By the time Saki had arrived on the other side of the portal, they were well beyond exhausted. They let one hand come up to rub at their eyes, and they silently thanked the Digital World for recovering their faulty vision enough for them to no longer need glasses or contacts. That was one thing they hadn't been able to grab before they were locked out earlier in the night, and Saki didn't want to deal with the headache of trying to see without them. At least that wasn't a concern anymore. After all, Saki's eyes were fine on their own these days, and they couldn't have possibly been more grateful for it. 

They were fully expecting the castle to be empty when they arrived. The Digimon were hardly night owls with perhaps only Bokomon and sometimes Lopmon as the exceptions. Still, Bokomon considered himself a parent to some degree when it came to the Celestial Three, and he had to set a good example in order to make sure they got to sleep on time. Saki was confident that he had already taken his children of sorts to bed, and they were glad to know they wouldn't have to talk to anyone at the moment. The last thing they wanted was to have to explain the truth of why they were in the Digital World. It would have been much more frustrating than it was worth. 

Saki started up the stairs toward their room, hoping nobody had messed with it since they were last there. The Legendary Warriors hadn't been given much time to decorate the fortress, and while it was unfortunate, Saki was fine with it as long as nobody was going to get between them and a good night of sleep. They hadn't realized just how tired they were from all their researching until after they arrived in the Digital World, and now, there was no going back. 

"Saki? What are you doing here?"

Saki winced at the sound of their name, and they turned to see Bokomon in one of the nearby hallways. It seemed they had arrived just before he could tuck in the Celestial Three for the night, as the trio of young Digimon poked their heads out from a nearby door to see Saki. Neemon wandered out a moment later, and Saki did their best to not freeze under the sudden weight of an audience. 

Instead, they simply ran one hand back through their hair, trying to seem a bit more put together than they actually felt. "I... I wanted to stay here for the night," Saki replied simply. It was the truth, at least to some degree. The Digimon just didn't need to know that they were there because they saw no other choice. That just didn't feel important enough to mention. 

Neemon scrutinized them, somehow finding a way to glare in Saki's direction despite having perpetually closed eyes. "Is that it?" he asked, and somehow, his words felt much more striking than Saki could have ever imagined. "You don't just come here for no reason. You've never done that."

Saki hesitated, and when they realized that there was no getting out of this without sharing the truth, they let out a sigh. "My living situation back on Earth has been... Compromised, at least for the night. I thought I would stay here until morning came. I can go back to take care of classes when the time comes," they explained. What they didn't say was that part of them wanted to just stay there permanently. Maybe they wouldn't ever have to put up with the orphanage again if this was a nicer living arrangement. The Digital World was better than Earth to Saki in just about every way, so they were anticipating their thoughts would be swayed, but they didn't freely admit that yet. They could share the truth at a later point when they weren't completely exhausted. 

"I guess we're just having a party here tonight with all our guests!" Patamon beamed, not bothering to ask Saki any questions about what they meant when it came to their living situation being compromised. Instead, they flew over to Saki and settled down happily in their arms, relishing in the touch their fingers brought. 

It took a few moments for Saki's mind to catch up with what they were hearing, and they looked to the rest of the Digimon with a small frown. "Is there someone else staying here tonight?" they asked, unsure of what to even expect.

"Yep! And there she is!" Salamon chirped as she looked past Saki. The Warrior of Steel went still, somehow already knowing who they were going to find before they turned around. 

Miriamon stood nearby, one hand pressed against the wall. She seemed just as exhausted as Saki, albeit in a different way. She both went pale and flushed pink at the sight of Saki before forcing a strained smile onto her lips. She couldn't exactly avoid Saki as long as they had an audience, after all. Saki would have relished in this encounter if they had the energy to fight with Miriamon and make her start talking, but as things currently stood, they didn't know what to do about any of it, so they remained silent. 

"Ah, Saki... I didn't realize you would be staying here tonight," Miriamon murmured. Her fingers began to clench, and Saki was confident her knuckles were turning white from the stress even though she didn't let it show easily. 

Saki considered their words for a long time, unsure as to how they were even meant to explain this to her. "It was a... Last minute change of plans," they eventually settled on saying. "But as long as you're here, I think we should talk. I have a few questions for you, and if you wouldn't mind, I'd like some answers."

Miriamon's eyes went wide, and she stumbled over her words for a few beats before shaking her head. "I-I'm afraid I should be returning to Rubrum," she told them. "My apologies for being unable to stay as originally planned, but I have other business to attend to. Thank you for hosting me, everyone."

Before anyone could object, Miriamon darted down the stairs, descending the steps at breakneck speeds. Saki snarled under their breath once she was gone and the door to the fortress tapped shut behind her. Nobody else seemed to notice their enmity though, and Patamon let out a small whimper. "She said she was going to stay the night... We have the room for her," he muttered. "But I guess we'll just have to invite her over for a sleepover another time."

Saki sighed, biting back a comment about how Miriamon only left because they showed up, before turning back to the rest of the Digimon. "So... Are there any other plans for the rest of the night?" they asked, expecting the answer would be negative. They didn't think they would be able to deal with any extra stress anyway. 

"We were just about to tuck in the kids," Bokomon explained, and Saki raised an eyebrow at his peculiar phrasing. They had never expected him to be so forward with saying that the Celestial Three were practically his children by this point, much less 'their' kids, referring to Neemon as the other party. Still, as long as it made the two of them happy, Saki supposed they couldn't protest it. After all, if anyone was going to be considered parents to the Celestial Three, it would be the two of them, as strange as it was to say. 

"I'm glad to hear it," Saki admitted. "I feel like I'm dead on my feet. I'm going to try and get some sleep before school starts tomorrow. We can talk a bit more in the morning before I leave."

