A/n: WARNING: Tissues may be needed.

Chapter 4: End Game

Justimon and Infinitymon were in a place called as the Time Stream, through which any time-jumper travels to nearly any time already done.

"Let go of me you stupid boy!" Infinitymon growled. "The girl shall be mine and I will kill my Creators! There's nothing you can do to stop me."

Infinitymon lashed out at Jutimon with his claws. Justimon barely dodged the attack

"I refuse to let you kill anyone, or take Rika for your sick and twisted plans." Ryo cried.

He let go and nearly drop-kicked the feline-ish digimon right out of the Time Stream. Justimon then jumped from the Time Stream himself.

Little more than a week passed since Ryo had left the Present, and with what Rika had told everyone about being ready, the digimon stayed with their partners.

Rika had been taking a bath, when she heard a crash come from the living room.

"Renamon." She summoned.

Renamon appeared next to the tub.

"Check it out." Rika continued, and Renamon disappeared.

Renamon reappeared in the hallway outside of the living room and peered in. In a heap on the floor were Ryo and Monodramon.

Ryo pushed Monodramon off of him, and sighted Renamon.

"Hi there Renamon. Sorry for dropping by like this, but would Rika happen to be around?"

Renamon smiled. "She'll be so happy to see you." She answered and returned to Rika.

Probably not after what I have to tell her... Ryo thought to himself.

Infinitymon found himself back in Shinjuku Park after Ryo had knocked him out of the time-stream.

"I will get you for this, hero-boy." He growled to himself as he picked himself off of the ground.

"Well what was it?" Rika asked when Renamon returned.

"Ryo has returned." Renamon stated.

Rika jumped out of the tub and quickly threw a towel around herself. She then ran to where Ryo was and threw her arms around him.

"I missed you so much Ryo." She smiled. "I've thought about what you asked before you left, about us getting married. I want to marry you."

"I'm so happy! but we have a problem; I managed to drag Infinitymon back here, but he's after you, Mr. Wong, and Shibumi."

"What!?"

"He's out to destroy them, and to use you to create some kind of super digimon/human hybrid race. I have a plan. I need to make a few calls, and, um, would you please put some clothes on."

"And if I don't want to?"

"Well, I don't think you'll want to be giving everyone ideas, do you." He said picking up the nearby phone.

"So what if I didn't care?" Rika gave a little laugh then went to her room to change.

About half an hour later the rest of the tamers and their digimon were at Rika's house, along with Janyuu and Shibumi.

"So why are we all here?" Shibumi asked.

"Infinitymon is out to kill the two of you, and I know you know that." Ryo said, indicating the older men.

"Yes, I remember you telling us that before." Janyuu said sadly.

The other tamers were slightly confused by the comment, but quickly forgot their confusion as Ryo continued with his plan.

"Anyways, he wants Rika too. Anyways here's the plan: We're going to go to the park, because that's where he'll be-."

"How do you know?" Kenta interrupted.

"When we left the time-stream returning back here, I ended up back here, which is where I left from-"

"So you two were doing something when you left the other night." Kazu grinned.

"Argh. No one else interrupts until Ryo finishes what he has been trying to say." Rika said.

"Thank you. Now as I was trying to say, we're going to let him get what he wants." Surprised and disgusted faces stared back at him. "We're going to use the three of you as bait to lure him out. The digimon, except Monodramon, will stay hidden so that he isn't tipped off that it's an ambush. Together we should be able to defeat him. After all he's just a digimon."

They headed to the park. When everyone was in place, Ryo stepped forward.

"Infinitymon." Ryo called out. "My friends and I have discussed this, and we've decided that there is no way we can defeat you. We brought you the ones you were looking for so that you'd spare our lives."

There was no answer. Only silence.

A noise came to their right, and they turned to face it. It was Infinitymon.

"You are lying. Don't think that I didn't see the digimon come and hide. Come out!" Infinitymon growled.

They slowly appeared from their hiding places.

"You are stupid." Infinitymon laughed and then arched his back. "Time Loop" Whispered as he used his attack, this time not to slip through or repeat time, but to freeze it.

"Ha! Your stupid attack didn't work, right Gardromon? Gardromon? What did you do to him?!" Kazu yelled.

"He froze them all." Takato stated as he went pale.

"How come we're not frozen?" Suzie asked.

Infinitymon frowned slightly. "Hm. Apparently humans aren't affected by it. That'll make things a little more difficult. I will defeat you, then I will kill my Creators and after that I will take my queen away with me."

"Not if I can help it." Ryo angrily stated as he stepped forward, a large stick in his hands.

"What are you doing?! You're no match for him, Ryo!" Rika cried grabbing his shoulder.

"Someone has to do something." He answered turning to her.

Infinitymon took advantage of the fact that Ryo had let his guard down and attacked him with his Infinity Mace attack. This time though he shot six spikes from his tail at him.

"Ryo!" Rika warned, but it came too late.

The spikes rammed into his back, and the points emerged on the other side. Rika caught him as he fell forward and laid him on his back.

"Ryo." Was all she could choke out as tears started down her cheeks.

"I'll be okay." He said as he winced in pain.

She kissed his lips, then angrily stood and turned to face Infinitymon.

"No one tries to kill off my fiancé and gets away with it." Rika vowed.

Renamon, who'd been immobilized like the others found Infinitymon's power weaken around her and she broke free. They bio-merged to Sakuyamon and faced their opponent.

"Now you face me, Sakuyamon." Sakuyamon stated as she attacked with her attack Spirit Strike

The attack of elemental fox spirits struck Infinitymon hard, but he barely managed to stay on his feet.

"Ha. Do you think that hurt me?" He stated.

"I know it did. You're barely standing." She said, a touch of pity for him in her voice.

"I'm stronger than you think." He growled as he rushed her.

She only had to whack him with her staff to finish him off.

"Y-you will pay for-" He managed to say before he was completely deleted.

The spell over the digimon was broken and they were free to move again.

The first thing on Rika's mind after she and Renamon separated was how Ryo was doing, and so ran to him.

"Ryo!" She cried when she saw that the spikes that were in him had gone and he was bleeding terribly. "We have to get you to a hospital-"

"I don't think he'd make it." Janyuu sadly whispered. "The hospital's too far away, and he's bleeding to badly."

"Rika." Ryo said.

"I'm here. What is it?" She said laying his head on her lap. It took all she had to keep from crying as she did so.

"I know I'm not going to live much longer-" He said trying not to show the pain he was feeling.

"Yes you are!" She interrupted, then, almost crying whispered "You can't leave me. I can't loose you like I lost my grandma."

"I'm sorry Rika but..." He closed his eyes for a moment thinking of what he wanted to say. "Since I first went to the Digital World, I've known it was my destiny to die fighting to protect it, but I figured I'd rather die fighting for a beautiful woman instead, and you wouldn't believe it, but I was right." He said reaching his hand and wiped a tear from her cheek. "One bad thing, I wish I'd be around to keep an eye on you...but I wouldn't be much use." She clenched onto his hand tightly, not ever wanting to let him go. "It's beginning to get hard to keep my eyes open at all...even to look at you Babe. One thing I never got to do was to love you like you've always needed. I wish I could've...not that it matters anymore..."

A mournful howl escaped Monodramon, before he completely faded into thin air.

Rika knew he was dead after that because he stopped breathing, and because his partner was gone. She held him even closer to her body because of it, and wept all the tears she'd been holding back.

"Ryo...I love you...You can't leave me..." She sobbed.

The other Tamers and the two Monster Makers couldn't think of anything to say that would consol her.

~Epilogue~

Rika sadly walked past her mother as she went to her room. Rumiko knew it was better to leave her alone today, and again in a few days. She was like this every year on those two days, the day Ryo died and the day of his funeral.

Rika sat on her bed and pulled a book out from under her pillow. To anyone else it would've looked like a diary any normal girl would have, but on closer inspection they'd notice that on the cover was written: Letters to Ryo.

She opened the book and studied the picture taped inside. It was a picture of him, her and their digimon at the beach. Then flipping to the next blank page started writing:

Dearest Ryo,

It's been two years since you died, and my heart still hurts. Not as much as that day anymore, but it still hurts. Every day I think of what could have been, and I cry, just a little, knowing that it'll never happen. I think about what it would've been like waking up next to you, what our children might have looked like, what it would be like to grow old with you by my side, and now I'll never know because you just had to play hero...

I've got some news about everyone to tell you; Takato and Jeri are engaged, Henry got a job teaching Martial Arts, Suzie got first place in an art show at school the other day, Kenta's a tube-sock model and surprisingly Kazu has managed to land himself a girlfriend, but you probably already knew that up in heaven...

My mom keeps saying that it's time that I moved on, and I know she's right, which is partly why I'm writing this to you. I'm going on a date tonight with a guy from work. He's nothing like you though...

Rika opened the book to the picture again and kissed the boy, then the locket that hung around her neck.

"I'll never forget you, and I'll always love you." She whispered.

A warm breeze blew against her neck. She didn't need to turn around to know that neither any doors or windows were open. She gave a little smile as tears formed in her eyes.

She knew it had been the breath of an angel with brown hair and beautiful blue eyes, wordlessly saying "I'll always be with you, and I'll always love you."

The End

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I was going to make it one of those happy ending fics that have a wedding and such...but then I saw an anime movie called X, which is where I got what Ryo said before he died, though modified. Here is the original quote:

"Since I was born, I've known it was my destiny to die fighting for the Dragon of Heaven, but I figured I'd rather die for a beautiful woman instead, and you wouldn't believe it, but I was right. One bad thing, I wish I'd be around to keep an eye on you, but I wouldn't be much use. It's beginning to get hard to keep my eyes open at all, even to look at you Babe. One thing I never got around to asking was how you feel about me. I wish I asked, not that it matters anymore..."

It helped that the girl the guy was saying it to looked quite similar to what an older Rika might look like.

The part where Monodramon faded into nothingness came from the same movie, but an earlier part.