A/N: I've mentioned this before, in another work from long, long ago, when I was still inexperienced. I'll repeat it here, as I did then. The phrase that is mentioned, "Under the same sky" comes from an ancient Confucian saying from Chinese philosophy. "No man can live under the same sky as the murderer of their father." In Japan, the Samurai code of Bushido extended it to incorporate master as well, as the lord of the clan that they served was regarded as both the father of his clan in addition to being the leader. The relationship between Suzie and Henry shares similar themes and, having a heritage that draws from both countries, particularly from their martial arts training, so it's likely to come up. Suzie would normally dismiss it, knowing what she knows about Takato, even with all her anger toward him in this story, but there is the matter of IceBeelzemon and his hold over her to consider, as Parasimon did with Rika in canon.
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: 46/ Terminal Judgment
The alarms blared through Hypnos while Riley breathlessly ran through its halls to the main control room.
It doesn't take trouble long to find those kids, does it? she thought. Tally had informed her on the way back that they detected a sudden influx of garbage data, and having caught sight of Gallantmon leaping through the air, it appeared to have ripened into a full-on fight. Upon reaching the main control room, she entered its dark embrace and looked about. Himiko stood off to the side, arms folded together, looking every bit like a queen and fully in charge of the situation. Upon seeing Riley, the woman nodded to her.
"About time you got here," she said. "I was about to take command."
"Ma'am?" Riley blinked, confused.
"Don't make me repeat myself, Ms. Ootori."
"Eh?" Riley blinked again before suddenly understanding. "R-Right."
She made me in charge of this matter, she reminded herself. Hastily, she ignored the why's of this and looked up at Tally. "Report!"
"We're receiving reports of the Tamers fighting a wild digimon in a residential area. I'm getting cameras on it now, but with all the garbage data, the feed is going to be on the corrupted side. I'm trying to clear it up."
Riley directed her gaze over to of the screens, flickering through multiple viewpoints of the targeted area. The closer one came to the battle, the more the image broke down into static. Here and there however, she caught sight of figures rushing about, exchanging blows. But more, and especially noticeable from the more distant cameras, a great, black mountain of a cloud piling high. Lightning flashed within it and about it, curling in the clouds like thorny vines. Riley's mind saw angry, demonic shapes and faces, drawn in the clouds as light clashed with shadow. She knew they were mere patterns that her mind saw in its growing anxiety, but instinctually she also knew they were a prelude to the real thing's arrival.
Worse, she had seen this before. They all have, save Himiko.
"Oh God no," Riley said under her breath. "Suzie."
Himiko stepped closer to her. "I read she had an incident some time back. About a year ago, according to the files. Her partner dark digivolved and nearly killed Takato and his digimon. Her psych reports suggested something like this would happen again."
Riley's eyes flashed angrily at Himiko, but she kept a hold on her temper.
"She's not unaware of her issues the way she was back then," Riley replied. "There must be something going on."
"Assuming an awful lot, aren't you?"
"I trust these kids," Riley stated firmly. "More, I know them. They've had their ups and downs, but when they've made a mistake like this, they don't repeat it a second time. There must be something going on that we're just not seeing."
"Ma'am," reported Daigo. "I think I've got something that you'll want to see."
Another screen lit up. Here, the image of Cherubimon in her corrupted form appeared. Though pixilated, Riley easily recognized the Mega.
There appeared to be something else. Frowning, Riley took a step closer. There appeared to be some kind of wire connected to Cherubimon.
"Is something attached to her?" she asked. "Can you enhance this image?"
"There's too much interference. I've got it as enhanced as it's going to be," said Daigo apologetically. Riley felt memory stir at the back of her mind and with it the image of giant spidery creatures, each with a single, massive eyeball at the front, unleashing writhing tentacles on humans trying to escape; swarming on Gallantmon before the explosive release of his Crimson Mode.
"Parasimon," Riley nodded to herself. "That's right. The junk data had a Parasimon signature." She then remembered what Guilmon had said at the bakery, about the possibility of IceBeelzemon loading data for a long while. "If he absorbed all the data from the Parasimon invasion, he can make use of their abilities as well. He must have plugged into Suzie and Lopmon."
