It's finally happened, guys. After a long time of messing around, you all finally get back to back weekends of updates. Luckily, we're entering the part of the story where I feel the most confident. I was just so excited to get to this part that it was hampering my ability to write. Updates should be more consistent from this point forward.

Until then, I am sure you are all curious as to what happened at the end of last chapter. Well, here ya go. Enjoy.

Keiko sat quietly under the tree in the courtyard of her aunt and uncle's apartment building with the rest of the kids. It was a nice, quiet place for all of them to be together while their parents discussed things about the Digital World inside.

They always had these meetings for as long as she could remember. Keiko was convinced that they couldn't let go of the past and now with Airi claiming to have seen a 'scary monster' last night, it fueled yet another meeting.

Adults never made sense.

Her little brother was still off with the other kids that went to get ice cream with Makoto Kido, but it shouldn't be much longer before they all came back. The ice cream shop was just a few blocks away after all.

Her best friend, Ichigo Motomiya, was having a one-sided conversation with Ryuji, who in turn appeared to be enjoying it, on her left. Miya sat on her right watching her brother enjoying the conversation with Ichigo with a smile.

Ryuji was a mystery to Keiko. She always wanted to find a way to be able to talk with him, but she never knew how to go about it other than saying hello. Maybe one day she could be more carefree like Ichi and connect with Ryuji.

In another group sat Shun, Kazu, and Masato. Yuka left a few minutes ago after everyone realized it was her and Masato that were playing another prank. They all had a good laugh. But what she found interesting was that Masato was actually laughing with Yuka. Keiko told herself that she would talk to her cousin, Kazu, to see if Masato was feeling differently about her lately.

Naomi, Yuki, Shiro, Kenya sat in the next group. Something felt off about them. Kenya was the only one that was as happy as can be talking about video games to Shiro. Shiro gave off vibes that he felt uncomfortable that his sister and Yuki were dating, but was at least trying to get along. Knowing Shiro, he was having a hard time not being the usual protective brother he was, and having to share his sister's attention was hard for him.

What was more odd to Keiko was that Naomi looked sad holding Yuki's hand. Naomi was another person she would later talk to. Besides, they needed to catch up on girl talk and Naomi and Yuki dating was a yummy topic she absolutely needed to know more about.

Keiko snapped out of her thoughts when Ichi asked her a question. Miya, Ichi, and Ryuji eagerly waited for her response. Wait. What did he ask again?

"Oh," she laughed. "Uh, yeah. I've been meaning to get around to watching Black Butler."

Ichigo slapped his forehead in disappointment. "Kei."

Ryuji copied him with a giggle, which made Miya laugh from her brother's reaction.

"What?" Keiko chuckled. "It doesn't sound interesting."

Ichi and Miya gasped as Ryuji's mouth dropped open.

As Keiko laughed from their reactions, a flash of white zapped through her line of sight. The janitor's shed not far away called out to Ryuji. Screams of terror filled her ears. Digimon were attacking. Every one of them were caked in pink feces. Shun was dead and slumped next to a tree. They all begged for their lives.

Keiko immediately sucked in a large amount of air and jerked back to reality. Her body automatically began to hyperventilate. Everything felt so real! Did she just have a vision?

Who was snapping their fingers in her face? Kazu?

"Keiko!" Kazu yelled with worry.

Keiko felt someone hold her cheeks. Yuki?

"Kei!" Yuki cried. He pushed Kazu away. "What happened?"

All she could do was shake in fear as tears streamed down her face. She stared at the janitor's shed trembling. Ryuji cautiously walked towards it. It was the same exact scene she saw moments before.

"Get him away from there," Keiko said, her voice trembling in fear.

Masato pushed both her cousins away and blocked her view. "Kei? Kei! Talk to me. Get who from what?"

Keiko tried to push Masato away to watch Ryuji.

"Ryuji!" She pointed to the shed. "Shit is about to fly if he opens that. Ryuji!"

Masato looked towards Ryuji, to what only Keiko could assume, unsure of what to make of her reaction. Miya jumped up and zoomed to her brother without another word and dragged him back over as he protested.

Ignoring the others telling her to stay where she was, Keiko stood as Ryuji came near. She had to find out if she really had a vision, or if something was wrong with her.

"Ryuji?" her voice shook as she asked, "You sense something in that shed, don't you?"

