Revenge is a kind of wild justice.
-Sir Francis Bacon, Of Revenge
***
He wasn't there.
It was…strange. And disquieting.
Ruki hadn't seen Takato waiting at the gate, as had become customary ever since they had gotten together. At first, she had complained about this…habit of his, of course: it was too much trouble, her classmates would bug him, and so on and so forth. He'd just looked at her, with that unfairly adorable expression of puppy-dog devotion on his face, and asked if she didn't want him to come.
How could she say no?
And so, to him, the matter was settled, and it had become part of his daily routine, as accepted and unchangeable as brushing teeth, wearing clothes, and eating at mealtimes. But she never thought how much it had become part of her life – when she'd come out and not seen him, it was almost physical, the jolt. For a minute she just stood there and looked around, searching for him.
She wasn't the only one who noticed his absence. Getting a boyfriend, although humanizing her to most of her other schoolmates, only seemed to set Yana and her clique even more against her. She knew why, certainly, but the hissed commentary about Takato's probable reasons for dating her, and/or that he was sure to dump her soon, was getting a bit irritating.
As it was now.
"Ooh, trouble in paradise?" Yana sneered as she sauntered past, surrounded as always by her coterie of followers. "Or maybe he's found someone better? Like, say, I don't know – anyone else?" The other girls giggled appreciatively, and a few of the bolder ones essayed their own remarks.
Ruki would have replied with either words or actions to that, except that Yana and her petty group seemed a very minor, very insignificant thing at the moment. There was a cold, empty feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she felt oddly fidgety, shifting her weight from one foot to another as she scanned the crowd around the school-gates.
'Where is he?' she thought, looking for him more frantically though she didn't know why. 'Why isn't he here?' The coldness in her stomach was spreading, flowing sluggishly into her veins and making her spine tingle.
Then the roar came like a roll of storm-thunder, deepening and growing with every passing second. As it reached its apex, part scream and part snarl by now, Growlmon's head suddenly reared into view, mouth open as he howled his rage to the sky. Everyone around her had frozen when they'd heard the roar, heads snapping to gape at the source of it.
She felt the coldness crystallize into a single spike of ice that jammed all the way up to her throat. The ice blocked her windpipe, making it hard to get a complete breath, and she was gasping and swallowing hard, like someone who had been kicked in the stomach. She was running, her D-Arc grasped in her white-knuckled hand, though she could not remember when she'd begun either action. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Renamon flash into vision.
"Card Slash! Evolution Plug-in S!" She swung onto Kyuubimon's back almost before the glow of evolution had faded away, her next card already in hand.
"Card Slash: Hyper Wings!"
Kyuubimon winged her way to the park, where Growlmon's figure still loomed large over the treeline. His head was bent now, as he glared at something on the ground. Kyuubimon flew so that they could look at the other Digimon eye-to-eye, hovering almost right in his face.
'Where's Takato? Why isn't he here?' Ruki thought again. Growlmon's eyes were completely viral, and Takato was the only one who could get to him with any certainty when his partner was like that. Nevertheless, Ruki tried.
"Growlmon!" she yelled. "What's wrong with you?"
To her surprise, Growlmon shifted his gaze slightly to look at her and Kyuubimon. There was still some intelligence in his eyes, though they remained viral. "Ruki. Kyuubimon," he growled.
Ruki heaved a sigh of relief. At least he recognized them. She hadn't been sure he would, so lost in his viral rage. "Growlmon, what are you doing? Where's Takato?"
At the sound of Takato's name, Growlmon's glare snapped downwards again.
"Takato…Takato…he hurt him! He hurt Takato!"
"What?!" For the first time, Ruki looked down. A boy with long blond hair, something bleeding and burned in his arms, was running away from them. But Takato…Takato lay unmoving on the ground.
"Exhaust…" Though Ruki wasn't paying attention, too busy staring downwards, Kyuubimon noticed Growlmon's gathering of power. Desperately, she hurled herself at Growlmon's muzzle, backing herself with a flare of her own attack. "Foxtail Inferno!"
"…Flame!" The fireburst from Growlmon was misdirected by Kyuubimon's charge, so that it missed the fleeing boy. Instead it hit the ground, so hot that it drew on the soil and rocks themselves for fuel, forming a wall of flame that blocked his escape. The boy had been knocked to the ground by the force of the impact, and sat there, arms still around his dog, looking hopelessly at the fire.
Growlmon gathered himself for another attack. Kyuubimon was out of position to displace the attack as before, and in slow horror a thought penetrated the red haze in Ruki's mind.
'When Growlmon gets him...once the Digimon have killed a human…'
Suddenly a green blur snatched the boy away from the scene. Numbly, Ruki watched it go. "Rapidmon…" she said, and saw Jenrya running towards them. Growlmon snarled in displeasure, but found his way blocked by Kyuubimon, who'd alighted on the ground.
