Reviews:

Ackbarfan5556: I can understand that, but it wasn't what I wanted to do. I appreciate the thought though.

Lord Jaric: Only time will tell.

Music Chick: All part of the plan. There is a method to the madness. Trust me.

GuardianAngel1234567: No, he is not.

Guest: Thank you. That makes me feel proud.

Zero and Megaman: We'll see how it all works out. You'll learn a few things before the story is over.

Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint: Thank you as always for the kind words and insight, Greymon. Like I said last time, I never really recognized this stuff until you brought it up so thank you.

Super Saiyan 3 Odd: You bet. It was a terrific idea and it worked perfectly. We will just have to see what happens between them.


Back again, gang. It looks like everything is starting to get a little better out there, but we've got this story to keep us and me going. Thank you guys so much for giving me my best day in terms of views last week with 328 views in one day! You guys are the greatest!

What'd you guys think of episode 1 of the reboot? I loved it. I'm honestly really excited for where they take this version of events.

We are now going to Kyoto! Yay! I've been anxiously awaiting this chapter for a long time. Hope you guys enjoy it.


The warm September days gave way to crisp, cool October days. Autumn wrapped the Japanese home island in its bosom and ushered in the beginning of cold days ahead. The bright, luscious greens of summer turned to the colorful oranges, reds and yellows of fall.

Cody Hida found himself in a pinch on one of these days in early October.

"Come on," he muttered, moving through the entire apartment as a rising sense of panic bubbled up within him. "There has got to be one somewhere. I told her I needed it."

The young boy rummaged through every drawer he could get his hands on. At school that day, he finally used up the last of his notebook paper. His mother told him last week that she would get him a new notebook when she went to the stationary store, but he couldn't find any. She must have forgot.

Or maybe…he didn't even tell her!

How could he have been so foolish? With all the recent drama involving TK and also Digital World business, he must have forgotten about how close he was to reaching the end of his notebook. Normally, that would not even be an issue. He'd just wait until he got his allowance on the fifth day of the month.

He looked at the calendar. Today was the fifth of October, and he still had not received his allowance yet. Where was his mom?

Cody burst into the kitchen. "Mom! I need another note–! Huh?"

He stopped. No one was there. Looking around, he found a note attached to the fridge.

Cody,

Grandpa and I will not be back until late. There's leftover rice in the fridge for you to reheat.

-Mom.

The boy sighed in defeat and put the note on the table. Cody had no one but himself to blame. He'd just have to find another way to take notes at school tomorrow. Once he got his allowance, he'd go to the stationary store and buy one, maybe two just to have an extra security blanket. For now, he did not know what he would do.

Suddenly, it hit him. He could borrow paper from someone. Who, though?

TK was a possibility because he lived just two floors below his family's apartment. It had been two weeks since he apologized to the group for his behavior during a mission, which saw him be stripped of his leadership title. He had made progress in that time, but Cody was still a little nervous about approaching him. He had kept his distance from TK ever since and was not sure it was a good idea to ask for a few sheets.

Yolei maybe? No, he thought. He had borrowed so many things from her lately that he didn't want to seem like he was taking advantage of her. In that time, Cody had borrowed a pen, a CD, and money that he was going to use his allowance to pay her back with. Just yesterday, he asked if he could borrow a paper clip. She was happy to give those things to him, but he didn't want to be seen as a leech.

Joe was out of the question. The teenager was currently studying for his high school entrance exams. Cody did not want to distract him from studying for his tests, so he thought it wouldn't be right to ask. He had barely seen Joe in the last two weeks.

The boy released a sad sigh and went to the bathroom to get a bath going. After washing himself with the showerhead, he soaked in the tub for quite a while. Once he was done with the bath, he walked back into the kitchen.

Inside the fridge was a Tupperware full of fried rice that Cody, his mother and grandfather had for dinner the previous night. He shrugged. Guess he was having rice two days in a row. He went over to the microwave. Since he was too small to reach it directly, he propped himself up on the counter and put the bowl in. A minute-and-a-half later, followed by another minute of letting the plastic container cool down he pulled it out and took the rice to the table.

"Itadakimasu." Cody said before picking up his spoon to start eating.

Knock, knock, knock.

The spoon stopped halfway between his mouth and the container. Who could that be? For a second, he hoped it was his mother but he soon found that not to be the case. She would have just walked in and announced she was home, his grandfather too.

Cody got up and went to the door. He wasn't tall enough to reach the peephole, so he used the Force to determine who stood at the door.

The boy frowned. It was the one person he least wanted to see. Nevertheless, it was rude to leave someone standing in front of the door when one was home. He opened the door.

Ken nervously smiled in greeting, a plastic bag in his hand. "Hi, Cody."

"What do you want, Ken?" Cody bit. Even though Ken was generous enough to buy him ice cream that one time, it didn't do anything to change how Cody felt about the older boy.

Ken sensed the hostility emanating from the small boy but brushed it aside. He looked down at the bag in his hand.

