Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
The sound echoed through the Ichijouji apartment, sounding like the toll of a death bell with every strike. Bright rays of sunshine burst through the open windows to make the living room brighter than normal. The brightness coming from the outside did nothing to chase away the dark cloud that hovered over the entire apartment.
It always felt like a melancholy mood hung over the Ichijouji residence since the oldest son, Sam, died two years ago after falling from the balcony. No one knew the reason for the accident, but bystanders reported seeing a large cluster of lightning bolts shoot out from the window. The next moment, Sam was on the ground dead. He was dead the minute he hit the ground. The doctors couldn't do anything to save him. His death devastated his entire family, and they still had not recovered from it even now.
Now with Ken's disappearance, Mr. and Mrs. Ichijouji felt like their entire world was crumbling around them.
Mrs. Ichijouji silently sat at the kitchen table, her eyes drifted downward towards the tablecloth. Her husband was in his office across the hallway working. It had been almost three months since Ken ran away, and there was still no trace of him anywhere. Almost all of Tokyo was on the lookout, but no one could find a hint of him. Why?
Why.
She had asked herself that question many times lately, but still found no answers to any of them. Why had her son ran away? Was it something she and her husband did? Were they too hard on him? Did they show him enough love? It didn't make sense to her as tears began to streak down her face.
"My baby," she sniffled. "Where'd you go? I hope you're alright."
Wiping the tears from her face, Mrs. Ichijouji stood up and slowly walked down the hall towards Ken's bedroom door at the end. Every day for the past three months, she would check to see if he had come back, no matter how many times she came up empty. Her husband thought she was insane doing this every day, but she needed to do it. It gave her a routine, and gave her hope that one day her son would reappear in that bedroom alive and well.
She reached the door and opened it ever so slightly. The door creaked.
Mrs. Ichijouji shrieked.
Her husband burst out of the office with a loud bang as he rushed to see what was wrong.
"Honey, what happened?" he demanded, catching his wife before she could hit the floor.
Mrs. Ichijouji pointed a shaking finger inside Ken's bedroom, too stunned to say anything. Her face was pale and frightened like she had seen a ghost. Mr. Ichijouji followed her finger before becoming speechless himself.
Lying on the floor, highlighted by the sunlight flooding into the room from the sliding doors' glass windows, was a figure lying still on its back. It had long dark hair and was sleeping peacefully.
Their son had come home!
"Ken!" they both cried, bolting into the room.
Mrs. Ichijouji fiercely hugged Ken on instinct as she held him close. Tears poured down in buckets from joy instead of sadness as she was so happy to have her son back home. She let go to get a good look at him. When she looked at his face, she screamed again in horror.
A long, jagged red gash went straight from Ken's eyebrow down to his jaw. The entire side of his face had swelled and was starting to turn purple. White puss and plasma from the laceration oozed down his face. Mrs. Ichijouji nearly threw up when she saw a bone under his slashed flesh be exposed, but she kept her nerve. With a shaking finger, she inched forward to touch the still-fresh mark. Ken did not even groan or flinch as she traced her finger along it.
'Who did this to you, sweetheart?' she thought, unable to tear her eyes away from the grotesque image. Some of the puss, plasma, and Ken's blood stuck to her finger after she finished tracing the cut. She wiped it on her skirt, now really feeling sick to her stomach.
Mrs. Ichijouji nudged her son's shoulder to try and wake him. Maybe he remembered who did this to him, then she and her husband could contact the authorities to have them arrested.
"Ken?"
Ken didn't move. He continued to lay motionless on the floor. Not even a groan escaped his lips.
His mother tried again, but the same thing happened. "Ken, wake up," she begged, praying that this wasn't real. She did not want to believe that her other child had died too. "Please!"
Mr. Ichijouji looked down at the scene and saw the extent of his son's condition. The boy was so unhealthily thin that his ribs stuck out of his shirt. His face had sunken so much that the cheekbone that wasn't exposed could be seen too. Ken looked like he hadn't eaten or slept in days, if not weeks. He remembered seeing pictures of the Holocaust in school, and the Jews looked just like that.
"Ken, please wake up!" the man pleaded as he moved in to check Ken's vitals. He silently counted to ten as he felt for a pulse and listened for breathing.
Once the ten seconds were up, Mr. Ichijouji sighed with relief. Ken was still alive. His pulse was faint, but just enough to be felt by his fingers. This was not a sleep that he could just wake up from in an instant.
Mr. Ichijouji turned to his wife. "We have to get him to the hospital," he urgently said. "Quickly!"
"Hi, Mr. Ishida!"
The man turned at the call of his name, and was surprised by what he saw. The girl that they had left on the corner back in Odaiba was running towards him. What was her name again? It was that girl that Matt had gone out with a couple of times before, but he couldn't remember it.
