Title: Digimon Tamers: Reprisals

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon Tamers, or any other pertinent aspects of the franchise

It has been four months since the defeat of the D-Reaper, and, having taken Takato at his word, the Tamers have crossed over for a second time into the elusive Digital World.

At first they were unsure as to whether or not they would actually be able to make the journey, being without the experience and guidance of Renamon. But make the journey they did, and from the moment they took their first breath of DigiAir, theirs was nothing but absolute, unmitigated, unadulterated joy. For who happened to be right at where they had landed but the very digimon they wanted to see—Guilmon, Renamon, Terriermon, Calumon, Lopmon, Guardromon, who had somehow digivolved into Andromon, Cyberdramon, Impmon, and MarineAngemon.

Alas, the happy reunion was cut short by the sudden appearance of a data stream, and, hard as the Tamers might, there was no way to completely avoid it. Rika, Kenta, Kazu, Ryo, Suzie, Jeri, and their partners had managed to leap clear of its blinding light; Henry, Takato, and Terriermon, however, were not so lucky. Unable to do anything in retaliation, the data stream took them up in its unyielding clutches, and after endless rushing, floating, and spiraling, deposited them in a strange, cold place comprised of darkness and mist.

And who should they find there but the one digimon Henry feared more than any other, who had haunted his nightmares since the day that he and Terriermon had first met…

"Gorillamon…" Henry felt his heart become heavy as he beheld the frightful figure that had just risen up before them. Tall, muscular, hunched over, with a cannon attached to his right arm, the creature was just as frightful as he remembered him. No. More frightful. And much bigger.

"Terriermon?" the navy-haired boy asked, the two humans taking a step back as the hulking digimon began his advance.

"It's him, Henry," Terriermon read his best friend's mind, his small, white faced set with determination as he sat on his Tamer's shoulder. "But at the same time, it isn't. There's something different about him. What does your digivice say?"

"ShadowGorillamon," Takato replied. "Mega level. Virus-type. The result of a Gorillamon absorbing data from dark digimon."

"M… M… Mega?" stuttered Henry, half-succeeding at maintaining his usual calm composure.

"Right," Takato nodded. "Watch out for his Hellfire Beam and Devil's Pain attack! Henry, I think you and Terriermon are going to have to biomerge."

"Hellfire Beam? Devil's Pain?"

With every step backward Henry felt his heart sink lower and lower. By now he no longer cared about maintaining his usual collectedness.

"Mouh Mahn Taih, Henry!" the long-eared Rookie placed a paw encouragingly on the top of his Tamer's head. "He may be Mega now, but we can be Mega too! C'mon, we can take him!"

"No, Terriermon!" Henry protested, his voice fearful. "I am not going to lose you again!"

"Henry, what's happened to you?" Terriermon asked confusedly. "You're acting like you used to when you were a pacifist. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Henry returned, visibly hurt by the remark. "Do you really expect me to put you in a fight like this, just when I found you again?"

"What choice do we have, Henry?" Terriermon argued back, their usual roles inexplicably reversed. "Takato's right. Guilmon's not here, so it's not like we can rely on Gallantmon. You and I are the only ones who can do anything. And we have to do something."

"But…"

"Henry… Please… I don't want to lose you again either…"

"Huh?" Henry came to an abrupt halt. Never before had such a simple statement cut to his soul so deeply. Terriermon was right. There was no other way. And he loved him just as much.

"You're right, Terriermon. We must fight. Together."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," the digital bunny replied. "Let's do it."

"All right," Henry now-confidently nodded, his inner strength returned by his best friend's spirit. "Biomerge Activate!"

"Terriermon Biomerge to… MegaGargomon!"

"Stay back, Takato!" MegaGargomon leapt forward, placing himself firmly between ShadowGorillamon and the brown-haired boy.

"You've learned a few things since we last met, I see," ShadowGorillamon observed, in an icy, emotionless voice that made Henry's blood run cold. "All the more interesting for me. Hellfire Beam!" he roared, raising his cannon-encompassed arm, which exploded in a blast of sinister-looking, blood-colored light.

"MegaGargomon!" Henry shouted. "Look out!"

Forgetting everything else in the world, the safety of his Tamer being the only thing that mattered, MegaGargomon launched himself into the air, landing behind ShadowGorillamon with an abruptness that could have impressed even Renamon.

"Power Pummel!" the giant mecha declared, slamming his fist into ShadowGorillamon's back, sending it crashing to the ground with a loud howl that would have shattered glass.

"You'll pay for that," ShadowGorillamon growled. "Devil's Pain!"

