Lee Jenrya stood in his apartment on the twenty-first floor, gazing out into the setting sun as was his habit. He drummed his fingers against the glass, deep in thought. Ruki and Ryo disappeared a week ago. While he never cared much for Ryo, at least not in an emotional sense, Ruki's absence kept him up at night.
Their friendship had never been easy, and to say it started on the wrong foot would be a gross understatement, particularly because they first met when Ruki had just tried to delete Guilmon. Mature for his age, Jenrya refrained from feeling any emotions toward her conduct and instead tried to check her whenever he could, but even he had to admit that he was judging her. Wise-beyond-his-years, holier-than-thou Jenrya was always judging.
Before long it was exceedingly difficult to ignore his growing dislike for her. Not really hatred- even at age 10 Jenrya was too sophisticated for hatred- but a long and enduring dislike. After they had become a group it became a sort of tolerant ambivalence and that endured until, well, Sakuyamon happened, until she undertook her breathtakingly courageous leap of faith to save them all, when his admiration for her blossomed. Even then, though mutual dislike was gone and there was even something positive, that did not mean they sought out each other's company. Jenrya often thought if it had not been for Takato, they would have broken apart a long time ago.
Ruki herself was particularly difficult to please. After what was termed the "D-Reaper Incident", Ruki attended Jenrya and Takato's public school for a brief spell then before abruptly deciding she could not endure the subpar instruction (compared to what she had received in private school) and the sheer pettiness of their classmates. After a term, she transferred out to some expensive junior high. Takato then ventured that they should meet to play the Digimon TCG once a week- that didn't work either because Ruki had apparently "graduated" from that "silly children's game" - her words. That poor wretch. Jenrya had always known she was a mess after her separation with Renamon. He had not anticipated it would be that bad.
Takato then had a stroke of genius and suggested they should all take chess classes together. It was no time before Ruki was wiping the floor with both of them, but they were both content to be beaten as long as they could be together. That idea stuck until Ruki vanished in the most suspicious of circumstances a week ago: on her way to orchestra practice. Ever since she had been accepted into the Tokyo Junior Philharmonic Orchestra (one of the most prestigious in the world) and promoted to associate concertmaster, she was obsessed with becoming concertmaster. She was not going to settle for second best, never mind that she was only fourteen and had achieved heights few could dream of. Not Makino Ruki. "Life is a game", she used to say, "and I intend to win."
Nothing could deter her ambition or her growing intolerance for concertmaster Ichikawa Katsurou, the handsome 17-year-old violinist with a winning personality. No one could despise him but Ruki, so she would never miss a practice in hopes that she might impress the director enough to displace him. That she did miss practice told Jenrya that her disapperance was against her will. Sometimes Jenrya wondered whether she had two personalities inside her: this vindictive, fanatical teenager was nothing like the Ruki who leapt into that canyon all those years ago, lit by a refulgent violet flame.
Her disappearance had something to do with Digimon, of that much he could be certain. Yamaki had called Janyu earlier that day to report several breaches in the barrier. Surprisingly, no Wild Ones have been detected entering the Material World- either that, or HYPNOS could not detect them; the very thought made Jenrya's blood run cold. In any case this meant something else as well: their partners could cross over any day now, and soon they would be reunited. Jenrya had always imagined seeing Terriermon again would be under happier circumstances, but now… What now?
"Is Takato-kun coming over today?" A piercing voice interrupted his reverie.
He turned around and saw his sister Shuichon, now in fifth grade. She had grown into a pretty but silly young girl: years of being pampered probably didn't help matters. She had a good eye for fashion and was always the best-dressed among her peers. From her obsession with appearances in her younger days, she could also pull off surprisingly complex hairstyles on her own. Today, however, she wore two simple braids stemming from her temples which were pulled back and tied behind her head, allowing the rest of her hair to drape around her shoulders, simple yet luxurious.
"Yes." He said simply, and turned back towards the cityscape.
"What are you going to do?" She asked again, persistent, joining him at the window. Jenrya sighed, realizing she was up to something.
