Disclaimer: I own nothing!

LOGIN_005

The Digital World, the most popular MMORPG game ever. Every person knew about it and of the controversy that had followed the game when it was first launched –that players were falling into comas. Gennai Inc., the company that had created The Digital World, never made an official statement of what had been the cause, but many players had said it was a vicious angel that had deleted players. Among the players of the first Digital World, there were two that, according to veterans, had taken a stand against the vicious angel and defeated it just as The Digital World itself shut down). Their names had become infamous amongst players, new and old.

Fervor of the Rising Sun and Licht of the Rising Moon they were called. But were they real? Or were they just a myth?

-

"Get down! Get out of here!" He felt frozen to the spot, watching with terrified eyes as the character in front of him blocked yet another attack from the two digimon. The scene in front of his became blurry, tears of terror racing down his cheeks. The other player remained in front of him, gripping his giant hammer weapon. The other player glanced over his shoulder at him, before returning his attention to the digimon, shouting back at him. "I said get out of here! Log out now!"

He wanted to speak, but his voice was gone. He couldn't move; all he could do was watch in pure fright. His entire body was trembling, in the Real World, he could barely hold onto the controller. This wasn't supposed to happen. They had only come to level up! This wasn't supposed to happen. The two digimon, they weren't supposed to attack players. They were…

His friend's cry of pain snapped him from his thoughts, just in time to watch the other player's body be flung to the side, the pink digimon now approaching him. His mind screamed for him to run, but his body still refused to move. All he could do was stare up at the digimon. "Fist of Athena!"

"Get down!" He was pushed out of the way, a scream of pain escaping his friend as he took the attack. Again all he could do was watch, his friend attempting to pick himself up, crying in pain as the pink digimon stomped on his back.

"This is a stubborn one isn't he?"

"You gotta… gotta ru-run…" Came the weak voice, directed at him. He still couldn't move, eyes wide as the other digimon approached, clicking his tongue in amusement. "Run!"

He watched as the two digimon attacked his friend, the scream piercing the dank air around them. His heart leapt into his throat as his friend's body became limp, a thin circle of data surrounding him.

It was then, in the Real World, that the controller was ripped from his hands. The field vanished from his sight as someone forcibly logged him out. He stared at the blank inside of his visor, a thump sounding to his right.

With trembling fingers he removed the visor; fearfully turning his head to look at the brown haired teenager besides him. He was slumped in his chair, the wire for his visor hanging limply in the brown haired teenager's hand. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he rested his hand on his friend's shoulder, shaking him. The teenager didn't respond, his body falling from his chair and to the ground.

That was when he finally managed to scream.

-

Blitz frowned, looking around the area he had warped to, a battle worn land lying before him. It wasn't unusual to find the occasional battle-scarred areas. He had stumbled across them several times during his time in The Digital World. After all, the areas did not always go back to normal after battles, especially if the battles had been intense. It was one of the reasons why so many people said Fervor of the Rising Sun and Licht of the Rising Moon had battled at the Rose Morning Star, because the area was so scarred, even after the rerelease of the game. But the fight marks were not what he found so strange about this area; what he found so strange was that the area was crawling with admins. He would not be so concerned if there was only one or two, but he could count at least twenty, scouring the crater that was embedded in the land. Other normal players were in the area as well, whispering fervently to one another. Blitz could only imagine the rumors that he would hear in File Island later on that day when he met up with the others.

Off to the side he spotted Lobo, speaking to Hikari of Light and another admin that Blitz wasn't familiar with. It was another female, a Lancer like his friend Lowe. She looked familiar though… He had seen her someplace before. She was taller than Lobo; her pink hair reached her shoulders in thick braids, blue feathers hanging off the tips of the braids. Her garments were simple; a brown tunic on with cream colored riding pants tucked into boots. Red armor rested on her right shoulder, connecting to a metal glove that reminded him of talons. Her spear rested in her left hand, though at the moment it hung loosely as she crossed her arms over her chest. Where had he seen her before? How did Blitz know her?

Deciding to get information from the admins rather than gossiping players, he walked towards them. He had spoken to Lobo once or twice in the past, so it wasn't like going up to a complete stranger. And of course he had talked to Hikari of Light before; though he had always done so a bit timidly.

