Welcome to Chapter 7. A major pivotal chapter this one, that will influence the whole series of stories. This is a longer chapter than the others so far because I really don't feel like breaking up the flow of a really important scene with a cliff-hanger.

DISCLAIMER: Blazing Chaos does not own Digimon, but does own the OCs introduced in this story and later stories. I don't own the song in this chapter either.

DIMENSIONS

BOOK ONE

Links

By Blazing Chaos

CHAPTER 7

Fiery Blood, Icy Heart

DIGITAL WORLD

Ibm Lake, Mountain Level

21:00 UTC

T-123000

The dark of the night beat down hard on the lakes and forests as Kyubimon raced quickly across them, leaving Growlmon and Takato way behind. They had been trying to follow Rika and Kyubimon for about half an hour now, but the speed difference was far too great. Thankfully, the D-Nav was proving to be a useful tool in tracking the pair, and Takato decided to thank Yamaki when he returned to the real world.

Another problem, however, had become clear.

According to an email from Henry, the D-Arc was due at 9:30 the next day. It seemed simple enough to get there and back in that time, but Takato already felt tired. He also knew that Growlmon wouldn't last much longer. He was thankful for his sleeping-bag in his backpack.

"Ow, Takato, my feet hurt…" Growlmon moaned.

"Sorry boy, but we need to keep moving…" Takato replied, patting his partner on the head, which was also where he was sitting. "This should help" he said, swiping a recharge card through his D-Arc. However, his supplies of cards were running low. He resigned himself to the fact that he would need to stop for sleep soon. However, he was also thankful that Rika and Kyubimon would also have to stop, and, to his knowledge, they were unaware of the fact that he was following. He hoped that he could wake up before Rika would, and thus gain some much needed ground.

One thing disconcerted him.

Rika's signal was heading towards the large, ½ snow covered mountain in front of him.

Lowest Level

21:30 UTC

T-120000

The being landed harshly on the sands of the lowest level. The overwhelming silence disturbed him, but it had not changed since he was last in the Digital World. It considered its options for reaching his destination, and hence her. The sand was beaten by the wind, but the large winds of the beast blew it away with ease. It decided to regain its strength by sleeping, since it had noticed the distinct lack of any Digimon in the area, and it doubted whether the Digimon to be found her could destroy him anyway.

The beast lay on the floor, and quickly went into a deep sleep.

Spire Mountain, Mountain Level

22:01 UTC

T-112900

Kyubimon slowed to a stop.

"I'm sorry Rika, I am completely out of energy," She said. Rika climbed off and stood to one side, as her partner dedigivolved.

"Don't worry, you did your best" Rika said as looked around the icy landscape. She shivered for a second, and then looked to see a cave.

"Looks warmer than out here" Rika said, trying to force a smile. Her anger had seemingly worn off, but it was mainly due to the time. She walked to the mouth of the cave. "Probably worth checking whether there is anything or anyone inside" she added. Renamon nodded.

"DIAMOND STORM" she shouted, as crystals shot to be back of the cave, lighting it up periodically. They exploded and portions of the back of the cave caved in. However, they had seen no wild Digimon in the cave in their brief glimpse, so the pair entered. Rika placed her backpack on the floor and pulled her sleeping bag out of it. She unrolled it on the floor. Aware of how cold it was, she put on a pale blue jumper to keep warm. She climbed into the sleeping bag and turned to her partner, who had sat up against the wall nearby, looking out of the cave.

"You should get your rest Rika…" Renamon said to her tamer.

"So should you…" Rika replied.

"I see your point. Perhaps we should both sleep, I see no chance of being attacked tonight, and I am likely to hear any threats"

Rika nodded. "Okay then. Oh, and by the way…thanks, for being by my side…"

"No problem Rika. However, you could explain something to me…" Renamon replied, turning to her partner, who appeared to have gone to sleep. However, Rika had merely closed her eyes to avoid the inevitable question. "Never mind…" Renamon continued, whilst sighing. She settled down to sleep.

Rika frowned at the fact she had avoided talking to her partner, but considered it a necessity. She thought about her current situation. A tear ran down her face.

Foot of Spire Mountain, Mountain Level

22:45 UTC

T-104500

Growlmon and Takato arrived at the foot of the mountain. There were a few small wooded areas here, and Takato decided to stop and rest here.

