"That's so weird, Hikari. Yamato and you both have your crests...I
wonder if any of the others do...and if not, why only you guys?"
"I'll make some phone calls, 'Nii-san. Why don't you get some sleep? You were up late last night, weren't you?" Smiling, he rustled the hair on his little sister's head.
"You're too good to me, kid. I think I'll take you up on that offer, I'm exhausted..."
"Good. Sleep tight, 'Nii-chan..."
"Oyasumi nasai, Hikari." He kissed her on the forehead, then trudged into his room. Hikari picked up the cordless and dialed Takeru's number.
******
"This is so weird." Yamato looked at the crests in front of him at the table. The morning sunlight reflected the blue, pink, and red colors onto the wall. Taichi was watching the hues bounce around against the white wall, while Yamato examined the crests. "Hikari, yuujou, ai. Why only our three?"
"No clue." Taichi leaned backwards in his chair. "I don't understand what's been going on lately..."
"Have you heard the voices too?"
"Voices?" Whipping his head around, he sat up abruptly. "What voices? Have you gone off the deep end?" Glaring, Yamato snapped,
"No, I'm not crazy. I just heard these...anguished cries, voices crying out for help...and..."
"And what?" Yamato paused, looked at Taichi and then continued.
"Late last night, when I heard the voices...one of them...was Ken's..."
******
Daisuke knocked on the apartment door, and was startled by it flinging open. Mrs. Ichijouji stood there, panic-striken, but almost glad to see him. "Daisuke-kun, do you know where Ken-chan is?"
"Wha...what?!"
"When I went to get him up for school in the morning, he wasn't in his bed. I thought it might be one of those save the world type things, but he still hasn't come home...please tell me you know where he is..." Daisuke's tan complexion suddenly turned palor.
"No, I don't...we were supposed to meet now to go do our 'saving the world business'..."
"You don't think...he ran away again?!"
"No, Ken wouldn't do that to you...don't worry Mrs. Ichijouji, I'll find him!" He turned and dashed off, leaving her standing in the doorway shaking.
*"What if something happened to him? I couldn't stand to lose him again!"*
******
"Okay, we'll see you soon, hopefully." Hanging up the phone, Hikari, looking distraught, turned to Miyako, Takeru, and Iori. "That was Daisuke..."
"And? What's taking him and Ken so long?"
"Ken's missing."
"WHAT?!" Miyako leaped out of her chair. "What do you mean he's missing?! He can't be missing! He didn't run away again, did he?!"
"Daisuke doesn't know, he just went to Ken's and there was no Ken and Mrs. Ichijouji is worried sick."
"Where could he have gone?" Iori inquired.
"Well, he can't be in the digital world..."
"But where would he go in the real world? And why would he run?" Takeru pointed out, then sighed, "this is great, things just keep getting more and more complicated." The front door opened, as Taichi and Yamato walked in. "'Nii-san?"
"'Nii-chan, what are you doing home? I thought you and the guys were going out tonight."
"There's been a change of plans...Daisuke just called me on my cell." He turned to Yamato and nodded.
"Guys, we have to warn you that Ken might be in big trouble."
"What?"
"He's in a lot of pain...I heard his voice last night...it's this thing that's been happening to me..." Hikari's eyes went wide at the mention of the word "voices" and listened intently as he explained what had been going on in his sleep.
"So that's all the more reason we shouldn't be standing around here." A new voice echoed through the apartment, and everyone turned to see Daisuke. "Sorry, the front door was open. But we need to go see Koushiro- san. If Ken's in danger, we have to save him."
"We were getting to that..."
"Well, let's go already!" he demanded impatiently.
"Ok, ok, we're going..." The group jumped up and followed him out the door.
******
"You want me to track him?"
"It's a thought."
"It's worth a shot, although I don't know how well it will work...I haven't tried to track a D-3 before." Koushiro sighed, then turned to the screen. "Also, if he is somehow in the digital world, it might not work at all..."
"Well, you'll never know if you don't try."
"I'm just letting you know that the odds are against us..."
"When aren't they?"
"Good point." Taking a deep breath, he rapidly typed at the computer. Everyone held their breath with their fingers crossed. After a moment, Daisuke demanded,
"Well?"
"Nothing. Not even a faint signal."
"Damnit!" Daisuke kicked the wall, "we're back to square one. We don't even know which world he's in."
"I still say judging by Miyako's attempt, he's not in the digital world. Is there anywhere you can think of that he'd run to?"
"I can't think of any, but we'll canvas the area anyway...Takeru, Hikari-chan, Miyako, Iori, let's go." The four stood up and followed after, leaving Yamato and Taichi with Koushiro.
