I am so glad that I am finally getting some time to write. With all of this preparation for college and taking community college classes as well as regular school classes has worn me out. The revisions in this chapter are important for the plot of my story. If you have already read this chapter the main change is located after Ryo's introduction.

DISCLAIMER : I DON'T OWN DIGIMON. I ONLY OWN MY PLOT LINE AND MY OWN ORIGINAL CHARACTERS JADEN AND ZANE KAZUMA ALONG WITH ASHTON NONAKA.

Queen Jay out.

Bold -Song lyrics/ Opening quotes for story

Italics - memories/flashbacks

Bold italics - dreams

" ..." - speaking

' ...' thoughts

-...- telepathy

You can observe a lot just by watching.- Yogi Berra

Chapter 2

" Kyubimon!"

Rika stared in horror as her partner was sent hurtling to the ground , landing with a thunderous slam. Ignoring protests from her friends she dashed out to the middle of the battle field dashing through the smoldering thick smoke created from the impact. Finally finding her partner barricaded in the intense thickness of the smoke , Rika bent down on her knees to get a closer look at her friend's wounds not noticing the flying serpent that was eyeing them through the grey veil in the sky.

"You Ok ?" she asked but before her partner could answer there was an abrupt firing noise that shattered the conversation causing the tamer to gaze above her at a two fire ball missiles heading straight for them. Out of instinct she jumped between the missiles and her partner with her arms outstretched. "NO!!!!"

" What's going on ?" asked a worried Kenta as a loud scream was heard from their end of the battle.

" I don't -"

Just as Kazu was about to reply , a tremendous roar could be heard over head. Peeking through his eyelids there was a cybernetic dragon charging at the air serpent with claws drawn moving at speeds that were incomprehensible. The group could do nothing but stare in awe as the creature effortlessly dodged Gigadramon's attacks countering with the mind numbing assault that was known by all digimon card game players thanks to the legendary tamer Ryo called Desolation Claw.

Rika on the other hand stared on in an intense glare not taking her eyes off of the battle.

The seasoned tamer had trained her eyes to absorb her opponent's aspects ,this didn't just include the digimon but the tamer as well. There was only one card player that she knew who could

control a ravager like Cyberdramon ,but that was impossible. The kid had been missing for almost a year but then again that would explain the mystery behind his disappearance. As if on cue the voice of the individual she was thinking of rang out in a commanding tone.

" That's enough Cyberdramon!"

Darting her eyes over at the source of the command , Rika set her eyes on none other than Ryo Akiyama the alleged digimon king. A deep scowl settled on her features that had only been seen by those she had a true disdain for and Ryo was on the top of her list.

'This is just great.'

Back in the real world the tamers parents were gathered into a large conference room decorated with plain white tables that were reasonably spaced between the group of families allowing them their own space yet they were close enough to one another to interact. Rika's mom and grandma were seated toward the window while the other parents were chatting with one another. Rika's mother was staring off into space while Seiko was slightly gawking at her daughter's strange behavior. The last time she had seen her in this state was when Ashton had left them that fateful day.

"What do you mean that you have one job left Ashton?!" a younger Rumiko asked in a flustered whisper.

The two individuals were in a heated debate in one of the inner rooms of their newly purchased apartment in the neighborhood of Okazaki which, resided in Kyoto, was only a couple of minutes away from the port and beach. It was a quaint area with nice schools and away from the hustle of the bigger cities. Also it kept the family safe from some old acquaintances of the Nonaka family that had it in for them for quite some time.

" I'm sorry Rumiko but I have to do this and would you keep your voice down." the young man gently pushed his wife into their bedroom as Seiko watched Rika and Jaden who were playing video games in the front room.

" You know as well as I do that we can't run away from this type of situation." he explained.

