A/N: Frost is fuckin' back, baby! Here's another good chapter that I've been working on for awhile, so please R&R and let me know what you think. Stay awesome, ya'll.
To wolfoftheabyss5 - RN: It's hard to say. How would you react to being reunited with the most important person in your life after thinking you'd never see them again? With my grandmother having passed on, Renamon is the only family I have left...I have to find her.
Lx: No clue. I'll probably have to keep from squeezing her to death in a hug, but beyond that I'll just have to focus and making sure she knows how much I missed her and that I never ever forgot about her.
To kn4sakura - True, but Daniel has been there for many months...almost a year. Difference in time there, and the changes are just now taking hold.
To callmeBaby'08 - Well you'll be finding out soon. Enjoy!
To TheLonelyNinja - Well if you like that, you'll love this chapter. Enjoy!
To zsd brony - It's all good. We all have our low moments, Broseph Stalin.
To Killer Reaper - Me to, brah.
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with any of the Digimon franchise. All rights go to their respective owners.
Chapter 11: Digiality
Rika's PoV
This was it...today was the day.
The days, weeks, and months dragged by as Henry worked on the dimensional gate. Work kept me busy for the most part, and whenever I was not actively working, I was spending time with Takato and Henry. Even with the full schedule we had, the mere anticipation of what was to come had made time seem to pass much slower than it actually did. It was both aggravating and exciting at the same time, and as our goal became closer and more real, our anxiety only grew.
Well the time for waiting was now over.
I had filed for a leave of absence with the corporation, having basically threatened a doctor into deeming me severely stressed and in need of time to gather my bearings. While with my track record I could continue my career nearly anywhere in the world, I didn't want to burn a bridge just because I was impatient. Patience is a sign of intelligence and control, and with that it was also a sign of strength and foresight.
Renamon had taught me that.
Thankfully, my patience and planning had given me the freedom and time to handle this...however it may need to be. I was completely unsure of how this was going to go of course, but I didn't care. I missed her with all of my heart, and I hoped with that same heart that Renamon missed me as well. There was a small fear within me that would surface from time to time ‒ it whispered to me that Renamon had completely forgotten about me...or perhaps worse, that she hated me. Thankfully, these thoughts no longer gripped me in their cold embrace. I knew the truth because I knew Renamon, just as she knew me. I knew that she cared deeply about me, and that she didn't blame me for what happened all those years ago.
It was a truth that I clutched to in order to keep going.
As I finished showering and packing several outfits into my pack, I crouched low into my closet and fished out an unassuming locked case. Without delay, I opened it...and smiled softly at what lay within.
It was a replica of my old shirt I wore during my time with Renamon, aptly named "heartbreak" by the vixen. Where once it personified my emotional damage brought about by the loss of my father, I repaired it upon realizing how much I cared for Renamon and my friends...making it simply "the heart". The original shirt was lost long ago when I moved, and I mentally berated myself for months because of my carelessness...
But then Takato showed me just how awesome he could be.
He hunted forever to find a place that made custom shirt designs, and ended up finding one in our very own town a few years back. He then took one of my favorite shirts without my knowledge so that the new tee could be made with my proper measurements, but what he did next completely surprised me.
He stitched the graphic himself.
Yes, I made fun of him for months because of the fact he was so skilled with sewing and embroidery (or whatever it's called), but in truth I was touched beyond words. The fact that he had gone through such trouble for me was nothing short of incredible...and it was at that moment that I realized just how much I treasured him as a friend. And also, simply because he knew how much I hated for others to see me cry, he sent it through the parcel service with no return address. I knew it was him of course, but the fact that I didn't expect such a surprise when I opened the package just added to the awe and happiness I felt when I unwrapped the gift that lay inside.
The memory of that day ran through my head as I cradled the unique shirt in my hands, and without thinking, I held it to my chest with a bright smile. I quickly whipped off my shirt and replaced it with the shirt in my hands, thinking that it would be perfect to wear it for this event. I then tied my shoes quickly and let my hair down before reaching into the lockbox once more to grab one last thing...
The D-Power device.
The blue and white device had been dormant ever since Renamon had returned to the digital realm, and in honesty I didn't even know why I was taking it, but I figured it would be better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. With that in mind, I clipped the strap to a belt loop on my pants and hefted my pack up on my shoulder. I strode through my condo and turned off all the lights before grabbing my keys and wallet. I took one last look at the place I had come to call home before exiting, locking the door behind me.
