Together, We Survive - Part One

Dusk and dawn no longer existed. As Rika walked along the empty street of downtown Shinjuku, the clear day suddenly darkened. The moon, which had not appeared in the digital world, shimmered through the clouds like light through dust. Rika paused, taking her shades off to get a good look at the stars. The composition of the sky, and the constellations that glittered across its velvety surface, were no different than they were six years ago. And yet, nothing was the same, and Rika found herself struggling to remember what the sunset ever looked like.

A thick mist permeated around her boots. Low growls whispered in the dark recesses of the alleyway. Rika turned to the source of the noise, exchanging her glasses for the D-Arc clasped to her belt.

"Rika," a voice resonated in her head. "Rika, don't you remember?"

Rika frowned, her hand freezing just as her fingers brushed the smooth device. Static fuzz jolted across the square screen in response.

"It's still broken. I may not be strong enough to fight whatever's there. We should retreat, for now."

"Not a chance," Rika asserted. "Don't you know how close we are to camp? If we just let it be, it might find them!"

The voice was silent. Then, as swiftly as the change from day to night, a yellow fox materialized at Rika's side. "You're right," Renamon agreed. "It can't be allowed to cause trouble."

The two of them, tamer and partner, stood at nearly equal height, the top of Rika's red ponytail reaching the white tips of Renamon's ears. Rika had changed over the years, whereas Renamon remained exactly the same. In addition to growing taller, the contours of her face had matured, with sharper jaw and cheekbones. Her bangs had grown out, now swooping to the side over her brow. Lilac eyes were round with long lashes, and her lips were full. Her figure, while no longer tomboyish, remained tall and lean. Despite the growth, she refused to wear anything but jeans and t-shirts.

Rika didn't bother herself with these sort of developments. Because, of all the many changes since the destruction of the D-Reaper, being with Renamon again was by far the most important.

She smirked and nodded at Renamon. They turned to the growling alley. They ran in, undeterred by the slowly thickening mist. They came out the other side of the building and into a side street. Three armored dinosaur digimon stood within the flickering circle of the streetlight. They dug through a crate of rations, their assault rifles clanking against their backs.

"Hey! Hey! Move it, blockhead!"

"Claws off! I saw it first!"

"Aww no fair! I wanted that!"

Two of the digimon began fighting over a packet of dried pork, yanking it between them like a rag scrap. Rika and Renamon pressed their backs against the building, hidden in the blade of shadow as they watched. Thankfully, Rika didn't need her D-Arc to tell her who these digimon were.

Commandramon, rookie level, served as the grunts in the Overlord's army. Their only threat was their sheer numbers. Weak and squabbling, they weren't anything Renamon couldn't handle. "Walk all over them," Rika said with a superior smirk.

Renamon nodded, blue eyes streaming as she dashed from the alley to the street. She leapt into the air above the Commandramon, arms crossed. "Diamond Storm!" she called out.

"Eh?" The Commandramon turned their heads up to Renamon, yellow eyes large. Bright white crystals rained down on them, and they instantly began to panic. Jaws flew open and they waved their heavy claws in the air. "Look out! Look out!" In their haste, they ran into each other, falling on their tails. The leaves pelted them. They cried out as they dissolved into red particles of data.

Renamon landed on her knee, gracefully rising as Rika emerged from the alley. "Excellent work, Renamon," her partner praised. She turned to the crate. "Let's get this back to camp."

Renamon raised her head to the sky, ears twitching. The mist pooled up to her thighs, twirling around her tail as she swished it back and forth.

"Renamon?" Rika questioned. "What's wrong? Is something there?"

"I'm not sure," Renamon confessed slowly. She walked over to the crate and picked it up. "We should hurry," she urged.

"Right," Rika agreed. "Let's get out of here." They jogged back to the main street, turning the corner and vanishing into the mist.

A lithe shadow observed them from the rooftop. The mist condensed around her form. Sharp red eyes narrowed into wounded slits. "Bring them to me," a slick voice ordered.

A/N: The ages will go by the Japanese version, so the main kids are all sixteen at the time the story takes place. However, I'll be using the names from the English dub since that's what I'm accustomed to. (Blame my childhood self, if you must.)

Whenever a new digimon is introduced, I'll give their basic information at the end of the chapter they appear in.

Digimon:

Commandramon: Rookie level, Cyborg type, Virus attribute. Attacks include M16 Assassin, where it uses it's assault rifle, and DCD Bomb, where it chucks a bomb.