Windstar: Thank you very much to my wonderful reviewers, I really appreciate your kind words! I hope that this rewrite continues to exceed expectations and that more and more people will enjoy it. Please let me know if you see any mistakes, and thank you once again for continueing along with this story.

All the best!

Disclaimer: Remains the same.

Chapter Four:

Date: +20 days

Time: Way too fucking late.

Author: Kouji Kohaku

When my dad used to leave on business trips, he'd buy enough TV dinners for an army, and ten boxes of cereal. He'd pat my head, say goodbye, and leave. I remember watching him go and not understanding, he never really explained how it was different from just an average work day. Except I could never remember any of the numbers he'd told me countless times to call if I needed something, and so when he never came home, I didn't know what to do.

I ate through one box of cereal a day because I didn't know what else to eat, and the microwave had always gotten stuck on the time screen. I couldn't read the instructions, and so for the most part Captain Crunch was my best friend.

Dad would come back after a month or so and ask me how everything was. I'd tell him fine because I didn't know what else to say, and he'd nod and things would move on. I guess as a kid I was used to dad walking in and out of my life, so I'd stay there and think about what mom was like. Did he just walk out of her life? What was the point in taking me?

Then Dad would remind me that my mother was dead, she died in a car crash during an ice storm. No one found her car until the next morning, and by then she'd died of hypothermia and shock. I suppose it was how graphic it was that made me remember it. That's kind of sick though.

Dad took care of me all those years, by himself. When he finally married Satomi, I guess I felt as though I was a failure. He had needed someone else care for me because he just couldn't do it anymore. I hated her because of it, but it really wasn't her fault. She was perfect in every way, and I was just too blind and too angry to see it. I just wanted my Dad to pay attention to me, and me alone. Why couldn't he just manage that? It wasn't too much to ask for, was it?

After all...I really believed my Dad loved me, he just couldn't be with me because I was too much of a pest...or he just had to work all that much harder.

People say the truth is better then a lie, but the truth didn't make me feel any better, and now that everything's out in the open I wish I'd never known. I wish that I could forget…but it seems my crappy memory is just good enough to make me remember all the shit that fucks with my head. All the shit about my dad, about my brother, about the past three fucking years. It hurts to remember. And I wish I could just stop. I wish...

This journal writing bullshit is stupid. Fuck this. I can't believe they think this works.

Entry Four:

Author: Kibo

Sources: Takeru Takaishi, Takuya Kanbara, Tomoki Himi, Izumi Orimoto, Junpei Shibayama, Kouji Kohaku, Kouichi Kohaku

Kouji, as it turned out, seemed to have gotten infected relatively recently. From what Shikou could find, the wounds had been healing up until just a few days ago when an infection set in. Every single cut was (for some reason) pussing violently and he was gagging on phlegm.

The sickness itself would go away in a few days, but it was more along the lines of how he got sick that was concerning. Still, after a thorough examination, they'd found nothing out of the ordinary. But even if they had found something, they wouldn't say anything anyway. They kept their information to themselves and that's how it was going to continue to be. The twins were always kept in the dark.

Kouichi was allowed to stay in the (surprisingly) extensive sick-bay for only a day. After that, he was back in his cell. The first night alone wasn't spent sleeping. Every time he closed his eyes he had images of his brother's torn back slamming into his brain. He stayed awake and stared at the cracks in the ceiling, counting them mindlessly as he waited.

His brother was busy coughing all night, and so Kouji didn't get much sleep either. Their kidnapper came in late though, and checked up on him. "You still breathing, brat?"

"Still." He muttered back in annoyance, his breath wheezing as he sat there. The man threw him a smirk before sitting down and propping his feet up on a chair. "You're…not gonna tell us why we're here are you?" Tall-dark-and-creepy shook his head at Kouji's words.

"I have no intention to do so."

"You…could lie."

"Would it make you feel better?"