Ryuji took a step back and hid behind his sister. Darn it. It must have been because everyone was staring at him.

"Kei," Miya said, "when was the last time you drank some water?"

"I'm not dehydrated! I had a vision and -"

Why was Ichigo laughing?

"What about this is funny?" Kei demanded to know.

"It's a prank," he replied, still laughing. "You're getting back at Masato because of what he and Yuka did."

Keiko watched everyone laugh as comfort washed over them. They had the wrong idea! Time was running out. What she saw had to have been real. She turned to Ryuji, hoping he'd say something.

Anything!

"Man, Kei," Masato said, holding his chest. "I didn't know you had it in you. Gotta be honest with you though; your version of a prank isn't my style."

"There's something in that shed," Ryuji softly said, pointing to it.

Everyone fell to a hush. It wasn't often Ryuji spoke, so when he did everyone listened.

"It's trying to figure out what to do to scare us," he continued. "At first, his feelings were weak. I thought it was my imagination. But the stronger his feelings grow, the louder I can feel them."

Keiko grabbed Masato's hand as her mouth hung open. That was the same exact thing Ryuji said in her vision. Not only that, that was the most she ever heard Ryuji say before. Everyone stood still just as shocked.

Hold on. That means the next thing to happen would be Shiro pawing at his ear because he heard something.

Keiko did her best not to panic as she muttered the same lines that Shiro said at the same time.

"Who the heck is mumbling? It's like someone's mumbling next to my ear, but there's no one there," Shiro said at the same time as Keiko, pawing and digging into his ear.

Shiro and Keiko locked eyes, suspicious, overhearing her copy his words and she trying to grasp that the vision was coming true before her eyes.

The next thing in the vision to happen would be Shiro facing the group and accusing people. Oh no. It was happening.

"All right! Who's playing a prank on me? Is it you Ichigo? Masato?" Shiro said.

Keiko couldn't help but to continue to mutter every single word Shiro said in sheer amazement mixed with panic. How was this happening? She felt someone tap her shoulder. It was Kazu.

"Kei? Please tell me this is a very elaborate prank between you, Masato, Ryuji, and Ichigo."

"No, man," Ichigo said. "I don't know what is going on."

Ryuji shook his head answering Kazu, but kept his gaze at the shed.

"I really wish I could take credit for whatever's happening here," Masato chimed in, "but I don't know what's happening."

"Ugh! My ear," Shiro insisted. "Whoever it is, just fess up already."

"When was the last time you cleaned out your ears?" Masato joked. "You might have some bugs in it or something. You know," he gave a sly grin, "sometimes that happens - Bugs crawling around and you think you hear stuff."

The group, minus Keiko and Ryuji, cringed. Time was ticking. Why was no one listening?

"I'm not crazy," Shiro insisted.

Ryuji pointed to the shed again, staring it down, and spoke with conviction. "They're in the shed."

The group went silent. She felt the atmosphere change. It was almost time. She watched Naomi step forward and mouthed at the same time what Naomi said in her vision. True to the vision, it was the same verbatim.

"Why is everyone freaking out? It could be a cat or a mouse. It's not like the boogeyman exists."

Everyone chattered among themselves agreeing with Naomi's reasoning. Keiko needed to escape. No one was listening and what she saw was too horrific to communicate. That janitor shed was going to be everyone's deathbed.

A fleeting thought raced by - there was no way possible she gained the power to have visions like Mr. Hida once had…Did she? Her feet acted on their own backing away from everyone and hyperventilated again. She didn't want to be a Destined Jedi!

It was getting harder to breathe despite Yuki and Kazuma trying to calm her again.

"Shiro, you little dipshit!" yelled Yuki as he hugged Keiko to calm her. Kazu rubbed her back. "Stop whatever you're pulling! I've never seen her this scared in my life."

Keiko kept trying to push Yuki off without success. She understood he was trying to help, but with having a hard time breathing, that hug was making it worse - even more so as she saw Naomi marching over to the shed. A silent cry escaped in the form of a tiny squeak. A tear dripped down her cheek.

"It's going to be okay," Kazu tried to reassure her. "Whoever is pulling this prank is going too far and Yuki and I'll take care of it."

Keiko urgently shook her head. Why couldn't they listen? Why couldn't she say something? Naomi was almost at the shed!

