A/N: Hello everyone! This is a story idea that Mellra had and wanted a bit of help with. It was a really good idea, so I thought why not? Mellra wrote most of it and I added a few things here and there. Feel free to let us know what you think!
Disclaimer: I don't own digimon
Chapter 1: Twist of Fate
Jeri Katou happily hummed to herself as she skipped away from Matsuki's Bakery, her arms laden with a number of treats she had bought. Of course, stopping by the bakery was really just an excuse to hide the fact that she had just previously shopped at one of the local game stores to buy some of the latest Digimon cards.
Carefully holding the bag full of baked goods with her left hand, Jeri plunged her sock-puppet covered hand into her pocket and managed to pull out the deck of cards she had just bought. Having already torn off the wrappings earlier, she looked at the new cards and basked silently in that glorious new card smell as she idly flicked through them.
Control Spire, Numemon, Koromon, MetalGreymon, Speed Boost and a SkullSatamon flicked by along with many more. Eventually she had gotten through all of them and simply stared at the front image, her mind blank.
Were those good cards?
She honestly had no idea. Some of the pictures had been interesting to look at. The SkullSatamon had certainly been scary, but the cute little Koromon had more than made up for it.
Jeri frowned, while not initially a fan of the popular card game, watching her friend Takato Matsuki and his friends, Kenta Kitagawa, and Kazu Shoda always playing and talking about the game had eventually managed to peak her curiosity. After a few weeks of hiding behind corridors and near their little hideout in the park and hearing them talking about potential strategies and powerful monsters, she had succumbed to her curiosity and bought some of the cards herself.
She had even read the rulebook as she walked out of the store. An impressive feat considering how long it was!
Now, a couple of months later she had amassed quite an impressive collection of cards, although she had yet to even play a single game let alone assemble her deck. She had decided to keep her new hobby a secret, especially because she didn't think her friends would understand and she just couldn't muster the courage to talk to Takato or the others about it.
Not to mention what her father would think.
Thinking about her father made Jeri's skipping slow to a settled walk. Almost as if she felt he was watching her, she quickly shoved the cards back into her pocket and held the bag of bread tightly to her chest.
After her mom died, her father had become so distant with her lately. She barely ever saw him, and whenever she did he was always insisting she study hard and not get into trouble doing anything silly.
Then there was her new stepmom. Whilst Jeri didn't hate the woman, she was reluctant to let her into her life. The wounds of her heart from losing her mother were still too raw for her to feel ready to let anyone else in. There was also a deep fear that she'd replace or forget about her mother if she let her stepmom into her heart.
The thought was enough to make her shiver.
A sudden noise made her lift up her head; Jeri could hear some strange noises happening further up ahead. Peering through the gloom she could just about make out the sirens and policemen strutting about up the street.
It looked like there had been an accident up ahead. Unfortunately, that was the quickest way home and so she'd have to find another route. She didn't want to have to walk past a wreckage, not again...
"Ruff!" her sock puppet barked cheerfully. "Looks like you'll have to go around, Jeri! Let's use that alley over there!"
Her puppet pointed one of its stubs towards a dark nearby alley.
"It looks dark over there," Jeri said nervously.
Her eyes couldn't see far into the darkness. The alley curved away beyond her field of vision, although she was pretty sure it should still lead towards the right street.
"Don't worry, Jeri! I'll protect you, ruff!" her sock puppet said encouragingly.
Jeri looked towards the sirens, where even now she could hear the faint shouts of the police officers and the paramedics as they swarmed around the scene. Maybe she should go and walk on through, it wouldn't really matter.
She swallowed nervously, her throat suddenly becoming dry at the idea of being so close to the wreckage. Of the metal being twisted back, of a young girl crying out for her mother.
One step forwards, two steps...
She froze.
"Come on, Jeri! Let's go into the alley!" her puppet cried out happily. "It'll probably be much quicker anyway."
Jeri looked back and forth, before making her decision. She turned towards the dark alley and walked forwards, away from the sirens and the memories. Nervously stepping forward into the unknown, Jeri accidentally changed her fate forever.
