Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. or Heroes of Olympus. But in some scary alternate universe, I actually might...

Author's Note: Written for the Novel with Prompts Challenge found on the Digimon Fanfiction Challenges forum. The prompt for this chapter is "love".

You know what that means? If you didn't catch the hint in the previous chapter, Takari (TK/Kari) will be present in this story. Well, sort of. I mean, TK's not exactly here, but... you know. For non-Takari fans, if you decide to stick around, great! And don't worry. I know some Takari writers use the couple as an opening for bashing on some other characters/couples... not happening. I love all of my characters equally. Well, semi-equally. I have a favorite. I can't help it. That being said, I hope all of you...

Enjoy!

Chapter Four

After receiving a cryptic email that morning that sent them on a wild goose chase to Primary Village that ended at the feet of a very confused boy who remembered little more than his name, Kari could have been feeling any number of emotions. Instead, all she felt was dread.

It's starting, she thought. Just like the dream said.

She sat on the plush lawn of the Primary Village surrounded by the other ten digidestined and their digimon while Centarumon introduced them to Takato and Guilmon, the duo with amnesia. The weather was warm and humid, a complete contrast to the winter weather that waited for them back home, but Kari still felt a shiver run up her spine. She pulled her pink fleece snowboarding jacket closer to her body, trying to hide from the chill that she knew had nothing to do with the gentle breeze wafting through the group.

Centarumon finished the introductions, and Takato took a seat between Guilmon and the centaur digimon, completing the circle. That was the most disturbing part of the morning so far – not that Takato was a kid with no memory, a digimon, and a digivice, but that the email that had sent her here to find answers on TK's whereabouts had instead led her to another boy entirely, like the universe was saying, Well, TK's gone, but here's a replacement for you.

Tears gathered unwillingly in her amber eyes. All semester, she had been dropping hints for TK to finally see her as more than a friend. Finally, after a little intervention by Yolei who had gotten tired of watching them dance around each other, TK had kissed her. The last few weeks had been the best of her life. And then, three nights ago, the nightmare that started everything – that horrible voice, those terrible images. She had awoken in a cold sweat but was reluctant to share the dream with anyone, even TK.

Now, she didn't even have him. It was like he had just been wiped off the face of the planet, and she was stuck in the worst prank of all time. She wanted to scream. All she had to do was close her eyes to see TK: those sky blue eyes, spiky blond hair, that half-smile that always played his lips. His face was kind and gentle, but always a little sad. But then she opened her eyes and was faced with Takato's face instead, someone she didn't even know.

Veemon sized Guilmon up and down from where he sat. "Guilmon, you sure are big for a rookie. What's your secret?"

Guilmon blinked. "I don't know… Guilmon bread?"

Takato stared at Guilmon as if he had just said something painful, but everybody else just looked extremely confused.

"Guilmon bread?" Gatomon repeated.

"What in the Digiworld is that?" Tentomon asked.

Gomamon laughed. "Sounds a little fishy to me!"

Guilmon looked almost thoughtful as he considered their questions. "Hm… I don't know, but it sure sounds yummy! Takatomon, I'm hungry."

Takato let out an awkward laugh.

"Alright," Tai said, holding up his hands to get everybody's attention on him. "Let's go back to the beginning…"

"Yeah! Like where's Elecmon and why do we have an audience of digi-babies watching us?" Davis interrupted.

Kari looked around them to see that Davis was right. They were starting to gather an audience of newly hatched digimon. Every single one of them looked scared and frightened without their digi-mommy around, and Kari found herself caught between wanting to comfort them and wanting to listen to Takato's story. She decided to stay put; she doubted her current mood would make her a very good caregiver at the moment.

Tai gave Davis a look. "That's not what I meant, Davis." He paused. "But it is a good question…"

"He got taken by some… big angry bird thing," Takato answered.

Yolei arched an eyebrow. "Are you talking about a digimon of some kind?"

"Yes," Centarumon said, answering for him. "We were attacked by Thunderbirmon."

"You were attacked by a… a Thunderbirmon?" Izzy asked, looking startled. "Are you sure? For what reason?"

"Very sure," Centarumon said, "but as for his reason… we do not know. He only mentioned that he had a master of some sort."

"Like I've never heard that line before," Tai groaned.

