Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Author's Note: This isn't a chapter.  It's a note.

I made several changes to them, btw.

Ryo Akiyama was supposedly 4 years older than them, but here I made him only 2 years older.

Also, I gave Ai and Mako some last names.

Here are their ages, schools, school level/grade levels, and other information!!!

Ryo Akiyama- 17, 2nd Year Senior High/Grade 11, West Shinjuku Public High, 5'8"

Henry Wong- 15, 3rd Year Junior High/Grade 9, West Shinjuku Public High, 5'7"

Takato Matsuki- 15, 3rd Year Junior High/Grade 9, West Shinjuku Public High, 5'6"

Kazu Shioda- 15, 3rd Year Junior High/Grade 9, West Shinjuku Public High, 5'8"

Kenta Kitagawa- 15, 3rd Year Junior High/Grade 9, West Shinjuku Public High, 5'6"

Rika Nonaka- 15, 3rd Year Junior High/Grade 9, West Shinjuku Public High, 5'3"

Jeri Katou- 15, 3rd Year Junior High/Grade 9, West Shinjuku Public High, 5'2"

Suzie Wong- 12, 6th Year Elementary/Grade 6, West Shinjuku Public Elementary School, 5'

Ai Nakamura- 9, 3rd Year Elementary/Grade 3, West Shinjuku Public Elementary School, 4'5"

Mako Nakamura- 9, 3rd Year Elementary/Grade 3, West Shinjuku Public Elementary School, 4'4"

Alice McCoy- 15, 5'3"

Original Characters

James "Jay" Watanabe- 12, 6th Year Elementary School/Grade 6, West Shinjuku Elementary School

-Brown hair, jade green eyes, 5'

Mai Saito- 9, 3rd Year Elementary School/Grade 3, West Shinjuku Elementary School

-Black hair, silver-gray eyes, average height (Jeri's height way back when)

Hiyori Chiba- 15, 3rd Year Junior High/Grade 9, Chiaki Ladies' Preparatory

-Bright red hair, light hazel eyes, 5'3"

Jenny Smith- 15, 3rd Year Junior High/Grade 9, West Shinjuku Public High

-Pale blonde, ice-blue eyes, 5'5"

Chapter Text

Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeeepppppp.

Henry shut off his alarm with a yawn. Still half-asleep, the 15-year old boy trudged to his bathroom to start his day. On the way to the bathrrom, he saw Terriermon still asleep, burrowed in a green quilt. Henry smiled. A year after they lost their partners, Hypnos and the Monster Makers began to work on bringing them back. In no time at all, the Tamers got them back. Because of this, Henry and Suzie managed to forgive their father.

And now... the Tamers were working for Hypnos. Their job was basically talk to the Digimon in peace or fight them to make them stay away, unless you were Ryo and Rika who trained new and clueless Tamers who wanted to join Hypnos. But since they were all minors, it was only a part-time job.  The world was fine, they were in peace, nobody was going to take Terriermon away from him. Still, it doesn't hurt to check, does it?

"Yo, Terriermon get up!" Henry shook his partner gently. The rabbit-like digimon groaned and turned away from Henry. "Five minutes Henry. Moumentaiiii...."

The Tamer smirked and shook his head. "Get up lazy butt! Come on, it's the first day of school." He tried to coax him again but still, Terriermon would not budge. "For you," he grumbled. Henry sighed, giving up on his quest. After showering, dressing up, and grooming himself, - No, Terriermon. I am not planning to impress the girls. Stop that! - he went downstairs to find his little sister rubbing her eyes blearily. She was dressed in a pink Chinese-style blouse, dark-washed skinny jeans, and a lavender cardigan. Her short hair was up in two half-buns, just like she used to do them when she was younger.

"Good morning, Henry..." she yawned. "Morning sis," he greeted back with a slight laugh. Suzie was just like their father, a night owl.

They all sat down and had a quick breakfast: some fried eggs and toast courtesy of their mother. After breakfast, Janyu drove them to school, the two siblings bickering throughout the whole drive. They dropped off Suzie first, and she immediately spotted Ai and Mako. The three became close, and soon they claimed the name "Junior Squad". Before they went off to Henry's school, he noticed several things...