"It could." He coughed again, his eyes squeezing closed for a moment as his throat burned. The sneeze caught him unprepared when it came, and it hurt worse then the cough did. One hand went to his throat, while the other one fumbled blankly for a tissue.

"I'm not here to make you feel good about yourself though, truth sucks; and it always gets found out."

"Does it…?"

"Yes. I asked around. You have an angel on your shoulder brat, and I don't like it."

"Well, why don't you kidnap that too, since you're so fucking good at it?" Kouji was tugged back roughly by his pony-tail. He gasped, even as he was turned cruelly and painfully and slammed (backside down) onto the table. His injuries screamed in protest, and a strangled scream caught in his throat. He felt like he couldn't breathe all of a sudden, his eyes filled with tears. He choked, trying to turn his head to the side but he was held still.

"Keep your mouth shut about things you don't understand."

There was movement behind him. Two pairs of eyes looked back, seeing the smaller girl that was sometimes seen in the shadows of the hall to the cell block. She was watching them impassively, but there seemed to be a tension that wasn't normally there. Her eyes were narrowing ever so slightly around the edges. She looked put out, annoyed even.

"And you. You need to stop putting your nose where it doesn't belong." The kidnapper hissed. He released Kouji and let him shift so he was more comfortable. "Every time you come around," he continued to the girl, "things get noisy and chaotic, and I don't want to deal with it."

"Oh sod off, Rei, you're the one making all the noise at three in the morning." Perhaps pissing off the man that held his life in his hands wasn't the brightest of ideas, but for some reason – it didn't occur to Kouji that it wasn't smart. For some reason he simply knew that he wasn't going to actually get hurt if he said anything – at least no more then he already was. Kouichi either. The both of them would be fine.

Dark eyes turned slowly and looked at him. They were quirking downwards, and there was something in that gaze that Kouji couldn't read. "Rei?" He asked more out of curiosity then anything else. The girl took another step forwards, stepping closer into the moonlight that was all that illuminated the room they were currently in. Kouji glanced towards her. It was the most visible she'd ever been.

She wasn't too tall, maybe the same height as him if he slouched. Her hair was a dark brown- darker then Takuya's was that was for certain – but not necessarily black. He'd thought she'd had brown eyes before, but now he could tell they were green. For some reason he had the oddest sensation overcome him – a faint smell of apples and cherry blossoms. In the distance he could have sworn he heard children laughing. It didn't make sense, and the hallucination faded quickly.

"Yeah…" He coughed, glancing back towards his assailant. "It means-"

"I know what it means, why'd you call me that?" His tone was impatient, but it was filled with something else. Worry? Concern? Uncertainty. Kouji couldn't decipher it.

"…Because…it fits." Kouji was frowning at him, and he frowned back. A cough bubbled in Kouji's throat and he turned to his side to hack it out. His breath was rather weak and his lungs crackled in anger.

"Listen, brat…what's going to happen here…" The man sighed, but his voice was soft. It was as though all the wind had been taken out of his sails. "You can't get away from it. No matter how long this takes, no matter what happens, you're not going to be able to get away from this."

"Get away from what?" Kouji wheezed painfully, staring up at him with such confusion that the man rubbed his eyes for a moment.

"The Boss…he runs a very elite organization. They're a protectorate of sorts; he controls business assets and stock exchanges. People make bets and he organizes the biggest win through deals and…other things. You're here," He paused, and the door opened once more behind them. The three looked up as the light switch was flicked.

There, standing in a business suit that looked more expensive then all the appliances in the Sick-Bay, was their boss. In his hands was Kouichi Kimura's left arm. The boy looked like he'd been punched a few times, his lip was bleeding and a black eye was forming, but on the whole he looked alright.

Kouji instantly tried to move from the bed, but his right wrist was tied to the bed with a restraint and he couldn't do anything more productive then roll over or sit up. It was why his back had been so sore when the man had roughly flipped him before, his arm had wrenched his back in the wrong direction in the first place. Kouji hadn't really cared much for the thin chain that as looped around his wrist, he understood the reasoning behind it. No one was going to just let him loose in a room full of equipment that could not only kill himself but others as well. He only really took note of them when he was faced with a predicament like this.

