley and the Ice Queen leaving did a lot more to Chumley, Jr. than I'd thought. Well, that definitely sucks. But you have to admit, it's kinda funny that Chumley ended up fifteen years late coming home – definitely in character. Er, but, you know... it's, uh... Never mind, it isn't that funny, I guess. Funnier in my head. Jeez, I hope Rika doesn't hear about this. I may have put my foot in my mouth, but I don't want her to put hers in my -

Eh, let's not finish that. Still can't trust Guardromon to get his own lines, and I don't need a robot running around cursing because I did!

Anyways, I hope that Smith lady can keep Henry and the others safe. Chumley, Jr. might be willing to leave the Digital World closed, but I doubt that all three of 'em would still act that way if they were all missing somebody.

I guess we'll find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters!