Partner no more?
Part VI
by Christian "Sid" Lang
Lady Kioko leaves Ruki's room and silently closes the door behind her.
Poor girl. I wonder what really happened that night.
We only know what Sanjay has seen, but he didn't hear much of their conversation.
She slowly walks downstairs to bring the soup bowl into the kitchen.
Kioko isn't really surprised to see Sanjay there.
"I thought you were tired." she states innocently.
The wolf is sitting on a chair, upper body resting on the table in front of him.
His muzzle is resting on his crossed arms and his eyes are staring at the wall.
"It's a dangerous combination." he says after a while.
"What is a dangerous combination?" Kioko asks, washing the bowl.
"I care for people, but humans are afraid of me."
"That may be a problem, but why is it dangerous?"
"I saved a man's life once. He had been mugged in a town and was bleeding.
I took care of his wound. Then he saw my face, which had been hidden under the hood."
"What did he do?" Kioko asks, being afraid of the answer.
"He ran away and called for the guards. I barely got out of town alive."
Just as Kioko wants to say that the result was overall postive, he continues.
"On my way out of town, I had to kill three guards in battle."
The bowl drops into the sink as Kioko is struggling for words.
After a minute of silence, he sighs.
"My greatest wish is that somebody would simply thank me for my work." he sighs.
Then he realizes who he is talking to.
"Aside from you, I mean." he quickly adds with a smile.
"It's all right, I know what you meant." she says, one hand idly stroking his back.
They stay like this for some more minutes.
Finally Kioko stops and looks at Sanjay.
"Why didn't you want to bring her to hospital, anyway?" she asks him.
Sanjay looks up at her and frowns.
"I didn't want Ruki to answer some really stupid questions."
"And?"
He sighs.
"And I want to help Ruki and Renamon get together again."
Kioko gives him a surprised look.
"I think that they miss each other despite what happened."
"Friends don't throw friends off rooftops."
"Call it a hunch. Something is wrong with Renamon. And I want to find out-"
He pauses to yawn.
"Whatever you do, do it tomorrow." Lady Kioko tells him.
"I guess you're right. At least all are healthy at the moment."
Renamon is sitting on the edge of Daniel's bed, lost in thought.
I have to do it. she tells herself again.
But somehow she doesn't find the strength to do it.
I have to tell someone what I have done. But who?
She has the choice between Lee and Takato since they knew her. Sort of.
In the end she decided to tell Lee.
Still, she doesn't find the strength to confess what she had done.
Renamon yelps when somebody grabs her shoulder.
When she sees that it is, of course, Daniel, she relaxes slightly.
"Feeling a little jumpy?" he asks her, starting to massage her shoulders with both hands.
Instead of answering, Renamon just moans softly.
Enjoying this feeling she simply stares straight ahead into the bathroom.
Oh, he left the door open. she notices and smiles.
Her eyes start to focus on something in the bathroom.
Daniel simply continues his massage.
Slowly Renamon's eyes have identified the object in question. It's a small flask.
"I'll be right back." Daniel whispers into her ear.
Renamon stays in her relaxed postion, her eyes now focussing now on the label.
She briefly wonders why she is actually doing this, but finally dismisses the thought.
Her consciousness misses Daniel. His hands on her back, the nice feeling she has had.
Fox pheromones.
Daniel was the only person left. He liked her, and she was glad he had him.
Fox pheromones.
He would understand her need to confess her doings. He would-
Fox pheromones? she wonders.
Then she realizes that she has read the printing on the label.
Time seems to slow down as her mind kicks into overdrive.
Millions of different thoughts race through her brain while she is starting to stand up.
When she feels the pain in her back, she notices that this last action has saved her head.
Stand still! Daniel wants to shout.
The whole plan would have worked just fine.
He had started to massage her so that Renamon would drop her guard.
That part of the plan had worked just fine.
When he had taken his sword, the Digimon still looked relaxed.
Her postion was almost perfect for a clear cut through the neck.
She wouldn't have felt a thing! But noooooo, she had to get up right now!
He curses his luck.
The katana is reddened with Renamon's blood since the cut wasn't a complete miss.
