Chapter Nine - The Digitization
The Hunt began as days blended together. The monsters slowly got stronger - more digimon being absorbed from world after world. Hungry, devouring, a lot of viruses, which is what viruses do, they eat data - and the tamers had to work a little harder, push a little more, live longer.
For Ruki, it came to a head, back to back with Ryo. They were the smallest, and the most used to each other. And when Imperialdramon went flying around them, they could break apart and easily dodge. Unfortunately, this left Juri wide open.
The last thing Ruki saw as monster after monster landed where Juri and Leomon had been standing was a burning, gleaming light, brighter than the sun.
The monsters -avatars of Quartzmon- all screeched together in agony, a reaction quite unlike what they'd gotten whenever they'd died. They flew back, disintegrating in the way the D-Reaper did. The light faded and a single digimon rose into the sky, rapier in hand.
"Juri?" Ruki started, awe and joy filling her whole being. "You did it."
"We did it," she confirmed, and she heard their voice, steady and confident and alive in a way that hadn't been in a long time.
The three of them shared looks and heard another roar from Imperialdramon. Then they separated and took on the world together. It didn't feel triumphant, not really. Just one battle and another, and another.
They had to hold out as long as they could. After all, they couldn't win. The Clock Maker had said, "you couldn't kill something trapped in the catbox", but you could restrict it.
Ruki called it cheating.
Still, Imperialdramon detonating everything gave them time to catch a breath.
Unfortunately, when the Hunters summoned the strongest fighters, the fight didn't end. They simply had to keep going and going until the world went white.
For a moment, Ruki was against the D-reaper all over again, no power, only flower petals and energy and wounds they shouldn't have had before.
"Well," Daisuke said with a snort from behind her. "That did not go according to plan, huh?"
She turned to look at him, eyebrows raised. "Aren't you supposed to be in that shiny weapon?"
"There's a problem with it, so Ken is holding it down for now." Daisuke scratched his head. "He's a lot better at keeping his head when everything goes to crap, and I don't know where Hikari-chan and the others are."
Ruki raised an eyebrow and reached for Renamon. The kitsune's arms wrapped around her. At once, her heartbeat steadied. "You trust him a lot."
"Course I do. He trusts me a lot. I'm good at getting to the others. He's good at guiding the way to them." Daisuke paused. "Oh right, you may have to fight something, but it doesn't sound like it. So uh, be careful."
"We'll be fine goggles." She paused. "But thanks for the concern."
Daisuke grinned, sure and steady even now. "Course, what are friends for?"
"Friends, huh?"
Daisuke laughed and held his digivice. "I mean, I don't think acquaintances really fit anymore after fighting to save the multiverse."
Ruki paused to think about it. "I'm not sure friends fit either."
"Ah, well…" Daisuke scratched his head, a bit sheepishly. "We'll think of something."
"You're a strange, strange man, goggles."
It arrived quietly while they watched.
"You," it says. Its voice was gentle. "Are you happy with this potential conclusion?"
Ruki didn't turn to look at first. Renamon's fur bristled. Her arms tightened around Ruki. "I mean, yeah, I can go home and see my family with Renamon. So that sounds like a win to me."
"My death means your happiness, then?"
Ruki wondered if this was how Juri felt, when D-Reaper took her despair and grief and told her how right and yet unfair it was. She'd have to ask when it was over.
"Yeah, but you're not dying. You'll just be able to start over, and maybe not eat everything around you."
"You're a monster."
This would have hurt once, a long time ago, and maybe again on that train, but now, now Ruki only nodded. "That's fine."
They would take responsibility for that for themselves. They've done it before.
It chuckled and slipped away. She looked around and saw Ryo's mouth moving. Ken slipped next to him, gently knocking their shoulders together.
Something in her relaxed as Ryo exhaled. He looked at her and winked.
She didn't wink back, but she considered it.
Once, she would have been part of the final battle. Not Takato level of fighting or Jenrya's strategy, but a part of it all the same, doing what she could because she could.
Now she was kicking back and saying goodbye, because the heroes had won and the worlds were separating. A part of her wondered, hoped, feared that this was goodbye for Renamon again. The others held their digimon's hands themselves. None of them spoke. None of them had to say it.
"Yo!" Daisuke approached her. "Don't look too down."
Ruki wanted to laugh. "You have some precognition I don't know about?" There was fondness where there'd have been irritation months and years before, and Daisuke knew it.
"No, but Hikari-chan does. And she's pretty sure we'll meet again. So I'll take her word for it, and you should too. My friends know things."
And he sounded so sure, so utterly faithful to them and everything they were, that she believed him. "Long as you don't stay a cartoon character."
He laughed. "You're fun, Ruki. Let's play a game next time."
"You're more Kenta's speed," she replied, arching an eyebrow. "But I'll teach you, I guess."
He gave her one last grin before winking out of sight.
And when she ended up in their old park, Renamon slouched at her side with the others, all Ruki could do was laugh.
They were all grinning euphorically, of course, Juri through tears. But Ruki laughed proud and long and then sighed. "Come on Renamon," she said. "We owe my grandmother a tea party. Are you coming, Juri?"
Juri lit up like a little star and followed.
As Ruki pocketed her D-Arc, something else sat in her pocket. She pulled out a packet of cards that she absolutely had not bought.
Or at least, she didn't remember buying it. Ruki unwrapped it and the first card glimmered brightly, the digimental of miracles set firmly in the middle.
Ruki snorted out another laugh before pocketing it and running after Juri.
A/N: And it's done! I could do a lot of talking about how this story didn't turn out like I expected, because it didn't, but I think, for the person it was for, he would be happy. So I'm grateful I was able to write it, even if he couldn't see it. I'm grateful to them for everything. I'll see you all next time.