Amethyst Blizzard: Hope everyone had a great Christmas and are having wonderful, relaxing holidays :) So, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Chrismakkah (for all you O.C. fans...)

Okies, this is the second to last chapter so everybody be prepared for OOCness and destruction-ness. Have fun!

Devil's Advocates
Chapter 19: Sacrifice
-Seems so far that I have gone down this road
Only to find that it ends
But looking back there is one thing that I know
I can't make it all alone again - "Fall Into You" - Evanescence

Then, everything was black. Not a sound, not even a whisper could be heard amongst the debris of darkness that consumed the Digital World. Only one single flickering ember lit up a tiny area, but was soon blown away by a strong wind that whistled through the hollow stems of a world almost completely lost.
A violent storm began, thunder crackling in the distance. The skies darkened, revealing a hidden evil that had been buried for decades, untouched by the settlement of the four Digital Gods. This evil was the end. And it had been chained tightly and condensed into the skies for when the time came. And it had finally come.

Lightning flashed vigorously in several places at one time, the blue electricity rippling the ground when the two connected viciously. One such bolt struck so deep that it shattered the soil completely, ripping into it like a savage animal. Revealed was the hot lava that seeped steadily from the wound created by the bolt of blue electricity. The entire ground of the whole Digital World rippled then, cracking severely in several places. Large chunks of rock were thrown into the wind that swirled violently in a vicious circle, while the lava flowed from more wounds in the ground.

In another area of the Digital World an earthquake resounded underneath the water's surface, rippling the normally calm ocean. From one single ripple resonated a gigantic wave that curled around in a circular motion, collecting more water as it lifted. It then finally crashed down with such a force that vibrations reverberated throughout the entire universe.

Rika tripped carelessly on a small lone rock, stumbling slightly before regaining her balance. Ryo looked behind him worriedly, his eyes finding Rika's easily. She gave him an irritated look before continuing her begrudging walk along a cliff face. It was the same cliff that had held the almighty powerful Phoenixmon not long ago…before it had disintegrated, that is. She gave Ryo another scathing look before passing him, efficiently taking the lead.

Ryo stared after her, breathing hard. "Give me some credit, here. I killed the bad guy!"

Rika looked back and gave him an incredulous look. "You were about to kill me!"

Ryo shrugged. "Yeah, but I didn't did I? And instead I killed the bad guy. Give me some credit."

"Credit!" Rika shouted. "You want credit? I came to the Digital World looking for you, only to find you kissing some girl…and not doing anything about it!"

Ryo threw his arms up in the air. "We were being controlled! What could I have done? And anyway, what does it matter who I'm kissing?"

Rika threw back an evil look. "It matters because I thought…"

Ryo cut her off skilfully. "If I recall correctly, you were the one who dumped me so it shouldn't matter to you."

Rika sighed irritably and tripped over another stone. "I didn't dump you, I just said I needed time."

Ryo made a thinking sound. "Ah, no you didn't. You just ran off without giving me an answer. And this whole mess started because of you!"

Rika stopped in her tracks, turning completely around to face the older boy. "Me!? Excuse me, but I wasn't the one who came here in the first place because I was depressed."

Ryo frowned at the way she emphasised the last word. "No, but I was depressed because of you."

Rika took a step towards Ryo, her warm, erratic breathing fanning his face. "No. No, Ryo. Your feelings don't belong to me; so don't try to pin the blame on me. It's not my fault you feel the way you do."

Her cold whisper turned Ryo's blood into ice. He took a step towards her. "Yes, it is because you're…you."

Rika took another step forward, closing the gap even more between them. "I never told you how to feel, or how to show it. So don't blame me for this mess. I tried to save you."

Ryo knew she was talking about after the fight with Mephismon, but something told him she meant something else as well. Impulsively he breathed in and curled an arm around her waist, pulling her in. Her blue shirt was torn, as was his, and he could see the pale skin along her stomach was lined by thick dried blood. She stood very still in his arms, her breath quivering with a slight fear. What was that fear? Ryo desperately wanted to know what it was she was so scared of.

