Tomoki was not looking forward to this. 

Ever since he and the other Legendary Warriors had arrived at Mayumi and Haroi's house, they had been getting in contact with their families for the first time since this nightmare began. Tomoki had taken a seat at the edge of the couch with his phone in his hand, looking down at the screen and seeing all of the missed calls and unanswered texts from both of his parents. They had been losing their minds ever since he seemingly disappeared from his bedroom without any warning. Tomoki had snuck out while they were busy with thinking about the attacks being led by the dark beasts, off to fight the monsters however he could, but they hadn't known that. Tomoki had never told them that he was a member of the Legendary Warriors, and now, his parents didn't understand a thing about where he was or what had happened to him. 

Mayumi had taken to explaining the situation to her parents, trying to tell them that everything was going to be fine and that they had a plan. Tomoki knew that it wasn't that simple, but he also couldn't find the strength he needed to speak up and say that he thought they were going to be fine too. After all, he wasn't sure at all. On top of that, he was distracted with watching his phone and waiting for one of his parents to say something else to try and get his attention. They were worried sick, and reports of him having gone missing were bound to start popping up on social media or the news any minute now. 

Tomoki was staring at the log of the group chat he shared with his parents when another message came through. His mother was asking what had happened to him, begging him to please just give them a sign that he was alive. Tomoki's hands shook from reading the text alone, and the thought of having to respond made him feel like he was going to be sick. Still, he couldn't hold this off for any longer. He had done more than enough to hurt them as it was, and regardless of how difficult it was going to be to talk to them, Tomoki knew what he had to do. He keyed out a message, hoping with everything he had that it would be enough to keep them from spamming his phone from then on:

'I'm fine. Don't worry about me.'

Tomoki leaned back into his seat on the couch once the message had been sent, unable to decide if that was taking a massive weight off his shoulders or if it was making him feel worse. It was difficult to put a finger on anything related to his emotions at the moment with everything going on. It was simply too much for him to bear, and the pressure felt like it was going to kill him the instant he gave it the chance. He forced himself through a tight breath, hoping with everything he had that he would find a way to survive this. 

In the end, he didn't receive another text from his parents. Instead, his phone began to vibrate from the promise of an incoming phone call. Tomoki wanted to be shocked at the sight of it, but instead, he found himself surrendering to the fact that this was where he was always going to end up. He sighed and pushed himself to his feet, doing his best to ignore the way his legs trembled beneath his weight. He didn't remember exactly what he said to the others to say that he was going to take the call, but he knew that he retreated into the hallway and stared down at his phone within the darkness. Once he was confident no one was going to be interrupting him, Tomoki wrestled up his courage and pushed the button to pick up the call. 

As soon as Tomoki had the phone against his ear, he was assaulted by the sounds of both of his parents gasping in shock. "Tomoki!" came the voice of his mother, the noise too loud for him to bear. Tomoki quickly recoiled from the speaker, biting back a wince and doing his best to keep himself from crying out in alarm. "I'm so glad you finally answered! Do you have any idea how worried we've been?! We thought something horrible happened to you! Are you alright?! Where are you?!"

"I'm fine," Tomoki forced himself to say even though he didn't truly feel fine at all. He wasn't going to feel fine until all of this was over, and he knew it very well. He needed the mastermind out of the picture as soon as possible, and that wasn't going to happen until he was able to figure out who they were. He couldn't return home until he knew the one responsible for all of this was gone, and he couldn't tell his parents the truth about everything he was enduring until he was certain it was safe. Tomoki truly felt trapped, and his chest went tighter and tighter each time he remembered the pain that was waiting for him just around the bend. 

"Where are you?!" Haruto asked, his voice sharp when Tomoki did not directly respond to Kotori's question. "You snuck out your bedroom window in the middle of a monster attack! What in the world were you thinking?! You could have been killed out there!"

"I... I had something to take care of," Tomoki tried to say, but he already knew those words weren't going to be enough. There was nothing that he could have needed to resolve that would be important enough to justify him going out in the middle of a monster attack to his parents. Neither Kotori nor Haruto knew of who he was, and they were going to question him on his decisions. Tomoki couldn't blame them at all. If he had been in their shoes, then he was certain that he would have done exactly the same. 

"What could have been so important that you had to go out now of all times?!" Kotori cried out. "You know how dangerous these monsters are! We never would have forgiven ourselves if something had happened to you! You have to tell us where you are so that we can have you escorted back here!"

"I'm with some friends," Tomoki told her, doing his best to step out of the reach of any questions that she could have had about what it was that he was doing with them. He wasn't going to be able to avoid the inquiries forever, but he would get there with time, and Tomoki was hoping that he would be able to make it to the end of this nightmare if he was just patient enough. "We're safe. I'm at one of their houses, and we're going to wait all of this out."

"But you should be waiting it out here!" Haruto argued. "We're your family, and you just ran out on us the instant an attack began?! You won't be able to survive it if you end up in another scuffle! Do you have any idea how dangerous all of this is?! Clearly not if you're out there by yourself!"