"I was just in the neighborhood and I had a feeling you needed a notebook or two, so I got you some," he said, pulling two large, spiral notebooks out of the bag. "They're the big ones, so they'll take a while to fill up."

Cody's eyes widened. How did Ken know that he needed them? He didn't remember asking anyone else in the group about it.

"How did you –?" he started to say.

Ken shrugged. "I'm not sure," he replied. "I just had a feeling you needed a notebook, but had no money to get it with, so I went down to the stationary store and came all the way here to give them to you."

Cody eyed the two notebooks like they were a gold pocket watch being swung side to side. His hand screamed at his brain for permission to reach out and take them, but it held back. What was Ken's angle? What did he want in exchange for these? Cody was unsure. Ken had been with the team for a month and was made a full member just the day before, but the young boy still had reservations about him.

The need for the notebooks became too great, and Cody accepted them with a nod.

"Thank you," he said. "You really saved my life, Ken."

"You're welcome," Ken replied with a nod.

A vision passed before Cody's eyes. He saw him and Ken sitting across from each other at his kitchen table and talking. Was this what the interaction would result in? He did choose to open the door and accept the notebooks.

"W-Would you like to come inside?" he asked.

"No, that's okay," the older boy declined. "I don't want to impose."

"You wouldn't be."

Ken thought about it for a second, and then nodded. "Okay."

Cody moved over to let him inside. Wherever this went, he hoped he would not regret it later.

Ken looked around and marveled at the inside of the Hida home as they walked to the kitchen. It was so much different compared to his. He rarely ever went to someone else's home, so this was new for him.

When they reached the living room, a small shrine near the sliding glass doors caught his attention. Incense sticks that had long since stopped burning sat stuck in the holder. Ken looked up and saw a photo on top of the shelf of a man in a police uniform.

"Who's that?" he asked.

Cody stopped and looked. His throat went dry and he bit his lip. His eyes cast downward. "That's my father," he replied. "He was killed in the line of duty three years ago while protecting the Japanese ambassador in London."

Ken eyed the picture with sadness. He and Cody were really not that different after all. Both lost someone close to them around the same time. The main difference was in how they handled it. While Cody used the loss of his father to do good, he used Sam's death to do evil things.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said. Ken folded his hands in prayer to pay his respects for the man's soul. He bowed when he was finished before joining Cody in the kitchen.

The Tupperware of fried rice had become slightly cold in the two minutes that Cody had been gone. The two Destined Jedi sat across from each other in silence. Cody scooped up a spoonful of rice and put it in his mouth.

The awkward silence hung over the room like a heavy winter blanket. Neither Ken nor Cody knew what to say to each other. How do you talk to someone that at one time made it their mission to kill you and your friends? The same could also be said about someone that hated your guts.

Ken couldn't take the stillness anymore. He had to say something.

"Nice house you have here."

Cody cocked an eyebrow out of instinct, but relaxed at the simplicity of the statement.

"Thank you," he muttered, popping in another spoonful of rice. Without looking at Ken, he added, "Would you like something to drink?"

"No thank you." Ken rubbed his wrist with his thumb, looking down at it.

Cody pressed his lips together, unsure on what to do next. He decided to trust his vision and puts his spoon down on the table to lock eyes with Ken.

"Have you always been able to feel when someone needs something?" he asked.

"I guess so. Even when I was the Emperor, I could sense it. I would say that's my power that stems from being the Jedi of Kindness."

Cody narrowed his eyes like he just smelled something bad. "Sensing what others need and using it for future manipulation, I bet," he said bitterly.

"I am ashamed to say that you are correct," Ken shot firmly. "Did I wrong you in another life, Cody Hida? How much must I prove myself before you're satisfied?"

Cody was taken aback by the answer. A slight feeling of guilt swelled up in his throat. He pressed his lips together again, this time from the guilt. His answer was soft this time.

"I want to trust you because everyone is beginning to." He looked to a corner on the table. "I'm more cautious than others though."

"Why?"

Cody's lips continued their sumo match with each other, unsure of how to answer that question.

"Forgive me," he said, "I'm not trying to bring up the past, but you nearly killed two of my friends. That's not easy to forget." The boy then glanced at his father's shrine. "How do I know it won't happen again?

Ken took a deep breath. He should have known that was all this was about. Every so often, he would hear the voice of the Emperor whispering in his ear. "Come on back, Kenny boy. I miss you…You don't need them, Kenny boy. You only need me…I'm always here, Kenny boy." Ken shook the words out of his head.

"What are you waiting for, Kenny? Kill him right now! There are no witnesses."

Goosebumps shot up his arms. That was new. Ken tried to ignore the voice in his head as he finally spoke.

"I'm not who I was then, Cody," he said. "I can guarantee you that."

"He'll never trust you, Kenny. It's not worth the effort. He's nothing but an insect."

'Shut up!' Ken snapped at the voice in his head before following Cody's gaze to the shrine. "Is this about what I said about your father that one time?" he asked.

