Despot Dragon Presents
DIGIMON
Union
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Chapter Two
"Just what the hell is going on?"
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Ruki was still staring into the mirror when Rei came back in, shocked at what she saw. Large, triangular ears like those of a fox framed her face; right now, those were flattened back as the shock went through her. A bushy tail of the same color as her hair stood ramrod-straight behind her, betraying her nerves.
And of course, those huge ears were every bit as functional as they looked… the moment Ruki heard Rei's clawed feet clicking nearer, she whipped around, backing away from the other hybrid. Rei saw the fear, and honestly wished she knew what to tell Ruki now.
"What the hell did you do to me?" Ruki practically shrieked. She continued to back away as Rei came closer, despite the latter's attempts at looking harmless. "Tell me now, dammit!"
"Now listen, Makino-san," Rei started, holding up both hands as if in surrender. "I am only trying to help… I did not fully understand when it happened to me, either." She was rewarded with an almost lightning-quick punch that sent her sprawling, more out of surprise than anything else.
Then Ruki was gone out the window, while Rei stared after her. She hopped back up after a few moments, troubled.
"Hey, that went well, sempai," her friend said, rather airily. He came to stand beside her, arms crossed over his bare chest. "Want me to go after her?" He grinned at her, fanning his dark-feathered wings.
"No, I-" Rei froze mid-sentence, a look not too far from horror on. "Souichiro-kun…"
"Call me 'Tori,' dammit," he said automatically, serious for once. "And I feel it, too." The two glanced at each other, wide red eyes meeting narrow gold ones. "Same plan?"
Rei nodded, starting toward the door. "Make sure she's safe. I'll try to locate this one on foot."
Tori nodded wordlessly, before jumping out the window to take flight.
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Unaware of what she was doing, Ruki dashed and darted, leaping easily from one roof to the next. Eventually, she dropped from the rooftop onto a tree, and found herself in the park. Her path continued to the abandoned building where she had fainted.
Where Guilmon had been hidden. Where he had literally dug up a microgate to the Digital World. Where Ruki had, months later, met her partner Renamon once more and become… this. She slipped inside, almost wondering if she would find a connection between the three.
After a minute of standing in silence, she punched the wall, hissing at the pain in her fist. "I don't understand," she hissed. "Why, Renamon…?" In that instant, a shiver ran down her spine, and she turned around instinctively. What's this feeling…?
It was an odd feeling, somehow familiar… and very connected to the white mist that had begun to spread. She took a step back as the field closed over her, expecting to be blinded… but no, whatever force had bound Renamon to her had also given her the Digimon's eye protection. Cautiously, Ruki began to walk back outside of the structure, wondering alternately what sort of Digimon would emerge and what she would do when it did.
A hand fell on her shoulder, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. But this one kept a strong grip started pulling her aside. A soft voice hissed in her ear, "Quiet… Rei's going to get here very soon, we need to keep whatever this is distracted until then…"
Ruki instantly fell to distrust. "Rei?" she hissed back. "You're that friend of hers, then?"
"Yeah, kinda. Just trust me, okay? Rei might seem creepy, but I promise you we're going to help, Ruki."
"Yeah, and I'm the queen of-" She froze.
"Queen of…?" Tori prompted, and then caught on. "Crap. It's behind us, isn't it."
"Bingo," Ruki replied, and found herself quickly yanked to the side just as a clawed hand came down where she was standing. Tori hit the ground, but she kept going, tumbling right back to her feet. She caught a glimpse of black skin, and a single red-painted finger.
"Ah… I've found you, Ruki," the creature hissed. A pair of glowing red eyes opened, glaring down at her. "And without your precious partner… you've no choice but to take me, now…"
"IceDevimon?" she managed, rather dumbly. "But… didn't Guilmon…?"
"You'd be surprised what we can live through," it replied, reaching for her again. "But not without changes… I am simply Devimon now." Ruki ducked at the last instant, narrowly avoiding the fingers trying to close around her throat.
"Either way, you're a sorry excuse for a Digimon," she challenged. "What makes you think you're worthy of the Digimon Queen?"
