As was to be expected, all anyone was talking about the next day was Akimitsu's announcement.

Hinoka shouldn't have imagined anything else was going to happen. The entirety of Japan had been eagerly listening to the news for details about the monster situation since the attacks first started. Of course the students of her school were going to have opinions to offer about the battle that had broken out between the military and the 'human monsters' of Japan. The military couldn't be expected to just let everything go without a fight. The human monsters clearly weren't giving up on what they were doing either. It was going to be a massive conversation. Hinoka had known that.

Still, she wanted to block her ears out as she made her way through the halls of her school. She was tired enough after everything else that had already happened in her life lately, and hearing her classmates talk about how much the military wanted to track down and kill her only made it worse. Hinoka could feel her headache getting worse, and she wanted to tell everyone to just be quiet for once. They weren't helping anyone by talking about this in such a gossipy way. Couldn't they understand that this wasn't their fight?

"They think it's interesting," Aquaria pointed out, and Hinoka hummed under her breath. "You can't blame them for wanting to know more about the monster attacks when they've heard so much about it on the news up to this point."

Hinoka knew that, but she still didn't want to think about any of it. She didn't want anyone else to think about it either if she could at all avoid it. Her life was miserable enough right now since she wasn't even allowed to go back to her apartment with the recent damages the building had sustained. Couldn't the world at least have the decency to wait until she was feeling a little bit better about her situation? That wouldn't happen, and she was fully aware of it, but Hinoka would have taken just about anything at this point if it meant she would have a day to breathe without losing her mind.

All around Hinoka, the students of her school talked about all that had happened with the announcement by the military. Everyone seemed to have an opinion on if the military was justified or not by doing this. Akimitsu's announcement was on everyone's mind even though barely any of the students were actually able to identify him by name. Hinoka could still put together enough of the details about who her classmates were talking about just by standing around and hearing clipped words every once in a while.

Hinoka knew she could have very easily forced herself to eavesdrop on the students around her. For all she knew, at least one of them could have had information that she could use to help herself through all of this... But Hinoka couldn't do it. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched with each passing second, and she wasn't going to attract any attention by listening to her peers talk. They were all speaking loudly, but it felt wrong somehow to say that she was going to stand there and listen to them deliberately.

That was perhaps the worst part of the entire announcement: the paranoia that came along with it. Hinoka knew she was an emotional person, and she let her anxiety get the better of him in times when she knew she really should have held firm. She was even more paranoid now, and it seemed like everything was haunting her when she closed her eyes. The military was after her, and she wouldn't be able to fight them off if they really decided they were going to pursue her. Hinoka could have been stalked every second of every day, but by the time she figured out what was going on, she wouldn't be able to stop it. She was as good as stuck, and having to walk into the loud suffocation of her school was only making her feel more trapped than before.

"How are you feeling, Hinoka?"

Koichi's voice was the first thing that Hinoka bothered to pay attention to that day. He was standing in a spot he had come to adopt as routine in the mornings, leaning against the wall with just enough space beside him for Hinoka to stand for herself. Hinoka smiled softly at the sight before she slotted into her place just next to him. "Awful, if you can believe it," Hinoka replied. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about everything going on all night. I could barely sleep."

"I can't blame you at all. I can't imagine it's easy to sleep in the hotel either. That isn't your bed, and I'm sure you can feel it," Koichi said, and Hinoka nodded her confirmation. She had been trying to get more rest to treat herself with as much kindness as possible, but it was hard to sleep when her bed at the hotel was so much less comfortable than she was used to. "Still, I hope you're able to feel better about it soon."

"So do I," Hinoka murmured. She looked out over the crowd of students before grabbing tightly at the straps of her book bag. "Everyone seems to have heard about what happened last night. I guess we should have seen this coming, but... I don't know. It gives me a lot to think about."

"You can say that again," Koichi hummed. "I didn't think the military would be so brazen about wanting to come after us. I was under the impression we would at least be able to earn a little bit of safety because of everything we've done in the past."

"Be careful of what you say," Hinoka advised him. She couldn't tell if she was being paranoid about it or if she actually should have been worried about someone listening in on her conversations, but she didn't want to push her luck. If there was someone there watching her, then she was going to be ready for it. She wouldn't be caught off guard by someone who dared to listen in on something she thought was private.

"You're right," Koichi nodded. He looked back to the crowd flowing around them through the halls and let out a slow breath. "The military should be smarter than this. What in the world have the human monsters done to deserve something on this scale? They've been protecting people for ages, and this is... It's not going to help anyone if the military gets rid of the main group that could keep people safe. They have a lot more experience than the army does right now."

"It was bold of them to think they would be able to get the human monsters to turn themselves and each other over just by saying they were fugitives," Hinoka remarked. "If you ask me, they must be getting desperate. They haven't been able to figure out who the human monsters are for months, so they're just hoping that they'll turn themselves over without any thought."

"It's not a smart decision, but we shouldn't exactly be discussing how smart the military is. I don't think it's going to go anywhere." Koichi let out a slow sigh and shook his head. "I didn't think anyone within the military was going to go so far for this, but... I don't think I'm meant to understand it either."

"There's still a lot we have to try and understand first," Hinoka pointed out. She didn't say anything about Lucemon's power needing to be their main priority, but she didn't have to either. Koichi already knew exactly what she was thinking about, and he knew to not bring it up in case someone was listening in.

