Disclaimer: I apologize for the mix up with Henry's sister's name. I wasn't aware that they'd given her a name in the series and have corrected the error, Erika is now Jaarin and thanx to all those who corrected me. Also I DO LIKE THE DIGIDESTINED! The opinions of them expressed by the shadow digimon are not my own, they're his own opinions of them.
That Annoying Voice
They'd been calling for Suzi and Lopmon for several hours but no one was yelling back. Jaarin was getting more then a bit discouraged but Tai was doing his best to distract her. Rika and Alice weren't as worried because even though Suzi was a bouncy cheerleader type she was also extremely intelligent and resourceful. Of course Jaarin knew that too but when your baby sister was lost alone in a strange digital demension with only a rabbit excuse her for being a bit worried. Sure that rabbit could become as big as a house but that really wasn't occurring to her at the moment.
"Are you sure that Lopmon was with her?" Alice said after yelling out Suzi's name for what seemed like the millionth time. Her voice was getting hoarse but she continued to call out, worried but trying not to show it. If Suzi had been separated from Lopmon then Jaarin had good reason to worry but if the two were together than that was a different kettle of fish.
"Well she was holding the rabbit and Suzi had tied them together so odds are they're together." Jaarin said with a worried look. What was it with her sister and data streams, it was like they attracted each other.
"Then don't worry so much, Jaarin. If Lopmon is with her then she has a protector that's bigger then some apartment buildings." Rika pointed out as she tried for a grin and just barely managed it. Like Jaarin she had someone she cared a great deal for out there with no idea if he was all right or even alive. When she got a hold of the sons of bitches that were responsible for this she was going to slowly and painfully roast them alive over a fire while slowly poured tar on their burning bodies. And that was only if he was in good condition when she found him. If they'd harmed one hair on his head roasting them alive would seem like a nice thing to do.
"I'm sure you're right but that doesn't stop me from worrying." Jaarin said with a weak smile. Above all else she hated not to be in control of her life and this was one of those situations. "How's it going down there, Calumon?" Jaarin asked as she looked down at the digimon who was skipping at her heels, his usual energy making him as durable as the energizer bunny.
"I'm fine, Jaarin. I don't see Suzi of Lopmon though. They're okay right?" Calumon said, as he looked up at her hopefully, his green eyes huge in his white face.
"I'm sure they're just fine." Jaarin said with another weak smile. "So T.K., you have a brother just like Rika? Must be interesting."
"You could say that." T.K. agreed with a smile, the sounds of the others calling out Suzi's name dimming it slightly. "Matt's definitely an interesting character."
"I don't think they were dropped in this area, Rika." Renamon announced as she suddenly appeared before them.
"She didn't, her and her rabbit are at least two days away from here." An unfamiliar male voice said from somewhere in the shadows.
"It's him, the one I've been sensing." Renamon said as her eyes went hard and her lips drew back to show off her white fangs, which she'd been wanting to sink into their uninvited guest for some time now. "Where are you and what are you?"
"You didn't recognize me from Jaarin's description, Renamon?" The voice came again, this time from an entirely different area. "How disappointing."
"Thank you for saving me and Calumon." Jarrin called out; looking in the general direction of the voice or at least where she thought it had come from. "Would you please come out so that I could thank you properly? Please?"
"And allow myself to be surrounded by all your digimon? Pathetic though they are I'd rather not risk getting my fur dirty throwing them all into the ground of deletion." The voice continued then chuckled slightly. "The one called Ryo misses you Rika, he wishes that you were with him."
"What the hell did you just say?" Rika demanded as she stepped forward, fire in her eyes though her voice was pure ice.
"The one's that you seek aren't that far away, closer then the girl with her Lopmon anyway." The voice said and this time it was almost as if the voice was coming from above them. "Before you think I have something to do with your present circumstances I don't, just a bystander in this case though I could have caused all this damage, I'm not the type. You eight have come a long way for your friends, a noble characteristic one doesn't normally find in either digimon or humans. As well you should be nicer to them Yolie, if not for their friend your precious Ken and the one they call Izzy would be dead."
"Ken almost died?" Yolie said as she moved to stand beside Rika, worry in her voice as she turned her head back and forth, trying to spot the body behind the voice, not even finding a shadow to give the voice away. Mikey who'd gave a whimper of distress at the news that his brother had almost died was instinctively picked up by Jaarin who cuddled him as he wrapped his arms around her neck. "What are you talking about?"
"You digidestined are too soft, how you ever managed to protect the Digital World is beyond me. Of course the majority of the digimon are weak here so I doubt you had much trouble. Now the D-Reaper would have destroyed you easily, you bunch would have never stood a chance even at your present ages." The voice said and now it was to the left of them.
