Episode 2 - The Summons
We left our friendly pair of ex-Tamers in the park, surrounded by thugs and brutes calling themselves the 'Jaggers.' What will happen to our favorite duo?
It was hopeless. Takato and Juri were not fighters, and these good- for-nothing street punks outnumbered them three-to-one. Their leader, Bull, stood over Takato with a large, metal pipe, preparing to bash him out of the way. Takato lept up and positioned himself directly in front of Juri in a protective motion. "Don't lay a hand on herhe spat defiantly, teeth clenched and eyes set.
Bull sneered and laughed, and without warning swung the pipe in a wide arc, straight for Takato's head. Takato raised his left arm in an effort to block and flinched, prepared to take the first of what would surely be many blows. But... it never came. He slowly opened his eyes, and at the same time, the jeers and taunts stopped and Juri gasped, throwing a hand to her mouth.
The swing had been stopped short from ever hitting Takato - by a hand. From out of nowhere, a person had materialized in front of them, head covered in a hood. The person's frame was a bit hard to determine, and he was clad in uniform black - a hooded sweatshirt of black, black khakis, and black hiking boots. His hand, which was sporting some sort of wrist watch, gripped the bludgeon firmly. A voice resonated from the hood, cold and grim. "That's not how you swing a pipe. Try it this way!" With a jerk he ripped the cudgel from the stunned Bull's hand and slammed him in the face with a vicious left, twisting on one leg to bring the pipe over and up in his own vicious arc. Bull flew back several feet, nose broken, crying out and landing on his back.
And thus the fight began. The cloaked brought the newly-appropriated pipe up and hurled it at one gangster. The pipe lodged into the gangster with a crunch, and he dropped, blood immediately pooling around him. The next fiend attempted to club the figure's head with a large, wooden plank. The figure deflected the plank with one clenched fist, then brought up a leg and kneed the creep in the groin before delivering a roundhouse kick which sent him flying much in the same fashion as Bull had. Two others tried similar tactics and met similar fates; the first receiving a flurry of short, quick blows to the face and a snap to the neck (which for all intents and purposes ended his career in thughood), and the second tripped over his fallen comrade, opening himself up to several vicious stomps to the face as a result.
The fight over, the figure turned to Takato and Juri, his face hidden in shadows. "Well, you won't have to worry about them again." Glancing down, he added, "Poor fools." His voice sounded young, perhaps the similar in age to Takato's, but with a deeper ring to it. "You both okay?" It was edged with concern and a little anxiety.
Takato glanced around at the fallen heaps, then at the last remaining gangster which had fled for dear life - not surprising. He sighed in relief and then turned to face Juri before replying. "Yeah, we're okay now." A new thought hit him and he turned to face their savior. "Thanks."
"Who are you?" Juri said. She still clutched Takato's arm, not sure if the ordeal was over or sure of anything for that matter.
The figure glanced around for a moment, and then peeled back his hood, revealing the face of a late teenager. He was particularly handsome, with large, brown eyes, a small mouth, pointed nose, and thick, brown hair formed into a ponytail at the base of his neck. "My name is Rand. Random Haedara." He paused as police sirens came into earshot, then directed his command toward Takato. "No questions. This place is going to be swarming with authorities soon. I don't have time to explain in more detail, and you obviously don't know me from those punkass kids I just busted, but in the interests of your own survival, get to the Jenrya Lee's as soon as you can. I've got to get to Makino residence within the next-" He glanced at the his watch. "Five minutes." He took off in run past them.
Takato opened his mouth to argue, to try and pry more information from Rand, but a thought corssed his mind. "Ah... isn't Ruki's house a good fifteen minute run from here?"
Random turned in mid-run and backpedaled, raising his hands in a shrug. "For you." He righted himself and accelerated, running... faster than a human should be able to. Within the span of no more than five seconds, he had already disappeared from sight.
Takato cocked his head and grinned, impressed. "That guy could run track at my school." He shook his head at Juri.
"Or at the Olympics." She sighed, then glanced down at the pavement and froze. Blood, mainly from the pipe-impaled thug, was rapidly covering the sidewalk. Her face growing pale and knees giving way, she let out a groan and crumpled into Takato's arms. Not exactly the most squeamish person in the world, but sure as hell not the heartiest... He grabbed her shoulders to prevent her from slipping into the pooled blood - because that would be just plain nasty.