"Alright," Neemon agreed, and Patamon flew out of Saki's arms and into his. Patamon immediately nestled against Neemon's arms, and the latter Digimon offered a small smile to his 'child' as Bokomon claimed it. In a better world, Saki was sure that Bokomon and Neemon would have never set food on a battlefield again, instead just taking advantage of the peace they had been granted to raise the Celestial Three alone. If only that had been possible. If only the world hadn't chosen to go to hell. 

The Digimon had started to go back the way they had came while Saki moved toward their own room, but they were cut off by Salamon stopping to turn and face the Warrior of Steel. "Are you sure it's really nothing?" she asked softly. "The reason that you're here, I mean. It's okay to talk about it if you want. We can listen."

Saki bit down on their lip, working the skin between their teeth, before they shook their head. "It's fine. Maybe another time. Right now, I'm exhausted," they said, and it was only halfway a lie. They didn't want to think about this at all if they could avoid it. The orphanage had been the worst part of each day for years up to this point, and as long as Saki was away from the place for the night, they wanted to try and enjoy it. That may not have been worth much to others, but to them, it was a gift nothing could ever hope to replace. 

The Digimon didn't bother with pushing the subject after that, instead turning and going back in the direction they had come from. Saki, meanwhile, navigated easily to the room they had been designated when the Legendary Warriors were first given the fortress to begin with, and they sat down on their bed heavily. They had a few changes of clothes in their bag, but they were too tired to bother with getting out of the outfit they were already wearing. They needed to sleep, damn it, and nothing was going to get in the way of that. 

Saki's bed was unfamiliar to them, but at the same time, it was everything they could have ever asked for, not too stiff but not too soft either. The Digital World really was a special type of blessing, and nothing could ever hope to replace it. This was what they needed most, and they were going to enjoy it as long as they could. They were already hoping to make this a permanent arrangement, though they would have to see how it worked out in the morning. After all, dimensional travel was bound to throw a bit of a wrench into their regular routine of getting ready for school. They could see if it was worth the hassle when morning came. 

In the meantime, Saki fell asleep almost as soon as their head hit the pillow. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, they felt safe while in the embrace of slumber. They didn't fear anyone coming in and stabbing them in the back while they were otherwise distracted. They were going to be alright, and when they woke up, everything would be okay then too. It was going to be fine. 