There were a lot that wore vests, goggles, visors, even wristbands like he and his friends own. He looked away with an embarrassed huff. He knew why. When they fought the D-Reaper their fight had been broadcast to the world. Now they were looked up to as heroes, something close to soldiers, and goals. The digimon game gained a lot of popularity and players, everyone hoping to get a partner themselves. And there were people that got lucky. Sometimes a peaceful digimon shows up, gets a tamer and then the rest is history. That was actually the case for one of Suzie's class, as well as one from Ai and Mako's class.

Henry paused and smiled as he thought of James Watanabe, or Jay as he insisted to be called. Rika and Ryo were the main trainers as the Diigimon King and Queen respectively, but he knew Jay was more like him, a Strategist. Suzie, however, was turning out to be more like Takato, who was a Leader-type. Ai and Mako were offense and defense respectively, and Mai Saito was a Healer-type, completing the Junior Squad. Despite being complete and at the age where he and the others began saving the world, Henry's group, the Originals as they were jokingly called, ( although Digital Protection Team was their professional name ) were still the front liners, as much as their parents and Hypnos hate it.

Henry, lost in thought about the job he loved, didn't notice that they'd arrived until he heard his dad call out his name.

"Henry, we're here," Janyu said, concern in his eyes. "Oh. Sorry, I was thinking," Henry said sheepishly.

"You are too much like me." His father chuckled as the blue-haired tamer collected his bag and left the car. "Good luck!" Janyu called out. Henry managed to get in a "Thanks!" before darting towards the school gate.

He scanned the courtyard, looking for his fellow friends. He felt his neck heat up with his cheeks as several girls whispered and giggled while looking at him. He appreciated the hero-status, but he was an introvert! He did not like being noticed this much. He spotted the two girls first, Rika walking calmly while Jeri was practically emitting happiness. "Hi, Henry!" Jeri chirped. "Hello, Jeri," he greeted back, his usual smile going softer. A smile he reserved only for his friends. "Rika." He nodded at the other girl. Rika smirked and tilted her head in greeting.

The two girls were wearing the required uniform: a gray blazer over a gray vest, with a gray pleated skirt and white long-sleeved blouse plus a green and white necktie. Their feet were clad with black school shoes that would be exchanged for white shoes once inside. They both wore black tights. Rika's hair was in a half-ponytail, the tied half braided by the sides of her head. Jeri, meanwhile, was still sporting the same exact hairstyle as she had when they were young: a small portion of her hair was tied up on one side, and the rest were flowing down her shoulders. Henry was wearing a uniform himself. Only difference was that he was wearing gray pants instead of skirts, and black socks instead of tights. Ryo arrived next. As is usual, he spent the time waiting for the others half-bickering half-flirting with Rika while Henry watched on with both exasperation and amusement.

Just mere seconds before the bell rang, the last three arrived. Takato, whose hair was still slightly wet and whose tie was crooked; Kazu, whose vest was buttoned all wrong: and Kenta, whose glasses were slipping off, and his tie still not quite tied.

"Sorry we're late," Takato grinned sheepishly as his girlfriend softly giggled and fixed his tie. "Let's just go, dummy." Jeri then dragged him off to the auditorium. This was the part where they say goodbye to Ryo, who was already in Senior High. After that, they all had to sit through the most boring orientation they've ever had. Henry thought he'd memorized it at this point, as the teachers droned on and on about friendships, hope, future, and success.

Right after orientation, the students all rushed to see their class sections. As the Tamers all scanned the papers for their names and-

There!

Wong, Henry.......... Section 9-A

He got into the first section! Wait, what about the others?

Nonaka, Rika.......... Section 9-A

Huh, not a surprise.

Katou, Jeri.............. Section 9-B

Kitagawa, Kenta..... Section 9-B

Matsuki, Takato..... Section 9-B

Shioda, Hirokazu... Section 9-B

It looked like he and Rika were the only ones that made it...

As the others celebrated the fact that they were classmates again (Kazu went to the 3rd section last year), Henry and Rika both stepped away from the chaos of students.

The bell rang again. After saying their goodbyes, the two walked over to their classroom.

