Disclaimer: Not mine. Mostly. Kyoko, Shikumon, and Mikado are. No steal. That bad.

Notes and Such: Why would I need this? I really don't have much to say. There has been almost zero respond for this fic, but I don't care. I'll just keep writing now.

"There is, of course, one issue we haven't dealt with," Koushiro rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Who?"

"Kyoko."

"Well, sure," Daisuke said, "she's probably certifiably insane, but I don't think that's a reason to worry about her."

"No, not that. Although that is a…" Koushiro shook his head vigorously. "Never mind. Don't you remember what happened the other night? Don't you remember who Icedevimon was after? And what he said about Kyoko?"

Miyako sighed. "I find it hard to believe that someone as weird as Kyoko could ever be a Digidestined."

Daisuke pulled his finger out of his nose. "Huh?"

"Then again…" Ken stifled a laugh.

"I say we go to the Digital World, find Icedevimon, and make him talk!" proclaimed V-mon.

Tailmon rolled her eyes. "Yeah, great idea. 'Hey, Icedevimon, what's the deal?' Sure, he'll be really intimidated." Her eyes brightened. "Actually, that might work."

"I think we should explore other options first," said Koushiro. "And besides that, our main problem is defeating Vandemon."

"But we might need Kyoko's help!" said Daisuke.

"The first thing we need to do," Ken said, "is find out if this Shikumon is real."

They all stared at him. From the looks on their faces, Ken could tell that the thought hadn't even occurred to them.

"I mean, come on. You guys haven't even considered the fact that Vandemon might not be behind this. Don't you remember what Leomon said? Shikumon was supposed to have been made in Vandemon's likeness."

"But it's just a legend," argued Iori. "Or a rumor."

"I still think it's worth investigating."

"Fine Ken," Daisuke waved his hand vaguely. "Go, do your research. Meantime, the rest of us will go and actually get stuff done."

"Who said research isn't getting stuff done?"

"I did!"

"Cut it OUT!" Hikari screamed. "You people are acting like children!"

Daisuke backed off sheepishly. Ken turned his head to the side and mumbled a quiet apology.

"Good," Hikari nodded. "Now, tonight we're all going to the school festival, and we're all going to have a good time, got that?"

Takeru and his mother wove through the crowds that night. Masses of students and their families had come to enjoy the festival.

"Takeru Takahashi?"

It was Acting Principal Mikado Kashimi.

"Oh! You're the…the…guy!" Takeru strained to remember what he had called himself.

"That's one way of putting it," Mikado said. "And you must be Takeru's mother."

"Yes, and you are?"

He bowed. "Acting Principal Mikado Kashimi."

"Right, ok." She shook his hand. "Have we met?" she asked with uncertainty.

"I don't believe so."

"Wahoo! Got another one! That makes three games in a row this time, doesn't it?"

"Yeah…" Daisuke began, but Kyoko cut him off.

"Hey, Takeru!" she called out. "Come here and celebrate with us! I'm the queen of water guns!"

"Um, excuse me," Takeru said hastily to the two adults, who were now staring at the girl with mild curiosity.

"I don't believe I've seen her around," said Kashimi.

"Oh, that's Kyoko."

"Kyoko? Hmm, is she in your class?"

Takeru looked at him for a moment.

"Well, you can't expect me to know everyone. Does the girl take medication?"

Takeru laughed. "She looks like she'd need it, doesn't she?"

"What's her last name?"

"Ginju. She moved here at the beginning of the school year."

He nodded.

"Get your lazy butt over here, Takahashi!" Kyoko was nearly jumping out of her skin.

He ran over, waving his arms helplessly. Mikado raised his eyebrow with interest.

Takeru's mother tilted her head to the side. "Are you sure we've never met?"

"I'm almost positive. We might have bumped into each other somewhere, but I don't think that counts."

"You look oddly familiar."

He shrugged. "I get that a lot. Your son makes the strangest of friends, I must say."

"I think your mom's flirting!" Kyoko squealed.

"What?" Takeru gave her a look. "She's not!"

"Who's that guy?" Daisuke asked.

"Oh, that's Mr. Kashimi. He's the temporary principal. So stand up straight. He might give you detention or something."

Then Kyoko laughed. It wasn't so much of a laugh as a big, loud "Ha!" The two boys turned to look at her. Her face was extremely red. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"Didn't you say your parents were coming?" Takeru asked.

"No. I said they MIGHT come. Emphasis on MIGHT."

"I don't think we'll ever get to meet them, will we?"

"Well, you might eventually. I'm pretty sure I saw them this morning. But I've heard they're just a legend made up to scare little children."

Takeru laughed. It was a snort. A REAL laugh, one might say.

"Any more games I can cream the competition at?"

"You like goldfish?"

"Who doesn't?"

"You like watching them flop around on a paper disk?"

"Who doesn't?"

"Then have I got the game for you."

She stared at the huge tank, filled with small fish. Kyoko was fighting a strong urge to plunge her hand into the cold water.

