Digital Shuffle

by famirad

One night, Takato vanishes, leaving Guilmon behind. With something weird happening at Hypnos, maybe there's more to this than just a missing boy. Jenrya and Ruki must face conspiracies, a Digital World bent on invasion, and new allies with their own agendas. They aren't the first kids to meet Digimon...and these partnerships aren't as magical as they seem. [Tamers AU with 01, WS]

4. Abandoned Goggles

Digital Shuffle
By famirad

Disclaimer: Digimon isn't mine. This fanfic is for fun.

Author's Note: Not much to say. As of 10/2012, I'm going in and fixing up some stuff. The writing's pretty old school in my opinion (hello, 2001!self), so I'll be making some edits while I go. Anyway, thanks for reading.

Italics for thoughts and emphasis and sound effects
Bold for implied feelings, mostly for the Juggernaut

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Digital Shuffle
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(Chapter 4 – Abandoned Goggles)

"You aren't hungry?"

Ruki scowled at the bowl of cereal sitting in front of her. She had only taken a few bites.

"No."

The older woman sighed and began collecting the dishes. "But I thought you liked oatmeal."

The Tamer got to her feet. "Well, you thought wrong. I hate the stuff." She left the room without waiting for her grandmother's reply, practically slamming the shoji screen behind her. Who cares about oatmeal? You'd think she's got oatmeal on the brain or something. Ruki stormed down the outside corridor. She knew she was taking it out on her grandmother: the poor woman hadn't done anything wrong except try to be friendly to her.

Ruki stopped at the screen to her room, one hand resting on the frame. She didn't turn to see who was behind her: she already knew.

"Ruki?"

"Yes?"

Renamon's voice was low. "You're worried, aren't you? And afraid…about what we found last night."

Ruki let out a strained laugh. "Me? Worried? Afraid? Think you've got the wrong girl, Renamon"

Silence.

"Ruki, you can talk to me. I'm not going to make judgments. I'm your partner, remember?"

The Tamer hesitated. It would be nice to talk to Renamon. They were equals after all, weren't they? But what if Renamon only laughed at her? Or... No, some things were best kept private. Ruki slid the shoji screen open so she could slip through. Behind her, Renamon sighed, but made no attempt to come in after her. She knew her partner wanted privacy.

Ruki began to move about the darkened room, at first avoiding the table in the center as she packed school materials into her backpack. She paused as a clap of thunder sounded from somewhere in the distance, threatening rain. Her mother had run off earlier for another photo shoot, which would probably get rained on pretty soon and ruin that expensive dress of hers.

Ruki knew she was trying to pretend nothing was wrong. That she hadn't found the objects now lying on her desk. What am I so afraid of? Ruki turned and quickly approached the desk. Vaguely, she wished they'd disappear. She stared at them for a long moment, half-expecting them to vanish. They refused to blip out of existence despite her mental prodding.

This is so stupid. Everyone's probably laughing at me for acting like such a baby!

I'll show them.

She swept the goggles and Takato's red-trimmed D-Arc into her backpack and zipped it shut.

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Jenrya struggled into his vest, groping around for the zipper. The power returned around ten last night and he got home an hour and a half later after fighting through the jammed subway. He spent the rest of the night trying to do his homework, probably a lost cause because he was having a hard time concentrating, and it felt like he'd only gotten four hours of sleep.

He felt like a zombie. A zombie who wanted to roll back into bed.

Terriermon wasn't in his room. Apparently Shuichon wandered in while Jenrya was still asleep and stole his partner away. Probably for a round of tea party and dress up. That, or a checkup with "Nurse Shuichon". Guess I better rescue him again. Starting to feel sorry for the poor guy. Jenrya shouldered his backpack as he checked his watch. Last night Ruki and he agreed to meet at the park close to school and he'd at least twenty minutes before classes started. Ruki had called the house several times before he got back, several new messaged blinking urgently on the answering machine. She sounded upset about something, though she did a good job at hiding the emotions. Her message was cryptic. When he called her back, she was close-mouthed.

She must've found something. Jenrya forced his hopes not to rise too far He hated having them crushed. She probably didn't find Takato or she would've said so.

Jenrya opened the door. Shuichon was camped out in the living room, her short legs dangling off the couch. His sister was speaking to herself, her growing collection (army? horde?) of dolls and stuffed animals set up on the sofa around her. Terriermon shot him a pleading glance from where he sat on a cushion, a tiny straw hat strapped to his head complete with a giant plastic flower.

His dad must have ears like a fox, because he was already poking his head out of the kitchen.

"Jenrya, good morning!"

" 'Morning, Dad," Jenrya said, staring at Terriermon. He was going to have to figure a way to get the Rookie away from Shuichon without getting his sister upset. The poor Digimon looked ready to burst into embarrassed tears.

His dad nodded toward the kitchen. "We're having gai-lan and scrambled eggs."

Jenrya shook his head. Knowing his father's attempts at making food…okay, it was safe to say he couldn't cook to save his life. "I gotta meet someone before school, Dad. They're waiting for me."

"You don't know what you're missing, Jenrya."

"Sorry, Dad, but I can't keep them waiting." Jenrya eyed Shuichon, who was removing the straw hat from Terriermon, holding a toy stethoscope in the other hand. "You know how it is."

"Okay, okay. There's some pastries left over from dim sum with your grandparents," his father said. "Take those."

"Sure." Jenrya passed Terriermon, and, taking out the pastries from the pantry, stuffed them into his backpack. "Oh, and Dad?"

His dad concentrated on stirring the oyster sauce, bubbling away in the pan. "Hmm?"

"Could you take a look at my watch sometime tomorrow? It was acting really weird last night."

"Sure. After I get back from work, I'll see what I can do, okay?"

"Thanks, Dad," Jenrya glanced over his shoulder. Shuichon had turned away again to attend to a small plush bear. The Tamer swept over, plucking Terriermon away from the couch and hurrying past his father, "Bye, Dad!"

He shut the door behind him, letting out a sigh of relief. Terriermon was now fixing him with a betrayed look. "Took you long enough!" Terriermon clambered up his arms until he was perched on the top of his backpack. "Thought you were gonna leave me behind!"

Jenrya headed down the empty hall. "I wasn't."

"Momentai, I guess." Terriermon poked him in the back of his neck with a stubby claw, "So, where're we goin' now?"

"We're meeting Ruki."

"About that message? Why didn't she just tell you straight out?"

"Look, I don't know, okay?"

"Y'don't have to be so touchy."

"Sorry."

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"Good morning, Mr. Yamaki."

Yamaki nodded to the secretary, stopping before her desk. "Have there been any messages for me?"

"No, sir."

Yamaki turned on his heel, crossing the lobby. He was early, but he wanted to personally supervise the tech teams he called in last night. The prolonged blackout shot several of the network servers. Not only that, but some of the data stored in the memory banks had been lost and he wasn't too keen on losing them for good. God, I hate babysitting. Last time he left the tech team alone, they tried to upgrade every computer in the network, ignoring the fact no, he hadn't okayed it.

