1st person narrative.

Chapter 3 – Enjoy the Silence

I stared at the sky, unmoving, dark, awful; it scared the hell out of me. I set out through an alley, searching for food, grabbing anything I could find. I was gone almost an hour probably but I managed to find a backpack and was able to stuff it full of food and some water bottles too. I made my way back to the aged building with the wood siding cracked like a web, as if the dark void of the cracks were woven from a spider spinning purely evil webbing, I entered cautiously, my imagination picturing the dark spider lurking, waiting to pounce me as I walked in. The door moved open only to find the empty bakery still as empty as I left it, I headed upstairs; it was still and cold. I hurried back to where I left my best friend and Ruki, scared no one would be there, or worse, but she was still there, unmoving. The little blue fur-ball, however, was defiantly moving, at first to attack then to hug.

"DAISUKE," he yelled sprinting towards me, I discarded the bag quickly in fear of dropping it and the few delicate contents.

"Hey V, feeling better I guess," I asked looking down at my blue friend.

"Yea," he grinned from ear to ear, "but where are we?"

A voice groaned, "Why am I at Takato's house, and ew cobweb, wait," she turned to look at me, "none of it was a dream?"

The question hurt, I saw the pain in her eyes, she wanted to be home again, I slowly shook my head, "I don't know how we got here, but apparently you know where here is."

"Sort of," she looked around, "remember when I told you we had our own encounter?"

"Yea," I didn't want to move, she was on the brink of tears.

"Well, this is the house of one of my friend's who was a part of it." She frowned terribly.

"Then there's something worse you need to see," I hated to cause this much pain, but I knew she had to see it, I pulled open a curtain, showing the guts of the destroyed city and crimson sky, she walked over in shock.

"What happened…"

"I don't know, but we'll find out." Beep, beep, "what was that?"

"My…digivice," from the look of shock she had completely forgotten she still had it. She pulled it out, "they're still alive, is she…" Her voice trailed, worried about something.

"They probably got your signal when we crossed over, come on, let's get downstairs." I held my hand out towards her, she nodded and followed.

Ruki and I stood inside, watching the signal get closer and the beeping get louder. V was watching through a back window, fearful of an ambush. I heard a loud noise, like a compressor being leaked, it was way too quick though, I cracked the window open, listening. The noise rung out again, I immediately recognized it that time, blow-off.

"Car, fast car, it's got to be them, the rate they're moving, it can't be anything else," Ruki still hadn't said a word.

The car rounded the corner, I tensed, my imagination running rampant again, I called out to V-mon back over, the car slowed its pace, most likely to get the detailed location of Ruki's signal. The car stopped just short of the building, blacked out windows kept me and Ruki quiet, fearful of traps. Driver's door opened, "Ryo." Ruki finally breathed, "It is them, Davis, they're still ok." We opened the door, Ryo and Henry jumped, and then stared.

"Wildcat, you're alive," he smiled; I saw what he felt for her in his eyes, I knew what it was.

"Same to you," it only took a second for them to notice me, they both stared jaw dropped.

"Um, your friend…he's…"

"Yea, I'll explain later, obviously it's dangerous around here right," she looked around cautiously as she spoke.

"Right, get in," Me, Ruki, and V-mon all climbed in the little hatchback, Ryo, at the wheel. Both teens kept glancing either in the mirror or back to see if I was really there.

"Can I help you? Yes I'm really here, no you're not dreaming; yes Ruki disappeared and spent like two or three days in my universe."

"Wait, you were in another universe," Henry asked the girl.

"From what we could tell, yea," she looked out the window only to regret it, the destruction, devastation, it was terrible. It looked like a scene out of a movie, crumbled buildings, cracked foundations, the whole thing looked yellow, as if the greater power people always talk about just took a piss on it and gave up.

"Ruki, how long have you been gone?" The wheelman asked.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"I mean to say, how long has it felt, he said you only spent two or three days there, is that how long you've been gone to you?"

"Yea, give or take, why," both the front seat inhabitants grew grim, "has it been longer?"

"Yea wildcat, a lot longer…two years almost." He shifted, turning a corner, Ruki just sat in silence, soaking in the information, so I changed the subject.

"What's your name, Ryo?"

"Yep, and I'm assuming you go by Daisuke?"

"Yea, so how'd you find this old clunker and get it running this well," I asked, giving Ruki a chance to suppress her feelings.

Henry butted in before Ryo could speak, "I'd hardly say running well, this damn thing's as unreliable as playing fetch with a cat."

"Bite me, it's still going," Ryo said proudly.

"Hah, it's a 4g63, it ain't right unless something's going wrong." I smiled, at the idea; I'd worked on a few of these.

"Is Renamon still alive," I think she was scared of the answer, her lavender eyes fell pale, maybe the yellow light was the cause, probably not, I knew the feeling, that your best friend is gone, you weren't there to protect them, help them, take their place. I know because it was her digimon, they're almost a part of you, the times I almost lost V I knew just the thought could kill me as well. My friend, my protector, and my brother, it was the same for her.

"Yea, but…" Ryo looked over to Henry; this didn't look good at all, I looked over to Ruki, her pale eyes turned to a pale body.

"We call the first attack the Initiative, by the time we regained our footing to attack back Renamon had gone after them. She was unable to get to you in time, or so she thought, your house was at the center of the attack, it appeared to be the first thing they hit. Either way after she got back, badly injured," Ruki closed her eyes, trying to not let too much emotion escape, her face even cause me pain, I knew she wanted to just give up knowing how much Renamon hurt, she hurt, "she recovered only to lead many attacks on the Enchantressmon clone. But this last attack she was captured, we couldn't get back to her, I'm sorry Ruki, I really am."

"It's not your fault Ryo, I know you tried, I…" she trailed as her gaze moved back to the torn battlefield she once called home, I recognized some of the areas almost like home, but so different..

"No it's not your fault, I made a promise to you I'd get you home, I made that, now I'll make this one," I made her look at me, "I, we, will get her back, you will be alright, your world, we'll figure this out." My mind gazed a moment over how we crossed time, apparently this thing, Ruki does or whoever, moves us through dimensions, as well as time, so it is possible to keep my promise, "I won't let my promise be an empty one." She stared into my eyes.

"We're here," Ryo stated, I don't think he likes me, I don't care I love her…