Melody: Hmm…yeah. I've been extremely busy lately. Hope the stress of it all doesn't affect my writing.
Matt: No worries, you were insane to begin with.
Melody: Thanks (sarcastically) but I really do want to thank the following readers:
Writers Applause:
Thanks to: DesertAngel63, Takari Freek, Yumi Stern, JuMiKu, AzNAnGeL07, TheFoxGirlKitsune
karika88: Yeah, sorry it's been a while. I was kept at sword length from the computer until I got caught up on the dreaded subject I call math. It's hard to believe that people once worshipped it.
Melody: I'd never thought I'd have to write this but: please refrain form cursing excessively in your reviews; those won't earn a reply from me either.
Disclaimer: (As done by Microsoft Word's theoretical voice) INSERT DISCLAIMER RELEVANT TO DIGIMON HERE
Melody: Yeah…I dunno where everybody went. Darn restroom breaks. I can't trust anybody these days.
Darkness Chronicles: Icefilled Darkness: Chapter 10: Your Warming Touch
Dark Ocean: Sub Surface: 3:33 P.M.
It was as grey and colorless inside as it was outside. Though there was a slight difference. This place was rank with the smell of dying sea creatures. And Veemon would know. He'd been to a fish market before. Why Davis's dad was so crazy about going there, neither the blue dragon nor his partner would ever know. Veemon stole a glance at Davis. His partner sat against the wall looking extremely confused. Then again, Veemon didn't blame the guy much. The blue dragon was confused too. Sitting across from them was someone they hadn't believed existed.
His skin was deathly pale. His limbs were frail and bony, seeking the opportune moment to snap in half. Individual threads stuck out from the fabric of the business suit in all directions. The man had hair that should have been brilliantly red but had faded to a rusty gold. What were once blue eyes now had faded into a gray. They gazed at a point beyond of the Digidestined facing him.
"Shouldn't we at least say something?" T.K. whispered to Kari.
She shrugged. It was hard to focus on anything but the cold, heavy feeling the air had. Her hand sought T.K.'s and wrapped around it. The warmth was extremely comforting.
Ryo glanced around the room. It was as bare as the man's expression. Ever so slowly, he walked towards the man and knelt down beside him. If Rika had taught him anything, it was that reach past people's social walls. Cautiously his hand reached up to brush the hair out of the man's face. Again, nothing changed in the man's appearance. A second look from the Legendary Tamer revealed that the man's mouth was open. Slowly Ryo leaned closer and the sound from the room ceased to exist.
"Sorry—, so sorry. I didn't mean it. Really, I didn't. Pumpkin…" He muttered, the words barely seeping from his mouth.
The Legendary Tamer lost his balance. Apparently no one had told him that crouching was not meant to be done by the Human race for longer than five seconds. Can it really be him? It would explain why Rika hates that name so much. "Sir?" The man didn't acknowledge his presence. Slowly Ryo shifted his hand so it brushed against the man's shoulder. "Mr.….Nonaka?"
Dark Ocean: Sub Surface: Dark Fortress: Main Throne Room 3:33 P.M.
She was beginning to despise those walls--those idiotic, gray, emotionless walls. The phrase 'it could be worse' was loosing ground. Her friends were captured probably being tortured or whatever they did in sublevel dungeons. Meanwhile 'Miss Digimon Queen Rika Nonaka' was stuck in the arms of her least favorite digimon ever. As much as she hated to admit it, Rika was adapting to the frozen temperature of his skin.
"Amazing isn't it? None of your friends ever had a clue about your potential."
Rika huffed at Daemon's glowing eyes. "What potential." It was more of a statement to her then a question.
"You mean no one has ever told you?" Daemon paused, "Not even your father?"
The girl jolted. "You leave him out of this!" Her arms wouldn't move much more, stiff from cold.
"He already was involved."
Her eyes widened. Memories came flooding back into her mind; ones she wished would leave her alone. Ice-cold shivers traveled down her arms and down to her feet. She could feel Ice Devimon's arms around her middle, his grip immobilizing her. His grasp loosened once Rika was too cold to escape.
"Oh, sorry, Am I capturing her at a bad time?" The demon sneered.
Rika's father ignored the remark. "Who, or what are you and what do you want with my daughter!" He shouted.
"I'm Icedevimon, a digital monster, and this girl has something I want." Icedevimon answered bluntly, reaching for Rika's heart.
"Stop! Please…take me instead." Tora Nonaka pleaded.
