Okay, this is my first story, so I hope you like it! It sort of like an alternative Tamers world. Digimon have lived on Earth alongside humans for many centuries, but the humans always long for the day when the Digidestined will appear, and the Digimon will return to their own world. May be slight hints at couples, but nothing major. Seriously. I just...want you to enjoy it! :D

Chapter One –

It Happened at the Bandstand

Takato sat on the gate of the park, watching the eighth graders swing moodily on the swings, or spraying graffiti on the low brick wall. He sat there, unnoticed, for an hour and a half, before they exited through the other gate. Takato jumped down onto the dewy grass, and walked towards the bandstand in the centre of the park…it was there, he could smell it! He wasn't sure what it was exactly, but he could sense how important it was. He crept cautiously inside. His eyes lit up. Tucked away in the corner was a red and white Digi-egg! He knew that this was what he had been looking for. This was his chance, now everything would change…

He woke with a start, but it took him a while to realise it was a dream. Outside, Takato could hear the roars of the Tyrannamon out on a hunt. The smell of fried bacon drifted through his open door. Smiling, he clambered out of bed.

Henry lifted his hands away from his eyes, hardly daring to believe it. A whole herd of Halsemon were quietly grazing in front of him. He began to scribble furiously in his notebook, his face alight with happiness. If he could find out everything about all Digimon, maybe he could help figure out a way to tame them. Well, that was his ultimate dream. He was only twelve, and so far had never left Japan.

Rika stared out of her classroom window while the teacher droned on about Physics, boring her senseless. It was hard to believe that only a day ago she was on a plane travelling back from her holiday to Spain… It was amazing; she had no idea how many different types of Digimon there were. She shuddered as she remembered her conversation with her grandmother on the flight home.

"Rika?"

Rika continued to stare out the plane window. "Yes?" she had said coldly. Behind them, her mother was ordering a bag of peanuts.

" Did you enjoy the trip?" asked her grandmother.

Rika paused for a moment. " No way," she replied. "I hate safaris. Too many bugs."

The truth was, Rika had loved it. Her favourite Digimon had to be the Kyubimon they saw on the second day – so elegant, so refined, especially for a wild beast. However, her mother was the one who organised the trip, and Rika would rather die than admit that she enjoyed it.

She smiled dreamily as the bell began to echo through the corridors, signalling the end of the school day.

Ryo laughed and talked with his friends as they made their way to a small shop on the outskirts of Shinjuku Park that belonged to his grandfather. He sold what he liked to call "magical trinkets" that were supposed to help tame the monsters that had plagued our world for so many centuries.

" One day they just fell from the sky!" he would always declare. " Of course, these trinkets won't do too much good. Only one can be the true the Digidestined, the person who will tame the beasts and send them back to their own world!"

Ryo and his friends would always joke about it afterwards, but Ryo would often dream that he would be the one destined to bring peace to the world – if only he knew how!

Jeri swung backwards and forwards on her swing in the park, never once taking her eye off the bandstand, where Tamachi and his friends were playing the Digimon card game. Eventually they left, not one of them noticing her. Scowling, she entered the newly vacated bandstand, and sat on the bench, her legs flying everywhere. One of them hit something hard. She looked down in bewilderment, and saw a Digi-egg! Fingers trembling, she reached out for it – and drew sharply away a second later. When she had touched the egg, it had burnt her finger! One word appeared on the surface of the egg 'Takato', but it vanished a moment later. Jeri blinked. It wanted Takato, whoever he was. So she had to stay with the egg and wait for him, no matter how long it took.

Kazu and Kenta sat quietly outside the ice cream shop while Tamachi bought them all Feasts. They were very unlikely friends; Kenta was shy as Kazu confident. They often followed Tamachi, who was, in their opinion, the coolest boy in class. Neither of them said anything. They could still remember what they had seen at the bandstand earlier on: a Digital gate! Tamachi seemed pretty unaffected by it, but Kazu and Kenta were intrigued. In fact, they had already decided they would be going to the library tomorrow, to find out more.

Meanwhile, Takato silently left his house. Just ahead of him he could see his destination: the park, and the bandstand…