Chapter One: Crossing Paths Again
Summer was dying. The heat that had driven many to the waters for months was slowly and surely fading to the cold crispness of autumn. The wind that blew over the expanses of field had an almost playful bite to it. Trees were already acquiring their crowns of gold and harvests were being planned. It was hard to believe that only a year ago this whole world -her world- had been completely destroyed. And, as it pained her to admit, she had had a hand in its downfall.
Glowing algae's eerie light lit the lagoon where Ranamon floated serenely in the delightfully warm waters, her ruby eyes closed. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting herself sink a little deeper. A flick of one bare foot sent her into a slow spin.
Yes, it was truly hard to believe. This world had not been truly peaceful in a long, long time. The Great Sundering War, Lucemon's coming and subsequent, if temporary, defeat, and a small lull during which she knew calm. The fighting, the sacrifices.they should have been over. Then the Celestials had been overthrown and her soul-data captured for Cherubimon's use. But her own death at the hands of a human girl wearing the Spirit of Wind had freed her once again. Lucemon had been reborn, trying to twist the worlds to his desires, and had annihilated the entire digital world in his mad quest for a utopia, but he had been struck down, hopefully for good this time. The data had been restored, thanks to those six human children and to, of course, her fellow Warriors.
She looked up at the stars, just beginning to come out. Thank you, wherever you are.whatever you're doing. Thank you, she thought. Without you, humans, we would have had a fate worse than death.
A noise startled Ranamon, bringing her upright in the pool in a flit. The bushes near her rustled softly. Instinctually she raised her hands slightly, ready to unleash the destruction of the sea upon the intruder.
"Who's there?" she demanded.
More rustling. Then a dark shape stepped out of the bushes.she did not recognize this digimon. Her hands went up a little more, but then she froze in place. It was a human! But not just any human. It was a young woman with sunny-blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and electric blue eyes. She wore a dark purple sweater and a pair of black jeans, both of which hid yet emphasized a more womanly figure than the willowy youth's that had been her enemy at another time.another world. At Ranamon's startled look, the young woman smiled gently. "I thought I might find you here, Ranamon."
".Y-you!" breathed the water digimon, and looked about almost suspiciously. It was as if her thanks had conjured the girl out of nowhere. "You came back." She found herself stating the obvious, so great was her shock.
Izumi just grinned and drew up to the lagoon's pebbly shore. "Yeah. I know. It's a little overwhelming to me too."
Ranamon peered up at the human, now beginning to get over her surprise and grasping at her mixed feelings. "I know a little about humans," she tried. "You're taller and more.well." The digimon made small motions, trying to pantomime her point.
Now Izumi laughed outright. The musical sound was infectious and Ranamon found herself smiling back. "It's called puberty. Like evolving for digimon.only not so cool, and too slow. You know, I would think of you as a lot of things, but never awkward. Not as I knew you. How have you been, Ranamon?"
"I've been.all right." She climbed slowly out of the pool, the strange feelings-mix beginning to make some sense now. "How did you find a way back to this world after the way's been closed?"
"It was a lucky accident that I found it. I was walking from school one day and my cell phone buzzed near this condemned station. And I felt this strange tingle as I got closer, as if something in me was encouraging me to go to it. So I did, and my phone let out this light near a crumbling wall, and suddenly I recognized where I was. This was where Lucemon had broken through to my world. Apparently, the tunnel he had made was still some good. I went home and brought a few things with me this time, and I went though." Izumi looked up towards the three moons that were beginning to shine in the dying red of sunset. "It feels good to be back."
Ranamon watched the girl as she spoke, a small measure of guilt rising in her. "Izumi." she said. "You know, the times we stood so close, I was trying to kill you. I find the thought horrible now, but back then, I hated you. You." Ranamon struggled for words briefly, "It was painful for me every time I saw you. Something in me remembered being like you, strong and full of courage and ready to do good. But every time I tried to reach out to this feeling and try to remember who I really was, the evil tangled in me was like a wall of fire. I was frustrated at it, and it made me hate you. It was why I was so wrapped up in my looks.my fan clubs. So I wouldn't remember, and there wouldn't be any hurt. I'm so sorry for what I did to you and your friends, truly sorry. Will you forgive me?"
