DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, but I do own the OCs introduced in this story and later stories (except where stated).
CHAPTER 7
His Despair
REAL WORLD
Hypnos, Floor 29, Tokyo Metropolitan Building
11:55 JST
3rd July 2010
Ryder, frustrated, redialled the cellphone number. MiniDonmon looked at his partner's pained expressions in fear.
"No, no, she can't be…" he complained. Jeri looked on, concerned.
"Ryder…" she tried to get his attention.
"Quiet…" he replied, putting the phone to his ear, a tense silence descending on the chamber.
"Ryder…" MiniDonmon began, trying to get his partner's attention so as to comfort him.
"Come on…pick up!" Ryder said in desperation.
Ryder suddenly breathed a sigh of relief when the other end picked up.
"Uggh…"
"Mari!" Ryder said, relief dominating his voice. "You're okay!"
"I'm sorry…"
"What?"
"He's here…"
"Who is?"
Ryder began to hear emotion in Mari's voice, and panic. She sounded hurt, and in pain.
"I survived but…"
"What?"
"He's going to kill me…"
"Who is?!"
I guess this is it…I love you…" she told him, her voice breaking into tears.
"Wait!"
"Goodbye Ryder…"
"Mari!" Ryder yelled, as the phone was hung up, a long dial tone echoing like a heart rate machine. He had let her come back to Tokyo with him, her death was his fault.
Ryder screamed in frustration, the phone cracking in his hand as he crushed it with his anger. He turned to his partner, who leapt off his shoulder, as Ryder tapped his D-Vice, MiniDonmon glowing.
DIGIVOLUTION
MiniDonmon Digivolve to…Donmon!
"What are you…" Jeri began to ask.
Ryder, ignoring Jeri's question, ran through the sliding doors, getting through them literally just as the gap became wide enough. Donmon followed him, and the resounding smash that followed surprised all in the room as the glass shattered, Ryder and Donmon leaping through it. The light of digivolution enveloped both of them as they began to fall.
BIOMERGE DIGIVOLUTION
Donmon Biomerge Digivolve to…BlazeDonnermon!
Jeri and Elecmon walked to the smashed window pane, followed by Henry and Terriermon who had seen what was going on and were surprised, interrupting their work.
Mouths went agape as BlazeDonnermon flew away, wings tapered back and flying at full speed straight towards his target. Terriermon was the only one to break the silence, looking at the edges of where the window was, small fragments of glass remaining.
"So who pays for that then?" the dog-bunny asked, Henry sighing in response.
Shinjuku Park
11:57 JST
Rika, having dialled the number, sat back down against the wall at the back of the hideout, waiting for Doctor Imai to pick up. Renamon stood near the entrance, keeping watch for anyone who could hear, as Rika awaited the Doctor's voice. She knew that it would be unlikely to be instant, if Dr Imai was seeing a patient, that would be her priority, but Rika was prepared to wait.
Renamon's eyes narrowed as she saw an orange shape fly out of Hypnos and pass through the sky.
'BlazeDonnermon?' she thought, curiosity almost provoking her to follow. She looked back to her Tamer. She would not follow, she was going to help Rika.
Rika smiled, as the phone was picked up. "Dr Imai speaking…"
"Hi…it's Rika…"
"Rika, how are you?"
"I'm fine…are you busy?"
"I have a few minutes to spare…"
"Good…"
"Have you managed to tell him yet?"
"No, I haven't…"
"Have you told anyone?"
Rika looked to her partner. "Yeah, I told my Digimon partner, Renamon…"
"Ah yes, I have seen her on the news…she is a yellow fox, correct?"
"Yeah…"
"Has she been able to help?"
"Well…no, not really, she doesn't know much about this sort of thing, but she's been able to help in her own way."
"Good…have you spoken to anyone since you left the surgery?"
"Yeah, I talked to him, my sister and some of my friends."
"Anything of note?"
"Not particularly, I haven't been able to tell them anything really, although they have noticed my unusual behaviour."
"Where exactly are you?"
"Shinjuku Park…" Rika replied. "I got bored of lying in bed…"
"I see…anything you want to talk about?"
"I was wondering…" Rika began, before pausing.
"Yes?"
"Well…"
"Go on Rika…"
"What the hell do I do?" Rika asked, breaking down from her so far mainly confident talk into the question that she had been asking herself for the past few hours.
Dr Imai sighed. "I'm afraid that I am really unsure how I can help Rika…I could tell him, but I do not think that would be the best course of action. In the end, my responsibility is for you…I am required to be as confidential as you need me to be…"
"Yeah…"
"You are aware, of course, that unfortunately your notability will mean that this pregnancy will not go unnoticed by the public."
"Huh?" Rika asked, suddenly realising a new side to this.
