Later on in the evening, as the sun began to set over the city of Tokyo, Ken and his parents stood amongst the large stone memorials in the cemetery. Fresh flowers had been laid on the memorial belonging to Osamu Ichijouji.
"I can't believe it's been four whole years," said Ken's mother, her eyes moist with tears. "It seems like just yesterday. My poor little boy…"
"I'm sorry we don't stop by more, champ," said Ken's father affectionately. "We miss you a lot. I hope you know that."
"We're sorry about everything that's happened," said Mrs. Ichijouji. "We really do miss you."
"Sorry I wasn't here last time bro," said Ken. "I hope you understand why."
All three of them bowed their heads, remaining silent for a few moments.
"Well, it's getting late," said Mr. Ichijouji sorrowfully. "We should probably get going. We'll see you later, son."
"Yes…" said Mrs. Ichijouji, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. "We should probably head home."
"I'll catch up," said Ken.
"All right, but don't be too long," said Mr. Ichijouji.
"Don't worry," said Ken. "I'll be along soon."
Ken's parents started to walk away, holding each other, still feeling deeply for their lost son. Once they were out of earshot Ken leaned down against his brother's grave.
"I'm sorry for everything Sam," whispered Ken. "I'm sorry that I hated you because you got all the attention. I'm sorry that you had to die. I'm sorry that I tried to replace you. I guess I replaced you in more way than one though. If you hadn't died, it would've been you that might have become the emperor. At least that's what I heard. I'm glad you didn't have to go through anything like that. I'm… I'm really sorry that I tried to take over your life after you were gone. I just couldn't face my own destiny, so I tried to take yours instead. I don't know whether it was because of Millenniumon and the dark spore, or because of Malo Myotismon, or if it might have been my own doing, but whatever the reason, I'm sorry."
Ken stood up shakily. He brushed his hair back and quickly turned to follow his parents. As he walked along he gazed all around him. The sun was sinking low, basking the cemetery in its orange glow. A nearby tree was covered in pink blossoms, which gently floated down over the graves. Out of the corner of his eye, Ken saw someone standing at a memorial not too far away. It was Cody. Upon recognizing his younger friend, Ken immediately changed his course. As he approached, he slowed to a stop.
"I miss you dad," said Cody, not taking notice of Ken. "I really do. I know I don't come see you as much as I should, but it's not easy with all the responsibilities I have now. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. You were a DigiDestined once too. It's not an easy life."
Cody looked like he was about to continue, but he suddenly noticed Ken.
"Oh, hi Ken," said Cody. "I didn't see you there."
"I'm sorry if I interrupted you," said Ken. "I should be going."
"No, wait," said Cody. "I don't mind, really."
"You sure?" asked Ken.
"Positive," said Cody.
Ken smiled a bit before moving in closer.
"So is this your dad?" asked Ken after a few seconds.
"Yeah," replied Cody. "This is him. Hiroki Hida."
"You miss him?" asked Ken.
"Of course," said Cody. "Every day. Say, what are you doing here?"
"I came to see my brother," said Ken. "It's been four years since…"
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Cody.
"Don't be," said Ken. "I'm alright with it now… for the most part."
A few more moments of silence passed between the two.
"Ken?" asked Cody.
"Yeah?" asked Ken.
"Why does it have to be like this?" asked Cody.
"Like what?" responded Ken.
"You know," said Cody. "So hard. Why do people have to die? My dad and your brother both died, but why? And what about Mr. Oikawa… and Black Wargreymon… and now Protomon, Stormdramon, and Jack."
"I don't know," said Ken. "I just don't know."
"I don't think I want to go back to the Digital World any more," announced Cody. "I was scared to go after Mr. Oikawa died there, but now Jack too. It's never going to be the same again."
"I know it's scary," said Ken. "But sometimes we just have to tough it out. Besides, we don't even know if Jack is gone. I still believe that he's alive and well."
"TK said the same thing," said Cody, turning his gaze skyward. "Sometimes, I wish I was a digimon. That way, I'd never have to worry about dying, because digimon always come back. I wish no one had to die. I wish we could all live forever, like the digimon."
