This chapter takes place solely in the Tamers Human World and is in Keitsu Fukazawa's (Ai and Mako's Dad's) POV. Enjoy.

Updated 4/9/21

I DO NOT OWN DIGIMON ADVENTURE 02, TAMERS, FRONTIER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!

Chapter 5: Concern for the Little Ones

Tamer DigiDestined World: Location: Hypnos Headquarters

Keitsu Fukazawa was currently seated in a lounge chair in a common room with his wife Mari, the Katou family, and Rumiko and Seiko Makino. There were four TVs on tuned to Jeri, Rika and Ai and Mako's channels on the wall they were all facing. Though nothing too serious had happened to their children yet, Keitsu wasn't at all comfortable with what had been occurring over the course of the last thirty-six hours. Ai and Mako had remained in fetal positions the entire time they'd been in the strange place that the other parents called a Digital World. He and Mari had been extremely surprised to find that one of Ai and Mako's favorite stuffed animals was in fact a living creature called a Digimon. Janyu Wong had tried to explain to the young mother and father about these Digimon things and the world they lived in, but Keitsu found it all to be too horribly fantastic to believe, yet there was hard video evidence on the TV screens before him that made it difficult to refute such a concept. Digimon were supposed to be creatures that were a part of a children's show…

"What happened to that boy was just awful," Rumiko was saying, looking away from the screen where her daughter Rika was watching the Davis kid mount the back of one of those Digimon creatures with the aid of his friends. "I'm glad that Rika is safe, but…"

"But she's still in danger by just being there," Tadashi Katou stated grimly. "They all are."

Mari began shaking so Keitsu reached over and pulled her into his lap, wrapping an arm securely around her waist. It was quiet for a moment until there was a small creaking sound indicating that one of the doors to the lounge's connecting suites had opened. It was late at night, so Keitsu wasn't surprised to see the sleepy but worried little Katou boy. He looked to be around Mako's age.

"Big sister is going to be ok… right, Mommy?" the boy asked as he came into the room, hugging a stuffed animal to his chest. "Jeri is strong! Like a lion! She said so!"

"Of course," Shizue Katou smiled, kneeling in front of her son. "Your big sister is very strong and very brave. She's got her friends with her as well so I'm sure she'll be alright."

The little boy looked up at his father who nodded. Keitsu was beginning to learn that Tadashi Katou was a man of few words even when around his family, but the man was far from uncaring. The Katous were actually neighbors of the Fukazawa family and Jeri had become a very convenient and reliable babysitter over the last few months. So if Keitsu and Mari Fukazawa had any friends among the group of adults whose children were in this same situation as his own, it was the Katou family. Tadashi had even shared with Keitsu and Mari the painful story of what had happened to Jeri during the event that everyone at Hypnos seemed to refer to as the D-Reaper Incident. Keitsu felt sorry for Jeri after hearing what had happened to her Digimon friend, but it was because of her experience with Digimon and the Digital World that he felt that Ai and Mako couldn't have been left in more capable hands. Surely Jeri would continue to watch over Ai and Mako in this strange place? And if not her, surely her more experienced friends and the older children from the "other realities" would keep an eye on the little ones?

"Keitsu?" Mari said softly. "Are you alright?"

"Hmm?" Keitsu blinked, not realizing that he'd spaced out. "I'm sorry dear, what did you say?"

Mari looked at him with worried eyes.

"Nothing… You just looked out of it," Mari mumbled, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It is rather late," Seiko sighed. "I suppose we should all be turning in for the night.

"Yes!" Shizue exclaimed. "And you should be off to bed, Masahiko!"

Her son nodded and took her hand as she guided him back to their family's suite.

Rumiko rose from her own seat and helped Seiko to her feet as well but before anyone else made a move a chorus of voices cried out from the speakers.

"Jeri, wait!"

Hearing this, Shizue quickly returned to the room with Masahiko right behind her. Everyone's attention immediately went to the TV screens where they saw Jeri running away from the large group of children. It took a moment for them to figure out what was happening but from the bits of conversation they picked up from Rika's channel they were relieved to hear that Jeri had rushed off because they'd found Ai and Mako. It didn't take long for Jeri to appear on both of the Fukazawa children's channels and them on hers, but she stood back a couple feet, analyzing the situation with care before acting.

"He's gone," Ai hiccuped. "He ran away."

"It's all our fault," Mako cried. "He left because we were too rough with him."

The Digimon that was supposed to be their shared partner gently grabbed one shoulder on each kid.

"But guys, I'm right here! I'm not goin' anywhere either."

He turned helplessly to look at Jeri and probably the rest of the children. Rika had come to a stop, so Keitsu assumed that the redhead had caught up with Jeri even though her channel didn't show it.

"They can't hear me," the small Digimon's voice trembled. "No matter what I say or do my words and touch don't reach 'em."