Lifting Juri up in his arms and putting her arm around his neck, he trotted past the unconscious/dead bodies and headed away as fast as his legs could carry both him and Juri. Not exactly how he had imagined the night going... I don't get it. He glanced over his shoulder at the ex-gang of brutes. Thoughts raced through his mind, questions unanswered. Why should I do anything he says? Why is he heading to Ruki's? The thought worried him. He just beat up... killed... what if he... No, that didn't make sense. He saved us... What if Ruki is in danger?
Bull was still out cold as the rest of his gang slowly revived. They had each been clobbered before either could inflict a single blow, and each was sporting several bruises and wrenched joints. Two were dead: one with a broken neck, the other with a large pipe protruding from his gut. In the distance there could be heard police sirens, drawing very near. Panicking, the 'loyal' gangster remnant ran off deeper into the park, leaving their prone leader to his fate.
As Bull painfully righted himself, his head swam and his mouth tasted of blood. His senses were still fuddled by the vicious blow to his head, his jaw throbbed, his nose bled, and his eyesight was fuzzy; therefore, he did not realize that there was something in front of him until it reached out and grasped his vest by the front, dragging him up. Eyes wide, he let out a cry as he stared at the thing holding him upright.
It was a seemingly-disembodied claw, composed of void-black scales with a blood-red gem embedded in the wrist. It seemed to yell, still clutching his vest tightly. "WHY did you not kill them as I commanded you to?" The voice had an English accent, bassitone, and entirely malevolent. "How hard could it have been to kill two weak humans?"
Bull cringed, feeling hot breath from what he could only assume was an invisible head screaming at him. "They weren't alone, like you said they would be! This guy came out of nowhere and-!" The claw was now clenching his throat, cutting off all circulation and airflow. His tongue flapped uselessly in his mouth and he stared into the now-revealed face of his soon-to-be-slayer. It was... hideous. Reptilian. Red eyes, horns, and black scales, rows of sharp teeth, and nostrils that emitted noxious fumes. It spoke.
"You weak, pitiful WRETCH!" The last word came out as a roar as the Digimon's claw gave a vicious twist, tearing off Bull's head. The head and body fell separately, splattering the concrete with blood. "If you could not deal with those pests, then you are no longer useful to me."
As a pair of police cruisers drew near, the hand and head disappeared entirely.
Juri had managed to recover from her shocked state enough to slip from Takato's arms and run with him. "Where are we going?" She yawned, as if just awaking from a long nap.
Takato grimaced as he tripped over something on the ground. He halted, checking the area, trying to get his bearings. All around them, shops of all kinds were closed up - some due to the late hour, others due to severe structural damage. A lot of these places had been hit hard during the D-Reaper attack, and only a few had been renovated and restored. Most of these hadn't, which told Takato he was on the less prosperous side of town. Made sense. "I'm taking you home. Something is going on, I have no idea what it is, and I'm not about to let you get mixed up in it and... and possibly get hurt."
"What are you talking about? I heard what he said as well as you did, and I'm just as curious. You aren't going to run off without me."
"But... Juri, people died back there. Died. I don't even think he cared." Takato brought up his hands in a suplicating gesture. "You can't..."
"You AREN'T.going to leave me behind." Juri put her hands on her hips and managed one of those looks that only women can give, the one that said 'If you stop me, you're going to regret it."
He backed up a step and brought his hands up again, this time in a surrender. That was not a side of Juri he wanted to be on. "...Oookay then, we're checking it out together. Just promise me that you'll be careful, please?"
Ignoring his plea, she smiled cheerily. "So, where are we going?" She was back to being bright and perky - odd, considering what they had just gone through. "Jenrya's, right?"
"Personally, I'd like to go check up on Ruki, but..." He shrugged. "I dunno. I have a feeling that this Rand guy is... someone we can trust. I hope." He shrugged and looked to the south, where most of Tokyo's larger apartment complexes stood. From this distance, the damage was visible but not obvious. "Jenrya's, yeah."
"Okay."
No came to answer when someone knocked at the Makino residence front door; since it was evening, no one was awake. No one, except, for one particular girl. Ruki Makino didn't hear the knocking, however - she was rather busy at the moment, writing by candlelight. A writer at heart, she scribbled down whatever came to her mind, whenever it came. She wasn't a published writer, at least, not yet. But given time...
