FSE

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I woke up with little knowledge of the previous night, but my clothes appeared to be intact. Raia's face was in front of mine, her eyes shut gently. I was tempted to engage once again, but decided I needed to get up. I rolled out of the bed, stretching from a comfortable night's sleep, and walked to the kitchen. Then I realized we had no food. We'd been living off what little came with the house, and we were out.

I sighed, pondering a solution. An idea struck. Takato's family owned a bread shop, I could go there. It would also give me an excuse to check up on him, see where we were at in the story. I walked out the door and wandered through the streets for a while before finding the place, mostly by chance. I walked in, nearly overwhelmed by the aroma of bread. I ordered a few loaves of various breads and decided to pick up other groceries later. Takato noticed me from the back and gestured for me to come around the side.

I walked outside and into the alley and found Takato out there.

"Hey Takato, what's up?" I said, waving.

"Not too much." he said, "Oh, Guilmon digivolved!"

"Did he now? Didn't give you any trouble like Gargomon, did he?"

"Well, it took a long time for him to become a rookie again, but I'm still happy he can do it!"

I smiled, getting the rough location I needed. "Well, Takato, I can't really stay and talk, I have to get back home."

He nodded and I started on my way back home, remembering the route from before. Before long, I reached home and walked in the door. I shut it and turned back to keep walking, and was greeted with a yellow furry form less than an inch from my face.

"Erm..." Shit. I'd forgotten to tell her where I was going.

"Where did you go in such a hurry that you forgot?" She asked, not moving an inch or even thinking of letting me by.

Damn mental link. "I went to pick up food." I said, raising the bag in my hand for her to see.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, seeming to relax, just a bit.

"You were asleep. You're hurt and you needed rest." I said, placing a concerned hand on her shoulder. "Especially since I kept you up." She blushed, and I took the chance to walk past her.

"Well..." She said, obviously wanting to change subjects, "What did you get?"

I unbagged the food. "Bread."

She looked at me as if I were insane. "Bread. Nothing else? Just bread?"

"I think we have some butter, maybe." I tried my hardest not to smirk, but I think I failed.

She sighed and took a loaf and began munching on it. "Mmm."

I took a loaf and bit off of it. "Damn, no wonder Takato's parents can make a living off this."

Raia nodded. "So, when's the next time we go out?"

I swallowed another bite. "Tonight, I think. Here's how we find the location. The top of a building will be iced over, we have to get in there. It'll be an Icedevimon, and he'll be trying to make Rika give up Renamon and take him as her partner."

Raia scowled. "Why should we care about her?"

I sighed. "We're gonna need her. Mostly for Renamon." Raia didn't seem convinced. "She'll get better, trust me. If I remember right, she's stopped having Renamon load data."

"That's like saying someone's better because they've stopped committing murders."

"I know. Just... deal with her, please? For me?" I gave her a quick hug before continuing to eat.

She sighed. "Fine. I'll tolerate her, for now. But you owe me."

"Mhm. And just how am I to pay you back?"

She gave me a dirty look, which instantly piqued my interest. "I have a couple ideas."

"And I'm supposed to be the incorrigible flirt."

(Break)

It was dark out when I saw the blue beam piercing the skyline, and I knew the stage was set. Raia noticed as well, so I placed my hand on her shoulder, and we were off. It took us a bit to reach the frozen rooftop, but when we did, I saw Renamon hadn't shown up, the telling sign being the lack of a hole in the ice.

"Raia, break through the ice, we have to get in there." She nodded, launching a diamond storm at the thick ice, shattering a hole in it. I took a strong hold of her arm and she launched up to it, and Rika call out to us, well Raia more than me.

"I don't believe it." I heard Rika say. "Ahh. The infamous Renamon. I'd love to sit and chat, but I have to destroy you." Another voice called up to us, obviously Icedevimon.

"Eh, not quite!" I called, vaulting through the hole before Raia launched up and tried to use Diamond Storm. I landed rough, but looked up in time to see Raia get swatted just as Renamon had in the series. Horror descended on me as I remembered what nearly happened to Renamon, which, combined with Raia's pre-existing wounds, spelled an unfortunate ending.

He hit her with a Frozen Claw and I saw bits of red flying off of her. She flew across the room, leaking data as she went. I tried to run to where Raia would land, but not only was I too late, she shattered into data upon hitting the ground. I fell to my knees and slid to the data cloud she'd created, shock dominating my face and mind.

"Hmm. So that wasn't yours Rika?" I heard the Icedevimon say before letting out a cackle. "That fight was just a little too easy anyways!" He turned away from myself and the data cloud, although I doubt he ever noticed me. I was beyond words, so I simply stood, my face stoic, and walked to Takato and Henry, and picked up the thing Takato had been using to try to break the ice around Guilmon and Terriermon.