He could feel the beginnings of a migraine coming on. Just thinking about it was giving him a headache.

It wasn't like he was planning on resigning or anything. Yamaki once considered it, but quickly decided against it. The pay was pretty good, and besides…he had his own personal reasons for wanting all the wild Digimon gone from the Real World. Putting up with incompetent staff was really a small price to pay.

Yamaki headed for the elevator. As he moved, he reached into his coat's lapels and pulled out his sunglasses. Someone – he was pretty sure it was Kei – once asked him why he wore the sunglasses indoors. Yamaki hadn't given an answer, instead giving her a flat stare until she swallowed and looked away, muttering about getting back to work.

Sure, it looked strange, but it was his business, not his employees'. Yamaki crossed his arms as he waited for the elevator. His eyes were still sensitive to lights after the Incident, but they were healing. They'd certainly improved from that time four years ago, when he'd first been injured. When he'd...no. He was done beating himself up for it. What happened had happened and this was his penace.

The elevator door dinged as it arrived at the lobby, Yamaki stepping inside.

"Wait!" someone called. "Wait!"

Yamaki leaned out and held one arm against the elevator door nearest him. A blur of bright purple went past him, trailing a mild scent of lilac.

"Thanks!"

He turned around, as the doors shut behind him. It was Kincaid. The tech who teased him about smoking. Nagamora's personal recommendation for his team.

"Aren't you a little early?" Yamaki asked, raising an eyebrow behind his sunglasses.

Kincaid shrugged, a smile flickering on her lips. "I'm an early bird. Gotta get a jump on that sweet overtime."

"You're not working as replacement today, are you?"

"No, sir." Kincaid replied. "But would it be alright if I stayed up in the Yuggoth deck? I could learn faster if I watched Kei and Reika at work."

Yamaki considered it. To be frank, he didn't like allowing any unnecessary personnel up there. Yamaki had been quite literally tripping on everyone the last time he allowed it, until he had made the area restricted to only the necessary personnel and those he personally cleared. Even if Nagamora had vouched for this one.

"I'll think about it."

"Thanks."

The two were quiet for a moment as the elevator traveled upward.

She spoke up again, silver eyes staring intently at him. "Um…could I ask you something?"

"Knock yourself out."

Kincaid didn't seem to hear the indifference in his voice, shoving her hands in the pockets of her uniform's slacks. She looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then back at him.

"When you delete a Digimon, what happens to its data?"

Yamaki blinked, his eyebrow quirking at this unexpected question. The procedure of deletion he expected everyone to know, but thinking about it now, he never bothered to explain what happened after. He had been only concerned with getting results, not having his personnel informed on the rest because it shouldn't impact their work. It wasn't a classified secret or anything and he couldn't think of any intelligent reason why he shouldn't tell her.

"I'm curious." Kincaid added, "I could never figure out what happened after a deletion had been confirmed."

Yamaki reached up to straighten his sunglasses. "It depends on the circumstances, if the Digimon has bio-emerged or not. It's more difficult to deal with bio-emerged Digimon because we can't use the Yuggoth to deal with it. It's not in the digital plane. I created the system to deal with what's developing online, not the Real World," Yamaki paused, and Kincaid nodded. She was following him, so he continued. "If we're able to delete a Wild One before bio-emerging, then we simply collect the leftover data."

"Why collect it? It's still a Digimon – in a way – isn't it?"

"It's really only basic data, without any of the faulty programming," Yamaki replied. He once again had to curse those programmers for even creating their "game" in the first place. "We're only left with the useful data, nothing of the 'memories', the 'personality', or even the base AI."

"Just pure data."

"Just pure data," he agreed.

She thought about this for a few seconds. "So, why do you even bother to collect it? Why don't you just delete it for good?"

Yamaki shrugged. "We've been using the data for the research, to learn more about these creatures. Besides, the data's recyclable. It would be a waste to throw it out if we can still use it."

"Ah…" Kincaid said. "And you keep this data in the network?"

Yamaki nodded. She most likely came across some of the files or programs in her past work and had probably been wondering about their nature. In fact, regarding the deletion data, some of it from the last deletion had been going through the transfer procedure yesterday, which was what he was trying to save from being lost.

There was a ding as the elevator slowly slid open. Kincaid strode forward, and turned around, giving a small wave, satisfied with his answers. "Guess I get off here! Thanks!"

Yamaki didn't return the gesture, the doors closing. He was busy going over the conversation just now. On the surface it was harmless. But given all the backstabbing and politics from before with the Four, and knowing Kincaid was one of Nagamora's "recommendations", Yamaki had to wonder.

He suddenly felt uneasy, though about what, he couldn't place a finger on.

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Jenrya leaned against the tree as he tried to avoid getting drenched by the downpour. In his hurry to get out of the apartment, he didn't see the thunderheads or notice the faintly rolling thunder and of course he forgot to bring an umbrella. Or even a decent raincoat, for that matter. The Tamer didn't like the idea of freezing his butt off, but that was exactly what he was doing. Too late to turn back and go back home.

The two arrived at the park a few minutes ago, right around the time the sky broke overhead and began to dump buckets of water on their heads. Terriermon took refugee near the wall, pressing as close he could. Luckily for the two of them the trees provided enough cover that the sheets of rain didn't penetrate enough to soak them, only enough to be a light drizzle. Not too far from where Jenrya stood, rain pounded into the pond, water lapping at the rocky shore. Even the ducks normally floating around were gone, taking shelter from the storm.

Ruki better hurry up. I'm not standing out here because I want to.

He rubbed at his arms, trying to rub some warmth into them.

"Jenrya!"

Jenrya glanced over at the sound of the voice. Ruki ran toward him, holding a umbrella over her head as she approached, dressed in her school's uniform. He didn't see Renamon, but he asummed she was probably right behind her partner. Ruki splashed through a puddle, hopping down the last few steps and jogging the rest of the way until she was standing under the tree. Renamon appeared, perched on the lowest branch.

"Bad way to start the day, Ruki," Jenrya said. "What took you?"

She shrugged it off. "I'm only a few minutes late. Don't make such a big deal out of nothing."

"What did you drag me out here for?" Jenrya asked, his mouth a thin line. "I don't suppose you had better luck than I did."

The expression on Ruki's face was a troubled one. "Actually…"

Jenrya's heart skipped a beat and he quickly forgot he was cold and annoyed. "You found something?"

"Yeah." Ruki said, glancing up at Renamon. Her partner nodded almost imperceptibly. "Look, I'll just tell you what happened on our search, so you don't have to bother trying to grill me for info."

She went on.

"We took Impmon with us before you left with Guilmon. At first, he was a real pain. He kept making all these snide remarks and he only shut up when I threatened to gag him. We went to Tokyo Tower – we spent a long time looking around the area, but we didn't find anything until…" Ruki trailed off.

Renamon picked up her train of thought up, continuing for her partner. "I couldn't go into the Tower until the blackout. Impmon was right. We did find something. Ruki?"

