Digimon Fan Fiction / Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Digimon Slayers ❯ The Man In White ( Chapter 2 )

The sun had risen on two humans and a small white Digimon trudging slowly up a road. At least, the humans were trudging - Culumon soared along as if he hadn't a care in the world, hardly minding that his human companions were being less than companionable. Despite their interrupted night, the group had risen before sunrise, bolted a quick breakfast, and set out before their unknown enemy could try to find them again. Now they wandered silently along a thin road - hardly more than a cart path, really - trying to keep themselves out of sight. Takato appeared to still be sleepy, but he walked along with the stolidity of one who is used to working at less than full strength and no longer really cares. Ruki was wide-awake, and since her companions were being mercifully quiet, she used her time to mull over some of what was going on.

Foremost in her mind was a sense that somehow, against her will, she had stumbled into something big. Ruki didn't like that at all; she'd never wanted to get involved in earth-shaking matters. It was bad enough being a famous Cardmage. All she wanted was to choose her own roads, pick her own battles, pick up enough treasure to keep her safe and reasonably well-fed, and leave the rest of the world alone. Was that really too much to ask? Why did Fate seem to want her to get mixed up in this strange situation?

And what was her situation, anyway? Somehow, she'd acquired an unwanted bodyguard (*At least,* she thought grudgingly, *he seems to be able to take care of himself. If he was completely useless, I think I'd go insane.*), a small white Digimon that apparently couldn't do anything but fly around and sing silly songs, and a box of what might or might not be powerful magical items. She also seemed to be followed by a fox-Digimon and a strange man in white. She wasn't sure which worried her more.

Perhaps it was the Digimon, after all, because she turned her mind first to the man in white. What had he wanted, coming after her in the night like that? Was he a thief, coming to steal her treasures? She'd kept them as well hidden as her small magics could make them, and anyone with magic enough to see past her hiding spells was probably good enough to make money some other way. She wondered briefly if the confusing stories they'd concocted of lecherous soldiers might not be completely fictitious; she had been troubled by that kind of character in the past. She might not have been a raving beauty, but she knew she was no cow either, and some of these lone wanderers weren't very particular. Even the fact that she was the most powerful Cardmage in the known world didn't always discourage them. After all, she didn't look that dangerous. Even if she could convince people that she really was that powerful, that didn't guarantee they'd leave her alone. Some men even seemed encouraged by this, as if that made her some particularly tempting trophy to win over... or maybe they believed that stupid old legend that powerful magic went with a corresponding boost in other abilities. At least, she thought it was a legend; she'd never bothered to find out for herself.

Ruki thought hard. Somehow, the strange man didn't quite seem to fit that description. He'd been looking for something very specific, so specific that he knew her name and what she looked like, and had come in with an elaborately prepared story in advance. What did she have that was that valuable that someone would track her down in the middle of the night to get? It had to be one of the items she'd stolen from the Devas. She remembered the way his steely eyes had flashed when he'd caught sight of Culumon. She remembered Antieramon saying, "My master is not a Digimon." Ruki had stolen the fox sword, and Renamon had appeared - appeared to warn her about the man in white...

*I wish I knew if I could trust her,* Ruki thought. *I shouldn't trust her. I mean, come on, she's a Digimon! They can't be trusted, not any of them... but she came to warn me. She could have hurt me, easy - just look at how she moved! Like smoke on the wind... I never could have hurt her... and she didn't hurt me. She didn't even try. She just said what she had to say and left, and it saved my life, maybe. Definitely saved me a tough fight. If she was in league with him, she wouldn't have warned me. Why did she warn me? Could there really be a connection between us?*

She closed her eyes, trying to recollect her meeting with the golden fox down to the last detail. Even though the day was warming rapidly, she shivered.

*She was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Could anything that beautiful be evil? Even when I was afraid of her, I couldn't take my eyes off her...*

She shook herself away from that thought. She could go crazy, thinking things like that. It was only tiredness and starlight, and, perhaps, some of the sorceress-Digimon's magic, that had made her feel drawn to the creature. Surely if she saw her by the light of day, she would be only another monster. But even as she told herself that, she couldn't quite make herself believe it. Her Ark had come with the label "acceptance." Just what was she supposed to accept?

Why had the Devas been keeping Culumon in a cage?

"Hey, Ruki, you okay?" asked Takato. "You look kinda distant."

"Just thinking about stuff," Ruki replied.

"Yeah, same here," said Takato. "Got any good ideas yet?"

"No," said Ruki. "Just lots of questions. How about you?"

"I've got a good idea. Let's get off this road and see if we can find some game trails or something. It won't be as hot, and we'll be less likely to be spotted."

Ruki's eyebrows raised. "That is a good idea. You know, you're not what I thought you would be."

"You were expecting a brainless swordsman?" he asked. "If I were stupid, I'd have had my head cut off by now."

"Could be," said Ruki. "All right, swordsman! Let's see you hack through some of this shrubbery! Find us a game trail!"

He gave her a salute. "Yes, ma'am!"

Secluded in the treetops, the man in white was mightily relieved that his quarry had finally decided to move to somewhere that he could keep track of them. It had been very annoying trying to track them without being seen, and invisibility spells were not his specialty. He much preferred to have them here in the forest where he and his lone spy could watch them more efficiently.

"Antieramon," he said, "watch them for me. I'm going to go have a word with our master."

"As you command," answered the rabbit-Digimon.

The man in white leapt from his perch and floated gently down to earth; he might not have the aerobatic skills Anteiramon did, but he could Levitate well enough to get up and down trees. As he hit the ground, he thought he heard a soft whoosh, as if something else had come down with him, but when he looked, there was nothing there. He looked up. Antieramon was still where he'd left him, and not a leaf was stirring in the canopy.

*Someone invisible?* he wondered. *Or just my imagination?*

He closed his eyes, trying to find any traces of a magical aura that would indicate someone invisible was nearby. It was unlikely, but the man in white had only stayed alive this long by not taking chances. All he felt was the distant presence of the female Cardmage, the quieter presence of her companions, his sense of Antieramon above him, and... what? Nothing in particular, just a smallish life-force as of some animal or a Digimon.

*Some little forest creature, then,* he thought, relaxing. He still couldn't see it, but he knew roughly where it was now, and knew how powerful it was: not very. He even thought it felt friendly, so he decided to leave it alone. He had better things to do than chase after wild animals.

A short distance from the tree he'd been roosting in, there was a tiny stream, scarcely more than a water-filled gully through which the contents of some hidden spring threaded their way through the forest. He knelt next to it and allowed a drop of his sparkling potion to fall into it. Almost immediately, he found himself looking into the face of his master - or rather, a dark shadow that had the shape of his master's face.

"There you are," he said brusquely. "It's about time. What have you been doing?"

"I have been obeying your orders," said the man in white. "You told me to find the girl again and find out where she's going. I have done as you commanded. Now what?"

"You can't be keeping a very close watch on her if you are here talking to me."

The man flushed behind his mask. "I have Antieramon keeping watch. I have complete faith in him."

"Humph. I never thought I'd see you bestowing such a high compliment on a Digimon. I am not sure that is a good sign."

"He's the only one of your Devas that has managed to hang onto his life. I'd say that makes him worth something." The man's eyes flashed like steel from beneath his cowl.

"Are you implying," said the shadow in the water, "that my creations are to blame for this situation?"

"I am not implying anything. I'm saying that the girl is moving north by northwest through the Forest of Verdure right now, roughly in the direction of Axle Village. What do you want me to do about it?"

"Nothing," the shadow snapped. "Take yourself and your trusted servant to the ruined library outside the village and wait for me there. I will give you further orders when I am ready to do so. Is this understood?"

The man bowed, leaving his master a view of nothing more than the top of his white hood. "Yes, my lord."

The shadow did not reply. It simply ceased to be, and when the man in white looked up again, it was only to see the trickling stream and waving water-grasses.

"Boy, what a jerk!"

The man in white jumped, nearly falling in the creek. A completely unfamiliar voice had just given a succinct description of his own personal feelings, and he looked around to see who had spoken. His eyes registered a paler patch against the green of the forest canopy, and he looked up to see an unidentifiable animal sitting on a branch above him. It looked down at him with black eyes that sparkled with mischief.

"What did you say?" asked the man slowly.

"I said, that guy's a jerk," the Digimon replied. "He's got even less manners than I do, and that's saying something!"

The creature grinned, a conspirational expression that invited the man to join in, and to his surprise, he found that he really was smiling, if a bit wryly.

"You're obviously an excellent judge of character," he said.

"Sure am!" said the Digimon, preening and tossing his long ears. "Why were you talking to that guy? He's not your master, no matter what you call him."

The man in white did a double-take. The Digimon in the tree continued to grin and look innocent.

"You really are a good judge," the man said at last.

