Chapter 6 : Little Peek From Different Angle
A smell of something sweet slowly getting stronger, distracting him from the book that in his hands, but he doesn't bother to check it. As long as his instinct not tingle then he couldn't care much about it, beside that the book in his hands getting more interesting than that smell. It's a book about medical stuff, not a complex one but more focusing about first aid. To think that human has these kind of guidance in a small form is quite impressive, not practical like those flashy square device they bring on everywhere but at least this one doesn't need a power to activate it.
The book didn't chosen by him at random, he ask others if there is any things that easy to read just to keep himself preoccupied and this is what he got, it consist mostly by simple words that easy to understand and perfect for someone who can barely read like him.
"impmon" A voice calling him and he quickly put the book down, in front of him is ruki's mother who has a cup of hot tea in her hand, which placed on the table for him. "thank you" Reply him short. It still weird to thank this one human or any other humans around him, but he knows that he might be dead if it weren't for their kindness.
The tea is very good, it has a pleasant sweet aroma yet the taste isn't so sweet that reminding him of some fruits. "you still read that book and it's almost midnight already, aren't you feel tired?" Impmon shook his head, feeling perfectly fine. "I sleep all day long for last few days, it's fine. Beside that, I can keep guard for the night" Say him with confidence. After few days, he learn that there are some digimons that still cross the two world to wreak havoc despite d-reaper is destroyed. Worst thing is only tamers that can handle those digimons with good result.
Ruki's mother finish her tea and ready to sleep first, but the lights on top of them suddenly flickering. "ah, it's almost the time to change it. Impmon, if you still want to read you can move to kitchen, there is a table there" Instead of moving he ask for spare light bulb, which she bring to him a moment later. "you want to change it with your power? If I thought about it I never seen you using your power, perhaps some kind of telekinesis?" Guess her, impmon chuckle from it, if he have that kind of power as rookie then he would be unstoppable.
In seconds impmon change into beelzebumon and makes ruki's mother gasped, he changed that light bulb effortlessly with his height and then turned back into his rookie form. "y-you can digivolve just like that? Without your partner?" Ask her in disbelief. Even though she only seen her daughter biomerged into sakuyamon few times, the theory is always digimon digivolve into their strongest form with their partner rather than alone. Although that theory itself only works for digimon with human partner, impmon still included on that group. "if I'm not tired or injured too much, I can use my strongest form at will, well not the strongest but just below it. More than that only from those kids and their partner only I that can do that, cause my partner is gone" The rather grim end from impmon quickly thrown off the mood, she quickly thanked him to reduce his stress and suggest impmon to get some rest.
Time passed without him realizing it and it's about one in the morning, this should not be good for someone that just barely recovered but he is a digimon, even if he got a problem his muscle still good to go. The book in his hands suddenly turn boring for a reason, it's not distracting him anymore as his thought wandering into his own memories. Reading those words suddenly got harder than ever, a flash of his memories keep coming to his eyes. He stop to take some deep breath and even that not helping him.
"should I go to sleep? Just like she said?" Ask impmon to himself, but he picturing ruki and renamon sleep soundly at this time, if he can't go to sleep immediately then he just going to wake them up and that's bad cause who knows ruki's plan for today. It's not like he can run away from his problem with sleep, even if it just for some hours, his nightmare problem still there and it wakes him up at least twice every time he sleep.
Closing the book, he look to the outside, there is not much wind but those snow still falling to the ground. After he watch tv shows with ruki's mom yesterday, the man on the screen said those snow will continue at least for two more months, yet for humans it's sounded so normal.
Without much thought he find a way to get out and take a stroll on the night, a way of relaxing his mind that he prefer from any other things, his lack of companion also become the reason of choosing that. What's best doing it at night is he rarely met any humans, apparently they slept few hours into the night which convenient to him. This night the wind and snow keep him alert all the time. Though as digimon he already strong enough to withstand some of these harsh weather, he still feels chills run through his body, his best guess is his own mind that cause that. Still, he goes into where he usually be or he can say his favorite place, the park.
It is his favorite place where humans gather at least in pair most of the time, that way he can pull some jokes on them by scaring those pesky humans, but right now it's rather empty cause the night and snow. As much as he want to sit in wooden bench, the cold force him to sit on branch on nearby tree, that's only after he melt snow that covering it. This way he can enjoy the park view without nothing much in front of him, it's looks much better even with no one there except him, maybe his five years holed up in that sewer changed the way he look at things. Then he start contemplating his life again.
