Disclaimer: Wish I owned Digimon, but I don't. And though I make out like I do in the story...I still don't own it....*cries*

Twilight of the Dark Lord

Episode 2 Dark Lord's Card

Davis: Aww man! Last time on Digimon, Twilight of the Dark Lord, the partners returned to the real world, but not before Renamon got some information from the Dark Lord. According to him, all he'll have to worry about is the tamers and the partners, and no one else! What did he mean by that? What card had he played? Who does he think he his? Ken?!

Ken: What? Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!

Davis: You were the Digimon Emperor, remember? This Dark Lord dupe is acting like you did.

Ken: Hmph, that's not a nice comparison, Davis!

Davis: Hey, I was just trying to make a point! Anyways, the partners are back in the real world, and again, what did the Dark Lord mean? Well, perhaps we'll find out today, on Digimon, Twilight of the Dark Lord....jeez, why is the villain in the title?

Japanese Theme Plays

Rika sat there in class, glaring at the teacher as if it would burn a hole through him. She didn't want to be in school, she wanted to be with Renamon. She wanted to make sure she was safe...but she was stuck here.

Sighing, Rika, looked down at her desk, her mind drifting back to the events that occurred earlier that morning...

**

Dark Lord sighed as he looked out of his tower, a smile on his lips. His left hand absentmindedly rubs across his right lower arm, across the sinister red markings covering it to his elbow. He looked human, he could easily pass for one, but he had more power than any mere human could ever have. 'Soon, soon I shall rule all...Then it will be time for me to try and conquer the Real World. But, I can't help but wonder...'

**

Rika gritted her teeth, fighting against the sudden urge to cry. She had ran home, and awoken her mother, telling her that Renamon was back and hurt.

'But she...she didn't even REMEMBER Renamon! How could she have forgotten, Grandma too! They said I simply had a bad dream, and sent me to school! How could they have forgotten Renamon? HOW?!'

It was true, her mother and grandmother seemed to have completely forgotten the existence of the digimon...

Taking a deep breath, Rika forced herself to calm down. Getting worked up wouldn't help Renamon, she had to remain calm.

'But no one remembers anything about what had happened...about the Digimon, about the D-Reaper, it's like it never happened...'

Finally the bell rang, signaling lunch. Rika went to her locker and grabbed her lunch bag, then went to her corner of the playing field. She numbly ate her sandwich, where it sat in her stomach like a lump of lead.

Since Renamon and the others had come into her life, and her family had known about them, she and her mom had actually started to get along. But the way her mother had acted...was just like before...before....

Rika looked down at the ground and sighed....this was going to prove to be a long day....

And to make it worse, Ryo was back. Sure, they had started getting along during the D-Reaper incident, but after words....

'He actually thought we were going out, and tried to dump me! The idiot! I should have kicked him harder...'

**

Rika ran to the park, she had had to go home and change, and for the first time in a month, donned her old broken heart t-shirt. As she ran towards the tamers usual hiding place, she saw Takato walking towards her, looking down as if lost in thought.

Slowing down to a stop she watched him....'How could he have not told us about that portal. We could have figured out how to open it in a month, and could have helped Renamon...' Her eyes narrowed as she remembered her promise from earlier that day.

Walking up to the spaced out Takato, she calmly kicked him in stomach, sending him to the ground clutching his midsection. "R-rika? What are you-ACK!!"

Rika had walked up to him, and put her foot on his neck, "I said earlier that if anything happened to Renamon, Gogglehead, I'd kick you. Did you think I had forgotten?" She moved her foot off him and took a couple steps back, then started walking off towards the hut, where she had left Renamon. Takato slowly got up, and began following her. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't. It was his fault all this had happened. If only he had told them all about the portal. The others hadn't been pleased with him either.

But what scared him was that none of their parents had remembered the Digimon...remembering absolutely nothing about what had happened....

He slowly made his way to Rika's side, and walked by her in silence, until she finally spoke up, "You're parents too?"

Blinking, he nodded, "They don't remember Guilmon, at all...But why?"

