Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or anything associated with it. That honor belongs to Toei Animation, Saban, and Fox. I'm just a fan who needs an outlet, so please don't sue me.

Chapter Five:

"Where did you get that?" The old man who had identified himself as "Gennai" asked Marc insistently.
"Doesn't matter," Marc said. "What is it?"
"It's a Digivice," Gennai answered. "It helped a Digimon Digivolve."
"You lost me at the word 'digi.'" Marc said.
"There are monsters -Digimon- in the Digital World that need a digivice like that one to evolve," Gennai explained.
"Digital World? Where Tai and his goonies went?"
"The Digidestined were here, yes."
"How do I get there?" Marc asked.
"You don't."
"Excuse me?" Marc said.
"All the portals from my world to yours have been closed for nearly five weeks now, and will remain that way."
"All those monsters around the city earlier...those were from your world?" Marc asked.
"That is correct. The Digidestined had to fight many battles to keep them from destroying your world."
"How did the monsters get here?"
Gennai answered. "And evil Digimon named Myotismon built a portal to the real world to search for the eigth Digidestined child, and brought with him an army of darkness."
"Eighth Digidestined?"
"There were only seven in the beginning, and there should have been eight. Both the children and Myotismon went to the real world to seek her."
"Was that Anni?" Marc asked.
"No, Kari," Gennai replied.
"That gate..." Marc thought for a moment. "Could it still be open?"
Gennai was silent for a moment. "I don't know."

The next day, Tai walked down the hall to his locker, and opened it up, same as usual. But this, a whole pile of books came crashing down onto his head. Tai heard laughter in the hall...

A few minutes later, Matt was walking in another hallway when someone leapt out and threw blue paint from a bucket into his face. With the paint in his eyes, he couldn't see who did it...

During Recess, T.K. and Kari were out, together as usual, sitting on the swings. Two older boys ran up to them and dumped them into the sand, kicking sand at them before running away...

That afternoon, Tai called a meeting in the park. Eight of them sat in a circle under a tree, chatting with each other.
Anni ran up to the circle. "Hey, don't start without me!" she called.
"Sit down, Anni, we haven't started yet," Tai said to his sister.
"Sorry, I'm late..." Anni said, looking around the circle. She threw a cold look at Izzy before sitting down next to Matt. Izzy gave the girl an equally cold look before turning his eyes back to his laptop screen.
The exchange didn't escape Tai's eyes. It apparently didn't escape Sora's either, because she leaned over and asked him, "Why do Izzy and Anni look like they're going to kill each other?"
Tai shook his head. "I don't know," he sighed. He looked over at his adopted sister, wondering what was wrong with her. "Anni came home really mad last night..."
Tai was interrupted by Anni's loud gasp. "Matt, your face is blue!"
Tai held up his hand. It was time to start the meeting anyways. "Ok, now, listen up," he began. "Someone is playing some nasty little tricks on us. Nearly everyone has had something done to them today, and it has to stop."
Everyone nodded.
"But what are we going to do, Tai?" Kari asked, looking at her big brother.
"We don't even know who they are," Matt said, exasperated.
"They're right, what can we do?" Joe added.
"We all need to watch our backs," Tai said with decision. "And we need to watch out for each other too. So from now on, try not to be alone. Get a buddy, hang out in groups, whatever it takes. If we all keep an eye on each other, maybe we'll be able to find out who's doing this to us so we can do something about it."
"Tai's right," Sora said. "We have to stay together."
So in twos and threes they left the meeting, taking to heart Tai's advice. Izzy hung back.
"Wait for me, Joe," he said. "I have to talk to Tai for a minute."
Izzy went back to where Tai and Kari were still standing. "Tai, I need to talk to you for a minute," Izzy said.
"What's up?" Tai asked.
"My Digivice is missing. I can't find it anywhere. And considering the circumstances, I think it might have been stolen."
"So why didn't you say anything about it before, at the meeting?" Tai asked him.
"I...um..." Izzy fumbles.
"Did what to look like an idiot in front of my sister?" Tai smirked.
Izzy snorted and rolled his eyes. "Goodbye, Tai," he said, walking away.

So Tai and Kari went home. Almost immediately, Kari went up to Anni. "Why are you and Izzy mad at each other?" she asked innocently.
Tai looked up. He wanted to hear this.
Anni sighed. "Let me show you something, Kari," she said, getting up and going to the computer. Tai followed them.
Anni puched something up on the computer. First she showed them the Missing Person's Report for Kay Tyler.
"What's that?" Kari asked.
"That's me," Anni said simply.
She punched a few more buttons and brought up another document. The article about the accident. "And this..." she whispered. "is why Izzy's so mad at me."
"What?" Tai asked.
Anni took a deep breath. My parents died in the same car crash as his. On the day I was taken to the Digital World. Izzy blames me for his parents' death."
"Are you mad too Anni?"
Anni shook her head. "I don't know, Kari...he said some very mean things to me yesterday..."

At the end of school the next day, Tai tried to detain Anni in the hall.
"Will you relax, Tai?" Anni laughed.
"Anni..." Tai said.
"Nothing's happened to anyone all day, Tai," she said.
"But..."
"You're paranoid," Anni insisted. "Look, Tai, I'm meeting Matt outside. I'm a big girl, I think I can make it out of the building by myself."
Tai nodded reluctantly.
"You don't have to play big brother to me, Tai. Now go get Kari, and take her home. I'll be fine."

Meanwhile, in one of the classrooms, Matt found himself in a different kind of trouble. He had to stay after class with Mr. Giga.
"You failed another test, Mr. Ishida," Mr. Giga chided him.
"I know, but..." Matt started.
"I'm not finished yet, Matt," the teacher went on. "You haven't been paying a lot of attention in class lately either. You've been preoccupied with something...or someone..."
Matt was silent.
"A girl, perhaps?" Mr. Giga said condescendingly. "They have a way of interfering with your schoolwork, don't they, Mr. Ishida?"

End Chapter Five