Saki wished that the feeling would come more frequently, but until then, it was nice. At long last, all felt calm the way it should have a lifetime ago. 

~~~~~

The night and following morning came and went without much consequence. Or, at the very least, that was what Tomoki wanted the rest of the world to think. He had different feelings on the matter, and his nerves were vibrating on the spot no matter how much he tried to calm them. He had been like this all day. No, that wasn't true. It had been an issue all week, ever since he confronted Yutaka and even before that, and it wasn't getting any better. 

Lunch had arrived, and Tomoki was sitting with Mayumi and Haroi as they worked through their meals. The three of them were silent, though Tomoki knew the other two were slipping glances at him out of the corners of their eyes even if they didn't want to admit it openly. Tomoki's stomach growled, but he refused to take a bite of his food. He hadn't been able to eat much without feeling sick ever since he faced off against his brother. He couldn't seem to stem his anxiety for long enough before he felt like he was going to collapse or get sick from eating too much. It had been a long time since his anxiety had persisted for this long at a time to keep him from eating, and he certainly hadn't missed the sensation. It was familiar, yes, but that did not make it welcome. 

Eventually, the quiet grew to be too much, and Mayumi forced herself to speak up. Beneath the table, her leg tapped thunderously against the ground. "Tomoki, are you okay?" she asked. It was a moot question. Of course he wasn't okay. Still, it was the best way to introduce the idea of Mayumi and Haroi worrying about him, and as long as it was the only option she had, Mayumi was going to go for it. 

Tomoki looked up slowly, like he was only just starting to remember where he was, and he forced himself to nod. "I... Yeah. I'm fine," he lied through his teeth, and Mayumi narrowed her eyes doubtfully in his direction. Tomoki shriveled under her gaze, already knowing that he wasn't going to even come close to getting away with this. He let out a sigh soon afterward, caving in with minimal pressure. "Out of curiosity, do... Do you two feel like there's someone following you?"

Mayumi and Haroi shared a brief glance of confusion before the former shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't really noticed it if there is someone following me," she replied. "I don't know why anybody would want to follow me. I mean, I'm just... Me. I'm a regular teenager."

"Nobody's been following me either," Haroi agreed. "If someone was trying to pursue either one of us, I'm certain that we would have noticed it by now, but we haven't seen anything out of the ordinary."

"Good... I'm glad to hear it," Tomoki murmured. Some of the pressure in his shoulders started to melt away, but it did not vanish entirely. Instead, he turned his attention to his food, picking around with a few more bites before pushing one of them into his mouth. He cringed at the taste but forced the bite down anyway. 

Mayumi and Haroi looked to one another once again, communicating entire conversations with just a bit of eye contact. Tomoki pretended they weren't silently talking about him as he continued to stare down at his food. Mayumi was the first one to look away from her brother as she shifted her attention back to Tomoki instead. "Why do you ask?" she questioned. It was a test to gauge his response, and all of them knew it. They were just hoping to see if Tomoki would share the truth and, by extension, pass the test.

Tomoki refused to meet either of their gazes for a few long, heavy moments. In the end, he realized just how fruitless his evasion effort really was, and he let out a sigh that shook his entire body. "My brother... My brother has been following me again lately," he said softly, halfway fearing that Yutaka would come sliding out of the shadows the instant he let his guard down or said it out loud. On Earth, he wasn't as safe as he was in the Digital World. He had no way of saying for sure if his brother would find a way to track him down or not. There was no certainty when it came to Yutaka, and Tomoki knew it. 

"Your brother?" Mayumi echoed, her eyes going wide. "B-But he can't just do that! I thought your family had done things to make sure that he couldn't be around you anymore after--"

"He doesn't listen," Tomoki cut in. "He never has. I guess he thought I was too happy with my life and needed to be knocked down a peg. He's been jealous of me for as long as I can remember, and he takes it out with anger. I just... I don't want him to spread his range of vision to the rest of you. I can't stop him from doing anything without getting other people involved, but I can tell everyone to keep an eye out."

"Why not get others involved?" Haroi suggested. "I understand that this is a terrifying situation to be in, but... I think this is something your parents need to know about. They won't be able to help you if you don't say anything that could help them to understand the issue. You need to be kept safe from him, and that might mean taking part in uncomfortable conversations."

"I haven't known how to bring it up with them," Tomoki admitted. "I want to do something to try and reach out to them, but I have no idea where to start. They thought Yutaka was out of their lives permanently, and I... I'm a bit nervous about having to be the one to break the news to them. They didn't want their son to be like this to begin with, and I hate having to put them in a position of choosing between the two of us."

"Choosing between you? Tomoki, that's ridiculous. Your brother abused you, and your parents are doing right by you by making sure that he can't be in your life anymore," Mayumi pressed, her eyes narrowing in Tomoki's direction. "You're not putting them in an uncomfortable position by forcing them to step up and look after you. They're your parents. You're their child. They're obligated to take care of you, and if they don't... They don't deserve the title of parent." Her grip on her drink went tight, splashing a few droplets of water over the rim of her cup. She forced herself to breathe slowly before downing a sip. She rubbed at her mouth with the back of her hand, trying the best she could to keep herself calm. 

"I know that, but... I still get nervous about it," Tomoki told her. "You're right. They should be looking after me. I know that. But at the same time... They never wanted to have to deal with this. They wanted to believe in Yutaka to the bitter end, and I can't blame them for that. I wish I could have done something to make this easier for them, and now... I don't know. I'm just afraid of talking to them."

"What were they like when Yutaka was still in your life regularly?" Haroi questioned carefully. "You say that Yutaka was pushed out of your life when he crossed a line, but... He was acting this way for years. Where were your parents during all of this? They should have been there to look out for you and keep you safe from your brother's temper."

Tomoki hesitated, and the silence told the siblings everything they needed to know. He fumbled for his words for a few long beats before finally finding the strength to speak. "They wanted to believe in him," Tomoki forced out slowly. "Yutaka is a lot older than me, and he was the only child they had for a long time. They were desperate to believe in him no matter what. I... I wanted them to be able to believe in him too. I wanted to believe in him myself. For a long time, I stayed quiet because Yutaka told me to not break their hearts. I didn't want to shatter their worlds even after I decided I had dealt with enough. I stayed quiet about it for a long time because I was afraid of hurting them."

"They should have protected you though!" Mayumi cried out, her voice cracking halfway through. She forced herself to put her drink down so she didn't splash any other water droplets over the rim, and she slammed her hands against the table. "They're your parents, and they're supposed to look after you! If Yutaka was a danger to you, then they should have done something about it! This isn't something you should be ashamed of or need to hide because they don't want to accept the truth of the matter! Whether they want to see it or not, their older son is a rotten piece of human garbage, and they have to own up to that. If you ask me, they owe it to you to keep you safe now since they failed to do so in the past."

Tomoki stared at Mayumi for a long time, and Haroi's eyes went wide with shock. Mayumi only seemed to realize the weight of her words--and how loud she had been--a few moments after she finished speaking. She immediately shriveled away and looked to the ground. "Sorry. I... I didn't mean to snap like that," she murmured. "All I'm trying to say is that you deserve better than this. You shouldn't have to care for your parents when they're the ones in charge of you."

"I agree with that," Haroi said with a nod. "They're the ones with the power in this situation, and they should be using it to look after you. I understand that you're afraid to talk to them about Yutaka, but I think you should. If you need any support, then we would be more than happy to help you. It may not count for much, but I think it could help you."

Tomoki stared down at the lunch table, desperate to find anything to focus on aside from Mayumi and Haroi's eyes. "I... Thank you," he muttered, though he wasn't entirely sure if he meant it. There was a part of him that agreed with what Mayumi was saying. His parents hadn't intervened when it came to Yutaka's actions until they were hurting because of him. Before that, they had just passed it off as siblings getting into fights, something they considered normal. They had no reason to get involved if what was happening was just another part of regular life, after all. That had been their logic, at the very least, and Tomoki had believed it. He thought he was being dramatic the entire time, never being given a reason to think otherwise. That was all Yutaka had ever told him, after all. 

But now, Tomoki knew better than that. It was hard to unlearn everything that he had taught himself over the years, but he deserved to be able to stand his ground and be taken care of by his parents and friends. He wasn't alone in facing off against Yutaka, and he deserved to lean on other people. They would be there for him if he would just let them stand at his side. He deserved that. 

Well, he didn't exactly believe it yet, but if he said it enough, maybe he would finally start. 

Haroi's hand came down gently on Tomoki's shoulder, and the Warrior of Ice looked up to meet his gaze. "We'll do our best to stay as cautious as possible to ensure that nothing happens with Yutaka," Haroi assured him. "If we think that he's watching or following us, we'll be sure to tell you and the others about it as soon as possible so that we can tackle this as a team. You're not alone in facing him, and you shouldn't treat yourself that way either. We're going to be okay as long as we stick together."

Tomoki hadn't even realized he was crying until the tears started to streak down his cheeks, and he raised one hand to wipe the water away. "Thanks," he choked out. "I'll be sure to pass along the message if anything happens too. I don't want to deal with him alone."

"And you're never alone as long as we're all here for you," Mayumi chimed in. Her posture was still guarded and unbalanced the same way it had been when she first had her outburst, but the care in her voice was still clear as could be. Tomoki would have to talk to her when she was feeling less tense, but in the meantime, he was glad to have her and the rest of the Legendary Warriors there for him. 

Heaven only knew what he would do if he was alone. 

