- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N: No. Just read it. Love and be loved. Read… and review. Peace!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

(There's No) Beauty in the Breakdown

We're back in the Valley of the Shadows… no… "we're" not back… I'm back…

I stare around at the utter darkness of the place and it's haunting. When I was here earlier… I had no idea… I was so innocent. It was almost as if I had returned naked! Stripped of all the creature comforts that came with not knowing the danger I was truly in last time I was here. I want to shrink away into nothing, so that the world would never see me again.

I look for comfort in the others, and find just the opposite in the only one that matters. Rika is staring at me… with… fire in her eyes. It's the first time I've seen that fire since… since… well… since at least before we started dating. Her stare is almost immediately burned into my head as the rings around her pupils adds a certain frightening effect that I can't seem to shake. I stand up and walk away, headed towards the others. I want to be sure everyone's here, and everyone's safe. Not to say that if everyone wasn't here that would be bad. If someone got left behind it might not be as bad as it is right now.

I get within a few feet of the others and can see easily that they're all there. I stop in my tracks and waste another second double counting them all, and the numbers come out the same- everyone present and accounted for. I wonder why-

"Look what you did!" Says a fury of blood-red hair.

I jump in reaction and my muscles tighten in pure fear. I look at Rika with reproach as she stands, cross-armed in front of me, waiting for an answer that won't come.

I let my emotions get the better of me, as I return her spite. However, I do it in a joking manner, saying, "What do you mean? I played with the controller, what'd you expect would happen?" I say, pushing past her- not literally.
She refuses to laugh at me throwing the blame on myself for something she did, but turns around as I walk past her and says, "I expected you to be smarter then that."

I turn on spot and look at her as if she just told me we weren't in a desert! "Excuse me?"

"Excuse you." She says giving me a stare that makes me step back and drop my offensive attitude. Something more in her stare broke me. I-I… I don't know what it was… but she just shattered me.

"Hell hath no fury, right, Rika?" I say nervously, and stumble backwards, falling into the sand.

I hit the ground very lightly, but as I turn to look back up at Rika she has advanced on me, and she's staring down at me with… those… eyes. They entrapped me in their stare, and I felt as if I was going nowhere. Again, I felt glued to my seat and then… I saw the violent action come from those violet eyes and then… it ended. Ryo had placed a hand on Rika's shoulder and our eye contact had ended right there. "C'mon Rika, he's not worth it." She looks up at him admiringly, and they walk away together… his hand still on her shoulder.

What the hell is going on here!? Rika's acting so weird right now! What am I suppose to do here? I can't even bare staring her in the eyes, what makes me think I can stand up to her? It's almost as if she's completely forgotten about…

"Where are we?" Shouts Jeri, as she begins to make her way for us.

Suzy, Kazu and Kenta just stand dumbfounded to the places where they had just stood up. Rika, Ryo, and Henry look around… lost and confused. Jeri too stops walking and begins to look around. Renamon is…. Renamon! Where is she? I scan the entire area around for several seconds, looking frantically for the only person who can protect us while we're here! I saw her when I went to go count everyone… I mean… I thought I did…

I begin looking around, turning my head in effort to find her, allowing for the others to see my pandemonium. Kenta… Kazu… Suzy… Jeri… Ryo…Henry… Rika… "Where's Renamon!" I finally yell, giving up looking for her on my own.

Everyone jumps at the realization that she's nowhere in sight! Kenta and Kazu begin to turn their heads in effort as well, and Jeri is now stunned to her own spot. I feel more barren as I realize… if she's not here… then… that means…

"There she is!" Yells Jeri.

I turn my head and she's pointing to a cavern wall about twenty yards away. She lying up against the wall, obviously having put herself there… at least… I hope that's not how she landed. She looks up at us and gives a nod so we know she's all right. I give a great sigh of relief, knowing were not completely stranded.

I turn to look for Jeri, but she, as well as Suzy, Kazu and Kenta are already walking towards me now, and, as I turn my head, I see Rika, Ryo, and Henry are doing the same. As they close in, I realize the seven have formed a circle around me… waiting for… me? I stand quite in the middle of the group wondering what to say to them… wondering what explanation I could give them… right now, though, they're all in a foreign place, so I think it'd be best to tell them where they are. "Guys… we're in the Valley of the Shadows."