"Oh, hello there," Mr. Ishida said once the girl reached his table. Nancy and Rumiko also glanced at the newcomer.
"It seems silly, but you guys accidentally left me on the corner back in Odaiba," Jun said, completely oblivious to their expressions.
Mr. Ishida chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, sorry. It happens."
"Didn't look like it to me, Hiro," Rumiko said. The man gave her a look that begged for her to be quiet.
Jun continued on. "It took me a while to get here; I wound up missing the bus, had to barter a few rides, and then I ended up at the wrong place. In the end, here I am."
"Do your parents know you're here?" Ms. Takaishi asked.
"No, but they won't care. I haven't gotten a single call from them asking where I am. Speaking of which, where are Matt and the others?"
Mr. Ishida started sweating. "Uh, they went off to the woods this morning," he replied nervously. "I'll see if I can go find them for you. You three ladies stay here and gossip until I get back."
He took off into the woods without another word, leaving his ex-wife and girlfriend to try and entertain Jun. They both fumed at him for leaving them on the spot.
'Blast it! Kids, where are you?' he thought, moving through the forest urgently. No wonder Matt begged him to leave her there. That girl was nuts.
A few yards ahead of him, a purple slash appeared in the air and opened into a portal. The children all appeared in the blink of an eye, each looking different than they did before. Cody had bandages wrapped around his head, and Tai had a scratch on his chest. Yolei limped slightly on her right leg.
"Hey, Dad," Matt greeted.
His father looked at them all in shock. "What happened to you guys? Did you get in a fight with a bear or something?" he breathed.
"I wish I could say that," TK muttered before answering aloud, "We finished our mission. The Digimon Emperor has been defeated."
"Good. I'm glad to hear that," Mr. Ishida's face turned serious again. "We've got an even bigger problem on our hands."
"What is it, Dad?" Matt asked, not liking the look on his father's face.
"I'm gonna warn you now, Matt. You're not gonna like it." Mr. Ishida looked at the group's injuries once again. "Might want to take care of those real quick so you don't cause a panic."
Yolei nodded. "I'm on it, sir," she said. The red light of her tattoo glowed subtly as she pressed her hand to her leg. After a few moments, the pain went away. Yolei then moved on to Cody, Tai, and Sora to heal their injuries.
With the children now taken care of, Mr. Ishida led them back to camp, where the three females were chatting. Jun instantly shot up from the picnic table at the sight of the older blonde.
"Matt!" she squealed happily and made a beeline for him.
Matt screamed and ran back towards the woods. His father grabbed the collar of his shirt before he got too far.
"Not so fast, Matt," Mr. Ishida hissed, even as Matt continued to pull against his grip. "You're fixing this."
Jun wrapped the blonde into a tight hug, swinging him around in a circle. He thrashed like a fish on land to escape her grip, but it was like iron. She was not letting go.
"Will you please let go of me?!" he shrieked.
Jun planted him down on the ground. Matt felt like his whole world was spinning out of control, both figuratively and literally. He still was trying to wrap his mind around the fact Jun was really here.
"Did you miss me, lover boy?" she teased.
"H-H-H-H-How did you get here?!" he stuttered. His friends snickered and tried to contain their giggles.
"This nice man volunteered to drive me here," Jun replied. "I question his fashion, but then again, if you like wearing a hippy shirt with a star on it and slippers, that's your problem. I still had to take a train, but he gave me some money for it."
"Great," Matt grimaced. As if Jun couldn't get any crazier.
"Don't worry, Matty!" she said as she hugged him again, cracking his back. "I told him that if he touched me I would take him out with one punch, then my boyfriend would finish the job." Jun battered her eyes and clasped her hands under her chin. "Wanna take a guess who that is?"
"Nick Carter?" Matt asked with a weak smile.
Jun giggled. "I wish." She wrapped her arms around his free one this time. "It's you, silly!"
Matt cringed and tried to pull away in a panic unsuccessfully. "Like hell it is! Get off of me!"
"You will be soon! You'll see!"
The rest of the Jedi could not help but feel sorry for Matt. As entertaining as it was to watch, they wanted no part in it. The rest of the older kids went off to pack up their belongings while the adults prepared the cars.
True to his promise, Joe put his belongings in Ms. Takaishi's car to ride back with her, Yolei, Sora, and Mimi. He did not want a repeat of the ride to the campsite. He was so far behind on studying that he needed some quiet time. The males and Kari, since there was no room for her in the girls' car, would ride back with Mr. Ishida and Rumiko.
As they were all set to leave, a cry stopped Mr. Ishida from starting the car.
"Hey, guys! Can I get a ride back with you?" Jun asked. "I don't want to take the bus all by myself."
Davis glared at her. "No way!" he said. "You got yourself up here, you're gonna get yourself out of here. Not my responsibility. Besides, we're all full."