~~~~~

That afternoon after classes ended, Junpei walked to the back of the school building and pulled out his D-Tector. He pulled up the radar with a small frown on his face. He hadn't seen Saki on Earth when he checked earlier in the day. It had become instinct and habit for him to check to see where the rest of the Legendary Warriors were when he had the chance just so that he could contact them if need be. That morning, Saki hadn't been on Earth, and Junpei needed to see if they were there now. He couldn't figure out for the life of him why Saki would randomly go to the Digital World seemingly overnight, but he was going to find out. He would meet up with them in person if he had to. 

In fact, Junpei was already planning to go and find them in person as soon as he could. Saki had been more and more closed off lately, and it was driving Junpei up the damn wall. He knew that they wouldn't be able to keep secrets forever, and they had to be aware of it as well, but they still tried. He wanted them to know that it was safe to talk about their problems even if they weren't used to that yet. He was desperate to make them understand that they weren't in this alone. If they wouldn't listen or would block him out via text, then he would just have to find them in person and make sure they heard him out. 

Sure enough, Saki wasn't on Earth this time either, and Junpei let out a long suffering sigh. They wouldn't just skip school for a day, so chances are they had been on Earth during the school day--the one time when Junpei couldn't check their location--and then headed back to the Digital World as soon as they were able to get away from classes. Still, Junpei couldn't figure out why, and he was determined to fill in that gap before the day ended. 

It didn't take long for him to cross over to the Digital World. At this point, it was like second nature to him. He didn't bother with changing out of his school uniform either, knowing that Saki wouldn't have done so either. He could deal with that later on. Besides, what was a few more hours in his uniform? Nobody would care. At least, that was what he was hoping. He prayed inwardly that he didn't run into a battle that could mess up his clothes too much, especially since he still had classes for the rest of the week. It was only Wednesday, and messing up his uniform so soon would only serve to be a pain in the neck. 

Junpei tucked his laptop under his arm as he walked into the fortress, pushing the doors open and letting them close behind him. He already knew that Saki had to be there in the fortress. He could feel their presence deep in the pit of his stomach, and he would follow that instinct with everything he had if that was what it took. He was sick and tired of Saki keeping secrets. It all ended today. 

Luckily for him, Junpei didn't need to look for long before he found the Warrior of Steel. They were in the common area on the second floor of the fortress, typing away at their laptop and reading some article at the same time. It didn't look like homework to Junpei. If anything, it looked like a newspaper clipping that had been scanned onto the computer at some point years prior. Junpei didn't bother with trying to figure out what it meant though, instead knocking a fist against the doorframe of the room. "Busy?" he asked simply. 

For perhaps the first time since Junpei had met them, Saki was caught off guard and visibly startled by the sound. They practically jumped on the spot before looking up to face him. "Junpei... I didn't realize I had company," Saki said, though anyone could hear just how strained the words were. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Don't give me that," Junpei frowned. "What in the world are you doing here? It's not like you to just randomly pop over to the Digital World. You were here this morning too. I would have thought that you would at least tell us if you were coming here."

"I don't have to share everything with you guys, you know," Saki countered, narrowing their eyes into a glare. "I'm just here because I wanted a change of scenery. That's all there is to it. You don't need to worry about it."

Junpei sighed heavily, but before he could say anything to push back against them, he heard footsteps from behind him. When he turned, he was met with the sight of Bokomon, Neemon, and the Celestial Three walking down the hallway to greet him. "Junpei," Bokomon began. "What are you doing here? I didn't realize you were coming to the Digital World today."

"I'm here because I want to talk to Saki," Junpei explained. He turned to face Saki, and they pointedly refused to meet his gaze, instead glaring daggers into the floor. "They've been acting odd for ages, and I'm tired of just sitting back and letting it happen. I'm worried about you, Saki, and I know everybody else is too. You need to talk to us if there's something going on. You don't have to keep everything a secret anymore. This isn't your fight alone anymore, and it's okay to rely on other people every once in a while."

"I'm not hiding anything," Saki insisted. "I came to the Digital World because I wanted some time to myself. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm fine."

"Then why are you investigating Miriamon on your own?" Junpei retorted. "I know there's something else going on that you're not telling us about. All of us know that. We can't do anything to help you though if you just keep hiding the truth all the time. You have to let yourself open up to us so that we can do something to fix the problem."

"It's nobody's business but my own that I want to know more about her. I'm sure that she knows something that the rest of us aren't aware of yet, and that's my decision to look into. I'm not dragging the rest of you into something that isn't your problem," Saki fired back. 

"Not our problem? Saki, we've saved the world together no fewer than three times by now. I feel like it's certainly our problem if you think there's something wrong with a person on this side of the barrier. If Miriamon is up to something else that she's not telling us about, then you have to tell us about it so that we can try to fix the problem. No person is an island, and I wish you would understand that," Junpei told them, his voice starting to verge on pleading. "You just have to be honest with us. I need you to be honest with me. I'm tired of just sitting here and watching you fall apart because you won't open up. I'm not trying to hurt you. I need to fix it, and that's why I'm here. I can't solve anything unless you talk to me, and I can't keep chasing you to make you say it."

"Saki wasn't telling the truth earlier," Patamon suddenly chimed in, and everyone looked over in his direction carefully. "They said that everything was fine and that they just wanted to come to the Digital World because they could. That's not what happened at all. Saki is here because they said their living situation at home on Earth has changed."

Saki's eyes went wide, too shocked that Patamon had said anything to bother with being angry. Junpei turned to face them slowly. "What happened?" he asked softly. "You don't need to hide the truth from us, you know. If you need a place to stay on Earth, I'm sure the rest of us would be able to figure something else out for you, but--"

"It's fine," Saki cut in, their voice strained. "I know what I'm doing. I just need to work it all out on my own. I'm investigating Miriamon right now, and I'll be able to use that to keep going and find some other solution to--"

"To the fact that you have nowhere else to go?" Junpei finished for them. "You can't just work your way out of something that daunting, Saki. You're still a teenager. I know that you're scared. I know why you're hiding all of this. Still... I want to try and do something to help you out of this, but I can't do that if you won't tell me what's going on. Please, Saki... Just be honest with me."

