Awake and Alive

Chapter Nine: From Hell Comes Him

"What are you doing, Tai?" Agumon asked after he had come back from hunting for something to eat.

Tai looked up at his partner, and then across at Rikka who had dropped down next to him and was swinging her legs innocently over the side. Lunamon was back sitting with the others, still munching on some berries.

"Making a map." he replied. "That way we'll know exactly where we are and where we've already been. Be careful Rikka, I don't know how sturdy this bit of the mountain is. You wouldn't want to fall off."

She crinkled her nose but made no effort to move backwards.

Izzy, having overheard the first part of Tai's statement walked over with Tentomon flying behind him. "Yes, that works in theory." He looked over the brunette's shoulder and his eyes widened. "What? Did you say map or mess?"

Rikka leaned over a bit and grinned at the state of Tai's map. To just about everyone else it looked like something a child had drawn, but she could figure out what each scribble meant by staring at it and then at the land before them. All it told was an accurate representation of how Tai's mind worked and what he saw as important when map drawing. He would never be an artist, but he had most of the major landmarks documented... even if none of the other children could figure out what it was.

"No question man, you are the dude of doodles." Matt sighed. He and Sora had walked over curiously and Noelle physically restrained herself from laughing.

"If you follow that map it'll lead right to a headache." Sora added and frowned.

"Well, I can read it just fine." Tai whirled around. "That's all that's really important."

Rikka's smile slipped off her face, having recognized the hurt in his tone. She put her hand on his knee briefly before pulling the map towards her. He allowed it, no longer feeling like drawing. Rikka borrowed the pen and decided that she would put down a compass so that they would know which way was north. Then she put a happy face next to the drawing and returned it to her friend with a grin.

"Thanks Rikka ," he whispered. "It's not that bad is it?"

"As long as you can read it, that's all that matters," she said. "Who cares if they can't think outside the box? We'll know where we are at least."

Tai grinned and stood up, pulling Rikka with him as he did so. Suddenly the earth shook a bit, prompting the children to walk back down the mountain a bit. However they couldn't venture on more than a few feet for the path in front of them was crumble and destroyed.

Rikka shivered. There was Digimon nearby that was infected with more than one black gear... Something more sinister and vile...

It was only mere moments before a figure stood on the other side of the caved in path. A well-toned, bipedal lion sporting a wavy blonde mane stood before them and strapped to his belt, looped through his black pants, was a broad sword. But what unnerved Rikka that most was the lack of color and shine in his eyes...

She blinked with a slight flinch. A brief scene flashed before her eyes, of a young maroon-haired girl cuddling with a purring lion of bright azure eyes.

"Don't worry," Patamon reassured. "That's Leomon. He's our friend."

"With big teeth." TK swallowed nervously.

"He just uses them for smiling."

Gabumon nodded, "He's a just leader and a role model for all Digimon."

Rikka tilted her head, hugging Lunamon closer to her, "Liollmon...?" The rabbit Digimon looked up at her, blinking confusedly.

She tugged on Tai's sleeve, "I think we should go." she whispered. "Leomon is not himself..."