The first thing Jeri noticed when she went down the alley was that there was a light fog starting to come up. At first the young girl paid it no mind. After all, she was near the Sumida River, and fog was fairly common during the fading twilight hours, even if it was fairly early. Jeri started to take note, however, when the fog started to pick up at an alarming speed. Soon, it got to the point where the girl could barely see her hand in front of her face.
"This is getting creepy," Jeri muttered in a scared tone, as she could see nothing in front nor behind her.
"Don't worry Jeri! I'll lead the way! Ruff!" she made the sock puppet say, eliciting a small smile from the girl.
Jeri visibly relaxed at that.
The dog puppet her mom had made for her always left the young girl feeling safe, as if her mother was right with her even now. Pointing the puppet in front of her like a Seeing Eye dog, Jeri cautiously moved forward into the blinding fog.
Suddenly, she heard a crash of a trashcan falling ahead of her, causing her to let out a startled squeak. Before Jeri could calm her heart that was beating like a drum, she heard a sound, almost as if something was moving through the fog.
"W-who's there?" she asked hesitantly, trying to peer through the dense fog. She held her puppet out in front of her like a shield, making growling noises like what a real dog would do and trying to sound braver than she felt.
Out of the thick fog ran a mewling cat that quickly streaked by her. Jeri watched the cat's progress as it darted through the fog and vanished from view before she let out the breath she didn't know she was holding.
"So 'dis is the human world, huh?" a male voice with a distinct Brooklyn accent sounded behind her.
Starting in fear, Jeri whipped around to find the source of the noise, only to be met with the sight of the fading fog.
"Yo toots! I'm down here!" the voice called out.
Shakily, Jeri looked down to see what at first appeared to be a waist high child, but the fading fog showed the figure in its entirety.
The being almost looked like a purple demon. It stood on two legs with three claws on its feet. Its tail was long but slight bent at the end. It wore red gloves which complemented the red scarf around its neck. Its belly had a yellow smiley face with sharp teeth on it. Now its actual face was white with two big green eyes that were slightly narrowed. It had two big horns on each side of its head that stood up first but in the middle are bent straight. Lastly it had a little naughty smirk on its white face.
While initially stunned by the otherworldly beings presence, Jeri couldn't help but think that she'd seen something like it before.
Hesitantly, Jeri reached into her pocket and groped at the Digimon cards she had bought. The being continued to look bemused at the girl's actions, lifting an eyebrow before it scanned the nearby surroundings as if bored.
Finding the card she wanted, Jeri held it out in front of her and looked at the image on the card then back at the being. She looked back and forth a few times just to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her but no, the being matched the image on the card.
On the Digimon card their read across the top the name "Impmon: Rookie Level: Virus Type" and under the description it read:
'A Child Digimon which has an appearance like a demon's child. It loves pranks, so it enjoys seeing the embarrassed appearances of its opponents. Also, it is said that when Impmon appears, electrical appliances temporarily go crazy, so an electronic image going out of order or ceasing to function might be because Impmon was pulling a prank. Although it is a Digimon that loves mischief and malice, it never toadies to the strong, but stands up to them with a strong attitude. However, the truth is that it has a lonely side.
Its Signature Move is summoning elementals of flame and ice (Summon). Its Special Move is attacking the opponent with flames of darkness (Night of Fire).'
"So babe, you gonna tell me if 'dis is the Human World or you gonna stand there catch'n flies wit' your mouth?" the now identified Impmon asked the shocked Jeri in a mocking tone.
Realizing her mouth was opened in shock, Jeri closed it with an audible 'click.'
The girl then pointed a shaking finger at the Digimon.
"Y-you're an Impmon?!" she asked in disbelief.
The Demon Digimon gave a mock bow.
"Heh, guess my reputation precedes me! You's want my autograph or s'mthin?" he snarked, proudly sticking out his chest.
Jeri could only gasp in surprise.
"Digimon are real?"
"Well, we's sure ain't no Santa Claus if 'dat's what ya mean," the Rookie smirked.
Slowly, Jeri's nerves started to settle as the last of the fog from the Digital Field faded.
While initially looking intimidating, now that Jeri got a good look at the Digimon she couldn't help but think about how cute he was! Standing just at her waist in height, the little Digimon really did look like a child, and the way his voice sounded also reminded her of how her little step-brother sometimes sounded.
