Chapter six - The One They Call Flaremon

I held my breath and waited for Terriormon's reply. "I do know what attacked me," he said calmly. He stopped speaking for a moment as if he was listening for movement of someone ready to eavesdrop. I held my breath and didn't move an inch. Finally, he spoke. "And it wasn't a what, but a who." His voice lowered. "It was Rika."

The branches I was holding fell out of my hands, creating an echo of the impact as it made contact with the ground. As if he had super speed, Ryo was in front of me without a moment too soon giving me a sympathetic look. I clutched my chest, my mind racing at Terriormon's words. There's no way I could have harmed them ... there's no way I could have harmed them and not remember doing so...

"Rika?" Ryo said softly.

I took a step back. "No ... Akiy - Ryo ... don't ... don't come near me."

Ryo took a step closer, "Rika, we're not mad. We think we know what's happening."

"Yeah, I already know what's happening." I said. My face was growing hot. It wasn't so much that I was angry but more ashamed over being ignorant to the fact I was creating the mess that winded Ryo and the others in danger. How could I ever look at them again without feeling like a monster?

"You don't know what's happening, Rika. Terriormon, help me here." His voice almost sounded like he was pleading. Terriormon came out from behind the tree on the opposite side of Ryo. I took a few more steps back before I hit the bark of the tree behind me. I heard it crumble from my touch but made no attempts to move from the partially dangerous structure.

"We're not scared of you. Let's go back to the camp and figure this out." Terriormon said.

I shook my head. "You all just need to stay away from me before I kill you."

Ryo walked closer to me and was face-to-face. He put one hand on my shoulder gently, and the other he used to pin my arm against the tree. "Look, Rika," he began, "we're a team and we need to act like it. You have to listen to us."

Tears began to swell in my eyes and I looked down. "No. I'm putting you and everyone else in danger."

"You're only putting Terriormon and myself in danger," he replied.

"What about the others? They're on their way and they don't know."

He shook his head and let go of me. "They're not coming. They took a different way."

I was shocked by his words. "You lied to me," I said as a statement, not a question. The tears that wanted to escape managed to crawl back into their home. I tried not to show my anger that was now building inside me. "Why?"

Before Ryo could have time to reply, a fiery arm emerged from the air, knocking him several yards away. Terriormon rushed in front of me and screamed "Terrior Tornado." The tornado came toward me. I ducked and heard the rabbit hit the tree I was just up against. The force of his attack knocked the tree down and it came falling toward me. I raised my arm up against the tree to form protection that clearly wont do any good considering I'm about to be squished.

"Terriormon!"

"Sorry!" The tree fell a couple inches beside me. I looked up at Terriormon, my heart practically tearing through my chest. He was now standing on top of it and looking down at me. "Sorry," he said again. He released a sigh and flopped on his belly. "Thought you were going to be crushed for a minute there."

XXX

We were back at the camp fire not too soon after nearly turning into a lawn ornament from the tree. Ryo sat across from me and Terriormon alone a distant away from the fire. I had my knees pressed against my chest and as I rocked back and forth, staring at the flickering flames.

Ryo gave a small, uncomfortable cough. "Terriormon knows what happened." I didn't respond to what he said. "He was telling me when you went to get some sticks that -"

"-that Flaremon is the cause of the Digital World crisis," Terriormon finished. I gave no notion that I even heard, though I was listening intently. "It wasn't long after we came back to the Digital World that things began to change. The Digimon sovereigns were greatly weakened because of the D-Reaper." I watched from my eye as Terriormon shifted to look at me. "Flaremon was in an outrage about many Digimon sacrificing themselves for the sake of the human world."

"So he decided to take action and bring his thoughts to Azulongmon." Ryo broke in.

Terriormon sighed. "Right, but Azulongmon wanted nothing to do with him and told him that it was for the greater good. Flaremon disagreed and began to rebel. He gathered Digimon who shared his thoughts and attacked the already weakened sovereigns." Terriormon paused and looked back at the fire.

"So then what happened?" I asked. Terriormon and Ryo looked at me. Ryo smiled.

"Guess you were listening, huh, princess?"

I was about to retaliate, but Terriormon interrupted. "He defeated Azulongmon, Zhuqiaomon, and Ebonwumon." Ryo threw a couple more sticks into the fire as we waited for Terriormon to continue. "Baihumon managed to stop Flaremon....after Flaremon killed Renamon."

Tears began flowing through my eyes as I recalled the first night here. The night I almost drowned...the night all of this began to happen. "I-I watched him kill her. In my dream." I looked at Ryo. He frowned.

"She saved me," the rabbit mumbled. "I told her to run but she was so sure Flaremon was just having a temper. She tried to stop him as he attacked me and they fought. Flaremon told her that you're next...."

I stood up and Ryo stood up as well. "You're not going anywhere, Rika." He said.

"I just need time to think," I lied. I want to run away and never look back at them.

"No you don't," he growled. "Listen to the rest of the story." He walked over and grabbed my arm, yanking me down with him as he sat. "Please, Terriormon, tell us what happened to Flaremon."

"I don't want to know," I said.

"Yes you do, Rika." Ryo hissed. I realized this was one of those rare moments where Ryo actually showed a bit of annoyance, or anything other than his cheerful attitude. Normally he is very happy-go-lucky, with a smile always plastered on his perfect face. His smile ... something that melted my heart each time I looked at hi- wait, no! What am I thinking? I shook my head. Ryo released his grip on my arm and placed it around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. I hesitated a moment before relaxing.

"The fight was over the old Sea of Peace. It is now known as the Crimson Ocean," Terriormon told us. "The name was given to it after Flaremon was defeated. His digidata was absorbed by the lake, turning it red.

"After the lake changed, the surrounding area began to change as well. It is now known the way you seen it when you had arrived into the Digital World." He looked at me, different emotions flashing through his eyes; concern, worry, fearful, sympathy, and others. "I believe that what happened to you, Rika, was when you fell into the Crimson Ocean, you some how managed to assimilate part of Flaremon's memory or even data."

I felt Ryo shift uneasily. "So ..." He scratched his head with his free hand. "...it's a great explanation and possibility as to why you are seeing, feeling, and experiencing some of Flaremon's past emotions and memories. Such as ... well ... never mind, but the point is: whatever you have been experiencing was definitely because of that ocean."

I knew Ryo meant I was seeing a past memory of Renamon's death. The thought stung like a bee sting. Only in the heart. I lowered my head in sadness. "Doesn't explain how I killed Guilmon. Or why I've been seeing Flaremon when no one else has." I noticed both Ryo and Terriormon exchange glances of uncertainty. Neither could offer any reasonable explanation as to why either of those two had happened. I let out a tired, yet irritated sigh. "I think it's time we go to bed, then."

"I agree," Ryo yawned. "Terriormon, you take first watch."

Ryo and I said our good-night's to Terriormon and clambered into the small tent Ryo set up earlier. I crawled into my sleeping bag and wrapped up as tight as I could, suddenly realizing how tired I really was. I rolled onto my side facing away from Ryo.

"It's going to be okay, Rika." Ryo whispered.

"What do you mean?" I snapped.

I listened as he ruffled into his sleeping bag, "we'll figure out what's going on. Soon. And I'll be here to protect you, you know that."

"I don't need you to look after me or protect me, Ryo." The truth was, I hoped he would. I was scared of what was going to happen and I'm scared of the position I'm in now. And more importantly, I'm scared of the danger Ryo is going to face by sticking with me.

xxVxx

I woke up in the middle of the night and glanced over at the silhouette of Ryo beside me. Through the small opening of the tent's door's window, I seen the back of Terriormon looking over the smoldering ashes from the fire of the night before. I leaned closer to Ryo and listened to his soft intakes of breath as he slept peacefully. He had no expression on his face and his mouth was slightly open. A bit of drool drizzled from the corner and his hand was stretched out close to my sleeping bag, as if he had the notion to protect me from the harms of the night. For the first time in a long time, I smiled. Authentically, genuinely, smiled. I leaned in closer to his face and gulped; Ryo had turned over so he was on his back. I leaned in even closer, my face practically touching his; heart racing; hands clamming up. I pecked him on the cheek and whispered, "thank-you," before cuddling up into my warm sleeping bag once more.