"This looks like a good place. Okay Growlmon, let me down…" Takato said, as his partner lowered his head so he could get off. "Cheers Growlmon. You can dedigivolve now."

Growlmon did exactly that. Guilmon fell down next to Takato. "So tired…" he said, quickly dozing off to sleep. Takato unrolled his sleeping bag and settled into it.

'I can't let Rika's mother down. I've got to catch up to her. But what do I say? I mean, she's hardly going to react to all that emotional stuff. Or is she? Back on the train, she seemed more happy to talk…I just hope I can catch up with her…'

Takato dozed off to sleep.

REAL WORLD

Kitagawa Residence, West Shinjuku

08:03 JST

T-102700

"WAKE UP KENTA" came a loud voice. Kenta awoke with a start, to the face of Kazu Shioda.

"Waaah!" Kenta yelled and leapt 2 feet in the air, falling out of the bed. His room was small, and the walls had many Digimon posters on them. His D-Arc lay on the side table.

"Ha-ha, look at his pyjamas." Kazu joked to Jeri alongside him.

"That's mean…" Jeri replied.

"But funny…come on Kenta, we're going to go find the others…" Kazu said.

"It's only…five past eight, surely too early to do so?" Kenta replied.

"Chickening out are we? Worried we might find out some huge secret?"

"That's exactly what I'm worried about." Kenta replied, getting strange looks from Kazu and Jeri.

"Why?" Jeri asked.

"What if we find out some really big secret? I mean, if they're gone, they must have a reason to go."

"Perhaps they are organising a surprise party for us?" Jeri thought out loud.

"Oh yeah, get real. Now come on, as far as we know we're missing all the fun." Kazu said, beginning to leave.

"Hey, I have to get changed first. Anyway, how did you get in here?" Kenta asked.

"Your mum let us in. Now hurry up, or you'll have to go in your pyjamas."

"Oh ha-ha, very funny." Kenta said, as Kazu and Jeri left the room, Jeri closing the door behind her. Kazu was laughing.

"That wasn't very funny Kazu" Jeri said.

"Oh come on, it was…" he replied.

Jeri sighed.

08:13 JST

T-101700

Ten minutes later, the small group of three Tamers walked through the streets of Tokyo, Jeri leading, and Kazu and Kenta behind her to either side.

"So, how far to Rika's house?" Kenta asked.

"Well, she lives in East Shinjuku, but it can't be that far." Jeri replied.

"Sounds like a long way to me" Kazu commented.

They left the residential area where Kenta lived and came to a main road. They crossed via a footbridge and headed towards the park.

"If we hurry, Rika won't have gone anywhere yet" Jeri said enthusiastically.

"Why do I have a feeling she won't be there at all?" Kenta complained.

08:37 JST

T-095300

The three had arrived in the East Shinjuku residential area. They walked through the walled streets. Jeri reached a dead end and turned around.

"Wrong way guys…" Jeri said, giggling nervously.

"Do you actually have a clue where we are going?" Kazu asked irritated.

"Of course, of course…erm, it's this way" she said, gesturing for them to follow.

09:30 JST

T-090000

"Here we are, I knew we'd find it." Jeri said.

"Yes, but we spent an HOUR doing so!" Kazu complained.

"Even if she were here earlier, she's probably gone to the park by now." Kenta added.

"Look, quit complaining" Jeri said as she knocked on the door. After a short while, Seiko Hata arrived at the door and opened it.

"Oh, hello…you must be my granddaughter's friends?" she asked. Jeri nodded.

"Is Rika in?" Jeri asked. Seiko stared blankly for a second or two. She then replied, monotonously.

"No. She's…out…"

Jeri nodded.

"Any chance of knowing when she'll get back?"

"Well, you know Rika, she could have gone anywhere, and she doesn't tend to tell us. But, personally if I were you, I'd try the park."

Jeri nodded. "Ok Mrs Hata. Thank you for your time."

"It was no problem. Glad to help." Seiko replied, and closed the door, as the three tamers walked away. They reached the alleyway between the houses.

"That was…strange…" Kenta said.

"Yeah, I think Rika's grandmother is insane, strange since she seemed like such a nice lady at first" Kazu thought aloud.

