CHAPTER 15
THE BLOODY ANGEL IS PUT TO REST
Time seemed to stand still as Takato and his friends gazed in horror upon Rika's undead-like form.
"Rika..." Ryo gasped. "What..."
"What's happened?!" Jeri asked as she fearfully squeezed Takato's arm.
"I think that Rika's been possessed by the spirit of Katan the Heartless..." Henry said. "This isn't good..."
"And with the unpredictable atmosphere inside of D-Reaper, who knows what could happen..." Takato said as he looked around.
Rika eyed Takato and Jeri for a moment before her blackened eyes narrowed into slits of hate. "You..." she snarled, still in the dark, deep voice. "Goggles... Sword... TAICHI... Gloves... SORA..."
"Ulp... What's goin' on?!" Kenta gulped.
"Katan must not be fully conscious," Ryo said. "He thinks that Takato and Jeri are Taichi and Sora!"
Rika's fists balled and unballed as her eyes twitched and foam flecked from her mouth. "Must... have... Sora... Must... KILL... TAICHI!!!" she roared before she flew at Takato in a mad rage.
"Agh!" Takato yelled as Rika knocked him down and got her hands around his neck. "Rika, stop!!!"
"Rika, quit it!!!" Jeri pleaded. "Wake up!"
"Rika!!!" Ryo yelled.
"Stop it, Rika," Renamon exclaimed.
Rika obviously wasn't listening; her fingers clasped Takato's neck even tighter than before. Takato's struggles got weaker and weaker, and his eyesight began to fade.
"Rika... Please..." Takato gagged. "It's me... Takato... Remember?..."
"KILL!!!" Rika roared.
"N'ghhh..." Takato groaned as he slowly reached down and grabbed for his golden D-Arc. As his fingers closed around the tool, it glowed with a holy light.
"URRRRGGHHHHH?" Rika grunted as she took notice of what was glowing in Takato's pocket and loosened her grip.
"Sorry, Rika!" Takato yelled as he thrust the glowing Digivice onto Rika's skull. The machine gave a loud hiss and smoke curled up from where it had touched her. Rika screeched in pain and staggered backwards, insanely clawing at her head.
"Takato! What did you do?!" Jeri asked as she helped Takato up.
"I... I'm not really sure," Takato replied. "I just thought that it might help..."
"AGGGHHHHHHH!!!" Rika screamed as she stumbled around the far side of the room. Suddenly, she sank to her knees and grew very quiet.
"...Rika?..." Ryo asked.
"...Is she OK, Henwy?..." Suzie nervously asked Henry.
Suddenly, Rika gurgled and something strange happened. Her body phased in and out of view, like the Digimon had done during Yamaki's Juggernaut experiment. After a few moments, another Rika phased in next to the first one.
"What the?!..." Beelzemon asked.
"Well, they did say that the D-Reaper's environment does strange things..." Renamon replied.
"Ugh... Ack..." the second Rika coughed. She looked up at the others with her normal pale blue eyes. "Guys..." she choked.
"Rika! Is it really you?!" Takato exclaimed.
"Urrgh..." Rika grunted as she weakly got to her feet and staggered over to the group. "Takato... Ryo... You came..."
"Rika... Thank God!" Ryo exclaimed as he threw her arms around her.
Though Rika's face showed she enjoyed the embrace immensely, she gently pushed Ryo away. "No time for that..." she said as she looked back at the other Rika. "We've gotta... kill Katan... fast!..."
"Oh, yeah!" Henry said. "Almost forgot about him..."
The first Rika staggered up and glared at the newly-reunited Tamers. "Are you trying... to stop... my resurrection?..." she growled angrily as her body wobbled this way and that. "I... I won't let you..."
"Katan, you don't belong in this world," Takato said as he brandished his sword. "We'll put you out of your misery."
The first Rika knelt to the ground and made a strange symbol on it. "This substance... Perfect... Come forth... my servants..." she croaked. Huge gobs of D-Reaper goo oozed off of the walls, surrounded her and formed into four familiar figures.
"What?!" Henry cried.
"That gunk's taking on shapes of Barbarians from the mangas!" Kazu exclaimed. "Slashos The Beastly, Glacios the Polar and Jestros The Comical!"
"Wait..." Ryo said. "There are four figures. Who's that last one?"
The fourth wad of goo took on the shape of a blue-skinned woman with long claws and frizzy red hair. She smiled cruelly as she eyed the Tamers.
"D-Reaper..." Jeri gasped.
The first Rika, now surrounded by powerful allies, looked at the Tamers with an evil smile. "I'll kill anyone who tries to stop my resurrection!..." she howled. Just then, she stood up, strained and flashed a bright light.
"Agh!" Rika cried as she covered her eyes.
"Too bwight!" Suzie yelled as she buried her face in Henry's chest.
