A/N: Holy mother of cookie milk, another chapter? Shit just got real, son. Anyhow, you all know the drill. Please R&R and let me know what you think.

To kn4sakura - Well unfortunately for Henry, he won't be finding out until Rika and Takato return...which is a ways off, and as far as Rika...well you'll see soon enough.

To callmeBaby'08 - Well here's the next update. Hope you like!

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


Chapter 12: Reclamation

Rika's PoV

For several tense moments, the five of us just stood there in silence, all of our minds coming to grips with what was happening. After what felt like a lifetime, Renamon was there...and just from the way she had said my name, I could tell that she was just barely resisting screaming in happiness right then.

The silence was broken when Daniel muttered, "You four have a lot to talk about...I'll just be outside if you need me. Don't break anything, please." A few soft footfalls later, and we all heard the front door to the home close...leaving four close friends to stare at each other in shock for a few moments.

Of course, the goof that was Guilmon decided to shatter the tense atmosphere.

"Takatomon!" shouted the red reptilian, just before he rushed his best friend and tackled him to the ground in a tight embrace brought about from missing his partner for so long.

As the two boys rolled around on the floor in a fit of laughter, Renamon continued to stare directly at me the whole time, her icy blue eyes never breaking their gaze with mine of lavender. She stepped forward slowly, and I mirrored her movements until we were a mere foot apart. Achingly slow, the fox digimon reached up her large paw towards me, and I again mirrored her, lifting my hand to meet her...and when we finally touched, tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she smiled.

"Rika..." she breathed out. Contrary to what I expected, she did not rush at all as she closed the distance between us and enveloped me in her powerful arms...as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

And it was.

She was my best friend, my other side. She was me, and she was everything I wished I could be. But most of all, she was my sister, and the most important person in my life. And so without even questioning it, I wrapped my own arms around her and cried in joy.


Daniel's PoV

I sat outside on my front steps, simply enjoying the warm day and knowing that Lex was happy beyond words right now. The way her face lit up at the sight of Rika was something that couldn't be replicated...even by me.

Oddly enough, I didn't mind.

For the first time in my life, I was completely secure in my position in someone's life. I couldn't expect for Lexia to feel the same about me as she does for Rika, and frankly, neither did I want that to be the case. Rika and Lex were family, and I knew for a fact that after being separated for so long, it probably felt like Christmas to a factor of one-hundred. While it was true I had replaced Rika as Lexia's tamer, I did not want to replace the girl in any other way. Lexia's love and memories of Rika were as much a part of who she was as her tail, or even her beautiful laugh. It was something that made Lex who she was...

And I wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

As I sat on the front steps of my home, I heard someone break out in sobs from within the house, which meant that Rika or Lex had finally broke down and cried under the emotional tension that was brought about from their reunion. I just chuckled to myself and tuned them out, as it wasn't really my business what the two did at this moment. After all, these four had been friends for years before I ever came into Lexia's life, so my place was on the outside for now, at least until it came to the point that Lex had to explain exactly what had changed in her life.

That was going to be a stressful conversation.

Still, I knew it meant a lot to Lex, and while I didn't know Rika all that well, this was something I would need to be there for in order to work things out somehow. The only thing that really worried me was what the Renamon would do when the two other humans had to return home. As irrational as it was, I feared that Lex would find that she missed Rika more than she cared about me...and if and when the time came, she would choose to leave me behind rather than say goodbye to the woman she was reunited with.

I didn't like thinking about it though, because the more I thought about it, the more that fear held merit.

And so, I did what I always do whenever I need to clear my mind: I decided to have a good run.


I ran, and ran, and ran, and ran, and ran until my muscles burned like a fire and my veins pumped battery acid...

Then I ran some more.

Eventually, I actually collapsed after what must have been a few hours and nearly three dozen laps around the entire town at full speed...but I was utterly pissed to find that the thoughts hadn't abated at all, they'd only intensified. For the first time in a long time, I was scared...scared that I was again going to lose the most important person in my life. The worst part about it was that if it happened...I knew I wouldn't be able to bring myself to stop her. It was strange, because usually I was very clear with what I wanted, and when it was warranted, I took what I wanted...by force if necessary.

