Fated: Part Fourteen

The Search



A high-pitched squeal echoed throughout the street. Following that was the pounding of feet... and a gasp for air.

"You're soooo CUTE!"

Yup... Jeri was strange at times....

Kazu let out a tired sigh, then turned to Kenta; the other boy took off his glasses, buffed them until they appeared clean and nodded sadly. Well, now.... "Henry, man... you've gotta tell Jeri she'd better stop strangling our only chance for survival against the very angry digimon!" There... he'd said it. Not that Kenta had been much help, but....

What?! Why him? The blue haired boy retorted, "Why not you?!" It... it wasn't like Jeri cared about him more than them! She was their friend! F-r-i-e-n-d-- ya know, where everyone's equal? Whether he said it, Kazu said it or the freakin' Monochromon said it-- it wouldn't matter!

At least... that's what he thought.

"C'mon...," Kenta mumbled, shoving the boy toward their... entertained companion. Henry shouldn't play stupid! That act just didn't suit a kid as smart as him, anyway! Besides... it wasn't like they couldn't tell! I mean-- if Kazu could see it, it had to be obvious!

Man, oh man.... Was he that much of a book? "Fine...." Grumbling to himself, he strode up to the girl he liked. Okay... he could do this.... All he had to do was tell her that she couldn't hold it for the time.... Then... he would watch her heart shatter as the creature got beaten to a pulp by its opponent. Yeah... piece of cake....

"Er... Jeri?"

Huh? The girl spun around. Oh... it was Henry. "Yes?" she asked sweetly, still half psyched over the little creature. That was... until she saw his face.... What... what did he want? And what wrong with him? He looked awfully... nervous. No... more than nervous-- something she couldn't see right away. But... what...?

"Would you please let go of the poor Terriermon...? It-- um-- sorta needs to protect us right now...," he murmured, looking to the ground so as not to see her face tear up.... He couldn't stand seeing her like that....

Jeri stared at Henry for a moment... then glanced at the creature in her arms. What...? What was he saying...? It... it had to fight... that? Just as the boy had predicted, her face twisted into a mess of confusion and sadness. "B-but--"

"Guardian barrage!"

"Fist... of the beast king!"

KA-POSHK!

KRAK-BOOM!

Both attacks hit their target dead-on. And what exactly was their target, you ask? Why... the Monochomon, of course! A weak yelp escaped the digimon's mouth... before it seemed to shatter into millions upon millions of tiny shards.

Data. It was merely turning into data.... The pieces swarmed around for a second, the whooshed up to the attackers....

A Leomon and Guardromon.

~*~

"Guilmon...?"

"Yeah?"

"Just... how long have we been running...?"

The virus-type digimon thought for a moment, straining his mind for the correct answer. There had to be something... that would help. He... he wanted to help his new friend, but.... A-hah! That just might work! Said he: "Well... the sun was almost over our heads when we began running!"

Takato fell over. Like he knew how to read the sun! But... if it was nearly overhead, then.... It was already sometime past noon! So... his parents didn't know where he was... and now there were dangerous creatures roaming about the streets! His mother must be having a heart attack right now! Looking out to the sky, he sighed. How did his life end up like this...? So... so dangerously freaky.

Before he started jogging again, the brown haired boy took a quick glance behind his shoulder. He... he was worried about Rika. For some strange reason... he felt as though something BAD was going to happen to her.... And... if they were separated....

Hah! He was beginning to sound like a worrywart! She'd be just fine! Trying to keep that thought well within his mind, Takato started up again, his digimon counterpart by his side. Right now, he had to focus on the task at hand: finding the others. He had no time to feel scared for someone who had just as much protection as he did....

Still... his heart felt otherwise....

~*~

"Do you really think your friends are around here, Rika?"

The redhead smiled meekly and kept on running. Inside, she was almost positive that they weren't anywhere near there.... That was sort of the reason why she had chosen this path. But she still had a gut feeling... that they would find something. So... what was she going to do? Listen to her head... or follow her gut?

