Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own When the World's Not Ending, by Smartalec121 or any of their associated works.

Off the Beaten Path

Chapter: 34/ Love is Like a Promise

"Why me? I don't get it. Just…why?"

Guilmon trailed after Takato worriedly. Since Rika's confession, his Tamer's scent became greatly confused and agitated. Being told that she wasn't 'head over heels' for him did nothing to alleviate his distress. If anything, the admission that she held feelings for him of any kind – admitting to a desire to make him happy – made things worse.

Guilmon found himself wishing the alternate Jeri they encountered were here to talk to Takato and help him make sense of it all. While he could understand the reasons for her not staying to chat, he wondered if it would help put her memory to rest. The Jeri of this world haunted Takato like a ghost.

"I failed her, Guilmon," he remembered him saying once. "It's all my fault."

"It's not your fault."

Takato halted. Turning, he raised an eyebrow at his partner. Guilmon, seeing that he had spoken out loud, immediately became flustered.

"Sorry. I was just thinking out loud."

"A-About what?" Takato asked.

"About Rika's feelings for you." It wasn't quite true, but not a lie either. "Some people can't help how they feel about someone. You and Jeri liked each other."

Takato looked away, his expression conflicted.

"She shouldn't like me though. I haven't done anything."

"Sure, you have," Guilmon said. "You were just being you. Isn't that enough?"

"But she shouldn't!" Takato protested. "She shouldn't want to like me. She… Guilmon, what if she…?"

Guilmon, upon approaching his partner, laid a comforting claw on the boy's back. Once upon a time, he would have said that nothing bad would happen as long as they were together, but such claims didn't ring true anymore. They lost so many friends now despite being together.

"Maybe if she gets stronger, things will be less likely to go wrong?" he offered.

"Things wouldn't go wrong at all if she wasn't my friend to begin with," Takato countered. He grated his teeth together and clenched his eyes shut. "Jeri was my friend, and look where it got her. And it's going to get her too."

Even now, he heard her scream.

If ever there was a point that Takato could identify as the moment everything went wrong, it had been when Jeri started screaming. While he had been aware for months of the reality of his situation and stated such before, it had been tinged with a sense of childlike wonder. Not even Vikaralamon's rampage and the grinding, never ending battle with Indramon, had removed that sense of fantasy and adventure that filled him when they went to the digital world. Jeri had tried to curb such tendencies in Kazu and Kenta when they announced their excitement of heading into the wild digital yonder. They were there on a mission and not for fun, she had said. In retrospect, it felt like a warning that went unheeded by all but Henry and Leomon.

And when Leomon finally paid for their carelessness, it all snapped into focus.

"But I'm your friend too, and look where it got me," Guilmon pointed out. "I wouldn't exist if it weren't for you. Kenta wouldn't have MarineAngemon either and your parents wouldn't have you either. You're my best friend, and I know there's no one out there who could be better than you. I'm sure Rika thinks the same thing." He massaged Takato's back, hoping to comfort him. "Takato… You're not cursed like in stories. Sometimes things happen. Sometimes they don't. You shouldn't be alone just because you're scared things might go wrong."

Takato trembled and his chest grew tight. He desperately wanted it too not be true. But he couldn't help but recognize how clearly his partner saw things compared to him. What Guilmon said was correct. He wasn't 'cursed' and Guilmon was one of the best digimon he ever knew. Even compared to some humans, his partner stood out as one of the kindest, gentlest souls he ever met and even now he couldn't imagine life without him. Expanding the view even wider, the world owed much of its continued existence to Guilmon. He made mistakes. Terrible mistakes and he would live with that burden for the rest of his life. But if he took that burden and turned it into a chain to isolate himself from the world instead of a way to get better – to get stronger – so such things never happened again, he would be letting everyone around him down.

"You're right," he said in a shaky voice. "I've been afraid for so long now that I've turned into a coward."

"I don't think you're a coward, Takato," Guilmon protested. "But it's natural to be scared."

