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: 44/ Under the Predator's Wings

Masahiko woke up in his bed, feeling a strange sense of disorientation about his immediate environment. The roof of his part of the bunk stared back at him and he scowled at it in return. He felt something twist fearfully in his belly, and he found he couldn't shake the feeling that something genuinely watched him with a mixture of glee and anger, salivating over him like a candy bar. Trying to shake the unsettling sense loose, he pulled back the covers, and found himself shuddering from an unexpected chill.

"S-So cold…" He hugged himself tightly and quickly scrambled out of bed. The chill deepened at first to the point of being almost painful, and then, just as he yanked open his dresser, began to slacken. Heat trickled back in.

"Why's it so cold?" he wondered. Looking out the window, he saw only a warm, summer morning. As if the sight were enough, the icy bite the air held retreated further, and heat seeped more quickly into his bones. Relaxing, he let out a sigh, and began to more carefully pick out his clothes for the day.

Unburdened by the freezing temperatures now, something began to tickle the back of his mind. He couldn't quite place it, save that he felt a strange sense of familiarity. He remembered that Jeri called it déjà vu. He didn't really understand it, except that it sounded like time travel.

Jeri… He paused, gazing down at the shirt in his hand. It featured a blue-colored cartoon cat with a hole in it. He stared at it for a long moment, that sense of déjà vu suddenly intensifying.

Behind him, he heard a soft moan. Whirling about in surprise, he felt his mouth drop open in shock. In the bunk bed above his, she sat up, her brown hair falling over her amber eyes in a haphazard fashion. She looked haggard and sad, but her skin looked warm and full of life.

"J-Jeri?" he gasped, and his hands began to shake.

Her eyes swung over to his and he saw the sad look pull away, hiding like the sun behind a screen of clouds. A smile curved along her lips.

"Morning, Masahiko," she greeted. She cast a sidelong glance at the window. "Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day."

While Masahiko watched, her eyes changed, becoming lost and wistful. Her eyes hung on the window, as if looking at something on the roof rather than the day outside. He had seen her do that before so, so many times since her rescue.

"Jeri!" Masahiko broke out of his trance and scrambled over to her. "Jeri! You're alive!"

He tried to climb the ladder to her bed, only for his foot to slip. He let out a cry of surprise, banging his ankle on the hard wooden step.

"Masahiko!" Jeri exclaimed in surprise, but Masahiko ignored the pain shooting through his leg. With an effort, he pulled himself up onto her bed. His eyes were wide and frantic. She couldn't be real!

"Are-Are you really real?" he asked. Jeri cocked her head to one side in confusion.

"Of course, silly." Reaching out, she placed a hand on his forehead, testing him for a fever. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Masahiko burst into tears and threw himself at Jeri, awkwardly hugging her.

"I thought you were dead!" he exclaimed. "We had a funeral for you and everything!

Jeri's hand came to rest upon his head and Masahiko felt her fingers intertwine themselves in his hair.

"I'm still here," she said softly. "I didn't leave."

Masahiko laughed. She felt so real. Yes. It must have all been a dream. That was the only possible explanation. Apologizing to his sister, he pulled away and proceeded to climb out of bed. Humming happily at his discovery, he snatched up his clothes.

"Beat you to the bath, sleepyhead!" he laughed over his shoulder before racing out of the room. His spirit positively soared now. All the pain and thoughts about the past fell away from him. He had to tell Coronamon about this!

Coronamon… At her name, he felt vertigo suddenly seize him and Masahiko fell to the floor. "Ow…" He groaned. He struggled to get back up, and with an effort, he managed it. The cold air returned with the vertigo's passing and his teeth began to chatter violently.

"W-W-Wha…?" he stammered out, and hugged himself tightly. Looking down at his choice of clothes for the day, he saw that they weren't going to be enough with the way the cold came and went so suddenly.

"Mommm!" he called out. "Why's it so cold and hot today?"

He heard nothing from anywhere in the house in response. Masahiko frowned, but made his way back to his and Jeri's room.

"Do you know why it's so weirdly cold today?" he asked her instead. His eyes passed over her figure, laying back down on the bed. He scoffed at her. "Mom's going to be mad if you stay in bed, sleepyhead." Taking his hand, he mimed it like a dog. "Rrruff! Better get back up or else you won't see your friends todayyy!"

No answer from Jeri. A cold fear trickled in the back of his mind and once again he found himself overcome with a strange sense of déjà vu. The house's quiet felt heavy and oppressive. The 'dream' took on a reality again that he wished desperately to not be true.