Scrambling to the top of the garden wall, Rand peered through the darkness, squinting, but it was impossible to see anything in the cloudy, moonless night. Nothing stirred nor made a single sound. Still, he could make out a few shapes here and there. Funny. I don't recall hearing about this place... and yet I feel as if I've been here before... He hmmed silently, then remembering why. Reminds me of home. Returning to the mission at hand, he started to call out, when...
The door to Ruki's chambers flew open, startling him. With a cry - "Shit!" - he toppled off the wall and landed on the other side with a dull thud. Ruki stood in the doorway, a terrycloth robe wrapped tightly around her petite frame, hair hanging loosely at her back, eyes scanning the darkness. She hurried across the grass, careful not to stub her bare toes on any of the aesthetic stepping-stones. This kid had excellent night vision.
The stone wall that surrounded the Makino residence was over twelve feet high, but apparently, it wasn't high enough. A hand shot over the wall's edge, anchoring for an arm, which was attached to a shoulder, torso, and head. Rand's face shot up over the lip, followed by the rest of his body. Now crouched on the top of the wall with both hands gripping, shuddering from the exertion. "I would have entered from the front door, but nobody answered when I knocked." He grimaced and stretched with his right arm, careful not to lose his footing again.
Ruki smiled up at Random. Whoa. She's beautiful. He was taken aback by the way the moon (which had decided to show from behind the clouds) shone on her face, perfectly outlining her matured features. Thus, he was caught off guard when she, in a lightning-quick motion, hurdled the wall in two bounds and stood next to him. Planting her foot on his chest, she shoved, sending him flying back off of the wall and onto the pavement below. He landed with yet another expletive, lying still several moments.
Pushing himself up, he slowly straightened and stretched very gingerly. He stared up at her. The moon framed her face and torso in a magnificent light. Wow. Both looks and spirit. Coughing, he managed a scowl. "I suppose you learned that technique from Renamon?"
She froze, heart skipping several beats at the mention of that name. Her violet eyes widened and her mouth gaped. "How do you know Renamon?" All signs of violence and anger left her in that instant. "Who are you?"
He grinned. "Thought that might help break the ice." His voice was low and calm, soft and peaceful. Something in her expression prevented him from growing overly caustic about the drop - he could see that his words had struck a chord. "I can't tell you that right now - there isn't really enough time to explain myself. The most I can really give you right now is my name - Random."
Her hair flowed in the sudden breeze, and her robe began to flutter, revealing more of her shapely physique than was modest. Crouching and clutching the robe around her, she lowered herself and reached down a hand toward him. "Sorry about that. I'm Ruki."
He nodded and reached up to shake the hand, then released it almost instantly. "I know - and I'm not coming back up, sorry. Enough pushing my luck for one night." He pointed toward the corner that led to the main entrance. "How about I come in the front door?"
Less than a minute later, the two of them sat across from each other at the small kitchen table. The room was rather simple - a stove stood at one wall, a kitchen sink and preparation counter at the other, various single-door cabinets lined the walls higher, and the floor was made of rough plank. Ruki leaned over so that she could whisper and still be heard. "You mentioned Renamon?"
Intent, this one... I can see she cares... is this a Tamer's bond? I can't let her down. "Yeah, but, like I said before, I don't have enough time to fill you in - not here, anyway." He glanced at his watch and mashed the nightlight so that he could read the time in the dark room. "I should have been here and gone already." He frowned. "Here's what I can tell you." He paused, looking for the correct words. "...You... Takato... Lee... others..." He shook his head. "I can't... explain, not now, not here. You have to trust me." He eyes shined with the intensity of his words.
She met his gaze with her own. In it, she found was what she was looking for. Hope. "I trust you." And she meant it. Something deep down told her that, even though this Random was a stranger, believing his words was the correct path.
He sighed. "Good. Head to the Lee residence. Takato and Juri are already on there way there." He scooted back the chair and headed toward the door. Opening it, he hesitated. "She's fine, Ruki." He scanned her face with his eyes. Man, losing a digimon partner must wreak havoc on someone.
Apparently, that was all she was going to get from him. Her eyes followed him as he left the kitchen, and then lingered on the door. Renamon... The word still rang in her mind, filling her with a sense of joy and sorrow at the same time. Bolting from the chair, she raced across the hallway toward her garden-side room, closing the shutter door behind her. Less than a minute later, she emerged, clothed in a tan leather jacket, blue jeans, and a pair of red-and-white sneakers. A thought crossed her mind, and before leaving, she approached her writing desk. Dare she hope?... She pulled a key from one of the desk drawers and inserted it into the lock of another. The drawer popped open. Inside... inside lay her most valuable momento - her D-Power. The yellow rim and liquid crystal display reminded her of so many things, so many times, events, people and places...
