Learn the Hard Way

by Jacklyn Stone

Chapter two:

Disappearance



Rika moved closer to Henry as a cold breeze blew past them, making her shiver.

"Maybe we should go inside," he suggested, "It's getting cold."

"Maybe you're right."

They stood up, brushing the dirt off their clothes, and started toward the attic window. But suddenly, Henry stopped, apparently listening intently.

"Henry, what is is?"

"I..." he started, then stopped, shaking his head with a smile, "...it's nothing. Come on, let's go in."

Rika nodded, and lowered one foot inside, just barely reaching the floor. Her other leg was halfway inside when it suddenly caught on the windowsill, tripping her.

She fell hard, and she stayed down a little while, regaining her breath.

"Henry, you jerk, why didn't you help me?" she cried angrily toward the window. There was no answer. She finally pushed herself to a sitting position, "Henry!" still no answer. She frowned in confusion, "Henry?" she got to her feet, walked to the window, glancing out of it, and gasped.

Henry wasn't there.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"C-come on, Rena," Furimon pleaded, dangling dangerously by her hand around his neck, "You- you wouldn't do this to an old friend, would you?"

"I would if they don't give me the answer I need," she growled, losing her patience, "I suggest you answer my qusetion, Furimon, or I could 'accidentially' let you fall"

- Maybe I should let him fall, just to get him out of my hair-

"O- okay, " he gasped, "I'll tell you everything...just let me down!"

She hesitated for a few moments, but then swung him around and put him back on the branch.

"Maybe...maybe we should talk on the ground," Furimon suggested, eyeing the ground uneasily.

"Fine," she snapped impatiently, jumping to the ground with one leap, "Okay, Furimon, you-" but she stopped as she glanced up at the tree branch.

Furimon had disappeared.

"Damn," she hissed, "Well, he can't have gone far...I'll have to-" but she was cut off by something hot streaking across her shoulder, and she gasped. She spun around, facing the area where the blast had come from, and saw Furimon standing there, a fireball hovering in midair above his hand, and a grin on his face.

"He, he...next time, I won't miss," he laughed, and another fireball came shooting towards her. She jumped, trying to dodge it, but she wasn't fast enough, and it caught her in the leg, bringing her back to the ground.

She hit the ground hard, immediately tasting blood in her mouth, and a searing pain shot up through her left leg. She moaned softly, so that Furimon couldn't hear her.

"That was a lucky shot, Furimon," she growled in his direction.

"Hardly," he sneered back, a devious grin on his face, "I hit what I intended to hit. You never could admit when you were outmatched, could you, Renamon?"

"I am not outmatched," she argued, "You merely took me off guard, that's all. You couldn't outmatch a flea."

Renamon knew she had crossed the line when the grin disappeared from his face and another fireball formed above his hand. He whipped it at her, and she took the blast full in the stomach. She was pushed back a few yards by the force of it. Laying still on the warm pavement of the street, she moaned in pain as she clutched her wounded midriff, the pain not allowing her to move an inch. She heard Furimon's fading laughter, and knew he was walking away from her, but she heard his final words to her.

"I hope that human of yours doesn't mean too much to you..."

She gasped, making the pain in her stomach double.

-Rika...-

Just as she was beginning to stand, two bright lights coming from down the street blinded her eyes.

"What the hell..." she murmured to herself, not fully understanding at first, frowning at the light.

-Oh, shit- she thought as she realized what it must be. They were...headlights.

A truck was coming down the street...directly at her!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

-I know I saw him...I know he's here! -

Henry ran down the dark, deserted street, his D-power in his hand, which was going haywire, pointing in two directions, in front of him and behind him.

-Two readings? How can I get two readings? Unless...unless he's brought company...-

He shivered as he remembered Renamon's words, -won't send out more than one of the group at a time, maybe two...- Was this one of those times that they sent out two? He was sure that, whoever the second one was, he was probably more powerful than Chaomon. Touching the bandage on his shoulder through his shirt, he slowly came to a stop, remembering how Chaomon had also gone after...

-Rika!-

He turned around, and began sprinting back to Rika's house.

-How could I have been so stupid?- he thought, -I shouldn't have left her there alone! I'm such an idiot!-

He arrived at her house in half the time it took him to leave it, and gasped as he found a short, red digimon on her roof, heading toward the attic window.

"Rika!" he yelled, catching the digimon's attention

"Well, it seems my work has been cut in half for me!" he yelled back, his hoarse voice loud enough for Henry to hear, "...but maybe I'll grab the girl anyway, just for the fun of it!"

"Don't you dare touch Rika!" Henry threatened, his fingers curling into fists. The digimon laughed.

"I don't think you're in any position to make threats, human," he sneered as a pair of strong hands grabbed Henry from behing, putting pressure on his wound. He moaned slightly.

"Too true, Furimon, too true," said a voice from behind him, a voice that was all too familiar...Chaomon, "He does seem to be outnumbered."

"Let me go!" Henry cried, but Chaomon just squeezed his shoulder, making him cry out in pain.

"Let him go, you jerk!" came Rika's angry voice form her front door, and Henry's heart stood still.

"Rika, no!" he cried, struggling, "Go back inside, there's-" his sentance was cut off by a hand covering his mouth.

"Furimon, grab her!" Chaomon ordered. Her gasp was barely audible as she found the reddish digimon was suddenly beside her, her arm locked in his grip. She screamed and wrenched her arm free before Furimon could get a tight enough grip on it.

"Renamon!"

Author's Note: I'm sorry it took so long to get this uploaded, but I've been going though a lot of shit lately. Sorry. I'll see you in the next chapter,

Jacklyn Stone