Tomoki wanted to tell his parents that he didn't feel like he could rely on them. He wanted to say that he was afraid of telling them the truth of what was going on because of how horribly wrong it had gone in the past. He had tried to talk to them about what had happened with Yutaka, and they hadn't wanted to listen until it was too late for them to be able to help him. Tomoki had wanted them to stand by him, but they hadn't done a damn thing for him. He could say all he wanted that he had forgiven them for that, but he didn't know if he ever truly would. Now, his parents were trying to assert control and claim over him. Tomoki knew that those words were harsh, but it felt wrong of them to want anything out of him now when he had tried to reach out to them previously but to no avail. If they were truly trying to be there for him, then they would have done their part to support him back when Yutaka was ruining his life. 

No matter how hard Tomoki tried though, he just couldn't bring the words to form. It was too much. All of it was too much. His parents didn't know a thing about him, and it was all because they hadn't listened to him back when Yutaka was hurting him. Now. Tomoki didn't trust them with anything, and he had been forced to go behind their backs. He couldn't decide if he was right to feel this way or if he should have been honest ages ago. Neither one felt like a true solution, and Tomoki didn't know what outcome would have possibly been better. 

Tomoki's fingers moved on their own, and he yanked his phone away from his face when he realized he didn't know how to respond. He slammed his finger onto the button to hang up the call, his breathing shaky and rattling. Tomoki didn't realize what he had done until after he was finished hanging up the call, and he could feel sweat beading uncomfortably across the top of his forehead. His parents were worried about him, and he had responded by... By leaving them to suffer without him. By not telling them a thing about what he was really going through. It didn't matter if he thought it was justified or not. He had just scared them half to death, and Tomoki already knew it was just a matter of time before they called him again. 

As soon as the shock on the other end of the line wore off, Tomoki's phone began to vibrate again, and he set it facedown on one of the tables lining the hallway. His entire body was trembling by now, and he did his best to ignore the noise of the phone as he cradled at his torso with his arms. Why had he thought he would be able to do anything with his parents? He didn't want to leave them worrying forever, but he didn't want to have to talk to them about what he had been doing either. It was all too much. He had known it wasn't going to be easy, so why had he tried at all?

"Tomoki?"

The Warrior of Ice breathed in sharply at the sound of Hinoka's voice, and he looked up to find her standing in the front of the hallway. Her face was twisted with worry, and her concern only grew when she saw his hunched posture and the lack of his phone in his hand. "Are you alright?" Hinoka asked carefully, stepping toward him with wide eyes. She didn't fully reach out to engulf him in a hug, but Tomoki could feel her considering it for the sole purpose of bringing him out of his own head for a moment. 

"I... I don't know," Tomoki choked out, but he already knew the answers clearly. He needed only a moment to think about it, and he shook his head. "No... I'm not. My parents... They wanted to know where I was, and I had to reach out to them again, but... I-I couldn't tell them what I was doing. They're so worried about me, and I couldn't even... I couldn't tell them..."

Hinoka's hand came down gently on Tomoki's shoulder, and he snapped out of his trembling all at once to look up at her. "It's alright to be anxious," she assured him. "This is a very scary situation to be in, and I can't blame you for being upset at all. To be honest with you, I've been struggling to figure out what to do with my mother too. She was texting me constantly asking where I was and what was going on, but... I couldn't bring myself to respond to her. It was just too much." Hinoka laughed bitterly, and an old sadness rose in her eyes. "It's the most the two of us have communicated in ages, and it's still all happening over text."

Tomoki's throat was tense with a knot steadily rising in the back of it. "I don't know what to do," he admitted. "I want to be able to talk to them about what's going on, but... I couldn't ever tell them about Yutaka. I still don't know if I can talk to them. It's all too much. I just... I want all of this to be over, but I don't want to talk to them about what's going on."

"You don't have to right now," Hinoka assured him. "It's up to you what you say or don't say, and they can't force you to talk as things are. If you need a bit more time to figure out what you want to do next, then you should take it. You'll have the chance to talk to them later on. We just have to be patient until this all blows over."

"I..." Tomoki pressed one hand against his chest. "I think I want to try and tell them what I've been hiding once all of this is over. I think I want to be honest about who and what I am. I've been keeping so much from them for so long, and I want to do what I can to talk to them."

"Then... Then maybe we can try to tell our families at the same time," Hinoka suggested. "I've been thinking that I want to talk to my mom about it too, and if we agree to talk to them together, then it might be a little bit less scary than it would be otherwise."

"Yeah... I like that idea," Tomoki agreed with a slow nod. He still felt like he was on the verge of melting into a million pieces, like he was going to crumble into nothing but ash under even the slightest bit of pressure, but a bit of his strength was returning now. "Thanks for all of this, Hinoka. I really appreciate it."

"I'm happy to help." Hinoka's eyes grew sharp and hard with the promise of determination, and she took a deep breath. "Everything is going to be fine. It might not seem like it now, but I know that we're going to get there soon enough."

Tomoki nodded, and he found himself hoping more than anything that he could believe her. He wanted to be alright. He wanted all of this to end in peace rather than war. He just had to keep his head on straight. This battle was going to conclude one day, and Tomoki had to be focused if he was going to help it find its end. 