Shoving the device into one pocket, she raced out of the room and into the night. The Lee residence, huh? If I run, I can be there in less than...
The elevator in the Shinbaya apartment complex dinged, and the doors slid open. Nothing moved for several seconds, the doors closed, and the elevator car began to travel back down to it's original floor.
From within apartment number fourty-one, all was silent - at this time of night, everyone was asleep. A television buzzed in corner, the only source of light or life in the entire living room. It shone a dim, eerie, white glow across the snoozing form of Jenrya Lee, who was curled up on the couch with an open biology book in his arms. The rest of the room was dark, obscured from sight.
The external hallway light flickered for a moment before returning to their usual mundane glow. Then, they flickered again. And again. Finally, a fourth time, they went entirely out.
The television in the fourty-one's living room was showing the late night news. The latest story had something to do with city-wide reconstruction efforts, but before the story could progress very far, the screen flashed into static, slowly growing more and more dim before finally going out. The room was pitched into utter darkness, the only light coming from underneath the apartment door, and soon that went out as well. Subconsciously disturbed by the full silence, Jenrya slowly opened his eyes, waking. He peered around the room, eyes barely accustomed to the lack of light. And suddenly, for some reason, he felt afraid. It wasn't the darkness that scared him - he had long ago outgrown being afraid of the dark - but something disturbed him nonetheless. Like...
Like a powerful feeling. An aura of gloom. As if...
A click came at the door. Bolting upright, Jenrya peered into the darkness, grasping, holding the book at an angle to throw. Another click, and a third, a fourth, then nothing. What on earth? Still hefting the heavy biology book like a bludgeon, he pushed himself off of the couch and approached the door. Peering through the peephole, he could see nothing but black. Power must have gone out...
His eyes widened. W...what!?
What did Jenrya just see? Who is this 'Rand?' What does he know about Renamon? Find out in the next... DIGIMON!
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We left our friendly pair of ex-Tamers in the park, surrounded by thugs and brutes calling themselves the 'Jaggers.' What will happen to our favorite duo?
It was hopeless. Takato and Juri were not fighters, and these good- for-nothing street punks outnumbered them three-to-one. Their leader, Bull, stood over Takato with a large, metal pipe, preparing to bash him out of the way. Takato lept up and positioned himself directly in front of Juri in a protective motion. "Don't lay a hand on herhe spat defiantly, teeth clenched and eyes set.
Bull sneered and laughed, and without warning swung the pipe in a wide arc, straight for Takato's head. Takato raised his left arm in an effort to block and flinched, prepared to take the first of what would surely be many blows. But... it never came. He slowly opened his eyes, and at the same time, the jeers and taunts stopped and Juri gasped, throwing a hand to her mouth.
The swing had been stopped short from ever hitting Takato - by a hand. From out of nowhere, a person had materialized in front of them, head covered in a hood. The person's frame was a bit hard to determine, and he was clad in uniform black - a hooded sweatshirt of black, black khakis, and black hiking boots. His hand, which was sporting some sort of wrist watch, gripped the bludgeon firmly. A voice resonated from the hood, cold and grim. "That's not how you swing a pipe. Try it this way!" With a jerk he ripped the cudgel from the stunned Bull's hand and slammed him in the face with a vicious left, twisting on one leg to bring the pipe over and up in his own vicious arc. Bull flew back several feet, nose broken, crying out and landing on his back.
And thus the fight began. The cloaked brought the newly-appropriated pipe up and hurled it at one gangster. The pipe lodged into the gangster with a crunch, and he dropped, blood immediately pooling around him. The next fiend attempted to club the figure's head with a large, wooden plank. The figure deflected the plank with one clenched fist, then brought up a leg and kneed the creep in the groin before delivering a roundhouse kick which sent him flying much in the same fashion as Bull had. Two others tried similar tactics and met similar fates; the first receiving a flurry of short, quick blows to the face and a snap to the neck (which for all intents and purposes ended his career in thughood), and the second tripped over his fallen comrade, opening himself up to several vicious stomps to the face as a result.