Take a wild guess.

As they ran... Rika pulled all that had happened within that short period of time into her thoughts. It was... happening so fast. From the disappearance of Takato... to the reappearance of her father.... And now, with just one quick look around... she could see just what her father's dream was turning into....

A massacre.

Building were toppled.... The streets had been cracked so bad that the cars parked on them were propped up in the air; each could've been turned into some grotesque-shaped slide.... What made it a true massacre, though... was the bodies. People-- not many, but they still counted-- were scattered about. The girl was unable to tell if they were alive... or dead. And soon... soon the army, with its guns and bombs, would come.... Then there would be even more bodies cluttering the streets.... But this time, they would be human AND digimon bodies....

Even if this had been her dream at one time-- to have digimon in the real world-- she couldn't take it.... If any more bad came of this... and the way her father blamed Takato! She couldn't take that! How dare he make her goggle-head responsible for... for THAT! Why...? Why would he do it...? It was like he... he didn't care....

Like she had claimed earlier.... He was NOT her father.... At least... not the one she knew. Now, he was--

"My! What a surprise-- the Digimon Queen!"

What the...? Who the heck was that?! And what did they want?! Rika stopped everything; her lavender eyes shot out toward the voice. She... she had heard that person before! She'd heard the voice... somewhere.... But... where...? More importantly-- who...? As the person stepped into view... a growl penetrated the redhead's clenched teeth. She hissed:

"Ryo...."

So, then! She actually remembered him! Especially after how bad he creamed her last summer! And she didn't even seem THAT mad! At least... not by 'normal' Rika standards. The boy chuckled and took another step forward. "That's right!" he answered, enjoying the flustered look on the girl's face. He knew she hated him, but he still liked bugging the heck out of her! "But... I have company right now-- just like you!"

That idiot! What in the world was he talking about?! What did he...? "Oh, my...." Rika watched as a large, robotic-like digimon stepped out of the shadows. It looked... different. Sure... she knew the creature. Heck-- she even knew its stupid attacks! But... it was different from looking at a card... just like Renamon (who, by the way, was completely confounded by the whole ordeal). It was... bigger than she... had imagined. Regaining her composure, she smirked. "So what? A Cyberdramon-- big whoop.

"What I want to know... is why the hell you're here!" Rika spat, noticing how the digimon kept sniffing the air and moving around. Strange.... It... it was almost like it was impatient....

Ooh... touchy! Like always, she was a cold as ice.... As harsh as it, too. Ryo glanced at his partner and chuckled. He stated, "Cyberdramon is... well, he's searching for an opponent worth his time...." When Rika tilted her head in what he believed to be confusion, the boy groaned. What luck. Looks like he'd have to be a little bit more... decisive. With a quick clear of his throat, he went on: "Cyberdramon will never be truly pleased.... He longs to fight a creature so strong and so powerful... that he must search for that opponent, day in and day out.... Well... I don't know about that last part-- I've only recently met him. At the moment, though, he believes that his opponent is here... somewhere."

That could explain a lot.... But... she didn't care! That's right! It didn't matter to her-- wasn't her problem, anyway! She couldn't stand seeing his stupid face! As always, he was acting like his normal self: Mr. I'm-so-perfect! As if she had time to deal with him! She still needed to look for her friends! "Whatever," she grumbled, turning to go.

Huh? That was it? "Hey, Rika! Wait!"

The girl snapped around, eyes burning deep holes into the brown haired boy. Right now... she was waaay beyond ticked. If he so much as breathed wrong... ooh! "What?!"

"Where," he asked innocently, "are you headed?"

Like he should care! She answered: "To... look for some people." Mustn't say 'friends.' Why? Because she really didn't know those idiots well enough to label them that....

Finally feeling the need to leave-- before she pounded the boy to the dirt below-- the redhead turned her back to him. "If you want to make yourself useful," she added with a slight growl, "go to the tall building opposite of where I'm headed. If you see a boy there, and he's alone, tell him I'm still searching; I'll probably head back soon, though."