And once it was over, he would finally be honest for the first time in countless months. 

~~~~~

"I hope everyone is going to be alright..."

Shinya looked up at the sound of Chiaki's voice, finding her staring down the hallway that Hinoka and Tomoki had both gone down a few minutes prior. The group's members had split up throughout the house to get in contact with their families or to just take some time to breathe. The three members of the investigation team were in the living room while Mayumi's parents talked in the kitchen. They weren't sure of where the others had gone, but Shinya knew the three of them were alone for the time being. 

"I can't stop thinking about everything that could be going on in the Digital World," Chiaki murmured. "I know the others aren't going to let anything bad happen without a fight, but it still bothers me to think that the choice could just be... Taken out of our hands. We can try to fight all we want, but we can't get there. They're going to have to take care of it on their own."

"And things are bad on this side of the barrier too," Teruo sighed, leaning back and pressing his hands against the ground. "I really thought we had the upper hand when we went to the center of the city to check out what was going on, but I guess none of us could have prepared for what was going to happen when we were forced on opposite sides of the barrier."

"I hope they're all okay on the other end," Shinya said, his fingers tightening into fists. "I'm really worried about Chihiro. They weren't doing well before all of this started, and we can't really do anything for them or anyone else when they're on the other side of the barrier between worlds. We're just going to have to wait until we're able to figure out where they are and how we can get through to them, and we still don't know where to start on that."

"I'm choosing to believe that everyone is okay in the Digital World," Chiaki declared, but Shinya could tell by the shakiness to her voice that she didn't entirely know if she had faith in it. "They know how to take care of themselves, and they're going to do what they can to keep themselves safe with everything going on. If there's anything we can do, then we're going to have to wait and get to the bottom of it once the others have figured out how to get through the barrier. Until then... We're just going to have to sit here."

Chiaki's phone buzzed before she had the chance to continue, and she let out a sigh. She reached out to see what the message said, and as soon as she read it, she turned the device over so it was facedown again. Shinya and Teruo both looked at her in curiosity, and Chiaki sighed with a shake of her head. "It's my parents," she replied. "My mother is really worried about me. She wants me to come back home so that I can be safe with her, but... I can't do that. I don't want to go back to my house as long as my father is going to be there. I want to do what I can to get away from him for as long as I can. I don't want to be with him, and..." Chiaki shook her head once again. "This situation is just awful. I wish I could be with my mother without having to be around my father, but I don't have much of a choice in the matter. I'd rather be here as long as we're going to be forced to think about this stuff." 

"It's really bad," Teruo agreed. "I wish we didn't have to worry our families so much with this. I'm glad that I'm here so that I can do something to help, but... I know my parents are freaked out. I told them that I was safe, but I know they're curious about what's really going on. They wouldn't feel good at all unless I was there with them, and I know that, but I can't go back. I want to be able to help here."

"If I go back, then they're not going to let me do anything to help the rest of you, and I'm not going to let that happen," Chiaki went on. "I need to do what I can to help to stop all of this. My father isn't going to let me out of his sight ever again, and... I feel like I'm under his thumb even when I'm far away from him. It's only going to get worse if I go close enough for him to force me to stay with him from now on."

Shinya nodded, his chest tight as could be. He was glad that his parents knew the truth of what was going on even though he wished it wasn't something they all had to think about. Takuya and Chihiro had been right to explain to them that the situation required them to fight, and Shinya was glad he didn't need to worry about keeping the secret when his parents were already so aware of what was going on. He was lucky in many ways to have been given the chance to enjoy the company of his friends without having to constantly worry about his parents looking over his shoulder. They were worried about him, yes, but Shinya would be able to count on them to leave him in peace for the time being. He had already sent them a message saying that he and Takuya were fine, and he was glad he didn't need to explain himself much more. 

Even with that in mind though, Shinya was confident that he was going to have a lot to talk about the instant he got back home. His parents were no doubt far more worried than they wanted to let on. They hated the thought of their children being put in danger by monsters from another world, but they knew Takuya and Chihiro had no choice but to stand up and fight. Shinya didn't know how they handled it, but then again, he didn't know how he withstood it either. The situation truly was impossible in every way, and Shinya was doing his best to keep himself held together beneath the weight of it all. 

"We're back."

Tomoki's voice pulled Shinya out of his thoughts, and he looked up to find Tomoki and Hinoka settling into place a short distance away. There was something tense about Tomoki's posture though, and it was enough to earn him a frown from all three embers of the investigation team sitting on the floor. "How did it go?" Shinya asked even though he was certain he wasn't going to like whatever answer he received. 

"I..." Tomoki hesitated for a long moment before settling down on the ground just beside the trio already sitting there. "I hung up on them. My parents were worried about me, but I couldn't bring myself to talk to them, so... I don't know. I panicked, and I'm doing my best to pretend they're not trying to reach me right now."

"It's hard," Hinoka told him when Tomoki's expression began to fill with doubt about if he had done the right thing. "This is a horrible position to be in, and I can't blame you for struggling with it. If you're going to talk to them about everything going on, then it's going to have to wait until all of this is over, and... There's not really an easy way of handling it in the meantime. This is an impossible situation, but we're just going to have to find a way to push through it until we reach the other end."

"I really hope we're going to be able to pull through this," Teruo sighed with a shake of his head. "I feel like we should be making more progress than we are, but there's not much we can do when we're stuck over here while the others are trapped on the other side of the barrier. I feel like there has to be a way for us to figure out how to reach them, but I'm not sure of where to start."

"I would love to get out there and do a bit more digging to see if we can figure out how to get through the barrier, but... I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched," Tomoki murmured, pulling one hand tight against his chest. "I don't know if I'm just being paranoid or if there's actually some merit to me saying that it could be possible, but... I guess it doesn't matter all that much. We're still not going to be able to go outside freely as long as there's a chance we're going to be attacked by any monsters."

"I feel like we're being watched too," Hinoka agreed with a tight frown. "I know we don't have any evidence to back it up, but I still just... Can't shake the feeling just like you said. I feel like I've had to get used to feeling like I'm being watched because of everything that has happened with Emon recently, but it doesn't seem like it's enough. I can't figure it out. I don't know what we're up against."

"We'll just have to get to the bottom of it then," Teruo declared, and Shinya could tell that he was trying to bury his paranoia before it had the chance to explode out and deal any damage to their morale. They were in a bad enough situation as it was, and the last thing they wanted was to lose a grip on what little strength they had left. 

Shinya looked up at the ceiling once again, his frown heavy enough to make his cheeks burn. He really hoped everything was alright in the end. He would have no choice but to be patient and see if there was a way to push through this, but that didn't make it any easier. Knowing that he had to take a step back and calm down was one thing, but it wasn't enough to remind his head that he was going to have to wait. Shinya had never been the best with patience, and he hated it more than ever before now. 

But as long as he was stuck there, Shinya was going to have to deal with it. Hopefully, the rest of the group would have a solution that would make this easier in the future. They just had to be patient and hold on for a little bit longer. Everything was going to fall into place with time... Or so he was hoping. He couldn't let himself lose his faith when that would only make the situation worse. He had to keep fighting. All of them did. 

If Shinya couldn't save the world, then the least he could do was try to keep his spirits up. The others were counting on him, and Shinya refused to let them down. One way or another, they would find their ways back together. They would defeat the mastermind, shake off whoever may or may not have been watching them, and fix this. It didn't matter how long it would take. Shinya would see it through. 

The entire world was counting on them, and Shinya wished he knew how the others were able to handle the far greater weight on their shoulders when this was enough to feel like it was going to kill him. 