"You're just easy to read," the Digimon replied. "'Course, if you wanna go around pretending to be something you aren't, that's your business. Me, I am what I am. Nothing else!"

"And what might that be?"

"Terriermon!" the creature replied, taking a bow that made his ears flop around. "And you are the guy who hasn't laughed in three years."

The man in white was surprised all over again. "How did you come up with that?"

Terriermon shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? It's all over your face, and I can't even see your face. When it doesn't rain in too long, the lake goes all flat and dead looking, and when people don't laugh in too long, their eyes go all flat and dead looking, just like yours."

"You're too smart for your own good," said the man. "If I haven't laughed, it's because I've had too many serious things to worry about to trouble myself with laughing."

"Humph!" said the little Digimon. "Laughing's more important than anything! You and your boss need to figure that out, or you're both gonna get in a lot of trouble. Maybe I don't want to be around when you do. Bye-bye!"

He twirled in place and rose into the air like a flying machine, disappearing into the treetops. The man in white just stared.

*Three years,* he thought. *He called me the man who hadn't laughed in three years. It was three years ago, almost three years ago today... How did he know?*

Axle Village was hardly more than a bump in the road, as far as villages in that world went. They didn't even have a wall around them to keep marauding Digimon out; indeed, one would wander into the town once in a while, but it had never done enough damage for the townsfolk to think putting up a wall was a good idea. Instead, all they had was a place where the farmhouses were clustered closer together, a communal well, a small marketplace where people could trade vegetables or horses or any odd bits of technomagic that might surface in their neck of the woods. There was also a minuscule common house, just large enough to house three travelers, or maybe six if they didn't mind sharing beds or sleeping on the floor. It also had the town's one and only restaurant, so it was inevitable that Ruki, Takato, and Culumon should find themselves walking through the door beneath the sign of the Jumping Wormmon.

The place was duly jumping when they got there; after all, it was lunchtime, and this was the only tavern in town. They barely managed to fight their way in, with Culumon dodging frantically among the heavy booted feet of the establishment's patrons. A barmaid with a talent for lip-reading took their orders and found a place for them at one of the few remaining tables.

"Here you go," said Takato, scooping Culumon out of harm's way and setting him on the tabletop. "Can't let you get stepped on."

"Why not?" asked Ruki, but not with the bite it would have had a few days ago. After all, she rationalized, Culumon had pulled his own small weight in the confrontation with the man in white. She wouldn't let herself think that perhaps she was starting to like him.

"Hey, you wouldn't want him causing a riot in here," said Takato. "Imagine what would happen if one of the people in here stepped on something, and looked down and saw a Digimon. They'd panic!"

"True," said Ruki, nodding. "Guess they can't really know this one's harmless. The last thing we need is to get kicked out because of him."

"Especially when we haven't even eaten yet," Takato agreed. "This place is really pretty nice. They used to have a place kind of like this back in Electrode City. Just this little hole in the wall - you had to know it was there to find it - but they made the best food you ever tasted. Kazu and I used to go there all the time..."

"Kazu?"

"Hirokazu. My friend."

"Oh," said Ruki. She could see that Takato looked unhappy at being reminded of the friend he didn't have anymore, but she wasn't quite sure how to take his mind off the subject. Fortunately, their food arrived, which proved a good distraction. He looked a bit more cheerful after he sampled his meal.

"Just as good as home," he said. "How's yours?"

"Pretty good," she said. She slipped the pickle that had come with her sandwich under the table, where Culumon ate it happily.

"You know, I just realized," said Takato, "I talk all the time about Electrode City, but you haven't said a thing about your home. I'm starting to think you just sprouted up like a mushroom."

Ruki shrugged. "There's not a lot to tell, but if you really can't stand not knowing... I was born in a town south of here, called Silicon Village. My father was a landed knight, and my mother was the daughter of a local nobleman. She was the most beautiful woman in the village." She said this without boasting, but only with the air of a longtime resident pointing out a local wonder to a newcomer, thinking that their guest might be interested, though they themselves have ceased to care. "It was a nice place to grow up. We had good money then, so they could afford to let me get an education. My grandmother who lived with us had some personal magic, enough to teach me a little. My mother was always throwing parties and things, but I spent my time learning magic - they even sent me to a university for a few years to study. It was right after I came home that things fell apart..."

She trailed off, her violet eyes looking dark as storm clouds. Takato was very quiet, and Culumon crawled onto her lap and stared at her with wide eyes. She tucked her hand over him as if he were a lap dog without really thinking about what she was doing.

"My village had been having hard times for a while - not enough rain, or too much, or the frosts coming too early, or everything getting destroyed by hailstorms or lightning fires. I never really paid much attention to that kind of thing, because Mom and Dad could always afford to import anything we needed. After a while, though, even that got to be difficult. Then one day, a big tribe of Ogremon came out of the woods and raided the town looking for food. All the people in the town who could fight came out, and my dad was right in the front. He fought, and the Ogremon killed him."

"I'm sorry," said Takato quietly.

Ruki shrugged. "Anyway... things were rough. Mom was all broken up over dad being gone. Meanwhile, she didn't have much money left after everything was sorted out, and she didn't have much way of getting any more. They hadn't really saved much, and funerals cost money... I told Mom I didn't want to stay in the village anymore, and I was old enough to take care of myself - I was a pretty fair Cardmage by then, and I have a few personal spells. I said if I left, it would be one less person to have to feed and clothe. Besides, it would be easier for Mom to get married again if she didn't have any inconvenient kids around. She didn't have much choice but to agree, so I left. I've been on my own ever since."

"You mean you haven't gone home in all that time?"

"Once. Went to see my mom get married to the Duke of Something-or-Other. I didn't get to talk to him long, but he seems nice enough, and he'll take good care of my family."

"I guess that's comforting," said Takato.

The conversation flagged, and the two of them picked at what was left of their food in silence, heads bowed over their plates. Then they were jerked out of their thoughts by a glassy clatter. The barmaid had come by their table and plunked a pair of goblets in front of them.

"We didn't order this," said Ruki.

The barmaid shrugged. "Man over there sent them to you, with his compliments."

She waved vaguely off at the far corner of the room. There was a booth back there, where the lamplight had trouble going, and seated at the booth was a single man. He was dressed simply in black and white, with no trim or designs of any sort, but his clothing caught the light in a way that suggested silk. Takato blinked in surprise; silk was ridiculously expensive, more than its weight in gold sometimes. You did not simply wear it around unless you were so rich that you'd already run out of more practical things to spend your money on. Yet, a nobleman would be wearing jewelry - at the very least, a signet ring or a brooch to hold his cloak in place - yet his only ornamentation was a pair of dark glasses. Nevertheless, he carried an air of command around him. If he had turned around at that moment and ordered Takato to go out and fight his enemies for him, he would have jumped up to do it without hesitation. But the man did not order Takato to go and fight. He simply nodded in his general direction and made a vague twitch of his fingers, inviting the swordsman and the sorceress to join him at his table. They did.

"Imagine meeting you here," said Ruki coolly as she took her seat.

"Just imagine," the man answered quietly. Somehow his deep voice carried over the din of the bar.

"Do you two know each other?" asked Takato, looking from one to the other in confusion.

"No," said the man, "but one magical practitioner always knows another... and it's so rare that I find one in this little place that I thought I'd invite you over and have a word."

"I don't find them out here often myself," said Ruki. "I'm surprised to find one of your caliber here."

"You flatter me," answered the man with a thin smile. "But you are correct; I seldom come here at all. I would not be here now, except that I am on the trail of a particularly pernicious sorcerer. My sources tell me he is in this area, so I have come to have a closer look."

"I haven't seen any sorcerers lately," said Ruki. "Other than you, anyway."

"He would not be calling himself such," the man replied. "He is also adept at disguising himself and his nature. He would not want anyone knowing what he truly is."

"Wait a minute," said Takato, earning the glares directed at someone who is butting into a conversation that is none of his business, "would this sorcerer of yours dress all in white and wear a mask?"

"So you have seen him, then," the man replied.

"He's a sorcerer?" asked Ruki. "For crying out loud, why didn't he just come through the window?"

"Beg pardon?" the man asked.

"Oh - nothing."

"Hm. It seems you've already had a taste of the kind of trouble he is capable of causing... but only a taste, for if you'd met the full force of his powers, you would not be here to talk about it."

"That's what you think."

"Yes, that is what I think, Ruki Makino, legendary Cardmage. He is playing with powers that have been untouched since the days of the sage Shibumi. He has come upon the Key that will reopen the great seal that is holding back the final horror. You remember that story, do you not?"

"That's just a fairy tale," said Ruki defensively. "It's not real."

"It is as real as the Digimon themselves, or as real as you. Legends are based on truths."

"So you're telling me that the man in white...?"