"Excuse me… What's going on?"

"Nothing," came the obligated snap from Lobo, who turned to fix Blitz with an icy glare. He was unaffected though, tilting his head to one side, before looking at the two women. Hikari was giggling, hitting Lobo on the arm gently.

"Now, now, no need to be rude. It wouldn't hurt to let him know. There will be rumors come this afternoon anyways."

The scowl never faded from Lobo's face, though Blitz just assumed it was a permanent feature. The Swordsman looked at Hikari, though his glare had faded into an annoyed look. "Yes, but we are not allowed to reveal confidential information Hikari. It's against the rules."

"Oh like you use to follow the rules so closely," came the retort from the Lancer. She laughed looking at Blitz with amused, bird-like eyes. "Truth is we don't know exactly what's happened yet. All we know is something illegal occurred here."

Blitz wanted desperately to ask more questions to the admins, but decided better against it. If anything, just to avoid getting another icy glare from the always -testy Lobo. "Will you guys be releasing a report on it later?"

"If we feel it's necessary," the bird-eyed girl smiled pleasantly. "It's nothing to be terribly worried about. I suggest just going to a different level though."

He nodded, though he wanted to know more. "Players will worry though."

"We aren't telling you anything, so buzz off."

"Ignore him. He hasn't eaten yet today." Hikari apologized for Lobo, who scowled at her before yelping.

"Hey! You didn't need to hit me!" Blitz blinked. Hikari hadn't touched him…

So that meant they were playing in the same room in the Real World? Interesting.

"Honestly, you two are such kids."

"Oh be quiet Biyo!" Wait… Biyo as in…

So that's how he recognized her! Biyo of Love; one of the players who had defeated that impossible level along with Zero of Courage and Hikari of Light. He shouldn't be surprised to find her here. After all several of those "Crest Bearers", as they had been dubbed, had gone on to become admins, for at least a little while. At least that's what he had heard. Feeling suddenly nervous amongst the two famous players, he said a quick goodbye, warping out of the field. Blitz couldn't help but sigh, standing in front of the Digi'Port in File Island, his mind trailing back to the scene he had just witnessed…

Something big had happened… The admins were trying to keep it covered up. Was it to keep the other players from panicking? He wasn't sure. What he did know, however, was something was happening. And sooner or later he was going to find out…

"Blitz?" He snapped out of his thoughts, turning his head to face the somewhat timid voice. Kuma was standing in front him, large green eyes blinking curiously. Blitz smiled a bit, Flare had introduced them all to the little mage a few weeks ago. At first, he had been incredibly shy, but slowly he was beginning to warm up to all of them. Kuma was still blinking, shifting his grip on his staff as he tilted his head to the side. "What's wrong? You were staring off."

"Ah, just thinking kiddo," he replied, deciding not to worry the younger player. "Where are the others?"

"Um… I'm not sure. I think it's either too late or early for Kaze… I dunno her time differences, and Lowe hasn't been on to my knowledge.

"So where's the fire-cracker?" Blitz asked as they began to walk down the street. Kuma's face scrunched slightly as he thought before shrugging.

"He hasn't been on either…"

"Well that's strange… Flare's always on…"

"He did mention something about his brother's birthday earlier this week. Maybe that's where he is…" That seemed very likely. Or maybe Flare had finally gotten a life outside The Digital World. As doubtful as that seemed to Blitz.

"So guess it's just you and me today eh? What should we do?"

"I dunno…"

"We could go try a field." He saw the nervous look on Kuma's face, and he gave a little smile. "It'll be an easy field. Promise."

"That's what Kaze and Flare said last time, and I ended up getting a Game Over three times…"

"That's because Kaze and Flare are easily excited and easily bored, which is a terrible combination. And, they think new players can handle much tougher levels then they really can." Blitz stated simply, grinning when the younger boy laughed. "C'mon, it'll kill some time. And wouldn't you like to surprise the others by showing how much you leveled up?"

Kuma seemed to consider this before smiling from ear-to-ear, bouncing eagerly as he spoke. "Let's go! Let's go!"