"We're going to see someone."
"But who?"
"Shuichon, sometimes not everything's your business."
"Sometimes", she admitted, "but not this time. It is my business because it has to do with Digimon, doesn't it? Don't lie to me, big brother, like you and father used to do."
Jenrya looked at her in exasperation. "What do you want me to say? We're going to see Yamaki. And you're right, something's up. I just can't get anything past you, it seems."
"Why would you try in the first place?" Shuichon looked angry.
"We have no idea what's going on, and Yamaki knows us, not you. You've seen the news! Children are disappearing left and right. I don't want you out there wandering about."
"I'm ten!"
"Which makes you far too young."
"Come off it, Jenrya! That was how old YOU were!"
"It was a different world then and besides, I knew how to handle myself. Your temerity alone illustrates precisely how unready you are." Jenrya was beginning to lose his cool as well.
"You're being a hypocrite and that's all there is to it."
"You're incompetent and not even aware of it." Jenrya shook his head in disbelief. "Show some respect for forces you can neither understand nor control!"
"Jenrya! Shuichon! Why are you two fighting?" Asked a bewildered voice from behind them both. They wheeled around at the same time to find Takato standing in the doorway wearing a simple white t-shirt and track shorts, his goggles absent upon his head. Shuichon turned on him as well.
"Your friend wouldn't tell me anything that could relate to Lopmon!" Shuichon shouted before storming off to her room. Jenrya looked at him helplessly.
"Takato, I don't know anything that could relate to Lopmon. Ruki is missing, dead for all we know, and that's all she could think of to say to me. What am I supposed to do with her?"
"I don't know, Jenrya. That's why I'm not a big brother; I would have been terrible." Takato tried to be helpful, but failed.
Jenrya made no reply for a while and let the unfortunate implications of Takato's words wash over him. Takato seemed to have caught it himself and opened his mouth to apologize. Jenrya cut him off.
"Come on, let's go."
Shibuya Station
"In times like these I wish people didn't exist." Kouji grumbled, having been pushed and shoved by a white collar in rush-hour traffic. Whenever he went out with his father they always drove. In truth Kouji would rather walk rather than take the subway if he could help it because something about unwanted physical contact with strangers always made him feel filthy and impure. Sometimes he fancied none of them had showered for a week because when he was pressed tightly against them and inhaling their exhales, they all stank.
"Kouji! Don't be such a hater." Izumi said.
"Somebody probably wishes you were nonexistent too." Kouichi said cheekily. "I do occasionally." Kouji punched him on the arm.
"Boys." Izumi rolled her eyes. The twins were then greeted with a familiar sight.
"This is the place." Kouichi remarked.
"No doubt about it." Kouji agreed. Only then did they noticed that the elevator was filled with mist, which began to leak into the station itself. "What the hell's going on there?"
Where the elevator should be, there was now an opaque fog and the whole station seemed to have been thrown into chaos. The superstitious types were watching in trepidation remembering the station's collapse three years ago, the curious types tried to see into the fog, and the sensible types didn't care what it was- "FIRE!" was the only thing on their mind as they fled, even though it didn't smell at all like smoke. There was an eruption of hysterical fear as a tight mass of people tried to explode in all directions.
"Kouji?" Izumi lifted her head called out his name warily as though asking for instructions.
"I'm going in." He stated plainly.
"I'm going with you." Kouichi asserted, daring Kouji to protest. He didn't.
"I best come with you then." Izumi conceded.
"I want you two to run at the first sign of danger." Kouji warned.
"What will you do?" Izumi asked worriedly.
"Why, I will run, of course. I'm not brave like Mr. Kanbara." Kouji said baldly.
He led the way and they trekked gingerly into the unknown. Kouji reached the wall and blindly fumbled around until he touched the elevator control panel, then he pressed the "down" button. The door slowly opened and he entered first, signaling for the others to stay put. Nothing more was heard of Kouji for the following two minutes; Izumi and Kouichi were about to panic when Kouji emerged, pure shock written across his face. He then nodded in affirmative, and the two teenagers entered as well.
