Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Lord of the Rings

A Shadow of Memory

Chapter: 02

Rika sat across from Takato; arms folded together with a finger tapping on her forearm impatiently while she eyed Takato beneath her black bangs.

"Well?" she asked. "It's not going to bite you know."

Takato looked away from her familiar piercing eyes and down at the cup of tea in front of him, steam rising from its interior.

Tea. He had never drunk tea with Rika before. At least, not the Rika he remembered. He wondered if she counted it among the myriad of 'stupid things' that were boring or dumb to do. He wouldn't be surprised if that were the case and if true portrayed another stark difference between this Rika and the one he had known thus far.

Taking a deep breath, he cautiously lifted the cup and blew on it before taking a sip. A touch of mint graced his tongue and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh! This is…good!"

Rika arched an eyebrow at this before scowling at him.

"Of course, it's good!" she berated him, annoyed. "Grandma made it, and its your favorite, remember?" Shifting on her pillow, the girl tilted her head at him. "Stupid Muffinhead… Did you hit your head or something from whatever nightmare you had that sent you tearing out of your home?"

There's that name again… Takato squirmed slightly. It seemed no matter what alternate version of Rika he dealt with, she was determined to give him a nickname that involved a noun and his head. He gave a light laugh at that, earning him a quizzical eyebrow from the dark-haired girl.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Just…things," he shrugged. "Um… This might sound like a weird question…Well, probably several…"

"Takato, every question you ask is weird. What's so different about this one?"

Scratching the side of his head, he considered Rika's words. Even that sounded like the very same Rika he knew.

Which probably means she's still got the same temper. Oh well. Here goes. It was nice knowing you, world.

Meeting her gaze, he decided to throw caution to the wind and spoke.

"Did you dye your hair?"

Rika's brow knotted up in confusion.

"I don't get it."

Now it was Takato's turn to raise an eyebrow at her.

"What's not to get?"

"Your joke. Are you pulling a prank or something?"

"Ah… Do I normally do that in this world?"

"No! I… Wait, what do you mean 'this world?' Start making sense, you Muffinhead!"

I'm really going to have to ask how I got that nickname…

"Okay. Um… Can you pretend I'm asking a serious question for a second?" he asked, his eyes pleading. "Please? I'm kind of trying to figure things out here and I'm really not sure what's going on. If it helps…pretend I've got amnesia?"

Rika frowned at him, her own confusion not lessening in her eyes, but soon enough she nodded cautiously.

"All right. I'll play along. No, I didn't dye my hair." Lifting a hand, she picked at the strand of hair that hung down from in front of her ear. "This is my natural color."

Okay… I guess that I can scratch weird time travel off the list so…alternate dimension? Takato drummed his fingers against the side of the teacup, his thoughts flurrying about. Maybe I'm in the digital world and it made a mistake or something with Rika?

"Okay," he nodded. "And that guy I met outside… That was your dad."

"Oh, for goodness sake… Yes!" Rika rolled her eyes in exasperation, seeming particularly irritated by that. "Is this going somewhere?"

"Have you heard of digimon?"

Rika gave him a deadpan look that all but screamed, "Are you an idiot?"

"Right," Takato laughed. "I'm sure you won those tournaments too. Nice to see you're still the Digimon Queen."

Again, the confused frown.

Uh oh… I guess this means Ryo…

"What tournaments are you talking about? And Digimon Queen?" Rika gave a derisive harrumph at that. "Don't make me laugh. I've got no intention to go conquering the digital world."

Takato's eyes fluttered in rapid succession. "W-Wait! The digital world exists here too?!"

Rika was now looking at him with concern and even alarm. "You must have hit your head harder than I thought. Of course, it exists. You should know that! We were together at the Rainbow Bridge back when…" She paused, her violet eyes searching his crimson ones before she got up and rounded the table. Takato tracked her with confusion as she settled down next to him. Reaching up, her hands threaded their way through his brown hair, fingers searching for something. The temperature on Takato's face erupted and he immediately began to squirm.

"R-Rika! What…?"

"Stop…moving, you Muffinhead! I'm just looking for the goose egg you gave yourself when you tumbled out of bed! For goodness sake, I told you that you were going to end up hurting yourself the first time I saw that stupid setup and… Will you stop already?"