Takato barked a laugh and then turned to his partner. His smile felt rigid and stonelike. Almost fake. "Skating on sausages is natural?" he asked.

"Just because it's silly doesn't mean it's not natural. I've felt scared a lot of times. But when I'm with you, being scared doesn't feel as important. It feels like, when we're together, we have a chance of getting through things. I think Rika saw that too when she went to that other world."

Takato found himself nodding. His doubts remained. He supposed they always would, especially on days like today. He felt a little better about them though. The world survived after all. The team – what was left of it – survived too. Had been doing so for the last few years. But they needed to do more than just 'survive' however, and for him to do his part in that, he needed to come to terms with the past.

"No 'I' in team," Takato said. After rubbing an arm across his damp eyes, Takato gave Guilmon a wan smile. "That's what Tai said in the show, right? Only…" His face fell. "…I still don't know how to feel about Rika."

"She said she'll be fine and to take all the time you need," Guilmon pointed out. "She knows, Takato. She might not know the details, but she knows. I can see it in her eyes when she's looking at you."

Takato opened his mouth to say something when, off in the distance, they heard a loud bang. Both Takato and Guilmon went rigid at the sound. It was one they heard before. Heard numerous times in the digital world. Since Leomon's death, it was forever imprinted in their memories.

The sound of Beelzemon's gun.

"I smell digimon!" Guilmon announced, his eyes dilating.

Rika! The thought burst through both their minds with crystal clarity. They didn't know how or why they knew Rika was the target – though the direction of the sound no doubt played a role in determining that – but they knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it involved her and she and Renamon were in a fight with a Beelzemon. They needed to help her fast!

Takato's digivice flashed with light before he even had a chance to pull it out. Seconds later, his and Guilmon's united form of Gallantmon was leaping through the air, crimson cape billowing behind them.

###

He very nearly arrived too late when he came crashing down in front of the fallen Rika and Kyubimon. His lance thrust forth, nearly skewering the Beelzemon, who danced out of the way just in time. The Demon Lord fired, still trying to get at the pair, but Gallantmon's shield rose up, intercepting the bullets from the Beelzemon where they shattered harmlessly.

"Sorry, I'm late. Are you alright?" Gallantmon asked Rika, his eyes fixated on her attacker. He appeared to be identical to the Beelzemon he fought in the digital world, save for white instead of black. An ice-themed subspecies, he guessed. From within the Royal Knight, Takato felt his and Guilmon's emotions sharpen suddenly and anger surged through him like a rushing river.

"Better now that you're here," he heard Rika reply. She sounded relieved. Happy even and understandably so. Takato felt a little better for that, but they weren't out of the woods yet.

"That will change in short order," the IceBeelzemon said, his voice smooth and silken in a way that made Takato's skin crawl. Yet, he heard doubt in the Demon Lord's voice. Rika laughed. Laughed. He heard her laugh before, and always she had a beautiful, musical quality to her voice. More, her laughter echoed complete and utter confidence in him. He could hear it. The part of him that still questioned, wondered where such faith came from, but he pushed it aside for now.

"Get ready to be disappointed," she answered from behind him.

Time to get to work!

With a thunderous battle cry, Gallantmon leapt at IceBeelzemon. Rather than retreating, the Demon Lord pivoted in place, swinging his gun about to get a better angle at Rika. His shield went up, once more intercepting the bullets and deflecting them with ease. His lance snaked out from underneath and thrust up at IceBeelzemon. Leaping up, the demon evaded the stab and, upon landing atop the weapon, used it to catapult himself backward. His second gun came out and both spat bullets at him in rapid succession. Gallantmon blocked them all and bore down on him. IceBeelzemon stood his ground. Dumping his guns to the side, he ducked underneath Gallantmon's lance and slammed a fist home into the knight's armored stomach. Gallantmon grunted and brought his shield to the forefront, smacking his opponent off to the side.

Smirking as he fell, IceBeelzemon extended a hand and one of his guns immediately flew back into it. Taking aim, he fired again at Rika.