"That's right," her other cousin agreed as he scanned everyone. He continued while also warning everyone at the same time, upset, until zoning in at Shiro again. "Shiro, you little jerk! Enough already! This is going too far!"

"I'm not doing anything!" Shiro growled at Yuki. He plugged his ears with his index fingers. Agitation grew in his voice. "Who the heck is mumbling in my ear?"

Naomi was at the shed! Don't do it! It's a Numemon! Why wouldn't her voice work?

"Don't talk to the Numem- "

Keiko attempted to wheeze out her desperate warning, but was drowned out by Naomi, who was zoned in on the shed. It didn't look like she heard her.

"Who's in there?" Naomi addressed the shed and knocked on the door. "Are you a little mouse? A cat? If I open up the door, am I going to find a Halloween mask?" Naomi chuckled and turned to Keiko. "Kei, it's just one of these guys pulling one over us. See? Nothing's happening."

Keiko shook her head crying. The vision kept flashing in her mind on repeat. Every cell in her being told her they were all going to die as the vision predicted and she was powerless to stop it.

Keiko looked at Kazu and mouthed to him 'Numemon'. She grasped his shirt with one trembling hand and looked at the shed. If anyone, Kazu had to believe her. Did he?

She felt Kazu hold her hand. Looking back at Kazu, she could see he was coming around on her side. She watched as Yuki also side glanced at Kazu with worry. Good. Both of her cousins believed her.

"Nomi," Kazu said, "I don't think it's a prank."

Keiko jumped from the frightened squeal that came from Kenya. He joined Keiko with Yuki and Kazuma and clung to Yuki crying.

Yuki kneeled, hugging his brother, and tried to comfort him. "It's a joke someone's doing, Squirt. Monsters aren't real."

Keiko looked at Kazuma and tugged at his shirt to get his attention. Her warning escaped with a shaky voice as she said the same words at the same time Kenya did to his brother.

"Digital monsters are real."

"You're saying there's a Digimon in that shed?" Yuki asked his brother and Keiko. "How is that even possible?

Ryuji was quick to answer. Extending his arm, he pointed to the shed again and spoke. "It's possible. They decided they want to kill us."

Ryuji's arm never wavered as he stared at the shed. Naomi jogged back to the group nervous as Miya held Ryuji's other arm and jerked him closer to the group. She held him protectively, but his arm stayed extended.

"It's like I'm seeing his thoughts right now," Kenya said through his tears clinging onto Yuki. "It's trying to decide how to jump out and kill us."

"It's like I can feel it as a fact that no one is lying here," Naomi said, baffled.

Keiko used both hands to grip Kazuma's shirt now. This was the part of her vision that Masato was about to unleash the catalyst for their doom. She couldn't stop shaking. She watched Masato stand and put his hands on his hips. He was clearly fed up with the situation.

"Okay. I know what's going on here. Everyone is fed up with me pulling that spitball prank and are trying to do this epic prank to get me back. Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to open that - "

Keiko did the same thing she did with Shiro and Kenya by speaking the same words she heard Masato say at the same time. Tears of fear flowed while she locked eyes with Kazu. What did she have to do to get someone to believe her?

"- door and rip out whatever 'fake' Digimon doll is there. Then we're all going to laugh and call this prank done."

Keiko didn't need to look at Masato to feel his hesitation after realizing she spoke the same words as he. In fact, by this time, everyone in the vision, except for Ryuji, couldn't stop staring at Keiko in fright. The Ichijouji boy continued pointing at the shed.

Keiko turned to Masato. She swallowed the growing lump in her throat forcing her shaky voice. "I think I can see visions like Mr. Hida. It's the second time that it's happened. I think the first time was at one of Yuki's soccer practices. I saw how his team was going to make the winning goal, but thought it was just my imagination. Masato, I had a bad vision. I mean, a really bad one. If you open that door," she pleaded, "everything that I just saw is going to happen. Poop is literally going to fly out, and you're going to kill Shun. We have to get our parents."

The color from Masato's face drained.

"What do you mean I'm going to die?" Shun said, nervous. "Keiko, this isn't funny anymore."

Keiko turned to Kazu and begged. "Please! We have to go get Mom and Dad right now! The vision isn't changing! He's not going to listen and Shun is going to be the first to die!"

Kazu stood still as if he was overwhelmed. Why wasn't he moving?

"Yun-chan, please!" Kei pleaded to Yuki, hoping he would take charge.

