Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
Digital Manifest
Keepers
Chapter: 30/ Promise to a Friend
Ryan didn't know where he was exactly, though that fact on its own didn't surprise him anymore. It seemed that these days he was always getting into situations that landed him in a place where he had no idea where he was, and even when he did he was still lost. What he did know, as of this moment, was that he was standing in front of a lake…or perhaps it was a pond. It was so hard to tell at this time of night, with a half moon reflecting off the surface of what was decidedly a body of water. There just wasn't enough light to give him an impression as to how far it extended and how deep. That, and there seemed to be something wrong with his right eye.
Ryan winced as he felt pain pulse in his right socket. He blinked his eye repeatedly and rubbed at it (and was relieved to find that nothing was missing from the socket in any way, shape, or form), but a deep blackness obscured half of his vision, and the world around him appeared to be flat and with little dimension to it. Whenever he moved his face, his vision would be accompanied by a dizzying like motion as the remainder of his sight tried to track everything that he saw.
Depth perceptions off, commiserated Ryan as he looked down at the water's surface. There was just enough light coming from the moon for him to get some view of his face. He wasn't all that surprised when he noted that half of it; the right half (or his left as it appeared in his mirrored reflection) was obscured by shadow.
Where's Richoemon? Wondered Ryan as he broke his gaze away from his decidedly ruined face and looked around, worry building in his heart for the tiger-striped dino that had been his friend and partner for so long. Something had happened to him, that much he knew for certain, but…for some reason he couldn't quite recall what it was. It was as if his memory had been clawed out along with his vision…
Oh man…I hope that he's not in too much trouble. Sure, he can digivolve and handle himself better then I can, but the guy freaks out whenever a little girl tries to put him in a frilly pink dress, and he's always tripping over himself…
As Ryan turned his head around to his left he thought that he heard something moving softly in his direction. Glancing to his right once again, his breath caught in his throat as he saw a rather large, gray furred wolf draw up next to him.
"Nice wolfie…" Ryan whispered as his throat began to lock up and his muscles tensed. So far the creature wasn't making any threatening movements towards him but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Although, he was curious as to why it didn't just creep up on him and jump at him if its intention was harm instead of standing next to him like a companion.
Maybe it's a digimon…
"I am not a digimon," the wolf growled, making the boy jump slightly in surprise. The wolf chuckled at Ryan's reaction.
"Um…okay…you can talk."
"Yeah. So?"
Ryan scratched the back of his head nervously.
"It's just…uh…been my impression that only digimon were capable of speaking like humans…um…Mr. Wolf…ah…sir…"
The wolf chuckled lightly once again.
"The name's Geri, Keeper," said the wolf. "As for the whole speaking like humans, there are more things in the world then just animals, humans, and digimon. In a way, my people gave birth to the digimon, but we have always remained separate…until recently that is…"
Ryan raised an eyebrow.
"I don't understand. I thought Janyu and the Monster Makers made digimon…them and…ah…the digignomes."
"Yes. But what influenced the digimon to become what they are today? You're friend Chris mentioned a connection between the digimon Kuzuhamon and the kitsune Kuzunoha. Maybe you should ask him why at some point. But I'm not here to give you a history or a mythological lesson. I was told that you'd be here…"
"And it was my job to greet him," called out an irritated, female voice from behind the two. Turning, Ryan blinked his eyes as what was left of his vision fell upon a beautiful young girl around his age with short, golden hair that went just past her shoulders like a blanket. She was looking a tad bit angry at the wolf that stood next to Ryan.
"Last I checked, he wasn't slain, Thrud. And you Valkeryies are only disir anyway. Too minor in standing…"
"And I suppose you are better? You and your brother are just Odin's pets who live off the scraps that he tosses you! And I don't care if he is dead or not! I was chosen to greet him, not you! Now scat!"
