A/N: Hey there everyone! Been a little while, but Frostbreaker is back with another chapter for you! As always please R&R and let me know what you think.

To jjoutlaw - Well anything can be used irresponsively and can potentially kill...even food. That being said, alcohol kills far more people every year than weed ever has...and that's by exponential factors. That being said, if someone gets in an accident after smoking, they were a shitty driver before getting blazed...no offense meant. Anyhow, I'm glad you like the chapter, and here's the next one.

To wolfoftheabyss5 - Lx: Well, I do not enjoy such attention, but I suppose it could be worse. With Daniel by my side, I can brush it off for the most part...but so help me if one touches me...

DR: Well I won't say it's been easy, but I have enjoyed it quite a bit. It's definitely different from Earth, but after some getting used to, it's actually great.

To kn4sakura - I only put in time skips when nothing happens during that time period. As far as the physical changes and why that happened, it will all be explained in this chapter. The previous tamers are going to play a large part in the story later on, and you can expect a lot of drama between Rika, Lexia, and Daniel.

To Sgt. M00re - Daniel's no programmer, so he's not going to be creating any sort of virus/program to do that.

To TheLonelyNinja - Why thank you. This story is not dead, and neither are my other unfinished works. Lots more to come, so stay frosty.

To Solrac III - Daniel's not going to be becoming a digimon, though this chapter is going to be more specific as to what's changed, as well as why.

To spacecowboy2011 - Well as always, I am pleased you are enjoying the story, sir. There is plenty more to come, whether that be drama, hijinks, awesomeness, or simple mushy romance...a good mix of all, probably. You will enjoy.

To zsd brony - I think we all would have reacted differently, friend.

To Zamairiac - Glad you enjoy the story, because there's a lot more to come.

For those of you who don't already know, I'm re-posting and adding onto my MLP stories on FIMfiction, so check me out under penname "Radiant Dawn" if you want. "The Lost Element" has been edited and completely polished and been uploaded on there, as well as the rest of the stories. Anyhow, that does not mean I'm leaving my other stories behind. The Pokemon/Digimon stories will continue, as will a few others I've got in the works. That being said, read on and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with any of the Digimon franchise. All rights go to their respective owners.

Chapter 10: New Kids on the Block

"Rika!"

The high-powered shout from Lexia's mouth caused me to jump off the bed in shock, grab my combat knife and sidearm, and take a defensive stance. My vision sharpened, my hearing was heightened, and even my sense of smell had been increased greatly by the flow of adrenaline pumping into my bloodstream. My lips curled back into a snarl and a deep growl escaped my throat...

And this all happened in the span of less than two seconds.

My protective instinct was dropped when I noticed that Lexia was sitting very silently, staring at me...in the corners of her eyes, I could see the beginnings of tears.

I sheathed my blade and placed the pistol on the nightstand before making my way over to Lex and embracing her tightly. I felt as she relaxed into me and sighed happily before I released her.

"So what happened, Lex?" I asked concernedly.

The Renamon took a deep breath and leaned against me. "It was Rika."

I chuckled lightly and answered, "I figured that, what with you yelling her name and all."

I could almost feel as a snarky remark rose within her, but instead, Lexia simply replied, "No...I mean I heard her."

I wrapped my arms around the kitsune's waist from behind and rested my chin on her shoulder. "What do you make of it?"

For a few moments she was completely still and silent before replying with, "I don't think it was a dream, Daniel." She sighed and leaned her head back so that her cheek touched mine. "It was different somehow...like it was really her. I've never had a dream sound that real before."

"So what do you think?" I asked curiously.

Slowly, I felt as her cheek turned into the faintest hint of a smile, and her body warmed ever so slightly. "I think she's looking for me, Daniel." The smile got bigger as she added, "She didn't forget about me."

I smiled and hugged the vixen tighter against me. "I knew she didn't, Lex. I don't think someone could ever forget someone as amazing as you."

I felt as her cheek heated up with a faint blush and she hummed happily before pulling away. "Come...we should get some breakfast and get to training."

"Agreed." I said before standing and following her downstairs.

What Lex and I found when we arrived downstairs was an utter shock.

Awaiting us on the table were tall stacks of pancakes, along with bacon, eggs over-easy, and hash browns...all being set down by a very pleased-looking Guilmon.

He looked up at us as we arrived and smiled. "Good morning Lexiamon and Danielmon! I hope you like breakfast...I made it myself."

Lexia's mouth dropped open as she stammered, "H-how?"

It was then that the dragon digimon grabbed a book and opened it to a specific page...one that showed the epitome American breakfast...just like we had in front of us.