Lucemon's magic remained the biggest question mark in all of this. The monster attacks seemed like they were directed, and if the beasts really were made from the element of Void, then that meant Lucemon's power had already fallen into the hands of the enemy. Still, so many details about it didn't make any sense, and Hinoka didn't know how she was meant to unravel all of it. The monsters that had attacked Japan recently weren't Digimon. They were meant to imitate Digimon, and to a regular person, they probably seemed legitimate. To the Legendary Warriors though, it was all false. They knew the monsters weren't real Digimon.

If Hinoka had to guess, she would have said that it would have been a matter of manufacturing conflict. It didn't matter that the general public didn't realize that the attackers weren't actually Digimon. As long as most people were convinced that they could have been Digimon, the goal would be reached. The people of Japan were terrified of being attacked, and they thought the military would be there to save them.

If Hinoka thought about it that way, then she had to wonder if perhaps all of this had been set up in a specific way from the beginning. Maybe this wasn't just a matter of the military wanting to go after the Legendary Warriors to get the information they had. Maybe someone was trying to take advantage of the chaos to seize greater power. If they had the right pieces on the field, then they could have done just about anything with the situation. If someone knew how to manipulate people, then they could have pushed this in any direction they wanted.

If nothing else, Hinoka could say that Lucemon's power shouldn't have been able to do all of this on its own. It would need a vessel of some kind to manipulate it in the right direction... And that meant the magic had found a host a long time ago. The host had probably been decided even before they knew to start looking... And Hinoka was beginning to fear it was someone from Earth. What reason did someone exclusively from the Digital World have to attack Earth in such a specific way? The only person who Hinoka could even start to assign a motive to was the accomplice of Alastomon, but--

A figure darted through her vision, and Hinoka's mind immediately went quiet. The chaos of the school was great, but it wasn't quite enough for her to completely miss it when Emon appeared in her line of sight. Hinoka forced herself to breathe through the crashing waves of upset that threatened to drown her beneath their weight. She wasn't going to let him get the best of her. He didn't deserve that much. He never had.

Hinoka saw that Emon wasn't just looking to push through the halls to get to class though. He had seen her too, and he was headed in their direction. Hinoka bit down on her bottom lip and started to make her way through the corridor the best she could. She wasn't in the mood to talk to him. She never was, but she especially didn't feel like putting up with him today.

Emon appeared right in her path before she had the chance to escape. Hinoka nearly staggered back right into Koichi from her shock, only stopping when Koichi's hands came down on her shoulders to ground her. "Hinoka," Emon greeted, his eyes gleaming with something dark. "What a coincidence it is to see you here. I hope you don't mind me stopping by for a little conversation."

"I do mind, as a matter of fact," Aquaria replied, taking control of Hinoka's tongue without a second thought. "I'm going to ask politely that you step aside before I start to push you."

Emon held his hands up in mock surrender, and Hinoka recognized that look in his eyes. He always seemed to paint it on when he wanted to convince others that she was being ridiculous. Emon was an expert at making the world believe Hinoka was crazy, and his impeccable acting always helped him to get away with it. "You don't need to be so mean... I'm just here to talk to you," Emon insisted. "I want to know why you've been avoiding me. Anyone can see that you've been trying to stay away from me, but why? We're friends, aren't we?"

"Leave me alone," Aquaria pressed, readying her hands to shove him with all the force she could muster. "I'm not going to ask you again, and if I have to repeat myself, it's not going to be nice."

Emon barked a harsh laugh at that and shook his head. "Oh, please. You've always been too nice. Even now, you're not pushing me when I know you want to. You're far too kind about this than you should be."

Emon reached out one hand toward Hinoka's shoulder, but Aquaria reacted first. She grabbed at his wrist and then wrenched it at an awkward angle, twisting the bones of his forearm uncomfortably. "H-Hey!" Emon choked out around the sudden pain flaring up his arm. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"You're going to listen to me when I tell you to leave me alone," Hinoka snarled, pulling him down so she could get right in his face. "I want you to walk away and leave me forever. Never even think of speaking to me again. If you so much as look at me again, then you're going to pay the consequences." Her grip on his wrist grew tighter, and Emon tried and failed to pull his way out of it. Hinoka's time as a Legendary Warrior had made her stronger, and she wouldn't fall prey to the same tricks Emon had used against her before regardless of if they were physical or emotional.

"You're going to leave her alone," Koichi added, stepping up to stand just next to Hinoka. "And you're going to stop trying to get her attention from now on. Do we make ourselves clear?"

Emon snarled and finally found the strength to yank away from Hinoka. He rubbed at his wrist painfully. "You... You freaks! Both of you!" Emon glared at them for a long moment, stammering more in a handful of seconds than Hinoka had heard him trip up on his words in all the years they had known each other. "You should be careful before she turns on you too! She's crazy!"

Hinoka didn't rise to the bait, and she glared after Emon as he vanished into the crowd. Hinoka only sighed again once she was sure he wasn't going to be coming back, and she shook her head as she addressed Koichi. "That was strange," she remarked softly. "I don't know how to put it to words, but that conversation was... Something about him felt off today."

"What do you mean?" Koichi questioned with a frown. "He's been bothering you for a long time, and today felt like nearly every other time he tried to harass you for the sake of feeding his own ego."

"I'm not sure of how to describe it, but he seemed... Angrier today," Hinoka explained. "I can't tell if I'm just being paranoid or not, but it felt to me like he had something more on his mind than he has every other time. Maybe it's the lack of sleep talking. I can't quite tell."