Yuki had the same reaction.

"Kami alive. She's not kidding," Naomi said. "I think I have the same gift as my mom did."

"Keiko," Shun asked with urgency, "what do you mean I'm about to die?"

"Whoa," Shiro said in amazement. He still had his ears plugged. "Does that mean we're Destined Jedi? Do I have super hearing like my dad had?"

"Enough is enough, Kei," Masato huffed as he stormed to the janitor's shed. "There's no reason for Digimon to attack us after all this time. This is me proving it's a joke so we can put this behind us."

Keiko screamed in protest as Kazuma held her tight. Naomi joined in with Keiko, repeating to Masato that she sensed the Takaishi girl wasn't pulling a prank and it was real.

Keiko turned to Shun and pleaded with all her might, "Get out of here!"

Before Shun could take his next breath, Masato jerked open the janitor shed with a fed-up growl.

It happened just as what was seen in the vision.

A fast, steady stream of pink feces flew out of the janitor's shed and directly towards the group of them at the blink of an eye. Masato got hit by most of it due to being directly in front of the door. As they tried to process what was happening, the kids screamed as a green slug with a wild look in its eyes stood in the doorway. The creature cackled as it continued throwing its ammunition.

Keiko did her best to shield her vision, but was able to watch Yuki run to the janitor shed, push Masato out of the way causing him to fall to the ground, and close the shed with a powerful blow than what was humanly possible trapping the Numemon inside. He kept his back against the door rapidly trying to catch his breath. She could tell that it hit him then that he had Force-enhanced strength.

Every one of them was caked in the Numemon's pink feces, along with the courtyard ground. She tried to wipe it off her face as she watched everyone stare at the janitor shed and at each other.

"What the fuck!" yelled Masato, breaking the silence.

"Shun," Keiko hurried over to him and begged. She took his hand and tried to pull him towards her parent's apartment. "This is your last chance to get to safety. You have to go!"

"Kei!" Yuki yelled from the janitor shed as he tried to hold the door closed. He pressed his back against it and dug his feet into the dirt. The door could be seen being pounded on from the inside. The Numemon must have been trying to attack from the inside. "What else happens in that vision of yours?"

Why wasn't Shun moving? Why wasn't anyone moving? Was there anything she could do to change this vision?

"Numemon escapes with Vilemon," Keiko answered Yuki while crying again. "We die because Shun can't activate his shield under all the pressure."

"Oh, my Kami," Naomi gasped in fear as the others either gasped or yelled in fear.

"I have a shield?" Shun asked, stunned by this news. "Like my dad?"

"Kenya! Read their minds!" Yuki desperately asked his brother. "Do they have a plan?"

Kenya answered in a fearful voice, "The plan changed." Tears streamed down his face. "They want to toy with us before killing us all."

"That's what I said before!" Ryuji cried.

Keiko watched as her cousin struggled to keep the door closed. Loud bangs echoed through the courtyard. Masato stood and helped Yuki to keep the door closed by pushing the door with his hands. Ryuji covered his ears from the loud sound. The hinges creaked, threatening to come loose at any second. Yuki and Masato were losing the battle.

The rest of the kids turned to escape to where their parents were meeting, but every one of them slipped on the pink feces coated ground. They panicked trying to scramble to their feet, but kept slipping. They were all now covered in feces.

This was when the second phase of Keiko's vision happened.

Keiko turned to the janitor shed to watch a Nunemon and Vilemon burst through the door, causing Yuki and Masato to be flung to the ground face first into a pile of pink. Vilemon flew in a flash to block the kids from leaving the courtyard and gave a low, sinister growl. When Keiko looked to see where Yuki and Masato were, she found them crawling towards the group as Numemon inched to close them with Vilemon. The slug still held its pink feces, one in each hand with an evil grin.

How could she change everyone's fates? The key laid with getting Shun to activate his shield so they all had some kind of fighting chance before their parents caught wind to rescue them. She could see some neighbors peeking from their living room windows watching. Why were they watching? Why weren't they trying to help?

Yuki and Masato had joined them by now, but the group was too frightened to move as Numemon and Vilemon stared them down.

"Shun," Keiko whispered with a shaky voice, "find a way to activate your shield."

"I don't know how," he answered in the same manner, "and Dad never told me how he did it."

"Figure it out," Kazuma joined in just the same.