"S-Sorry," Takato stammered out, blushing even more ferociously now. "I'm not…not used to… I mean, I am! I mean… Ah…" A nervous laughter emerged from Takato's lips as Rika continued to part his hair, fingers searching for bumps while she gave him a worried look. After a minute of frustrated searching, she finally pressed her hand against his forehead.

"No fever. No bump." Lowering her head so that they were at eye level, she caught his gaze, her expression searching his carefully. "Okay," she said carefully. "No more games, Takato. You're really starting to worry me now. If this is a joke, you've had your fun."

"I-It's not a joke! I mean… I don't think it is."

"Huh?"

Takato winced. "Yeah, that came out wrong."

Rika harrumphed again. "Well at least that part of you hasn't changed," she noted with a mixture of annoyance and relief.

"Sorry." Takato shrugged as Rika leaned back, waiting for his explanation. "I just… Maybe I'm going crazy or something? I just…" He gestured about him meaningfully. "I remember things differently. Things aren't supposed to be like this."

"Like what?" Rika frowned. "Things like my hair and my dad?"

"Yeah," Takato nodded. "Your hair… I remember it was red. And it was long. Done up in a ponytail like…like this." Raising his hands, he fitted them behind his head to show what his meaning. "Real spikey, like a pineapple."

Another deadpan expression from the girl. "If this is some lame attempt at getting me to change my hair…"

"No!" Takato exclaimed, causing Rika to jerk back in surprise from the force of his outburst. "I'm serious! Things are different! Renamon! Where's Renamon?"

"Rena…?" Rika blinked. "Takato, what are you talking about? What does a Renamon have to do with anything?"
"Because you're partners!"

A pall of silence fell between them and after a moment, Rika shook her head.

"This is too weird," she said. "What makes you think I'm supposed to be some kind of Digidestined? I'm not."

"Digide…?" Takato dragged a hand over his face. This was becoming too much, too fast. "Not…Tamers?"

"Of course not," Rika said with all the bluntness of a simple duh.

Takato sat there for a moment, his eyes shimmering as he gazed down at his lap. Getting up, he wandered over to the open wall that looked out over Rika's yard, the girl's eyes following him questioningly.

"Takato?"

He didn't answer right away, his eyes sweeping out over the top of the Nonaka gate, where beyond lay a few visible buildings reaching skyward. Taking a deep breath, he shook himself.

"I'm in another world," he said. "That's the only answer. I must have accidently fallen in or something and replaced the other me."

"Takato, what are you babbling about?" He felt a hand – her hand – come to rest upon his shoulder, turning him towards the girl. Her eyes were once again full of confusion and concern. "Hey, come on. Clue me in here, Muffinhead. What's really going on?"

She gave his shoulder a soft squeeze and Takato broke their gaze, feeling his heart clench in his chest.

"I'm…not sure how to say this, but I'm not the Takato you know. Where I'm from there aren't Digidestined. You have red hair and we're both Tamers. You're partnered to Renamon and I'm partnered to Guilmon."

"That fictional digimon you drew when you were twelve?" Rika lifted an eyebrow. Takato blinked at that while her expression softened. "Takato, I know you want to be a Digidestined, but that's not how things work." She gave his shoulder a gentle tug back toward the table. "Come on. Talk to me."

Takato allowed himself to be drawn back to the table, and he sat himself down heavily. Sitting herself down beside him, she took up the teapot and refilled his cup. Steam rose up once more and she lifted it, holding it out for him.

"Drink up," she said, her tone soft. "It'll help."

What's the point? he asked himself, but he took a sip anyway. The sharp taste of mint tingled his tongue, and he felt himself become refreshed again, but he wasn't sure if he felt any better for it.

"What can I do to get you to believe me?" he asked, his voice quiet. Rika furrowed her brow at him before glancing away.

"It's…hard to believe," she admitted. "Looking at you, I get the feeling that you really do believe it. That's…" Her hand came to rest over his own, her thumb tracing over his skin affectionately. "That's something I've always liked about you/ You're so easy to read. But you've kind of hit me with a bunch of things that don't make any sense. What proof do you have that you're from some other world?"