The effect was instantaneous. With a simultaneous shriek of pain, both digimon and Tamer fell to their knees as a million needles of unholy energy began coursing through their veins.

"No!" Takato cried, horrified. Running forward, not really sure what he was doing, the young boy raised his digivice, wishing with all his might that something would happen.

Without warning the front of his digivice erupted in white light, engulfing the demon, which, shrieking in pain, had no choice but to cease his attack on his contender. Though very little effect was observed otherwise, it did give MegaGargomon the time he needed to get back to his feet.

"Now, let's finish this!" Henry willed encouragingly.

"With pleasure," was the digimon's reply, his and the digimon's strength becoming a single entity once more. "Mega Barrage!"

But then, to the surprise and horror of everyone present, the attack had no effect. Instead of piercing ShadowGorillamon with a multitude of bullets and missiles, the projectiles simply rebounded, knocking the taller of the two to the ground with a crash that caused the very earth to shake.

"Arrrgh!" yelled Henry, his digimon's pain his pain.

"Heh heh," ShadowGorillamon finally raised itself to its feet. "Do you think I'm going to be beaten that easily?"

"Oh, go eat a banana!" returned MegaGargomon. Even in battle he could still find time for blatant tactlessness. "Henry?"

"Go for it, MegaGargomon! Arrgh!"

The two as one repeated their attack on their hated adversary, but once again there was no effect. No matter what they threw at ShadowGorillamon, he simply returned their attack with twice as much. Thankfully, despite their inability to land a proper hit, ShadowGorillamon had apparently forgotten about Takato, who had managed to conceal himself behind a tree nearby.

"We can't keep going on like this, MegaGargomon," Henry sounded, his voice tired and exhausted. "What should we do?"

He received no response, only heavy breathing.

"MegaGargomon?"

Finally, after a moment more of silence, the digimon answered, "there is yet one thing we can do."

Henry started, made glad by MegaGargomon's response, "really? What is it?"

"Henry…" the digimon continued, his voice weary, almost sad. What was going on?

"MegaGargomon? What is it?"

"I must…"

"You must what?" Henry asked, now beginning to panic.

"Henry" now the digimon's voice was becoming heavy, "I'm sorry. But your safety comes first."

"WHAT?" Henry shouted.

Then, before Henry could stop him, MegaGargomon de-digivolved. Instead of two formidable-looking opponents engaged in a fight to the death, there stood three figures on the battlefield, a surprised but menacing antagonist, a confused, terrified human, and a small, white-and-green bunny, its face uncharacteristically set and somber.

"Terriermon!" Henry cried, not noticing that both he and his Partner had become engulfed in emerald fire.

The little fighter looked up at his partner, his eyes brimming with love and sadness. "I'm sorry, Henry."

"NOOOOOOO!" the boy yelled, diving forward to stop his friend from doing whatever he was planning. But it was no use. With one last look, Terriermon, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Terrier Tornado!" became as a desert whirlwind, and launched itself at its foe.

"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!" the giant digimon shrieked on last time as the green whirlwind made contact with his chest, ripping through his impenetrable hide to emerge through his spine-covered back.

Then a moment of total, absolute stillness, followed by an explosion of emerald light that engulfed everything. And then, nothing. No ShadowGorillamon. No Terriermon. Nothing.

"Wh… Wh… What have I done?" Henry fell to his knees, looking frantically around for his guardian, his protector. "Terriermon!"

"I… I'm sorry, Henry," Takato suddenly appeared behind the distraught Tamer, putting his hand on his shoulder. "I don't see him anywhere. Your digivice has gone dark. Terriermon's gone."

"No, Takato!" yelled the orange-vested youth defiantly. "You lie! He's just over there! He's just hiding! He's just…!"

It was too much. There was no one else. Only himself and Takato. His best friend, gone. Gone. Gone. There was nothing left to do, only to turn, unconsciously bury his face into Takato's hooded sweatshirt and weep.

"TERRIERMON!"

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Jeri asked as she gazed over at Henry, sitting alone beneath a tree in the distance. Having just returned to the park in the real world, the other Tamers thought it best to give Henry some time alone. Even Suzie, who hated to see her brother so despondent, knew it would be best if he was granted some solitude.

"I don't know," Takato shook his head. "After the battle he was completely beyond help. All he did was cry into my sweatshirt."

"Takatomon, that why your shirt so soggy?" the nearby red dinosaur asked, just as sad as everybody else.

"Yeah…" replied Takato.

"Auuah… Maybe a cream puff would help him feel better?"

In spite of the situation, Takato could not help but smile slightly at the small, white digimon's suggestion.