"Simple," Devimon said, with an evil grin. "I am the one who will defeat you."
"Oh, put a sock in it," Tori replied, and grabbed Devimon's arm. "You know she's spoken for, right?" He gave a wicked grin of his own, then announced, "Spark Grasp." Electricity ran down his arm in an instant, causing the Digimon to break away with a pained howl.
The birdman promptly interposed himself between Ruki and her risen stalker, small sparks running through his dark blue hair. "Think you can handle this, Ruki?" he asked, without looking back. "We'll need to keep him down at least until Rei gets here, or he'd prolly tear up the city for you…"
"But… how did you… just what the hell is going on?"
"…Fine, just stay out of the way!" Tori flapped his wings, bringing himself above a swipe of Devimon's claws, then spread them wide. "Storm Feather!" The dark feathers gave a thunderclap as he flapped them again, followed by a burst of lightning.
Ruki backed away immediately, hands over her ears. Wait a second, she thought. He's using… a Digimon's attacks? Then I should be able to… She ran forward, crossing her arms, to try acting on this thought. "Diamond-"
"Sakabato!" A sickening crack sounded in Ruki's ears, as a new arrival cut her off. Devimon howled again and backed away, his left arm hanging useless at his side. Rei now stood before him, a wooden sword held loosely in her right hand.
"About time you got here, sempai!" Tori said brightly. "You wanna finish this one?" He let loose another blast of lightning before darting away, as Rei returned her sword to a position at her waist, facing away.
"Gladly," she said simply, locking eyes with Devimon. "Come, then, and see what it means to trifle with one of mine…"
"You little fool," the creature hissed. "I will destroy you, and-"
"Then come."
There was a pregnant pause, before Devimon drew back his remaining arm to attack. "You will regret challenging me, human!" He lunged forward…
"Gyakudo!"
…and it was over. Rei now stood behind him, giving her "blade" a flourish as she thrust it into her belt. "I have no regrets."
"Fool…" Devimon tried to turn, and crumbled, first his broken arm separating at the elbow, then his body at the waist, before finally disintegrating into data particles. He gave a chilling groan as he disappeared, one that had Ruki shivering again.
Then she met Rei's eyes, and froze again. "Now, Makino-san," Ruki said. "We will have words."
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An hour later, Ruki was again sitting on the futon Rei had provided for her, back in the latter's apartment. She'd been treated to a rather stern lecture from the dragon-girl, and as a result now sat mulling over her new position. Her new choice was to either follow Rei's instructions… or find her own ways of dealing with her new abilities.
"Hey, Ruki," the other hybrid – Tori – said, as he tapped on the door. He poked his head inside. "Try not to get too down over Rei, okay? She's had to adjust, too…" He slipped inside, handing over a paper plate with a couple slices of cold pizza. "Sorry about the leftovers, we weren't expecting to have a guest."
"It's okay," Ruki replied, with a shake of her head. "I could use something to drink, though…"
Tori nodded, smiling broadly. "Soda okay?"
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Ddragon's Database
Akumachi Rei
Hybrid: Reptiledramon
Abilities: Physical 150%, Magical 150%, Speed 150%
Techniques
Sakabato – A powerful blow with a blunt object, usually her bokuto. Named for the the weapon carried by the titular character in Rurouni Kenshin, the sakabatou, or "reverse-blade sword."
Gyakudo – A lightning-fast swing of the bokuto from the left hip across the torso, accompanied by a step back. Named for an exercise in kendo.
Notes
Rei is 14 years old, trained in kendo for 6. Her abilities are balanced across the board, with a high propensity for physical attacks and a strong resistance to magic.
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Yagami Souichiro
Hybrid: Thunderbirdmon
Abilities: Physical 175%, Magical 175%, Speed 100%
Techniques
Spark Grasp – A powerful burst of electricity delivered by touching the opponent directly.
Storm Feather – A magical technique involving thunder and lightning channeled through his wings.
Notes
He prefers the nickname "Tori." His abilities are skewed toward defense, with fairly strong magic.