Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, and the characters don't belong to me. They rightfully belong to those who contributed to this fanfiction.

Author's Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you all for sending in profiles! I'm very glad so many of you responded, and I ended up having ten characters instead of the initial eight. Hey, I know that's not a lot, but that doesn't really matter. Again, I thank you all for applying, and I thank you all for reading as well. I promise you that I'll do my best! Oh, and before I forget…thank you, Hopelight, for inspiring me! I loved your stories very much, and I can't wait for more. Ja ne and arigato gozaimasu! (See ya and thank you very much!)

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Chapter One

The Portal

"Mom, David's bothering me again!" shouted Lina Matsuki.

"David, why are you bothering your sister?" Jeri asked, turning her head to look at her son.

David stopped what he was doing and looked up. "I'm only reciting my speech for Monday. Technology is a very big issue at our school, and I want to use it in everyday—"

Lina put her hands over her ears. "Shut up! I don't wanna hear any techno-crap!"

"Lina, don't use that language," Takato warned his daughter as he drove.

—————

"So where are we going, again?" ten-year-old Daiki Wong asked his parents.

"We're going to watch the presentation of a new video game," her father, Henry, replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

Riki, Daiki's older brother, asked, "Do we get to play it?"

Their mother, Rika, shook her head. "I don't think so. I think Kazu would've told us already. Besides, it's a presentation. You don't play presentations."

Riki groaned. "This is going to be so boring!"

—————

Kazu Shioda reviewed the presentation he and Kenta were going to introduce. Smiling proudly, he turned off the big screen TV and turned to Kenta, who was standing by the exit.

"Are they here yet?" Kazu called.

"No, not yet!" Kenta replied.

Kazu frowned and folded his arms over his chest. "When are they going to be here?"

Two girls ran in from backstage.

"Have patience, Dad!" yelled Kazu's daughter, Marisol ("Compass").

"Yeah, Mr. Shioda," Kenta's daughter, Relaina ("Riley"), agreed. "It's not the end of the world if no one's here."

Kazu frowned again, then sighed. "You're right. But I still want people to come now!"

—————

A bright blue minivan pulled up at the factory's parking lot. Sado Neko and his wife, Suzie, got out, followed by their kids, Mikara and Josh.

"So, we're going to watch a presentation?" Mikara asked their mother.

"Yes, Mikara, and your Uncle Henry and Aunt Rika are going to be there," replied Suzie.

"And Riki and Daiki too?" Josh asked.

"Yes, Riki and Daiki too."

Josh grinned happily, but his sister groaned.

"Not that shrimp!" Mikara added. "Daiki is so annoying!"

Sado frowned at them. "They're your cousins. Try to lighten up."

—————

"When are we going to get there?" Riku Akiyama asked for the fifth time.

"Riku, we'll get there when we get there, okay?" Riku's mother, Sakura stated crossly.

"What are we going to do there? What am I going to do there?"

"We're watching a presentation," Ryo, Riku's father, replied. "My old friends are going to be there."

Riku sat back and pouted. "Great," she muttered. "A reunion."

—————

Everyone eventually arrived. The Nekos came first, of course. Then Henry, Rika, and their kids arrived. The Matsukis arrived next, and then the Akiyamas arrived. Of course, other people came to view the presentation. Kazu was so relieved that many people came, and Kenta was trying to review his speech. The kids were just plain bored.

The presentation was an hour long, and Riki was right—it was boring. Afterwards, the parents met after years of not seeing each other. Their kids tagged along behind them, glaring at those they didn't know.

"Kazu! Eru! It's great to see you again!"

"Same with you, Takato. How're you and Jeri?"

"We're just fine."

"Hi Rika! Hi Henry!"

"Hello Suzie."

"Hi, little sis!"

"Henry! Stop calling me that!"

"Kenta! How are you and Adeline?"

"Just great! And you, Ryo?"

"Never better!"

After the commotion died down, they finally noticed their kids.

"Why don't you guys go to the Activity Center?" Rika asked Daiki.

Daiki nodded reluctantly. "Okay Mom. C'mon, Josh, let's go."

"Riki, look after Daiki," Henry ordered.

"Aw, Dad! He's ten!"

"He's your brother!"

