TRTSS38: How I Met Your Digimon! – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: R1/2, SM, ST, Digimon and other properties belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a two-part sequel to "Second Flight"…of sorts.
Special Note: This story deals with how Ranma Saotome got involved with the world of Digimon.
Part 1
Shintou Teito (New Tokyo), Japan: The Izumo Inn.
Arrakis…Dune.
The war was finally over, but not without great cost.
The abomination, the priestess and sister to the Muad'Dib, lies in the hands of her beloved while her 'water' was spilled on the steps of the Grand Palace of Arrakeen.
"Ranma," Alia said, as she barely whispered her words.
"Alia," Lord Ranma, Grand Steward of the Throne of the House of Atreides, said, as he held his dying wife in his arms. "It'll be alright. I'll have the healers."
"No, Ranma," Alia said, as she coughed blood. "I have to pain for my sins."
"Why did you not trust me to save you?"
"It was not trust that was at issue, my beloved," Alia said. "It was your belief in me that I want to prove to be…true…"
Alia turns towards the others. She could see Princess Irulan comforting a grief-stricken Princess Usagi, as they huddled over the prone body of the Preacher with her mother-in-law Lady Jessica, the ghoula of her father Duke Leto Atriedes and the children of the House Atreides Leto II, Usagino, Ghanima, Darien, Serena and Mamoru II. She could also see Ranma's concubine Lady Hoshi, the wounded Duchess Ohelem of Harkonnen, and Lord Duncan and Lady T'Pol of House Idaho, all gathered around Lord Gurney and Chancellor Stilgar, as they coordinate activities in order to suppress supporters of the conspiracy that Alia had created. This was due to the influence of the 'ghost' of the late Baron Harkonnen, who sought power through revenge…
"Now, I can join my brother," Alia said, as she turns to look into Ranma's gray-blue eyes. "Promise me that you will take care of Irulan for me."
"I promise," Ranma said with a tearful smile, as he held Alia's face in his free hand.
"I love you-"
And, with that, Alia dies.
"I'm sorry, Ranma," said the Orchimaruko, as her time-traveling companions Yugi, Rini (aka Chibiusa) and the Doctor stood by.
"But this was the only way for things to have unfolded-"
"Is it, Other Usagi?" Ranma said in harsh whispers. "If this is how you conduct yourself in the future, then I don't WANT to know you…ever."
Orochimaruko tears up, before backing from Ranma, and then running away while crying.
"She cares about you, Ranma," the Doctor said. "If Alia had not moved against you and the others, you would have never returned home."
"But at what cost? A life?"
"No, Ranma. You will have to live with the knowledge your best friend and future wife will have to risk losing your respect…and love, in order to make sure that you fulfill your destiny."
Ranma looks up towards the direction of Earth, circa thousands of years into the future, from the time of his birth.
"Again, at what cost…?"
As the screen to the main television fades to black, everyone in the room at the Izumo Inn sat in stunned silence.
"How…sad," Musubi (Sekirei of the Fist) said, as she wiped away a tear.
"True, but Ranma had to do what he did for the greater-good," Matsu (Sekirei of Wisdom) said.
"Can you rewind video a bit?" Tsukiumi (Sekirei of Water) said.
"Why?"
"I want to see Minato-san admonish Orochimaruko again. That way, I can prove to him that I am the better wife."
"I KNEW this was bad idea," Ranma said, as he leans back into the living room couch. "I mean, did you HAVE to convert my official journals into a documentary?"
"We only want to get to know you better, Minato-tan," Matsu said.
"Personally, I rather not know," Homura (Sekirei of Fire) replied.
"Big Brother, you wouldn't sacrifice us to win a battle, will you?" Kusano (Sekirei of the Green) asked with apprehension. Her twin brother Shinna (Sekirei of Death) was visiting her, while his Ashikabi, Hikari "Kari" Kamiya was visiting Ranma…much to Tsukiumi's chagrin.
"See what I mean?" Ranma fumed.
"I…wouldn't let that happen, Ku-chan," Shiina said with apprehension. In spite of his powers and fearsome reputation, Shinna was very gentle.