His eyes locked on his brother's. Are you okay?

And the older boy shrugged somewhat. Better then you.

"It seems that you forgot to mention to me that the boy was so sick in your report hmm?" The man commented blandly. Rei scowled slightly, crossing his arms over his chest as his boss moved deeper into the room. "How are you feeling, son?"

"I'm not your God-damn son." Kouji snapped without thinking, his voice rough and gravelly as he tugged on the chains. "Let go of him." His kidnapper grimaced slightly, knowing where this was going without having to be told. The boss didn't take kindly to being ordered around, and despite the special place in his heart that he had for Kouji, he wasn't going to let such a disrespect go without retribution.

Kouichi was looking at Kouji with perfect ease though, as if he was simply happy to see him and didn't care about the consequences. "We'll count that as one offence for now, lets not forget the rules, shall we?" Kouji bit his lip, and his eyes focused on the floor. Despite the fog that the fever gave him, he could not forget what happened to his brother because of him. Knowing he'd caused another beating suddenly gave him a sharp sinking feeling in his stomach. He did not feel well. He did not feel well at all. "Now, son, we're all going to have a nice chat. Why don't you go sit with your brother, Kouichi?" He gave the older twin a rough shove, and it knocked the boy off balance for a moment.

He managed to catch himself, though, and he stumbled towards Kouji with as much grace as a tripper could achieve. He didn't quite seem to know what it was he was supposed to do now, though, and their kidnapper helped him with his decision. Moving pointedly towards them, he roughly dragged Kouji upright (ignoring his hiss of pain and discomfort), and shoved him over so there was enough room for Kouichi to slip in beside him. Quickly moving to sit on the bed, the older twin settled at his brother's side. He allowed himself to have a brief moment of skin on skin contact and he felt a surge of energy as their bond grew exponentially.

"Excellent. Most Excellent." The boss smiled brightly at them both, and approached them casually. "I understand that you've been asking questions, wanting to know why you're here, what your purpose is, to what extent you shall be used for."

"Used?" Kouichi murmured, wincing as a sharp glare was sent in his direction. He snapped his mouth shut, and let his gaze drop away from the man. He felt Kouji's fingers slide around his wrist. Heated flesh met his and he shivered at the temperature difference. He could not recall his brother ever being so distant from him, so polar opposite. The heat hurt physically and spiritually. He wondered if the fever would grow to high and take him away for good. He wondered if he would be left alone, forever.

"You didn't honestly imagine that you were just here for eye-candy did you?" The phrase had both twins wincing and looking away. They didn't want to think harder on that comment. It made them shiver and wince in despair. It seemed to physically burn into their souls. The threat was ever present, and it was something that they were very much aware of. Kouji's fingers gripped harder around Kouichi's wrist. He felt his breath still in his chest. He needed to feel grounded now, and Kouji was doing that. He was doing that very well. "No, we are a business operation. We are a successful enterprise, and we don't just keep loose ends around so that they can ruin things for later. We become…insured."

He waited for a moment, clearly waiting to see if either boy would speak up. Neither did. The boss glanced towards the one that Kouji had named Rei. If the man wouldn't give him a name, he'd give him one himself. It was as simple as that. Rei had worked for him, and it worked for Kouichi too when they had discussed it in a moment of boredom. Now, as the man looked at him, fully aware of the secret conversations the boys had had through the courtesy of the video camera that was always aimed at their bed, he saw easily how the name fit. The boss smirked slightly. They had no idea how well that name fit.

"In order to keep our merchandise safe, and make sure that it doesn't grow legs and run away. Or in your case, grow backbones." The insult hurt, but neither teen said a word in retaliation. "We make sure that they have no reason to run away. You're about to have your reason. You're going to have it very shortly."