This was different though.

Lex was as strong-willed as I was, if not more so. I knew for a fact that she would fight ‒ fang and claw if needed ‒ to get what she was after...and I'm pretty sure she could still take me. Even with that being the case, I knew she was also soft and vulnerable at times as well...and even though it would be easy to take advantage of that, I couldn't bring myself to do that to her. I cared about Lexia too much to use her that way, and I knew that she would be unhappy.

So what would I do?

If Lex and Guilmon decided to return to Earth with the two tamers, I would for the third time in my life be alone...and truth be told, I didn't know if I could survive that again. I didn't even want to think about the possibility, but something my brother had taught me was to be prepared for any and all outcomes the best that you possibly could...hope for the best, and prepare for the worst.


For the next hour or so I just walked around the town, mostly keeping to myself. There were of course a few run-ins with player avatars, but nothing violent of course. Mostly them just bothering me and asking questions about the "game", like how I changed how my avatar looks, how I move the way I do...things like that.

It no longer irked me...instead, I just found it funny.

Truthfully, I now enjoyed the attention. After all, I got to be the ultimate actor. I'd come to find out in the recent months that unlike avatars, my speech didn't show up as text to them...instead, it was really me, speaking to them through their...well, speakers.

Holy shit, the world makes sense now...I understand EVERYTHING!

Okay...I'm done.

Anyway, I soon found myself in the main square, sitting against a familiar fountain, next to a familiar Gatomon. Her and I spoke at length about what had transpired during the past year, as well as the two visitors that had made their way to the digital realm today.

"So what do you think of it all?" the small white digimon asked.

I shrugged. "I think it's great. Lex has missed this Rika girl for the longest time, and now she gets to see her and catch up on all that's happened."

For a long moment Gatomon was silent before asking, "And what does that mean for you?"

I looked down to the small cat-like digimon and raised my eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "You're a smart man Daniel, so I know you've at least thought about what might happen when these humans return home."

Again the fear struck me, and I just lowered my gaze to the ground and nodded. "Yeah...I have."

"And?" she prodded curiously.

I sat still and sighed again. "I'm worried that she'll realize she cares about Rika more than she does me...and when she leaves, Lex will choose to go with her." I growled softly and shook my head. "Maybe it's a stupid fear, but it's real to me."

I felt as Gatomon's paw patted my shin, and then she said, "If it's real to you, it's not stupid. We're all afraid of things, Daniel...and it's okay to be scared."

I nodded and smiled lightly down at the cat digimon. "Thanks Gatomon." I then stretched a bit and stood. "Well, I guess it's about time for me to head back, as I'm sure Rika has questions that only I can answer. Are you going to be okay here?"

She nodded with a grin. "Oh yeah, I'll be fine. You take care of yourself, Daniel."

"You too." I answered back, before turning on my heel and heading home.


I finally approached my home again, and instantly, nervousness set in. There was really no getting around it...explaining what was going on between Lex and I was going to be rather unpleasant. With a few deep breaths to calm myself, I placed my hand on the doorknob, opened the door, and walked in.

"Daniel!" shouted who could only be Lex, and as I scanned the family room I did indeed see a certain vixen glaring angrily at me. "Where have you been for the past," she glanced at the clock, "two hours?"

I chuckled nervously and scratched my neck. "Just um, taking a walk."

Lex sent me a withering gaze that said we'd talk about this later, but for the moment she simply patted the spot next to her. "Come take a seat. We have something to explain to Rika, and I have a feeling you know what."

I sighed and did as she asked, taking my place next to the yellow fox, with Rika sitting on the other side. For a few tense moments not one of us said a word as Rika and Takato simply wondered what we were going to say, but thankfully Lex finally cleared her throat and turned her gaze to the girl next to her.

"Rika, many things have changed since you and I have been separated." she started, obviously testing the waters first.