The fight over, the figure turned to Takato and Juri, his face hidden in shadows. "Well, you won't have to worry about them again." Glancing down, he added, "Poor fools." His voice sounded young, perhaps the similar in age to Takato's, but with a deeper ring to it. "You both okay?" It was edged with concern and a little anxiety.
Takato glanced around at the fallen heaps, then at the last remaining gangster which had fled for dear life - not surprising. He sighed in relief and then turned to face Juri before replying. "Yeah, we're okay now." A new thought hit him and he turned to face their savior. "Thanks."
"Who are you?" Juri said. She still clutched Takato's arm, not sure if the ordeal was over or sure of anything for that matter.
The figure glanced around for a moment, and then peeled back his hood, revealing the face of a late teenager. He was particularly handsome, with large, brown eyes, a small mouth, pointed nose, and thick, brown hair formed into a ponytail at the base of his neck. "My name is Rand. Random Haedara." He paused as police sirens came into earshot, then directed his command toward Takato. "No questions. This place is going to be swarming with authorities soon. I don't have time to explain in more detail, and you obviously don't know me from those punkass kids I just busted, but in the interests of your own survival, get to the Jenrya Lee's as soon as you can. I've got to get to Makino residence within the next-" He glanced at the his watch. "Five minutes." He took off in run past them.
Takato opened his mouth to argue, to try and pry more information from Rand, but a thought corssed his mind. "Ah... isn't Ruki's house a good fifteen minute run from here?"
Random turned in mid-run and backpedaled, raising his hands in a shrug. "For you." He righted himself and accelerated, running... faster than a human should be able to. Within the span of no more than five seconds, he had already disappeared from sight.
Takato cocked his head and grinned, impressed. "That guy could run track at my school." He shook his head at Juri.
"Or at the Olympics." She sighed, then glanced down at the pavement and froze. Blood, mainly from the pipe-impaled thug, was rapidly covering the sidewalk. Her face growing pale and knees giving way, she let out a groan and crumpled into Takato's arms. Not exactly the most squeamish person in the world, but sure as hell not the heartiest... He grabbed her shoulders to prevent her from slipping into the pooled blood - because that would be just plain nasty.
Lifting Juri up in his arms and putting her arm around his neck, he trotted past the unconscious/dead bodies and headed away as fast as his legs could carry both him and Juri. Not exactly how he had imagined the night going... I don't get it. He glanced over his shoulder at the ex-gang of brutes. Thoughts raced through his mind, questions unanswered. Why should I do anything he says? Why is he heading to Ruki's? The thought worried him. He just beat up... killed... what if he... No, that didn't make sense. He saved us... What if Ruki is in danger?
Bull was still out cold as the rest of his gang slowly revived. They had each been clobbered before either could inflict a single blow, and each was sporting several bruises and wrenched joints. Two were dead: one with a broken neck, the other with a large pipe protruding from his gut. In the distance there could be heard police sirens, drawing very near. Panicking, the 'loyal' gangster remnant ran off deeper into the park, leaving their prone leader to his fate.
As Bull painfully righted himself, his head swam and his mouth tasted of blood. His senses were still fuddled by the vicious blow to his head, his jaw throbbed, his nose bled, and his eyesight was fuzzy; therefore, he did not realize that there was something in front of him until it reached out and grasped his vest by the front, dragging him up. Eyes wide, he let out a cry as he stared at the thing holding him upright.
It was a seemingly-disembodied claw, composed of void-black scales with a blood-red gem embedded in the wrist. It seemed to yell, still clutching his vest tightly. "WHY did you not kill them as I commanded you to?" The voice had an English accent, bassitone, and entirely malevolent. "How hard could it have been to kill two weak humans?"
Bull cringed, feeling hot breath from what he could only assume was an invisible head screaming at him. "They weren't alone, like you said they would be! This guy came out of nowhere and-!" The claw was now clenching his throat, cutting off all circulation and airflow. His tongue flapped uselessly in his mouth and he stared into the now-revealed face of his soon-to-be-slayer. It was... hideous. Reptilian. Red eyes, horns, and black scales, rows of sharp teeth, and nostrils that emitted noxious fumes. It spoke.
"You weak, pitiful WRETCH!" The last word came out as a roar as the Digimon's claw gave a vicious twist, tearing off Bull's head. The head and body fell separately, splattering the concrete with blood. "If you could not deal with those pests, then you are no longer useful to me."