A... boy? But... what if the people were with him? And.... "Okay." He knew better than to make Rika REALLY mad.... Heh. He had lots of experience with that, actually.... Running his hand through his light brown hair, he chortled and tapped Cyberdramon gently. He didn't need to tell the digimon twice; it jogged forward, barely leaving any time for Ryo to catch up.

~*~

"I can't believe I'm doing this...!"

Ai let out a "humph" and put her hands on her hips. Why was he complaining?! "You said you'd play with us!" He wasn't allowed to back down now! They hadn't even started yet! He... he was being such a baby-- more of a baby than Mako, even!

"Yeah, Impmon!" Mako added, hoping to blend in some sadness as well. He knew that when he cried, people felt bad and tried to make him happy again! Heh... yeah, he was spoiled at times.... "Please don't be mean...!" Just to rub it in, he let out a soft sob and gave a quiet sniffle. That hadto work!

"But--" Impmon looked down at himself in disgust "-- do I have to wear this?!" Yes... it was VERY embarrassing.... Ai, who wanted to do a tea party, decided to dress up the poor purple digimon in a frilly dress that used to be her own.... Actually, it fit him rather well... although he'd kill anyone who mentioned it....

Mako let out a 'heart wrenched' wail while Ai tried to hold in her giggles. They were slowly wrapping the digimon around their little fingers.... Soon, he would be their best friend... forever! "Yes! You're gonna be Ms. Neko!"

Like heck he was! He wasn't going to let some brats pry his dignity away from him! Still... they would cry if he tried to leave.... Not wanting to hurt the kids' feelings... the deprived digimon gave in once more and agreed to be... Ms. 'Cat.'

Impmon silently cursed himself and banged his head against the tiny table. Why... was he doing this stupid, idiotic game...? It wasn't like he HAD to be nice to those brats! He didn't care! Heck-- he could rip the dress off, make a mess of their room and run off laughing.

But he didn't.... Well... 'couldn't' was more like it.... The kids had been nice to him... so he would repay his debt. Once that was over with, though, he'd be outta there in nothing flat! Plus... tea parties involved food... and he was still hungry. "Well, then!" he bellowed, in the mood for food. In an attempt to make the kids happier, he snatched a sunhat that was lying on the floor next to him.

"Let's get this party started!"

~*~

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"... now?"

"Not quite...."

"How's about--"

"Terriermon!"

The small digimon huffed lightly. He had no right to be rude! All he was doing was asking a simple-minded question! Nothing wrong with that, right? Feeling the need to express himself further, the creature-- already plopped lazily on Henry's shoulder, mind you-- pounced on his 'partners' head. That ought to even the odds!

Henry groaned and tried to ignore the bunny-like digimon. He had to remain calm... and be patient. After all, he put up with Kazu and Kenta's antics nearly every day.... Then again.... Argh! It was like he was babysitting!

A laugh escaped Kazu's lips. This... was the life! He didn't have to walk, unlike the others.... An idea suddenly invaded the boy's mind. An idea... that just made him even MORE excited! Tapping Guardromon with his feet, he crowed, "Faster, man! Let's have a race against the others!"

"I... don't know," the digimon responded wearily. What was with this child...? So hyper.... Perhaps all humans were like him? Perhaps... but he wasn't sure. The machine-like creature glanced to the others. They didn't seem as enthusiastic as the one named Kazu.... Well, except for the one with the strange object attached to his face-- the one that covered his eyes.... At that moment, the confounded Guardromon wanted nothing more than to know what that thing was!

As for Jeri.... "Mr. Leomon...? Do you know what's going on?"

"Well... not exactly." Poor, poor Leomon. The girl-- Jeri-- had been giving him strange looks the entire time! He wasn't sure what to think.... Her... closeness made him a bit... uneasy. And... was that a hint of jealousy coming from the boy with blue hair? Who knew? The digimon chuckled and groaned slightly. It was going to be a long day....