I pulled the book from his claws and looked it over before asking, "You made that just from looking at this?"

When I looked back to Guilmon, he nodded with a joyful grin. "Yep! I just cooked everything the way it said and until it looked the same as it did in the book."

"And you didn't mess up at all?" Lex asked curiously.

"Nope! It looks the same to me, so I think I got it right." Guilmon answered confidently.

I sat down at my place at the table and took a bite of the bacon and hummed with elation at the wonderful taste. I looked to Guilmon and said, "Oh yeah, you did it right. Good job...no, great job." I then turned to Lex with a grin and motioned to the chair at the end of the table. "Take a seat and enjoy a truly American breakfast, in all its greasy glory."

"Greasy?" she questioned as her face twisted in slight disgust.

"Don't judge until you try it." I said firmly as I began to tear into the amazing breakfast before us.

"So what's the verdict?" I asked the Renamon with a knowing grin.

She let out a very satisfied but soft burp before blushing. "Um, excuse me." She then took a drink of orange juice before sighing and smiling. "Alright I'll admit I was wrong. That was probably the best breakfast I've ever had."

"Fat and salt tastes good." I responded simply. I then stood and grabbed the many dishes on the table. "I don't know what it does to digimon, but for humans, we can only eat it sparingly without getting fat or having health problems." I placed the soiled dishes into the sink and gave them a quick rinse before turning to my two companions. "We'll go do our training later, as if we run after eating that, we're just going to throw up. So go ahead and clean yourselves up and we'll take a walk around town I guess...get to know our new neighbors."

As I expected, Lex bounded up the stairs first, which left the crimson digimon sitting beside me in the living room.

He chuckled and patted his stomach. "You know, I used to think a lot of things humans did were kind of weird - bathing habits included - but I think I'd like to know more about humans if they make food like that."

I chuckled and nodded. "Well humans are about as diverse as digimon are, and come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. The basic body structure is the same, but other than that we are as different from each other as we are from digimon."

"Really?" he inquired with interest. "Like how?"

"Well," I started, placing my hands behind my head as I sat comfortably on the sofa, "a good example would be the simple difference between male and female humans." I closed my eyes and smiled. "From what I've learned both from observation and what Lex has told me, digimon aren't boys or girls, right? Or at least they don't have distinguishing characteristics physically."

"Well I know I'm a boy, Danielmon...but I guess I know what you're saying." he responded, though he did sound a little confused.

I nodded. "Your personalities can definitely be male or female, but just by looking at you, I wouldn't be able to tell. That's what I mean." I then cleared my throat and added, "With humans, it's different. Human females look entirely different from human males, and a lot of times they act really different too."

"How do they look different?" the digimon asked curiously.

"Do you know how to read?" I asked him as I opened my eyes. The digimon nodded and I pointed to a magazine rack beside the chair he was in. "There should be a book in that rack beside you that's titled 'Gray's Anatomy for Students'. It should be blue on the front." A few seconds later Guilmon pulled the book out and opened it. "Turn to Appendix C. It'll be in the back of the book." Guilmon nodded again and did as I asked, and I walked over to him as he turned to the designated page. On it were charts of the naked human body, as well as the differences between the two. I pointed to them and said, "This is a male body on the left, and this is a female. See the differences?"

The digimon studied them intently for a few moments before nodding. "I guess humans really are different."

I nodded. "Yeah, we are." I then took the book from him and closed it, placing it back in the rack. "There's a lot of things that make us not only unique to other living things, but unique to each other too. It is said that no two humans are ever exactly alike, even if they're 'identical' twins."

"Shower's free!" shouted Lexia from upstairs, so I nodded to Guilmon before heading upstairs to shower.

Renamon'sPoV

As I descended the stairs and passed my tamer, I couldn't help but smirk at him and tickle his palm with my tail, hinting at something I had a feeling he'd pick up on. When he smirked back and grinned deviously, I knew my point had gotten across, so I allowed myself a smile as I made my way to the main room.

Guilmon was waiting for me when I arrived, and he had a wide smile on his face as he relaxed after such an extravagant meal, which I had expected. I decided to have a little fun, so I silently crept up behind the resting digimon until I was mere inches away and...

"I can't hear you but I know you're there." he stated flatly, not moving or opening his eyes.

I sighed and vaulted the seat he was on before sitting beside him. "How did you know I was behind you?"

Without moving anything but his arm, he pointed to his nose. "Unless you find a way to hide your scent, I'll always be able to find you."