"How?" Shun desperately asked.

"Shunny," Masato said, keeping his eyes glued on Vilemon, "just do it."

"But I don't know how," he insisted. "Do I imagine it? Do I push it out?"

"Do it!" Naomi yelled distressed.

"But I don't know how!"

Before Keiko could demand Shun to try, Numemon began to non-stop torpedo them in feces. Keiko closed her eyes and covered her face as her ears rang from everyone's screams. She didn't need to watch to know what would happen next.

In the vision, Kazu moved to defend the group and blocked as many feces as he could with arm blocks. Her cousin was a black belt in Karate, yet wasn't one to use it as his personality was more passive. In fact, the vision was the first time she saw him in action. What made this time stand out was each block moved with super speed that it exploded the feces causing it to spread.

"Stop! You're spraying it!" Miya yelled at Kazuma spitting out feces that landed in her mouth.

Keiko opened her eyes again to see Kazuma staring at his hands in awe while also glaring at Numemon to keep watch.

"I have the same super speed like my dad?" he asked himself in wonderment.

Keiko couldn't help but to hug her knees and rock herself. Their death was near and Shun still couldn't figure out how to protect them. Why weren't the neighbors that were watching calling the police? Both Numemon and Vilemon inched forward and taunted them as they closed in.

"Shun!" Keiko barked at Shun.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW!"

"Nightmare Shocker!" screamed Vilemon as it attacked.

Everyone screamed as they all scattered and dodged the attack.

"SHUN!"

"I SAID I DON'T -"

Numemon went back to non-stop throwing its pink feces. It was like it was doing so to reorganize the kids into a group again.

"Try something!" Keiko pleaded. "Imagine it! Something! Anything is better than saying you don't know!"

"Nightmare Shocker!" yelled Vilemon again.

This was it - the attack that ended everyone's lives. They all screamed -

And then there was silence.

Did Shun…

"I have a shield!" Shun exclaimed.

The kids all hollered in celebration. The vision changed! Was it possible that her vision was not set in stone? The Vilemon's attacks increased with anger as Numemon joined in again. Each attack bounced off the clear bubble that surrounded the kids.

Masato patted his brother's back. "Keep doing whatever you're doing. We have to stay like this until our parents come. There's no way that someone hasn't heard or seen this by now. Who has a phone with them?"

Silence greeted him.

"I left mine in Yuki's room," Naomi said nervously, shaking her head.

Masato pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned it on…except it didn't. He tried again, but then let out a frustrated grunt. He shoved his phone back into his pocket in a way that told Keiko he would have chucked it across the courtyard if he wanted.

"My battery is dead," he growled.

"Mine is next to that tree," Miya said, nodding in the direction of a nearby tree.

"Same," Shun, Kazuma, and Yuki chimed in.

"Damn it!" Masato cursed, throwing his arms in the air.

Keiko couldn't blame him. There wasn't much else they could do but wait.

"Don't worry," Shun tried to assure everyone. "I think I have the hang of this. All I need to do is -"

"Touch of Evil!" cried out Vilemon.

This time, the Vilemon's attack was strong enough to the point that it shook the shield. Keiko along with everyone else screamed and huddled close. In doing so, it broke Shun's concentration and the shield was deactivated. It allowed the Vilemon and Numemon to attack again - and at the same time.

Keiko's heart dropped when she saw the sneer on the Vilemon's face. The way it geared up for its next attack, the way that Vilemon and Numemon shared a knowing look - No! The vision wasn't stopped! It was only delayed!

Keiko dove to push Shun out of the way, but it was too late. Vilemon and Numemon sent their attacks to Shun at the same time, and faster than previous attacks, that she couldn't reach him in time.

Both attacks slammed Shun against a nearby tree. His head bounced against the trunk with a loud noise. His body slumped and became unconscious as he fell to the ground.

Everyone screamed at the sight. Keiko started to hyperventilate again. Masato crawled to his brother and desperately shook him in hopes of waking Shun. Vilemon and Numemon laughed as if they were enjoying their collective fears intensifying.

It couldn't be. Shun couldn't be dead. They can't go out like this. Why haven't their parents heard them and checked on them yet? She didn't want to die!

Vilemon and Numemon dove together with another attack. This was it. This is where the vision ended. Was there anything else she could do to change the vision enough to create a miracle?