"Are you for real? She's clearly covering something up." Jeri said, annoyed at the other two's lack of thought.

"You know, you sounded just like Rika there." Kazu noted.

"Come on, we'll try the park first, and then we'll go find Henry."

The three headed off away from the house.

09:50 JST

T-084000

The group of three arrived at the park.

"Well, here we are where everything happens" Kazu noted.

"Yeah, but seems like we never come here these days" Kenta added sadly.

"Come on, we're looking for Rika, not taking a trip down memory lane." Jeri interrupted, annoyed. The two boys followed her up the steps to the hut.

"Psst…I think that Jeri is acting more like Rika every day" Kazu whispered to Kenta.

"Yeah…" Kenta replied. Jeri turned round.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing" the two boys replied.

"Sure…" Jeri said, and continued to walk up the steps. Kazu and Kenta looked at each other and grinned.

"Hello? Rika? Takato? Anyone?" Jeri said into the hideout. There was no response.

"Okay, so they aren't here. Any other ideas?" Kazu said.

"Well, let's go to Henry's house now." Kenta answered. "Anyone know where he lives?"

"I do" Jeri said.

"I hope you ACTUALLY know this time." Kazu replied.

"Of course…" Jeri said, giggling.

They turned and walked away, strangely none of them having noticed the faint static noise near the hideout.

DIGITAL WORLD

Tibo Village, Mountain Level

01:30 UTC

T-080000

Henry lay awake in one of the makeshift beds in one of the buildings. Terriermon lay next to him, and MarineAngemon, Calumon and Impmon slept on the floor. Terriermon was mumbling in his sleep.

"…mmm…cheese on peanut butter…no Rika, no, not the frying pan…ouch…ouch…ouch…moment…ouch! Hmm…cheese on peanut butter…yuck…ah…cream puffs…no Calumon, they're mine…hey, Impmon, give them back…Henry, help me…hey, it's raining cream puffs…yay…"

Henry smiled at his partners odd dreams. He lifted up the D-Nav for what must have been the four-hundredth time in the last hour and stared at the numbers on the screen.

T-075829…T-075828…T-075827…

'We've only got just under eight hours to get to the lowest level, and I need all the sleep I can get. Why can't I sleep? Maybe I just need reassurance…'

Henry considered waking Terriermon up, but decided against it.

'…it'd be better if there was someone more sympathetic to talk to here, like Jeri…I really need to talk to someone about this situation…I suppose I could…but would he be awake…I guess its about 10:30 in the real world, he should be awake…'

Henry started to write an email.

REAL WORLD

West Shinjuku Martial Arts School

10:35 JST

T-075500

The sensei bowed to a pupil.

"You have made good progress Koji, but your energy is too unfocused. You need to concentrate more on putting all your power into your moves and calming yourself down. I will see you tomorrow at the same time."

The boy bowed to his sensei.

"Thank you Sensei, I look forward to continuing my tutelage."

The boy left. (A/N: I'm afraid that this won't be a Frontier crossover fic, but I thought that it was worth putting a cameo in rather than a generic character)

The sensei, now on his short 15 minute break between two lessons, sat down at a computer he had had installed. Despite his line of work and his age, he found the internet to be a useful resource. He checked his emails.

"Hmm, Henry…I thought that he was in the Digital World…"

The sensei clicked the email. He read the message.

Dear Sensei,

I am currently in a rather difficult situation in the digital world. It is about 1:35 here, and I cannot sleep. The reason is because I am thinking of my friends. You see, one of my friends had a falling out with another one and then another of my friends went after her. At the same time, we only have about 8 hours until we have to leave for the real world, hence I am unable to sleep. I am worried for my friends both in the short and long terms. What should I do?

Sincerely yours,

Henry Wong

The sensei thought for a short while, before typing a reply.

DIGITAL WORLD

Tibo Village

01:40 UTC

T-075000

Henry sat there in the dark, and then noticed the email icon on his D-Nav light up. He opened the email.

Dear Henry,

I am interested in your situation. Clearly, I lack knowledge of this world. However, by the sounds of it, the friend that went after your other friend wants to comfort him or her. You must trust that friend to be able to do so, and you should also hope that everything works out between you four in the long term. As for the eight hours problem, I suggest you try to contact them closer to the time when you need to depart.