They uproar in response giving gasps, wide eyes, and open mouths. After a few seconds of commotion in which they all gave their opinions, I raised a hand, and this, somehow, stopped them all from speaking. Even Ryo bit his tongue for me to talk, "Obviously… we can't stay here. Someone would find us… we're just sitting ducks here." I say to them.

There are a few moans, as some would rather speak there minds then listen to just one person. I look around pleadingly, hoping against hope that they won't disagree with me, and see that I'm right. It looks, however, as if they'll actually listen to me, as a few begin to quiet down. After a few more moments, talking has halted all together, and I put a smile, as finally, they've come to the conclusion that I'm right! "Alright let's-"

BURGH!

Everyone turns on spot to where a few moments ago, Renamon had been. Now, however, there is simply a large pile of black burning fire!
"Renamon…" Rika whispers, and then, falls to the ground! She's collapsed.

I take the few steps towards her, but as I bend down to be at her side, Ryo sticks out his hand and pulls my shoulder away. "Don't worry about her! She'll be fine! We have to check on Renamon!" He says, but I feel something deceitful in him, as I stare him in the eyes.

I look down to Rika, and then back to Ryo. Unlike Rika, he doesn't have rings around his eyes, but still… his eyes look dead. I look to the flame and realize… "Your right! C'mon!" I say, running ahead of him.

I hear his footsteps behind me quickly, but we get only ten yards away from the group and the flames explode and a somewhat electric field surrounds Renamon as she seems to be powering up, or rather, preparing to fight. The field subsides and she zooms past Ryo and I, going the other way.

She did it in a matter of less then a second, but still, her agility shocks me! I remembered her speed was unmatched by any other of our partner digimon, but still! To not witness it for a year, and then see it happen at a quicker speed then normal- for I'm positive she had been training in that year- it is quite the sight. I turn to see where she's gone, and I see she now stands fixated to a spot between the others and something I can't see.

Ryo and I rush back to the spot we had just left. He stops next to Henry, who had bent down to check on Rika. I, however, rush to be next to Renamon's side. Almost every hair on her body is standing up on end, and she is growling as if she were Guilmon. Her own pupils are dilated, and her eyelids are close together… I know that expression… she's sensing… she's sensing… a digimon! She's sensing…

"Why, hello again… Takato." Says a voice so far unfamiliar, yet it seems so familiar.
I look to the source of the voice, and, out of the blackness of a shadow being cast down by another cavern wall is… BlackAugumon!
He stands tall, looking at me with a smug expression on, smiling a toothy grin that shows some of his sharp teeth. I stare transfixed to the spot, unsure of how to receive him. I now know, from earlier, that he had been lying to me… that he had been against me, but for some reason he had led me out of the Valley regardless. "Again?"

I turn on spot to see Kazu looking at me questioningly. I let my mouth hang open as I realize I've been caught in my lie. I try to speak, but my throat has become so dry by the recent events… "I… I…"

"You have lied to your friends, Takato. You told them nothing of how you met me earlier, and of how I let you loose out to the digital world. Nothing of how I saved you from exhaustion… nothing… of me." BlackAugumon interrupts me.

I stare at him with intention to kill… but I couldn't do a thing to him even if I wanted to. However, I find something different about him, "Where's that Scottish accent of yours? From earlier?" I ask him, catching him in his own trick.

He narrows his eyes at me. He opens his mouth to respond, but before I know what's happening, I see Renamon flinging herself in front of me… and then, she is engulfed in black flame! I watch as her outline is illuminated as the blast strikes her head on! However, in a moment her body is flung from the desert ground and the impact of the attack sends her flying into me, and we both fly back a few yards before hitting the desert ground hard.

I feel my breath leave me as Renamon's body weight wouldn't normally be a problem… but right now… it's crushing every fiber of my already tired and weak body. I try to push her body up from mine, but she gets up on her own. She slumps over for a second, but corrects her posture almost immediately. I get on my knees first, and then I stand up and correct my own posture… not allowing for weakness to be presented.

BlackAugumon just smiles wickedly at us, with a look in his eyes that tells me he's enjoying himself. I look towards the others, and I see Jeri's stunned expression… Kazu's angry determination to do something… the fear in Kenta's eyes… Suzy, cowering to her brother… and Henry and Ryo, while looking up at BlackAugumon, still crouched over Rika… but I can't see if she's even conscious still!
I turn back to BlackAugumon, and the anger sets in! He lied to me! He proved me a liar to my friends because of his own lying! He's taken two cheap shots at Renamon already! He even tried to kill me! He's not getting away alive! No… way… in… hell.