Lightly breathing on her face, Ryo whispered gently. "And I want to save you."

Wincing as his finger lightly brushed the newly created scar on her stomach, Rika shut her eyes tightly, opening them after a moment's thought. "Ryo, I know you do. But you can't."

She tried to pull away from his tight grip around her waist, but he wouldn't let up. Lifting up his other arm to brush the auburn hair away from her face he placed his hand upon her cheek, stroking it gently. "Never say can't, Rika."

She looked forlornly into his blue eyes, her own amethyst ones betraying her completely. She looked so…innocent, a far cry from the girl who was always ready to pounce. Now she looked sedated, almost in a trance. He knew she secretly wanted this…but was too stubborn to admit it. Stubborn or hurt, and the latter seemed evermore likely. He knew about her dad, how he had left her when she was young. How he had hidden her twin sister away from her for sixteen years, not even feeling the least bit guilty about it. And he knew that her father had become violent with her mother…a long time ago. But the memory still burned clearly within her mind.

Rika lifted a finger up to his neck and traced a line from his throat down to his chest, where his scar was. "How did you get that scar?"

Ryo swallowed. "When I first came here, I remember seeing a man. Shibumi. He told me that many things happened here, many that were impossible to understand. He told me to be careful. The next day Cyberdramon and I found ourselves in a fight. We were up against a Champion Level Digimon, and I used a modify card to finish him off. His body dispersed into data, and Cyberdramon absorbed it, however I felt a presence. It was like a heavy brooding over my head. Before I knew it, something sharp came at me and cut through my shirt…and my skin. I saw the blood drip before me but never did I see what had attacked me. There was nothing there…"

Ryo had said this in a whisper and Rika had to lean in to hear it. They were close…their noses almost touching. Ryo's head towered slightly over Rika's but suddenly they were level as Ryo leaned in and closed the gap, his mouth nearing hers. Rika placed her hand firmly on his chest just as his lips met hers in a soft kiss. His mouth lingered upon hers and he impulsively deepened the kiss as her hand traced back along his shoulder to curl around his warm neck. Ryo's hand on her cheek circled around to find the bridge of her chin and the kiss broke into several soft ones. Both of them had waited such a long time for this…to express the raging emotions buried deep within themselves. But…neither had really known how to approach the other.

They were interrupted suddenly by a silky cough that of which came from Renamon. Busted, Ryo and Rika pulled apart awkwardly, their breathing slightly erratic and their cheeks tinged light pink. Monodramon stalked up beside Renamon, his face an impassive smirk. The two had gone in search of help, but had come back empty handed. There was not a Digimon in sight.

"So," Ryo began awkwardly, "I guess help was a far cry."

Renamon nodded. "Yes. Everything's a mess and I couldn't sense a presence for as far as we looked. There was nothing."

Rika cleared her throated, then voiced her fears…a little too high-pitched. "How are we going to get out of here? We don't have anything to communicate with the Real World, and we can't find any help from the inside."

Ryo nodded in agreement. "We're screwed."

Rika shook her head defiantly. "No. We have to think of something. Let's backtrack."

Monodramon nodded sarcastically. "Oh that's productive. We'll just relive this entire ordeal in out minds until we eventually roll over and die."

Ryo glared at his partner. "Thank you, Oscar The Grouch. Rika's right, we should backtrack. Ok, my first memory was being pulled roughly out of the ground by Renamon. Anyone else?"

Rika gave Ryo a look. "Well I remember everything, so why don't I evaluate? Mephismon's plan was to control you and Stacie in order to gain access to the Real World, without having to actually travel there. He was using Alicia to open the portal between the worlds and I guess Alice and Jeri sort of helped him with that because they opened up the portal from the Real World to try and get us out. Mephismon took that opportunity to sacrifice the Phoenixmon so he could…ok, I'm lost."