"How do you know about the D-Reaper?" Alice demanded in a rather pissed off voice. She was tired of this game and she wanted to know what was going on and now. How could this digimon know about the D-Reaper, had it appeared here too and if so then why hadn't T.K. mentioned it? Could the digimon be from their time? Was that possible? "Come out and show yourself you coward."
"I've been listening to your conversations and learning quite a bit." The voice said in a rather amused tone, as though this was all one big joke to him. "I really should be going, time to check in on the others."
"Don't go." Rika called out but no one answered. Looking over to Renamon the fox shook her head; the other digimon was gone. "Son of a bitch. Now there's another person I have to kill before this is al over."
"My brother's okay, right?" Mikey said in a small voice as Jaarin set him back on the ground, his digimon George hopping into his arms.
"I'm sure that he's just fine." Jaarin said as she patted his head comfortingly. "Well I'm inclined to say we should take a break and rest up, apparently we still have a long way to go."
Ryo figured that by the end of this trip he'd be in the best physical condition he'd been in a while. Rotating his shoulders Ryo winced slightly at the pain that caused but continued to do so knowing that if he didn't stretch his shoulders might cramp up on him later which would hurt a hell of a lot more.
"When I get back I'm going to take the bus everywhere, no more walking for a long time." Izzy said with a groan as he leaned over to retie his bootlaces. Luckily he'd come prepared to hike or he'd have likely keeled over days ago. He had no problems with the outdoors, he simply preferred to be indoors with his computer.
"Sounds like a plan." Ken agreed as he placed his hands on the small of his back. "How about you digimon, how you guys holding up?"
"When this is over I'm not leaving my bed for a week and you can bet I won't be doing any walking for a while either." Impmon said with a grimace as wiped some dust off his legs. "And Lord help this Aracnamon when I get a hold of him, Mako and Ali are probably worried to death."
"I'm fine, Ken." Wormmon said with a cheerful smile as he stretched out his many legs. "You'll be in great shape come soccer season."
"I'm fine too, Izzy." Tentomon buzzed. "A little tired but I can take it. No worries."
"Well you're still alive, that's unexpected." A male voice said from the shadows and all standing or in the case flying the group got into defensive mode, covering each other's backs as they scanned the area for the speaker that had slipped up to them with such apparent ease.
"Who's out there?" Ken demanded as his purple eyes scanned the area, looking for a shadow or a movement that would give the speaker away and show them who they were talking to. "Show yourself, now."
"So demanding, you sound just like Rika and Alice. They demanded me to show myself as well. I didn't listen to them either." The voice said in an amused tone. "I think the redhead misses you Ryo, better hurry up and let her find you before the blonde moves in and replaces you."
"What the Hell are you talking about? What about Rika and Alice? How do you know them?" Ryo demanded as his hands fisted at his sides. "And what blonde?"
"I think his name is T.K., he seems to get along with her quite well, better then the other guys anyway. I don't intend to stay with you long, I want to head back in case Rika decides to hit the guy with the goggles on his head again. That was quite amusing the first time." The voice said with what could almost pass as a chuckle. "Didn't you know that Alice and Rika are here looking for you with their digimon, Ryo?"
"Rika and Alice, here in this Digital World?" Ryo said in shock, blown away as the idea sunk in. Coming after him was most definitely something his Wildcat would do if she knew how. Had she and Alice found some way to get to this reality to try and find him? "Do you mean to tell me that they're here, looking for me and Impmon?"
"That's what I said. The girls and their digimon are here to rescue you apparently. Quite an interesting Renamon she has too, very intelligent and cunning. The one called Yolie doesn't like your Rika very much though, the feeling is mutual." The voice said with growing amusement. "Though I believe Rika dislikes the Gogglehead more."
"You're not talking about Takato, are you?" Ryo asked uncertainly. "Rika wouldn't never punch him and why is Yolie fighting with Rika? I would have thought the two would get along if she's anything like Ken says she is."
"Yolie appears to be convinced that Rika and Alice are responsible for everything that stupid Aracnamon is doing, the stupid idiots. Your fellow humans aren't terribly bright now are they? I wonder if any one of them would actually delete something to save another of their group? Rika and Alice would, they and their digimon have done it before, you can see it in their eyes."
"Alice doesn't even have a digimon, hers was deleted during our war with the D-Reaper." Ryo argued as his blue eyes continued to scan for any movement or other give away.
"Ah, well then if not hers then who does the Cyberdramon belong to?" The voice asked with a hint of curiosity. He hadn't heard anything that would indicate that the snarling beast didn't belong to the blonde haired spitfire but it was possibly, it hadn't appeared to like to listen to her at all."
"They brought Cyberdramon with them." Ryo yelled louder then he intended. His digimon was here, free to reek havoc on the digital world. "Rika brought Cyberdramon here? Please tell me Alice is keeping him under control."
"As far as I can see. Is he yours?" The digimon asked having already learned that the loud mouth purple digimon that was to be found at Ryo's side was not the human's digimon. So the blonde was without a digimon of her own, how sad.
"Yes he's mine. So you're telling me that Rika, Alice, Renamon and Cyberdramon are all here, in this dimension, looking for me?" Ryo demanded with frustration clear in his voice.
"Yes, plus the ones they call Jaarin, Calumon, Suzi and a Lopmon. The last four came to get Rika and Alice though. Speaking of which I'd hate to miss out on anymore of the fun, till later." The voice said and just out of the corner of his eye Ryo saw a shadow bounce onto a branch then disappear as though it had been nothing more then a shadow its self.
"I think Jaarin got pulled in with us, Lopmon. What do you think?" Suzi asked her digimon as they sat on some rocks, contemplating their current situation. Suzi hadn't meant for Jaarin to get pulled in and she hoped that her sister hadn't because that meant that her sister could be anywhere, maybe not even in this dimension.
"I think you're probably right, Suzi." Lopmon said with a weary grimace. "It wasn't your fault though Suzi, she jumped in after us, we didn't know she was there."
"I know but still." Suzi said with a sad look on her face. She'd cleaned off all the dirt she'd collected when they'd landed but not even being in clean clothes and a washed face could make her feel better. A small girl to begin with she seemed even smaller as she sat on the rock, her knees at her chest as she held them with one hand while the other fiddled with her Mandarin collar. Brown eyes filling with unshed tears Suzi wiped them away and standing up on the rock once again cupped her hands to her mouth and called out Jaarin's name, her shoulder length hair, in their usual pigtails flying out behind her. After yelling for what seemed like hours Suzi gave up and flopping down on the rock again reached into her large backpack and pulled out her laptop. Opening it up she began to press buttons at the speed of light as her fingers danced over the keys like a pianist playing a complicated symphony. "Well at least we can figure out where Rika and Alice are, Lopmon." Suzi said and with a few more strokes of the keys a map appeared on the screen then miniature versions of Renamon's and Cyberdramon's heads. "Well at least Rika and Alice appear to still be together, that's something anyway. Now lets see where we are." Suzi said and seconds later had a Lopmon's head appearing on the screen a fair distance away from the other two heads. "Well then I guess we're heading for them and hopefully we'll find Jaarin along the way." Suzi decided as she closed the laptop and slid it back into her bag. "Ready to head out, Lopmon?"
"Whenever you are, Suzi." Lopmon said with a thumbs up. Now they were looking for another person but that was okay, they'd succeed. Only question was how grounded was Suzi going to be when they got home. If they got home.
"Lucky for us you're faster then any car." Suzi said with a big smile as she unhooked her D-Arc from her belt. "It's time to digivolve, Lopmon."
Lopmon digivolve to Antylamon
"Okay Antylamon, let's burn fur." Suzi said with a smile grabbing onto one of the ears as her digimon bent her head down Suzi was lifted into the air and slid down to sit on her digimon's head. Getting a firm grip on the ear Suzi patted Antylamon on the head. "Let's go!"
"I think I might have figured out what our mysterious speaker is, Rika." Renamon said as they sat down together in the meadow for a break. Rika had already filled up her canteen and was drinking down the fresh water which she quickly swallowed at Renamon's words.
"You do? What do you think it is, Renamon?" Rika asked as she ran her hand over her mouth.
"I think it might possible be a Kurokitsunmon." Renamon said with a considering look. "I've never seen one before but they are a mutated version of Renamons so that would explain Jaarin's comment that it looked just like me only different colours."
"A mutated version of you, what do you mean?" T.K. asked as he sat down with Alice at his heels and Patamon on his shoulder. The three had been getting their water and had come back just in time to hear Renamon's comment. Finally they might be able to know something about their constant shadow.
"Well Kurokitsunmons are Renamons that were born with a slight data modification. It's so rare that even those in charge of watching the digimon nurseries often never see one. You can't even tell that they're not pure Renamon's until they reach rookie level, that's when they become Kurokitsunmons." Renamon said with a considering look. "They're said to be just like us only different attacks and enhanced abilities, hence the fact that we can never seem to track him down. Also legend even says that they can shift from one place to another over large distances which could explain its knowledge of everything that's going on around here and its ability to never get caught or seen."
"Sounds like a digimon you wouldn't want to mess with." Patamon agreed from T.K. shoulder. "Are they generally friendly digimon when people do see them?"
"I've never met anyone who's seen one but from what I've heard they tend to be loners and not at all friendly." Renamon said with a dark look. "Though I've got to admit that so far he seems to be more of a nuisance then a danger I still don't trust that his attention is solely for his own amusement."
Well that's it for now, please review and let me know what you think cause I'd love to hear from you. Thanks heaps and have a great day. Oh and if you forgot the digimon type Kurokitsunmon belongs to Silent Storm, I'm just borrowing the type from him. Thanks again for that handsome and talk to you later.