If you need any more help, don't hesitate to ask. However, I am teaching pupils at the moment, so I may take a while to reply. My next pupil I am due to teach, by the way, is Thomas H. Norstein. (A/N: Nope, no Data Squad either, but just thought I'd drop in a reference) He is almost as good a pupil as you are, but not quite.

Sincerely yours,

Sensei

Henry thought about the email.

'I guess that Sensei is right. I know that Takato will be able to speak some sense into Rika some way or another, and I know that Ryo and Rika will patch it up, even if it takes time.'

He looked at the clock on his D-Nav.

'Hmm…01:42…I should get some sleep…I need to be ready to email Takato when I wake up. Thanks Sensei!'

Henry faded off to sleep.

REAL WORLD

Wong Residence, West Shinjuku

11:00 JST

T-073000

"Okay, so it took longer than I thought it would…" Jeri said, trying to bluff her way out of a bad situation. The three had arrived at the door.

"It took a LOT longer than you thought it would." Kazu replied annoyed.

"Yeah" Kenta added.

"Look, let's just knock on the door." Jeri said, irritated both at her two companions and the fact that she had taken nearly two hours to find his apartment, including several half hours in the wrong apartment buildings. Jeri knocked on the door. An older teenage girl opened the door.

"Hello?"

"Oh great Jeri, we got the wrong apartment…" Kazu moaned.

"Quiet…we're looking for Henry…"

"Well, you got the right place. I'm his sister, Rinchei" said the girl at the door.

"Good to meet you Rinchei. I'm Jeri Katou and my companions here are Kazu Shioda and Kenta Kitagawa" Jeri said cheerfully.

"Nice to meet all of you. Unfortunately, my mother is out shopping, my father is at work, I'm babysitting Suzie and I'm not sure on where Henry is. Oh, and if Henry has mentioned her, my other sister, Jaarin is at university. Would you like to come in?"

"Yes thank you" Jeri replied. They entered the apartment. Rinchei gestured to the settee.

"Make yourself at home, and I'll get the phone. You can try to contact Henry or my dad that way."

Jeri nodded in response. She and the other two sat down. A young girl with red hair ran out of a nearby room.

"Hawow…awe uwe the Angwy Kwd's frwnds?"

'I'm NOT angry!'

Jeri could hear Takato's response herself. She chuckled quietly to herself.

"Hi Suzie…do you know where Henry is?" Kenta asked Suzie.

"Nowpe" she replied.

'Isn't anyone the slightest bit concerned about them not being here?' Jeri thought.

"Right, here's the phone. The numbers you'll want to call are listed on the back. If that's everything then I'll get back to my PC?"

"Yes, that'll be fine" Jeri replied.

"You can pway Princess Prewty Pants with me!" Jeri said, dragging Kenta into her room.

"But wait…!" Kenta said. Kazu chuckled, and Jeri giggled.

"Okay then, let's see…well, first things first, Rika's mobile…" Jeri said, before dialing the number for Rika's mobile, and putting the phone on speakerphone. There was a long pause before they got a message.

"We are sorry, but the number you dialled cannot be found. Please check you have the correct number and area code. The phone at the other end may also be either turned off or inactive."

Jeri frowned.

"We'll try Henry's mother" she then said. She dialled the number.

A few seconds later, the phone was again on speakerphone. Jeri and Kazu leant over the phone, waiting for a response. Jeri swept a stray hair back behind her ear. Finally, a woman answered the phone.

"Hello, this is Mayumi Wong, who is this?"

"Oh, hello, this is Jeri Katou and Kazu Shioda" Jeri said.

"Oh, hello, you must be Henry's friends. What can I do for you?" Mayumi said.

"We were wondering if you knew where Henry is. We've been looking for him, Takato and Rika all morning."

There was a pause on the phone. "He's out…camping."

"Okay, any way we can contact him?" Kazu said.

"No, he'll be back soon though so I'll call you when he get's back, okay?"

"Okay…my number is 080-2943-9427" said Jeri.

"Thank you"

The phone was hung up. Jeri frowned.

"Now we'll try Henry's father" she then said. She dialled another number in, and put it on speakerphone again. A short while later, a male voice answered.

"Hello, this is Janyuu Wong"

"Hello, this is Jeri Katou and Kazu Shioda." Jeri said.

