Rage of the Heart--part III
Authors notes:
I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long, but due to illness and a massive change in my work schedule, I am going to post what I have done to this point so as to not keep anyone waiting more than I have. Thank you all for your kind reviews and I promise it's only going to get more intense! Wait until you see the end of chapter 4!!
Thank you!--F_M
(this section PG)
The moonlight filtered in through tightly closed blinds, illuminating the hallway in a surreal glow of rotating stripes of black and white upon the hardwood flooring.
One footfall, then another, landed on the polished floor as a soft groan accompanied each hint of movement.
"Okay, next batch add less cinnamon to the Guilmon Bread..." sighed Mr. Matsuki as his stomach gurgled in response to his mentioning of the 'C' word.
With a dour grimace, he ignored the urge to return to the bathroom and decided to try to squeeze a few hours sleep into the remaining night before his work...and passion...caused him to open the bakery downstairs at an all-too-early 5am.
About to enter the bedroom, he paused as a soft 'creak' filled the air in-between his own steps. Turning, the movement in his son's room grabbed his full attention as Takato shouldn't not be up this late save for a quick trip to the restroom...or the sneak-reading at a favorite comic that just came out.
Smiling as the memories of having done the latter more times forgotten than recalled, he walked over and gently knocked on the door before slowly opening it.
There by the window, sitting upon the small ledge that overlooked the street below, Takato stared out into the night with the same sad expression he had taken to wearing of late ever since Guilmon had went to the digital world with Ryo for these few short weeks. Even in the dispersed moonlight, it was apparent his son was looking a picture that was more than likely the cause of the somber expression upon his young face.
"Takato...?" prompted the elder Matsuki as he walked over the carpet, dodging strewn sneakers, goggles and other assorted bit of clothing and schoolbooks to pull up besides his son.
Blinking, Takato looked up, trying to brandish his usual confident smile, but the attempt felt short as whatever was bothering him was more powerful that his usual cheerful grin.
"Uhm...heya Dad. Did I wake you up?"
"Not at all son, but you know you shouldn't be up this late..." admonished his father lightly. "You haven't picked up a fever had you...?" asked his dad as the back of his hand went to his son's forehead in the time honored parental tradition of checking for sickness.
Resisting the urge to sigh, Takato let his dad finish before shaking his head. "No, I'm fine. Just thinking...." he replied vaguely.
"About Guilmon?"
It would have been so easy for Takato to take the ready-made excuse, but for some reason he didn't feel like lying to his dad. Over the past few nights he had come to terms over Guilmon's decision to stay in the Digital World with Ryo for a few weeks. The elder Tamer had been right when he suggested Guilmon could benefit from learning about the Digital World; just because Takato had created him on Earth didn't mean the dinosaur Digimon couldn't benefit from learning about his 'second home', as Ryo had called it.
But now, other, more personal thoughts had began to creep into Takato's mind now that his worry over Guilmon was lessened. Thoughts of why Rika had been so distance after; well, after what had happened. Every time he tried to talk to her she changed the subject, or stormed off full of anger. But most frustrating of all was he could feel that she wanted../needed/.. to talk about what happened, but if so, why was she avoiding him?
All of these thoughts and feelings were too new to understand by himself, and even though he respected Henry's wisdom, this wasn't a problem his friend could solve.
He needed someone who understood girls and could explain them.
Which really left only one decent course of action.
"Uhm...not...really dad. "
Blinking, his father nodded and gently wrapped his arm around his son's shoulder. Every fatherly instinct was on alert as his son's tone of voice clearly indicated that something deeply personal was bothering the young man.
"So if it's not Guilmon, what's got you up at 3 am then...?" he asked casually, letting Takato be in control of the conversation, revealing as much as he felt comfortable with at the start.
After a moment Takato answered by handing over a small 5x7 oak framed picture.
Gently taking the offering, the older of the two Matsuki men looked at the picture and then towards his son. "You miss your friends in the Digital World?" he ventured as the group shot in the picture showed a smiling Takato and the rest of the Tamers waving farewell to those behind the camera.