Daniel sees the large wound across the fox's back and knows that she would bleed to death in a couple of minutes.
Still he continues to attack her, trying to deliver the coupe de grace.
But it's more difficult than he has imagined since Renamon hasn't stopped to move after the first strike.
Of course he delivers quite a few hits since Renamon has almost no space to dodge his attacks.
Renamon is out of breath.
She hadn't expected an ambush like this, although she should have seen it coming.
I can't believe it! Why? I thought he-
Dodging another attack, she scolds herself.
Snap out of it! He kills Digimon! He baited you. And you went right into his trap!
Her view is already blurring.
It... can't end like that. I have to fight-
She shakes her head groggily.
On the other hand... Fight for whom? Ruki? I killed her! For him!
If she hadn't been fatally wounded, Renamon would have cried.
Now I have nowhere to go. Nobody cares about me. Maybe it's better this way.
She sinks onto her knees, her sense of balance betraying her.
As her head hits the carpeted floor, she can see the man who has beaten her.
I'm sorry, Ruki. is her last conscious thought.
Daniel sighs heavily as he watches the fox Digimon fade out of existence.
But something startles him.
"Strange." he mutters.
He takes a look at his bedroom. Or what is left of it.
His bed and large parts of the floor are stained with blood.
Some pieces of furniture have been destroyed by his sword.
"She just faded."
Still, something is missing, although it's just a minor detail for him.
"I thought that all killed Digimon dissolve in a cloud of glowing pieces."
Then he shrugs and starts to clean his sword.
"One of my biggest mistakes in my life has been waking a sleeping Wolf."
The quotation made by a human warrior has become famous among wolves and humans alike.
It also served as a warning not to disturb a Wolf's night rest.
Obviously the quotation has not made its way to this world. Yet.
Sanjay is lying in the darkness, sleeping for the first time in days.
Of course, he has had short naps while monitoring Ruki.
But those were just a few minutes per hour. Nothing like this.
His ears twitch when they pick up Renamon's traditional fading-in sound.
Split seconds later, he is startled by a sudden weight being dropped onto him.
When he fully regains consciousness, he is already on top of the intruder, snarling wildly.
The snarl quickly turns into a whining sound as he recognizes the smell.
He recognizes Renamon's smell even through the thick smell of blood.
Blood?
He quickly gets off the limp body and turns on the light.
Sanjay curses when he sees the wounds the Digimon has received.
"Well, at least I won't have to look for you tomorrow..."
He yawns and concentrates on the Power once again.
I really have to sleep sometime. he tells himself while healing Renamon.
For him he process seems to last forever. In reality, half an hour passes.
Normally the process wouldn't have taken that long, but Sanjay feels burnt out.
Healing the little girl had taken more than he allowed himself to admit.
After the last wound has been healed, the wolf collapses next to the Digimon.
And although his body tries desperately to shut down right now, he manages to stand up again.
Shaking his head, he lifts up the unconscious Renamon and carries her upstairs into the bathroom.
I know how messy dried blood in fur can be. he thinks as he prepares some warm water.
Then he takes a sponge and starts to clean Renamon's bloody fur.
Kioko has done he same thing for Ruki once her condition had been less critical.
The very same Kioko wakes him up softly.
I must've fallen asleep... But when? he asks himself.
He blinks and sees that Renamon's fur is completely blood-free now.
Lady Kioko, who looks much more rested than himself, gives him a smile.
"You should really rest. But not in my bathroom." she tells him with faked seriousness.
"But.. I have to watch-" he tries to protest.
She slaps his nose lightly.
"I'll stay awake. Just bring her somewhere else." she tells him.
This time, her seriousness is real.
He nods weakly and starts to carry Renamon downstairs again.
"Where are you going?" she asks him quietly, not wanting to wake up Ruki.
"The cellar. I don't want them to meet just yet."
"So you don't want to tell them about the presence of the other one?" she asks.
Sanjay just nods.
In the cellar, he carefully puts Renamon on his sleeping place.
Then, he collapses once again, this time inviting the much-needed sleep.
Somewhere in the distance, he can hear Lady Kioko's voice.
"Thank you, Sanjay. Thank you."