"It was just a dream," he said quietly. "You said so. You talked to me. You were real."

Memory, clearer than any dream, bloomed bright in his mind. A day, just like today, warm and sunny and full of promise. Birds chirping outside. So much quiet inside the house. His mother had stepped outside to set out the trash before opening the restaurant. He had thought it odd then how Jeri hadn't gotten up at the time. She was always up before him, taking care of whatever chores needed doing before pitching in to help their mother.

"Are you sick?" he asked Jeri. No answer. In his mind, he remembered how, on a day like today, he climbed up that ladder to poke at her. Here now, he did the same, slowly, and with great reluctance.

I don't want to do this, he thought, feeling his stomach clench painfully. Oh, please. Someone make me stop! I don't want to do this again! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop…

Shakily, he reached the top of the ladder. Jeri lay on her side, her blanket over her. Reaching out, he prodded her with a finger. She felt so rigid, it was like pushing a lifeless toy. His skin crawled violently.

"Come on, Jeri. This-This isn't funny." His heart banged rapidly in his chest, making him fumble his words. Thinking became harder and nausea gripped his stomach tightly and he felt the past converging on him, building up to the scream he knew was coming. In his memory, he saw himself pulling back the covers, and despite his best efforts, his hand crept forth and did the same. Deathly pale skin – so white, she looked frozen – greeted him. He screamed. He screamed loud and long, frozen in place on the ladder. His stomach lost its war with nausea and his mouth suddenly erupted with hot, acidic bile at the foot of his sister's corpse.

###

"Guh… Ugh…"

With glowing eyes, IceBeelzemon crooned as white, frigid wings tore themselves loose from his back and then swept outward. In his claws, Masahiko gagged and wretched helplessly, a strand of steaming liquid hanging from his mouth. On the icy ground, lay the remains of his lunch.

"Yes," IceBeelzemon said, feeling the growth of his power with his latest evolution. "Bathe in your darkness. Share it with me. Let it consume the both of us so that we may grow stronger together."

Masahiko struggled in IceBeelzemon's grasp, but IceBeelzemon held firm.

"You remember what happened afterward, right?" the demonic digimon occurred. Masahiko made a whimpering noise and his struggles increased in ferocity. Images flashed through his mind of Jeri's funeral. How, while picking Jeri's bones from her ashes, he screamed and ran.

"Remember how he followed after you and promised he would be there for you? Where has he been since then?"

Masahiko let out a loud, anguished cry and light formed around one of IceBeelzemon's arms. Tightening his grip with one hand, he drew back the other and a giant, mechanical cannon – its barrel shaped like a mouth – formed along its length. Swinging it around, he brought it in front of Masahiko's eyes.

"I can be the instrument that pays him back for you. All for you." A cruel smile curved along the demon's lips. "Just give in. You want him to pay, don't you?"

"Jeri…" Masahiko wept. "Mom! C-C-Coronamon…"

Seething with anger, IceBeelzemon hurled Masahiko to the frozen ground. The boy cried out in pain. With a gesture, ice rose up around his body, holding him firmly in place.

"Enough with that digimon! A digimon is only useful if they can fight and she can't! She is weak!"

Masahiko's sobbing only became more frantic and anguished with the cold pressing him on all sides. IceBeelzemon tsked in growing frustration.

Did I make a mistake? he wondered. He had become so cold after the girl's death; he was like stone. His hatred of the Hazard Tamer was real. Whenever he thought of him, his thoughts became filled with the desire to hurt him. He glanced at his arm cannon – Death Slinger his evolution told him its name was – and nodded to himself. This is proof of that. But he still won't give in completely.

Of course, he knew the reason why Masahiko refused to give himself over to his promise of revenge. Coronamon.

She's formed a bond with him, he thought. Pushing into Masahiko's mind, he found the faint threads of their connection joining their hearts together. He clenched one clawed hand tightly. I should have deleted her after he left the house after all.

He knew that was entirely his fault. After the humans discovered his abode and trophies, he panicked and went after Masahiko straight away. He lied to himself that he could bind Masahiko to him with ease and that his connection with Coronamon meant nothing. A child's pet or plaything couldn't possibly stand up to what he offered.

And yet, she's formed a bond with him. A weak one, but one he's responding to. It's preventing me from getting more power from him.