"Renamon… I know you don't take orders from anyone but Rika, but…"
"Kill him?" Renamon offers, turning her head enough so that her left eye can look at me.
I nod, and look at BlackAugumon again. "I don't care who you are… you're dead now."

Renamon vanishes in an instant in her classical way, and I stay standing where I was… if BlackAugumon tries to attack me again, no doubt he'll be successful, but he'll only leave himself to be overtaken by Renamon. However, he smiles, this time showing all of his teeth, and just chuckles. He moves his left foot so that it's facing to his left. He quickly turns on spot, throwing his fist in the air and smashes a just-at-the-moment reappearing Renamon!

How… how'd he know where she was going to be?! Renamon begins to fall towards the ground, and I see BlackAugumon begin to open his mouth to attack! I want to help her so badly… but I feel rooted to my spot, refusing to move even a step forward!

His blast goes off, and… an explosion results! Sand is flung everywhere, and I shield my face with my arm, so as to not have sand hit me. However, as the dust clears… no Renamon is seen. BlackAugumon stares in fear for a moment as he can't see where Renamon's gone! However, the next thing I see is Renamon's foot going into the back of BlackAugumon's head! A direct hit!

BlackAugumon falls to the ground, and Renamon does an aerial summersault, before turning on her prey, in the shape of a ball, and opening her arms wide… the finishing blow! Her legs spread out as well in a stiff manner and light begins to from in front of her, and she speaks, "Diamond Storm…" The light takes crystal shape, turns on its target and flies straight for BlackAugumon!
They hit spot on, and the dust from her original blow hasn't even cleared yet. I stare with glee as the wind in the Valley begins to pick up and blow the covering cloud away. BlackAugumon appears lying, face first into the sand, eagle spread. The crystals from Renamon's attack stick out of his body in every bone, and every fiber! But…
Something's not right? Why isn't his data being streamed out yet? Why isn't he being deleted? Suddenly, he moves onto his hands and knees… into a dog-like stance… and he shakes the crystals from his body like a dog would with water! The crystals delete as they hit the air, and he stands back up, looking half agitated… half amused!

He smiles his toothy grin again at Renamon, who has come back to the ground. Suddenly, however, the wind that had just blown the clouding covering away picks up again! It rushes around us all, coming from every direction, but it's all headed for the same place. The wind begins to form a funnel-like covering around BlackAugumon. The wind carries the sand all around us with it, and so we only see a black tornado surrounding a pair of bright, devilish yellow eyes with red pupils.

Suddenly, his body becomes illuminated with wicked yellow light almost the same to his eyes. The light grows upward, towards the sky, as well as all around! Suddenly, the wind begins to die down… the sand is slowly falling away… BlackAugumon is no longer their… he's been replaced… no… he's digivoloved… to BlackWargreymon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The new digimon stands before us, staring down at us, no longer capable of showing a facial expression. His eyes are narrowed as he stares at us… but he's not staring at the group… I can tell… he's staring at me. I stare back at him, refusing to blink… refusing to believe he's really there… how could this be… how…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It has evolved very far in its time… it spits out evil, dark Digimon to do its bidding. However, none is more feared then BlackWarGreymon."

I stared at him for a moment with suspicion, and he noticed. "There is, of course, no relation."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I feel numb and bewitched. How could I be so blind? Why could I not see through the lies? Why could I not just believe that he had to have been lying to me? Why did I trust him so easily?! It's much too obvious now… now… when it's too late.

Everyone stared in fear at the monster standing before us, however, I know none of them were thinking what I was thinking… none of them had the same guilt that I had. I had knowledge on the most powerful enemy we could possibly face… and because I had been afraid of how I would be received… because I had not told them… now… we would all die. "BlackWargreymon! I will not allow for you to harm these children!" Renamon yelled up at him.

He broke his contact with me, and looked down to the small rookie digimon standing in front of him. He open his mouth and let out a grunt, knowing he would have to deal with such a weak enemy before having his way with us. Renamon stood tall before him, however. Disregarding, completely, any belief that she did not, in any way, stand a chance against him. In her eyes… she would defeat him and save us all… but… it wouldn't be that easy… in truth… it wouldn't be.