"What are you talking about?" Kouji whispered; his voice ragged from illness. Still, it was as polite as he was going to be in this situation, and he didn't know how much more he could give to the man. He didn't know how much more he was willing to offer. A small voice in the back of his head kept reminding him how weak he felt, kept reminding him of his failure to protect his brother, of his failure to do anything right.

He had barely gotten over the embarrassment of that failed test Takuya had showed Kouichi when they had been kidnapped. He had barely gotten over how angry he was at his father, and how the last time he'd seen the man he'd been infuriated. He longed to see his father just one more time, once more so that he could apologize to him, so he could tell him how much he loved him and how much he wished things could have been different. Satomi too, he missed her more then anything else.

The overwhelming sense of failure was starting to creep in on the crevices of his mind and he was starting to doubt that he was ever going to reclaim that sense of assurance and security. He was starting to doubt that he was ever going to feel okay again. It was at this point, that the stability that held Kouji together was first starting to show signs of crumbling.

Sensory deprivation was a powerful tool.

Stockholm syndrome was an even more powerful ally.

"You and your brother have a certain set of talents and traits that I've been made aware of. From sources that I will reveal to you at a later date, I understand you both are relatively good at martial arts and that each of you has an unique ruthless streak imbedded in you." The brothers met each others gazes at that. While Kouji's involvement in Kendo and various other fighting schools was common knowledge, the fact that Kouichi was similarly trained (from his time in the Digital World) was not well known. Only a handful of people in the world knew that, and it was enough to make them feel sick to the stomach. As to the ruthlessness, they had no idea what he was referring too. Kouji could be very hot tempered, and when infuriated Kouichi could have an icy demeanor, but neither considered themselves to be particularly ruthless to anything before; at least, not on earth. "Which is why you'll be joining my Sheild program, and you will be responsible for defending not only my client's best interests, but my own."

"And…how exactly are we going to be doing that, sir?" Kouichi asked quietly, politely. He dared to meet the man's eyes. The boss was smiling brightly at him.

"By killing anyone who gets in my way."

Kouji's eyes shot up to the man, and his mouth fell ever so slightly. His mind tried to process the information that he'd given him, but it didn't seem like everything was firing on all cylinders. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Killing people? They were going to be…killing people? The man stood before them with little emotion in his eyes. He didn't look the least bit surprised nor disturbed by what he had stated. In fact, he looked completely at ease with the information.

Kouichi had gone completely rigid at Kouji's side. His mind had frozen in shock, and he felt like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole. Nothing made sense, and he couldn't understand or piece together the information that was provided before them. It didn't make sense. It couldn't make sense. That was wrong. No one in their right mind would have them do that. It was wrong, this whole thing was wrong. They had made a mistake!

"No way. We're not killing anyone." Kouji spoke before Kouichi had the chance to do so. It was exactly what he was thinking of, and their bond was humming with their unified agreement. The man that they'd dubbed Rei sighed loudly, and ran a hand through his hair as he looked at them.

"You still don't get it, do you?" He asked after a while. "Either you go out and do what you're told to do or we're going to kill your brother and you're not going to like it when you get back, now will you?" The boss was looking at Rei in interet, a wry smile on his features as he let his kidnapper say his piece. "My specific orders are for us to torture your brother to death if you fail your missions. Do you get it now? You're going to do this. You're going to do it without question, and if you try to escape your brother will die."

Kouji couldn't breathe, his mind lost on the man's words. Kouichi was going to be tortured to death? Why, because he didn't kill someone? That wasn't fair! That wasn't fair at all. Yet he knew what he would do if given that particular choice. No one's life was more important to him then his brother's. Still…killing someone. Watching the light fade from their eyes. That wasn't right. That couldn't be right.

"But don't worry. You won't be doing any missions just yet. You need to work up to the actual feidl experience." The boss stated evenly, grinning broader. "Right now, you just have to worry about training to fulfill your purpose in life. I've decided that it would benefit you both if you were not together during this experience. Still, at the end of your lessons you will be together I'm sure. That is…if you don't mess it up for the other." The boys stiffened at the threat. The understood what it meant, yet it hurt nonetheless. "I hope you enjoy your time in the sick bay, Kouji. While you're here, your darling brother is going to start his lessons. Do get better soon. It will be your turn next."