"Any ideas then on how to disrupt it?" Himiko asked, her voice strangely judging. Riley pressed her lips together, deciding to ignore the tone in favor of working the more immediate and concerning problem. She did, in fact, have an idea, but none on whether it would work.
"Tally, get a communication line on Cherubimon," she said. "Let's see if we can talk to them."
"On it," Tally said, her hands flying across her control panel. While she did that, Riley, after thinking for a moment, pulled out her cellphone.
And just in case Plan A doesn't work…
Pulling up Mizuno's name, she quickly hit the call button.
"Shibumi? Riley. We need you at the control room, pronto."
###
"Killer… Not under the same sky…" Cherubimon's voice came out like a threat of thunder, and above her the clouds churned, becoming murderous red. Gallantmon stared, caught in indecision and confusion. He heard Suzie and Lopmon's voice in the Mega's, which meant they biomerged!
That… That didn't happen last time! Takato thought with growing dread. How… How could this happen? And now of all times?
"No way," he heard Kenta breathe. "They biomerged?!"
"Suzie! Lopmon!" Gallantmon called out, taking a tentative step forward. But Cherubimon wasn't having it. A lone bolt of lightning lashed out like a snake and struck the ground in front of the knight. A small piece of the street broke off, leaving a gaping wound in the ground.
"I don't think she wants to talk, Takatomon!" Guilmon said. Swallowing, Takato nodded in agreement.
"What's going on?!" Rika asked, looking at everyone around her. "What's this all about?"
No one answered right away. They had no time. Kenta grabbed Alice by the arm and began to pull her toward safety – or whatever he believed would pass for safety with what he knew was coming. Alice didn't object.
"Doumon," Gallantmon began, adjusting his stance. "Get Rika out of here."
The air felt thick with growing tension, and as she watched, Rika saw electricity sparking in the air.
"I'm not going anywhere," Rika said. "Could someone please tell me what's going on?!"
The clouds piled high and Cherubimon suddenly swung her massive hands skyward. Lightning crashed about her, forming a forest of bolts striking the street where the Tamers stood.
The street exploded. Rika, Alice, and Kenta found themselves launched into the air from the furious force of the blast. Chunks of asphalt pelted Rika from all directions, slamming into her exposed back and head. She gasped as one struck her particularly hard on her ribcage and she felt a bolt of pain lance through her body. She fought to catch her breath, but the wind and agony grew to such wild ferocity, that they stole the air away from her before she could even get a lungful. She heard Gallantmon and Doumon screaming below her, calling her name frantically. Before she knew it, a pair of arms – Doumon's – folded about her, and drew her in tight just as another bolt of lightning streaked toward them.
Gallantmon leapt up to intercept it, and the blast struck his shield. Lightning snaked about the knight's body, and Rika heard him cry out in agony.
"Rika! Stay close!" Doumon shouted over the din of the Royal Knight as, behind her, MarineAngemon's heart bubbles caught Kenta and Alice. Once everyone was brought back to earth, she summoned her barrier again to shield everyone, and Gallantmon collapsed to the ground, smoke rising from his now blackened armor. Lightning and debris fell upon the barrier with repeated blows. Doumon grimaced with pain, her strength already beginning to buckle from the strain. MarineAngemon flew over to her, where he began to blow healing heart bubbles at the Ultimate, hoping to shore up her reserves.
"Doumon…" Rika began, turning to her partner.
"A-Are you all right?" Doumon struggled to ask. Rika winced as she tried to move.
"My back…" She pressed a hand against her side where she had been struck. She didn't feel any bones grinding, but breathing felt rough and difficult; like an icicle pick had been driven into her side. Lifting her shirt, she felt around and found a hot, swollen lump that caused her to cringe at the slightest touch. Prodding it gingerly, she drew in a sharp breath.
"Doumon, what's it look like?"
"You're bruising," Doumon said, placing a hand over Rika's injury. She closed her eyes angrily. "I allowed this to happen…"
Gallantmon, seeing this, and sharing her sentiments, turned toward Cherubimon.
"She's not going to stop," he said. "Now that she's like this again, she's going to keep going until she runs out of steam."
Doumon grunted, her barrier rocking beneath another storm of lightning, and she collapsed to one knee. A violent tremor began to rock her body and a particularly powerful bolt nearly caused her to lose her grip on her partner. Black spots filled her vision and the shaman priestess swayed dangerously.
