Kari held onto Tai's hand with an iron grip. He had passed out hours ago but Kari refused to leave his side. She could hear the stranger rattling around pots and pans. He was fussing about in the kitchen but Kari never took her eyes off her sleeping brother.
"He's gonna have one hell of a headache when he wakes up." The man commented and Kari kept her face hard.
"Come on dear. Have something to eat."
"I'm not hungry." Kari said not looking at the person talking.
"I'm sure you have lots of questions. How's your cheek?" He spoke again and Kari flared her nostrils. She ignored the soreness of her face. She didnt care about her injuries. She only cared about Tai's
"How long will he be asleep? When will he wake up?" Kari demanded and she heard the sound of a stove being turned on.
"Kari you don't need to be so worried. He's got a nasty bump on his head that's all." Kari shook her head. She opened her left hand which was sitting in her lap. It was red, red from blood. She closed her hand. It was her brothers blood that was on her hand. She sat up straighter and narrowed her eyes focusing on her brothers sleeping form.
"This is my fault I knew something was wrong. I knew it our first night." She whispered to herself.
"What's that?" The man asked and Kari closed her mouth.
"You are as hard as stone right now. Nothing is getting in right now is it?" The man spoke and Kari felt an itch to reply,
"Don't know what you mean." She said and she rolled her shoulders back.
"I've been watching you. I mean I've been watching all of you but you have just become the most fascinating." Kari's lips parted, she couldn't help herself. She had to bite,
"How so?" She asked and she could hear the man make his way towards her.
"I thought I had you figured out on day one. You want to see the best in everyone. A kind soul who bottles everything up. But this, this rock solid form you've taken. It's new. I don't think an army of Kuagamon would be able to touch your brother with you protecting him like you are." Kari suddenly broke out of her trance. She slowly turned her head to the other person in the room. He was tall. He was dressed in robes. The kind of robes she remembered a young Gennai wearing. His hair was dark with bits of grey mixed in.
"Who are you?" She asked quietly. The man nodded and then went back to the stove. Kari watched him tend to a boiling pot.
"The name is Hank." Kari scrunched her nose.
"That's not very digital world like." She said bluntly. Hank smirked and nodded,
"No I guess not. Perhaps if I was Hankmon or Gennai that would be more fitting." Kari went wide eyed,
"You know Gennai?!" She exclaimed and Hank stopped a moment. He sighed and nodded,
"Yes, once upon a time. But of course people change. Or in his case, data changes." Kari saw him clench his jaw. She watched him a moment becoming very curious about him.
"So who exactly are you?" She asked and Hank put a lid on the pot on the stove.
"Well I'm not a digimon if that's what you're asking. I'm human just like you and your brother there." Kari looked at Tai a moment then back at Hank.
"Wait you come from the human world?" She asked now more confused,
"Yep." Hank then pulled the lid off the pot and dipped a spoon into it. He pulled out the now steaming spoon and gently tasted it.
"Yum that will be ready soon." He commented and he placed the spoon on the counter and returned the lid to the pot." Kari frowned. Hank looked up at her and continued,
"When I was young, well younger. I guess I was a few years younger then you are now. You are 14 correct?" Kari nodded.
"Right well when I was eleven or twelve I was chosen just like you and your brother there to protect this world. Got a partner and everything." Kari gasped,
"You're a digidestined?!" She exclaimed and Hank noddaed,
"Was. Now not so much. I don't have a digivice anymore. And I can't jump between worlds." Kari frowned.
"I don't understand, are you trapped here?" Hank paused,
"Voluntarily, yes." Kari furrowed her brow,
"What about your family?" She asked quietly and Hank smirked,
"Long gone. Don't worry about me Kari. The thing is I was given a choice. I could live out my last remaining days in the human world or I could be forever changed into digital data and work to watch over the digital world. I wanted to leave a legacy. And this was the way I felt I could." Kari studied Hank and tilted her head to the side,
"So you were transformed into digital data." Hank nodded and turned and grabbed two bowls from the cupboard.
Kari looked down at her lap. She opened her left hand and looked closely at her brothers blood drying on her palm. She flexed it and then slowly closed her hand into a fist.
"Here. Eat." Hank set a bowl in front of Kari with a spoon in it. Kari watched Hank sit at the end of the table where Tai's head was. He loudly slurped his own soup and Kari looked at her own bowl.
"How long have you been here then?" She asked and she looked up at him.
"Since just before you eight were chosen." Kari furrowed her brow,
"How come we've never met you before? Why didn't Gennai mention you?" Kari asked and Hank placed his spoon into his bowl.
