Authoress's Note: I realized that in Chapter one, I said it took place twenty years after they returned the digimon. That was the wrong number!

Edit: This Takes Place Ten (10) years after the digidestined return their digimon! To make the change a bit easier to clear up, I have attached ages:

Jyou: 28 / Michael, Yamato, Taichi, Sora: 27 / Mimi, Koushiro: 26 / Ken, Miyako, Takeru, Hikari, Daisuke: 23 / Iori: 19

Since there's really not much to say besides that, here's chapter two. Hope you all enjoy!

Causeway to Neverwhere

Chapter Two: A fading light

She had decided to be brave for Daddy, hiding all fears of bright flashes or strangers as she clung to her mother, and he wrapped his arms around her. Don't worry, he told her, everything's okay, so long as we're here. And she gave the biggest smile she could, showing maturity beyond her infant years to look adorable. The cameraman caught it, and the picture now hung in the living room. He passed it every day, and smiled at the picture. It was the prettiest he had ever seen his two lovely ladies.

But today, he frowned as his eyes landed upon the portrait. Samantha's and Miyako's twinkling hazel eyes, holding the same loving, playful twinkle glistening in the look. Neither of them greeted him when he entered that evening. No kisses or hugs or someone begging to play with him. No smiles and laughs.

No wife or daughter.

"--and that's all that happened," Mimi finished explaining to Ken again. The first time had been a brief explanation over the phone as she called him at work, when he immediately rushed over. Thirty-seven minutes since he had rushed home, and yet there were no tracks...

A phone in the kitchen remained off the hook, a sippy cup lay on its side by the front door. The door remained open as it had been the moment Mimi arrived, as the police took snapshots of the scene. There were a few other detectives listening as Mimi gave her testimony on the situation, but Ken didn't bother watching them scribble on their notebooks or flash cameras.

His wife and daughter were missing...

"Just... gone... because she answered the door?" he asked, still in a bit of disbelief.

Mimi sighed, patting Ken's shoulder. She sat next to him on the couch, with a kleenex in one hand, her other hand rubbing his shoulder. He knew she was upset about this, having been the last person she had talked to that day.

"I'm so sorry, Ken," she sighed softly.

He shook his head slightly, running a hand through his hair. "It's not your fault, Mimi-san," he replied. "Actually, I should be thanking you, you're my biggest help. Without you, I wouldn't've known."

He wouldn't've known at all if Mimi hadn't told him. He felt horrible, lacking that sort of 'bond' most couples said they had. A sixth sense, if possible, to know if something happened to his loved ones... and he wouldn't've known. She was in trouble, he was certain, but hopefully they were uninjured. After all, it was only... two hours...

Could he track them? Ken wanted to do something of importance. They weren't going to let him work on the case, too emotionally involved, but he would be informed... he needed to do something of importance with the case.

An idea came, and Ken was immediately on his feet, walking quickly past friends and officers and straight into his dark bedroom. His hand clasped the device at the bedside table on his side, and he glanced towards hers. The digivices... hers wasn't where she left it, meaning she had it on her. He looked at his, pressing two buttons.

Mimi's footsteps shuffled into the room and she paused a few feet near him. "Ken-kun...?" she asked softly.

Ken nodded. "She always keeps it on her," he spoke. "I can usually find her..."

"Do they still work here?" Her eyes landed on the device and she watched him click to the map function.

"It had..." he spoke softly, "Before..."

The digital device emitted no signal.

Mimi sighed, looking at Ken once more, before glancing out towards the hallway, where she spotted Koushiro standing quietly, with the task of informing friends and family. In one hand, he held a cell phone at his ear. In his other arm, he held his two-year-old son, who clung tightly to him as if afraid of letting go. Seeing so many police officers scared the young child, and it didn't help that his father was rather anxious and his mother was consoling someone else.

"Daddy..." Hiroshi said softly. "Pwease, wha's goin' on?"

Koushiro sighed, speaking into the phone. "Sora-san, please tell Tai-kun for me. See you soon." He flipped the cell shut, ending the call, then turned to his son; the boy, with his wavy, strawberry blonde hair and hazel eyes looked nothing like him, most of his features from his mother. But it was still his son, he always declared. The child nudged him.

"Okay, Hiro... somebody took Mommy and Daddy's friend," Koushiro finally explained, simply as he could.

"Auntie Miya, Daddy?" Hiroshi asked.

"And Samantha," added his father.

"Where did they take them?"

"That's what the police are here to find out."

"Why did they take them?"

"That's what Uncle Ken is going to find out."