Koichi nodded dully, and he let out a heavy breath of his own. "At least we were able to get him to leave you alone for now. I hope that's the last time he tries anything, but knowing him, he's going to come crawling back whenever his confidence gets high enough again."

"And I'll be ready for him again if he ever tries that again," Hinoka assured him. She knew she was getting stronger even if it didn't always feel like it. She would have once fled at the mere idea of Emon coming to speak with her, and while she still wanted to run when he looked at her, HInoka knew it was different now. She could handle a conversation with him if he really wanted to get on her nerves. She had even threatened him when they spoke just a few moments prior. She was getting better at facing him, and she wasn't going to let Emon control her and run her into the ground forever.

"I'm glad to hear it," Koichi smiled softly. After a few moments passed in silence, he looked up at Hinoka once more. "It wouldn't surprise me if you were just paranoid about all of this. I mean, you've had a lot of pressure on your shoulders recently. I think we're all anxious about what's going on with the military trying to pursue the Legendary Warriors. My mom practically can't stop texting me to ask if I'm alright. She's terrified of something bad happening because of all the increased surveillance throughout the city."

As if on cue, Koichi's phone buzzed, and he let out a small sigh. He fished it out of his pocket and turned the device around for Hinoka to see. Sure enough, the screen was showing a message from Tomoko. She was really worried about Koichi, and she was struggling massively with the fear that something could have happened to him while they were apart. Koichi forced out a small laugh and began to key out a response to her. "I can't blame her for being afraid. It's been the two of us for a long time now, and I know it weighs heavily on her sometimes. She wants to be there for me more than she can be because of work," Koichi told Hinoka. "It's hard for all of us, but... I'm glad we can support each other even if it doesn't happen as much as she would like."

"I'm glad she's there for you," Hinoka smiled. She was almost jealous of Koichi being able to talk to Tomoko about everything going on. Hinoka hadn't told her mother anything about what was happening with her position as a Legendary Warrior. Fujie didn't even know that Hinoka was involved with something dangerous like this. Hinoka wasn't going to tell her about it either. It was simply too dangerous to bring up. Hinoka didn't know how Fujie would have responded, but she wasn't going to test her luck on it. She had to stay free and available if she was going to save Japan, and she couldn't do that if she revealed something to her mother at an inopportune moment.

"She can be there for you too if you need it," Koichi told her. "If you ever decide that you want to leave the hotel and stay somewhere else, then you can come to live with us. I know my mother wouldn't mind. In fact, I think she almost misses having a third person around the apartment. She's been a bit lonely ever since my grandmother passed away."

"Thank you for the offer," Hinoka returned. "I don't think I'll be taking you up on it any time soon given everything going on, but I appreciate that you're thinking of me that way at all. It means a lot to me."

"If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me," Koichi reminded her. He took Hinoka's hand in his before squeezing at it gently. "I hope the rest of the day goes well for the both of us. If you need me, then send me a message. I'll be there as soon as I can be."

Hinoka smiled softly. "Thanks, Koichi." She knew he had a kind heart, but it felt a bit like he was treating her like she was made of glass now. Koichi wanted to make sure she was alright given everything that was going on with Emon, and Hinoka was glad for it... But she felt strange about it at the same time. She just had too much on her mind, and Hinoka wanted to push it all away as soon as possible.

Koichi nodded, and he pulled away from Hinoka to start off in the direction of his classroom. Hinoka stared after him for a long moment and sighed once she was alone. She was exhausted, and she didn't know if that was going to change any time soon. At least she could say with certainty that she was fighting for something greater. It didn't feel like it sometimes, but Hinoka knew she was doing the best she could have been for her circumstances. She was going to find a way to push through everything and survive. She had made it that far, and Hinoka refused to give up. She may have been a target of the military, but that wasn't any excuse for her to give up and stop fighting. She was going to find her way through all of this. She had to.