He berated himself for his hasty decisions. Now, he would have to backtrack and hope the Tamers wouldn't interrupt him further. Hopefully, by loading Coronamon, he could absorb their fledgling bond and then he could draw on more of Masahiko's power. Perhaps even biomerge as well. If he could accomplish that, then he would have nothing more to fear from the Tamers and could absorb them at his leisure.

Yes. I like the sound of that.

"I will return," he said to Masahiko, and with a gesture the ice about him grew until it formed a solid shell completely around him, silencing his crying and cutting him off from the world. With a grin, IceBeelzemon faded from view.

###

The clock ticked on endlessly. Before now, it had been nothing more than a mere background noise. Now, in the quiet, it sounded unusually loud and the room, oddly cavernous, gave it an echo.

Something is wrong.

The distracting thought had fluttered across Coronamon's mind sometime after Masahiko left the house with the two other humans. Since then, it took root and nothing she did could remove it, leaving her feeling ill at ease and utterly restless, even in the spot of sun filtering in through the window of Masahiko's room. The worry and restlessness beat in time with the clock's ticking, each one feeding into the other until they became almost indistinguishable from one another.

Tick. Worry. Tick. Worry. Tick. Worry.

She glanced at the clock on the boy's desk, reminding herself he said he would be back shortly and that she should sit tight and out of sight until he returned. The clock had changed numbers multiple times since then, and her sense of alarm grew as the clock continued to tick on.

How short is shortly? she wondered, trying to ignore the clock's incessant ticking. She furrowed her brow and hugged herself tightly. She felt strangely cold for some reason, which contributed to her restlessness. Neither sun nor her own flames abated the chill.

Could that IceBeelzemon be in the area? She hadn't meant it to be a serious thought, but she shuddered at the idea. She hoped that wasn't the case, but in the quiet of Masahiko's bedroom, alone, and with her unable to follow him to ensure his safety, such thoughts disturbed her mind with growing frequency, and became even worse during the last hour. At present she sensed no other digimon presences about her, and no other noises disturbed her senses except the usual coming and going of humans. She wanted that to be enough evidence that everything remained alright.

However, not sensing the IceBeelzemon didn't necessarily mean he wasn't around, waiting for his chance to strike.

She drew her legs up to her chest and brought her chin to rest on her knees. Masahiko… Worry stirred in her heart. She felt it more and more ever since that unsettling night when something in the dark frightened the boy. She wondered then, as she did now, whether or not IceBeelzemon stalked him. She remembered the cold air that night. The chill she felt now, pervading the room and her heart, felt far too similar for her comfort.

Why though? If he is stalking Masahiko, why would he want him? He's not a Tamer. And he's already at the Mega level. What more could he want?

What more indeed? A memory floated up from her life in the digital world, where her friend and protector, a Beelzemon himself, spoke to her.

"Some digimon can't be satisfied with 'just enough.' Not when there's always 'more' out there."

She supposed that made sense, but she couldn't understand it all that well. She felt satisfied with Masahiko. Somehow, just being with him and playing games with him made her feel at ease and she didn't feel worried anymore. The digital world might be her home, but there were so many dangers filling it. Her home had been trampled underfoot by some of those dangers.

What if… What if Masahiko is in danger? What if that IceBeelzemon that Renamon told me about really is targeting him because he wants 'more'?

Her digi-core fluttered anxiously in her chest. Unable to take it anymore, she stood up and went over to the window. Masahiko would just have to be mad she disobeyed. She needed to make sure he was safe. With a grunt, she yanked open the window and stepped out onto the roof. A warm breeze washed over her, and for a moment, the chill from Masahiko's room vanished.

The moment ended when her senses suddenly screamed at her in alarm. Moving on pure instinct, Coronamon leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the claw that rose up from the wall behind her, ice spreading out from where it emerged. Somersaulting through the air, she saw the demonic digimon slowly emerge into the daylight.

"Missed," the Mega tsked. He then shrugged, and a cruel smile spread across his face. "Oh well. I'm sure it'll be more fun this way."

Landing on the walk below, Coronamon's growled angrily. He tracked her?! Her earlier thoughts and fears about Masahiko bloomed so fully in her mind that she didn't question it.

"Y-You! What have you done with Masahiko?"

"My partner, you mean?" IceBeelzemon laughed, and his wings spread out from behind him. "Don't worry. He's getting an upgrade. I think it's time, don't you? It's what's important. You have nothing to offer him."

"I asked what you did with him?!" Coronamon demanded, her anger growing. Fire flared over her forehead. IceBeelzemon scowled. He hefted the cannon fixed to his arm and took aim at her. Frigid blue lightning crackled at its tip and its 'jaws' parted.

"You'll see once I load your data," he said. "Cryo Blaster!"

Coronamon leapt out of the way, narrowly avoiding IceBeelzemon's attack. It struck the ground where she stood, and it exploded from the impact, sending dirt and sidewalk chunks flying through the air. Spears of ice erupted in their place, stabbing at the air in search of IceBeelzemon's prey.

Coronamon ran.

She really had no other choice. The gulf of power between them was too great to make this a contest of strength. She needed to find the Tamers and tell them what happened to Masahiko.

I pray I can find them before IceBeelzemon gets me.

###

"So, you've been a Tamer since you were eight, right?" Mako asked. He strode alongside Suzie, his arms folded behind his head and looking at her with attentive curiousness. Suzie nodded hesitantly, unsure if she ought to engage either Mako or his sibling in conversation. She didn't have many friends like she used to prior to becoming a Tamer, and most of her classmates at school saw her as some kind of freak their parents said to avoid. She didn't want her mother getting a call complaining about how Suzie put corrupting ideas into their heads.

"That must've been something," Mako continued, looking up at Lopmon, who sat atop Suzie's head. "It's been a long, long time since we were this close to a digimon."

That caught Suzie's interest, and Lopmon's.

"You've been friends with a digimon before?" the former Deva asked.

"Yep!" Ai joined in. "We used to be friends with Impmon before he…" Her eyes dropped suddenly in sadness. "Before he ran away."

Suzie blinked at the mention of Impmon, and her shoe caught on the sidewalk, causing her to stumble a little.

"Whoa," said Mako. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. Sorry. You said Impmon?!"

"You know him?" Mako's eyes went wide and suddenly Ai swung about in front of Suzie, her expression fervent.

"Er…" Suzie found herself at a loss for words. How did one tell someone that a friend of theirs murdered one of her friends in a bid for power?

"We met him briefly in the digital world," Lopmon interceded calmly, in answer to her unspoken question. "Unfortunately, he wasn't happy to see us and we soon parted ways."

"He was angry, huh?" Ai dropped her eyes again at this. "Sorry. We left a bad impression on him. We kept trying to get him to beat the other up whenever we were angry with one another and it made him so upset. He probably thinks everyone is like that."

"I only knew him briefly," Lopmon said. "So, I cannot say for sure. Perhaps he's had a change of heart since then."

Lopmon, I owe you a huge chocolate bunny after this! Suzie breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for having been given a second to collect herself. Still, she felt greatly conflicted about this bit of news. These two children were connected to one of the worst events in her life and didn't even know it! Worse, they even attended the same school as she! How many times had they passed one another in the hall, both sides going about their day like nothing happened?

Does it even matter? she found herself thinking unexpectedly. She looked them over. They were about her age, which meant their encounter with Impmon had been when they were all seven or eight. Hardly an age of maturity. She knew from experience she tended to get on her siblings' nerves, especially Henry because she would always barge in on him to play with Terriermon.

And I played pretty rough with Terriermon too. That whole Princess Pretty Pants treatment was practically digimon abuse, thinking back on it. And he had to put up with it because he needed to be kept secret from Mom and Dad.

So, what to do about it?

First and foremost, she would have to tell the others, especially Takato. If they met again – and she thought it likely since these kids knew where Takato lived now – it'd be better to have him aware than for it to be a shocking surprise later. Beyond that…

Her eyes softened, thinking about Takato.

I really have been a jerk to him. I know he didn't mean for Henry to die, but I just felt so angry. If things kept going on the way they were – the way I've been treating him – would either of us have been like Impmon in the end? She thought back to when she first digivolved Lopmon to Cherubimon. The answer felt obvious to her. And Impmon… Is all this the same thing as that model girl? Is Impmon our friend in that other world? Just a matter of bad luck leading to even worse choices?

She clenched her fists together tightly, feeling Lopmon's weight on her head.

I don't want Lopmon to turn into what Impmon did. I don't have to have bad luck determine anything about what I choose. Not if I can choose a better option.

Suzie looked back at Ai and Mako. They weren't bad kids from the looks of things. They just had the misfortune of being caught up in something far bigger than they were ready for. Every other choice dominoed from there, none of them knowing what they were knocking into or what was knocking into them.

Just like all of them. Takato. Henry. Kenta. Kazu. Jeri. Ryo. Herself. Rika. Impmon. Each of them had dominoes of their own that, depending on events, intersected with one another.

The memories played across her vision. She barely understood what happened then and even now she didn't really get it. But things felt a little bit clearer to her.

A step forward. I'll take it.

"Well, whatever," Suzie said, brushing back a strand of hair. "What's past is past now. But if your Impmon shows up again, he'd better be in a better mood. I…"

"Suzie."

The sound of Henry's voice made her jump. Whirling about, Suzie found Jian standing across from her. Ai and Mako both stared, eyes wide with surprise.

"He-He just came out of nowhere!" Mako gaped. Jian waved at the pair, smiling.

"Momentai. I'm sorry about startling you." His expression becoming serious, he settled his eyes on Suzie. "A disturbance was reported in this area. Digimon suspected."

"Huh?" Suzie cocked an eyebrow at him. "And they had to send you to tell me? Why didn't they just call me?"

"There was a sudden influx of garbage data in the area. Communications cut off after the report was made. I bio-emerged out of range and made my way here. Takato and the others will be here shortly as well."

"Who-Who are you?" Ai asked, eyes on Jian and a faint blush on her cheeks, plainly moonstruck by the digital boy. Seeing this, Suzie's mouth dropped in bewilderment.

You've got to be kidding me! Seriously?!

"I am Zero Arms Sleipnir, unit 001, also known as Jianliang." Jian bowed politely to Ai and Mako. "How do you do?"

"I-I…" Ai stammered.

"You're a digimon?" Mako asked, interrupting her.

"I am based on the digimon AI program, but I wouldn't say that I'm a digimon. I am…" Jian cocked his head to one side. "I am complicated to define." He smiled. "Fortunately, Suzie is helping me with that."

"You said there was a digimon disturbance?" Lopmon said from atop Suzie's head.

"I… Right." Suzie shook herself with an effort. "Where…?"

A distant explosion answered her question. Turning, Suzie saw smoke rising into the air from a couple blocks down. Suzie took out her digivice and a blue card from her pocket. Lopmon hopped off her head, ready to digivolve.

"Ai. Mako. Go home. I think we're about to find Masahiko's kidnapper."

She didn't wait for either of them to answer. She slid her blue card through the slot of her digivice, and moments later, Antylamon bloomed into view. She wasted no time leaping into the air. A holographic circle rose over Suzie's digivice, revealing her partner's viewpoint. Approaching from behind, Jian took her by the shoulders and lifted her up with surprising ease.

"What are you doing?" Suzie asked as Jian settled her onto his shoulders.

"Making it easier for you to go after her," the boy simply replied before crouching down. "Hold on tight."

He paused to bow politely again to Ai and Mako, and then a second later, they were in the air, Jian's body elongating into a great, mechanical serpent. Wind beat at Suzie's face, forcing her to use one arm to shield her eyes so she could see what her digivice showed her. Antylamon neared her target, and at the sight of IceBeelzemon, her heart sank.

"Ah, nuts," she cursed, seeing the Demon Lord's great wings and arm cannon. "Looks like someone got an upgrade."

###

Coronamon rolled to the side as debris rained about her. IceBeelzemon flew toward her, his arm cannon crackling as he took aim.

"It's all over," he smiled coolly. "Don't worry. Your data will be a part of me soon, so in a way, you'll still be his partner. I'll just be the one getting all the benefits."

Masahiko… Coronamon clenched her eyes shut. I'm sorry. I'm not strong enough.

"Cryo Blaster!"

She felt the rush of cold air as IceBeelzemon shot at her, but before it could reach her, something massive snatched hold of her and left both the attack and her stomach behind. Vertigo seized her, and Coronamon's eyes opened to see what happened. Her vision shook as impact jarred both her and her rescuer, but the outline of an Antylamon could not be confused with anything else.

"Wha…?"

"Run," Antylamon said, setting her down. "I will protect you."

IceBeelzemon came to a landing. He looked livid as he folded his wings behind him.

"So close… Again! So close!"

Antylamon morphed her arms into a pair of axes.

"The others are on their way," she warned, hoping to force IceBeelzemon into retreating. As much as she would prefer to end this cat and mouse game the Mega led them on, she stood virtually no chance against him. She doubted she would be able to hold him off for more than a few seconds even with Jian's assistance.

IceBeelzemon appeared to be considering his odds. Then he took aim.

"Too close now," he said to himself, and lightning crackled at the end of his cannon. "Cryo Blaster!"

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