"Yes," the boy bit, glaring at him with disdain. "You said that he died like a dog, but he died a hero. He saved someone's life!" Cody crossed his arms as he sat back in his chair. "I promised that day I would never forgive my father's murder. I would find a way to make it right one day. I made that promise about you too. Now my friends accepted you in to the team…" –he scrunched his face– "…And I have to trust them. So far you haven't done anything to harm us, and Davis is convinced you're a different person. People aren't always what they seem."

"I see," Ken murmured, leaning forward on his elbows. He picked at the skin on his chin in thought. "Cody, I can't bring your father back, nor do I think you can help me forgive myself for what I did to Sam, but that doesn't mean I don't understand where you're coming from."

Cody turned back to look at the notebooks Ken brought. They were piled next to him. "I really am grateful for the notebooks," he said.

"You're welcome," replied Ken.

It was then that Cody realized something. "Truth be told, you're confusing me."

A nervous smile rose from Ken. "How so?"

"You used that ability of yours to sense I wanted ice cream at the mall. Why?"

Ken played with his fingers to try and keep his nerves at bay. It worked a little, but did not completely settle him down. "I know it's probably too much to ask, but I want to ask for your forgiveness. Being with all of you this past month has made me see things in a different way. I don't want to go back to what I used to be."

"Forgiveness is earned, though, not just given," Cody replied. He shrugged. "At the same time I'll try to give you a chance. If everyone else can, then I'll try."

"I can respect that," Ken said with a slight nod.

The two sat quietly. Cody fed himself spoonful after spoonful of rice as he thought about things. He still was not ready to give Ken all of his trust, not by a long shot, but he was tired of playing this game. Joe had started coming around to Ken being in the group, so why couldn't he? That was a question he was going to have to dig deep to find the answer to.

He looked down. "Want some rice?" he asked quietly.

Ken nodded. "Sure. I'd like some."

Cody went to a cabinet and pulled out a rice bowl for Ken. He also grabbed an extra spoon before returning to the table. Using his spoon, he dumped in a good amount of rice until Ken told him to stop.

Ken accepted the bowl with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

Once Cody reorganized himself, they both clapped their hands together.

"Itadakimasu!"


The wind was slightly chilled as it blew through the narrow streets. It was a light breeze rather than a gust, which made the day more enjoyable. The smell of gasoline mixed in with the scent of leaves and jasmine that hung in the air as cars and motorcycles drove by Kyoto station.

A block away, Kyoto Tower loomed over downtown like the watchtowers of old, standing guard to alert the city of danger. Much like Tokyo Tower, it was a tourist attraction, giving people the best views of Kyoto and allowing them to see as far as Osaka.

Kyoto served as the capital of Japan for over a thousand years from the end of the Nara period in the late eighth century until the end of the Edo period in 1869. Without official decree from the Emperor, the royal court moved from Kyoto to the city of Edo in the east. Edo was soon renamed Tokyo, meaning "eastern capital". This led to a dispute over which city was the rightful capital of Japan that lasted for many years until Tokyo finally overtook Kyoto as the center of governmental power.

The city was also known for a short time as "Saikyo" – western capital – before becoming Kyoto again. It was considered a possible place for the atomic bomb to be dropped by U.S. forces during World War II, but was ultimately spared. Today, the city served as the cultural capital of Japan with over 2,000 temples and shrines.

Yolei Inoue took in the sights and smells with an overwhelming sense of wonder. All of the history was completely off her mind. Kyoto may as well have been the Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz to her. Her class was taking a trip for the weekend to see all the history there.

Already, her class had been to Kinkaku-ji, the golden temple; Kiyomizu-dera, one of the most well known Buddhist temples in the city; and Shimogamo shrine, the oldest shrine in Kyoto. It was established in the 6th century, over two-hundred years before the city became the capital. And that was just the beginning.

A flash of auburn caught her eyes in the crowd ahead. For a second, Yolei thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

'Sora?'

Up ahead, a girl that looked about Sora's age with the same height, figure, and haircut stood with a crowd of people waiting to cross the street. Her back was to Yolei, so the girl could not get a good look to be absolutely sure.

If it was her, what was Sora doing in Kyoto? Yolei didn't remember the Jedi of Love saying anything about an upcoming trip to the city when she told her about her class trip.

"Hey, Yolei! Come on!" one of her friends called.

The Jedi of Love and Sincerity snapped out of her daze. Maybe she was just imagining things. Auburn hair was a more common thing in Japan than people thought. It was just a coincidence. She ran to join her class group as they boarded the bus.


Buzzing and laser clashing together filled the rocky plain as two green lightsabers, four blue lightsabers, and a purple slammed against two red ones. One of the red lightsaber holders pushed back against the blue and green wielders, jumping over them and attacking from behind. Both Jedi halted the attack before it could do its intended damage.