Never have I driven so fast in my life.
The streets were clear, and police patrols in this area of the city were unheard-of anyway, so I gunned the engine and flew down the highway, going at least 150mph in my ZR1. Sure, it was American and I'd had to get it from an expensive import shop, but in honesty, I loved fast cars...and Corvettes were known for their speed. Besides, it was yellow...
Anyway, when I pulled into the abandoned hangar that held the gate, I felt my heart racing with excitement...and not from the driving. This was the culmination of what felt like a lifetime of longing...finally, I was going to see Renamon again.
As I walked into the hangar, I found Henry tinkering with the gate again, more specifically the terminal that controlled it. He was typing something on the keyboard while gazing lazily into the monitor, muttering under his breath every now and then. Takato was dressed for what looked like hiking, though from our past experiences in the digital realm, that was probably a smart idea. I walked over to the relaxing man and smiled when I realized that he too had brought his D-Power device, though it was now red and white instead of the etched gold...and he also brought his old pair of goggles.
Takato noticed me staring at him and he just chuckled as he pointed to his head. "If I have even a chance at seeing Guilmon again, I want to make sure he recognizes me...and as far as I know, I'm the only one that wears these even when I'm not riding my bike." His eyes then wandered over my body, and he smiled when he saw what I was wearing underneath my jacket. "Finally wearing it, hmm?"
I subconsciously placed my right hand over the heart on the center of the shirt, and just smiled happily. "Not out of lack of wanting to...it's just that I didn't feel it was right unless she was going to see it."
He smirked as he brought his bag around to his front, and then unzipped it and began digging through the contents. After a few minutes, he locked eyes with me and pulled out a ballcap-style hat, and a beanie ‒ the hat being yellow and lavender, and the beanie red and black. I thought this strange until I saw the designs on the headwear...
The yellow hat had a very unique graphic on the front, with a yin-yang in the middle with what looked like two lavender balls of energy circling it. The red had was covered in jagged black stripes, and held a black digital hazard symbol on the front.
I smiled wide and stifled a laugh. "Wow gogglehead...I didn't know you could be this corny."
His face changed to one of mock-offense as he began putting the violet hat away. "Well if you don't want it..."
"No!" I answered forcefully, and then felt embarrassed for my outburst.
Takato grinned and tossed the hat over to me. "That's what I thought."
I grumbled a bit at his stint of victory, but secretly was again joyfully surprised by him. This would make the second time that a mere gift from Takato had caused me to feel so amazing about having him as a friend, so without thinking I brushed my hair back with my hand and put the hat on.
Takato walked over to me and inspected me for a moment before smiling. "Cool, I got the measurement right. I was afraid it was going to be too small, but thankfully for you I have a good eye for detail."
I let a small smile grace my own face as I whispered, "Thanks...I love it."
"I knew you would." he whispered back. The goggle-headed man removed said goggles before placing the beanie on his head, and then fixing the goggles to their rightful place again. "Alright then, looks like we're all set. Did you bring some eats?"
I nodded and patted my pack. "Mostly granola and things like that. Could last us for about a month if we need it to."
"That shouldn't be necessary." I heard Henry announce, and Takato and I looked to the blue-haired man. He was busy at work on the console still, and waved us over to him. "By the way I've calibrated this, I should be able to put you in a place that has everything you'd need."
"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.
"Well," he started, pointing at the monitor screen, "this seems to be a neutral area in the digital realm. I've been observing it for a long time to make sure, but there doesn't seem to be any fighting that takes place in this area. I have a suspicion that the barrier that covers it somehow negates digimon's powers."
I nodded. "Which is good for us, because there's no telling how long it'll take us to find Renamon and Guilmon."
"If they're even still alive..." Takato added, a little disheartened.
I was surprised to see Henry grinning as he said, "Actually..." Takato and I watched as Henry began typing furiously at the keyboard for a few moments, bringing up several different windows and accessing them at lightning-fast speeds the likes of which would make Renamon jealous. "One of the things this terminal allows me to do is keep active watch over the digital realm. It's nothing like video or anything, mostly snapshots and mapping coordinates that refer to a given place within the digital world. It's how I've been monitoring the situation there and how I found this little settlement."
"Okay," I responded as I tapped my foot impatiently, "seems logical. What does that mean for us though, besides safety?"
