2037 - Chapter Two Disclaimer: *rolls credits from Dejimon Adobencha, Dejimon 02. I don't own Dejimon Adobencha. Never have, never will...unless I get recruited by Toei to work on a new series.

2033
Chapter One
Ashes to Ashes

"Oof!" she cried as she tumbled to the ground. Looking up, she saw a male there, a year older than her, smirking widely.

"Are you all right, Aki-chan?" Pururumon inquired anxiously.

"You tripped me!" she cried in outrage.

"C'mon, Aki-chan, get up!" the young blonde said, his sapphire eyes sparkling with excitement. He hopped just out of the blue-haired girl's arm range seconds before she took a swipe at him.

"Get lost, Michel-kun." she said, scowling, "I don't want to play with a gi-irrl!" Aki continued with an impish grin.

"I am not a girl!" Michel said, his cheeks turning scarlet with outrage.

"Then why do you have a girl's name, huh Michelle-chan?" Aki continued tormenting him. Pururumon giggled at this.

"It is not a girl's name!" Michel protested, stomping his foot.

"Awww...is little Michelle-chan going to throw a temper tantrum?" Aki asked in a sugary sweet tone, her golden eyes sparkling with amusement.

"My name is MICHEL! Not Michelle!" Michel said, stamping his foot again.

"Whatever you say, Michelle-chan." Aki smirked as she jumped up. Tagging him, she turned and ran in the opposite direction as fast as she could, Pururmon flying as fast as she could to keep up with her human. "Tag, you're it!"

"Get back here, Ichijouji!" she heard Michel call angrily after her.

"Catch me if you can, Takaishi!" she called back into the wind, "Catch me if you can!"


* * * * * * * * * *




"I see you've tired yourself out playing tag, Aki-chan." the elder lavender-haired woman smiled softly as Aki threw herself on the blanket.

"Uh-huh." the blue-haired girl nodded, "I kicked ass in the game."

"Aki-chan!"

"Gomen, okaa-san." Aki said, grinning her impish smile.

"Now, where did you learn language like that?" Okaa-san demanded, pushing her glasses up her nose. While Aki's okaa-san had glasses, Aki herself did not as she had gotten laser-eye surgery a few months earlier. Otou-san had offered to have Okaa-san get the same surgery, but Okaa-san had declined the request.

"Otou-san no Motomiya Genki." Aki continued, moving over to sit beside her youngest brother, Ryou.

"Daisuke-kun!" Okaa-san cried out angrily.

"Hai, Miyako-san?" a maroon-haired man came over, grinning charmingly, "What would you like?"

"Have you been teaching my daughter how to swear?" Okaa-san - Miyako demanded, her golden eyes flashing behind round glasses.

"Iie, of course not, Miyako-san!" Daisuke said, looking mock-hurt. He leaned closer and whispered confidentially, "It was Ken-kun."

"I swear, you two are like eleven-year-olds when you're together..." Miyako sighed as she picked up Ryou and held him on her lap.

"Where is Otou-san?" Aki's other little brother, Osamu asked, running up.

"Over, talking with Takaishi-san and Kido-sensei." Aki piped up.

"Why do you want to know?" Miyako asked.

"Taichi-oniichan!" came a cry.

The four Ichijoujis looked up to see Akiyama Hikari running towards a figure.

"Taichi-san...." Miyako muttered under her breath. She handed Ryou to Aki, "Here, hold him for a minute, I need to talk to Yagami-san."

"Hai, okaa-san." Aki nodded obediantly. Her mother then raced over to the elder Yagami sibling along with the rest of the grown-ups.

"Do you have any idea what's going on, Aki-san?" a brunette girl came up, holding an Upamon.

"Iie." Aki said, looking over at the grown ups thoughtfully, "But we should know in a few minutes."


* * * * * * * * * *





"We've got to get out of here, Aki-chan, Osamu-chan." Miyako came hurrying back, a look of panic on her face.

"Nande?" Aki asked as her mother picked up Ryou, "Nande, Okaa-san?" she inquired again.

"Because we have to." Miyako said sternly.