"Fine, fine…" grumbled the wolf as he began to slink away. Briefly he paused and looked behind him at Ryan. "Be careful that she doesn't up and decide to keep you…"
"Hey! What did I just tell you! Scat! Go on, get out of here! The master won't be happy with you if I'm suddenly made to tell him why this Keeper stuck around here for too long…"
"All right! All right! Sheesh!"
Ryan just watched, feeling more then a little bit weirded out by the scene. Unconsciously he reached behind him, feeling for his digivice. It wasn't there. Finally the girl turned to him, huffing in annoyance at the wolf as he slunk away from them.
"Anyway," the girl (Valkyrie? Ryan thought, wondering just what it was that he had gotten himself into) who had been named Thrud began. "Welcome to Mimir's Spring."
Ryan cocked an eyebrow.
"Who-sa-whatsis?"
The girl rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"If only your blonde haired friend were here…look. Just call it what it is and leave it at that, okay? I'm not supposed to keep you here long…"
"Hold on! Why am I even here to begin with? And just where exactly is here anyway?"
"There's not really a whole lot that I'm allowed to tell you. The assembled gods of the old world wouldn't be too happy about it if I did, and they aren't doing this just because they feel generous! You have something of there's that they can't get to at the moment, and I'm sure you know what it is that I'm talking about given how much trouble it's been causing you since you got it…"
Understanding finally dawned in Ryan's mind.
"My digivice…"
"Mjolner, actually but as it is now it's practically the same thing. Looks like you're not as thick as I thought you were…"
"Why's it so important?"
"When will you just shut up and stop asking meaningless questions?"
"They're not meaningless! I'm talking about my life that was uprooted and tossed into another dimension where me and Chris were harassed and…!"
"We are not responsible for that. That's just how things worked out unless the Norns said otherwise. But you're drifting the subject away from what you were brought here for. You're a Keeper of one of the Mjolner fragments, and right now it's beyond the reach of my master who created it! He's…busy right now, dealing with forces that seek to take it and use it for their own purposes. It's why the Mjolner algorithm was fragmented in the first place. At any rate, since you're a Keeper of one of those fragments, it has been decided that some aid must be lent to you and your friends until such a time is found when it can be retrieved safely!"
Ryan groaned and rubbed his temples. "Great…more mysterious groups and entities that are after us…more fighting…"
The girl crossed her arms across her chest and glowered at him.
"Things will only become violent between us if you resist. But that's not the present. As I said, some aid will be rendered to you so that you can continue to protect the Mjolner's until my master can retrieve them. As of this moment, you and your partner are injured, and lack the capabilities and the knowledge to be able to confront your opponents successfully and survive. You've been lucky so far, but at the rate you're going, you likely won't survive the next encounter…"
Ryan narrowed his eyes at the blonde haired girl.
"Why should I trust you or anything that you say?"
The girl glared at him in return.
"Whether you trust me or not is your decision. I'm just a message bearer. To be honest, I'm not to thrilled about it either, and I know none of my superiors are. They don't like the idea of giving you power to defend yourself against others like them even if it's to keep the Mjolners out of their enemy's hands."
Why am I sensing a lot of pent up hostility?
"Because," said Thrud, answering his unspoken question. "You and your people turned your backs on us a long time ago. How would you feel about things after that?"
"I'm just too in the dark about all of this," grumbled Ryan.
"Tough. You want answers? Talk to Raven when she catches up with you. She'll have them. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to move on to the real reason why I'm here…"
Before Ryan could say anything in response to that, a soft light appeared at the bottom of the spring that he and Thrud stood next to. It was spherical in nature and it rose from the water, floating over to Ryan before stopping in front of him. Ryan stepped back reflexively, only to be stopped by Thrud's strong grip as she grabbed hold of his arm and fixed him with a fierce look before turning to the glowing sphere before them.