Henry brushed his shaggy hair out of his eyes and grinned. "I was getting to that." He closed out a few windows before opening up another, which showed a large collection of different pictures he'd taken. "Now," he started, clicking on the first one, "this is how I've kept track of what's going on there. Unfortunately, something prevents me from taking a snapshot but once every twelve hours, and you should know that time passes twice as fast there, so in actuality it's only once a day in the digital realm. This is how I've kept tabs on things to make sure it's safe."
"And how long have you been doing this?" the brown-haired man to my right questioned.
Henry shrugged. "Probably since the last time you two were here, six months ago. I know that seems a little excessive, but I just wanted to be extra sure before I picked this for your insertion point." He then went through a couple other photos. "And then I came upon this.." The next few pictures were of some sort of entry into the settlement, and it appeared it was the only way in or out. "This seems to be the only place someone can get into or out of the settlement, which is good because it makes watching what happens there a lot easier."
"Why is it so dark everywhere?" I asked, noticing just how dim the snapshots had been.
Henry took a look of deep thinking and sighed. "I'm not really sure. My only guess is that with the interval of one snapshot every twelve hours that I've been taking, I must have been taking it at night or really early in the morning." He then sat back in the chair and sighed. "It's taken a long time, but I got a lot of useful data out of it."
As he continued to cycle through the pictures, I noticed something very peculiar...
"There's a lot of people there." I stated.
Henry shook his head softly. "I don't think they're real people. By the way they behave, I believe they're avatars of some sort, with a person controlling them from the outside...wherever that 'outside' may be." He then zoomed in on one of the snapshots and pointed to a curious floating globe behind one of the "people". "That sphere is what I believe offers the person controlling that avatar to see into the world. To put it simply, anyone that has one of those globes hanging around them is an avatar. The strange thing is that I've found that there are also digimon avatars as well."
"Why would digimon need an avatar in the digital world?" I asked in confusion.
Takato stepped in and furrowed his brow. "That wouldn't make sense. I think that humans are controlling all the avatars."
Henry nodded. "I agree. When you two get there, a real digimon could explain everything to you, if it's willing. Just look for one without one of those viewing globes...that'll be a real digimon."
"Well the easiest ones to ask would be Renamon and Guilmon, but we have no idea where they are or if they've even been to this little town." Takato mused aloud.
"That's...not entirely accurate." Henry answered with a smug grin. I raised an eyebrow at the blue-haired man, but he just continued thumbing his way through the snapshots before stopping on one. He opened it and the snapshot filled the screen, and he just scooted away from the terminal. "Check it out...see anything interesting?"
I did as he asked and moved closer with Takato to look at the picture. After a few minutes I backed away and shook my head. "Not really."
Henry chuckled and scooted up to the keyboard again. "I missed it at first too, but by complete luck I happened to be messing with the zoom function when this snapshot was taken," he panned the image to the bottom left, near the entry gate, and then zoomed in close, "and that's when I found this." Again I scanned my eyes over the image, looking for anything that would seem suspicious or interesting...and then I noticed a slightly blurry shape near the archway of the town gate.
And then I saw the white-tipped yellow tail.
"R-Renamon?" I managed to choke out.
Henry smiled again and thumbed to the next image...
Takato immediately pointed at the screen and exclaimed, "That's Guilmon!"
Our computer-savvy friend nodded and smiled. "Yep. I got ahold of these a few months ago, but didn't recently notice anything until a few nights ago, when I installed a new graphics card that sharpened the images." He then thumbed through the other images as he continued talking. "I've tracked their movements, and ever since that first night, they haven't strayed very far away from the town. I think they're living there. And before you ask, yes...that's part of the reason I've kept close tabs on this place." The last image was of Renamon standing alone out in front of one of the houses, looking up at the sky...seemingly right at the perspective of the snapshot.
"When was that last image taken?" I asked in contained excitement.
Henry typed a few words and another window popped up, showing a timestamp. "About three days ago. They haven't seem to have gone anywhere, but I wanted to make sure before jumping to any conclusions."
I looked to the screen before letting my eyes wander over to the gate. I then looked back to the two young men with a smile. "Let's do this."