It was strangely calm in the elevator, as though they were in the eye of some storm. In the middle stood a diminutive Digimon in kendo garb.
"You called us?" Kouji asked him without warmth in his voice.
"Yes. I'm Kotemon. They don't know I'm here yet, so we don't have much time." Kotemon moved aside, revealing a tiny speck of light that looked deeper than it should be. "Please, touch it."
"They? We? What's that supposed to mean?" Kotemon's vagueness had been wearing on Kouji ever since he first called him. "You call us here and-"
"Weren't you the one who said we ought to investigate?" Kouichi reminded him.
"I suppose I did."
"Well then." Kouichi touched the speck tentatively and seemed to shrink until he vanished completely.
"Let's go, then." Izumi said, and shrugged.
And they all stepped into the light.
The stainless steel elevator door opened and the two boys stepped out at the 37th floor. Directly ahead of them, a door was marked with the name tag "Yamaki Mitsuo", signalling to Takato and Jenrya they had found the right place. They knocked politely on the door and Lee Janyu, Jenrya's father, let them in. Yamaki's office got an upgrade when Hypnos went public, and he was now seated in a beautiful, brightly lit room that could have been decorated by Frank Lloyd Wright.
"Dad!" Jenrya greeted him, surprised but happy.
"Good afternoon, son." Janyu smiled fondly at his son.
"Good afternoon Mr. Lee, Mr. Yamaki." Takato said appropriately, bowing slightly to both of them. His flustered expresion made Jenrya smile. No matter how old he got or how brave he became, Takato would always be a little awkward. Yamaki stood up and walked over to them.
"Thanks for coming today. As you well know, the barrier has been disrupted and a bio-emergence is possible anyday now."
"If it hasn't already happened and they somehow slipped past us." Janyu muttered darkly.
"But how is that possible, if you were monitoring all incoming and outgoing activities since the breach?" Jenrya asked.
"But we haven't. We weren't aware of the breach until ten days after it had happened." Yamaki admitted, a hint of regret in his voice.
"Has Hypnos grown so lax?" Jenrya, on the other hand, was angry and appalled.
"Lax isn't what I'd call it." Yamaki retorted, looking disgusted for some reason.
"The barrier was secure after D-Reaper; we didn't see the need." Janyu explained; Jenrya couldn't help noticed that his father, too, looked uneasy.
"So if you haven't been monitoring the Digital World," Takato spoke up for the first time, his wide, still-innocent eyes on the two men, "what have you been doing all this time?"
Silence swept over the room as the two men looked at each other contemplating their next words, guilt written plainly on their faces. In this silence, heavy footsteps could be heard outside. The door burst open suddenly, and several black-suited men walked in.
"Matsumoto." Yamaki acknowledged the leader coolly.
"Yamaki Mitsuo, I see you're still in the business of revealing sensitive classified information to children." Matsumoto looked at Takato and Jenrya contemptuously.
"What's your point?" Yamaki asked. His tone was even, but his eyes burned with defiance.
"I'll cut to the chase then. Yamaki Mitsuo, you are under arrest for engineering the devastation of Shinjuku by means of enabling the entry of a massive lifeform."
The other men immediately apprehended Yamaki, who stood still.
"Mr. Matsumoto, there's got to be some mistake! Mr. Yamaki played a vital role in saving this city!"
"Mistake, Mr. Lee? Are you denying he did all of these things? If not, I would most adamantly request your cooperation on this matter, or I might have you arrested too. You, sir, played no small part in the creation of said massive lifeform. The law does not forget. Take him away!" Matsumoto turned and walked out of the room. Janyu made to protest but one of the men shoved him roughly aside and he fell to the ground.
"Father!" Jenrya cried, and ran to his father, helping him up.
"Forget it, Mr. Lee. I had it coming." Yamaki said calmly.
"Come, bastard." One of his captors said, twisting Yamaki's arm roughly and leading him away. As he was forcibly marched out of his own office, Yamaki turned to face Takato.
"Takato. That palm pilot I gave you. You're going to need it."