DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon or any video games, books, films, TV shows or pieces of music referenced in this story. Original characters owned by me are stated in my profile.
Chapter Twenty-One: Into the Mouth of Hell
Monday 8th November - 5:11pm
Nonaka Residence
Seiko Hata sighed contentedly as she took a sip from her steaming cup of tea. The woman was laid on the living room sofa with a book she had borrowed from Miranda. It was a thriller about some sort of criminal psychologist - not the type of thing that Seiko would usually have read, but she was enjoying it nonetheless.
"Are you enjoying the book?" Miranda called from the kitchen.
"Yes, it's excellent, thank you. Very well written, and the storyline is very involving."
"Yes, it is isn't…" the housekeeper started to reply, trailing off as the kitchen door slammed open. "Oh, God! Rika!"
Seiko leapt to her feet, hobbling to the kitchen as fast as her injured leg would carry her. When she finally made her way into the room, she let out a gasp of horror as she saw her granddaughter being supported by a tall, heavyset boy that she didn't recognize. The girl's jeans and hoody were shredded and her hands and lower legs were covered in blood.
"Rika! What happened?" the older woman asked, leaning on a chair for support.
"We were attacked," the redhead mumbled, shrugging the unfamiliar boy's hand off of her arm and limping into the room. "Two of them…they caught us by surprise…"
"Who attacked you?" Miranda asked, helping the girl to a chair and completely ignoring her protests. "And where's Sam?"
"They…they took her."
"WHAT? Who took her?" the Irishwoman exclaimed in horror, a bewildered look passing across her face as the unconscious form of Renamon was carried into the room by Henry Wong and two odd creatures that looked like a green and white rabbit and a blue teddy bear with boxing gloves. "And what the HELL are they?"
"Terriermon, at your service!" the rabbit-creature chirped and leapt onto a chair, performing a small bow as he landed.
"I…I…I…" the woman stammered and promptly fainted.
"You see - that's the kind of reaction I want!"
"Terriermon…"
While she was cleaning and bandaging Rika's wounds in the living room, Cam and Gaomon gave Seiko a brief explanation of what had happened. The woman remained surprisingly calm through it all, refusing to let her emotions get the better of her. Miranda woke up about halfway through the explanation, and Henry left with Terriermon to give her the "Digimon are real" talk. By the time both explanations were finished, Renamon was still unconscious on the living room sofa with Rika sat beside her, gazing at the wounded kitsune with concern. As Henry re-entered the room with Miranda, Seiko stood up and took the younger woman by the arm, leading her into the kitchen to give her a follow-up talk and give the Tamers and Digimon some space. The group sat there for several minutes before Rika broke the silence.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "You guys must hate me right now…"
"Uh, why is that?" Cam asked with a confused frown, shooting a brief glare at Terriermon to stop the rabbit's predictable reply.
"I screwed up. I let those…monsters take Suzie and Steph," she replied as if the answer were obvious.
"You didn't let them do anything," Henry said firmly. "They caught you by surprise and nearly killed you. Somebody had to have planned this in advance - the attack by Pajiramon and Indramon was obviously a diversion."
"I should have been more alert!" the redhead snarled. "I let my guard down and Sam and the others g-"
"Stop right there," Gaomon interrupted and looked into the girl's eyes. "The attack caught us all by surprise - we could never have predicted that there would be two Bio-emergences in one day. Besides, it is unrealistic to expect yourself to be constantly alert and on guard - I have lived a life like that and I can tell you now that it is not easy, even for a seasoned warrior."
"I…I just feel so…useless!" Rika sighed, gazing at her partner again.
"Sometimes we're all a little useless," Terriermon said softly, drawing a surprised look from his Tamer. "You and Renamon were in a fight with two Devas all by yourself - even if you'd managed to Digivolve her to Taomon, you'd probably still have got suckered by that golden ball thing and you'd have been lunch for the big dragon guy. There are just some fights you can't win."
"You obviously don't know your Star Trek," the redhead muttered coldly and looked up, a dangerous look in her eye. "I don't believe in a no-win scenario."