Chapter Text

As is usual, Rika picked a seat near the back, by the window. Henry sighed and followed after her.

He sat down and began to observe his new classmates. Already, a lot of them were staring at him. Both boys and girls whispered and pointed at him and Rika, causing him to shift in his seat.

Sometimes being a hero sucks...

On the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a blonde girl. She had fair skin, and icy blue eyes. She looked foreign to him. She was listening to something from her earphones, and had a blue jacket on top of the blazer. Her face revealed nothing, and she kept quiet. Her eyes caught his.

Henry gave a small nod. She gave one back, but made no other noise nor acknowledgement.

Soon the teacher walked in, and like magic, the classroom transformed.

"Good morning, class. My name is Akihito Saito, and I will be your homeroom, and Math teacher. I will discuss the rules and regulations after we all introduce ourselves. Does anyone want to go first?" The black-haired man spoke with a clear and strict tone. Henry tilted his head slightly. Either Mai's dad or her brother. Maybe an uncle? He looks way too young to father a 9 year old.

A girl from the front nervously raised her hand. Mr. Saito nodded at her. Henry tuned out the rest of it, until it reached him.

"My name is-" Here comes the giggling again.... "-Henry Wong. A pleasure to meet you all." He sighed the last part out and bowed. Rika went next.

"I'm Rika Nonaka." She did hers with no preamble, and while glaring coldly at any that tried to make noise or point and whisper. Classic Rika. 

Henry tuned them out again, until it got to where he wanted: the mystery girl.

"Hey. My name is Jenny Smith. I'm from the US, and a foreign exchange student. Nice to meet you." She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Her Japanese wasn't that bad, just accented.

Henry hummed to himself in interest. He didn't know they had foreign exchange programs. After the teacher talked about the rules, he let them have lunch.

The Tamers met up at the cafeteria. Just like before, they were followed by whispers and giggles. They were used to it, at this point. Especially Ryo and Rika, who were the Digimon King and Queen. Didn't help that both model from time to time...

The group all talked as they ate, catching up to each other. Kazu bragged about how many girls were watching him, causing Rika to yell at him, making Ryo and Henry do their oops-I-have-to-calm-her-down-before-she-kills-anyone specialty of the day.

Suddenly, Jeri turned around, eyes squinted as she tried to look for something. Takato, ever concerned, asked her, "Everything alright?"

She shook her head. "Someone's observing us," she said. Kenta snorted at that. "Well yeah, we're famous now." Rika shot him a glare. "I know what you mean. A lot of people are looking at us, but..."

Kazu frowned. He went quiet the second Jeri spoke. Henry saw him turn his head a couple of degrees to the right. "Over there," he gestured vaguely.

Henry followed his line of sight. Sure enough, Jenny Smith was there, watching. Icy blue eyes blinked once, twice. 

Chapter Text

While on the subway station, Henry mused about the mystery of Jenny Smith. First things first, he had never heard of a foreign exchange program in the three years he was a junior high at West Shinjuku Junior High. Second, who is she, really? And third-

Henry never got to his third thought. The lights went down, and then flickered on again. He looked at his phone, which rang a second before the lights blacked out.

Digimon sighting: West Shinjuku subway station, immediate response required.

Cursing his luck, he dumped his bag, blazer and loosened his tie before grabbing his Digivice and calling onto his partner. Luckily, it seemed as if Terriermon was near.

"Moumentai, Henry!" The rabbit digimon greeted cheerfully. "Hey," he greeted back. "Back to work, huh?"

Henry swiped a card through his D-Power. This caused Terriermon to digivolve into Gargomon.

"I'll handle this," said Gargomon. "Go and evacuate the civilians." With a nod, Henry began his task.

The first to go were a pair of mother and son. The mother shot him a glare, quickly dragging her awe-struck son away. Of course, while a lot of people now viewed digimon as helpful, there were those that believed they were monsters.

The next were a group of young boys. They all tried to get him to sign their goggles and vests, but Henry ushered them away with a promise of later.

And then he went through the rest of them, making sure they did it calmly. To his surprise, someone came running downstairs.

"I'm a Tamer," the girl quickly explained. She had fire truck red hair, light hazel eyes, and fair skin. "My name is Hiyori Chiba. My partner is Gatomon." The partner in question came running down a few seconds later.

