A/N: This was supposed to be finished last month (I skipped July because of Camp Nano), but RL got in the way so September instead. I'm sorry about that; I really did try to finish this in August, but when half the month was gone I decided to call it quits and leave it for this month instead. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter anyway.

Next few chapters will be the adventures in the pyramid, returning back to Ken, Yolei and Sora. Along with another plot thread concerning the Frontier side of things if it'll cooperate with me. Cross your fingers guys! (or uncross them if you need them to type, haha)

Crests of Origin
Chapter 15 – Some Fresh Air

Kari woke up to the jingling of the wind chime in the living room and her mother clattering about in the kitchen. Her head felt light and her body still a little lethargic. The desire to snuggle into the blankets and sleep on was tempting…but at the same time she was tired of lying down and resting.

What she needed, she decided, was some fresh air. Air unlike the sort that latched on to her skin the moment she peeled the slightly too thick blankets off. Fine for night, but the days were warmer and she'd started sweating inside them. She grimaced as she looked down at herself, wondering if she shouldn't have a shower first – then decided she'd rather jog or bike around for a bit before doing so. Both of those activities were ones that would get her hot and sweaty anyway.

All she needed to do was change clothes, putting the ones she'd been wearing into the hamper and dressing herself in a form-fitting t-shirt and shorts instead.

'You're up,' Gatomon's voice said from the other side of the door. 'Are you feeling better?'

'I'm feeling much better.' Kari let her in. 'I'm feeling a bit restless now, so I thought I'd go out for a bit.'

Gatomon looked at her carefully. 'You look a little pale still,' she said, 'but nowhere near as bad as before. Your voice sounds stronger as well.' She looked at her claws.

Kari smiled a bit, before picking her up. 'I am much better now,' she said, lifting her to eye level, before smiling more widely. 'See?'

If anyone else had been around to see the scene, Gatomon would have protested. But there was only Kari and her, so she allowed herself to be picked up like a common cat, tenderly and protected. But she would still never forget that she protected Kari. 'You should eat something first. Your mother cut some watermelon in the kitchen.'

Kari agreed, and the pair of them settled down on the kitchen table with a slice each and her mother checking her temperature and asking a bunch of worried question as she used to all those times Kari got sick while she was younger.

But it never got annoying, because it just showed her how much her mother loved her. And the rest of her family…and her friends as well.

'Where is Tai?' she wondered aloud, as her mother returned to her cooking.

'At your friend Izzy's house,' Mrs Kamiya replied.

'Or the Digital World.' Gatomon finished her slice. 'They were going to try looking for their crests.'

'Oh.' She already had her crest, so there was really no reason for her to go along. Especially with how she'd been feeling lately. 'Tai still has my digivice and crest, right?'

'And your D-terminal,' Gatomon affirmed, with a little frown. 'You're not feeling faint again, are you?'

'Nope.' Kari smiled, sensing the worry. 'It's not you at all, Gatomon.'

Tai whipped his D-terminal out of his pocket and was opening the new mail before the alert even finished beeping, but TK could not fault that. He was hoping for a mail from Kari, probably. And Kari was send a small note when she realised Tai wasn't at home with her.

And that was what it was. Tai skimmed the note, then put it away with a grin on his face. 'Kari says she's feeling better,' he announced happily.

TK shared his grin. 'That's great,' he said, before stumbling. He'd forgotten to look where he was walking, and consequently wound up tripping on a block left out. The play area of primary village: the first time they'd visited it, it had been nice and neat without a single toy or baby out of place. 'Looks like Elecmon's been slacking off a little.'

'You try looking after so many babies and the village,' Elecmon's voice shouted from a roof, and soon the tuft of red hair appeared, followed by the rest of him. 'Well, if it isn't TK and Patamon.'

'And us,' Agumon said, a little affronted at being ignored.

'Of course. Tai, and Agumon.'

Agumon still didn't look too pleased, though TK laughed before turning to their old friend. 'We're just dropping someone off,' he said, showing the squirming Koromon in his arms.

'Ah.' Elecmon reared up on his hind legs and inspected the In-Training digimon. 'A bundle of energy to be sure. The perfect new digimon for the pre-school.'

'Great,' TK said with relief, and Patamon was relieved as well. 'You hear that little guy? School time for you?'

He could have sworn the long ears drooped as he handed him over to Elecmon, who in turn gave him to a Togemon. Tai couldn't help but laugh. 'Looks just like me on my first day of school.'

Koji looked out the window and sighed. It was such a nice day for winter, and yet he was stuck inside doing paperwork. That seemed a shame – but then again, he didn't have anything more important to do. They were all adults now: they had responsibilities. Jobs…and in some cases family as well.