At that point, Renamon groaned quietly and stirred, opening her eyes with visible effort. "Rika? Are you there?"
"I'm here," the girl replied, placing a hand on her partner's paw.
"What…happened?" the kitsune gasped and struggled to force herself into a sitting position, ignoring the protests from all those in the room. "Is everyone alright?"
"N-no…" Rika stammered and began telepathically explaining the events of the battle.
"Oh, great…they're doing the whole mind-link thing aren't they?" Terriermon muttered in irritation.
"I think so," Henry replied. "Guess it must be easier than talking."
"Yeah…look, I think I'd better go find Takato and fill him in on all this stuff," Cam sighed and got to his feet. "I'll see if I can get him to sneak out and come round here for a 'Council of War'-type of thing."
"Good idea," Gaomon nodded. "I shall follow you in the shadows, just in case there is another attack."
"Alright. See you guys in a little while."
Less than half an hour later, all four of the Tamers were gathered in the Nonaka Family's living room. They quickly decided on a plan of action - Henry, Terriermon, Cam and Gaomon would search the area for a portal to the Digital World (apparently, Ryo had once told Rika that where there were Bio-emergences, there would be a portal nearby), while Rika would call Yamaki and arrange for an Ark to be prepared to help get them back home. Takato insisted that he and Guilmon would stay with the girl just in case another Deva Bio-emerged, as Renamon was still nowhere near healthy enough to fight. The injured partners, after constant badgering from all of their fellow Tamers and even Miranda and Seiko, reluctantly agreed. The kitsune, after even more badgering from her own Tamer, retreated to one of the spare bedrooms to rest and gather her strength while the girl made contact with HYPNOS.
"I DON'T CARE WHAT TIME IT IS OVER THERE! GET YAMAKI OUT OF BED AND ON THE PHONE NOW!" Rika screamed down the phone at the latest in a long line of HYPNOS-employed telephone operators she had been forwarded to.
["Yes, ma'am!"] the terrified man squeaked in reply, an irritatingly cheerful piece of music starting to play through the speaker as he put the girl on hold.
"I hate phones…" the redhead muttered and switched the offending item over to speakerphone, throwing it down on the sofa next to her with an irritated sigh.
"Is scary Rika still being scary?" she heard Guilmon whisper and turned to see the red Digimon cowering behind an armchair at the far end of the room.
"I heard that."
"Ummm…it was Takatomon!"
"Even Cam wouldn't fall for that one, boy…" Takato sighed and sat back in his chair. "Look, Rika…are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she lied, gritting her teeth as she shifted in her seat and caused a new flare of agony in her knees. "It's just a few scratches."
"And you say I'm a bad liar…" the boy chuckled, noticing his friend's obvious pain. "Anyway, that's not what I meant. Are you…you know…okay?"
"I'm fine," she lied again, her fists trying to clench unconsciously but stopping as another wave of pain washed over the girl. "When I get my hands on those Devas, I'm gonna make them wish th-"
"Rika, stop it," Takato interrupted with a concerned look at the redhead. "Just drop the whole 'Ice Queen' act. We both know it doesn't work on me."
Rika blinked in surprise. Nobody had ever spoken to her like that and Takato was one of the last people she would have expected to do so. With a sigh, she realized that he was right - the boy hadn't been scared away by the dreaded Ice Queen when they had first met, and had seen the state she had been left in after the IceDevimon incident. He knew the act was just that.
"I…I guess you have a point," she conceded quietly, drawing a tiny smile from her fellow Tamer.
"Phew! For a second there I thought that was gonna backfire on me and you'd rip me to shreds!" he chuckled and shook his head. "The question still stands, by the way. How are you holding up?"
"I…I guess I'm scared," the redhead replied eventually, her voice little more than a whisper. "I mean, me and Renamon have been hurt before, but that's the first time we've ever really lost a fight. Even when it was stuff like Monochromon or Musyamon or…IceDevimon…someone always came along and kicked their ass. Today, they ripped us apart and we couldn't even manage to fight back properly, even with help. And now…" she trailed off as a shudder ran down her spine. "Now Sam and the others are paying the price."