"Frozen Impact!"

"No!" Gallantmon shouted in horror. Fortunately, Kyubimon, having recovered, swiftly snatched Rika out of the path of the oncoming hailstorm. IceBeelzemon cursed and attempted to track her, but Gallantmon's armored boot slammed home into his stomach, sending the Demon Lord flying into a nearby wall, shattering it at the same time Rika was removed from his vision.

"Don't you touch her!" Gallantmon shouted as he furiously stormed toward IceBeelzemon into the yard. A red haze settled over his mind. For half a second, Takato and Guilmon were back in the digital world, beneath a blood-red sky, hearing Jeri scream as Leomon died in front of her.

I'll stop you for sure this time, Beelzemon, Takato and Guilmon growled mentally. Lightning crackled brightly at the tip of his lance. The light flashing across the lawn, a small child became illuminated in a window.

Hearing their terrified scream, the red haze of memory and death abruptly fled from Gallantmon's thoughts. They were back in the real world and their attention snapped onto the child at the window. He froze and the lightning in his lance winked out of existence. Smirking at his hesitation, IceBeelzemon extended a hand and a sword materialized in his grasp. It was long. Easily the length of his entire body with a bulky, wide blade erupting from a skull serving as its handguard. With a laugh, he lunged at Gallantmon, sweeping the monstrous weapon up in a wide arc. Gallantmon jerked to attention and, upon seeing the oncoming attack, threw himself backward, narrowly avoiding being decapitated.

"That's Titamon's! How…?!"

IceBeelzemon didn't give him a chance to finish. He continued to swing at him, and the blade shore through the concrete wall separating the yard from the street. Gallantmon again retreated, bringing up his shield to protect himself. He grunted as the sword bit into the Chrome Digizoid metal, ripping great gouges along its surface.

"Takato! We can't keep this up!" Guilmon exclaimed between swings. "If he hits us, we'll go all blue and scary again!"

"I know, boy. I've got an idea. It's going to be rough. Sorry."

"Oh, boy… I'm going to need a lot of peanut butter later, aren't I?"

Steeling themselves, the duo threw their unified body forward. Their shield, as expected, caught the edge of the sword and as it proceeded to slice through, they jerked it to the side. The blade, caught in the metal, was wrenched out of IceBeelzemon's hands. Dismissing the shield to get rid of the bulky weapon, Gallantmon surged past it. His lance – too long now for the range they were at – vanished as well. IceBeelzemon had half a second to realize what was about to happen when Gallantmon's fist drove itself into his mouth. His head snapped back in a shower of digital blood and shattering fangs. Recovering quickly, the Demon Lord furiously lunged, eager to return the favor, his claws sweeping out in wide, slashing motions. Gallantmon was ready for him however. Falling into a stance like a drawn bow, the warrior, using small, conservative movements, brushed against IceBeelzemon's first blow, his gauntlets smoothly flowing over his opponent's wrist, redirecting it harmlessly away before snatching hold of it tight. Utilizing his opponent's momentum now, he flung IceBeelzemon over his shoulder and slammed him hard into the ground, causing cracks to splinter along the surface of the street.

"I think we got him on the ropes!" Takato crowed triumphantly from within his data sphere as IceBeelzemon rolled away from him.

"If that's the case, then why is he smiling?" Guilmon asked. Indeed, IceBeelzemon's ruined mouth was curled into a snarling smile. The kind Takato saw on bullies when their pain brought a promise of later revenge.

Their momentum jerked to a sudden halt and they looked down to find ice creeping up their legs, freezing them in place.

"Careless," IceBeelzemon chuckled, recovering now. "It's no wonder why your little friend killed herself. She knew you couldn't protect her. Couldn't save her."

A spark lit in Takato's heart at that and from it fury erupted in his heart, igniting his whole being as though molten lava had been injected into his veins. He knew what happened to Jeri?! Outwardly, Gallantmon's golden eyes shifted color, becoming a burning, demonic red.

IceBeelzemon, circled about and snatched up Titamon's fallen sword.