"This isn't looking good." Koushiro shook his head, then glanced over at the wall. His head snapped up.
"Maybe there's a firewall blocking my efforts...lemme see if I can find a backdoor to it..." The blonde and brunette watched the red-head type furiously and heard a series of beeps. "That's what's been screwing up my computer! There's a virus that I never detected..."
"Can you get rid of it?"
"I'm trying, but I've never seen anything like this...it's amazing..."
"What does it do?"
"It's not really doing much in deleting files or anything...it seems to be copying them however, and blocking any outside signals from being read." Suddenly, the computer began to beep louder, with a growing crescendo of sound. Koushiro's eyes widened as the screen flashed and an electrical charge fired out of the monitor at him, knocking him to the ground.
"Koushiro!"
"Daijoubu ka!" Yamato shook his shoulders, but no response came.
"What the hell was that?!"
"I have no idea..." As Yamato checked all of Koushiro's vitals, he panicked, "Taichi, he's got no pulse!"
"What?!" Grabbing his cell phone, he dialed for an ambulance. "Yes, this is Yagami Taichi, it's a major emergency, I have someone here with no pulse that's been electrocuted..." Yamato had Koushiro laid out on the floor while attempting rescue breathing.
"C'mon Koushiro, hang on!" Yamato looked to Taichi who was "mmhmm"ing to the operator.
"Ok, yes, thank you." He breathed to Yamato, "the ambulance is on its way."
"Let's just hope they make it in time..."
******
"Ken!!" Hikari called, out of breath. Daisuke and Takeru had gone back to the Tamachi district to check some spots, and her, Miyako, and Iori had been left to see if he was anywhere in Odaiba. Taking a breather, she panted, then continued to call for him, searching the general area. *"I hope he's ok..."*
******
"Where could he be?" Miyako, panicked, searched more frantically. "Yamato said he might be hurt...what if he is? What if we don't find him? Ken-kun..." Growling, she clenched her fist, "I won't let that happen and neither will Daisuke...we're going to find you, Ken!" Dashing off, she scouted the area even though it was like searching for a needle in a haystack...
******
*"Give in to me, my fellow kin...give in to your darkest hopes, wishes, and desires. Come to me in all the dark glory that will be yours...and together...we can mold the world into our playground...no, not the world, not just this world...all of the worlds...we can rule them all!"*
"I'll make some phone calls, 'Nii-san. Why don't you get some sleep? You were up late last night, weren't you?" Smiling, he rustled the hair on his little sister's head.
"You're too good to me, kid. I think I'll take you up on that offer, I'm exhausted..."
"Good. Sleep tight, 'Nii-chan..."
"Oyasumi nasai, Hikari." He kissed her on the forehead, then trudged into his room. Hikari picked up the cordless and dialed Takeru's number.
******
"This is so weird." Yamato looked at the crests in front of him at the table. The morning sunlight reflected the blue, pink, and red colors onto the wall. Taichi was watching the hues bounce around against the white wall, while Yamato examined the crests. "Hikari, yuujou, ai. Why only our three?"
"No clue." Taichi leaned backwards in his chair. "I don't understand what's been going on lately..."
"Have you heard the voices too?"
"Voices?" Whipping his head around, he sat up abruptly. "What voices? Have you gone off the deep end?" Glaring, Yamato snapped,
"No, I'm not crazy. I just heard these...anguished cries, voices crying out for help...and..."
"And what?" Yamato paused, looked at Taichi and then continued.
"Late last night, when I heard the voices...one of them...was Ken's..."
******
Daisuke knocked on the apartment door, and was startled by it flinging open. Mrs. Ichijouji stood there, panic-striken, but almost glad to see him. "Daisuke-kun, do you know where Ken-chan is?"
"Wha...what?!"
"When I went to get him up for school in the morning, he wasn't in his bed. I thought it might be one of those save the world type things, but he still hasn't come home...please tell me you know where he is..." Daisuke's tan complexion suddenly turned palor.
"No, I don't...we were supposed to meet now to go do our 'saving the world business'..."
"You don't think...he ran away again?!"
"No, Ken wouldn't do that to you...don't worry Mrs. Ichijouji, I'll find him!" He turned and dashed off, leaving her standing in the doorway shaking.
*"What if something happened to him? I couldn't stand to lose him again!"*
******
"Okay, we'll see you soon, hopefully." Hanging up the phone, Hikari, looking distraught, turned to Miyako, Takeru, and Iori. "That was Daisuke..."
"And? What's taking him and Ken so long?"
"Ken's missing."