Her eyes snapped closed and she fought for breath. She had to stop the nightmare before it took control. Having Ryo's cocky form nearby didn't sound so bad right then. Yet she missed one person even more, her father. Icedevimon began caressing her arm as Daemon spoke again.
"Your father was only trying to protect you. And he did a nice job of it too." Rika glared at him. "You'll be well-protected here. Not that you need it. With that power of yours, you're nearly unstoppable."
"Nearly?" Rika huffed. She knew there was a catch. There always was.
Daemon gestured to a machine set up on the opposite side of the room. Its simplistic structure cloaked its complicated inner workings. On one end was a pedestal with wires surrounding a dark orb at the top. Chains ran from it, along with more wires that connected to a cylinder taller than Cyberdramon. Along with the rest of that twisted dimension, the machine was in shades of black and gray. "This device will charge itself with the energy from your digicore. Then the power will transfer to a black spore, giving me and my minions the power to leave this cursed world and conquer yours."
"You're freaking insane. I don't even have digicore!"
"Really." He paused, and then raised his sleeve towards the girl. Purple energy blasted from it. Instead of it frying Rika, it surrounded her body. She looked down to see something glowing brightly through the smoke. "Don't you remember your heart transplant?"
Rika remained silent.
"Your poor father had no idea what he was getting you both into. But thanks to him and Shibumi, you have the rare opportunity to join us."
"I already told you no."
"Very well then, Icedevimon, escort her to the cell. Hopefully, my dear, you will change your mind.
She tried to think of something to snap back with in reply, but nothing came to mind. Her muscles were still stiff, preventing an escape attempt from Icedevimon. Rika's captor flew up into the air and carried her out of the room, through what was a wall a few moments earlier.
Dark Ocean: Sub Surface: Dark Fortress: Sub Level Prisons: 3:38 P.M.
His hands felt cold and he began to shiver. Wait, how could this guy be cold to the touch and alive at the same time? Then again, physics didn't seem to apply much in that world.
When his hands began to ache and loose color, Ryo pulled away. Instead of returning to his now shocked friends, Ryo stayed near the rusted man. Over and over the man repeated the same words. Ryo checked his pulse. It was weak, but it was there. The Legendary Tamer leaned against the wall. He wondered if Daemon or his followers served meals to their prisoners. Fighting battles against evil digimon took a lot of energy. At the moment Ryo was starving so much that his father's 'mystery surprise' sounded tasty.
"Is he okay?" Ken inquired, as he walked over to Ryo's side of the cell.
"Physically or mentally?" The former Emperor didn't answer, but merely glanced in the older man's direction.
"I wonder if Rika's okay." Takato remarked, his gazed focused on the floor. He was technically the leader of the Tamers. If it was anyone's fault that Rika was captured, it was his.
"Rika?" The man's eyes widened into awareness. He spun to Ryo next to him. "Where is she?"
"Uh…" Ryo stuttered, his shoulders being shaken repeatedly by the man. It was then he noticed the silver cross hanging from the man's neck. "We don't really know, sir."
"I have to see her!" The man's tone was hysterical. "Please, I have to see my little girl."
"Wait…you're Rika's dad?" Henry's eyes widened. I thought he was dead.
Dark Ocean: Sub Surface: Dark Fortress: Cell 213: 4:45 P.M.
Far above and out of reach was the door. Gray light from the hallway creeped through the bars. Yet it couldn't reach the occupant ten feet below. Rika huddled in the corner of her cell. She'd learned about dungeons in history, heard about them in songs, had even seen depictions of them in movies. But none of them compared to the place Rika was in now. It was cold, dank, and especially dark. Dark enough, to the point that she couldn't make out anything but the metal doors above and the gray lights that shown though them.
Still, she could perceive that she wasn't alone in the cell. Noises came from several feet away, revealing the enormous size of the dungeon she was in. They didn't come from squeaking rats, nor hissing snakes. Rika fought to stay calm. No worries, it wasn't like she was alone, defenseless, without any hope of escape. She huddled in a fetal position, wishing the sounds would stop and the Scubamon would leave her alone. 'I wonder if this is what Jeri felt like inside the D-Reaper.' Instead of leaving, the Scubamon came closer, their apparent leader's red eyes coming close enough to meet her own.
"Are you the queen?" It hissed, studying her face.
Rika said nothing, shrinking as far as the wall behind her would let her. This was too similar to that day of the tournament. Except this time Renamon wasn't here to drive the monsters off.
Dark Ocean: Sub Surface: Dark Fortress: Main Cell: 5:12 P.M.