"But I want to play with Sei-kun and Alec-kun!" Osamu cried in outrage.

"Later." Miyako said, grabbing onto his hand.

"Why do we have to leave?" Aki cried again, "And why isn't Otou-san coming with us?"

"Because." Miyako said, her face set, "Come on."

"Miyako-san!" a voice called out.

Miyako turned to see Hida Iori hurrying towards them with his daughter, Sakura.

"Hai?" she asked.

"Take Sakura with you, please." Iori said.

"Why?" Miyako asked.

"Because they're coming."

Miyako's eyes widened and she looked from Iori to Sakura and to her own children, "Kami-sama, iie. They can't come yet. Iie, it's too soon."

Suddenly Iori started and fell to the ground.

Sakura screamed and rushed to her father, "Otou-san! Otou-san! OTOU-SAN!" she cried out, tears falling down her face.

"Oh Kami-sama." Miyako dropped Osamu's hand and covered her mouth as she saw the blood seeping out from under her friend. Blinking back tears, she resumed her take-charge attitude, "Minna-chan, we've got to leave now." she said sternly.

Aki looked beyond her friend's fallen father to see a man there, dressed all in black. Her eyes met his, hard and cold. There seemed to be something familiar about them, but the eleven-year-old could not place them. He mouthed something.

"Ashes to ashes...dust to dust..."

Ichijouji Aki woke up with a gasp. She glanced around the abandoned barn where they all were. It had been voted upon as the best place to sleep as there was hay in it that could keep them warm. Squeezing her eyes, she wrapped her arm around herself. That was the moment in her life when everything had gone to hell. Every night when she slept she relived the moment, but each time, she couldn't identify the assassin. But it was someone she knew, or had known, she was sure of it. But every time she felt she was close to identifying who it was, she woke up. All that was certain was that she knew it was one of them.

"Aki-oneechan, you're awake now!" a small shape came flying at her.

"Nani?" Aki blinked and looked down, "Ryou? What are you doing?"

"Keep it down! I'm trying to sleep!" a voice called out.

Aki turned and glared at the brunet male, "Urasai, Akiyama."

"Screw you, too, Ichijouji." Akiyama Akari sat up and glared at Aki. Well, as much as a half-asleep person can glare.

"Go to hell, Akiyama." Aki shot back.

"Watch your mouth, Ichijouji. There are kids around." Akari said, stifling a yawn.

"I don't need to be reminded of your intelligence level, Akiyama." Aki said bitingly with a sweet smile.

Akari glared again and dropped back down to the floor, pulling a blanket over him.

"Now, what's wrong, Ryou?" Aki returned her attention to her little brother who had flung his arms around her and was sniffling.

"I-I had a nightmare." the small, violet-haired boy sniffled, looking up at Aki with wide, blue eyes.

"About what?" Aki asked soothingly.

"A-a-about the mean people." Ryou said.

"The mean people?" Aki asked, bewildered at the five-year-old.

"The ones who took mommy and daddy away from us." Ryou said.

"It was just a dream, that's all." another voice piped up.

"Leafmon-chan." Ryou said, letting go of Aki and hugging his Digimon close, "And you-and you..." he started a fresh bout of tears.

"It's all right, Ryou-chan, it's all right." Aki said, gathering her baby sibling into her arms, "Shh...it's all right."

"Nani?" Pururumon muttered, waking up.

"Aki-san! Aki-san!" came the cry of two voices.

Aki looked up in alarm to see Motomiya Genki, Kido Seijitsu and their Digimon race into the barn, eyes wide.

"What's going on?" Hida Sakura asked sleepily, blinking her eyes open.

"Aki-san, they're here." Seijitsu said, fear evident in his black eyes.

"Kami-sama kuso!" Aki narrowed her eyes and put Ryou down on the ground behind her Digimon. She turned to the others, "Minna, wake up!"

"What the hell?" Ishida Aihana grumbled at the rude awakening.

"What the hell is going on?!?!" Ichijouji Osamu leapt to his feet as lights flooded into the barn from outside.

"It's them!" his Digimon, Minomon cried out.

Everyone froze as the doors burst open.