Kazu, still laughing like a madman, suddenly paused and squinted. What was...? "Hey...! I see something!" At least... he thought he did. After all, he DID have the best seat in the house! The only seat, for that matter....

"What?!" Henry focused ahead, toward the building. For once, Kazu had actually made himself useful! The boy reminded himself to give his friend credit later. Right now... they needed to know what it was. "Human... or digimon?" he asked, leery. If it was digimon... well, they had learned the hard way that there were two kinds: ones that were nice and protected you... and ones that wanted to chase you and possibly tear you to shreds!

"I think," Kazu muttered, "there's one human... and one digimon!" Yup... he could see the separate shapes now. Definitely two living, breathing creatures running toward them. But... who could it be...? They weren't close enough to see in great detail....

Who...? Jeri whimpered slightly, afraid that it was another Monochromon coming to hurt them... or at least something similar to it. She... didn't want to see another one of those things.... It had been too scary of a moment for her.... One that would probably never leave her mind.... The only thing she had planned on doing was finding Takato... but, now....

"HEY!!!"

Had he... had he heard correctly? Kenta ran forward as the call echoed out. Was it...? But.... And if it was.... "It's Takato!" he cried joyously, pointing to the distance. It had to be-- it just HAD to! He... he was alive!

"T-Takato?" Henry was unsure.... What if is was a trick? Digimon could probably do things like that.... Still, the voice had sounded just like their friend.... Even so... he didn't want to endanger the lives of everyone around him.... In the end... he decided to agree with Dumb and Dumber. There really was no harm looking in on it, right? Besides, they had protection!

"What's a 'Takato?' I hope it's something to eat, 'cause I'm starving!"

"I'm just... going to let that slide for now, Terriermon," Henry warned, already jogging forward. At that moment... he only wanted to know if Takato was alive.... If so, then their searching had not been as meaningless as he had once thought. As he ran forward, though, he could have sworn he heard his digimon friend remark:

"Momentai!"

~*~

"HEY!!!"

Why was he yelling like that? Was it to attract food, or scare away some digimon? Well... if the creator wanted digimon to stay away from him, yelling wouldn't help! In fact, being quiet and careful would work best! Guilmon started: "Takatomon, you--"

Before the virus-type digimon could finish his useless lecture, Takato ran off. Well... that was different! He had thought his new friend needed some advice or something... but, after the way he took off like that, guessed he didn't. Maybe... he wanted to play or something! Laughing, Guilmon followed cheerfully.

That was them-- it had to be them! They were there, right in front of his nose! Takato tripped, fell face-first, got back up and then started running again. At that moment, he didn't care about feeling pain. Pain was way below him! Come on, now-- he had found his friends! As they closed in, he noticed that they themselves had made a few digimon pals. Then again... he didn't care much about that right then, either....

Cries of happiness and relief flooded the empty streets as the friends collided. I don't think anyone could describe all of the emotions bursting out at that moment. No one had thought that any of this would happen.... It had started out as a simple 'search and rescue.' Digimon had not been included in their plans.... They had been so scared and worried... while he himself had feared the worst for them! In the end, Takato was stuck in a hug initiated by all four of his gracious friends. Did they care that they were sort of... crushing him...? Nope. Now that they were reunited, they could hurt him all they wanted!

Once they had separated and all was well, Henry finally asked, "What happened?" Okay... he wasn't the only one who wanted to know what was going on! Everyone probably wanted to learn about it!

"Yeah, spill the beans, whoever you are! Just don't spill them on the sidewalk... 'cause I'd like to eat 'em when you're done!"

"Hush, Terriermon...!"

With a small chuckle, the brown haired boy turned from his friends. They... wanted to know how all of this happened... eh? He had to explain what he had witnessed... what had been done to him... what had happened to both himself and Rika... and what Rika had merely told him.... More or less... he had to open a piece of his own heart and let his best friends read it....