"Kinda, I guess... ."
It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that answer only partially held any truth; something deeper than what this picture showed on the surface was gnawing at his son.
It was then a shimmer of light reflected off the glass-covered photo and he saw several smudges over one face in particular, as if a finger had been drawn in thoughtful caresses over her cheek.
The face of a young red-haired woman with eyes of violet and a gaze that suggested she possessed a will of steel.
**Oh....my....** came the internal exclamation as he began to realize what might /just/ be going through his son's mind.
Something far more important than missing his Digimon partner or his friends in the Digital World.
"You're in love with her, aren't you Takato?"
Blinking, the young man felt a majority of the blood rush to his face. "Uhm...in...love with who Dad...?" stammered Takato as he was shocked by his father's deduction of his problem with so little information.
"Miss Nonaka, or can I call her Rika?"
Still blushing, Takato shrugged. "I guess...Rika's fine because if I ever call her 'Miss' anything she'll probably slug me out of principle...".
Nodding, a gently smile passed over his lips as he alternated his view between his still-blushing son and the young woman in the photo. "She's very pretty." he commented, hiding his surprise that it was Rika, not Jeri, who had apparently been the first to seriously capture Takato's heart.
"Yea..she is..." replied Takato with a bit of a goofy smile upon his lips, feeling a little more relaxed. His father compliment his taste in girls was an ego boost he direly needed.
"Have you told her?"
The goofy smile rapidly vacated Takato's face. "Uhm...kinda."
"And how do you 'kinda' tell someone you like them Takato?" his father asked, unable to keep the humor from creeping into his voice.
"Well, uhm..I guess you..." he tried to explain, but the more the tried the more flustered he became. "Just... promise you won't get mad okay Dad??" Takato finally asked, taking a teen's last point of refuge in such an awkward conversation.
"I promise Takato..." assured the elder man who knew that his son was looking for some kind of reassurance that these thoughts and feelings were okay to have and not be something to freak out over.
**That I'll leave to my wife...** he sighed, as he knew that she would be the very last person to admit Takato was old enough to have such feelings about girls.
"And...you won't tell Mom...will you?"
Blinking, he looked down. "Takato, it's really nothing to be ashamed of son. Your mom might have been less than supportive at first when she meet Guilmon, but I think this is something she is already expecting to happen and she wants to be there for you when it does."
"I know Dad. But...I just can't deal with that right now. Please?"
A long moment passed before finally he nodded in agreement. "Okay, I won't say anything to spoil for you and her. But if she asks me outright, I'm not going to lie."
Takato didn't want lie to his mom either, but this was guy stuff she /simply/ wouldn't understand.
Another moment passed as his voice sank to but a whisper as he knew he had to start somewhere.
"Well Dad...we kinda....kissed."
"I see. How serious?"
"Pretty serious."
" 'Kiss on the cheek' serious?"
Takato cringed as he shook his head, unable to find the right word as the blush on his cheeks grew deeper.
"Full lips?" ventured his father cautiously
Takato buried his face in a nearby pillow, as sure as the world the cotton and foam would burst into flame from his burning cheeks. "Worse..." came the answer, muffled by the pillow.
The start of a wide grin tugged at the corners of his lips as he tried to think of something to reduce Takato's embarrassment, but no ideas readily presented themselves. Choosing to simply respond with an 'Oh, I see, " he gently rubbed his son's back trying to give some measure of comfort to his son while trying to avoid saying the word 'T' word and send his offspring into spontaneous combustion
"So you told her, so-to-speak, and now she won't give you the time of day right?"
Takato looked up in shock. "H...how...?"
A soft laugh staved off his reply before he settled down and gave his son another reassuring pat on the back. "Takato, your not the only guy to have the same exact problems. You and Rika shared something pretty special, but now she's not sure how to react. You're torn between not saying anything or pushing the issue because the waiting is driving you crazy." Taking a breath, he paused and looked back down. "Am I even close?"