The young husband was a taller than his wife by a couple of inches , his body structure looked to belong to a seasoned lightweight boxer . With his broad arms accompanied by his dark mesmerizing cobalt eyes and light brown hair it was a wonder that he had not settled down until now. Ashton wore a pair of casual slacks , a vertically striped collared shirt with the tails hanging out and on his wrist was a silver Rolex . In the back loop of his jeans was a 40 mm automatic prepped and ready at a moment's notice. In his eyes one could see that he was determined to get his point across to his wife at any cost.

" Why do they want you now they have what they want don't they?" Rumiko asked worriedly.

" I thought so too but it seems like they aren't pleased with the way we left things in Kyoto and want me to take up my duty as leader of the ' family'." The young gunman stated with a look of anger that flared in his eyes, clenching his hands into hardened fists. Ashton refused to leave his family but he had no choice in the matter.

Rumiko walked up to her husband, wrapping him in her arms lovingly. Ashton in turn hugged his wife in return with a cocky smirk gracing his features.

" You're an idiot, you know that ?" Rumiko asked him in a smug tone.

" But you still love me none the less." he replied with a chuckle. " I'll be back I promise."

"Unfortunately, be safe."

"Aren't I always." remarked before kissing her passionately as if he knew that was to be the last time he would hold her. " I love you too."

Walking out the bedroom door he was met by a cheerful Rika , who was tugging him by the arm to meet her new friend. Making their way into the front room the parents saw a familiar young boy beside Jaden who appeared to be no older than fourteen. His intense brown eyes widen in shock at the sight of this man that had just walked out in front of him.

Ashton just smirked brashly at the young boys expression. Taking his wife by the hand in whispered to her that was inaudible to the children. Rumiko stared at her husband in slight skepticism. He nodded and turned his attention back at the young teen that stood in front of the two parents while the two young kids stood staring on at the situation in curiosity.

The black haired teenager immediately bowed his head in respect.

" It is very good to see you again kid. " Ashton greeted with a smile. " You don't have to bow OK Zane. I know all about you and your family. "

By the looks of the scruffy young man, he must have been in a similar position that he was as a young man, roaming the streets at night taking on any fighter that was willing and protecting those that could not protect themselves. Ashton found the act of a person attacking another that was obviously weaker than them dishonest and disgusted at the sight of anyone doing so. From the calluses on his hands , Ashton could tell that he was no stranger to the streets.

" Yes sir." he said with a flustered retort. " Thank You for watching over my younger brother Mr. and Mrs. Nonaka as well as you Ms. Hanau."

" It was not a problem at all." Seiko replied as she smiled kindly to the young visitor.

" Are you ready baby bro?"

" Awe... can't I stay a little longer?" Jaden whined with a pout.

" You know mom wants us home for dinner Jaden. Come on."

" OK."

Putting down the controller the little boy said goodbye to his friend as he walked up to his brother's side. The family bid the two boys a short farewell as the two youngest among the group

yelled at each other for a rematch in their unfinished match on the video game. Once the two boys had left the family settled into their normal routine and ate dinner at the dining table happily. Shortly after dinner ,it was soon almost time for sunset. Rumiko and Seiko had retired to the kitchen to wash dishes as Ashton exited the room alone, he felt a tug at his leg.

" Daddy! You promised you'd walk me to the park today remember?" Rika shouted ecstatically.

The young man looked down at his daughter beaming with pride with a warm smile gracing his features. Patting his daughter on the head in a fatherly demeanor. He picked up his little girl ,wrapping her in his strong arms protectively as she looked up at him expectantly.

" I'm sorry Rika but daddy has to go out of town for a little while but I'll take you to the park as soon as I get back. I 'll get you that cookie-dough ice cream that you like so much and stay for the sunset. How's that sound?"

Rika smiled radiantly at the suggestion but a look of concern soon filled her eyes.

" Promise?"

" I promise sweet heart. Nothing's going to stop me from being with my little girl." he replied with a hug as the worried mother, with her own mother at her side, looked on in pride from the frame of the kitchen door. She was truly thankful for having this man in her life not knowing that this would be the last time any of them would see him alive.

" Ms. Makino?"