"It all started... when I was walking down the street to go to Rika's...."

~*~

"Wopmon... do you know where I wive...?"

The Terriermon duplicate chuckled nervously. How would she know...? "I... don't think I do, Susie.... Sorry...."

Then... she was still lost! Susie fell to her knees and cried, "No! I wanna go home!" With a sniffle, the little girl looked up to the sky, scared. Where was her home...? Why did it disappear...? She had found Lopmon-- although she would have rather found Terriermon-- and now she wanted home! That's all she wanted right then!

Oh... she felt so bad! The poor child was lost with no idea of where her home was! Lopmon thought for a second... then decided to help her. "I'll take you home...!" Even though she didn't know where 'home' was... she was pretty sure she'd find it sooner or later!

Susie gasped happily. "Weawy?!" she squealed, clapping her hands excitedly. Oh, she had her very own Bunny Wunny! They would have so much fun together! When they finally got home, she'd pull out all of her outfits and try them on Bunny Wunny-- just to make sure they fit the real one, ya know? Then... then they would play! "I can't wait to get home, now!"

As the lost girl suddenly snatched Lopmon into her arms... the tired digimon was having... 'second thoughts.' After the way Susie looked at her... she felt slightly scared.... Well... life was going to be different from now on, the bunny digimon realized. VERY different....

Lopmon sighed. At that moment... she wasn't even sure if she was doing the right thing....

~*~

It was getting colder....

Rika looked up to the sky; the sun shined brightly. How... could it be this cold...? A shiver ran down her spine as a frigid breeze swept past her. And what was she to do? She had found nothing... and was preparing to head back any minuet now. Even Renamon stated that they would probably find no one down there.... And yet... she felt something calling her... reaching out to her. As if she were being pulled toward a certain location....

Renamon looked toward her partner. Something... was wrong. The girl was bunched up as she ran... as if she were surrounded by snow.... Not only that, but the redhead was shivering and sniffling! "What's the matter, Rika...?" she asked worriedly, although she would not hint at it in her voice. She... wasn't the kind of digimon to show much worry.

"N... nothing." At least... she hoped. What bugged her was... that the yellow fox-like digimon did not seem very cold.... Heck-- she seemed rather warm to Rika! Oh... what she wouldn't give for fur like that.... But... even with fur, Renamon should sense the cold! So... why was she...? After a moment of silent running... the redhead gave in. Said she: "I'm... so cold, Renamon.... It's... it's like something is--"

"Frozen Claw!"

KRASH-KRAK!

Before the digimon could hear any more... something hit her-- HARD. Renamon was sent sailing off to the side... leaving Rika alone... cold....

What... was going on?! "R... Renamon...!" Rika cried, voice weak from the freezing temperature surrounding her. She... she was so confused! Lost! Lost in the woods with nowhere to go.... What... was she supposed to do?!

"Ahh... there you are-- the one with the frozen heart. I have been looking for you...."

Who...? Rika spun to the sound of the voice. Who would dare to hurt Renamon? She'd kick their butt-- digimon or not. She didn't want anyone to hurt her friend...! But... as the creature came into view, she couldn't help but shudder uncontrollably. That... must've why she felt so cold.... "Ice... Devimon...," she rasped.

"Yes," the digimon agreed, moving toward her. He had been searching ever since he came to this world.... He had sensed one with a heart as cold as his... and he wanted to meet this person. The one who let no one near them... who longed to be stronger... who hated everything and everyone.... And, now... he had found her.... The one person who could truly understand him.... IceDevimon went on:

"As I said... I have been looking for you-- you with a heart to match my own." He reached out to her... his wings expanding so that he could shield her from future attacks. "You could say... that we are the same, you and I...."

