Digimon Tamers: Takato V.S. Takato Chapter XI: Rika's Beauty, Takato's Downfall, a digimon fanfic

Me: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own Creed's song "Beautiful." This song, in a way, describes Rika, yet at the same time, it could describe Jeri. I think you guys can figure out the distinction between the two of them.

Rika: Okay, now that you've got the music part down, answer me this-what are you planning to do with Takato?

Me: Don't you guys ever learn? If I told you about it now, you'd ruin it. And most likely, you'd kill me.

Takato: Hey, Rika-look what I found! A certain chapter that's not posted.

Me: Hey-that's mine!

(Rika quickly takes it away from Takato and skims through it, only stopping on certain areas)

Rika: (still reading; stops, looks up with gaze of disdain in her eyes) You're planning on doing this to my Gogglehead? COME HERE!

Takato: (blushes) She called me "her Gogglehead!"

Me: Uh-I'd enjoy this with you right now, but I've got to go do something really important that I forgot to do! Bye! (races off)

Rika: Hey-I didn't say you could leave! Get back here! (runs off)

Takato: And people say that emotions are weak-they sure look like it helps get Rika revved up!

Digimon Tamers: Takato V.S. Takato

Chapter XI-Rika's Beauty, Takato's Downfall

"People might think you're weird for being friends with a puppet girl but it'll help you get better (dating) experience in dealing with any other girls." -Takato Matsuki

"If peace cannot be the solution, keep in mind that you're the only one with the martial arts skill." -Henry Wong

While Rika's been on the mend for the past few days, Takato was keeping a silent vigil over her nonstop-during the day and the night. Convinced that fate had done this to personally torment him, Takato ran off, and while Henry was trying to tell Jeri how he felt, Rika woke up due to a horrendous nightmare, realized Takato was gone and got out of bed to find him! When she finally did find him, Rika complimented Takato on all he'd done ever since becoming a Tamer. And, as the two of them made amends, Jeri and Henry clicked in that same manner as Takato and Rika. Only problem is, they don't know that Takato's clone survived his fall-in more ways than one! Hope they can take this guy down for good before something bad happens.

Two days had passed ever since the incident concerning Takato, and the Tamers found themselves back at the spot when they'd first come to the Digital World.

"How can you tell this is the place, Leomon?" Jeri asked. Leomon didn't respond back at first, but instead pointed at a certain spot a few meters away from them.

"There-that's where Meramon was deleted by those pack of wild Digimon. Trust me-I know."

"O-okay." Jeri stammered, no longer curious about the subject.

"Don't worry-at least Beelzemon wasn't here to absorb his data." Henry said, a comforting smile on his face.

"From what Takato told me, it sounds like Beelzemon didn't even show up until that thing with the bike. He could've still been Impmon at that time." Rika responded, still wearing the infamous brown coat Takato had seen her in during his dream.

"Excuse me, but-new guy? What's this all about?" Guardromon spoke up.

"For one thing-you're not a guy, you're a Digimon. For another thing-here's how your partner braved the treacherous storm to find his own faithful partner in battle..." Kazu explained calmly.

Takato groaned to himself while yanking out his sleeping bag, plus some other odds and ends. "That's Kazu for you. Time to hit the hay, everyone."

"Hit it with what?" Calumon asked with an impish look in his eyes.

Rika rolled her eyes while pulling out her own sleeping bag. "That's a figure of speech, Calumon. It means, 'good night.'"

"Oh. Nighty-night, Rika!" Calumon replied while snuggling onto Rika's pillow.

Forcing back a growl, Rika said, "Good night, Calumon."

Takato snickered while trying to hide his giggles, but failed and received a light slap in the back of the head.

"And what's so funny about this?"

"Nothing!" Takato objected. "Just that-whenever you allow Calumon to get away with the crazy things he does, it makes your beauty shine out even more."

Rika looked down at what she was wearing-shirt with broken heart across it, pack of Modify cards ready to pull out, brown coat-before eyeing Takato with a look of disbelief.

"You're kidding me! How could I look beautiful with clothes like these on?"

"I once heard someone on TV say, 'clothes don't make the man.' That doesn't make a lot of sense right now, mostly 'cause you're not a man, but it seems to fit. And, it doesn't matter to me if you were wearing those clothes for the rest of your life, or-" Takato suddenly came across a thought he hadn't intended to, and his cheeks became a darker shade of red.