"Cam and Gaomon warned me you were doing that," the brown-haired Tamer sighed, continuing when he saw Rika's confused look. "They told me about what you said earlier, how you were blaming yourself for what happened."
"I…I know there's nothing I could have done, but…if anything happened to them, I don't know if I could…" the girl trailed off, switching to a more sarcastic tone. "And anyway, it's not like you guys would be doing the exact same thing or anything."
"Heh, you've got me there. But if this had happened to me, you'd call me a 'stupid Gogglehead', tell me to stop beating myself up over stuff I can't change and that any one of us would have been eaten alive in the same situation."
"While blaming myself for not being there," Rika chuckled and shook her head gently.
"Exactly. So, feeling better?"
"A little, I guess," the redhead replied in a surprised tone. "Thanks Goggles."
Guilmon, who had dozed off during the conversation between the two humans, suddenly snapped awake and sniffed the air hungrily. "I smell food!"
As the dinosaur spoke, Rika heard a cupboard door in the kitchen slam closed. It was probably Miranda getting ready to prepare that evening's meal.
"Uh, if Dino Boy can smell food from this distance, why aren't you guys out hunting for the portal instead of Cam and Gaomon?" the girl asked with a confused frown.
"Well, there's a couple of reasons. Firstly, my parents are gonna be out looking for me since I ran off halfway through my shift. And second…" Takato trailed off with a sheepish grin. "I wanted to make sure you weren't gonna try to pull a Rambo and go on a one-woman Deva hunt."
"I doubt she'd have made it very far if she'd tried," Seiko laughed quietly as she walked past the living room supported by a pair of crutches. "That boy Cam practically had to carry her home! And if she had tried it, even I would have been able to catch up with her."
At that moment, the cheerful 'on hold' music coming from the abandoned telephone abruptly cut off, being replaced by a man's groggy voice.
["Hello?"] the voice mumbled, making Rika jump. She had forgotten all about her phone call to Yamaki.
"Yamaki? We have a problem…"
Takato remained silent as the girl briefly explained the situation to Yamaki along with a brief (and reluctant) update on the recent changes to her family. The head of HYPNOS assured her that he would have an Ark ready within the week. Unfortunately, as the previous adventures of the Tamers based in Japan had shown them, there was no reliable way for a person to make contact with Earth once they had entered the Digital World, meaning that the Tamers would have to rendezvous with the Ark at a pre-arranged time and location with no room for error.
When Rika finally put the phone down, it was after 6:30pm and the two search parties had returned to report that they had discovered a portal in the disused sewers near where the group had fought Dokugumon. Fortunately, the cave-in they had triggered to bury the KoDokugumon horde had not blocked access to the portal, meaning that they could leave as soon as they were ready. Cam and the redhead were all for leaving as soon as possible, but were met by staunch opposition by the more moderate voices of their friends and the girl's grandmother.
"Wait until tomorrow? Are you nuts?" Rika exclaimed at Takato's suggestion. "Every second we wait is another second that they're stuck in the Digital World with a human-hating psychopath!"
"She's right, mate. We just can't afford to wait that long," Cam agreed.
"And what do you think is going to happen if we just disappear?" Henry asked rhetorically.
"He's right," Seiko added with a nod. "If you four just run off without telling anybody, that would make seven children disappearing in one evening. Your parents would be worried sick, not to mention the fact that the media would be all over it."
"Yeah, and if that happened, we'd never be able to keep our Digimon a secret," Takato finished with a frown.
"Oh, yeah? And what do you think will happen when you tell your mum where you're going?" the black-haired boy chuckled. "Takato, your mum would leap into that portal after you and drag you all the way home. Hell, my dad would probably break my legs if he found out what I'd been doing."
"We don't have a choice," Henry sighed. "It's not fair on them to just disappear without telling anybody. And what about Steph's parents? They deserve to know what's happened to her."