Renamon took over. "Mephismon needed the destruction of the Phoenixmon so its presence could cross over into the Real World, and while it was still under the control of Mephismon himself, it would do whatever he commanded of it. Ryo, you and Stacie were host bodies for the Phoenixmon and you both contained the spirit, so to speak, of the controlled Phoenixmon. When the Phoenixmon would enter the Real World, there would be no use for you and Stacie anymore because the Phoenixmon would be free from the constraints Mephismon was putting on it, simply to secure the safety of the Digital World."

Ryo nodded. "Right. So Mephismon was willing to sacrifice Stacie and me to gain what, exactly?"

Rika looked up. "To destroy any chance of you stopping him. You and Stacie both had insight to Mephismon's master plan, and that included any flaws. He needed to kill you both so he could stop you from rising against him."

Renamon nodded, a small smile playing on her equally small mouth. "Exactly. But his plans did falter. We destroyed him before he could gain control over the Real World. However…we didn't destroy the Phoenixmon. Not entirely, anyway."

Monodramon glanced around him. "This is all very nice to bond and all, but I really do think we should be at least walking before this place explodes and we perish into oblivion."

Ryo frowned once again at his partner, then he glanced over to Rika. "You still have your D-Power, don't you?"

Rika nodded, impulsively pulling it out from under her shirt. "Yeah, why?"

"Because we can use it to communicate with the others."

Rika shook her head. "We can't do that without equipment. Our only hope is that Alice can use the Hypnos equipment from the Real World to pull us out of here. Before it really is too late."

"What do you mean you left them behind?!"

Takato gave a sheepish, apologetic look to Yamaki. "I tried, but they wouldn't move. And Ryo was under the control of this evil guy who planned to take over our world, but Rika stopped him doing that. I think."

Yamaki rubbed a hand over his forehead. "And that's just going to bring them back here?"

Takato shrugged. "I don't know."

Jeri came to his rescue. "Mr. Yamaki, for what it's worth, Rika and Ryo can handle themselves for as long as they need to."

Alice typed something meticulously on her laptop computer. "This is not good."

Alicia sighed. "What now?"

Alice looked up and frowned at Rika's twin's obvious attack. "Well, if you must know, the Digital World is sixty-five percent dead."

Yamaki flinched. "Dead?"

Alice nodded. "Wiped out already. Judging from the patterns of storm activity, there isn't much time. Pretty soon the Digital World will be nothing but a burning piece of small rock in the center of our universe."

Alicia nodded sarcastically. "That's morbid."

Henry sighed. "Ok. Let's focus on something else. How do we get them out of there?"

The group was hustled together in the old warehouse that stored the Devil's Advocates' musical equipment. Brad and Alicia stood next to each other in a corner, while beside them Henry stood, making quite a large distance between Alicia and Alice. Jeri and Takato stood next to Henry, while Kazu and Kenta paced around the instruments, inspecting each piece carefully. The twins Ai and Mako were holding hands, Impmon standing between them with intent eyes. Guardromon and MarineAngemon stood beside each other; the difference in height was almost hilarious. Yamaki stood a distance away, Riley standing by his side with a curious, somewhat impatient look plastered onto her features.

Yamaki sighed. "I still think we should inform your parents. All of them."

Kazu looked up suddenly. "What, and confess that we skipped school? Nuh uh."

Henry looked thoughtful. "Skipped school to save the world, you mean."

Alice looked up from her laptop, slamming her hand down violently on the concrete ground. "No! We have to create another portal." Then, shaking her hand, she muttered: "Ow."

Henry sat down next to her, turning the laptop slightly so he could face it squarely. "We'll start with trying to communicate with them. Someone needs to get to Hypnos."

Yamaki raised his hand, looking to Riley expectantly. "We'll go."