~~~~~

Mayumi paced around the edge of her bedroom, unable to decide what she was meant to be doing with her hands. Sometimes, she rubbed at her upper arms. Other times, she let her hands flop down by her sides. On a third occasion, she let her thumbs battle in front of her chest, searching for a strength they would not be able to find as long as she was in such a horrible situation. Mayumi let out small whimpers in the back of her throat from time to time, but she couldn't seem to make it stop no matter how much she wanted to. She knew she looked pathetic, but that wasn't enough to calm her down. Nothing was enough. She was trapped, and her only choice was to try and find a way to deal with it when the world wanted to destroy her. 

Once Mayumi had explained the situation to her parents, she very quickly decided that she had to go back to her room to enjoy a bit of time to herself... Though she wasn't sure if she would really consider it enjoyment as long as she was trying to keep her mind from spiraling in a million different directions at once. She needed to breathe. She needed to remind herself how to calm down again when it felt so impossible. Everything was too much for her, and the longer she thought about it, the worse she felt. 

Mayumi knew it was improper of her to be doing this. The rest of the Legendary Warriors were no doubt searching for her to help them however she could. It was her house, and that meant she was supposed to be hosting them... But if that was the case, then how was she supposed to do it when her mind was on the verge of ripping itself apart? The world felt overwhelming enough to crush her, and all Mayumi could do was sit there and stare. She was going to die, and there was nothing she could do about it. There was nothing any of them could do about it. 

Mayumi could feel hot tears rising to her eyes the longer she paced. She missed Haroi. The two of them had been there for each other for years, always a first support in a world that did not want them to experience any kind of joy. They had struggled to find a place in the universe when they were outcasted from birth. Both of them were different from others around them, and Mayumi knew their presentations of disability had alienated them from the vast majority of their peers. She had felt that exclusion from a very young age, and she had thought she would be left chasing after the approval of others for the rest of her life. 

Haroi had been the first one to show her that things could be different. They had been there for each other in a time when they thought they would be alone forever. They understood each other in a way that went beyond words, and that care had soon blossomed into something more when they became stepsiblings. There was no one who Mayumi would have rather welcomed into her family. They belonged together, and she was happy to have the excuse to stand beside the only person who truly understood her. This was where she was always meant to be, and she had felt it as her bond with Haroi deepened. 

But they weren't together anymore. Because of the actions of someone far out of both of their controls, they had been torn apart. Haroi was on one side of the barrier between worlds while Mayumi was stranded on the other. Their D-Tectors couldn't reach through the static, and they couldn't communicate through instinct either. Every avenue they had ever used to see each other had been closed up, and Mayumi didn't know how she was supposed to handle it. She and Haroi had been there for each other for years, and now... It was like none of that mattered anymore. They couldn't find each other again until they were able to tear apart the barrier between worlds. 