"I…ah, damn it…" the redhead muttered. "Okay, I guess you have a point. We'll wait until morning - about eight-thirty? That should give you guys enough time to tell your parents, right?"
"Aren't we forgetting somebody?" Seiko said with a pointed look at her granddaughter.
"M-me? But mum's still in London - she won't be back until Fri-"
"Oh, really?" the woman interrupted with her best 'no nonsense' face, smirking when she saw the girl's confused face. "Don't think you're getting out of it that easily. I called her while you were on the phone to Yamaki and told her to get on the first plane home. She'll be here at around nine."
"Okay…" the redhead sighed, saving her ranting for Renamon through their telepathic link. "GAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
"I just had a thought," Gaomon said quietly. "You are all going to be missing a lot of school. How will we explain it away? I mean, five friends all 'off sick' at the same time will look rather suspicious, not to mention Sam and Suzie's absence."
"We'll leave that up to your parents," Seiko assured the boy. "We'll agree on a story that will excuse you all. It will have to be something that would scare them enough not to question it…hmmm…how does swine flu sound?"
"Perfect," Henry nodded. "Mr Arnold is a total hypochondriac - he'll be begging us not to go in. So, how are we gonna tell Steph's parents?"
"It might be best if your father were to handle that, Henry. He is much more knowledgeable about all things Digital than the rest of us and it may be a little more believable if this all comes from an adult," the woman replied and glanced at her watch. "By the way, it might be an idea if you were to head home now. It's getting late and I'm sure some of your parents will be worried."
"Or mad as hell," Takato chuckled and stood up, patting his partner's snout affectionately. "Come on, boy. Time to introduce you to my parents…"
"Heh, we've got it easy!" Terriermon grinned. "I already know half of Henry's family!"
"No matter how much they'd prefer it to be otherwise…" Gaomon muttered.
Digital World, Unknown Level - Time Unknown
Where…where am I? Steph thought groggily as she opened her eyes, revealing a dimly-lit, square-shaped cell. Three of the walls were made of grey stone, while the wall furthest from the girl was instead made up of iron bars and looked out onto a long, equally-dim corridor made of the same grey stone as her cell's walls. What the hell happened?
Suddenly, the events of the day came rushing back to her. She had been taken by the two Devas into the Digital World, where they had been met by an enormous bull-like creature. After that, she had felt a sudden drowsiness come over her and she had lost consciousness.
"H-hello?" the blonde-haired girl called out hesitantly. "Is anybody there?"
A weak groan from behind her caught Steph's attention and she turned to see Suzie and Sam laid on the floor, softly stirring as the noise woke them up. As their eyes adjusted to the gloom and they saw their unfamiliar surroundings, the two girls snapped awake and began to cry in fear.
"Sshhh…it's okay," the older girl said quietly, pulling both of them into a hug in an attempt to comfort them.
"Pathetic…" a voice growled and the blonde-haired girl turned to see a hunched, vaguely dog-like silhouette stood at the bars of the cage. "You humans make me sick. Power taken from a source as weak as you is power that is not worth having."
"What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice tinged with fear and confusion.
"You'll find out soon enough," the dog chuckled menacingly and turned, padding away slowly down the shadowy corridor.
The strange dog-creature's sinister words broke Steph's resolve. With a choked sob, she pulled the two younger girls into an even tighter hug and began crying quietly, an all-consuming tidal wave of despair overwhelming her heart.
Help me…Takato…Cam…Rika…Henry…
Near Matsuki Family Bakery - 6:42pm
Takato poked his head out from between a pair of parked cars and glanced around nervously, making sure that there was nobody nearby before he whispered a hurried "Come on!" to the large cardboard box next to him. The box began moving quickly and quietly across the road, making its way towards the Matsuki Family Bakery as stealthily as possible. When the boy and the box had reached the bakery's rear entrance, the Tamer breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door, announcing his presence in a nervous voice.
"Mum, dad! I'm home!"