"The eye of Odin once rested at the bottom of the Well of Mimir as a symbol of his sacrifice for wisdom of the ages," Thrud intoned in a soft voice that surprised Ryan given her earlier attitude. "It shall rest there no more…"
As she said those words, the orb suddenly burst with bright light, and Ryan's view of the world was swiftly replaced with another…
White ceiling tiles stared down at Ryan and he blinked his eyes against the light that flooded his vision. Well, what there was of it anyway. Half of it was obscured by what looked like a bandage covering his right eye, though why that was he had no idea. Carefully, Ryan glanced around at his environment, groaning slightly as he realized where he was.
Next time I see Chris, I'm going to ask him if we can't trade places or something. Seriously, this ending up in the hospital thing is starting to get a little old…
"Hey, Henry! Look who's finally up! How're ya doin' Ryan?"
"Hn?" Turning in the direction of the familiar voice that had hailed him, Ryan's visible, green eye settled upon the familiar forms of Terriermon and Henry, lying in a bed directly adjacent to his own.
"Hey Ryan," said the half-Chinese boy with a small, but worried smile on his face as Terriermon sat on his shoulder and giggled. Next to his bed was a table with a bouquet of flowers and a couple Get well soon cards.
"Henry?"
"That's me."
"You've got casts on your arms…"
Henry nodded, laughing lightly at Ryan's rather blunt observation. He wondered if the painkillers were the cause of that.
"Yeah. I have the fight from two days ago to thank for that. I'm lucky that my wrists were only burned and fractured instead of broken like I thought that they were. The…fight was pretty brutal. I'm glad that Takato was able to finish it without too much trouble."
Ryan raised an eyebrow. Two days ago?
"I'll say!" Exclaimed Terriermon as he hopped up onto Henry's head. "That Crimson Mode of his kicks booty! Who would have thought that someone like him would have been able to pull it off? Guy can't even walk a block without embarrassing himself in public…"
"Come on now, be a nice stuffed animal," chided Henry in what sounded like a forced tone as he shook his head, disrupting Terriermon's balance and knocking him off.
"Hey!"
"So…" began Ryan, ignoring Terriermon's irritated musings about how he never gets any respect. "The fight was…two days ago?"
Henry nodded, his expression changing now.
"Yeah. Night before last to be more exact. You've been out for quite a while…"
"That's starting to get to be a habit with him, isn't it?" Chided Terriermon as he attempted to clamber back onto Henry's shoulders with his long ears.
"Terriermon…"
"What? Momentai already would ya? Sheesh! You're so tense…"
"Well I have reason to be…and you were more then a little bit tense yourself after what we found out about yesterday…"
"Okay, point. But I still hold to my statement about it applying to you."
"Mnnnggg…Terriermon…"
Ryan grumbled as he tried to get into a sitting position, something that was made difficult by the fact that the blankets were holding him down more tightly then they should have been able to. In fact, it was more like something was holding them down…
Ryan craned his head a little more then usual to get a clear picture of what it was, and a small smile graced his face when he saw it.
Guess that explains where Richoemon was, thought Ryan as he patted the little dinosaur fondly on the head. Richoemon responded by snuggling closer to the boy that was his partner and mouthing something incoherent. Ryan sighed as he brought his hands up to the bandage that covered his face. His fingers prodded at it tentatively, wondering why it was there in the first place. Did something happen to him? He couldn't quite remember for some reason. His mind felt like something had punched a few more holes in it…
"So…what exactly happened? I seem to be drawing a blank after Rika and Renamon biomerged into Kuzuhamon…"
Henry's face fell when Ryan mentioned Rika and Renamon's names.
"That's…complicated…"
"Always seems to be," muttered Ryan as he began to pull the bandage off his head, no longer caring why it was there. All of a sudden he just wanted it off!
"Ryan?" Asked Henry as he saw the other boy's movements. "I don't think that you should remove the…"
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Asked Ryan as he finished taking the bandage off and looked over at Henry, his mind rejoicing at the feel of cool air as it touched the once covered skin of his face and in the completed, no longer flat vision that sprung to life around him. Ryan frowned at Henry and Terriermon, wondering why they were looking at him so strangely. "Everything all right?"