Few days has passed since he live at ruki's house, it's somewhat nice and pleasant experience compared to what he had to endure before. The biggest different is there are other people that care for him, not just treating him out of pity but really there to help him step by step. Speaking of step, the third day he's there is spend to learn walking again after his legs feels much better, ruki is the one who helped him since she's the one who's height closest to him. "now, your left. No! Look at me and feel it like how you usually walk, it's faster that way" Those words from her played again in his head, that time he completely follow her instruction like a good pet, yet he doesn't feel anything wrong. Then he back to himself in no time thanks to her.
Ruki has always been a cold and cynical girl even more than her own digimon partner, though he doesn't know why, she is the one that bearable for him in his early days with humans. At considerably young age she got the most logical decision and doesn't play around like most of her close friends, but the most important things is she doesn't like being ordered around and view herself higher than others. Though she isn't the same like him, her attitude is what makes her stand out from those 'stupid' humans. Then she is the most realist on the group, like when others thought their time in digital world like trip, she knows the dangerous nature of it better.
In that house, not only ruki who helped him, there is her mother. Unlike ruki, she got more soft side and friendly approach, though he suspect that a side effect as a parent, she seems to know him well. If he doesn't feel like talking or focusing on something else, she doesn't talk much to him or trying so hard to get his attention. It goes like, "you like that book?" or "how is the meal? There still some in fridge" , just ordinary stuff. She just there doing here own stuff or goes to work, if she got some free time then he got to watch tv with her even though he can use it anytime he want. In return he helps her doing light stuff like putting dirty clothes in washing machine or just carrying cooked food to the dining table. Although she never asked him, he just feels wrong leeching off their kindness without giving anything in return, but there only so much he can do right now.
The last one from that house is the closest one that he really want to admit as a close friend, though he never really like the way they interact, it just never feels so bad to be with her. Most of the time he just doesn't like her silent treatment when she stalked him, yet he also likes when she keep paying attention to him, whether out of pity or curiosity or just her way to keep others safe. It's also kinda weird when he think about it, like she just popping out of nowhere and lift him by his red neckerchief from the back, then either she scold him first or he run away while throwing fireball at her.
"so, you have a tamer?" Ask renamon to him "it's not what I mean! You-kkrrghh!" He recall his memory when she snatch him from a group of police, it was embarrassing that he proclaimed himself better than anyone else before, just to have a mental breakdown about himself wanting to evolve in front of her. Their path crossed or rather her interference in his life just escalate each time they met, most of the time she saved him from the trouble he cause himself.
As a trouble maker who think he's above everyone else, he never expect much from others in form of anything, even helps that time to time saved him from the death itself. No one really want to befriend him and his likes to see them suffer become the main reason, yet those kids and their digimon will help him in the end, some even do that after he killed their friend in front of them. In that case it was renamon, while juri forgive him, she only spare him in the digital world for one reason and it's the fact she doesn't want anymore bloodshed, renamon goes to the extend that she saved him when he accepting death. To this day he never ask or personally thank her about that, he keep questioning himself for that, but it just his pride that won't let him doing that.
A digimon that has human tamers always had a resemblance one to another even though it's very little, while it's not really true, he got a believe in that theory. If someone pointed out that he got childish attitude like his tamers, he will mad and never admit that, but deep down he know that's true. This also applied for renamon and ruki, when ruki want a strong partner she got renamon, renamon also want to be stronger and their bond can comes just from that alone. Both somewhat 'mysterious' for others just to read them, mostly due to their use of little to no words and that what makes impmon likes them. Serious partner who tried to use the most logical things, just to get stronger and better than anyone else.
When he finally back to reality, he found himself smiling like an idiot, thinking how his 'friends' treating him good. He slap himself for couple times, trying to remind himself not to overthink it, in the end he still a monster for them.
Suddenly his instinct kick in, there is someone here, someone who watching him sit on the branch. The thought of him looking like an idiot smiling out of the picture, his life could be in danger. "am i really alone here?" It's from his left side, he can feel it, but still unsure what to do. When he tried to focus on it, the feelings gone and he start questioning himself. "is that real or just my brain fucking with me again?" Afterall he's not back in his prime and it could be just his imagination, his nightmare problem also support that theory. Nevertheless he choose to move his ass out of there, it could be humans or enemies and he decide to choose the safest bet.