Ken looked pensive as he asked, "Izzy, what's the big deal about it being Thunderbirmon? Who is this digimon?"

"I don't know who he is," Izzy admitted, "but according to my computer, Thunderbirmon is an armor digimon. He shouldn't even be able to exist without a digiegg to assist in his digivolution. If he's been able to take on that form…"

"Then what?" Tentomon asked. "Earth to Izzy! Don't leave us in suspense!"

"Then something very weird is definitely going on in the Digital World," Izzy finished.

The group groaned.

"I think you're losing your touch!" Gomamon complained.

Joe smiled patiently. "Now, now, Gomamon. Izzy can't always have all the answers."

"Well, he should!"

Kari sighed as she silently agreed with Gomamon's frustration. She didn't blame Izzy in the slightest for only being able to spot the anomalies but not the source, but she couldn't help but feel like this new information gave them nothing new to go on. She still felt as helpless as she did before.

"Takato, why don't you tell us what happened from the beginning?" Tai said in a voice that was gentle but also made it clear that it was not a request. He was desperate for answers just as much as his sister.

The strange boy nodded and did his best to explain, though he seemed to have a hard time meeting any of their eyes. Kari got the feeling that it had nothing to do with whether or not he was telling the truth; he just seemed highly intimidated by the eleven humans and eleven digimon all staring at him with an intense hope that he would tell them something useful. But just as Kari feared, his story told them nothing at all. Well, nothing that immediately caught her attention anyway. The card thing sure sounded strange, but Kari didn't see how that could connect to TK.

When Takato finished his story, nobody in the circle looked satisfied – Matt, least of all. "No! The email said he would be here. It said if he we came here, we'd find the answer."

"You mentioned that email earlier," Takato said, looking around the circle uncertainly. "What exactly did it say?"

He sounded painfully expectant, as if the hope that they had been holding onto concerning this email this entire time was suddenly his hope for answers. Kari felt bad for him, knowing that he was about to be completely let down. She knew that feeling.

"Travel to the Village of Beginnings and seek out the one with goggles," Izzy recited. "He will hold the answers you seek."

Kari barely listened. She didn't need to hear the email for the hundredth time to know what it said. She had been replaying the message over and over in her head for the past few hours, ever since she awoke to find it in her inbox. She had been fooled; it was just another cruel joke being played on her by forces unknown who were probably laughing at her misery right about now. She tucked her hands under her arms, trying to stop them from shaking.

"And you all think that means me?" Takato asked, sounding baffled.

"Well, originally we thought it meant Davis," Tai admitted.

Davis shrugged, not taking the theory personally. "Actually, I was kind of hoping that it was me, too. We'd land, and I would just know where he is…"

"He as in TK," Takato clarified.

"Right."

"I don't know where he is," Takato said, "and if I did… I don't remember it now. I don't remember much of anything."

"It's not your fault," Sora said gently.

"Though it sure would have helped," Yolei muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Now, Yolei," Hawkmon chided quietly, "we're all a little anxious to find TK and Patamon, but we shouldn't take it out on complete strangers!"

"This is troubling," Centarumon said. "A digidestined just going missing… And Patamon too?"

Gatomon nodded slowly, her ears drooping with her own despair at the current events. "We haven't heard a wing nor paw from him, not since the night TK disappeared. We're hoping that they're in the same place, but…"

"We thought, because of the email, that he and TK might have been through here, left some sort of trace," Gabumon continued.

"Elecmon didn't say anything to me about seeing them," Centarumon said regretfully. "And now, of course…"

He, like TK, was just gone. All of their leads were drying up before their very eyes.

"How long have you been searching for him?" Takato asked.

"Three days, six hours, and about twelve minutes," Kari answered without any hesitation. The other digidestined turned to look at her with gazes filled with concern, but she ignored them all. She didn't need their pity. She needed TK.

"And you have no idea what happened to him?"

Matt picked up where she left off. "It was Sunday night, dinner at Dad's… our new tradition. We'd ordered in so that we'd have more time to hang out instead of me cooking half the night. It was fun. Then, after dinner, he headed home… I offered to walk him, but he just reminded me that he was sixteen and didn't need an escort. Plus, he had Patamon with him. Mom called me the next day asking if he had stayed over or returned for some reason… She wasn't sure if he had ever even made it home. She'd fallen asleep early, and by morning, he was gone. Just like that. We thought… it was a mugging gone wrong or a kidnapping… Just some stupid, awful thing that people do… And then we got that email. Whatever is going on, it's got to do with the Digital World."