When the light cleared, the false Rika had vanished, and a horrible, dead man had appeared in her place. He wore pitch-black armor and a horned helmet, and his body was rotting inside and out. His once-golden hair fell in white sheets upon his armor, and his hollow eye sockets glowed with a cold blue light.
"Katan..." Takato growled.
"Kill them..." Katan ordered his minions. "But Taichi and Sora are MINE..."
The four flunkies grinned cruelly and advanced on the Tamers. Rika shot a glance at Takato and Jeri. "You heard him, guys!" she said.
"What?..." Takato asked.
"Katan wants to fight you two," Rika said. "We'll walk all over these jerks while you take him out!"
"All right!" Takato said as he cracked a smile. "Same old Rika... Don't worry; we'll stop him!"
"You'd better!" Rika said as she returned the smile before drawing a card from her pocket. "Renamon!"
"I'm ready, Rika," Renamon said as she landed at her partner's side.
Rika slid the card through her D-Arc. "Digimodify! Yamato's Mighty Mace, Activate!"
Renamon shimmered and became the powerful mace of the Digidestined of Friendship. "No more pouting like a bratty baby," Rika growled as she swung the weapon. "That's what got me into this mess... So now I'm gonna make a new way out!..."
Takato and Jeri confronted the towering Katan, who looked down on them with malice. "Now... You shall die..." he snarled. "I'll kill you... even in this rotting body..."
"No way!" Takato said defiantly as he clutched his sword and Jeri balled up her gloved fists. "Tai and the others stopped you... So can we!"
"N'GRAAAAAHHHH!!!" Katan roared in an inhuman voice as his fists sparked with black electricity. "MASQUE OF BLACK DAMNATION!!!" He thrust his arms out and a tidal wave of evil energy crashed over the battlefield.
"Aaagghhh!!!" Jeri cried as the hateful blast knocked her flat on her back.
"Errrghhh!!!" Takato grunted as he strained against Katan's spell. Finally, though, he lost his stamina and fell beside Jeri.
Katan advanced on the fallen youth with a sinister grin illuminating his dead face. "DIE, TAICHI!!!" he shrieked as he charged his fist with black energy and swung for Takato's head.
Takato recovered just in time to roll away from Katan's blow, which left a smoldering crater where he had just been. He got on his knees and swung the Sword Of Light. The blade buried itself in the back of Katan's leg, and Katan screamed and leaped away. When he landed, Takato noticed that Katan's leg was venting black smoke.
"Woah..." Takato said. "He must not be able to take damage as well as he thinks he can! Jeri, can you get up?!"
"Ugh..." Jeri said as she forced herself into a sitting position. "I don't feel well, Takato..." she said.
"Jeri, Katan can't take a lot of punishment with that crusty old body of his," Takato said. "If we can score one good hit, it could take him down for good!"
"One good hit?" Jeri asked as she got on her feet. "Hey! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Katan was advancing on the two Tamers, his eyes sparking with anger and hatred. "Sora..." he growled. "Why do you still refuse me..."
"I'm not Sora!" Jeri cried. "And this isn't your world! Now, Takato!"
Jeri grabbed Takato and leaped into the air. "HYPERSONIC PIERCE!!!" both Takato and Jeri shouted before Jeri hurled Takato at Katan with breakneck speed.
Katan sucked in his breath and looked behind him. Takato was on the ground behind him with his sword coated in black blood. Katan moved his hands to his middle and felt his own spinal cord. "URRRGGGHHH..." he growled as his eyes started to twitch again. "YOU... YOU... G'AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Katan screeched horribly and disintegrated into millions of pixels. The minions that he had called up vanished, much to the relief of the other Tamers.
"Whew!..." Henry said as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Now that's a relief..."
"Did we get 'im?" Beelzemon asked as he looked around. "I don't see 'im."
"I think we did," Kazu said. "Takato and Jeri got 'im! Nice going, chumley!"
"Yeah! We beat Katan!" Kenta cheered as he jumped up and down. "We're as good as the REAL Digidestined!"
"I don't know..." Rika said as she looked around.
"Yeah," Ryo agreed. "That seemed... too easy."
"Aww, geez, rain on our parade already," Kazu grumbled.
"I hate to admit it, but I think Ryo and Rika are right," Takato said as Jeri and he rejoined the other Tamers. "Katan never went down that easy in the books..."
"Oh, come on, guys!" Kenta said. "Didn't you see him? He was a wreck! There's no way he could have-"
Just then, the ground shook ferociously, and a demonic roar split the air. The ooze from the walls dribbled down into the center of the room and formed a big, blood-red mound.
