Ruki accepted Jen's friendly pat on the shoulder without flinching.

As the Tamer and Terriermon disappeared out the garden gate, she took a moment to take in the beautifully manicured private grounds. She stared at the tall tree in the corner, its canopy casting a lazy shadow across the small stream.

She remembered how Renamon would sit on a high branch, invisible. She called her name, hoping her partner would materialise and gracefully leap down.

"Renamon...."

Takato responded to Ruki's call, not realising her daydream. "She'll be okay. Those Hypnos guys might be weird, but they're the best when it comes to understanding the digital world."

Ruki nodded. A polite gesture. It was as if a part of her soul was missing. "I just feel so useless. Like I'm abandoning her. She asked me for help, not those Hypnos freaks."

"I know how you feel. But, you've done everything you can. We just have to hope they can solve the mystery."

Anger flared. "How can you know? You still have Guilmon!"

Guilmon pounced on an imaginary squirrel in the far corner of the garden. Takato grinned at his partner's antics. "Yeah, I still got that bread snarfing doofus. But, I do know. Remember when he disappeared? That digital field in the tunnel under the park.... I thought I'd lost him forever. Without you and Jen helping me, I'd never got him back. I guess you're kinda feeling the same way I felt, when I thought I'd lost Guilmon. But you'll get Renamon back, just like I got Guilmon back. Except this time, it's my turn to help you."

Ruki regretted her sharp tongue and remained silent. She watched as Guilmon chased fantasy prey. Despite the worry clouding her mind, the Digimon's antics generated a smile. Leaning against the timber handrail of the gently sloping bridge across the stream, she remembered when Renamon was nothing more than artificial data to her. That time seemed so long ago. "Gogglehead, we've had some crazy times."

Takato leapt up and settled on the opposite handrail. One leg dangled while the other rested on the post that supported the banister. "More than I ever imagined. I thought we were all goners, so many times. Like when we first met the D-Reaper. When you merged with Renamon it was the most beautiful thing ever."

Ruki felt a blush at Takato's compliment, followed by a wave of sadness. "If Renamon dies, I'll never merge again. No-one could replace her."

Takato jumped down from his perch and vaulted across to his friend. Ruki found her vision, focused on the timber slats making up the bridge, suddenly filled with Takato's face. The two tamers stood nose-to-nose. Takato's hand caressed Ruki's arm, and the fire in his eyes reinforced every word he spoke. "Don't talk like that. Renamon will be fine. She's not going to die."

For so long, Ruki hid her fears. To be the best, you could not afford fear.

As she looked into Takato's eyes, saw his determination and fight, she realised that being the best was pointless, unless she had someone to be proud and support her. Renamon filled that role by default, but now she craved more. Of all the souls Ruki encountered, none was more trustworthy than Takato. Her trust allowed her to admit the horrid truth. The terrible secret only Takato could hear. She stopped holding back tears and allowed her voice to reflect the dark secret. "I'm so scared. I love her so much, I can't lose her. I feel so helpless and alone without her. I'm so scared."

"I know. It's okay to be scared. Just don't lose faith. Renamon can handle anything, as long as you believe in her."

Ruki felt a sense of wonder, as his words washed over her. Could this be the 'little boy with a pet Digimon' she met only a year before? His confident tone and steely gaze mocked her first impression of the boy. They had been through so much, and grown up, in the face of danger and sacrifice.

Her thoughts exploded with shock, as her hand felt the warm touch of his. As he took her hand, everything melted away. The worry over Renamon, her thoughts of the adventure shared with her friends, it all dissolved as she realised he was holding her hand. What had been abstract, free flowing and misty transformed into sharp focus as he held her. Ruki slid sideways, her emotions overloaded. In pulling away, she refocused her eyes on the ground. "It's late," she mumbled, regretting the comment before the sounds of her words left her mouth.

