A/N: HI!!! :-D Umm, I don't have a lot to say so, bye! Lol... Just in case you were wondering, my birthday sucked as usual except for my shopping spree.... ^.^

"Oh yea? Bring it on lady!" Rika screamed. She was randomly furious.

"Um Rika?" Ryo walked up in front of her. "Don't push it, she's a Mega."

Ladydevimon smirked. "Got that right. Hmmm, should I destroy the boy or the girl first? Decisions, decisions."

Ryo glared at her. "You're not gonna touch Rika!"

"Ah, but it is her test, is it not?" Ladydevimon smiled. She shot her attack at Ryo, and he was sent flying against a tree, crumpling to the ground.

Tears threatened to fall as Rika raced over to Ryo. "This is all my fault! I'm so sorry, you're not even supposed to be here..." She whispered as she held him closely. She was suddenly overwhelmed by a confusing hatred. It vibrated though her body and shredded her conscience. She stood up with a blackness completely surrounding her, wisping here and there. She took one last look at her friend and glared daggers at Ladydevimon.

"You hurt him," She said in a low voice. "And now I'll hurt you like you've never hurt before, and I'm gonna blow your goddamned ass to hell." She closed her eyes, concentrating a dark energy into her hands. In the wind, a faint outline of a pair of black wings flapped in the wind. Oddly enough, those wings were attached to Rika. The darkness Rika generated was sparking and trembling as she tried to control it. She threw it harshly at Ladydevimon. A brief moment of darkness blinded the area. Rika collapsed to the ground. ::Guess that took more outta' me than I thought.:: She closed her eyes and gave into the weakness consuming her.

*******************************************************************************************************************************

"She has passed test one." A voice boomed.

"The test of ability and skill, am I correct Master?" Icedevimon questioned.

"Yes, but it is only the first test of many. She has no idea what's in store for her and her little friend." The darkness laughed.

*******************************************************************************************************************************

Ryo slowly opened his eyes. "Rika, are you okay?" He sat up and blinked.

"Don't worry about me. I'm so glad you're alright." Rika threw her arms around him. "I'm so sorry I let her hurt you. This is my test, not yours."

"It's okay, but uh, what happened?"

"I killed her." She whispered.

"How?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but I got really mad at her for hurting you and I guess I just blew up." She sighed. "I feel really bad though. I never wanted to fight, it felt like something just took over my body; something evil."

"Rika, just be careful okay? If you get hurt, I dunno what I'd do." Ryo paused. "But I'm not willing to take that chance so I'm going to do all I can to protect you."

"Shut up!" Rika smiled and pushed him away playfully. "You're getting all mushy again."

"Okay, okay. But I just wanted to let you know you're not alone in this test. Anyways, I think we should get some sleep." They both leaned against a tree and gazed at the stars. A period of silence followed until Rika shattered it.

"Ryo, you're my pillow." Rika laughed as she laid her head on his shoulder. "It's cold." She murmured.

Ryo wrapped his arm around her and chuckled. "Guess your pillow is your blanket too."

*******************************************************************************************************************************

"MAN, I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS. RYO SO COMPLETELY DISSED US!!" Kazu screamed as he stomped around.

"It was for a reason." Renamon and Cyberdramon appeared in front of Kazu.

"Yea, and what might that reason be??" Kazu demanded.

"To find Rika by himself. He feels responsible for her capture." Cyberdramon explained.

"Yea, so where is the guy now?" Kazu sighed.

"He got taken by Icedevimon." Renamon replied softly.

"Oh great, he has to go off and be Mr. Hero and ends up getting captured. He's just sooooooo helpful." Kazu stated sarcastically. "We've accomplished so much, don't ya think?"

"Oh well, the lad did what he thought was right," Guardromon replied. "Right?"

"I better go and rescue them." Kazu crossed his arms. "Hey Renamon, can I ask you a question?"

Renamon nodded, looking at Kazu out of the corner of her eye.

"This might sound kinda weird but uh, do you think, by any chance, uh, um, that, um, Rika uh, ya know, likes me?"

Renamon flashed one of her rare smiles. "And you want to know this because?"

"Jeesh, just wondering..."