Hinoka didn't see it when Emon started to stare at her as she made her way to class. Emon watched her for a long time, his eyes narrowing into slits. He was surer than ever before that he knew what was going on with her... And he knew there were a few people who would be pleased to hear about it.

~~~~~

Takuya was beyond relieved by the time lunch arrived. All day, he had heard nothing but chatter about the military order that had been made the night before. He was getting sick of having to listen to everyone give their opinions and theories about the Legendary Warriors and what they were up to at the moment. Takuya knew there was no way he could ask everyone to just be quiet about it, but he was safe in the knowledge that his salvation would come when lunch did. That way, he would be able to block everything out by thinking about his own interesting subjects.

Well, he said interesting, but Takuya didn't know if he would actually agree that he liked having to talk about it. The Legendary Warriors were being targeted by the entire military, and they were in all the danger that came along with it. Takuya would have rather thought about just about anything else, but as long as he didn't have that choice, he was going to try and engage with it in a way that would make him feel best. Right now, that meant talking to his friends about it.

More importantly, Takuya was going to talk to the investigation team. All of them were fully aware of what was going on, and they had been dedicating their energy to getting to the bottom of what was happening. If the Legendary Warriors had to focus all their time on tracking down the Grand Spirit and Lucemon's power, then the investigation team was going to cover their bases over on Earth. They were determined to figure out who Alastomon's accomplice was, and they spent practically every waking moment trying to unravel that secret and unveil the truth.

Takuya was the last one to arrive at the lunch table, and he slipped into his seat with a heavy sigh. "Alright," he announced. "I hereby declare this meeting officially started." His gaze caught on the four members of the investigation team present at the table. "I hear the four of you have been doing a bit of investigating into everything going on recently."

"That we have been," Katsuharu confirmed. He pulled out the notebook containing all of the information about the Legendary Warriors and began to flick through it. "We haven't really had any luck in looking out for information about the one who was working with Alastomon before all of this started... But we have been looking for something else."

"We decided to do a bit of investigating into Akimitsu Oma to see if we were able to learn anything about him," Teppei said, crossing his arms with a frown. "If he wants to declare that the Legendary Warriors are the enemies of Japan and targets for arrest, then we're going to be curious about it... And right now, we think there's a chance he could be up to something else by targeting the human monsters."

"I'm glad you think all of this is weird too," Koji sighed. "I know that he probably thinks he can stand to gain something from this, but it bothers me just how ready he is to jump on the human monsters. They've done nothing but help him by looking after the people of Japan, but that doesn't seem to mean anything to him right now. I don't get how he can be so willing to ignore all of the good that they've done for him."

"It confuses me as well," Teruo admitted. "But he has to be acting the way he is right now for a reason, and we're determined to get to the bottom of it."

"He's fairly new to his position if you can believe it," Chiaki continued to explain. "However, he has already turned out to be popular by other high-ranking figures within the government. All sorts of politicians have taken an interest in him. I think he was able to earn a lot of trust when he reached out to them and asked that they stand with him when he made his announcement about the human monsters being enemies of the state. They thought they would be able to gain something from standing with him in all of this, and they were happy to be behind him during it all."

"We had to dig a little bit to find out this little tidbit, but he's been working on a new plan for the military ever since the monster attacks started," Teruo chimed in. "He has something important in mind, apparently, and he's determined to find a way to see it through. If I had to guess, I would say that everything we've heard from him up to this point has just been him using the military as a stepping stone to put this greater plan into action."

Takuya shuddered at the thought, unable to stop the shiver sprinting up and down his spine. He didn't like the sound of that at all. If Akimitsu had a greater plan in mind, then it couldn't have been indicative of anything good. He was fine with declaring the Legendary Warriors as enemies to the state as long as he stood to gain something from it. That must have meant he had something else playing at the back of his mind. Takuya didn't know where to start when it came to unraveling it, but he knew he was going to hate it.

"He doesn't seem to want anyone to know about that just yet though," Teppei said. "He mentioned this once during an interview video, but he didn't seem to like that he slipped up and said it. He was immediately kind of embarrassed and tried to scramble to cover it up when he noticed what he had done."

"And when did he say this exactly?" Chihiro asked. "The way you're talking about it makes it seem like this happened long before the recent monster attacks began."

"That's true," Katsuharu nodded. "He started to talk about his plans for the monster attacks a long time ago. That was during the hiatus between the major battles here on Earth. He said that he had a plan in mind and was going to put it into motion if he was ever given a reason. As far as I can tell, he spent the last few months preparing for this plan to be put into action. As soon as the attack started here, he decided that he had been waiting around for long enough and wanted to end it."

"So he started planning to go against the human monsters a long time ago," Takuya hummed. It made sense. Of course the military had been planning for the Legendary Warriors and Digimon to return over the course of the last few months. They couldn't think it was going to end without the need for a grand final battle. It made sense that the military would want to focus as much attention as possible on the people they had to protect, and right now, that seemed to mean making more enemies.

"I wish we knew more of what this plan entailed... Something tells me the declaration of war against all the monsters here on Earth feels like it's just the beginning," Chihiro frowned before taking a bite of their food. "We'll just have to find a way to figure out what his plan is without him being able to get in our way."

"I really hope we're able to stop it soon," Izumi murmured, and Takuya looked over to find her staring down at her food anxiously. Her shoulders were knotted with tension, and Takuya had to wonder when the last time he had seen her this worked up had been. There was a new sense of exhaustion to her eyes that hadn't been there the day before. To say it worried him would have been a grave understatement, and Takuya found himself shivering from something far more sinister than the cold.

The rest of the table seemed to realize that something else was on Izumi's mind too. Chiaki leaned over the table with a frown. "Is something wrong, Izumi?" Chiaki asked. "You seem like you're lost in thought and worried about something."