"Ryan," began Henry, swallowing slightly as he fixed his gaze on the boy. "Your right eye…"
"Yeah…what about it?" Ryan's frown grew deeper. What was with Henry? It looked like he was seeing a ghost or something, though why it involved his eye he couldn't guess. It felt fine to him and he could see out of it…
"…It's blue," Henry finished finally. "The iris is blue…"
Ryan cocked his head to one side in confusion.
Say what?
Leomon sat on the rooftop of the building, waiting patiently for Jeri to return with the others from the task that they had set for themselves, frowning at horizon. Something felt…off, but then there was plenty of reason for that he supposed. Memories bubbled up to the surface of his mind from the battle from two nights ago. Memories that he'd sooner wish that he didn't have.
What they brought to mind frankly, was far too disturbing to him, and he wondered how they would affect Jeri if and when she was made aware of the full extent that he had been. Not that what he now knew was much mind you, but he had caught a glimpse of the truth that had been dodging him these past few days and had been making him aware of things that previously he had no knowledge of. Looking down at his right hand, Leomon's blue eyes narrowed as he saw a golden swirl of energy trace its way up his palm and to his wrist where it disappeared. How long had that been going on he wondered? Long enough he supposed, and certainly long enough for him to know that he could no longer call himself a digimon by any normal standards. He…he no longer knew what he was…
Yes. Leomon remembered his most recent transformation, and what was more he now remembered the last time he had changed and the events that had preceded it.
Beelzemon…
"So…dis is where you've been hiding yourself…" spoke up a voice that Leomon was all too familiar with. Briefly Leomon wondered if thinking his name was enough to summon him from wherever it was that he dwelt when he wasn't around the other Tamers.
"What do you want?" Growled Leomon as he turned to face the biker Demon Lord as he flapped his bird-like wings and came to a landing behind him.
"To talk," Beelzemon stated simply, his emerald eyes not leaving Leomon's azure ones. Leomon got to his feet and crossed his arms over his powerful chest. He had expected this moment to come frankly, and he wondered just how much Beelzemon remembered about their encounter, if at all. His own memories of it were still fogged, but he suspected that he had tampered with the ex-Demon Lord's memory in some fashion,
just as his had been for whatever reason it was that had placed him back in existence.
"Then talk."
"Dat was some digivolving dat you did two nights ago," said Beelzemon after a couple seconds of silence. "Or was it digivolving?"
"What else could it have been?"
"You tell me, bub," grated Beelzemon as he stepped towards the lion warrior. "Now I may not be da sharpest tool in da shed, I've messed t'ings up enough times to know dat much, but I do know what my senses tell me, and from what I saw last night what you did was definitely not digivolving. Care to shed any light on it?"
Leomon glowered as he met Beelzemon's gaze, his expression becoming stone hard and angry.
"If I knew what precisely it was that had happened, do you think that I would keep it from you?"
"Maybe. Maybe you would," said Beelzemon as he came to a stop in front of Leomon. "After all, we don't know precisely what it was that happened to you now do we? From what I recall when we all hooked up again after the fight the others assumed that you had digivolved. Me? I was there when you changed. I know better."
Beelzemon looked Leomon over for a moment before continuing.
"You look like him. You act like him. But…are you him? I distinctly remember destroying you and loading your data. You've never truly left us in all da time dat you've been gone, whether it's been lending me your power or giving Jeri da encouragement dat she needed to move on. A part of me still feels Leomon in me and yet…here you are now. You shouldn't be here, but you are. Da fact that you can change into somet'ing else…somet'ing dat acts like a completely separate being doesn't give me any comfort either. I don't know what you are or how you came to be, and a part of me t'inks dat you're a danger to all of us just by existing, and dat taking you out would be da safest t'ing to do…but…dere's anot'er part of me dat would like to believe otherwise. I remember our first meeting since you returned…don't look so surprised. I'm Beelzemon! How long did you t'ink dat memory erasure trick was going to las wit' someone like met?!"