"H-Hang in there!" Kenta rushed over to her, nearly tripping as he did so due to his broken glasses. Adjusting them, he then hastily searched through his cards – squinting closely at them for a better view – for anything that might be able to help. He handed one to Rika. "Here! This might give her an extra edge."
Rika, with a shaking hand, took the card, and then dropped it when Doumon jerked suddenly. Her barrier began to fade in and out of existence, allowing the storm's wind to sneak through. The card vanished into the tempest.
"This has to stop!" Gallantmon said, and he leapt out of the protective barrier before anyone could say anything. Charging down the broken street, he lifted his shield high over his head like an umbrella. Snarling, Cherubimon's focus fell on him and away from Doumon's barrier. lightning began to rain mercilessly upon him, smashing into Aegis and flowing down into his body. Halting, he stabbed his lance into the ground, and Rika watched as the lightning streamed down his armor, through his lance and into the ground.
"Takato!" Rika shouted, as bolt after bolt slammed home into the knight. Her eyes furious and frightened, she whirled about on Kenta, her injuries momentarily forgotten. "What is he doing?!"
"What he did the last time she was like this!" Kenta explained hastily. "He's turning himself into a lightning rod!"
"Is he stupid?!"
"W-Well, it's working better than last time. He's grounded himself."
Rika struggled to escape Doumon's grasp, but the kitsune tightened her hold about her.
"Rika! Don't-Don't move! You are hurt!"
"We've got to help him!" Rika snapped angrily. Her eyes looked back to Gallantmon. He looked like a ball of flowing electricity now, caught in a hurricane of endless lightning. She remembered the scars along his arm. Now understanding fully where they came from, she feared what he must be going through now.
"Why don't you worry about helping yourselves?" came a voice that sent chills down Rika's spine. Looking up, she found IceBeelzemon stalking toward them, taking aim with his arm cannon. The jaws at the front parted and energy sparked. "Cryo Blaster!"
"Digi-modify!" Kenta shouted, slashing a card through his digivice's slot. "WarGreymon's Brave Shield activate!"
Data swirled over MarineAngemon and soon a massive, golden shield emblazoned with a sun logo materialized into reality. Taking hold of it with his tiny arm wings, he slammed the barrier down in front of them, just in time for IceBeelzemon's attack to strike home. The Brave Shield shook violently and ice crept about the edges. IceBeelzemon tsked in annoyance, recognizing the card. Flapping his wings, he swung about to get a shot from the side. A bolt of lightning smashed down in front of him, jerking him to a halt. Snarling angrily, he looked up to see that Cherubimon's lightning storm had become erratic and the fallen angel digimon's attacks on Gallantmon were subsiding. Gallantmon smoldered, but appeared unharmed.
My attention is split, he realized. Just then, a paper charm flew at him from behind the Brave Shield. He swatted at it reflexively and it exploded in his face. Seeing his disadvantage, he leapt back into the air, fleeing skyward. Forcing his mind back through the Parasimon tendril, he reconnected fully back with the possessed Mega. He found Suzie's data sphere in his mind's eye, surrounded by the darkness of Lopmon's consciousness. A voice spoke to them from a screen in front of the girl.
"Suzie… You've got to listen to me! You're being controlled by IceBeelzemon! He's forcing you to fight Takato!"
"Takato… Takato killed my brother… Henry… He left him to die!" Suzie clutched at her head. "Under the same sky… Under the same sky… I can't live under the same sky as him…"
"Suzie! Listen to me! Listen to my voice! IceBeelzemon is forcing you to try and kill your friends! You've got to stop before it's too…"
Reaching out, IceBeelzemon's claw shattered the screen, silencing the alien voice. He scowled, wondering how the humans accomplished this.
It doesn't matter, he thought to himself. I've got the reins now.
In this mental arena, he shifted his appearance, taking on the form of her departed brother as he had been – as he had seen him before his death. Dark hair with dark skin. Grey eyes and a stern, but kindly face. Suzie looked up at him, digital tears in her eyes.
"He killed me," IceBeelzemon said in Henry's voice. "How can you live under the same sky as him? Knowing he still lives and can find happiness while you have to swallow what he did to me?"