Izumi looked at her friends gathered around the table for a long moment before sighing. "I... I guess that's one way of putting it," she relented. "I had a conversation with my father last night when Masae and I got home. He has been keeping an eye on the monster attacks for a while now, and he's seen more than enough of it. At this rate, he... He doesn't know if he wants to stay in Japan anymore."

"What?!" Takuya cried out, only realizing how loud he had been when everyone at the surrounding tables turned to look at him. Takuya didn't shrivel from their gazes though, instead staring at Izumi with wide, fearful eyes. "What do you mean? He doesn't want to stay in Japan anymore? But what is he thinking about doing? Leaving?"

"Yes, actually," Izumi confirmed. "He said that if the monster attacks didn't let up, then he would be moving me and Masae back to Italy. He doesn't want us to be put in danger. I tried to reassure him that we've been fine and haven't been caught up in anything just yet, but he wasn't listening. He thinks that leaving might be for the best at this rate."

"We can't let that happen," Takuya declared, uncaring as to how loud he was being once again. "I know it's not going to be easy, but we have to find a way to get to the bottom of all of this. If you leave, then..."

"We're all going to be in a lot of trouble," Izumi finished for him. "It's not just that I need to be here to make sure you and the others are all able to take care of each other without me. We're not complete without me being there, but I... I can't go back to Italy after everything that happened when we were last there. I never want to go back to Italy again, and I mean that. If I can stay away from it, then I'm going to have to try."

"We'll do what we can to help you," Koji vowed even though everyone at the table knew it wasn't going to be that simple. If they were able to solve Izumi's problem, then they would have done so in a heartbeat, but none of them had the power needed to resolve this issue. The only way to truly prove to Fuyuki that everything was safe was to make sure there weren't any other monster attacks on Japan... But that wasn't something they could just decide on. The Legendary Warriors had to defend Japan when the attacks happened, but they weren't psychic. They couldn't stop the attacks before they began. As long as the mastermind decided to attack them, they were going to have to be ready.

That was perhaps the hardest part of the entire conversation. The Legendary Warriors really didn't have much power to stop what was happening. They yearned to be able to help Izumi out of her horrible circumstances, but they didn't have any knowledge of how they were meant to fix this. It was the mastermind who chose to attack Japan at any given moment, and the Legendary Warriors couldn't figure out when they were going to attack before it happened. The team barely knew who they were up against, much less how they were meant to predict any patterns that could lead them to peace and safety.

At the end of the day, the Legendary Warriors really couldn't do much of anything. The only way they would be able to persuade Fuyuki to stop this would be to make sure the attacks didn't happen again, but they couldn't just prevent it all on their own. There was no way for any of them to fix this. Izumi could have tried to explain to her father why she needed to stay there in Japan, but there was no guarantee that he would listen. In fact, Takuya was willing to bet that Fuyuki would be less inclined to listen after he learned that his daughter was one of the Legendary Warriors. If Fuyuki wanted to protect his children, then he would want to keep them out of the line of fire... And right now, that meant ensuring they weren't in Japan at all when an attack took place.

"We're going to figure something out," Chihiro forced themself to say through gritted teeth. "I know it probably doesn't look good right now, but we're going to find a solution to this. I know we will. We'll make sure this doesn't happen to the point that you'll have to leave. If your father does try to get you to leave, then all of us will be there to find a way to drag you back. I don't know how much that's worth, but I'm not going to let this be the end of everything we've been working toward."

"Thank you, Chihiro," Izumi smiled softly, but Takuya could tell the grin wasn't honest in the slightest. "I appreciate that you're all willing to be there for me throughout all of this. I know it can't be easy to hear about this, but I... I'm glad you're here. I really am."

"We're in your corner no matter what happens," Koji assured her. "I know it seems like we're trapped right now, but that won't always be the case. We're going to make sure you can stay here with us. We'll find a way to solve the problems that are coming our way. I'm not going to let anyone take you away from us. As long as you're willing to trust us, we'll be there for you."

"And I'm never going to stop trusting in you," Izumi vowed. After a moment or two more of thought, she shook her head. "But we don't have to worry about that just yet. Only one battle has happened here since the new wave began, and we were able to take care of it somewhat well. I think we're going to be alright for a little while longer. For now, we should try to target this from other angles. Maybe we'll be able to find a solution to our problem in other ways."

"Good point," Takuya nodded. He pretended he agreed with Izumi's words more than he actually did. Deep down, Takuya just didn't want to entertain the thought that he could lose Izumi for any longer than was absolutely necessary. He was going to have to bring it up sooner or later, but Takuya was willing to be patient with it. He didn't want to push Izumi too hard, and he didn't want to make himself unwind to the point of breaking down by thinking about it either. Maybe it was selfish of him, but it was all Takuya could think of trying to do at the moment.

"We'll keep up our search for the mastermind, and we'll try to learn more about Akimitsu Oma's grand plan for the military too," Katsuharu announced. "I know you guys have a lot of work that needs to be done on your own, so we'll pick up all the slack we can on our end. You don't need to worry about us."

"We appreciate that you're willing to help us see this through," Koji nodded. "I don't think we would be anywhere near close to making progress if you guys weren't there to make sure that we're staying on the right track on this side of the search. Thanks for all you've done for us."

"You don't need to thank us. You can think about doing that when we have actual concrete results behind everything we're looking into," Teruo told him with a dismissive wave of his hand. "For now, we've got everything on this end under control. You just focus on your duties, and we'll take care of ours."

Takuya nodded. As much as he hated to admit it, he didn't have time to stew in his thoughts or worry about Fuyuki Orimoto and his threads. Right now, the Legendary Warriors had a battle to take care of, and it started with finding the Grand Spirit. They had fought to make it this far, and Takuya wasn't going to let it slip between their fingers now. Both worlds were hinging on their success, and Takuya would fight with everything he had to bring Earth and the Digital World to peace.

Even as he thought it though, Takuya knew it wasn't going to be that easy. Still, it wouldn't stop him from trying. Even as the word burned, Takuya would be there to try and guide it to a new dawn. He had to be. That was what it meant to be a Legendary Warrior, and Takuya wasn't about to fail his position or his allies now.