Three days ago, Kari thought. The same night as her dream. Her eyes stung just thinking about it as a small dark part of her wondered if she had somehow caused TK's disappearance. If she had, she would never forgive herself.

"Man…" Takato said, looking disturbed.

"This is disturbing news indeed," Centarumon said, "especially with what's going on…"

"You mean Thunderbirmon and his master?" Cody asked.

"And… maybe something else." Before anybody could ask what he meant by that, Centarumon turned to look at Takato with a concerned expression. "What worries me at the moment is that Thunderbirmon came here specifically for you, Takato. If Thunderbirmon and his master are hunting down digidestined, this may be what happened to TK."

Yolei shivered and hugged Hawkmon closer. "That's not a good thought."

"How would he have gotten to TK in the Real World?" Wormmon asked. "I thought the cracks between the two worlds were sealed four years ago."

"Me too, Wormmon," Ken said, looking concerned.

"I'm not sure," Centarumon admitted, "but Thunderbirmon made it sound like his master had been planning this for a while. It's possible that his master is far more powerful and has accomplished much more than we realize."

"That's a cheerful thought," Joe groaned.

"But I don't understand," Takato said. "What did I do to Thunderbirmon and his master to make them hate me so much?"

"We won't know until you get your memories back," Centarumon said.

"If I get my memories back," Takato muttered.

"Don't despair, Takato," Centarumon continued. "I have a feeling that your memories are retrievable; they are just out of reach. Your first step to reclaiming them will be to figure out how you fit into all of this."

"Well, that's simple," Davis said. "He's a digidestined. That makes him one of us."

"Like a club?" Guilmon asked.

"Yeah, a club where you get to make a lot of great friends," Armadillomon said.

"And don't forget save the world," Hawkmon added.

Centarumon smiled and nodded. "Yes, he does appear to be a digidestined, but I get the feeling that it may be more involved than that."

"You think the email that we received wasn't a hoax after all," Izzy said, watching Centarumon with an intense curiosity. "You think it was telling the truth. Takato is the key to figuring out what happened to TK."

"I am merely a keeper of the history of the Digital World, not an interpreter," Centarumon reminded them. "However… when the Digital World sends out a message like that, usually it's for a very good reason. I believe your problem and Takato's may be connected."

Kari should have felt elated to hear that the trip was not a waste after all, but she was stuck on the words that Centarumon uttered just a few seconds before. He does appear to be a digidestined. The way he said that, like he didn't actually believe his own words, as if he were forced to say a lie that he just wished were true – it was enough to fill Kari with uncertain dread as she returned her gaze to Takato once more.

He looked like a normal kid around their age, maybe a year younger if she had to guess, but his presence unsettled Kari in a way that was hard to describe. The longer she watched him, the more she started to wonder if her uncomfortable feeling really had everything to do with TK's disappearance and not Takato's unexpected arrival. If that were true, why was Takato's presence putting her on guard? Why was she getting the most intense feeling that he did not belong here? That he wasn't… a digidestined at all?

"Well, that's great and everything, Centarumon, but that doesn't exactly tell us what we're supposed to learn from Takato being here instead of TK," Tai said.

"Maybe the email was trying to point us in the direction of Thunderbirmon," Mimi suggested. "Takato was attacked by him, which is why we were supposed to look for him, and now we should look for Thunderbirmon to find TK."

"Maybe," Izzy said hesitantly, "but that doesn't explain why Takato's here without any memories or why Thunderbirmon is after him as well."

"Or why he took Elecmon instead," Takato added, looking guilty enough to cry if someone said the wrong thing.

"Yes," Izzy said carefully, "or that."

Takato swallowed thickly and looked around the group. "What do you think happened to him? When he went up into the clouds, did he… Is he gone for good?"

"Hard to say." Izzy's expression looked pained. Everybody's in the circle did. "Thunderbirmon is an armor digimon. That puts him at the same level as a champion, sometimes higher depending on the digimon, and Elecmon is just a rookie…"

"Guilmon's just a rookie, and he was able to take him… mostly," Takato said.

"We were just caught off guard," Guilmon piped up. "Right, Takatomon?"