Renamon threw her arms out in preparation, and the hairs all over her body stood up once again. She screamed in a beast-like way, and flew at him with everything she had. She reached her fist out to punch him and…

He simply moved his claw and swatted her away like a fly! She flew into the ground and bounced away three times, covering at least fifteen yards with each bounce! I stared in horror as our only hope lied on the ground almost fifty yards away! However, after another second, I saw her stand up, hunched over at first, but she straightened herself up… only to bend over again. She breathed in heavily, and then, in her quick speed, came flying back for more. She flew again with her fist clenched, and, as she drew closer, BlackWargreymon lifted his claw to swat at her again.

However, as she got within arm reach, she teleported away as BlackWargreymon brought his fist down. She reappeared the next second on his other side and hit him squarely on the cheek. Renamon teleported again, this time, to standing in front of me again. She bent her knees, as she desperately needed a break… but if she halted for even a second she would surely die! I now saw that her landed blow had barely moved BlackWargreymon's head an inch! He moved his head back to looking at her and finally spoke, "Ouch… that one hurt."

His voice was just as the one that had been shown on the show, and this frightened me. His false pain angered me, but I knew I was worthless. I couldn't do anything to stop his onslaught of Renamon… that is, whenever he would start it. Renamon growled viscously at him, but, in another second, BlackWargreymon had lifted his left arm, the one closer, towards her. He lifted it so that his actual claw was exposed, however, as he held it there a ball of dark energy began to form! Renamon dropped her offensive attitude, and stood limply, staring at the ball, almost preparing to be defeated.

The ball collected until it was about the size of my head, and then… he waited a moment. He glared at Renamon, hoping his toy would move so as to make him chase her, and keep playing his game. "Dark War Blast…" He whispered, and the shot took flight.
I stared at Renamon, realizing this would be the last time I would ever…

She was gone! She teleported away… but the blast continued on! It flew straight at me, and before I could even think to think… I was struck, and I was flung back…

I felt my body carried away as I felt pain I never knew could exist! The shot stopped after taking me an eternity away… however, the energy stayed against my body for another second before fading away and I plopped to the ground. I felt the same kind of pain I had come to know from the fall from the real world to the digital world! I felt every fiber burn with intense pain, and my brain was trying to blast its way out of my skull! It pulsed furiously against my skeletal holding, and I wondered why I was not being deleted…
I put my hands into the sand, and lifted my body up and breathed in the desert air with force. I looked up and, by some hand of God, I could still see the others! I looked to where my path had led and I stared in disbelief. BlackWargreymon had sent me flying through a cavern wall, which, as I stared at the hole it created, it disintegrated into data.

I looked up in disbelief that I had been capable of surviving such a blast! The others could now see me standing up, and I wondered what they were now thinking? They had just watched me blow through a rock wall by an attack by a mega level digimon, but when the dust cleared, they only saw me standing tall, where the blast had stopped. I pushed myself forward, but almost immediately I felt the pain in my every fiber return, and I felt as if I would die on the spot.

I forced myself to continue to walk the entire distance until I was standing where I had been before being hit. Everyone, even BlackWargreymon, stared with unbelieving eyes the entire walk back. Renamon was floating in mid-air as she looked at me. Her eyes begged for forgiveness… most likely, she had not realized I had been behind her, and had simply been toying with BlackWargreymon herself.

Under the watch of everyone, I finally felt as if I could collapse. I let my knees give way as I hit the sand. I stared at BlackWargreymon in both frustration and pain. I felt defeat was imminent now, and we were only waiting for his final strike… still… what had that attack been… never had a BlackWargreymon, let alone a Wargreymon been known to have such an attack… where… had… that… come… from?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


I nodded, and said, "Well… how powerful can he be? He's just a Mega."
"You'd like to think that, now wouldn't you." He said.
"What do you mean?"
"Because he's spawn of the evil, and darkness, he has new, unheard of attacks, which are rumored to be so devastating, they leave miles of digital villages and cities in ruins."

"He is nearly invincible, as well, and still has all of his old abilities and powers."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I blinked, and felt shame come over me. This digimon… was no ordinary digimon… he was… more.
"Diamond Storm!" I heard Renamon call out, and I looked just in time to see BlackWargreymon lift his arm to take the full shot of all the crystals. He held his arm out at length for a moment and examined it, then recoiled it, and quickly stretched his arm out at length again and the crystals took flight again, this time headed for Renamon.