"I…don't," he admitted reluctantly. "I don't have my digivice or my goggles or even my cards."

Rika looked at him with amusement. "Cards? Cards of digimon?"

"Yeah." Takato barked a harsh laugh. "Where I'm from they started out as a game we played and it turned out that they were real all along. Our digivices had a slot in the side for them, so we could modify our partners during a fight."

"That sounds useful," Rika grinned. "Everything I've heard says that the Digidestined can't help their partners other than make them digivolve."

"Who are they?" Takato asked. "Does anyone know what their names are?"

Rika shrugged. "All I know is that one of them wears goggles and at least two of them are blonds. Seems like someone's keeping them all hushed up."

"That's really weird," Takato murmured to himself, wondering if they were anything like the Digidestined from the TV show.

It's definitely not Davis, I know that much for sure, he laughed mentally. I mean, sure he wears goggles, but that's because he really admires Tai, and Tai… I…don't actually know why he wears goggles.

He scratched his cheek. Tai never mentioned watching the show before, but then again, he didn't really talk to Tai either. The two of them walked in completely different social circles.

Silence fell between the two and Takato leaned back, his eyes moving about the room, taking in all its familiarity – the only real similarity that he could see in Rika's house in this world versus the one he knew from his. It struck him as odd that, for all of Rika's differences now, she still turned out largely the same.

A bit more friendly though, he thought, blushing a little, finally began to catch on to the feel of Rika's touch, and her gentle caresses over his hand while she hummed under her breath.

Humming.

Humming.

"Huh. That's the first time you've done that since Locomon."

"Hm? Done what? And what's Locomon?"

Oh. Right.

"A digimon we were trying to stop," he explained, deciding to keep the details to a minimum. "You sang there for some reason, even though you hated it."

"That other me sounds dumb if she hates singing," Rika harrumphed again, giving his hand a soft squeeze. "How close are the two of you?"

"Pretty close," he said, blushing at her touch. "She…uh…wouldn't be caught dead holding my hand though."

Rika's scowl was dark and angry.

"Really dumb," she reiterated, her grip tightening. "She doesn't know what she's missing."

"I-I'm sure she's got her reasons," Takato defended. "She kind of has a lot of trust issues."

"Don't know why she wouldn't trust you. Sure, you can be weird and flaky with your mouth, but…" Once again, a tight squeeze around his hand. "…I can't think of a better friend."

I can think of Renamon for one, Takato thought, but he didn't say that out loud and instead watched as she continued to affectionately caress his hand, leaving him to wonder just how close the two of them were in this world.

Seems…kind of close, he thought, watching her fingers slip between his and again tighten before releasing. His blush skyrocketed. Like really close. I wonder if she and the other me…

His thoughts trailed off, his expression falling.

"I need to find a way back home," he said softly. "Maybe if I do that, then you can get your me back."

Rika's hand clenched around his once more, this time even harder than before and her expression screwed itself up tight with emotion, causing Takato to wince against the pressure.

Really… Really close… he grunted mentally, trying not to cry out in pain.

"You're serious about this," she whispered. "Really serious."

"Y-Yeah," the boy nodded quickly, hoping that she would ease up on him. The hurt on the girl's face was palpable and she, with great reluctance, withdrew her hand, looking away and Takato barely restrained a sigh of relief. Again, she began to hum, but this time the musical tune was hard and angry, like she was brewing up a storm. Distantly, the sun outside hid behind a cloud and there was a sudden, yet low gust of wind that caused a set of windchimes to ring.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Takato began, only for Rika to shoot him with a sharp glare that drew him up short.

"Shut up, Muffinhead."

He wanted to smile at how intensely familiar this scene was – having lived through it far too many times unintentionally – but the hurt, angry look in her eyes killed that urge, leaving him with a desire to hug her close and comfort her.

He doubted such a gesture would be appreciated from him however. He wasn't her Takato.

Wiping at her eyes, Rika got to her feet.

"Come on," she grunted angrily. "Let's figure this out."

"Wait, what?"

"Someone took my Muffinhead!" she snarled. "My Takato! I'm not sitting around waiting for him to show up again. I'm coming with you!"

