A/N: Hey hey, guess who's back!? Ne ways... sorry about the spacing in the last chapter... I dunno what the hell happened... I guess the italics didn't work either so :: :: = thoughts... Oh yeah, remember how I mentioned "Last Resort" in the first chapter? Well, I was sun bathing n listening 2 music n b4 I feel asleep, I was thinking that this song seems to fit mah story well... if u want the lyrix, email or IM me n I'll send them 2 u. Papa Roach sings it btw. hmmmm, I'm bored... I gotta choice, Antigone or write, so I guess I'll write. One quick note, I know the Japanese version has different ages and names for the Tamers and it's the original, but I decided to go with the American version since more people are familiar with it.

Rika hit the water and felt a thousand knives jabbing, stabbing, and piercing her body. The coldness blanketed over her body. Still in a state of shock and depression, she decided to give up and accept her ultimate destiny; death. As she grabbed fate by the hand, she felt herself being led to eternal rest of the chamber of universal night. The newness of death is such a fruitless design.

Well, not really.

As she drifted into unconsciousness, she sank gradually to the river bottom. Ryo searched intensely in the water for her. Almost as his breath gave out, he found her body and pulled it above the water as he gasped for breath.

"RIKA!!! RIKA!!! RIKA!!!" Ryo shook her body; her head bobbing furiously against the raging wind and water. "Please wake up..." He whispered. He swam to the shore, dragging Rika's motionless body through the water and onto land.

Ryo breathed heavily as he emerged on the sand. He continued to shake Rika, in hopes that she would wake up. "Rika, Rika, wake up...." He wrapped his arms around her damp body while camouflaged tears rolled down his face. "Wake up, please... Don't give up on me." He shook her harder. Confused and drowning in guilt, he didn't know what else to do. He didn't know CPR and the hospital was relatively far away...

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Rika awakened and found herself in another confusing fog. "Hello? Anyone here?" She called and heard only an echo. She sighed and walked around to get a better idea of her new surroundings. It was a never-ending nothingness as far as she could tell. The one characteristic that really distinguished itself was that it was freezing. She felt distant, lost, and confused.

"Hello!" The little girl called out, her face now renewed with a happy smile. Her messy auburn hair was tied back in a pony-tail with an aqua scrunchie. She wore a yellow long-sleeved shirt and a navy dress.

Rika stared at her confused. She must have gone back in time. One minute, the girl is outraged and the next minute, she's all happy. But the most confusing thing about this girl was that it was her.

"C'mon, I'll show you the way out of here. You can meet my daddy too!" The little girl held out her hand, which Rika assumed was hers to take.

Rika was led to a swing where a young man stood. "Daddy!" The little girl called, waving. She ran up and threw her arms around him. He smiled and hugged her back. "Daddy's my bestest and only friend in the world. He promised to stay with me forever and ever." She smiled at Rika.

Rika was apalled. "Your daddy's gonna leave. He's gonna break his promise, he doesn't care..." Rika murmured. The little girl didn't hear Rika and continued to smile. "You know, he says one day we can travel the world together, just the two of us." The little girl giggled. "Sorry, I mean the three of us." She held up a stuffed bear. "Daddy gave him to me when I was a little baby. It's my favorite toy and I love him very much. He's my other best friend 'cause wherever I go, my teddy bear seems to follow." Rika looked at the little girl sadly. ::I remember that bear. I remember how mom tore it apart when dad divorced her.::

Suddenly, the sky turned dark and a horde of digimon surrounded the little girl and her beloved father. The leader of the group was Icedevimon, except he seemed to have digivolved to the Mega level. "What are you doing? Who are you?" The little girl glared at the group. He shot an attack at the father and he crumpled in a heap on the floor. "NOOOO!!! DADDY!!!" The little girl screamed and threw her arms around her father's lifeless body. Icedevimon turned to look at Rika and smirked, crossing his arms. The little girl sobbed and looked up at him. "He's dead. It's all your fault. You're so mean!" She sobbed louder."

