Thank you all readers for putting up with me. -A. Hox

"Damn it," said Ken, running across the Odaiba streets, "where is she?"

"Where is she?" was the most popular question on everyone's mind. It had been a week since Kari went missing and everyone at her school was looking for her. All their efforts were all for not, and Kari was still gone.

Ken walked up to the school. In one of the classrooms, he found Tai, Gennai (as Liu) and Yolei.

"Any luck?" asked Tai.

Ken shook his head.

"Sorry Tai, I couldn't find her."

Gennai gave Ken a worried look. Although Gennai did not speak a word, Ken could almost hear Gennai say, "Ken, we have to find Kari, if we don't, this world will be in great danger."

"Liu!" exclaimed Tai, "where did you see Kari last?"

"I don't know," said Gennai, "in class last week, I guess."

No one but Ken was informed of the fact that Liu was Gennai. Ken didn't think that such a revelation would be wise, now that Kari was missing.

"I looked everywhere she would be," said Ken, "her house, school, the park…"

"Maybe you should check…" began Tai, "no never mind, that's completely ridiculous."

"Where?" asked Yolei.

"…TK's house?"

"It's worth a try," added Gennai.

"Okay," Ken nodded, "I'll go see what's up."

Ken ran down the street quickly. "What the hell is going on?" he thought to himself. "Why is this happening now, of all times?" He knew TK would be much better handling things like this.

"I'm not cut out for this," he kept thinking to himself. "This is not my purpose!"

No matter what Ken thought to himself, he knew he could not escape the responsibility of this job. With Tai, Matt, Izzy, and Sora in Kyoto, Joe in Tokyo, TK in Shanghai, Mimi in New York, and Davis, who was away for his uncle's funeral far away in Kyushu, Ken knew that no one could do this but him.

He arrived at TK's house and greeted TK's mother. After the explanation of the odd truth of Kari's disappearance, Nancy Takaishi saw no problem in allowing Ken to look for her in the apartment.

Izzy, diligently patrolling the internet due to the recent strange activity, was conducting a scan over the Digital World, when a message popped up on his screen.

"Hmm…" thought Izzy, "a message from Willis."

Hi Izzy,

Sorry I couldn't e-mail you under happier circumstances, but there's a big problem. I don't know how to explain this, but there's a huge Digital Portal over the United States right now. Talk to Mimi if you don't believe me. Anyway, I just need to let you know that something is going on here. I don't know if this is possible, but get here as fast as you can.

Willis.

"What!" thought Izzy to himself, "how can I get to America?"

"I have to call Tai."

Izzy dialed into his cell phone the number to Tai and Matt's dorm room.

"Hello?" asked Matt's voice on the other end.

"Matt!" exclaimed Izzy, "you and Tai get over to my room quick!"

"I'm on my way Izzy," said Matt, "but Tai's not here."

"What," exclaimed Izzy, "what do you mean Tai's not here?"

"I mean he went home," replied Matt, "Kari's missing, and he went back to look for her."

"Oh…" said Izzy, "just get here then, Matt."

"Okey dokey."

"Kari's missing?" thought Izzy, "what the heck is going on?"

Gennai stiffened in his chair.

"Something wrong, Liu?" asked Tai.

"There is something strange going on, somewhere…" thought Gennai to himself.

"No," Gennai said, "nothing's wrong."

"Are you sure, Liu?" asked Yolei.

"Yes,"said Gennai, "everything is fine."

"Well, not everything," said Tai, "Kari's still missing."

"Yeah," said Yolei, "and you rushed all the way over here just to find her."

"Of course I did," said Tai, "she's my sister."

While Yolei and Tai were talking, Gennai got on the computer and searched on a news site.

"Yolei, Tai, what do you make of this?"

"What is it?" asked Yolei.

"Some American news websites are reporting strange happenings going on over the US."

"We don't have time for this!" exclaimed Tai, "not until we find Kari."

"I'll have a look," said Yolei.

Yolei looked at the picture. "Uh, Tai, I think you had better look at this!"

"What!" said Tai angrily. He tensed up when he saw an aurora borealis over Washington, D.C.

"I didn't know they got those there."

"They don't…" said Yolei.

"It's a Digital portal," said Gennai, "one much like the one that brought you into the Digital World the first time, Tai."

"Oh yeah!" said Tai, "there was a…wait a minute!"

Tai and Yolei looked in shock at Liu. Liu had just given a detailed account of Tai's first journey to the Digital World, and the two chosen children were very confused.

"How did you know about all that?" asked Yolei, a little scared.

"Who the hell are you?" Tai interrogated.

Gennai took a deep breath. "Well," he said, "I guess there's no more hiding it."

He stood up in front of Tai and Yolei. In the blink of an eye, Liu had transformed back into his old man form, complete with the strange outfit and moustache.

"I am Gennai."

They were in shock, not knowing what to say, but after a small period of silence, the hugging commenced. The excited "hellos" and "how could this be's" plagued the sound region around their heads, until suddenly, Tai had to ask.

"Wait, Gennai," asked Tai, "why is this happening? Why is Kari missing and a portal opening over the United States?"

Gennai took a long sigh. As he spoke, he transformed back into Liu form. "Let me explain."

The entire story took a while, but eventually he finished it, leaving two children, one in college and the other in high school, to individuals who should have been used to their unconventional lives in shock.

"Well Matt," said Izzy, "I wanted you to see this."

"Oh gosh…" said Matt, shaking, "that looks just like…"

"Yes," said Izzy, "the aurora that brought all of us into the Digital World the first time."

"But…how?"

"I don't know Matt," said Izzy, "but there's something up. The Digital World truly needs the Digidestined again."

"I hoped it would never come to this."

There was a moment of silence, which was broken by an exclamation of "prodigious!"

"What is it, Izzy?"

"Look at this new message Willis sent me!"

Matt looked over to read.

Hi Izzy,

Thanks a lot for sending Kari over, and so quick to! I guess you must have been planning on sending someone to America to help us ever since I messaged you about portals opening in America a month ago. Guess I just sent that second message at a bad time, it was almost unbelievable timing though! Anyway, I'm sure she can handle this fight. She has the strength of the American digidestined backing her up. =)

Willis

"Kari…" uttered Matt, not believing what he had read."

"We have to call Tai," said Izzy.

Before Izzy could touch the phone, Matt touched Izzy's wrist.

"Izzy," began Matt, "what the hell are we seeing here."

Izzy sighed. "War in America."

Chapter 5 is on the way!