No, in all cases. Parents were still family after all, even when the children grew up and moved out of home. Just like friends were still friends, even if all of them were busy with their own lives. It wasn't school anymore and trying to meet up in the school holidays. It wasn't trying to coordinate parents and trains and fares to fit around a student's time and allowance. It wasn't chatting about the future and playing games and thinking those times together would last forever…

Koji sighed and turned back to his paperwork. Those sorts of thoughts belonged outside. In a park maybe, with a steaming mug of coffee and the wind trying to tug his scarf and jacket loose.

That thought appealed to him. He'd do that then, he decided. His break was his to do what he wished with, after all. After the stack of paperwork was done he could take it and buy himself a nice cup of coffee and take a few minutes in the park across the road.

It was rare to be suddenly struck with nostalgia like that, but somehow the weather and lack of drama at the station – a surprise in itself, really, but not a necessarily unwelcome one – invited it.

They found the well easily enough thanks to Izzy's computer, but their digivices didn't react at all. They stayed for a little longer anyway, as though something new would be uncovered. But the desert wind was uncomfortable and even Izzy ran out of places and ways to serach for the crests, and simply had to admit they weren't in the well they'd originally been found it.

And so the digidestined decided to pay a visit to Piximon who was only a little further away. And when they made it there, it was just as they remembered it. If it had been damaged during the Dark Master's assault, it had been fixed since, and the Piximon that met Izzy, Matt, Cody, Davis and their partners was the same that the two original digidestined remembered.

Cody and Davis were caught a little off guard though, especially Davis when he discovered he'd have to walk all the way up on his own legs.

'At least you don't have to polish the entire place,' Tentomon pointed out. 'My claws still hurt from that.'

'A little hard work never hurt anyone, yupyup,' Piximon said, hovering above them.

'Davis?' Veemon asked, puffing his way up beside his partner. 'Why isn't Piximon walking then?'

'Don't ask me,' Davis panted. 'Geeze, I should add stairs to my training schedule.'

Matt chuckled at the thought of that. 'They'll strengthen your calves,' he said, 'if you can keep up with them.'

And they grumbled and laughed and made their way up the stairs to Piximon's place. Afterwards, they'd have to go on a wild goose chase again, if Piximon didn't know where their crests were. They might have to fight again. Who knew? But walking up all those stairs, it was hard to think about those things. Just the stabbing pains in the calves not used to such exercise and the voices and company around them.

Zoe held her son's hand tight, though he seemed eager to run around in the park instead. She wouldn't have minded letting him usually, but he was slightly feverish and the weather, though pleasant, still had the cool tinge of winter. She didn't want her son getting any sicker – but he was restless in bed, and a little bit of fresh air would do him good.

They walked slowly. There was no need to be rushing around; nothing but rest awaited them. And the people around them seemed to be in no hurry either. It was a Sunday, and everyone had their own thing to do. Some were walking around like them. A few had pets: running after them. Some were in the playground, or sitting on the bench reading things. There was even a group that had spread a picnic blanket out and were lying on it, mittens and scarves tossed off and bare hands reaching to the distant sun.

'Mummy.' Terukazu tugged at her skirt.

She looked at her son. 'Did you see something interesting?' she asked.

He pointed. 'Uncle Koji.'

And indeed it was Koji, with a cup of coffee between gloved hands. Zoe laughed, then lead her son over. From his tone she thought he'd been distracted by another cat again.

Koji looked up when their shadows fell over him. 'Hi,' he said, surprised. 'Wasn't Terukazu sick?'

'I'm not sick,' the boy pouted, though his red eyes gave it away.

'He's sick,' Zoe affirmed. 'But he looked like he could use some fresh air.'

'Yeah.' Koji sipped at his drink. 'This is a good day for that.'

'Taking a break from the office?' Zoe asked.

Koji nodded. 'Nothing big's going on, so all I really had was paperwork to do. But work's work…even on Sundays.'

She smiled at the tone. 'It's almost like you miss the adventures we had before.'

Of course he did. They all did. But more than that they missed something they could never get back.

'Were you thinking about Koichi?'

Koji stared into his cup. 'Not explicitly,' he said finally, and it sounded like the truth. 'But I was thinking it was a nice day to be out with family and friends.'

Terukazu looked at his mother and one of the three uncles by name. 'We're family,' he said.

Koji smiled and ruffled his hair. 'Of course you are.' But his eyes were distant, though Zoe didn't regret her question. It was a nice day to think about friends that were no longer with them as well. Think of those happy, peaceful times they'd spent together, before life had sped up around them.

'I bet Koichi would have been sitting here sketching this scene.'