Tai and Izzy led a small group of Jedi that consisted of Davis, TK, Cody, Mimi, and Kari to the Digital World to find Arukenimon and Mummymon for one last confrontation. Joe was studying for his tests, Sora was busy with other things, and Yolei was on her class trip so they couldn't come. Matt and Ken were doing more training exercises since Ken could not be involved in saber combat.

Mummymon used his agility to avoid any attacks from the group of five Jedi that surrounded him. TK went over the top to slice through Mummymon. He missed. When he turned around, a punch hit him straight in the face.

Cody leapt right for the mummy, his green saber pointed right for his chest. Mummymon turned just in time and hit the boy with a boot right to the chin. The saber fell from Cody's hand and hit the ground just as he did. He saw stars for a good second.

Arukenimon's spun around like a figure skater of death while using her lightsaber to keep Tai and Izzy at bay. The two boys deflected and staved off the attack in hopes she would become too dizzy and stop. Finally, the woman ceased spinning and thrust her arms out to blow them back with the Force.

"You brats thought you could stop us?" she snickered before picking Izzy up and throwing him right into Tai. The two Jedi flew four feet before hitting the ground with Izzy on top. "Haven't we proven by now that you can't stop us? Especially two Jedi that can't use the Force."

Tai pushed Izzy off, then slowly sat up. His breath came out in short, ragged gasps to get his air back. His eyes glared at the woman in red.

"They're kicking our butts, Izzy. What do we do?" he asked the Jedi of Knowledge.

"I –"

"AHHHHHH!" Suddenly the other five Jedi landed right beside the two boys. This was bad.

Mummymon watched with a dark chuckle. "Foolish Jedi," he said, brandishing his red lightsaber with a glint in his eyes. "I thought you were supposed to be more of a challenge." He turned to his partner. "I've just realized something, Arukenimon."

"What is that, Mummymon?"

"We've been so focused on capturing those two Jedi that we've never taken the time to have some fun. Let's cause a little chaos for chaos' sake."

Arukenimon smirked, realizing what he was hinting at. "I like that plan very much, Mummymon."

She put her hand down on the ground and chanted a spell. Several large piles of black goo rose from the ground as her words grew louder in tone. They took shape into bi-pedal figures, still covered in shadow, and then shot up into the air and disappeared.

The Destined Jedi watched in utter fascination and bewilderment.

"What did you do?" Cody breathed in shock.

Arukenimon snickered. "You'll see. I'd be mindful of what happens to your friends, young Jedi."

The group of Jedi tightened their hands on their sabers. All seven multicolored blades shot out from their holders. The two sides stared each other down.

In Kyoto, a large beam of purple light shot out from a covered well. The bamboo cover blew right off into hundreds of little pieces of bamboo shoot.


Yolei turned around and peered down the street. What was that feeling she just felt? A large amount of dark Force energy suddenly emerged nearby. This could not be good. She tried to put it off by listening to her teacher talk.

"Alright, kids. Be back in two hours. Take some time to enjoy yourselves, but be careful."

"Yes, sensei!" the kids chorused before splitting off in different directions.

Yolei walked around the narrow streets near Heian shrine, looking for something to buy for her family. That dark feeling grew stronger the further she ventured into the district. What was it?

Suddenly, large black figures stepping lightly like a funeral procession strutted out from an alleyway. Yolei jumped back from the shock. What were those? She looked around. People went about their day like normal, not noticing anything out of the ordinary.

'Are those Digimon?' Yolei wondered. Their Force energy was similar. What were they doing in Kyoto?

Thoughts of gifts for her family and friends became a distant memory as Yolei followed the group of figures. She was going to get to the bottom of this.

The group walked slowly through the district and over a bridge going right towards the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Yolei followed them step for step, but it soon became taxing on her. She was not the fastest nor strongest runner, so having to run for long periods to keep up almost wiped her out. Up ahead, a stop light started acting all wonky, changing every second and causing confusion for drivers and pedestrians.

Yolei closed her eyes, panting in exhaustion as she kept running. Her body screamed for her to stop, but she kept on going. Soon, she was in the gardens surrounding the Imperial Palace.

"Stop…Digimon?" she cried.

One of the figures stopped and looked back. It shed its cloak of goo to finally reveal its true form. It was a large ape with yellow fur and a bone attached to its back. Its grey face and striking green eyes glared at Yolei in confusion. It looked around. What was this place, and why was it here? It turned and jumped up onto the roof of a nearby building.

"Okay. Here we go," Yolei gasped, trying to convince herself to keep going. A Digimon was now loose in Kyoto. She took off down the street.

"Look out!"

Yolei looked up, but it was too late. She collided with someone, landing on top of them. Both her and the unfortunate bystander groaned in pain. Yolei sat up and turned to apologize.

"I am so sorry! I didn't mean to –"

"Watch where you're going!"

Yolei's eyes widened. That voice. The other person involved in the collision sat up and rubbed their through their hair. Auburn hair. The face finally was revealed.