"I wouldn't worry about it," Kari said. "I knew Ranma from when we were little kids. He would go out of his way to protect his friends."
"That's because I was expected to have a martial arts code that meant that I would protect others," Ranma said.
"Just how did you two meet?" said Miya Asuma (aka "The Hannya of the North"). She had the urge to contact her beloved Usagi, in order to comfort her…
"Well, it was back when we were kids, and way before I got my 'curse', of course," Ranma said.
"I still can't believe that you can change into a girl, Ranma," Kari said.
"Eh," Ranma said with a shrug. "Anyway, it all started when I met Kari's older brother Tachi 'Tai' Kamiya. He was attending this camp for city kids, while I and my Pops were, well, camping…"
FLASHBACK!
"Come back here, boy!" yelled Genma Saotome, as he chased his ungrateful son, the young Ranma Saotome.
"No!" Ranma yelled back. "You took me away from my best friend Ucchan!"
"It's for your own good. You can't be sentimental about friendship!"
"I don't care! I'm going to find Ucchan- ulp!"
Ranma, not paying attention to where he was running, ran off the ledge and rolled down the hill.
"Ah!"
He rolled until he came to a complete stop.
"Ow," Ranma said, as he gets up. He was a bit bruised, but was a lot tougher than some ordinary kid.
"Maybe I lost Pops," Ranma said to himself.
"Okay, let's back to camp!" said a voice.
Ranma turned towards the direction of the sound, and could see a group of kids boarding a bus…
"Boy, I'm going to punish you for running away!" said Genma, as he prepared to jump off the ledge.
Quickly, Ranma gets up, and sprints over to the group of kids, who were boarding the bus. He ran until-
"Oof!" Ranma said, as he falls down.
"You okay?" said an older boy, as he looked down at Ranma. He wore a pair of goggles and a blue shirt.
"You got to hide me," Ranma said nervously. "There is a bad man after me."
The boy was about to say something when he notices Genma…
"Okay, but do what I say," the boy said. "Just do what I say."
As soon as the camp counselor saw Ranma, the camp counselor frowned.
"I don't recognize you, kid," said the camp counselor.
"He's, uh, lost," the older boy said with a laugh.
"Oh, that's unfortunate. Okay, we'll take you back to camp, and go from there."
"Thank you, sir!" Ranma said with a bow.
As soon as Ranma gets on the bus, the bus driver takes off back to camp.
"Blasted!" Genma said, as Genma sees the bus drive off. Still, he did recognize the words stenciled on the bus, and knew where his wayward son was going…
"That was close," said the older boy, as he begins relax. He then turns towards Ranma.
"Hi, my name is Taichi Kamiya," the older boy said. "But you can call me 'Tai'. What's your name?"
"My name is…Ranma Saotome," Ranma said nervously. "Sorry about this…"
And so that's how I first met Kari's brother Tai. I would stay in the camp for city kids for a few days, and meet the others campers, like Matt, Sora, Izzy, Joe, Mimi and TK," Ranma said.
"So, you met more girls?" Tsukiumi said with annoyance.
"Tsukiumi, I was a little kid who spent most of my life training. I didn't even know the difference between boys and girls until after I met TK. In fact, I thought my best friend 'Ucchan' was a boy."
"It does explain much of your hesitation to accept the affection of your Sekirei," Matsu said.
"I hope you won't be as shy when WE consummate our love, Minato-kun," Kazehana said. "I would hate to be only the teacher."
"Hey, I got over my shyness a LONG time ago, Kazehana," Ranma said.
"Just remember that out of us, I will be your first," Tsukiumi said.
"You really know how to be spontaneous," Homura said.
"You're saying that you are not excited about being Minato-san's bride, Homura-chan?" Musubi asked.
"No, I'm not. I don't even know which gender I should be, and I'm sure Minato is uncomfortable with all this talk."
"No kidding," Ranma said. "But anyway, can I continue my story?"
"Certainly," Miya said with a pleasant smile. "Did you meet Kari-chan at this time?"