To anyone else, Guilmon would just be saying that I couldn't hide from him, but I knew him better than that. To me or any of his friends, what he just said was his way of saying that he'd always be there for me...and the very thought made me feel warm and secure. I prided myself on knowing that no matter what came along, I'd have the strength to get through it, but once in awhile it was nice to simply let my guard down and truly relax, knowing that Guilmon and Daniel would look out for me.

When I honestly thought about it, it was strange that my life had become so calm in comparison to the way things used to be. Where once I would be fighting for my life nearly every day, now I had the security available to me to allow me to simply relax and enjoy the quiet times. I loved battle...I would always love battle - it was a part of who I was...but it would be dishonest to claim that I didn't thoroughly enjoy the peace that came with Daniel in my life.

"Danielmon is changing, Lexiamon." the digimon beside me murmured. I turned to him and he opened one eye to look at me. "I know you noticed too."

I nodded slowly. "I have."

"Are you gonna to tell him?" Guilmon asked with concern.

"I'm pretty sure he already knows." I responded plainly.

Guilmon's other eye opened and he shook his head. "It's not good for him to not know what's happening to him. You need to tell him."

I sighed and nodded. "I know...I'm just not sure how."

"Just tell him the truth, and keep it simple." he responded with a smile.

It was times like this that I was reminded of just how intelligent Guilmon really was. True, he was innocent in many ways and childish in others, but he was far from stupid. His brain worked in such a way as to see things in simplest terms, without complicating them and making problems or situations more intimidating. It was part of the reason I grew to like him as much as I do. When I would begin to stress about a situation that seemed too big to handle, he would always have a way of allowing me to see just how things really were, and he coaxed me into seeing the world with an unbiased and clear mind.

Truth be told, I had been lost without him for those many years.

With my dream that came about overnight as well as little feelings I'd been having here and there over the course of the past months, I was becoming steadily more excited about the very real possibility of seeing Rika again. But along with that excitement also came a very real fear of mine...

How would she react to Daniel?

Daniel was my tamer now, which meant that I was bound to him for the foreseeable future...this also meant that Rika was no longer bound to me in such a way, and may never be again. Would she hate him for this? Would she hate me? The answers to these questions I did not know, but what I did know is that I didn't want to lose either of them. It nearly destroyed me when I lost contact with Rika, and I honestly did not believe I could go through that again...

But Daniel was a different story.

I loved him...and I'd never been in love before. For all I knew, I might be the first digimon to fall for their tamer, or even feel romantic love for that matter. I had no idea how I'd react to losing Daniel should something happen, but suffice to say it wouldn't be good. When Guilmon was taken from me, I went on a rampage for almost an entire month, seeking out and destroying whoever I could find.

Sovereigns only know how I'd react to losing Daniel.

"Your turn, Guilmon." shouted Daniel as he made his way down to the lower level. "And hurry up, you smell like a Denny's during dinner time."

"Denny's?" my digimon companion asked in confusion.

Daniel rolled his eyes and jerked his thumb upstairs. "Nevermind, just go wash up." Guilmon vacated the room, so my tamer made is way over to me with a feral grin. "Now then, you were playing a dangerous game this morning, little missy."

Over the passing days and weeks, Daniel's form had changed ever so slightly. His hair was now more akin to a mane, being wild and spiky, and his canines had grown to be long and dangerous like mine. His muscle mass had increased, as had his sense of smell and hearing. All of this mattered because I decided that he needed to know what was happening to him...all of it.

"Daniel." I breathed gently.

He looked into my eyes with a grin. "Yes?"

I grabbed his hand in my own and pulled him with me to his sofa, which we both sat down upon.

Daniel'sPoV

When it came to fooling around in any way, Lex was just about even with me in that respect...so for her to suddenly drop it and get serious, I knew she had something very important to say.

We sat silently for a minute or so before she finally looked up to meet my eyes, and in them I saw nervousness and a little fear. She sighed before starting with, "We need to talk about you, and how you've been changing."

I found it odd that she was bringing this up all of the sudden, but I guess I did want some answers, so I held her paw tightly and smiled. "Okay. I'm ready for whatever you have to tell me."

She nodded and seemed a little less nervous at my behavior, so she continued with, "Well, it's because of your exposure to the digital realm. You see, you're biological by nature, but in order to live here, your body was changed into digital code. It's something I didn't anticipate, and I want you to know that-"

I squeezed one of her fingers firmly and smiled. "I don't blame you, Lex...and do you really think it bothers me that much?" I ran my index finger over one of my canines and smiled. "I mean I'm not gonna lie, I was surprised at first, but it's actually kind of cool. I was always a little different from most people I knew, so this just makes me look different too."

