Digimon Fan Fiction / Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Digimon Slayers ❯ The Healer and the Hunter ( Chapter 3 )

Cable Town was a flourishing habitation, large enough to have not only a wall around it, but niceties like a large town hall, a library, and a sizeable marketplace. Takato and Jenrya gazed lazily down at it from their shelter amid the trees. They had been traveling all night since their clash with the sorcerer, and now they were both glad of a respite in a reasonably safe hiding place. At this point, the forest they'd been traveling through stopped abruptly, and the ground dropped sharply into a long hill that was only just barely not steep enough to be called a cliff. From here, they were safely hidden within the tree shadows, and they could still keep an eye on the main roads that led to and from the town.

"When do you think Ruki will be back?" asked Takato.

"How should I know?" Jenrya replied. "You know her better than I do; you tell me."

"I hardly know her myself. I only met her a couple of days ago."

Jenrya gave him a speculative look. "She must trust you a great deal to travel with you. Either that, or she is very confident in her ability to defend herself."

"I don't think she trusts anyone," Takato replied. "It's just... weird stuff's going on, you know?"

"She does trust you," said Renamon, authority in her voice. "Not out of any particular merit you might have, but because it is a necessity."

"I guess that's right," Jenrya said, looking around at the odd little party they'd assembled. "The same reason we all trust each other."

"I don't know if I believe that," said Takato. "I trust Ruki because I know she can be trusted. Maybe she's not the nicest person in the world, but she doesn't mess with anyone who doesn't mess with her first. And Culumon and Guilmon wouldn't hurt a fly if it bit them. I don't know about the rest of you yet, but you seem all right."

"I see," said Jenrya thoughtfully. "Well, I hope I earn your trust too, in time. You seem like a good person. So... you don't believe Ruki is getting up to any mischief down in that town, then."

"I didn't say that."

They settled back down to wait. An hour or more ago, Ruki had told them to stay beneath the trees and wait for her while she went down into the town. Her explanation was that she had business of one sort and another to conduct down there, and while people might know her and trust her, they probably would be made suspicious if she came in with a pair of competent- looking, sword-wielding characters and a variety of Digimon. Since there was some truth in that argument, the young men and the 'mons had agreed to stay where they were.

As the sun was nearing the horizon, Renamon's sharp eyes picked up a movement coming up the road - the flicker of a wind-tossed cloak, the flash of sunlight on red hair. Soon everyone could see Ruki returning, looking pleased with herself. She scrambled up the hill and dropped onto a fallen log in an attitude of exhaustion.

"Whew!" she said. "And I thought my mother was bad about haggling prices! I was starting to think I'd never get out of there."

Takato blinked. "But... you didn't buy anything, did you?" he said, appraising her empty hands.

"You have a lot to learn about sorcerers," said Jenrya. "Do you think we wear these cloaks for show?"

"Well, kind of..."

Ruki sighed and shook her head. "Yes, you definitely have a long way to go. For your information, we've usually got three or four spells woven into these things... spells for carrying things, for instance."

She whipped off her cloak and shook it. A pile of boxes, packages, and bags fell out in a disorganized heap. Takato stared.

"That's... gotta be very useful," he said. "What is all this stuff?"

"Supplies," she explained. "I figure we're going to be on the road a lot. It's not safe for us to spend too much time where there are lots of people, especially with the Digimon following us around. We'll have to move as fast as we can and not stop for anything except to sleep. That means no time for hunting, no time for replenishing spells, no time to look for healers..."

There was an unhappy murmur. Ruki bore it patiently. After their dual with Yamaki, there was not one among them who wasn't feeling sore, burnt, or battered. Jenrya had used up nearly all his magical power the night before, and it had yet to replenish itself enough that he could have worked even a small healing. Ruki wasn't nearly as drained, but her healing talents were small and quickly used up. Most of their combined strength had gone into patching up Antieramon, who had taken serious injury in the first sneak attack. There had been very little left for anyone else, and none of them were in the best of condition.

"That is bad," said Takato. "That's going to slow us down if we have to travel while we're injured."

"I bought medicines," she said. "They aren't as good as a real healing, but there's not much else we can do."