"All full here," Ms. Takaishi said from her car. "I'm sorry."
Jun pouted. "That's not fair!"
Mr. Ishida looked over at Matt, who was waiting to get into the car.
"Matt, the least you can do is take her home," he said, handing him cash.
Matt's mouth dropped in horror. "Dad!"
Tai stuck his head out the window with a teasing smile. "Sorry, Matt, but there's no room in here for you. Have fun with your girlfriend."
Matt turned beet red. "I'm gonna kill you, Tai!"
"Be nice to her," his mother waved goodbye as she started the car.
"Surely, you still have some room in your car, Mom?" her son begged.
She giggled. "I'm sorry, honey, but I'm already full."
"Have fun, you two!" Izzy added salt to his wound.
"But not too much," TK snickered.
"Maybe just a little," Sora teased, using her thumb and index finger as a measurement as their car drove off.
Matt's eyes widened in panic. "It's not like that at all, Sora! I swear!" he called after the Jedi of Love. "I don't like her at all!"
Davis spoke up with a hint of seriousness from his seat in the middle row. "As much as this grosses me out, don't hurt her or I will find you."
He shut the door. Mr. Ishida started the car and drove off, leaving Matt completely helpless.
"Better go catch the bus," Jun teased, pulling his arm. "We don't wanna be late. You can touch me as much as you want, Matt. Don't worry."
One hand reached down and squeezed his butt suggestively. Matt squeaked in surprise, which Jun giggled at. This was the last straw for him. He hung his head in defeat.
"I'm in my personal hell," he groaned. "That's it. This is my seventh circle of hell."
"This is a breaking news bulletin. Famous boy genius Ken Ichijouji was found today in his home after disappearing for three months," the radio crackled. "However, he has been transferred to the hospital and is in critical condition at this time with what is being described as 'malnutrition'. We will have more updates throughout the day as we follow this news story."
"Oh my God," Rumiko breathed. "I hope he's okay."
Mr. Ishida glanced back at the kids in his rearview mirror. All of them were passed out asleep after a long and difficult battle. It took all of a mile before they finally collapsed. He smiled.
"I'm sure he'll be alright," he said. "For a case as big as this one, they'll make sure he gets the best care possible."
Rumiko reached for his hand and laid hers on top. A streak of blush went across Mr. Ishida's face. He had to admit, he had a great time with her these past couple of days. While he hated lying to her about the kids' whereabouts, it was for a good cause. Maybe someday he would tell her about their secret.
"Thanks for bringing me along," Rumiko said, giving the man a bright smile. "I had a great time."
"I'm glad you did. I'm sorry the kids weren't around much," he said, returning it with a smile of his own. "I'm happy that you decided to come along. You want to do something next week?"
The woman nodded. "I'd love to. A movie?"
"You name it, I'll buy."
"Okay."
Mr. Ishida returned his focus to the road and watched as the lake passed by to the side. Everything felt like it was beginning anew for not only the kids, but for him too. He looked in the rearview mirror again.
'Sleep, guys,' he thought. 'You deserve it.'
Little did he know, TK was watching from one eye at their joined hands. Mixed thoughts went through his mind as sleep started to overtake him. It was not long before the other eye closed with a final thought of, 'It's over.'
Far away from these events, in a darker part of the Odaiba district, a man broke from his meditative state on the floor. His dark black eyes fluttered open, revealing a discouraged look that quickly morphed into anger. The disturbance in the Force surrounding his apprentice was troubling. Now, after some deep concentration, he knew what it was.
"So," he said in a low voice that sounded like the hissing of a snake. "He has failed."
The man breathed slowly, but his exhales sounded like growls rumbling within his throat. This was something he had planned for though. Eventually, he knew his apprentice would falter. He brushed one side of his long black hair away from his face. His long, dark purple robe, which he wore with the hood pulled up to obscure his face, matched his cold and dark demeanor.
A door opened behind him.
"Master, have you felt it?" a female voice said. "Ken has fallen from us."
The man hissed. "Of course I felt it. I knew Ken would fail me at some point. His anger made him strong, but his pride always was his weakness. I should have known it would lead to his downfall."
The woman bit her lip, looking unsure behind her sunglasses. "So you don't care whether he dies or not?" she asked. "I've watched the news reports, and it doesn't look too good for him right now."
"His fate is no longer in my hands. If he dies, he dies."
The man closed his eyes again and concentrated on the moment Ken was defeated. The woman took this as her sign to leave and closed the door behind her, surrounding her master with darkness once again. In the man's mind, the other lightsaber cut through Ken's lightsaber and face in slow motion. He rested on TK's face, measuring every detail.
The man smirked. If he was powerful enough to defeat Ken Ichijouji, then this young Destined Jedi could prove to be even more powerful at his side. He felt TK's strength radiating from him, even from afar.
'I must have him as my new apprentice.'