s/k: 'ello! Sorry for the miscommunication in the summary, the writing is done, the whole thing isn't posted ' so it'll be up quick, the waiting for chapters shouldn't take too long. Thanks to my first two reviewers! Freeda Kyes and inu-kag-4evr. Um… any comments on the prequel with Ryo and Raine? Feedback on that'd be nice, but other then that, all's good and happy : )

Ch. 6

Rika had slept heavily through the rest of the day, and awoke to find herself in the same colorless world she had come into from the cell. There had been little change in the group's status accept for the fact that the other Tamers were now all asleep in the sand. Kenta and Takato were snoring softy.

As she rolled over, she accidentally nudged Ryo enough that he woke up, He blinked sleepily, rubbing his eyes a little to help him come fully awake. His normally carefully messy hair was now truly messy, the dark brown sticking up at odd angles. "Morning." He mumbled, propping his head up on his arm.

"Morning." She whispered back, careful not to disturb the others. "How long has everyone been here? How long were we asleep? And since when do you make it your job to sleep right next to me like some kind of guard?" She asked, the last question delivered with a little sarcasm and an arched eyebrow.

Ryo let a snicker of amusement break out. "Who said I'm guarding you? Are you sure that's not just your wishful thinking?" He smirked a bit, then answered her other questions. "You went out like a light hardly a minute after you got here. We explored the area some, then came to the general agreement that the beach was probably the safest place to sleep. You should see the weird stuff they've got in their forests. All sorts of ancient statues dotted around, creep statues. Ah… what else… no headway on Jeri's situation, obviously. It's been a while though – " He checked his watch. " – wow, we've been gone for almost 24 hours."

Rika's eyebrows nearly disappeared into her bangs, "Just how long have we all been sleeping?"

"According to my watch, like 18 hours at least."

Before either of them could say anything else, a muffled sort of yelp came from the other side of Takato and Kenta. They passed a confused look to one another, Ryo propping himself up a little higher to see what was going on. A large, silhouetted figure was hunched over something, or someone, who was fighting madly against it. The larger figure was covered in all sorts of fancy fins, and showed through the blacks and grays as a rusty sort of red. Ryo dropped himself back into the sand, his eyes flicking around restlessly.

"What's wrong! Ryo!" Rika hissed, she couldn't remember ever having seen him so tense.

Instead of answering her right away, he swallowed, then tried to say something; having to stop and swallow again before actually making a sound. "Landersmon. Landersmon's here. That bastard, I can't believe hes still alive!"

"Henry! Lopmon! HEEEELP" Came a scream, it was high and full of terror. It was Suzi. Farther down the beach, a point of light began to grow and swirl.

The entire group of Tamers awoke to utter chaos, somewhere in the background Kazu screamed. Henry grabbed a rock and threw it at Landersmon, but fell short of the target. Rika lunged at the things back, the only part that wasn't protected by limbs. She pounded at whatever part she could reach, it didn't seem to have any effect.

An arm reached up and grabbed Rika's wrist, and much to her dismay, dangled her in front of the strange digimon's nose. "Nice to see you again, Tamer." Grinning, he held her out over the other teens, where she couldn't have hit it with a four foot metal bar. "Ryo! A little help please"

Ryo looked up from dodging around by its feet, his momentary lapse in concentration cost him. Another arm came around, the claws on the large hand aimed directly at his mid section. He abruptly let his legs relax and collapsed to the sand, the edge of the thumb still smacked his face, leaving a red welt and a long thin cut on his cheek. "I'm trying" He shouted back.

"Suzi" Henry cried, he was in a reckless rage completely out of character. Not only was his sister caught, but he couldn't help her because he was pinned to the ground by the digimons thick tail, every time Landersmon re-adjusted his weight, Henry was crushed a little more. The point of light down the beach grew larger.

"Terriormon! W-what's happening" Lopmon had been straggling at the back of the group when a black circle the size of a large rabbit hole appeared in front of her. The other digimon came running, Renamon in the lead with Terriermon hot on her heels.

"It's a portal to the Tamers world but. . . " Terriormon stopped to think, why would one pop up here? Even if we are looking for one.

"… but what" Renamon asked impatiently.

"It's brand new, like a digi-egg. It needs to grow before we can use it." Before their eyes, the blacks, grays and darks came into focus to form a picture, and still the portal grew. "How can it grow so fast"

As the image inside the black inky substance came into sharp focus, the scene on the beach was played before them.

