Chapter 1

It was dark. The night was cold and so the couples that wandered aimlessly through the park would huddle close to one another and keep warm. Everything was peaceful in Shinjuku. Naught but the leaves stirred.

Hosho leaned in close to his girlfriend. "It… sort of cold out…"

She didn't move.

He had noticed that she had been acting strange lately. Her mind was often gone and she always seemed to be in a trance. Like she wasn't truly in her own body. It was unsettling for him to see her like that. The girl he loved and she couldn't even react to him moving in on her today.

Hosho sighed.

"Why did you move closer…?"

He looked up. She was still dazed and her eyes were closed but she was talking to him at least. For days he was under the assumption that she was mad at him. He let out a breath. "Well, it's cold out and I figured with that light jacket you always wear you must be freezing."

"Cold? Is it now…?" She lifted her hand up and looked at it. "I hadn't noticed…"

Hadn't noticed!? This had to be one of the coldest nights I've ever been through and yet she's taking it so lightly!? She called me out here to say something. I know that much. But why won't she get on with it?

"You… you called me about something. Said you wanted to talk right?"

She lightly nodded her head. "Hosho… I think we should break up."

"What?"

She turned to him, her eyes still shut. "I just think that I need to move on. We've been together for two months now and so I feel as though I need a change. Plus, I need some spare time and so I won't be around very often soon." Her eyes opened slightly. "I just…" They opened all the way to reveal plain crimson pupils.

Hosho flinched.

"I'm searching for someone…"

Rustle rustle

Hosho jumped off of the park bench and screamed. "What was that!?" He jumped behind his girlfriend, who was also standing. "K… Kaori, what was that?"

"Probably the wind…" Kaori stopped.

"Kaori?" Hosho stood up straight and looked at his ex-girlfriend. Her pupils were dilated and her mouth was slightly ajar. "Kaori! Kaori, what's wrong!?"

---

Calumon: oh… what's wrong with the girl?

Brooke: Calumon!!! I said get away from that computer!!! You'll mess up my story!!! I already had a hard enough time trying to remember it from like 6 months after I wrote it when I have no other copies!

---

She didn't answer. There was another stir in the bush. I've got to protect her…. Oohhh… Hosho moved in closer to the bush behind where they had been sitting and peered through what leaves were left. It was hard for him to se in the dark but he was able to spot a small figure.

A kid?

"All right kid. I see you. Come on out. It's not good to be sneaking around at night like that. You really scared my girlfriend."

"Seems like I scared you more." The voice seemed mature but childish at the same time.

"Come on out."

"I don't take orders from no stinking humans!"

"Oh, you're playing eh? OK, then little elf boy or monster… what's that thing kids like so much? Oh Ya, Digimon. Ok, come on out then Digimon kid."

"It's Impmon! Badaboom!!!!" A ball of fire shot out at Hosho's shoulder.

"Ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOT HOT HOT!!!!!" Hosho looked into the bush again as he patted his shoulder and screamed again. Then he ran down the dirt path leading to the street.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!! Humans, they're so… so…" The purple creature looked up at the dazed girl and rubbed the smiley face on his belly. She just stood there. She didn't even look down at him.

He stared at her for a moment. She seemed pretty underdressed for near the end of October. It was chilly out, even he knew that. Yet all she had on was a plaid skirt with a pair of jeans and a gray shirt. She also had a jacket that stretched down to her elbows and blew lightly in a breeze. Her hair was brown and long, part was hidden under a black baseball cap while the rest hung out the back in a ponytail.

Impmon stared at her for a while. "Hey! Why aren't you running?"

She blinked and looked down. Impmon flinched at the color of her crimson eyes. They were like blood. She just stared at him. But her eyes told a differing story. They widened and then closed again. When they opened back up her pupils were purple like Impmon's fur.

"How did you…?"

"Where did you come from?"

He shook his head. "What do you mean where did I come from? I've been standing here for like five minutes now! Aren't you scared!?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I've seen scarier…" The girl turned on her heel and walked out of the park. Impmon stood there, his jaw gapping.

---

Kaori pulled some money out of her jacket's pocket and walked over to a payphone. She placed the quarter in the slot and dialed the number. The phone rang for a while before the answering machine came on. She swore quietly in her head.

"Hello, you've reached the Shiromi residence. So sorry that we cannot answer the phone right now but you can leave a message for either Hiromu, Terra, Kiromu, Tatsuki or Gatomon…"

"Gatomon!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

Beep

"What!? Oh, ummm… Are you guys home? Pick up… hello? Sigh Well, none of you would really remember me much; after all, after ten years people grow. Congrats to whoever is the tamer… Kiromu… I don't even need to think about what you look like. If I want to see all I have to do is look in the mirror. Do you know who I am yet? I've been away for a long time. I know that. But I have good reasons. If anyone can remember that small creature from my childhood you can stop hating him now. He was the one that saved me. He's gone now… So you won't have to worry about another mouth to feed…" She stopped and stared at her feet. It hurt to think about him. She clenched her chest and wiped away a tear with her sleeve. "So, umm… I'm in town again. Just in case… You know who I am if I pass by you again…"

"Please deposit another 100 yen for the next five minutes…"

"What!? Oh dam!"

She sighed and hung up the receiver. As she turned around a small purple creature with a red bandana and gloves stopped her. He casually scratched a smiley face on his stomach and picked at his fangs with a toothpick.

"Why aren't you scared?"

"Because I've seen scarier. I told you that."

He threw the toothpick away. "But it doesn't make sense. All humans are scared of me."

"I'm… not like the others…"

"That much is certain…"

There was an awkward silence. The girl extended her hand to the small creature. "I'm Kaori Shiromi. You?"

He looked up into her pale purple eyes. His three fingered hand reached out and took hers. "Impmon."

"That's a odd name."

"No it's not!!!!!"

She laughed. How long has it been since I did that? Made a joke? Laughed?… Felt happy…?

Who does she think she is? Calling my name odd? What's so special about Kaori? Wait!… Was that…? A digital signal? But where is it coming from… ?