Saki stared down at the ground for a long time, uncertain as to how they were meant to respond to that. "I... I'm going to see school through," they admitted softly. "After that, I don't know what I'm going to do. I like staying here in the Digital World though. I think I might just make that my permanent plan. It's so much nicer here than on Earth. It might be a change of routine for me to come here each night instead of spending the night on Earth, but I was able to make it work today, and I'll figure it out in the future too."

Junpei wished he had an easy response to that, but his words failed him again and again in the seconds that followed. He eventually pressed his lips together and forced himself to exhale through his nose. "You can come to all of us if you need a place to stay, you know," he murmured. "I don't want you to come here because you're too afraid of trusting the rest of us. I told you before that we're all here for you, and I meant that. After everything we've been through, I feel like we can all say without a shadow of a doubt that we're here to support one another."

"It's nothing about me not trusting all of you," Saki assured him. "I'm still not used to all of this. I'm not used to talking to people. I don't know what to do when I'm not in survival mode. I'm safer now because I have other people who care about me. I know that. But at the same time, my entire life has just been one long string of shitty coping mechanisms. Who am I when all of that gets stripped away? I don't know the answer to that, and to be quite frank with you, I'm afraid of having to find out."

Saki only seemed to realize what they had said after the words had come out, and for a long time, they stared at Junpei in perfect silence. Not even the Digimon dared to break through the quiet, unsure of what could even be said. Saki eventually forced the silence to end though, coughing vaguely just for the sake of making noise. "Spending more time in the Digital World will give me the chance to learn more about Miriamon too. I don't know what exactly she's up to, but I can tell you confidently that there's a lot more to her than she wants us to believe," they said softly. "I'm going to tell you and the rest of the group when I come up with the answers to all of it, but right now... I just need a little bit more time."

"Maybe you could try to work through it by talking about it," Junpei suggested. "I'd be happy to listen if you wanted to discuss it. After how quiet you've been all this time, I'd welcome being able to hear this from you, as a matter of fact. All you need to do is say the word."

Saki remained silent for a long time, considering the proposal heavily. They bit down on the inside of their lip and chewed on the skin before looking back up to Junpei. Their eyes were worn and vulnerable, and Junpei knew that they were going to explain everything from the start, regardless of how ugly the truth really was. His chest finally settled down in relief at the sight. After all this time, all this struggling, he was going to be able to help them. Thank the heavens for that. 

A small flashing noise came from elsewhere in the castle, and Junpei immediately froze up. He looked to Saki, wondering if they had heard it too. They offered him a small nod, and they left the conversation on hold for the time being in favor of going to investigate the sound. That flashing noise reminded Junpei of what it sounded like to travel through the portal. Had another member of the team come to the Digital World for the afternoon?

When Junpei, Saki, and the Digimon arrived downstairs, they were met with the sight of a thoroughly flustered Mayumi and Haroi. Mayumi was easing Haroi into a seat off to the side of the room, and Junpei realized belatedly that it was Haroi's wheelchair for when he was in the Digital World. It wasn't anywhere near as elaborate or fancy as his wheelchair on Earth, but it would still serve its purpose well, and Haroi smiled as he settled down. Still, everything about him looked strained, and Junpei could tell something was wrong before he even had the chance to ask. 

"Oh, hey," Mayumi greeted once Haroi was comfortable. She placed her hands on her hips and smiled up at Junpei and Saki, pretending everything about her wasn't far too stiff for any of their likings. "What are you two doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Saki deflected, not in the mood to explain that their life had been turned upside down in the course of the last day. "I didn't realize that you were planning on coming into the Digital World today."

"It was... An impromptu arrangement," Haroi explained slowly, choosing each word like he feared it could come back to destroy him. He began to nervously fiddle with his hands, refusing to meet anyone's gaze directly. 

Mayumi sighed, and all of her outward facades melted away to show a girl who was completely and utterly exhausted. "We talked to Tomoki yesterday. He said that he's been worried about being followed by his older brother," Mayumi started. "Ever since he said that, we've been on the lookout to make sure that Yutaka isn't following us too. Tomoki said that he could have been. I didn't want to believe it at first, but... I think Yutaka has been following us, at least to a limited extent."

Junpei's eyes went wide. "You have got to be kidding me," he muttered. He absolutely despised Yutaka Himi from everything he had heard of the man, and that had been when Junpei thought everything about him was in the past. Despite it all though, he was back and somehow worse than ever before. Great. Yutaka was just another problem to add to the list. That was exactly what they needed. 

"It's just a suspicion right now, but we didn't want to sit around and wait for him to watch us, you know?" Haroi remarked. "We figured we would come here to try and unwind for a few hours. Maybe we could go out and take care of a Void Fragment attack if something like that happened. We weren't exactly hoping for it, but if it meant that we could get away from Yutaka potentially following us, then we were willing to take it."

Saki sighed and pinched at the bridge of their nose. "I swear, if he ever tires to cross me, he's going to be dead meat," they mumbled crossly. "If he's going to cause problems, then he's going to have to deal with problems."

One of Lopmon's ears perked up, and beside him, Salamon glanced around as well. The two shared a look before starting up the nearby set of stairs. Bokomon and Neemon were quick to chase them with Patamon swerving around on his ears in their wake. "Where are you going? Come back!" Patamon cried out. 

Junpei and Saki wound up following Mayumi and Haroi over to the elevator that led up to the higher levels of the fortress. Somehow, Saki already knew exactly where they were going, and Junpei was more than happy to follow them in the right direction. Mayumi and Haroi took up the rear, trying their best to hold back their anxiety all the while and falling pathetically short. They were all terrified whether they wanted to admit it or not. 