The red-headed girl simply focused on the vixen and nodded. "It's been ten years for you, so I assume so...but since you're having to explain it to me, I take it it's not something readily observable, right?"

Lexia nodded slowly. "As I expected, you're still sharp as a needle, Rika. Yes, it is something not readily known unless we were to tell you." She then placed her paw on the girl's hand and asked, "May I see the your D-Power?" Rika nodded and unclipped the blue and white device from her pants before handing it over, at which point Lex took it in her large paw and examined it. "It is inactive," she then looked to her former tamer, "and I assume it has been ever since digimon were banished from Earth, correct?" Rika nodded at this, so the fox handed the device back to her. Lex then looked to me and nodded, so I unclipped my black and violet device and handed it over.

"I-is that...?" Rika stuttered out.

Lex nodded sadly. "Yes...he has a D-Power device."

"And it's active..." the girl observed.

Again, the kitsune nodded. "Yes. I'll let you work out who his partner is."

Rika immediately locked eyes with her former partner and I could see the slight sadness in her eyes as she the realization hit her. "It's you...right?"

Lex nodded slowly. "Yes."

Rika looked down at her dormant device and asked, "How did it happen?"

Lex then went through the entire explanation of our partnership, starting from when she had tried to find Rika all those years, all the way up to the point when she met me through the internet with the "game" as a facilitator, and upon my playful (albeit misunderstood) go ahead, she used the digital energy she gathered to bring me to her. We figured that at least for the moment, that would be enough for the girl to deal with.

She could be told about "us" later on.

It took a few moments, but eventually the fiery redhead nodded slowly and smiled. "Well, ten years is a long time to be alone, Renamon...especially after losing both me and Guilmon. And you did say that for a long time you were trying to find me, so I can't be upset with you for that." Her smile grew and she then locked eyes with both of us. "No...if I was upset with you just because you found another tamer, I wouldn't be a very good friend, would I?" Her eyes then jumped from me to the Renamon. "Does he treat you well?"

Lex nodded with a smile. "Yes...he does. He is a hardcore trainer when it comes to getting stronger, but he also cares a great deal about Guilmon and I, and he always makes sure we know it."

Rika nodded with a grin. "Good. So long as he's better to you than I was when we first met."

Lexia shook her head and argued, "We were different people back then, Rika. It is a lifetime ago, and I hold no grudge against you for it."

"We got off to a bit of a rocky start at first." I added with a grin. "You know, what with her bringing me here all of the sudden. To be honest, when I'd agreed to it, I was just joking." I then looked at Lex and winked. "But now, there's honestly no place I'd rather be. I have a good life here, and we look out for and take care of each other. It's mutually beneficial for both of us, and I'd like to think both of our lives improved because of our partnership."

The young woman looked between the two of us and nodded before addressing Lexia. "That sounds like a really good partnership. I won't lie...it does make me a little sad that I've lost a partner, but I can honestly say that I'm glad that you partnered up with Daniel...he seems to really care about you a lot, and I can tell you care for him too."

The vixen shook her head and took Rika's hand in her own before saying, "Just because you aren't my tamer anymore doesn't mean I don't care about you. You're still the most important person to me." Lex let her large paw softly stroke the girl's hand as she added, "You're my family, Rika."

At these words, I almost let out a very undignified "d'awww", but thankfully I contained myself and just watched as the two girls embraced with smiles.

"There is one other thing..." I heard Lex add. The vixen then turned to me while jerking her head towards Rika, and I immediately knew what she was referring to.

"Now?" I asked nervously, to which she nodded pleadingly. I sighed and said, "Alright fine." I then moved my gaze to the redhead. "Rika, there's something else you need to know about the two of us..."

The woman straightened her posture and smiled. "Alright then, what is it?"

I nervously rubbed my hair. "Well, it's kinda hard to explain..."

"We're together...romantically." Lex stated dryly.

I blinked in surprise before smiling sheepishly. "Alright, so it's easy to explain."