Mei Matsuki's response was immediate and violent. She leapt off of her seat on the living room sofa and stormed into the hallway, fixing her son with a vicious glare before beginning her rant.
"WHERE ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN?" she roared, causing Takehiro to wince behind her as he followed his wife out of the room. "We have been worried SICK! What the HELL do you think you're playing at, just walking out of the bakery? You're meant to be grounded!"
"Look, I can explai-"
"I don't CARE about your excuses!" the woman shrieked, her husband covering his ears behind her. "Back me up here, Takehiro!"
"Actually," the man said reluctantly, seeing the desperate look in his son's eyes. "I think we'd better hear him out."
Mei began to protest, but was quickly silenced by her husband's rarely-used 'I won't be argued with' face. With a sigh, she turned to her son and fixed him with another glare.
"This had better be good…"
"Okay…you remember that TV show Digimon that I used to really like?" Takato started, continuing when his parents nodded in unison. "Well, it turns out it's more than just a TV show. Digimon are real and they've been attacking this world for months, and it's my job to stop them with my Digimon partner Guilmon."
"Digimon?" his father mumbled, confusion and disbelief written across his face.
"Is this…is this some kind of a joke?" Mei asked, her voice tinged with anger. "You really expect us to believe that load of bull-"
"I can prove it," the boy interrupted, dragging his parents to the door and pointing to the cardboard box sat outside. "Guilmon, you can come out now."
The two adults jumped as the box began to stir, leaning forwards in fascination before jumping again as a red, lizard-like head tore its way through the top of the box.
"Hi!" the head said cheerfully, a three-clawed hand tearing through the box next to it and waving at the stunned Matsukis.
"Th-th-th-that's a D-d-d-d-digim-m-m-m-mon…" the woman stammered, her knees going weak with surprise.
"I think we'd better get inside," Takehiro suggested, taking his wife by the shoulders and leading her back to the living room.
"You heard him boy," the Tamer said and motioned to his partner to come through the door. The childlike Digimon gave a small cheer and lashed out with his claws, shredding the box as he leapt through the door.
"This is gonna be a long night…"
"So…that's the gist of it," Takato finished with a nervous grin.
"Let me get this straight," his mother said slowly, her voice rising in both pitch and volume as she continued. "Giant monsters are launching attacks on our town, you have been going off and risking your life fighting them every day for the past three months, that…creature is somehow linked to you, several of your friends have been kidnapped by these monsters and now you want to go to another world to rescue them?"
"That's pretty much it, yeah…" the boy nodded, forcing a determined look onto his face.
"Have you LOST YOUR MIND? You're just a child! You can't really expect us to let you go on this trip!"
"It's not a 'trip'," Takato replied, fighting to keep his voice level. "My friends are in danger and if I don't do something, they're gonna end up dead. I have to do this."
Mei's next round of protests was cut off by Takehiro. who placed his hands on his son's shoulders and looked him in the eye before speaking. "Takato…are you sure that this is the only way to save your friends?"
"I'm sure, dad," the Tamer replied without hesitation, meeting his father's gaze.
"Then you have my blessing."
"Takehiro!" Mei gasped at her husband's words. "He's just a child!"
"As you have said already. Look at him, Mei. You know that look. He's not going to back down on this and we'd be wrong to try to stop him," the man said firmly, then glanced at his son and cracked a small smile a second later. "Besides, I doubt we'd be able to stop him if we tried."
"I…I know…it's just that…" the woman conceded reluctantly, tears streaming down her face as she leapt at her only child and gripped him in an agonizingly-tight hug. "Why did it have to be our baby?"
Nonaka Residence - 9:26pm
"I'm home!" Rumiko called as she entered the house with typical lateness.
"We're in the living room!" her mother replied and the blonde-haired woman followed the voice to find both and Rika sat down on separate seats, the girl looking decidedly nervous.
"So, what's the emergency?" Rumiko asked with a confused frown as she sat down on the sofa next to her daughter. She noticed that the girl was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, a pair of leather gloves and a pair of jeans that were much baggier than what she usually wore. Oh, Rika…not another crime against fashion!