"His name is Jenrya," said the stranger. "He comes from a royal family, and yet that power alone was not enough for him. He will take what power he can at any cost, even to the destruction of the world. He has made alliances with Digimon and other dark forces, and his ultimate intention is to resurrect the D-Reaper."

"So you say," answered Ruki. "All right, maybe I believe you, and maybe I don't. What has this got to do with me?"

"It is my belief that you may be carrying with you something that Jenrya is seeking. It would be the only explanation for his bothering you. With your permission, I would like to take it off your hands."

"Thanks," she said, "but I think I'd feel safer if I had it where I can keep an eye on it."

A fleeting expression of puzzlement crossed the man's face. "You already know what it is?"

"No," she said. "I don't need to, either, I don't think. You should know as well as anyone that a searching spell is more likely to find something if the person who's carrying it knows about it. Besides, I'm not totally defenseless. I've already outwitted him once without even having to pull out a Card."

"True," said the man. "Very well. Perhaps that will be best. If he is devoting his attention to you, I will have a better chance of catching him myself without being detected... What is that?"

"Huh?" said Takato. He looked down to see that Culumon had crept into the seat next to him and was now trying to peek over the rim of the table. "Oh, that's just Culumon."

"Culumon. I don't believe I've seen a Digimon like that before," said the man.

"Don't worry about him," said Ruki. "He's harmless. He doesn't even seem to have any attacks."

"Interesting," said the man. "I have an interest in Digimon. Some of my peers say we are better off leaving well enough alone, but I feel it is best to know what one is up against. I keep a small menagerie of them in my home - with the proper safeguards. Your Culumon would make an interesting addition. I'd pay you well for him, of course."

"We couldn't do that!" said Takato. "Culumon's our friend!"

"I wouldn't hurt him," the man replied calmly. "I only wish to observe him for a while."

"I don't think he'd be happy with that," said Ruki. "Actually, we've gotten attached to him now. He's practically a family pet. We just couldn't part with him now."

"I see," said the man, looking as if he wasn't quite buying that argument. "Very well, then. It has been nice meeting you both, but I must be going now. Farewell."

He got up and strode out of the room. Ruki noted with interest that though the bar was still crowded, he slipped past the boisterous patrons with ease.

"Whew!" she said. "I'm glad that's over. For a minute there, I thought we were going to make him angry."

"What a weird guy," said Takato. "Why is he wearing sunglasses inside? It's not like there's a glare in here."

Ruki shrugged. "It doesn't matter to him. Don't you know who he is?"

"No. Who?"

"That," said Ruki dramatically, "was Mitsuo Yamaki."

Takato gave her a blank look. "Um, I know I'm supposed to be impressed, but..."

"Oh, for crying out loud! You don't know anything, do you?" she said.

"Not about magic, I don't!"

"Well, at least you're honest. Okay, here we go. Mitsuo Yamaki is quite possibly the single greatest sorcerer alive today."

Takato looked skeptical. "I thought you said you were the world's greatest Cardmage."

"I am!" said Ruki defensively. "It's just that there's different kinds of magic. I'm a Cardmage - I draw my powers from magical Cards, and them from me. I can even make them, when I have the time and materials. Some people have personal magic, and that's different - it means the power is inside them, and they can learn how to tap into the power and make things happen. I have a little bit of that, but not enough to make any real difference. Light-casting, true- dreaming, a little bit of healing if I really concentrate, and that's about it. Then there are technomages - they can't use magic on their own, but they can put power into machines and make them do things they wouldn't ordinarily do. I can't do any of that. But that Yamaki guy, he can do it all, and he does it a heck of a lot better than most people do. Let me put it this way - I might be able to beat him in a Card-battle, but I wouldn't want to try."

"And what about the glasses?" asked Takato.

"That's part of the story, about why he's so powerful," Ruki replied. "He's blind."

"Blind? But I just saw - he gets around better than we do!"

Ruki shrugged. "Everything has an energy field. Anyone with any personal magic can sense the locations of things by feeling for that energy. He's been doing it all his life; he ought to be pretty good at it by now."

"And being blind makes him more powerful?" asked Takato.

"Not exactly. The story goes that he was born with his eyes sealed shut, and nobody could open them. They took him to every healer and mage and sage they could find, but no one could make them open. He started studying magic himself, everything he could find to learn. He studied for years, until he could do just about anything - anything but open his eyes. There's one legend that says he's got so much magic inside that if he opened his eyes, they would just blast everything in sight."

"Wow," said Takato. "The most powerful sorcerer in the world... and you were mouthing off to him! You must be crazy."

Ruki shrugged. "Better than acting scared. Are you done eating? Because if you are, I wan to get out of here."

Takato shrugged and got to his feet. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I think that guy wasn't telling us everything."

Ruki patted Takato on the head. "Smart swordsman."

They left the village and began traveling again. There was only one road leading out of the village, and Ruki reluctantly took it. She had an uneasy feeling of being watched, and her way of dealing with it was trying to get away as quickly as possible. Her only concession to safety was to roll up her cloak into a small package and sling it over her back, making her less obviously a sorceress. She also mustered up enough magic to throw a small glamour over herself and her companions, just enough (she hoped) to make them appear as being rather poor and insignificant and not at all worth looking at. She wasn't very good at that kind of magic, and even her moderately-talented grandmother could have gotten through it, but only if she could figure out that it was there in the first place. It was the best defense she had, so it would have to be enough.

"You aren't worried, are you?" asked Takato.

"Gee, what gave you that idea?" answered Ruki bad-temperedly.

"Hey, don't get all defensive," said Takato. "I'm worried too. Even with you to explain stuff for me, I still have no idea what's going on."

"We're in the same boat," Ruki answered. "I don't know what's going on either. I keep going over and over it in my head, and I still can't figure out..."

"What?"

"Anything." She sighed. "I hate not knowing what's going on. If I knew what it was, I could fight it."

"At least we know who's after us," Takato offered. "And some of what he wants."

"Maybe," said Ruki. "That's if we trust Yamaki."

"And you don't?"

"The stories say he's powerful. They never said anything about him being honest."

Takato nodded. "I don't trust him, either. If he really wanted to help us, he would have told us more."

"That's what I think, too. On the other hand, I don't like thinking we've got him as an enemy. I hate to say it, but as far as power goes, he outranks me, big time."

"So, what are we going to do?" asked Takato.

Ruki shrugged. "Try to keep out of trouble until we know more about what's going on."

They walked quietly for a while longer, watching carts roll by without their drivers seeing them. Culumon floated along like a dandelion seed, teasing the horses, who only flicked their ears as if he were an annoying fly. That relieved Ruki a bit; at least her flimsy spell was holding.

"Hey, Ruki?" said Takato after a while. "Mind if I ask another stupid question?"

"Shoot."

"What's a D-Reaper?"

"The D-Reaper," answered Ruki. "There's only one, if there's any at all. There's no real proof that there ever was such a thing."

"Well, what is it?"

"Hm. Hard to say. I've heard a bunch of different legends about it, and they don't all agree with each other," said Ruki, frowning a bit. "The way my grandmother used to tell it, when Shibumi first opened the hole between the worlds, the humans and the Digimon got along pretty well with each other - they weren't enemies like they are now. Then one day, the D-Reaper came through the gateway and started attacking our world. Nobody seems to know what it looked like, only that it was bad - worse than any Digimon, even. I always kind of thought it looked like an Ogremon," she added, as an afterthought.

"What happened? How did they get rid of it?" asked Takato.

"The story goes that the humans and the Digimon fought against the D-Reaper, and a lot of them died, but no one could hurt it. In the end... well, the story goes that there were four sort of super-Digimon, what the other Digimon called the Digital Gods. They left the Digital World to battle the D-Reaper themselves, but even they couldn't really kill it. In the end, they sealed it away and hid it somewhere where it would never be found again. Unfortunately, it cost them all their strength to do it, and they disappeared.

"The Digimon were furious; they blamed the humans for waking up the D-Reaper and making them lose their protectors. The humans blamed the Digimon for leading the D-Reaper into our world and letting it kill so many people. Nobody could ever prove where the D-Reaper had come from, so the argument was never settled. War broke out, and the tribes of the humans and Digimon separated forever. That's why we're enemies even now."

"Wow," said Takato. "You know, that's kind of a sad story." Culumon nodded his head in agreement.

"Guess so," Ruki answered. "Anyway, the story says that the D-Reaper is still sealed up somewhere, and a lot of people believe it. I actually found an old lawbook at the Academy spelling out the kind of punishments to give people caught trying to wake it up again."

"Why would anybody want to do that?" asked Takato. "I mean, if it nearly destroyed the world..."