"Right, boy."

"You may have just been lucky," Izzy explained. "Or maybe he surprised Thunderbirmon by fighting back at all. Usually, a rookie is no match for a champion. Even a group of rookies can have issues taking on a champion, even if they outnumber them seven to one. It's just the way the power system works."

Takato looked like he wanted to protest those words, but he thought better of it. Instead, he asked, "So, you think he's really gone then?"

Centarumon took over answering. "Digimon don't ever really die, Takato. Thunderbirmon may have taken Elecmon, and he may have destroyed him… especially as I do not know why he would keep him alive, but his essence lives on. He will be reborn here at Primary Village, putting him right back where he belongs."

Kari imagined Elecmon somewhere out there already in one of the brightly colored digieggs just waiting to hatch. He would be born into a Primary Village without a guardian, probably one of the first one digimon to do in years – maybe ever. Her mood plummeted even further. Elecmon had died to protect Takato, the boy sitting across from her, a fellow digidestined, and here she sat thinking that he didn't belong. Could she be more selfish?

"What's going to happen to the baby digimon?" Cody asked. "Without Elecmon… will they be okay?"

"A temporary guardian will be assigned to them until a more permanent replacement can be found," Centarumon said, his voice sounding heavy suddenly. "Primary Village cannot exist unprotected."

Kari turned to look at the baby digimon again. Most of them were whimpering and crying, having understood Centarumon's words just fine. Those that remained confused must have been newly hatched, she realized. They would never know of the great protector and digi-mommy, Elecmon – not firsthand anyway. And who would replace him? Elecmon's number one choice for successor had always been Patamon, but he was gone too. Everybody was just disappearing…

"Poor, little guys," Yolei cooed quietly, having also been watching them with Kari. "Davis, go distract them!"

Davis blinked. "What? Why me?"

"Because they like you! And they need to be distracted. Not left to sit here and listen to us talk about these things while they get a perfect view of Elecmon's house!"

Davis turned to look at the still smoldering remains of his little cottage before it finally dawned on him. "But… I'm no babysitter."

"C'mon, Davis!" Veemon said. "Let's go play some soccer! Yolei's right. These little guys could use some cheering up."

Still looking every bit reluctant at being left out of any further discussion, Davis sighed nonetheless and stood. "Alright! All baby digimon, follow me!" Davis and Veemon herded the baby digimon away from the group the Elecmon's home.

Kari turned her attention back to the group. Tai was watching Izzy, waiting for his next brilliant suggestion, but Izzy was watching Takato. Had she not known Izzy for years, she may have found this a little strange, but she recognized that expression on his face. He was studying him like he was a complicated string of code that he was trying to decipher. Finally, he said, "Can I see the card you mentioned?"

Takato nodded and pulled the card out of his pocket before holding it out. The card was the same size as any normal playing card, but it was blue and green on one side with the image of the angel wings on the other. Something about that card really bothered Kari a lot, like it was a sign that the laws of nature were being rewritten before her very eyes. And try as she might, she was unable to completely push away the growing feeling of wrongness that Takato just oozed.

"They look professionally done," Joe noticed. "Like it's part of some game."

"It is," Takato said. Then he winced as if his head ached. "I mean… I think so. I don't remember."

No one said anything. Everybody glanced toward Tai, their leader, as they waited for his verdict.

"Do you have more of these?" Tai asked.

"Almost a hundred or so," Takato answered. "Along with some other things that were in my pocket, but…"

He glanced back over his shoulder toward the ruins of Elecmon's home. Tai nodded, catching onto the message.

"You should probably go get your stuff. It might be important," Tai decided. "Cody, would you and Digmon—?"

"We'll dig out his cards," Cody promised. "Ready, Armadillomon?"

"Whenever you are, partner!"

"This way, Takato. This shouldn't take long." Cody gestured for Takato to follow, and he along with Guilmon and Centarumon got up as they headed toward the smoldering remains of the structure that once stood there.

The rest of the digidestined stood to stretch their legs during the impromptu break from their discussion until only Kari, Gatomon, Yolei, and Hawkmon were left. Yolei laced her arm through Kari's and hauled her to her feet before the amber-eyed girl could protest.

"Come on, Kari," Yolei said. "You and I are overdue for a bit of girl talk."