~~~~~

Haroi wished he had a better idea of how to handle a situation like this.

He was doing his best to stay calm in the face of overwhelming odds that were pressing down on him from all sides. Haroi liked to think of himself as a rational person, and he was doing his best to hold true to that previous belief in himself now. He knew how to take care of a situation like this, and he would handle it with all the care it required. He had to.

And yet, it was getting harder for Haroi to keep himself held together. He couldn't stop thinking about all the tiny ways in which the Legendary Warriors' plans had gone awry lately. It felt impossible to ignore for any longer than he already had. They were in a horrible position, and it didn't seem like it was going to get any better any time soon.

The arrival of the unknown beasts on Earth was the start of something new and horrible. Haroi was sure of it even if he didn't have the words to express it openly. The dark beasts wouldn't have been there if they weren't a symptom of a much larger problem. Haroi knew that very well. Attacks like that didn't just happen without someone else having a motivation to carry them out. People didn't end up in danger unless somebody was willing to deliberately place them in the line of fire.

Haroi really hated having to acknowledge the dark truths of the situation though. He didn't want to face the idea that he could have been wrong about all of this from the start. Haroi had really thought the search for Lucemon's power was going to have to take place exclusively in the Digital World. It had felt safer when he thought that... But it was becoming increasingly clear that he was wrong to believe that would be the beginning and end of it. There was a lot more at play for him to take into consideration, and he hated it more than he could ever hope to put to words.

Haroi and Mayumi were quiet on the journey back from school to their shared home. Once they arrived, they reached for their D-Tectors and activated a portal in Haroi's laptop so they could travel to the Digital World. Not everyone was going to be able to join them that day, but that was fine. At the very least, Haroi and Mayumi wanted to get ahead of the curve and do as much searching as they could. They still had a lot of work that needed to be done both in and out of the Digital World, and the sooner they could get started, the better off everyone would be.

Mayumi let out a sigh once she stepped out into the Digital World, stretching her arms high above her head. "It's always nice to come back here after a long day of working away on homework back on Earth," Mayumi remarked. "There's nothing quite like the Digital World to calm your nerves and distract you."

Haroi nodded his agreement. He wished the Digital World felt more like home to him these days than it did, but there wasn't much he could do to change his mentality at the moment. The Digital World was a place he loved and adored, but it was also a place he had to do a lot of work in. Balancing that with his classwork was a pain, but Haroi knew it was for the best. It would benefit everyone if he was able to keep moving forward in the face of his hardships.

"Oh, hello, you two. I didn't realize you were going to be coming by this early."

Kana's voice pulled Haroi out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see her approaching the computer room of the Legendary Warriors' home on Inaie. She walked in through the hallway as Haroi settled down into his wheelchair. "Hello, Kana," Haroi greeted. "I hope we didn't startle you too much."

Kana shook her head. "You don't need to worry about that... Though I am a bit confused as to why it's just the two of you coming this early. I know some of the others said they wanted to come here today and do a bit of investigating too."

"They'll be here soon enough," Mayumi assured Kana. "We just had the chance to come by a little bit early, and we decided to take advantage of it. How are you doing? I hope things have been going well for you on this side of the portal. It's been a bit of a wreck over on our end."

"So I've heard," Kana said with a wince. "What exactly are you thinking now about everything going on? I get the feeling your theories about what we should be doing going forward have started to change."

Mayumi and Haroi exchanged anxious looks at that. Somehow, they felt like explaining everything they had come to think over the course of the last few weeks was wrong. If they told Kana about it, then it felt like they would be wishing it to life, and that was the last thing they wanted. If they admitted that the situation was worse than they previously expected, then they were going to be forced to face all sorts of peril going forward. Haroi didn't know if he was ready to sit down and tell Kana about the idea that Lucemon's power had been out of their reach from the start.

"Well... We're now enemies of the state according to the Japanese military," Mayumi began, and Kana blinked at her incredulously. "Yep. The military has decided that the human monsters are a danger to the world, and they apparently need to be taken care of as soon as possible. They asked us to hand ourselves over, but we obviously didn't agree to that. We have too much work that needs to be done, and all of it involves us not being behind bars."

"That's... Certainly a lot to take in," Kana said slowly. "I suppose we should have expected a while ago that the military was going to have a response to everything going on, but I would have thought they would be at least a bit smarter than to decide that you were the enemies of the entire country. It's not as if you wanted to cause major problems with the battles. You've been defending the people of Japan."

"That's what we've been thinking too, but the military doesn't seem to agree," Haroi sighed. "Either way, we're doing our best to try and fight through this. We're going to lay as low as possible. There haven't been any other attacks from the dark beasts recently, and we're hoping that's a good sign rather than a bad one. If the new monsters are willing to leave us alone for long enough for us to figure out how to solve this problem of ours, then maybe we'll be able to get out of this in one piece."

"Speaking of those new monsters, I've been thinking about them a lot lately," Kana remarked. "Saki has been keeping me up to date on everything going on with them, and it seems like you've all come to theorize that perhaps there could be something... Strange at play with the monsters. Koichi thinks the power that comes from them is the same that fueled Lucemon, Cherubimon, and Duskmon... And by extension..."

"That would mean Alastomon too," Mayumi finished for her, and Kana nodded. "We've been thinking about it a lot lately too, but none of us are quite willing to give up the search here in the Digital World yet. We think there's a chance Alastomon just sent the power through the barrier to Earth so it would reach his accomplice without having to go through us... But we don't know if we believe in that theory enough to stop searching just yet."

"We don't want all of this to go to waste," Haroi confessed, saying what Mayumi was too afraid to put into words. Mayumi winced at his bluntness before she relented and offered a nod of her own. "Either way, it wouldn't hurt if we kept up the search for Lucemon's power here in the Digital World. We're going to have to look around on this side of the barrier anyway. That's the only way we're going to be able to find the Grand Spirit, and it really seems like we're going to need its power to get to the bottom of all of this."