"Card Slash: WarGreymon's Shield!" For a moment, Ruki thought that Growlmon, maddened by the loss of his prey, would actually charge them, but instead the huge red Digimon backed off, shaking his head. The viral eyes reverted.
Ruki got off Kyuubimon's back, running to where Takato lay sprawled on the ground. She was overcome by a relief so strong that it took her aback when she saw his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. He looked horrible, though: dirt and blood all over him, his clothes all askew where they weren't plain torn. A pair of parallel scratches was bleeding on his cheek. She knelt next to him, taking off her jacket to bind around the nastiest wound on the side of his head, a remnant of a first-aid class managing to make its way to her mind.
Jenrya was there, all of a sudden, gaping down at the body of his friend. He was making confused, somewhat scared sounds, but Ruki wasn't sparing the attention to resolve them into words. Rapidmon suddenly blurred behind him, still holding the blond boy. Growlmon's words repeated in her head.
"Takato…Takato…he hurt him! He hurt Takato!"
She stared at him with raw anger, fierce-eyed, so that he gulped and tried to wriggle free. Jenrya spun around when he saw Ruki's face, and suddenly all the pieces fell together for him.
"Rapidmon!" he commanded, voice cold. "Don't let him go."
"Right, Jenrya," Rapidmon said, tightening his grip on the increasingly frightened boy. Not enough to hurt, Ruki noted with mild regret. Oh well.
"Bring him to…that place we were when we saw you guys again," Ruki told Rapidmon, obliquely referring to Guilmon's shed in the park. So far as she knew, it was still a somewhat secret part of the park; at least, they never saw anyone else there. Jenrya glanced at her curiously – he knew what she meant, but why not just say it out loud. In response, Ruki jerked her head in the direction of a lamp-post some distance away. Jenrya looked – and saw the video camera mounted on it, its lens focused on them.
'One of those cameras the police force installed to lessen crime,' he thought, his formidable mind crunching data. 'And Hypnos could probably access its video, especially since Digimon involvement is so evident…we're going to get the story out of this kid first. Before the adults do.'
The last time he'd left it to the adults – he'd lost his best friend.
"Right. Rapidmon, see you there." The green cyborg was gone in a few seconds. Jenrya took out his cell phone, punching in the emergency numbers for medical help. Kyuubimon had dropped the Shield and padded over to her Tamer, wrapping both Ruki and the unconscious Takato in the fluffy warmth of her tails. Behind them Growlmon, who had evolved without the aid of his Tamer, was glowing as he reverted back to his Rookie self.
"Should we bring him?" Jenrya said, looking over at Guilmon.
"We'd better," Ruki said, finishing her makeshift bandaging of Takato's head. When she drew her hands away, they were tacky with his blood. Silently, Jenrya offered her his handkerchief.
They looked up as the wailing of sirens came closer.
***
Mie Matsuda's worst nightmares had involved exactly this: receiving the news that her son, her baby boy, had been heavily injured. The frantic rush to the hospital had been consumed with horrible thoughts. What had happened? Takehiro, just as worried, had refused to let her drive.
Mie ran to the nearest lab-coat wearer she saw. "My son…Takato Matsuda, where is he?" She felt someone lay a hand on her shoulder, and spun to see two sober-faced teens.
"Mrs. Matsuda? I'm…"
"Jenrya-kun! Ruki-chan!" Mie said in relief. Somehow she felt better when she knew the three of them were together. Even when everything with the D-Reaper, and when Takato was gone in the Digital World, and her fears of this happening had been at their highest, she'd been able to draw reassurance from knowing that at least Takato wasn't alone – that he had capable, powerful friends with him.
It was a little ironic that it was now, when she hadn't been expecting anything to happen, that her son had to be brought to the hospital.
"Where is he?"
Jenrya and Ruki led them quickly through the maze of hospital corridors, explaining the situation in short tense sentences. They'd arrived shortly after Takato had been injured, so they hadn't seen how exactly he'd been injured. He was bruised and bleeding and concussed, but not in any mortal danger. He was still unconscious. The doctors were patching him up now. He was on the fifth floor. He was being tended by Dr. Ochonimazu. They'd been the ones to call the ambulance. He had been in the park. They'd called his other friends.
Mie took in each new piece of information with a jerky nod, walking so fast she was practically running. And then they were there, at his room, and she and Takehiro were running inside…
He looked so pale, against the hospital sheets. And his hair was never that tidy. There was a gauze pad on his cheek, and his arm was bandaged. So was his head. He seemed to be sleeping, although with a pained expression on his face. The doctor turned and greeted them, but Mie let Takehiro handle him while she touched her little boy's face, tracing wondering, shaking fingers over his features.
Then she heard the word "…coma…" and spun around to look at the doctor. And as she spun, she noticed something else: Jenrya and Ruki were no longer there.
***
It was ridiculously easy to get the boy – Yashida Imato, they'd learnt his name was – to spill. As soon as he'd seen them, he'd babbled everything, so eagerly and so desperately that Jenrya looked askance at Rapidmon.