Her Tamer slowly slung her backpack from her shoulder. Unclasping the flap, she opened it, and, reaching in, pulled out two objects, holding them out toward Jenrya for inspection. Jenrya froze as he instantly recognizing them, staring in surprise. Terriermon made a sound of surprise, just as startled as his human partner.

Dangling from her fingers was a pair of goggles with blue-tinted lenses: ones which could usually be seen on Takato Matsuda's head. In her palm was a familiar D-Arc, the casing decorated with fire-red trimming.

"Those are Takato's!" Jenrya exclaimed.

"No duh," Ruki said. The normal sarcasm had a worried undertone.

"You said you found these at Tokyo Tower?"

"Yeah. Also found his cards. But no Takato."

"So he was at the Tower," Jenrya mused. What was he doing there? Why would Takato leave all of this? Not that Takato vanishing made any sense in the first place, but this confused him further. Something's not right. Jenrya bit his lip. From the looks of it, Takato had been prepared for a Digimon battle. But why didn't he take Guilmon? What's the point of going after a wild Digimon if you don't even bring your own partner? Guilmon would've mentioned going off with Takato for a battle, but he hadn't said anything yesterday. Yet Takato had been obviously expecting a fight…and…Guilmon hadn't gone with him, hadn't even known about it. It didn't add up.

It suddenly struck him maybe Takato hadn't run away.

Something happened.

"Something's wrong with this picture." Jenrya didn't like this. It was one thing if Takato simply ran away, which was bad enough (and still didn't make sense), but if something happened to him, that was a completely different problem. Jenrya refused to consider the fact his friend might be hurt. Takato knew what he was doing, and even if he didn't encourage fights unlike Ruki, he was usually careful and he seemed to have his share of luck.

"Well?" Ruki spoke up impatiently.

"Um…" Jenrya tapped his chin, trying to formulate a plan of action. "There's really nothing we can do," his voice rose warningly as he saw Ruki about to interrupt, "We have his D-Arc, his goggles and his cards. That doesn't clear up anything. We still don't know where Takato is or what he's doing. We're back where we started."

Renamon nodded from her place on the branch, leaning over and looking down at the group underneath the tree. "He has a point. We don't know anything – " she cut off, a paw flying to her mouth as she realized something. Renamon pounded the side of her perch, showering bark and leaves on those below, "Of course! How could I be so foolish?"

"What?" Jenrya asked.

Renamon bared her fangs in a grimace, "Impmon! In the confusion last night, we didn't get a chance to find out exactly what he saw and I have a feeling he saw quite a bit. Enough to answer our questions."

Ruki scowled. "We get careless for a second and things fall apart. So, Jenrya ? What do you want to do?"

He wasn't pleased he was suddenly hit with with all the decision-making. I'm not leader-material. Yet Ruki apparently decided she didn't want the responsibility and dumped it in his lap. Jenrya shook his head. "I'm gonna keep looking for him. We didn't check the area around his house yet. You didn't find anything else last night?"

"No. Just what I've got here."

"Renamon, could you try to find Impmon again?"

"I won't guarantee anything, but I can certainly try." Renamon stood up, shaking off the drizzle beading her golden coat.

"Great. Ruki, what about you? You want to help search?"

Ruki shook her head. "I can't. My mom's dragging me to her photo shoot," she grimaced. Then, as if an afterthought, "Sorry."

Jenrya didn't immediately reply, instead nodding at goggles and D-Arc in Ruki's hands, "What about those?"

Ruki slowly glanced down at them, as if she was completely surprised to find them still in her hands. She looked taken aback. "I don't know what I'm gonna do with them."

"I'd take his D-Arc off your hands, but I'm afraid my little sister might get a hold of it. I could take his goggles, if that would make things any better."

Ruki handed him the goggles, obviously relieved to get rid of them.

"Look, I've got to get going, otherwise I'll be late," she said at last. Ruki turned away, "Call me if anything comes up." She motioned for Renamon to follow her. "Let's go."

She turned on her heel, stepping back out into the pouring rain and ducking under her umbrella. Renamon leapt away from the branch, disappearing in midair as she hastened after her partner, leaving Jenrya standing under the tree's cover. It was a few long moments after Ruki disappeared past the wall and down the street before anyone spoke up.

"Jeez, I don't know 'bout you, but I'm even more confused," Terriermon said.

Jenrya shivered, suddenly reminded of the fact he was freezing his butt off, "You said it, Terriermon." He reached down and picked his partner up. One way or another they'd figure this out. Jenrya ducked his head and ran out into the rain as the black clouds roiled in the sky.

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(Six hours later)

He dreamed.

The wind thundered through the valley, ruffling the young boy's hair. He kept close to the wild grass, on his hands and knees because the gusts were strong and he was scared he'd be blown right off his feet. He didn't know how he got on the small meadow near the base of the mountain range but it didn't seem strange to him. It was only a simple fact he was here, wherever here was. At least it wasn't any place really weird, like the moon. What with all the weird stuff going on, he almost half-expected he'd end up there. It was a relief to be on good, old planet Earth.

What are you?

I'm a human. He was confused, for a moment wondering why he was asking himself such a weird question.

What are you?

I'm me. He replied.

What are you?

I'm a Tamer. The boy continued on. Inch by inch, he traveled, making slow progress as he crawled on his hands and knees. He didn't know where he was going, only that it seemed like a good idea to move forward. A blast of roaring wind tugged at him. The boy sprawled on the ground, digging his fingers into the dirt as he held on for dear life, dust flying.

Who are you? What type of program are you?

I'm Takato Matsuda. And I'm not a program.

Takato reached up, pulling the goggles he wore down over his eyes. His vision became blue-tinted as he lowered his head, a particularly strong gust spinning and dancing overhead as it howled. As soon as it passed, he resumed crawling.

Are you a foreign system?

…I…guess. Though Takato had never considered himself as that. Suppose that's one way of looking at it? The sharp whistling died down, and he sat up, finally able to take a good look around him. He had been steadily moving uphill, but because of the pressing wind; he hadn't been able to clearly see where his path was taking him.

To his surprise, the familiar form of Jenrya Lee was perched on a rock only a few yards away, one leg crossed over the other, apparently waiting for him. He stared right at him.

Why are you here?

Takato didn't give an answer, instead waving happily at his friend. The other boy waved back, smiling and beckoning him over. Takato got to his knees, pushing himself to his feet. If Jenrya was here, then so was everyone else! He had only to meet up with the other Tamer so he could be with the rest of his friends. Look, he was only a few steps away. It would be so easy just to stomp right on over and demand to join in the game of hide-and-seek: he still loved the game and it looked like everyone (except Jenrya, unless he had picked the worst hiding spot in the world) was playing it, because he saw no sign of the others.

A virus? No…not a virus…

A companion system?

The expression on Jenrya's face froze, the smile suddenly looking false and hollow.

The companion system possesses foreign code. A compatibility scan must be initiated before merging can be authorized.