"Under…the same sky…" Suzie whimpered, and a wind whipped around IceBeelzemon. Lopmon remained silent, but the emotions Suzie poured into the darkness worked on her. Yet IceBeelzemon felt uneasiness from her, as if she felt something wrong with the two of them.
"Under the same sky," IceBeelzemon repeated, his eyes flashing. "Don't fail me, Suzie. Avenge me!"
The unease in the darkness remained, but the light surrounding Suzie grew in intensity, pushing back against it.
"He couldn't do anything without me," IceBeelzemon pressed in Henry's guise, pulling on all the twisted anger rotting inside her. "He always took me from you to solve a problem because he couldn't handle it! And when it was over, he would always be the hero."
"Stop…" Suzie clamped her hands around her ears.
"KILL HIM!" IceBeelzemon roared. "AVENGE YOUR BROTHER!"
Suzie let out an anguished cry. In the waking world, a single bolt of lightning fell out of the sky and slid into Cherubimon's grasp.
"Lightning Spear," she growled. IceBeelzemon smiled.
Perfect. She's truly ready now.
###
Gallantmon groaned with relief as the last of the lightning finally tapered off. His armor smoldered, but it remained strong and with little damage.
"Looks like all that research we did really paid off in the end, huh Guilmon?" Takato said shakily. A final spark leapt between his helm and shoulder guard. He felt Guilmon's exhausted nod of agreement. Previously, they had thought of turning themselves into a lightning rod to reduce the damage Cherubimon would cause to them and the city. In theory, it sounded like a good idea. In practice, catching Cherubimon's lightning bolts with their lance and not properly grounding themselves first only highlighted how little they knew about electricity.
Lessons learned.
That said, that didn't mean they didn't take a hit from this. Lightning, real or digital, remained more than capable of hurting them. And digital world lightning played by its own set of rules.
With a groan, Gallantmon got back up.
"Looks like she's changing tactics," Guilmon noted, watching a lightning bolt fall into Cherubimon's hand. "I'm going to need a lot of peanut butter after this one."
"You and me both, boy," Takato agreed. And this time Jeri isn't here to snap her out of it, he added mentally.
A screen lit up in front of Takato, displaying Riley's face. Takato's eyes lit up in surprise.
"Ah! Riley! What…?"
"IceBeelzemon's possessing Suzie with data from Parasimon," the woman quickly interrupted, dumping the basic situation on him in one go. "You've got to remove the tentacle on her!"
"Parasimon?!" Takato's heart sank, but he quickly nodded. "All right! We'll see what we can…"
"Takato!" cried out Guilmon just then. Turning, the boy saw Cherubimon leaping at him. She swept her crackling spear at him. Gallantmon barely had time to lift his lance to intercept the blow. Lightning flashed as the two weapons crashed into each other. Gallantmon danced back, retreating.
This isn't going to be easy, he thought. If we can flank her…
Stopping on one foot, he pivoted to evade the next blow, hoping Cherubimon would sail past him so that he could get a shot at any exposed Parasimon tentacles. However, as he did so, he heard a cry of Cryo Blaster, and a blast struck him full in the head. Agonizing stars burst across his vision as he pinwheeled in place, stunned. Ice then spread across his visor, blinding him.
Awww nuts… Reflexively, he brought his shield to bear, just in time for Cherubimon's Lightning Spear to ricochet off its surface. Takato's mind raced furiously. They were at a serious disadvantage until they got the ice out of their eyes, and they were too tired from the lightning attacks to make proper use of Crimson Mode.
Save it as a last resort, he told himself, hitting the ice with the rim of his shield, trying to break it off. Right now, we can't be sure what'll happen if we use it… Or how long it'll even last.
"Takato!" he heard Rika yell, distracting him. The lightning spear slammed into his skull, breaking off the ice from around his helm. Cherubimon didn't give him a chance to recover though, smashing one of her massive hands into his side, sending him flying into a yard, tearing up turf before smashing through a house's front door. Cherubimon stalked toward him, lightning spear raised, crackling angrily.
"Not under the same sky," she snarled.
"Exorcism Scrolls!" shouted Doumon's voice. At once, a number of scrolls materialized around Cherubimon, glowing with a violent, blue flame. They detonated with a bright flash, blinding her. Cherubimon, screaming in rage, thrust her hands into the air and at once a rain of lightning again began to fall out of the red-filled sky.