Henry nodded and motioned us over to the gate. "Alright you two, I'll make sure things are okay on this end. You'll need someone on the inside ‒ or rather the outside ‒ to make sure you two can make your way back here. I'll let you know ahead of time that by my calculations, you're still going to be stuck there for the equivalent of a month to allow the gate to recharge and for me to recalibrate it, which equals two months there...so get comfortable." He typed a command into the terminal and the large gate began to hum with power as the multiple diodes along the curved interior began to spark with power. A second later, arcs of electricity all met in the center of the gate, and exploded into what looked like a mirror. Henry then looked over to us and said, "Last chance to back out if you're not ready for this."
I focused my gaze on the shiny fluid-like surface in front of us and shook my head. "No...we're ready." I then felt as Takato's gloved hand took my own, and I looked up to meet my eyes with his of crimson.
He smiled and said, "I'm beside you the whole way, Rika. Let's do this."
I nodded and stepped forward to the gate, passing through the archway and into darkness.
The first sensation I felt was something soft...and then warm. Everywhere else felt cold for some reason, and not soft, so I unconsciously tried to get closer to the source of the warmth.
"Umm...Rika?"
Oh no...
I opened my eyes to see blue first, and then noticed that my face was pressed into the soft, warm blue thing. I pushed myself up to see that I had actually been rubbing my face happily into Takato's (thankfully clothed) stomach...and immediately a blush rose to my cheeks as embarrassment overtook me.
Silence reigned for a few moments before I sighed and said, "You're never going to let me live this down, are you?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "Nope."
I grumbled and stood up, brushing myself off and securing my pack to me. I then looked around curiously before spotting our destination. "Alright, we're close. C'mon, gogglehead."
As we started to walk towards the town, I couldn't help but feel a little nervous...mostly because of the fact that we were vulnerable out here without any partners of our own, but also because of the upcoming meeting with Renamon...providing she was in the settlement right now. With that in mind, I quickly picked up my pace until me and my companion were jogging towards the gate ahead of us, eager to get inside into safety.
Thankfully we arrived a few minutes later without incident, but were stopped when the barrier wouldn't let us through. We kicked it, punched it, rammed it...but to no avail. Eventually the two of us sat down to the side of the archway, panting for breath.
My anger at being so close to my objective began to eat at me until I finally just let out a loud yell of frustration.
When I turned to Takato, it was to see his eyebrow raised. He asked, "You alright there Rika?"
I composed myself and sighed. "It's just that we're here...we're right here, and we get stopped because the stupid barrier won't let us through."
He scooted closer to me and nudged me gently. "Cheer up. We'll think of something."
"Need a hand?" inquired a deep voice from in front of me.
I looked up to see a tall man with wild spiky hair the color of goldenrod. His arms were covered in tattoos, as well as strange skull-shaped markings on one arm. His eyes gleamed with gentleness, but just from looking at him I could tell he could do serious damage if he wanted to. It was at that moment I also noticed something very peculiar...
He didn't have a "globe".
I raised an eyebrow as I let him pull me up, and once standing I uttered, "You're not an avatar, are you?"
He pulled Takato up and smiled. "Nope, and neither are you two."
I nodded. "Correct." I then pointed to the dome and frowned. "We can't seem to get through."
He chuckled in response and yelled out, "Hey Crispy!"
I was about to ask what he was doing, but then another man appeared at the small guardpost from inside the barrier dome. The man was dressed in a uniform, so I assumed he must be the person that was to let us in, and I was pleased to find that he also did not have a "globe" with him.
The man waved to the tattooed man in front of us and smiled. "Hey there Daniel. Sorry about that, I was getting a drink."
This "Daniel" simply nodded and motioned to Takato and I. "I have some guests with me. Do you mind if they follow?"
The guard shrugged. "Not at all. Give me a sec."
We waited for a few moments, but thankfully the barrier opened just a small bit, allowing us room to walk through. As we did so, Daniel waved to the guard with a smile and a word of thanks, and without any other word, we set about making our way into the town with our new found acquaintance.
He was silent for quite some time until we approached a fountain near the center of the town, at which point he turned to me and said, "I know who you are, Ms. Nonaka." He then turned to Takato with an unreadable expression. "And you too, gogglehead."
The goggle-wearing man beside me groaned out, "Ugh...is that nickname going to follow me everywhere?"
I refrained from picking on my companion and instead focused my gaze on the man that had given us access to the town. "How do you know us?"