The Digimon had wound up in a small room that contained three computer screens and a matching console, and Junpei recognized it immediately as the communications room for the fortress. It allowed the Digimon to contact the Legendary Warriors when necessary, but that wasn't all it was good for. The room also offered the group the chance to speak with Alastomon and Biastamon. One screen was covered in fifteen stripes of color, one for each of the Legendary Warriors with Alastomon, Biastamon, and Miriamon tacked on at the end. At the bottom, there were lights to show how stable the signals were, and Junpei could only assume that Alastomon had helped to set this up for the sake of easy communication. 

What likely hadn't been part of the plan was the fact that Alastomon's light was flashing red. It was a distress signal. If Junpei had to guess, it could only be indicative of one thing. 

"Alastomon is under attack," Haroi concluded. He turned to look at the rest of the group with determination gleaming in his brown eyes. "We have to go and help him."

"He's probably at the Crystal Citadel at this time of day," Saki declared. "I can teleport us there as soon as possible, and we can start fighting once we get there." 

Nobody objected to that suggestion, and Saki quickly scanned a ring of data across the top of their D-Tector. When the light faded, Aerismon stood in their place, and they summoned their rapier to their fingertips. Aerismon drew a circle in the air above their head, and light consumed each of the Legendary Warriors before teleporting them away from the fortress and toward the Crystal Citadel. 

When the glow faded, Junpei, Mayumi, and Haroi had all been replaced by their Digimon forms. Thundramon, Aethermon, and Siriusmon were all on their guard and ready to launch into action the instant they saw any signs of combat. The signals of a fight were incredibly easy to spot from where they had wound up. They were about ten yards away from the Crystal Citadel, but the distance didn't hamper their ability to see what was happening in the slightest. 

There were countless Void Fragment Digimon swarming at the castle, each of them desperately trying to find a way in. The palace had been shut down in a defensive maneuver to try and keep everyone inside safe, though there was no way of saying just how successful that was going to be. Thundramon snarled under his breath before he took to the skies, gesturing for everyone else to follow him. "Come on."

Thundramon didn't get close enough to see what Digimon were knocking at the doors, instead releasing a massively powerful blast of electricity on a small cluster of possessed attackers. The single blow sent them all knocking into one another, and between the thunder magic itself and the knock back of the strike, all four of them were left without their Void Fragments a moment later. The Digimon addressed one another with confusion and curiosity, but nobody had the chance to explain what was happening. Instead, the group of Legendary Warriors just ran onward with Siriusmon scooping the Digimon guides up into his arms to ensure they weren't attacked while unattended. 

After a few more moments of silent examination, Thundramon realized that there were two dedicated groups of Digimon attacking the palace. One party consisted of a wide variety of Digimon, none of them having much of anything in common aside from being Beast Digimon. That was the group trying to sneak in through the front of the castle. The other party was made up of only SkullSatamon, and all of them were trying to break in through the back. Thundramon couldn't help staring at the SkullSatamon in confusion once he noticed them. What in the world were residents of the Continent of Darkness doing so far from home? That was what happened with Void Fragment Digimon, he knew, but it still caught him off guard. The mastermind must have had grand plans for them, whatever the hell that meant. 

"The front group is a diversion," Bokomon said. "If I had to guess, I would say that the heavy hitters are the SkullSatamon. They're probably trying to strike at Alastomon and Biastamon while they believe they are undefended. We need to defeat them as soon as possible."

"Split up," Aerismon instructed. "We won't be able to win if we don't split our attention. We need some people to take out the Digimon trying to break down the door while the others turn their attention to the SkullSatamon and defeat them from behind. We can meet up in the center of the citadel and defend Alastomon and Biastamon."

"Siriusmon and I will take the front door," Aethermon declared before anyone could object. She took off running toward the entrance of the citadel, and Aerismon reached one hand out to her before swearing under their breath. The one person they hadn't wanted to be left alone with was Thundramon, but unfortunately, that was the hand had been given. 

Thundramon looked at them with a frown before he sighed and turned his attention back to the SkullSatamon. "Don't think our conversation from earlier is over," he told them. "I'm sure you know better than that, but I need to make sure that you don't forget about this."

Aerismon nodded stiffly, though anyone could see just how unhappy and stiff they were. "Alright," they forced out through gritted teeth. "Come on. Let's get this over with."

Thundramon and Aerismon flew toward the back of the castle, and Thundramon charged one fist with electricity before punching at the air, releasing a wave of lightning that slammed straight into the first SkullSatamon. Aerismon was quick to follow up with their rapier, stabbing at the SkullSatamon with just enough force to draw out the Void Fragment. Afterward, they slashed outward at the next SkullSatamon, opening up his defenses just enough for Thundramon to punch him across the chest and expose the Void Fragment for all to see. 

The SkullSatamon that had already been freed were pushed out of the fray by some of Aerismon's telekinetic magic while they turned their focus to the rest of the SkullSatamon. They snapped, and a pulse of purple energy ripped through the sky. All the SkullSatamon in the area screamed in pain at the sudden noise ringing in their heads, and they temporarily gave up on their assaults to cover their ears even though the sound was coming from inside of their own minds. 

Even if the SkullSatamon had no idea how to defend themselves, Thundramon couldn't bring himself to care. Instead, he charged his cannon with more energy and sent the attack flying at three of the SkullSatamon, hitting them in one clean shot. All three of them stumbled when the Void Fragments showed themselves, and they flew away from the battlefield in a desperate bid to escape being attacked again. Thundramon was more than happy to let them go, and he turned his attention back to the battlefield soon afterward. 

The relief didn't last for long though. A few of the SkullSatamon had managed to tear open a hole in the wall, and they were using it to rush through the halls of the citadel. Rather than chasing after the SkullSatamon immediately though, Aerismon created a barrier of purple energy that separated the inside of the castle from the outside. That was all it took to lock out most of the SkullSatamon, and in dividing the groups, Aerismon had made it much easier to defeat them. 