"Aha, Henry's friends. What did you want to ask?"

"We were wondering where Henry is, and to a lesser extent the whereabouts of Takato and Rika."

"He is staying with some relatives out of town."

"Okay" Jeri said, winking at Kazu. "Thanks for answering our questions"

"No problem. Goodbye"

The phone hung up. Jeri turned to Kazu.

"Bingo."

Kazu nodded back, grinning.

"Cwome back Princwess Pwetty Pwants, you need to pwut yowe dwess on!" Suzie said, as Kenta escaped from her room. Jeri quickly pulled out her phone and took a picture of Kenta, as they burst out laughing. Kenta had girls makeup on, his hair braided, and Suzie was running after him with a dress.

"Well, we always thought you might be 'that way' Kenta." Jeri said, smiling.

"Yeah" Kazu added, still laughing, and not noticing the subtle reference to him.

"Just run!" Kenta said. He ran out the door, along with Kazu. Jeri smiled and went to Rinchei's room. She was listening to music on her computer through headphones. Despite this, Jeri could hear the music, which was heavy rock music.

"Thanks for the help" Jeri said, in response to which she received a nod. Jeri quietly let herself out. At the bottom of the stairwell she met Kazu and Kenta, Kazu still insane with laughter at Kenta's appearance.

"That's it, I'm going home!" said Kenta. "Anyway, it's lunchtime, I'll meet all you guys at the park in an hour."

"Okay then" Jeri said, nodding. The three split up and went their separate ways.

DIGITAL WORLD

Foot of Spire Mountain, Mountain Level

3:25 UTC

T-060500

Takato awoke from his nearly 5 hour sleep, which had never developed into a deep sleep. Yawning, he climbed out of his sleeping bag. He nudged Guilmon.

"Come on Guilmon, we've got to get moving…" Takato said, his voice raspy.

"But nappy time Takato…" Guilmon said, half asleep.

"I'm sorry boy, but we can't waste any time…"

"Okay then Takato…" Guilmon said, before yawning and sitting up.

"I think we'll walk, looks too steep for Growlmon…hmm…" Takato said, before looking at the D-Nav. "Right, it's this way…come on Guilmon, we've got to catch up with Rika…"

He and his partner began to walk in the direction where the D-Nav was pointing.

REAL WORLD

'Guilmon's Hideout', Shinjuku Park

12:32 JST

T-055800

Jeri arrived at the hideout. Noticing that Kenta and Kazu had not arrived yet, almost as she expected, she sat down against the back wall. She unconsciously noticed the faint static sound. She thought about all the times that they as a group had spent here, until they went to the digital world. Rika would've been teaching her to play cards, with Henry watching and giving tips, Calumon, Terriermon, Guilmon and probably also Takato, Kazu and Kenta would've been playing tag, Renamon would've been watching from a tree, and Leomon would be…

Jeri frowned at the thought of her dead partner. She sighed. Even if the others had been able to get their Digimon back, she would never get Leomon back, excepting a miracle. She silently hoped for a miracle.

"Sorry we're late, Kenta took ages to get his makeup off" Kazu said arriving, still snickering.

"It's not funny" complained Kenta.

"Oh, but it is…"

"Shut up you two… "Jeri complained. "Now, where do we check next?"

"Well, what about Hypnos?" Kazu suggested.

"I suppose that is the natural next place to look. Maybe they can check the D-Arcs. Come on then, let's go…" Jeri said, and she lead the group away from the hideout.

13:03 JST

T-052700

The group arrived at the Tokyo Metropolitan Building. They walked up to the receptionist.

"Hello, we're here to see Yamaki of Hypnos" Kazu said to the receptionist.

"Hold on, I'll buzz his phone. Who should I say it is?" said the receptionist.

"Say it is the Digimon Tamers"

"Alright…" she said, and picked up the phone.

"So, you really think that Hypnos can find them?" Kenta asked Jeri.

"Well, if they can track the D-Arcs, they can probably find them." Jeri answered.

"Okay then." Kenta replied.

A few moments later, the receptionist put down the phone.

"Someone is coming to get you" she said to the three.

"Cheers" replied Kazu. A short while after, a brunette exited the lift (elevator) lobby and walked over to the three.

"Hello and welcome to Hypnos. I'm Riley Ootori and I will be your tour guide" she said smiling. Jeri giggled.