They hit her right on, and she collapsed to the ground. It was over. Her data became pixilated, and I knew we no longer stood a chance. I looked over to Rika… who was now finally awake, staring at her defeated digimon. I stared at Rika for a few moments later, knowing, very well, this may be the last I ever did see her. Memories from the last half hour flashed by and suddenly… it all became so clear.

I put my hands to the sand and forced myself to stand. I rushed towards Rika, but as I ran I heard BlackWargreymon yell out, "There's nothing to save her now, and you know it."

He was expecting me to try and help Renamon? The fool! I rushed to Rika's side and she looked up at me with intense anger. I returned her stare with as cold of one I could muster at the moment, only because I was in no situation to begin arguing with her. I picked up her backpack from off the ground and turned away, but she spoke, "Takato! How could you! You-"

"Not NOW, Rika!" I said with fury. She looked at me with her evil and cold stare she had been re-utilizing again, but I didn't care. I flipped open her bag and… right on top… there it was… I looked up at BlackWargreymon with the same devilish look he had been giving all of us. I reached into the bag and pulled out the PDA.

I pulled out the antenna, and looked right up at BlackWargreymon. He stared at me with confusion. He wasn't sure what I could possibly do with such a small object, but I knew this battle was finished… for now at least. The Valley was calm and still as the Darkness was no doubt watching it's most reliable soldier fight it's fight… it had watched so much victory… but now…

Now it would watch so much defeat.

I turned the PDA on, and the screen immediately showed a scattered signal, but, I looked up and the wind picked up. Suddenly, while there had been none before, there were the purple portals that carried you away in the Valley of the Shadows. They flew furiously, and viciously. They flew everywhere, and three surrounded us, going in a circle around us. They encircled us over an over again until they were just blurred, towering, purple walls.
I looked up at BlackWargreymon and smiled a smug smile, emulating him from before he digivolved. He cocked his head and an odd angle and stared at me questioningly, and the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, "Sorry to break it to you like this… but our war game's over."

As I spoke one of purple portals came zooming towards our group, just as it did before. I looked at the others with the same smile Rika had worn when we were transported here. I felt my stomach lifted and we were uplifted off the ground, leaving BlackWargreymon hollering at us in anger and frustration as he could only watch us fly away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

We came slamming into the ground as fast as possible. Finally, however, I felt something different from sand or hard ground! We had hit a grassy plain!

I lay in the ground, looking up at the day sky, because this morning air was a hell of a lot better then the Valley of the Shadows. I placed my hands behind my head in joy that we were finally out of there! It also helps that I was full of self-congratulation for saving all of our lives back there. I felt that, if I closed my eyes, I could make pretend that I was back home… in the park… just lying in the grass… enjoying life…

I sat up though, looking around and saw that everyone, including Renamon, was here. I stood up, but I never made it up. I felt hot air breathing on my neck, and the weight of three times my own body weight lying on top of me, and my vision was blinded by something blood red!

I put my hands around the body and hugged it like it was my entire world. I felt like this was the greatest reunion possible. I rolled over, pulled out of the hug, sat up, and looked at the best possible thing to happen right now… although it probably would have been much better five minutes ago… I stared right at…

"Takatomon!" yelled the red dinosaur.

"Guilmon!" I yelled back, so happy to see my best friend ever lying next to me.

He laughed out loud, and everyone watched as we embraced again… it had been so long since I had held him in my arms… trying to hold him back from leaving forever. But nothing last forever… nothing… not even good-byes! This was meant to be. "Guilmon!" everyone exclaimed as they all came closer.

That is to say, everyone except Rika, Ryo, and Henry. They all stood at a distance and watched the rest of us. After about five minutes of greeting Guilmon and the reunion party of a life time… considering we were lucky to still have a 'life time.'
The 'morning' changed to night in another ten minutes, and we had no problem with it. Guilmon found firewood, and lit the fire himself, and we all crowded around it, putting all of our bags and such around it and leaving them there. Meanwhile, Renamon was still trying to recover from the assault by BlackWargreymon. She asked my forgiveness, as I knew she would, for moving out of the way of the attack, but it didn't matter to me. Somehow I was able to walk away from the attack with only a complete feeling of defeat and some pain… I had lived… and that was all that mattered.

