A/N: For this chapter it takes place before the Tamers enter the Digital World. I also had to use a bit of creative license with the Ruki/ Ryou back- story. The only information given about their prior meeting was that he had defeated her at the card game two years ago. I don't bash characters; I used the information and Ruki's behavior when she did meet Ryou again in episode 28, as a basis for Ruki's slight animosity. I tried my best in this chapter to keep Ruki in character and to correctly define her sometimes-conflicting relationship with Renamon

Disclaimer: Digimon is the property of Toei Animation and of Bandai.

Phases of the Life

By: Frozen Phoenix

~Makino Ruki~

I've always been strong. I can't stand weakness in either myself or in those around me. I don't play games and when I battle, I fight to win. At the last Digimon card game tournament I defeated everyone that played against me. They don't call me the Digimon Queen for nothing.

Only one person has ever defeated me at the card game. Two years ago I faced Mr. Perfect himself, Akiyama Ryou. He tried to put on the whole humble and modest act, saying I played well and he was just lucky that he won. But I didn't take losing lightly. I built up strategies and my deck up for the next tournament. I wasn't about to let myself be defeated again.

The most irritating thing about that day was the fact that he never showed up! I was stuck battling a bunch of weaklings who didn't seem to know the first thing about the card game. Or at least, that's the impression they gave me when we battled. That was also where I earned the nickname "Digimon Queen."

The only thing that could have made that day worse was having my supermodel mother wanting to go shopping or some other act of mother-daughter bonding. But luckily she had some big photo shoot and was gone the entire day.

After the tournament I sat looking over my cards and thinking of the tactics I had used, when I found a blue card I had never seen before. The card had a type of code and some weird symbol on it. Out of simple curiosity I scanned the card in my card reader. That's when things became strange.

With a flash of light my card reader transformed into an actual digi-vice. And to make things stranger one of the walls began to shift weirdly and soon only the silhouettes of several creatures were visible. It took me only a moment to realize that I was actually looking at several Digimon. It seemed impossible; Digimon were only in the card game and some television show, they couldn't be real. And yet there they were, calling me the Digimon Queen and saying they wanted to be my partner.

I got over my initial surprise quickly and put my priorities in order. I wanted to not only be the best at the card game, but the strongest Digimon Tamer as well. As soon as I said I wanted to be the strongest, one of the Digimon said that if I wanted to be strong, then she should be my partner. I looked closer at the Digimon and saw a tall kitsune-like creature, a Renamon. I don't believe in judging strength based upon appearance, but by just looking at her I could tell she was strong. Not as strong as I wanted, but over time, that would change.