"Very funny." Jeri said smiling.

"Good to know, but I'm not a comedian so the humour ends there."

The group entered the lift and Riley pressed the button for floor 29. The lift rapidly accelerated upwards and it finally came to a stop about a minute later.

"Here we are, floor 29, also known as Hypnos" the brunette said.

"Hmm, I've never been here before…wasn't this building destroyed?" Jeri asked.

"That's your tax yen working there." Riley replied whilst smiling. Jeri smiled back. They walked through a cafeteria area with tables and large panes of glass in the windows.

"Is Yamaki here?" Kenta asked.

"No, he's currently in a meeting." Riley replied.

"Oh…okay" Kenta replied.

They entered the main control room. Tally sat high up on the seat, monitoring the Digital Plane activity. A timer counted down on the screen.

T-051800…T-051759…T-051758…

"What's the timer for?" asked Kazu.

"Oh...it's just…a timer that we use to split the day into blocks…" Tally replied.

"Oh, okay…hold on…lemme figure this out…hmm…it looks like it's due to end at about half five." Kenta replied.

"Yeah, that's when one block of the day ends and another begins." Tally added. It was a clear lie, since it made no sense to split it like that, but the three tamers knew no different.

"Right, so what do you kids need?" Riley asked.

"We were wondering if you could use your equipment to find out where Rika, Takato and Henry are. We've had no luck just searching blind." Jeri asked.

"Okay then…" Riley said, as she climbed into her seat. She typed on her keyboard and on the surround display up came a map of Tokyo. "Right, tracking D-Arc signals now…"

Several coloured dots appeared. The kids noticed their own colours, as well as a purple dot, but no blue, gold, green or dark blue dots.

"Hmm, no sign of any of them…including Ryo…that's very strange, and worrying too…" Jeri said worried. "Anything else you can do?"

"If you give me your number, we'll call you if anything comes up" Riley suggested.

"Okay then. My mobile number is 080-2943-9427." Jeri said. Riley copied down the numbers exactly, without needing them to be repeated or said more slowly.

'Well, that's what working for a government agency does to you I guess'Jeri thought.

14:01 JST

T-042900

The three kids walked out of the Tokyo Metropolitan Building. Jeri looked up at the sky.

"Well, what do we do now?" Kazu asked.

"I guess there is nothing more we can do. Look, people have my mobile number, if they ring me and give me any clues, I'll ring you guys. Okay?" Jeri asked.

"Okay" Kazu and Kenta replied.

"Right, now I'm going home" Jeri said, before heading away from the building. Kenta and Kazu then said goodbye and went their separate ways.

DIGITAL WORLD

Spire Mountain

06:00 UTC

T-030000

Rika awoke from her slumber. She felt very emotional. She had dreamt of her father, of her mother, of her current situation, and of Takato. In particular, she remembered when she was a child being pushed on the swings. She sighed. She turned to see Renamon, ever vigilant. She made a decision that was strange for her.

"Renamon…could you leave me alone for a short while?" she asked. Renamon nodded.

"As you wish…" she replied, and phased out.

Rika walked out of the cave and stood on the side of the mountain. She stared out over the digital world and began to sing.

"Every morning and every night

You watch over me like the sun in the sky

Every morning and every night

Will you promise me promise me

You'll be my gui-i-ding light!"

Nearby, Takato walked up the mountain with Guilmon. Upon hearing the unusual voice, he moved along with Guilmon to hide behind a rock near the cave. He looked over the rock at the source of the noise.

"Promise that we'll stay for the sunset

And when the moon shines through the darkness

We can find the path that leads us home

And on the way you'll maybe

Sing me a song"

Takato's mouth hung wide open when he saw who it was.

"Promise that you always will be there

Hold my hand if ever I'm real scared

Help me stand up tall if I fall down

Make me laugh away my bluest days"

'I feel like I'm intruding…but…it's beautiful…she's a really good singer…'

"How could you promise you always would be there?

Why'd you have to go away somewhere?

Every morning into every night

Do you watch over me like the sun in the sky?

Am all alone or standing in your light?"

Takato walked over towards Rika. Rika unconsciously heard the footsteps, and they soon registered in her mind. She continued to sing.

"I wish that I could

Maybe…

Sing you a song…

Tonight."