"Sorry, Calumon. But I don't think that is going to help this time."

"Auuah…"

"What about me?" MarineAngemon asked. "Maybe I could do something for him?"

"Thanks, MarineAngemon," Kenta stroked the miniature digimon affectionately, "but I don't think that even every Kahuna Wave in you could make things better. Unless, of course, you can help bring Terriermon back."

"Sorry," MarineAngemon slowly, sadly sank into Kenta's lap. "That's one of the things I can't do."

"Well, he's got to come around some time," remarked Kazu after a minute of silence, in a futile attempt to make light of the situation. "He can't stay like this forever."

"I'm not so sure," Rika said, looking off into the distance, trying to hide her uncharacteristic display of sadness from the others.

"What do you mean?" her fellow Tamers inquired of her.

"Think about it," Renamon saved her Partner from answering the difficult question. "Of all of us, Henry and Terriermon knew each other the longest. Then, just when they've been reunited with one another, Terriermon has no choice but to sacrifice himself to save him. And what's worse, Henry had to watch the entire thing. Watch his Partner die right before his eyes. How would that make you feel?"

"Well, when you put it that way, Renamon," Kazu admitted, defeated by the wise digimon's words.

"I just wish there was something we could do to help him," Jeri continued after a moment. "But Renamon's right. If he's feeling anything like I did when I lost Leomon, and I have a feeling he is even more devastated, then his heart must be in shambles."

"Why more devastated?" Kenta asked.

"Though Leomon and I were close," explained Jeri, "we only knew each other for a short while. Henry, on the other hand, knew Terriermon for months, almost a year. If I was that affected by Leomon's death, think how much more Henry must be suffering."

"She does have a point," Impmon observed limply. In the time he and the other digimon had spent separated from their Tamers in the Digital World, he and Terriermon had gotten close. "I miss Big Ears too."

"Hmm…" Takato looked down depressingly at his mud-crusted sneakers. "It's getting late. Impmon, why don't you go find Ai and Mako? They don't know about how the portal reappeared, and they'll be really happy to see you."

"Good point," Impmon reluctantly got to his feet. "I just wish I could. But I guess I'll be seeing you later, then. Until tomorrow," the small digimon trudged off into the sunset.

"Well, I should probably get going too," Jeri slowly got to her feet. "My parents will be looking for you. Come on, Suzie. I'll take you home."

"Okay. Should I tell Mommy and Daddy about what happened?"

"No. Not yet. Henry needs some time by himself. Let's go."

"Okay, Jeri," the young child did as she was bid, following the girl east.

"Yeah., MarineAngemon and I should be going too."

"So should Monodramon and I."

"And me and Guardro… Oh, sorry… Andromon too."

"Okay," Takato nodded, still gazing down at his feet. "See you guys at school tomorrow."

"Bye."

"Bye."

"Rika?" asked the de facto leader, once the other Tamers had left.

"Yes, Gogglehead?"

"Now that the others have gone, I think you and I really need to figure out what we're supposed to do about Henry. We know him best, so I think the task really falls to us."

"You're right. But what that thing is, I have no idea what we should do. Neither you nor I have ever gone through something like this, and even if we had, would we really want to talk about it? Can we honestly, reasonably expect Henry to talk about it?"

"You have a point there, Rika," Takato said. "I guess we can't."

"But there is something else you two can do, especially you, Takato," the yellow, bipedal fox took a step forward.

"What is it, Renamon?" the boy felt a glimmer of hope. "Besides Guilmon, Henry's my best friend. I'd do anything to help him."

"Then go over there and sit with him. Sometimes the best thing someone can do for a grieving friend is just be there for them. Letting them know that you care enough not to abandon them."

Takato considered this idea.

"You're right, Renamon. When I forced WarGrowlmon to digivolve into Megidramon, the only thing that kept me going was the thought that underneath Megidramon's skin, Guilmon still was there, ready to help me at a moment's notice."

"Then go do the same thing for Henry. Rika and I must go now."

"Please be gentle with him," Rika got to her feet, and, in the greatest surprise of all, rushed forward to give Takato a hug. "He's too important for us to lose. Guilmon can stay with me for the night. Somehow I have the feeling you're not going to want to be disturbed for the next few hours."

"I… I… I'll do my best, Rika," Takato struggled to breathe.

"Thank you. And good luck… Takato."

"Henry?" Takato said gently as he sat down beside his friend-turned-statue, he was sitting so still. "Do you mind if I sit here?

No response.

"Okay. I'll that as a yes."

No response.

"Listen, Henry, I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but I just wanted to let you know that I am here for you. We all are. You know that, right?"

Again, no response.

