EDITOR'S NOTE: Well, Chapter 2 (or rather, Chapter 1, Part 2) begins. Introducing Kojima Miku, Chosen Child #2, and would-be (and if I end up introducing some form of the Crests, will-be) Chosen Child of Love, and of course, her partner, whom we'll see inside.

DISCLAIMER: As last time, I don't own anything except my original characters.

Digimon Champions

Chapter 1

Digital Overlap

Part II

Chosen of Love

It was dawn, the day of the weird events… But those are still to come. Besides the one, I mean. The earthquake, that is. I woke with the sun, for a change, because my annoying kid brother was trying to get me to make him breakfast. What was Koji even doing up at this hour?

"Nee-chan, bekfass!" Koji's not even six months old. That's pretty good speaking, for him.

Stretch and yawn. Maybe he'll see that you're still tired, that you'd only gotten an hour or two sleep, tops.

Nope. Should've known. "Koji-kun, you'll have to be patient. That weird earthquake last night woke me up, so I'm still not awake yet."

"Bek-fass! Bek-fass!" If I didn't know better, I'd almost think he was trying to imitate those striking workers you see on the news all the time. "Bek-fass! Bek-fass!"

"Right-o, kiddo. Let's go." Maybe I'd get myself a coffee or something. Mom's not around to say anything these days. Koji cheered, surprisingly loud for a guy with such tiny lungs, and we headed downstairs to the kitchen.

So what do you want, Koji?" I was looking for something, anything, really. Nothing really outstanding. Then, Koji said the word I was dreading.

"Pa-kay!" Pancakes. Hadn't had those in over a year. Never made'em myself.

"Oh, can't you pick something easier? I mean, we've got—"

"No! Pa-kay!" The kid was set on those little round hell-discs. I mean, sure, I've got nothing against pancakes, but I've never made them before. I didn't even know if I could make them.

So I set myself to the task: first digging out Mom's old recipe book

(This is the way we mix it up)

and finding the right page, then the ingredients

(mix it up, mix it up)

and the bowl to mix it in, then the pan.

(This is the way we mix it up, so early in the morning)

Now came the fun part. Okay, kiddies, here's where it gets tricky: measuring out the right portions, and so on.

But let's skip breakfast. In the memory, I mean. The important part happens after breakfast.

I'd dropped Koji at the babysitter's place, and was on my way to school, when I heard a sound from behind the shed by the park. (I'd later find out that this was the same park where, at the sama moment on the other side, Kaito was meeting Hagurumon for the first time.)

"Hey, you stupid kids, leave me alone or I'll light a fire under your butts so hot you won't be able ta sit for weeks!" I rounded the corner, and there was such a cute little creature, being picked on by a bunch of kids – maybe first-graders, second, tops.

"Hey! Leave that, uh, creature alone! I'll call your parents!" Needless to say, they took off. Except one kid, who kicked me in the shin, then took off.

"I didn't need no help. 'Specially from no human." Pride; I guess it affects even creatures like that.

"You sure about that? From where I stood, it looked like you weren't having such an easy time with those kids."

"…" It glared at me for nearly twenty-five full seconds.

"Okay, look. Forget your stupid pride for just one second. Those kids were bugging you, I heard you yelling at them. Your yelling didn't get them to go. I don't know if you really could've lit a fire under their butts like you said or not, but you don't a)threaten kids, or b)act rude to the one who saved your butt!"

"Wow. Never thought no human had that in'em." So there it was. The creature stopped glaring, and actually looked at me with – was that respect? "I guess you're my 'partner'. Don't know why I need a lousy human partner, but I guess there's worse humans ta be stuck with than you."

"Gee, thanks."

"Whatever. So if we're gonna be partners, I guess we oughtta know what ta call each other." It gave an odd little (sarcastic, probably) salute. "Name's Impmon."

"Impmon, huh? Well, Impmon, I'm Miku. I guess we're partners now." For better or for worse, we were. I returned the sloppy salute, and headed back towards my place. School could wait a day (I can't believe I said that!), I had to get my new partler settled in, and get to know him better.

I could tell that there were strange days coming – and I was ready to face them head-on.

End Part II

EDITOR'S CLOSING NOTE: There's the second part done. Still awaiting that criticism on the first part, but ah well, when it comes it comes. For the first few chapters I'll be introducing another human/Digimon team per chapter. Once I get through all the sets, I'll start introducing them to one another. Oh, and sorry for the loooong(ish) ramble on pancakes – I wanted to get that song in there. For those of you who were confused, that was; in the style borrowed from the great Stephen King, which he uses for what seem like sometimes flashbacks, sometimes just brief subconscious thoughts; a song the late Mrs. Kojima would sing while making (anything, but mainly) pancakes with her kids around.