"So weak," IceBeelzemon laughed. "She did the smart thing. A pity you were too weak to join her."

Black mist licking at the edge of the blade, the Demon Lord swung Titamon's sword with murderous force.

With a furious cry, Gallantmon ducked. The blade clove through his cape, sheering it off. His legs strained against the ice and as his anger grew, it cracked. It splintered. It shattered. His legs ripped free and as the crimson light in his eyes blazed with even brighter fury, his lance reformed in his hand and lightning sparked at its tip. IceBeelzemon, overextended now, stood with his side exposed.

"Don't you dare talk about her that way!" he shouted, preparing to release all his power. IceBeelzemon continued to smile.

"You're about to kill humans," he said simply. "You're about to kill her."

Gallantmon's eyes went wide, remembering the houses all around them. The red light in his eyes winked out of existence as did the spark of electricity growing around the tip of his lance.

Whirling about in midair, IceBeelzemon swung Titamon's sword up and down. Reflexively, Gallantmon brought his lance up to ward, only to remember the weapon's deadly sharpness too late. It cleaved easily through his lance and glided down along his chest, scouring a great, metal tear through his armor before smashing into the street. The ground exploded, flinging Gallantmon backward in a spray of debris and digital blood.

###

Rika saw it immediately once the battle began. Intuited it before she could put it into words. She had just begun to voice the matter when Kyubimon yanked her out of the way of a pair of ice bullets.

"T-Thanks," Rika breathed once the kitsune secured her around a corner. The earth shook violently as Gallantmon continued to battle IceBeelzemon.

Kyubimon nodded and peered around the corner just in time to spot Gallantmon plowing IceBeelzemon through a wall. "You were about to say something concerning their fight," she said urgently. "What's wrong?"

"IceBeelzemon… He's sealing Gallantmon's movements."

Kyubimon frowned, looking back at the girl.

"What do you mean?"

"He's not retreating or anything," Rika hastened to explain. "He's going for a knock out brawl in a narrow street full of houses and people and still trying to shoot me. Takato and Guilmon can't use their attacks here. Not in the same way they could in the parks or in a more open space like the sky."

Narrowing her eyes, Kyubimon returned her attention to the fight. Gallantmon was pushed back out of the wreckage of the wall. IceBeelzemon emerged, bearing a horrifyingly familiar sword, hacking and slashing. Kyubimon's fur rose up at the sight, but she forced herself to focus.

He loaded Titamon's data after his death. That's the only explanation. He must have been here for some time, watching us and waiting. Studying our weaknesses. Rika's correct. He is sealing Gallantmon's movements. In the confined space of these streets with his larger, bulkier body, he can't move well.

"We should move the fight then to more favorable terrain," Kyubimon agreed. "But where?"

"Gyoen National Garden," Rika stated without hesitation. "There's plenty of space there. I just need to get frost boy's attention."

"We," Kyubimon corrected. "You'll also need your digivice. You dropped it."

Rika nodded. She risked a look around the corner. Gallantmon had changed his approach now. He dismissed his lance and shield and, after falling into what looked like a martial arts stance, proceeded to brutally punch IceBeelzemon before then countering the Mega's own counterattack, flinging him over his shoulder and smashing him to the ground. Rika, realizing that Takato was a far better fighter than she initially thought, began to actually entertain the idea that they wouldn't even need her plan at all.

Then came the turnaround.

Ice crept up Gallantmon's legs – again, sealing him in place. IceBeelzemon, recovering, took back up Titamon's sword, all the while saying something Rika couldn't quite make out. Not that she needed to hear what was said. Gallantmon's response was more than enough for her.

"Don't you dare talk about her that way!"

Takato!

She watched as he evaded IceBeelzemon's attack and broke free from the ice trap. Saw him reform his lance and lightning crackled at its tip, preparing to unleash his full power at pointblank range, seemingly without regard for the people still around him.