But how were they supposed to do that? Mayumi wanted to believe they were getting closer to figuring it out, but she wasn't entirely sure if that was true or not. None of them knew what was going on, and the situation only seemed to deteriorate more the longer they were separated from each other. Mayumi would have given anything to be with Haroi in that moment, and yet, it was one of the only things she was entirely unable to do. The thought was sickening, and the longer she sat with it, the worse the pain became. 

"Mayumi?"

The Warrior of Energy nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of her name being called, and she looked up at the door with wide eyes. Koichi was the one who had spoken, and he hesitantly knocked once again before closing his fingers around the doorknob. "Can I come in?" he asked. "You don't have to say yes. I just... Thought you could use someone to talk to."

Mayumi's chest was so tight it seemed ready to choke all of the life from her lungs. She didn't know how she was supposed to handle talking to anyone right now, but at the same time, not talking felt like it was going to destroy her too. She wanted to scream about how much she missed Haroi, but she couldn't do it in front of her parents out of fear of scaring them. If anyone was going to understand what she was going to, then it was bound to be one of the other Legendary Warriors. On top of that, Koichi had a sibling trapped on the other end of the barrier too. He would know what she was going through, and Mayumi could only hope that would be enough to bring her some degree of peace in the middle of the impossible. 

"You can come in," Mayumi finally managed to choke out, though her throat hurt with each word she forced from her lips. She couldn't decide if she should at least try to seem a bit casual by sitting down on her bed or if she should be honest and remain standing. In the end, she couldn't make her mind up in time, and Koichi pushed the door open before stepping into her room. 

"Hey," Koichi greeted, clearly unsure of what else he was meant to be saying to soothe her fears. Mayumi wanted to say something in return to help him feel better, but the words simply refused to come to her. Everything felt like it was too much, and it was only going to get harder to bear the longer she stood there. "How are you feeling?"

"I..." Mayumi forced herself to stand up straight out of loyalty to some piece of pride she hadn't even realized she was still clinging to. "I'm doing my best." That was the only thing she could really offer, and even so, it didn't seem entirely honest. She was trying her best, but it wasn't enough. She was doing what she could to keep herself held together, but it wasn't doing a damn thing to actually keep her calm. She was on the verge of completely shattering, and if she pretended that wasn't the case, then she was only going to unravel more. 

Koichi's face immediately stained itself with a frown. "You don't have to hide the truth from me, you know," he told her. "I can tell you're anxious about everything going on. I think it would be more surprising if you weren't afraid of what we're up against. This is an awful situation to be in, and you shouldn't try to bottle it all up."

Mayumi couldn't say what part of Koichi's statement had done the most damage to her defenses, but by the time he was finished speaking, she felt like she was going to burst into tears. Everything was too much, and the longer she stood there, the greater the weight seemed to become. She was going to melt into ash, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it. The world was going to end, and she would have no choice but to watch as it crumbled. 

"I..." Mayumi forced herself to keep her fingers clenched into fists so she didn't betray her true struggles by rubbing at her eyes to hide her tears. She was certain Koichi could tell that she was crying anyway, but that did nothing to assuage that deep desire to keep her struggles buried. She didn't want to be a burden. She had done more than enough of that, and she didn't want to put that pain onto anyone else when she knew they were struggling as it was. 

Koichi closed the distance between them in a few steps, and he let one hand come to rest at the top of her arm. Mayumi almost jolted away from the touch, but she let herself relax into it. Koichi was soothing, and she enjoyed his company more now than she ever had before. "You don't have to hide anything from me," he went on. "If you're struggling, then you can say that. You shouldn't try to hide everything when you're having a hard time. We're going to find a way to be alright, but... You should be kinder to yourself and talk about what's going through your head."

Mayumi couldn't hold herself back for even a moment longer under that kind of pressure, and she began to tear up even more than before. "I... I hate this," she muttered even though those words could never express enough of the true dread she felt with all that was happening around her. "I hate that we've been split up from the rest of the team. I would feel so much better if I could just be with Haroi, but he's stuck on the other side of the barrier, and... I can't reach him. We've always been there for each other even when the rest of the world hated us. Now, we can't get to each other, and... I feel like there's nothing I can do to help myself feel better. Haroi and I are everything to each other, and he's not here with me anymore. I don't know how long we're going to be separated, and... I hate it. I'm so scared of everything, and I don't know how I'm supposed to deal with this."

"You're not on your own though," Koichi said. "You're not facing this entirely by yourself. All of us are here to help you, and we want to be there for you as much as we can be. I know it's not the same as having Haroi here by your side, but you can count on us. If you want our help, then we want to give it."

"But..." Mayumi sniffled in another failed effort to hold her tears back, but she knew it wasn't going to work. Nothing was ever enough, and she wished she had seen it sooner. "I feel like I haven't done enough to deserve anything you guys have done for me. I can't help anyone out with my regular strategies. I got so used to relying on my tactic of stealing the energy of my enemies and then firing it back out at them, but I can't do that anymore. I can't do anything to help us now. I feel like everything I do is doomed to end in failure, and... And... I don't know what the point of me being a Legendary Warrior is if I can't even help in a fight. I don't know why I'm here if there's nothing I can do to fix it. I can't even help everyone when they're anxious about what's going on. Haroi would be able to calm our parents down when they started getting stressed about everything happening around us, but I can't do that either. It feels like I can't do anything to help anyone, and I don't know what the point of me being here is if... If everything I do just ends in failure."