Ruki shrugged. "Some people are just weird. They're so arrogant, they think they're the one powerful enough to control it. Or they're just academics who want to figure out how to do it just for the sake of knowing. I heard one old guy claiming that the D-Reaper was a digital monster and would only destroy Digimon, and that bringing it back would rid us of the Digimon forever."

"And what do you think?"

"I don't believe it exists. Handy legend to have around - makes sure there's nothing around to prove it ever did or didn't happen, and it explains neatly why we have a bunch of sentient animals out to kill us all for no good reason."

"Oh," said Takato. "I wonder what our friend in white thinks? And Mr. Yamaki?"

"So do I," said Ruki.

"Perhaps I could tell you," said a voice.

Ruki and Takato jumped in unison. They weren't thrown off-balance long, though; almost before their feet hit the ground again, they both had their swords in their hands and had instinctively positioned themselves back to back.

"Who said that?" Ruki demanded. "Come out and show yourself!"

In response, there came the lightning-cold prickling feeling that rushed through the air when a spell was dissolved, and they found themselves looking at a familiar man in white and a very tall rabbit. Culumon gave a squeak and dove out of sight.

"We meet again, Miss Ruki," said the man coolly.

"So we do. Nice to see you, Mr. Jenrya."

The man in white's eyes flickered briefly. "I won't even ask how you found out my name. You are a meddlesome thing. It is unfortunate for you that I am having a bad day, and that I am very tired of people knowing things about me that I didn't tell them."

"Are you going to fight us, then?" asked Takato.

"Only if you decide to make things difficult," Jenrya replied. "All I want from you is that Digimon that's been following you around."

"Digimon?" Ruki repeated. "Like... Renamon?"

Jenrya blinked. "Renamon? What's a Renamon? Don't try to confuse me; it's Culumon we're after."

"Well, you can't have him," said Takato. "Not you, or anyone else!"

"Don't be stupid. Humans and Digimon mean nothing to each other. Surely you won't give your lives for a monster."

"Culumon is not a monster," Takato insisted. "He's a good Digimon. Right, Ruki?"

Ruki hesitated for an instant. Could she agree to that? Granted, there didn't seem to be any harm in Culumon - he actually seemed to like her, and did what was asked of him willingly. He was so childlike, so innocent, that it was hard even for her skeptical nature to believe he was faking. And she was starting to wonder if maybe she had been a little misinformed when she'd been told that all Digimon were evil...

"I'll tell you one thing," she said. "I trust Culumon a lot more than I trust you. I figure he must really be something important if everyone I meet wants him. I think I want to keep him, thanks."

"Then you'll be keeping him for the rest of your life," said Jenrya. "That will be about fifteen minutes. Begin."

There was a pale flash as Antieramon bounded straight into the air and began to drop. Takato and Ruki jumped in opposite directions, just barely avoiding being squashed as he landed. The rabbit immediately leaped toward Takato, producing a double-bladed axe out of nowhere and engaging him in a sharp battle. Ruki found herself face to face with the steely-eyed man, who was now carrying a steel sword to match. She quickly made a strike at him, only to have it parried. He glided smoothly out of the way, giving her just enough time to recover herself. Then he lunged, and she gave a swift twist and a counterstrike. Their swords clanged off each other, the sound making an irregular counterpoint to the other battle that Ruki could hear and not see. Ruki didn't like the situation; she was holding her own, but she was being rapidly herded away from Takato and towards whatever place her enemy wanted her to go.

"I'm impressed," said Jenrya. "It's not often I meet a Cardmage who has bothered to learn hand-to-hand combat as well."

"It's come in handy a few times," she said, ducking as his blade whizzed over her head.

"I suppose it does. After all, a girl wandering alone is bound to get into trouble if she doesn't know how to defend herself," said Jenrya, just barely sidestepping one of Ruki's attacks. "Is that why you're traveling with a bodyguard now?"

"What, that puppy? He followed me home one day and I thought I'd keep him," said Ruki, deftly deflecting her opponent's latest strike.

"You're good," said Jenrya. "Very good. I know men who don't handle a blade as well as you."

"You're not half-bad yourself."

"You can't see, because I'm wearing a mask and hood," said Jenrya, "but I am smiling right now."

"Let me guess," said Ruki. "You're not left-handed."

"Actually, I'm not, but that's not the point."

"Oh? Then what is?"

"This!"

With a sudden swift movement, Jenrya slashed his sword past her. It just barely missed her skin. It did not, however, miss her belt, and it was severed neatly. The leather pack she carried her Cards in fell to the ground. She gave a yelp of dismay and tried to reclaim them, but a sword thrust in front of her face made her rethink that idea. Jenrya moved around her, stepping between her and the lost Cards. Ruki fumed inwardly. She was more than adept with her sword, but her real talent was wrapped up in that leather package. Without her Cards, she was... not helpless, but certainly not fit for fighting even a modest sorcerer.

"What's the matter?" she taunted. "Afraid to face me in a fair fight?"

Maybe the insult stung him a little, for his eyes clouded briefly.

"I've stooped this far; I might as well stoop to cheating now," he said.

He sounded so patently unhappy that Ruki was startled. She might not have completely believed he was what she'd been told he was, but it had never crossed her mind that he might not be doing what he was doing by his own choice.

"Huh?" she said. "What are you talking a-"

That was as far as she made it. The warrior in white made a quick hand motion, and she abandoned talking for the moment and turned to try to get away. With her Cards, she perhaps could have defended herself; now all she could do was try to run...

The spell was faster than she was. It wrapped around her in a heavy cold blanket, smothering her, making it impossible to move or breathe, and her head spun. No matter how hard she fought, she could not make her body take another step or another breath, and she slumped to the ground. Jenrya stood and stared at her a moment, making sure the spell had taken its hold. Then he raised his hands to the sky, casting up a globe of brightly glowing light.

Some distance away, partly screened by trees, Takato and Antieramon continued to fight. Thus far, the swordsman had proven himself a match for the rabbit-Digimon, but he was uncertain how long he could last. An ordinary sword was little defense against an Ultimate, even in the hands of the best warrior. Takato was beginning to get the impression that his adversary wasn't even trying to hurt him, but only keep him busy long enough that he wouldn't be able to protect Ruki. The idea made him angry - how dare these people just play with him like this? - and he redoubled his efforts. With a wild battle cry, he made a rush at Antieramon, sword raised... and missed entirely, as Antieramon stopped in mid-movement to stare at the sky. Takato overbalanced and fell over, getting a mouthful of grass and dirt. He sat up and looked around, trying to see what was going on. There was a bright light hovering in the sky, as if a large star had decided to make its entrance early.

"The signal," Antieramon murmured. "I must go now. Goodbye, swordsman."

He crouched for a moment, and then sprang straight into the air, disappearing amid the trees. Takato dragged himself to his feet somewhat less gracefully, and began looking around.

"Ruki!" he called. "Ruki, where'd you go? Ruki!"

No answer. He began to run in the direction he'd last seen her heading, following a trail of footprints and crushed grass. Finally, he came upon her lost Cards and belt. A few yards beyond that was a large hollow among the grasses, as if something human-sized had fallen there. There was no sign of Ruki or the man in white.

Ruki woke up with one of the worst headaches she'd ever had in her life, rivaled only by the time someone had tried to teach her how to make a sleeping potion and she'd wound up knocking herself out for three days. This was very much the same feeling - an ache that ran up and down the back of her neck and made her sinuses feel the way they did before a heavy rainstorm, all combined with an unpleasant gumminess under her eyelids.

*Sleeping spell,* she thought. *Some slimy, Ogremon-kissing son of a Devidramon bitch and a Raremon had the nerve to throw a sleeping spell at me!* Politeness was not one of her virtues, particularly when she woke up with a headache.

She tried to stretch her aching muscles and found she couldn't. She sighed resignedly. Of course, whoever had spelled her would have tied her up, too. Wasn't that just her luck?

"So, you're awake," said a voice.

Ruki let him know just how awake she was by rattling off a long string of profanities, detailing her surmises about his parentage, what his relationship with them was, what he did in his spare time, and what in general she thought of being spelled and tied up and what she thought ought to be done to him for doing it. There was a long silence in response.

"I don't even know if some of those things are possible," he said at last.

"I've been told they are, if you know how," she replied irritably.

She tried to pry her eyes open and found that they, at least, would move, even if her arms and legs wouldn't. It did her very little good, as her new location was very dark, but she could vaguely see a blot of lighter color standing some distance away from her. His eyes still found ways of glinting even in the dark room.

"Well, obviously you are awake, alive, and capable of carrying on conversations," said Jenrya. "Maybe now we can have a talk without trying to chop each other to bits."

"I'm not telling you anything while you've got me trussed up like a Mummymon," she said. "Undo some of these ropes, and maybe I'll talk."

The man in white seemed to consider for a moment. Then he shrugged.