"It is something to be aware of at least."
Rika frowned, her voice taking on further sadness. "Yeah…" she replied sadly.
"Try to think about the positive side of this…you're going to have a child, you're going to bring a new life in the world. Think of the happiness…"
Rika smiled slightly. "Yeah…thanks Dr Imai…"
"Call me any time if you need to talk…"
"I will…" Rika replied. "Bye…"
"Bye…"
The phone was hung up, and Rika sighed, leaning against the wall.
'Rey said I'm going to be a good mother…did she lie?' she thought.
Mitsukoshi Department Store, Ginza
11:58 JST
A ball of energy collided with a cracked pillar above, the explosion shaking the entire building as it began to fall further, the supports of what remains being destroyed one by one, the remaining areas of safety soon to be lost. Occasional screams ran through the building, the screams of those trapped alive, and the screams of those who escaped but turned to see they had lost a loved one.
She felt pain run along her legs, up her torso, along her arms, on her head, everywhere. Her head rested on a metal girder, and what she lay on felt rough and crumbing. Her form was sloped upwards, allowing her to see her attacker, who promptly took out a further pillar with a ball of energy from his hand, the crumbling building causing the screams to continue, and then stop. She looked on in horror, she felt like she would scream herself but she was truly beyond that as the attention of the person in front of her turned to the one remaining pillar, that above her head. Moving her head to better look at him, she saw another shadow next to him.
"Who…are…you…" she asked, each word painful.
He smiled, turning to her, bouncing a ball of red and white energy in his hand. "Remarkably persistent, aren't we?" he asked, his voice sounding far younger than she thought it would be, the shadows of the fallen building stopping her getting a closer look.
"Huh?"
"All the other screams have stopped, haven't you noticed?" he taunted, looking around. Mari began to get a better look at him. He was of teenage age, about seventeen years of age by her reckoning. He had short black hair, and he wore a black jacket with red trim on the edges, and a black shirt, along with black pants. He smirked, looking to the girl in front of him. "They are all dead. Why aren't you?" he taunted.
Mari stayed silent, she was speechless at what had happened and what was happening.
He threw the ball at a wall nearby, debris being thrown everywhere from the blast, ripping through the wall. "Talk!" he ordered, before a realisation dawned on him. "Oh…I get it, I know why you survived…" he chuckled. "Shame that it wasn't enough to kill you…allow my partner to do the honours…" he taunted, the second shadow nodding and advancing. Mari got a look at the form. It was short, with large dull yellow scale-like back armour running from its head all the way down its back to its tail, encrusted with red jewels, and a black furry body, with the same dull yellow again on its underbelly. It stood hunched over on two legs, with two arms and claws above, small yellow shield-like armbands wrapped around them. The armour ran up onto his head, running down either side, and a small tuft of red-brown hair came out of a gap in it. On its head was a small headdress of bronze, with a purple gem encrusted in the top. Overall, he looked like he was dressed as a traditional samurai, and seemed to hold no fear of the collapsing building, as he walked towards Mari, claws shining. He opened his mouth.
"BLADE ATTACK!" he yelled, a katana-like projectile glinting as it moved towards her. She tried to move, the pain preventing any attempts. The boy smiled, looking at her helpless, about to be killed.
'Ryder…' Mari thought, giving up.
"BLACK SHARDS!" yelled a voice, as a blast of black diamonds intercepted the blade, slamming into the wall which exploded, quaking the final pillar into collapsing.
Mari looked on in shock, suddenly feeling fur touch her arms, and saw DarkRenamon kneeling next to her. DarkRenamon put her arms underneath her body, picking her up and moving her away as a girder crashed into where they had stood, before DarkRenamon put her down and they began to run. The boy equally ran for it, partner following as they moved through the collapsing building, before leaping out to land below on the concrete by the road. Mari reached a dead end, turning around in fear to see the building collapsing behind her. She felt arms grab her, and then she was turned around as DarkRenamon leapt backwards, smashing through the wall and landing gracefully (but painfully equally, the vixen's back having taken the brunt of the hit) on the road below, as the building crumbled to the ground. DarkRenamon put Mari down.
"Thank you so much!" she told the black Kitsune.
"It is not a problem…" she replied.
DarkRenamon's eyes narrowed as she looked over Mari's shoulder.
"Get down!" she yelled, pushing Mari to the ground as the blade hit DarkRenamon, throwing her back along the street, scraping along the concrete. Mari looked back in fear.
"DarkRenamon!" she yelled.
The boy chuckled, watching the Kitsune struggle to stand up once again, her data fizzing around the centre where the blade had hit. Mari ran over to DarkRenamon, lifting one of the Kitsune's arms over her shoulder for support.