Henry frowned. Try as he might, there was no "Hiyori Chiba" popping up in his memory. She must've not enrolled in the Hypnos training course... That made her into a civilian.

"You're not from Hypnos, therefore you're a civilian. Please get out of here-" a blast from the fight made him flinch and look at his partner. "-before you're hurt."

Henry turned back to his partner. "Burst speed, activate!" He swiped a card to help his partner. Gargomon was fighting 7 Bakemons, and the ghost digimons weren't losing soon.

Henry knew he couldn't possibly evolve to Gargomon's next stage, Rapidmon, because the space was just too small. Just as he thought things over and over, Hiyori called out, "Gatomon, help them!"

Henry quickly whipped towards the new girl with wide eyes, but the Gatomon was already attacking.

"Lightning paw!"

A swipe of lightning hit 2 out of four, Gargomon already defeating three. The attack landed, but enraged the Bakemon. Again, Gatomon attacked.

"Lightning paw!"

Gargomon followed, "Gargo pellets!"

That combination defeated the injured two, and finally they burst into data. One of the Bakemon ran away, afraid of what might happen.

That reduced it down to three.

"Bunny pummel!" "Lightning kick!"

And three.

Two. One. Zero. They won.

Exhausted, Henry faced the girl. "Thanks for the help," he told her. "But you should come with me to the Hypnos base. We can give you training if you want to help in situations like these."

And then he saw what she was wearing. It was a school uniform. She wore a gray cardigan over a white blouse and gray skirt. She was wearing black shoes and white socks, with her bag slung over her shoulder. He recognized the school logo on her cardigan: Chiaki Preparatory, Rika's old all-girls school.

The redhead shifted her stance, suddenly shy. "Do we have to? I actually just became a Tamer yesterday. It just so happened that I was nearby and Gatomon sensed a disturbance in the area."

"Well then, you'll have to register your partner in. We should probably go now, seeing how my boss might take my head if I let an unregistered Tamer walk right by. And one that helped in battle, too." Henry smiled reassuringly. The girl sighed, but nodded.

"Let me first contact my parents..."

Chapter Text

"Hey Ryo," Henry greeted tiredly. His clothes were rumpled, and there was a girl, equally harried, beside him. The older boy smirked.

"You found a girl, eh?" Ryo teased. Henry's face burned at that. "It's not like that!" He immediately protested. "I don't even know her!"

Ryo laughed his carefree laugh, turning around the hallway. "Yeah, sure," he waved behind him. "Whatever, Henry."

Ever since YamakI learned about his living conditions, - which was him basically living on the streets or in the cheap apartment he found by the red district which was extremely dangerous for a teenage boy - he made Ryo live in the building, just like the rest of the staff. He "paid the rent" by working there. After all, who better to help them handle rogue digimon other than the digimon king himself?

Henry still didn't know why Yamaki didn't just send Ryo to a group home, or why Ryo was an orphan in the first place and didn't tell them. He winced inwardly.

Oh who was he kidding? This was Ryo! The guy would never say anything about something he thought would just bother them.

 He shook his head to clear out his thoughts. He always did think too much.

"What brings you here, Henry?" A kind old man asked him. Henry felt a pang of guilt. Rob "Dolphin" McCoy was one of the kindest men he ever encountered. And yet Henry couldn't bare to tell him he met his missing granddaughter who then died - or so he assumed. The blonde just vanished before his very eyes. - to help him win.

"Hello, Mr. McCoy," he greeted with his usual smile. "Glad to see you out of your office." Henry joked lightly. Out of five Monster Makers, only two remained in Japan. His dad, and Mr. McCoy.

The older man laughed. "I'll see you around..."

Henry and Hiyori entered the registration office. As usual, the room already had people. A lot of kids, teens, adults, and the surprising elderly here and there.

A lot of kids were looking at the Fighter line enviously, wishing they could join. Unfortunately, after Suzie, Ai, and Mako, no one else could fight until they were at least 12. No one wanted a child to experience the chaos of the battlefield until they understood what was going on.

As soon as Henry walked in, he slipped into his neutral mask. Inwardly, he was cringing uncomfortably at the awestruck look a lot of them were giving him. Even the adults.