"Fine…"

Sado smiled at his kids. "Go on, you guys. Mikara, look after Josh, okay?"

"Sure Dad," Mikara said halfheartedly.

Adeline turned to her daughter. "Riley, you and Compass show them to the Activity Center."

Riley nodded. "Whatever."

"Go on, Riku," Sakura told her daughter. "You wanted something to do, anyway. You'll have fun with the other kids."

Riku nodded, pouting.

"David? Lina? Why don't you join them?"

"Coz we don't need an activity center to entertain us," David said stubbornly.

Lina sighed. She grabbed her brother's arm and dragged him as she walked. "Come on, David. We're not going to be left behind."

"Ow! Hey, let go!"

—————

The Activity Center was like a kiddie playhouse, with beanbag chairs, blocks, and a small TV that was currently turned off. Riki leaned against the doorway and Lina sat on the floor. David sat on a beanbag chair, staring at the ceiling. Daiki and Josh were throwing blocks around. Riley and Compass were sitting silently. Mikara was typing on her computer, and Riku was staring at everyone.

David sighed. "How boring."

"You said it," Katie muttered. "We might as well introduce ourselves."

Lina stood up. "I guess I'll start. I'm Lina Matsuki and I'm eleven years old."

Mikara raised an eyebrow at Lina. "You wear goggles?"

"Well, yeah, sometimes. They were my dad's." Lina looked at herself. She was wearing a blue t-shirt, black pants, high-top sneakers, and goggles. Lina took off her goggles and smoothed out her light brown bangs, then put the goggles back on.

"My name's Riki Wong, and I'm Daiki's brother," Riki added. He had short brown hair and teal eyes. He wore black pants and a gray sweatshirt. "I'm fourteen."

David sat up and adjusted his glasses. "I'm David Matsuki, and I'm fourteen too." He wore a black t-shirt and khaki pants. On the front of his shirt, "Have a Nice Day" was written in yellow. David pointed at Lina. "She's my annoying little sister."

Daiki piped up, "And I'm Daiki Wong. I'm ten." Daiki wore a green t-shirt with a white dragon on it and jean shorts. Tufts of black hair could be seen from under Daiki's white baseball cap.

"I'm Marisol Shioda, but you can call me Compass," Compass greeted, smiling.

"And I'm her best friend Riley Kitagawa. Actually, my real name's Relaina, but you guys can call me Riley," Riley chimed in. She had silverish hair that was tainted purple and bright green eyes. She wore a pale violet halter-top and baggy jeans.

"My name's Riku Akiyama, and I'm twelve," Riku said. She had black-brown hair and light brown eyes. Her bangs hung past her eyes, and some were put to the side. Riku wore a black t-shirt that had little connected ties going down to her breast line, white pants, and white platform shoes.

"I'm Mikara," Mikara stated. "I'm thirteen, and I like to annoy my sibling." Mikara grinned, making a peace sign with her fingers. She had brown hair with two colored streaks sticking out in front. She had blue eyes and wore a blue sweatshirt, black bike shorts, and black boots.

"And then there's me—Josh Neko!" Josh exclaimed, jumping on a beanbag chair. "I'm ten!" Josh had light brown hair and dark brown eyes. He sported blue bike shorts, a yellow t-shirt, and sneakers.

"Is that all of us?" Lina asked.

"Yeah, think so," Riley replied.

"Well, that's not all of our family," Josh said pointedly. "We have a little sister. Her name is Chikiyo, and she's eight years old." Josh's voice started to get softer. "And…and she's…"

"She's dying," Mikara finished the statement. "Our uncle, aunt, and grandmother are with her at the hospital. Mom and Dad are leaving for the hospital in half and hour, I think."

Everyone was silent. That silence was broken when Daiki cried out, "Look what I found!"

Eight heads turned to see Daiki squatting at a corner of the room. He leaned back, and when he did, the others could see a reddish digital field, with lines and everything. A mist was seeping out from it. Two demonic eyes were glowing in the field.

"What…is that?" Compass asked, backing away.

"Daiki, get away from that corner!" Riki demanded. "Don't touch it!"

Daiki backed off, glaring at his brother.

David turned to Lina. "Get Mom and Dad and everyone else. Now!"

Lina needed no second bidding. She turned and ran for their parents.