"All right," he said. "It's not like you're going anywhere, anyway. For one thing, you don't have your Cards, but I still have my magic. For another thing, Antieramon is waiting outside the only exit to keep you from escaping. Try anything funny, and one or both of us will make you sorry."

"Fine, fine. I know you've got me trapped. I might as well be trapped in comfort," she said. "As comfortable as anyone can be in this place."

"It's the best I can do," Jenrya replied. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't like it here, either."

"Then why are you here?" asked Ruki, watching as her captor took out a small knife and began sawing through her bonds.

Jenrya shrugged. "This is where I was told to come, so I came."

"So you work for someone else? Who?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

That was all the answer she could get out of him. He did, however, cut through all of the ropes and wait patiently for her to rub the numbness out of her hands and feet.

"Better now?" he asked.

"Not like you care."

"Look, I didn't really want to capture you," he snapped. "Do you think I like doing this? You have been given lots of chances to make this all end quietly; if you would just cooperate, everything would be fine."

"Cooperation doesn't come easily to me," she answered. "I'm used to doing my own thing, and I don't like situations I don't understand. If someone would tell me what's going on, maybe I wouldn't be so uncooperative."

"What do you need to know? You've been told flat-out: I need that Culumon. All you have to do is give it to me, and we never need to get in each other's way again."

"Well, I can't give him to you now," said Ruki with a cold glare. "You've gone and kidnaped me. He and Takato are probably miles away by now. Unless you scared Culumon with all that ruckus you kicked up, in which case he probably ran off and hid somewhere."

"Even if you don't know where he is," said Jenrya, "you have ways of finding him. You've been close enough to him for long enough that some of your magical energy has rubbed off on him. All we need is for you to sit here and wait for my master to come along, and he'll use you as the focus of the finding spell, and we'll have our Culumon by daybreak tomorrow."

"And just who is this master of yours? And what good is Culumon to you?"

Jenrya lowered his eyes. "None of your business."

"Hey, you're the one who dragged me into it!"

"And you're the one who killed all but one of my soldiers and stole Culumon from me!" Jenrya shot back. "Do you have any idea how I felt when I got that news? I was that close to finishing my mission, you had to come along and ruin it! All I wanted was to finish this thing so I can go back home... to my family..."

"Your family?" she repeated. "Who are they? Why can't you go home?"

"It's complicated."

"You might as well tell me; we've got nothing else to do while we're in here," Ruki pointed out.

Jenrya sighed. "All right. If that's what makes you happy, I suppose it couldn't hurt."

He sat down across from her, leaning against the wall. Then, rather to her surprise, he pulled back his hood and lowered his mask. Now she could finally see his face.

"You're a human," she said.

"You expected a chimera?" he replied.

Ruki shrugged. "I thought maybe you were a Digimon, too. You do look kind of like a Sorcerymon in that white robe."

"I'm a human, all right," he replied. "A noble, actually... or I was. I'm not sure I qualify anymore."

"Why not?"

"Well... I guess it started with my father. Maybe you've heard of him - he's Prince Janyuu Lee, ruler of New City."

"Yeah, I might have heard of him," said Ruki, fighting back surprise. She'd heard rumors that the prince had a son who'd disappeared mysteriously, but she, like most people, had simply assumed that he'd wandered too far into the forest and been eaten by an Ookuwamon or something. "He's the one they called the Peacekeeper."

"Yes," said Jenrya, nodding. "Not many people know that he was also a great sorcerer. He was a student of technomagic, and he had many of the great Shibumi's papers stored in his palace. He was particularly interested in the study of artificial intelligence, and the old stories about the Gate and Digimon..."

"Interesting," said Ruki, thinking of the Arks.

"Anyway, I wasn't much interested in being a king... or a peacemaker. I wanted to be a great warrior, so I used to go out into the forest to practice fighting and magic. Then one day, I met someone who would ruin my life."

"Who?"

"The sorcerer Yamaki."

"What?!" Ruki exclaimed. "But he was - he told me - wait a minute!"

Jenrya nodded calmly. "He told me that if I would help him with a mission of his, he would teach me the battle-magic that my father never would. And he did, at first. He also asked me questions, learned from me what my father had worked so hard to keep secret - that my father did indeed have the plans Shibumi used to open the Digital World Gate, and the records of what happened afterwards. Shortly after that, he took my father prisoner."

"Prisoner?"

"Well, he's not in New City anymore, is he?"

"I heard he went to the next kingdom to visit a friend there."

"That's the story they're telling," said Jenrya. "Do you think they'd really let it get out if the prince really had vanished without a trace? The people would panic. No, they're keeping it quiet for as long as they can. My sister is watching the city, for now. She's earnest enough, and she has good advisors, but she's so young..." He trailed off, eyes distant. "Perhaps that's why it startled me so much when you were calling me 'brother'. I miss her so much... and my father..."

"So now you're working for Mr. Yamaki," Ruki prompted.

Jenrya nodded again. "He has promised me that if I fulfil one mission for him, he'll return my father back to New City with no harm done to him, and I'll be free to go home. Until then, I either have to serve him or risk letting him kill my father."

"So if you give him Culumon, he lets your dad go free? Is that how it works?"

"That's what he says."

"Why Culumon?"

"I really don't know," said Jenrya. "I only know that there's something... different... about Culumon. He's not like other Digimon. He has no attacks. From what I've been able to gather, he's been around for years, bet he's never evolved as other Digimon do. He's just... there. Yamaki says he's something special, and that he'll be able to use him to work some kind of great magic. He doesn't trust me enough to tell me what it is."

"I don't trust him to do anything good," said Ruki. "I'm glad Culumon got away."

"He hasn't gotten away," said Jenrya. "Not while we have you captive."

Ruki frowned and didn't answer. She stared thoughtfully out into the darkness for a while.

"So," she said after a while, "your dad has a lot of information on technomagic, huh?"

"Yes," said Jenrya guardedly. "What's it to you?"

"Oh, nothing really," she said. "I was just wondering. So, your dad has it all written down in those books, I guess. That's what I'd do, if I had all that valuable information. Just to keep it from getting lost, you know."

"It's not all written down," said Jenrya. "He has Shibumi's old papers, but when he was still in the Academy himself, he and some friends did some of their own experiments. He's always coming up with new ideas and telling us all about it over the dinner table... not like we understand it."

"So there's some information that nobody could get unless your dad told them."

Jenrya gave her a hard stare. "What are you getting at?"

"I was just thinking... Yamaki's not just keeping your dad captive to keep you prisoner. There are lots of easier ways for a great sorcerer to do that. On the other hand, there's no place he could get all the information he wants except from your dad. You're useful, but you're not irreplaceable; he could get just about any soldier or mercenary to do what you're doing now. My guess is that he's not keeping your dad hostage just to keep you in line - that's just a little bonus for him. He's keeping your dad captive and alive because he needs to pick his brain for spells. He won't kill him until he's either learned everything he needs to know, or he finishes what he's doing."

"And if I help him..."

"Then he'll do whatever he's trying to do, and he won't need your dad anymore."

Jenrya was silent for a moment. Ruki found herself feeling sorry for him, remembering how she'd felt when her own father had died. At least then, she hadn't been inadvertently helping his killers...

"Why don't you set me free?" she said.

Jenrya gave a startled jerk. "What?"

"Let me go," she repeated. "If you keep me here, you're as good as letting Yamaki win. Is that what you want to do?"

"I can't risk it," he said, his eyes dark. "If I listen to you and you're wrong..."

Ruki shrugged. "Well, if I'm right, you can escape. If I'm wrong... well, you'll have given it your best shot, and you'll know you haven't been helping the guy who hurt your father."

"If I let you go, Yamaki will find something unfriendly to do to me."

"Not if you come with me."

Jenrya gave her a thoughtful look. "Is the infamous Ruki Makino, legendary lone warrior, asking someone to come with her?"

She shrugged and looked uncomfortable. "It's better than staying here."

There was a moment of silence. Then the quiet was broken by a small rushing noise, as of an animal running along one of the beams over their heads. Then it dropped, and Ruki gave a startled squawk as a Digimon landed only a few inches away from her.

"Shut up, would ya?" it asked. "He'll here you!"

"Who will?" she asked.

The Digimon shrugged. "Some guy in shades. Just thought I'd let you know."

"Should I know this Digimon?" Ruki asked.

Jenrya sighed a bit. "This is Terriermon. He was bothering me earlier. I don't know what he's doing here."

"Looking out for you," Terriermon replied. "If you want to get out of here, I'd suggest you do it now, before old sourpuss gets here."

That seemed to decide the man in white. He got to his feet.

"All right, that does it," he said. "When even the Digimon know it's time to get out, it's time to get out. Come on."