For answer, Izumi reached and wrapped the small 'mon up in a tight hug. Ranamon let out a squeak of surprise, but just as quickly returned the embrace. "That's over now," Izumi told her. "It wasn't your fault for what you were made to do. You didn't choose to be evil; it was just circumstance that Cherubimon got a hold to your spirit. I fought you because I had to. Yes, I forgive you. Looks like that cleansing did you a world of good, though, didn't it?"
Ranamon found herself laughing and pulled away from the human girl. "It did, and for it I can't thank you enough."
Suddenly, Izumi thought of something. "Where are the other spirits? I knew where you were because this someone called this place 'Ranamon's Lagoon', but what about the others?"
"Walk with me, Izumi," Ranamon said simply and tugged her hand. They went around the lagoon and set off through an open field toward the myriad lights of a digital city. "After the six of you left, Ophanimon gave us Warriors a choice. 'You have all fought for us more than your fair share of battles,' she said. 'You have been through more than I can scarcely guess at. I now give you the opportunity to either take your well-deserved rest before we might need you again, or to live on with your people and teach and defend us against whatever small evils may come.' Arbormon, Grottomon, Blitzmon, and Chakmon all chose to become part of the Sacred Code until they are needed again. Agnimon, Wolfmon, Fairymon, Löwemon, Mercuremon, and I chose to stay.
"Agnimon has the finest fighting school the digital world has ever seen; his students are excellent in tactics and battle strategy as well as actual battle. Löwemon has grown to be a scientist. He came up with the idea of the Data Fragmenter, which, in an emergency, will scatter the data of the location that it's programmed to. No one will ever use the data of this world to empower themselves or to resurrect anyone ever again. Wolfmon wanders the world, an explorer, and his brother often accompanies him. Last I heard, they were up in the Mountains of the Moon with a tribe of nomadic digimon. Mercuremon dabbles in the fine arts. He writes excellent plays, you know. There's one about the struggle between you children and us called Warriors. His newest, Lady of the Stars- Ophanimon opened this week. Fairymon resides at the Temple of Wind along with Nefertimon, Keeper of the Records. The great library of Ophanimon was moved there and Fairymon has become quite the historian." A smile tilted up the corners of Ranamon's lips at the thought of her old friend from legendary times. "She always did love the books."
Izumi saw the smile and asked "What about you?"
"I'm on the Council." Ranamon replied. "After Lucemon's final downfall, the restored population were afraid of having another ruler or set of rulers and after all that they went through, I really don't blame them. So, they set up the Council, a group of digimon of all elements and both types who make the major decisions. Alongside them has been the Committee of Trade, who takes care of transportation and goods and balances the Council's power. Our latest decision is that tomorrow begins the five- day, world-wide Festival of Liberation, the anniversary of Lucemon's defeat." Ranamon fairly bounced with enthusiasm. "You'll be an honored guest."
"I'd love to celebrate with you!" gushed Izumi, some of the earnestness from her younger days appearing now. "But can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Can I see Fairymon tonight?"
Ranamon considered. "Actually, that's what I was going to do tonight, myself. This city has a Trailmon track that leads to the Sky Terminal. We'd be there in an hour."
"Great!" grinned Izumi, looking towards the city getting steadily bigger by the moment. "I'd love to see her again. It was like leaving a piece of me behind when I left, but it was gaining a piece of myself that I didn't know was there, too."
There was silence between them for a long time. Then Izumi piped up again.
"Ranamon, I've seen the digital world as a human girl and as a digimon. Bonding with Fairymon and Shutumon taught me a lot of things, but I've wanted to know.what it was like, back then."
"Back then?" Ranamon echoed. "Back then when?"
"I remember Bokomon telling us there had been a great war between beast type digimon and human type digimon."
"The Great Sundering War, we call it," Ranamon murmured.
Izumi nodded, absorbing the information. " Yes, and it was because of stopping the war that Lucemon rose to power." Her blue eyes sparked when she looked at Ranamon. "You were alive then, weren't you? When he ruled?"
The Warrior of Water did not answer right away. She was thinking of days far gone and over with, but that had been so strong as to shape the future years and years later. She had been young and unlearned, then not knowing what the days would next bring her. "Yes I was," she finally said. "I was hatched five and a half years after the war was over."
"Tell me," Izumi commanded softly.
"I will, but when we are with Fairymon. Then you will know all you wish about my youth."