Daisuke handed her a little pedal. "You put this in and try to catch a fish on it. If it stays on, then you win the fish."

"Easy enough." She dipped the pedal into the water, then when a fish swam over it, she pulled it up as quickly as she could, before the fish could swim away.

"Ha! I got…it," she finished with disappointment, because the paper supporting the fish broke and it fell back into the water.

Kyoko's face fell. "That's cheating. Lemme try again."

It didn't work. She went through five pedals before she decided that perhaps she needed a different strategy.

"You're too rough. If you're tense, and you go too fast, then the paper loosens and breaks."

The three of them turned around. Acting Principal was beaming down at them, as he would have done to his brightest students.

"Then you do it gently?" Kyoko asked, eyeing him curiously.

"I can show you."

She held out the pedal. "All yours, sir."

He kneeled down and gently dipped it in, then pulled it up swiftly but gently. The fish stayed on.

"How'd you do that?"

"Gently. Care to give it another shot, Miss Ginju? That's your name, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Actually, I sorta gave up on that game."

"Gave up?"

"It got boring."

"Because you kept losing?"

"C'mon, Kyoko!" Daisuke urged. "Give it one more try!"

"Once more, then that's it. If Mr. Principal can do it, then so can I."

"Mr. ACTING Principal," he corrected automatically.

"Whatever." She grabbed another pedal, and kneeled down beside Kashimi. Kyoko stared at the water. It swirled around with the fish. She looked at Takeru and Daisuke. They smiled encouragingly. Then she turned to Kashimi. This guy couldn't be the principal. There was no way. Principals were supposed to walk around, yelling at everyone. They didn't act like him. No sane person acted like him. So happy, so cheerful, so much like a child.

"Time to grow up, Kashimi."

"Grow up?"

"You're not my friend, you're my principal."

"I like to keep the emphasis on 'pal.'"

She stood up. "Well, don't. Please, I just…I can't concentrate. Not with you looking at me like that."

He frowned. "How am I looking at you?"

"Like you know me."

"The child is rough, she doesn't know how it's done."

"I know. Go away."

Shikumon grinned. "Make me."

"I hate you," Kyoko looked at the creature with disgust.

"Poor, poor princess. Daddy's little girl. Where are the parents? They're away. Are they coming back? Nobody knows."

Kyoko grabbed for her. She couldn't reach her. She could never grasp the monster that was Shikumon, not in this state.

"I'm free, darling."

"We need to put you back from where you came from."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"It doesn't work that way. I don't work that way, do I?"

"Stop talking like that."

"I speak the truth," Shikumon whispered. "I like to hide. I like to run. Try and catch me."

Kyoko woke up in a cold sweat. In the distance, a cat meowed.

"Chiri…" she muttered. "Don't scare me like that."

Daisuke came into the classroom. Kyoko was sitting at her desk, sipping a juice box. She looked less cheerful than usual.

"You ok?" he asked her carefully. "After last night and all…"

"'M ok. Rough night."

"It's a shame your parents never showed up."

"Yeah."

They sat for a few moments in silence, which was only broken by Takeru. He slammed the morning newspaper on Daisuke's desk.

"ANOTHER one!"

"Woah, you're kidding. The masked marauder strikes again."

"It's not funny anymore. This one was nearly dead when they found her. If this keeps up, who knows what might happen?"

"Ah," Kyoko said thoughtfully. "The vampires grow ravenous."

Takeru looked at her uneasily. "Kyoko, I know you think this is some big joke, but just stay out of it if you're not going to provide something meaningful to the conversation."

"Takeru…" Hikari began.

Kyoko stood up. "No, he's right. I'm out of juice. Be right back."

She rushed down the hall. Shikumon's words were still fresh in her mind. She hated it when she dreamed about that monster.

"I wanted to apologize for last night."

She jumped. It was Kashimi.

"Apologize?"

He nodded. "I overstepped my boundaries."

"No, you didn't. You were just being pal-ish. I was very jerky. Not in a good mood at all."

"You looked cheerful enough."

"I always look cheerful. I like being cheerful," Kyoko said.

"It's good for the soul," he agreed.

The bell rang. Without even saying goodbye, they both turned to go to their respective destinations.

"No," Kyoko muttered quietly when Kashimi had gone, "it helps me pretend that I have one."

"We're going Vandemon, hunting, Vandemon hunting, Vandemon hunting! We're going Vandemon hunting, a hunting we shall go!"

"God, could you stop singing, V-mon?" Miyako rubbed her forehead in pain.

"Can't stop! Too much sugar! Too much adrenaline. Time to kick some butt!"

"I'm not picking up anything," said Ken.

"Well keep looking."

They peered their heads slowly around the corner. Nothing but the dark night and a cool breeze met their eyes.

"Isn't it a little late?"

The voice caught them by surprise. All of the Digidestined and their Digimon found themselves falling on top of each other.

"Sorry about that," said Kashimi.

"You!" Daisuke gasped. "The fish guy!"