No... no... she wasn't like that.... Her violet eyes darted from Renamon's fallen body... to the building where she had promised to meet Takato.... 'Takato...,' she whispered within her mind as the ice digimon wrapped its beaten wings around her. Where... was he...? She... she wanted him to be there at that moment... but he was nowhere in sight. Why... why wasn't he there? Why... wasn't...? Rika reached a weak hand out... toward to building.

'T... Takato....'

~*~

A/N: *epps and hides behind desk* Gomen nasai, mina-chan! (Gee, I seem to apologize in every chapter, eh?) I slacked, as you could say, on ff.net for a while.... Well, I DO have reasons.... First off, when I was practically done with this chapter... my computer screwed up and deleted a whole bunch of things... including what I had done of this!! Then... I got a little lazy; I also had to work on my summer English homework (Grapes of Wrath, anyone?). This is a little longer than originally planned, but I don't think a lot of you are happy with me.... *sniffs*

I think I'm finally gonna start an e-mail list for people who like my stories and want to know when I update (ya know, instead of checking every day). So, if you want me to e-mail you next time I update, tell me in your review and leave your address! (ORI! I PROMISE TO WRITE BACK REEEEAAALLLY SOON!!!)

As for the next chapter... well, I think it'll be rather... long. At least, like fifteen pages! *shudders* That'll take me a while.... But... I'm nearing the completion of this story... and I want to thank all who have supported me! (I wish I could get at least... 100 reviews! *sighs* That won't happen, though....) You guys are great! I hope you stay with me when I start new stories-- even if you get tired of my semi-laziness! ^^ School starts the 27th; maybe I'll be done with 'Fated' by then! *thinks* Two chapters... and an epilogue... what do you think? Also-- a vote: who should tell the epilogue? Rika or Takato? (I'm more into typing up Rika's emotions, but I want to know what you guys think!)

I think I'm about done ranting and raving.... One last thing, though: did I spell any digimon names wrong? I suck at remembering how to spell them, so... half the time I just go by instinct. (What is Cyberdramon's main attack? And what're the other attacks IceDevimon knows??) Thanks again! (Rika and Takato come up holding a banner; it says "REVIEW!!! ...or else Rika will hunt you down...!") Ja!- Angel-Chan (NOTE: Preview may change! I totally dislike what I've typed of the next chapter, so I don't know how this part will look later on!)

Fated: Part Fifteen

A Sacrifice....



"What do you think, boy? Is there anyone behind this door...?"

Guilmon took a few sniffs, thought for a moment... then laughed happily. "People!" he exclaimed, proud of himself. Maybe he would be rewarded some food later! Oh... just the thought made him want to get done quickly! He was SO hungry...!

"Wow...!" murmured Terriermon from his perch-- Henry's head. "Hey-- can you tell if they're fat or skinny? Tall or short? Male or fe--"

"Terriermon!!" Henry snapped. He was a little cranky now, if you couldn't tell.... After all... he had just heard the whole story behind the madness.... I mean-- Takato had gone through a lot up there.... Who wouldn't want a little silence...?

The digimon was a little taken back. Still... he didn't know when to shut up. "What? Can't a mon be curious?!"

Henry growled lightly and wished he could look at the smart mouth at that moment. Being quiet was the whole idea-- especially when there were people in the next room! He hissed, "Not right now, he can't!"

"Aww, man!"

A giggle was heard off to the side. Jeri. It was cute... well, to her at least. She brought a hand up to cover her mouth as she laughed lightly. Henry never seemed this irritable, either! It was just... so different! "You," she stated with another giggle, "act like you've known each other forever!"

Wha... what? Henry glanced at Jeri with a bright blush-- partially from what she said and partially from getting so much attention from her.... They... they did NOT act like that! How could they when he barely knew the little rascal?! Still... he couldn't argue with her.... Instead, he asked, "You think...?"

Meanwhile... the little nib-nose noticed the silence, the blush and the nervousness of his 'partner.' Ooh... so that's how it was.... Grinning evilly, Terriermon announced, "Looks like someone likes someone!" (A/N: For you, DC!!^^)