"...I hate it when I'm right," Rika said.
The mount began bubbling and popping as foul-smelling steam spewed out of it. "You have defeated me... four times in the past, Taichi..." Katan's voice boomed all around. "But you... will not survive..."
"What is it with this guy?!" Suzie asked. "Can't he see that you guys awen't Tai an' Sowa?"
"He's not really himself, Suzie..." Henry said. "This Katan seems different than the one in the books... It's like all he thinks of is revenge and hatred..."
"Wait... That's it!" Ryo said. "Katan died at the end of 'Sora Strikes Back.' Obviously, what's left of his body is only half-conscious... All he remembers is revenge against Tai... and since he thinks that Takato is Tai..."
"THIZ BATTLE HAS JUSD BEGUNNNNNN!!!" Katan roared in a horrible, slurring voice. The mound of goo fizzled away to reveal Katan, but he looked much different from any of his other forms. His fresh new body glistened with running streams of blood, as did his hair. Four long, white, blood-coated angel wings grew out of his back, and his golden hair was dabbled with streaks of red. He looked up at them, and his face was nothing but a hollow-eyed skull with more blood gushing from the eye sockets. "DIE, TAICHI!!! JUSDIIIIIEEEEE!!!" He screeched.
"Ahhh!" Jeri cried as she grabbed Takato.
"It's scawy, Henwy!!!" Suzie sobbed as she hid her face. "Make it go away!!!"
"Good God..." Rika whispered.
"He's reached the end," Ryo said. "This is his last stand..."
Kazu and Kenta just chattered and held on to each other.
"An' I thought the D-Reaper looked ugly," Beelzemon admitted.
"FALLEN CROSS!!!" Katan screamed as he flew into the air and spread his arms. Dark energy pulsated in front of him and formed a black upside-down cross, which flew downwards and smashed into the Tamers with devastating accuracy.
"Aaaaaaaaaggghhhhh!!!" Takato screamed as wave after wave of demonic energy slashed over him. The others weren't faring much better; all were in pained-looking positions and screaming just as loudly as Takato.
"V'uoooooo..." Jeri swooned as the black cross dissipated. Now black smoke was seething from the Tamers' wounds. "So strong..."
"He's too powerful..." Henry choked as he sank to his knees. "What... What can we do against that?..."
"Katan... gets his power from sorrow and hatred..." Rika said as she forced herself to stay upright. "The only way to stop him... is with something equally powerful from the opposite sides..."
"What're the opposites of sorrow and hatred?..." Ryo asked.
"I know..." Takato said as he stood up and glared Katan down. "Courage and love. Courage and love will defeat Katan, I just know it..."
"Courage and love..." Jeri repeated. "Yes..."
"Those just might work..." Rika said. "Everyone, gather your courage, or your love... Focus it all on Katan in your next attacks!..."
"Yeah!" Kazu huffed as he pulled back his Bomberang. "I'm brave! I can stand up to this freak show!"
"Me too!" Kenta added as his Rogue Ring flashed in the darkness. "I'm not just some sissy card player... I'm a Tamer!"
"My bwother is my best fwiend!" Suzie growled as she clicked her Thunder Crossbow. "I've gotta pwotect him!"
"And I've gotta do the same for my sister," Henry added as he targeted Katan with his Plasma Gun.
"I've got plenty to protect," Beelzemon snarled as he clicked his guns. "So bring it on, blood face!"
"I have the courage to protect someone..." Ryo said as he unsheathed his deck of Card Bombs. "...And now I also have a reason."
"I've learned what real courage is..." Rika said as she swung her Mighty Mace around. "I've had to gain it during this adventure... I'm pretty sure I know what it is now."
"I've got plenty of love to go around," Jeri said as she swung her fists defiantly. "And I'll use it to protect my friends!"
"And I've got heapin' helpings of both of them!" Takato finished as he raised his sword towards Katan. "Rest in peace, Katan!!!"
"GRAAAAAAHHHH!!!" Katan screamed as he started to draw in power for another Fallen Cross attack.
"Now!!!" Takato shouted.
"BOMB SLICE!!!" Kazu yelled.
"RISING FIRE!!!" Kenta hollared.
"HERETIC BURNER!!!" Suzie cried.
"GAMMA RAY!!!" Henry shouted.
"CORONA DESTROYER!!!" Beelzemon roared.
"ROYAL FLUSH!!!" Ryo yelled.
"VALIANT MEMORY!!!" Rika cried.
"FISSURE SLASH!!!" Jeri screamed.
"ASSASSIN!!!" Takato roared.
All nine attacks smashed into Katan and halted his attack. The horrific monster gave an unholy roar and sank to the ground with smoke curling out of his pores. His breathing was hard and labored, and his face-if you could call it that- was pained.
"Now..." Takato said as he pulled his sword back. "You should never have come to this world! I'll send you back to your own..."