He led Ruki through a series of mazelike hallways, dark with years of dust and cobwebs, and through cracks in the tumbledown walls, Ruki could see that night had fallen. She wondered how long she had been asleep, and where Takato and Culumon were. Finally, they reached the front door, where Antieramon was crouching, filling most of the space.

"Get up," said Jenrya. "We're going."

Antieramon looked puzzled. "Has the master changed his orders?"

"No, I've changed my mind. I'm getting out of here. You can come with me or stay here, I don't care. Just don't try to stop us, and there won't be any trouble."

The rabbit-Digimon's eyes blinked in confusion. "You're leaving?"

"Yes. Now, stop holding us up."

The rabbit slowly got to his feet. As Jenrya, Ruki, and Terriermon began running for the shadows of the forest, the other Digimon followed silently after them.

"What are you doing?" Jenrya hissed.

"You said I could come," said Antieramon, "so I'm coming."

Jenrya stopped as if he'd walked into a tree. "You're following me?"

"Yes. You've always dealt fairly with me. I have no loyalty towards the master, but I will follow you if you need me."

"Well, if that's true..." said Jenrya slowly. "Welcome aboard."

"Great," Ruki sighed. "Just what I need in my life. More Digimon."

Takato picked his way slowly through the forest. He hated to admit it, but he was getting very lost. The sun had gone down hours ago, and he'd been walking since sunup. Now he was tired, hungry, thirsty, dirty, and worried. That was the trouble with sorcerers - Takato only had moderate skills in tracking, and wouldn't have had an easy time even if the kidnapper had gone on foot. Chasing something that could fly, or disappear at will... that was a problem.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" he asked, trying to shove his way past a large, prickly bush.

"Maybe," said Culumon.

"Maybe?" asked Takato. "We are walking around in the dark in a Digimon infested forest chasing after a powerful sorcerer, and the best you can do is maybe?"

"Almost," said Culumon.

"Huh?"

"I think she's this way," Culumon answered patiently. "I just won't know until we get there, culu."

Takato sighed. "Great. That's just what I needed to hear."

They blundered onward. It was very dark in the forest. All Takato could see were the stars winking through the treetops high above, and the pale white shape that was Culumon floating along in front of him. He had followed all kinds of people in his life, from generals to farmers, but he couldn't recall having ever followed around a baby Digimon, just because there was nothing else to follow. He would have turned around, but what would he do then? He couldn't just walk off and leave Ruki - he actually rather liked her, prickly though she could be. He also couldn't leave Culumon, and the little creature seemed determined to trail after Ruki.

Takato was mulling over all of this. He was not thinking about where he was going. That was why his foot caught on something large and solid, and he fell over into the leafy forest floor. From that position, he still couldn't see anything but leaves, but from the way his feet were still resting on the obstacle, he could tell it was something very large. It was also moving.

*Uh, oh, now I'm in for it,* thought Takato, reaching for his sword and knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to unsheathe it and get himself into defensive position in time to defend himself.

The thing he'd tripped on got up and began moving. Takato could hear its footsteps walking around him, and he curled up into a ball, hoping to protect what parts of him he could. His hair was ruffled as something with hot breath sniffed him over. He risked looking up a bit and saw two golden eyes peering down at him.

"Are you okay?" the thing asked. Its voice sounded like someone rubbing a wet balloon and not at all scary.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay," said Takato.

"That's good," said the voice. "Wouldn't want you to get hurt falling on me."

"Are you hurt?" asked Takato.

The creature shuffled around in the shadows, checking to see if it was hurt. "Nope!"

"I guess that's good," Takato said. "I didn't mean to fall on you. I was just looking for a friend of mine who's lost. You haven't seen her, have you?"

The golden eyes squinted as their owner tried to think. "What kind of friend?"

"Well, she was a girl, about sixteen, with red hair and purple eyes, and she might have been with a guy all in white and a big rabbit Digimon."

Head shake. "Haven't seen them."

"Oh. Too bad," said Takato.

"I had my eyes closed," the voice explained.

"Oh," said Takato again.

"And it was all dark."

"I see."

"I might have smelled them, though."

"Really?" asked Takato. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"You didn't ask."

Takato sighed. "Okay. Here, give this a sniff and see if it's familiar."

He fished in his pack and took out Ruki's severed belt and her pack of cards and offered it to the darkness, and he felt a nose sniffing the objects over. Then a rustling in the bushes told him that his unknown guide was shuffling off into the night. Not knowing what else to do, Takato trotted along behind it.

*I don't like not being able to see this thing,* he thought nervously. *I bet it's a Digimon... sounds like a big one. I hope it's not leading me off somewhere just so it can eat me - I don't feel like having any more fights today. I'm still sore from fighting that rabbit.*

As they continued walking, the rustling noises of the unknown Digimon became fainter and further away. Takato tried to keep up, but a large bush, invisible in the darkness, blocked his path. He struggled with it for a while before finally giving up and taking out his sword and hacking it to bits, much to Culumon's interest. A few feet beyond the bush, the forest cleared away, leaving open a small glen full of waving grasses and flowers - a pretty place, and Takato moved gratefully forward with the intent of stopping to rest his feet for a bit. In the moment it took for his eyes to adjust to the bright moonlight, he could see only a vague silvery shimmer of grasses and the more solid shapes of trees and rocks. Then he realized that one of the rocks was colored and shaped a bit wrong, and he jumped.

"Whoa!" he said, grabbing instinctively for his sword.

"Yipes!" said the Digimon, and it dove behind a rock - a silly gesture, since a good three feet of tail stuck out in plain view.

"Oops," Takato said, recognizing the voice. "I didn't know it was you. Come back out - I won't hurt you."

The Digimon looked out and blinked at him, apparently trying to make up his mind whether Takato was really not dangerous. Takato took a moment to evaluate his newfound friend. It was indeed a Digimon, probably a Rookie level, he guessed, of saurian aspect. It was covered from head to toe with fine red scales, except for a white streak that covered its neck and stomach, and a few decorative black patches. Finlike ears pricked in Takato's direction as bright golden eyes evaluated the swordsman. Its long claws and sharp white teeth made Takato briefly remember that humans and Digimon were supposed to be mortal enemies, but he couldn't quite make himself believe that this thing that was still hiding behind a rock was dangerous.

"Don't worry," he said to it. "All I want tonight is to find my friend so we can get out of here. My name is Takato, and this is Culumon. What's your name?"

"Guilmon," the Digimon replied.

"Guilmon, huh? Nice name. Glad to meet you, Guilmon." Takato offered his hand to shake, and the dinosaur walked out to sniff his hand. Takato laughed.

"That's not how you do it," he said. "It's like this."

He reached out his hand and managed to fold it around one of Guilmon's claws and shake it. For a moment, he had the strange sensation of fire against his skin, the same way he felt when he touched the red Ark. The feeling passed as soon as he recognized it.

"What are we doing?" asked Guilmon.

"This is shaking hands," Takato explained. "It's a way of showing someone you want to be friends."

"Do you want to be my friend?" asked Guilmon.

"Sure. Why not?"

"I never had a friend who was a human. When humans see me, they yell and run away. I don't know why. Do you?"

"Not a clue," Takato replied. "Anyway, I hate to rush you, but I really do need to find my other friend. She could be in trouble, so if you could find the trail again..."

"Okay!" said Guilmon agreeably. He trotted a few feet and turned back to Takato, grinning and waving a claw. "This way! Let's go!"

"Let's take a break."

Jenrya paused at the edge of a small stream and leaned tiredly against a tree. He seemed a lot more tired than just a few miles of walking should have made him, even considering that he had been fighting earlier, and Ruki wondered just how much power he'd put into spelling her earlier. Seeing that he was not going to go any further for a while, the others stopped as well.

"That's not a bad idea," said Ruki. "I could use a break myself." Actually, she felt fine, other than a lingering headache from the sleeping spell, but her limited magic could tell that her new companion's energy stores were running low. If he was pushed much further, he might pass out.

"You worn out already?" asked Terriermon, clambering onto Jenrya's shoulder and anchoring himself with one ear. "We haven't gone all that far."

"I've had a hard day," he said. "Casting sleep spells take a lot out of me - especially casting them on stubborn people like her. If I hadn't put everything I had into it, she would have been up and around in five minutes flat."

"So instead, you opted to hit me so hard I'd wake up with a headache that would kill a Whamon," said Ruki.

"Something like that," he said. "Don't complain. That's nothing compared to what I'll do to you if I find out this scheme of yours has put my father in danger."

"You could always turn back, you know," Ruki said.

"I could, but I won't," he said. "I am not going back to the man who made a slave out of me, not while I still have a chance for my freedom."

"Slave?" Ruki repeated. "Hm... Hang on just one second - I just thought of something."

She reached into the pockets of her cloak and took out the box with the Arks. With her back to Jenrya so he couldn't see what she was doing, she set all of them on the ground and covered them with handkerchiefs. Then she beckoned for him to come and join her.

