DISCLAIMER: I don't own digimon. But, if I could figure out how to pull it off, Sakuyamon would be sitting next to me providing her input.
Sakuyamon: That's right, partner.
Ehehe.
~*~
Chapter 3
Rika woke up to the steady sound of waves washing up against a beach and wondered where she was. then she heard Ryo humming merrily and the events of the day before came rushing back to her. She groaned and tried to go back to sleep, hoping it was all a bad dream and she'd wake up soon, at home in bed or even with Henry and Gogglehead, just anywhere but here.
Ryo heard her groan and walked over to her, curled up in her little scoop in the sand.
"Good morning, Rika!" He held out two halves of a coconut to her. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"
Rika was tired and there was sand inside her clothes. "Go stick your head in the sand!" she snapped.
"Not a morning person, huh?" Ryo shook his head and walked over to a small pile of leaves, where he was busy doing something that looked like sewing. Rika's curiosity got the better of her and she followed him to see what he was doing.
Ryo noticed her puzzled expression. "I'm making a hat," he explained. "To keep the sun off. Do you want one?"
She considered for a bit and then shrugged. There was nothing else to do. She settled down on the ground and he showed her how he was weaving together coconut leaves and some long grass that was growing under the tree.
They worked in an almost companionable silence until Rika realized something was wrong. She looked around her. "Where's Renamon?"
Ryo shrugged. "They went to talk to that Whamon. Said they'd be back before nightfall." He kept working on the cone-shaped hat, not looking up.
Rika scowled at the idea that her partner would just leave without telling her, but the warm sun felt so comfortable that for once she didn't feel like yelling about it, at least not right now.
The day passed uneventfully after that. The sun inched overhead and towards the western horizon, washing the sky with pink and purple. Renamon and Cyberdramon still weren't back, and Rika was getting anxious.
Soon stars winked into view across the sky, and the almost-full moon was casting a pale, ghostly light over everything. Ryo had discovered that the dried-out coconut shells and leaves burned, and used one of his matches to get a fire going. They huddled on opposite sides of the hot orange light, Rika looking up into the sky intermittently. Her face was lines with worry.
"Where is she?" she muttered for the tenth time.
Ryo was watching her across the fire. There was concern in his eyes, but more for Rika than for Cyberdramon. "I'm sure she'll be back very soon." He made his voice reassuring. "They probably just lost track of time, that's all."
Rika glared daggers at him. His sympathy seared through her like a red-hot poker, and she lost her temper. "Or maybe that thing of yours went crazy and attacked her! You have no control over that creature. I never should have trusted him to carry her!"
Ryo was so taken aback that all he could do was blink at her. "I-I'm sorry that you feel that way, Rika. Cyberdramon would never hurt Renamon. He's really just a big puppy dog."
There were sparks in Rika's lavender eyes, but all she did was scowl at Ryo while he sat with an inscrutable look on his face.
The fire was nearly embers when the digimon came back. Rika bolted up and ran to Renamon. "What kept you so long?" she demanded as she hugged her partner fiercely.
Renamon embraced Rika back. "The rock was further away than we thought. Cyberdramon had to rest before we could return."
Ryo scratched his digimon behind his head. "Poor guy. Want a coconut, boy?"
As the digimon came to rest by the remains of the fire, Renamon related what the Whamon had told her. "He said that he's never seen people on this island before, but the water here is too shallow for him to come close. He didn't have a lot of useful information for me, but what he said was interesting."
She continued. "Apparently a long time ago this island was part of a larger land mass, and land-dwelling digimon lived on it. But over the years the water rose higher and higher until all that was left was this little piece. Even this part is still sinking. That whamon says he's travelled half this ocean and he's never seen any other land. This place has become a world specially for the water digimon."
Rika sighed impatiently. "That's a beautiful story, but I don't think it'll help us get off of this godforsaken sand dune! We're stuck hereā¦"
"Don't worry Rika. Cyberdramon and I will keep looking for data streams." Renamon looked in her eyes. "I know one will come soon."
Rika got up. "I'm going to bed."
She spent the night huddled against Renamon for warmth. Sleep eluded her.