Kouji gripped Kouichi's wrist harder, but it would be fruitless. The boss had turned and begun to walk away, leaving the room with a silent command issued to his subordinates. Rei moved to Kouichi's side, and roughly tugged him as hard as he could away from the bed that he was sitting on in shock. Kouji struggled, hazily reaching out for his brother, weakly calling for him. All the while, Kouichi tried to do the same.

It wouldn't matter, and their fighting was useless in the end. Neither would get what they wanted in this situation. They were taken apart from one another, and neither knew if they were ever going to see the other again. The young girl that had been watching the whole scene, turned and left just as quickly as the others did. She didn't so much as stay behind to observe Kouji's mental breakdown.

As he was left alone, Kouji tugged at the chain at his wrist, frustration filled inside of him. Failure! Kouji's mind reminded him, as he watched Rei drag Kouichi away from him. You're a failure! He'd done it again. He'd let someone take his brother, and let his brother come to harm, and it was all his fault.

Kouichi, for his part, was led down the various halls of the building until he was stopped in front of a door. Rei's hand was on his shoulder, and it seemed as though they were completely alone and isolated for the moment. Rei was contemplating whether or not he should say something to the boy at his side, but eventually he decided something was worthwhile.

"If you do what they say, and you don't complain, you're going to be fine." He offered.

"He wants me to kill someone, how could that possibly be fine?" Kouichi asked. "He wants my brother to kill someone. That's not fine!" His voice rose in pitch, and for a moment Rei wondered if he would become hysterical. He didn't, however, and he instead remained just extraordinarily agitated.

"The people you're going to kill, they're meaningless. Nothing else matters except for the Shrine, and your loyalty to the Boss."

"How can you say that, they're lives. They're human beings."

"You don't know who you're going to be killing." Rei pointed out.

"It won't matter! They're still humans!"

"And each life is weighted differently. Each life has a different purpose to it. You have a choice, Kouichi. You can either choose to let your brother die, and not kill the one you're sent after, or you can kill him and your brother lives. Every day you're on assignment, that's the choice you will be presented with. If you can't live with that choice, Kouji will die." Kouichi's mouth set in a thin line. He looked up at Rei with dark eyes. "So tell me, Kouichi, who's life do you value more then your brother's? Who is it that we should be torturing every time you make a mistake? If it's not Kouji, if we chose the wrong person to harm, then who is it? Who else is out there that you would kill for?"

Kouichi didn't reply, couldn't reply. The question itself was innocent. It was one of those questions that a friend would ask another friend during a moment of levity. Who would you die for? Who would you kill for? Who do you cherish most? It was a question that for Kouichi really only held one answer. It wasn't a person; it was a type of person. He would do anything for his family. He would do anything to protect his mother, his brother, and the friends he made in the Digital World. He'd already proven he would die for his brother. He would now kill for him too. That was a way of life, and it was something that he was willing to accept.

Rei opened the door before them, and motioned for him to go in front of him. Kouichi did as he was commanded, and he glanced around. The floor was padded. There were plain white walls around them, and on each one was a rack of weapons. Most of them were blades, although there were several blunts as well. Staves and various sized hammers looked out of place beside each other, but the collection was impressive.

A single woman stood before them, and it took Kouichi a moment to recognize her as the doctor who had been caring for his brother. The sight surprised her. He vaguely recalled her name was Shikou and that she was an extremely determined force. She was an alpha-female personality who commanded whichever room she was in. She was commanding them now, without even saying a word.

Her posture was determined, strong. He stood with a straight back, a threatening pose. Her face was neutral and her eyes were sharp. She wore a pale blue shirt, the only difference between what the twins had been asked to wear and what she was sporting. She was taller then them, and taller then Rei as well; maybe six feet tall to be accurate. Her hair was a long and dark pony tail that reached down to her middle back, and her skin was a very fair white that clearly showed that she was either not a native or mixed blood.