"WHAT?!" Miyako leaped out of her chair. "What do you mean he's missing?! He can't be missing! He didn't run away again, did he?!"
"Daisuke doesn't know, he just went to Ken's and there was no Ken and Mrs. Ichijouji is worried sick."
"Where could he have gone?" Iori inquired.
"Well, he can't be in the digital world..."
"But where would he go in the real world? And why would he run?" Takeru pointed out, then sighed, "this is great, things just keep getting more and more complicated." The front door opened, as Taichi and Yamato walked in. "'Nii-san?"
"'Nii-chan, what are you doing home? I thought you and the guys were going out tonight."
"There's been a change of plans...Daisuke just called me on my cell." He turned to Yamato and nodded.
"Guys, we have to warn you that Ken might be in big trouble."
"What?"
"He's in a lot of pain...I heard his voice last night...it's this thing that's been happening to me..." Hikari's eyes went wide at the mention of the word "voices" and listened intently as he explained what had been going on in his sleep.
"So that's all the more reason we shouldn't be standing around here." A new voice echoed through the apartment, and everyone turned to see Daisuke. "Sorry, the front door was open. But we need to go see Koushiro- san. If Ken's in danger, we have to save him."
"We were getting to that..."
"Well, let's go already!" he demanded impatiently.
"Ok, ok, we're going..." The group jumped up and followed him out the door.
******
"You want me to track him?"
"It's a thought."
"It's worth a shot, although I don't know how well it will work...I haven't tried to track a D-3 before." Koushiro sighed, then turned to the screen. "Also, if he is somehow in the digital world, it might not work at all..."
"Well, you'll never know if you don't try."
"I'm just letting you know that the odds are against us..."
"When aren't they?"
"Good point." Taking a deep breath, he rapidly typed at the computer. Everyone held their breath with their fingers crossed. After a moment, Daisuke demanded,
"Well?"
"Nothing. Not even a faint signal."
"Damnit!" Daisuke kicked the wall, "we're back to square one. We don't even know which world he's in."
"I still say judging by Miyako's attempt, he's not in the digital world. Is there anywhere you can think of that he'd run to?"
"I can't think of any, but we'll canvas the area anyway...Takeru, Hikari-chan, Miyako, Iori, let's go." The four stood up and followed after, leaving Yamato and Taichi with Koushiro.
"This isn't looking good." Koushiro shook his head, then glanced over at the wall. His head snapped up.
"Maybe there's a firewall blocking my efforts...lemme see if I can find a backdoor to it..." The blonde and brunette watched the red-head type furiously and heard a series of beeps. "That's what's been screwing up my computer! There's a virus that I never detected..."
"Can you get rid of it?"
"I'm trying, but I've never seen anything like this...it's amazing..."
"What does it do?"
"It's not really doing much in deleting files or anything...it seems to be copying them however, and blocking any outside signals from being read." Suddenly, the computer began to beep louder, with a growing crescendo of sound. Koushiro's eyes widened as the screen flashed and an electrical charge fired out of the monitor at him, knocking him to the ground.
"Koushiro!"
"Daijoubu ka!" Yamato shook his shoulders, but no response came.
"What the hell was that?!"
"I have no idea..." As Yamato checked all of Koushiro's vitals, he panicked, "Taichi, he's got no pulse!"
"What?!" Grabbing his cell phone, he dialed for an ambulance. "Yes, this is Yagami Taichi, it's a major emergency, I have someone here with no pulse that's been electrocuted..." Yamato had Koushiro laid out on the floor while attempting rescue breathing.
"C'mon Koushiro, hang on!" Yamato looked to Taichi who was "mmhmm"ing to the operator.
"Ok, yes, thank you." He breathed to Yamato, "the ambulance is on its way."
"Let's just hope they make it in time..."
******
"Ken!!" Hikari called, out of breath. Daisuke and Takeru had gone back to the Tamachi district to check some spots, and her, Miyako, and Iori had been left to see if he was anywhere in Odaiba. Taking a breather, she panted, then continued to call for him, searching the general area. *"I hope he's ok..."*
******
"Where could he be?" Miyako, panicked, searched more frantically. "Yamato said he might be hurt...what if he is? What if we don't find him? Ken-kun..." Growling, she clenched her fist, "I won't let that happen and neither will Daisuke...we're going to find you, Ken!" Dashing off, she scouted the area even though it was like searching for a needle in a haystack...
******
*"Give in to me, my fellow kin...give in to your darkest hopes, wishes, and desires. Come to me in all the dark glory that will be yours...and together...we can mold the world into our playground...no, not the world, not just this world...all of the worlds...we can rule them all!"*