"What else have you got in there?" asked Jenrya. He was eyeing Guilmon, who was crawling toward the packs on all fours, sniffing them avidly with his ears pricked forward.

"Traveling food," she said, "so we don't have to forage for things later. Spare weapons and tools. A map and compass. Bandages. Blankets. You know, traveling supplies. The basics. Also..." She rummaged through the packs, pushing Guilmon and Culumon out of the way. "I got a present for you, Takato."

"Who, me?" he asked, surprised.

She pulled out a small paper-wrapped packet and tossed it to him. He eyed it curiously. The paper was unlike anything he'd felt before, almost clothlike, and it was held shut on both sides by a wax seal with unfamiliar symbols on it.

"Go on," Ruki prompted him. "You're supposed to open presents, not sit around staring at the wrapping paper all day."

Carefully, Takato pried loose the seals and unfolded the paper. Inside was a stack of sixty or so rectangles of stiff pasteboard, marked with a variety of interesting pictures. He riffled across the deck and felt his fingers tingling as from electricity.

"Cards?" he asked. "But I can't use these..."

"You can with that Ark of yours," she replied. "I figure, if Fate gives you a weapon, use it. That's your ammunition. I tried to get you a good variety of basic spells - fire, ice, wind, the usual things. Sorry there's nothing fancy in there, but..."

"But some Cards are temperamental," Jenrya finished. "People who don't know what they're doing have a bad history of accidentally triggering something and obliterating themselves."

Takato blanched a little and looked as if he'd like to have somewhere he could hide his new deck of Cards. Ruki scowled at him.

"Don't be like that," she said. "I wouldn't have given you anything I thought was dangerous. If you accidentally blew yourself up, odds are you'd take us with you. Do you think I want that?"

"No, I guess not," said Takato.

"Trust me. I am the greatest Cardmage alive. I know whether a Card is volatile or not," said Ruki. "Don't worry; I'll teach you how to use those, or at least the principles of it. Preferably while we walk; we've wasted enough time here already."

"You're probably right," said Jenrya, reluctantly pulling himself to his feet. He pressed a hand to his sore side and winced. "If you've got any painkiller in those packs, I'll be happy to carry it."

"You're going to have to," Ruki replied. "We're all sharing this load. All of us," she added, with a telling glance at the Digimon.

"Huh?" said Terriermon, looking affronted. "What do I look like, a pack mule?"

"It's only fair," said Takato, resolutely shouldering his burden. He had been hurt least of all of them, and felt he owed it to them to take the heaviest pack. "It's not right to make one member carry everything when all of us are going to use it."

"Why can't she just put it back in her cape where it came from?" Terriermon persisted.

"Because it's still heavy," said Ruki, grabbing a bag and tossing it to Renamon, who took it and shouldered it without complaint,"and that spell doesn't hold up but for so long. I could maybe carry it for a half-hour or so, but after that point, things would start breaking down and, depending on what snapped first, everything would either go tumbling down to the ground or fall down an inderdimensional warphole and never be seen again. Is that what you want?"

Terriermon sighed and picked up a small bundle. Culumon did the same. Jenrya helped them get the straps hitched over their arms and legs so they wouldn't lose anything, and then picked up one of the larger bundles. So did Ruki. Antieramon was given a bulky bundle of blankets - large, but not particularly heavy, meaning that he could carry it well enough even in his still-injured state. Thus encumbered, they set off.

Ruki's plan had varying levels of success. Takato managed perfectly well - he'd been on campaigns where he'd been forced to carry a great deal more, so he regarded this as being little more than a mild inconvenience. Guilmon likewise proved suited to the task, being surprisingly strong and agile. He trotted steadily along on all fours, cheerful as if this were all a game. Ruki bore up as well as she could, but she still felt stiff and achy all over, and tired from her attempts at healing. It was not a magic she was well suited to, and she was feeling the strain. Jenrya seemed to feel the same, though he bore up stolidly, reminding himself that he could still be slaving away for Yamaki, and that he was lucky to have nothing worse to do than carry bags. Renamon loped along silently, moving no less gracefully for the addition of a backpack than she had without it.