Since we got back, Rika was no longer looking at me with anger but rather with a calculating look. She seemed to be thinking about something, and thinking deeply about it. I didn't want to bother her by asking, so I just kept my distance for now. I had, actually been thinking about maybe why she was mad, and I remembered dad gave me a lesson about why Rika may, somewhere down the lane, start having random mood changes. The conversation itself was utter chaos and complete awkwardness… but at least I was knowledgeable about it now.

Maybe that's what was wrong? I wouldn't know, but that doesn't matter. After another hour of sitting around the fire though, Renamon had regained complete health and we were all sitting at the shore of a lake that was located not twenty yards away from where we had crashed landed. Guilmon had been here, getting some water apparently, when we crashed in, quite literally, right next to him. Suzy had gone to sleep not too long ago, and Kenta had fallen asleep not soon after her.

Kazu was leaving the water to go to bed as well, while Renamon and Guilmon sat away from the rest of us… talking about something they didn't want to talk about in front of us. I was positive that Renamon was telling him all that had happened while we had been in the Valley. How she had failed to protect us… how she was unable to digivolve because Rika had collapsed… how I had been hit… and how we had escaped. I hoped she wasn't throwing too much blame on herself, but I would never know.

Jeri was sitting next to Henry as the two of them looked out into the lake… talking about something that I couldn't hear. I was lying in the grass, again, with my hands behind my head, enjoying the sweet taste of freedom. It felt incredible to know that death had been so close… but now… it was so far away.

I noticed out of the corner of my eye as Ryo stood up and started walking back to the fire. I saw Rika stand up, walk over, and stand over top of me. I looked up at her with a relaxed smile, but she wore that same calculating stare. She reached her hand out for me to grab, and I obliged, and let myself be pulled up by her. "Come with me." She said.

She started walking ahead of me, and, before I started following I looked over at Ryo who was picking up his own bag and going through it. I turned back to Rika and chased after her. I ran for a second or two and then was next to her as we walked along the edge of the lake… or was it a pond? I couldn't decide, now, as I walked around it, it certainly seemed to be much smaller then I initially thought.
I was so caught up in looking out over the water I was almost shocked when I realized I was sharing such a peaceful moment with the most beautiful girl that I knew! Rika looked down at her shoes as she walked though, but before I could ask what was wrong she spoke, "I thought…I thought I knew you, Takato."

"What…" I say looking at her with reproach. What is she talking about?
"I… (she clears her throat) I thought I knew you, Takato. You always made me happy, and you made me see what was worth living for… and you made me trust you…"

"Rika? What are you talking about? Rika… you told me earlier that you weren't just happy with me… in fact… you told me-"

"I know what I told you, Takato. Now, I'm telling you this. Actually, I'm asking you this: did you, or did you not lie to me about BlackAugumon?"

I feel a little upset that she would get so worked up about such a little white lie. "Rika… well, yes, I did lie to you, but-"
She breathes in loudly… but… it sounded like a sob? By now, we've started around the bend, headed back for the fire. "Then… then, you admit it. You lied to me?"
Now I'm the one getting worked up. "Yes, I did lie to you, but Rika… what's so wrong? My lie may have hurt us, but everyone's fine! I'm fine, they're fine (I said this pointing towards everyone near the fire), and you're fine! What's wrong?"

"No, Takato, I'm not 'fine.' Do you remember what you promised me earlier today?" she asks me.
'Earlier today?' What earlier today? Back when we were in the Real world? That was all today? Well, let me see… back when we were in the real world I…

"You promised to never lie to me again." She says, her voice now solid and full of energy, as she stops, about three fourths of the way around the lake.

The memory comes flooding back immediately, and I stop walking to look her in the… eyes. "But… oh come on! Rika… you can't be serious! I mean, seriously are you-"
"No, Takato. Your also forgetting the other promise you made to me… after the summer started." She says, her eyes, however possible, have become harder, and colder.

"Umm… but…" my mouth dries up, as that memory hits me almost instantaneously. I had promised… to….

"So help you God, that I may show mercy on your soul." Rika says, finishing my thoughts, almost as if she knew what I was thinking!

I opened my mouth to respond, but I couldn't. I don't know what I could say to her to make her change her mind. Although, suddenly, it came to me! She was keeping me in check! She was making my leash even shorter. Any second now, I would look down in disgrace, and she would burst out laughing, telling me to never do it again, and everything would be fine!

I smiled at her with this in mind and looked down in disgrace. "Can you ever forgive me?" I ask in completely dejected tone.
"Look up at me, Takato." I look up at her, and she has tears flowing!
"Rika? Rika, are you-"
"I'm fine!" She says, swatting my hand away as I go to put it on her shoulder.