Koichi listened patiently throughout Mayumi's entire outburst, and he watched as she began to stare down at the ground with tears in her eyes. They began to overflow in earnest the instant she realized what she had just said. She had been doing her best to keep those insecurities quiet so as to not burden anyone else, but if there was anyone she was going to discuss it with, then it was Haroi... But Haroi wasn't there to hear her say it anymore. He was stuck on the other side of a barrier between universes, and Mayumi had no way of communicating with him. She was on her own, and she didn't know what she was meant to do to face it. 

Koichi shook his head and began to rub gentle circles across her shoulder. "You don't need to measure your worth in everything you can do for other people," he murmured. "You're so much more than just what you can do to help the people around you, Mayumi. You may not see it, but I do. All of us do. I know it's scary to feel like you can't really do anything the way you used to or that you're not able to help people in the ways you're used to, but... You shouldn't worry so much about helping other people."

"But that's the reason we're the Legendary Warriors, right?" Mayumi pressed. "We're here because it's our job to look after the rest of the people in the Digital World and on Earth. They can't defend themselves from battles like this, but we can help them to stay safe. It's our job to keep others out of danger. We're the only ones who can do it, and... If one of us can't do it, then there's not much of a point to us being here, is there?"

"Listen to what you're saying for a moment. You wouldn't say something like that about any of the rest of us, would you?" Koichi challenged, and Mayumi faltered. He was right; if the others were struggling with their self-worth in the face of all they had been through, she would immediately jump to reassuring them. It was the least she could do after all they had faced together. They deserved that peace, and Mayumi was determined to give it to them. "Then why is it so different when we want to assure you that you're doing what you can too? You're doing all you can to help people you've never met, and you're pushing yourself beyond your limits in the name of assisting the people who can't help themselves. You're doing so much more than you realize, and I hate seeing you treat yourself so horribly that you can't even see what it is you're doing to help."

Mayumi opened her mouth to protest, but the words refused to come. Koichi took that as his cue to continue, and he ever so slightly tightened his grip on her upper arm. "You shouldn't treat yourself as someone who exists only to help or serve others. You're a person in your own right, and you deserve to feel like it too. There's so much more to life than just what you can do for the people around you, and I want you to see it. You're a person, Mayumi, not just a weapon, and if you can't recognize that, then... Then I think all of us have to step up and do what we can to show it to you. You deserve this peace, and I'll say it as many times as I need to in order for you to agree with it. You deserve to ask for help. It's okay to need help from the people around you."

Mayumi shook her head weakly even though she already knew the protest wasn't going to land in the way she was intending. "I need to be able to handle myself," she whispered. "Everyone is already struggling with so much, and I can't make it any worse for them. The world is falling apart around us, and if I can't find a way to stand up for myself and fight, then... I don't want the others on our team to have to worry about me when they're already going through enough. I should be able to carry my own weight."

"You wouldn't ask any of the rest of us to do that though, would you?" Koichi reminded her. "I'm not going to let you isolate yourself from us because you don't want to accept help. All of us are giving it as freely as you're willing to let yourself take it, and... I think you should try to reach out and let us do something to support you. All of us are going through a lot right now. That much is true. But we're not going to get anywhere if we're caught up in trying to keep from hurting each other. We're struggling as a team, and we have to lean on each other if we're going to get through it. I know that it's tempting to try and double down so that you don't hurt anyone else. I've been there myself multiple times. Still... It never goes anywhere. You have to be willing to accept the aid of those around you. It's okay to let people in. You're not facing this on your own, and I don't want you to treat yourself like it either."

Mayumi couldn't restrain her tears at all anymore, and she let out a small sob that made her entire body seem to shake. "But... If I had been able to take care of myself back when my mother was around, then... Then maybe she wouldn't have left." It was horrible to think about, and yet, that wound had never fully healed. Mayumi wanted to think she was over what her mother had done to her. She wanted to believe that she didn't care about what the phantom of her mother had once thought of her... But Mayumi just couldn't do it. She still felt horribly broken, a daughter not even a mother could love, and it haunted her with each step she took. She couldn't do anything right, and she hated that her mother had seen it so much sooner than the rest of the world. 

"I understand why you feel the way you do about this," Koichi told her, his face softening with something like grief. "For a long time, I wondered if I had done something to deserve being abandoned by my father too. It was all I could think about. I just wanted to understand why my family was broken apart... But it wasn't my fault, and it wasn't your fault either. The issues of adults should never be pressed onto their children. Never. Your mother has nothing to do with what's going on right now. You deserve to live without feeling like you're being held back by a woman who never tried to know you. There are people who care about you now, and we want you here. You're more than just what you can do for other people, Mayumi, and if you can't see that, then I'll have to tell you as many times as you need to hear it."