It was lucky that the five of them could bear most of the load themselves, because the last three Digimon were not managing well. Despite the fact that Ruki had made the lightest bundle she could for Culumon, he still seemed to be tiring under its burden, and finally wound up riding on Guilmon's head. Terriermon didn't want a bag and didn't care who knew it. He was also not cut out for long-distance traveling, particularly amid trees that snagged at his long ears. He alternated between soaring short distances and riding on his partner's shoulders. Antieramon, true to his nature, never complained, but he was clearly having difficulties. Ruki did a covert test of his energy field and found it flickering; his injuries, magically inflicted and ineptly healed, were betraying him. She estimated that he would make it until nightfall if he wasn't pushed too hard, but that was all. Beyond that point, he would either need to stop for a proper healing or stop because he'd collapsed. She hoped by the end of the day, her and Jenrya's magic would have recovered enough that they could heal him more completely.

*Somehow,* she thought, as her foot caught a root and nearly made her fall, *I doubt that's going to happen.*

A woman was walking slowly up the hall of the palace, carefully balancing a glass on a tray. She appeared to be a serving woman, and not a particularly important one, by the look of her. Her clothing was simple: a one-piece white dress, devoid of all ornamentation, not even a bit of trim at the hems or a frill at the wrists. Her shoes were likewise simple, comfortable, and serviceable, clicking softly as she continued her journey. Her long red hair was unbound, falling straight past her shoulders. She wore no jewelry and no makeup. It was as if every effort had been made to make her as plain as possible. Yet, oddly enough, her simple white dress was of the finest silk, and a breath of expensive perfume rode the air around her. One meeting her for the first time would likely have come to one of two conclusions. One was that she was the servant of some great lord who would not permit even his lowest drudges to go clad in rags. The other was that she was a member of some religious order that would not permit even its highest priestess to go dressed in frills. There was some truth in both of those ideas, but only a grain. The truth was somewhat more complicated.

The other servants who worked in Yamaki's home knew exactly what she was, and even those who arrived after she had first appeared soon learned. Her show of simplicity couldn't begin to hide the fact that she was spectacularly beautiful. The form her plain dress fit over was perfectly shaped, with the thin silk clinging to it in interesting ways. Her face needed no enhancing to draw attention to her soft lips and wide, sea-colored eyes, and many of the servant men would have killed for a chance to run their hands through her silky hair. Even a blind man could have seen that she was something special... and so he had.

Nearly five years ago, Reika Ootori had been living in her own small village, studying what magic she could learn from a local wisewoman but yearning for a teacher who could help her reach her full potential. When she'd heard news that the renowned sorcerer Yamaki would be traveling through one of the nearby cities, she had left her home to seek him out. He had been very surprised when she had approached him boldly and asked him to teach her. Naturally, he had turned her down - the greatest magician alive had no need of a simple village girl, after all. He had expected her to bow and back down... but she had not. She had argued with him, fluently enough to make him realize the village girl he was dealing with was anything but simple. Intrigued, he had tested her powers, and what he found had prompted him to cancel the rest of his visit so he could begin her training immediately.

So she had come to stay with him, with no expectation than to be instructed in a few spells. However, as they spent day after day working side by side, they had formed a mutual respect for each other, then genuine liking, and within a year, both of them had fallen under an enchantment of a sort very different than anything they'd been studying. That spring, an order had been given that she have her lodgings relocated to the room across the hall from Yamaki's, just in case the master should need her assistance with some late-night experiment. Naturally, there were a few snickers among the lower servants, with assorted jokes about "love at first sight" and "blinding beauty" and "the most beautiful girl he'd never seen," but a little encouragement from the mage himself had made them all but vanish.

Even so, Reika preferred the white dress. She could have had anything she wanted - Yamaki wasn't stingy when it came to seeing her happy - but it was comfortable, practical, and its simplicity helped discourage the attention of at least some of the more superficial men she met. She could wear it and look perfectly modest, yet still be attractive to the one who knew her only by sound and touch. Likewise, she avoided jewelry, which was only cold and sharp to him. As for makeup, what use had she for it? As far as she was concerned, it was the perfect arrangement: she could be her most attractive by putting in minimal effort.

Coming to the end of the hallway, she reached a door and balanced her tray on one hand so she could knock.

"Go away!" said a voice from within.

