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Chapter 9

Under the Ruined Stars

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           As Rukan and Michi left with their companions Taka was sitting in the tech room with absolutely nothing to do. It was only a few moments before he received the first communication from Rukan via that com. device.

           "Taka we need directions. Give us our location and the quickest route to the trials." Said the distorted and noise filled voice of Rukan. It was low quality but it worked and that's really all they could hope for.

           "I'll have you the info you need in a moment. Keep safe Rukan I'm reading several dangerous entities in your area. One of them looks to be a mega level digimon." Replied Taka into his headset as his companion digimon busied itself with exploring the room of the new world it found itself in.

           Takeshi peered at the many computer screens, which gave him a look at the digital world with symbols marking hazards as well as important locations. He noticed a strange blur near where Rukan and Michi were camping out. It looked like an isolated spot of screen noise but he couldn't seem to get rid of it. He tried switching monitors but found the mark still there. Was this the corruption the green data virus was said to be causing?

           "Datamon you might be able to help with this. Come here a sec and take a look." Said Taka softly as he studied the screen.

           "Certainly... what seems to be the problem?" Said the small machine monster as it hopped up onto the desk and looked at the monitor questioningly, "Hmm... I believe that would signify something that the master does not want us to see. It may be important Takeshi. It could also be very dangerous. Perhaps we should wait and see what it does for a while before we inform Rukan and the others. I would keep them away from it."

           Takeshi nodded and scrolled the map to the east until he saw the mark he was looking for. It appeared to be a cave of sorts with the kanji for Human and Digimon over it, "Rukan if you head due east for what looks to be about forty kilometers you'll find a mountain range and there will be a cave. That's where you need to be."

           "Thanks Taka. We'll be heading out tomorrow... There is a time lag between our conversations. It took nearly five hours for us to get your reply. We'll have to find some way to get these things to work in real time." Replied Rukan almost as fast as Taka replied.

           It made sense that there would be a time differential and Taka had taken that into account. It would have been much longer between their replies had he not tried to fix it. It seemed like the com device would need some more tweaking.

           "I may be of some assistance there. I have unique knowledge of digimon technology that you could implement in your software that will fix the time lag. It will take some time though. Probably a few days before it works correctly.' Said Datamon with a smile as if he was just begging to be made useful.

           Taka nodded and smiled back at his companion then looked to the computer, "Sure. You know more about this than I do probably. Give it your best shot."

           Now that he had permission Datamon had several wires snake out of his body and connect to the machines in the room as he began to access their data directly so he could alter the software and make them work at peak efficiency.

           Takeshi sat back and watched the data on the screen as the world in front of him ran at its extreme speeds. He saw Rukan and Renamon wandering off from the other two and checked the time. It was still night there, it was extremely reckless and dangerous to split up in a strange and new world... Then again this was Rukan he was thinking about. He sighed softly and knew if he said anything it would only get there five hours too late. All he could do was watch and hope they were safe.

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           "It's been a long time since you've been here... how much has it changed?" Said Rukan softly as he kicked at the dust of the desert they found themselves in. It was dark and the young Hisashi had to admit it was getting a bit colder than he was comfortable with.

           "It's changed a lot from what I see now. I don't remember any deserts quite like this one. It looks like we are caught in a bowl of dust, some sort of crater. Perhaps this is what is left of a long lost battle against Tenshi and his virus." Replied Renamon as she took Rukan's hand into her paw and continued to walk with him away from their sleeping companions.

           Rukan nodded slowly and looked out into the distance. There were long marks in the sky where he swore he could see raw data streaming its code along them. Tenshi had really damaged this world and he was beginning to believe that perhaps it would be impossible to ever get it running normally again, "Yeah... To tell you the truth I'm actually really afraid, I have been several times actually. I just haven't shown it... Yamaki really scares me."