Blitz laughed, following the younger boy as he ran back to the Digi'Port, only to find a small crowd formed outside it. Kuma was blinking in confusion now, looking up at Blitz as he came to stand besides the mage. An admin, at least Blitz assumed it was an admin, though he could have very well been a moderator, was standing in front of the Digi'Port.

"The Digi'Port is closed for the day. There have been several glitches in the system. We request that players remain in File Island or simply log out for the day."

"What do you mean it's closed!?" Shouted a player with a metallic red vest, stepping towards the admin. "It's never closed! Even when some levels have glitches! What the Hell is going on!?"

"Nothing of your concern; now I would leave before you start a fight."

"Burst, let's just go," a female player remarked, taking hold of the player. He immediately began to shout at her, but she ignored his shouts easily, dragging him away. "Honestly… This is the worst…"

Slowly, after a couple more angry shouts, the small mob dispersed. Blitz frowned, being one of the few remaining players, he looked at Kuma, who was gripping his staff nervously again. So the scene he had seen earlier was larger than he had first thought. Whatever had happened was big enough to close off all the fields in the Digi'Port system. But what had happened?

He glanced back at the player who had stood so bravely in front of the crowd. He was still standing in front of the Digi'Port, though his gaze had moved to the sky. Sighing, the player was muttering to himself, shaking his head. His hair was a dual color. Half of it was green, spiked up, while the other half was a pinkish color that flopped into his face. He wore a hooded jacket that reminded Blitz almost immediately of a Terriermon, though his shorts were brown resembling the color of a Lopmon. He rubbed his temples irritably, slipping the staff he had been holding back into its resting place on his back. Blitz could overhear his muttering, though just barely. "Hikari owes me big… I hate doing stuff like that… At least Lobo's little speech worked…"

Frowning Blitz looked down at Kuma, before leading the boy away from the Digi'Port. "Let's find something else to do."

"Is there anything to do in File Island?" Blitz laughed, giving a nod as they continued to walk.

"Of course! There's always stuff to do, the trick is finding it!"

They walked through the streets again. Blitz's mind drifted back to the area he had seen. The crater in the earth, and then the Digi'Port's unheard of closing…

Something big was happening.

-

Izumi frowned greatly as once again another error appeared on The Digital World screen. She reached out irritably, snatching up her cell phone. Kouichi would still be awake, she was sure of this. And if he wasn't she would wake him up! She needed to talk to him. Now. Pacing nervously, she waited for him to pick up the phone. No answer came as she was directed to his voicemail. She called again, now tapping her foot impatiently on the floor, her frown turning into a scowl. Again no answer. She tried for a third time, finally a groggy voiced Kouichi greeting her in slurred Japanese. She wasted no time though with greetings, immediately plowing into the heart of her concern, in the Japanese she had not used in days. "How's your Grandmother!?"

It took a moment for him to respond. She heard another yawn before shifting, and then he spoke. "She's okay… She's sick but… She's strong…"

They fell quiet again. Izumi wished that she could be with him now. She could hear the heart break in his voice, even if he tried to hide it. More than anything, she wanted to be with him… "I can see if I can come back to visit."

"No, Izumi I'm fine. You have to stay in school. Besides, I see you in The Digital World." But that wasn't good enough for her. She couldn't really hug him. A virtual hug wasn't as good as a real hug. She brushed her hair back over her shoulder sitting down at her desk, a frown set on her lips. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Kouichi continued to speak. "How have you been anyways? How's the boyfriend?"

Her face flushed at his teasing voice, though she was happy to see that he could still indeed tease her. For awhile, mention of Touma was strictly taboo. If she did, he would get irritable, and often just log off. Shyly she looked down, as if he was really in the same room as her. "He's okay… We had another date the other night and it was nice… He took me to this really nice Italian restaurant."

"So you really like him?" There was something else in his voice, but she couldn't place what it was. But it was the tone that would always accompany his irritable mood.

"Yeah, I really do. You should meet him sometime! He's got an account in The Digital World."

"Guess he should join our group." She laughed at this, finally registering the tone as a note of his jealousy. She shook her head at his voice, smiling still.

"Nah, I like our group the way it is." She smiled as she thought of the small group they had formed. They were like family, almost. "I don't think we need any additions. Besides, Touma has his own team he fights with."