Part VI
by Christian "Sid" Lang
Lady Kioko leaves Ruki's room and silently closes the door behind her.
Poor girl. I wonder what really happened that night.
We only know what Sanjay has seen, but he didn't hear much of their conversation.
She slowly walks downstairs to bring the soup bowl into the kitchen.
Kioko isn't really surprised to see Sanjay there.
"I thought you were tired." she states innocently.
The wolf is sitting on a chair, upper body resting on the table in front of him.
His muzzle is resting on his crossed arms and his eyes are staring at the wall.
"It's a dangerous combination." he says after a while.
"What is a dangerous combination?" Kioko asks, washing the bowl.
"I care for people, but humans are afraid of me."
"That may be a problem, but why is it dangerous?"
"I saved a man's life once. He had been mugged in a town and was bleeding.
I took care of his wound. Then he saw my face, which had been hidden under the hood."
"What did he do?" Kioko asks, being afraid of the answer.
"He ran away and called for the guards. I barely got out of town alive."
Just as Kioko wants to say that the result was overall postive, he continues.
"On my way out of town, I had to kill three guards in battle."
The bowl drops into the sink as Kioko is struggling for words.
After a minute of silence, he sighs.
"My greatest wish is that somebody would simply thank me for my work." he sighs.
Then he realizes who he is talking to.
"Aside from you, I mean." he quickly adds with a smile.
"It's all right, I know what you meant." she says, one hand idly stroking his back.
They stay like this for some more minutes.
Finally Kioko stops and looks at Sanjay.
"Why didn't you want to bring her to hospital, anyway?" she asks him.
Sanjay looks up at her and frowns.
"I didn't want Ruki to answer some really stupid questions."
"And?"
He sighs.
"And I want to help Ruki and Renamon get together again."
Kioko gives him a surprised look.
"I think that they miss each other despite what happened."
"Friends don't throw friends off rooftops."
"Call it a hunch. Something is wrong with Renamon. And I want to find out-"
He pauses to yawn.
"Whatever you do, do it tomorrow." Lady Kioko tells him.
"I guess you're right. At least all are healthy at the moment."
Renamon is sitting on the edge of Daniel's bed, lost in thought.
I have to do it. she tells herself again.
But somehow she doesn't find the strength to do it.
I have to tell someone what I have done. But who?
She has the choice between Lee and Takato since they knew her. Sort of.
In the end she decided to tell Lee.
Still, she doesn't find the strength to confess what she had done.
Renamon yelps when somebody grabs her shoulder.
When she sees that it is, of course, Daniel, she relaxes slightly.
"Feeling a little jumpy?" he asks her, starting to massage her shoulders with both hands.
Instead of answering, Renamon just moans softly.
Enjoying this feeling she simply stares straight ahead into the bathroom.
Oh, he left the door open. she notices and smiles.
Her eyes start to focus on something in the bathroom.
Daniel simply continues his massage.
Slowly Renamon's eyes have identified the object in question. It's a small flask.
"I'll be right back." Daniel whispers into her ear.
Renamon stays in her relaxed postion, her eyes now focussing now on the label.
She briefly wonders why she is actually doing this, but finally dismisses the thought.
Her consciousness misses Daniel. His hands on her back, the nice feeling she has had.
Fox pheromones.
Daniel was the only person left. He liked her, and she was glad he had him.
Fox pheromones.
He would understand her need to confess her doings. He would-
Fox pheromones? she wonders.
Then she realizes that she has read the printing on the label.
Time seems to slow down as her mind kicks into overdrive.
Millions of different thoughts race through her brain while she is starting to stand up.
When she feels the pain in her back, she notices that this last action has saved her head.
Stand still! Daniel wants to shout.
The whole plan would have worked just fine.
He had started to massage her so that Renamon would drop her guard.
That part of the plan had worked just fine.
When he had taken his sword, the Digimon still looked relaxed.
Her postion was almost perfect for a clear cut through the neck.
She wouldn't have felt a thing! But noooooo, she had to get up right now!
He curses his luck.
The katana is reddened with Renamon's blood since the cut wasn't a complete miss.