The fashion model shot her head up abruptly , turning her gaze to a young man dressed in a pair of loose fit blue jeans , a white collared shirt , black boots, and a black leather jacket. From the young man's overall body structure she could tell that he was in his early twenties. What stood out most about him were his dark chocolate eyes that glistened in the sunlight with a determination that he had seen only in those individuals that participated in fights.

" Yes." she replied still eyeing the young man with a perpetual glare that rivaled her daughter's if not better. " Who are you?"

" I 'm sorry to intrude but I was wondering if you remembered me. I 'm Jaden's brother Zane. From Okazaki, I was an admirer of Mr. Nonaka." He answered with a respectful bow , allowing for the full length of his brown hair to drape over his shoulders.

" Of course." she stated with a wide eyed shock.

" You've grown up a lot since the last time we saw you." Seiko said with a kind smile. "You can sit with us if you would like."

" Thank you, I guess it's not a surprise that you would be here in this crowd too." he joked as he quickly observed the room with a jovial smile. The young man sat down with the two women looking around the room rather instinctively.

" What are you doing here?" Rumiko asked with a curious gaze.

Zane 's face was soon covered with a devious smile. Resting his hands on the table , the young man's grin only grew wider as the two older women stared on in confusion.

" Well it would seem that your daughter isn't the only one that was itching to get to the digital world."

"Wait are saying that your brother is-"

He nodded.

" Let's just say that the giant pig that attack Shinjuku wasn't the only reason he went."

Unfortunately before the trio could continue their conversation, there was a loud commotion coming from the front of the conference room where a man in a pair of black glasses with blond hair stood in the front of the room while a large white screen stretched over the large wall behind him that was a little over the size of a college black board.

" As you all know I am Yamaki , CEO of Hypnos and one of the leading experts searching for your children."

The man went on , telling information about the digital world and its dynamics. Giving information on the landscaping of the area that the children were currently in. Filling them on as many specifics as he could the CEO held out the floor for any questions. This was when the newest addition to the Tamer family spoke up.

" Do you have any way of showing us where they are ?" Zane asked.

"That's precisely what this screen was built for." Yamaki replied proudly as the lights in the room dimmed while the screen in front of them began to emanate a blue glow. Pressing the small remote in his hand , the leader of Hypnos continued his explanation as the audience looked on in awe.

" We were able to construct a machine that can look through the layers of the digital plane and were able to find by some luck three of your children in a white desert region." He turned on the screen to see a large serpent retreating into the ground as a young girl with a spiked ponytail ,what looked like a fox like digimon walking behind her , toward a small group of teenage boys about her age surrounded by two strange clock - ish what they assumed were digimon..

' Uh oh.' Zane thought as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. ' This won't be good.'

" Sorry about that Cyberdramon can be a little temperamental." the chocolate haired boy stated with a smirk not yet noticing the former ice queen's presence. The two other boys along with the clock like digimon were practically drooling as the guy .

" So we are finally being graced by the king himself." the girl retorted with sarcastic venom that oozed all over her statement. A matching neutral glare inhabited her eyes as she walked up to them with a prowess that was identical to any samurai of the Bakumatsu era.(1)

On the other side of this situation the Tamers were oblivious to the fact that they were being watched and were currently observing the spectacle that was playing out in front of them. Kazu and Kenta were lock jawed not wanting to worsen her mood.

" Oh. Hi. I hope that guy didn't give you too much trouble." he stated in friendly demeanor not yet recognizing the tamer's identity. Flashing a charismatic smile the fledgling celebrity card player held out his hand to her but she didn't return the offer. He awkwardly rubbed his hand on his pants leg as the beautiful girl in front of him continued to glare at him. Staring her straight in the eyes a light bulb clicked in his mind and his mouth nearly gaped open at the realization.

"Rika Nonaka."

" I'm flattered you remembered." she replied.

Her voice was eerily calm as she spoke and there was a neutral expression on her face that put the mystery back into her motives. But just as she was about to spit out another retort the digimon known as Cyberdramon began to bear his teeth snarling dripping strands of drool at all corners of its mouth.