"Mitsuo, it's me, Reika."

"Ah," he said, a bit more gently. "Are you sure it can't wait, whatever it is? I'm busy."

"You're always busy," she scolded. "Can I at least come in?"

"If you wish."

Since her hands were full, she simply stared at the door, and it politely opened for her - after all, it knew her fairly well by this time. That was one of the advantages of living with a technomage: half the machines in the castle had partial intelligence, and would usually do as she asked them.

The room she entered was a small one, without much more space than could comfortably hold a medium-sized bookshelf, a desk, a computer, a chair, and a human being or two. There was perhaps enough floor space for six, if they didn't mind standing close together. Right now, the only one in there was Yamaki, sitting at the computer as it read to him from the pages of some dusty old book in a language Reika didn't feel like trying to understand. As she entered the room, he turned the sound off.

"Did you have something you wanted to say?" he asked.

"I just brought you this," she said, passing him the tray. "I thought you might be thirsty. You've been working all morning without a break."

He took the glass and sniffed it, and found it to be only fruit juice. That was just as well; he needed his wits about him. He also knew Reika worried about him, and he didn't put it past her to slip him something that would force him to stop what he was doing and rest, whether he was ready to or not.

"I will rest when I am finished," he told her. "That will be soon. I would have been done by now, but an unexpected situation has arisen and I need to deal with it."

"Don't you think you'll deal with it better if you aren't working yourself until you drop?"

"I am fully capable of judging my own strength."

"Yes," she said. "I know that. What worries me is that you tend to ignore that particular knowledge."

He scowled a bit and busied himself with his drink. She eyed him suspiciously.

"There's something not right about you, lately," she said. "You're overextending yourself. I've seen you run yourself ragged before, but never like this. It's like you're obsessed."

"You're reading the signals wrong. This isn't obsession - it's the last burst of speed at the end of a race."

Her eyebrows rose. "You mean to say...?"

"I've found the cure."

"Are you certain?"

"I am absolutely certain. I have tested it every possible way I can think of, and everything comes up positive. All I need is one final ingredient, a single key, and my work will finally be complete."

She frowned, knowing he couldn't see it. She wasn't completely sure she liked that idea.

"What is this key?" she asked at last.

"It is a small Digimon known as Culumon," Yamaki explained. "Or rather, an artifact that has been sealed inside him, a key that can open all gates - anything that has been sealed."

"So, all you need is this Digimon, and you'll be able to see?"

"That is my belief. Only the actual conducting of the experiment will tell," he replied. He gulped down the last of his drink and sighed. "Only a little while longer..."

She kept silent a moment. Then, quietly, "Are you sure it's even necessary?"

"Necessary?" The tone of his voice implied he thought she'd gone crazy. "How can you ask such a thing?"

"No reason, I suppose," she answered. Her tone did not sound certain, but he let it go.

*She could have a point... I have done very well for myself without the use of my sight. I probably would never have come this far if I had been able to see - if I'd had nothing to work for. Instead, I'm one of the most powerful people alive, I have wealth to spare and the love of a beautiful woman... a woman I can't even look at.* He sighed. *She can't understand. She doesn't know what it's like to know everyone around you takes for granted something you can't even imagine. Maybe if I knew there was no hope, I could give up and move on, but to be this close and be told to stop...*

"Be patient," he told her. "This will all be over soon, and I want you to be here when my work is complete. I want you to be the first thing I see."

A smile tugged at her lips; it had been a long time since he'd found anything romantic to say to her.

"I can't argue with that," she said. "Still, you have been working hard. If you aren't going to get some sleep, couldn't you at least lie down a while?" She said it so innocently that he wouldn't be able to impute it with a double meaning unless he actually wanted to. She waited hopefully to see what he would say.

However, he didn't get a chance to say anything, because at that moment, a servant came dashing up the hallway. He stopped at the door and bowed low.

"Master Yamaki," he said, "there are two young men here to speak with you - mercenaries, by the look of them. Shall I send them away?"

"No," he replied. "Show them to the lower antechamber. I want to have a word with them, privately."

Reika took the hint and left. It was just as well, she decided - now was perhaps not the best time for romance, after all. It would solve none of her problems. Thinking about them probably wouldn't solve them, either, but it would be better than trying to avoid them.