"Suzi" Lopmon glared at the portal. "If that thing shows what's happening then we need to get there, now! Whether or not it's ready"

Through the portal they could see the rest of the Tamers too. Suzi was dropped by the dragonish digimon, and ran to her brother. Henry looked right at the portal from his vulnerable position, then"Suzi! Point you're D-arc light at that thing! Now! Whatever it is, get rid of it" Ever obedient, Suzi did as told. When the pink ray hit the center of the swirl, it stopped moving, and the digimon were sucked into her D-arc.

Landersmon took advantage of the distraction and grabbed Suzi again. As he turned to run, Ryo reached out and grabbed Rika's hand. Despite Ryo's determination to hang on, he knew his grip was slipping, and the constant motion coming from Rika being swung in the large digimons' hand was not helping. The last the Tamers heard or saw of the quartet was Ryo as he cursed and attempted vainly to hang on; before they disappeared into the darkness of the tree line.

"Suzi" Two voices screamed, one was Henry, left standing by the shoreline. The other was Lopmon, who was watching through the D-arc. Her voice wasn't heard though. Out side in the Dark Ocean, the remaining three Tamers were a wreck. Takato stood frozen to the sand, trying to absorb what he had just witnessed. Henry let his legs go limp, and dropped to the sand. His brain refused to allow him to believe that his sister had just been taken from him by a monster, to recognize that he had failed to protect her. Kenta sat by Kazu., who had been sleeping by Suzi and was trampled by Landersmon, his body was broken, bleeding, bent, bruised, and completely immobile.

For Kenta, that was the last straw; his best friend had just been murdered by a thing, a thing that he and all the other Tamers hadn't been able to stop or even really put a significant dent in. His sobs echoed down the beach and out across the water. He hadn't counted on anything like this, Kazu lay there, dying in front of him, and there was nothing he could do. Still crying, his scattered brain remembered the ocean, healing, in the water. He moved Kazu slowly over to the waters edge, close enough for the surf to wash over his entire body, (except his head).

"Please Kazu, don't die, please." He didn't notice or care about the tears cleaning sand from his face in small rivulets, he was only beginning to realize how cold he was. His fingers were numb, his ears were ringing, he was on his own little island of frozen ice. Softly finding its way through the ice, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and turned half expecting to see Takato or Henry; even though some small logical part of his mind told him that they were still too consumed by their own grief to help him.

Instead, he was almost surprised to see a girl about their age standing behind him. She had dark auburn hair and deep, loving almost ruby eyes. A pair of pink clips held her bangs parted to her left, she was wearing a pair of pink flip-flop sandals, white Capri pants, and a collared almost pink shirt. Her whole self seemed to glow with a little more color then the bland scenery serving as her backdrop.

"I'm sorry Kenta." Her voice was soothing, and it had a quiet understanding of his hurt. "I can't help your friend." Another sob racked Kenta's already shaking body, Kazu's going to die, he's going to die. .

"I hope you all learn everything you need to know very, very soon. Meiko knows what she's doing, listen to her, learn your power."

He turned fully around to stare at her"How can I help him? What's my power? Why won't you really help me" The thin boys voice rose to a crescendo, the shout echoing down the sand and across the water differently then his crying had. Hikari winced, as if she knew what would happen next and was powerless to stop it.

"It's life Kenta, you're power is life." With that, Kari Yagami faded out of sight, her head bowed in silent pain. The Tamers were alone on the beach. One last breath entered Kazu's lungs, and then left, taking his life with it.

Inside the D-arc, Guardromon was being deleted, piece-by-piece. "What's happening" Marinangemon cried, petrified.

"One of the powers left us." Terriermon said quietly"It must have been honesty." The others stared at him. "That power was kept inside Kazu, so he must be. . ." He quivered, unable to actually voice his thought.

"You don't really mean. . . " Marineangemons face fell.

"Kazu is dead." The words hit everyone of the digimon contained in Suzi's D-arc like a brick wall. Renamon could feel a cold rage building in her core. She had been programmed just as the Digimon Emporers reign had come to an end, and in her travels she had been to Wellen Gehen, and read the boulder that Ryo had also visited. "The Digimon Emporer better be damn proud of himself now! Do you hear me? Are you happy now"

Guardromon's eyes looked up at her as the vixen howled her anger at a dead tyrant, as she deflated, seeming to let the weight of their situation crush her, he was gone.

. . . .