"Rika has something she needs to talk to you about," the older woman said softly and stood up, walking to the door with a reassuring smile at her granddaughter. "I'll leave you two alone."
The pair sat there in an awkward silence for almost a minute before Rika finally spoke up. "Mum I…I've got something to tell you…"
Oh, gods, she's coming out!
"Mum I…I've got something to tell you…" Rika said hesitantly, taking a deep breath before continuing. "You know the Digimon card game I play?"
"Yes…" her mother replied as her confused look leapt back onto her face.
"Well…it turns out it's not just a card game. Digimon are real."
Rumiko sat there in open-mouthed shock for several seconds before she finally managed to find her voice. "W-what?"
"I'm what's called a Tamer. That means I have my own Digimon partner. There are others like me in England and a few more in Japan."
"I…see…" the woman said slowly, her face an emotionless mask. "And how long have you been…seeing these things?"
The girl felt her temper flare at her mother's words. "You think I'm nuts," she spat with a glare.
"Oh, Rika, listen to yourself!" Rumiko cried and gripped her daughter in a tight hug. "Can't you hear what you're saying? It's not possible!"
"I'm not crazy!" the redhead snapped and pushed her mother away. "Digimon are real and I can prove it! That 'hit and run accident' I was in was a Digi-"
"Oh, that's got to be it!" the woman interrupted as she began crying. "You must have taken a knock to the head in that accident! Don't worry, baby - we'll get you the best care available!"
"Oh, for the love of…" Rika muttered as her mother continued her ranting. "That's it, time for Plan B. Renamon!"
"You called?" the kitsune said evenly as she materialized in the middle of the room, right in front of Rumiko.
"B-b-b-but that's a D-d-d-di-d-digi…" she stammered before shaking her head and calling out in a perfectly normal voice. "Mother? Could you come in here for just a second?"
"Yes, dear? What is it?" Seiko asked as she stepped into the room.
"Could you just have a quick look around the room and tell me what you see?" the blonde-haired woman asked with a false smile.
"Why, of course," her mother replied and glanced around the room. "I see you and Rika sat on the couch, and Renamon stood right over there by the table. Hello, Renamon!"
"Hello, Ms Hata."
"So…you can see her too?" Rumiko asked.
"Yes, dear."
"So, I'm not hallucinating."
"No, dear."
"So, Digimon are real."
"Yes dear."
"Thank you, mother."
"You're welcome," Seiko replied with a small smile and left the room.
"So…" Rumiko said after another long, awkward silence. "You're a Digimon?"
"Yes," Renamon replied with a practically-invisible smirk.
"And I'm guessing that you're my daughter's…partner?"
"Yes."
"So, what do you two…do as partners?"
"We, uh…" Rika started to say, trailing off as she tried to find a good way to put the next part.
"We fight."
"Hey! I was trying to break it to her gently!"
"You would have been trying for a very long time…"
"You…fight?" the woman gasped in shock.
"Um, yeah. You see, not all Digimon who come to Earth are as friendly as Renamon. Actually, most of them aren't. They attack the first thing they see and it's our job to stop them before they cause too much damage."
"But you're only twelve years old! You can't do that kind of thing!" Rumiko protested and grabbed her daughter's hands in a tight grip. "What if you got hurt or…"
The woman was cut off by Rika's pained yelp. Frowning in confusion, she looked down at the girl's hands, realization dawning on her as she noticed the pair of gloves.
"Rika…take off your gloves," she said in her best 'do it or die' voice.
The redhead complied with a dejected sigh, pulling off the leather gloves to reveal her bandaged hands. Her mother let out a little squeak of horror and took her by the hands again, though much more gently this time.
"Oh, Rika…" Rumiko sighed, tears returning to her eyes once again. "What happened to you?"
"I…I was out with Sam and a couple of friends earlier today when two Digimon jumped us," the girl began in a quiet voice, inwardly cursing herself for her cry of pain. "They just came out of nowhere…Renamon was knocked out before I even knew what was happening."