Now a small smile tugged at the corners of Takato's lips. Seeing this, Rika glowered at him beneath her dark bangs.

"This isn't funny."

"No, it's not. I just…" He shrugged helplessly. "Sorry. It's just…nostalgic seeing you get fired up like this. "It's…" He scratched the back of his head in thought. "How to say it… It's one of the reasons why I always thought you were so awesome in my world. I guess it's nice to see that it's the same here too."

Rika was silent for a moment and she folded her arms over her chest, eyes dark. Once more, the sun outside hid itself behind a passing cloud and the windchimes rang again, though softer than before.

"If this is a prank," she began, her voice thick with unspoken wrath, "you're going to be making it up to me for so long you'll have to marry me for me to forgive you."

Both of their faces bloomed bright red at that, but Rika's eyes were as swords, unyielding and brooking no argument from him. Takato swallowed.

O-Oookay… I guess we were really close in this world…

"I-It's a promise to the sunset," he smiled placatingly. Rika's face darkened still further, but she nodded, seemingly satisfied by his words.

"Then let's go."

###

"Why are we stopping here?"

Takato paused on the stairs leading up the hill and over at Rika, who regarded him with a questioning gaze.

"This is where I used to hide Guilmon in the early days of my being a Tamer," he explained. "We also found two portals leading to the digital world here."

"And you're thinking one will be there." A statement, not a question. From her tone, she sounded quite skeptical. He couldn't blame her. Even he thought it was a bit of a longshot.

"It can't hurt to make sure before we go to Odaiba, right?"

Odaiba had been Rika's suggestion as digital world activity seemed concentrated there. No doubt a portal of some sort was there.

"Highton View Terrace was supposed to be an even bigger weak point," she had said as they set off. "But that got closed off a couple of years ago. At least, that's what was said on the With the Will forums anyway. There are a few other places we can check out, but that's a big one."

This sure feels like the TV show, Takato thought, realizing that a fair bit of events Rika referenced lined up with what he remembered watching from the cartoon as a kid, save for a reported attack by a digimon called Ordinemon – not one he ever heard of before, even as a film. He scratched his head at that.

Regarding the names of the Digidestined, Rika didn't know of any, and she didn't recognize any of the names he gave to her.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, he thought. I mean, Gennai in the show did work to delete a lot of data on the digital world to keep people from discovering it. If this world is anything like the show, then that wouldn't change, right?

Returning to the stairs, he continued to make his way up them, Rika following closely behind, until they reached the top and were greeted by the sight of the iron gate that led to the old, concrete hut. Smiling at its familiarity, Takato hurried over and opened it up, his skin prickling at the sound of its loud, metal creaking. Behind him, he heard Rika give a light giggle.

"W-What's so funny?" he asked, a bit curious at the way she had laughed, so different from what he was used to from someone who, aside from her dark hair, was every bit the Rika he remembered.

"Just thinking about something funny. This place seems like something you'd find for a hideout or fort. I'll have to remember it for later."

Missing her playful smirk, Takato gave a light laugh of his own.

"Actually, it was Henry who found it after you and I first met. I couldn't keep Guilmon at the bakery, and I needed a place that was hidden enough in case you tried hunting him down again…"

"Wait, hold on. Hunt him down?"

"Ahhh…" Takato blanched, realizing what he just said. Whirling about, he held his hands up.

"Hey, don't worry! Things were just different then. My world's version of you didn't stay like that. Really, she's an amazing person! We're actually very good friends!"

Rika crossed her arms together, her eyes narrowed. "You're not selling me on that, Muffinhead. You're saying I attacked you and your partner. That's not a ringing endorsement."

"Well…how did you meet your me the first time?"

A blush colored Rika's face just then and she looked away.

"It was…weird," she said quietly, turning her body sideways so she didn't have to look at him.

"Sorry," he said, sensing her discomfort. "I get it if you don't want to talk about it. I mean, my you made me promise not to talk about how I first… Um… Actually… I should probably keep that promise."

"Probably a good idea," Rika hmphed, turning back toward him. "But let me take a wild stab at it since we're such 'good friends' in your world and we both seem to be a lot like the other version of us. You didn't happen to have a dream about me did you?"