"I shouldn't have done it. If it weren't for me, she'd be okay." Mr. Nonaka wept.
Ryo would have told him Rika was okay, but he hated lying to people. He especially loathed dishonesty towards the defenseless. Over the course of the next few hours, The Digidestined and the Tamers witnessed Mr. Nonaka's entire testimony. All of it, minus the positive side. As much Ryo enjoyed finally seeing some of those layers of Rika's psyche, he felt guilty knowing that she wouldn't want him to.
"Ahem." Sam cleared his throat, eyeing Ryo dangerously.
"Yeah?" The Legendary Tamer kept his gaze steady, but couldn't control his shaking hands.
"The Queen wishes to see you." The Emperor stated dryly.
He hesitated at first, but Ryo stood up.
"DON'T!!" Mr. Nonaka cried as he grabbed the teen's arm. He screamed louder when Sam shocked him with his whip. Then he fell to ground weakly as Ken and Kari rushed to his aid.
Stealing one last glance at the man, Ryo gulped. Thousands of thoughts rushed through his head, none of them particularly cheerful. Yet the chills sent down his spine were motivating enough. Even if he was heading into a trap he couldn't save himself from, there was a chance Rika was still alive. Sam waited in the doorway until Ryo passed through. As soon as they were through it, the door slipped out of existence. With each step Ryo could feel his heart beat accelerate. He wished that he had the adrenaline buzz that came with it.
Dark Ocean: Sub Surface: Dark Fortress: Cell 213: 5:12 P.M.
That was odd. Maybe Colorless sea creatures were capable of truth…nah. Somehow, Rika knew that Daemon wasn't capable of telling any truth without his benefit. There was only one problem; he was probably the only way out of this retarded world. Rika was slowly being aware that unless…no. She couldn't do that. Anything was better than betraying her friends not to mention the rest of the world, and the other worlds to leave this cell.
'Knock, Knock.' "Your highness, your visitor is here." Sam called out from above.
Oh right, she had asked to see Ryo. Though Rika hadn't actually expected Sam or Daemon to follow through with her request. "Rika?" Ryo asked quietly.
The streams of gray light showed a lumpy shape in the corner. Warily Ryo walked towards it wondering if it was a monster ordered to eat him. For a second he could have sworn it was Millenniumon, but Ryo didn't back off. Closing his eyes tightly, he moved his hand towards the mass. He jumped. It was human hair! Ryo laughed at himself, no worries. Besides, Millenniumon had been gone for years; no way was he within shooting range.
"Ryo?" The shape lunged toward him. Though he tired to prepare for force, it still carried him to the ground. "It is you!" He half laughed, half wept, at finally having Rika in his arms again.
"I'm glad to see you too, Pump—"Ryo stopped mid-word. "Wildcat." He finished.
Rika smiled, but frowned a second later. "We need to talk."
"Do I need to sit down or what?" The uncertainty teeming from Rika's lips was terrifying.
"It's probably a good idea Ryo." No pet names, this was worse than he thought.
Ryo sat down. "Okay. Now what's bothering you?"
Rika leaned on his shoulder. "I don't even know when to start. Daemon—he…."
"Wants to destroy all of us? Yeah, I know."
"Not all of us, at least not yet."
"Now you really have me confused."
She sighed. "There's a digicore inside me. And Daemon wants to use its energy to take over both Digital World's and the Real ones." Rika paused and made sure she had his attention. "Did you see that machine out there?"
"Yeah, it's weird; if you squint just right you can see it through the walls of the cell the rest of us are in."
"That was designed for me. I'm pretty sure that if I can somehow overload it, maybe I'll cause this entire dimension to crumble, and you guys can finally go home."
"Along with my favorite Queen?" Ryo asked nervously as he snaked his arm around the redhead's shoulder.
To his dismay, Rika shook her head. Tears came pouring down her face. "I'm sorry."
"Rika you can't!"
"It's the only way Ryo."
"But…"He let his protest hang, knowing she was right. How he wished Rika wasn't. Ryo had seen his partner's powers draining away hour by hour, along with the others. They could only guess where the energy was going. His experience in this world was worse than all those days he spent roaming the Digital World alone, trying and failing to protect it. Even now Ryo struggled to keep Rika safe from her own crazy ideas.
"They'd probably destroy me anyways."
Embracing her, he whispered "There has to be another way."
"We're running out of time aren't we?" Rika returned his hug, resting her head on Ryo's chest. She probably heard his heart racing out of control.