Takato's eyes flared open, suddenly awake. At first he couldn't see anything and for a long second he thought he was blind. Stark fear gripped him. Takato tried to sit up. His hands and arms refused to budge, locked down to whatever he was lying on: his quick movement gave his arms both a sharp wrench, though, strangely enough, it didn't hurt. Takato hadn't any more luck with his head. He had done the smart thing and given himself a minor case of whiplash and a huge bruise on the forehead trying to jerk away.

Whatever surrounding him twitched at his sudden motion.

…?

Is this pain?

What is this?

Where am I?! Takato still couldn't see. Something blocked his range of vision, something heavy, scary. Not only that, but he was surrounded with things: they felt like hundreds of thick coils, shifting and moving like a nest of snakes. Takato barely suppressed a terrified yelp as something brushed over his leg. For a few minutes, he struggled furiously, trying to free himself. Takato only succeeded in tiring himself out, gasping for breath.

He was trapped. He didn't know where he was, how long he'd been there. Takato sank back into his seat, feeling drained. His eyes started to water as it sank in.

The only thing that stopped him from hollering for his mom was the fact he was exhausted. His lack of vision worked much like a pair of blinders on a horse did. Because he couldn't see where he was, he didn't panic as much as he could. His eyes continued to burn as the first tear crept out.

Initiating scan.

Takato's muscles tensed for a moment and then relaxed.

Scan complete. Compatibility confirmed.

What is this? Who are you?! Takato demanded, suddenly on the offensive as the involuntary tears trailed down his cheeks. He remembered the strange questions from his dream, the ones he was sure he himself had been asking.

That hadn't been him after all.

You are with me now. I am now your companion system, Takato Matsuda.

The "voice" wasn't truly speaking, neither in his mind nor out loud. Strangely enough, the young Tamer had no problems understanding it, whatever "it" was. He simply knew what it meant. More like a feeling than a language.. The feeling wasn't menacing, and Takato relaxed slightly, sensing no immediate danger from the huge presence surrounding him. Heck, it might even be friendly and help him out.

Who are you? Takato cautiously asked, trying to turn his head toward where he thought the feeling came from. It didn't occur to him the scan might have calmed his nerves down a little, why he wasn't going into a full-blown panic. Why that adrenaline flooding his system hadn't spiked further.

I am the Juggernaut.

Takato started to reach up to brush away his drying tears, but only got a few centimeters before his right arm bruised itself on a thick curve of metal. Again, his skin proved to be numb to the pain he knew he should be feeling. The presence flinched. Something slithered over his right shoulder, pushing him gently back into the seat.

Please refrain from moving.

Takato tried to shrug the object off, shivering. It did feel like a big snake, scale smooth, and he had a nasty little mental image of being surrounded by thousands of snakes, venom dripping.

Why? I want to go home!

Home? You belong here. We are compatible systems.

Takato shook his head. I don't know what you're talking about! He felt himself stiffen as something brushed against his neck, preventing him from bolting out of the seat. Without thinking, he viciously sunk his teeth into the coil, biting down as hard as he could.

His left arm immediately exploded into pain. Something ground his skin into the bone, his nerves screaming as it gnawed mercilessly down on his wrist. Takato gasped and quickly spat out the coil, eyes starting to water again as the semi-circle of fire on his arm slowly ebbed down to a painful throb.

We are symbiotic because of the corresponding nature of our programs. The Juggernaut didn't seem to be aware of the fact he bit a part of it. It only noticed his reaction. We are connected.

But we are not one. System TAKATO MATSUDA possesses unidentified flaws. An extensive background check is required before the merging operation can further proceed. Estimated duration of background check: [LOADING] . . . . four days.

Takato tried to blink away the tears that were forming again. Background check? Flaws?

Flaw – defined as an often hidden defect that may cause failure under stress; a faulty part. Immaterial defect or weakness in something; to become defective.

I know what a flaw is!

The Juggernaut continued patiently. For a merge to be successful, it is essential one of the companion systems be flawed. System Takato Matsuda – that is, you – are very flawed, according to the scan. But because the system is still a foreign one, a background check must be taken.

But Takato was just a normal kid...

One who wanted to go home, to his friends and family.

Now.

Impossible. There can be no separation once a connection is established between systems. A pause, as the Juggernaut's coils pressed in more closely on the boy's body. Almost like they were inhaling. Level 8 background check file opened. [LOADING]. The coils withdrew, though several looped themselves underneath Takato's chin, keeping him pressed firmly against the head of his seat despite his struggles. He only succeeded in (intelligently) banging the back of his head into the seat and gagging as the coils tightened in reaction, then relaxed, allowing him to breathe again.

Background check on first imperfection: relationship with living data.

Takato gasped as the blinders were abruptly removed, flooding with light.

The sun sprinkled the grass with a flecks of light through the leaves. It was warm weather, exactly the type he loved, and there was the slightest breeze ruffling Takato's hair. He found himself leaning against the shadow of a towering oak. It was the park where he took Guilmon to play with Juri only a few days ago. It looked a lot greener then he remembered, but he supposed he had a bad memory. What was he doing here? And was the Juggernaut still here, or had it…magicked him away or something?

No, I have not "magicked" you anywhere. The file merely picked out the first flaw and targeted on the most recent incident in your memory.

This thing could read his mind now?

The connection between companion systems allows the exchange of brainwaves and electrical signals. I do not "think" in the same way you do and I do not "read" your mind. Takato couldn't think of anything to reply, and so said nothing, only staring around in wary confusion. He still couldn't figure just how he had gotten from wherever he had been to the park.

You are not actually in the park, Takato Matsuda. This is only your memory of recent events: physically, you are still in me. The Juggernaut continued, apparently deciding the conversation wasn't worth pursuing. First defect – you have established a connection between you and a collection of living data. Not only is that listed as a forbidden operation in my databanks, it has also made you further defective.

For a second, Takato blinked in confusion. Collection of living data? He didn't know anything about living data…unless…what, Guilmon?

Yes. The creature you refer to as Guilmon.

Takato felt his anger rise. He had a strong feeling this wasn't a compliment to his partner and exclaimed, "Guilmon's a great friend! He hasn't done anything to make me messed up!" He didn't like the idea there was something really wrong with him and the idea it was Guilmon's fault was even worse.

That means nothing. You depend on him, mere data, to protect you and those you care for – flesh and blood. Because of your connection with him, you have grown weak as a human.

"T-that's not true!"

The Juggernaut ignored his protest. Humans were never meant to coexist with these digital creatures. The humans created the artificial life, but it is the data that must override the creators. A relationship between living data and humans will only lead to failure.

"We're best friends!" Takato glared up at the tree, where he decided the Juggernaut's "speech" was coming from. "We're not failures."

Data is superior to the human race when it bio-emerges. Humans are weak in the flesh and mortal. Data can always be deleted and sent back into the network and reformatted for another form. The leaves rattled in the breeze, rustling together. Humans die. Humans are nothing without their technology. They are weak.