"Ahhh…" Takato's face colored slightly. "Is…that what I did over here?" he asked evasively.

"I'm taking that as a 'yes,'" Rika smirked in amusement, becoming more at ease. "And yeah, you did. So did I for that matter. We ran into each other after I ran out of a photo shoot my mom forced me in and…" She shifted. "It was a weird day, let's just leave it at that."

Takato scratched the side of his head. "My world's Rika didn't have any dreams about me. She didn't recognize me at all when she first showed up."

Rika seemed a bit saddened by this knowledge. "Our worlds really are pretty different, huh?"

"Yeah," Takato nodded, and outside, he heard the trees swaying gently from a light breeze. The sound felt as though it had sadness tinging it, matching the girl's own feelings.

"So…what are you looking for here?" Rika asked after a moment passed. "Because all I'm seeing right now is concrete floor and no portal to the digital world."

"Well, the portal was buried and Guilmon had to dig it up both times," Takato admitted. "If one is there, there's no way we can get to it without a bulldozer. I guess it's better if we go to Odaiba after all. It's just more of a question of what do we do and where do we go once we're there?"

"I'm sure we'll think of something," Rika said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze. "We've always been pretty good at winging things in this world. What about you?"

"Pretty much the same." Takato barked a harsh laugh and ran a hand through his hair. Man, it almost feels like I didn't actually leave my world. "Rika, I…"

"How about we get a move on?" Releasing his shoulder, the dark-haired girl started toward the gate. Takato watched her go for a moment, overcome by a sense of unreality that he found himself wavering on his feet. For the first time, he realized just how much about his situation he had pushed to the side and now it was washing over him all at once. Grabbing hold of himself, he started toward the gate after her. Outside, he heard the sound of wind kicking up again, and then all became dark.

It happened very quickly, like a drawing of a curtain. One minute, the sun was shining bright and warm in a vast, clear track of sky, and in the next complete and utter blackness drowned it all, leaving nothing behind to pierce it.

"What…?" began Rika, only to be silenced by a sudden, violent heaving of the earth beneath her feet, hurling her backward into Takato with a startled cry. He caught her and the two of them fell back into the concrete hut with a hard thud. They clutched hold of each other, waiting for it all to end, but they wouldn't have such luxury as above them, the roof to the hut cracked. The sensation of dust falling upon his skin was all the warning Takato had and, through reflexes trained into him by years of being a Tamer, he grabbed hold of Rika and rolled them out of the way, narrowly avoiding the slab of concrete that came crashing down where they had been. They lay there, staring at the spot they had just vacated as the rocking of the earth subsided before looking at each other.

"Are you all right?" Takato asked, blinking. He couldn't see, though he felt Rika shift against him, indicating that she was fine.

"Y-Yeah. Thanks. What… What the heck is going on? Takato, I can't see a thing!"

Before Takato could say or do anything else, a light, bright and tall, tore through the air, and a familiar set of white paws materialized at the entrance to the hut. Turning his blinking gaze up, his eyes traced along the figure of a gold-furred, bipedal fox with violet armguards, her body framed by a burning pillar.

"Renamon!" his mouth fell open in bewilderment, and the vulpine digimon nodded before starting towards him.

"You are fortunate that I found you just now, Takato," she said, kneeling down and helping the two teens to their feet. "We must hurry and leave this place."

"Wait, you know…?"

"Questions later," the kitsune interrupted, holding up her three fingers in a silencing gesture. "This area isn't safe and will soon be deleted, along with us if we remain."

"Hold on. Deleted…?"

"Later." With a grunt, Renamon hoisted Takato in her arms and her azure gaze fell upon the dark-haired girl, who looked on her in awe. For a moment, her features twisted, as though in pain before taking hold of her as well, tucking both teens under her arms. With a mighty leap, she threw all three of them out of the darkness that enveloped the city and into the door of light.

###

Renamon landed in Shinjuku Park, just outside Guilmon's hut as behind them a black mist began to dissipate, one arm empty save for the sparkling shards of light that rose up into the sky. The kitsune gazed at it as she set Takato down on the steps, her eyes a mixture of anger and mourning before she schooled her face back to stillness.