"I wish it could be like that too," said Ken. "But believe it or not, nothing lasts forever, not even digimon."
"What do you mean?" asked Cody.
"Not everyone knows this, but digimon can die too," said Ken. "I don't know exactly why or when, but digimon all die, just like humans."
"Oh," said Cody. "I didn't know."
" I can't explain why death happens," said Ken. "But I think it has something to do with appreciating the time we get; with knowing that we have limits. Our digimon won't be around forever, just like us. I think that's one of the things that helps connect us to our partners; that we're all mortal."
"Hmm…" muttered Cody. "I guess you're right. There's something… comforting about knowing that Armadillomon won't live on forever without me. He'd be really lonely. But I still don't see why anyone needs to die."
"I don't either," said Ken.
"If I had my way, no one would have to die ever," said Cody. "I wish everyone could get along."
"I hope your dream comes true someday," said Ken. "If only there were more people like you, maybe people wouldn't have to die for no reason."
The two looked back at the grave of Cody's father. The cool evening breeze stirred the tree, covering them both in a light coating of rosy blossoms.
Day 22
A shrill beeping noise upset the calm of the early morning. Mimi awoke with a jolt to the sound of her alarm clock, which had disturbed he rest. Under normal circumstances, Mimi was always very calm, levelheaded, and generally sweet. However, if there was one thing she detested it was having her beauty sleep interrupted. Suffice to say the alarm clock was dispatched with a well-placed drop kick out the bedroom window. Mimi yawned and stretched.
"Morning again," said Mimi, feeling her chipper attitude beginning to awaken. "I'd better get moving so I can get started on the day!"
Mimi quickly went about her morning routine. She showered, making sure to give extra attention to her hair care. She spent nearly forty-five minutes in the bathroom primping. After that, she returned to her room and began the arduous task of selecting her clothes for the day. To make a long story short, after going through a good part of her extensive wardrobe, Mimi finally decided on a skin-tight, red skirt with a white halter-top and matching boots. Over that she wore a small, red jacket, the sleeves of which barely reached her elbows while the bottom was only slightly below the bottom edge of her shirt. She pulled her strawberry blonde hair back in a ponytail. She quickly went out to the kitchen and grabbed a healthy breakfast before returning to put the finishing touches on her makeup. Finally prepared for her day and looking quite fetching, Mimi returned to her room to grab her bag before heading out.
"I'd better hurry," said Mimi to herself after seeing the clock. "I've got less than twenty minutes before I have to meet Michael."
Mimi grabbed her bag and turned to leave when she heard a familiar noise. Her ears perked up as she tried to recognize the muffled beeping sound. Then it suddenly hit her. She realized that it was her digivice, safely tucked away in her desk drawer. She set her bag back down and went over to the desk. She swiftly removed her digivice and began to examine it. It was beeping and flashing like crazy, yet it gave no indication as to what might be wrong.
"Palmon…" said Mimi. "Something's happened…"
Without warning, the computer on Mimi's desk turned on, booting up with aberrant speed. In only a few seconds it was fully active. The Digiport screen opened up by itself, and the gate switched to active.
"Don't worry Palmon," said Mimi. "I'm on my way!"
A ghostly blue light began to pour from the screen, tearing Mimi from her own world and sending her to the digital one.
An hour later in Japan, Davis was resting after a long day of soccer practice.
"I'm beat," said Davis. "Hey Demiveemon, where'd you go?"
"I'm over here," said Demiveemon, who was sitting on Davis' desk. "I think I heard your D-terminal beep. You should check your email."
"Nah," said Davis. "It's probably Kari emailing me to tell me how great her latest date with TK was. Life just isn't fair sometimes, ya' know?"
"Fine," said Demiveemon. "But if you're not gonna' read it, then I will."
"Be my guest," said Davis with an indifferent shrug.
Demiveemon hopped over to the D-terminal. When he tried to open it, it nearly fell on top of him. Undaunted, Demiveemon flipped the contraption over so that he could open it.