Summer was dying. The heat that had driven many to the waters for months was slowly and surely fading to the cold crispness of autumn. The wind that blew over the expanses of field had an almost playful bite to it. Trees were already acquiring their crowns of gold and harvests were being planned. It was hard to believe that only a year ago this whole world -her world- had been completely destroyed. And, as it pained her to admit, she had had a hand in its downfall.
Glowing algae's eerie light lit the lagoon where Ranamon floated serenely in the delightfully warm waters, her ruby eyes closed. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting herself sink a little deeper. A flick of one bare foot sent her into a slow spin.
Yes, it was truly hard to believe. This world had not been truly peaceful in a long, long time. The Great Sundering War, Lucemon's coming and subsequent, if temporary, defeat, and a small lull during which she knew calm. The fighting, the sacrifices.they should have been over. Then the Celestials had been overthrown and her soul-data captured for Cherubimon's use. But her own death at the hands of a human girl wearing the Spirit of Wind had freed her once again. Lucemon had been reborn, trying to twist the worlds to his desires, and had annihilated the entire digital world in his mad quest for a utopia, but he had been struck down, hopefully for good this time. The data had been restored, thanks to those six human children and to, of course, her fellow Warriors.
She looked up at the stars, just beginning to come out. Thank you, wherever you are.whatever you're doing. Thank you, she thought. Without you, humans, we would have had a fate worse than death.
A noise startled Ranamon, bringing her upright in the pool in a flit. The bushes near her rustled softly. Instinctually she raised her hands slightly, ready to unleash the destruction of the sea upon the intruder.
"Who's there?" she demanded.
More rustling. Then a dark shape stepped out of the bushes.she did not recognize this digimon. Her hands went up a little more, but then she froze in place. It was a human! But not just any human. It was a young woman with sunny-blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and electric blue eyes. She wore a dark purple sweater and a pair of black jeans, both of which hid yet emphasized a more womanly figure than the willowy youth's that had been her enemy at another time.another world. At Ranamon's startled look, the young woman smiled gently. "I thought I might find you here, Ranamon."
".Y-you!" breathed the water digimon, and looked about almost suspiciously. It was as if her thanks had conjured the girl out of nowhere. "You came back." She found herself stating the obvious, so great was her shock.
Izumi just grinned and drew up to the lagoon's pebbly shore. "Yeah. I know. It's a little overwhelming to me too."
Ranamon peered up at the human, now beginning to get over her surprise and grasping at her mixed feelings. "I know a little about humans," she tried. "You're taller and more.well." The digimon made small motions, trying to pantomime her point.
Now Izumi laughed outright. The musical sound was infectious and Ranamon found herself smiling back. "It's called puberty. Like evolving for digimon.only not so cool, and too slow. You know, I would think of you as a lot of things, but never awkward. Not as I knew you. How have you been, Ranamon?"
"I've been.all right." She climbed slowly out of the pool, the strange feelings-mix beginning to make some sense now. "How did you find a way back to this world after the way's been closed?"
"It was a lucky accident that I found it. I was walking from school one day and my cell phone buzzed near this condemned station. And I felt this strange tingle as I got closer, as if something in me was encouraging me to go to it. So I did, and my phone let out this light near a crumbling wall, and suddenly I recognized where I was. This was where Lucemon had broken through to my world. Apparently, the tunnel he had made was still some good. I went home and brought a few things with me this time, and I went though." Izumi looked up towards the three moons that were beginning to shine in the dying red of sunset. "It feels good to be back."
Ranamon watched the girl as she spoke, a small measure of guilt rising in her. "Izumi." she said. "You know, the times we stood so close, I was trying to kill you. I find the thought horrible now, but back then, I hated you. You." Ranamon struggled for words briefly, "It was painful for me every time I saw you. Something in me remembered being like you, strong and full of courage and ready to do good. But every time I tried to reach out to this feeling and try to remember who I really was, the evil tangled in me was like a wall of fire. I was frustrated at it, and it made me hate you. It was why I was so wrapped up in my looks.my fan clubs. So I wouldn't remember, and there wouldn't be any hurt. I'm so sorry for what I did to you and your friends, truly sorry. Will you forgive me?"