"Sora?" she asked timidly, wanting to be absolutely sure.

Sora shook herself out and looked back. Her eyes widened.

"Yolei?"

The two stared for what felt like an eternity. Sora wore a grey cardigan over a sky blue shirt, blue jeans, and brown calf-length go-go boots. Yolei was in shock. She knew that had to have been Sora earlier! Why hadn't she noticed?

"Hi!" Yolei greeted, pulling the Jedi of Love up and giving her a hug. "What are you doing here?"

Sora smiled back. "Hey! I'm here to surprise my dad with a visit," she said. "He's been a guest lecturer at Kyoto University this whole school year while doing research out here too. I haven't seen him in a while, and really wanted to so I came."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I only thought about it two days ago. You were already gone for your school trip."

Yolei then remembered what she had been doing before running into Sora.

"Come on, Sora!" she said, pulling the older girl along. "There is a Digimon loose here in Kyoto. We have to find it before someone gets hurt."

Sora jumped right into action and ran alongside her. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

A little ways ahead, a man and a woman stood by a storefront near the canal. The man looked deep into the woman's eyes with pure infatuation. The woman looked at him with just as much admiration.

"At last, we are alone," he said.

"Yeah," the woman replied softly.

Suddenly, the camera turned off and back on. All the graphics suddenly went crazy.

The cameraman blinked his eyes and shouted, "What the hell?!"

"What's the matter, John?" the male actor asked. The lighting man also stopped what he was doing to see what was wrong.

The cameraman was a young male either nineteen or twenty years of age. His face made him look a lot like Jet Li, but with glasses. His black hair was cut short and well kept, styled to the side. He wore a brown jacket over a cream shirt and grey pants.

"Something's up with the camera," the man said. "I don't know what happened. It just suddenly stopped working."

From above, a figure jumped down from the roof and crushed the camera under its foot. Wires, film, and other machinery spilled out from the destroyed camera.

The actress screamed, "What is that?"

Sora and Yolei rounded the corner to the scene in front of them. They looked at each other and nodded, bringing their sabers to life. The Digimon turned its attention to the cameraman just as the two female Jedi jumped out to attack.

"Get away from here!" Sora instructed to the actors and lighting man. They wordlessly nodded and ran as far away as they could.

"Sora, watch out!" Yolei cried.

The Jedi of Love turned back around and was met with a kick to the chest. She stumbled back and pointed her lightsaber out to keep the beast back. Yolei stood behind the Digimon to keep it cornered.

"We've got to drive it away from here," Sora told herself. She looked down the river and saw a bridge with no people on it. "Yolei! Draw him over to that bridge down there!"

"Are you crazy?" Yolei cried as the beast turned its attention to her.

"Trust me! Let's send it back to the Digital World. We have to do this fast."

The lavender-haired girl took a shaky breath and muttered, "I sure hope you know what you're doing," before shouting, "Hey, big guy! This way! Come and get me!"

Yolei took off running down the street. Like a moth to a flame, the ape Digimon followed her. Her fear picked up with every stride she made. Hopefully Sora knew what she was doing with this plan.

"That's it. Keep going." Sora said, staying back a ways behind the two.

Yolei soon made it to the bridge. She turned around and pointed her green lightsaber at the Digimon.

"Okay, now what?" she asked Sora.

The ape took a step forward. Yolei slashed the air in front of her to keep it back. The creature stayed put, eyeing the saber with fear.

"Open a portal," Sora instructed. "Send it back to the Digital World."

"How are we going to –" Yolei started to say, but the ape swung its bone at her. She dodged the attack by ducking her head. Yolei then used the Force to push it against the railing across the way.

Sora ran and wrapped the beast up in a full Nelson to slow it down. The creature thrashed around in her grip, but Sora stayed strong.

"Open the portal now! I can't hold on much longer!" she yelled.

Yolei nodded and concentrated on opening a portal. One appeared two seconds later. She looked back to Sora to await any other instructions.

"When I count to three, I'm going to let go," the auburn-haired Jedi said. "When I do, use the Force to throw him in the portal. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Alright. One. Two. Three!"

Sora shoved the Digimon away from her. Yolei was ready to summon the Force as she lifted the ape off the ground a little. It hovered for a second before she threw it into the portal. The vortex closed just after it disappeared.

"Nice work," Sora patted Yolei on the shoulder. "Glad that's over."

"Yeah," Yolei agreed. "Hopefully nothing else will happen from now on."

"They're over here, Professor."

The girls looked at the end of the bridge and saw the young man from earlier standing there. Another gentleman came up to stand beside him. The man looked late thirties to early forties. His hair was dark grey from years of hard work, and he wore a bottle green jacket, a black polo underneath and dark pants. He eyed the two girls with curious black eyes.

Sora's eyes widened with excitement when she saw the man. "Yolei!" she gasped, tapping her on the shoulder. "There's my dad!"

"Cool," Yolei replied.

"Sora?" the man said.