"I am Shikou. I am going to be your instructor while you are here. Do you understand?" The woman asked as she stepped closer to them. For a brief moment, Kouichi had the irrational urge to take a step behind Rei. The man would certainly not find it amusing, nor would he accept such behavior. It was despicable, but he had the urge nonetheless. Instead, he held his ground, and took a deep breath. He needed to be calm. He needed to accept the situation.

"Yes ma'am." She smiled slightly at him.

"You're polite, I like that. It will make our training go much easier." She nodded towards Rei, and the man took it for the dismissal that it was. "Now. I want you to try to hit me." She said simply.

"Ma'am?" Kouichi asked in confusion. "I don't understand…"

"Hit me…anywhere. I want you to hit me." She stood in front of him without looking the least bit concerned for her own welfare.

"Hit you?"

"Yes. Hit me. If you can do so then I will excuse you from lessons for the rest of the day. We will begin each class like this. Are we understood?" Kouichi frowned at her, but nodded regardless of how foolish he felt.

He fell into the defensive position that his brother had taught him and she regarded him with a different light in her eye, as though she was seeing him for the very first time. He didn't rush his punch nor did he spend too much time concentrating on it. He simply observed her stance and made a calculation regarding how fast she could move. He was wrong, and the punch was blocked easily even though his speed far surpassed what should have been expected for him. He had the digital world's extensive fighting to attribute to that. Kouji may have taught him specifics on stance and form, but everything else had been based off of experience.

"Good. You seem to have a very fine concept on fighting; however your speed is not close enough to hit me. Your defense…however." He gasped in surprise when a punch he hadn't even seen came under his arm and struck his solar plexus with a hard and dizzying speed. He fell to his hands and knees and coughed in pain as he looked up at the person above him. "You will need to work on your technique." Kouichi couldn't believe what he was seeing. She had barely moved at yet her strike was enough to send him to the ground. "Get up…it is time we began your training. Your first mission will be in two months. I hope you are prepared, because if you're not, there will be consequences." Kouichi's eyes narrowed but he nodded.

This was a challenge, and he was very good at accepting challenges. He was very good at beating the odds. He was going to win, and he was going to show her that he was going to take Kouji and him out of here before they killed anyone. He was going to show her that they weren't pawns in her boss's game, they were human beings, and they were going to get out of here.

It had been just over two months when Izumi's parents told her that she needed to stop putting her life on hold so she could find her friends. She angrily told them that they could go screw themselves, and stormed out of the house. An hour later, drenched from the pouring rain that seemed to be the theme of her life, she arrived on Takuya's doorstep crying harder then she'd ever cried before.

She was a mess, and he did the only thing that he could think about doing. He held his arms out wide, and wrapped her in the biggest hug that he could manage. He brought her inside, gave her a change of clothes, and together they mourned for their missing friends. Takuya's father called Izumi's parents to let them know where she was, and they thanked him profusely for his knowledge. They would never admit it, but after the twins had vanished, they had been extra vigilant on knowing exactly where she was at all times.

All the parents in the neighborhood had been like that. Rarely were there children walking alone now a days, everyone was accompanied by someone. Police officers would stop people on the street and question their activities, often times escorting children home if they looked particularly uncertain. It seemed the kidnapping was affecting the whole neighborhood.

On one hand, it was nice to see that something good had come of it. On the other hand, it was sickening. These people hadn't even known the boys; they were just reacting because they were thinking about themselves. For Kouji and Kouichi's friends, they couldn't help but feel betrayed. Why were all of these measures starting now, and not before? Why was it so easy for them to have been taken in the middle of the night then? Why wasn't the neighborhood more vigilant before they were taken?

The constant hum of rumors was everywhere. Many of their peers simply believed that they had run away from home and that they were going to show up in a few days. As the weeks passed though, that likelihood was dropping. Even the most boisterous supporters of that theory were starting to consider the possibility of the kidnapping actually being real. A new string of terror and bullying accompanied it.