"Thanks…" DarkRenamon said to her, her breaths laboured and painful, much like Mari's own breaths.
"Aw, such a touching scene…" the boy taunted. "Cut!" he yelled, as the digimon next to him once again opened his mouth, a blade flying from it.
"BLADE ATTACK!" he yelled, the blade precisely aimed for Mari. DarkRenamon stepped forward, ready to take it.
"No!" Mari yelled, unbeknownst that her hands were glowing.
A fireball erupted from the building, colliding with the blade and burning it away as the gas tanks in the building exploded, the remains collapsing as well, fire engines beginning to arrive.
The digimon growled in annoyance at what had happened. "What the hell was that?" the boy asked. "Pah, just good luck…" he added, another ball of energy drawn into his hand.
"Who are you?!" Mari asked, once again supporting the Kitsune.
"It is not even worth you knowing, for you shall be dead soon enough…" the boy replied. "Goodbye!" he replied, throwing the ball of energy at Mari.
Shinjuku Park
12:04 JST
Rika sat, alone with her thoughts, except for her yellow fox-like partner, and of course, the ever present voice in her head.
'You have to tell him…'
'I know I do…I just don't know how…'
Harmony groaned, this was giving her a headache, it had all came as so unexpected, and Rika had been basically unresponsive all day.
Rika glanced up to Renamon, standing at the doorway and looking up to the sky.
"What's wrong?" she asked the Kitsune.
"I just saw BlazeDonnermon fly past…"
"Hmm…"
"He looked angry, and he was flying fast. Something must be happening…Rika, we have to help!"
Rika looked to her partner, before looking to the floor. "I just don't feel like it…"
"Rika, you've lied to everyone, and now you're lying to me and your partner as well…tell us the truth!"
Rika frowned, looking to the ground, sobbing quietly, before her short-lived tears stopped. "What happens if I die…"
"Huh?" Renamon questioned.
"Normally when we fight, we both decide that we have to fight, and agree to face the consequences of it. But the baby can't choose…if I die, it's not only me who loses my life, but the baby too…I've got to be more careful…and I'm not sure enough of my mental readiness right now to face a battle with the confidence that I'll come out the other side in one piece…"
Renamon frowned, looking to her partner, and walking over to her and sitting next to her, putting her arm around the redhead.
"I understand…" she told her partner, as footsteps approached the hideout, Renamon's ears twitching.
"What the hell is going on?" asked a voice. Rika looked up in surprise to see Takato Matsuki, looking back into her eyes in surprise at the scene he had walked in on.
Mitsukoshi Department Store, Ginza
12:04 JST
"SWEPT SLASH!"
The ball of energy, swatted aside, collided with the rubble, kicking it into the air and throwing it down to the ground, pinging like raindrops as it landed on the concrete, blood splattered in places as well. BlazeDonnermon felt like he was going to puke, an act that Ryder knew he would've done if he weren't biomerged with his partner. He landed near Mari.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Mari, pushing down a lump in her throat, nodded. "It's horrific…"
"Beautiful, isn't it?" the boy asked. "It's like rain, but a rain of blood…"
"You are sick!" Ryder replied, turning to face the black-haired boy.
The boy chuckled. "A lot more blood shall flow in the future…and also, you're the one that caused it! You and your heroism act…"
BlazeDonnermon frowned. "Who are you?" he asked.
The boy looked around, noting the police cars and officers that had begun to gather. It would not bode well for his plans if he were captured, although it would only be a momentary delay at best, the spilling of blood returning him to his task. "I best leave…" he replied, turning and walking away. "I have buildings to destroy…"
"Tell me who you are!" BlazeDonnermon ordered, raising a hand with a fireball in it.
The boy chuckled. "Taiki Araki, and BlackRyudamon…go on, use your little toy on him…"
Donmon growled, while Ryder glanced to the 'toy' on his wrist. "BlackRyudamon, Virus Type, Rookie Level, attacks Blade Attack and Helm Return…"
"How do you summon balls of energy?" DarkRenamon asked weakly.
"Call it a talent of mine…now…we'll be leaving…" he replied.
"Stop!" Mari called, as Taiki smirked, his partner and him suddenly vanishing quickly.
"It also says that BlackRyudamon is like a samurai…" Ryder added. Mari frowned, looking up to him.
"We have to stop him!"
"No…I have to stop him…" Ryder corrected. "I don't want you to be hurt again...this time you were lucky to survive…you've got to go back to the apartment…it's not in the line…" he added.
Mari frowned, about to object, before pausing. "Okay…"
"DarkRenamon, make sure she is kept safe, okay?" Donmon asked. DarkRenamon nodded.
"I will protect her with my life…"
Mari looked up to the Kitsune, who looked back to her with a look of complete seriousness. "Thanks…" she told the vixen speechlessly, who nodded.
BlazeDonnermon nodded. "Thanks…" he told the Kitsune, before looking at the devastation. "I can't let this be repeated…" he said, seeing the rubble, the bodies and the blood. The screams had stopped, all those who had done so were now either dead, unconscious, or on their way to hospital, either as a patient or accompanying a loved one, in some cases both.
"Good luck…" Mari told him. He nodded and smiled.
"Thanks…" he told her, before flying into the air. Mari watched him fly away, before frowning and sighing.
"You want to fight, don't you?" DarkRenamon asked.
Mari nodded, looking to the ground on one side with a saddened expression. "I see all these people dying, and I want to stop it…I want to be able to control this…I can't stand just standing back and watching…"
DarkRenamon then surprised Mari by pulling her into an embrace. "I do not wish to do so either Mari…" she told the red-brown haired girl. "But we can't help them if we are dead…" she looked to the sky where BlazeDonnermon had gone. "We'll have to leave this one up to them…"
Mari nodded sadly. "I just want to be a Tamer, that's the truth of the matter…" she said dejectedly.
"And I want to be your partner…" DarkRenamon replied, putting out her hand. "All we can do is hope…"
"Yeah, that some day a D-Vice pops out of thin air. Who am I kidding, I'd make do with one of the original Digivices if I had to."
Mari took DarkRenamon's hand, smiling as Mari looked at the vixen.
"You amaze me DarkRenamon…you really do…you seem to be willing to risk your own life in order to prevent others, today was just an addition to the list. I wish that I could do that…"
"No…" the vixen replied.
"Huh?"
"I don't want you to have to lose your own life…I don't want to see you suffer…I protect you because you helped me, helped me see the truth before I let myself be killed when we were in New York. I owe you a debt of gratitude…"
"You don't owe me anything DarkRenamon" Mari replied. "We help each other, that's what friends do…that's what partners do…"
DarkRenamon nodded. "As you wish…" she replied, as they began to walk back to the apartment.
Shinjuku Park
12:07 JST
"Takato…" Rika greeted, still sounding dejected.
Takato frowned. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking at Renamon with her arm round her, comforting her about lord-knows-what.
"Yeah…"
"Sorry Rika, but I find that really hard to believe right now…" he replied, sitting down on the other side of Rika to Renamon.
"I don't blame you…" Rika replied. "I'm sitting, in the hideout, on my own, being comforted by Renamon and I've been sad all day…people were almost queuing up to talk to me, and I couldn't tell a single one…I've been closed to you all day and I'm really sorry Takato…"
Takato smiled, kissing her as he put his arm round her. "Don't worry, we all have days like that at some point or another…it'll soon pass…"
Rika frowned, she knew that this was one thing that just wouldn't pass by like that.
"So what exactly has got you so…glum…?" Takato asked, fishing around for the exact word in his mind.
Rika frowned. Takato looked at her eagerly, wanting to know the truth. The truth that she still didn't feel ready to tell him. But she wasn't going to lie to him, not again, that was unfair on him, and she wouldn't let herself continue to be lie to him like that…
"I don't want to tell you…"
"Huh? Why not?" Takato asked. "I thought we told each other everything…"
"Yeah, thanks for the Kazu and the nightlight info by the way, it will prove very useful in blackmail…" Rika replied, smiling.
Takato chuckled. "Don't mention it…but still, why can't you tell me?"
Rika frowned. "Look…I really want to tell you, but at the same time, I'm not ready to do so…can you just give me a while to come to terms with it myself…"
"Yeah…" he replied, smiling back to her, and taking her hand in his, putting them palm to palm and putting their fingers between each others.
"Thanks…Takato, I don't say it that often, but you're a really great guy…I'm really glad I have you…"
"Same to you too…" Takato replied. "Although replace guy with girl…"
Rika chuckled. "So why aren't you still working at the bakery?"
"It's all this buildings falling down stuff, everyone in the city is now petrified that they'll be next, no-one's coming to the bakery, so my parents let me go free. I'm heading to Hypnos to see how I can help solve this problem, and stop more people getting hurt. Are you coming?" he asked.
Rika held his hand tighter. "Sure…I want to find out what everyone's been talking about all this morning…" she replied.
TO BE CONTINUED…
And so Rika joins the battle, as does Takato. Everything is set up now as we enter the second arc of this story, and Henry and Terriermon are set to have their own plot explored. A lot of morals will need to be questioned regarding Terriermon's plan, and they don't have much time in which to do so.
Next time…
Will Taiki be beaten? Who is he anyway? Will Rika ever tell Takato?
Find out in 'His Truth', Chapter Eight of Dimensions Book Five: Demons.
