Biyomon hid the yawn that assaulted her. They'd been searching for hours. She wanted to hurry and find Tai as much as the others, but her wings were so sore! And there were so many people she had to avoid as she flew. The night's relative empty streets had turned into the morning rush hour, and the bustle of bodies and honking cars and so many prying eyes were so hard to dodge!

The humans had all needed to return to their homes to avoid suspicion. Given the sensitivity of having one of their friends go missing, their parents were likely to be on heavy guard if they'd heard by now. And then there was school, and so their human partners couldn't help the search at all during the day.

Only they, the Digimon, never stopped. They hadn't eaten in hours, and she was feeling the rumble in her stomach as she rested on this branch. The weakness of hunger was far from welcome and reminded her of that very first time she'd met Sora… the first time Greymon appeared for Tai. When none of the rest of them had been able to help because no one had eaten besides Tai and Agumon.

And what an experience that had been. She and Tentomon had just professed that they could feed themselves… that their human partners didn't have to worry about rations because they were self-sufficient. That had been an eye opening experience.

Because really, in hindsight, Biyomon hadn't had a clue what to expect. She'd been Yokomon for as long as she could remember. She hadn't eaten much in that stage… she hadn't really needed to. But then everything was strange, and she tired faster after Sora arrived even if the energy bursts were far stronger than she'd ever dreamed. She'd never had to forage for food before. She hadn't even really been aware of what foods were okay to eat and which would make her sick.

Shaking herself, she groaned quietly. "Why can't this be easy?" The longer this took, the harder it would be. Tai could be anywhere! They were combing the city the best they could, but it was so big… and there were just too many people around at 0900.

She blinked, tilting her head as something shined in her eye. Persistent, and she glared toward the source. Despite the throng of people elsewhere, she could plainly see something on the curb. She turned away with a huff. "Humans discard things too easy," she muttered to herself. Not that Digiworld was pristine… it had "junk" in droves, as Matt called it.

Only… her curiosity was impossible to satiate. She saw something… and she couldn't really tell what it was… and she had no idea what could catch the sun glare quite like that given the cloudy sky… Why would a human abandon something that could produce such light?

So she took a risk.

The coast was clear… mostly. If she was quick and discreet, she could easily fly over and grab whatever it was. So she spread her wings and leapt from her perch. Part of her could hear Sora chastising her later… but the part that sounded like Izzy was saying something about learning more about the human world and its quirks. Or maybe that was Gomamon?

Gliding over, she landed quickly. A phone. Surely someone wouldn't just discard such a handy communication device… Izzy never left his laptop anywhere, and Sora always had her phone in the same room in case something came up. And this one looked new enough…

"Wow, look at that bird!" Biyomon squawked in startlement at the loud exclamation. Heart racing, her talons wrapped around the cell phone as she launched and bee-lined for tree cover. It was hard to ignore the curious, disbelieving eyes that followed her.

Those who physically followed, lost her when she finally reached a grove of trees. Panting, she glanced at the phone she carried. "Why'd I take it? Someone's going to want it back, and if I move it, they'll never find it…" That was when she noticed that the screen was glowing and a muted but shrill enough ring rang through the morning air.

/*/*/*

About a mile or two away, Kari sighed. The day had only really just begun and it already was the worst day of her life. School first period was dragging on and on, and it seemed like everyone was staring at her like she'd grown a second head. Did they all know? Had they been told? She'd been so unfocused… if anything had been said, she hadn't heard… Or was it because Tai was simply absent? She was the sick one… Tai never missed a day.

But she found that she didn't really care. All she wanted… every part of her wished she could just… bring him home. Or go back in time to their argument and shake herself for being like that, and then stay after with him so he wouldn't have faced this alone.

She hoped she and Gatomon and Koromon could exact revenge on the culprit who'd done this to her brother.

Her parents hadn't been the same since they'd call Mr. Ishida. They were like zombies… and daddy hadn't gone to work today… he'd been seated on the couch all night, and was still staring at the window when she'd left. And mommy hadn't made a healthy breakfast either… sending her out the door with money to buy breakfast and lunch instead.

Kari felt like a zombie herself. When TK had come to her this morning, worried but not really knowing what was going on, Kari'd forced herself to go out the door behind her parent's back. She couldn't sit around doing nothing, and since her mom had fallen asleep and her dad was listlessly staring at nothing himself, she'd gotten away with leaving.