As a pair of police cruisers drew near, the hand and head disappeared entirely.
Juri had managed to recover from her shocked state enough to slip from Takato's arms and run with him. "Where are we going?" She yawned, as if just awaking from a long nap.
Takato grimaced as he tripped over something on the ground. He halted, checking the area, trying to get his bearings. All around them, shops of all kinds were closed up - some due to the late hour, others due to severe structural damage. A lot of these places had been hit hard during the D-Reaper attack, and only a few had been renovated and restored. Most of these hadn't, which told Takato he was on the less prosperous side of town. Made sense. "I'm taking you home. Something is going on, I have no idea what it is, and I'm not about to let you get mixed up in it and... and possibly get hurt."
"What are you talking about? I heard what he said as well as you did, and I'm just as curious. You aren't going to run off without me."
"But... Juri, people died back there. Died. I don't even think he cared." Takato brought up his hands in a suplicating gesture. "You can't..."
"You AREN'T.going to leave me behind." Juri put her hands on her hips and managed one of those looks that only women can give, the one that said 'If you stop me, you're going to regret it."
He backed up a step and brought his hands up again, this time in a surrender. That was not a side of Juri he wanted to be on. "...Oookay then, we're checking it out together. Just promise me that you'll be careful, please?"
Ignoring his plea, she smiled cheerily. "So, where are we going?" She was back to being bright and perky - odd, considering what they had just gone through. "Jenrya's, right?"
"Personally, I'd like to go check up on Ruki, but..." He shrugged. "I dunno. I have a feeling that this Rand guy is... someone we can trust. I hope." He shrugged and looked to the south, where most of Tokyo's larger apartment complexes stood. From this distance, the damage was visible but not obvious. "Jenrya's, yeah."
"Okay."
No came to answer when someone knocked at the Makino residence front door; since it was evening, no one was awake. No one, except, for one particular girl. Ruki Makino didn't hear the knocking, however - she was rather busy at the moment, writing by candlelight. A writer at heart, she scribbled down whatever came to her mind, whenever it came. She wasn't a published writer, at least, not yet. But given time...
Scrambling to the top of the garden wall, Rand peered through the darkness, squinting, but it was impossible to see anything in the cloudy, moonless night. Nothing stirred nor made a single sound. Still, he could make out a few shapes here and there. Funny. I don't recall hearing about this place... and yet I feel as if I've been here before... He hmmed silently, then remembering why. Reminds me of home. Returning to the mission at hand, he started to call out, when...
The door to Ruki's chambers flew open, startling him. With a cry - "Shit!" - he toppled off the wall and landed on the other side with a dull thud. Ruki stood in the doorway, a terrycloth robe wrapped tightly around her petite frame, hair hanging loosely at her back, eyes scanning the darkness. She hurried across the grass, careful not to stub her bare toes on any of the aesthetic stepping-stones. This kid had excellent night vision.
The stone wall that surrounded the Makino residence was over twelve feet high, but apparently, it wasn't high enough. A hand shot over the wall's edge, anchoring for an arm, which was attached to a shoulder, torso, and head. Rand's face shot up over the lip, followed by the rest of his body. Now crouched on the top of the wall with both hands gripping, shuddering from the exertion. "I would have entered from the front door, but nobody answered when I knocked." He grimaced and stretched with his right arm, careful not to lose his footing again.
Ruki smiled up at Random. Whoa. She's beautiful. He was taken aback by the way the moon (which had decided to show from behind the clouds) shone on her face, perfectly outlining her matured features. Thus, he was caught off guard when she, in a lightning-quick motion, hurdled the wall in two bounds and stood next to him. Planting her foot on his chest, she shoved, sending him flying back off of the wall and onto the pavement below. He landed with yet another expletive, lying still several moments.
Pushing himself up, he slowly straightened and stretched very gingerly. He stared up at her. The moon framed her face and torso in a magnificent light. Wow. Both looks and spirit. Coughing, he managed a scowl. "I suppose you learned that technique from Renamon?"
She froze, heart skipping several beats at the mention of that name. Her violet eyes widened and her mouth gaped. "How do you know Renamon?" All signs of violence and anger left her in that instant. "Who are you?"
He grinned. "Thought that might help break the ice." His voice was low and calm, soft and peaceful. Something in her expression prevented him from growing overly caustic about the drop - he could see that his words had struck a chord. "I can't tell you that right now - there isn't really enough time to explain myself. The most I can really give you right now is my name - Random."