Sora's excitement took over her body. She ran right towards the man without a second to waste. Yolei followed behind her at a slower pace.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, opening her arms to hug him with an excited laugh.

The man's eyes lit up and he took her into his arms once she reached him. He squeezed her tightly and picked her up. The two laughed joyously as they were reunited.

"Sora, my little cherry blossom," her father laughed, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming."

Sora squeezed her father tightly. "I wanted to surprise you with a visit."

"And what a wonderful surprise it is."

The two ended the embrace.

"I've missed you so much, Daddy."

"I'm glad you're here, sweetheart," the professor nodded. "Maybe we can go around the city. Wherever you want to go, we'll go."

Sora smiled even wider than she thought possible. "Deal!" she squealed. A second later, she took a breath and spoke normally. "Mom says hello and that she misses you."

Her father smiled. "How is your mother these days?"

"She's good." Sora looked back at Yolei. The younger girl tilted her head to the side and frowned. She blushed with embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Yolei," she apologized with a nervous laugh. "Daddy, this is my friend, Yolei Inoue. She's here on a class field trip. We ran into each other just a few moments ago. Yolei, this is my father, Professor Haruhiko Takenouchi."

Professor Takenouchi bowed and shook the girl's hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Yolei."

"It's nice to meet you, sir," Yolei smiled and shook his hand in return. "Sora's told me so much about you."

The man blushed. "Hopefully she left out the part about me being a deadbeat dad," he said with a laugh.

"Only the good parts. I promise."

"Daddy, don't talk that way about yourself!" Sora laughed. "You're not a deadbeat dad."

Professor Takenouchi looked down at Yolei's wrist, which was covered by her sleeve. He was curious about something. "Are you one of them, like Sora is?" he asked.

Yolei's face paled. A drop of sweat ran down her brow.

"I don't know what you mean, sir," she respectfully replied. "Sora's just my tutor."

"May I have a look?" The professor didn't wait for her reply as he pulled her sleeve back. The mark on her wrist of the symbols of Love and Sincerity was exposed. He looked at it for a few moments and then smiled.

"I knew it," he said. "You're one of the Destined Jedi."

Yolei's jaw dropped. How did he know? Her mind scrambled for an explanation, but nothing was coming up.

"Oh, um…" she stuttered. She looked to Sora for help, unsure of what to do.

Sora gave her an assuring nod and smiled. "It's okay. He knows."

Yolei took a deep breath, relieved that she could speak freely about this now. She nodded.

"Uh, yes, sir. I am the Jedi of Love and Sincerity," she said to the professor. "Sora's been training me since I became a Destined Jedi at the start of the school year."

Professor Takenouchi smiled. "I see," he looked at his daughter. "I'm sure she's done a wonderful job with you from what I can tell."

"It has not been easy, but we've managed to work with it," Sora replied with a nervous chuckle. Yolei nodded in agreement.

The young man cleared his throat to remind everyone he was still there. The professor turned and gave him an apologetic smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry, John," he said. "Girls, this is my teaching assistant –"

"John Kido," the young man finished and bowed to them. "Nice to meet you both. You probably know my brother."

Sora blinked. "John Kido?" she asked. Her hand went up to her chin. A second later, she said, "Is your brother Joe Kido by any chance?"

John laughed. "Yup. The one and only."

"No way! Really? That's so cool!" Yolei exclaimed. She got a good look at him, and blushed at how cute he was. "I must say, you're kinda cute, John."

"Yolei!" Sora chastised, blushing with embarrassment. She gave the young man an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry, John. She's kinda boy crazy."

"Think nothing of it. How is my kid brother these days, he staying out of trouble?"

"Yes, he is," Sora replied with a smile. "He's doing quite well."

"Good. I wasn't around when the events of three years ago happened, I was in Osaka at the time. But I know enough about you guys to be well-aware of the situation. I go to school here at KU and was in the med program for the first month. It just so happened that I also had a class with the professor here. I was so inspired by his lecture that I switched to archeology right away." John rubbed the back of his head nervously and let out a shaky chuckle. "Man, was my dad upset when he found out."

"I can imagine," Sora said, having heard all about their father from Joe.

"He was like, 'You are no son of mine! Get out of this house!'" John laughed, deepening his voice to imitate his father. "But Mom smoothed things over and we're okay now.

Yolei sighed with relief. "That's good to hear."

Sora nodded in agreement.

"I told him I planned to become a doctor of archeology, if that counted. Our oldest brother Jim's on his way to becoming a doctor; he's got three years left in the med program at Tokyo U. Jimbo always was a little more passionate about the medical field than I was."

Yolei listened wide-eyed. This was so fascinating. Joe had never told her this before. "Wow! The way you talk about him, I'm sure Jim is going to be a great doctor someday."

"Thanks," John said with a wink and smile. "I think so too."

Sora folded her fingers together at her waist and looked over at her father. There was something she wanted to tell him. For that, she wanted to be alone from John and Yolei.