"It's from Izzy," said Demiveemon upon successfully managing to get into the system. "He says that he wants to meet us all in the park right away."
"Aww man, do we have to?" asked Davis.
"Maybe he found a way to open the Digiport," suggested Demiveemon.
"But I was just getting used to the idea of having a few days off!" whined Davis.
"He also says he'll have brownies," continued Demiveemon.
"I'm there!" shouted Davis as he sprung to his feet.
A few minutes later Davis and Demiveemon reached the park where all the others were waiting for them.
"Where are the brownies?" asked Davis, practically drooling.
"There aren't any," confessed Izzy. "It was the only way that I could make sure some of you would come."
"So what's the deal then?" asked Tai.
"It's Mimi," said Izzy.
"What about her?" demanded Joe.
"I just got a message from Michael," continued Izzy. "He says that Mimi has disappeared. Now normally I might not have connected it to other recent events, but something about this has me very edgy. It seems very strange that Mimi would just disappear without a trace so suddenly less than a day after a strange occurrence in the DigiWorld. It might be nothing, but I can't dismiss the possibility that these two incidents are connected."
"Izzy, you've got to find a way to get around that seal!" said Joe. "It's the only way to know if there's a connection."
"I'm doing my best," said Izzy. "But whoever did this really took their time. We're talking the work of an absolute genius."
"I may not be as smart as I used to be," said Ken. "But I'm going to do my part. As soon as I get home, I'm going to keep working on this problem until it's solved."
"Just don't push yourself too hard," warned Upamon. "You won't do us any good if you burn yourself out."
"Don't worry," said Wormmon. "I'll take care of him."
"I'll update Michael and Willis," said Izzy. "Hopefully, someone will be able to break the code."
"I have a really bad feeling about this," said Kari. "I don't know what it is exactly, but I know that it poses a serious threat. If we don't stop whoever is behind this soon, there is going to be some very serious trouble."
"Kari's right," said TK. "There's got to be a more sinister force at work here. We need to get to the Digital World as soon as possible."
"In the mean time," said Matt. "Everyone should watch their backs. There's no telling what might happen if we're not careful."
"It's getting pretty late," said Cody, looking at his watch. "I think we should all head home for the night."
Everyone agreed and headed to their homes. Five hours later, Ken and Wormmon were the only ones still awake.
"Come on Ken," said Wormmon. "It's past midnight. You need to get some sleep."
"I'm close," said Ken as he furiously worked on his keyboard in the darkened bedroom. "I think I might be on to something here. I just need a little more time. I can practically smell the thing that left this trail."
"I'd better get the air freshener," said Wormmon.
"That won't be necessary," said Ken, smiling.
"Come on Ken," said Wormmon. "At this rate you'll work yourself to death."
"If I stop now, whatever did this might find a way to cover its tracks," said Ken. "I can't afford to take that risk."
"All right, but don't forget that you still need to sleep eventually," said Wormmon. "This can't be very healthy."
Out of nowhere, the screen went completely white. It was so bright that it was almost blinding.
"What's going on?" demanded Ken, guarding his eyes.
The speakers on his computer began to slowly crackle to life. At first, there were just a few clicks and the sound of static. As the number of these sounds increased though, Ken and Wormmon began to hear a voice.
"Don't interfere," said the strangely calm, baneful voice.
"What's going on?" asked Ken. "Who do you think you are?"
"I am… the chosen one," said the voice. "I have been selected to do what none of my predecessors could."
"You're making no sense!" shouted Ken.
"Don't interfere," repeated the unsettling voice.
"I'm not going to back down from you," said Ken. "And neither are my friends. You won't get away with whatever you're planning!"
"Such spirit…" mused the voice. "I can see why you were strong enough to provide the soil that the dark spore needed. You are a truly remarkable find…"
"Tell me who you are!" shouted Ken.
"Go back to the beginning, Ken," said the voice. "Go back…"
The voice began to chuckle menacingly as the light given off by the computer surged. When the light finally died back down, Ken and Wormmon were nowhere to be seen.