"R-Renamon…" began Takato, hoisting himself up to his knees. "What…?" Alarm broke upon his face as he looked up and he shot to his feet. "Rika! Where's Rika?!"

"Gone," Renamon informed him, rising. "It seems that my fear was correct. She couldn't leave that place after all."

The vulpine digimon closed her eyes, a great well of sadness rising from deep inside her. She held it for a moment before returning her attention to Takato, who looked completely and utterly confused.

"Couldn't leave…? What…What happened back there? Where's Rika? Is she…?" He turned toward the black fog, and almost straight away he started toward it, only for Renamon to grab hold of him and, with sudden swiftness, throw him onto the stairs, pinning him to the hard concrete.

"Do not go in there," she said in a deep, angry voice that he hadn't heard from her in years. "If you do, you will most certainly be destroyed."

"But…R-Rika…!"

"Is gone," Renamon interrupted. "That version of her is. I am sorry, Takato. I had hoped…"

The kitsune trailed off, watching as the black particles rose up into the night sky, disappearing against its twinkling starlight until there was nothing left, all the while Takato struggled beneath her, shouting for her to let him go so he could go back and bring Rika back. Finally, he let out a strangled cry and buried his face into the hard surface of the stairs. Relinquishing her grip on the boy, she stepped back to wait for him to get control of himself.

It seemed that would be in a long time coming.

With an angry growl, Takato was on his feet and he turned a deadly, baleful glare at her, his crimson eyes flashing in the moonlight. Much to her surprise, Renamon repressed an urge to flinch, remembering that look once before in the digital world, and what it had created and the devastation it nearly caused. She waited, wondering if Takato would try to strike her. He was not a naturally violent person and though he would fight to defend those he cared about, he often shied away from conflict. Everyone however, she knew had a breaking point, and the shock to his system, she felt, might have just been bad enough for him to behave in a manner wholly outside his character.

After all, who would be in a normal state of mind when someone they loved had seemingly died?

However, as she watched and waited, she saw him take a deep breath and unclench his fists. His shoulders sagging, he hung his head, and when he spoke, his voice was full of utter bitterness and loss.

"What…happened back there?"

"I am not altogether sure," Renamon replied carefully. "Strange as it may sound, a dream told me that you were in danger and I came here with all the speed that I could. Our Rika is fine, but the other one…" She glanced in the direction of the night sky. "She was already gone long before you met her. What we saw was merely another time. A recording of what came before, and she couldn't leave it."

"That…makes no sense!" Takato burst out, his face rising, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I…I felt her! That other Earth… It was just like ours! It was real!"

"I don't quite understand it myself," Renamon acknowledged. "But it was what I said. Perhaps you influenced it in some way by your being there. What was the last thing you remember before finding yourself in that world?"

"I…" With an effort, Takato took a deep, shuddering breath. "This is crazy. This is…"

"Takato. Please."

Their eyes met, and after only a moment Takato looked away. Collapsing onto the stairs, he pressed his hands against his face.

"I just went to bed. I fell asleep and that was it. What… What does that have to do with anything?"

"Dreams…" Renamon murmured, her eyes thoughtful. "In a dream, I was told you were in danger, and your dreams have had…powerful effects in the past."

She frowned, thinking on her own dream. In it, there had been a figure, but she couldn't for the life of her recall much about them. Even now, it felt as though the memory had become hazy and was rapidly dissolving like the black fog from before.

While she couldn't speak for the other digimon of their group, for herself, that was abnormal.

"Rika's really all right?" Takato asked, his voice hoarse. Renamon saw that he was trembling. The experience of losing even an alternate version of her – a recording really – had badly shaken him.

"Yes," Renamon nodded. "She should be here shortly."

At that, Takato seemed to relax and his breathing became easier. "We…We should really figure out what was going on…"

"I believe you should get some rest first," Renamon began, only to be interrupted by the twitch of her ears, having caught the sound of footsteps rapidly coming up the steps. Turning, she saw the familiar figure of Rika Nonaka – Her Rika – running up the stairs, crimson hair tied up in a ponytail flashing in the moonlight. Her violet eyes swept up at Renamon questioningly before taking note of Takato, seated on the stairs, tearstained eyes widening at the sight of her.