"I don't want to loose you Rika." He tried not to, but his throat seemed to close in on itself, causing his words to squeak.
"What?"
"I love you." The words poured out before he thought them.
Rika blinked her eyes wide with surprise. Red crept across her cheeks as she smiled. "Didn't know you were going soft on me, Romeo." She hugged him tighter. Before Ryo could say anything, Rika whispered into his ear "I love you too."
"I don't want to loose you." Ryo repeated. After that, neither of them said anything, only held each other in silence.
A streak of black electricity streaked down and threw Ryo and Rika to opposite ends of the cell. She gasped as the shadow at the top of wall snapped his fingers and the ground of the cell rose. When it was level with the hallway Sam stood in, he grabbed the stunned Ryo and threw him against the wall. Terror froze Rika's mouth shut as she watched the scene wide eyed.
The whip struck Ryo again and he clenched his teeth, but didn't move away. "I would advise against touching her. Rika the Digimon Queen belongs to me." Sam warned. Ryo cried out as he was whipped again. "Take this as a warning to stay away from her in the future." He raised the whip a third time.
"Leave him alone!" Rika exclaimed as she dove in between them.
"Brave, but stupid." Sam commented as the whip struck them both.
Rika cringed when she saw the shiny red streaks through the tears in the fabric of Ryo's shirt. She didn't see them long before Sam grabbed the undamaged collar of her shirt. Without another word he threw her back into her cell. As Rika fell she whispered "I love you Ryo."
See you soon. Ryo thought, wishing there was something he could do to save her in the end. "Aahh!" The whip struck him again. His teeth clenched as he was forced to look Sam directly in the eye.
"Let's make one thing clear, Legendary Tamer. Rika Nonaka is mine and always will be. Interfere again and you'll regret it." Satisfied with his attack, Sam snapped his fingers. Scubamon arrived and dragged Ryo's injured frame back to the main cell. As they carried him away, he thought, for once in your life, don't follow through with it Wildcat.
A/N: This is basically where, if it was permitted, "Your Touch" (by Kutless) lyrics would appear amongst the paragraphs. But alas, you'll have to use your imaginations.
Back in her cell again, Rika fought tears. She was alone and terrified. This was most likely her last day alive and she wouldn't have a chance to say good-bye to the Tamers, Yamaki and the others at Hypnos, her grandma, Mom…or dad. A choking feeling came into her throat. Rika hugged her knees to her chest. The room seemed darker than it did earlier, but Rika didn't care anymore. Dark water crept up past her shoes and past her head. Sinking, sinking, farther down into the sea. Just as the water was about to fill her lungs, something grabbed her shoulder.
"Huh?" She muttered numbly.
"You mustn't give in your highness." A hissing voice pleaded in her ear.
When Rika opened her eyes, all she saw was a shinning outline of a digimon. "I'm fine." She murmured, wanting to close her eyes again.
"You don't belong here. If you stay much longer you'll be consumed." More voices joined in, similar to the first." Rika recognized them to be Scubamon.
"Why do you care?"
"You still have a chance. You're their only hope, our Queen. It's too late for us, but your friends, your worlds, don't have to be doomed to oblivion."
Suddenly it was as if their words actually made sense. Rika felt the grip on her wrists tighten. Taking a deep breath (without drowning, surprisingly) she pulled herself out of the water with the Scubamons' help. It was if she was 50 pounds lighter inside. Blinking, Rika beheld the darkness nearby. The lightless mass moved like a soundless swarm of locusts. At the moment though, it simply swirled in place.
A/N 50 pounds is about 22.7 kg for those readers on the metric system.
"That is the darkness that consumed us, and seeks to destroy you and everything you hold dear."
Rika had trouble finding her voice. "Can I leave now?"
The scubamon glanced at each other. A moment later they all shrugged. Soon Rika found herself climbing a (somewhat) living tower up to the ledge where the bars were. One shove and the door swung open. That was easy. She chose the right instead of the left and made her way down what she hoped was the fastest way to the main cell, and to the throne room. Gray walls on either side reminded her of sidewalks. Sidewalks, instead of the busy city, led Rika's thoughts toward the serene Shinjuku Park. That park, before any of her adventures as a tamer, was the place she often went for ice-cream with her dad. Stop it. Thinking of her dad would ruin the cheerful mood Rika was trying to conjure up in her head. Her dad would only leave her confused and frustrated, just as he did many years ago….
"Hey Rika, where are you going?"