"And you're really okay with that?" she asked in confusion.

I shrugged. "You still care about me, don't you?" She nodded. "And I know Guilmon likes me, so that's all I need. So long as I don't start growing fur or anything, I'm good."

She took this in and nodded with a smile, relieved, but then she cleared her throat and added, "I should also tell you that this is likely irreversible...which means if we ever get you back to Earth, you would probably keep looking the same."

I shrugged. "We'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it. Besides, I don't want to go anywhere without you, and I think you know that already."

Lex smiled and squeezed my hand as she stood. "Come, let's get ready to meet your new neighbors."

Guilmon finished cleaning himself, so the three of us set about walking around the town. This would make only the second time Guilmon had been here, Lexia's second time, and my third...so needless to say, we all kept calm and attempted to not draw attention to ourselves. It wasn't as if they could attack us here, but neither did we want the trouble of anything, really. Not that I was unsure we could handle it, but I just preferred to keep the stress-meter at a 2/10.

As the three of us made our way around town, we got quite a few looks from the avatars and digimon there. Some jealous, some surprised, and others...well I couldn't really figure out. I do know that a few times I was growling protectively when any of them would stare at Lex...and I could swear I saw her smirk seductively at me those times as well.

Guilmon on the other hand had been in his own little world most of the time. I had bought him an ice cream cone and a yo-yo, and these seemed to keep him completely busy. Truth be told I was actually a little jealous of just how dextrous he was with those huge claws, but eh...I can't have everything.

Anyway, as we settled into our normal training regimen as the day began to wane, we got even more curious expressions from the avatars and digimon...well the digimon anyway. The avatars just stared. Of course to them, it just looked like a tamer player and his two friends were running a circuit around the town over and over again, but what they don't know won't hurt them I guess...or us, for that matter.

As our nice jaunt around the area was finished and the three of us were now panting with a good sweat worked up, we took a rest near the central fountain. The last time we'd been here we had to be worried about people following us back home, but now that we lived within the town limits, we didn't really have anything to worry about.

At least that's what I would have liked to believe.

The three of us had been watched intently by everyone ever since we had made ourselves known here, and while I wasn't nervous about attack or anything, the stares made me uncomfortable...especially when they were directed at Lexia.

"You're not doing yourself any favors by doing that, you know." said a voice beside me, catching me in the middle of a growl. I looked to see a Gatomon sitting there...without a globe.

"You're real." I stated plainly.

It nodded with a smile. "I am," the small feline then pointed a claw at me, "and so are you."

I didn't bother denying it, so I just nodded. "I am...all three of us are."

"How did you get here?" the Gatomon asked curiously.

I jerked my head slightly towards Lexia and said, "She brought me here somehow. If you want to know more, you'd have to talk to her about it, because I have no idea how she did it."

The small feline made its way over to the Renamon and began speaking with her. I tuned the conversation out, as it wasn't my business really. If Lex thought I needed to know something, she'd let me know. So instead of eavesdropping, I leaned back against the base of the fountain I was sitting in front of and just relaxed, letting the cool air of early fall wash over me.

I must have fallen asleep, because when I opened my eyes again, it was to be surrounded by a dozen or so sets of eyes, all belonging to avatars.

I sat up quickly and all of them moved back, but to the side of me I found a very nervous-looking Renamon. I just shook my head to her and offered a comforting smile, which also caused Guilmon to retract the snarl he was currently wearing and instead sit down next to Lex, playing with his yo-yo.

I stretched my arms and let my back pop a few times before leveling my gaze with the crowd. "Okay, what's going on? Never seen a marine before or something?"

A male avatar with a red jacket and a cowboy hat stepped forward and said, "You look different from all of us...and you move different too."

"You're not going to try and lynch me or something now, are you?" I asked with a chuckle. Lexia and Guilmon stood and growled at this, but I waved them off and said, "That was a joke. Chill."

"I didn't know the boss mobs could come into the town." another avatar said in the monotone voice they all had.

It irked me a lot that they were talking about me as if I weren't there, but I had to remind myself that to them, I was just a simple NPC in a world they interfaced with from their computer.

Even so...I had to restrain myself from growling loudly.

I figured that we'd spent enough time in the company of creepers, so I turned my head to look at the small white feline digimon and asked, "You seem pretty nice. Will we see you again?"

The digimon nodded and smiled. "Sure you will. I come here every fourth day, so I'll see you then."

I smiled and nodded. "Sounds good. We're going to get out of here, so we'll see you around, Gatomon."