But that conviction she'd felt upon leaving with TK quickly dissolved and she'd told him as they'd walked that she felt she'd never see her brother again. TK hadn't asked, but his hope helped her to keep going… Especially when she was sent home "early" during the search. The thought that her parents would freak out if they realized she was gone also had unified the others in "grounding" her. TK had promised that he'd keep her up to date.

So she'd gone home with a brokenhearted Koromon. They laid in bed, staring at the ceiling for a while, and then got up to get ready for school. And now she was here. Surrounded by people and knowing the one person who meant the most to her wasn't among them.

She'd normally pass Tai in the hallway right about now.

"Hey, Hikari!" She turned her head mechanically to the boy who sounded so enthusiastic, painting a smile that felt strange on her lips. But she didn't see some kid… for a moment it was Taichi. His broad grin and wild hair that defied gravity and logic… his green uniform that marked him as an upper classman… Asking if she wanted to go out for ice cream after school… "Are we still on for tonight? The movie and all…" The image shattered, and her brother was replaced by a suddenly nervous boy with a grey uniform that matched hers. "I mean… we can change plans, if you want to do something else…"

He rubbed his head with a hand… cheesy grin and posture so disturbingly similar that she wondered how she hadn't made the connection before when he'd asked her to go to begin with. "D-Daisuke…" she stammered, catching herself as he grew even more nervous. "I don't-"

She jumped at the buzz in her pocket. TK had been quiet so far, in class as well, and no one else had said a word to her via phone… leaving TK her only contact as they'd been searching. No one else would call her now… unless it were her parents. But as she pulled it out, her disbelief was near audible. Caller ID: Tai Y – ICE.

"Tai! Are you okay?" she shouted into her phone, uncaring that the tears were flowing again and that Daisuke was watching her like a hawk. The people around them blended together as they filed around her.

"-uh oh… Why's it glowing like that?" It wasn't her brother, and she nearly dropped her phone in a mix of disappointment, devastation and sadness.

"Biyomon!" she exclaimed instead, clutching to the phone after the initial realization bolted through her. "Oh… Biyomon…"

"K-Kari?" the bird ventured, unsure and just as surprised. "I didn't mean to call you… I found this phone on the road and it was glowing when I landed with it… I'm sorry to interrupt your class…"

Still crying, Kari shook her head gently. "Where did you find it?"

"By this park. Um… it's by the Supermarket Sora's mom always goes to."

She knew that park… Tai took her there a lot. But they hadn't gone there at all since the school year had begun. "Tell the others to look in that area." She closed her phone quickly and glanced blearily at the boy across from her. Her silent observer, more serious now than she could recall him ever being. "Daisuke…"

Daisuke was a hyper-active goof off who pulled her hair when they were younger. She'd never told Tai about it… taking the "abuse" in silence. But he'd mellowed out somewhat, and joined the soccer team… he idolized her brother. "We can reschedule." He was also such a sweet guy when he tried to be. "Sounds like this isn't the best time. But Hikari… is there anything I can help with?"

It was his worried look that caved her. He had no idea what she was dealing with, but he was offering to help her. "We… I… can still go another time… My brother's missing… and we, my friends, are looking for him." Daisuke's jaw dropped and Kari looked down, still feeling lost. They really could use all the help they could get. "Do… are you sure you want to help?"

"Of course I'll help!" His stun was apparent in his tone. Obviously the people before hadn't heard about her brother… they were just reacting to his absence. "What can I do? What happened?"

She barely bit back a reactional sniffle. "He was kidnapped. His stuff was still on the side walk and Matt found it… We're searching the city for any clue we can get. One of my friends just found his phone and called me." However incidentally.

Daisuke nodded, and she felt a little guilty. He'd been so happy when he'd asked her to see a movie… she hadn't wanted to, really… but she hadn't wanted to hurt his feelings, and had said yes. And now, here he was, jumping head first into something he didn't know the entire scope of. And after she told him to meet her at the computer lab at lunch and they were heading to their respective classes, she felt even more anxious.

How would Daisuke Motomiya react to Digimon?

A/N: Enter the boy. I feel I should clarify, although I don't know what needs clearing up. So, any questions, go ahead and ask, and if it doesn't give anything away, I'll try to answer, even if it is in the story itself instead of PM.