"...DIE!!!" Katan screamed. "ULTIMA!!!"
Quick as a wink, the Tamers were caught up in a huge explosion and flew every which way. When the smoke cleared, all of them were on the floor. Only Takato, Jeri and Rika were still conscious.
"Argghhh..." Takato groaned as he forced himself to look up.
"Takato..." Jeri moaned.
"Takato..." Rika hacked. "Can you still..."
"I ache all over..." Takato groaned as he strained to grab his fallen sword. "I... I can't even reach my sword..."
"...Still... there?..." Katan sneered as he walked up to Takato, grabbed him by the head and lifted him into the air. "I... will enjoy this..." he said as he began to squeeze.
"Takato!!!" Rika shouted. "No!!!"
"Takato!!!" Jeri screamed. "Stop it!!!"
"Hey, Katan! Why don't you pick on someone your own size... Like ME?!"
"HUHHH?" Katan growled as he dropped Takato and whirled around. Johnny Grundswick stood before the monster with Calumon at his side.
"Go on and rescue your friends," Grundswick said to Calumon, who zipped off and started moving the Tamers out of the way.
"WHO... ARE YOU?..." Katan snarled.
"Me?" Grundswick asked as he pulled out a black Digivice. "I'm your maker. And you know what they say happens when you meet that..."
Grundswick shoved the Digivice into Katan's chest and it sparked with black energy. Katan screamed and tried to push Grundswick away, but the artist held fast.
"NOOOOO!!!" Katan screamed as he backed away, but Grundswick was still attached to him through the Digivice. "YOU... WILL... NOT... STOP... MEEEEE!!!"
"Watch me," Grundswick growled as he kept pushing. He stopped just as Katan was back-to-back to one of the office's windows. Grundswick looked and whistled. "Fifty floors... That's a long way down," he said.
"Mr. Grundswick..." Takato said as he looked up at the man.
Grundswick turned to Takato and sighed. "This is all my fault, Takato," he said. "I couldn't let what happened go unpunished, and that's why this whole mess started... Now it's time for me to atone for my actions..."
Grundswick paused and shoved Katan against the window. "...By taking Katan with me!" he finished.
"What?!" Takato asked. "But... Mr. Grundswick!..."
"Say sorry to the others for me, will you?" Grundswick asked. "And... tell Nami that I love her."
"Mr. Grundswick!..." Takato grunted as he struggled to move. "You don't have to do this!..."
"No, Takato, I do..." Grundswick replied. "The only way to kill Katan is to destroy his connection to this world..."
"Mr. Grundswick!!!" Takato yelled. He was running now, trying to get to Grundswick in time.
"So long, Takato," Grundswick said with a smile and a wink. He turned and gave Katan one last shove. The window glass broke and Katan and Grundswick went tumbling out of the window.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Katan screamed as they vanished into the night.
"MR. GRUNDSWICK!!!" Takato yelled as he desperately looked out the window.
"Takato, move away, you dumbass!" Rika's voice snapped.
"Takato!!! Get away from there! You could fall, too!" Jeri's voice came from behind.
Takato let Jeri pull him away from the window, then turned to her with a tear-streaked face. "He's... he's gone..." he managed to say.
"Oh, Takato..." Jeri sighed as Takato grabbed onto her accepted her hug.
Rika glanced down at them, then out the window at the dark night. "You big jerk..." she grumbled with a cracking voice. "Why didn't you just shove HIM out?..."
"He said that he had to destroy Katan's connection to this world..." Takato said. "Since Tamers and their Digimon are connected, I guess that meant himself..."
"I guess so..." Rika sighed. "Dammit."
"Hey, guys!" Kazu and Kenta called as the rest of the Tamers came running up.
"Calumon healed us, so we'we all OK now!" Suzie lisped cheerfully.
"...Where's Katan? And Grundswick?" Henry asked as he looked around.
One look at the broken window gave everyone the answers that they wanted. "I see..." Ryo said. "...This is terrible..."
"Destroying Katan always did have a high price," Kazu recalled.
"Poor Ms. Asaji..." Kenta sighed.
"I know nobody feels like there's a bright side right now, but there is..." Rika said as she looked out the window; the sun was beginning to rise in the eastern skies. "Katan is gone, and we got rid of him before he could cause any more trouble..."
"...Takato," Jeri said as she looked at him. "The Digidestined knew the consequences of fighting Katan... We knew them, too..."
"Yeah, we did..." Takato said. "But saying that you understand something and actually witnessing it are two different things..."
There was a long silence as everyone watched the sun rise on a new day.