"Someone do something!" Keiko screamed above the others to the neighbors, who cowered behind the safety of their windows. Yelling wasn't part of her vision.

Miya got on her knees and screamed out to the Digimon, "GO AWAY!"

The air became still. There was a comforting silence that surrounded Keiko like a warm blanket. Why did it look like the Digimon were paused in the air like a video game?

Keiko's jaw dropped in awe, as did the others. Time had stood still. Miya had the gift to slow time, like Keiko's father.

Keiko saw Masato pause for a few seconds, noticing the shift as well. A second later, he brought his attention back to his brother. He lightly smacked his cheek in hopes of waking him up. There's no way Shun could have died. All of this had to be a dream!

As if the group became one, everyone crawled to Masato and Shun. Some slipped on the ground, but kept going until they reached the others. The consistency of the feces was starting to become sticky, like the beginning stages of hardening.

"Wake up!" Masato begged as he shook Shun harder. "If some of us are becoming Destined Jedi, then whoever is in charge better give me that power to heal because I'm not going to let my little brother die!"

Everyone gasped as Shun opened his eyes and slowly sat up with a tired groan. Keiko, along with everyone else, sighed in relief. He had just been knocked out.

"Wh-What happened?" the younger Kido said, clearly disoriented from the blow.

Masato hugged his brother, not able to answer. The minute Shun saw the Digimon pause in the air, he let out a yelp and jumped back.

"Guys," Miya said. Strain could be heard in her voice. "It feels like I can't hold them back much longer. Shun, can you put the shield up again?"

"I'll try," said Shun while tightly shutting his eyes.

Time resumed at a normal pace as Miya collapsed from exhaustion. Vilemon and Numemon continued their dive towards them as everyone screamed for their lives. Shun yelled as he struggled to summon the shield again.

"It can't end like this!" Ichigo screamed.

A boom echoed in the air as a bright light erupted from Ichigo's body and pierced through the Digimon. They screamed from pain. Seconds after, the same shield burst from Shun, engulfing the group again.

The light from Ichigo grew brighter, enough to cause everyone to shield their eyes. Keiko tried to peek from her fingers to get a sense of what was happening and managed to watch both Digimon burst into pixels, then dissipate into thin air.

The entire courtyard fell silent. No one spoke for what felt like the longest time as they looked at each other in shock. The entire courtyard stank from the smell of the pink mass covering the ground like snow as well as the kids. Keiko herself could hardly breathe from the stench.

What in the world had just happened? Did this all really even happen? Was she imagining it? A blast of the sickening stench coming from her cousins told her she hadn't.

Not a soul moved or spoke. At least for Keiko, it was too much to process. They beat her vision. Somehow, they were still alive. Keiko gripped the sides of her head.

They. Were. Still. Alive!

"I need a bath," Ryuji said in disgust as he tried to peel the dried, pink feces from his arms.

She tried to wipe off some of the feces from her hands, but found it hardening on her skin. Come to think about it, the pink mass on the ground felt like a suction cup now.

"How did we become Destined Jedi?" Shun asked, deactivating the shield, as he looked at the same tree he was slammed against. His blood shined bright against the trunk.

"I don't want this," Naomi shook her head, rejecting the statement. "This is a mistake. Our parents are supposed to be the Destined Jedi."

"There has to be some kind of logical explanation," Shiro added.

Keiko saw his frustration rise while he tried to break off from the dried feces on the ground.

A long, golden vertical line sliced the thin air before them and opened into a large circle for any human to enter. It revealed the entrance to a forest with birds chirping and small creatures scurrying across the ground from bush to bush. The sky was bright blue with a few clouds in the sky. Was this the Digital World?

Yuki shook a fist in the air and shouted at the portal. "Hey, Homeostasis! Come here, coward!"

"Yuki, I don't think that's a good idea," said Kazuma.

"Why not?" Yuki barked. "It took its powers away from our parents to take out King Drasil and out of nowhere this happens? It doesn't make sense. As soon as that idiot comes here to give us that grand speech that it's an honor to take on this role, I'll set it straight!"

"No," Ichigo whined. "I just want to see my dad."

"Me too," Keiko agreed, hanging her head.

Who was hugging her? Oh, her cousin, Kazuma. He didn't need to say anything to know he agreed with her.

Yuki managed to break away from the feces and stood to his feet. His anger rose with each word spoke.