There was silence on Kouichi's end. Her smile faded as she twirled a piece of hair. "Kouichi… Why don't you like Touma? You've never even met him…"

"I should get going."

"Kouichi! Hey wait!"

"Izumi I really have to go. I'll talk to you later." Before she could even say another word there was a click, and Kouichi hung up on her. She sat quietly, the phone to her ear for another minute or so. Finally, she released a frustrated breath, snapping her cell phone shut. She got up off her chair, collapsing face first on the mattress. Small tears leaked down her cheeks as she looked at her bedside table. At the picture frame. Quietly, she picked it up, looking fondly at it. It was of her and Kouichi, when they were both in 3rd grade. A smile tugged her lips. He had been so shy back then, shyer then he was now. She would always have to talk for him, even in the classroom. Back then he never kept anything from her. They never had any secrets, until now.

Something was wrong, something was bothering Kouichi. Something besides his Grandmother, something about Touma bothered him… But why wouldn't Kouichi just tell her? It drove her insane! He never kept secrets from her! And on the rare occasions that he did (most often regarding birthday gifts and surprises) she had learned that he was good at keeping them, since he never said a word no matter how much she pried! She buried her face in her pillow, a muffled scream echoing in her quiet little dorm room. Why was he being so frustrating?

After a minute, her throat felt raw. She lifted her face irritably, looking again at the picture. Screaming had helped a bit, but not a lot. She still felt frustrated beyond belief, setting the picture back on her table. A small 'ping' caught her attention, her eyes drifting back to the computer on her messy, oak desk. A message from The Digital World sat on her screen… But she hadn't logged in. Confused she stood, walking to the computer and clicking the message books. Blonde eyebrows lifted as she read the message, the confusion growing:

Subject: (untitled)

You who lives in the embrace of the Wind. Rise up and join with the forces that guide this World. Save it from the virus that lurks deep within.

She reread the message again and again trying to make sense of it. Was this some kind of event? She wondered if Kouichi had gotten the message…

But that led to another question…

How had she received the message while logged out of the game?

-

The Digital World was offline for two more days. When it finally was back up and running, Gennai Inc. expressed that they had been doing maintenance that took longer than they had predicted. Most players seemed to buy the excuse, though some questioned it. Blitz was one of those people, especially after what he had witnessed hours before they had all been forcibly kicked out of the game. He frowned, looking around File Island, nothing seemed to have changed. He looked around the town; normal players were walking around, buying and trading like any other day. The cobble stone walkways were the same. The bridge that he and his friends met at was the same. All the old-fashioned shops with the digimon NPCs were the same. The only thing that reminded one of the offline days would be the occasional players whispering to one another. But in the end, everything was the same, and no one seemed to mind too much that something had happened. That they had been lied too. Irritable, Blitz walked through the town, looking around still. What had happened? He wished they would make a statement about that strange day. But the odds were it would forever remain a mystery.

"Blitz!" He turned his head, just in time to watch Kaze hurtle towards him. He braced himself, yelping as she collided with him. He managed somehow, he wasn't sure how, not to topple over from the impact. He laughed, ready to greet his friend, but stopped as he looked at her. Kaze's butterfly wings were fluttering anxiously, her eyebrows up near her hairline, indicating that behind her visor her eyes were wide. Something was bothering her; he could tell that almost immediately.

"What's wrong?"

"Did you get a weird email lately!?" He blinked, looking at her, a frown replacing his smile. What did she mean? A weird email?

"You mean like… An event?"

"No! Like an email that you get while you're logged out of the game!"

"Kaze that isn't possibly," he pointed out calmly, but she shook her head furiously. Blitz suddenly realized that she wasn't just anxious, she was scared… Taking her hand with his gloved one, he began to walk away from the crowded area. She followed after him, like a lost puppy. His eyes darted around to find a more private space. He finally found a spot between a Weapon Shop and a guild. He pulled her into the small alleyway, the frown deepening as he watched her fidget with her visor, before removing it completely, wide, nervous, violet eyes staring up at him. He tried to keep his voice even, but was suddenly growing more and more anxious. It took a lot to make Kaze frightened; he had learnt this throughout all the time he spent in parties with her. "Okay, first I want you to take a deep breath, and then explain to me this email."