Rika sighed, and turned round, to face Takato.

"Alright, now I'm ready to talk" she said emotionally, as a tear ran down her face. Takato was still in shock, and this shocked him further. Rika broke into more crying. Takato put his arm round her.

"Rika…please…please don't cry…" he whispered.

"Everything…everything sucks doesn't it Takato…" Rika said, as her sobbing decreased and she started to talk louder. "I mean I go through life, I try to improve, and I still get the same looks from everyone. My mother doesn't care about me, my father ran away, and I somehow brave through it, but I can't muster up the courage to tell my biggest secret. What possible reason do I have to go back?"

Takato made an action so unlike him that he would later question whether it was actually him doing so.

He leant forward, and he pressed his lips against Rika's in a kiss. Rika's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what was happening. But…surprisingly…she liked it. She began to kiss back and pulled Takato into a tight embrace. The moment seemed to last an eternity. When it finally finished, Rika just stared into Takato's eyes, the pair still in a tight embrace, before Takato asked a question.

"Is that your secret?" he whispered to Rika. Rika nodded, and pulled him into a tighter embrace, her head over his shoulder.

"Thanks…for caring…" Rika said, still emotional. Takato was reminded of something he had said earlier to Guilmon.

"Well…love…love is when you care for someone a lot."

"No problem…" Takato replied. Rika lifted her head off Takato's shoulders and stared him straight in the eyes.

"Well, there is one problem." Rika said softly.

"Eh?" Takato said, blushing.

"It is bloody freezing out here!" Rika replied. Takato nodded, and they pulled out of the hug. "We'll go in that cave I was in earlier, it's slightly warmer in there…"

Takato followed Rika to the cave. Takato looked into the cave and he noticed something odd.

"Erm…what happened to the back of the cave?"

"Well, to check there was nothing in there, I had Renamon fire a diamond storm in there…and it kind of…collapsed."

"That doesn't explain what I'm seeing…"

"What do you mean?" Takato simply pointed in response. In front of them was a large flickering image of a forest, which rippled every second or so. Blue streaks of light ran across it occasionally.

"It's a portal!" Rika said.

"If we use this, we can easily get back to the D-Arc before it leaves." Takato said cheerfully. Rika looked at the ground sorrowfully.

"Look Takato…I'm not sure…I'm not sure I want to go back…I'm not sure I can face her again…"

"Rika…" Takato said, as he grabbed Rika's hand. "I'll be by your side. We'll all be by your side, but me especially." Rika nodded.

"Okay then. One question remains…how did you know about my…crush…on you?" Rika said, nervous when she mentioned her crush.

"I'll tell you in a sec…Guilmon…" Takato said, shouting to attract his partner's attention

"Yes Takatomon?" Guilmon said, arriving at the mouth cave. Renamon phased into reality alongside Rika.

"We're moving on through the portal now."

"Okay Takatomon" his partner replied.

"Ready Rika?" Takato said, grabbing Rika's hand.

"Yeah…"

The four leapt through the portal…

Lowest Level

06:14 UTC

T-024600

Cyberdramon flew across the dry, harsh desert. Riding on his back were Henry, Terriermon, Lopmon, Calumon and Impmon, and MarineAngemon and Guardromon flew alongside.

'I hope that Rika and Takato make it.' Henry thought. 'That reminds me' he thought, pulling out the D-Nav and beginning to write an email.

Forest Level

06:16 UTC

T-024400

Two humans, one with a white shirt with a pale blue full heart on it and blue jeans, and the other with a blue top and grey trousers, and two Digimon, one a red dinosaur with black marks on him and the other a yellow fox, were thrown out of a portal that radiated inside a tree.

Takato fell on top of Rika. He looked down and gulped.

"Erm…" Takato said, nervously.

"Don't worry about it…" Rika said, pushing him off. "…maybe when we're older…" she said softly in Takato's ear as they lay on the ground alongside each other.. Takato's eyes widened and he turned his head to face Rika. Rika laughed. "I love messing with your mind," she joked, standing up and offering Takato her hand. She pulled Takato to his feet.

"Okay, it looks like we're back in that forest level…we need a miracle really don't we?" Takato said, slightly worried about their current situation.

