Chapter 5 : Makino's Household
A scream filled the room as he wakes up, his body is pain but that can't be comparable to his mind, it feels like it ripping itself apart. Looking down at his hands, he keep trying to get himself on the right mind. "I killed him, again" That's what he can think right now, the view of him killing leomon feels fresh like it was yesterday, but he knows that doesn't true, it's been five plus years after that happen. Not just that, this time he 'manage' to kill the rest of those tamers and their partner, tears start flowing out from his eyes from the fear alone.
Just as he wake up the door open yet those steps not bothering him, he just too preoccupied by his own imagination. Then a hand surprise him. "dear, you okay?"
A human sit on chair in front of him, this one is a bigger one that they call adult. "w-who are you!?" Unlike other humans, this one isn't that shocked or panicked when looking at him.
Slowly she reach his hand and hold it gently, instead of fear he feels calmer and safer from her touch. "my name is rumiko, I'm ruki's mother. Uhh, what's your name?"
Despite his initial instinct sense danger, it quickly gone. "impmon" After he answer she grab a tissue and wipe his tears, it's embarrassing but he let her doing that, it just feels right in his mind. "what's happen… where am I?" Now that an unfamiliar humans helps him, impmon start looking at the room he's in. It's a neat room with some furniture inside it, not much decoration but enough, across the room there is another bed that similar to the one he's on.
"impmon, this is makino's family house. Ruki brought you last night and explain everything she could but it's enough, you're in bad condition when she brought you so i'm not asking too much"
Though he can't recall it quite good, he knows when ruki digivolve renamon to kyubimon and carry him with her hands. "are you really okay with me here?" Ask him nervously, even if ruki wants to help him, her mother might be skeptical about him, she should be.
To his surprise she smile to him. "ruki and renamon has been looking for you before, they lost hope and thought you're dead. When they brought you in last night, I can see they're happy and sad at the same time looking at your condition, that's enough for a reason right? So don't worry, you can stay with us now"
Impmon doesn't know what to do, he also holding back his tears right now, this and his nightmare take a toll on his emotion very bad. After watching humans interact with each other from tv, he bow his body a bit from sitting position. "thank you" He said.
Ruki's mother surprised to see that and pat his head. "everyone says you quite the trouble maker, I don't even expect you still bow even though you don't have to"
Despite the praise, he shook his head cause he's not really mean it but rather it's seemed like the way humans interact. "no, I honestly don't know how it used, but I've seen it on tv a lot. Sometimes picture on news paper show it as well" Though he explained that he doesn't fully understand that gesture, ruki's mom still looks impressed by it.
"no no no, you did good impmon. Wait a moment, I'll grab some snacks for you" She says as she left him alone again, giving him a time to check ruki's room.
After five years living in sewer, he feels that this room like a heaven while that sewer is hell. Warm and cozy place to spend time at winter, he wonder what outside looks like from this room but the window is on the other side of the room and he can't even budge his legs. Lifting the thick blanket from his lower body, he can see that both legs covered in bandages with the left one goes from thigh to the very bottom of it. "no wonder my legs feels warm" Though he know how harsh the weather can be, yesterday was the first time he feels so cold, possibly because his injury. Now after five years, he can feel how nice it is to live in a house.
After legs, he check all of his body thoroughly. Bandages almost everywhere from head to toe, even that can't cover all bruises on his body, he's a huge mess right now. Both of his red gloves and neckerchief is nowhere to be found, those things are the only means for him to get some warmth before and he can't shake the weird feelings without them, but at least his hands are covered in bandages now.
Like any other days for the past two years, he begin to question his self worth again, but before his mind can go anywhere the door opens and ruki's mom bring a tray with her. She place that tray beside him and then hand him some cloth. "this is yours, already washed. It was so dirty before" Says her as she help impmon put on his gloves and neckerchief. Then his attention turn on the tray, there are some cookies and a cup of milk on it. "ruki still go out with renamon, they'll be back soon with dinner. Since they told me you're starving and hasn't eat for two days now, these should help a bit until they come"
Impmon quickly thanked her and eat one of those cookies, the sweet and warm taste barely push the hunger aside, but instead focus on it he concerned about other things. He stopped ruki's mom who about to leave. "mam, did you said dinner? Isn't that eating at night?" Ask him confused, last time he remember is ruki and renamon brought him here at night.
She response by opening curtain to let him see the sky a bit, it's already dark. "you sleep all day long impmon, but I still don't think that's enough, maybe you can only do so much for few days"
Left alone in the room, impmon only eat two pieces of cookies and close his eyes again. As much as he like those cookies, it still dry and he can't even lift that cup of milk with his hands without spilling it right now. "tch, what a fucking joke" When he comes to this world, he keep boasting his power and want others to see how great he is, even rejecting his human partners which more special than other digimon that got partners by having two instead of one. Now he rely on those who he mock before just to have a good standard living.
"look at you, never change huh. Weak. Useless. Hypocrite" Scream impmon's mind at himself, it hurts but that's what keep him from hurting others, but that's also led him to his unhealthy life and even can be said torturing himself. "please, shut up. Please, I just want to rest" Beg him, but those thought won't go away. "sure, rest. Rest by leeching off their kindness"
Instead of resting in comfortable bed, he thrown into distress again, grabbing his head trying to stop voice that comes from inside. Though it's not bad as nightmare that he get every night, it still distress him most of the time especially when he got nothing to do right now. It just keep going on and on about his past mistake, worst is showing his memory of killing leomon which refreshed every time he dream, then the fear is amplified with his encounter with juri yesterday.