---

Otaros's obituary was published in the local newspaper, saying that he had "died from falling from his building in an accident." School resumed as usual, though kids noticed Touga Hamedo's absence, and Ms. Asaji was quite glum. The Digimon didn't vanish like the last time, so Takato went back to his usual routine of keeping Guilmon in the park, while Henry and Suzie kept Terriermon and Lopmon and home and Renamon shadowed Rika. Things pretty much returned to normal, but nobody could forget the tragic events that had occurred.
Two months had passed since Katan had been defeated, and Takato, Jeri, Henry, Rika and their respective Digimon were walking down the street after school. Takato had quit wearing his goggles, which Jeri now had around her own neck. Rika and Ryo had been seeing more of each other, but mostly just to compete in card games. Henry was doing his usual thing and just enjoying time with his friends.
"Two months to the day..." Takato said as he looked up into the sky. "That's how long it's been."
"Takato, I know it's hard, but you should really stop brooding about it," Jeri replied as she patted his shoulder.
"I know..." Takato replied. "But I can't stop thinking about everyone that we lost..."
"Too many to remember it fondly," Henry muttered. "I'm thankful that we didn't lose Rika to Katan's possession."
"I think we all are, Henry," Rika grumbled. "Say, did you guys hear the news? The new president of TOY has agreed to rewrite the last thirteen episodes of season 02!"
"Is that so?" Jeri said with a small smile. "Well... Something good did come out of this, didn't it, Takato?"
"Yeah..." Takato sighed; his mind was obviously on other things.
Just then, a delivery truck whizzed by, and something flew out of the back and landed at Takato's feet.
"Woah! Hey, watch it, pal!" Rika shouted. "You almost KO'd my pal with your stupid leaflets!!!"
"Hey, those aren't leaflets," Henry said as he looked. "They're mangas!..."
"What are they?" Jeri asked as Takato picked the stack up.
"Digimon; The Barbarian Chronicles," Takato read. "Part V; Fiction Becomes Reality. Written by Johnny Grundswick."
"Johnny... Grundswick?..." Henry asked.
"Woah..." Rika said. "Does this mean..."
"I... I think it does," Jeri said with a big smile.
Takato didn't say anything. He just stood there with the happiest look on his face.

THE END

CAST OF CHARACTERS

BARBARIANS

Rosus the Thorned

Truckos the Transformer

Blazos the Fiery

Shockos the Charged

Tempest the Mermaid

Beezos the FlyChild (AKA Touga Hamedo)

Shados the Ninja

Plaguos the Ghoul

Desperados the Sharpshooter

Colonel Sorato the Story Killer

Kira

RiKatan

ZomKatan

Bloody Angel Katan

DIGIMON

Impmon

Guilmon

Terriermon

Lopmon

Leomon

Renamon

Guardromon

Marineangemon

HUMANS

Takato Matsuki

Juri "Jeri" Katou

Ruki "Rika" Nokido

Lee"Henry" Jeynra

Lee "Suzie" Shuichon

Hirokazu "Kazu" Shioda

Kenta Kitagawa

Ryo Akiyama

Alice McCoy

Nami Asaji

Johnny Grundswick

SPECIAL THANKS

Chad Hyou

Steeldramon21

Digidestined Of Courage

AND YOU

THANKS FOR READING!

PRESENTED BY ker-plop