*Mercenaries?* she thought with dismay. *I don't like that at all. What on earth is he going to do with them?*

She sighed. The man she had met, the one she had fallen in love with, had been a great humanitarian. She had seen him heal children of diseases that would have killed them otherwise, and seen him call down rain over villages that had suffered drought for years. He had once been present at a rape trial and used his abilities to ascertain the truth of the charges, and had spelled the attacker to suffer wounds that would never heal as punishment for his deeds, but never in all the time she'd known him had he tried to inflict physical harm on an innocent. Yet, she had to admit, he had been tending more and more in that direction. She hadn't approved of the imprisonment of the king and his son, no matter how necessary Yamaki insisted it was. What was he going to do now?

*Where are your studies going to end? Would you kill someone, if that was what it took? Will you be the same when your eyes are opened? Will you still pity the unfortunate when you are no longer disabled? Will you see me the same way when you can really see me?*

The soldiers stood in the corner of the antechamber and fidgeted. It was obvious to them that they weren't especially welcome here, no matter who had ordered them to come. The servant who had brought them here had been quite frosty, and their current accommodations were nicely calculated to make them feel as if they didn't belong there. The furniture was lovely, expensive, uncomfortable, and delicate, making them feel as if they should not sit down or even move lest they break something. The lights were dim, and there were traces of dust in the corners. In the home of a commoner, that would have spoken of laziness; here, it was only a sign that they were too insignificant to bother to clean or light lamps for.

"I don't like this," one of the soldiers complained. "Are you sure we can't get a different job somewhere else?"

"Keep quiet," the other replied. "We're never going to find a better job than this one. This guy's got more money than he knows how to spend. If we can pull this off for him, we'll be set for life."

"I don't think it's going to be that easy," his partner answered.

The second one only shuffled his feet a bit and said nothing. He was the more soldierly of the two, wearing good armor and carrying a battle-scarred sword. His skin was tanned from days out in the sun, his hair long and untidy, showing an inclination to stick up into the air, and his body seemed to consist of little more than wiry muscle, lean but powerful. His partner was cloaked and hooded, leaving his looks uncertain, but nervous jerks of his head showed occasional glimpses of dark eyes, dark hair, and pale skin.

The door swung open, and both soldiers instinctively snapped to attention. Yamaki had a way of dominating any room he entered, and the soldiers were trained to react to authority figures. The sword-bearer saluted; the other tried to draw deeper into the folds of his cloak.

"You are the mercenaries I sent for, correct?" asked Yamaki.

"We are," said the swordsman.

"There have to be better warriors out there somewhere," Yamaki replied. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to look for them, so I suppose you'll do."

"If it can be done with steel or magic, we can do it," the swordsman replied boldly.

"I'd prefer the job be done with intelligence, but that would be asking too much," said Yamaki. "Your partner is a mage?"

"Yes, sir," said the swordsman. "He doesn't look like much, but he's good at what he does."

"I don't care if he looks like a blue baboon - it makes no difference to me," answered Yamaki wryly. He paused a moment, apparently making an assessment. His eyebrows rose. "Indeed, I'm more impressed with him than I am with you. At least he knows when to keep his mouth shut."

"I'm the spokesman for the two of us," said the swordsman. "He takes orders from me. I take orders from you... if the price is right."

"A true mercenary. Very well, if the money is what interests you..." He named a sum that made the swordsman's jaw drop, and the mage gave a muffled squeak.

"This has got to be some mission," the swordsman managed at last.

"It is important to me, whereas money is not," answered Yamaki. "All I need you to do is to go find a particular baby Digimon for me and bring it back alive."

"A... a Digimon?" asked the mage haltingly. Like most others, he seemed to share a fear of any Digimon, large or small.

"A baby," said the swordsman. "No problem."

"You are not going to ask what it's for?"

"Why should I care?" the swordsman replied. "If that's what you want to spend your money on, it makes no difference to me."

Yamaki smiled. "I think I like you, after all. If you're as reckless as you are avaricious, you will be just the man for the job."

"Reckless?" the swordsman repeated, eyes narrowing. "Excuse me, but do you mind telling me what's so dangerous about nabbing a baby Digimon?"