"Excuse me, Daddy? Can I talk to you for one minute?" she asked, then glanced at the other two people with them. "Alone?"

Her father nodded. "Of course. I don't mind."

Sora looked at John and Yolei. "You don't mind either, do you? It'll be quick."

They both bowed in understanding.

"Two minutes," Sora promised, flashing two fingers to Yolei.

Yolei shrugged, not at all concerned. "I'll give you five," she said, showing Sora all of her fingers.

"John, take Yolei and get the car ready," the professor ordered his assistant. "We'll be giving these lovely ladies a road tour of Kyoto. "

John nodded. "Yes, sir. Come on, Yolei."

"Okay."

The two of them walked over to the yellow Volkswagen Beetle that was parked a few yards away. Sora and her father walked down the canal until Yolei and John were out of sight.

Once the father-daughter duo were far enough away, Professor Takenouchi asked in a low voice, "What did you want to tell me, sweetheart?

Sora hugged him again and replied, "I'll make it quick because I know you need to get back to John."

"That's okay. John can wait. What is it?"

Sora cast her eyes down nervously, touching her index fingers together and tapping them rhythmically. This was it. This was something she had told no one other than her mother. She was embarrassed to say it out loud, but her dad needed to know.

"I have a secret I want to tell you," she mumbled, cheeks reddening until it looked like an extension of her hair. "It's not a big deal, but I didn't want to say it in front of Yolei." Sora looked around to make sure no one was listening before saying in a whisper, "Remember Tai?"

Her father's eyes brightened. "Ah, Tai." He nodded. "Yes. I remember him quite well. The two of you were inseparable back in grade school. You spent more time at his house than you ever did at home."

"Yeah. We were." Sora wrestled against the shyness that threatened to overwhelm her. "He asked me out," a larger smile grew on her face, "and I said yes."

It felt like a weight had just been lifted off of her shoulders. She and her father always shared everything with each other from the time she was a little girl. Their relationship was built on openness and trust; no matter what it was, they could always be honest with each other. It's why things at home were better whenever he was around before she and her mom worked things out. Sora gazed at her father with nervous eyes, awaiting his reaction.

"That's wonderful!" he exclaimed, hugging her tight. His little girl was growing up. It was happening so fast that he realized just how much he had missed due to his travels. "Oh, Sora. I'm so happy for you."

Sora hugged him back. "Thank you," she replied before letting go. She had to make sure of something first. "You like Tai, don't you?"

"Of course I do. Tai is, from what I gather, a great kid and you could not have chosen better than him. He's been your best friend since you two were still in diapers."

"Daddy!" Sora blushed with embarrassment.

Professor Takenouchi chuckled. "I'm just teasing you, honey. Does your mom know?"

"She knows. I swore her to secrecy though. None of my other friends know yet, so can you please not say anything about it in front of Yolei and John? Tai and I plan on telling everyone soon, but not now. He hasn't even told his parents yet."

"I don't mean to pry, sweetheart, but why are we keeping this a secret?"

Sora blushed and looked down again. "Because Tai and I want to take some time to enjoy being together without everyone knowing about it," she said. "They are going to be all over us when it gets out. Plus, there are still things that need to be done so we don't want to create an unnecessary distraction for everyone else."

Her father nodded with a proud smile. "I think that is a very mature decision, Sora," he said.

"Do we have an agreement?"

The man nodded and dragged his thumb and forefinger across his mouth. It thinned into a line as he pretended to zip his mouth shut. "You have my silence, honey."

"Thank you, Daddy!" Sora hugged him again. "You're the best!"

"No problem, sweetheart," her father said, hugging her back with equal vigor. "You know me; your dear old dad will not spill his guts to anyone about your secret."

"Thanks."


Tai reeled back from a straight kick to the face and fell to the ground. His hand went to his jaw, feeling around to make sure everything was okay. Nothing was broken. This fight was getting to be more difficult than he thought. Not so far away, Mummymon tangoed with Izzy, Mimi, TK, Davis, and Cody. Even with five Jedi against him, Mummymon jumped and glided with stunning agility.

The Jedi of Courage picked up his lightsaber and turned around to see a red lightsaber pointed between his eyes.

Arukenimon licked her lips hungrily, like a tiger about to go in for the kill. She swung her saber back, ready to strike the leader down. Before she could deliver the blow, Kari jumped on her and tackled the woman to the ground. Arukenimon's lightsaber tumbled away from her grasp.

"Why you little –" she growled.

A purple boot struck Kari in the side of the head. The girl grabbed her head and fell off. Arukenimon leapt for her lightsaber and grabbed it before getting up. This time, she was met by a lightsaber pointed at her chest.

"Come on," Tai said, breathing heavily as he squeezed the hilt.

Kari stumbled to her feet, and activated her saber too. The Kamiya siblings had the woman cornered. Arukenimon, however, was cool as a cucumber. This was all part of the plan.