Takato didn't say anything, though he wished he had some earmuffs so he could clap them on his head and drown everything out. He didn't like listening to this...and he especially didn't like that despite his desperate wish to believe the Juggernaut was a complete liar, he was sure he could sense a ring of truth in its "words".

Living data thrives on change and progress. Like myself, it can be parasitic. It often is. Your connection with Guilmon is an example of a parasitic relationship.

"Guilmon's not a parasite!"

Is he? How would you be able to tell? You always assumed since he speaks like a child, he therefore possesses the mind of a child.

"I…" Takato trailed off. He could always deny it, insist he and Guilmon were totally equal, buddies. Friends, yeah, but sometimes he had, deep down, been convinced he was the brains of the duo, that his partner Digimon would be helpless without him. I did treat him like a kid. I always thought I knew what was best for him because I created him…

The Juggernaut took his silence as a gesture to continue.

The creator is not always correct. How would you know if your "partner" really cared for you? Caring is a human term. I cannot feel it and it is impossible as well for digital information, for zeros and ones, to feel it.

So how would you know? He might be using you for his own ends. This is what living data does. It has been recorded over the years.

Takato pushed himself away from the tree trunk. "You're just a big, dumb machine! You don't know anything about humans or Digimon!"

On the contrary. I have many files and programs regarding the subject matter.

Takato stubbornly crossed his arms behind his head, trying to appear to be relaxed and in total control of the situation. This machine's wrong: it's gotta be. What could a computer know about human emotions? But the Juggernaut seemed to have him pegged. Just like a bug under the microscope. Takato shivered. If he kept the Juggernaut talking, then maybe he wouldn't have to return to that blindness. It was nicer here, to be able to see and feel, then that brief memory of the inability to see, the feeling of things twisting and writhing around him.

Your memory is more pleasant than the reality, Takato Matsuda.

Takato pretended to ignore the "voice", making a point of staring across the park.

It is nice here, is it not? No Guilmon to feed. No arguments with your friends, no battles. No parents. You do not ever have to worry about Guilmon being caught and experimented on here.

"Shut up."

Command invalid.

The leaves of the towering trees whispered. Perhaps you do not see your error in your relationship with Guilmon. It is listed as a forbidden operation for a reason - a relationship with living data and a human is wrong. It is natural for the strong to conquer the weak. They cannot be "equal", because the strong are unable to resist the opportunity to manipulate the weak.

I have little doubt your relationship with Guilmon is turning out to be such, even if your "partner" is only resorting to petty manipulations as of yet.

Observe.

Takato watched, rooted to the spot, as a large blotch of red exited the bushes from the opposite end of the park. Guilmon loped out, followed by two people. Takato realized with a start he was looking at himself. The other Takato trudged along, laughing and talking with Juri as he trailed after Guilmon, hands full of several bags of day old and day-day old bread from his parent's bakery.

Guilmon suddenly ran ahead, chasing after the fluttering wings of a passing butterfly. He raced away from the humans behind him toward the center of the park. The other Takato called out to him to wait up, but the Rookie didn't seem to hear him or was ignoring his calls. The other Tamer doggedly followed after him. Guilmon once again disobeyed him, as usual.

In fact, thinking about it, Guilmon disobeyed him a lot. It was like in one ear, out the other.

Have you wondered why Guilmon stayed with you?

"No". Yes. Takato knew he wasn't the best Tamer in the world.

It is because humans have a strength living data do not: the power of will. The will of humans is purely organic, yet it is because of this that some of your species are able to wish on something and have it come true. It is impossible for any AI to do this. A Digimon normally needs to upload data to digivolve, but it has likely become obvious to you that your Guilmon can digivolve to his next level without uploading any data at all.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Takato asked, watching as Guilmon ploughed recklessly through a flock of sparrows, causing the birds to scatter.

Everything. A Digimon needs energy to digivolve. It has never been specified whether it has to be digital energy or some other source. The Juggernaut paused. But a digivolution still requires an energy source. It does not matter if the creature is "wild" or not…

Takato didn't say anything, though he was now listening with half an ear in a sort of morbid fascination.

Guilmon is using you as an energy source. This question didn't bring any answer, Your will alone enables him to reach the next level, yet you are not strong enough to control him. Not only do you fuel his digivolutions, you are also responsible for taking care of him: feeding him, playing with him, looking out after him. You fulfill any wish he has, jumping at the mere beginning of a complaint.

The perfect little puppet.

Takato watched as his other self tried to chase after Guilmon through the grass, still holding his partner's lunch. He realized how silly he looked then, loping along at an awkward jog after Guilmon, as Juri ran easily next to him, giggling as the other-Takato tried to juggle the bags in his hands. A trail of bread shed from the bag. Guilmon was now far ahead, losing himself in the bushes as he suddenly decided to play hide-and-seek.

A puppet? No, Takato made his own choices. It had been his choice to stick by Guilmon's side up till now, and he wasn't going to change his mind any time soon.

This doesn't trouble you?

"Guilmon's honest. And he doesn't have a shred of selfishness in him." Takato replied, "I believe in him."

The branches of the tree creaked, the light that escaped through the leaves dancing in patches on the ground. Perhaps. Perhaps not.

The park scene abruptly vanished, replaced with black space that stretched out for eternity, bisected by lines of blue, green and red. The digital lines wavered like a neon mirage. Takato lost contact with the ground, floating in the darkness. He was pretty sure he wasn't hallucinating, yet a little back portion of his mind kept babbling he couldn't be floating and that he was probably going to be afraid of heights soon.

Takato had to wonder what had happened to the park scene – and suddenly suffered a scared thought. What if the Juggernaut finished talking? Or throwing feelings at him, or whatever it did? Would he have to face being closed in again, blind?

No, you will not be fully conscious until the background check is completed.

Was he asleep then? He remembered everything, didn't he?

Yes and no. The Juggernaut didn't make any attempt to explain itself. Both my system and yours have recognized the first defect –

I didn't agree you were right!

I never said you agreed to anything, but I have not received confirmation the companion system has rejected the possibility my logic might prove correct. And I, Takato Matsuda, am incapable of lying.

Yeah, right. So where am I now?

There is a short interval of five hours before the next check will begin. I must sort all the information I am receiving from you before I will continue. Humans are complex creatures and the data will take a while to be sorted. After the background checks are completed, we will proceed with the merging.

Are all these checks like that one?

Yes. The purpose is to categorize the defects for future correction.

I'm not going to listen to you.

This earned the only slightest hesitation from the Juggernaut. The feeble threat didn't do anything to faze it.

It is difficult to know one's true feelings. Only an outside observer can reveal these to you, companion system. But, like all things, this will take time.

I have all the time in the world. I am patient.

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Kincaid looked at her watch, pushing back sweaty bangs. Almost evening already? She'd been so caught up in her work she hadn't noticed the hours fly by!