"If it was easy, I'd send a servant, not a paid warrior and a wizard," Yamaki replied. "The Digimon I seek is currently in the possession of the famed sorceress Ruki Makino, and she is being very stubborn about giving it up."

"Ah," said the swordsman. "I gotcha."

"You are not afraid?"

"Nope, can't say that I am."

Yamaki smiled again. "Excellent."

A rest break eventually became not only necessary but inevitable. The tired and wounded party could literally go no further, so they collapsed with groans and sighs by the side of a tiny stream to rest their aching muscles. Antieramon set his pack under his head and went to sleep instantly. Ruki would have liked very much to do the same, but her conscience wouldn't let her. She had never asked to be leader of anything, but she had a feeling of obligation on her - the others seemed to take her leadership as a matter of course, and so she did the best she could. She went over to Anteiramon's side and began giving him the best professional examination she could, considering that he was lying there like a rock.

"How is he?" asked Jenrya.

"Rough," Ruki admitted. "It's amazing he's held up this well. He's got some bad burns - they're bound to be hurting him like crazy. I wouldn't be surprised if he has more injuries we can't see."

"Is he going to be all right?" Jenrya asked.

"I have no idea. I don't know the first thing about Digimon physiology." Ruki glanced at her partner. "Renamon? Any ideas?"

The fox shook her head regretfully. "Medicine is not my field of study. I doubt I could tell you anything you do not already know."

"Poor guy," said Terriermon, looking into the sleeping rabbit's face. "I feel kinda sorry for the big fella. He never even complains."

"Unlike some Digimon," said Jenrya, giving his partner a mock-glare. "Is there anything we can do for him?"

"I'll give him some of the pain medicine when he wakes up," Ruki decided. "That will help. Have you got any of your magic back? I hate to say it, but as a healer, I make a really good battle-mage. You're better than I am."

Jenrya looked down at his hands. Silvery light flared around them briefly, then subsided.

"Enough," he declared. "I can at least speed things along a little."

"Good. Do that."

The man in white wasted no more time. He knelt next to Antieramon and went to work putting his magic into the worst of the rabbit's wounds. Ruki closed her eyes briefly, sensing the energy auras of those around her. Takato, Guilmon, Terriermon, Renamon, and Culumon read only as sore and tired, and no more of either than could be alleviated by a few hours of rest. Jenrya came off as worse; he had at least one injury that needed proper attention. At the very least, he had to be in considerable pain, though like Antieramon, he was good at suffering in silence. Antieramon... well, she hadn't been lying when she said she knew nothing about Digimon physiology, but even she could tell he was in a bad way. His life-force was flickering like a dying candle; only the fact that he was in a deep sleep, and that Jenrya was currently pouring all the power he had to spare into him, seemed to be holding him to life.

*I'm going to kill us all,* thought Ruki, a little wildly. *If we stay put, one of Yamaki's people will come and find us, and they'll kill us. If we keep going, we'll all drop from exhaustion. No matter what I do, we're going to die...*

She shook her head fiercely; she had to be more tired than she'd realized, to be thinking like that. She made an assessment of her own powers, watching her hands briefly flare with a reddish light, as if her arteries and veins were glowing. The light barely spread beyond her skin.

*That seals it. None of us are in any shape to go any further. We need to stop and rest, and we need to do it now.*

"Hey, Takato," she said, "how are you feeling?"

"Tired," he said. "Otherwise, fine. I'm not hurt or anything, if that's what you mean."

"If I gave you a few minutes to rest, would you be up to a fight?"

Takato frowned. "Maybe. I wouldn't be at my best, but I've fought like this before, and I'm still alive. If I didn't have to hold off more than two or three people..."

"That will have to do," Ruki decided. "Guilmon? Renamon? Terriermon? How are you holding up?"

Guilmon blinked at her. "I'm not holding anything. I put it down, see?"

"I wouldn't count on this one in a fight, if I were you," said Renamon. "But if it is necessary, I will do battle again."

"Hey, if there's a fight, count me in!" said Terriermon. "Well, maybe after a quick nap, but after that, I'm good to go!"

"Are we going to have a fight?" asked Guilmon. "I thought we stopped to rest."