"Because you never needed me. Gennai was keeping the balance. He ensured your digieggs and divices were saved from Piedmon. He then continued to be in contact with you when Malomyotismon returned and infected your friend Ken." Kari went wide eyed,
"You were around for all of that?" Hank nodded and took a bite of his soup.
"I never needed to interfere. That is until now." Kari could see his face darken. She looked at Tai and squeezed her brothers hand.
"How bad is it?" She asked quietly. Hank exhaled,
"Bad. Gennai's Data has been compromised." Kari looked up at Hank confused,
"How?" She asked and Hank dropped his spoon in his bowl it made a loud clang and Kari jumped at the sound,
"He was always a voice of reason. Seeing the benefit of the digidestined and how the digital world could thrive with human interaction. Now he only sees you as a virus. One hell bent on enslaving the digimon and taking over the digital world. He wants to rid the world of digidestined. Any digimon who think humans are good have been slowly eradicated." Kari gasped,
"That's genocide!" She exclaimed and Hank nodded,
"Indeed. Gennais world order rids the digital world of you. He even plans to invade earth." Kari was shocked. She shook her head,
"I don't understand! How could Gennai do that?! He was our friend." Hank finished his soup and sighed,
"Like I said. His data was compromised. He wants the digital world and the real world to remain separate. By invading the real world his only goal is ridding it of any connection to this world. That would mean other humans like yourself who can access the digital world. He wants to seal up all the portals and lock the digital world away for good." Kari shook her head in disbelief,
"But how does Pythmon fit into all of this? Is he working for Gennai?" Hank nodded,
"Some what. The two are on the same side. But I don't think either thinks they are working for another. Just the greater good, at least what they think is the greater good." Kari couldn't believe it. She silently wished Izzy was there to help absorb the information Hank was giving her.
"What about our digimon?" She asked quietly and Hank put his elbows on the table,
"If they can't be corrupted to think like they want them to, then they are erased." Kari then shook her head,
"But Gennai told us any digital data here is regenerated in primary village. The digimon can't be erased." Hank sighed,
"They couldn't be. Now the world order has shifted. Digimon can be snuffed out here just like they could be in the human world." Kari's lips quivered. Her heart ached for all the digimon who could be deleted. She then clenched her jaw,
"We can't let that happen." She spat and Hank nodded,
"Well that's where Gennai has set himself up for failure." Kari raised an eyebrow,
"How so?" She asked and Hank smirked,
"Before Gennai's Data was altered, he was in charge of ensuring there was always a system of peace in place. I was chosen in case that system was ever compromised. In other words. He chose me to make sure any disruption of that peace would fail." Kari perked up,
"So you can stop this! You're the key to returning the peace!" Hank shook his head and Kari felt the air slowly release from her tires.
"That is still up to you and the rest of the digidestined. My duty, is to guide you. I can't do anything without you eight." Kari watched Hank a moment and then spoke,
"So what do we do?" She asked and Hank pointed to her bowl,
"You eat. You've got a lot of fighting a head of you. You'll need your strength." Hank rose from the table and took his bowl to the sink. Kari watched him,
"But what about the others?! Our digimon?!" She asked and Hank looked at her.
"I can help you with very few things here Kari. The first, is helping your brother. But I can only help him with his external injuries." Kari scrunched her face up wondering what Hank meant by that.
"Second, I may be able to help you locate one of your fellow digidestined." Kari went wide eyed and she nearly stood up,
"TK?!" She asked and Hank nodded,
"But what about the others?! They were attacked! And Gatomon?!" She could feel her chest pounding. She kept her hand in her brothers but felt the urge to let go and walk over to Hank. Hank put a hand up and Kari squeezed her brothers hand calming herself.
"First we have to get your brother on his feet. Once we've done that, I may be able to direct you to TK. But that depends entirely on you and your brother." Kari didn't understand,
"What do you mean?" She asked and Hank approached the table.
"Your crests are powerful. You are connected to one another through your crests. So long as you maintain that connection, I can help you find your way to TK. That will lead you to your partner and the others." Kari nodded. She looked at her bowl starting to feel hungry.
"Eat Kari. Tai will awake soon enough." Kari slowly pulled her left hand from her lap and grasped the bowl. She then slid it towards her. She kept her right hand holding her brothers and started to eat with her left. As soon as the soup touched her lips Kari felt ravenous. She was so worried about Tai she hadn't realized how hungry she was. She continued to eat and she heard Hank chuckle.
"Take your time Kari. The day is nearly over." Kari stopped. She was surprised a whole day had nearly passed. Her stomach lurched and she started to panic worrying about the others and Gatomon.
"Focus on eating Kari. One thing at a time." Hank advised and Kari nodded. She took another bite of soup and looked at her brother. He was breathing deeply. She squeezed hand and continued eating her soup.