2003, Odaiba, Tokyo

Kari Kamiya and her friend Jacob were on their way home from school. It had been a pleasant day and the two of them were talking about their plans for the future. Jacob was a foreign exchange student from the USA and was beginning to have feelings for Kari, who was his first friend there. Jacob couldn't help but think Man, she's like the perfect girl, the kind that's everything a guy like me could ask for. Now that she's broken up with TK, I think I may have a chance.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of screeching tires. A car was uncontrollably headed for them. There was no time to react. Before she could do anything, Kari was shoved out of the way by Jacob. Kari could do nothing but watch Jacob be flung into the air by the impact of the car...

24 years later, Kimura residence, Odaiba, Tokyo, Kari's perspective

"JACOB!!!" Kari screamed as she awoke from her nightmare. Thank goodness it as only a dream, she thought. Jacob's death that day had always haunted her. If only she could've done more than just stand there, watching him get hit. If only she could've saved his life. If only…

The sound of the phone ringing interrupted her thoughts. She looked at the caller ID. It was Izzy from his work. Why was he calling her so late?

She answered the phone. "Hello?" she asked "Hey Kari, It's Izzy. Listen, we found something in the old abandoned lab. You may want to see this..." "Why me, Izzy?" " It's hard to...Look, it's really hard to explain over the phone," Izzy hastily stated, " You'll just have to see for yourself."

"Mmm... Mom? What's going on?" Margaret groggily asked. "Margaret, Mr. Izumi asked me to come to the lab. We have to go. Get dressed quickly," "But why, Mom?" Margaret asked. "...I'm not sure myself," was all that Kari could say...

Izzy's research lab, Tokyo

"We were looking through the old abandoned projects when we found one about a healing method involving cryogenic freezing," Izzy explained as he lead Kari and Margaret to the old lab. "It's really quite interesting. See, the chemicals in the ice would heal any wounds it were to be applied to." "This is all very interesting, Izzy," Kari said, "but what does it have to do with me?" "It's not the project itself, but the test subject himself." Izzy explained, "The test subject's been frozen for 24 years, Kari, and I think you'll recognize him. Here we are." Izzy arrived in an old lab. He motioned towards a boy who was frozen in ice. Kari's mouth dropped as a tear ran down her cheek. "Oh my... That's Jacob!"

Izzy's research lab, Tokyo, Jacob's perspective

Jacob moaned as he was thawed out. Jacob's eyes had yet to open, so he had no idea what was going on. "Ooooh, where am I?" he asked. "…Jacob?" Kari asked, "Is it really you?" Jacob recognized the voice immediately, and asked, with great concern in his voice, "Kari? Are you alright?" However, he got no answer. Instead, he heard Kari drop to her knees, crying. ""Jacob, it really IS you." "Kari, what's wrong? What happened?" Jacob asked with concern. Kari was too shocked to give a direct answer, but she managed to choke out "Jacob... O-open your eyes."

When Jacob opened his eyes, he was confused. Instead of the girl he knew, he saw a crying 36-year-old woman with a puzzled girl a few years younger than him looking at him. He glanced at the woman, whose voice was unmistakable. "...K-Kari? What happened to-" Jacob managed to get out, amazed to see her so much older, but before he could finish, he noticed Izzy, an acquaintance of his. Seeing him older too, he realized that something had happened. All he could do was exhale while shuddering atnd trying to figure out what happened to him.

Izumi residence, Odaiba, Tokyo, Kari and Jacob's perspectives

"…No. I-it can't be… I saved Kari just a few minutes ago…"Jacob said upon finding out how long he'd been frozen. "I think I can clear this up," Izzy said. "According to the notes that I found, you were only mortally wounded, despite everyone's belief that you were dead. Your parents were so desparate to keep you alive that they made you the unwitting test subject for an ice pack that would heal wounds almost instantaneously in wars. It was meant to last for only one year, but they cut the funding, thus the reason why you were still frozen."

"Jacob, I owe you my life..." Kari began, but Jacob knew what she was going to say. "Kari, you don't have to-" "No, I want to repay my debt..." Kari said, "I'll do anything for you." Jacob knew that Kari was going to make it up to him regardless of what he said. He also knew that his parents were too old to take care of him at this point in time. Jacob needed to remain in Odaiba. He needed somewhere to live, but where? Suddenly, he knew. "Kari," Jacob said, "I want you to adopt me as your son."

Kimura residence, Odaiba, Tokyo

Kari had signed the papers, so Jacob was now legally her son. They had discussed many things that had passed while Jacob was frozen. Now, Jacob was on the balcony, looking at the moonlit world that was his new home. "Jacob?" Kari called to him as she walked outside. She had just put Margaret to bed, and she knew he was still adjusting to things. "Kari, there's a few things I want you to know..." Jacob said. "I know you're going to marry TK." "But, how did you-" "Kari, I could tell by how you talked about him. It's OK. I understand that you two were meant for each other. I want you to be happy... So marry him.

"I also want you to promise me something..." Jacob said, "You may have adopted me, but promise that you will treat me as a friend, but never as your son." "But Jacob, we're so-" "Kari, please!" She looked at him. within his tear-filled eyes, she could see that he would never consider her his mother, nor would he ever call her that around her and her digidestined friends and family. She understood that if she were to try to act as his mother, it would crush him deeply. "OK, Jacob, I promise. Now let's get to bed," Kari said as she turned to head back inside.

"Kari...?" Jacob called out. "Yes, Jacob?" she replied. "I... I'm scared. What is this is all a dream? What if I wake up and I'm somewhere else, like heaven or on the operating table? What if I'm still frozen? I don't want to go back to that feeling of oblivion." Kari looked at him, sensing his uncertainty. She then turned around, knelt down and hugged him affectionately. "You're not dreaming, Jacob," Kari told her old friend, "I promise that all of this is real." Jacob looked at her. He then pinched himself just to be sure. When he was sure that it wasn't a dream, he wiped up his tears and hugged her back. "Thank you, Kari. For everything..." Jacob said. And with that, Jacob and Kari, as old friends and mother and child, went inside. As Kari made a bed for Jacob, he couldn't help but think to himself, Now that she's legally my mother, this means that we can never be together… "I, I just don't believe it," Jacob said with a melancholy voice, "24 years of my life, gone… Wait a minute." "What is it?" Kari asked, looking up from the bed. "That cat thing that fell out of your backpack. What was that?" Jacob asked. Kari suddenly had a surprised look. "You saw Gatomon…?"