"Principal Kashimi," Takeru muttered to Daisuke. "His name's Principal Kashimi."

"Right, I knew that."

"What are you kids doing out here?"

"Nothing."

"Looks like something."

"Well, it's not."

"Are those…stuffed animals?"

Daisuke looked horrified. "M-maybe. So what if they are? You've got nothing on us!"

"They're Digimon," Kashimi said softly.

"So what if…WHAT?"

"He knows what Digimon are," said Hikari.

Kashimi leaned casually against a pole. "So, you kids are the Digidestined."

"He knows we're the Digidestined." Hikari's voice sounded slightly more panicked.

"I know you're looking for the one who's been attacking people."

"He knows a lot."

Tailmon stepped foreword. "Is it Vandemon?"

"Possibly."

"Do you even know who Vandemon is?" Iori asked him.

"I've heard of him."

"Have you heard of Shikumon?"

Daisuke rolled his eyes. "Oh, give it a rest. Shikumon's not real."

"I've heard of Shikumon," said Kashimi, "but all legends have a basis in fact, I suppose."

"How much fact?" asked Takeru skeptically.

"You'd be surprised." Kashimi stared into the endless void that was the street at night. "There's something out there, something that wants to be left alone. And it's good at hiding. You'll never be able to find it unless I give you a hand. I know the way the world works."

He started walking. When nobody followed, he turned around impatiently.

"Aren't you coming?" he said to their blank faces.

"Wait, you just expect us to follow you?" asked Daisuke.

"Actually, yes, I do."

"Why?"

"Why? What kind of question is that? I know what's out there, Mr. Motimiya, but I'm not the one who can stop it, I can only guide you through it."

He led them down the street. Ken leaned over to Daisuke and whispered in his ear.

"What's this guy's deal?"

"Oh, he's the principal at our school."

"No, I mean, how does he know so much about Digimon?"

"I don't know. Hey, maybe he was one of the original Digidestined!"

"It's possible, I guess. How do we know that we can trust him?"

"Well, there's one of him and fourteen of us."

"Good point…I guess."

Kashimi stopped for a moment. "I heard a scream."

"C-could mean a lot of things," stammered Miyako from behind his back.

"Could mean Shikumon," he said.

"But I thought you said Shikumon wasn't real."

"I never said that."

"You implied it."

He raised his eyebrow at Miyako. "You're the odd one, aren't you?"

"I resent that."

"Just…never mind. C'mon, it came from this way."

It was the park again. Shikumon liked it there. She liked to hide in the trees and the shadows.

"When I give you guys the signal," he whispered, "run."

He listened for a moment. For what, he didn't know. But any sign of movement meant that they had to act fast.

He stood, his hand clenched behind his back. A rustle. He opened his hand and beckoned them to follow him. Another rustle. They had to run faster.

"When we get there, surround her. Form a circle around her." He wasn't sure how that was supposed to help, but at least she wouldn't be able to run away so easily.

Oh yeah, she could fly.

Shikumon heard them coming long before they reached her, but running from them proved to be difficult. There were eight humans and seven Digimon. And then there was her. One person. Nobody else.

"Crap."

For humans, they were pretty fast. They seemed to be coming from all sorts of directions. And look at that, they even had the nerve to bring along nice little Mr. Kashimi. That bastard.

"THAT'S Shikumon?" Ken asked when he got a good look at her.

"What? You would have preferred me to have a pink dress and a halo? Ha!"

V-mon attacked her without any warning, send her to the ground. But then she started laughing again.

"If anything, I'm going to die of laughter. Grisly Wing!"

Hordes of black bats flew out from behind her.

"When Leomon said she was made in Vandemon's image, he wasn't kidding!" said Takeru.

Shikumon called off the bats. But while everyone's attention was focused on the state and well being, she started to make her getaway into the air.

Hawkmon and Patamon flew up in an attempt to stop her, but she easily kicked them back to the ground.

"She's getting away!" shouted Hikari.

"No, you think?" said Daisuke sarcastically.

Kashimi stepped forward. He stared at Shikumon intently. She raised a mocking eyebrow in return.

"What are you going to do, Mr. Kashimi? Glare at me to death?"

He raised his arms to just above his hand, his palms facing Shikumon's general direction. "No," he replied, "I've got a better idea."

Flashes of red light shot out of his palms. But the force of it was so strong it sent him reeling backwards, stopping only when his back hit a tree with full force. Letting out a cry of agony, he fell to the ground, leaving a small trail of blood on the tree as his head dragged down it.

Shikumon could have easily dodged the blast, but the fact that it had come from Kashimi stunned her for a moment, which was long enough for the attack to hit her hard. She fell unconscious back to the earth.

"Principal Kashimi?!" exclaimed Daisuke. Nobody could really grasp what had just happened.

Catching his breath, Kashimi opened his eyes slowly. "What d'ya know?" he mused quietly. "Looks like I still have it in me."

Please review people! I'd really like some feedback on the story so far. I know it can't be THAT horrible.