           Renamon nodded slowly and smiled a little at the edges of her mouth, "We all are afraid sometimes. When I left you that night at the warehouse... I was afraid I would never see you again. That would have hurt me more than anything. I really don't know what I would do without you now Rukan. Before you I had no direction in my life."

           Rukan smiled as well and poked her in the side playfully, "And you have direction now? I thought I was just a big distraction. All of my antics and reckless behavior"

           The fox stopped walking and stepped in front of Rukan so they faced each other. She put her free paw on Rukan's cheek and shook her head, "I had never know the way to my heart before I met you... I'd say that's some very good directions you gave me."

           Rukan looked up at his companion with a smile and a bit of surprise reflecting in his eyes. He let go of her paw and spoke softly, "Renamon I..."

           He never had the opportunity to finish his statement as the digimon pulled him close and pressed her lips against his softly but held them there.

           Rukan's eyes went wide for a moment before they softened and closed. He wrapped his arms around Renamon gently as he held himself close to her and returned the kiss softly. They held the kiss for quite some time before they broke it and looked into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity.

           Renamon murred happily as she held Rukan closer to her and rested her chin on the top of his head and he rested his cheek against her chest. It was much warmer there than the harsh desert night and Rukan enjoyed the closeness greatly.

           "When this is all over... I... I think I'm going to stay here... with you Renamon." Said Rukan softly making a bit of a fog with his breath.

           Renamon nodded and kissed the top of his head softly, "When this is all over I don't think I want to return here. Perhaps we could live together in your world. It is much more peaceful there. We could find a place away from everyone and live there, away from the city."

           The barely sixteen year old tamer smiled warmly and nodded, "That sounds nice but I thought you missed this place... Why do you want to leave?"

           "Power tempts those who have it and here... after Tenshi is gone. We will have that power, an ultimate power to change the face of this world forever. I don't really want that in my life. I just want to help people and make them feel better. The days where I just wanted to be the strongest are over. I now see what happens when you become the strongest and it scares me... I don't want to even be tempted by that." Replied Renamon as she looked to the sky and guided Rukan down with her so he could sit in her lap and remain close.

           Rukan smiled a bit and rubbed his cheek up against her soft fur, "That's a nice way to look at things. I like it... I think all I really want is the same thing. I just want things to go back to the way they were before we had all of this green data. Just you and me and not a care in the world... both of them."

           The fox digimon laid back suddenly making Rukan fall back with her in surprise. He now lie on top of her and found it quite comfortable, "What do you really want in life Rukan? What is your final goal? Do you want to be known, famous, rich?"

           Rukan shook his head slowly and smiled a bit more, "What I want in life is right here with me now..."

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           "Taka the blur seems to be moving off in the other direction... towards the black fortress. I believe it may be her." Said Datamon waking up his tamer from his nap.

           Taka shot upright at the sudden sound and rubbed his eyes free of sleep as he watched the monitor still in a daze, "Her who?"

           Datamon pull up a spreadsheet on the screen of the data on what looked like a different kind of Renamon. Taka put his glasses on and yawned before leaning forward and reading, "SkullRenamon... It's a virus type with the abilities of a Renamon just of the virus element. What's so important about that? There are tons of virus digimon that look like others."

           The digimon pulled up some more information, this being historical texts from the digital world, "She is the one that gave the master his powers. Seduced him to reform the world into one she wanted. The master was a good man but she is evil. She has turned him into an evil man and now I believe she is stalking the others. They are in real danger."

           Taka picked up the com device and spoke into it, "Rukan you have a strange distortion that seems to be watching you. It's headed off back to the northwest but I suggest keeping alert. Datamon says this thing is really dangerous. Keep a lookout for a SkullRenamon She looks just like yours only darker... We don't have a clear picture it seems."

           He knew it wouldn't reach them for quite some time but even a late warning is better than no warning at all. Taka leaned back in his chair again and let out a long sigh before lazily lifting his arm to look at his watch, "Jesus Christ it's four in the morning..."