*******************************************************************************************************************************

"Takato, wake up!" Guilmon and Terriormon chorused.

"Huh, what?" Takato yawned.

"Sleepyhead." Guilmon laughed.

"It's about time. Even Kenta got up before you." Henry walked up. "Well, what do you think?"

"About what?"

"Whether we should go look for them or let them find us?"

Takato shrugged. "Doesn't really matter."

"Um, yea Takato, it kinda does matter...." Henry rolled his eyes.

"Hey Henry, wasn't it sunny like three seconds ago?" Takato pondered.

"Sure, change the subject... Anyways, yea, you're right. That's kinda funny." Henry shuddered. "Something's not right. Maybe we should get moving..."

"Too late!" A voice barked. Before the Tamers could react, they were consumed by a misty darkness...

*******************************************************************************************************************************

Rika woke up to a cheerful ::almost too cheerful:: light. She was still wrapped in Ryo's arms, and he was still asleep. She didn't want to wake him so she carefully slid out of his grasp and quietly walked away. ::Maybe I should find help or something.:: She started to walk deeper and deeper. ::Am I lost? Maybe I shouldn't have wandered off... Oh well, too late to turn back now... :: She walked on until she saw a black light shining from a river. The blackness was actually the water. She reached down to touch and felt a sudden shock of an uncertain feeling.

"It is dark energy, my dear, use it to conquer all. It will aid you in the internal destruction of everything." A voice whispered.

"It's evil, isn't it?" Rika whispered as she stared at the water.

"The feeling of power is overwhelming but do not confuse it with evil."

Rika laughed. "I'm not falling for your stupid trap. I bet this water is the 'temptation' of evil. Yea, well, I just hafta pass this wonderful offer."

"Refuse it now, but it will aid you in the near future..." The voice disappeared and so did the blackness of the water.

"Okay, I am so outta' here." As Rika continued her way back, someone called out her name.

"Rika?" A small voice whispered her name and then a familiar figure walked in front of her.

"Daddy?" Rika was shocked and speechless. When she regained herself, she became confused. "What are you doing in the Digital World?".

"Don't ask questions honey, all that matters is that we're together now, right?"

"Um..." Something about this whole situation wasn't right. ::That's my dad standing in front of me, in the flesh. But it can't be! He's dead...:: She started to back up. "You're not my dad! You can't pull your little trick on me, it's not gonna work!" She screamed.

"What trick? Rika, I'm your father! Why don't you believe me?" Her father appeared hurt.

"GO AWAY! YOU KNOW THIS ISN'T WORKING!" Rika cried.

"Here Rika, I'll prove to you I'm not some 'trick'." Her father pulled out a teddy bear that was all mended and stitched up. He handed it to her and smiled. "You didn't forget now did you?"

Rika stared at the bear for a while and wiped away a tear. "Daddy...." She held it closely. "I've missed you so much daddy! Why didn't you come back after all these years?"

"Let's just say I went through a period of self-discovery."

"You have so much to catch up on... You left such a long time ago... I barely remember you."

"Did you miss me?"

"Everyday; I was just afraid that you forgot to love us, me and mom. B-but, aren't you supposed to be dead?" Rika trembled as she fingered the stitching on the bear.

"I am." Her father smiled and snatched the bear away, tearing it into pieces.

"Daddy?" Rika shrunk in fear as her "father" advanced towards her, a taunting gleam in his eyes.

"Say goodbye to daddy." The form of her father dissolved and reassembled itself into Icedevimon. He grabbed her shoulders and smirked.

Rika snatched herself out of his arms and glared at him. "How dare you use my father to trick me!?" She demanded.

"Love does make you weak. Our Ice Queen's one and only weakness." Icedevimon smiled. "If only you could see how vulnerable you are right now."

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Rika screamed. "How could you?" She whispered in a low voice.

"We can bring him back to you." Icedevimon stared down at her. "And you will also get all the power you deserve."

"I'm not joining you! My dad is dead! Nothing you can do or say will bring him back. I was an idiot to fall for your stupid trick!" She shrieked.

"Wouldn't you die for the chance to see your father again?" Icedevimon smiled. "Join us willingly and we shall let your little friend live. Otherwise, all the people you know and love shall die, just like your father."