Takato nodded, vowing to never underestimate his dad again. "So, what do I do now?"
"Honestly?"
The young man looked up, as if waiting for the perfect answer to come from his dad's wisdom.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?!"
"That's right. I know how hard it is to just sit around and not do /something/ about these feelings, but if you push the issue it could turn something exciting into something unpleasant. What you should do is simply pulling her off to one side-where it's quiet-and tell her you'd like to talk about what happened. Tell her you know she might not be ready, and that's A-Ok with you.
She'll now know that you are prepared too, which will make the whole thing more comfortable for you both.
Upon realizing how right his dad was, Takato turned and gave his father a huge hug of thanks. While there was more.../much/ more...that had happened in that small cave that he was still keeping from his dad, this small sliver of hope gave the young Tamer the confidence he needed to unlock Rika's heart once more.
Wrapping his arms around Takato, he smiled and patted his son's back. "You know you can come to me on anything son. You never have to fight these feelings alone..." .
Looking up, Takato smiled warmly. "I know Dad. I know....".
"No."
"NO."
"NO! That can't be right Renamon!"
"Shouting won't change the facts Henry..." smoothly replied the yellow Digimon, her anger still seething just under the surface but restrained--for now.
"Facts? What 'facts' do you /possibly/ have that could support such an outlandish theory?" countered Henry as simply stood there, transfixed by how calm Renamon was despite the horrible accusation that had just been uttered.
Poor Terriermon sat there, shocked beyond coherent thought for the moment. The cream and greenish Digimon could do no more than follow the conversation from Tamer to Digimon much like a verbal tennis ball.
"The facts are Henry that when we rescued Takato and Rika, she had a bruise upon her left cheek. And the fact that their scents were mixed with each other"
"They were in a cave-in! Anything could have caused that bruise to happen. And considering they had no way to provide heat they had to help each other stay warm! I hardly call that a fact that indicated Takato... ." Henry's voice trailed off as he was unable to even say the word.
"That is what I believed so at first, because Rika assured me she was fine. But if that was the case, /why/ have they been so distant since then if nothing was the matter?"
"All right, I'll admit that I've been a little worried about that myself. But /you/ have to admit that Rika's not an easy person to be friends with Renamon. Sometimes the slightest misunderstanding is taken the wrong way and she could go for days without speaking."
Renamon paused, silently agreeing with that point even though she wished otherwise. Shuddering as memories of their breakup after the incident with IceDevimon filled her mind, the Digimon shook her head to clear the images.
"Perhaps Henry. But explain to me how I could be wrong when a few hours ago I and Rika discovered she was carrying a child! When I questioned her on who the father was, she admitted it was Takato's!"
Henry slumped against the back of a close park bench, shaken to the core by the knowledge that Rika could be carrying Takato's child. He was too young for this, they /all/ were simply /not ready/ for this kind of responsibility.
Being a Tamer was one thing, but to be a parent....
It was then another tangent of thought ran through Henry's mind. In an final, desperate, attempt to change Renamon's viewpoint the young Tamer stood up and met her gaze with pure conviction.
"Renamon, please listen to yourself! No matter what you think you might have seen, this is /Takato/ we're talking about! For him to do what your suggesting would be impossible because he couldn't do that to anyone, let alone someone who he considered a friend like Rika! It's ridiculous for someone as kind as Takato to let that happen! It takes rage, and anger of a terrible kind for something like that..."
Renamon paused for but a moment, wishing she could truly believe the words being put forth before her. But for all his passion in protecting his friend, Henry's argument had one fatal flaw.
"You say that Takato does not possess the qualities such as rage and anger to turn into such a being. Yet, was it not his rage and need for revenge that turned Guilmon into Megidramon?"
Terriermon watched as his partner's face paled to a milky white as Renamon's point was made.
"But Renamon...." interjected Terriermon as the Digimon finally found his voice... "..that was different. He was angry at Leomon having been killed. Anyone--you, me, Kazu...any of us could have lost our marbles like Takato did! But he pulled himself together in the end. That's what counts the most!" pleaded Terriermon as he struggled to help his partner reach the sensible, logical Renamon that lay buried beneath the angry figure before them.
Sadly, she shook her head. "Perhaps so Terriermon, but I was there, /you/ were not. You did not see the haunted look in her eyes when we freed them from that cave, nor could you feel the pain and anguish within her heart as I did."
She paused and again drew up to her full height and fixed her gaze on her friends as it was clear there would be no further discussion.
"Takato will accept responsibility for what he has done, or else." stated Renamon as her paws clenched tightly once more.
Realizing that logic and compassion were not going to win this battle of wills, Henry inhaled softly and again stood squarely on his feet as Terriermon joined his partner in a battle-ready--but wholly unwanted--stance.
"Henry, I ask you and Terriermon once more; leave me to do what I must." asked Renamon, her heart truly not wanting it to come to this.
Not against them.
"I have told you more than I should; revealed too many secrets that should have stayed buried. But I do this so you will understand why I must reclaim Rika's honor. Her life, her soul, is mine to protect and I will not let anyone, be they foe or once a friend, cause her pain."
"I can't let you hurt him Renamon. I just /know/ there is a way to avoid this, find a peaceful solution...." Henry countered, but to no avail.
The look on Renamon's face made it clear there were no other options.
Terriermon could feel the worry and sadness from his Tamer, the emotions mirroring his own almost exactly. **Renamon, why won't you listen to reason??...** silently pleaded the small Digimon as he reluctantly accepted the outcome before him.
"There is no other recourse Henry...."
"And I can't let you hurt our best friend..." countered the Tamer as the two watched each other for several long moments with only the sound of a distant ambulance breaking the early morning quiet.
Then, in the still of the park, the sounds of friendship being torn asunder could easily be heard as the battle was joined.
"DIGI-MODIFY!!! DIGIVOLUTION ACTIVATE!!!"
"DIAMOND STORM!!!"
(To Be Continued....)
Authors notes:
I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long, but due to illness and a massive change in my work schedule, I am going to post what I have done to this point so as to not keep anyone waiting more than I have. Thank you all for your kind reviews and I promise it's only going to get more intense! Wait until you see the end of chapter 4!!
Thank you!--F_M
(this section PG)
The moonlight filtered in through tightly closed blinds, illuminating the hallway in a surreal glow of rotating stripes of black and white upon the hardwood flooring.
One footfall, then another, landed on the polished floor as a soft groan accompanied each hint of movement.
"Okay, next batch add less cinnamon to the Guilmon Bread..." sighed Mr. Matsuki as his stomach gurgled in response to his mentioning of the 'C' word.
With a dour grimace, he ignored the urge to return to the bathroom and decided to try to squeeze a few hours sleep into the remaining night before his work...and passion...caused him to open the bakery downstairs at an all-too-early 5am.
About to enter the bedroom, he paused as a soft 'creak' filled the air in-between his own steps. Turning, the movement in his son's room grabbed his full attention as Takato shouldn't not be up this late save for a quick trip to the restroom...or the sneak-reading at a favorite comic that just came out.
Smiling as the memories of having done the latter more times forgotten than recalled, he walked over and gently knocked on the door before slowly opening it.
There by the window, sitting upon the small ledge that overlooked the street below, Takato stared out into the night with the same sad expression he had taken to wearing of late ever since Guilmon had went to the digital world with Ryo for these few short weeks. Even in the dispersed moonlight, it was apparent his son was looking a picture that was more than likely the cause of the somber expression upon his young face.
"Takato...?" prompted the elder Matsuki as he walked over the carpet, dodging strewn sneakers, goggles and other assorted bit of clothing and schoolbooks to pull up besides his son.
Blinking, Takato looked up, trying to brandish his usual confident smile, but the attempt felt short as whatever was bothering him was more powerful that his usual cheerful grin.
"Uhm...heya Dad. Did I wake you up?"
"Not at all son, but you know you shouldn't be up this late..." admonished his father lightly. "You haven't picked up a fever had you...?" asked his dad as the back of his hand went to his son's forehead in the time honored parental tradition of checking for sickness.
Resisting the urge to sigh, Takato let his dad finish before shaking his head. "No, I'm fine. Just thinking...." he replied vaguely.
"About Guilmon?"
It would have been so easy for Takato to take the ready-made excuse, but for some reason he didn't feel like lying to his dad. Over the past few nights he had come to terms over Guilmon's decision to stay in the Digital World with Ryo for a few weeks. The elder Tamer had been right when he suggested Guilmon could benefit from learning about the Digital World; just because Takato had created him on Earth didn't mean the dinosaur Digimon couldn't benefit from learning about his 'second home', as Ryo had called it.
But now, other, more personal thoughts had began to creep into Takato's mind now that his worry over Guilmon was lessened. Thoughts of why Rika had been so distance after; well, after what had happened. Every time he tried to talk to her she changed the subject, or stormed off full of anger. But most frustrating of all was he could feel that she wanted../needed/.. to talk about what happened, but if so, why was she avoiding him?
All of these thoughts and feelings were too new to understand by himself, and even though he respected Henry's wisdom, this wasn't a problem his friend could solve.
He needed someone who understood girls and could explain them.
Which really left only one decent course of action.
"Uhm...not...really dad. "
Blinking, his father nodded and gently wrapped his arm around his son's shoulder. Every fatherly instinct was on alert as his son's tone of voice clearly indicated that something deeply personal was bothering the young man.
"So if it's not Guilmon, what's got you up at 3 am then...?" he asked casually, letting Takato be in control of the conversation, revealing as much as he felt comfortable with at the start.
After a moment Takato answered by handing over a small 5x7 oak framed picture.
Gently taking the offering, the older of the two Matsuki men looked at the picture and then towards his son. "You miss your friends in the Digital World?" he ventured as the group shot in the picture showed a smiling Takato and the rest of the Tamers waving farewell to those behind the camera.
"Kinda, I guess... ."
It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that answer only partially held any truth; something deeper than what this picture showed on the surface was gnawing at his son.
It was then a shimmer of light reflected off the glass-covered photo and he saw several smudges over one face in particular, as if a finger had been drawn in thoughtful caresses over her cheek.
The face of a young red-haired woman with eyes of violet and a gaze that suggested she possessed a will of steel.
**Oh....my....** came the internal exclamation as he began to realize what might /just/ be going through his son's mind.
Something far more important than missing his Digimon partner or his friends in the Digital World.
"You're in love with her, aren't you Takato?"
Blinking, the young man felt a majority of the blood rush to his face. "Uhm...in...love with who Dad...?" stammered Takato as he was shocked by his father's deduction of his problem with so little information.
"Miss Nonaka, or can I call her Rika?"
Still blushing, Takato shrugged. "I guess...Rika's fine because if I ever call her 'Miss' anything she'll probably slug me out of principle...".
Nodding, a gently smile passed over his lips as he alternated his view between his still-blushing son and the young woman in the photo. "She's very pretty." he commented, hiding his surprise that it was Rika, not Jeri, who had apparently been the first to seriously capture Takato's heart.
"Yea..she is..." replied Takato with a bit of a goofy smile upon his lips, feeling a little more relaxed. His father compliment his taste in girls was an ego boost he direly needed.
"Have you told her?"
The goofy smile rapidly vacated Takato's face. "Uhm...kinda."
"And how do you 'kinda' tell someone you like them Takato?" his father asked, unable to keep the humor from creeping into his voice.
"Well, uhm..I guess you..." he tried to explain, but the more the tried the more flustered he became. "Just... promise you won't get mad okay Dad??" Takato finally asked, taking a teen's last point of refuge in such an awkward conversation.
"I promise Takato..." assured the elder man who knew that his son was looking for some kind of reassurance that these thoughts and feelings were okay to have and not be something to freak out over.
**That I'll leave to my wife...** he sighed, as he knew that she would be the very last person to admit Takato was old enough to have such feelings about girls.
"And...you won't tell Mom...will you?"
Blinking, he looked down. "Takato, it's really nothing to be ashamed of son. Your mom might have been less than supportive at first when she meet Guilmon, but I think this is something she is already expecting to happen and she wants to be there for you when it does."
"I know Dad. But...I just can't deal with that right now. Please?"
A long moment passed before finally he nodded in agreement. "Okay, I won't say anything to spoil for you and her. But if she asks me outright, I'm not going to lie."
Takato didn't want lie to his mom either, but this was guy stuff she /simply/ wouldn't understand.
Another moment passed as his voice sank to but a whisper as he knew he had to start somewhere.
"Well Dad...we kinda....kissed."
"I see. How serious?"
"Pretty serious."
" 'Kiss on the cheek' serious?"
Takato cringed as he shook his head, unable to find the right word as the blush on his cheeks grew deeper.
"Full lips?" ventured his father cautiously
Takato buried his face in a nearby pillow, as sure as the world the cotton and foam would burst into flame from his burning cheeks. "Worse..." came the answer, muffled by the pillow.
The start of a wide grin tugged at the corners of his lips as he tried to think of something to reduce Takato's embarrassment, but no ideas readily presented themselves. Choosing to simply respond with an 'Oh, I see, " he gently rubbed his son's back trying to give some measure of comfort to his son while trying to avoid saying the word 'T' word and send his offspring into spontaneous combustion
"So you told her, so-to-speak, and now she won't give you the time of day right?"
Takato looked up in shock. "H...how...?"
A soft laugh staved off his reply before he settled down and gave his son another reassuring pat on the back. "Takato, your not the only guy to have the same exact problems. You and Rika shared something pretty special, but now she's not sure how to react. You're torn between not saying anything or pushing the issue because the waiting is driving you crazy." Taking a breath, he paused and looked back down. "Am I even close?"
Takato nodded, vowing to never underestimate his dad again. "So, what do I do now?"
"Honestly?"
The young man looked up, as if waiting for the perfect answer to come from his dad's wisdom.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?!"
"That's right. I know how hard it is to just sit around and not do /something/ about these feelings, but if you push the issue it could turn something exciting into something unpleasant. What you should do is simply pulling her off to one side-where it's quiet-and tell her you'd like to talk about what happened. Tell her you know she might not be ready, and that's A-Ok with you.
She'll now know that you are prepared too, which will make the whole thing more comfortable for you both.
Upon realizing how right his dad was, Takato turned and gave his father a huge hug of thanks. While there was more.../much/ more...that had happened in that small cave that he was still keeping from his dad, this small sliver of hope gave the young Tamer the confidence he needed to unlock Rika's heart once more.
Wrapping his arms around Takato, he smiled and patted his son's back. "You know you can come to me on anything son. You never have to fight these feelings alone..." .
Looking up, Takato smiled warmly. "I know Dad. I know....".
"No."
"NO."
"NO! That can't be right Renamon!"
"Shouting won't change the facts Henry..." smoothly replied the yellow Digimon, her anger still seething just under the surface but restrained--for now.
"Facts? What 'facts' do you /possibly/ have that could support such an outlandish theory?" countered Henry as simply stood there, transfixed by how calm Renamon was despite the horrible accusation that had just been uttered.
Poor Terriermon sat there, shocked beyond coherent thought for the moment. The cream and greenish Digimon could do no more than follow the conversation from Tamer to Digimon much like a verbal tennis ball.
"The facts are Henry that when we rescued Takato and Rika, she had a bruise upon her left cheek. And the fact that their scents were mixed with each other"
"They were in a cave-in! Anything could have caused that bruise to happen. And considering they had no way to provide heat they had to help each other stay warm! I hardly call that a fact that indicated Takato... ." Henry's voice trailed off as he was unable to even say the word.
"That is what I believed so at first, because Rika assured me she was fine. But if that was the case, /why/ have they been so distant since then if nothing was the matter?"
"All right, I'll admit that I've been a little worried about that myself. But /you/ have to admit that Rika's not an easy person to be friends with Renamon. Sometimes the slightest misunderstanding is taken the wrong way and she could go for days without speaking."
Renamon paused, silently agreeing with that point even though she wished otherwise. Shuddering as memories of their breakup after the incident with IceDevimon filled her mind, the Digimon shook her head to clear the images.
"Perhaps Henry. But explain to me how I could be wrong when a few hours ago I and Rika discovered she was carrying a child! When I questioned her on who the father was, she admitted it was Takato's!"
Henry slumped against the back of a close park bench, shaken to the core by the knowledge that Rika could be carrying Takato's child. He was too young for this, they /all/ were simply /not ready/ for this kind of responsibility.
Being a Tamer was one thing, but to be a parent....
It was then another tangent of thought ran through Henry's mind. In an final, desperate, attempt to change Renamon's viewpoint the young Tamer stood up and met her gaze with pure conviction.
"Renamon, please listen to yourself! No matter what you think you might have seen, this is /Takato/ we're talking about! For him to do what your suggesting would be impossible because he couldn't do that to anyone, let alone someone who he considered a friend like Rika! It's ridiculous for someone as kind as Takato to let that happen! It takes rage, and anger of a terrible kind for something like that..."
Renamon paused for but a moment, wishing she could truly believe the words being put forth before her. But for all his passion in protecting his friend, Henry's argument had one fatal flaw.
"You say that Takato does not possess the qualities such as rage and anger to turn into such a being. Yet, was it not his rage and need for revenge that turned Guilmon into Megidramon?"
Terriermon watched as his partner's face paled to a milky white as Renamon's point was made.
"But Renamon...." interjected Terriermon as the Digimon finally found his voice... "..that was different. He was angry at Leomon having been killed. Anyone--you, me, Kazu...any of us could have lost our marbles like Takato did! But he pulled himself together in the end. That's what counts the most!" pleaded Terriermon as he struggled to help his partner reach the sensible, logical Renamon that lay buried beneath the angry figure before them.
Sadly, she shook her head. "Perhaps so Terriermon, but I was there, /you/ were not. You did not see the haunted look in her eyes when we freed them from that cave, nor could you feel the pain and anguish within her heart as I did."
She paused and again drew up to her full height and fixed her gaze on her friends as it was clear there would be no further discussion.
"Takato will accept responsibility for what he has done, or else." stated Renamon as her paws clenched tightly once more.
Realizing that logic and compassion were not going to win this battle of wills, Henry inhaled softly and again stood squarely on his feet as Terriermon joined his partner in a battle-ready--but wholly unwanted--stance.
"Henry, I ask you and Terriermon once more; leave me to do what I must." asked Renamon, her heart truly not wanting it to come to this.
Not against them.
"I have told you more than I should; revealed too many secrets that should have stayed buried. But I do this so you will understand why I must reclaim Rika's honor. Her life, her soul, is mine to protect and I will not let anyone, be they foe or once a friend, cause her pain."
"I can't let you hurt him Renamon. I just /know/ there is a way to avoid this, find a peaceful solution...." Henry countered, but to no avail.
The look on Renamon's face made it clear there were no other options.
Terriermon could feel the worry and sadness from his Tamer, the emotions mirroring his own almost exactly. **Renamon, why won't you listen to reason??...** silently pleaded the small Digimon as he reluctantly accepted the outcome before him.
"There is no other recourse Henry...."
"And I can't let you hurt our best friend..." countered the Tamer as the two watched each other for several long moments with only the sound of a distant ambulance breaking the early morning quiet.
Then, in the still of the park, the sounds of friendship being torn asunder could easily be heard as the battle was joined.
"DIGI-MODIFY!!! DIGIVOLUTION ACTIVATE!!!"
"DIAMOND STORM!!!"
(To Be Continued....)