She shot him an irritable look (which made him a bit relieved, at least she wasn't so frightened she couldn't get annoyed at him). Obediently, she took a deep gulp of air, before she spoke again, much calmer now, though still quickly. "When The Digital World went down, I still had the log in screen on my window. I was talking to Kou- Lowe on the phone to check in with him. Then we hung up and this email was on my screen… And it was from The Digital World, but I wasn't logged in. I couldn't log in! I called Lowe almost immediately afterwards and he's gotten a similar email. I thought it was an event at first but… I dunno…"

"What does the email say?" He questioned, frowning a bit. It was true; sometimes mini-events were started through the messaging system. But generally for that to work, one had to be logged in, and as she had pointed out, she couldn't log in. Kaze shifted quietly, a screen appearing in front of her as she seemed to scrawl through emails. Another screen popped up and she turned it so it faced him. Frowning still he read it over not once but twice, his eyebrows furrowing together on both his character and in Real World. He looked down at the sender, his head tilted to one side. Fanglongmon? He had never heard that name before…And what did this message mean? 'The forces that guide this World.' What was that?

Kaze was shifting nervously again, toying with the visor in her hands. "You said Lowe got one too?"

"Yeah, but his said something about Darkness instead…" Her lips pursed together as she looked up at the taller player. "Does this mean anything to you?"

"Nothing, never heard of these 'forces'…" The screen vanished as Blitz continued to stare at where it had been. Suddenly, he recalled a conversation he had had with Lowe weeks ago. He had asked if Blitz or Flare had received any weird emails. So he had meant this… But what was the point of these strange emails? Who was Fanglongmon? "Maybe it's a user pulling a prank?"

Kaze shook her head, her ponytail bobbing as she stuck her lower lip out, like a pout. "I thought that at first too. So I made a post in the Forums about it. But get this… The topic was deleted."

"What?"

"It was deleted."

"Kaze, that makes no sense. Why would they delete it? I mean… You weren't breaking any rules… Did anybody contact you?"

She shook her head again, pouting more and more. "I've been considering sending an email to Hikari… She'd probably give me a decent answer but…"

"I think that's your best bet," Blitz responded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Send her an email tonight. And let me know when she replies, okay?"

She nodded, looking down at the visor in her hands. "I will…"

A shout caused him to turn his head. It was his Mother. Sighing, he looked at Kaze. He didn't want to leave her, especially when she was so worried… Her violet eyes looked up at him, her head tilted to the side. "What is it..?"

"My mom…"

"Dinner time?"

"Yeah… But I can skip, I mean, if you want me to stay on longer." Kaze smiled at him, forcing a small, almost embarrassed blush to spread across his cheeks. Even in a video game, her smile was beautiful.

"Thank you for the concern, but I probably should be logging off too. I have some homework to finish up." She replaced the visor over her eyes, stepping forward and throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. "Thanks a ton for listening, though. You really helped, I was freaking out."

He smiled a little, patting her back shyly. "It's no problem Kaze… That's what I'm here for."

His mother shouted again. Sighing, he waved good bye to the Sorceress as he logged out. He removed the visor from his head quietly, gazing at the computer monitor with a blank stare. Something was going to happen. And he had a feeling he and his friends were going to be at the heart of it.

-

Junpei Shibayama, commonly called Blitz in The Digital World, never liked school. He could never see the point in it. He never really learned anything particularly interesting, at least nothing that he was going to pursue. He would much rather be at home reading magic books, instead of sitting around learning about wars and math equations that he would never use. He wanted to be a magician, like Harry Houdini! School didn't teach him anything that could assist him in that field.

He'd have to wait for college, that's what his mother always said when they got onto the topic. Scowling a little, he looked around the grassy quad he sat in. It was lunch time, and here he was sitting alone out in the all but deserted quad…

Junpei took a large bite out of his sandwich, the scowl not fading. Normally he wasn't alone. Normally his classmate, Yasuhiko, would sit with him. Though, it would still be relatively quiet. But that was only because Yasuhiko never spoke, unless he had no choice. It always bothered their classmates, but it never bothered Junpei. If anything, that was because he had gotten so use to Yasuhiko's little gestures. For instance, he knew when the much tinier boy wanted to sit with him; Yasuhiko would look over at Junpei, before tilting his head and point between them both. Now he didn't even bother waiting for the boy's shy gestured question though, because the moment he would see Yasuhiko he'd call him over.