This made Hiyori look at him in wonder.

"You know, you never told me your name."

Henry had to balk at her. He would assume that after the D-Reaper broadcasted the fight all over the world, everyone would recognize his face, no matter friend or foe.

"Well?" She asked again.

"Henry Wong," he smiled amusedly. "My name is Henry Wong."

He saw her furrow her brows, trying to see where she heard that. Slowly, realization dawned on her face. "Henry Wong? The Henry Wong that saved two worlds? That Henry Wong?"

The blue tamer laughed, "Yeah," he answered. "I'm MegaGargomon when needed. Pleased to meet you."

"Oh- oh my god I am so sorry for being such an idiot, I am so honored to meet you, oh my God thank you for saving the world, I am such an idiot, oh my God I am so sorry, I must've been annoying, and now I'm rambling so I am so so sorry again!" She was almost crying with hysteria.

It made Henry worry. "Hey, it's fine," he soothed. "You're fine, relax! It was quite a pleasant surprise to see someone doesn't know my face."

"Okay..." she said shyly. "If you say so."

When they finally reached Ann and Annie the Intern by the counter, Henry had to give a sigh of relief. He was tired, and the line was way too long today.

The two girls smiled at him. "Hey Mr. Wong," Annie greeted. No matter how hard any of the Tamers tried, Annie still greeted them formally. The same way for almost all the Interns, and even some Regulars.

"Hey Annie, Ann. Do me a favor and put her in Rika's course." The way he casually said it made Ann raise a brow. "O...kay...."

Beside him, Hiyori gasped. Henry just shrugged, a secret smile. "Think of it as thanks for today."

And then he left her there, gawking at him.

Chapter Text

 When he came home the sky was already dark. Mayumi Wong was waiting for him, arms crossed.

Henry winced, he forgot to call her...

"Sorry mom, there was an emergency. Had to get a girl to Hypnos. The line was too long," he explained sheepishly.

His mother uncrossed her arms, and her face softened. "Are you going to eat dinner?" He shook his head tiredly. "I think I'm gonna take a nap, it was a long day."

"If you're sure. You, Terriermon?" The rabbit nodded his assent, "I won't ever miss the cooking of the Great Mayumi Wong!" His mother blushed at that.

As Henry climbed the stairs, he chuckled. Flatterer.

He took a shower, changed his clothes, and collapsed on the bed. Unsurprisingly, as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out.

---

Blonde hair, pale blue eyes. Sad eyes and black clothes...

They all look familiar. He just couldn't place where he saw them.

Seven symbols, flashing before his very eyes. A monster and a boy, standing in a desert. The boy looked familiar.

Betrayal.

Hurt.

Anger.

Defeat.

Acceptance.

The desert sand blew away, getting in his eyes. When he reopened them, he was in a green meadow. The trees were tall and lush, the grass was green and fresh. There was a small cottage, surrounded by these trees. The birds were singing a tune familiar to him.

His feet took him towards the little house, and before he knew it he was opening the door.

Instead of a peaceful place, he saw chaos. Eyes glared at him, and he kept walking forward. A girl. She had blonde hair, and pale blue eyes. She wore a white flowing dress.

She was crying.

"Save me. Help me, please..."

Hands gripped his arms. They led him away. Petrified, Henry found his body unable to fight against them. He struggled to speak, but he found he couldn't. The girl begged again, crying.

"Save me! Help me, Henry, please!"

Panic rose in him. No! No, let me go! Let me go! He wanted to shout. To fight against his captors and rescue this girl. He wanted to use his Martial Arts training against whatever was keeping them apart. For the first time since that accident he wanted to hurt someone. His heart twisted with guilt and sorrow. Why, he didn't know.

All he knew was that he wanted to help her.

He was dragged outside the door, and just before it closed, he heard the girl scream in pain as the monster laughed.

He was back at the meadow again. In front of the little cottage. The birds still sang, and trees were still tall.

"Who are you?"

He turned around, and then...

Beep. Beep. Beeeep...

Henry woke up.

Chapter Text

Henry woke up.