Aerismon drew a circle in the air with the tip of their rapier, and a series of small purple bullets appeared before firing themselves like comets at the SkullSatamon. The attacks alone were not enough to destroy the Void Fragments, but with the SkullSatamon distracted and staggered for a few moments, Thundramon was able to follow up on the attack with a few punches charged with electricity. The SkullSatamon he hit were sent flying in every direction as the Void Fragments shattered. 

At this point, there were only about four SkullSatamon still in the area. Aerismon drew a line in the sky that opened as a rift, and they passed through with their sword raised high above their head. While the SkullSatamon were busy wondering where they had gone, Thundramon released an attack from his cannon that tore through the air and earned screams from all of them. Aerismon reappeared behind the SkullSatamon with their rapier primed for a strike, and when they brought the blade down, nobody was ready to counter the attack. All they could do was stand there, eyes wide as the Void Fragments appeared and then splintered. 

Aerismon landed on the ground in a crouch as the last of the SkullSatamon were forced to flee. They sighed under their breath and snapped, the barrier over the hole in the citadel wall tearing itself open and rupturing. Aerismon was the first to pass through with Thundramon hot on their heels. Once they were inside, Aerismon recreated the wall just to make sure no other SkullSatamon would be able to break through and attack the pair while they were attacking those that had already snuck into the castle. Aerismon let out a small exhale after the barrier was back up before they started to fly toward the center of the castle. 

Thundramon took to the air as well, and the two were perfectly even with one another despite their drastically different sets of wings. Thundramon was glad for that; it made it much easier for him to talk to Aerismon. This was the only chance that they were going to get to talk before the fight ended, and he needed to get at least a little bit of his internal monologue off his chest as long as he had the opportunity. 

"I don't hate you, if that's what you're thinking," Thundramon told them. "I'm worried about you. If I didn't care, then I wouldn't be pushing it this hard. I know that you're going to hurt yourself if you keep bottling up the truth, so I'm going to do all that I can to make things right. I know you might not like it, but that's the fact of the matter. I'm here because I care about you, and... I want to understand what's going on with you."

Aerismon tilted their head away from him a little bit, and Thundramon sighed before continuing. "I care about all of you a lot. I've never had the chance to connect with people this way, and I don't want to mess it up. I know I'm not the best when it comes to understanding the way other people feel, but I don't want that to hold me back forever. Even if it's a small change, I feel like I have to try and make it. That starts with you. I want to help you no matter what. You don't need to hide the truth from us. I care about you, and... I wish you would let me in."

Aerismon looked over to him, and even though their eyes were hidden from view, Thundramon knew that their irises were showing complete vulnerability beneath the mask. Eventually, they let out a shaky breath, a small sign of anxiety and insecurity that Aerismon normally hid with an obsessive fervor. "I... I'll tell you about everything I've found after this fight is over," they told him. "I didn't mean to do so much to hurt you and the rest of the group. I'm not used to this either, and I'm still figuring out how to trust people."

"That's okay," Thundramon assured him. "It might not be perfect, but when are people ever? We all fucked up a fair share of times, and we've still saved the world multiple times before even turning eighteen. If that's not proof of how much we can do when we put our minds to it... Well, I don't know what is. Even if it's not perfect, we're doing our best, and we're going to figure it out together. That's how we've gotten this far, right?" 

Aerismon and Thundramon shared a smile at that before the Warrior of Steel gasped. Thundramon didn't have the chance to ask them what they were looking at before his body forced him to stop flying. Yellow light sparked up around his torso before spreading outward, and all Thundramon could do was stand there as it happened. Deep down, he already knew what was happening. He didn't need anyone to tell him. 

Resplendent Evolution. 

Thundramon reverted back to Junpei first and foremost, and the changes began to spread outward from there. Junpei's light brown hair styled itself simply atop his head as per usual, though it grew a little bit longer along the way. A single streak of yellow appeared near his face, a byproduct of his longer hair. Dark purple fabric appeared on his legs to create pants that were ever so slightly loose, not that anyone would be able to notice it at a first glance. At the top of his pants, a silver metallic belt hung somewhat lopsided on his frame. His pants were tucked into tall black boots with silver laces and golden decorations like thunderbolts on either side. The lightning pattern spread down the sides of his pants as well. 

Junpei's shirt was a bold yellow color. The top near his neck was lighter than the hem thanks to a gentle gradient pattern. Junpei also had a black jacket over the top of the rest of his outfit, though the inside of it was dark purple and faded out to silver and then gold at the bottom. The bottoms of his sleeves were yellow, and the lining of his hood followed the same pattern. The jacket was heavy duty, and golden thunderbolts traveled up his arms and hoodie. On closer examination, the thunderbolts were both part of the design and separated from the fabric, a sign of Junpei's primary method of attacking. Deep gray gloves with a few silver pieces of metal on the fingers appeared on Junpei's hands, and they were just as heavy duty and thick as his jacket. The fabric was built to resist electricity so that his element didn't tear him apart. At the same time, everything about him brought together the power of the element of Thunder, ready to release a powerful attack the instant he was given the reason to do so. 

The finishing touch was a small splash of a tattoo on Junpei's left cheek. It was the symbol of Thunder, proof that this was his power to use as he saw fit. Since the streak in his hair was on the other side of his face, he had yellow framing his features perfectly even if the effect was asymmetrical. Everything about him was the embodiment of power, and everyone could feel it. 

When the yellow light faded, Junpei stared down at his hands. Aerismon was watching him intently as well, and they let out a hearty laugh at the sight of him. "Impressive," they remarked. "Let's see what that power of yours can do when it's pushed to the limit."

Junpei nodded, but before he could take off running, his body lifted itself from the ground. Yellow electricity condensed itself to create a buzz of energy on his back that, while not directly resembling wings, reminded Junpei of the sensation of flight that he enjoyed when he was Spirit Evolved as Blitzmon and Thundramon. It allowed him to fly, and that was all that mattered. If he could fly, then he would be able to make up ground on the SkullSatamon that much faster. 

