Author's Note: This was inspired by a single frame in episode 3. In going through the scene, frame-by-frame, in an attempt to reassure myself that I did not just see that, I instead confirmed that I did, in fact, see exactly what I thought I saw.
Disclaimer: I am not Chiaka Konaka. I am not a member of Bandai. I'm not even a dubber/subber. I do not own Digimon: Tamers.
\_/-~=o=~-\_/
One year after everything, Makino Ruki slept fitfully, her dreams plagued by a memory:
She was in a parking garage, Renamon dodging Guilmon's fireballs, Takato asking her why she keeps coming after him, Jianliang yelling for the fight to stop. During the chaos, Terriermon wanders into the line of fire.
A moment of realization. A bright light. Terriermon is replaced by a maniacally laughing, trigger-happy Garugomon. Everyone else gets under cover. She herself tries to get to Renamon. Garugomon sees her, and, twenty feet away, pins her to a pillar. She freezes.
Out the corner of her eye, she sees Renamon and Guilmon approaching at speed... she thinks. Everything has slowed down, like time is swimming through clear glue. She can see each and every one of Garugomon's hairs...
Again her life flashes before her eyes as she sees that which she saw the first time, that which she will see again and again and again, until memory fades to insignificance: as Guilmon tackles him, Garugomon fires.
With a choked sob, Ruki awakens.
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Author's Note: Some of you might be wondering why I have Ruki dreaming of this scene instead of the D-Reaper. My answer to you is: the D-Reaper is, essentially, an eldritch abomination. Its method of killing you would be beyond your ability to grasp, unless you took the time to think about it. A bullet, on the other hand? All too real. And for a 13, or 10, depending on your audio, year-old girl who is both sane and healthy? More than enough reason to get the hell out of the game. Subsequent episodes make a lot more sense now, don't you think?
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