"Where's Sam? Is she alright?" the woman asked in a horrified tone, frowning and grabbing her daughter by the shoulders when she looked away and didn't reply. "Rika…what happened to Sam?"
"They took her," the Tamer whispered, fighting to control her fury as she shook with rage. "They set up a distraction and sacrificed two of their friends to keep the other Tamers busy…just so that they could kidnap Sam and the others."
"Oh my…we have to do something!" Rumiko gasped and leapt to her feet. "We have to call the police! Or the military! Or th-"
"NO!" Rika interrupted, staring into her mother's eyes with a determined look. "Sam and the others were taken to the Digital World. The military wouldn't even know how to get there and there's no way they'd be able to fit tanks and stuff through a portal."
"You…you can't possibly be suggesting that-"
"I'm going," the redhead said firmly. "Sam is my sister, and Steph and Suzie are my friends. I'm not just gonna abandon them."
"But you're injured!" the woman protested desperately.
"I've had worse," Rika replied and instantly regretted her words.
"You've had…" Rumiko mumbled, her eyes widening as she remembered her daughter's earlier words. "The…the accident in Japan…that was a Digimon?"
"Yeah…"
"What if that happens again? Who knows if they have hospitals in the Digital World? You could be killed!"
"She won't be," Renamon said firmly and looked the woman in the eye. "Both Rika and I have become much stronger in the months since the…incident in Japan. Such a dire outcome is not likely to happen again."
"But she just got hurt today!" Rumiko protested angrily.
"It's just a few cuts and bruises," Rika reassured her. "I'm fine, really."
"And if it comes down to it," her partner added, her voice as hard as iron. "I swear to you that I will protect Rika with my life."
"R-Renamon…"
"I…I…" the woman stammered before slumping back onto the sofa and sighing in defeat. "When were you planning on leaving?"
"Tomorrow morning at about eight-thirty," the girl replied.
"So soon? Shouldn't you take more time to prepare?"
"I don't want Sam to be stuck with Zhuqiaomon any longer than she has to be. I wanted to leave tonight, but grandma…"
"I got the feeling this wasn't your idea," Rumiko said with a dry chuckle. "Rika I…I know I don't say this as often as I should, but…I love you."
"I…love you too," the redhead replied, managing to suppress a yelp of pain as her mother pulled her into a tight hug and accidentally bumped her knee against the sofa.
When the woman finally released her daughter, she fixed the girl with a sad smile. "It's getting pretty late. If you're leaving early tomorrow you'd better get some sleep."
"Okay. G'night."
As Rika trudged wearily up the stairs to her bedroom, she reached out telepathically to her partner. "Thank God she didn't notice my legs…good call on the baggy jeans, by the way."
"It was the only way for us to hide your bandages. I am surprised, however, that she didn't notice from the way you were walking."
"They do make it a little hard to bend my knees…besides, I think she had too much other stuff on her mind to notice."
"I can only imagine…"
"Yeah…Renamon, about what you said earlier…I…"
"I know."
Tuesday 9th November - 8:18am
Kirkfield Park Digital Portal
"Whoa…" Takato sighed as he, his parents and Guilmon rounded a corner and caught sight of the Digital Portal.
It was mesmerizing. Floating about six inches off of the ground was a ragged oval-shaped tear in the air. A bright bluish-white light shone from the tear, tiny motes of sky blue and golden light dancing around it like fireflies before fading away and being reborn again mere seconds later. Fortunately the portal was not far from the entrance to the sewers - only a couple of minutes' walk. As the boy stared into the hole in reality, he could almost make out a heavily-blurred image of something on the other side.
"It's pretty cool, huh?" a voice called from behind the Tamer and his family, making them all jump.
"Cam!" Takato said in surprise as he recognized the voice and turned around to see his friend leaning against the wall, alone except for his partner. "How come you're so early? And where are your parents?"