"No, Jen-kun, I didn't do anything to him," huffed the green cyborg, arms crossed. "Nothing!" But Jenrya noticed that Rapidmon's arm-mounted cannons were always fixed on Yashida, no matter where the Digimon went. And, perhaps more to the point, Guilmon prowled around the vicinity of the boy – though never coming near, as per Ruki's instructions before they'd left – his eyes viral and softly growling.
Ruki ignored the exchange between the two, somehow managing to look down at the boy though he stood several inches taller. Kyuubimon, still in her Champion form, stood like a statue behind her Tamer, the pale flames on her tails blazing against the shadows.
"So you set on him because someone told you to," Ruki said, disgust dripping off her voice and stance. The look she directed at him was the one most people reserved for particularly large cockroaches. Just before they step on them. "Why? And who?"
"Because she promised…she promised…" Yashida gulped, and hesitated. It wasn't loyalty that paused him – any semblance of that had been frightened out of him long ago – but more embarrassment. It did sound so paltry now…Then Guilmon growled a little louder, and he told all.
"She promised to be my girlfriend if I did!" Well, she hadn't exactly, but that sounded better than a solitary date.
"She?" said both Jenrya and Ruki together, one with confusion, the other with growing suspicion.
"I want names, Imato," Ruki said threateningly. A threat that Yashida heeded.
"Yana! Yana Lang!"
"But why…?" began Jenrya, trailing off as his fellow Tamer jumped up and began to stalk off. He hurriedly got to his own feet and followed her. "Hey, Ruki?" He put a hand to her elbow, only meaning for her to slow down, but was surprised by the force with which she jerked away.
"I should have known!" she snarled, the rage in her voice making Jenrya step back. "That stupid interfering…" She let loose a stream of curses – the venom behind them impressed Jenrya more than the fluency, though that was formidable too. "She never could stand being less than pandered to or adored."
"You know her?"
"…she's my classmate." Ruki's face was livid. "God, when I get through with her…"
"Wait, Ruki!" Jenrya pleaded. "Will you explain? Why would this Yana set people on Takato?" His cell phone rang then, causing an abrupt silence as they both glanced, startled, at it.
He answered it quickly, grabbing Ruki by the elbow again to make sure she wouldn't stomp off to deliver the wrath of God unto this Lang person – or at least the wrath of a very pissed-off Digimon Queen.
"Hello? Dad? Yes? I'm in the park…with Ruki….I know, we were there…we had to…um, well, you see…Yamaki? He's there? Okay…okay. Yeah. I get it. We're on our way. No, we don't need a ride. We'll be there in a few minutes. Yeah. Good-bye." He folded up his cell phone and looked at Ruki. "Yamaki wants to talk to us. Three guesses as to about what."
Ruki was silent for a moment before she answered. "Sure. Okay." Ruki got onto Kyuubimon's back again, swinging on with practiced ease. "Guilmon," she said, looking at her boyfriend's partner. "Here, you can ride with us." The red dragon obediently walked over to Kyuubimon, scrambling on as the fox-digimon knelt down to make allowance for him.
"And where do you think you're going?" Jenrya demanded in a voice much angrier than usual, looking at Yashida. The blond-haired boy had been attempting to leave, as surreptitiously as he knew how. "You're coming with us."
"But…but…" Yashida protested. "I told you everything already! And my dog!"
"We'll drop that mutt off at your house," Jenrya said coldly. "We need your address anyway. And we need you to come and tell some people what you just told us…"
***
AN
Good news: deadlines do help. At least they did this time. Bad news: they help by making me feel all happy till the last day, but then I rush it. And yesterday was mom's birthday, so I had to stay out late for her party instead of working on this like I'd planned. Yes, it does sound really bad that I'd prefer to write fanfics than to go to my own mother's birthday celebration, but…well, it's complicated. Anyhow, though, I managed to complete it by the deadline. With one hour and ten minutes to spare! (Chapter finished 10:50 PM, May 5)
While I was looking for quote-material to start this chapter, I came across several that went like this, basically: 'Women really enjoy vengeance.' Is this sexism? I dunno. But based on my experience, with myself and my mom and my classmates – it's true. Oh so very true. Ruki?
Ruki: (crushes a rock into powder in one hand)
I think she agrees.
How did this chapter get so serious? This is supposed to be a comedy/romance, but maybe I should change the genre. I know I'm not good at writing funny scenes but this is ridiculous.
Been getting into Naruto fanfics lately. I love Naruto, he is such an underdog. You gotta love him. I mention this because I wonder if a one-shot Tamers/Naruto crossover is doable. Kyuubi…Kyuubimon… (ponders)
Next chapter: Yamaki interrogates and flicks his lighter, Ruki and Jenrya confer, and Rumiko – yes, Rumiko – steps in. Due, hopefully, May 9, 2004. I'm more worried about this deadline than the other, though, because this is going to be harder to write than this one. Please, o Muses of Writing and Ideas, give me inspiration!
Wolfie: …I'll think about.
Tay: (yawns)