"Hey Sora," the older blond from earlier said to a red headed girl that looked to be around his age – his name was Matt, if Keitsu remembered right. "Do you remember that tunnel Joe and I found you in when you came to get us before our fight with Piedmon?"

"Yes," the Sora girl agreed slowly.

"Remember how you were afraid that you'd let Tai and the others down if you couldn't find us? You fell into a tunnel and the darkness that had tried to consume me earlier tried to consume you."

"Oh!" Sora gasped.

Keitsu and the others had no clue what the two teens were talking about, but it must have been serious if it got a reaction like that from the sweet looking redhead.

"You think this might be that same darkness?" the older looking boy with the medical knowledge asked.

"I do," Matt said grimly. "It's horrible. You feel as if the things you know you couldn't control were your fault anyway. And that whatever dark feelings you hold onto only get darker until they feel like they're about to consume you. Only someone really close to you can snap you out of it. I had Gabumon and Sora had Joe and I. If the kids won't respond to their own Digimon then someone close to them or someone who can connect to them should try."

Keitsu and Mari traded frightened glances. What was going to consume their children? Would Ai and Mako be alright? If their own Digimon partner couldn't help them like he should, then who could?

"I'll do it. I've been babysitting them for a while so they know me pretty well. Maybe I can reach them. I lost my partner, so maybe they'll listen to me," Jeri stated.

Keitsu and Mari held each other close as they saw Jeri kneel down next to their son and daughter, speaking gently and softly. Everyone watched, hoping she'd be able to reach them. Tadashi even put a hand on Keitsu's shoulder offering his support and prayers for the two young ones.

"Ai? Mako? Can you hear me?" Jeri asked.

The two kids sobbed silently for a moment but didn't reply. Mari started crying, fearing the worst. Keitsu rubbed her arm trying to comfort her, not allowing himself to feel any despair until it was all over.

"Can you hear me, Ai and Mako?" Jeri tried again a little louder.

"…Yes, Miss Jeri," they finally responded.

Jeri looked up hopefully at the others. Rika even gave her an encouraging thumbs up. The watching parents all released breaths that they hadn't even realized that they'd been holding.

"What's wrong?" Jeri asked them. "Why are you crying?"

"Because it's all our fault," Mako whimpered. "Impmon left us because we didn't take care of him right."

"We always fought over him," Ai added. "We hurt him, so he ran away."

"But he's right here," Jeri said gently. "He came back, remember? He's worried about you two. He wants to be with you."

"Really?" Mako asked, a dark shadow that had been looming over them seemed to lift, brightening his screen. "He's not mad?"

"No, he isn't." Jeri smiled. "Listen to him."

"Of course I'm not mad!" Impmon sighed. "I'm your Digimon. I'm supposta look after yous guys. You're the only family I have."

Ai and Mako lifted their heads, saw that Impmon was really there and broke out into a fresh round of tears and hugged him between them. Their screens brightened considerably, making the parents wonder what had caused it and if the dim lighting had anything to do with this darkness that Matt had talked about. Mari leaned heavily against Keitsu in her relief. Ai and Mako appeared to be ok now and Jeri had found them.

"It was so scary!" Ai gasped. "This voice kept telling us we were horrible Tamers and that we couldn't take good care of you."

"Yeah," Mako sobbed. "It said that you left us because you didn't need us and that you were better off without us. That you left because we always fought."

Impmon teared up and reassured them that he wasn't going to leave them again and that they were the most important humans in his life. When Ai and Mako finally stopped crying, everyone started looking up and tilted their heads as if trying to hear something. The boy wearing a bandana – Keitsu couldn't remember his name – apparently recognized the voice, and took off across Jeri's channel and then Rika's. Both girls, Ai and Mako, and everyone that could be seen in the background on the four channels turned and seemed to follow the boy.

"Now what?" Rumiko asked, her voice quivering.

Before anyone could answer her question, a blond woman with short cropped hair came rushing into the lounge.

"Daisy," Seiko said. "What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

"I'm not quite sure," Daisy panted as she caught her breath. "But we're getting weird readings from the Digital World and Yamaki's requested Janyu's presence. Do you know where he might be? His family's suite of rooms perhaps? I can't reach him on his cell."

"He's there," Tadashi said, nodding. "He went to bed with his wife a few hours ago."

"Thank you!" Daisy gasped, rushing off down the hall.

"What do you suppose…?" Mari whispered, taking Keitsu's hand tightly in both of hers.

"Something big must be going down if they need Janyu," Seiko frowned. "I only hope that it's something good."

"When is it ever though?" Tadashi frowned.

Daisy came back with a tired looking Janyu a moment later. Tadashi pursed his lips together when the two scientists didn't speak and as they headed for the elevator he went after them. Rumiko followed the man's lead and set off in an equally determined manner, her mother only seconds behind her.

"I'm going to see what's going on," Keitsu said grimly before leaving Mari with Shizue and Masahiko.

Daisy didn't even try to stop the worried parents from following them into the elevator and up to the observation floor. Yamaki had technicians running around everywhere when they arrived.