"And I'm not going to leave you by yourself. Whenever you're ready to go, just say the word, and I'm one. Until then, I'm staying."

Maybe it was merely the coldness of the quickly-approaching night sky, but Takato was sure that Henry had started to cry again, he had begun to tremble so violently.

At long last, after hours of staring at nothing, like a dead man, Henry spoke, in a thick, gravelly voice not his own, "why'd he have to do it, Takato? Surely must have been another way."

"I don't know," Takato shook his head. They had been in the park for so long that the moon was beginning to make its way down towards the western horizon. "I'm afraid that's not a question I can answer."

"Hmm…"

Another minute.

"Takato?"

"Yes, Henry?"

"Do you remember when we almost lost Guilmon the first time? When we had to save him from that digital zone?"

"Of course."

"And you did all within your power to get Guilmon out of that situation?"

"Yes."

"Why couldn't I do that? Surely I could have gotten him out of the situation with ShadowGorillamon?"

"Again, Henry, that's not a question I can answer. But… somehow I don't think it was just because of Terriermon that ShadowGorillamon was able to be defeated."

"I don't understand."

"Henry, don't you remember what happened right before?"

Henry shook his head.

"No. What?"

"Both you and Terriermon started glowing, emitting some kind of green light. And from that light came nothing but a feeling of power. It was unlike anything I've ever felt before. Not even when we were fighting Zhuqiaomon did I feel such a thing."

"What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is that I think that in order for ShadowGorillamon to finally be defeated, both Terriermon's and your power was needed."

"My power? But if I had such power, I could have saved—"

"No, Henry. It was because of that power that Terriermon was able to save you. Right before MegaGargomon de-digivolved, I saw something in his eyes, something I had never truly seen in him before. I saw fear."

"Huh?" Henry turned his head, confused.

"I'm just saying, I think it was only because of you that he was able to do what he did. He did it out of love for you, Henry. And it was your love for him that gave him the strength he needed to do it."

"Th… Then it was both of us?"

"I don't think it could have been anything else."

"Hmm…"

At long last Henry seemed to regain some sense of awareness and looked down at his hands, with a look that Takato couldn't exactly put into words.

"Thank you, Takato," the boy said, his voice quivering with emotion. "Thank you for everything. But what happens now? It's not like the pain is just going to go away. It's still there. It's been there since we defeated the D-Reaper. But now it's stronger than ever

Takato thought for a moment, "Well, would Terriermon want you to do? Would he want to see you this way? What do you think he would say?"

Yet again Henry was silent for quite some time, though it was perfectly obvious to both of them what Terriermon would have said.

"Mouh Mahn Taih," Henry croaked exhaustedly.

"Mouh Mahn Taih," Takato repeated.

"Mouh Mahn Taih," Henry croaked for a second time. This he followed by taking a deep breath, and then, with every ounce of emotion he had left, addressed the nocturnal breezes, "Terriermon, thank you for everything you've done for me. You're friendship, your encouragement, your annoying me, your protecting me. Though I complained often, all that was what made you who you are. I will never forget you. Always you will be with me, and I with you, no matter where you are. Thank you… Terriermon…"

Without warning, Henry's digivice re-erupted into emerald light causing the clearing in which they sat become as bright as day. There was the sound of the rushing of air, followed by a loud, mischievous laughter Henry knew too well. And then from out of the light came four voices, none other than the words of the Four Sovereigns:

"You have done well, Tamer," the voice of Zhuqiaomon resounded. "You have defeated your ultimate foe, and even after paying so heavy a price, you still love your Partner, as only a human can. You hold no hate; only love, pride, and sadness."

"How you humans manage to do such things, we do not understand," the voice of Baihumon followed. "Only that it was by your love for Terriermon that one of the Digital Worlds most deadly nemeses was destroyed."

The voice of Ebonwumon immediately continued, "love is the greatest thing anyone, human or digimon, can share, and when it is given freely, without compromise, it is the strongest force in existence."

Finally, there came the voice of Azulongmon, "therefore, there is but one thing left to do."

Then the four deep, ancient voices together cried out in unison, "Digital Reconfiguration!"

At once the light faded, and everything was as it was before. There was no more laughing, no more wind, no more voices of the Four Sovereigns.

With but one exception.

"H… Henry?" a small, white-and-green figure whispered weakly from the young boy's lap.

"T… T… Terriermon?"

Looking down, Tamer and digimon met one another's eyes. So astounded were they that neither of them could speak. There was only one thing to be said, the phrase which had bonded them together since the beginning.

"Mouh Mahn Taih."

Never before had the dawn looked so beautiful.