And then he hesitated, realizing what he was about to do, giving IceBeelzemon all the time he needed to regroup and counterattack with Titamon's sword. The street exploded.

###

"Found them," Tally reported from her position above Himiko. On the wall, a screen lit up, showcasing a plume of smoke and dust rising in the eastern end of Shinjuku. Himiko recognized it as belonging to Rumiko's neighborhood.

"Took long enough," Himiko grumbled. "Do we know who the combatants are?"

"Not yet. There's a lot of interference coming from the Wild One. I need some time to clear up the congestion."

"Status then on Kenta or anyone we were able to contact."

"Kenta should be arriving there shortly."

Himiko clenched her fists together tightly, doing her best to ignore the mile-a-minute pounding of her heart. "And Juggernaut?"

"Active. But I don't recommend using it while the fighting is in a residential area."

Himiko fought the urge to scream in frustration. Emergency crews were already on their way and could help with evacuating people, but events were proceeding too slowly and for some reason the children weren't taking the fight somewhere else.

What is going on down there?!

###

Kenta and MarineAngemon cautiously navigated their way through the cloud of dust that settled over Rika's neighborhood like a thick fog, protected by the pink heart bubble that surrounded them. Kenta felt a chill run the length of his spine. He could hear the sounds of people shouting and screaming. Distantly, the alarms of emergency response vehicles echoed, signaling their approach, but to him they might as well be an eternity away. Some people apparently felt the same way as he could see them running out of their homes. Upon seeing him, they shied away. Kenta didn't pursue them. He knew they wouldn't speak to him anyway.

"Pih?" MarineAngemon said, looking around them. Kenta shook his head.

"We won't know until we find them. Don't worry. I'm sure they're okay, buddy."

How he wished he felt as confident as he sounded.

"Please!" A familiar voice caught his attention. "My daughter! I'm trying to find my daughter! Someone tell me if they've seen her! Rika! Rika!"

"Pih!"

Kenta nodded in agreement. That did sound like Rika's mother. Hopping out of the protective heart bubble, Kenta followed the sound with his partner flying quickly behind. Within short order they found Rumiko and her mother making their way through the thick cloud. Rumiko looked frantic and her makeup was smeared from crying and dust. She ran unceasingly, looking about her in as many directions as she could in the hopes of spotting her daughter. Her mother, by comparison, followed more carefully and had her shirt pulled up over her mouth to protect her breathing. Her eyes wove about, peering closely for even the slightest sign of Rika's presence. When she lit upon Kenta, her eyebrows rose in recognition.

"Kenta! Have you seen my granddaughter?"

"Who…?" Rumiko spun around. "Oh! You're one of the boys Rika had over! Where is she?"

"I-I just got here myself," Kenta explained regretfully. "You two shouldn't be here if it's dangerous!"

"B-But Rika…!"

"Takato! Takato!"

"Pih!" MarineAngemon exclaimed excitedly as Rika's cry echoed from further down the street. Rumiko broke into a run, calling her daughter's name loudly.

"Rumiko!" cried out Seiko, starting after her. "Wait!"

Kenta started to run forward, but paused when he felt his foot kick something. Looking down, he spotted Rika's digivice clattering away from him. Kneeling down, he quickly picked it up and chased after Rika's mother and grandmother. He quickly overtook them and interposed himself at the front protectively. MarineAngemon, seeing his intentions hung closer to them. Drawing nearer, Rika and Kyubimon's shadowy figures came into view in front of a broken wall. Rika's eyes were wide with shock as she stared upon the fallen, battered form of Gallantmon where he lay, dark blood oozing out of his armor, staining the grass below with thick, dark puddles.

"Oh no…" Kenta heard himself whisper. Vertigo seized him and he just barely managed to keep from passing out then and there.

Hearing him, Rika whirled about at him, fearful. Upon spotting him, he saw hope bloom in her eyes. "Kenta! Thank goodness you're here! Takato and Guilmon! They're hurt! They… Mom?! Grandma?!"
"Rika! Look out!"

With a speed that took Kenta by surprise, Kyubimon shoved Rika out of the way, saving her from being bisected by a horrifyingly familiar sword. The street where they had been broke beneath its weight and proceeded to cave inward. Looking up, Kenta expected to see Titamon, reborn and looking for round two, only to find instead a different but no less familiar nightmare. A Beelzemon. His mouth fell open as he found himself taken back to that terrible day, watching a digimon they once called their friend loading the data of Jeri's partner.

"I'll keep loading data until no one can stop me! No one! No one!"

"Oh, no…" he whispered, feeling his legs grow weak.

"Ah, the brave Tamer of MarineAngemon," IceBeelzemon mocked. "Still haven't found your courage yet, have you? Good. If you stay that way, you might live a little longer." He turned back toward Rika. "As for you…"

"Pih!"

Frowning, IceBeelzemon found MarineAngemon fly in front of Rika and Kyubimon, tiny wings spread open protectively and eyes glaring defiance. Drawing out his shotgun, IceBeelzemon scoffed.

"Well, you can't say that I didn't warn you."

"No!"

Kenta's shout came loud and he scrambled for cards. His movements came so agonizingly slowly to him though, and in the time it took for him to draw them out of his pocket – and watch them spill out to the ground – the report of IceBeelzemon's gun cracked upon the air. However, terror of losing his partner and another friend this time fueled reflexes he never knew could have existed before. At the sight of one particular card with a bright, sunlike logo emblazoned upon its surface, he snatched it out of the air and slashed it through the slot of his digivice without a so much of a second thought.

"Digi-modify! WarGreymon's Brave Shield activate!"

The golden barrier fell into place before MarineAngemon just in time for IceBeelzemon's bullet to strike it. Snarling, IceBeelzemon fired several more times before giving up. His eyes swung about and then lighted upon Rumiko.

"You can't protect everyone," he said, taking aim. Rumiko's eyes went wide as IceBeelzemon pulled the trigger. His shotgun kicked and spat forth another ice bullet. It sped toward the woman, aimed directly at her chest.

"Rumiko! NO!"

Rumiko gave a startled cry as she found herself suddenly shoved out of the path of the bullet. There came an explosion, a hailstorm of debris and Seiko screamed. From beneath MarineAngemon's Brave Shield, Rika watched her grandmother fall to the ground and there go still. Slowly, crimson began to seep out from beneath her. The next thing Rika heard was screaming. Her own. Her mother's.

The dragons.

Large, serpentine and mechanical-looking in appearance, the cloud of dust was swept aside by the beast's great wings as it burst from the sky. It roared loudly, causing IceBeelzemon to stagger backward in surprise. He fired upon it, but the blasts did little to affect it. The dragon plowed into IceBeelzemon. The Demon Lord caught its face with his claws, attempting to stop his attacker dead in its tracks. The dragon however pushed hard and IceBeelzemon's spiked boots dug deep trenches into the ruined street as he found himself forced back. Another shadow fell over him and he chanced a look to find Antylamon dropping in from above as well, hands transformed into double-bladed axes. Fear wrote itself on IceBeelzemon's face, seeing he was rapidly becoming outnumbered.

###

"Grandma!"

Rika ran over to the fallen woman, hoping beyond hope that she was alright. Her mother was already at her side. One hand was covering her mouth.

"R-Rika!" she said at her daughter's approach. "Don't. Don't…Don't look. She… Oh, my God…"

"Grandma?" Rika's voice quavered. "Is she…?"

Rumiko burst out crying in response and Rika felt a block of ice drop into the pit of her stomach. Her whole world went black and she found that she couldn't move. Her grandmother… The woman she grew up with and had been almost like a mother to her… She couldn't be dead!

Kenta pushed past her and dropped to Seiko's side. His face went pale as he looked her over, but he pressed his fingers against her throat, searching for a pulse.

"She's still alive!" he announced, and Rika felt a flood of relief go through her. Her legs unhinged themselves and she collapsed.

"Thank goodness…" she breathed, the block of ice vanishing from within her. Yet, even as it disappeared, a new emotion replaced it. Anger. Anger at herself for allowing this to happen in the first place, and anger at IceBeelzemon. And something else. Something more. A desire, intense and blazing in a manner she had never felt before rose up within her. Without thinking, she drew out a card from her deck box.

"I want to protect my family," she said softly, willing that desire into the card. Into the Renamon emblazoned on its surface. A blue sheen materialized over its surface, replacing the fox digimon. In the back of her mind, she felt Kyubimon's attentiveness, waiting for her to decide what to do next.

"Are you fine with this, Kyubimon?" she asked the vulpine digimon through their connection.

"Yes."

Rika climbed to her feet. "My digivice…" she began, looking about her surroundings.

"H-Here!" Kenta scrambled over to her. He cast a glance back over at the unconscious Seiko before handing Rika her digivice. She took it gratefully and set the blue card to the slot in her digivice.

"Digi-modify!" she shouted and bright sparks flew from the slot. "Matrix digivolution activate!"

Kyubimon reared back on her hind legs as power surged through her. Her body elongated and became more human-shaped. A robe with long sleeves emblazoned with the symbols of yin and yang with towering plates on her shoulders materialized about her. Golden fur became blue, matching the color of the mask that formed over her face. Her irises, previously blue, now shifted to a blood red.

"Kyubimon! Matrix digivolve tooo… Doumon!"

Her robe fluttering in the wind, Doumon basked in the sensation of returning to the Ultimate level – to this form – again. She didn't linger however, as the battle reminded her of her duties. She looked down at Rika and nodded to her.

"I'll return," she said. "I promise."

With a gentle tap on the broken street, she flew after the combatants.

###

IceBeelzemon ducked and wove now. Antylamon lay battered and defeated on the ground, but the dragon remained stubbornly conscious, slashing at him with both fang and claw. Deciding he needed to take a bit of a risk as the battle was taking too long, he leapt into the air, hoping to bait the beast into attacking him with something stronger. As hoped, the dragon reared up and opened its maw. A glow of golden light shone in the back of its throat. Smirking, IceBeelzemon tapped into data he absorbed long ago. A large yellow seashell materialized before him just as the dragon fired an energy blast. The beam rode into the seashell and there, vanished from sight. Smiling triumphantly, IceBeelzemon brought one end of the shell to his lips.

"Horn of Desolation," he pronounced before giving a blast of his own.

The dragon's beam rocketed out from the shell and slammed into its armored body, driving it back to the ground below, whereupon it struck with ferocious force, causing the street to explode upon impact. IceBeelzemon withdrew the shell from his lips, quite pleased with his handiwork.

The dragon, battered and bruised, heaved up from the smoke and dust cloud, roaring with rage. IceBeelzemon tsked unhappily. Movement from out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he saw a new digimon flying toward him. A Doumon, and a dangerous aura surrounded her. As he watched, she summoned a series of blood-red scrolls. They flew towards him, eager to wreath themselves around his body. They glowed ominously and he knew they carried curses of death for him.

Curses about and fangs below, he mused, seeing the dragon flying at him as well.

"Time to go," he said. With that, a cloud of ice and mist particles bloomed about him and he faded from view.

###

Red and blue flashed across Rika's face as she watched the ambulance finish loading her grandmother into the back. The paramedics hopped inside with her and closed up behind them. She gripped her digivice tightly in her hand, watching the ambulance retreat down the road, chased after by Takato's seconds later. Doumon stood behind her, as did Rumiko and Kenta. She clenched her teeth together, anger and helplessness flashing through her heart.

"Rika," prodded Rumiko, tugging at her sleeve. "We've got to go. Your father is on his way. We-We should be home when he arrives so we can leave as soon as possible."

Rika didn't answer just yet. She continued to watch the ambulances until they vanished from her view. Her grip about her digivice tightened. In the war for dominance over her heart, anger won out over helplessness.

"I'll protect them," she said under her breath. "I'll protect everyone!"

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