"Try boosting different signals!" Yamaki ordered from the raised platform in the center of the room. "I want that transmission coming in to be clear. The Digimon Sovereign may have found a way to get in touch with us again."

"Yamaki!" Janyu called out over the chaos. "What's going on?"

"We're receiving a transmission from the Digital World," Yamaki reported. "Someone is trying to get in contact with us."

"Sir! Signal's been fixed!" someone yelled.

Yamaki and Janyu looked up. Keitsu couldn't help but turn around and see that the big plasma screens were now all showing what appeared to be a large blue and gold armored being with golden wings.

"…What is that thing?" he breathed.

"Who are you?" Yamaki demanded just as some hippie looking man joined him and Janyu on the main deck of the observation platform.

"I am Seraphimon," the armored Digimon answered before his image on the screens began to fade in and out. "So this is the signal… traced from… … …interfering… can't … maintain… connection…long. I… from another… world. …Must …you that… children… at a …vantage… can't digivolve… need a… Connection… breaking… must go… luck."

The connection broke and the signal faded.

"What was all that about?" Keitsu asked.

"No idea," Tadashi frowned. "But I sure didn't like the sound of it. It was obviously a warning."

Keitsu looked nervously at the static snow on the screens. Technicians were running about again trying to follow Yamaki's newest orders.

"Can't digivolve," Seiko muttered. "Something about our children's Digimon not being able to digivolve."

"But we already knew that," Rumiko sighed. "None of the other children's Digimon can digivolve either except for those with that handy Armor Digivolving thing."

Tadashi nodded.

"But I thought that the kids from our world needed those cards to accomplish that," Keitsu spoke up, thinking back to Janyu's explanation to how the children helped their Digimon partners fight.

"Yes," Janyu said, coming over to join them with Shibumi and Yamaki at his side. "The children need cards to help their Digimon fight, but that function of their D-Power appears to be offline at the moment. Henry tried using it earlier, but it didn't work."

"Before, they used to need a special blue card to help activate their Digimon's next DigiVolution," Shibumi informed the parents and grandmother. "But after they'd activated that specific DigiVolution once they no longer needed the card to trigger that DigiVolution again."

"Or the catalyst, Calumon," Yamaki added, clicking his lighter absently.

"Or Calu-!" Janyu gasped. "Calumon! That's it!"

Keitsu and the others looked at Janyu confusedly, but not Shibumi.

"Of course!" the strange executive cried. "Why didn't we think of it before? For some reason Calumon wasn't called to that Digital World! Then again, why would he be? He doesn't have a human partner! He's been with the Sovereign."

"…Are any of you getting this?" Rumiko asked. "Because I'm not."

"Mind letting us in on your epiphany you two?" Yamaki frowned.

"The answer to our problem is Calumon!" Shibumi beamed. "All we have to do is try to get in touch with the Sovereign and see if they'll allow Calumon to come here! Then we can use Calumon to try and get in touch with the children or that Digimon Seraphimon. He's been trying to get in touch with us for a while now and seems to be aware of what's going on. Maybe he can help us find a way to bring the children home!"

"Even if that's true, if you've got communications problems between our world and the Digital World then how are you going to get in touch with the Sovereign?" Seiko asked skeptically.

"We'll try to get a message to them telling them to try using Calumon's catalyst abilities to boost their output signal," Janyu explained. "We can't send any video transmissions, but a small message might be able to get through. Just because we haven't gotten any reply back from them, doesn't mean that the Sovereign haven't been receiving anything from our end."

"Couldn't they have tried using this Calumon already?" Keitsu asked worriedly. "If he's this strong catalyst thing that can boost powers and such, wouldn't that have been the first thing they would have tried?"

"It's a long shot," Yamaki sighed, clicking his lighter nervously. "But it's better than just standing here. We'll just have to hope that they've overlooked Calumon's abilities like we had and that this plan works. Get on it, Janyu."

"Right away," Janyu nodded and took off with Daisy.

"And if it doesn't work?" Rumiko asked.

"…Then we're back at square one," Yamaki sighed. "But at least we'll have tried that option. I'm sure something will work itself out in the end. When it comes to those kids something usually does."

"Let's hope so," Tadashi frowned looking up at the empty screens. "For their sake."

Everyone nodded grimly.

I hope Yamaki's right too, Tadashi. Will Hypnos be able to get a message through to the Sovereign? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!

I don't know why I chose to do this chapter in Ai and Mako's father's POV. Maybe because he's a character we know nothing about and knows about as much as we do as to what's going on in the story. ...It probably also has to do with the fact that I had been writing Mako in UGotD when I wrote this. Oh well. Things will pick up in the next few chapters. We'll finally get to see the parent's reactions to Koji and Koichi's story! That was something I'd been waiting for a while to write when I started this story. PW will also be moving in a more independent direction after next chapter and we'll stop rehashing so much. Anyways I hope you liked this chapter all the same and that you review.