Beelzemon glared at Leomon, gauging his reaction as the lion warrior settled down from surprise to unreadable before continuing. "You…or whatever dat t'ing was dat you became…told me dat you were looking out for dose two kids Ryan and Chris. So far you've lived up to dat, though I'm not to sure what good you did by nearly letting Ryan die in dat one fight…"
"It was done to give him back his confidence," growled Leomon as the knowledge of that part of the battle bloomed in his mind like a flower to the morning sun.
"Yeah," spat Beelzemon disdainfully. "I remember. But like I was saying, you haven't proven yourself false so far, and just on da slim chance dat you really are Leomon…though how dat could be I don't know…I'm not going to try deleting you…for Jeri's sake. I've already hurt her enough as it is. But, we are going to have a sit down wit' da others about what you are. You may have helped us so far, for whatever reasons dat you might have, but none of us are going to keep going forward into dis one hundred percent blind. Our survival depends on it."
Leomon watched Beelzemon for a moment before speaking.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why…this? You consider me a danger, and I am an unknown to you and the others now. I hardly even know what I am myself anymore, and with this…being in me…an entity of power that I have no control over, you are right to consider me a danger. So…why?"
Beelzemon was silent for a moment as his eyes locked with Leomon's.
"Because…as I said. I don't want to hurt Jeri again. And maybe…just maybe…you have a way to bring Leomon back the way dat he used to be. You're other self claimed that you…and he…were the real Leomon. So on da off chance dat you are, and dat we may need you for what's coming our way, I won't harm you. But if I catch so much as a whiff of betrayal from you... If you hurt Jeri because of whatever it is dat your mission is, there won't be any force on earth or da digital world dat will stop me from hunting you down."
Leomon nodded, feeling an odd amount of respect for his former opponent.
"I understand."
"Consider dis a test, Leomon, of where your loyalties lie."
"You've changed Beelzemon," said Leomon. "There was once a time that you would have destroyed me without a second thought."
Beelzemon's eyes narrowed.
"Yeah, well, I have you to t'ank for dat don't I?"
With that, Beelzemon took to the air once more, flapping his black wings as he flew off, leaving Leomon alone with his thoughts. Leomon watched the Demon Lord go for a moment before turning back to his original view of the city, thinking on the last time that he had spoken to Jeri. She had been strangely quiet towards him since the fight ended, though it could be said that with Rika and Renamon's disappearance and their dealings with Yamaki and Hypnos afterwards (as they had to be brought up to speed on what happened) as well as talking to Rika's family and informing them about what happened…well, to be brief, they hadn't had a whole lot of time to talk, especially after they found out that Ryo Akiyama had also disappeared without a trace on that fateful night. Takato certainly hadn't had much time to anyone himself since then and had become somewhat closed mouthed towards everyone. A fact that Leomon found…disturbing.
Leomon frowned as he looked out over the fair city of Shinjuku, wondering what the future had in store for them all…
"Ahuramon's shadow…Ahuramon…shadow…hmmm…" Chris flipped through the pages of one of the few English language books on mythology that he could find at the Shinjuku public library, while across from him Jeri flipped through a Japanese addition from a stack that was significantly larger then his own, jotting down notes as she did so. Chris frowned as he glared at the rather limited information that he had in front of him, somewhat irritated by the extreme lack of knowledge that he had about Japanese Kanji. After the events of the battle with Kuzuhamon and the bizarre dark entity Chris's mind had gone into overdrive. Most of it had occurred as a way to keep his mind busy in light of the mysterious disappearances of Ryo Akiyama and Rika Nonaka…
(The bridge has disappeared…no; it's just gone home, thought Chris once, not knowing at all where it had come from)
…As well as what happened to Ryan. Especially Ryan, as he was closer to him then he was with any of the Tamers. Last night had been freaky for him. Ryan had his eyes closed, having taken to Chris's advice to try and explore the capabilities of their digivices in an attempt to help Gallantmon defeat Kuzuhamon and free Rika and Renamon from her control. It seemed to be working too…that is, until Ryan's body flared with a green aura and suddenly cried out in pain, collapsing on the ground and becoming unconscious moments later. From what he had heard afterwards when Ryan had been taken to the hospital, the sight in his right eye had been destroyed. There were no outward, physical signs that anything was wrong, with the exception that the pupil no longer reacted to light, but a closer examination showed severe damage to the retinas and optic nerves, more specifically to the photosensitive rods and cones that dwelt within. In short, they were no longer receiving light information from the world that it looked out on.