He gasped, breathing heavily. He couldn't remember the dream, but he knew it was a nightmare. Chest heaving, he realized Terriermon was looking at him worriedly.

"Are you okay, Henry?" The little digimon asked. "That must've been an awful dream... You're crying, after all."

Henry touched his cheeks. To his surprise, he was, indeed, crying. He gave a shaky smile, still panting. Gathering his things, he went to the bathroom to start his day.

While showering, he tried to remember his dreams...

Nothing.

Nothing was turning up. He couldn't remember why he was crying, or why his heart felt like it was being torn apart. He shook it off, trying to clear it out.

It didn't work. Henry went to school still feeling awful. He'd gotten asked by his parents if he was alright, particularly his mother, but he replied that it was nothing.

Once there, his friends immediately noticed. "Yo, Henry. What's wrong, man? You look like someone died!" Kazu exclaimed.

"Uh... it's nothing," he lied. Well, half-lied. He really didn't know why he felt like this. "If you're sure, Henry." Jeri said gently. He smiled at her gratefully.

Rika was still looking at him with suspicion. "Was it about the girl from yesterday?" His brow furrowed. There were two significant girls yesterday, aside from the ones he actually knew.

"Who?" He asked, confused. Rika gave him a blank stare. He wasn't sure if this was better than the glare...

"Chiba. Hiyori Chiba, Fighter class. Gatomon as a partner." She clarified. Oh. Yeah, no. He didn't even know her.

"It's not because of a girl. I'm fine, relax."

Nobody was relaxing.

Even in his classes, everyone gave him weird stares. His teachers asked him if he wanted to go to the clinic. His new classmates looked at him from the corner of their eye, curious. Rika was constantly there. Rika. Even Jenny Smith asked if he was feeling alright. Jenny Smith, with her accent and dull ice blue eyes.

At lunch, his friends asked him over and over again if something was bothering him. He said nothing was, which was true. He couldn't even remember the dream!

After lunch, the heartache faded. As if magic, everyone stopped asking him if he was alright. It was as if nothing happened.

He found it weird, but he shrugged it off. No use worrying about that.

Chapter Text

Contrary to what almost everyone believes, Kenta is a smart guy. Sure he may care more about digimon and fame than the others, and sure he's a little naive and a little cowardly, but he was no Kazu.

The guy was so far from being smart, Kenta pitied him.

Aside from being slightly smarter than Kazu - he was no Ryo or Henry or Rika, he'll admit that easily -  he cares a lot about his friends. He's improved a lot, you see. In a job where it's basically everyday that they throw themselves into danger, it's important to have a medic. MarineAngermon, and by extension Kenta, was their medic. Which is why when Henry turned up looking decidedly not-okay he was both suspicious and worried.

Henry was one of the most infallible of their group. He came close to Rika and Ryo in that regard, and Kenta respected him for that. To see him look so awful was a jarring sight to see. He wasn't quite close to Henry so he kept his silence. When he finally looked better the next time he saw Henry, which was at the Hypnos Base, Kenta felt equal parts relieved and curious.

Still, he shrugged it off. Maybe he took a pill and a nap to help with whatever was wrong with him. With the last of his worry fading away, Kenta opened the doors to the gym, where his fellow Tamers were training.

Rika was already there, calling out weak points to the girl who was currently on The Floor. It was really obvious that the girl was new. She was flustered already, and was squeaking out her commands instead of the fluid way the Originals did.

Her Gatomon was partnered up with a Patamon. The Patamon's Tamer was being taught by Ryo on the other side. This one was a familiar sight. It was Jay Watanabe, and although it's only been about a year and three months, he was already confident, his green eyes sharp and his movements quick. His commands were strong and precise, Kenta noted.

Soon enough, the Gatomon and her red-haired Tamer admitted defeat. Kenta let MarineAngemon do his job, which was restoring the digimon to their top health.

Meanwhile, Kenta was treating the Tamer. He handed her a drink, gave a small wince and a reassuring smile, and sat in his usual place. Defeated, the girl followed him.

"Hey," she greeted. He gave it back to her with a small smile. "I'm Hiyori, and you must be Kenta Kitagawa. I appreciate your efforts against the D-Reaper. You guys were so cool... I wish I could be as strong as you guys," she sighed.