"Even if I do join you, you'd only turn me against them." Rika snapped. "Go away! Can't you take a hint?? I'm not joining you!"

Icedevimon chuckled. "You can't resist much longer I'm afraid."

*******************************************************************************************************************************

Ryo got up and stretched. ::Man, where has Rika wandered off to now? Better go find her...::

::Is this still part of her test? Did someone kidnap her? Is she in danger? Ugh, mental image... Boy, am I worried...::As he walked along the forest, his thoughts were interrupted by a scream. He paused and suddenly recognized the scream. He sprinted towards the sound of the voice.

*******************************************************************************************************************************

Rika fell to her knees and held her head as the vision of her father's death replayed again and again in her mind. "Make it stop!" She cried.

"Join us!" Icedevimon commanded. "We will bring him back to you!"

"You killed him..." Rika whispered. "You can't bring him back.... Your trick still isn't working!"

"RIKA!" Ryo ran up kneeled besides her. "What happened? Are you okay?"

She peeked cautiously through one eye and stood up. "Oh it's just you Ryo. Let's go."

"Okay..."

"What are we gonna do about Icedevimon?" Rika asked.

"I dunno, but he's not around here, is he? Did you see him or something?"

Rika sighed. "I guess he disappeared before you got here."

As the two walked along the forest, Ryo kept shooting questions at Rika.

"What did he want?" Ryo questioned.

"He wanted me to join him... He said that if I did, I could have all the power I want." She paused. "And a chance to see my father again. Too bad my dad's dead."

"He's just pulling a mind trick on you. He didn't hurt you did he?"

Rika looked down. "Physically, no. Mentally, he killed me."

Ryo put his arm around Rika's shoulder. "Screw him. Don't worry, he's just a big, fat liar."

"But he keeps me wondering... what if I can really see my dad again?" Rika closed her eyes. "Everything is so confusing right now."

"That's exactly what he's trying to do."

"What?" Rika was puzzled.

"Confuse you."

"I guess." Rika paused. "So, Ryo, did you see any of the others before you found me?"

"Um, yea. I saw the whole gang. I feel kinda bad though." Ryo sighed.

"Why?"

"I tricked Kazu to come look for you. It's funny though, I think he likes you." Ryo winked at her.

Rika groaned. "Ugh, that is so not cool..."

Ryo chuckled. "Aww, I think he's a pretty nice guy."

Rika crossed her arms. "Man, I'd rather be with you than him any day." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ryo smile. "Don't get any ideas!" She shuddered.

"Alright," Ryo grinned. "Alright..."

*******************************************************************************************************************************

Kenta groaned and sat up. "Where are we?" He looked around and saw Takato, Henry, Guilmon, Terriormon, and Marineangemon next to him.

"Dunno... But from the looks of it, we're in trouble..." Takato said nervously.

"Oooh, cool, this ground is squishy." Guilmon bounced up and down.

"I think the darkness got us." Henry replied, ignoring Guilmon.

"I think you're right." Icedevimon appeared with a smile. "And you have no choice but to help us."

::Damn... Icedevimon... We defeated him before, but *cough* guess who's back, back again, Ice freak's back, tell uh, tell um, oh whatever... Ugh, this isn't good, especially for Rika...:: Takato cursed in his head. **A/N: A little Eminem for ya there**

"Help you do what?" Terriormon yelped. "Why do I even need to ask? WE'RE NOT HELPING YOU ANYWAYS!"

"You," Icedevimon smirked. "Are going to help us win our precious Ice Queen."

"Rika?" Henry asked in a small whisper.

"Who else?" Icedevimon answered haughtily. "And to give you a little heads up on what's happening, she will be turned against you. Trust is no longer an option."

Everyone stared at him, side-eyed.

"No, you can't...." Kenta whispered. "Not Rika...."

::Oh no... Please be careful Rika; don't let him win!:: Henry thought miserably.

*******************************************************************************************************************************

Ryo sighed for the fourth time that minute.

"Will you quit that? It's getting really annoying..." Rika groaned.

"Sorry, I got a lot on my mind." Ryo answered without hesitation.

Rika raised an eyebrow. "You have a lot on your mind? What about me?"

Ryo smiled. "Kazu has stolen my sanity."

Rika crossed her arms and made a face. "He's still stealing mine! God, does he seriously like me!?" She huffed.

"He hinted it," Ryo shrugged.

"Whatever."

"So, Rika, who do you like?"

"Gee, that question popped out of no where.... It's like something a first grader would ask. Well, the answer is no one."

"Uh, okay..." Ryo scratched his head. ::Boy, is it gonna be hard to tell her that I- that I- ugh I can't even admit it to myself....that I like her.:: Rika watched as her friend continued to be lost in thought.

"So, what else are you thinking about? I know it's not just Kazu." Rika asked.

"Nothing important really..." Ryo stared at the ground. ::Maybe I should just tell her now, maybe I shouldn't, maybe...:: "AHH, GOD DAMNIT!"

Rika stared at him wide-eyed until her lips curved into a playful smile. "Ryo Akiyama, I never would've expected that to come out of your mouth!"

"Heh heh... stress?" Ryo blushed slightly.

"Uh.... okay." Rika closed her eyes. "Should we really be looking for my next test or should we let it come to us?"

"Good question... Since we've been walking for a while, maybe we should stop and rest or something."

"I guess..." Rika sat down besides Ryo and sighed. She paused before she spoke again. "I don't think I'm gonna pass..." She stated softly.

Ryo put his arm around her. "Are you kidding? Never before in my life have I heard doubt cross your mind. You're going to pass Rika, believe me."

Rika buried her head in her arms. "I'm not strong enough Ryo... If he uses something like my dad to trick me again, I don't think I can fight it." She muffled.

"Stop being so negative! You can't just give up so easily or else you might actually fail."

"I'm gonna fail anyways." Rika moaned.

"Rika...." Ryo wasn't used to Rika constantly putting herself down. He was about to say something but he was suddenly grabbed by a wisping darkness. As he was pulled into some other dimension, he watched as Rika was struggling with thorny, black vines wrapping around her body...

*******************************************************************************************************************************

::I'm here again... alone in the dark...:: Rika hugged herself to gather warmth. A faint smell of smoke abated as a hazy image appeared in front of her eyes. A familiar gathering of Digimon quarreled about and whispering to each other. The only word Rika could make out was her name. Suddenly, it hit her. "These are the digimon that wanted me as their Tamer... The digimon that I had to leave behind for Renamon...." She whispered. She watched as all the heads slowly advanced in her direction and red eyes stared down her confidence. Even in darkness, evil cannot be mistaken.

Rika backed up as the Digimon reached towards her, smirks on their smug faces. "Your next test is to destroy all of these Digimon. Surely you remember them? Well, it appears that revenge is the only thing on their minds. Get to work my Ice Queen..." A voice whispered in her ear.

Still trembling, Rika stood up without a sense of guidance. "Okay, okay, well, if this is my test and they're trying to kill me, I should be attacking them. But damnit, how do I attack them??" A single spark of fire was flung at her, and all at once, the digimon began to furiously attack. She helplessly tried to block all of their hits, but her efforts were futile. She collapsed on the ground and stumbled as she tried to stand up. "Well, if I could destroy Ladydevimon, then this should be a piece of cake." She muttered. She started to kick at them. "Like that did any damage..." She groaned.

She began to grow annoyed and plain out pissed off at the Digimon's persistence in attacking her. They all stared in awe as she glowed a disturbing blackness; even darker than the area surrounding her. She gathered a familiar ball of dark energy into her hands. It was less intense than the last time. ::I don't want to kill them.:: She smiled. ::I just want to make them suffer. If they die, let it be in misery!:: She smiled and thrashed her attack multiple times, knocking all of them down and out.

Rika smiled as she looked upon the moaning and painfully injured group laying before her. ::Pathetic...:: She started to walk away until she reached an injured little digimon. "It's so small..." She mumbled as she picked it up. She suddenly snapped out of her daze, her head clearing a bit and some sense knocking into her.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

It took one look at her and gasped, closing its eyes and shaking in fear. "Don't hurt me!" It trembled. It winced in pain as she tried to stroke its fur. "Get away from me!" It snatched itself out of her hands.

"I'm so sorry...I-I didn't k-know w-what I was d-doing..." Rika stuttered. "I'm sorry; please let me help you..." She reached towards it and it only jumped back. "Stay away!" It shrieked.

Rika wiped away premature tears, not intending to let them fall. ::I had no idea.... It's almost like something took over me again... Maybe this is the test. Maybe I have to overcome the urge of power...:: I was so mean... I hope I didn't hurt other little digimon like him. Now they all hate me even more...:: She sniffed as she glanced at the groaning figures, some delicately wearing away into space. "I hate this, I hate myself, I deserve to die for what I did to all of them...I'm so sorry... Do what you want with me.." She ignored the majority of the Digimon as they stood and were engulfed by a light. After the light vanished, the Digimon's fully-digivolved forms appeared in front of Rika. They began to attack her mercilessly. "I deserve it..." She closed her eyes.

As Icedevimon observed, he noticed Rika voluntarily allowing the Digimon to attack her. When they ceased fire, a gray smoke tufted around. In the midst of a clearness, Rika lay battered, bruised, and unconscious. "Stupid girl!" He remarked. "She could easily kill them all off in one attack. Instead, she chose to give them a fighting chance. The most disappointing matter of them all is that she didn't even attempt to defend herself!" He floated up to Rika and picked her up, taking her away from any further harm. ::Whether she passes this test or not, our Ice Queen is needed for the final battle. We cannot risk her possible death.::

*******************************************************************************************************************************

"Dude, can we take a break? We've been walking forever." Kazu closed his eyes and stretched, waiting for an answer from the digimon accompanying him. "Guys?" Kazu looked around only to find himself alone in a gray, cloudy, fog. "That's not good. I swear they were here a second ago..." Kazu glanced about. As he walked around, he felt like whatever it was he was standing on was going to break. Then, after walking some more, finally, it did.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH, THIS SUCKKKKSSSSS ASSSSSSSSSS!!!!" Kazu screamed as he fell. After minutes of falling, he landed on something soft and cushiony.

"Kazu?" A voice asked. "Look who's here. Well, welcome to the party."

Kazu recognized the voice immediately. "Wow Henry, you finally found a sense of humor, too bad it was at the wrong time... Hmph, some party..." Kazu mumbled as he slowly steadied himself up.

The whole group crowded around him. "Sorry Kazu, let's just say I'm not in one of my better moods. So are you okay? How do you feel?" Henry asked.

"Dizzy..." Kazu blinked as he rubbed his back.

"How'd you get here?" Takato asked.

"I fell." Kazu scratched his head.

"Were you alone? Where's everyone else?" Kenta asked.

"Dunno.... one second they were there, the next, they're gone... God, everyone's ditching me today..."

"Well, hate to break more bad news to ya, but we're in a pretty bad mess right now and we hafta find a way out." Terriormon pointed out.

"And if you fell down-" Takato started.

"We'll just have to climb up." Kenta finished.

"It's harder than it sounds, I fell for a while." Kazu crossed his arms.

"Can it get any worse than this!!??" Terriormon screamed, losing his self-control and pulling his ears.

"Well, our only problem is to find a way out, right?" Kazu tried to be a little optimistic as he watched Terriormon scramble in circles, screaming, "We're all gonna die, we're all gonna freaking die!"

"We still have to find Ryo, Rika, Renamon, Cyberdramon, and Guardromon too." Henry reminded.

"And save Rika from the darkness." Terriormon moaned.

"Say what??" Kazu stared at Terriormon.

"Well, this isn't exactly pleasant for any of us, and it won't be, especially for you Kazu, but, Icedevimon is," Henry paused. "He's after Rika. He wants to take her and turn her against us."

Kazu sighed and stared blankly at the ground.

"Kazu, you okay?" Takato asked. Kazu didn't answer. "Don't worry, she's probably safe for now. Plus, Ryo's watching out for her."

"Ryo," Kazu gritted through his teeth. "Got captured."

"WHAT??" Kenta, Takato, and Henry asked in unison.

"He left me and Guardromon alone to find Rika with Renamon and Cyberdramon. Then, Renamon and Cyberdramon came running back and tell me he got captured. Looks like Mr. Legendary Tamer hasn't lived up to his name."

"Don't get carried away. I'm sure Ryo was just doing what he thought was best...." Henry defended calmly.

"It's not about him," Kazu sighed. "It's not even about me. It's about Rika. She's all alone, alone with that freak after her. She has nothing to defend herself with-"

"She might. I mean, if the darkness is after her, she must have some kind of power. Something it wants; something special. Icedevimon called her 'precious Ice Queen'." Takato theorized.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves..." Henry reminded.

"Yeah, for all we know, she could be trapped in an endless darkness with a bunch of merciless digimon closing in on her, getting ready for the kill." Terriormon said mindlessly.

"Terriormon!" Everyone yelled in unison.

"What? It's a possibility!" Terriormon put his hands on his hips.





A/N: Okay, I'm FINALLY done this chapter... Hmm... looked like Icedevimon is being, er, a little too nice to Rika.... Maybe she can melt this frozen freak... Bring him to the good side... Anyways, this is really sad, I've noticed that every other story gets more reviews than me! ::gasp:: Haha, whatever.... Okay, this is a bit off topic but does anyone remember this scene?

Kazu: "Man, two sad girls. I'm not even dating and I already have two sad girls."
Guardromon: "Don't worry. Once you start dating, I'm sure you'll make plenty of girls sad."
Kazu: "What!?!"

Haha, who doesn't love Hirokazu? Ah... he reminds me of one of my friends.... ::cough jung cough:: Out of all the Ryoki authors, I think I'm the most retarded of em all! Hahahahahaha, yes, I am proud... and hyper..... SUGAR RUSH!! WOOHOO

Anyways, PEACE OUT!!!! **haha, cough zim cough** Just want to say yo to all my Invader Zim homies! Haha, I know you all aren't reading this because all my school buddies aren't as retarded as me! Yea, if you haven't figured it out, retarded is one of my favorite adjectives.....


One last note, on Sunday, June 23 I was at camp for 3 weeks then on vacation for about 2 weeks. Sorry for no updates for a loooong time. I just wanted to tell you peeps so that you wouldn't think I died or something. You all probably didn't miss me considering you had all these other great authors.... (Emerald Star, TSAngel, Miya Wada, Mika aka Digiberry, Tainted Fire, Angel13, Rika Akiyama, the list goes on forever...)

http://www.clifhanger.com/pranks/click.html
Cuhlick the above people! ~_^
(Thanks for da link, you know who you are ^.^)

I'll leave you peeps hanging with a few of my favorite quotes....

"One day you'll love me like I loved you,

One day you'll think of me the way I thought of you,

One day you'll cry for me the way I cried for you,

One day you'll want me, but I won't want you"

"You always said that if I fell you would be there to catch me but how come whenever I look behind you're never there?" (Awww... sound familiar anyone?)

*Be more Concerned about your character than your reputation because your character is who you are and your reputation is what others think of you.

*A heart is not a play thing~a heart is not a toy~but if you want it broken..just give it to a boy (:-D no kidding...)

*I smile because I have no idea what is going on (yup, clueless me....)

*A girl and a guy can be just friends, but at one point or another they will fall for each other..Maybe temporarily, maybe at the wrong time, maybe too late, or maybe forever...

*I Don't need Your Attitude, I Have One Of My Own (::cough Rika cough::)

*Friendship is just a word, but all my girls give it meaning! (Sounds like Jeri... Is it just me, or is that girl WAY too happy and nice!!??)

*When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one smiling and everyone around you is crying.

*Roses are red::Violets are blue::Sugar is sweet::AND REVENGE IS TOO!:: (haha, ::smiles::....)

*Man who stand on toilet is high on pot (;-P Chinese Proverbs.... gotta love em)

*There are easier things in life than finding a hot guy. Nailing Jell-O to a tree, for instance. (No kidding.....)

*Don't cry over anyone who won't cry over you (so true, so true)


*Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end (::sniff::, so beautiful... **not**)

(I write the looongest author notes.... . but hey, what can I say, I love to talk!)

ONE LAST, LAST, LAST NOTE: I GOTTA NEW SN ON AIM.... it's G0thicGamerGaz... IM me ppl! The "0" in G0thic is a zero, not a capital "o" btw....