Riley nodded. "If anything happens here, call me."

The group nodded then they each went back to their individual activities. Alice and Henry conversed over the laptop, each suggesting different ideas to help the situation. Alicia leaned heavily against the wall while Brad stuffed his hands into his pockets. Takato and Jeri walked over to the twins and talked to them comfortingly, reassuring them gently. Kazu and Kenta continued to inspect the instruments carefully, blocking out the activity behind them.

In a distant corner, a girl lay still as night. She was not dead, just unconscious. It was Stacie Tseng.

"Ok," Ryo mangaged a glance behind him to the others. "Let's elaborate more. What happened when you guys started fighting Mephismon?"

Rika nodded. "We didn't really fight him; he was shielded the whole time. So we fought the stampede until Mephismon said everything was finished and that he had no need for them anymore. Every Digimon just exploded before out eyes."

Monodramon flinched. "Ok, but what about us? All I remember is hitting my head…hard."

Renamon stepped up to the reptilian. "Rika and I as Sakuyamon realized what it was Mephismon was going to do to you so we decided to beat him to it. We recited a chant and everything seemed to unfold perfectly, except that you two as Justimon were going to kill us with your lance. Rika and I stepped aside just as you were about to stab us, and instead you stabbed Mephismon, killing him instantly. The chant didn't work after that, so you weren't killed in the process."

Ryo shook his head. "It's still so hazy to me."

Rika placed a hand on his shoulder supportively and said sarcastically: "Don't worry, you don't need to know every detail."

Ryo smiled at her over his shoulder. "Thanks, Nonaka."

Rika smirked. "You're very welcome, Akiyama. Even for you know, trying to kill me."

Ryo looked forward. "And you're excused for trying to kill me. We cool?"

Smiling, Rika held out her hand. "We're cool."

Ryo took it and squeezed it tightly. Monodramon made a gagging sound while Renamon gave a small smile. The moment was ended suddenly when Rika's D-Power began beeping violently. She pulled it out from under her shirt and looked into it. There, in front of her, was Henry. He was smiling slightly while his grey eyes looked dead serious.

"Rika. Good to see you."

Rika nodded emphatically. "Yeah, you two. Is everyone with you?"

Henry smiled. "Yeah, everyone except for you guys. How is everyone over there?"

Rika sighed and looked around. Ryo was standing next to her, a worried look flickering in his eyes. Renamon and Monodramon were directly behind them, standing side by side. "Everyone's ok."

Alice interrupted Henry on the screen and took over his position. "Good. Listen, I'm trying to breech the barrier between the worlds. In the meantime, you don't have much time. The Digital World is going to explode soon, due to the massive amount of destruction caused by the Phoenixmon. We know all about it and you have only a couple of minutes at the most. You have to get to a vantage point, somewhere. A place where there's a weak link…"

Ryo took Rika's D-Power from her hand and stared at Alice. "I know a place. It's not far from here; only a couple of levels down. I think we can get to it within two minutes if we run."

Alice nodded. "Ok, great. Go there and I'll track you. I'll bring up a portal within the minute but you have to hurry."

Ryo nodded in confirmation. "Got it." Then he looked up at Rika. "Follow my lead."

Rika inclined her head. "What's new?"

Walking quickly along the cliff, Ryo glanced behind him. "Nothing much, 'cept you and me."

Abruptly stopping in her tracks, Rika held her breath. "What about you and me?"

Walking backwards, Ryo raised his eyebrows mysteriously. "We've just…changed."

And they left it at that. Renamon and Monodramon were still walking behind them both and giving each other side looks. They knew what was going on…and only one of them liked it. The other found himself thinking slightly jealous, possessive thoughts and his Tamer's situation with Rika. Were things going to change for Tamer and partner now that their feelings had been let open?