Rika didn't answer, but she also didn't kick him again, so Takato continued walking by her in silence until they reached the hut. There he let Rika go on alone, wondering what she would make of what she would see inside.

**

The boy yawned as he walked home from highschool. Finally he stopped at a small 2-room house, if you could call it that. It was run down, old, but home. He didn't make any move to enter the house, he simply stood there.

"I told you to go away, and I meant it. I don't know what you really want from me...but you're not getting it...." With that, the teen walked into the house, and shut the door as the digimon in a nearby tree watched him, holding a blue and orange digivice in its hand...

**

Rika stared, but made no sound. She couldn't. Judging how Takato had been acting, she knew Renamon hadn't...hadn't...But she didn't expect to see this.

Renamon lay there, still unconscious, but Guilmon had curled himself around her, so she was resting against him. He was curled around her in a protective way. He was asleep, but she had no doubt he would wake up the second she got any closer.

Smiling softly, she slowly went back outside...her questions for Renamon could wait.

Takato was still there, waiting for her, "I'm...sorry I didn't tell you about the portal, Rika. I should have and it was stupid of me not to."

She snorted, "Yeah, it was. And if you do anything like that again, Gogglehead, I'll kick you again, and not hold back!" She kicked the air enthusiastically, just to make sure the point got across to him.

Takato winced, "Ok, Rika...They make a pretty cute couple don't they?"

Rika blinked, "Who?"

"Guilmon and Renamon, they look cute like that, peaceful."

"Hmph, you better not be suggesting we'd make a good couple, Gogglehead!"

Takato's face went beet red, "N-n-no! I was just s-saying they looked cute like that! Besides, you and Ryo are together, aren't you?"

Rika sneered, leaning against the fence that surrounded the opening of the hut, "Puh-leeze! That arrogant prat doesn't want a girlfriend, he wants someone that remains in constant awe of him. Why should you care, you and Jeri are going out, aren't you?"

Takato shook his head, "No, we decided it'd be better if we just remained friends. I guess we realized we weren't right for each other," he paused, then smiled, "Why do you care, Rika? Looking for a replacement for Ryo?"

Rika felt her face go red this time as she dashed at him, grabbed him by his shirt and pulled his face right next to hers. She glared into his reddish-brown eyes as he stared back at her, "Care to repeat that....Goggle...head?"

Takato gulped, but didn't say anything. Rika could feel him starting to tremble.

"Look here, I'm the girl that no one wants, ok? I'd simply make your life miserable, do you understand?"

Takato gulped again, but didn't avert his gaze. 'He's got more courage than I give him credit for, well, we'll see just how long his courage lasts.'

Taking a deep breath, Takato finally answered, though his voice was a mere whisper and shaky, "Maybe, but you never know until you try, right?"

Rika blinked. Did he...had he just made a move on her? She found herself starting to tremble and she continued glaring into Takato's eyes. 'He, just made a move on me...I can't believe it...' Smiling, she closed her eyes, leaving Takato confused. Then she let go of him and he fell to the ground. She turned around and started walking away, slipping her hands into her jeans, "Perhaps we'll see, Gogglehead. It's not like you could be worse than the King of Arrogance!" With that, she left.

Takato stared at her as she walked away from the ground, mouth hanging open. He had no idea where he got the idea to say those things to Rika. It took a couple seconds for her words to finally dawn on him...

'Does that mean...she's my.... No, she didn't say she was. She just said that perhaps we'll see...but doesn't that mean?!'

Meanwhile, inside the hut, Guilmon opened one eye sleepily, 'They would make a good couple...should get together...like Guilmon bread....'

Davis: Aww man, that's harsh. Leaving him...and US wondering like that! Hey Boss!

Me: What?

Davis: How can you end the chapter like this, leaving us wondering if Rika and Takato are going out?!

Me: *yawns* Simple, it's 12.30 in the morning, that's how. And I'm going to bed. *Leaves*

Davis: *Stares* This is ridiculous....HOW CAN HE LEAVE US WONDERING LIKE THIS!!! Well, perhaps we'll find out next time on Digimon, Twilight of the Dark Lord....BOSS COME BACK AND TELL ME!!!!