"What's wrong Cyberdramon?" Ryo asked urgently grabbing his d-arc from his side. The tamer received only the continued rage of his partner for a reply as the creature's body began to shake violently with anticipation. " It's them, isn't it?"

A grim mist seemed to surround the two as the legendary tamer too had a metamorphosis in demeanor. His stance was more erect with his hands clenched tightly by his sides all the while his teeth began to grind against one another. From Rika's stand point she could even hear an increase in the heaviness of his breathing and see the cloud of anger that cascaded over his once friendly cerulean eyes. Whoever 'them' was it meant bad news for their small group.

That was when the group spotted a dark figure was seen coming down from the sky with precise movements and agility. The mysterious form kicked up a veil of dust over the tamers' eyes forcing them to shield them clumsily. Renamon covered her partner protectively- along with Kazu and Kenta- as they struggled to see through the obscurity. Rika had covered her eyes at the last second with her trademark eyewear and was one of the individuals among the group who had a somewhat clear look of the figure.

The tamers eyes sharpened with curiosity as the dust cleared revealing two figures instead of one. Only a couple of feet in front of her was a towering black digimon covered in body armor with only a short stubble of yellow hair peeking out of the back of its helmet. The creature's golden eyes, however, were focused on the armored dragon Cyberdramon who still ,very reluctantly stayed beside his partner, for the moment.

Beside the black armored tank stood a boy, about a year older than most of the group, wearing a simple pair of loose blue jeans, sneakers, a red workout jacket with its hood and a pair of dark shades guising the figures face. There were two things that peeked Rika's interest, the boy was carrying a black duffle bag over his shoulder that had a black D-arc with a silver ring around the screen that gleamed brightly in the day's light. The second detail was the calluses covering the inside of his right hand that she caught as he placed it over the D-arc as if he had known what she had seen.

' Whoever this guy is he must be some tamer.' Rika had sized him up within a matter of seconds, this guy in front was anything but an amateur. From the look of him the ice queen had confirmed that if this guy was an enemy there would be a hell of a fight on their hands. His digimon partner was a Blackwargreymon and from her own use of the devastating card itself in game play the tomboy knew for a fact that as a real digimon the golden eyed juggernaut could do some major damage.

-Rika?- Renamon gave her partner a quick glance trying to keep her eyes fixed on the strangers in front of them while Kazu and Kenta cowered behind in awe of the armored digimon in front of them.

-Stay on your toes, we don't know what these guys are capable of.-

-Yes but, what about them?- Renamon motioned to Ryo and Cyberdramon who were standing completely still as concrete with their eyes glued on these new individuals.

-We let them be for the time being, looks like these two are the guys Pretty boy was referring to.-

" Long time, Akiyama." The red clad stranger greeted his voice calm yet cold at the same time.

" I wish it were longer." Was the legendary tamer's growled reply his face becoming just as ferocious as his partners.

"Don't worry the feelings mutual but, seeing as there were others here with you I decided to come over to introduce myself." The figure chuckled rather deviously as he walked over to Rika and co. " It would be rude of me not to seeing as I am in the presence of the digimon queen and her companions." The said queen's face turn a tinge of red when her name was mention in such formality.

Kazu took that opportunity to whisper a quick comment to Kenta. Hunching over to his dark haired friend he stated, " Is it me or is this guy hitting on Rika?"

" Yeah and doing a good job of it too." Kenta replied perplexed as he pushed his glasses up into place.

"Who are you?" Rika demanded forcing herself to keep her focus as she crossed her arms defiantly. The tamer met the stranger half way, putting her best glare to work attempting to cover up the uneasiness she felt.

"Ka-"

The hooded boy was cut off when a loud shrill echoed through the sky like thunder. Jerking his head up to the source of the cry, across the horizon was an entire army of Gigadramon and Megadramon.

"Looks like our introductions will have to wait."