"Got into a fight with my dad…again…" the taller boy chuckled and shrugged. It was common knowledge that Cam and his father did not see eye-to-eye on…well, anything. "Besides, you're early too. What happened to the 'fashionably late' Takato we all know and…tolerate?"
"Haha, very funny…and my mum decided that we'd better get here early so there was less chance of me being late."
"Actually, I was hoping to get here twenty minutes ago, but someone," Mei growled with a glare at her husband. "Decided to set off a little pyrotechnic display in the living room."
"The label said 'flame-retardant'!" Takehiro protested with a sheepish look.
"That didn't mean you had to get your lighter out to test it!"
"Do your parents fight over stuff like this?" the brown-haired boy asked with a weary glance at his fellow Tamer.
"No…mostly it's just stuff about money or the TV remote or whatever," Cam replied with a grin. "So…how many sets of curtains is that so far?"
"Three since we started back at school."
"For the love of Goddramon, please tell me you didn't tell him that Guilmon breathes fire," Gaomon sighed wearily and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"No, I managed to keep that one a secret," Takato chuckled and patted his partner on the head. "We don't need the whole town to burn down."
"Yeah, 'cause that would be so horrible…" the black-haired boy laughed and scratched his chin. "So…you nervous about this?"
"Are you kidding me? I nearly crapped my pants when I saw that thing!"
"Same here."
"And here," a girl's voice called out from the two boys' right and they turned to see Rika approaching them accompanied by her mother and grandmother.
"You? Nervous?" Cam laughed incredulously.
"Like I told Goggles - everybody gets scared. I'm just good at ignoring it."
"Ya know, some people would call that a lack of common sense…"
"Terriermon!" five voices barked as one and the group turned to see the entire Wong family (minus Suzie, of course) walking towards them.
"Ow…nagging in surround sound…"
"Hey, Henry," Takato greeted the Half-Chinese Tamer.
"Hey."
The adults quickly gravitated towards each other, striking up uncomfortable conversations in an attempt to suppress their fears for their respective child's (or children's) safety. Henry's elder siblings, Jaarin and Rinchei, stood separate from both the adults and children, their age setting them apart from both groups.
"How did your mum take the news?" Cam asked Henry with a concerned look on his face.
"Badly," the blue-haired boy replied with a frown. "She just kept crying and crying…Steph's parents were even worse, though, when my dad told them. Her mum nearly went berserk."
"Gods…" Rika whispered to herself and stared at the floor for a second, looking back up with a look of steely determination. "We're gonna get them back. I'm not about to let my sister get hurt by some overgrown lizard and a chimp with table manners."
"Hell yes to that!" Cam agreed, standing up straight and cracking his knuckles. "Those Devas won't know what hit 'em!"
"We'll pound them into dust!" Terriermon declared, punching the palm of his right hand.
"And Zhuqiaomon along with them!" his partner added, nodding his head and clenching his fists.
"People…let's go take down a Sovereign!" Takato cheered and punched the air, leading the group towards the portal.
"Not so fast!" The boy's mother snarled, fixing him with a glare before pulling him into a tearful hug. "Be careful, Takato."
"I will."
"Takato," his father said, placing a hand on his son's shoulder and looking him in the eye as soon as he had been released from the hug. "I want you to know that whatever happens, I am very proud of you."
"Thanks, dad," the goggle-wearing Tamer smiled and allowed his father to pull him into a hug as well.
The other Tamers (with the exception of Cam) all faced similar goodbyes, with Henry being subjected to an enormous group hug from his entire family. After the children had all managed to escape their parents, they stood before the portal in a semi-circle.
"Well, here goes nothing…" Takato muttered as he and Guilmon took a few steps forward, vanishing in a flash of light as they touched the portal.
"Into the mouth of hell we march!" Terriermon sang as his Tamer stepped forward next.
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Rika chuckled as she and Renamon took the plunge.
"GERONIMO!" Cam shouted as he leapt into the portal.
Sometimes I feel like a bloody zookeeper… Gaomon sighed mentally as he walked forwards and stepped through the portal in a much more sedate manner. If anything he's the one who needs Taming…