Daniel sees the large wound across the fox's back and knows that she would bleed to death in a couple of minutes.
Still he continues to attack her, trying to deliver the coupe de grace.
But it's more difficult than he has imagined since Renamon hasn't stopped to move after the first strike.
Of course he delivers quite a few hits since Renamon has almost no space to dodge his attacks.
Renamon is out of breath.
She hadn't expected an ambush like this, although she should have seen it coming.
I can't believe it! Why? I thought he-
Dodging another attack, she scolds herself.
Snap out of it! He kills Digimon! He baited you. And you went right into his trap!
Her view is already blurring.
It... can't end like that. I have to fight-
She shakes her head groggily.
On the other hand... Fight for whom? Ruki? I killed her! For him!
If she hadn't been fatally wounded, Renamon would have cried.
Now I have nowhere to go. Nobody cares about me. Maybe it's better this way.
She sinks onto her knees, her sense of balance betraying her.
As her head hits the carpeted floor, she can see the man who has beaten her.
I'm sorry, Ruki. is her last conscious thought.
Daniel sighs heavily as he watches the fox Digimon fade out of existence.
But something startles him.
"Strange." he mutters.
He takes a look at his bedroom. Or what is left of it.
His bed and large parts of the floor are stained with blood.
Some pieces of furniture have been destroyed by his sword.
"She just faded."
Still, something is missing, although it's just a minor detail for him.
"I thought that all killed Digimon dissolve in a cloud of glowing pieces."
Then he shrugs and starts to clean his sword.
"One of my biggest mistakes in my life has been waking a sleeping Wolf."
The quotation made by a human warrior has become famous among wolves and humans alike.
It also served as a warning not to disturb a Wolf's night rest.
Obviously the quotation has not made its way to this world. Yet.
Sanjay is lying in the darkness, sleeping for the first time in days.
Of course, he has had short naps while monitoring Ruki.
But those were just a few minutes per hour. Nothing like this.
His ears twitch when they pick up Renamon's traditional fading-in sound.
Split seconds later, he is startled by a sudden weight being dropped onto him.
When he fully regains consciousness, he is already on top of the intruder, snarling wildly.
The snarl quickly turns into a whining sound as he recognizes the smell.
He recognizes Renamon's smell even through the thick smell of blood.
Blood?
He quickly gets off the limp body and turns on the light.
Sanjay curses when he sees the wounds the Digimon has received.
"Well, at least I won't have to look for you tomorrow..."
He yawns and concentrates on the Power once again.
I really have to sleep sometime. he tells himself while healing Renamon.
For him he process seems to last forever. In reality, half an hour passes.
Normally the process wouldn't have taken that long, but Sanjay feels burnt out.
Healing the little girl had taken more than he allowed himself to admit.
After the last wound has been healed, the wolf collapses next to the Digimon.
And although his body tries desperately to shut down right now, he manages to stand up again.
Shaking his head, he lifts up the unconscious Renamon and carries her upstairs into the bathroom.
I know how messy dried blood in fur can be. he thinks as he prepares some warm water.
Then he takes a sponge and starts to clean Renamon's bloody fur.
Kioko has done he same thing for Ruki once her condition had been less critical.
The very same Kioko wakes him up softly.
I must've fallen asleep... But when? he asks himself.
He blinks and sees that Renamon's fur is completely blood-free now.
Lady Kioko, who looks much more rested than himself, gives him a smile.
"You should really rest. But not in my bathroom." she tells him with faked seriousness.
"But.. I have to watch-" he tries to protest.
She slaps his nose lightly.
"I'll stay awake. Just bring her somewhere else." she tells him.
This time, her seriousness is real.
He nods weakly and starts to carry Renamon downstairs again.
"Where are you going?" she asks him quietly, not wanting to wake up Ruki.
"The cellar. I don't want them to meet just yet."
"So you don't want to tell them about the presence of the other one?" she asks.
Sanjay just nods.
In the cellar, he carefully puts Renamon on his sleeping place.
Then, he collapses once again, this time inviting the much-needed sleep.
Somewhere in the distance, he can hear Lady Kioko's voice.
"Thank you, Sanjay. Thank you."