The young woman sat back on her heels, examining her work. It took longer than she thought but she finally finished making the adjustments. She was miffed she hadn't been able to get back onto the Yuggoth deck. Yamaki hadn't given her the go-ahead and she was so busy she hadn't been able to remind him. Dammit. She let out a frustrated sigh. Hope Kaminmon doesn't decide to waltz into the digital plane any time soon – I didn't get a chance to fully conceal his signature. She planned to attend to that when she was with the Yuggoth system again, it was a matter of getting in there without making Yamaki suspicious.

Sneaking around like a human was more time consuming than she thought it would. She consoled herself with the knowledge that this was all for the greater good.

Wonder how Kaminmon's doing with his search? She knew he could probably find the lost D-Arc. Her servant had an uncanny ability for zeroing in on these sorts of things. Funny...she realized she never asked him how he could sense things like those. He just did. The thing was he had to be more careful. She only reminded him if he was going to be walking around the city, he was going to have to blend in; Kaminmon assured her he would do so. He could suffer the indignity of pretending to be human if his Mistress could.

Kincaid got to her feet. Her legs protested loudly, making a general nuisance of themselves because she hadn't moved much today. She hated that part of being in this squishy human shape. The general makeup was pretty weak and frail, and it didn't take much for it to start bitching at her because she put strain on it. Not to mention it was always cold! No fur, just a pathetic covering of thin hair. She always ended up freezing her ass off in the Real World.

At least I don't have to stay like this forever. She had to admit, she felt almost sorry for the humans. She only had to stay in this shape for a few months (a few years, at worst), and they had to stay like that from birth to death. Kincaid supposed she could be a little more thankful when she thought of it in those terms.

Kincaid left the room. Though she hadn't started the real work of shattering the gateway, the small holes in it were still open. With the size they had grown to by now, she wouldn't be surprised if a Digimon decided to show up today. Someone should warn them about the tiger waiting at the other side. Hypnos was most definitely a dangerous little organization, already a sign the humans were as dangerous as she suspected. At first, it seemed like a pointless waste – she hadn't known what happened to the data when they deleted Digimon, and if another wasn't uploading it, than it was being uselessly squandered.

But then she had found out what Yamaki did with the data of the (unfortunately) deleted Digimon…

Collected in one nice, neat little package. Kincaid couldn't help a smile of triumph at this. She probably couldn't do anything with the data – she didn't need to upload it – but it would be a good energy boost for the Juggernaut. The perfect way to speed up her plan. Of course, she'd have to wait until the Juggernaut and the boy merged together before she could get anything done, but it couldn't hurt to plan ahead. Even with all that data, we probably won't have enough to rip apart the closed bridge. To create the digital shuffle. Even if she ordered a few Golems to take a suicide dive into the Juggernaut's pool, it wouldn't make much of a difference. The Golems were merely empty vessels.

But she was fine with that. She hated sacrificing a perfectly good Digimon when a Golem would do.

Kincaid wasn't completely sure if the Golems would be able to complete the task. She never before commanded one to act as a vessel, instead of cannon fodder. Kincaid wrapped a bright purple lock of hair around one covered finger, feeling particularly smug. She was quickly moving down the corridor, smiling at those who passed her and shot an idle glance out the window. The sun was once again setting through the clearing clouds.

Things are going to work out. We will be successful – I can feel it.

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Ruki sat down on the bench, tossing her backpack next to her. Somehow she managed to slip out of the studio: all the flashing lights of the photographers and her mom's constant tinkling laughter had drove her crazy. Mom's too busy preening to notice anyone else but herself. Ruki thought, irritated. Despite her attempts to act detached to her mom, it bugged her. Looking pretty and getting pictures taken was apparently more important then anything else. If that was the case, then why did Mom insist on dragging Ruki along with her?

She looked up. It was still drizzling, but not enough to bother taking out her umbrella again.

Ruki glanced at the backpack. It was closed, but she knew Takato's D-Arc was still in there. She didn't like holding it. It wasn't like she superstitious or anything, but carrying it with her made her uncomfortable. It only made her more concerned about Takato; concerned, not worried. She would never admit to worrying over anyone…well, maybe with the exception of a few people and Renamon. Ruki sometimes found Takato to be annoying and immature sometimes, but she knew she didn't hate him.

There was a small breath of wind behind her neck.

"Ruki?"

The Tamer watched the people passing by, crowding the sidewalks. The voice was low, but audible, but with that special tone reserved only for her.

"Yes, Renamon?"

"Are you feeling any better?"

Ruki shook her head, speaking quietly as well, "I'm fine."

"You were very quiet today. I was…I was a little concerned, Ruki." Ruki glanced over her shoulder in surprise. Renamon stood under the shadows of the eves jutting out from the front of a closed store, her tail swishing behind her, only a foot away. Her snout lowered, though the fierce blue eyes were still fixed on Ruki.

"You don't need to be," Ruki said. "Sometimes I don't like talking, okay?"

Renamon padded a step closer. "Are you sure? I'm always here if you need someone."

Ruki closed her eyes for a moment. She started as she felt the gentle weight of her partner's paw resting on her shoulder, but didn't command Renamon to move away. It was a little comforting, that touch. Come to think of it, Renamon rarely, if ever, made any attempts to make unnecessary physical contact with her human partner. It had only been when Ruki was in danger would her fur even brush against the Tamer's skin. She always acted very cautiously, and only if Ruki gave her consent. Things had definitely started changing between them.

Renamon's voice sounded behind her. "Hm. The drizzle seems to be dying down."

Ruki opened her eyes, looking up. Her partner was right. It was hard to tell from where she sat (the lights were making it difficult to see the sky clearly), but it looked like the clouds were starting to scuttle away, the dim points of stars peeking out, winking mischievously down at the people below. She probably needed to get home before her grandmother started worrying -

"Ruki!"

A sharp pain in her shoulder jarred her from her thoughts. Renamon had accidentally dug her claws into her Tamer. Ruki was about to demand an explanation, glancing over angrily. But Renamon wasn't even looking at her, instead staring at something with a shocked expression on her fox's face, eyes wide.

"Ow! What was that for?" Ruki blurted.

Renamon muttered a distracted apology, letting go of Ruki. She was still staring however, her eyesnarrowed suspiciously. "This can't be right."

"What's not right?"

"Look to your right. No, not that far right. The other side of the street – standing between the lamppost and the newsstand. Do you see him?" Renamon pointed with a claw. Ruki's gaze followed her partner's gesture.

A young boy her age stared straight at her with unblinking sky-blue eyes. Ruki froze, instantly recognizing the familiar face, that messy head of hair, the hooded shirt and long gray shorts. The stupid yellow goggles perched above his forehead…

Takato!

Ruki leapt out of her seat. What's Takato doing here?! Strangely enough, she had to wonder how he got his goggles back. Did he find Jenrya? Jenrya would've called her if Takato returned. The other Tamer had a strange expression on his face and, after a moment of deliberation, flung a smile at her like a challenge. He turned, scrambling easily over the short wall and was gone.

"We've gotta follow him!" Ruki raced after him, immediately putting thought into action and weaving her way through the crowds.