Rika laughed for a few moments before noticing that both Lex and I were sitting placidly. She then darted her eyes between the two of us and questioned, "Are you serious?"

I nodded slowly as I felt a soft tail wrap around my waist, and then felt as the vixen's warm body leaned back against me. "Yeah...we're serious."

Her mouth dropped open and she asked, "H-how? When?"

I felt Lex shrug as she answered, "It just sort of happened, really. We started out just as partners, and that evolved pretty quickly into something more than that. We had a fight or two at first, then we made up, then we talked about each other...like really talked." I wrenched my arms out from under her body before wrapping them around her tightly, causing the vixen to sigh happily before she continued with, "I know him about as well as I know you, Rika...and I love him too. Just in a different way, of course."

I smiled and added, "Both of us were pretty broken when I was brought here. There wasn't any romantic 'we fixed each other' type of thing, more like we finally found someone we trusted enough to be around and allow ourselves to heal. I lost my mother and brother to death, and my fiancée decided to cheat on me while I was trying to build a home for us." I then nodded my head to Lex. "She lost both you and Guilmon, and was completely alone in the world for years until she found me. We just...clicked for some reason. We understand each other." I lightly kissed the top of the Renamon's head and smiled. "She even let me name her."

Rika gasped. "Really?"

Lex nodded. "Yes. He brought up one night how it was weird to call me by my species instead of by a name...so after some thought, he came up with the name Lexia."

The lavender-eyed woman smiled softly and nodded. "It's a beautiful name...it suits you somehow."

I chuckled. "I thought so anyway."

"So," Lex began with a smile, "what do you think of all this?"

The woman's face fell a bit as she thought for a few minutes. Her expression showed ghosts of happiness, anger, sadness...and something else I couldn't quite quantify. After those few minutes though, she finally looked up and sighed. "I need some time with this. It's a lot to take in all at once."

"How much time do you need?" the vixen asked curiously.

Rika shrugged. "I actually need to explain something to you about that...Takato and I are stuck here for at least two months. Do you think..."

I nodded. "Of course. Mi casa es su casa. I've got a spare bedroom upstairs at the end of the hall with a queen bed, and the washroom's upstairs. You both are welcome to stay."

The redhead nodded gratefully. "Thanks. I'm gonna go upstairs and wash up then, as well as unpack some and...think."

I nodded again. "Take all the time you need. Dinner will be at 19:00."

Rika nodded once more before grabbing her bag and heading upstairs.

As soon as she was out of earshot, I whispered, "Did you notice her hat?"

Lex giggled softly. "No Daniel, I'm blind. Of course I did."

I smiled into the top of her head. "I think it was pretty rad." I then turned my head and said, "How are you doing over there, Takato?"

"I'm great, actually." was my answer, and as I turned my head to look at the man and his digimon partner, he smirked. "Although I never thought Renamon, or rather Lexia, would go all soft on us."

I heard a soft growl escape from Lexia's lips as she shot back, "You're lucky I'm comfortable, or else you'd be bleeding right now."

The goggle-wearing man just rolled his eyes with a grin. "I'm just messing with you Lex." He then kicked off his shoes and placed his feet up on the stool in front of his chair. "In honesty, I think it's great. Unexpected, but great. I always knew you weren't just some hardass, Lex...I knew there was a girl somewhere inside of you."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult." Lexia responded in confusion.

"It's a compliment in this context." he responded quickly, then smiled. "And I know you won't believe me, but I actually missed you."

"You're right, I don't believe that." Lex replied with a smirk. "But thanks...I can say I missed you a little too."

I rolled my eyes and pushed the warm vixen off of me. "For fuck's sake, just hug already and get it over with...the amount of longing for it between you two is palpable." At my order, both parties chuckled nervously while Guilmon let out a bark of a laugh, but slowly, the Renamon and Takato did approach each other before slowly embracing...and sighing happily. I nodded and commented, "See, I told you. You two look so cute like that...I should take a picture."

"Do it and you're dead." Lex grumbled.