SCREEECH went Rika's shoes as she stopped suddenly. Her head cranked to the side first, followed by the rest of her body. When Rika made eye contact, her words wouldn't form. Actually, she felt like she wasn't breathing. If only she could close her gaping mouth. All of them were alive—including her dad. Rika forcefully took a deep breath and spoke the one thing on her mind, "Daddy?"
Before a second had past, both Rika and her father were embracing one another with tears streaming down their cheeks. It had been a long time, and her father's worn appearance was evidence of that. To Rika though, holding her father was like time travel. He had never left. Rika found herself shivering from his ice-cold skin, but not for long. His touch warmed more every second.
The door slammed open. Sam cleared his throat. Turning around to see him, Rika witnessed his narrowing ice cold eyes. She was shivering again. With her head down, Rika stood up. As she felt the bones seize her wrist, Rika could hear the collective gasps from around the room.
"RIKA!!" Ryo cried out.
It was too late to reconsider. Icedevimon's grip left no exit and Rika doubted that he'd give her one if she asked. She held her breath when the machine came into view. It towered over everything else in the room. A soft humming noise emitted from the machine as Icedevimon and Rika drew near. The sound grew louder with each second as Icedevimon and his prisoner closed in. He thrust Rika toward the machine and she felt it clamp her wrists and ankles in place.
She lifted her head toward the ceiling and saw the cackling sparks fly towards her. Suddenly Rika felt the burning, searing pain. It hurt worse than the time she broke her arm three years earlier. Through her blurring eyes she saw Icedevimon another person out of the cell. Her eyes widened. Not him, please not him. Rika's father was being brought before her, and she knew Icedevimon it was more than one last goodbye. Blood drained from her face as Rika tried to break free from her shackles.
She closed her eyes and let loose a scream. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" Light erupted from Rika's body. Simultaneously, Renamon across the room did the same. Before anyone could stop it, the light blinded him. An enormous egg materialized behind Rika and Renamon and swallowed them whole. Yet the light didn't stop shining. In fact, it increased as the digivices and D-Powers fed into the egg in bright beams.
Then a large golden scythe slashed through the white egg in two large arcs. The egg split into four parts and disintegrated. Though they thought the light couldn't be any brighter than before, it was. It wasn't only light; it was warmth, warmth like autumn campfires or pizza-baking ovens. At last the light receded to reveal Sakuyamon. Yet the shaman digimon had changed from the days of the D-Reaper. Her golden armor had turned platinum, and her purple gloves and boots had yellow. Sakuyamon's black fur had faded to silvery-gray.
With the grace of an angel she swept her scythe in fast slashes. She paused. The machine which had recently held Rika prisoner, the bars around her teammates' cell, even Sam's whip fell and disintegrated. Sakuyamon glanced at her work for a moment, and then spun on her heels. Each step moved with purpose as she made her way to the throne. Her right hand reached up to unfasten one side of her mask, then the other. It didn't fall off, rather it remained on Sakuyamon's face until she turned around and pulled the mask way.
Light erupted from where Sakuyamon once was. It diminished seconds later to show Rika and Renamon. The digimon de-digivolved while the Tamers noticed something different about Rika. Her normal outfit was gone. In its place was a flowing white dress. It cast light to every corner of the once dark and dreary room. Even stranger then Rika's garb was her smile. She seemed happy and content, peaceful and serene. Rika brought her hands to her chest. Her smile changed to a grimace as her hands clenched around an unseen object on her chest. Slowly an orb rose from within her chest, close to her heart; it glowed like a small star.
Rika raised the orb above her head, and the orb increased in brightness. As it the walls and floors of the castle, they disintegrated at contact. When the light drew towards the Scubamon, one would assume that they'd be destroyed as well. But that wasn't the case that day. Instead the scubamon blurred as the grays washed out from their bodies. What was left, instead of oblivion were….children!? The Tamers and Digidestined especially, looked upon the youths, with shock on their faces. Meanwhile Rika smiled as if she had known the secret all along.
Her smile faded with the 'walls' of the dark ocean. She slowly fell from the sky, unconscious. Ryo ran to break her fall. Rika landed with a plump into his arms. He dropped to the ground and held her, searching for any signs of life. The Legendary Tamer was so engrossed in monitoring Rika's condition that he didn't even notice the familiar scenery of the Real World. All Ryo could focus on was the lack of a heartbeat in Rika's chest….
Melody: Whew….that took forever. Happy thanksgiving everyone!! (And don't forget to express your thanks by reviewing!)