Usually he keep that tv on to distract himself, forcing his mind trying to understand what those humans on screen talked about. Other than that is newspaper he stole from nearby house, it can keep him distracted for hours. One newspaper could be used for days, the information doesn't really matter, what matter is he distracted plus he can learn how human communicate through weird lines at the same time.
Nothing to distract him and no one to help him, impmon lost track of everything, he keep muttering sorry to no one. All that finally stopped when someone shakes his body quite hard, snapping him back to reality, it is ruki that sit beside him.
"come on, impmon! Get yourself together!" Yell her a bit, quickly got his attention and stop his hallucination. Despite in better place and condition than yesterday, he still looks delirious. Annoyed by his attitude, ruki slap his cheek. "stop it! That's enough!"
Scolded by ruki didn't bother impmon at all, it just plunged him even further. "I know" Reply the imp short, not even looking at her.
Impmon's reaction shock both of them and it pisses ruki even more, she doesn't want him to be like this. Before ruki could even say another word, renamon grab her shoulder and shook her head. Ruki nod, even after all she's been through with her friends and digimon, she still having a hard time to communicate with others. Even renamon is a better companion for this kind of thing.
The yellow vixen sit beside him and wipe his tears, it quickly helps him to calm down as he stop sobbing. Sometimes there is no need for words for her and him to understand each other. Despite showing some hostility to each other and even got an opposite personality, they surprisingly got a lot of things in common compared to other digimons, likely distance themselves from other through different ways or just their hunger of power. Both got a cold relationship with their human tamer, but then renamon got her trust in her partner, unfortunately impmon's story end in a tragic way.
After few minutes of silence, impmon ask renamon to stop by push her hand away which the vixen understand quickly, giving some space to him. "ruki.." Call him faintly. Ruki who's sit in the other bed watching all the time come\ to his side, their eyes filled with regret, especially ruki. "I'm sorry about earlier, I just… lost my shit for a while. Usually tv or newspaper distract me from that" With sigh she nod to him then smile, a 'sorry' from him still very bizarre to heard. She also want to say the same thing for her pointless slap, but choose to remain silent knowing that would not mean much right now.
Both renamon and ruki left him alone to take their dinner, it looks safe for now, at least impmon seems to sort out some of his thought. In the kitchen, renamon see ruki isn't right herself and quickly ask her what's wrong. The human girl sigh and stop her hands for a second. "I can't act like juri renamon, I can't believe my hands move like that. He's defenseless and need our help more that ever yet I can't control myself" Renamon stay silent, most of the time ruki just need to voice her heart and this time looks the same. Before one of them could speak again, ruki called by her mom.
It's not an excuse to stop preparing dinner, though her claws or paws not suitable for delicate things, she still prepare the ramen they bought earlier. Thanks to juri, they know what impmon tried to eat before and buy him the better stuff. After she prepare dinner for ruki's mom, renamon goes to ruki's room first and her tamer join on the way.
"renamon.." A pause in her sentence is rare but ruki not looking flustered either, she rather looks happy. "I heard from mom what's happen while we out, it seems that he makes really good impression to her. So our plan to make him stay is working, but I need help to handle him" Explain ruki. "you know, you're better than me in those kind of things" The vixen give a silent nod to her tamer before entering her room, she's happy herself that impmon is back.
The awaited dinner finally come but ruki not eating immediately, she help impmon eat his ramen first since when they enter the room he got a hard time holding a cup of milk, he clearly exhausted. Impmon blush a little when ruki help him eating, embarrassed. "now, suck the ramen" Says her as she put the edge of chopstick on the purple imp mouth, he never eat something like this before. It's embarassing at first but he quickly grow to like the treatment from ruki. Despite he's starving, impmon only eat half of his ramen. Ruki doesn't surprised due to his size, it's not like impmon is like takato's partner who can eat multiple adult human portion at once.
Ruki give impmon a newspaper to read while she eat her ramen, after few minutes she started to realize impmon really can read, not like any other digimons. "you can read? I thought you just tried to shows off to mom"
The imp nod and smile, he then shows the front page and pointing at the main headline. "it's car crash with multiple truck, am I right?" Ruki nod to him, amazed that impmon ability to read text and realize why he said newspaper distract him, he still slow at reading.
"ruki, can I ask something?" Ask impmon, she can see his nervous looks. "what?" Reply her short.
"can you keep this secret? everyone except juri and gabumon. Plus, I want to stay for a few days or until I can walk, if you let me" says him
"No" Ruki answer shock renamon but not him, this already more than she should do. Strangely ruki smile to him. "You're not going anywhere, you stay here until I say otherwise. Beside, no one knows except people you've met"
Impmon can't help but smile. "Thanks, i'll leave as soon as i can walk, i promise"
Ruki stop eating and put her bowl aside, then goes back to impmon and pinch his cheek quite hard. "You want to stay with juri?" He quickly shook his head. "Then you stay here. Until i say so"
"But-" His mouth quickly shut by her, she looks very serious. "Stay. You want to try again?" Her voice looks very sharp for a reason, she's not joking about this, so impmon nod repeatedly. Walking back to her bed, ruki give a glance at renamon and the vixen move to his side, trying to comfort him again. While she's not sure that this is the best option, she won't let him stay on there again, she hope this will be a good start to rebuild his life again.