"Alright," she snickered, flicking her tongue across her lips. "You asked for it. I wanted to get out of this dreaded body anyway."

Tai and Kari gasped in horror as Arukenimon changed before their eyes. Her two legs became six, her body grew and elongated to a spider's abdomen. Her gloves transformed into long arms with razor-like claws, and her sunglasses came off to reveal wide, bloodthirsty eyes. Two long red and yellow horns jutted out the side of her head. The abdomen was styled in a purple and red stripe pattern and a red half-mask covered the top of her face, leaving her mouth filled with pointed teeth exposed.

Kari screamed at the grotesque sight.

"Yes, I know I'm pretty," Arukenimon cackled, her voice sounding more twisted. "But not as pretty as the sight of a dead Jedi."

Her six legs carried her forward. Tai slashed the air between them, almost grazing her chest.

"Stay back!" he ordered.

The arachnid woman glared at him. The lightsaber hummed dangerously close. A single touch from that sword could vaporize her in an instant. Without the use of her own saber, she was more vulnerable in this form.

"Who are you?" Tai asked. "Why are you here?"

"I am merely my master's servant," Arukenimon snickered. "Whatever he orders, I must do. He wants you all destroyed, so I must destroy you."

"Why?" Kari shot.

"Only my master knows the reason for that."

"Who is your master?" demanded Tai, getting tired of this conversation. It was going nowhere. "Tell us."

A pause. The spider woman grinned impishly, like this was all a game to her. Tai became even angrier.

"Tell us now!" He pointed his lightsaber at her in a threatening way.

Rapid blaster fire shot into the air behind them. Tai and Kari looked back to see their friends deflecting blue blaster bolts speeding at them. The owner of the blaster was a large mummy stereotypically wrapped in bandages, but with a purple bandana on its head. One eye was covered, but that did not hinder its ability to shoot with precise aim. This was Mummymon's true form.

The Kamiya siblings turned around, ready to drive their sabers through Arukenimon. But she vanished. Gone. Nowhere to be found. Kari closed her eyes and quieted her mind to sense her location. She didn't need to.

A cackle filled the air.

Arukenimon now stood next to Mummymon as he pointed his blaster at the children.

"See ya," she said. "Come, Mummymon."

"Right with you."

The mummy jumped onto her back and unleashed another spray of blaster fire as cover. The two Digimon escaped as the Jedi deflected away blaster bolts. Once they were far enough away, Mummymon ceased firing and they vanished.

"Damn it!" Tai cursed. "They got away again."

"What are we going to do now? It's like this is all a game to them," said Mimi.

TK nodded. "I think they do see it as a game, Mimi. There's something else behind this though. Whoever this master of theirs is, they must have something big planned to keep allowing Arukenimon and Mummymon to attack us and then run off."

"I'll try contacting Gennai," said Izzy. "Maybe he can help us."

"Why not try asking me?"

The group nearly jumped out of their skins. A deep, baritone voice that did not belong to either of them came out of nowhere.

"Who said that?" Davis called out, turning his head both ways.

A swift breeze of wind blew against them. A dog-like creature with a red cloak and a horn at the end of its muzzle now stood in front of the Jedi, eyeing them with its golden eyes.

"I did," the Digimon said.

Davis and Cody gasped, stepping back in shock. Izzy stepped forward and bent down to the creature's level.

"Hello. I don't believe we've met. I'm –" he started to introduce himself.

"Izzy Izumi," the Digimon finished. "The Jedi of Knowledge." It looked at Tai. "Tai Kamiya, Jedi of Courage," then Mimi, "Mimi Tachikawa, Jedi of Sincerity."

It named all the others and what virtues they embodied, leaving the Jedi completely astounded. He knew them, but they didn't know him.

Tai gasped. "He knows us."

"My name is Hackmon, and I am a messenger for Homeostasis."


CLIFFHANGER! What will Hackmon have to say? How will things go in Kyoto? Find out next time on Attack of the Emperor.

That was part one of two because this chapter would have been over 10k words if I let it be in its original state. I wouldn't force you guys to read all of that in one go. I would have done a double shot like I did with chapters 24 and 25, but Easter is tomorrow. Happy Easter to you all, by the way. Even with the world in the current state it is in, we still have lots to be thankful for.

Expect the rest of the episode next week so that I can stay on schedule. Hope I didn't bore you guys with all the history of Kyoto. I went there when I went to Japan last summer almost exclusively as research for this section ;-) The fruits of that will come next chapter.

What'd you guys think of Sora's interaction with her father? That was a golden opportunity for them to show us their relationship in the series, but they blew it! Ah well, just like with a lot of things, they left it to me to do that for you. Also, if you remember from Destined Jedi, John is the name I came up with for Joe's other brother Shuu. I hated that they glossed over that in the English dub and just made him Jim.

As always, review and subscribe if you have not already. I always love hearing your guys' insights and thoughts.

Have a happy and safe Easter and I will see you all next weekend with the conclusion.