Her worried face broke into a warm smile as she put away the Digimon card.
"What you's smiling at?" Impmon asked, looking at the girl oddly. "I know I'm great and all, but we've barely said anything to each another!"
"Ruff! Hello Impmon, her name's Jeri, Jari Katou!" her dog puppet barked.
Impmon looked momentarily stunned, eyeing the girl strangely before crossing his arms and regaining his cocky smirk.
"Well... goodie for you's, you's gots a name. Now sweet cheeks, I seem to recall asking a question, but I don't think I got's an answer. Now spill! Is 'dis th' Human World or not!"
Jeri nodded in confirmation, ignoring the little Rookies blatant disrespect.
"Er, yes, this is the Human World. Actually, you're now in Shinjuku, Japan to be more specific."
Impmon's grin seemed to widen at that.
"All right! I made it!" he cheered while giving a fist pump with his gloved hand. "Now alls I gotta do is find some chump to make me super strong an' then I'm golden!"
With that, Impmon turned and started to walk towards the alleyway's entrance.
"W-wait!" Jeri called out, not wanting to miss the chance to speak with a real live Digimon.
"What now?" Impmon asked in irritation, stopping in his tracks yet not turning to face the girl.
If this pathetic lookin' human thought she'd become his tamer, she was a few Digignomes short of a swarm! He had an image to keep up after all and his partner when he found him would have to match that image. This girl was, quite frankly, stranger than a Koromon hyped up on sugar and not to mention didn't exactly look the part of being his badass tamer.
Hell, little Miss Rainbow's and Unicornmon over there looked like she couldn't fight herself out of a wet paper bag. One that had a hole in it!
"Well," Jeri said shyly as she pulled out one of the sweet rolls she'd picked up from Matsuki's Bakery and held it out to the retreating Digimon. "I just got these sweets from the store but I got a few too many. Would you want to share them with me?" she ended on a hopeful note.
Impmon perked up at the mention of food, not to mention the sweet smells that were now invading his nostrils. Not one to pass up a free meal, Impmon turned to face the girl. Oh, what the heck. One meal wouldn't hurt his image!
Trying to control his excitement and hunger, Impmon crossed his arms and wiped away the drool on his mouth.
"Eh, why not? Not really in a hurry anyways," he said in what he was certain sounded like an indifferent tone.
With that, Impmon walked up to the girl and snatched the roll out of the girls hand before popping the whole thing into his mouth and chewing on it with a satisfied expression.
Jeri smiled at that and plopped down on the stoop of one of the nearby buildings so she was more on eye level with Impmon and took out one of the other rolls before eating at a more reserved pace. Impmon swallowed his roll with a grin on his face before holding out his hand expectantly.
"More," he said in a voice that left no room for argument.
Jeri giggled slightly and took out another roll before placing it into Impmon's waiting hand. The Digimon ate it with the same gusto as the first before holding his hand out once more. Jeri placed her last pastry into the waiting palm that quickly followed the same fate as the others. Giving a satisfied belch, Impmon patted his stomach and turned towards Jeri with a grin.
"Thanks for the chow toots! Let me know when ya got more grub, alright?" he said with a casual wave, before turning around and walking off.
What?! He was leaving already?!
Standing up in shock, Jeri stared at Impmon's retreating form as he walked off into the darkness of the alley. Suddenly struck by the possibility of never seeing him again, Jeri gathered courage that she didn't even know she had.
"Um, would you like to come with me?" she asked hesitantly.
Impmon stopped and blinked at the girl.
"Say what?" he asked dumbly, his brain trying to catch up with what was asked of him.
Jeri had a light blush on her face and looked at the ground.
"W-well, if you don't have a place to stay, you can come to my house for a while. I'll try not to bother you and I'll feed you whenever you want. So will you?" she ended hopefully.
"Eh…?" Impmon blinked rapidly as he tried to comprehend that someone wanted him to stay with them.
Sure, the little Digimon talked a tough game but in all honesty he wasn't used to people being nice to him. Back in the Digital World it was every Mon for themselves, so trust didn't come easily for the Demon Digimon. Plus, he knew his attitude wasn't one that most people enjoyed being around, so that made the imp suspicious of the girl's kind offer. But, taking one look into those big, hopeful brown eyes, the Virus Type felt his resolve wavering.