"We did," Takato told him. "Ruki just wants to know if you could fight if something bad came up while we were resting."

"Ohh," said Guilmon. "I get it. Well, if you're going to fight, I'll fight, too!"

"Good," said Ruki. "At least we won't be totally defenseless. All right, folks, I've made up my mind. I don't care if Yamaki comes out here with a whole entire army, we are not moving from this spot until we get some of our strength back. Any objections?"

"I suppose I should object," said Jenrya, "but I'm not sure I have the energy."

"You're not the one I'm worried about," Ruki replied. "If we push Anteiramon any harder, he is going to die. You know it, too. He hasn't got much left to give."

"I know what you mean," said Jenrya. "I had no idea he was this loyal until we started this, but... I guess I always knew he was better than your average Digimon. I thought it was only because of who I was comparing him to, but last night, he took that hit to save our lives. He was ready to give his life to save us..."

"I know, and I agree with you, but this is no time to get sentimental," said Ruki. "How's the healing coming?"

Jenrya sighed. "I've given him all I have. Now we just have to wait. I think he'll be all right if he just takes a while to rest."

"How long?" asked Ruki urgently.

"Well, ideally... a couple of days, with a few more doses of magic, but that's time we don't have."

Ruki sighed. "Too right. Well, we'll stay here as long as we possibly can. Renamon?"

"Yes, Ruki?"

"Do me a favor and run around scouting. If anyone gets within a mile of this place, let me know. I don't care if they're armed or a mage or they're two years old, I want to know about them. Can you do that?"

Renamon nodded. "Easily."

With that, she simply seemed to fade into the shadows of the trees. Takato stared, wide- eyed. He turned to Ruki.

"Did you know she could do that?" he asked.

Ruki shook her head. "Not a clue. Nice trick, though, isn't it? Wish I could do that."

"So do I," said Takato. "It would have made life a lot easier. The number of times I had to go tromping through the woods, getting tangled up in branches and briars..."

"Which reminds me, I have to talk to you, too," said Ruki. "We need to talk to you about your Cards."

"Oh, yeah, that's right," said Takato. "Okay, tell me. Maybe it'll take my mind off my sore feet."

"All right. Take them out and let's have a look at them."

"What, my feet?"

"No, stupid, the Cards."

"Oh," said Takato, blushing. "Sorry."

Takato did as he was told, fishing the paper packet out of his pocket. Culumon perched on his shoulder and peered down at it, blinking his huge eyes curiously. The others, seeing that this was the only thing of even minor interest going on, came over to watch as well.

"Good, you kept them in their wrapper," said Ruki approvingly. "You don't want to take them out of that unless you can help it, at least until I can get you a proper holder." She patted the pouch at her belt, which had been safely restored to its proper place. "I looked for one in town, but I couldn't find any."

"Why don't I want to take them out?" asked Takato.

"It has to do with how the Cards work," Jenrya explained. "They're prepackaged spells. Any magic you've got, you can seal it up inside a card in such a way that only another person with Card-magic can get it out again. How well the spell works and how often you can use it depends on your skill as a Cardmage."

"And how well the Card was made in the first place," Ruki filled in, "but you don't really need to worry about that. Since you don't have any actual magic of your own, I really don't think the Cards will work more than once. The reason for the packaging is that magic usually doesn't like being sealed up like that. If you don't wrap it in something that will hold it, like that paper, the magic can leak out. That can lead to... complications."

"What kind of complications?" asked Takato nervously.

"Usually, it just means that the Cards lose all their power, so they won't work when you need them," said Ruki. "On the other hand, if there happens to be someone nearby who is a Cardmage... well, do you know what happens when there's a gas leak and someone lights a match?"

Takato nodded mutely.

"That only happens with the dangerous Cards, though - really powerful ones with a lot of energy to leak," Jenrya hastened to assure him. "I don't think Ruki would have given you any that would hurt you."

"True," Ruki admitted. "Those are pretty small spells. They aren't likely to go off unexpectedly unless you're being really careless. As long as you keep them wrapped up and fairly dry, you'll be all right."

"Thanks for the warning," said Takato vaguely.