Richoemon, despite having reported being the one who had actually received eye damage, was fine.
Chris glowered as he flipped through yet another page, trying to get his mind to focus back on the here and now, and the reason why he was going over these books.
I don't even know what I'm looking for, thought Chris as he lowered one hand into his lap and stroked the soft scales of Caramon as he slept, having passed out from complete and utter boredom that was the silence of the library. None of this really has anything to do with what happened…does it? Maybe…Henry once told me that digimon were sometimes derived from mythological figures, and after what had happened with Rika and Renamon when they became Kuzuhamon…not to mention that my digivice displayed Kuzunoha's image and name after it shocked Rika…I guess that I thought that I'd find something here.
Chris's hand drifted from his partner and over to his red trimmed digivice, where it rested for a moment.
Things sure became a whole lot more complicated then I ever thought that it would be. Before Ryan and I were just trying to get home…now it looks like we're at the center of some interdimensional plot to take over the universe or something. Rika's gone, Ryo's vanished, Ryan's injured…again… Hmmm…that's three R's. I wonder if that means anything…
Chris flipped to another page, knowing that last part was more a product of his over imaginative mind. Whenever he got too worked up he tended to grasp at whatever straws that he noticed floating around in the hopes that it would offer some kind of answer to his troubles.
Maybe that's why I'm here…looking over these old stories. They don't seem to have anything to do with what's going on.
Glancing up at Jeri, Chris wondered what her reason for being here was. She hadn't been all that specific other then the fact that he would need someone to translate Japanese for him since Kazu and Kenta were off combing the streets for any sign of Ryo and Takato was busy being grilled by Yamaki about the battle. It seemed rather odd. He had expected that she would be with Takato to comfort him or comfort Rika's family, but for some reason she was here. He wondered what her reasons were for a moment before deciding that perhaps he was looking too much into things.
Chris took a moment to note that Jeri was jotting down some information from one of the books that she had found, one finger resting on the image of a winged lion that the blonde haired boy recognized all too well from a mythological book that he had seen prior to his jaunt into the digital world. The creature, from what he remembered, was called a Lammasu, a Mesopotamian type of spiritual guardian. Shrugging his shoulders as to why she would find something like that interesting, Chris went back to his book. His eyebrows went up slightly as he took notice of something in the text.
Now that's interesting…this entry is titled Ahuraman, a Persian deity of darkness. Huh… Ahuraman… Ahuramon…I wonder if there's a connection…
Chris began to read the article closely.
Takato walked through the halls of Hypnos, his hands shoved in his pockets as he deftly avoided an employee while Guilmon trailed behind him, taking just as much care so as to not cause a commotion and interrupt Takato's thoughts. They had just come from a meeting with Yamaki and had finished filing his report about Shinjuku's most recent invasion. There likely would be a public outcry due to the amount of damage that had been caused, but fortunately no one had been able to see just what it was that had happened until the very end, a strange occurrence since they had all made enough ruckus to wake the dead, but Takato didn't think too much of it right now. At this moment Takato's mind was focused solely on the thought of the red haired friend that had vanished.