           "Sleep Taka. I will take care of things until you wake. I do not require rest." Said Datamon as he continued to edit and refine the software using algorithms from various digimon technology and even data from the creatures themselves. The things Datamon was working on went way over Taka's head and it made the young boy feel slightly useless. He of course knew this wasn't true, but couldn't help finding himself unable to shake the idea from his head.

           Taka remained in his reclined position and closed his eyes with a frown on his face; "I always end up in some sort of trouble whenever I'm around Rukan... It seems he's just got more than his share of problems. He tries so hard to be a hero... even more so after his sister died. She was his twin you see... The only strange thing is... well they never recovered her body. I remember hearing about it on the news."

           Datamon nodded and thought for a moment before replying to his tamer, "Perhaps she was not dead? I have heard of such things where a person seems to be dead but awakens some time later."

           Taka shook his head slowly and rubbed his sore eyes again, "That's unlikely. She was run through with a katana. Then again, if I remember correctly she was stabbed in the gut. It is unlikely that she would have died so quickly. It was a stab and not a slash after all."

           Takeshi rubbed his chin a bit and shook his head, "Rukan doesn't know that his sister's grave does not hold her body. No one has ever told him about it and I didn't have the heart to bring his hopes up like that. One can only wonder where she went."

           The digimon nodded again and smiled, "Well let us hope that she is somewhere safe and happy. Let us hope she will see her brother again."

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           "I sometimes wonder... How things would be different if she were around." Said Rukan softly as he gazed up at the corrupted night sky. He lay on his back next to Renamon with his head resting softly against her shoulder. His mind was still trying to find a happy life. The one he was cheated out of the night Ruki took the blade meant for him.

           "It's best not to think about the way things could have been. It makes us linger in the painful memories of the past. It's always better to find plans to make your future better. A lot of people are counting on you now... You have the opportunity to make their futures brighter. You have the power to save two worlds now... If you are looking for penance for your sister's death, it's right here and right now." Replied Renamon in a gentle tone while her paw stroked Rukan's hair lovingly.

           Rukan nodded but frowned a little, "I know... but it just won't go away. I still have the dream sometimes and every time she looks at me like I had failed her and then she runs away from me... I try to chase her but I can't move..."

           The fox digimon held Rukan close as she felt his warm tears matting the fur on her chest. She loved him but he still was a child. She felt horrible for him, completely robbed of his childhood. The events that happened here would forever signify his passage from boy to man. He would never have the opportunity to go back and live the childhood he should have had.

           She let him cry for as long as he wanted just holding him close and rubbing his back soothingly. The boy with the emerald eyes wanted so much to go back and change the things he had done but knew it to be impossible. Now his life was a series of relentless battles and conflicts with monsters and people that might as well be just the same. He just wanted peace and quiet, time for himself and not for others. He knew it was selfish but he deserved it.

           "Rukan... I know you lost your world... but I lose mine every time I see you this way. You have a right to your tears and by all means express them. Don't keep them bottled up. But please... know that I love you more than I've ever felt for anyone before." Said Renamon softly as she made Rukan look at her and she held him a bit closer to herself, "I know you didn't get your childhood and it's not fair. I'm really sorry that having me around has caused you the troubles it has. But I don't want to give up on what we have, it might be hard to keep it but isn't that the same with any relationship? We just happen to have different problems. We will rise above all of this, I promise you Rukan... I will never leave your side. I will always be right here for you."

           Rukan sniffled a bit and smiled as he leaned in for another kiss while his tears continued to flow, though their nature had changed. These were tears of the greatest happiness he had felt. Perhaps Ruki had somehow known that her death was the only way Rukan would find this great love. She sacrificed herself out of a caring for her brother that he didn't even know.

           The two lovers remained close letting their kiss guide them to places in their heart that had never dared to gaze before. It was not long before their exhaustion started to set in and they shared the night in each other's arms preferring to remain completely ignorant to the trials that lay ahead and the dangers they would pose.