"Maybe…let's find the railway tracks…maybe Locomon will give us a lift" Rika said. (A/N: Yes, I am English, so I'll use English terminology thank you very much. No railroads for me.)

Takato and the two Digimon nodded. Suddenly, there was a double beep from Takato's pocket. He pulled out his D-Nav.

"Hmm, I have an email from Henry…" he said, as he opened it. The three others leaned over to look at the screen.

Hey Takato,

I hope you manage or have managed to find Rika. I also hope that you can make it back to the Arc in time. It's due at about 09:30 Digital World Time. Please hurry.

Cheers,

Henry

"Hmm, looks like we have about 2 hours and 40 minutes remaining. We need to hurry!" said Rika, checking the time. "Renamon!" Rika said.

"As you wish…"

"DIGI MODIFY…Digivolution Activate!" Rika yelled, as she swiped a card through her D-Arc.

DIGIVOLUTION

"Renamon digivolve to…Kyubimon"

A nine-tailed quadruped fox burst out of the blue mesh egg. Rika leapt onto her back and offered her hand to Takato. Meanwhile, Guilmon, with some difficulty, tried to climb aboard.

"Need a hand?" Rika said at the same time. Takato nodded and grabbed her hand.

"Guilmon, you're pulling on my tails" Kyubimon said, yelping in pain.

Takato sat behind Rika on Kyubimon's back. They held on tight as Kyubimon shook in pain.

"Whoops, sorry. Erm, Takatomon, I need help…." Guilmon said, as Kyubimon yelped again.

Takato leaned over and tried to pull Guilmon up. Rika, noticing his difficulty, assisted him, and Guilmon was pulled up onto Kyubimon's back.

"Let's go!" said Rika, turning to face forwards. Kyubimon broke into a run. "Now, Takato…erm…honey, how did you figure out my secret? I mean, you were risking far too much to just try that out back there."

"Hmm, how can I show you…hold on, one sec…" Takato said, pulling out the D-Nav. "Aha, here we go…" Plugging the memory stick into the USB stock, he brought up the diary entry.

Dear Diary,

Well, looks like life is back to normal after that thing. And by back to normal I mean back to horrible. And yet…I think something has changed. You see, I seem to suddenly have feelings for…him. He may be a total doofus and a walking disaster but…I like him…a lot. But…he likes her. Of course he does, everyone knows that, oddly except those two themselves. Hey, I wouldn't be surprised if the two morons hadn't figured it out yet. Meh, regardless, makes no difference to me.

Sigh

Hold on, did I just type Sigh? I must be going insane. I wish she were here, life is so boring without anything happening.

Rika

Rika looked at Takato open mouthed.

"But this is…this is my diary…"

"Yes, it surprised me too." Takato said.

"But…it vanished from my PC…how did you get it?"

"I'm not too sure, but maybe it was that Hazard virus thing…" he replied, slightly worried that Rika would think he had hacked her PC.

Rika nodded. "Makes no difference now, does it Goggles?" she said, smiling. Takato grabbed onto her and hugged her from behind. Rika looked back with a confused expression.

"Look, I'll admit, I'm afraid of falling off…"

"Yeah, sure…" Rika laughed.

Takato looked ahead as they galloped through the forest. They reached the railway tracks and headed along them. However, one question remained in Takato's mind. One question, one nagging doubt, disturbed him more than anything else at this moment.

'Do I…love her back?'

Kyubimon leapt through the large sand coloured rippling wall that extended across the level.

TO BE CONTINUED…

And there it is, finally written. A long one too, about 6000 words, as opposed to my usual 3000 or so. A lot of concurrent storylines, made more complex by the fact that times in the Digital World and Real World Japan would be different. Anyway, this is one I'd much like people to read and review.

We're heading towards the end of the first arc now, only one chapter (or maybe half a chapter, haven't decided yet) remains in this first story arc. However, there are still big mysteries afoot, that may be solved in this story or in the next, so stay tuned.

Oh, and by the way, I've launched a forum on for discussion of this story and the saga as a whole. I may also drop a few hints from time to time. It can be found at:

time...
Will Takato and Rika make it to the arc in time? Who is 'it'? Will Jeri, Kenta and Kazu be mad when they find out the truth? And most importantly of all, does Takato love Rika back?

Find out in 'Countdown to Chaos', Chapter 8 of Dimensions Book One: Links.