The gold-haired man grinned. "I know quite a bit about you both, actually...like the fact you're looking for a Renamon and a Guilmon, aren't you?" I gasped in shock, and he just nodded. "And before you ask, yes...I'm pretty sure I know your friends."
Suddenly my brain just seemed to stop...and then it rebooted.
The first emotion that flowed through me was confusion. Confusion at how this stranger knew us, how he knew Renamon and Guilmon, and just who he was. The next emotion was unbridled happiness at knowing that I was likely going to quickly cash in on all of Henry's hard work.
I'd have to remember to thank him when we got back home.
"Do you want to go see them?" Daniel asked, causing my mind to register the question and immediately go into overdrive.
Without thinking I shouted out, "Yes!"
The man then looked to my friend and asked, "Are you okay over there Mr. Matsuki?"
I looked to Takato to see him standing there with his mouth wide open. I reached over and gently closed his mouth, quipping, "Keep that closed or you'll catch flies in there."
He gathered his bearings and shook the cobwebs from his mind before exclaiming, "Take me to Guilmon right now!"
Daniel calmly chuckled. "Easy there, cowboy. I'll take you to them, there's no need to worry." He then turned on his heel and started walking further into town. "Come on...I'll take you there. Keep up or get left behind."
The man was tall in comparison to me, so I had to struggle to keep up with his long strides, but knowing that he was supposedly leading me to my only living family in life gave me the drive to do so.
As we followed from behind, Takato suddenly blurted, "You were a marine?"
Daniel chuckled again and nodded without turning his head. "Recognize that tattoo, do ya? Yep, I was in the USMC for a little while. Went to Iraq during the war, actually."
"The US was at war with Iraq? I don't remember this." I answered in interest.
Suddenly he stopped, and turned to face Takato and I. "I guess before we get any further, I should explain something. Now bear with me because it's going to be strange, okay?" We both nodded, so he sighed and continued. "I'm not from the same Earth that you are from. In my dimension, digimon as a whole and even you all are simply from a manga series and TV show. Digimon don't really exist, and neither do either of you. Follow me so far?" I was a little shocked, but nodded. "Okay then. With that being the case, much of the world you remember doesn't exist in mine. Locations are different, corporate entities are different...basically the whole world is a distorted mirror of the world you're from." He then pointed at Takato. "For example, humans in my world don't naturally have red eyes unless they're albino."
I frowned in confusion. "How did you get here then?"
He chuckled. "Well you're just going to have to ask Lex...er, ask Renamon about that."
I was confused by his response, but nodded. Without more questions to be asked, we both continued to follow the marine through the town.
After another twenty or so minutes of walking, we arrived at a large two-story home.
Daniel made his way to the door, but before opening it, stopped and turned to us again. "Alright, I know things are going to be emotional and heartfelt here...but I'm going to warn you ahead of time that there's something here that's probably going to piss you off, so before you go into a rage about it, please allow an explanation...okay?" I flashed a look of confusion to the man, and he just chuckled. "Yes...I'm trying to make you brace yourself...you'll need it." He then turned and opened the door, and we followed him inside.
The home was lavishly furnished, even by my standards, but still held a sort of "rockstar" feel to it...and somehow I get the impression that's what the homeowner was going for.
Suddenly Daniel said, "Welcome to my home. Drop your stuff and let me get you a drink. What are you two feeling like having?"
It took me a moment to take this new information in, but I composed myself quickly. "Umm, some orange juice would be nice if you have it."
"Cola for me if you got any." Takato added.
Daniel nodded before traipsing off to what I assumed was the kitchen for a moment before quickly returning with two bottles ‒ one of some cola whose name I didn't recognize, and another of orange juice. He then sat down on the strangely shaped sofa and said, "So, you ready to meet them?"
I opened the bottle and took a drink before nodding. "I've been ready for five years."
"Only five, huh? It's been ten here..." he responded with a frown.
I nodded again. "I know. Time passes twice as fast here as it does in our world. Henry found that out...he was the one that built the dimensional gate."
"Sounds like a pretty smart guy." Daniel responded. He then stood and smiled before shouting, "Lex, Guilmon, get in here now!"
I raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "You're not going to prepare them or anything?"
The tattooed man chuckled and shrugged. "They like surprises...which means they'll love this one."
We waited for a few moments until we heard what sounded like footsteps ascending stairs, and then a door near the kitchen opened...to reveal the one I'd longed to see for so long.
"Rika?"