Her hair flowed in the sudden breeze, and her robe began to flutter, revealing more of her shapely physique than was modest. Crouching and clutching the robe around her, she lowered herself and reached down a hand toward him. "Sorry about that. I'm Ruki."
He nodded and reached up to shake the hand, then released it almost instantly. "I know - and I'm not coming back up, sorry. Enough pushing my luck for one night." He pointed toward the corner that led to the main entrance. "How about I come in the front door?"
Less than a minute later, the two of them sat across from each other at the small kitchen table. The room was rather simple - a stove stood at one wall, a kitchen sink and preparation counter at the other, various single-door cabinets lined the walls higher, and the floor was made of rough plank. Ruki leaned over so that she could whisper and still be heard. "You mentioned Renamon?"
Intent, this one... I can see she cares... is this a Tamer's bond? I can't let her down. "Yeah, but, like I said before, I don't have enough time to fill you in - not here, anyway." He glanced at his watch and mashed the nightlight so that he could read the time in the dark room. "I should have been here and gone already." He frowned. "Here's what I can tell you." He paused, looking for the correct words. "...You... Takato... Lee... others..." He shook his head. "I can't... explain, not now, not here. You have to trust me." He eyes shined with the intensity of his words.
She met his gaze with her own. In it, she found was what she was looking for. Hope. "I trust you." And she meant it. Something deep down told her that, even though this Random was a stranger, believing his words was the correct path.
He sighed. "Good. Head to the Lee residence. Takato and Juri are already on there way there." He scooted back the chair and headed toward the door. Opening it, he hesitated. "She's fine, Ruki." He scanned her face with his eyes. Man, losing a digimon partner must wreak havoc on someone.
Apparently, that was all she was going to get from him. Her eyes followed him as he left the kitchen, and then lingered on the door. Renamon... The word still rang in her mind, filling her with a sense of joy and sorrow at the same time. Bolting from the chair, she raced across the hallway toward her garden-side room, closing the shutter door behind her. Less than a minute later, she emerged, clothed in a tan leather jacket, blue jeans, and a pair of red-and-white sneakers. A thought crossed her mind, and before leaving, she approached her writing desk. Dare she hope?... She pulled a key from one of the desk drawers and inserted it into the lock of another. The drawer popped open. Inside... inside lay her most valuable momento - her D-Power. The yellow rim and liquid crystal display reminded her of so many things, so many times, events, people and places...
Shoving the device into one pocket, she raced out of the room and into the night. The Lee residence, huh? If I run, I can be there in less than...
The elevator in the Shinbaya apartment complex dinged, and the doors slid open. Nothing moved for several seconds, the doors closed, and the elevator car began to travel back down to it's original floor.
From within apartment number fourty-one, all was silent - at this time of night, everyone was asleep. A television buzzed in corner, the only source of light or life in the entire living room. It shone a dim, eerie, white glow across the snoozing form of Jenrya Lee, who was curled up on the couch with an open biology book in his arms. The rest of the room was dark, obscured from sight.
The external hallway light flickered for a moment before returning to their usual mundane glow. Then, they flickered again. And again. Finally, a fourth time, they went entirely out.
The television in the fourty-one's living room was showing the late night news. The latest story had something to do with city-wide reconstruction efforts, but before the story could progress very far, the screen flashed into static, slowly growing more and more dim before finally going out. The room was pitched into utter darkness, the only light coming from underneath the apartment door, and soon that went out as well. Subconsciously disturbed by the full silence, Jenrya slowly opened his eyes, waking. He peered around the room, eyes barely accustomed to the lack of light. And suddenly, for some reason, he felt afraid. It wasn't the darkness that scared him - he had long ago outgrown being afraid of the dark - but something disturbed him nonetheless. Like...
Like a powerful feeling. An aura of gloom. As if...
A click came at the door. Bolting upright, Jenrya peered into the darkness, grasping, holding the book at an angle to throw. Another click, and a third, a fourth, then nothing. What on earth? Still hefting the heavy biology book like a bludgeon, he pushed himself off of the couch and approached the door. Peering through the peephole, he could see nothing but black. Power must have gone out...
His eyes widened. W...what!?
What did Jenrya just see? Who is this 'Rand?' What does he know about Renamon? Find out in the next... DIGIMON!
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