"Ruki, wait!"

Renamon's protest fell on deaf ears, as her partner darted across the street, vaulting over the wall after the other human. Ruki landed, almost fell as she landed on uneven ground, slippery with a carpet of wet leaves. She managed to regain her balance, and slid down the slope, hoping to high heaven there weren't any rocks underneath all that debris and that if there was, that she wouldn't break her neck following Takato. A strange mixture of anger and relief flooded through her. The moment she caught up with the kid, she'd definitely give him her say and demand he answer some questions.

Ruki reached level ground. It was the park, one she had been to a few times when she watched Takato and Jenrya attempt to disguise Growlmon with water-based paints. It was a pretty big field, and the furthest end of it was rarely visited. There was a flash of blue in the dimly lit darkness, which disappeared again, obscured by the thick tree trunks. Ruki chased after him. What's he doing, playing games or something?!

"Ruki, be careful!" Renamon quickly caught up to her partner, bounding with easy leaps from tree to tree.

Ruki pounded through the wet grass, slipping and sliding. Takato was moving at a good pace. Ruki knew she was in pretty good shapembut she kept having the impression Takato was actually starting to pull away from them. Takato kept to the dense tree-filled area of the park, the patches of blue weaving in and out of the tree trunks.

Renamon sailed through the air, now a few feet ahead of Ruki. Her bushy tail lashed for balance as she landed on a branch, the branch bending under her weight. Renamon leaped into the air again, shouting down.

"He's running toward the playground, Ruki!" Renamon made contact with the ground in front of her, a yellow and purple blur as she rebounded from her crouch after Takato.

Ruki ran out into the misty clearing and stumbled to a stop, Renamon landing smoothly next to her.

"Takato!"

The boy turned at her shout. He'd stopped a few feet ahead, one foot tapping impatiently.

"You'd better have a good explanation!"

Takato only shrugged, the light from the stores in the distance reflecting off his brilliant blue eyes. The boy smiled at her and turned his back on her, looking expectantly up at the sky.

Renamon took a step forward, her hackles suddenly rising as the fog started to grow thicker. Ruki's D-Arc began to beep furiously. Renamon assumed a battle stance. "A digital field's forming, Ruki!"

"Get ready, Renamon!" Ruki ordered, pulling her D-Arc from where she hooked it on the waist of her uniform's skirt. "Takato, get over here! Unless you brought Guilmon with you, you're gonna have to sit back! I hate it when people get in my way, you know that!"

Takato ignored her warning. He didn't seem to be the least bit worried of the danger. Well, fine, if he's gonna act weird on me, than that's his problem! Ruki tensed herself for the upcoming battle. First thing's first!

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"Sir, a field is forming at point GP-0A."

Again?

"It's bio-emerging! Should I send a tracer out?"

"Forget it, Reika. You didn't notice it in time. Contact the collection team and have them it clean up."

"Yes, sir."

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Ruki pulled off her glasses as the digital field's fog swamped the park. The air stung a little bit, dropping several degrees. Beside her, Renamon kept her defensive stance, her black claws extended as she glanced over at Takato and started – the boy had abruptly turned around and was now staring at her with a strange look expression on his face. Ruki looked away, unnerved, and frowned. Trust Takato to be weird at a time like this! He's so immature!

The D-Arc gave a beep to get her attention,as the holo display appeared, along with the wild Digimon's data. Ruki's eyebrows drew together as she read the text out loud. "Greymon, Champion level! Watch out for his Nova Blast and Great Horns attacks, Renamon!"

Renamon nodded as the large form of Greymon appeared from the swirling haze, "I will."

There was a thundering roar from the direction of the wild Digimon's shadow, "Nova Blast!"

Renamon bounded straight up into the air, drawing her legs close to her body as the fireball ripped through the air under her. The attack smashed into a tree behind her and instantly vaporized it, the trunk exploding into flaming splinters. Renamon landed easily, staring straight ahead as Greymon emerged from the fog.

The Champion Digimon was big, Ruki had to credit him with that. Greymon had to be at least triple the size of Renamon, from the tip of his orange and blue striped tail to the top of his wedge-shaped head. A blunt horn swept up from the carapace covering his head, two other horns placed just beyond the small eyes, claws decorating the stubby arms. The Tamer eyed the Digimon with an expert eye: he might have short arms, but she didn't like the look of those powerful muscles rippling across his body. Strength, high stamina, probably has a really tough hide to boot. She'd definitely have to use some cards to win the battle. Much as she had faith in Renamon's abilities, there was little chance she'd be able to defeat Greymon without aid from the cards or digivolving into Kyuubimon.

Renamon sized up her opponent as well. A confident smirk graced her snout, "I can't say I'm very impressed. You're pretty slow for a walking purse."

Greymon's green eyes narrowed. He snarled, "Walking purse!" Flames licked at his snout and his large head reared back. "Nova Blast!"

Renamon bounded away. The burst of fire buried itself harmlessly into the ground. "Ah ah, you'll have to do better than that."

The wild Digimon stepped forward, stubby claws clenching and unclenching. "You filthy little rat!" Greymon lowered his head, his thick tail stiff behind him. He charged, his hind legs digging into the grass and tearing up large clumps of dirt.

Ruki fished about for her deck of cards, as the battle continued. Renamon flipped over her opponent, using the top of his head to give herself momentum. She hovered in the air as Greymon stumbled to a grinding halt, the large head swiveling around, as if on ball bearings, to face her. She threw out her arms, taking the offensive as the air before her began to shimmer.

"Diamond Storm!" Renamon shouted. The air suddenly solidified into thousands of shining crystal shards. The spinning pieces dove down toward Greymon with a screaming wail, hundreds at a time pounding down onto his hide. With a boom, the Champion Digimon vanished as a cloud of smoke burst around him, drowning out his surprised roar.

Renamon landed in front of her opponent, her tail whipping behind her. The dust swirled thick around Greymon. She wasn't sure if she had done any damage or not. Renamon stood up, watching as the thick cloud roiled toward her. She was certain she hit him and she had fought other Champion levels before, with moderate success. Surely she didn't need to digivolve for this.

"Renamon! Time for a card slash!" Ruki called out behind her. The Tamer held out her D-Arc and card, "Digi-Modify! Blitz Power Blast, activate!"

Renamon was surrounded by a throbbing red light. Ruki normally didn't use the Blitz card that often: it basically boosted a Digimon's speed and power for a short time for a final, decisive strike, but it dropped defense and agility in order to do so. It was intended to surprise the opponent with a burst of berserker strength and catch him or her off-guard. She rarely needed to use it in the past, because Renamon had been strong enough to handle her opponents without needing to launch a surprise attack.

Ruki glanced over at Takato, who was still staring at her with that creepy expression. At least he moved a little closer, out of the way. The boy was now standing only a few feet away from her. Let's get this over quickly! I don't want him running away on me again.

"Renamon, you know what to do!"