"Rika…" I say, with no idea of how to respond.

"Takato… you made a promise… you made two promises… and you shattered them both, and put not only both of our lives, but the lives of everyone else- at risk. You lied to me (she sobs loudly, and the tears come flowing freely)… and you broke your promise…" she breaks down finally… falling apart in front of me.

I stare at her in disbelief… I wanted to put my hand on her shoulder… I wanted to hug her, and tell her everything would be fine… to kiss away her pain… but she was upset with me… I couldn't touch her right now.

She wiped away a few tears, and looked up at me and began to cry into her hands, cupped over her face. I turn away and look out towards the fire. I seek comfort from the fire, but gain nothing. Jeri and Henry have left their place, and Ryo is no where in site. I look towards the ground, this time, in true shame. "T-T-Takato… this is…"
I look at her in complete shame, unsure of what she will say. She rubs her face clear of any tears and looks up at me through watery eyes and says, "Unforgivable."

BOOM! I feel as if the weight of the world has been dropped on my shoulders as I stare at her… refusing to believe what I am hearing, and what I am seeing. "R-Ri-"

"NO!" She says, pushing me away from trying to hug her. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"
I put my arms down and take back the step I had approached with. I stare at her with the corner of my mouth twitching, as I feel everything in my world has been turned upside down. "I don-don't want to ever sp-p-p-peak to you again!" she says, stuttering through sobs and tears.

I feel my eyes sting, as water forms around my ducts, and I feel the tears stream down my own cheeks. "You… you can't mean that…" I say.

She looks at me with a growl and tears, and says, "Good-bye, Takato."

She turns and starts walking back to the group. I watch her walk back to the group and I see Ryo and Henry waiting for her. "RIKA! Where will you go!?" I scream, but she ignores me.

How… how is this happening!? Why is this happening!?!? How could such a little white lie go so wrong?!?!? How can she mean all of that!?? It was a stupid PROMISE I made!!!! How can she hold that with such importance!?! WHY would she hold it with such importance?!? I can't believe she's walking away from… from… from… from us! From me! I… I told her I loved her… and now… it's like she doesn't even care!!! Does this… could this… dear God, no! This can't mean… but it does. Does this mean… does she not love me?? Could I have… could I have destroyed everything… EVERYTHING… simply by lying?!! Then… then it's true. I… did it. She's right. She's justified in leaving me… I… I broke this. I did this to me… to us. If I hadn't lied… if I had just…

I watch as she falls to pieces in Ryo's arms as she makes it back to the two of them. Henry pats her on the shoulder, and Ryo looks at me with the most contemptible look possible. I feel pain I had never felt before… I feel a hatred I had never known before… before… before… no. I had known this pain from before… where though? Where had I felt this hatred for everything about myself… where had I felt this… this… this self-hatred before? When had I last endured such pain before? Where had I gone through this before?!? WHERE?!?!?!?!?!?

I watched through my tearful eyes as the three best friends… or two at least… I had ever had walked away from the fire… walked away from me… walked away… from us.

I watched them go until they were engulfed in the night air… all the while watching as Rika poured herself into Ryo's shoulder… and I stood their a moment. Still questioning where I had learned this self-hatred before?? Still hating myself… still pondering over how I could have been so stupid!! How I could be so careless with my promises… how… how…

I feel the pain from BlackWargreymon's attack, almost as if waiting for the right moment, finally sink in and I feel physical pain that was unimaginable… but what's more… I feel the emotional pain… how… how…

And then… I just ran… because I had nothing. I had no Rika… I had no one. And because I had all of this 'nothing'… then I had nothing to lose in running around… for I had nothing to gain by just walking around aimlessly. But… that's what I was doing anyway, wasn't it? Only… I was running around aimlessly, but I wasn't going back to the camp… I was going wherever my legs carried me… for I did not have Rika… and so… I had nothing. I was… nothing.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N: This chapter was, acutally, dedicated to CrazyEight, for if it wasn't for him I would still be frustrated about being unable to update my story. Only one thing about the story… the title makes reference to a chapter in Autumn Leaves… you can go and figure out what was so special about the chapter the title infers, and then you'll realize what I mean by the title. Okay, peace.

Love Always.

"Gentlemen it's time to spread the word, and the word is… Panic!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -