The Data Stream faded, depositing Renamon and Rika in a new section of the digital world.  Carefully, Renamon set down her human charge, kneeling next to her concernedly.  She reached out a hand, gently shaking the girl's shoulders.  Rika's eyes fluttered open, staring into Renamon's worried eyes.

"Renamon," she said, strangely smiling.  "Thank you."  Rika slowly got up into a sitting position, her gaze meeting Renamon's.

Renamon was the first to look away.  "I couldn't let Myotismon hurt you," she said, shaking.

"What's the matter?" Rika asked, reaching a hand out to Renamon's shoulder.  The fox digimon shied away from the contact.

"I've disobeyed Myotismon in the past," Renamon told Rika, her hand unconsciously going to her left arm.  "And paid the price for it."

"What did he do to you?" Rika asked angrily.  In answer, Renamon tentatively peeled the glove off of her left arm.  Rika gasped in horror and Renamon looked away, a tear in her eye.

A multitude of scars cris-crossed her arm, each one an ugly red.  "Myotismon's whips are cruel," Renamon said.  "The cost of failure.  When he couldn't seduce me into his service, he whipped me into submission instead."

"Seduce?"

"Myotismon is very charismatic," Renamon explained.  "That charisma acts as a spell on his victims.  Females are typically powerless to resist his charms, willfully allowing him to feed off of them.  Somehow, I managed to defy him, and got these scars to show for it."

"That's what he did with Jeri," Rika realized, "and what he tried to do with me."

"By all reckoning, his spell should have worked on you too, Rika," Renamon told the girl.  "But for some reason it didn't."

"We'll worry about that later," Rika said, holding out a hand.  "For now, let me see your arm."

Renamon held her scarred arm out uncertainly and winced slightly as Rika took a hold of it.  "Do they hurt?" Rika asked.

"Not usually, but that fight with Myotismon didn't help matters," Renamon grimaced.  Rika lightly traced one of the scars with the tip of her finger.  Renamon flinched at first, but the contact didn't hurt, but rather felt strangely soothing.

"An interesting fusion," she mused.  "A strong spirit and a gentle touch."

Rika smiled at the golden fox.  "I only wish there was something I could do about them.  Why did you save me from Myotismon?" she asked as Renamon replaced her glove and stood up.

"It just felt like the right thing to do at the time," Renamon said, looking around to get a bearing on her surroundings.  She recognized the area, with its snow and floating gears, and knew who would be around.  "It still does, even knowing what Myotismon will do to me."  Renamon returned Rika's smile, albeit sadly.

"I'm glad you did," Rika told her, laying a hand on Renamon's shoulder.  "And I don't intend to let that freak get his hands on you.  Not if my companions and I have anything to say about it."

Renamon shook her head, placing her hand on Rika's.  "You saw the same battle I did.  Myotismon beat your friends easily."

"Thanks to the element of surprise," Rika responded.  "Next time, they'll be ready, and they'll show Myotismon the true power of the Tamer."

Renamon turned around and looked into Rika's eyes, seeing a flame burning behind them.

"And when they do, you'll be freed from his control," Rika continued, placing her other hand on Renamon's shoulder as well.  "I promise.  It's just a matter of us finding my friends before Myotismon finds us."

"Get away from that girl!" a voice called. Renamon turned around with a start as a huge digimon swooped to the ground right in front of her, growling angrily.  It looked like a large four-winged, upright, mechanical dragon.  Renamon took a few steps back as it spread its claws threateningly.

"What's going on, Renamon?" Rika asked, puzzled.

"I was afraid he'd show up," Renamon replied.  "I'll be close," she said, fading out of sight, leaving Rika with the strange digimon, still growling and looking around.

"It's all right, Cyberdramon," a boy said, coming into sight.  He was wearing a green shirt with darker green pants and had a bandana around his neck.  On one arm, he had a bizarre metal gauntlet.  "She's gone."

Cyberdramon fell silent, walking over next to the newcomer.  Rika's eyes narrowed.  "What was that all about?"

"I'm very familiar with that Renamon.  I've had a few run-ins with her, and her Master."

"I've had a run in with her 'Master' myself," Rika told him, hands clenched into fists, trying to contain her anger.

The boy nodded his head a few times.  "Then you know what I'm talking about.  She was probably planning to hand you over to Myotismon."

"Clueless as ever, Ryo," Rika said, rolling her eyes.

"Uhh, you seem to have me at a disadvantage," Ryo said, scratching the back of his head with his gauntlet-clad hand.  "You seem to know my name, but I don't know yours."

"Typical," Rika huffed.  "You don't even remember me."

"Sorry.  Should I?"

"Two years ago?" Rika prompted.  "The D-1 Grand Prix card tournament?  Rika Nonaka?"

Realization struck Ryo.  "The Digimon Queen!  I remember you now.  For a while there I wasn't sure I could beat you.  But, what are you doing in the Digital World?  It's been a while since I've seen another human being."

"I could ask you the same thing," Rika responded, then proceeded to tell Ryo about everything that had brought her to the Digital World.

"So, the Devas kidnapped Calumon, and a bunch of Tamers came to get him back?"  Rika nodded.  "So what did you mean when you said I was 'clueless as ever'?"