Soon afterward, Junpei and Aerismon arrived in the central meeting space of the Crystal Citadel. Alastomon and Biastamon were there together as was to be expected, and they were fighting off the SkullSatamon with everything they had. Alastomon was the first one to notice the new arrivals, and he broke out into a smile. "Legendary Warriors!" he exclaimed. "It's a pleasure to see you here!" Beside Alastomon, Biastamon's eyes went wide at the sight of Junpei as he put together the pieces that this was Resplendent Evolution.

"I wish we could meet on better circumstances," Junpei shrugged. "Let me fix that." He landed easily, and the electric current that had fueled his flight reshaped and followed his commands to surge forward and strike at the SkullSatamon all at once. The sudden wave of electricity sent each of the SkullSatamon seizing on the spot, and Junpei punched at the air to create another blast that pulled the Void Fragments from their bodies in one fell swoop. 

The SkullSatamon that had gathered on the other side of Alastomon and Biastamon had managed to avoid the attack, but Aerismon was more than happy to fix that. They drew another circle in the air, but this time, the result was not their bullets of magic. Instead, small pieces of metal appeared before slamming into the SkullSatamon and spreading across their skin, small steel prisons to keep them trapped on the spot. The SkullSatamon shrieked in pain but were unable to free themselves of the metal. 

Junpei knew what to do before he even needed to be asked, and he smirked before sending out yet another surge of electricity. The thunder sparked across the surface of the metal, and that was all it took to free all of the SkullSatamon from the control of the Void Fragments. The remaining assailants crumbled, and they all glanced around the area in confusion before preparing to retreat. 

After the SkullSatamon had been taken care of, Alastomon smiled and took a step toward Junpei and Aerismon. "Our saviors," he murmured. "I don't think we could possibly thank you enough. We were holding our own against them to the best of our ability, but there's only so much we can do when there are so many of them attacking us at once."

"It's fine now," Aerismon assured him. "But we're not out of the woods yet. There was another group of Void Fragment Digimon fighting at the front of the castle, and we need to go help Aethermon and Siriusmon to clean them up. We can talk more after that's been finished."

"And we will talk, right?" Junpei asked as he glanced in their direction with determined eyes. Even if they had come to an agreement previously about their upcoming discussion, he wanted to make sure they were committed to it. 

Aerismon nodded, and that was all Junpei needed to hear. He condensed his electricity against his back once again, and he felt his feet lift from the ground effortlessly. "In that case, let's get down to business. I'm looking forward to seeing what else I can do. Those Void Fragments won't know what hit them."

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And there's the second Resplendent Evolution!

This chapter was one of the harder ones of this story to write honestly, and I absolutely did not expect that to be the case. I've had the conflict between Junpei and Saki brewing for a while now, and it was finally going to boil over here, but it took me a while to figure out how I wanted it to look. All things considered though, I'm really happy with how it turned out. I think this is a realistic way for everything to finally snap, and I really like how it all came together in the end. 

Now, let's get into the scene by scene breakdown. First up, we've got the opener of Saki talking to the Digimon guides. For a while, I was kind of tempted to leave off the Saki in the Digital World idea off after the end of the last chapter, but I think this makes a lot more sense in the long run. I really like how this turned out, and it continues to hint at how much Saki's been hiding out of fear for the sake of later in the chapter. 

Next up is the scene of Tomoki talking to Mayumi and Haroi. I wanted to follow up on the confrontation with Yutaka from the previous chapter, and this is how I wound up doing it. Since Tomoki mentioned before that he's afraid Yutaka has been following Mayumi and Haroi specifically, I thought it would make sense for the two of them to be the ones to talk to him about it. There's still more to this plot, as I'm sure you can imagine, but for now, they're starting to talk about it even if Tomoki hates it. I also thought this would be a perfect reason for Mayumi and Haroi to go to the Digital World on top of that, so here we are. It all works out. 

I really liked writing the confrontation scene between Junpei and Saki. It's a lot of the same back and forth we've seen from them before, but it's been bumped up to eleven since both of them, are understandably, getting irritated with their circumstances. Junpei wants to help Saki out, but they're intent on denying any and all help for as long as they can get away with it. It's realistic, and it perfectly hints at the conflict that eventually leads to Junpei Resplendent Evolving. 

And then Mayumi and Haroi showed up. I was always planning on making this the first fight sequence after Inaie, and I wanted it to be with a slightly unorthodox group. I wanted Junpei's evolution to be next, and that involved having both him and Saki there, so I mixed things up by giving Mayumi and Haroi--relatively overlooked characters--the time they need to show off what they can do. Plus, Mayumi is probably my favorite character to write for in a fight. It's a shame we didn't get to actually see her fight this time, right? Don't worry; that's next chapter. 

This chapter is only part one of the fight sequence here since I didn't want to rush it too much. I was planning on condensing it all down to this chapter originally, but when push came to shove, I decided it needed a bit more time in the oven, so we're going to wrap up the fight sequence next week. We got the first half in here, and Junpei and Saki finally talked out their problems, at least as much as they can in the middle of a fight. They really do care for each other, and you can see that here. They've got a lot to talk about next chapter, and I'm looking forward to it. In the meantime, here we are with the two of them working things out enough for Junpei to get his Resplendent form. 

I'm going to say upfront that designing some of these Resplendent Evolutions has been a pain in the ass. Some of them came to me relatively easily (Yumiko, Hinoka, and Saki for example) while others have been a much greater struggle for me. Junpei was one of the harder ones for me to work out, but I really like how it turned out. This design is very different from Yumiko, who has a medieval fantasy aesthetic, but I think the rough around the edges leather design works perfectly for Junpei. Electricity is much harder to use for a design basis than plants (plus his main color is yellow, which is a horribly difficult color to work with in character design), but I love how it is now. I'm going to draw these designs one day, I swear, but in the meantime, I hope you like the descriptions for his design. Junpei deserves everything, and I will not tolerate any criticism. 

Next week, we'll wrap up the second half of the battle at the Crystal Citadel. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital