This takes place in 2011, due to the setting of Persona 4, being that it takes place in 2011. This also takes place a while after the Digimon attack in Odaiba (Just roll with me here, because the attack takes place in summer, but Persona 4 takes place at the beginning of the school year, which is in April). Most of Odaiba has been destroyed, and parts of Tokyo have been affected as well, including Nakano.
Also, some of the ages of the Digidestined have been affected, considering this is the start of the school year. For example, T.K. has been stated to be 7 years old during the summer, and Kari is stated to be 8, but they're both stated to be in 2nd grade. That would mean Kari's birthday would have to be somewhere in the middle of the school year, before vacation. This is all coming off of the wiki, by the way.
Avoiding confusion, the beginning of the Japanese School year is in April, unlike the United States in which the school year starts in September.
Anyways, hope you enjoy.
#1: A Golden Start
Persona series (c) ATLUS
Digimon Adventure (c) Toei Animation
It's been a while after the attack…
I thought we couldn't do it at first, but we managed to save the whole world. Being a hero is pretty awesome…if most people around the world knew that it was you who saved the world. Anyway, our home is in really bad shape, and after a while, they decided to move all of us to other towns and cities around Japan.
I really hope to take a break from all this. After saving the world, me and my team really need a break.
…Oh how wrong I'll be…
*ARIA OF THE SOUL*
It was a foggy night, and it was very hard to see where one's going in the middle of the road. The fog was indeed dense. It was so dense, that you probably wouldn't see the headlights of a car coming until it's like 10 feet away from you. A white limousine was driving in the middle of this foggy night, and where it was going, no one knows. Inside there, awaits a woman with silver hair, and a man with an extremely long nose. The entire interior of the limousine was padded with blue velvet, and there were couches, a table, and a place for glassware and bottles of wine.
"Ah. It appears we have a guest." The man with the long nose said. Apparently, he was talking to somebody else in the limousine, other than him and the woman. "Welcome, to the Velvet Room. It seems this young boy has an intriguing destiny. In fact, you seem to have multiple destinies. My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter…It is a room that only those who are bound by a contract may enter. It may be that such a fate awaits for you in the near future."
"Ngh…Wh-What's going on?" The person seems to be groggy from sleeping. The person seems clearly confused right now. "W-Why am I here? D-Did you guys kidnap me or something?"
"Now now. Why don't you relax? We are on a bumpy ride."
"Yeah, to where?"
"Patience my guest. Now, shall we take a look into your future?" The man puts his hand over the table, and like magic, and with a bright light, cards appeared under his hand. "Do you believe in fortune-telling? Each reading is done with the same card. Yet the same result is different. *Chuckle* Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?"
Ah geez…Not only did I get kidnapped by people I don't know; I got kidnapped by a fortuneteller who wants to make a quick buck…
The man named Igor spreads the cards all over the table and flips over one. It has a picture of a 3-story tower on it, with the number 16 on the bottom of it in roman numerals (XVI). The top floor of the tower looks like it got blasted off by lightning.
"Hmm…The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent." Igor said. "The card indicating the future beyond that is…"
Igor then flipped over the card opposite of the card he flipped over a moment ago. It showed a crescent moon with the number 18 on it, in roman numerals as well (XVIII).
"…The moon in the upright position. This represents "hesitation" and "mystery"…very interesting indeed. It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you. In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which you and your younger sister will return here."
Huh? My sister? Wait, don't tell me she's going to get dragged into this limo as well…Speaking of which, I wonder how she's doing right now. She must be worried sick that I'm gone. I don't even know how long I was out. Was I gone for days? Weeks? Months?
"The coming year is a turning point in your destiny…If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may forever be lost. My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen." The man puts away the cards. "Ah, I neglected to introduce my assistant to you."
Huh...For kidnappers, they don't really look that threatening. Just…weird.
"This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself."
"My name is Margaret." The woman said. "I am here to accompany you through your journey."
"We shall attend to the details another time." Igor said. "Until then, farewell…"
Huh? What? Wait, they're letting me go? In the middle of this fog? Hey, wait!
"Hey! Hey big brother, wake up!" A voice then fills the air, as the scene seems to fade away into the fog. It would seem that the fog is filling the limousine somehow, even though the windows are closed.
*ENDS*
The person then wakes up to see his younger sister nudging him awake.
"Are you alright, Tai?" She said. "It looked like you were having a bad dream."
"Ugh, no, no it's fine Kari." He said, rubbing his forehead. "Just some wacky dream." He then sees that he wasn't in a limousine any longer, and there wasn't any fog. The two were on a train, set off towards a new destination.
"It's been a while after what happened…"
"Huh?"
"You know. The whole Digimon thing."
"Yeah, I know."
"Will mom and dad be there in Inaba?"
"Of course."
It has been a while after what happened in Odaiba, probably a week at least. Digital Monsters had invaded the real world and started their conquest over the city of Odaiba. They were close to reaching their goal when they were about to kill the eighth Digidestined child. However, the other Digidestined kids intervened, and together, they managed to stop the Digimon invaders. They then had to go into the Digital World for one last job, and ultimately, they effectively saved the world (And possibly the universe). But, their home was still a mess. It has been declared a disaster zone, and most people have moved out of there until Odiaba is rebuilt again.
The children that went to the Elementary School there were transferred to other Elementary schools around the country. The one that Tai and Kari, as well as the other Digidestined kids, coincidentally, are going to is the one in the quiet town of Inaba, called Yasogami Elementary. Just like theirs, this Elementary school doesn't require a school uniform. This was certainly a change of pace from the regular city that they were all used to. The Kamiya's parents had to take another train headed to Inaba. They had to attend to some business back in Odaiba, but they promise to meet them in Inaba as soon as they can. The two do have cell phones on them, so if there was an emergency, they could simply call for help.
Tai looks out the window, in deep thought. This was the second time that they had to move in their lives. The first time was when they were young, and when there was a giant Digimon battle in Highton View Terrance. The authorities disregarded this as a terrorist bombing, which caused many families there to move. Coincidentally, that's where all the current 8 Digidestined were gathered at the same time. In witnessing that battle, they all became Digidestined, destined to save the world, and the alternate dimension, the Digital World. These kids have risked their necks quite a few times in saving the worlds, so they were pretty toughened for any sort of battle.
*PURSUING MY TRUE SELF*
In any case, the computerized voice on the train came to life.
[We will arrive at the Yasogami terminal in just a few minutes. Passengers headed for Inaba city, and Yasoinaba Station, please go to the other side of the platform.]
"Hey, that's us, right?" Kari said.
"Yup." Tai said. They then picked up their bags and started going to the sliding doors, being careful not to fall over, or anything while the train was moving. They weren't at their destination just yet. They needed to transfer to another train to get to Yasoinaba station, which was on the other side of the train station they're headed to.
Later they were riding on the train bounded for Yasoinaba.
The train just came out of a tunnel it was traveling in. The two looked outside, and from prior experience, they had thought they had teleported into some alternate world. It was completely different looking than the city that they were used to. They were looking at the scenery of the countryside with awe.
"Wow…I've never seen any of this back at home…" Kari said, amazed.
"Yeah. Me neither…" Tai said. "There's no traffic or big buildings here."
[Thank you for riding with us. In a few minutes, we will be making our final stop, "Yasoinaba Station." Please prepare to exit.] The voice on the intercom said, letting them know that they need to get off.
"Alright. We're almost there." Tai said as he gets up. Kari nods, and she gets up as well. They flagged a passing conductor for help with their bags on the top shelf. He had helped them, and of course warned them to hang on to something until the train makes a complete stop, and watch their step, and went on his way after the two kids thanked him.
The train soon then made a complete stop, and the doors opened.
[Final stop: Yasoinaba. Yasoinaba Station]
4/12/2011 Tuesday
Afternoon
Cloudy
The two Digidestined kids walk off the transfer train, in Yasoinaba station, and headed for the road to see if their parents were there. They probably would have rented a vehicle to get to places for now on, considering there's hardly any sort of transportation methods in this quiet town, unlike the city of Odaiba. They took a look around the place, and sees there's barely anybody there. The only people with them are the few people that were on the train. Other than that though, there wasn't that much liveliness around this town.
"There's nothing here." Tai said. "It's like a ghost town. Did we take the wrong train?"
"No, this should be Inaba." Kari said.
"Sheesh, I'm not entirely used to this." Tai said. "…Wonder when mom and dad are coming to pick us up."
A car horn then honks, and a car drives up, although it had a bit of trouble parking near the kids. The parents were in the car, with their dad driving it. He sweatdrops, as he faces his children.
"Sorry it took so long to get here." He said.
"Oh, your father hasn't driven in such a long time." Their mother said. "I hope he won't get you two car sick."
Tai and Kari sweatdrops, as they entered the car, and put their bags under their seats. They have the rest of their suitcases, and personal belongings in the back of the car.
The car then starts taking off, headed towards their new, temporary home. Unlike their old home, this one is an actual house, rather than an apartment complex. It actually has a second floor on it, a garage, and a backyard.
"It's so quiet around here." Tai spoke up, as they were riding.
"Is it really gonna be like this for the next year or so?" Kari said. "I miss some of my friends."
"Well, look on the bright side." Susumu said. "This will be a nice change of pace. And besides, I bet anything's safer than Odaiba right now."
"But, when it fixes up, are we still gonna live there?"
"Well Kari, we'll see." Yuuko said. "At the moment, it's just too hectic to live there right now. But, most of your friends are here, right?"
"Yeah, most of them." Tai said. He then thinks about their Digimon partners. After the battle, they returned to the Digital World. Right as they get to their new home, they're going to go onto the computer, and see if they can get any sort of contact from their partners. And besides, they also want to talk to the other Digidestined kids. In this town, it's possible to video chat with one another, but there's also the availability of social media. Of course, their parents would never allow something like that for their kids, so they can't have any sort of social media just yet.
Then, they had to make a pit stop at a nearby gas station. Apparently, they were running low on gas.
"*Sigh* I think they cheated us…" Susumu groaned. "This tanker was close to being empty."
"Why didn't they fill up the tank?" Kari asked.
"Well, no problem. We'll just fill 'er up."
"Are any of you kids hungry?" Yuuko asked her children.
"Kinda." Kari answered.
"Hardly ate Lunch earlier." Tai said.
"Oh, well why didn't you say so?" Yuuko said. "Here, we'll go to the station. We'll probably find a few snacks in there."
Before they were going to get out of the car, an attendant from the gas station walked up to them.
"Hi, welcome to Moel's." He said. "I'll fill up your tank for you."
"Oh, thank you." Susumu said. He told the attendant what to put into the console, and then after that, he puts the pump into the tanker on the side of the car and started filling it up. The whole family then got out of the car. "Well, let's head on over to the station."
The parents started to leave, with the kids following, until the attendant stopped them to talk.
"So, are you traveling?" He asked them.
"Huh? Oh, we're moving." Tai said. "We're staying here for a year or so."
"Are you from Odaiba?"
"Oh, why yes." Kari said. "How'd you know?"
"I'd figured. I heard that a handful of other people were moving into this quiet town."
"Is it always like this?"
"Yeah. Most people here either spend time hanging out with friends, having part-time jobs, or watching TV, or doing other things."
"Well, we got friends to hang out with, so, it shouldn't be too much trouble." Tai said.
"Well, that's good for you." The attendant then extended his hand to the kids. "Well, hope you like living here."
"Thanks." Tai said as he shook the attendant's hand, with Kari doing the same.
"Kids, we found something you might like!" Yuuko's voice rose from the station. The two said goodbye to the attendant, and ran into the station.
They then left the station with a couple of bags of chips, some water, and some granola bars. Before they went into the car, however, something flashed in Tai and Kari's mind. They felt lightheaded all of a sudden, and they grabbed their heads, groaning.
"Are you okay, sweetie?" Yuuko asked.
"Ngh, I'm fine." Tai said. "Just, felt lightheaded."
"Yeah, me too." Kari said.
"Might be because we've been traveling all day." Susumu said. "Don't worry. Hang in there, we're almost at our new home."
The two kids nodded, and they all got into the car. The car then drove off, towards the new home that they'll live in for the next year. The kids munched on some of the snacks, and drank some of the water. They're probably lightheaded because they haven't eaten and drank all that much today.
After a few minutes of driving, the Kamiyas have made it to their new house. It was a simple two-story house, with two doors at the front entrance. The first door was a sliding door, leading to the actual front door. They unlocked the door, and headed inside the house.
Evening
The house has a simple kitchen and dining area, where there was a table with chairs, and living room, in which it can be virtually the same as the dining area, only the seats are cushions, and the person would have to sit on their knees. There was also a TV in the area. Whoever had this house last, left a good-sized flat screen TV in there. There are two bedrooms upstairs. Tai and Kari don't really mind sleeping together in the same room, considering they've been doing that for a while. There are boxes, filled with their clothes, and their school items, and other personal belongings. Towards the morning, they're going to start going to Yasogami Elementary School, which, thankfully, wasn't far from there. It's just a short walk from there, over to school. Business as usual.
Right now, Yuuko got to work on dinner as soon as they settled in their new home. She then called them down once she was finished with it. At first, they debated whether or not to eat at the dining table, or at the more traditional table in the living room. Though they decided to try the table in the living room. After all, it was a nice change of pace from the setting they're used to in their old home.
After dinner…
"You know, I like this." Kari said, commenting how they ate tonight.
"Yeah, I guess it isn't too bad once you get used to it." Tai said. "I'd still prefer the table and chairs, but I guess this works too."
"We're glad to hear that." Yuuko said.
Susumu then got a ping on his phone. "Ah, that's my boss. I need to take this." He then stands up from the table, and walks away for a little bit.
"So, we need to go to Yasogami Elementary School in the morning, right?" Tai said.
"Yep. That's your new school for now on." Yuuko said. "Don't worry. I know you'll make lots of new friends there, as well as see your old ones."
"Hope so." Kari said.
"Now, you should get some rest, you two. It's been a long day of traveling."
"We know." The two kids said. The two kids then stood, and went upstairs to their new room.
They still had a whole lot of unpacking to do, but they would do that tomorrow. Right now they were exhausted from all the traveling. This bedroom had a bunker bed, similar to the bed that was back at the apartments. There was also a couch in there, but boxes are covering it, making is impossible to be sat on at the moment. They also have a small TV in there, but this one was an older TV, unlike the flatscreen downstairs.
(A whole year of being here…) Tai thought. (Hope we'll get used to it…)
"Hey Tai?" Kari spoke up, before they went to bed. "Do you think we'll like it here?"
"Hope so." Tai said. "I don't know about you, but when relaxation time calls, it's relaxation time I have to answer. Hopefully things won't be too hectic here, like in Odaiba."
"How do you think the others are doing?"
"Oh, shoot! I forgot to call them today. Uh, maybe we'll see them tomorrow at school."
"I hope everyone will be friendly to us over there…I don't want to have anybody being mean to me…"
"I think they will. And besides, I'll protect you if anybody tries to bully you over there."
"But, we're in different classes."
"I know, but I'll still protect you in any way. You're my sister, after all."
"I know. Thanks Tai."
"Now, let's get some sleep. I feel like I'm going to collapse if I don't get some sleep soon…"
His sister nods, and says good night to him. He replies, and he lies down to go to sleep. Kari goes to the top bunker to sleep on her bed, already filled with her stuffed toys. Not one of them is her loving feline partner though, but that's beside the point. As soon as they lay down, and close their eyes, they drift off to sleep.
But only a few minutes passed, and already weird things start happening.
"Do you wish to learn the truth?"
A voice rang in Tai's head, as he opens his eyes a little. He then sees that he was in some weird place, where there was fog everywhere. He sees some shadowy figure was standing before him. Because of the fog, he couldn't see the person's face.
"…Who's that…?" Tai moaned.
"Then try your best to catch it."
The voice finished, and the person walks away from the boy, as he was starting to get sleepy.
"W…What's going on…?" Tai moaned, before he closes his eyes, and goes to sleep.
4/13 Wednesday
Early Morning
Rainy
The second that Tai wakes up, he begins looking around the room. He sees that his eyes are fine; he could see the messy room he slept in. He then hears his sister waking up, and Tai checks on her. Everything seems to be fine.
"Uh…Hey Kari. Morning." Tai awkwardly said.
"Mmm…Morning." Kari said, rubbing her eyes. "…? What's up? Did something happen?"
"Nah, just some freaky dream."
"Really? I had a strange dream too."
"You did?"
"Yeah. I was in this foggy place, and some guy was talking to me. He was talking about, something about the truth…The truth about what? Uh…Does he know that I…" Kari said, trailing off, before seeing that Tai had a strange look in his eyes.
"You had that dream too?"
"Huh? Wait, don't tell me you had that happen to you."
"I did…Really weird."
"Tai! Kari! Breakfast!" Their mother called from downstairs.
"Better go get breakfast. Wouldn't want to be late on our first day."
His sister nodded, and jumps down from the bed.
They got dressed for the day, and went downstairs to eat breakfast. The usual Eggs, Bacon and Toast for the morning.
"Good morning." Their mother said to the kids.
"Where's dad?" Tai said.
"He already went to work. He's a busy man, you know?"
"Wow, he really has to go to work that early in the morning?" Kari said. "I thought he wouldn't have to, cause we just moved in."
"Yeah, well, that's how it goes. Anyway, how did you two sleep?"
The two kids looked at each other, awkwardly.
"Uh…Not so hot." Tai said.
"Oh, was there something wrong up there? Did you not sleep well with those beds?"
"No, it was just a nightmare we had."
"Oh, what was it about?"
"Trust me, I'd rather forget about it, than try explaining it…"
"Okay...Anyway, eat up you two. You need to be on your way to school."
"How are we supposed to go there again?" Kari asked.
"Don't worry. I have instructions for you two. Just remember this, and you'll be able to go to school just fine from then on." She hands them papers, regarding their transfer to the Elementary School.
"Thank you."
After the two kids ate breakfast, they then packed their backpacks for school.
"Oh, and bring an umbrella with you, it's raining outside." Their mother called out, just before they left the door.
"Okay!" Kari called back.
The house they got came with umbrellas for the family, so they didn't have to worry about going to some store to buy it.
Morning
After taking a few turns, they were at a school zone, known as the Samegawa flood plain. There they see a bunch of students of mixed ages walking down the path. Though there were quite a few puddles of water on the ground because this is a flood zone. There are drainage pipes on the walls that poured out water from the area above. It was to make sure that the grassy plains above didn't get flooded that much.
Kari however wasn't watching where she was going, and she ran into an older looking teen, and they both dropped their belongings onto the wet ground. This teen had silver hair, and a black school uniform, meaning he has to be somewhere in High School. His blank expression on his face made them think he wasn't a nice type.
"O-Oh! I-I'm so sorry!" Kari said, quickly bowing. "I didn't see you there and-"
"No, no, it's alright." The teen said, with a nice and soft voice. With that tone of voice, he seems to be nicer than he looks. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm fine."
"Sorry. We just moved here." Tai said. "We're new to this place."
"I can see that." The teen said as he and Kari were picking up their school supplies for the day.
"So, uh, how's living here?" Kari asked the teen.
"Well, I just moved here also; from a couple days ago."
"Huh?"
"My parents had to work abroad, so I'm moving here for a year with my uncle and cousin."
"Oh, what a coincidence." Tai said. "We're probably going to be here for a year also. You see, our home, well, er, let's just say something happened over there, and we were forced to move here until things cleared up over there."
"So I see. Hrm…Perhaps it's not any sort of coincidence that we're here."
"It's not?"
"I think not. Perhaps it is destiny."
Tai was a little bit set back by that, sweatdropping. Considering he had that crazy dream about that fortuneteller, he does not want to think about destinies right now. Though Kari seemed to be amused by that remark.
"Hahaha! You're funny." Kari said, laughing. "My name's Hikari Kamiya, but I'm more used to Kari, and this is my older brother Taichi, or Tai as we usually call him. What's your name?"
"My name's Yu Narukami."
"Nice to meet you."
"Well, we'd better get going to school." Yu Narukami said.
"Oh, uh, do we take this path or that path?" Kari asked, pointing to the left and right.
"You go that way." Yu said, pointing to the right. "My school's this way." He then pointed to the left for his High School.
"Okay, thank you. I hope we'll see each other again."
"See ya."
They then went off towards their school.
The two have arrived at the entrance of the elementary school. The pathway used to get here has a big gate that closes during and after school hours to prevent dangerous outsiders from getting in while school is in session, and it prevents thieves from sneaking into the school to steal school property. It also can triple down as a way to prevent kids from sneaking out while school is in session, though that rarely happens at Yasogami Elementary.
When Tai and Kari walked towards the front entrance of the school, they saw some familiar faces.
"Hey Tai!" One of them called out.
Obviously, these were the other Digidestined kids, who had arrived at the elementary school a while ago.
"Gee, this place is a lot different than what we're used to." T.K. said.
"Yeah, it's quieter around here." Sora said.
"It's nothing like the city." Matt said.
"Sure isn't." Mimi said.
"Well, we're only here for about a year, until they fix up everything back at home." Joe said.
"Hopefully, nothing will go wrong here." Izzy said.
"Say T.K." Kari spoke up to T.K. "How's your mom and dad? I know they've got a divorce, and this is the first time that they're close together, right?"
"Oh, well…" T.K. started.
"It's nothing to worry about, Kari." Matt said, interrupting. "Really, we're fine."
"Sheesh, I didn't realize that Digimon attack affected some of the other parts of Tokyo as well." Sora said.
"Well, we're here in Inaba." Tai said. "Might as well make the most of it. Besides, it feels a lot less crazy here. And anyway, we should get going, before we're late."
The group all nodded, and they went towards their respective classrooms. They're in different grades, so they don't see each other too often in school.
In the 5th grade class, there were kids talking, and walking around the classroom. School hadn't really started yet, so they were free to do what they please around the classroom, as long as it isn't against school rules, and that they were in the classroom before roll call.
"Hey, does Mr. Kyoshi teach here?" A girl asked her group of friends.
"Yeah, I think so." A boy said.
"Aw man. I know he is nice and all, but he can be a bit boring during his lessons, don't you think?"
"Yeah, I can agree to that…"
"Hey, did you hear?" Another girl in the group spoke up. "We're supposed to be getting new students in class."
"Whoa, really? Hey, what do you think they are? Boys, girls, boys and girls?"
"I don't know. I just heard this just now."
The teacher, named Mr. Kyoshi, walked into the classroom; with the new transfer 5th graders, which are Tai, Matt, and Sora.
"Okay, settle down, class." He said, getting the students to take their seats. "Now, we've got new students moving in. They've had some…unfortunate problems back in their home, so they've moved into our small town."
"Oh, I don't think this is that small." Sora said.
"So, do you mind speaking your names to the class?"
"Uh, Taichi Kamiya, but people call me Tai."
"Yamato Ishida, but I like to be called Matt."
"Sora Takenouchi…And, that's actually the name I like to be called with."
Some of the class chuckled at the awkwardness.
"*Chuckle* So these are the kids who will be staying with us for the school year." Mr. Kyoshi said. "Now why don't you three take your seats. We're about to start today's lesson. Don't worry; I'll give you a list of necessary school supplies to bring. Just take your seats for now."
The three obeyed and walked to empty desks in the middle of the room.
"Feels odd to be the new kids huh?" A boy from the row in front of them whispered to the three. "Don't worry. I think you'll get used to it."
"I hope they will." A girl whispered to the boy. "I want them to feel welcome here in Inaba
"So far so good." Tai whispered to the others.
Meanwhile in the 2nd-grade class.
The new students finished introducing themselves to the class, which included Kari and T.K. The teacher, named Mrs. Komaichi, then told the new kids to take their seats.
"Same class, huh?" T.K. said, to Kari.
"Yep. I think this will be a fun year." Kari said.
"Okay, kids." The teacher said. "So, for today, we are going to learn some fun things about our world."
Sure, the teacher said that at first, however, she starts to overwhelm the kids. She first talked about Japan, and some of the notable towns and cities on it, however, as she went on, she starts talking about historical landmarks that the kids have no idea what she was talking about. One kid spoke up, and asked if this was going to be on the test. A few days into the school year, and already one student asked if given information was going to be on a test. The teacher said no, and continued talking.
She was probably talking about the overview of the course for the social studies part of the school year, but still, it was kind of overwhelming hearing all of this near the beginning of the school year. Kari and T.K. were both fighting to stay awake 5 minutes in, and they managed to win this fight, all the way through the lecture.
There was nothing wrong with the teacher; she was nice, but she seems to talk too much, and unintentionally overwhelms students. It's a habit that she would like to break.
After School
Foggy
The school day came and gone just like that.
"Okay, class." The teacher said. "Tomorrow we will start our lesson on the basics of Kanji writing. You're all dismissed."
The kids all stretched, and got up from their seats, either preparing to leave or are talking to their friends. Then, the intercom of the classroom pinged.
[Attention all teachers. Please report to the Teacher Lounge for a meeting. Do not dismiss your students. All students are to remain in a classroom until further notice.]
"Oh, well, that's surprising. I wasn't expecting a meeting today." The teacher said, surprised about the announcement. Obviously, she hadn't heard of any meetings of today, though that may be because she might have overlooked her schedule. Regardless, she faced the class. "Okay class, I know you're itching to go home, but please stay put in the room for a little while longer." She then left the classroom, leaving the kids talking amongst themselves.
"What could have happened?" T.K. said to Kari.
"Beats me." She said.
"Aw, I don't want to stay here!" A boy complained. "I didn't do anything wrong!"
"You're in trouble, You're in trouble." A girl was teasing the boy in a singsong manner.
"I'm not!"
Suddenly, they heard police sirens from the outside, and everybody went to the windows to look. There was fog outside, so they couldn't see the police cars though. They do see some of the cherry red and dark blue lights outside, but thankfully, they weren't getting closer. That would mean something had happened inside of the Elementary school, but still.
"Wow, those sirens sound really close, don't they?" T.K. said.
"Yeah, they do." Kari said.
"Sheesh, it's been kinda foggy lately, hasn't it?" One boy said.
"Well, I heard the fog happens because of the rain." Another boy explained.
"Really? I thought those are just clouds falling down to the ground."
"No. It's not like the Rugrats."
Kari and T.K. listened to another group of kids having a conversation.
"Hey, I heard that people have been looking for that lady lately." A rumor-loving girl said.
"Oh, you mean Mayumi Yamano, right?" Another boy said.
"Yeah, some guys said they saw her in the shopping place."
"Actually…" Another girl stepped into the conversation. "I heard that she's staying at Yukiko-san's inn."
"Really!? I should go ask her after school!"
"Speaking of which, when are we going to get out of here?"
"I know. I wish I snuck out before the announcer came on."
"By the way, did you do that thing last night?"
"What thing?"
"You know, the thing about rainy nights. You said you were gonna do it."
"Oh no, I couldn't. My mommy caught me, and put me back to bed."
"Aw, that sucks. I heard that a boy in another class was able to see it, and they were all, "My soulmate is Yamano, the announcer!"
"Ahahaha! That's so funny! There's no way she's his soulmate!"
The announcements pinged again, and the kids all listened to it.
[Attention all students. There has been an incident inside the school district. Police Officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm, and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not bother the police officers. Head directly home. I repeat…]
The announcer repeats the situation again, and the students were all muttering about the incident with each other.
"Wha? What do you think happened?" T.K. said to Kari.
"Let's find Tai and Matt. This is starting to weird me out." Kari said.
The two kids nodded, and left the classroom, along with a few other kids. The first day at school, and already something bad had happened. Most of the kids in the school were in the main lobby by now, piling out the door. It wasn't as crowded as a normal city school, however it was still large. Kari and T.K. also had a bit of problems trying to get to their older brothers, before the hallways cleared up a bit.
The rest of the Digidestined met up with each other outside.
"Well, this is already going great." Joe said. "It hasn't been one day, and already there are policemen everywhere."
"What could have happened?" Sora said.
"I dunno. Some kid got bored and robbed the nearest convenience store?" Tai said.
"We should get back home soon." Mimi said. "I'm getting nervous just being out here."
"We shouldn't worry about that." Izzy said. "The policemen would protect us if anything goes wrong."
"Well, besides this, I think school went good for today, right?" Tai said.
"Well, there was that boring teacher that we had in class today." T.K. said.
"I wouldn't say she was that boring…" Kari said. "But she did go on explaining something about all of Japan, and some parts of America."
"Yeah, our teacher is a bit of a handful too, but still, no one was mean to us today." Tai said.
"Yeah, the kids here seem really friendly."
"Hey, that reminds me, a group of boys walked up to me, and started sweet-talking me." Mimi said.
"Sheesh, really?" Tai said, sweatdropping.
"Well yeah, but what they asked me was strange. They asked me if I knew something about the Midnight Channel."
"The Midnight Channel?" T.K. said.
"Yeah. There's this legend that goes on here in Inaba. Apparently, if you look into your turned-off TV, at midnight, while it's raining, your TV will turn on, and you'll see your soulmate."
"Really?"
"Tch, sounds like a whole load of hot water…" Tai groaned.
"Hmm…" Kari was thinking. She thinks she heard of something like that earlier, though it was kind of vague. "I think I heard something like that in class today. Someone said their soulmate was someone named Yamano."
"Yamano…" Izzy thought to himself. "…Oh, you mean Mayumi Yamano. I heard that she disappeared the other day before we came."
"How come?" Mimi said.
"Well, it's just as I said, she just disappeared. No one knows what happened to her."
"That's pretty weird." Sora said. "I wonder what happened to her."
"I heard that she was a TV announcer." Tai said.
"Maybe she decided to take some days off because she couldn't handle all that pressure of being on TV all the time." Matt said. "I know I sure would..."
"I don't think they even give those guys enough breaks and all that."
"Well, we should get going home. Our parents are probably freaking out that we're not home right now because of this incident."
They all nodded, and they started going home. Sora, Matt and T.K. are accompanying Tai and Kari, since they seem to be living close to each other.
Cloudy
As they walk, under the gray skies, they noticed the streets being less crowded than their city(s). There aren't big apartment or work buildings, like in Odaiba, and you could actually see greens everywhere. To their right they saw an open space, being occupied by plants. It seems that somebody is growing a garden here. There are also fewer people in the streets.
"It's so peaceful here." Sora said.
"Not as hectic as our home." Matt said.
"Yeah, I would see cars everywhere at home." T.K. said.
"It'll take a while for us to get used to all this." Tai said. "Hey, at the very least, there isn't some maniac driving over the speed limit every hour."
"It kinda reminds me of the Digital World."
"Yeah." Sora nods. "...I wonder if we're able to go back there again..."
"I know." Tai said. "I can imagine Agumon getting bored, and start eating just to get his mind off of it."
As they walked on talking for a while, Kari sees something up ahead. A crowd of people, a police car, and police tape, preventing people from going down a street to the left.
"Hey, what's that?" She spoke up. Everyone then takes notice.
"Hey, the police are here." Matt said.
The five then walks over there, and tries to look over the crowd, but they were too small.
"Is this what that incident was all about?" Tai said.
"Wish I could see it." T.K. said.
"Heh, guess I was right in assuming someone was robbing something."
"Hey, it's you two again." A voice spoke up. Tai and Kari looked behind them, and saw the same silver-haired teen from earlier, Yu Narukami, along with two girls unfamiliar to them. One has long hair, and a red outfit and a black skirt; and another is a brunette wearing a green sweatshirt with the same black skirt. Obviously, it looks like the skirt is a required piece of clothing to wear to High School.
"Oh, you're Yu, right?" Kari said. The teen nods.
"Do you know these kids?" The brunette said.
"They're transfer students I met on the way to school."
"Yeah. I'm Hikari, but I like to be called Kari."
"I'm T.K., or Takeru, but I like to be called T.K."
The others introduced themselves.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Chie Satonaka, and this is Yukiko Amagi."
"It's nice to meet you." Yukiko said.
"So anyway, do you know what happened here? We were curious."
"Nope." Tai said, shaking his head. "We just got here, and we can't see a thing. Yet another challenge for the youth…"
They then started to listen in to some of the conversations the other people over there are having.
"Why can't they let us see what's going on?" Someone in the crowd said.
"I think I'm missing something, what happened here?" Another person said.
"Oh, you won't believe it. They're saying that they found a dead body hanging on an antenna."
That part made the group of students gasp in horror. Someone had been found dead, and they've been hung on an antenna.
"You were too late to see it however." The same person finished up. "The firemen just took the body down a while ago. I'm just wondering what they're doing over there now."
"Did-Did she just say…?" Chie started.
"D-Dead body!?" Kari exclaimed.
"Someone, got killed?" Matt said.
Everyone was at a loss of words. They could not believe that someone had died. An actual human being no less. The death of a Digimon was one thing for the kids, but the death of a human being is another, and this really shakes them up. Especially since this occurred within their new home, and that they were near where the crime was committed.
"So, was this what that announcement was all about?" Kari said.
"I guess." Tai said. "Glad it wasn't at our school though."
"Or ours." Yukiko said. "And what exactly do they mean, hanging from the antenna?"
"Uhh…You know, Yukiko, we should go to Junes some other time…" Chie said.
"Y-Yeah, that sounds good." Yukiko nodded.
"Hey, Narukami, we're going to take off. I just need something to get this off of my mind."
"Don't worry, I don't blame you." Yu said.
"So, tomorrow neighbor, let's do our best." Chie then faced the kids. "Oh, and besides this little incident, I hope you guys have a good time here in Inaba."
"Uh, thanks." Sora said. "We appreciate that."
"You should also go check out Junes sometime. It's the most popular department store around here."
"Uh, right." Tai said. "Well, we should get going."
"Right, see you guys later!"
The teens then left, while the kids went off towards their home, albeit a bit frightened by what they learned what had happened here.
Evening
As soon as the Kamiya kids walked through the door, their parents were making sure they were all right. It has been a while since school was released, so they were worried about them. They thought something could have happened to them, but they weren't in any trouble. The kids then told them that they saw the crime scene on the way home.
"You saw the scene?" Their mom said. "Did you see something?"
"No. They took it down before we got over there." Tai said.
"Well, good. You shouldn't be exposed to a horrific sight like that."
"Mom, we're okay."
"Yeah, we are, honest." Kari said. She knows she's not fine. She has heard of someone who had died. A 7-year-old little girl like her most likely can't handle hearing about a death in a town she has just moved in to. She could hardly handle the deaths of the Digimon in her journey in the Digital World.
As they finished eating dinner, the news about the death from today was on the channel they were watching on.
[Earlier today, Inaba Police has spotted a dead woman hanging from an antenna on a rooftop, near the Samegawa River in Inaba today. Police identified the body as Ms. Mayumi Yamano, a 27-year old TV announcer. Authorities are unsure why the body is in such a state. With the cause of death also unknown, police continue to investigate whether or not the death is an accident or a homicide. A thick fog, common to the area has slowed their progress, and plans to fully canvass the area are delayed until tomorrow. We will be right back with more details about this story after this break.]
The TV station then went to commercial, leaving behind the station's tune.
"The Samegawa River?" Tai said.
"Isn't that near school?" Kari said. "That's awfully close. It's awful that they found that lady hanging on an antenna."
"Yeah, and Mayumi Yamano…Izzy said something about her before we left. She disappeared the other day…"
"You think she…y'know, hung herself on there?" Kari asked, awkwardly.
"Something doesn't feel right. I don't think this could be an accident like they're saying it to be."
"So, you really think somebody…"
"I don't know, Kari. Lots of strange things have been happening around here lately, huh?"
"I know…"
"*Sigh* I think as mom would say, it's really none of our business."
[We now return to our top story of tonight.] The news channel came back on with the news story from today. [The deceased announcer, Ms. Mayumi Yamano, has been in an affair with secretary Taro Namatame, husband of enka singer Misuzu Hiiragi. The police plan to investigate this relationship and question any personnel involved with them. In addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the local student who found Ms. Yamano's body today.]
The screen then switched to an interview with a female high school student who found Yamano's body hanging on the roof today. The student must be shy, or afraid because it looks like they requested their face to be covered up, and their voice to be modulated. An enthusiastic reporter then started asking questions to the girl.
[What went through your mind when you saw it? Could you tell she was dead? Did you see her face?]
[Uh…Umm…]
[Don't you think it's scary that someone has been killed on a foggy day?]
[Huh…? She was killed?]
Tai and Kari both raised an eyebrow.
[Oh, err…So did you see anyone suspicious around here?]
[No, not really.]
[We heard that you found it when you left school early. Did you have some personal business to take care of?]
[Huh? That's…]
"Yeah, this is a bunch of bologna." Tai groaned. From the looks of the girl's answers, it looks like she doesn't really know much about the death of Yamano, or even if she has actually seen the body at all. Even more so, the announcer is just firing question after question to her, without giving her much time to answer. The announcer to the channel came back on.
[-A tragedy that occurred near the local shopping district.] The announcer said, seemingly finishing the sentence for her.
The announcer goes on to report that store owners are concerned about losing customers in the district…because of the dead body…and that they're more concerned about that than the elephant in the room…
The announcer then starts talking to a commentator who was on the station today. He goes on to say this could be a warning or a sign from the culprit. But strange enough, no one has taken credit for the crime yet. The commentator then starts ridiculing the police force for not figuring out a cause of death, and for not figuring out a suspect yet. It is true, however. A case like this must have at least some hypothesis about the cause of death, and the suspects at hand. Namatame very well could be the guilty party here, however, police aren't calling him out just yet. The commentator then goes to complain about the police force again; that they are paying taxes for a police force who can't figure out more about the case at hand, or even decide if this was an accident or a homicide. The news announcer then says they're going on break, quickly after that.
The screen then switches to a commercial for the Junes Department Store.
[At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products.]
This was the department store the teens were talking about. The little well-known tune then played.
[Every day's great at your Junes!]
Kari smiled upon hearing that. She seems to find that catchy.
"Hey, I kinda like that tune." She said. "'Every day's great at your Junes!' Hahaha! I like it!"
"It's just a department store." Tai said. "I see those all the time back at home."
"But this one's got a nifty tune! I wanna keep singing that every time it comes on TV."
"Hey, speaking of TV, you remember what the others said?" Tai whispered to Kari.
"About what?"
"You know. The Midnight Channel. It is supposed to rain tonight."
"Oh yeah. I wanna do that tonight. I want to see who'll be my soulmate."
"Wonder if it'll work for the both of us…*Sigh* I just hope this isn't another Mimi story."
Late Night
Later that night, after the two were put to bed, they were staying up to see about the Midnight Channel. Mimi said that it only appears at midnight, during rainy nights. Well, lucky for them, it's raining outside, showing no signs of stopping, so this is a perfect time to witness the midnight channel. The clock was ticking in the bedroom, as the two kids were patiently waiting for midnight to come, all the while fighting to stay away, considering this is way past their bedtime.
Just to kill time, Tai looks around the room. They've unpacked, so the room was less cluttered now. They've got a nightstand next to the bunkbeds, they are able to sit on their couch, they can actually go to their windows, and see the outdoors from there; they have a desk to work on school work (and it's wide enough for the both of them to work on it at the same time), and all their clothing has been hung on the hangars in the closet.
The clock was at 11:59 PM, and the second's hand was ticking past the 7 mark. Kari was taking a nap on Tai's shoulder until he shook her awake.
"Hey, it's almost midnight." He said to her. She opened her eyes, yawned, and stood up. "Let's see if Mimi's story is true…"
They both walked up to the TV on the TV stand and waited for midnight to come. Once it did, however, nothing was happening. They waited for a few seconds, and nothing happened. Waited again, and still, nothing was happening. They were just staring at a blank screen. Tai then turned the TV on (And quickly turned the volume down, to not alert their parents), and all they saw was static. Nothing worthwhile was on.
"Heh. I knew this was a waste of time…" Tai mumbled, turning off the TV. "Could have saved a whole 2 hours of sleep tonight…Let's just go back to bed."
*MAYONAKA TV*
He and Kari then went over to the bunk beds and were about to climb into bed, until they heard the TV go on, on its own. "Huh?"
"I-It turned on!" Kari exclaimed, shocked.
They both walked over to the TV, curious.
"What's up with this thing?" Tai asked while placing his hand on it. "Is it broken?"
The picture was stuttering, and it was hard to see what was on there, but they think they saw somebody on there, in front of vending machines. From the looks, it looked like the same student from the news channel that night. From the looks, it also looked like something was happening to her.
"Is this, the Midnight Channel?" Kari spoke up.
"I guess so." Tai wondered. "Huh, Mimi wasn't totally ditzing around this time again."
A few seconds later, the picture goes blank, and the broadcast seemed to stop. Just as it stopped, a voice rang in their heads, making them grab it in intense pain.
"I am thou…Thou art I…"
(Wh…What is this…) Tai groaned as he was groaning in pain, along with Kari. The voices sounded like their own voices, but deeper and more mature.
"Thee shall open the door."
Lightning crackled outside, and they no longer felt the presence of the mysterious voice. The clock was just ticking past the 12 mark, and made it 12:01 AM.
"Nng…Kari…?" Tai said, looking at his sister. She was grabbing her head in pain as well. (Did she hear voices too?)
Tai then looked at the TV. After the supposed Midnight Channel broadcasted, they felt pain and heard voices in their head. Tai suspects that something from the TV could have probably done something like this. Curious, Tai walks up to the TV. The first thought that comes to mind was to put his hand on the TV. He does, but when that happens, it created some sort of ripple from the place where he poked the screen. That surprised him.
"…Tai?" Kari said, looking at him, waiting for a response. She didn't see the ripple part, but she was wondering what Tai was doing to the TV. Tai then thinks to put his whole hand on the screen, wondering what would happen. He does, and his whole hand flowed through it, with ease, as if the screen was made by water. They both were taken back by this new discovery. "Whoa…How are you doing that?"
Before Tai got the chance to answer, he felt something grab onto his hand. Something then was pulling him into the TV. He yelps in pain and tries to pull back, but the force was too strong. He was then jerked forward, and his whole head went into the TV, as he was being sucked into the TV. Kari shrieks, and then goes to pull her brother out of the TV, trying to save him. Tai's free left arm gripped onto the closet next to the TV, and he was pushing with all his might to get out of the TV. With the two's might, they were able to get Tai out of the TV, but they both stumbled back, and Kari hits her head on the coffee table as they fell.
*ENDS*
Obviously, the parents heard that, and they rushed into the room to find the two on the ground, with Kari holding her head in pain, and kicking her legs while crying from the impact.
"Oh! What happened!?" Yuuko exclaimed, rushing to them.
"I…*Sniff* Tai, was *Hic* being pulled into the TV, so I tried to pull him, but I hit my head on the table…" Kari tried explaining under her tears. The parents were confused by that and didn't really believe her, but were more worried about her head.
"Oh, don't worry sweetie." Yuuko said, picking up her daughter, and rubbing her head. "Shh, shh, it's okay." They both then left the room, leaving Tai and the dad.
"What really happened here?" Susumo said.
"Uh, I think Kari had another nightmare." Tai said, lying about the situation. "She woke up, and rushed to the TV, but must have tripped and hit her head on the table. I only woke up after hearing her call out my name."
"You two seem to be getting a lot of nightmares lately. Are you two okay?"
"No, it's alright. I think it must have been because of Yamano's death a while ago."
"That is true. You know, you two shouldn't read more into that story. Just relax. Everything will be fine."
"I know…Thanks, dad…"
After Kari has calmed down, she went back to bed, with the ice bag on her head, while Tai was still awake, still processing what had happened. He did lie about the situation minutes ago. He didn't want their parents to start worrying about killer TVs that could potentially eat your children. Still, the thought of him getting sucked into the TV creeped him out. He didn't even know what was on the other side. Of course, the TV was too small for him to even fit his whole body though, so he wouldn't have had been sucked into the TV wholly, but still. At the very least it wasn't Kari getting sucked in through there. She would be small enough to fit into the TV. Tai then closed his eyes and went to sleep. He decides to talk it over with the others tomorrow.
Lots of strange things have been happening ever since they moved into Inaba the day before. First, was the death of an announcer, and now being sucked into the TV? And that was caused by Tai's curiosity with the Midnight Channel. He wonders if the Midnight Channel has something to do with everything that had happened in Inaba as a whole and if this was a sign that something big was about to come in the future…
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