Suddenly, Ryo broke into a rapid run, leaving the others to do the same. They were running down the slope of the cliff now and only Ryo knew where they were headed. They passed numerous rock formations and the sky above seemed to be shuddering in their wake, however they kept running. They didn't have much time until everything was lost.

Ryo jumped over several boulders and cut his hand on the side on one, but pressed on. Blood dripped steadily from the small wound, and the trail of it continued down his palm until it met with the scar where he had been cut before. The scar seemed to sting when the blood trickled onto it, and Ryo cringed at the singe of it. Time was running out for them and they had to be at a specific place before the minute was up.

There was a stairwell at the foot of the cliff and Ryo bounded down it, taking two steps at a time. Monodramon followed suit while Renamon curled her arm protectively around Rika's waist and hauled her skillfully over the many steps. Renamon landed gracefully on the concrete ground just before Ryo did, and Rika slid herself out of Renamon's grip.

"See, Ryo," she quipped. "That's how you do it."

Ryo smiled. "I'm taking notes."

Then Rika turned to look at what was before them…and she almost fell back. Before her was the exact place where she had dreamed she was with Ryo. It was The Oasis. An overhanging willow tree had its ends dipping into the large swell of ocean that lay in the middle of lush green grass. The grass seemed to be endless while the pool spanned about ten yards in diameter. Above them the sun was just setting and it gave off a radiant pinkish glow that spread itself over the pool of water. The willow tree seemed to shudder, and ripples spawned from the movement. It was magical.

"Wow…" Rika breathed quietly.

Renamon stood behind her, staring in awe at the scene. "I've never seen anything like this before. Not here or in the real world."

Ryo walked forward, a smile etching wryly on his features. "It's where I used to come and think when I was living here. It's amazing; the pool is as warm as the sun is and it's so relaxing."

Almost immediately a large blue spiral coiled itself out from underneath the water. It sparkled with electricity and inside of it was a faint grey reflection of the warehouse…where the rest of the group was waiting. The portal was in the middle of the pool, and Ryo took Rika's hand reassuringly, leading her into the water. For once in her life Rika didn't mind being led; in fact, she liked it. It wasn't something she'd do on a regular basis but when it did come around she'd let it in. It was a feeling of security of protection, one of which she only felt around Ryo.

The water lapped around their jeans but none of it seeped through. Their clothes remained dry as they waded through until they reached the middle. Renamon and Monodramon were right behind them, impatiently waiting for the pair to walked through the blue light. However, when they turned around to face their partners, Monordamon grunted.

"This place is going to blow, so don't talk – just walk!"

Ryo smiled. "Thank you, both of you, for supporting us with out decisions. That really means a lot…to both of us. And I know what's at stake by wasting time, but I'm pretty sure that if this place goes up with us in it, you two will be there for us."

Rika nodded. "Yeah. Renamon, you're my best friend in the entire world and I'm so grateful for everything you've done for me."

Renamon smiled. "Rika, you know you're more than welcome for those times I've helped you."

Monodramon nudged Ryo impatiently. "Yeah, whatever she said, now can we get moving?!"

Both Ryo and Rika smirked at the tinge of pink that appeared ever so slightly upon Monodramon's cheeks. Then they both turned around and looked one final time into each other's eyes before stepping into the blinding light of the portal, the two Digimon doing the same directly after.

Then, all at once, the clouds swirled together and the water spiraled upwards, creating a giant tidal wave that gave way when the ground beneath it shifted. Thunder crackled in the distance, causing a bolt of blue electricity to spurt through the sky. Through the cracks in the parched ground came seeping lava that trailed along beneath the raging fire that was sparked by the bolt of electricity. Falling victim to the deadly fire was the lush greenery that surrounded most parts of the Digital World. Then finally, devouring the entire world with a sigh, were the powerful jaws of a mythical creature whose resemblance to that of a saber-toothed cat was uncanny. It was finally the end of the Digital World, its Guardians surrendering to the clenching evil that self-destructed only when the world had sighed its last breath…