"Renamon," Rika said, looking off in the direction she felt the fox.  "Myotismon," she said, scowling, her hand tightly clenched in a fist.  "Myotismon is scum.  You know why Renamon is with him?  Fear.  She's afraid of him, Ryo, and with good reason."

"Rika," Ryo said, laying a hand on the girl's shoulder.  She angrily shrugged it off, glaring at Ryo.  The boy took a step back as Rika's body shook with anger.

"He's cruel to her, Ryo," she said, her calm tone belying the rage she showed.  "She serves him, and he whips her!  Her arm…" She touched her own arm unconsciously.  "It's covered in scars from all the times he beat her."

"I'm sorry," Ryo said.  "I didn't know."

"There's really no way you could have known," Rika told him, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.  "But now, it's only going to get worse.  She defied Myotismon, risked her life to save mine.  I just know he's going to do something terrible to her, and it'll be all my fault."

"Well then," Ryo said, "we'll just have to find her before Myotismon does."

A faint sound in the distance caused Rika to jerk her head off to the side.  Her eyes widened in shock and she gasped.  "Too late!" she yelled, running off in the direction that she felt Renamon.

"What do you mean it's too late?" Ryo asked, dashing off after the girl, Cyberdramon hot on his heels.

"Myotismon's got her!"  Rika called back, increasing her pace.

"Cyberdramon!" Ryo commanded, the cybernetic dragon coming along side him.  With an athletic leap, he vaulted onto Cyberdramon's back, the Ultimate Digimon's speed allowing them to overtake Rika.  As they passed the frantically running girl, Ryo extended a hand.  "This'll get us there much faster!"

Nodding, Rika reached up, Ryo grabbing her hand and pulling her onto Cyberdramon's back with him.  "That way!" Rika said, pointing.  Cyberdramon took two long strides and launched himself through the air towards Myotismon, aching for a fight.

"Why are you helping me?" Rika asked Ryo.  The boy shrugged in response.

"Guess it's just my nature.  And I was the one who scared that Renamon off."

"That's true," Rika said, causing Ryo to chuckle wryly  "Well, umm, thanks."

******

"Did you actually think that you could betray me and get away with it?" Myotismon asked, his fingers wrapped around Renamon's neck.  She dangled from his grasp, feet off the ground, clutching futilely at the hand on her throat.  "I'm not going to kill you just yet," Myotismon continued, "I plan to make you suffer first."

Grunting, Myotismon flung Renamon to the ground, summoning Crimson Lightning once more.  He planted his foot firmly on Renamon's scarred arm, causing her to scream out in pain.  Myotismon laughed evilly and raised his whip.  "Desolation Claw!"

Cyberdramon's attack struck empty ground as Myotismon leapt back.  He turned with a hiss to face the newcomers, Crimson Lightning still at the ready.  "Stay out of this, Akiyama," he growled.  "This isn't our fight."

"I don't care," Ryo declared as Cyberdramon stepped forward, flexing his metal claws.  "I'm not going to let you hurt that Renamon."

"This thing?" Myotismon said, picking up Renamon's groaning form again.  Rika gasped at how beat up she looked.  "It's my property, I can do what I want with it."

"She's nobody's property!" Rika protested, stepping forward angrily.

"I was hoping I'd run into you again," Myotismon smiled.  "Apparently, my little slave has taken a liking to you, and I see the feeling is mutual."

Renamon started to struggle in Myotismon grasp, and he worked to tighten his grip.  Howling, Renamon savagely raked her claws across the vampire's face.  With an inhuman scream he flung her into a rock formation and she slid to the ground.

"Renamon!" Rika cried, running towards the fallen digimon despite Ryo's attempts to stop her.

Myotismon and Cyberdramon both sprang into action at the same time, but Myotismon reached his target first, wrapping an arm around Rika's neck.  Cyberdramon was forced to pull up short, claws still poised threateningly.

"Keep your little beast at bay, Ryo," Myotismon warned, "Unless you want this girl's broken neck on your conscience."

Ryo growled, but held Cyberdramon back.  Renamon, however, took advantage.  "D-Diamond Storm!" she cried, sending a salvo of glowing projectiles into Myotismon's unprotected back.  Myotismon spun around to face his slave, barely on her feet, a look of determination on her face even as she fell to one knee.

"And the girl dies," Myotismon stated, tightening his chokehold.  Rika gasped for breath, summoning up every ounce of her strength to drive an elbow into Myotismon's stomach.  The vampire reflexively doubled over, releasing his hold and Rika sprang away, bringing her foot across the side of Myotismon's head.  The blow didn't faze him long, and he thrust a palm into Rika's chest, sending the girl flying backwards to the ground.

Crossing his hands in front of him, Myotismon howled with rage.  "Nightmare Claw!"  Rika could only watch in horror as the shockwave swept towards her.  Cyberdramon tensed, but Ryo held him back once more.

"Myotismon was right.  This really isn't our fight.  It's Renamon's fight now."

Rika started to close her eyes, but a sudden flash of motion caught her sight.  The shockwave descended on her, but all she could see was the yellow of Renamon's fur as she took Myotismon's attack full on.  Mouth open in a silent scream, Renamon collapsed to the ground, her body starting to phase.

"Renamon!!" Rika screamed, cradling Renamon' body in her arms.  "I'm so sorry…"