Kenta blinked, blushing slightly. It was always nice to hear someone appreciated his efforts. He saved them at the end, yeah, but he wasn't really in the battle like the other four.

"T-thanks..." he nervously said. "I'm sure you'll be strong soon. Rika's a good trainer, you know." Hiyori sighed again. "Yeah, she is... Did she train you, too?"

Kenta shook his head. At the time where he got his partner, there were no trainers available. They had to jump straight into battle or risk losing both worlds...

"I kinda learned through mistakes. My team went to the Digital World, and then I found my partner, and the rest was history. After the whole D-Reaper Accident though, I was trained by Ryo Akiyama. Certainly improved more," he laughed. "Poor Kazu ended up with Rika..."

Hiyori giggled lightly, and Kenta had to look at her. She was certainly pretty, with her red hair and hazel eyes. She had the prettiest smile.... Kenta shrugged the thought away with a blush.

Suddenly, a phone chimed. She seemed to recognize the tone, as she pulled out her phone. "Mom wants me home," she sighed. "She doesn't know about my partner, and neither does she approve of them."

Kenta felt sympathy for her. "It's okay, she'll come around." The girl only laughed bitterly. "I don't think so... She's been protesting about the digimon, calling them monsters, and I just... I just know she's gonna kick me out if she learns I have a partner."

"You don't know that!" Kenta protested. Hiyori stood up, smiling sadly. "You don't know my mother."

"Well, you can always live here. Ryo does, and I'm pretty sure there are other people by the dorms upstairs."

Ever since the D-Reaper, the Hypnos Base has just expanded. Instead of being concealed by a bank, they went full Avengers and announced themselves. Granted, there are still top-secret bases, but not this one. They had training areas in the basement, upper middle floors are offices, and the highest floors were dormitories.

"Gatomon already lives here. Let's see if I can survive my mom until I'm 18. Bye, Kenta."

The boy waved her goodbye, and turned back to the next training session: Ai, Mako, and Impmon against Mai Saito and her Sistermon Noir.

Chapter Text

Rika sighed, exhausted muscles relaxing under the hot water. After a few more minutes of just staying under the spray of the shower, she turned it off.

After getting dressed in her civilian attire, which was an aqua sweater and black ripped jeans with her red high-tops. Rika let her hair stay down, and began trying to dry it.

As she entered the elevator, she bumped into Ryo, whose hair was still dripping wet. He was wearing a dark gray shirt with black hems, and black sweatpants with his maroon sneakers.

"'Sup," he greeted with an easy smile. Rika rolled her eyes. "Hello to you too, idiot." This has been their routine for three years now. Go to school, study, go to work, train newbies, and then go back home. For Ryo, it was a small studio apartment upstairs that he shares with Monodramon.

"Have you seen Jay's progress lately? He's really gotten good, no?" Ryo mentioned with pride. He's been training the boy for a year now, and he's only gotten stronger.

"Uh-huh," Rika hummed noncommittedly. "Suzie's been getting better too. I think it's only a matter of time before she can Biomerge. Henry's really proud of her."

Ryo snorted. "Henry's proud of anything she does, really. Did you hear that his older sister got a partner digimon? She's gonna go here next week, I think."

Rika shrugged. "Do you think she'll get into my training course? I mean, Henry put a girl in mine because she helped him. Who knows, maybe he's gonna do that with his sister."

"Maybe she'll get put in mine. Henry knows you as a slave driver, after all." He teased. Rika hit his arm, rolling her eyes. The elevator chimed just in time for his laugh, and she walked out with her own small smile.

Renamon, who has been silently following her, shot her a look. Rika blushed, scowled, and turned away stubbornly. If Renamon rolls her eyes, she would've. But Renamon doesn't roll her eyes, so she settled for an exasperated and amused smirk.

"I'm home!" She called out. Her mother emerged from the kitchen, smiling. "Welcome home!" Her boyfriend was there, too. Rika nodded as greeting, and he gave a smile back. Kim was a decent guy. He's a doctor, and he actually cares for Rika's mom, so she approved. Not that he knows, of course.