"I bet he saw his test score and couldn't take the shame anymore! The only thing he could do so it wouldn't look bad was have someone take him away!" Takuya earned himself a suspension from school for punching that particular upstart in the nose so hard that he'd broken it and cracked a cheekbone at the same time. His parents weren't too pleased with him, but they didn't exactly scold him. They knew well enough just how miserable he had been since the kidnapping took place.

Izumi wasn't the only late night visitor that they'd had in recent days. Junpei and Tomoki showed up more often then not, both looking down trodden and needing some company. It wasn't hard to see that Takuya was the unofficial glue that held them all together. He was what joined their group in one common ground, and the Kanbara family politely opened their doors for his friends whenever they needed to come, to talk, and to get something off their chests.

Days were passing with greater fluidity, and the lack of information from the police department was frustrating Takuya more and more. "What do you mean you haven't found them?" Takuya asked angrily as he clenched his fists. "It's been two months!" His father hesitated slightly at the boy's tone. "How long does it take to find two identical twins? I mean, you find one you find the other! You have a bigger chance of finding them then you do your solitary cases!"

"Takuya…things are more complicated then it seams. We are trying to find the boys as soon as possible but there's a very high percentage that says we won't find them." The man replied heavily. What he couldn't tell his son, that in most child abductions the children didn't last more then twenty-four hours. After two months, the likely hood of them even still being alive was incredibly slim.

"You're not even looking for them anymore are you?" Takuya shouted, his voice getting louder and more irrational with each passing second.

"Takuya…there are other cases, there are other things that-"

"They're more important! They're more important then anything else! How could you betray them? You knew them! You knew them! You're just letting whatever sicko who has them take them away and you're not doing anything!"

"Takuya…you have to understand, there hasn't been any more information. There's nothing to go off of. Whoever took them did a great job making it look like the boys just ran-"

"They didn't run away!"

"I know that son, but-"

"No! They're my friends dad, and if you can't find the time to help them then I will!" The teenager ran from the house with hell on his heels. His heart burned hatefully and his temper was hotter then anything it had ever been before. He quickly pulled his cell phone out and dialed his friend's numbers.

It didn't take them all long to meet in Shibuya station, and they went to the elevator that led them straight to the digital world on that fateful meeting all those years ago. Standing before it now, the team knew that there was only one place that could effectively have taken their friends without leaving any trace.

"Will it even work?" Tomoki asked worriedly, looking at the elevator with nervous energy. Izumi's face was stern. She didn't care what anyone said, right now she wanted answers and she was willing to do anything and everything in her power to find the twins. Even if it meant being let down one more time.

Her hand reached out and she punched the down button on the elevator. They all waited in silence, until the elevator appeared before them. Then, they stepped inside, made certain no one else was with them, and shut the door. Takuya pressed the down button, and they all held hands, and prayed in unison.

Please, please take us back to the Digital World. We need to go there! Please!

The elevator roared to life, and started to descend, and with each passing floor they begged for it to just keep going, to never stop. They begged for it to take them to the depths of the earth and beyond. They begged for it to send them to the terminal where they could reach the Trailmon that could take them back to the world where people vanished and were never heard from again.

They held their eyes closed, and they begged, and pleaded, and wished, and hoped, and sent all of their energy and thoughts into the elevator. It dinged its call for the final stop, and they opened their eyes. The door opened with their eyes and they were met with the sight of Shibuya Station's basement.

They hadn't been teleported, as they had been, years before. They had simply stayed on earth. Their one last chance to discover if Kouji or Kouichi had been taken to another world, their last attempt to see if maybe, just maybe, they had been dragged onto an adventure that they couldn't call for help with, had been thwarted. Takuya hit the down key again, but the elevator wouldn't budge. It was insistent that it wouldn't descend any further.

Then and only then, did they start to cry, and their hope for the first time, started to fade.