"Pick one," she said, gesturing at the handkerchiefed bundles.

"You got me up to play guessing games?" he asked.

"There's more to this game than you think. Just touch them all and tell me which one's different from the rest."

Looking still annoyed but curious, he did as he was told. His hand paused on one of the bundles near the center of the row, and his expression shifted to one of surprise.

"This one," he said with certainty. "It feels... almost alive... like it's laughing."

Ruki pulled off the handkerchief. As she'd expected, it was the green device, the one that had been labeled "slave".

*Well, he's not a slave anymore, not if any of us have anything to say about it.*

"What does this mean?" asked Jenrya, picking up the device and studying it.

"It likes you," Ruki informed him. "Keep it. It's yours now."

Jenrya looked suspicious. "Why are you giving me this? You don't even know me."

"No, but I do know better than to tangle with big-time magic. I don't know what that thing is, but it's got some heavy-duty enchantments on it. If it wants to stay with you, I'm not going to tell it no."

"So moumantai already!" Terriermon piped up. "If she wants to give you a present, take it!"

"Moumantai?" Ruki repeated.

"Yeah, moumantai," said Jenrya, looking as if he wasn't sure whether to be amazed or annoyed. "It's from one of the old languages. It means 'take it easy'."

"I know what it means," said Ruki. "I want to know why he knows."

"Because he's annoying," said Jenrya. There was a sparkle in his eye as he said it, however, and Terriermon caught the look and winked at him. Ruki felt a funny shiver run through her.

*There's something about these two - I can almost feel it, like electricity, or magic. If a human and a Digimon could - could somehow... belong to each other...*

She never got to finish the thought. At that moment, there was a fiery crash, which she only got a glimpse of before something large slammed into her and shoved her out of the way. She hit the ground and rolled. As she sat up again, she saw that Antieramon had thrown himself at herself and Jenrya, pushing them and the smaller Digimon out of harm's way. The rabbit-Digimon appeared to have taken the brunt of the explosion; his clothes and fur were scorched.

"So," said a cold voice. "This is how my servant behaves when my back is turned - running away, stealing my soldiers and my prisoners. How very foolish."

Ruki turned to look, already knowing what she was going to see. Hovering unconcernedly in midair was the mage Yamaki, arms folded across his chest, glaring down at them from sightless eyes. Even while her insides were twisting at the thought of having to face the most powerful mage alive without her Cards, the back of her mind was playing with the idea of how much energy it would take to sustain a hover-spell like that and still be able to cast a high-level flame spell, and thinking that the sorcerer Yamaki was a showoff.

"I'm no servant of yours, Yamaki," said Jenrya. "I'm a free man."

"Possibly," said the sorcerer, "but even a free man has obligations - to his country, to his fellow men... to his family. May I remind you of the price of disobedience, Jenrya?"

"Go ahead," said Jenrya levelly. He was standing proudly, looking every bit as unconcerned as his former master, the cool image spoiled only by the fact that Terriermon was still sitting on his shoulder.

"Have you forgotten already that your father's life hangs on your obedience? Or do you think I really won't go through with my threats?"

"Fine. Go ahead," said Jenrya. "See if I care. It doesn't matter to me. If my father dies, then I'll be king. That suits me a lot better than slaving away for you."

"What?" That was obviously not what Yamaki was expecting. Ruki felt much the same way.

*What is he talking about?* she thought. *If he's been lying to me...*

As if knowing what she was thinking, Jenrya turned his head slightly, a movement that was invisible to the blind mage but clearly seen by Ruki. Much to her surprise, Jenrya winked at her.

*I get it! He's playing the same game I was, back at the inn. Maybe this guy's not hopeless after all.*

"You heard me," said Jenrya. "Did you think a man with magic and noble blood in his veins intended to be an errand boy for you forever? Now that I know where the Culumon is, I have no more need of you. When I have my father's armies on my side, and the infamous Ruki Makino's magic to protect me, even you won't be able to stop me."

"You're bluffing," Yamaki accused. "Even if you did know where Culumon is, you wouldn't know how to use his power."

"Think again. Thanks to my father's studies, I know more about how to use him than you ever will. So go ahead - kill my father if you want to. Right now. I'll even come watch." He waited a moment, and Ruki carefully watched the sorcerer's expression. He appeared to be balking.

"Well?" asked Jenrya. "What are you waiting for? Go on. You shouldn't make threats you don't want to keep."

Still the sorcerer hesitated. Jenrya smiled thinly.

"Just as I thought. You aren't really going to do it, are you?"

"You have gotten entirely too intelligent all of a sudden," said Yamaki. "I will have to remedy this. I have no use for slaves who get ideas of their own."

"Uh-oh, now you've done it," said Ruki, grimacing. Once again, she wished desperately that she had her Cards. She drew her sword, but she had a feeling it wasn't going to do her any good.

"It was your idea!" Jenrya shouted back.

Yamaki made a gesture, and fire bloomed again. Ruki was just barely able to get out of the way, and through the curtain of flame, she couldn't see where Jenrya had gone. She heard him, however, and in the next instant, there was a flash of eye-searing white light that shot across the stream in the sorcerer's direction. Ruki was impressed; magic didn't handle running water very well. Her new associate had to be good if he could get a spell of any sort across even a small stream. When the smoke and lights died down, she saw Jenrya poised with a Card in his hand.

*What do you know, a Cardmage,* she thought distractedly.

"Ruki!" he barked. "Catch!"

He reached in a fold of his cloak and took out a wrapped package of cards, pitching them towards her. She caught them easily and ripped off the paper. She grabbed the first card without looking to see what it was and flourished it. Instantly, fires bloomed and rushed at the sorcerer like wild animals. Ruki smiled faintly. She had always rather had a knack for fire-spells. They wrapped around him and obscured him for a moment, until he shouted words that made them die with a loud crackling noise. He shot a glare in her general direction.

"You are making life unnecessarily difficult," he said calmly.

"That makes two of us," she shot back.

"This is not your fight."

"Congratulate me. I just adopted it."

"Very well, then. Allow me to give you a little gift."

The sorcerer held up one hand, and bright lights began to gather there, forming a shining white sphere. Jenrya shouted again and threw a bolt of lightning, attempting to cause a distraction, but the bolt was waved away like a bothersome fly. It sounded like Jenrya was trying again, but Ruki didn't bother to watch what he was doing. She wasn't sure what the mage was doing, but she had a feeling she wanted to be out of the way before it went off.

Behind her, Yamaki tossed the ball of light into the air, and it burst, spraying the area with glowing shards. Everything they touched burst into brief, wild fires. Ruki felt something fall to earth behind her and explode, pitching her into the air.

*Oh, heck,* she thought distractedly. *That's not a spell I know. I wonder where he got it?*

She hit the ground with a bone-jarring thud and lay there, dazed. She was dimly aware that Jenrya was in similar shape, but she was not in any mood to worry about him. The explosion had burned her, and she hurt. That was all she could make her mind concentrate on for the moment. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the mage drop lightly from the sky to land by the riverbank. He took a few steps forward, coming closer to her.

"This is what you get for meddling in other people's affairs," he said quietly. The forest sounded strangely silent; not even a wind was moving in the trees. "I had hoped you would be cooperative. As things are... your dead body will work as well for the focus of a finding spell as if you were still alive. This is the end of your legend, Ruki Makino."

He took another step closer, and Ruki tried to move out of the way, but her aching body wouldn't obey her. It felt as if the air had frozen into ice, rock-solid ice that would not let her move. He took another step. Flickers of power were gathering between his fingers. Another step.

*Renamon, where are you? Damn you, you said you'd protect me!* thought Ruki wildly. *Renamon!*

The wind suddenly picked up in the trees. The lights were building around the approaching sorcerer, not only on his hands but all around him as the spell rose to completeness. She could feel its power washing against her skin; nothing she could do now would save her. It was funny, she thought with detachment, how one noticed every little detail of the surroundings at a time like this. If by some miracle she survived beyond this moment, she would remember the rest of her life the way the treetops were swaying against the star-spangled sky, and the feel of a cool breeze touched with a scent of wisteria...

Something slammed against the sorcerer from the side, throwing him momentarily off- balance. A prickle ran through the air as his spell disintegrated.

"Why pick on a girl who's already down?" asked Renamon. "I'm more of a challenge."

"I don't have time to chase after stray Digimon," Yamaki snapped. "Get out of here, you mutated freak."

"Smile when you say that," Renamon answered, twitching her ears impudently.

In reply, Yamaki made an annoyed gesture with one hand, and the trees Renamon had been standing amid burst into blue flames... but Renamon was not among them anymore, but sailing through the air. She landed lightly on her back paws, letting her tail settle gracefully around her, not even so much as singed.