Hiroshi seemed somewhat satisfied with his answers, and he returned his head to Koushiro's shoulder. He yawned softly, and Koushiro carried him outside of the apartment, to the small hall connecting the apartments on that floor, rocking Hiroshi as he began to sleep once more. For a little, he just rubbed the boy's back as he scanned the area, dark eyes searching for anything as he thought.

Just what could've taken them? And why? Koushiro remembered that Miyako had called him last week, telling him that she had received a few anonymous calls which irritated her, but there didn't seem to be any connection. He didn't know if that had any relevance, since he had received a few as well, his typical amount. His eyes turned downwards...

The corner of a white envelope stuck out from the welcome mat, black powder from the fingerprint dusting sprinkled on the corner. There were no fingerprints... He reached down calmly and pulled it from the mat. It was addressed to one person:

To: Ken Ichijouji.

Slipping it into his pocket, Koushiro couldn't help but cringe as he felt a warm drop of liquid land on shirt, soaking through to touch his shoulder. Hiroshi's clinging fingers had loosened and his breathing calmed, his mouth perched open as he drooled on his father. Glad to have gotten the boy back to sleep, he carried him back into the apartment.

Ken sat on his bed quietly, fumbling with the device, a screwdriver in one hand, as if he could make it work. Nothing was helping, there was no signal. Calm, quiet footsteps headed toward the indigo-haired officer, and the was pulled from one pocket and handed to him.

"What's this?" he whispered.

"Found it at the door. It's addressed to you."

Dear Ken,

Concerning your loved one... or ones, shall I say...

Ken frowned as he read the letter.

I can tell you that they are safe at the moment, and should remain in such condition unless needs are met. You should know I don't harm the innocent...

"Mommy?"

Her arms were empty. Though she couldn't see the scenery around her, she could feel the cold and camp ground beneath her, and the lack of a small weight in her arms. Slowly, she sat up, but her eyes wouldn't open. A cloth restraint... she could feel something tied over her eyes, preventing her from moving them, tightly held under her glasses.

A blindfold.

She lifted her hands, hearing the sound of metal jingling, the weight of cold metal about her wrists. She was chained...

Now, your wife is hardly considered innocent, but the child should remain unscathed so long as she does not provoke me.

"Samantha, sweetie, can you see me?"

The child's cool, small hands grabbed at the chains. "Yesh," she answered softly. "Mommy... is cold here..." She shifted a bit, moving closer to her mother, tiny hands moving to cling to the sweater her mother wore. Miyako gently lifted her arms, the rattling telling her what she already knew, as she moved her arms and shackles over her daughter.

"Don't worry," she said softly, "we'll be okay. Daddy's coming for us, it'll all be okay."

You have never been so irresponsible, except during your downfall as Kaiser. The Ken Ichijouji I knew had control of situations, and knew what was happening, enough to have a plan when something happened. Yet you let your family slip right through your fingertips.

Ken's eyes widened. A man had been watching him... knew of his past? He brought up the Kaiser... This was startling, knowing the man who knew his biggest mistake had hold of his greatest possessions.

Koushiro stood in front of him, staring towards the letter. He judged by his friend's expression that the news in the letter wasn't good at all. He could only wait as Ken continued to read.

"He knows," Ken whispered, "He knows who I am..."

They will be returned once you meet my needs.

Jyou bounded into the apartment, careful of the investigation as he hurried in. His face was flushed a bit from his running, and he looked irritated and a bit confused.

"Ken?" he called out. "Ken! Where are you?"

Ken finally pulled his eyes away from the letter. "Back here," he called. "In the bedroom."

The man ran into the room, then skidded to a stop in the doorway. He paused, breathing heavily, his hand holding up a cassette tape. "So I get these calls at work," he starts, panting a little.

"What's that?" Koushiro questions.

"And there's someone calling me, and my boss gets completely frustrated with me, and I answer and nobody's on the line. Happened three times. Then when I got to my car, I found this tape behind the windshield wipers... and then Mimi called my cell. and I hurried straight here."

Koushiro blinked, taking the tape from Jyou. Ken continued to stare at him for a moment, then pointed to a boombox near the dresser, before he dropped his head in his hands.

Clicks, shifting, then the tape began. A calm, low voice began to speak, though it sounded broken by the tape.

"Digidestined... it has begun."

(. end . of . chapter . two .)

Okay, you guys, there's chapter two! I hope you guys like it, I wrote a lot of random spoiler stuff in it. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Questions/Comments/Concerns/Flames, feel free to email or review! Thanks, have a good night!

.Darkness Princess.