"Don't look at me little girl, look at her. Discard your anger at her. It's all her fault." Icedevimon pointed at Rika.

"Bu-ut, that's not what happened. He didn't die yet, I guess I'll never know... But you're still lying! Don't listen to that frozen freak!" Rika screamed.

The little girl shook her head. "He's right, I hafta to believe him. It is all your fault...One day, I'm gonna be the best tamer, and I'm gonna kill you and anyone who hurts me!" She sobbed, turned, and ran away, drowning in depression.

"Wait!" Rika called out.

Everything around her melted away. Where the glowing shining glare of fire met haze, light ascended to cascades of a rivulet where darkness sang an eternal hymn. A new scene arranged itself in front of Rika's eyes.

"Hello dear! How was the park? Ready to go to the modeling studio with mommy?" A young woman called.

"I hate modeling, I hate you, I hate everyone." The little girl harshly replied. ::This is a promise to myself, I will never ever let anyone get close to me again. They'll just leave one day or they'll hurt me. I don't need anyone, I'm meant to be alone.::

Rika watched the whole scene, clearly remembering the promise she made to herself. Another scene once again laid itself out in from of Rika.

A teenage girl of about 13 walked up. "Renamon, step all over him." A yellow fox-like digimon suddenly appeared along with a black and red digimon, supposedly resembling a dinosaur.

Rika watched as the fox cold-heartedly destroyed the dinosaur and the girl's expressionless face. "Let's go." The girl crossed her arms.

"But wait, you're me! How could you, how could I have been so cold? Digimon aren't for fighting." She stared at the girl. The girl only glared back. "Digimon are merely data. What other purpose could they possibly possess?"

The girl and her digimon walked into the setting sun and faded away.

"I remember," Rika whispered. "I remember everything now...."

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Rika gradually drifted back to consciousness and slowly opened her eyes, to find Ryo holding her, sobbing. "Ryo?" She asked weakly and he blinked repeatedly. "Rika! You had me so worried! Why did you have to go and jump into that river?? I thought I was gonna lose you." He held her closer just in appreciation of her still being alive; wanting to forever protect her.

"It's not my f-fault, I accidently fell off the bridge. I wasn't trying to kill myself or anything. Plus, I'm not dead, yet." She snuggled closer to him and closed her eyes, letting her tiredness consume her energy.

::Well, guess I should bring her to my place. She wouldn't like it if I brought her to her home or to the hospital.:: He lifted her body up in his arms and started to walk back to his house. He tried to ignore the strange looks people gave him and unluckily, bumped into...

"Ryo! What happened?? Is Rika okay?" Jeri yelled and ran up to him.

Ryo sighed and told her the story. "Well, the hospital's that way, you're going in the wrong direction." Jeri pointed out.

"I know Rika all too well, she would hate me if I brought her to a hospital." Ryo replied.

"Then tell her it was my idea. If what you said is true, her condition might be worse than you think."

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Despite Jeri's suggestion, Ryo brought Rika to his house. He gently set her down on his bed and tucked her in. Still in fear of losing her, he sat at his desk with his head in his hands.

"Ryo," Rika said softly. "You didn't see her, did you?"

Rika rushed to Rika's side and stared at her lovingly and with concern. "Who?"

"Nevermind..." Rika sat up and tried to stand but collapsed in the effort. Ryo caught her and placed her back on his bed. "Take it easy," he suggested, which ended up as a command. "I was gonna take you to the hospital, but I didn't think you would like it very much."

"Got that right." Rika ignored his suggestion and insisted on attempting to stand up.

"Do you ever listen to me?" Ryo helped Rika get on her feet. "No..." Was her answer.

"Rika, you know you're my best friend... And well, I know there's something wrong."

"There's nothing wrong. What makes you think that?"

"Rika, you just jumped off a bridge. Enough said."