"We're not going to be part of your messed up plan! Thanks, but no thanks! Take these powers away!"

Masato broke off from the ground and cautioned Yuki. "Listen, Yuki. I agree, but this isn't the time to piss off a Digimon. We need to get out of here." He motioned to a few residents emerging from their homes to scan the area. "You know how we were told how everyone treated our parents? Everything they went through? Now isn't the time, man."

"Plus," Shun chimed in, "we don't know if any of those Digimon are returning. We got lucky. We have to tell our parents."

Miya broke free herself and helped her brother up. "My dad's supposedly the Chosen One. He should come down to investigate this. I think they all still have their lightsabers too."

"They do?" Ichigo asked, surprised.

A cheerful laughter rang from the portal. "Well done, Destined Jedi! Your skills are still intact. Join me at my hideout. I trust you're not rusty in using the Force after killing those pesky champion level digimon."

Masato raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell was that?"

"A friend," Ryui said, intensely staring at the portal. "We need to go."

There was hesitation from everyone. Miya kneeled down in front of her brother and held his hands.

"Why, Ryu-Ryu?" she asked. "We'll believe whatever you sense."

"Because it wants to help. It's a good Digimon. It knows secrets that it needs to tell us."

"That's not Homeostasis," Kenya told his brother. "It's a friend. I'm trying to read its mind, but it's covering its identity. I think something is trying to track it, so it has to stay hidden. The only thing that it's letting me see is that it uncovered a dark plan and it needs our help."

Everyone by now was on their feet and on guard. The portal stood strong awaiting them. There was no way Keiko was going to the Digital World. She read the manga her father was working on. She listened to the stories her parents said of their adventures. All the pain and anguish was not worth the temporary fame.

"Come on, Ichi," she hooked her arm around his and began to walk to Yuki's home. "We're done here -"

"Ryu-Ryu! Come back!"

Keiko and Ichigo swung around to find Ryuji entering the portal as if listening to something that called to him, and Miya chased after him. Before Miya could catch up, Ryuji sprinted ahead.

"Shit!" Masato swore, running after them. "Get back here!"

"Masato!" Shun cried as he gave chase.

To Keiko's horror, the rest of the kids followed one by one until only she, Ichigo and Kazu were left standing outside the portal. Her cousin had tried to reason with Naomi, but that went less than stellar.

"What do you care what I do?" she had retorted with a snort.

Kazu lowered his head in shame from his best friend's response. Keiko looked at her best friend, then her cousin. She felt bad for him, but a part of her also wanted to stay far away from that drama.

The portal remained open, still waiting for them to cross over.

"Kazu," Keiko walked to her cousin pulling Ichigo with their linked arms, "I'll go if you go."

"You're not going," Kazu said firmly. "I don't have to spell out why."

Keiko frowned. "You're going to worry about everyone, especially Nomi, until they all come back. You're scared, but you're about to go in there to watch over them. That means I'm going to worry about you. Apparently, I have Mr. Hida's gift too, so I think I'm going to be useful."

"Then if you're going, Keiko," Ichigo said, nervously scratching his neck, "I'm going too. But we have to come back fast. I don't want Dad to worry."

She squeezed his hand. "He won't."

Keiko and Ichigo stepped into the portal, leaving just her cousin behind them. She turned back to look at him. After a brief bout of conflict played out on his face, he took a step toward them.

"Kazuma?"

That sounded like her Uncle Raiku!

Keiko and Kazu turned to look back. Indeed it was him, along with their younger siblings, Keiko's littlest cousin Airi, Masato and Shun's older brother, and Kenji Ichijouji.

Keiko was guilt-ridden watching her uncle streak towards them. She could see Kazuma doubting his decision. Right as her Uncle Raiku reached out a hand to yank her cousin back to the safety of the real world, the portal zipped closed, separating them.

They were now on their own.

What awaits the children in the Digital World? Find out next time on Destined Jedi: Next Generations.

Well, this is where things take a turn for the darker side and much more. You guys are not going to miss the kids' exploits in the Digital World.

In terms of Digimon selection, it seemed natural to start off with something small and annoying and Numemon and Vilemon fit the bill for that. Not to mention it was a Vilemon that tried to inject the infection into TK in the third story.

Hope to see many of you next week because I am determined to make that deadline. As always, leave a review and subscribe if you haven't already. Things are about to get more interesting.

Tootles.