Our two new guests spent the next few hours getting settled in and cleaned up, which left Lex and I to train. It was going to be a rather lax day overall, so instead of the full training we normally did, we instead opted to spar for about three hours.

Much to my surprise, I now vastly overpowered her, which I hadn't known of before. That may have something to do with the fact that we hadn't had time to truly spar for a few months now, but with this one fight it became pretty apparent that I was much stronger than she was...

At least until she began using her digital strength.

Needless to say that her connection with the digital realm allowed her to become much more powerful than me, so much so that it took all of a few seconds for her to overpower and pin me in an armbar, causing me to tap out.

The vixen released me and I stood up, rubbing my elbow with a sigh. "Damn...I never thought you'd have to use your digital attunement against me just to win."

Lex came closer and looked me over for any injuries as she muttered, "To be honest, neither did I." After giving me a good once-over, she leveled her gaze with me. "How did you get so strong?"

"No clue." I responded with a shrug of my shoulders. "I mean my exposure to the digital realm probably has a lot to do with it, but beyond that, I'm unsure. I've been doing the same training you are."

"And yet you're stronger than me when we're both not using any digital attunement functions." Lex responded with a thoughtful expression. She then sighed. "Just tell me if you notice any more changes to your body or your moods. I want to keep an eye on this."

I nodded a little nervously. "Yeah, I don't want to wake up as a digimon one day...no offense."

"None taken." Lex replied with a warm smile. "I know that the subtle changes that have already happened have been interesting enough for you to cope with. I'd rather you be what you are as well, so it's also in my best interest to keep an eye on you in that respect."

"Cool," I answered with a smile, "then let's get inside and make dinner before I start growing a tail or something."


My partner and I quickly whipped up a light dinner of cottage pie and gravy, with warm rolls. To put it simply, I had a British friend named Jennie back in the States that made the meal for me one time...and I fell in love with it.

Thankfully, our guests' palates were rather open to new tastes, and enjoyed the meal greatly.

Rika had thankfully composed herself enough to enjoy the dinner I made, and after Takato and I shared a bottle of mead, dinner became quite a bit more sociable. We told jokes and laughed, shared some good stories, and even traded information about our respective worlds.

In essence, we had a great dinner.

As the night progressed, we all made our way to the family room (after cleaning up of course) to watch a movie that I believed everyone would like: Star Wars.

Thankfully, this time no one asked any questions as the movie progressed, so all of us nestled ourselves into comfort ‒ into chairs, or in Rika's case, into the lap of Lexia.


After about two hours, the movie ended, and as I carried a sleeping Rika to her room, I could still hear Guilmon and his tamer speaking excitedly downstairs about the movie, which made me smile.

As I made my way to the room, I whispered, "She really loves you Lex...still."

I heard the Renamon sigh happily from in front of me as she opened the door to the room. "And I still love her. I missed her so much...it's beyond amazing to be able to be with her again."

I set the sleeping girl onto the bed and smiled softly. "Well good, because I want you to be happy. It pained me for the longest time that you were stolen from her like you were." Lex sat down next to the sleeping woman and gently stroked her crimson hair lovingly, and I anticipated her wish as I said, "You can stay with her tonight if you really want to, Lexia."

The vixen looked up at me with pleading eyes and asked, "You really don't mind?"

I leaned down and kissed just between her ears and rubbed the spot gently. "Of course not." I turned and walked away, whispering, "I'll be just down the hall if you need me." She nodded once more as she lay beside the woman, so I closed the door behind me and made my way to my bed.


I was laying in my bed listening to music, simply relaxing as the tunes lulled me into a state of bliss. I had been doing it for hours now, even though my body refused to sleep, but I had learned to take what I could get, so I just enjoyed the quiet and gentle atmosphere.

I tapped my foot on the footboard of the bed and closed my eyes again, finally feeling sleep ready to overtake me.

But suddenly, I felt I was not alone.

"I thought she would never leave your side." growled a deep voice laced with power.

"Wha-?" was all I had time to say before a bright flash, a feeling of pain, and then utter darkness.