"Takato…I know that you're not going to like this, but…I'm going to have to go away for a while. Something's happening right now. You already know that of course…"
The thought whispered in his mind, but he couldn't tell where it had come from. It was as if something, some memory was just beyond his reach. He focused on it, trying to get a clearer understanding of what it was and why it, and other similar sensations had been plaguing him since the battle so often of late. He felt that it would give him a clue as to where Rika and Renamon had gone. Alas, the feeling as well as the thought slipped out of his grasp almost as quickly as he focused on it, and he was left empty handed again.
Takato paused as he passed by an open window, his eyes sliding over towards the glowing ball of fire that hung in the sky above Shinjuku, offering a message of hope, light, and life to all who dwelt beneath its warming rays. Somehow, it hurt looking at it in ways that went beyond just the fact that it was bad for his eyes.
"I've got to go soon, so when you see the others…and my family, give them my regards. Tell Jeri that I'm sorry about her party. I wish things could have turned out differently. I…"
Rika paused and furrowed her brow as she brought up her other hand and cupped Takato's other cheek with it, causing the boy to gasp lightly at her touch. Her expression was such that she looked as though she were debating something. Unconsciously Takato brought up his own hands and clasped Rika's hands into them. He felt a strange, yet comforting warmth spread through him as he did so.
"Just… take care of yourself Takato. Until next time…" With that, Rika leaned forward and her warm lips joined his own. A surge of energy suddenly seemed to explode within the boy's chest at the connection and the light that surrounded them increased in intensity, drowning the world in a mixture of blue, white, red, and orange…
Takato gasped as tears stung his eyes and he clenched his hand into a fist, feeling as though he had failed his friends in some way. Next to him Guilmon bumped up against him, offering him some measure of comfort to his friend, his own golden eyes tearing up as well as he shared Takato's pain in his heart.
"Don't worry Takato," Guilmon said in a gentle, but still childish tone. "We'll find them.
Takato remembered Rika's family's reaction to his telling them about her disappearance. Saying that they upset wasn't quite strong enough to describe how they had reacted. Rumiko certainly took it hard, and Tom was now doing his best to comfort her. Seiko, surprisingly had taken it the best out of them all though it was clear that she was just as upset and worried about her granddaughter as Rumiko was. But regardless of what she was feeling, she had kept her calm outlook as best as she could, and had had a long talk with Takato about the events that had transpired…that is, what he could remember of them.
Takato's expression hardened as he looked out the window and patted the side of Guilmon's head, holding him close as he thought of the promise that he had made Seiko and her mother when he had seen them the night that she had vanished.
"Yeah boy," Takato said throatily as he blinked back his tears. Now was not the time for that sort of thing. He had to be strong if he was going to do what he needed to find Rika, Renamon, and Ryo. "I know. We'll find them."
Real world or digital world, thought Takato as he reaffirmed the promise he had made to the Nonaka family. Wherever you are, whatever trouble you're in…I'll find you…I promise.
To be continued…
A/N: That's it for the first part of the Digital Manifest storyline. It might take some time before I get going on the second part, as I need to plan it out before I can begin it. Possible ideas presently include season 02 involvement, the return of Raven and Will (who had debuted from a previous installment, Tales of the Digital Manifest), maybe Dai (again, see Tales of the Digital Manifest), the issues and resolution of Leomon's mystery and the effects that Ryan's 'eye' will have on how he participates in the story. A lot of things to consider here and I want it to be just right before beginning again.
I'd like to thank the following reviewers for reading and reviewing my story.
Zakuyoe, dbzgtfan2004, Kuroy, Frozen Twins, Trinity Dragon, Plywood Fiend, Spellcaster Hikaru, Pandemonium Theory, Yami Umi, ofdarknesschaos, Keyo-Red Angel of Hope, Black, Dag 417, Nolaquen265, Pyro the Harbinger of Chaos, n/a, Blazing Chaos, DJ Diddy Dog KIVA FORM
'Till next time then. Later.
-Crazyeight
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