Chapter 6 of And After That.

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon

Ryo handed the now unconscious Henry to Kazu and Kenta. Ken and Takato came out from behind one of the large trees as Alice looked at Ryo questioningly.

"Take him to a hospital as fast as you can. Make up something crazy if you have to, just get him there." The two boys nodded and ran off dragging Henry with them. "Alice you go too." Alice's eyebrows rose.

"What about you?" Ryo shrugged.

"This is it. What I've been waiting to do since I was three." Alice nodded and hugged him, clinging to him as she remembered everything they had went through together. She remembered how he'd tried to do this once before and how he'd failed. Ryo had ended in coma.

"I'll miss you." She whispered. Ryo nodded in response and gently pushed her away.

"Go." Alice went and hugged Ken and then Takato.

"Be careful you two!" They both nodded and she ran after Henry.

"Well," Ryo murmured. "are you guys ready." There was no answer from the two of them. Ryo grinned. "I'll take that as a yes." Ryo turned around and walked back into the house of Old Man Wicker with his two friends right behind him.

Rika looked back into the box and noticed a bunch of pictures in there. Her eyes narrowed. It had to be Jeri's doing. Rika grabbed the first one and smiled. It was a picture of her and Ryo kissing at Guilmon's hideout, right before they'd went to the digital world and Ryo's untimely death. Rika hadn't notice any cameras. Rika turned the box upside down and let the pictures fall out. One, in particular caught her eye. This was of her and Ryo kissing again, but it was their first kiss. After she'd found out about all the hell Ryo was going through with his father and how he decided to take matters into his own hands to keep everyone safe. Rika had to admit she was glad that there was a picture, but who had taken it. It had only been Ryo and Rika in her yard. Her grandma and mom had been inside, still confused about the arguing Ryo and Rika had done. She set the picture down and glance around when she saw a blood red envelope with a note attached to it.

Rika,

This envelope is very important! You can't tell anyone about it,
not even Jeri. Henry already knows so it's okay to talk to him about
it if you really need to. This envelope contains the key to the digital world.
Azulongmon gave it to me a long time ago. He said he couldn't trust it with anyone else.
Now that I'm gone, I pass it on to you. I trust you more than anything.

I know you'll do what's right.

Ryo

Rika stared at the envelope in awe. She never expect for Ryo to have something like this or for him to pass it to her. What on God's Green Earth made him think she was better than Henry to take care of something like this. She sighed. Only Ryo would do this to her.

Rika put everything that had once been in the box back and stood up. She set the box down on his bed and walked over to his closet. She opened it out of curiosity. Only hoodies and sweaters were in there. The was one sweater in there that was a plain dark blue. Rika and Jeri had put there money together to buy that for Ryo two Christmas' ago. The first time he wore it Rika had jumped up and hugged him. She had knocked him to the ground. Rika had been so happy that day she didn't even be sarcastic with him for the rest of the day. She had been a complete angel and was really nice to him. Rika wouldn't be surprised if Jeri had gotten a picture of them on the ground.

There was a hoodie Rika had just spotted. It was green and black. It was her favorite. She'd told him multiple times that she was going to steal it from him. He let her borrow it after a while. She wore it everyday for a month and when he asked for it back she ran from him. He had to chase her down and wrestle her for it. Obviously he had won. Now there was nothing he could do about it. She pulled Ryo's hoodie off of the hanger and slid it on. Rika went and laid down on his bed, pulling his pillow close to her. She inhaled, letting herself breathe in his scent.

"Takato, are you okay?"

"Yeah." Takato murmured breathlessly, pushing himself up. Ken helped pulled him to his feet. Ryo glanced back at him.

"You should be more careful. There are booby-traps everywhere." Ryo whispered, pushing the two of them behind a wall as a man walked by. Once the hall was clear they started up a set of stairs. "These stairs will lead up to a master bedroom. Hopefully he'll be in there, if not I'll be waiting a while. You two have to get out if he's not there. Understand?" They hesitated, glancing at each other, before nodding. The three of them traveled up the stairs quietly. Making their way to the bedroom at a slow pace.

Ring Ring

Jeri walked to the other side of her bedroom and picked up her cell phone. She looked at the caller ID.

"Hi, Alice!"

"Hello, Jeri. I've got some really bad news."

"Oh, what's wrong? Is Rika okay?" Jeri asked in a panicked voice.

"I don't know. I haven't been able to get hold of her." Jeri sighed. That was typical. "It's Henry. He's at the hospital...in a coma." Jeri gasped as she heard Alice sniffle.

"What happened?" Alice took a deep breath.

"Ryo's father kidnapped me and Henry. He beat up on Henry and put him in a coma. Ryo saved us at the last minuet. The doctor's don't know if Henry's going to wake up or not. Rika won't pick up her cell and I don't know her home phone. I'm freaking out!"

"Oh, Alice. It'll be okay. Look I'll go look for Rika and I'll let their parents know what's going on. I'll take care of everything. You just stay with Henry, in case he wakes up."

"Sure, I'll do that."

"Good." Jeri said and then hung up. She put her cell in her pocket. Jeri tapped her finger against her chin absently. Where would Rika go?

"RIKA AKIYAMA!" Rika jumped awake from where she'd fallen asleep in Ryo's bed. Jeri hit her with the pillow until Rika snatched it away.

"What? And that's not my last name." Jeri gave her a small smile and giggled.

"It sounded cute. You need to go to the hospital. Your mom, grandma an-"

"Why do I need to go to the hospital?" Rika interrupted as she sat up.

"Rika..." Tears started to make there way down Jeri's cheeks. Rika stood.

"Spit it out!"

"Alice called. Henry's in a coma, their not sure if he's going to wake up." Rika's eyes widened in shock. "Your mom called right before I found you and said that they had to put him on-" Rika took off running before Jeri could finish her sentence. Jeri wiped her eyes and followed.

Okay you guys that's it for now.
Next chapter...Ryo's...second death
and then Rika's most inner thoughts and feelings.
2 chapters left until this story ends :(:

R&R

Bee lya