Dumping her bag by the door, she sat down beside Kim and began to do her homework. Which was unbelievable. It's only been three days since orientation. Why was there homework?

"Say, Rika..." Kim sounded nervous. He kept glancing towards the kitchen, where Rumiko was still preparing dinner. "If-If I asked your mom to marry me... w-would you... uh... consent?"

Rika dropped her pen, wide-eyed at his revelation. Kim was one of the ones that stayed, despite her efforts. He and Rika's mom had been dating for two years now, and she knew it was only a matter of time.

"Have you done it yet?" She hissed. "No," he admitted. He glanced at her mom again. "I plan to, though. I just... need your consent. And her answer, of course. I mean... I really love your mother, Rika. I just..."

To his surprise, she smiled. And nodded. And Rika swore he was nearing tears. But her mother walked in carrying food so they had to look normal again.

Rumiko must've noticed something different, because she asked, "Is everything alright?"

Rika shook her head. Though on the outside she looked cool and calm, she was dancing for joy inside. "Yeah, everything is fine."

Chapter Text

Wildcat: mom's getting engaged soon

Wildcat: if all goes well, I mean

Hero-boy: Thats nc. Congrats, I guess?

Wildcat: thnx

Hero-boy: How do u feel abt that?

Wildcat: surprisingly happy

Hero-boy: k

Hero-boy: wat u doin rn?

Wildcat: homework

Hero-boy: already?

Wildcat: as if you didn't go through this

Hero-boy: yeah, u right

Hero-boy: what subject?

Wildcat: math

Wildcat: mai's uncle is my teacher. Quite a surprise for me....

Hero-boy: huh.

Hero-boy: hey what do you think abt the junior team?

Wildcat: Suzie's team? They're pretty good, especially ai and mako

Wildcat: mai still got a long way to go, but the girl is strong

Hero-boy: k. And what abt the girl henry found?

Wildcat: she's a little weak-willed, but she hasn't quit yet

Hero-boy: haha

Wildcat: wait I gotta go

Hero-boy: k. gn pumpkin

Ryo smiled, switching off his phone. He turned around to face Monodramon, who was already sleeping. The smile suddenly faded. He didn't know how long this will last, but he hoped it was for forever...

Giving up on the idea of sleep, he got up to stand next to the floor to ceiling windows. He could see the city still awake, even at night. Cars still drove by and the lights were still on. He looked at his desk, where a small picture resided. It was his family, from the other world. The family he lost because of lies.

But still, he was grateful to be here. Because being here meant Rika. It meant peace, and it meant having a team. He really hoped it would last forever.

When he told Yamaki about his story, he didn't expect to be taken in. At the time, he'd been lost for more than a year already. And he'd been away from his old world for even more... Yamaki had been understanding, and Ryo wasn't sure how to feel.

He was an enemy in the beginning, but now he was Ryo's boss. Maybe even a brother, at this point.

He sighed. He had school tomorrow. He really should sleep now...

Chapter Text

Somewhere else....

Henry walked alone in the middle of a forest. The birds chirped merrily, and the only other sounds were his footsteps. He continued to walk, wondering where he was, or why he was walking.

Suddenly he tripped on something, and fell....

Down...

Down...

Down....

And as he fell, the scenery changed. The colors bled together and changed, and flowed to form something else. His senses increased, and felt the adrenaline rush from falling hit him hard. No longer was he in a forest, but on top of a hill. Surprisingly, the fall hurt and was making itself known on his body. He got up, a hand on his maybe-bruised arm, and squinted around.

Was.... was that... a digimon...?

Was he dreaming?

He pinched himself. Nope, it didn't seem like it.

 He sighed, and walked forward. Somehow he knew it was real, in a sense of the word. But his logical mind told him he was dreaming. The digimon gate was closed three years ago, he shouldn't be here.

Maybe he was just missing Terriermon.

And yet as he walked around in his pyjamas, and his bare feet, he could feel everything. He felt the blades of grass, the dirt and rock and the cold wind blowing over his face. Every sensation, he could feel. And somehow he knew this wasn't real. Confused in his predicament, he walked closer to the digimon, which was a bad idea in hindsight, but he did it anyway.

"Hey... do you know where-"

"Tear Drop!"

 Aw hell no.