Mayumi rubbed furiously at her eyes, her tears now flowing too quickly for her to ever think of fully stopping them. She sniffled and tried to bite back all of the anxiety that wanted to smother her, but she simply couldn't do it. "I... I don't know how to do this," she whispered. "I'm afraid of being alone. I'm afraid of not being able to handle everything that's happening. I need to get better if I'm going to help people, but I... I just don't know how I'm supposed to start."

"You're not alone," Koichi assured her with a shake of his head. "I'll be right here by your side until we can find the others again. All of us will be here for you. I think that we're more of family to each other than our blood families are sometimes, and I'm not going to let you fall apart on your own. I promise." 

Mayumi couldn't hold herself back for even a second longer, and she launched herself forward into Koichi's arms. He returned the embrace tightly, and Mayumi didn't bother with restraining her tears as her entire body shook with sobs. This was where she was meant to be. She didn't know how she was going to handle everything that was bound to come her way to try and ruin her, but she wanted to keep fighting. She wanted to see her family of thirteen reunited. She wanted to see the Digimon again. She wanted to see peace return to the worlds that she had come to call home over the last few months. 

One way or another, Mayumi would endure. She had to. She didn't know how she was going to do it, but she would figure something out. That was what it meant to live, and Mayumi saw very little other choice now. She would survive, and she would make sure this stopped. 

Even if it meant she had to fight to kill the mastermind once it was all over. 

~~~~~

Takuya had always hated feeling trapped. He loved being outside, and he loved being able to follow his heart's desires even more. There was no better feeling to him than being able to make his own choices with a smile on his face. He knew what he wanted out of life, and he was happy to make it a reality however he could. Takuya had been excited at the prospect of going on an adventure to save the world even if he hadn't been sure of where it was going to lead him at first. He wanted to see what he could witness out in the universe around him, and the Digital World had been just another p[lace for him to explore. 

Now though, Takuya had no other choice but to hide away in the darkness as he waited for the army of Japan to stop wanting to kill him. It wasn't going to be that simple, and he was fully aware of it, but Takuya still knew he had to wait it out. The battle against the military was only going to get harder the longer it raged on, and Takuya was left with very little choice other than to stare out the window with a frown on his face. One day, it would all stop. Until then, he was going to have to painstakingly teach himself patience in the middle of a situation that made him want to rip his hair out. 

"You shouldn't look out the window for too long. We wouldn't want someone to spot you."

Takuya winced at the sound of Saki's voice. He knew realistically that they were right. They wouldn't have said it at all if they didn't find it to be logical, and Takuya sighed as he pulled away from the glass. "I guess you're right," he muttered. "I just hate feeling cooped up like this. There's so much that we still need to do if we're going to stop the mastermind and end this train wreck of a war before it can get any worse, and the longer we have to sit around waiting, the worse I feel."

"I understand what you mean, but we need to play our cards as carefully as possible, and that means waiting until we're able to safely go out and think about how we're going to fight," Saki reminded him, settling down just beside him and pulling the curtains in front of the window shut. "Until then, I think we have quite a bit to talk about regarding everything going on. If you really want to think about what we can't do right now, then I think we may as well try to make some use of this time."

Takuya nodded, more than happy to have the distraction. The sooner he was able to get out of his own head and stop thinking about his misery and dread, the better he would feel. "I assume you've got at least a few theories about everything going on," Takuya began. "You must if you're here and wanting to talk to me about it."

"I do have a theory, as a matter of fact," Saki confirmed with a nod. "I've been thinking about us losing the ability to travel between worlds. I think it was the military's taser attack that stole that power. None of us have felt like we're at our full strength since we were hit by those blasts with Lucemon's energy concentrated inside of them. I think that was enough to take away the ability to travel between worlds. Haroi was able to push through it because he gained his Ancient form after he was hit, but the rest of us haven't reached a new level of Spirit Evolution since then... Well, aside from Koichi, I suppose, but the portal is too firmly closed now for him to be able to do much right now anyway."

"That would make a lot of sense," Takuya nodded. "I felt like I was being run over by a train when I got hit by those attacks, and if it weakened us enough, then I guess it taking away our ability to open portals wouldn't be entirely out of the question... The mastermind must have been planning this out for ages if they were sure something like that was going to work. I don't know if I would have wanted to take a chance on it if I had been in their shoes."

"I imagine they were scheming for quite some time before they came to the conclusion that they would have to take away our ability to open portals," Saki said. "I'm not sure of how they knew it was going to work, but I suppose we'll have to figure that out when we see them face to face. It's only a matter of time before we run into them in a fight, and I'm not going to let them get away with all they've done for any longer than we already have."

"I'm glad that we're in agreement on that," Takuya told them. "If we're going to make it through the barrier to reunite with the others though, I think we're going to have to try and pick up a few more Ancient Spirit Evolutions. If Haroi was able to make it through the barrier because he reached the Ancient level, then that's probably going to be the case for the rest of us too. We're going to need more power to outright pry the gate open, so our only choice is to gather more Ancient Evolutions and then figure out what to do from there."

"I suppose the pattern never ends of us getting stronger and then having to figure out how to complete our full team at the new level," Saki sighed with a shake of their head. "But if this is what it's going to take for us to get back to the rest of the group, then so be it. We'll do what we have to. We can ask Haroi and Koichi how it was that they pulled it off in more detail later. Hopefully, we'll be able to replicate that soon."

Takuya nodded at their words, but deep down, he knew it probably wasn't going to be that easy. How could it be? He had come to know the cycle of evolution well, and he was certain everyone was going to have to fight through their personal demons in a different way to make it to the next stage. There was no way of exactly copying what one person did; Spirit Evolution was individualized, and they would have to work through that on their own. 

Still, Takuya was going to fight like hell and try with everything he had. He would make it to the next stage, and he would save the Digital World and Earth from danger. He would reunite with his friends, and they would stop all of this. The mastermind would fall, and Takuya would smile as they collapsed into ruin. 

The Legendary Warriors had not given up before, and not even being separated across two different worlds would convince them to give up now. 