Koji laughed outright at that. 'He'd probably have an easel and paint and be a proper artist.' Then he frowned. 'No, he wouldn't. He'd be a social worker or something, and draw pictures to give to the kids in his free time.'

'I can see him doing that,' Zoe agreed, and noted with some surprise they'd never actually talked about that before. A future they'd thought they'd had all the time in the world to make…and then it was gone and never considered again.

But that wasn't true at all. Just talking about it, thinking about it, made it come alive again. So long as they weren't chained with regrets, there were still possibilities for the future. Just things to talk about on a nice quiet day.

Gatomon sat in the basket and Kari slowly wheeled her bicycle through the park. The breeze felt nice, though she would be chilled if it weren't for the jacket and scarf and gloves her mother had wrapped her in and the sun smiling down. But she was warm with them, and Gatomon it seemed didn't feel the cold, just the breeze blowing on their faces, making a nice peaceful scene for them both. In the shadows of the trees it was cooler, but they stayed away from those. In summer it was fine, when the sunlight crept through the branches, but on winter days like that particular one, it was too dark and solemn for the both of them.

'Isn't this nice?' Kari closed her eyes and stopped walking, just enjoying the breeze and the way the sun shone on them, even on a winter day. 'I think this is my favourite bit about the park.'

'Not the flowers?' Gatomon laughed. The pollen made her skin itch, though they were pretty in their own right. But patches of sun were her favourite, and gentle breezes were a soft second. She was in complete agreement with her partner there.

'The sun and the wind,' Kari mused. 'All you need is water too and plants will grow.' She opened her eyes. 'Or not water. Do cacti need water?'

'Ask your teacher tomorrow,' Gatomon suggested. 'And just enjoy this for now.'

'Good idea.' Kari made a mental note to do exactly that.

'Is school that bad?' Agumon wondered aloud as they made their way to the cave by the Koromon village. 'But you're always there.'

'I am not. And it's not that bad either. Just not the place I want to spend the rest of my life.' Tai rolled his eyes. 'Kari on the other hand likes school.'

'At least she knows what she wants to be,' TK pointed out.

'True.' Tai closed his eyes, trying to imagine himself as an adult. 'I still don't know. You?'

'Don't know either,' TK confessed.

'But why do you need to change?' Patamon asked.

'It's not so much we're changing,' TK explained. 'We're just growing up I guess. We can't stay in school forever. We'll grow older, maybe go you university, get a job, have a family…'

'It's not really like digivolving, is it?' Patamon jumped off TK's head and flew by his shoulder instead. 'It's not that permanent a change at all.'

'But all the experiences you gain are still there.' TK put his arms behind his head. 'Even though you turned into an egg, you didn't forget the time we spent together.'

'That's right.' And Patamon smiled. 'And I'll never forget.'

'You two are being rather sombre,' Tai remarked, and that's when TK and Patamon realised the pair had gotten ahead of them. 'Oh,' he said a moment later.

TK and Patamon looked ahead at what had made Tai stopped. 'Oh,' they both said. The cave was in front of them, and they could see the light of the exit easily: the place where the crest of courage had once blocked.

Tai took out his digivice. There was only TK's digivice signal on the screen. No crest. 'I was really hoping it would be here.'

'We didn't lose anything by checking,' TK offered. 'We'll find the crests.'

'I'm sure.' Tai stretched, shaking off the disappointment like he would when they lost a soccer match. 'I guess I'll have to rely on you younger kids for a little while longer.'

Agumon walked deeper into the cave, sniffing around. He wanted to find that crest as well, or at least a trace. But years and years had passed since the crest had been removed from there, and all there was was the smell of the Koromon who used the once cave as a tunnel.

He frowned suddenly, then sniffed and followed the fresh scent to a rock. 'Tai, I think a Koromon is stuck here.'

The other three came. 'I hope it's not the same one,' Tai said, sounding exasperated. But he came quickly and pushed at the stone. TK helped, and the Koromon was able to wriggle out.

'A different one,' Agumon said, before addressing the Koromon. 'Hello little guy. Are you from the village?'

The Koromon nodded. 'I got stuck,' he said, before bursting into tears.

The human pair looked at each other, before shrugging. 'It's hardly far,' Tai said, before squatting down. 'Don't worry little guy. We'll take you back.'

The Koromon looked up with watery eyes. 'You will?' he asked, before his mouth widened into a grin. 'Thank you! Thank you!' He sprung suddenly, ears wrapping around Tai's face in a hug. Tai's hands came up, and vaguely he remembered himself doing something similar years ago, with another Koromon. But then the Koromon was in his arms and they were walking to the Koromon village and the brief nostalgia washed away into the peaceful Digital World landscape.