"Storm of Judgment!"
Gasping, Doumon heard the cries of the others behind her. She whirled about to find Rika, Kenta, and Alice racing for shelter, bolts striking all around them. Quickly, she summoned her magic and, moving like liquid shadow, materialized behind Rika just as lightning lanced out of the sky.
"Rika! Watch out!" Doumon shouted. With no time to summon a barrier, Doumon leapt over the girl, taking the blast directly into her back. And then another. And another. Doumon screamed with each hit, until, finally, she fell upon her partner, smoke rising from her limp form.
"Doumon!" Rika shouted, doing her best to catch the Ultimate. She was too large however, and going limp as she did, the pair collapsed in a heap. From over Doumon's shoulder, Rika watched helplessly as another blast tore out of the sky like an electric serpent, aiming directly at them. Clutching the shaman digimon tightly, she clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable.
The end never came. Instead, the sound of thunder echoed, tapering off. Cracking open an eye, she saw that she and Doumon had become encapsulated by one of MarineAngemon's heart bubbles. Looking about, she saw that Kenta and Alice were again shielded in the barrier as well.
"N-Nice save," she breathed gratefully to both the boy and his fairy partner.
"D-Don't mention it," Kenta said shakily, looking like all the strength had gone out of his legs as he lay slumped against the wall of his barrier. "Oh man, I-I think we need a new plan."
"That much is obvious," Alice said. She looked at Rika pointedly. "I'm afraid though that you're out of your element where Cherubimon is concerned."
"I'm not…finished yet," Doumon groaned, pushing herself up and away from Rika. She winced as pain lanced through her body, nearly causing her to collapse again. Rika caught her.
"Kenta! She needs some of your partners' healing hearts!"
"Pihpih!" MarineAngemon began, starting toward them. A bullet struck him before he could even get to them, knocking him to the ground.
"MarineAngemon!" Kenta exclaimed. More bullets came at them just then, picking up where Cherubimon left off, hammering the heart barriers relentlessly until they popped, dropping humans and digimon to the ruined street.
"No!" Holding Rika tightly to her, Doumon used herself as a shield for the girl as the shots now focused on her. Bullets tore into her exposed back, sending digital blood flying into the air.
There came an anguished roar, and suddenly Gallantmon was there, his shield at the ready, taking blow after blow to protect them.
"You've got to get out of here!" he shouted over his shoulder.
No way! Rika was prepared to shout back, but at Doumon's collapse, the words died in her throat. Looking at her, Rika gasped to see the Ultimate a smoldering, bleeding mess. Her robes were stained red and black, and the smell of burnt fur and blood filled her nostrils. As she watched, the practice sword she had thrust into her sash, fell out and clattered on the ground. The scabbard and handle splintered apart, revealing the scorched, naked blade underneath. It too, was ruined.
"Doumon…" Rika heard her voice tremble. It struck her that ever since this battle began, all she had been able to do involved shouting her name and contributing nothing further.
Everything's moving too fast…
"Cryo Blaster!"
Another blast from IceBeelzemon, somewhere off in the distance and out of range for them to retaliate. The attack struck Gallantmon's legs, forcing the knight to one knee. Ice immediately formed about his legs, trapping him in place.
"This is too easy!" IceBeelzemon crowed, materializing out of thin air. Behind him, Cherubimon fell into place as though she were his servant. For the first time, Rika saw the green tentacle connecting the pair. "I can't believe I thought I should be worried about you! I should have thought of this years ago!"
"It's not over yet!" Gallantmon said, taking aim with his lance. IceBeelzemon shook a claw at him.
"I've got a house full of humans behind me," he smirked. "If you miss, you'll kill them. Just like you killed Henry."
Gallantmon hesitated, but did not cease to strain against the ice, hoping to break loose from it. IceBeelzemon gave a laugh.
"Suzie? I think it's time you took your vengeance for your brother now."
Cherubimon lumbered past IceBeelzemon, and a spear of lightning again fell into her hand. Gallantmon clenched his hands around his shield and lance tightly, and Rika felt the rage boiling about him. Glancing back at the tendril, she understood now the hold their opponent held over Suzie.
"How dare you?" she seethed, echoing everyone's anger. "Using the memory of her brother like that? You're a monster!"
"All that matters is winning," IceBeelzemon said. "Everything else – everyone else – is just a stepping stone to the top of the hill." Taking out his shotgun, he aimed it at Rika. "By the way," he said to Gallantmon, "if you defend yourself, she dies."
Gallantmon froze at that, eyes going wide.
"Takato…" Rika began, but she watched Gallantmon dismiss both his shield and his lance.
Checkmate, she thought despairingly. Doumon's down and Gogglehead won't defend himself to protect me. Unless…
She swung her eyes about toward Kenta. If MarineAngemon recovered…
Wait. Where is MarineAngemon?
She didn't see him in the trench where he had fallen.
Cherubimon now towered over Gallantmon. Lifting her arm, she aimed her spear at his throat.
She heard the sound of her practice sword grating against the broken street. Doumon had moved subtly, using her claws to pull it into her hand. Data flowed from her into its metal.
"It's alright, Rika," she heard Doumon's voice whisper through their link. It sounded so soft and exhausted, she half-feared she imagined it. She saw Doumon's eyes though, and though pain dimmed them, they still burned with life.
She tightened her grip about Doumon. Behind her, sparks flew.
"Digi-modify!" Kenta shouted. "MagnaAngemon's Gate of Destiny activate!"
MarineAngemon popped into view behind IceBeelzemon. With a great puh, he blew out a ring of light from his mouth that rapidly formed into a golden circle, inscribed with a ring of symbols along its outer edge. It rotated and then a doorway in its center parted, revealing a swirling pool of shimmering light.
Things moved very rapidly then. Gallantmon broke free from his ice prison and IceBeelzemon, gaping in horror at having been outmaneuvered, fired his berenjena shotgun. Gallantmon moved to intercept, but Cherubimon struck, her lance skewering into his chest plate, missing his neck by inches. The bullet soared to Rika, but Doumon was already in motion, swinging up Rika's practice sword to intercept. The light surrounding it from the data flowing into it intensified, causing it to change and grow. The gentle curve sharpened, taking on more of a boomerang appearance with a spike at the leading point of its arch. A new handle snapped into place around its tang. The blade met IceBeelzemon's attack, shearing through the projectile and causing its data to disintegrate into thousands of shining particles.
IceBeelzemon, cursing fired again, but this time, Gallantmon, with ferocious force, broke Cherubimon's lightning spear and leapt in front of the next attack, shield already forming in front of him. The bullet struck, and broke upon the Chrome Digizoid surface.
"No, no, no!" IceBeelzemon ranted. He flapped his wings, struggling against the titanic force of the Gate of Destiny that drew him inexorably to its mouth. He clamped his claws on the outer edge of the ring and braced his legs against the sides. Wind tore at him as the gate continued to draw at him, becoming like a great weight upon his back. He howled and raged, and sought for Masahiko.
He found nothing.
What?! How?!
No answer came to him. Only wind hammered relentlessly, trying to force him into the fate awaiting all who fell into the pool of light the gate contained.
I still…have one last card…to play!
"Suzie!" he shouted, and Cherubimon swung her hands skyward, and lightning flashed again in the sky. Seeing her, Gallantmon took a gamble and charged her. He plowed into her with his shield just as she unleashed her lightning spears. The storm hurled all of its might down upon them, and seeing it, Doumon, with the last of her fading strength, summoned a barrier to surround herself and Rika.
There came a titanic explosion that rocked the street, blanketing it with a cloud of fire and debris.
Silence fell over the block as the thunder died down. A dim light surrounded Doumon, and she began to shrink, reverting back to Renamon. With a soft groan, the kitsune slumped to the side and collapsed next to Rika, Gaiomon's sword sliding out of her grasp. Lifting herself up, Rika turned toward her.
"Renamon," she began shakily, and then fell to coughing as dust began to fill the air. Without Doumon's magic to sustain it, their protective barrier vanished. "Renamon! Are you-Are you alright?"
Stupid question, she berated herself. Why should she be alright? She's been shot and electrocuted so many times today!
Her eyes roamed over her partner's limp form. She looked so battered. The gunshot wounds appeared to be gone – de-evolution having repaired the worst of the damage – but she looked exhausted. Yet, despite this, a small smile was on her face.
"You are…" she whispered. "That…is all that matters."
"Don't…" Rika's voice caught in her throat. Don't talk, she wanted to say, but instead Renamon's words brought something else to the fore. "Don't…say things like that!" She looked about her quickly before getting to her feet. "Kenta! Kenta!" Frantically, she yanked out her cards. "Don't worry! I-I've got to have something here! I'll save you!"
"You don't have such cards with you," Renamon said softly. She closed her eyes for a moment and then reopened them. "I know your deck. We practiced with them regularly."
"S-Stupid cards…" Rika hitched a sob. "Stupid me! What good am I to you when you need me?"
"I am not important, except in my duty to you."
"Don't you dare say you don't matter!" Rika yelled furiously. Then, as if the world mirrored her, there came another explosion, followed by the rending sound of metal. She looked over her shoulder, spotting a furious glow of blue light in the thick haze of dust about them. Two figures stamped back and forth until, finally, one of them shot into the sky.
They're fighting again. Takato and Suzie. She couldn't explain how she knew; she just did. Perhaps, she reasoned through her anguish, something filtering through her connection with Renamon.
Either way, the two of them couldn't do anything to help. Not with Renamon's current condition.
I hate this, she thought, but the situation being what it was, there appeared to be little they could do about it. Not without help.
"Can you stand?" Rika asked, kneeling down next to her.
With an effort, the kitsune sat up. She struggled to rise to her feet, but failed.
"So that's a no," Rika nodded. Taking the kitsune's arm, she tried to sling it over her shoulder. Renamon pulled back.
"Don't. You mustn't…mustn't help me."
"Okay, what is this all about?" Rika demanded heatedly, finally fed up with Renamon's behavior. "Why are you acting like this?! You're acting like you're some kind of eyesore for me! Like I'll get dirty if you touch me! You're not supposed to be my servant! We're partners! Don't you get it?!"
"My duty…" Renamon closed her eyes. "I have failed in my duty. I failed the Sovereign. I betrayed him. By betraying him, I became a danger to you. I am not worthy of you."
"Give me a break!" Rika snapped. "He wasn't worthy of you! He treated you like a slave and he was more than happy to throw you away if you didn't do exactly what he wanted! You had to know something was wrong with him, or else you wouldn't have done what you did!" Reaching out, she placed a hand on Renamon's cheek and drew her head up so that their eyes met. "You're not the sort of digimon that is okay with deleting or fighting without a good reason. I'm not talking about that other version of you. I mean you."
"Nonetheless, I have betrayed trust."
"Well, you didn't betray mine. I've had enough time to get a pretty good idea of where your trust lies, and it sure wasn't with your Sovereign." Reaching down, she took hold of Renamon's paw. "We were partners before we even got a digivice to prove it."
Renamon thought back to what Lopmon had said to her at the dojo.
"…Gorou Mizuno, said once that we digimon and humans each have a counterpart that we are created for. When Suzie was first endangered by my compatriot, Makuramon, I defended her without thinking. We are bound to one another through our partnership; through a bond greater than any verbal oath we might make."
Renamon cast her eyes down. "Very well," she conceded. "I will trust your judgment."
Rika snorted. "Don't just trust me. I need your help too, you know."
"Such as?" Renamon asked, raising an eyebrow. Rika harrumphed, looking uncomfortable.
"I don't know. We'll figure it out once I make a mistake. And I will. I've still got a lot of learning to do."
Gently, she took Renamon's arm and brought it to rest along her shoulder. Bracing herself with her arm, Renamon pushed while Rika pulled. They both stood up together. They tottered at first, almost fell, but soon found their collective balance. Renamon frowned at Rika.
"I don't understand you," she said. "My duty to you… It's not enough?"
"Nope! Because I also have a duty to you. We're partners. Don't you ever forget that!"
Renamon hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. "I won't. I promise."
"Glad to hear it," spoke up a new voice. "Now that that's settled, do you need help?"
Rika turned to find Alice, Kenta, and MarineAngemon standing nearby.
"What are you doing?" Rika asked irritably. "Have you dorks been there the whole time?"
Kenta gave her a wan smile. "Sorry."
"Pih!" added MarineAngemon.
Alice shrugged. "It's been my experience to not interfere with a Tamer and their partner when they're having a heart to heart. It's good for them to work some things out."
"What about Takato?" Rika demanded, her anger showing. "He's still fighting Suzie and Lopmon!"
"I-I didn't see that," Kenta admitted. He adjusted his broken glasses and peered around them. "I was out for a second after that one big…"
A sharp gust of wind blew across the group, banishing the dust that floated around them. The shattered street once again greeted them, and so did IceBeelzemon, standing amidst the broken fragments of the Gate of Destiny. His eyes burned with hate.
"Get ready, buddy," Kenta said to his partner, lifting his digivice. MarineAngemon floated in front of the group protectively, but anyone could see that he looked more than a little rough around the edges. Renamon and Rika both exchanged glances, knowing what they had to do. Neither said anything, but an understanding passed between them. They felt the threads binding them together growing stronger. The screen on Rika's digivice lit up and with each passing moment, their bond – their understanding of one another – grew even more.
"You've worn out your welcome," Rika said heatedly to IceBeelzemon. "Renamon? Let's walk all over him."
"As you wish."
Blinding light burst forth from Rika's digivice, enveloping the two. Renamon felt her pain wash away as power beyond anything she could remember – eclipsing even the strength from the Keeper of the Light, Calumon. She felt Rika's essence infuse into her, and as her form began to alter, words came unbidden to her lips.
"Renamon! Biomerge tooo…"
Their merging form took a new shape, doing away with the kitsune features and becoming taller and more slender, more human in appearance. A blue kimono formed along her body; the sleeves capped by metal gloves. A black cuirass of iron scales laced into plates materialized, coming down like a dress past her waist. Twin shoulder guards, a silver, fox-shaped mask, and a pair of swords on her belt, completed her appearance, while in one hand fell a long naginata.
"…Tsuruhimon!"
Rika felt the words emerge from her mouth as well, feeling the incredible strength of her partner swelling in every inch of her body. But what was more was the light! The warmth! All worries melted away and something she couldn't describe folded around her in its place. Even the pain of her injury found itself swept aside by the sensation surrounding her!
Tsuruhimon… I feel her strength. Her power. Her thoughts. I am Tsuruhimon! And she is me!
Her transformation finished, Rika, finding herself gazing out from behind Tsuruhimon's eyes, felt her desire to protect burn ever brighter. With renewed resolve and strength, the newly evolved Mega hefted her polearm and aimed its point at IceBeelzemon's heart. She saw doubt flicker in his eyes. Doubt and fear.
"I, Tsuruhimon, protector of all things true," she began. "Frozen demon of Hate! I will do my duty!"
###
A/N2: When I began this story, a reviewer once suggested that this version of Rika be partnered with Gaiomon, subverting the usual gender dynamics of the feminine character becoming a sorcerer. I apologize that, at the time of this writing, I cannot remember the reviewer's name, but in either case, while I don't write to subvert expectations in my stories for the sake of subversion, the idea of this version of Rika taking on more warrior traits to contrast her alternate counterpart sat in the back of my head. Both versions start on very different life paths. The canon Rika begins as a warrior and while she retains a large degree of martial philosophy, she comes to realize that it's not something she wants anymore because of how much pain it causes. In this reality, Rika doesn't begin with that same martial drive, and consequently ends up clinging to it more tightly when she sees the costs of her absence for the Tamers. So many people dead when she could have done something to protect them. Now knowing what she knows, she intends to be the spear or sword that cuts down enemies before they can do more damage. That said, she will retain a connection to divinity and magic.
Tsuruhimon is derived from Ōhōri Tsuruhime, a Sengoku period female warrior who was also a chief priest of Ōyamazumi Shrine (a shrine that began as a place for samurai to leave weapons and armor as a sacrifice to Ōyamatsumi, elder brother of the Japanese sun goddess, Amaterasu. It has since become a museum for weaponry). She has been likened as Japan's equivalent to Joan of Arc and is one of Japan's most recognizable female warriors in their history. Tsuruhimon's armor is based on the Do-maru armor worn during the period. The naginata has traditionally been the weapon of female samurai as well, and so will be the primary (but not the only) weapon she uses here to contrast Sakuyamon's staff. And, of course, Tsuruhimon will continue Renamon's fox motif. No changing that if it isn't broken. :)
I've been a long, long time preparing for this moment, and it's finally here. :)
12