~~~~~

Fuyuki Orimoto had given up on counting out how many times he had called Izumi and Masae at some point within the last three hours. He had tried to count it out at first, to try and rationalize why neither of his daughters would pick up the phone after he had repetitively begged them to answer over voicemail, but he had given up on it. There was no point, especially since there was no way for him to convince himself it was normal for them to go so long without responding to him. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew something was wrong. Something had happened to his daughters, and there was nothing he could do about it. 

Fuyuki listened as his cell phone rang out through the same eight tones that it always did when a call was destined to be left unanswered. This time, Izumi's voice cut through his ear as part of the automated answering machine message she had left behind. Fuyuki was tempted to listen to it just to have a small taste of her voice before he lost it again in a matter of seconds, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. That would only make him miss her more and yearn for her harder than before, and Fuyuki was struggling with his circumstances more than enough as it was. 

Fuyuki didn't understand how this had happened. He had told both of his daughters to stay there in the home while the monster attack was going on. They were at their safest when they were there with him. He hadn't been asked to go to work as long as there were beasts roaming the streets, and Fuyuki had seen it as an opportunity to make sure both Izumi and Masae were protected from the dangers of the world. In the end, Izumi had Masae had both slipped out when he had his back turned. He had gone off on his own to check the news while Masae said she was going to her room, but she had been lying to his face. She snuck out through the window, and Fuyuki had found out when he realized the glass had been pushed apart upon going to check on her. Both of his daughters were gone, and now, neither one of them could even be asked to pick up the phone when he called. 

Beyond the confusion about how this had happened, Fuyuki didn't know what in the world could have possessed them to make them want to leave in the first place. Surely they would want to stay as safe as possible during an attack on the city, and that meant hiding away from the monsters that could have killed them all. There was no truly safe place as long as there were creatures of indescribable horror in the streets, but they could have been at least marginally safer if they were indoors. Why had they chosen to leave? Why had they left him all alone? Why weren't they answering his calls now? If they were really so insistent on leaving the house behind, then why weren't they at least trying to tell him that everything was going to be alright? Did they even care about him anymore? 

Fuyuki wished that he had followed his instincts. If he had listened to his mind when it said that he needed to get out of Japan, then perhaps none of this would have happened. There hadn't been any monster attacks in Italy. All of them were centered almost exclusively around Japan, and while there were a few that took place elsewhere, Fuyuki thought that anywhere else would have been safer than the greater Shibuya area. He couldn't stay there. He should have trusted his gut when it said that he had to get as far away from there as possible. He should have believed his heart when it said that he would be safer packing up his family and fleeing. Maybe they wouldn't like it, but Fuyuki knew that it was for the best. He had wanted to give them the chance to finish out the school year so as to not uproot them completely, but now... Now... 

The instant Izumi and Masae got back to the house, Fuyuki knew what he was going to do. He was going to grab both of them and get them on the soonest flight out of Japan that he could book. He didn't even care where they went; they just had to get away from there. They could start over somewhere else once all of this was finished. The instant Fuyuki could get in touch with them, he was going to save them. He had to. 

Fuyuki picked up his phone, dialed Izumi's phone number again, and listened for each of the eight tones, hoping against all odds that this would be the time the cycle was interrupted by the sweet sound of his daughter's voice. 

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Act three of this book should be called 'the Legendary Warriors suffer a lot.' Because it is a factual statement, and it keeps getting truer with each passing chapter. 

One thing I really love about doing these party split segments is that it gives me a chance to explore dynamics between characters who otherwise don't talk to each other as much. Tomoki and Hinoka definitely aren't each other's first choice when it comes to a conversation, but I think they work well together given the current circumstances. I also had fun with Mayumi and Koichi here. I love this entire cast, and I'm very excited to dig into them more over the course of this story. I'm having a blast. I hope you're all enjoying this segment too. I love these party splits a bunch, and they're so much fun to write. 

We also got a few scenes with some unexpected characters: focusing on the investigation team and then Fuyuki of all people. I thought it was a great time for us to see what the other minor characters in this cast of ours are up to. There's not much downtime, but I wanted to fill it with as much as I could. I love the investigation team to bits, and any time we get to spend with them is time well spent in my eyes. You know, now that they're not making life hell for the main cast. You know how it is. I still adore them, and I'm adoring this entire arc right along with them.

Next time, we're going to interrupt all of this emotional turmoil with a bit of physical conflict, and it's going to be time for us to see another fight. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital