Epilogue - Dawn Breaks
I woke to the sound of…
…chirping birds? Odd…
I got up off my cave floor and noticed something off, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was.
Oh well. Probably nothing.
With Demon gone for good this time, maybe things would settle down a bit. I walked down to the shore and looked at my reflection in the water. Then I heard a groan and looked to my right, and brought my club up in a defensive stance. I looked around, and saw nothing.
Odd… wait!
There, floating face down in the water was the third human child. I quickly turned her over, and she spat water out, but remained unconscious. I slung my club back over my shoulder, picked her up, and took her into my cave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I guess it's been about month now.
It had been a month since BlackMegidramon and Takato on Grani had followed Ghoulmon into… wherever it went. Dirk and Delia had shown up the next day, and flinched and ran off whenever they saw us. I managed to corner them one day, but they refused to tell me anything.
Maybe it was Terriermon's influence, but in a way, all of it was kind of amusing. The BlackMegidramon vs. Dark Tamer fight had been caught on tape, but no one could identify any of the humans involved, there weren't any clear shots. Yamaki had grilled us, of course, but I was hesitant to say anything. Jeri wouldn't say anything to anyone at that point, not even Leomon, so Yamaki just gave up.
Jeri. It hit her hardest I think. Watching the Takato we knew ripped away like a mask to reveal someone different. At least, that's the way she explains it. I'm not so sure, but I don't argue with her. She only started speaking to me again two weeks ago.
Personally, I think it's the other way around. Takato's not like that, when it comes down to it, but things don't run his way, and he does what he thinks is best, wears the mask he thinks is best, despite the consequences to himself.
Which is what his exploit was about. It wasn't that he wanted to use Megidramon; he just felt that nothing else would work. He had come to the same conclusion I had. If Renamon could be deleted, who next? He destroyed his own life to prevent the destruction of others. Others live and are happy, and he pays the price. Of course not everyone comes through these things unscarred, and Rika is an example. Unlike Leomon, Renamon won't be coming back. And neither will Takato.
Where did he go?
I knew that one. He was back in the eastern quadrant by now. The only thing I really knew was that he won. No fight could last a month between two people, and if Ghoulmon had won, he would have struck by now. Then there was Dirk and Delia. They showed up the next day, battered and bruised, snd scared stiff, and Terriermon didn't smell any fresh digimon scents on them. I also knew he was alive. All his stuff went missing from his room a few days later.
Kazu had called after Takato had vanished and the fight was over; at least from our point of view. He was livid that no one had told him 'Chumly' was back. He and Kenta came out the next day. They stayed for about two weeks. Then Ryo and Alice came by. Ryo immediately swore to find Takato, revealing that the events in the games were true as well, and no one stopped him. Alice joined him and Kazu and Kenta invited themselves along. No one's seen them since.
Rika woke up two days after Ryo left.
'"Renamon…?"
The room was silent; everyone was trying pretty hard not to breathe.
"Renamon… where are you?"
More silence. No one really wanted to tell her. Not that I could blame them.
"Goggles… what's wrong with Renamon? Gogglehead? Takato?"
Rika's mom let out a small sob. Rika's eyes darted around, looking for Takato or Renamon. When she didn't find them, her face then showed something I'd never thought I'd see. Fear. Rika looked like a five year old lost in the wrong part of town, and it looked like she might cry.
"Rika…"
"Mom? Where's Renamon? Where's the Gogglehead? Mom?"
"Rika…"
She snapped her head in my direction, angry now, looking for someone to take it out on.
"Spit it out Brainiac!"
She looked around the room.
"Someone tell me what the hell is going on!!"
"Renamon was… de…deleted."
Rika stopped. She wouldn't have moved to save her own life. Jeri, the only one talking began to speak faster, all of it coming out in a rush, like a bursting dam.
"Takato was angry about… it. Really angry. He wouldn't eat, he wouldn't sleep, he wouldn't talk. Then when he did talk, it was just to make Guilmon become Megidramon! Then he chased Ghoulmon and no one's seen him in two weeks…"
At the end Jeri collapsed on the floor, crying.
Rika was released later that afternoon, and her mom took her home.'
She's clammed up since then. We go to see he a couple of times a week. She eats, mechanically. She doesn't talk though. When she's awake, all she does is stare at Takato's goggles and her D-Ark. The only thing you can do to get a reaction out of her is to try to take them of impede her view of them. And when she does sleep, she clutches the two objects and won't let them go. In addition, her mother reports that she has constant nightmares.
You had your reasons for leaving Takato, but you really screwed Rika you know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nothing makes sense anymore.
Renamon was the one being I had been sure would always be there.
And now she's gone. And Takato with her.
Henry doesn't believe he's dead. And neither do I, I guess. But he's not here. Jeri was mad, but that wouldn't change, Jeri would be mad at Takato until the end of time. I had watched all the coverage of the battle on tape. It made me smile a little when I did, seeing them pay for what they did.
And now they're gone because I wasn't strong enough.
I heard the doorbell. Probably just Jeri or Henry checking up on me. They usually did, but never this early in the day. In my condition, I didn't notice.
"Renamon…"
"You called, Rika?"
I spun. There she was. Kneeling there in front of me, the rising sun at her back, was my yellow-furred, fox-like digimon. I ran to her.
"Renamon!!"
I engulfed her in the biggest hug I could, not caring if anyone should see.
To hell with my image. Renamon's back!!!!!
I smiled at her taking a playfully gruff tone.
"Where the heck have you been, Renamon?"
She let go of me and pointed behind me. Standing in the doorway was Takato.
"Go… Gogglehead?"
He smiled at me.
"Sorry it took so long. I was sure it would work, but Izzy insisted on going over every one and zero in Renamon's data with Azulongmon before I tried. There are still some things that didn't come out perfect, but Azulongmon says that they're nothing to worry about."
I walked over to him and prodded him in the chest with my finger.
"What things?"
He shrugged.
"Just some data that carried over. Azulongmon said it was part of BlackGuilmon's code."
"BlackGuilmon?"
"HIII!"
A large red on black dino head peeked around the corner and waved. Takato smiled a little sadly.
"Well, I've got to go."
"Wha?"
"I can't stay, Rika. Not with the way I left. If I did, it would force Henry to choose between me and Jeri. If he chose Jeri, he wouldn't be able to interact with me, and if he chose me, then our relationship would always be awkward. I don't want to be the reason they break up. And there are still some things Azulongmon wants me to take care of. I'll come back to visit every now and again, but I can't stay."
I nodded. I felt like I was going to cry.
"When do you leave?"
He sighed.
"In a few hours. I still have some things I need to do so that I can transfer my life back to the eastern quadrant."
"Bye, Rika."
"Bye, Takato."
I felt like I was going to die. He left, and I looked in the direction he left in for what seemed like hours but was probably no more than a few minutes. Renamon put a gloved paw on my shoulder. I heard a knock behind me. Mom was standing there. She looked sad.
"I-I heard Rika, through the wall…"
"Oh, mom…"
I collapsed and began to cry.
"Rika, listen…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I sighed and looked around, BlackGuilmon behind me. I took in the city line for the last time in a long while. I turned then and looked at the memorial another time. Sleeping, dreaming peaceful dreams.
Some dream this is.
I turned back around to open the gate, and stopped dead. There was Rika, looking much better than she had this morning. She was wearing her trademark smirk, and her old tamer's gear; broken-heart shirt, jeans, belt, fingerless gloves, the whole bit.
"Um, Rika?"
"Just where do you think you're going Gogglehead?"
I sighed.
"Home, Rika, back to the eastern quadrant."
"Not just yet Takato."
She walked up to me, and pulled my face in so it was very close, and hissed at me.
"The first time you left you were gone four years. The second time you were gone a month. Given the circumstances it's understandable. But you are not leaving me a third time, you hear me!"
"Rika, I can't stay."
"I know. You explained that, and I agree. Renamon…"
Renamon leapt down from wherever she had been keeping herself…
…and was carrying two suitcases?
"What the…"
"I'm going with you."
She looked at me, daring me to argue.
"Got a problem with it?"
"Your mom…"
She cut me off.
"My mom actually suggested it. Do you know what it's like for me here most of the time? I'm a single girl whose only two friends are a couple! I feel like a third wheel most of the time. I've got permission, even though I don't need it being eighteen. I'm going with you and that's final! I'll follow you against your will if I have to!"
"Rika, you can't do that. My C-Ark is the only…"
"Like hell I can't!"
She held up her left fist. Instead of the usual sea-green glove she wore, like the one that was on her other hand, she now had a purple glove with a red catalyst symbol on it. It had a suspiciously metallic sheen.
"Wha?"
She smirked.
"When Renamon touched my D-Ark it changed. I'm going whether you like it or not!"
I sighed and drooped my shoulders submissively.
"Yes Rika."
She smiled.
"Good."
DIGI-MODIFY! Digital Gate Activate!
"Uh, Rika?"
I blushed, and she looked over at me from where she stood next to me and arched an eyebrow.
"Yeah Gogglehead?"
I blushed some more and gripped my good-luck charm through my shirt.
"Does this mean we're going steady?"
She smacked me in the back of the head.
"Oww."
"Stupid Gogglehead."
Then she leaned over and kissed me. She pulled back with a smile on her face.
"Of course it does…"
Then, laughing, she pushed me through the portal, before following with Renamon and BlackGuilmon at her heals.
I woke to the sound of…
…chirping birds? Odd…
I got up off my cave floor and noticed something off, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was.
Oh well. Probably nothing.
With Demon gone for good this time, maybe things would settle down a bit. I walked down to the shore and looked at my reflection in the water. Then I heard a groan and looked to my right, and brought my club up in a defensive stance. I looked around, and saw nothing.
Odd… wait!
There, floating face down in the water was the third human child. I quickly turned her over, and she spat water out, but remained unconscious. I slung my club back over my shoulder, picked her up, and took her into my cave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I guess it's been about month now.
It had been a month since BlackMegidramon and Takato on Grani had followed Ghoulmon into… wherever it went. Dirk and Delia had shown up the next day, and flinched and ran off whenever they saw us. I managed to corner them one day, but they refused to tell me anything.
Maybe it was Terriermon's influence, but in a way, all of it was kind of amusing. The BlackMegidramon vs. Dark Tamer fight had been caught on tape, but no one could identify any of the humans involved, there weren't any clear shots. Yamaki had grilled us, of course, but I was hesitant to say anything. Jeri wouldn't say anything to anyone at that point, not even Leomon, so Yamaki just gave up.
Jeri. It hit her hardest I think. Watching the Takato we knew ripped away like a mask to reveal someone different. At least, that's the way she explains it. I'm not so sure, but I don't argue with her. She only started speaking to me again two weeks ago.
Personally, I think it's the other way around. Takato's not like that, when it comes down to it, but things don't run his way, and he does what he thinks is best, wears the mask he thinks is best, despite the consequences to himself.
Which is what his exploit was about. It wasn't that he wanted to use Megidramon; he just felt that nothing else would work. He had come to the same conclusion I had. If Renamon could be deleted, who next? He destroyed his own life to prevent the destruction of others. Others live and are happy, and he pays the price. Of course not everyone comes through these things unscarred, and Rika is an example. Unlike Leomon, Renamon won't be coming back. And neither will Takato.
Where did he go?
I knew that one. He was back in the eastern quadrant by now. The only thing I really knew was that he won. No fight could last a month between two people, and if Ghoulmon had won, he would have struck by now. Then there was Dirk and Delia. They showed up the next day, battered and bruised, snd scared stiff, and Terriermon didn't smell any fresh digimon scents on them. I also knew he was alive. All his stuff went missing from his room a few days later.
Kazu had called after Takato had vanished and the fight was over; at least from our point of view. He was livid that no one had told him 'Chumly' was back. He and Kenta came out the next day. They stayed for about two weeks. Then Ryo and Alice came by. Ryo immediately swore to find Takato, revealing that the events in the games were true as well, and no one stopped him. Alice joined him and Kazu and Kenta invited themselves along. No one's seen them since.
Rika woke up two days after Ryo left.
'"Renamon…?"
The room was silent; everyone was trying pretty hard not to breathe.
"Renamon… where are you?"
More silence. No one really wanted to tell her. Not that I could blame them.
"Goggles… what's wrong with Renamon? Gogglehead? Takato?"
Rika's mom let out a small sob. Rika's eyes darted around, looking for Takato or Renamon. When she didn't find them, her face then showed something I'd never thought I'd see. Fear. Rika looked like a five year old lost in the wrong part of town, and it looked like she might cry.
"Rika…"
"Mom? Where's Renamon? Where's the Gogglehead? Mom?"
"Rika…"
She snapped her head in my direction, angry now, looking for someone to take it out on.
"Spit it out Brainiac!"
She looked around the room.
"Someone tell me what the hell is going on!!"
"Renamon was… de…deleted."
Rika stopped. She wouldn't have moved to save her own life. Jeri, the only one talking began to speak faster, all of it coming out in a rush, like a bursting dam.
"Takato was angry about… it. Really angry. He wouldn't eat, he wouldn't sleep, he wouldn't talk. Then when he did talk, it was just to make Guilmon become Megidramon! Then he chased Ghoulmon and no one's seen him in two weeks…"
At the end Jeri collapsed on the floor, crying.
Rika was released later that afternoon, and her mom took her home.'
She's clammed up since then. We go to see he a couple of times a week. She eats, mechanically. She doesn't talk though. When she's awake, all she does is stare at Takato's goggles and her D-Ark. The only thing you can do to get a reaction out of her is to try to take them of impede her view of them. And when she does sleep, she clutches the two objects and won't let them go. In addition, her mother reports that she has constant nightmares.
You had your reasons for leaving Takato, but you really screwed Rika you know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nothing makes sense anymore.
Renamon was the one being I had been sure would always be there.
And now she's gone. And Takato with her.
Henry doesn't believe he's dead. And neither do I, I guess. But he's not here. Jeri was mad, but that wouldn't change, Jeri would be mad at Takato until the end of time. I had watched all the coverage of the battle on tape. It made me smile a little when I did, seeing them pay for what they did.
And now they're gone because I wasn't strong enough.
I heard the doorbell. Probably just Jeri or Henry checking up on me. They usually did, but never this early in the day. In my condition, I didn't notice.
"Renamon…"
"You called, Rika?"
I spun. There she was. Kneeling there in front of me, the rising sun at her back, was my yellow-furred, fox-like digimon. I ran to her.
"Renamon!!"
I engulfed her in the biggest hug I could, not caring if anyone should see.
To hell with my image. Renamon's back!!!!!
I smiled at her taking a playfully gruff tone.
"Where the heck have you been, Renamon?"
She let go of me and pointed behind me. Standing in the doorway was Takato.
"Go… Gogglehead?"
He smiled at me.
"Sorry it took so long. I was sure it would work, but Izzy insisted on going over every one and zero in Renamon's data with Azulongmon before I tried. There are still some things that didn't come out perfect, but Azulongmon says that they're nothing to worry about."
I walked over to him and prodded him in the chest with my finger.
"What things?"
He shrugged.
"Just some data that carried over. Azulongmon said it was part of BlackGuilmon's code."
"BlackGuilmon?"
"HIII!"
A large red on black dino head peeked around the corner and waved. Takato smiled a little sadly.
"Well, I've got to go."
"Wha?"
"I can't stay, Rika. Not with the way I left. If I did, it would force Henry to choose between me and Jeri. If he chose Jeri, he wouldn't be able to interact with me, and if he chose me, then our relationship would always be awkward. I don't want to be the reason they break up. And there are still some things Azulongmon wants me to take care of. I'll come back to visit every now and again, but I can't stay."
I nodded. I felt like I was going to cry.
"When do you leave?"
He sighed.
"In a few hours. I still have some things I need to do so that I can transfer my life back to the eastern quadrant."
"Bye, Rika."
"Bye, Takato."
I felt like I was going to die. He left, and I looked in the direction he left in for what seemed like hours but was probably no more than a few minutes. Renamon put a gloved paw on my shoulder. I heard a knock behind me. Mom was standing there. She looked sad.
"I-I heard Rika, through the wall…"
"Oh, mom…"
I collapsed and began to cry.
"Rika, listen…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I sighed and looked around, BlackGuilmon behind me. I took in the city line for the last time in a long while. I turned then and looked at the memorial another time. Sleeping, dreaming peaceful dreams.
Some dream this is.
I turned back around to open the gate, and stopped dead. There was Rika, looking much better than she had this morning. She was wearing her trademark smirk, and her old tamer's gear; broken-heart shirt, jeans, belt, fingerless gloves, the whole bit.
"Um, Rika?"
"Just where do you think you're going Gogglehead?"
I sighed.
"Home, Rika, back to the eastern quadrant."
"Not just yet Takato."
She walked up to me, and pulled my face in so it was very close, and hissed at me.
"The first time you left you were gone four years. The second time you were gone a month. Given the circumstances it's understandable. But you are not leaving me a third time, you hear me!"
"Rika, I can't stay."
"I know. You explained that, and I agree. Renamon…"
Renamon leapt down from wherever she had been keeping herself…
…and was carrying two suitcases?
"What the…"
"I'm going with you."
She looked at me, daring me to argue.
"Got a problem with it?"
"Your mom…"
She cut me off.
"My mom actually suggested it. Do you know what it's like for me here most of the time? I'm a single girl whose only two friends are a couple! I feel like a third wheel most of the time. I've got permission, even though I don't need it being eighteen. I'm going with you and that's final! I'll follow you against your will if I have to!"
"Rika, you can't do that. My C-Ark is the only…"
"Like hell I can't!"
She held up her left fist. Instead of the usual sea-green glove she wore, like the one that was on her other hand, she now had a purple glove with a red catalyst symbol on it. It had a suspiciously metallic sheen.
"Wha?"
She smirked.
"When Renamon touched my D-Ark it changed. I'm going whether you like it or not!"
I sighed and drooped my shoulders submissively.
"Yes Rika."
She smiled.
"Good."
DIGI-MODIFY! Digital Gate Activate!
"Uh, Rika?"
I blushed, and she looked over at me from where she stood next to me and arched an eyebrow.
"Yeah Gogglehead?"
I blushed some more and gripped my good-luck charm through my shirt.
"Does this mean we're going steady?"
She smacked me in the back of the head.
"Oww."
"Stupid Gogglehead."
Then she leaned over and kissed me. She pulled back with a smile on her face.
"Of course it does…"
Then, laughing, she pushed me through the portal, before following with Renamon and BlackGuilmon at her heals.