For answer, Izumi reached and wrapped the small 'mon up in a tight hug. Ranamon let out a squeak of surprise, but just as quickly returned the embrace. "That's over now," Izumi told her. "It wasn't your fault for what you were made to do. You didn't choose to be evil; it was just circumstance that Cherubimon got a hold to your spirit. I fought you because I had to. Yes, I forgive you. Looks like that cleansing did you a world of good, though, didn't it?"
Ranamon found herself laughing and pulled away from the human girl. "It did, and for it I can't thank you enough."
Suddenly, Izumi thought of something. "Where are the other spirits? I knew where you were because this someone called this place 'Ranamon's Lagoon', but what about the others?"
"Walk with me, Izumi," Ranamon said simply and tugged her hand. They went around the lagoon and set off through an open field toward the myriad lights of a digital city. "After the six of you left, Ophanimon gave us Warriors a choice. 'You have all fought for us more than your fair share of battles,' she said. 'You have been through more than I can scarcely guess at. I now give you the opportunity to either take your well-deserved rest before we might need you again, or to live on with your people and teach and defend us against whatever small evils may come.' Arbormon, Grottomon, Blitzmon, and Chakmon all chose to become part of the Sacred Code until they are needed again. Agnimon, Wolfmon, Fairymon, Löwemon, Mercuremon, and I chose to stay.
"Agnimon has the finest fighting school the digital world has ever seen; his students are excellent in tactics and battle strategy as well as actual battle. Löwemon has grown to be a scientist. He came up with the idea of the Data Fragmenter, which, in an emergency, will scatter the data of the location that it's programmed to. No one will ever use the data of this world to empower themselves or to resurrect anyone ever again. Wolfmon wanders the world, an explorer, and his brother often accompanies him. Last I heard, they were up in the Mountains of the Moon with a tribe of nomadic digimon. Mercuremon dabbles in the fine arts. He writes excellent plays, you know. There's one about the struggle between you children and us called Warriors. His newest, Lady of the Stars- Ophanimon opened this week. Fairymon resides at the Temple of Wind along with Nefertimon, Keeper of the Records. The great library of Ophanimon was moved there and Fairymon has become quite the historian." A smile tilted up the corners of Ranamon's lips at the thought of her old friend from legendary times. "She always did love the books."
Izumi saw the smile and asked "What about you?"
"I'm on the Council." Ranamon replied. "After Lucemon's final downfall, the restored population were afraid of having another ruler or set of rulers and after all that they went through, I really don't blame them. So, they set up the Council, a group of digimon of all elements and both types who make the major decisions. Alongside them has been the Committee of Trade, who takes care of transportation and goods and balances the Council's power. Our latest decision is that tomorrow begins the five- day, world-wide Festival of Liberation, the anniversary of Lucemon's defeat." Ranamon fairly bounced with enthusiasm. "You'll be an honored guest."
"I'd love to celebrate with you!" gushed Izumi, some of the earnestness from her younger days appearing now. "But can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Can I see Fairymon tonight?"
Ranamon considered. "Actually, that's what I was going to do tonight, myself. This city has a Trailmon track that leads to the Sky Terminal. We'd be there in an hour."
"Great!" grinned Izumi, looking towards the city getting steadily bigger by the moment. "I'd love to see her again. It was like leaving a piece of me behind when I left, but it was gaining a piece of myself that I didn't know was there, too."
There was silence between them for a long time. Then Izumi piped up again.
"Ranamon, I've seen the digital world as a human girl and as a digimon. Bonding with Fairymon and Shutumon taught me a lot of things, but I've wanted to know.what it was like, back then."
"Back then?" Ranamon echoed. "Back then when?"
"I remember Bokomon telling us there had been a great war between beast type digimon and human type digimon."
"The Great Sundering War, we call it," Ranamon murmured.
Izumi nodded, absorbing the information. " Yes, and it was because of stopping the war that Lucemon rose to power." Her blue eyes sparked when she looked at Ranamon. "You were alive then, weren't you? When he ruled?"
The Warrior of Water did not answer right away. She was thinking of days far gone and over with, but that had been so strong as to shape the future years and years later. She had been young and unlearned, then not knowing what the days would next bring her. "Yes I was," she finally said. "I was hatched five and a half years after the war was over."
"Tell me," Izumi commanded softly.
"I will, but when we are with Fairymon. Then you will know all you wish about my youth."