"I understand," Kana nodded. After a few moments passed in silent thought, she looked up at Haroi and Mayumi with a fleeting smile. "If you guys thought it would help, then I could come with you to Earth one of these days. Unless Alastomon's accomplice is deliberately trying to hide the power, then maybe I would be able to sense it. Then again, that isn't a guaranteed way out of this. Koichi should be able to sense it too, and if he hasn't noticed anything yet, then..."

"It's hard to figure out what we're supposed to do with this," Mayumi sighed, pinching at the bridge of her nose with a deep frown. "I want to say that we'll be able to find a solution to leave all of this in the past sooner rather than later, but it's looking like there's going to be a lot involved before we can forget about all of this. If Alastomon's accomplice really has the magic of Lucemon, then they're probably aware of how to hide it. I mean, Alastomon went pretty far to make sure you didn't figure out what he was hiding back when he was the one in control of it. He would probably want to make sure his accomplice knows the same tricks so that they didn't end up being caught and exposed as soon as all of this started to blow up again."

"It is worrying," Kana agreed. "But we know how we're supposed to handle this. I've been doing my best to refine my search as much as possible. I already had a strong sense of Lucemon's power before all of this began, and it has grown stronger because of our encounters with Alastomon. I believe I know what to expect if I ever have to search for it again. I know how Alastomon was able to hide it, at least to an extent. It's not a foolproof system, but it should be enough to at least point us in the right direction if it comes to that."

"I'm glad we have you on our side to make this a bit simpler," Haroi confessed with a shaky smile. He didn't know where they would have even begun to unravel the recent wars without Kana standing by them to guide their path. The world probably would have fallen to catastrophe ages ago if she hadn't been there. Haroi doubted he would ever be able to thank her enough for all of the good she had offered the Legendary Warriors, and they weren't even finished with this fight yet. It really said a lot about how much they had done recently, and Haroi was happy the Legendary Warriors had been able to connect with such an important ally in the midst of so much chaos and terror.

"I'm happy to be here," Kana replied with a shake of her head. "But I think we've talked enough for now. The others will be here soon, but we have some time to ourselves for now. We may as well get started with the search as much as we can. There's still a lot of ground for us to cover."

Haroi winced at her words but nodded. Kana was right whether he wanted to admit it or not. They still had a lot of the Digital World left to search. Kana was searching day in and day out even though the Legendary Warriors had been forced to concentrate on school for the time being, and still, she had come up with nothing. This wasn't just a search for Lucemon's power. There was another piece to it, and Haroi was hoping with everything he had that it would end well sooner rather than later. He was tired of thinking about this operation as a failure. He wanted something good to come of this, and even if that was only the Grand Spirit, he would still consider it a victory.

Haroi really couldn't understand why the Grand Spirit was still being hidden. It would have made sense for the Legendary Warriors to know where it was going to be after the Digital World was reconstructed. After all, they were the only ones who were able to use it at all. Lucemon had been destroyed--or at least, he had been destroyed as much as he could have been within the Digital World of all places--so the Grand Spirit was no longer needed as the lock on his prison. Instead, it had been sent somewhere else... But where was it? Why did it feel like the Legendary Warriors were struggling so much to find something that was part of their birthright? They had been born to wield the Spirits of the Legendary Warriors, but they couldn't even find the strongest manifestation of their power.

To say it worried Haroi felt like a massive understatement. There were other words he would have much rather used, but he knew that would have only scared the rest of his friends, and he wasn't going to frighten them more than was necessary. Could it have been possible that something was keeping the Grand Spirit away from them? It had to still exist, but if that was the case, then why didn't they know where it was? Why were they struggling so much with finding it? Kana shouldn't have been the only one who could sense it. Each of the Legendary Warriors had been part of Susanoomon except for Koichi. Realistically, each and every one of them had a tie to the Grand Spirit save for Koichi, and his Spirits were still put toward the effort to create Susanoomon through Koji. So if that was true, then why couldn't the Legendary Warriors find it? Why was it hiding from them?

Haroi shook the thought away. The others would be getting to the Digital World soon, and he wanted to at least be able to say that he had started the search while waiting for them. The Grand Spirit was going to make itself known one of these days. Maybe it would feel like it was showing up late, but it would appear. It had to. Haroi just had to be patient. They all did.