"No, that was much later, after we all got sucked into some weird vortex…"
"What the heck is going on?" TK yelled, as the area experienced first a sudden snow storm and then a tornado.
"I don't know, but the entire area has been affected," said Koushiro "Izzy" Izumi, as he typed away on his wireless laptop. "None of the weather satellites picked up these unusual weather patterns."
"Big brother, what's going on?" asked Takeru "TK" Takaishi, as he tugged on his older half-brother's arm.
"Just stay close, TK," said Yamato "Matt" Ishida, as he comforted his younger half-brother.
"Ranma, protect us," said Mimi Tachikawa, as she and her rival huddled around Ranma.
"Yes, protect us!" said Sora Takenouchi, Mimi's rival and tomboy.
"How come he gets the girls, when he's younger than ME?" said Joe Kido in frustration.
"I don't even know what that mean," Ranma said. For some reason, all these girls at the camp were fawning on him, after learning what 'girls' are…
"And what are these things?" Ranma said, as he picks up some sort of strange looking, hand-held device. And he wasn't the only with such devices.
"Maybe they're mpg3 players?" Mimi asked.
Just then, there was a crashing sound that could be heard.
"What the heck is that?" TK yelled, as he points at the sky. "It looks like a-"
"TIDAL WAVE!" the kids yelled, as they were suddenly swept up in the strange surf.
Just then, Genma, who finally found the camp, emerges from the brush.
"What the hell?" Genma yelled. He then sees his son being swept up in some bizarre, atmospheric phenomenon.
"Oh, no you don't'!" Genma said, as he hurries to catch his son, only to have the phenomenon suddenly disappear on him.
"Huh?" Genma said, as he suddenly realized that he was falling off the side of the hill, and into a nearby ravine.
"Ahhhhhhh-!"
Ranma woke up, wondering where he was.
"Ah, man," Ranma said, as he rubbed his head. "What happened-?"
"Hello," said a voice from behind.
He looked up to see a talking Chinese sweet bun.
"Gah!" Ranma said, as he scoots back. "What the heck-?"
"Hi, I'm 'Foalmon', and we can be friends," said the strange creature.
"Huh."
Silence.
"Where am I?" Ranma said, as he gets up onto his feet.
"Um, I don't know, but all this is called 'The Digiworld'."
"And where is that?"
"I don't know."
"Great," Ranma said, as he looks around. As he did, there was something off about the way this place looked.
"Look, I got to find my friends," Ranma said.
"Perhaps I can help you find them?" Foalmon said.
"Didn't you just say that you didn't know where we were?"
"I said I didn't know where this place is, but I do know this place very well."
"I don't understand any of that, but, lead on," Ranma said.
"Okay, follow me!" Foalmon said, as he bounces towards the thick of the strange-looking forest.
"Well, at least it's better than being with Pops," Ranma said, as he followed Foalmon…
Ranma and the others ran for their lives, even as the giant, flying beetle was bearing down on them.
"Maybe I should have stayed with Pops!" Ranma yelled.
"We can't go further!" Joe said, as he suddenly stopped in his tracks, at the ledge of a cliff.
"What's with this place and cliffs?" Matt said.
"Eh," Ranma said, as he looks down. He could see a large lake of sorts.
"We can make it."
"At this height?" TK said.
"I did it all the time while training for martial arts-"
"Everyone!" said a talking ball. "We have to stop Kawagumon! So…transform and roll out!"
With a flash of light, the strange-looking creatures changed into different forms. Ranma's new friend Foalmon was changed into a recognizable creature, like a horse of some kind.
"What are you?" Ranma asked his new friend.
"We can digi-volve into higher level of creatures," said his friend. "You met me as 'Foalmon'; now, I am 'Ponimon'."
"Huh."
With that Ponimon and the other digimon battled the flying giant beetle.
"Wow, I didn't know that your digimon was a girl, Ranma," Mimi asked.
"Huh?" Ranma replied.
"That's right," Sora said. "The word 'foal' in 'Foalmon' means 'baby girl horse'," Sora said.
"HUH?" Ranma said.
Tbc.