Takato paused for a moment, unsure. "Yeah, I suppose it is." He turned and walked a few paces towards the gate. "If there's any change with Renamon, gimme a call... Is that... Okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Ruki replied. She watched as Takato called to Guilmon and made his way out. He spoke again as he pushed the gate shut, worry tingeing every word. "You take care. It's going to be fine. Call me if you need anything."

There were thousands of replies rolling around in her head, but the risk was too great. She stared at the ground, the seconds seeming like hours until he latched the gate and was gone. Behind, grandmother quietly approached and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, I thought Takato might stay for tea?"

"That stupid gogglehead. Who'd want him around? I'm not hungry anyway." Any reply was lost as she ran to her room, slamming the door shut. Alone, in the silence of her spartan bedroom, there was nothing to do but cry.

~---~

Mitsuo Yamaki stared at the readout from the bio scanner. Individual biological cells glowed and fluoresced in hues of yellow and red. The scientist growled to himself as he examined the complex display. He paused his studies, as a cup of coffee appeared in front of the screen.

"Here, I suspect this is going to be a long night," explained Rai Aishuwarya. "Have you retrieved enough data from Renamon yet?"

Mitsuo nodded. "Thanks, Curly. Yes. A low level scan is all we need. I've already sent its code to Tao, I'll copy it to you as well. See if you can find out what's happening inside. I'll focus on the bio energy. See if I can find any anomalies."

Renamon appeared next to the workstation, strapped down to a table that slid noiselessly out of the enormous scanning tube responsible for reading the complex makeup of the Digimon. Her expression drifted from unconscious misery through to violent spasms of pain. Mitsuo reached across and forced an eye open, his reward being the pale blue iris staring out into space. "It's still non-responsive."

Rai frowned and gently stroked Renamon's quivering chest fur. "You keep calling her 'it'. She's a beautiful creature."

Mitsuo frowned. "It's also a dangerous and powerful creature. Why do you call it a 'she'? Digimon have no gender, as one of their creators, you know that better than anyone."

Rai stroked Renamon's face, holding her hand against the distressed Digimon. "They have no biological sex, but they have gender. Renamon's a girl. She may not have the equipment to reproduce, but she's a woman. An extraordinary woman."

Mitsuo shook his head and grunted. "I don't--"

Renamon's eyes flicked open. Her irises shone bright neon blue. The Digimon let out a howl of anguish, and blue fire materialized around her paws and feet. The straps restraining the yellow fox vaporised and a three-fingered grasp wrapped itself around Mitsuo's neck. In one smooth move, Renamon slid off the scanner, lifted Mitsuo off his feet, and slammed him down onto the table.

"Renamon!" yelled Rai. She backed away, unable to imagine how to stop the violence.

Janyu ran across to the scanner. "Renamon! He's trying to help you!"

The fox growled and spoke, her voice rich with strain. "Can't... Can't hold on. They want Ruki. I need her. She must be happy-" With those few words, she collapsed to the floor. The scientists watched as her body misted, losing definition.

Janyu snapped orders as Mitsuo levered himself upright, breathing deeply. "Quick! She's losing coherence. Get her back into the scanner. We've got to stop her data from evaporating."

Rai stepped across to Mitsuo. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. She only held me tight, she could have easily broken my neck, but she never even strangled me."

It took all three to lift the twitching Digimon back onto the scanner table. Mitsuo took charge of the controls and Renamon disappeared into the tube. "I'm putting her into a stasis field, until we find out what's going on. This should stop her data from degrading any further."

As the scanner hummed, indicating the running of its new program, the scientists relaxed. "Are you sure you're ok?" asked Janyu.

Mitsuo nodded as he leaned back in his chair. "She's so strong. I thought she was going to kill me. It happened so quickly. But I'm fine."

Rai smiled. "I notice you're calling her 'she' now. Have I convinced you she's a girl?"

Mitsuo picked up his dark glasses from the floor. Slipping them on, he replied, "I just got picked up, throttled and slapped down. Yeah. She's a woman alright."