They were the outcasts of their grade, of their school. For him, it was because he was a bit… Bigger than the other students; and he preferred to do magic tricks, or play The Digital World more than anything else. For Yasuhiko, it was because he was quiet. Because he did not like to talk, and would often be seen mouthing words to himself. It never bothered Junpei though, but, it bothered the majority of their class for some reason. Many of the students had spread rumors, commenting that Yasuhiko was mentally unstable. Junpei always snorted at those rumors, knowing very well they were untrue. Yasuhiko just didn't like to talk, that was all there was too it. And that bothered several students for some reason, not that Junpei understood. It wasn't any of their business. Now that he thought about it, the only person he had ever seen Yasuhiko talk openly to, and the only person he had ever seen to make the boys generally passive face light up, was his older brother, Haseo.

Speaking of Haseo… He hadn't seen the teenager today either. Generally Haseo would poke his head in at the beginning of the day to check in on Yasuhiko. He would also come in to tell the teacher if Yasuhiko was ill and collect his homework… But he hadn't shown up…

It was strange…

He finished his sandwich, standing up, brushing the crumbs off his black uniform as he walked back to the classroom. His scowl became a frown as he looked around. Yasuhiko was still nowhere to be seen. Earlier, he had thought that maybe he had just missed the boy. It wouldn't have been the first time Junpei had done it. Yasuhiko seemed to pride himself on being invisible. But he wasn't in…

"Hey… Akimiya?" A teenager with spiked up auburn hair turned his head, breaking away from his discussion with another student. He blinked a little, as if thinking there was another Akimiya in the proximity, before giving a simple nod to show Junpei had his attention. "Yasuhiko? He in today?"

"Eh? Nah haven't seen him." Akimiya, to his knowledge, was one of the only other students besides himself that did not believe the rumors about Yasuhiko. Meaning out of everyone in their class, he was probably the only other one that acknowledged the quiet boy and seemed to care about him.

The two of them were really more acquaintances then friends, but at the moment, Junpei wasn't sure who else to ask.

"Is his brother in?"

"Nah… Actually… That's weird. Maybe they're both sick..?" He shot Akimiya a look, the other laughing a little. "Okay, highly unlikely. Haseo's never sick. Maybe a family problem?"

"Maybe…" The teacher called the class back to order. Junpei took his seat by the window, and their classes resumed. He glanced towards the empty desk that Yasuhiko normally occupied.

Something was wrong…

-

The second school ended Junpei walked over to the teacher requesting Yasuhiko's address. He would've looked it up, but he had lost the school directory. The teacher smiled when he asked, requesting that Junpei bring the quiet student the homework he had missed. Not wanting to be rude, Junpei agreed, taking the pile of papers as well as the address from his teacher. He walked out the door after that, almost crashing into Akimiya.

"Ack! Shibayama! Be careful."

"Sorry, sorry. You on cleaning duty again?"

"Ah, no…" Akimiya shifted, almost shyly, rubbing the back of his head with a laugh. "After talkin' to you I got worried about Yasuhiko. I can't stop thinking something fishy is happening… So I was gonna get his address from Sensei…"

Junpei raised an eyebrow, before laughing as he held up the paper. "I'm heading there too. Already got the address, and his homework. You can tag along if you want."

"If you don't mind," the other teenager grinned shouldering his bag. "Lead the way."

The walk was a very quiet one. Occasionally they spoke, but only one or two words. It was apparent to him Akimiya was just as worried as he was. Something wasn't right. Both of them could sense that.

Once they got within a block of Yasuhiko's and Haseo's home the two quickened their pace. By the end they were nearly running to the front door. Their nervous thoughts winning over the sensible, 'you're just being paranoid' thoughts. Akimiya reached the doorstep first, being he was the more athletic one. By the time Junpei had made it the doorbell had already been rung five times.

After a minute, which felt like eternity to him, a woman answered the door. Her eyes were blood shot. And her face looked worn, her hair unkempt.

Something was really wrong.

"Hello… May I help you?"