"I'm on it!" Renamon gritted, snout drawn back in a snarl and revealing sharp fangs. With a burst of energy that scorched the damp grass under her, she leapt off the ground and flew toward the dissipating cloud, claws extended as she soared through the air, the light of the Blitz Power Blast spiraling around her body in streamers. She sped closer to the smoke. The dust was still too thick for her to see her opponent, but she was approaching it at a high speed.

Too fast to slow down.

A dark shape erupted out of the cloud, the smoke clinging to the brown-capped snout and open jaws outstretched toward her. Renamon tried to angle herself so she could bounce off the huge horn, but failed, unable to twist herself away in time. Greymon emerged from the smoke head first, his waist-down still obscured, and, with a triumphant roar, viciously clamped down on the closest limb in reach. He plucked the other Digimon out of the air with ease. Renamon couldn't suppress the shriek of surprised pain that was ripped from her as the glow of the Blitz card faded away. She was slammed into the ground with a dull thump, Greymon's large jaws still clamped down around her right hind leg.

Ruki picked another card. She he drowned out Renamon's pain in order to concentrate. "Digi-Modify! Power Plug-in, activate!"

Renamon pulled back her free leg and delivered a stout kick that hammered her claws into Greymon's snout. He shook his head from side to side, trying to dislocate the trapped limp, but spat her out after another powerful blow landed itself on his sore nose. Renamon got to her feet, though she was now balancing her weight on her uninjured foot.

"That was a nice little trick, surprising me like that," she commented.

This earned a coughing laugh from Greymon. The Diamond Storm had only tickled him. "You're not worth my time, slave! Your cheap tricks are a joke, nothing more!"

Renamon stepped back, and exchanged glances with her Tamer, who nodded, drawing out another card. She gave a small half-smile. "You enjoy magic tricks? How about this one?"

Ruki slashed the card, "Digi-Modify! Digivolution,activate!"

Chaos erupted.

"Renamon digivolve to..."

Renamon began to transform into her Champion shape, her body partially obscured by a blue glow. She dropped down to all fours as the Renamon-form began to peel away like melting paint, facing Greymon. He rumbled and growled, trying to duck his head away from the almost blinding light.

Ruki began to turn around to make sure Takato was still standing next to her. She barely had enough time to gasp as she suddenly came face-to-face with the other Tamer, violet ones lost in the depth of ice blue ones. Her D-Arc was knocked out of her hand by a quick swat, flying in the air several paces behind her and landing with a splatter of mud. A pair of powerful hands wrapped themselves around her neck. The combined weight of both kids sent her tumbling toward the ground on her back.

The black sky tilted sickeningly as she fell.

Takato!

"What ar…are you…doing?!" Ruki gagged as she struggled with the boy straddling her. She tried to push Takato off her with a kick, her hands trying frantically to pry the iron vise away from her throat. Takato easily fended her hands away with stinging blows, now keeping her pinned to the wet spikes of grass with one arm as he reached over her shoulder. Ruki made a strangled protest, feeling her attacker's throttling grip around her neck tighten in response. She started to feel dizzy, the world spinning and going darker.

Something was ripped from her back, the backpack straps slapping for a moment against her ear. The weakened Tamer fought to pull off the arm keeping her pressed between the ground. Takato's blue were focused on the backpack, no longer on her face. There was a tearing sound as something destroyed her backpack. Ruki caught a glimpse of something red and white in Takato's hand and suddenly the choking vise around her throat was gone, as well as the weight sitting on her.

She tried to push herself up, coughing. Takato bent down next to her and smiled. The expression looked weird, almost fake and plastic, as if he wasn't used to using his face muscles.

"I must thank you for making my search easier," he whispered. "Little fool, you're lucky I didn't kill you." He stood up, turned and vanished from her field of vision. Ruki lay where she was, trying to regain her breath, mind blank at the moment. The battle was still going on, from the sounds of the two fighting Digimon Kyuubimon had engaged her enemy into an all-out melee.

"Fox Tail Inferno!"

"Great Horns!"

There was a loud explosion, and wet clods of dirt and smoldering splinters rained down on Ruki. She feebly curled into a ball, covering her head with her arms as the clumps harmlessly bounced off her body. Her neck was killing her, and she couldn't shout out to Kyuubimon as she started to roll over onto her stomach. All that came out was a dry rasp. It rattled. She started to think coherently: that wasn't Takato! Takato didn't hurt people. Something was wrong with him - she didn't know what - but she wasn't going to let him get away with attacking her. She'd sic Kyuubimon on him if she had to. Ruki managed to get to her knees, still light-headed, and glanced around for Takato. There was no sign of him, though from the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a horse in the distance. Was she so dizzy she was seeing things?

Ruki winced as her throat throbbed.

"Dragon Wheel!" A blue ribbon of fire rocketed toward the larger form of Greymon, a howl tearing itself from the Dragon Wheel's serpentine head. Greymon's jaws were nearly closed, the fire tracing trails around his exposed fangs. He looked the worse for wear, his striped orange hide bruised and cut open in places, leaking data. Greymon was about to fire off another Nova Blast when Kyuubimon hit him like a whirlwind.

The fireball flew straight up into the night sky as Greymon stood stock still, eyes wide in shock. Kyuubimon crouched down as her opponent began to dissolve. She closed her eyes as she began to upload the defeated Greymon's data, the sparks being absorbed into her furred chest. With a triumphant grunt, she turned toward her Tamer as the digital field around them disappeared.

"Ruki! What happened?" Kyuubimon was quickly at her partner's side, her elegant snout bowed down in worry.

Ruki reached out and, using Kyuubimon's thick fur, pulled herself into a sitting position. It hurt to talk, but at least words were coming out now. "Takato did."

"What?" Kyuubimon growled, "Care to explain?"

"I'd love to…but my throat really hurts…"

"There's bruise marks all over your neck!"

"I know…look…find Takato and bring him back."

Kyuubimon's long snout started to quiver as she snarled.; "He did this to you, didn't he?"

Ruki shrugged, massaging her aching throat with one hand. "Just go get him. But you'd better not hurt him or anything."

Kyuubimon looked dangerously close to coming to an explosion, which was extremely rare, as she was normally collected. "I won't make any promises, but I'll try. Stay here." With a bound, the Digimon moved away into the darkness, the tips of her tails bobbing as she disappeared into the trees.

Ruki couldn't think of anything which would provoke that attack, nothing unless Takato snapped and went cuckoo or something.

She suddenly remembered the feeling of her backpack being ripped straight off her shoulders. With a sudden burst of energy, she crawled over to where the remains of it lay a meter away. The flap of it was ripped clean off, the bottom reduced to large scraps of cloth. Her notebooks and papers were scattered around it, dirty water seeping into her stuff. She felt a twinge of petty anger. Now she'd have to do all her homework again when she got home. Ruki attempted to collect the spilled folders, placing them on the ruin of her backpack. She had stacked them all on top of each other when she noticed something that made her drop the damp notebook she had in her hand.

Everything was accounted for except for one thing:

Takato's D-Arc was missing.

To be continued...

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