It was a shame patience seemed to be escaping Haroi more and more as the days went by.

~~~~~

Koji let out a sigh as he shut the door to the Minamoto house behind him. He was just getting back home after a few hours spent at kendo practice after school. Koji had less time for the hobby these days than he would have liked on account of his work as a Legendary Warrior, but he liked to practice when he had the chance. He felt it helped his swordplay when he was transformed and fighting in major battles... Or perhaps it was his experiences as a Legendary Warrior that were making it easier for him to fight when he was at kendo practice. It was difficult to say which came first, but Koji didn't mind it. As long as he was getting stronger, he was fine with any outcome.

Raika bounded up to Koji as soon as he was inside, and the Warrior of Light crouched down to scratch the dog behind the ears. Raika pressed her face against his palm, and Koji smiled at her in return. It was nice to be able to return to something like normalcy when he got back from school. It was a refreshing change of pace after he spent practically all day at school worrying about what was going on with Lucemon's power. He needed a chance to breathe, and this was exactly what he was searching for.

The feelings of normalcy didn't last long though, and when Koji looked up, he saw Satomi and Kousei engaged in deep conversation behind the kitchen counter. They were speaking in hushed tones, so distracted they hadn't even realized Koji had arrived back at home. Koji straightened himself out and started toward them slowly. He wasn't deliberately trying to listen in, but it seemed like it was a natural consequence of trying to walk in without startling them.

"What do you think will happen if they figure out who he is?" Satomi was asking, one hand pressed against her chest. "If they find a way to track him down, then I... I don't know what we'll do..."

"The military can't just break into homes without a reason for it," Kousei said. "Though I suppose they're going to say that they have a reason if they do come here..."

Koji couldn't stand being quiet for any longer, and he cleared his throat loudly. "I'm back." Satomi and Kousei both jolted at the sound of his voice, but Koji didn't wince in apology. "What are you talking about?"

Kousei and Satomi shared a glance before the former stepped toward Koji. "You've heard the news, I assume," he began. "About how the 'human monsters' of Japan have been declared as enemies of the state."

"Do you have a plan for how to handle this?" Satomi questioned anxiously. "You know more about this than we do, so you have to have at least an idea in mind of how you're going to face this... Right?"

Koji hesitated for a long moment before shaking his head. "I don't have a plan, at least not yet," he admitted. "But I'm going to do what I can to lay low for now and not attract any attention. I don't think the military is going to be able to figure out who I am just yet. I've got an idea of how to protect my identity in a future fight if it comes to that. I can assure you both though that I'm not going down without a fight."

Satomi nodded slowly, though it was clear that Koji's words weren't doing enough to assuage her fears. "Good... That's good to hear." She stood up a little straighter, letting her hands fall back down to her sides. "I'll do what I can to defend you if it comes to that. I don't want anyone to know that you have anything to do with this, but if I have to... I'll stand by you."

Koji balked at her for a few seconds, blinking in an attempt to bring his mind back into his body. "I... Thanks," he finally managed to choke out. He and Satomi had been getting closer for a while now, but it still felt strange to see her express such protectiveness over him. "I hope nobody realizes I have anything to do with this either, but... I appreciate that. Thanks."

Awkward silence fell between all three of them, though Raika remained blissfully unaware of it at Koji's side. Kousei cleared his throat when he finally found the strength to speak up again. "If you don't mind my asking... How is Koichi doing?"

Koji felt his blood run cold, but he quickly reminded it to warm back up again. Kousei knew about Koichi now. They hadn't been talking much about Koichi for a wide variety of reasons, but Koji didn't have to keep his connection to his brother a secret anymore. It was a stark change from what he was used to, but it seemed to be for the best... Or if nothing else, Koji hadn't been given a reason to believe otherwise just yet. That could change, but he would just have to wait and see.

"He... He's doing well," Koji finally replied what felt like an eternity later.

"He's like you, isn't he?" Kousei burst out, and Koji felt his eyes go wide. That was right. He hadn't ever told Kousei that Koichi was a Legendary Warrior just like him. It had never come up in all of their discussions on the subject.

Koji nodded around the knot in the back of his throat. "Yes... He is."

Kousei clenched his fingers tightly into fists. "If he ever needs me to do anything for him, all he has to do is say so," he declared. "I don't know how much that means now, but if Koichi needs me... I'll be there for him. I promise."

Koji's heart began to scream in his ears, but he forced himself to nod despite the noise. "I... I'll be sure to pass along the message."

In the blink of an eye, Koji began to walk briskly back toward his bedroom. He didn't let his defenses fall until he was sure he was safe inside. He let out a heavy sigh, pressing his back against the door. Kousei knowing about all of this was still strange to him. They hadn't really talked about it, and if Koji was honest, that was just the way he liked it. It was best if Kousei didn't try to get involved with all of this. It was safer for everyone involved.

The mere idea that Kousei was trying though was overwhelming. Koji had grown used to hating his father years ago, and the mere implication that something so ancient and learned could change frightened him. It was a good thing, of course, but it still caught Koji by surprise. He and Kousei had both agreed to try harder with each other going forward, but it was a lot to take in for a million different reasons.

If nothing else, Koji could say that it was progress. It may not have been much, but he was taking steps in the right direction. Even if the rest of the world felt like it was falling apart beneath his touch, he could at least say he was getting closer to understanding Kousei and vice versa.

If only that was enough to keep the world from ending.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And there's another chapter done! Woohoo!

I really like the way this one turned out. There are a lot of moving pieces, but I think they all come together well. This first arc focuses a lot on carrying over the momentum from the previous book and using it to build tension, and I think it really shows here. The Legendary Warriors are really stressed, and they deserve a break. They're not going to get it for a while, but they certainly deserve it.

If nothing else, Hinoka is getting closer to getting a break from Emon. There are a lot of parallels to be drawn between Hinoka lashing out at Emon and Tomoki standing up to Yutaka. They both deserve better than what their abusers have given them, and it's great to see them making progress here. I think Hinoka and Tomoki deserve to just tear Emon and Yutaka to shreds one day. They've more than earned it after all they've been through.

I think my favorite scenes here come from the back half of the chapter. Mayumi and Haroi talking to Kana is really nice to see, especially since Kana is normally so reserved and doesn't talk to most of the group aside from Saki. I was originally going to include Saki in that scene, but I decided against it for the sake of giving Mayumi and Haroi a bit of time in the spotlight. I like writing for them a lot, and Kana is a nice way to spice up their dynamic.

I also really liked the ending with Koji, Kousei, and Satomi. The dynamic in the Minamoto household is complicated, and it always has been, but it's nice to see that things are getting better. It's very overwhelming for Koji, and that really shines through here, but it's a step in the right direction even if it's a lot for him to think about.

Next time, we're going to press on with the arc by going to the Digital World. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital