Hikari looked around the Digital World. She needed some time to think before returning to Japan. She hadn't seen anyone for so long, besides the dying population of the Other World.
"Hikari?" a familiar voice asked from behind. She turned around to see her brother. His face was full of surprise and puzzlement. "Why are you here?"
Hikari tried to think of an answer but she couldn't lie to Taichi, "I left the Other World because almost everyone is dead. Kurumi, Takeru, and I stayed there to try to stop the man in black from killing the survivors but his work is done. They're all dead."
"I don't understand, Hikari. Where is Takeru and Kurumi?" Taichi asked his little sister who seemed different. She wasn't the same happy and cheerful girl she used to be.
Hikari looked puzzled at the question, "Takeru came back a year after everyone else left. Haven't you seen him?"
Taichi shook his head fiercely, "No. Where is Kurumi?"
Hikari looked down at the ground. Could she admit to Taichi that she caused Kurumi's death? "She died."
"What?" Taichi paused, not wanting to get angry. "Takeru is missing and Kurumi is dead. Could this be any worse?"
Hikari raised her eyebrows at Taichi's last remark, "Why are you here, onii-chan? Where are the others?"
This time, Taichi looked away. "I couldn't stand it. I haven't seen any of the others because they hate me. I allowed Koushiro to die."
Hikari looked at Taichi with as much sympathy she had left but another death didn't phase her much, "What happened?"
"I think it was him," Taichi looked at Hikari. "The man in black. He had that scar."
A scuffling noise was heard behind the two. The siblings turned around and saw a bewildered Sora, "Why am I here?"
"You didn't come here?" Hikari asked. She noticed that her brother had not looked at Sora. "You didn't want to come here?"
Sora shook her head, "No, I have to get back. How do I get back?" Taichi and Hikari both seemed to have no answer for the anxious girl. Sora looked between the two.
"Sora, we haven't seen you for years. Where have you been?" Hikari asked. She regretted asking that single question opens flood gates to why, where, and what in both ways.
Sora looked down and spoke quietly, "I've been in Kyoto."
Hikari nodded, "You left right after the last adventure in the Digital World. What happened?"
Sora looked up at Hikari, "My mother's friend was sick and I had to take care of her apartment," Sora paused, "How about you two? What happened?"
Taichi and Hikari glanced at each other. Taichi started, "I've got some scholarships. And Koushiro was murdered last year."
"What?" Sora gasped, "Koushiro's dead? Is there anything else I should know?"
Hikari nodded, "There's another world that we went to and tried to save from the man in black. Takeru, Kurumi, and I stayed after the others had left. But Takeru left and Kurumi died… We believe the man in black killed Koushiro."
"I don't know who these people are," Sora exclaimed, "Who's Kurumi? Who is this man in black? How do you know he killed Koushiro?"
Hikari looked at Taichi who looked away and continued, "In the Other World, he tried to kill us and before we destroyed him, or so we though, he swore to finish us off. Plus when Kurumi and her group went to the Other World, he tried to kill them. Hana gave him a scar underneath his eye. He was their friend."
"Did he have a name? Besides 'the man in black'?" Sora asked, forcing herself to ask those two simple questions.
"Yeah, his name was Yukito." Hikari answered.
Sora opened her mouth when a voice called from behind them, "Why am I here?"
"Why am I here and how did I get here?"
Taichi, Hikari, and Sora turned around to see Yamato and Mimi. The five old friends looked at each other with astonishment.
"Why are we all here?" Sora asked and looked at the surprised faces. "Why are we here against our will?"
"Who brought-?" Yamato stopped in mid-sentence as the ground beneath them shook. It was as if the ground had turned into an ocean with dangerous waves. There was a deafening noise as the ground split open and the group fell.
"Hikari?" a familiar voice asked from behind. She turned around to see her brother. His face was full of surprise and puzzlement. "Why are you here?"
Hikari tried to think of an answer but she couldn't lie to Taichi, "I left the Other World because almost everyone is dead. Kurumi, Takeru, and I stayed there to try to stop the man in black from killing the survivors but his work is done. They're all dead."
"I don't understand, Hikari. Where is Takeru and Kurumi?" Taichi asked his little sister who seemed different. She wasn't the same happy and cheerful girl she used to be.
Hikari looked puzzled at the question, "Takeru came back a year after everyone else left. Haven't you seen him?"
Taichi shook his head fiercely, "No. Where is Kurumi?"
Hikari looked down at the ground. Could she admit to Taichi that she caused Kurumi's death? "She died."
"What?" Taichi paused, not wanting to get angry. "Takeru is missing and Kurumi is dead. Could this be any worse?"
Hikari raised her eyebrows at Taichi's last remark, "Why are you here, onii-chan? Where are the others?"
This time, Taichi looked away. "I couldn't stand it. I haven't seen any of the others because they hate me. I allowed Koushiro to die."
Hikari looked at Taichi with as much sympathy she had left but another death didn't phase her much, "What happened?"
"I think it was him," Taichi looked at Hikari. "The man in black. He had that scar."
A scuffling noise was heard behind the two. The siblings turned around and saw a bewildered Sora, "Why am I here?"
"You didn't come here?" Hikari asked. She noticed that her brother had not looked at Sora. "You didn't want to come here?"
Sora shook her head, "No, I have to get back. How do I get back?" Taichi and Hikari both seemed to have no answer for the anxious girl. Sora looked between the two.
"Sora, we haven't seen you for years. Where have you been?" Hikari asked. She regretted asking that single question opens flood gates to why, where, and what in both ways.
Sora looked down and spoke quietly, "I've been in Kyoto."
Hikari nodded, "You left right after the last adventure in the Digital World. What happened?"
Sora looked up at Hikari, "My mother's friend was sick and I had to take care of her apartment," Sora paused, "How about you two? What happened?"
Taichi and Hikari glanced at each other. Taichi started, "I've got some scholarships. And Koushiro was murdered last year."
"What?" Sora gasped, "Koushiro's dead? Is there anything else I should know?"
Hikari nodded, "There's another world that we went to and tried to save from the man in black. Takeru, Kurumi, and I stayed after the others had left. But Takeru left and Kurumi died… We believe the man in black killed Koushiro."
"I don't know who these people are," Sora exclaimed, "Who's Kurumi? Who is this man in black? How do you know he killed Koushiro?"
Hikari looked at Taichi who looked away and continued, "In the Other World, he tried to kill us and before we destroyed him, or so we though, he swore to finish us off. Plus when Kurumi and her group went to the Other World, he tried to kill them. Hana gave him a scar underneath his eye. He was their friend."
"Did he have a name? Besides 'the man in black'?" Sora asked, forcing herself to ask those two simple questions.
"Yeah, his name was Yukito." Hikari answered.
Sora opened her mouth when a voice called from behind them, "Why am I here?"
"Why am I here and how did I get here?"
Taichi, Hikari, and Sora turned around to see Yamato and Mimi. The five old friends looked at each other with astonishment.
"Why are we all here?" Sora asked and looked at the surprised faces. "Why are we here against our will?"
"Who brought-?" Yamato stopped in mid-sentence as the ground beneath them shook. It was as if the ground had turned into an ocean with dangerous waves. There was a deafening noise as the ground split open and the group fell.