"We're friends of Yasuhiko's, we um… Came to give him his homework." They couldn't help but stare are the disheveled women, both shooting each other very nervous glances. The woman nodded, holding the door open as she pulled a tissue from her peach colored robe and blew her nose. He exchanged yet another nervous look with Akimiya as they entered, toeing off their shoes as she continued to observe them. He was the first to realize what she wanted.

"I'm Shibayama, Junpei." He gave a polite bow, nudging Akimiya quickly.

"Ah! I'm Akimiya, Ryou." He bowed too, though it was sloppier. Junpei wasn't surprised though; Akimiya had lived in America for years before coming to Japan. He was still sloppy when it came to some customs.

"It is very nice to meet you both."

"It's nice to meet you too Tatsuno-san," Akimiya responded quickly, Junpei nodding in agreement.

"Yasuhiko is up in his room. If you could try-" She vanished into the kitchen for a moment, before returning with a bowl of soup holding it out to them. Junpei took it a bit perplexed until she spoke again. "-and have him eat this? He has not eaten since Haseo…"

She broke off covering her face as she sobbed. Akimiya stepped forward first, attempting to calm her down while giving Junpei a 'go ahead' look. He nodded in response, slowly walking up the stairs, being mindful of the steaming bowl of soup in his hands. Distantly he wondered what kind of soup it was. From the smell of it he was sure it was Miso soup, but he wasn't completely sure.

It was only when he reached the second level that he realized he had neglected to ask Tatsuno-san which room was Yasuhiko's. But after a minute or so of looking he had managed to find it. After all, there was a sign with Yasuhiko's name taped to the wood. Junpei had a feeling that was Haseo's work, since the door right next door had a similar sign, the older brother's name written on the paper in the same handwriting.

Junpei opened the door carefully, taking a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness that engulfed the small room. He was a bit surprised by what he saw. Yasuhiko's room laid in disarray. The bed wasn't made, and appeared like it hadn't been made in days. Clothes were scattered across the room, along with various crumpled papers. Junpei had always thought of Yasuhiko as neat, not messy. Frowning, he tip toed through the mess, making his way to where Yasuhiko sat in front of the glowing computer screen. Upon reaching it he discovered the pale teenager to be sound asleep.

With a heavy sigh, he cleared a space on the desk before setting the bowl down. Half of him wondered if he should wake Yasuhiko up, but at the moment he assumed it was best to let his classmate sleep. He waded again through the mess, snatching a blanket off Yasuhiko's bed and lying it over the smaller teenager. Yasuhiko mumbled something, before burying his face in his arms. Carefully Junpei removed the visor from the younger boy's head, before turning the computer off.

He glanced at his classmate, his head subconsciously tilting to one side.

Yasuhiko didn't look sick…

He exited the room curiously, peeking into the room with Haseo's name on it. He almost laughed. He had always pegged Haseo for having a messy room, but the room he discovered was far neater then Yasuhiko's. A bit too clean, he noted, everything looked like it hadn't been touched in days… And Haseo was nowhere to be found. But that wasn't right. Haseo hadn't been in school either, he should be here.

Foot steps caught his attention. Akimiya was coming up the stairs, Junpei meeting him in the hallway. The other student's eyes were wide as he stopped a few steps away from where Junpei stood. He felt his stomach knot together nervously as he looked at Akimiya.

"What's wrong?"

"Haseo…"

"He's not here… Yasuhiko's asleep too."

"Shibayama," Akimiya shook his head, eyes still wide as they stared at one another. "Haseo's in a coma."

(-)(-)(-)

Dun dun duuuuuun!!

Lotsa jumping around this chapter. But some very crucial things have occurred! Key plot points have occurred!!!

Like previous chapter there are parts I like, and then parts I really don't like. But stuff needed to get written.

So right, I had originally planned not to use any OCs at all, and just use the characters from the Digimon series. However as I continued writing I did come to realize there is a need for at least… three OCs, you'll all see why later on! And I decided that those three would have their names taken from the .hack franchise :3 So behold the first two characters, Yasuhiko and Haseo.

So again, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Don't expect an update for a while. Reaching the last couple weeks of my first semester of college. Meaning lotsa final studying and work .