"Takato!" she called out, hurrying up the steps, and through their mental link, Renamon could sense the girl's alarm over her friend's emotional appearance.

"R-Rika!" the boy stammered out, staggering to his feet. Before Rika could react, her friend ran down to her and swept her up in his arms. "Oh, thank goodness you're all right!"

"Wha…?" Rika grunted in surprise as she was pulled tight against him. By startled reflex, she found herself almost pulling away before correcting herself and drawing her friend to her in return, the tremors she felt running in his arms informing her that something had happened that greatly upset him and that he needed her reassurance before anything else. "Hey, what happened?" Taking a quick look around, her heart thudded hard in her chest and her eyes shot over to Renamon. "Where's Guilmon? Is he…?"

"Guilmon is fine and should still be at the bakery," the vulpine digimon replied, descending down the stairs toward them. "This will take some time to explain I feel."

Drawing back from Rika, Takato nodded. "We've got to let Yamaki know what's going on," he said, sounding more in control of himself. Rika eyed him carefully in response, and through their shared link, Renamon sensed that she was caught between her distrust of Yamaki and her concern over her friend. Approaching her, she laid a paw on Rika's shoulder and the two shared a look. No words needed to be said, not even mentally.

Taking out her cellphone, Rika pulled up Yamaki's number and hit the call button.

###

Once upon a time, in an age so long ago that time had long forgotten it existed, there had been a man named Maglor. Not 'man' per se, the name that had once described humanity as a whole, but a man nonetheless. That name however was forfeit, and in the turning of the millennia, from the fall of ancient kingdoms that heralded the fading of his time and the domination of humanity upon this Earth – this middle realm – he took on new names, blending into the societies and realms that sprang up in their place. Egyptian, Babylon, Persia, Rome, France, Britain, China and Japan and many others. Long were his travels and wide, even to places where the stars were strange, but no matter where he went, he took a name for the time he dwelt there. Ten years or so, and rarely more. Little more than a blink of an eye from his perspective.

Now he went by the name of Kotone, and had done so for a little longer than normal. Just in case she needed to find me, he told himself. Just in case.

And so he continued to tell himself as the world changed around him, entering a new age without even knowing it had happened. He felt it though, just as he felt the cool breeze from the museum's air conditioning upon his skin. There was always something he caught. Something in the water and the earth deep down below wherein the ruins of the past lay. Something in the air he smelled; a fragrance perhaps from which he scented something from afar.

Passing amidst the vast collection of artifacts, he paused on one, a battered book bound in red leather.

He remembered reading about it once while on a long train ride; how it had been found in the mud and translated by its discoverer. Many articles had since been written about the story of the 'kuduk' people – a self-described 'little folk' believed to be of similar stature to the now extinct Homo floresiensis genus, but that first memory of its discovery stayed with him. He wept then. It is not all forgotten, he had thought between his tears, and not for the first time did he desire companionship as he had of old with which to share openly his stories and songs with.

It would be close to a century since that his wish would be granted to him, though not in a way he could have predicted.

He doubted any one of his kind could have predicted a place as fantastical as the digital world.

Did any of the Valar? Did Manwë? Did Mandos?

Of course, no answer came to him. They never did, not even in his dreams. As ever, he remained in the dark on such matters. The only certainty he felt for anything was that, given enough time, he might discover whatever doom the future had in store for him. At the very least, time stood by his side on that matter. He had all the time in the world, so long as it existed.

Still no fading at least, he thought, flexing his hand, grimacing as an old, stiff pain, long dimmed by time, made itself known deep within his nerves before slowly vanishing into the background. Sighing, he moved on from the book and to a broken piece of black stone, discovered somewhere in Europe just west of the Balkans before leaving that one behind too.

The beeping sound coming from his pocket broke him out of his reverie. Reaching within, he drew out a gold-trimmed device, arc-shaped with a center screen glowing brightly. Pressing the central button beneath the screen, an arrow swung around wildly before settling on a specific direction. He nodded to himself before setting off, all thoughts of the past behind him for now.

"So you've returned," he said under his breath, pocketing his D-Arc as he strode hurriedly toward the museum's exit.

11