"You will. See you later, Tamer Daniel." the small digimon responded before scampering away.

I ignored the prying eyes of the avatars that were so rudely invading my personal space and just stood up and took Lexia's paw in my hand before quickly striding away towards home, with Guilmon flanking my other side.

The three of us arrived back at our home in time to slam the door and lock it, keeping the small crowd of annoying avatars from bothering us further. So now that we were home, the three of us went about taking showers again to clean up, and we decided to do the rest of our training at home.

As I waited for Lex to get out of the shower, I thought I'd warm myself up with some push-ups. It felt odd that I rarely actually did push-ups anymore, but my training accounted for the muscles they worked anyway, so I didn't really need to. Still, it gave me something to do while I waited...and it also allowed me to gauge exactly how strong I'd gotten.

Where once I would have trouble doing one-handed pushups, I now was doing handstand pushups...on my fingertips.

I knew for a fact that this hadn't come about only from the training...this had to be something to do with the changes that had come about from being in this world. At first the physical changes that could be seen had been pretty unnerving, but I brushed them off. I mean when it came right down to it, I was never the most vain guy anyway, so my looks weren't important to me, at least to a degree. Granted I didn't want to turn out to look like a digimon, but the subtle changes so far actually looked...cool.

"You're up, Daniel!" shouted Lex from upstairs, so I bounded up to the second level and went about cleaning myself up.

The three of us trained, ate, and then set about relaxing in the family room, swapping stories and such as we drank a bit. I was beyond pleased to find that the "AI" within this world made and sold their own alcohols, which just cemented my reasoning that they must be sentient and real. Granted they didn't have rum (which sucked), but they did have mead...which by the way is awesome.

So, as the three of us traded different stories of our lives, I relaxed in the warm security of the Renamon's lap, enjoying that she was running her claws through my hair.

For the next few hours we just sat like this, enjoying storytelling and getting to know each other even better (if that's possible) as the digital sun made its daily trek towards the western horizon.

As night began to fall, Guilmon fell asleep early as he usually did, but Lex and I were still wide-awake, so I gently picked up the smaller red digimon and slung his arm around my neck before carrying him to his bed and laying him down to sleep...leaving just Lex and I to our own devices.

I eyed the digimon with a ravenous hunger that her own eyes mimicked, and I nearly pounced upon her as I shut the door to Guilmon's bedroom behind me.

Lex lay against my bare chest as the two of us bathed in the closeness offered to us after the feral "playtime" she had wrought on me (which I was more than happy to participate in).

I could feel the Renamon's heartbeat as her chest was pressed against my own, and even the scent of her pheromones added to the relaxing atmosphere. At that moment, in her arms, there was nowhere in either world I'd rather be.

For the longest time the two of us laid awake, simply enjoying the comfort of one another's embrace until she finally spoke up.

"Daniel?" Lex whispered from her place beside me.

I opened my left eye and looked at her with a loving grin. "Yes beautiful?"

Lex always blushed when I called her beautiful, and now was no exception. She still composed herself though and asked, "How do you think Rika will react to you...to us?"

I placed my hand to rest on the back of her thigh and responded, "I'm not really sure. She's going to be surprised I think, but beyond that I have no idea." I then looked to Lexia and locked eyes with her. "Why...what do you think she'll do?"

The golden vixen shrugged softly as she chewed her lip nervously. "I hope she doesn't hate me or anything. I mean a lot to Rika, and she to me...but I was also her pillar of strength. If she feels that you stole me from her, she might blame everything on you."

I shrugged. "I'm a marine, Lex. I can take whatever she can deal out."

"I just want you to know that it's not your fault...and while I love her, our time is done." the kitsune assured.

I nodded as I kneaded her thigh, making her purr softly. "It's okay, Lex. I'm no stranger to awkward situations, and I'm ready to power through it for you."

Lexia smiled and pushed her lips against mine in a kiss, full of both love and passion, yet as soft as silk.

For the next few minutes, we let our mouths speak silent words to each other, as silent assurances of love and desire were passed from my lips to hers...and from hers to mine. My nerves lit up with excitement as her fur caressed my bare chest, and my mind became foggy with the feelings of utter contentment that she constantly brought upon me. It was one of the few times in my life that I honestly didn't want to be anywhere else...ever.

Lex made me a better me, and I'd like to think I did the same for her. I loved her completely, and was quite comfortable with that fact in body, mind, and soul...and as I drifted off to sleep in her arms that night, I knew that no matter what might come our way, we - the three of us - could get through it together.

I love you, Lexia.