"God damnit Ryo, it was an accident. But tell me the truth. You didn't see that little girl?"

Ryo looked at her puzzled. "No, but um, right now, I think I should take you to the hospital."

Rika walked towards the door. "There's something I gotta do. I guess I'll see ya later."

He grabbed her wrist. "First of all, you need to go to the hospital. Second of all, where in the world are you going? Third of all, you're not going without telling me what's wrong. Last, you're not going anywhere without me."

"You make it so hard Ryo." Rika sighed. "First, I'm not going to a stupid hospital, does it look like I'm gonna die anytime soon? Second, where I'm goin is none of your business. Third, you wouldn't understand if I told you what was wrong. Last, you're not coming with me. This is something I gotta do alone."

"You always hafta do everything alone. Well, not this time. Listen, if I just jumped, I mean fell, off a bridge and I didn't tell you what was wrong 'cause you wouldn't understand, what would you do?"

Rika looked down. "I see your point. But I still have to do this alone." She walked out the door, down the steps, and out the house with Ryo not far behind.

It was an untouched silence until they reached the park. "So, where exactly are we going? Shouldn't we tell the others what happened?" Ryo shattered the silence, though his voice drifted farther and farther away and Rika's vision blurred. A sudden wave of weakness and confusion hit her. ::Okay, I admit it, so I haven't been eating for the past uh, couple months, but still... Maybe it's not just that. What is happening to me?::

"Help me Ryo..." Rika whispered as she collapsed.

"Rika!" Was the last thing she heard before the world withered away in swirls...

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Rika found herself, once again, lost in darkness. ::Oh great, today has just been perfect hasn't it.::

"Rika..." She heard her voice hoarsely whispered in her ear.

"Who are you?" She yelled. "And what do you want??"

"Is it better to be a fake somebody or a real nobody?" The voice chuckled."You have been handed this question before and you had given a false answer."

"What do you mean?" She was enshrouded in confusion once again.

"Remember me?" Icedevimon, or whatever he had digivolved to, appeared in front of her. "Remember how I requested that you be my Tamer?"

Rika nodded. "And if you're here to ask for another chance, forget it. I made the right decision before, and I'm not gonna change my mind buddy."

"You are no longer worthy to be my Tamer," Icedevimon sneered. "For I do not work with those tainted, tarnished, and shaped by love."

"Good, now let me go."

"Not so fast. Ahh, how the fires of passion and love intensely burned its way through its iced incasement. Shall we reseal it? Come join our side, my master will lead us into war. Darkness shall prevail and conquer this time around." Icedevimon looked intently at Rika.

"What?? I dunno what the hell you're talking about, but I know I'm getting the hell outta here." She turned and started to walk away but Icedevimon grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Answer me this, and then leave. What is love?"

"Love is, um," She paused. ::Damn, I never really thought about what it was before:: "Love is an emotion; a feeling you get when you are wanted and appreciated."

Icedevimon laughed. "That is a fool's definition! Love is a weakness. Come, join our side and we will show you to a true life."

"NEVER!" Rika screamed.

"It wasn't a request, it was a command..."



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Rika awoke with a start, breathing rapidly. "What the fuck was that all about..." She mummured. She was laying on a park bench, her head in Ryo's lap.

"You okay?" Ryo asked. "Now I know I'm taking you to the hospital."

"He's back Ryo. He's part of the darkness now. He wants me to join him." Rika trembled, biting her bottom lip.

"Don't worry, I won't let him take you away from me." Ryo assured.

"He already has..."



A/N: ahhhh, done.... heck, it was saturday n i was bored so i wrote... relief from antigone ::sigh:: R/R!!! **or else i won't continue!! ::gasp:: ah, no one cares ne ways... lol** ppl, u must make suggestions, comments, n give me other ideas cuz im all out.... One last note, Rika n Ryo aren't b/f and g/f quite yet, just really tyte friends. dun worry pplz, i'll include sum more romance and action in upcoming chapters... peace out