Both Takato and Henry had looks of disbelief on their faces, and Henry went so far as to ask "Are you..." before I cut him off by raising a hand.

"No, I'm not alright. Kindly stay back." I said, my voice calm, but quivering slightly. I stalked over to the Icedevimon, who was still facing the other direction, saying something to Rika. As I got close enough, I brandished the tool and cocked my arms back for a swing. I couldn't quite get to his head, so I aimed for Icedevimon's side.

I swung as hard as I could, doubting it would do anything at all, and screamed "Motherfucker" at the top of my lungs as I struck him. The hit caught him off-guard, throwing him to the side and knocking Rika from his grip.

I quickly looked at her and yelled "Run!" before turning back to the Icedevimon. He recovered from the hit and turned to me.

"Well, what do we have now? First, a weakling, now a human who thinks he's tough?" I swung again, but this time he caught it. I pressed and pulled, but I couldn't break his grip.

"I'm gonna kill you." I practically growled from under my breath, but he heard it.

"Oh, you think so?" He grinned and swung the tool, tossing me away. "I think not."

I hit the wall and scrambled to my feet, instantly trying to rush him again, but I was swatted back as I reached him. Once again, I hit the ice wall, but this time I stayed down and just screamed "Goddamn you!" I saw that Rika had made it over to the other Tamers, and they were still trying to break the ice around their digimon.

He chuckled again and tossed the tool I'd used off to the side. "It would seem I made you mad, although I can't imagine why." One could mistake this for a cynical quip, but what hurt more was that he was genuine. "Care to say why? I'd like to at least know why a human thinks he could match me."

I stood, feeling pain all over from being launched, twice. "I loved her." I said, anger burning through my voice. "And you killed her."

His expression went blank for a moment before he bursted out laughing. "You loved a digimon!? What kind of freak are you!?" He kept laughing, and out of sheer rage, I grabbed the nearest thing and hurled it at him. He pierced it and a liquid sprayed all over him, but I saw that it was a red plastic tank, the sort used to store fuel.

At that moment, Renamon appeared in the hole opposite me, behind Icedevimon. I tried to think quickly and yelled at her, trying to be loud enough to hear.

"Diamond storm! At the ground!" I yelled. Icedevimon turned to see what I was yelling at, just what I needed him to do. Renamon, although probably confused, complied, firing crystal shards at the concrete roof of the building, sending sparks flying at Icedevimon, igniting the gasoline that coated him. He light aflame, severely weakening him due to the counter to his type.

"Eat shit, motherfucker!" I screamed as he fell to the floor. Guilmon, who'd just been freed, launched a Pyro Sphere at him, and ran in, loading his data. I stood, though I was barely able to, and walked to the exit as the digital field faded. I'd just gotten to the group when Renamon asked Rika if she was okay.

"I hate 'em." I heard her say. Renamon reassured her Icedevimon was gone. "Not him. I hate digimon. All of them." That made me stop in my tracks.

"What did you say?" I asked. All of them looked at me now, confused. I turned and walked straight to Rika. "What the hell did you just say?"

"I hate them." She replied, unafraid to look me straight in the eye.

"Why the fuck do you say that? What reason do you have? I just lost the one I love to that piece of shit, but you're the one who hates digimon? Get a fucking grip." I pointed to her digivice. "You're still a tamer, I'm not. Now sack up and act like one." I turned and walked away, similar to how Rika would've. I slowly made my way down the stairwell, but stopped on one of the landings, feeling as if I were being followed. I felt someone touch my shoulder.

"Hands off, please. I don't like to be touched." I said weakly, but the touch never left. Instead, I felt an arm wrap around my stomach and a sensation like Raia's phase shift. I looked up to find myself in a room, back at my home.

"I can stay with you for a while, if you need." Renamon. I wasn't entirely surprised.

"Shouldn't you be with your tamer?" I said, my tone hard and cynical as tears finally broke free.

"She... wishes to be alone. I feel you need me more now." I broke from her and walked to the couch, but didn't turn the TV on as I usually would. Instead, I fell onto the couch, curling up and closing my eyes. I felt the couch depress and my head was pulled into Renamon's lap. Any other time, I'd have thought this to be strange, out of her character, and just unordinary in general, but I honestly didn't give half a shit. "That was near suicidal, attempting to fight a champion."

"How did you know I fought him?"

"How else would you have gotten these injuries?" She began to stroke the side of my head, in an attempt to comfort me. "What possessed you to try?"

"He killed her. Like she was nothing." I began to lose it, tears streaming down my face. "Now she's gone. I have no one."

"I am here." She said, although I doubted she knew what was implied. "You have one, at least."

"You can't be what she was." I said, sitting up and looking at her.

"Can't I?" Renamon said, leaning in to kiss me. Out of sadness, weakness, or just pure fatigue, I didn't resist. I just let it happen as she leaned into me and pulled my legs beneath her.