"You really are blind, aren't you?" she taunted.

The mage's handsome face twisted into an ugly snarl, and he tossed another ball of light at her. Ruki watched, half in fear, half in amazement, as Renamon avoided the blast as if it were barely moving. She kept calling taunts back to the sorcerer, driving him to more violent and reckless behavior... but keeping his mind completely off of his two original targets. Ruki managed to shake herself from her daze enough to perform a quick healing - not enough to bring her to full strength again, but enough that she could move again. She hurried over to Jenrya's side and gave him a quick inspection; he had taken a worse hit from the spell than she had, and she mustered what power she had left to try to heal him.

"That's cold," he said faintly.

"It's better than being dead," she told him. "You almost got roasted. We've got to get out of here before-"

There was another explosion, and Ruki winced as the ground beneath her feet shook. A moment later, a rather battered-looking Renamon fell out of the sky a few yards away. Forgetting any of her old prejudices against Digimon, Ruki scampered over to kneel next to her.

"I'm sorry," said Renamon. "He was too strong for me..."

"It's okay," Ruki replied, running a hand over Renamon's smooth fur. It made her fingers tingle, as if she were touching the wind. "You were amazing, Renamon. You saved my life."

"Not for long," Terriermon muttered. "Mister Happy's coming this way, and none of you look like you're in any shape to run away."

Ruki looked up. The sorcerer was returning to his original quarry, looking rather ruffled but grimly determined. She faced him squarely, trying to meet eyes that couldn't see her. If her time was really up, she was not going to meet her end cringing like a coward.

However, just before the mage could reach her, there was a crash in the underbrush, as if one or two large things were rushing through the woods. Yamaki spun in place, hunting for the source of the sound - not hard, as much noise as was being made.

"We're coming, Ruki!" Takato bellowed.

"More reinforcements?" Yamaki muttered.

"That's me," Ruki retorted. "I'm just Little Miss Social."

Takato rushed into view, making quite a display as he flourished his sword. He was followed by Culumon and an unfamiliar red Digimon. They all stopped short as they caught sight of the angry sorcerer and the ruined riverside.

"Uh-oh, it's him again," said Takato. "This doesn't look good."

"Is he a friend, too?" asked Guilmon, giving Takato an inquisitive look.

"Not hardly," Takato replied. "I think he's an enemy."

Guilmon's eyes narrowed until the black in them was nothing but a pair of dark slits, and he growled deep in his throat. "Don't you hurt my friend!"

"I'd like to see you stop me," Yamaki replied.

With a snarl, Guilmon made a dash at Yamaki, only to be thrown off his feet by an explosion. Undaunted, he shook himself and attacked again, while Takato watched helplessly. It was ridiculous to face a powerful mage with nothing but a sword, but he had to do something or Guilmon would get turned into a pile of dust before he ever got a chance to know him properly. Suddenly, it was surpassingly important that nothing get between him and Guilmon, but what could he do? All he had was his sword... and Ruki's Cards, but they wouldn't work for him.

Or would they? He scrambled in his pack and took out the red Ark and Ruki's cards. Grabbing one at random, he pulled it through the slot in the Ark. Instantly, there was a crackle of energy, and Guilmon suddenly leaped to his feet just in time to avoid a blast that might have otherwise finished him off. He did not fall to earth, but hovered, suspended on glowing white wings that carried him across the stream to land next to Ruki and Jenrya.

"What in the world?" Jenrya muttered.

"The Arks..." Ruki muttered. "They work with the Cards... and the Digimon! That's what these things do - they transfer the powers of the Cards to the Digimon!"

Quickly, she reached for her Ark, the blue one that made her fingers tingle as if she held the wind.

"Takato, throw me the Cards!" she shouted.

"You've already got some of mine; what more do you need?" asked Jenrya.

"You can have them; I want mine," she said. She shoved the deck back in his direction.

"Suit yourself," he said.

He took out one labeled with a picture of a glowing red sphere and ran it through the green Arc.

"Whoa, that feels weird," Terriermon complained. "I think I'm gonna... whoa!"

With an almost involuntary flourish of ears, he suddenly launched a round of red fireballs through the air, making them explode around the stunned mage. Terriermon laughed.

"Whee, this is fun!" he cheered. "Haha! Take that!"

"Here, Ruki, catch!" Takato shouted. He pitched her packet of Cards as hard as he could, and she caught it neatly. She opened it and selected a card, and Jenrya stared with interest. The design on it was one he'd never seen before, one of a dark, swirling vortex full of flashing lights. In the shimmering starlight, it almost seemed to move.

"Now, this, friend, is a Card," said Ruki, nodding her approval. "Hey, hot shot! Eat this!"

She whipped the Card through the Ark, bringing about another surge of energy, and Ruki smiled. This was what she was born to do - fight battles like this, and she knew instinctively that Renamon was the perfect battle partner for her. Even before she'd finished the split-second work of pulling the Card through its slot, Renamon was on her feet again, apparently as refreshed as if she'd never been hurt at all. She leaped into the air and spread her paws, and suddenly there was light forming there, a spinning mass of light and shadows and fire. With a final flourish, she released it, and for an instant, the clearing was drowned in darkness and flame...

Then it passed. In the center of what was now a dried-out riverbed in the middle of a field of sand, the sorcerer stood with his clothes and hair rearranged, but looking otherwise unhurt. He turned to face all of them briefly.

"Well," he said, sounding a bit hoarse, "it seems you know a few tricks I don't. Perhaps you will be more of a challenge than I anticipated. We will see each other again."

With a flourish of his cloak, he vanished. Everyone else collapsed where they stood, too weary, aching, and shocked to stand another minute.

"What," said Jenrya, "in the name of everything that moves was that?"

"The reason why they call me the greatest Cardmage alive," said Ruki. "Every card-player ought to have an ace or two in the hole; that was one of mine."

"But what was it?" Jenrya persisted. "I've never seen a Card like it."

"I've never seen anything like it," said Takato.

"That's because there isn't anything like it. It's a spell of my own invention," Ruki replied. "I wouldn't be much of a Cardmage if I couldn't make my own Cards when I need them. That's one of my favorites."

"Oh," said Takato. "Um, by the way... isn't that the guy in white who kidnaped you? What's he doing here?"

"He's running away," Ruki explained. "He's on our side now, I think... him, and these Digimon. Takato, meet Jenrya, Terriermon, and Antieramon. Everyone, this is Takato, Culumon, and... what is that thing, anyway?"

"This is Guilmon," said Takato.

"Hi!" said Guilmon.

"He's my friend," Takato replied.

"More than a friend," said Renamon, coming to join the group. "They are partners."

"Partners?" repeated Ruki uneasily.

"Just as we are," Renamon replied. "Didn't you feel it, just now?"

She hung her head. "I guess I did. It's just... strange. I mean, I don't like Digimon, but..."

Renamon put a paw under her chin, forcing her to look up and meet her eyes. They were the color of emeralds in the starlight, deep and ageless and wise. Looking into them gave Ruki courage.

"Acceptance will come in time," said Renamon. "Until then... will you allow me to stay with you? I do not want a repeat of tonight."

"I think I can deal with that," said Ruki.

"Do you mean," said Jenrya, "that I am stuck with this little creature here for... for the rest of my life?"

"Yup!" Terriermon chirped. "You need someone to look after you. Maybe with my influence, you'll learn how to smile once in a while."

Jenrya stared at him, an expression of bafflement on his face. Then he did something unexpected: he laughed. It started as a small, suppressed chuckle, but it wouldn't stay down. It broke into a full-fledged laugh, forcing him to brace himself against a tree to keep him from falling to the ground.

"Yeah, that's the idea!" said Terriermon. "I knew you had it in you somewhere!"

"Are you okay?" asked Takato.

Jenrya waved the question away as he tried to catch his breath again. Dabbing tears from his eyes, he managed to gasp, "I'm all right, I'm all right." Gulping another breath, he said more steadily, "It was just... too much for me, for a minute. It just hit me - I really am free now... unless you count taking orders from a Digimon... and it all came out as laughing."

"Laughing is good for you," said Terriermon.

"I think I'll be doing it a lot more often, from now on," said Jenrya. "Especially with you all around."

"We're glad to have you aboard," said Takato. "Right, Ruki?"

Ruki looked at the assembled company. A few days ago, it had just been herself. Now it was herself, plus a swordsman, a mage, a dinosaur, a rabbit, a dog, a golden fox, and a... whatever Culumon was. All she had wanted for years was to be left alone, and this was very strange, and yet, now that it was happening, it didn't feel wrong. It felt as warm as a campfire, as natural as laughing, as sweet as a wisteria-scented wind. She turned just enough that she could look into Renamon's emerald eyes.

*Acceptance,* whispered a voice in her mind.

"Sure," she said. "Welcome aboard."