After figuring out what he'd meant-and noticing his blushing cheeks-Rika gave her boyfriend a knowing smile.

"I didn't know you thought that way about me."

"Actually, I don't!" Takato exclaimed worriedly. "It's just that-um, well-I can't help but notice how beautiful you've become in my eyes, and uh..." Takato's cheeks turned even redder as his gaze trailed down to his shoes. "Go on-hit me."

Rika felt her own cheeks grow hot, and she also felt tears forming in her eyes. The only time anyone had complimented her on how she looked was when she'd been forced to go to one of her mother's photo shoots, and the time before she'd left for the Digital World when she'd put on a dress long enough to make her mother happy. No one had ever complimented her on how she looked while she was wearing her "Tamer" clothes, as Takato called them-until now.

"Thanks, Takato. That means a lot-really, it does."

She wears a coat of color; loved by some, feared by others

She's immortalized in young men's eyes...

Lust she breeds in the eyes of brothers, violent sons make bitter mothers

Close your eyes-here's your surprise...

Morning came once more, and Rika not only felt pleased by the fact that she was completely healed-the bruises were gone and the ribs mended-but someone had actually complimented her on how she looked on normal days!

"Takato? Where are you...?"

Seeing that Takato wasn't near her-his sleeping bag was neatly folded up-Rika turned around and saw Henry, Takato, Jeri and some of the Digimon gathered for some kind of conversation.

"The question is how we're supposed to get back home since we can't leave here the same way we came." Henry noted.

"Maybe we could try using that Digital Plane idea I had a while back." Takato suggested.

"That would work, but we don't know how far it goes, plus that Digital Plane thing is supposed to work for just you and me." Rika said while getting up and shaking Calumon off of her pillow.

"Oh-right. Sorry." Takato replied meekly.

"There are probably numbers of ways we could use, but would any of them be as effective as finding a portal right under our noses this entire time?" Renamon noted grimly.

"Huh?" Guardromon was confused, so Kazu had to spell it out for him.

"Renamon's talking about how we got here. There was a portal under Guilmon's hideaway the whole time and we never knew about it until we had to come save Calumon."

"Hey, guys-look at what-I mean who-Susie and I found while hunting for some flowers!" Kenta yelled out. The others turned to see what he was talking about.

"It-it's a Digimon!" Takato stammered in amazement.

"Let's see-whoa! He's MarineAngemon, a Pixie Digimon. He's at the Mega level, and his main attack is called, 'Ocean's Love?' What kind of name for an attack is that?"

"He looks pretty beat up." Kazu noted.

"We've got to look after him!" Kenta insisted. Takato thought the matter over and nodded.

"Okay-we'll take care of him for two days, then we'll have to focus on-"

"Takato, look!" Jeri gasped in shock as a Digivice appeared next to Kenta's hands.

"A Digivice!" Kenta laughed while picking it up and looking at it.

"You're kidding?! He's the only one who won't have to Biomerge with his Digimon?" Rika sputtered.

"Looks like it. Talk about your weird coincidences, huh Henry? Just as we're talking about leaving, Kenta finally finds his partner-an inch away from deletion!"

"Terriermon!"

"Actually, he looks rested and well on the way back to making a full recovery." Leomon said.

"Maybe he'd like some data packets Takatomon picked up from those snow Digimon we-"

Laughing nervously, Takato grabbed Guilmon's mouth and covered it while yelling out, "Rika and I found it in a cave when we'd been separated! Guilmon just thought he'd seen some other Digimon when he'd really been covered by snow."

"Right." Kazu retorted, clearly not believing a word of it.

"What's happening?" The Tamers all turned toward MarineAngemon, but Kenta spoke first.

"It's okay-my friend's sister and I found you while trying to find her some flowers. Are you alright?"

"I think so-is that what I think it is?" MarineAngemon was eyeing Kenta's recently acquired Digivice.

"Yeah-I guess that means you're my partner!" Kenta started laughing while hugging the Mega Digimon tightly.

"Hey, Kenta, ix-nay on the ugging-hay! He's not a plush toy who can pull himself back together!" Kazu reported.

"Right. Don't worry-we'll get you fixed up in time for you to see the Real World, okay?"

"If you can get there in one piece." The Tamers all turned, expecting to see Beelzemon, but it was Ryo and Cyberdramon!

"Hey-what are you doing here, pal? We thought you'd gone to search for Beelzemon!"

"I did, and not only did I find him, but I found Takato's clone."

"Obviously, you're not very knowledgeable on current events-Takato's clone was taken out, remember? He stabbed him in the back with his own knife-" Rika lifted up Takato's shirt to reveal the blade, caked with dried blood next to his Digivice. "-which he still has! So don't come around here telling us that we've got to go and get rid of this guy again!"

"I can see how you've felt so empty in the course of your life before you ended up meeting Takato, so I'll excuse you this time. Trust me-you can't get rid of the dead." Ryo warned.

Rika looked like she was going to try and attack Ryo, but a voice responded, "He's right-you can't get rid of the dead, especially if they've come looking for a body to claim."

"It-it can't be!" Takato and the other Tamers all turned to see the Tamer of Darkness-floating in front of their eyes, next to Beelzemon!

"Chumly turned his clone into a ghost!" Kazu screamed.

"Talk about your anticlimaxes, huh?"

"Terriermon!"

Chorus: Beautiful is empty, beautiful is free, beautiful loves no one, beautiful stripped me, stripped me, stripped me, she stripped me...

"How'd this happen?" Takato gaped in shock, as were the others, Ryo excluded.

"Simple-remember that Modify card your friend left behind? Not only did it give me a flesh and blood body, but since I officially died quite a while ago, my spirit-not ghost-was left to wander the Digital World, my purpose unfulfilled."

"It'll have to stay unfilled, 'cause the only way you're getting to Takato is through me!" Rika growled defiantly.

"Such spirit-I can see why you loved her."

Takato's eyes narrowed at that statement. "What do you mean 'loved?' I still love her!"

"Not after this." At that second, the Tamer of Darkness leaped up into the sky, dived right through Rika's body and entered inside Takato's!

"Ahhhhh!" Takato cried out while squirming, and it wasn't because of how Rika was acting, but it was more of a battle from within.

"What's happening to the angwy kid, Henwy?" Susie piped up.

"Takato's about to go through one of the most harrowing battles of his life-a battle for control of the mind." Renamon explained.

"What?" Jeri, Rika and the others eyed Renamon with quizzical looks.

"You all know how each of you humans have a side that wants to do good, and a side that wants to do evil-when Takato's anger created Megidramon, he activated all the negative feelings from within his own mind. Since then, the negative feelings have dispersed, but have probably waited for a time when Takato would unleash his anger once again."

"It looks like that time has come." Henry admitted.

Takato groaned while struggling to fight what was happening to him. His thoughts were vanishing like grains in an hourglass, but one thing was constant.

"Rika's always been there for me, in more ways than one. If I hadn't remembered how I felt about her, Leomon probably wouldn't be back right now. I wish I didn't have these evil feelings inside me right now."

"We've got to help him somehow!" Rika cried out, starting to run over to Takato, but Renamon stopped her.

"You can't assist this time, Rika. This is a battle from within, and only he can triumph, or be defeated."

"For all our sakes, I hope he wins." Guardromon said.

"You and me both, Guardromon-you and me both."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" The Tamers shuddered in surprise at hearing Takato's scream of agony. That meant he'd failed in the battle for possession!

"Rika...Guilmon...Henry....Calumon...Jeri...everyone, I'm sorry. I guess I just wasn't strong enough to stop him for you...please forgive me..."

Takato suddenly looked up, and grinned evilly. His eyes were blood red!

"Your leader was weak, otherwise he would've kicked me out instantly."

"You're wrong! Takato's never been weak!" Jeri yelled out.

"She's right! Takato's the strongest Tamer I've known. Believe me-I've seen a lot of Tamers." Rika added heatedly.

"Just what are you trying to say?" Kenta muttered.

"Here's what I'm trying to say-he stripped me of my glory, and I'm about to take away the love and respect he's had from everybody he's ever known. DARKNESS MODIFY! BIOMERGE, ACTIVATE!"

Guilmon screamed in pain, as he felt Takato change into data and biomerge with him a moment later.

"Guilmon Biomerge to..."

To the shock of Rika, Henry, Jeri, Kazu, Kenta, Ryo, Susie and the Digimon, Guilmon didn't Biomerge to Gallantmon, but instead became Megidramon! The Mutant Digimon howled as the skies changed to accomodate for the dark power inside Megidramon.

"This is a Mon who can start a path of destruction!" Beelzemon declared as a pair of dark wings appeared on his back!

"Now what do we do?" Kazu asked.

"For once-I'm completely out of options." Henry admitted.

"Would saying 'Momentai' help us out right now?"

"Probably not."

In your mind she's your companion, vile instincts often candid

Your regret is all that's left...

Chorus: Beautiful is empty, beautiful is free, beautiful loves no one, beautiful stripped me, stripped me, stripped me, she stripped me...

"And now, it's time for us to go to your world, but not without a consolation prize!" Beelzemon noted while swooping down and grabbing Calumon from the ground!

"Hey-put me down! I don't like you anymore, Impmon!"

"You guys don't listen, do ya-the name's Beelzemon!"

"Give them all back now, or you'll regret it!" Rika demanded angrily as Megidramon and Beelzemon took to the sky.

"Who-oh, you mean Pineapple head and this guy? I think not!"

"GIVE THEM BACK!" Henry screamed while pulling out his Digivice and holding it upward.

"BIOMERGE, ACTIVATE!"

Biomerge Digivolution!

Almost immediately, Henry Biomerged with Terriermon a few moments later.

"Terriermon Biomerge to...MEGAGARGOMON!!!"

"Okay, you wannabe Tamer-give us back our friends now, or what Rika said is right-you will regret it. Power Pummel!!"

The attack hit, but Megidramon quickly flew up and lashed out at MegaGargomon and hit him hard!

"Henry-be careful!" Jeri cautioned.

"Will Henwy be okay?" Susie asked, unshed tears clouding her eyes.

"Don't worry, Susie-from what I've noticed, your brother can handle himself in situations like this." Lopmon replied.

She told me where I'm going, and it's far away from home-I think I'll go there on my own, I think I'll go there on my own

Chorus: Beautiful is empty, beautiful is free, beautiful loves no one, beautiful stripped me, stripped me, stripped me, she stripped me, she stripped me, stripped me...(final chords; song fades out)

"You wanna play games? Okay-we'll do this the hard way! Mega Barrage!!" Megidramon yowled in agony as the attacks hit, causing him undescribable pain.

"Remember-if you hurt him, you'll hurt Pineapple head, who's inside. Double Impact!!" MegaGargomon cried out while trying to avoid the deadly barrage of bullets aimed at him!

"Forgive me, Takato...Gargo Missiles!!"

"No! Don't do it!" Rika yelled out.

"Henry wait!" Jeri pleaded.

The powerful attack was launched precisely and hit Megidramon on impact! The Digimon wailed in extreme pain, but it didn't sound like Megidramon-it sounded like Guilmon and Takato!

"If Megidramon gets deleted while Takato's in there, I swear you'll pay for this, Henry!" Rika croaked out, ignoring the tears falling down her cheeks.

With an evil grin, Beelzemon started up his barrage again, striking MegaGargomon and forcing him to hit the ground!

"Guess you weren't as tough as you were made out to be. Double Impact!!"

From within the Mega Digimon, Henry screamed, his fear of being deleted alongside Terriermon overriding his thought process.

"Stop!" Beelzemon turned to eye Megidramon, who'd spoken in the voice of the Tamer of Darkness. "Leave him be to contemplate what his friends will do to him. We've got our own plans, and they involve their world."

"NO!" Rika pushed aside what had just transpired and glared at MegaGargomon. "Get back up there and stop them! You can do it-we know you can, Takato knows it, Guilmon knows, even Calumon knows! Just get up there and stop them!"

"I don't think so!" With a growl, Megidramon opened his massive jaw and clamped down, cracking the Mega Digimon's source of protection.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Henry and Terriermon yelled in pain as they were forced to deDigivolve in midair! The two of them hurtled helplessly downward.

As one, Renamon and Leomon leaped upward and caught Henry and Terriermon safely.

"Kenta, since we're partners, you gotta send me up there! I'm the only one who stands a chance of surviving against them!" MarineAngemon insisted.

"You can't! You're not strong enough yet."

"Until next time, kiddies!" Beelzemon laughed as he and Megidramon flew upward and vanished, still holding onto Calumon! The Tamers and their Digimon could do nothing but stand there and watch as their leader had turned on them against his will, as well as his partner.

Just when the Tamer team's talking about going home, Takato gets possessed by his clone! Can the others figure out a way to get home and free Takato and Guilmon from the Tamer of Darkness? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!