"S-sure, why not? S'not like I've gots an appointment or somethin'. But let's get one thing straight, girlie!" Impmon stated while pointing a finger in Jeri's direction, praying to the Sovereign that the darkening alleyway hide the blush adorning his pale cheeks. "This is a temporary arrangement! Soon as I find a tamer worthy of my awesomeness, I'm outta here, capish?"
"Sure thing!" Jeri cheered with a happy look on her face.
She then held out her hand for the Rookie to take.
"I hope I can be of help!" she finished with a cheerful laugh.
"Erm, s-sure," Impmon said, awkwardly taking the strange human girl's hand and wondering just what he'd gotten himself into as she nearly dragged him off to her family's inn.
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
This was the sound coming from the backyard of two four year old twins by the names of Ai and Mako. They were currently arguing over who broke their newest teddy bear, while their parents had gone inside for the moment. Their shouts continued for a minute or two until suddenly a dense fog began to creep into their backyard.
It's encroachment was so slow and unexpected, the two arguing children didn't even realize they had been engulfed until it was too late. Momentarily forgetting to argue, the twins hugged one another as an unnatural chill permeated the air around them.
"What's going on?" the boy, Mako, asked his twin nervously. "Why can't I see?"
"I don't know!" the girl, Ai, responded somewhat scared as well. "I think it's just fog though. Let's go back inside."
The two shared a silent agreement, which is probably the only thing they did silently, and crept closer and closer to where they thought their house was. The fog was so thick they could barely see in front of themselves, let alone the back wall of their house.
"We're going the wrong way!" Mako said. "The door's that way!"
"No it isn't!" Ai responded. "It's over here!"
"Liar!"
"No you're the liar and mom knows it!"
A sudden growl sent a shiver down their spines. Instantly stopping their argument, the twins slowly turned to look towards the end of the garden where the sound had come from.
There was a shadow in the fog. A large being, very large in fact. It stood almost as tall as their house and reminded the two of the dinosaur's they'd seen in their picture books.
Pure red, with claws larger than either of them and sharp teeth to match, the creature stared down at the two children. A large splash of drool hit the ground in front of the petrified kids, as the creature's eyes seemed to glow red with malice.
Ai and Mako screamed as the monster roared and bared down on them. A large claw reached for the two terrified kids, ready to grab and crush them into bone meal.
Something whizzed over the twins, striking the monster in its claw. It let out another roar, this time in pain, as it stepped back and crushed the shed behind it with a single foot.
A new being now stood in front of the children, picking up a sword from out of the ground in front of it.
"I will not let you harm them!" it yelled, before leaping into the air.
Ai and Mako watched as the large creature tried to swat the warrior away, but was simply too slow. Leaping onto the monster's outstretched arm, the warrior ran up its arm towards the head.
The dinosaur leaned its head forwards, trying to bite the warrior in half, but he was too quick. Jumpin over the monster's lunge, it span in the air and with a mighty cry stabbed the monster in the head with its sword.
The monster didn't even have time to cry out in pain before it vanished into dust, leaving only the warrior now kneeling on the ground.
The twins watched as the warrior stood up, the fog now clearing enough that they could make out its features.
The being was tall, with the head of a lion and a body similar to a muscular human's with several key differences. The figure also had a large sword held in its hand, which it sheathed onto its back. It wore black pants and a type of tribal necklace.
The warrior opened his blue eyes and noticed the two small children looking up at him in awe.
The lion Digimon gave them a nod.
"Greetings, I am Leomon!" he said in his powerful voice.
Ai and Mako just stared open mouthed in silence at the Digimon for a full minute.
"Coooool!" they cried out in perfect unison, with stars in their eyes.
Truly, fate can be a strange thing.
A/N: Feel free to tell us what you all think of this new story! It would be nice to hear some feedback.
There is sadly no update schedule for this fic. Teacher of All Things is taking up pretty much all of my writing time so I won't be able to dedicate much time to this. It will be updated sporadically, whenever Mellra or I get sudden bursts of inspiration.
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!