"That ought to give you some idea why they say Ruki here is a legend," said Jenrya. "Not only does she use the most powerful Cards they make, but she makes her own. Making Cards, well... playing with explosives can be safer, sometimes. And she's still alive."

"And going to stay that way," she said. "It's not that bad, once you get the hang of it."

She took a blank bit of pasteboard out of her pocket, holding it between her forefinger and middle finger. Closing her eyes, she began murmuring something too softly to be heard. She pressed the first two fingers of her free hand to her forehead, then to the corner of the card. There was a soft flare of red light, and a picture began burning itself into the card. When it had finished, Ruki stayed still a moment more, then opened her eyes. She examined the newly-made Card with a practiced eye.

"Not bad, for the spur of the moment," she said. She passed it to Jenrya. "Since I couldn't come to Your Highness's christening... happy birthday."

"You have no idea how honored I am," said Jenrya dryly, pocketing the Card.

"Thank me after you've used it a few times. It'll last you a pretty long time - longer than most of those half-baked Cards you're carrying. I don't do slipshod work, even when I'm showing off. Especially not when I'm showing off."

"What kind of Card is that?" asked Takato, leaning closer to look.

"A Fireball," Ruki answered. "Good all-purpose attack spell. You've got lots of them in your deck."

"What else have I got? If I'm carrying around things that might blow up in my face, I want to know what they are first."

Resigning herself to a long afternoon, Ruki settled in to instruct Takato on the uses of Cards.

"Are you sure this is really worth the effort?" asked the hooded mage for what felt like the tenth time.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" his companion replied. "This is going to be the easiest job we ever take! All we've got to do is sneak in, you cause a distraction, and I'll snatch the Culumon thing. Then we'll be back on the road and on our way to collect our payment."

"Somehow, I don't think it's going to be that easy," said the mage. "I mean, Ruki Makino... she's famous. She blows up whole troops of bandits without breaking a sweat."

"Yeah, but we're not a troop," the swordsman answered. "Troops make big camps and lots of noise and sit in big groups. One well-placed spell and she can wipe out half of them at a go. She's never even going to know we're coming."

"I hope you're right," said the mage.

"I'm always right," the swordsman replied.

However, in this case, he was not right at all, because perched in the treetops above him was a shining golden fox. She watched them for a moment to see if they were going to say anything else of interest. When they didn't, she faded back into the shadows, moving swiftly toward the place where her friends had made camp.

"So... this one is a Levitation spell?"

"That's right," said Ruki approvingly. "And what's this one?"

"Flare Arrow," answered Takato confidently.

"And this?"

"Fireball."

"Good," she said. "You catch on fast, swordsman. Too bad you don't have any magic talent; you might have made a good sorcerer."

"Too much trouble," said Takato. "It was enough trouble learning how to fight; I don't need to spend the next ten years of my life digging through old spellbooks, too."

"Not a scholarly type, eh?" Jenrya commented.

"Not really," Takato admitted. "But don't go hinting I'm stupid, Ruki!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," she answered, in such a neutral tone that it was impossible to say if she was being sarcastic or not.

Just then, Renamon dropped out of the trees, making Culumon squeak and fall off of Takato's shoulder in surprise.

"We have company," she announced.

Ruki was on her feet instantly. "What kind?"

"Two young men. One of them wears armor and carries a sword; both are good quality but have seen much use. He appears to be a mercenary or perhaps a bounty hunter of some kind. The other goes cloaked and hooded; the air around him is scented with magic. I overheard them talking. They appear to be planning to capture Culumon and bring him to someone in exchange for a payment."

"Lovely," said Ruki. "Looks like our rest break is over."

"Did they say who they were going to bring him to?" asked Jenrya.

Renamon shook her head. "No names were mentioned."

"So it could be Yamaki," Jenrya said, "and then again, it could be some other sneaky sorcerer. Great."

"Well, whoever it is, we can't let them get away with it," said Terriermon. "We aren't, are we?"

"One thing is for certain," Ruki replied, "they aren't going to let us get away. We're in no shape to outrun anyone."

"We stand and fight?" asked Takato, unsheathing his sword.

"What other choice do we have?" Jenrya replied, glancing at Antieramon. "He's not ready to be moved, and we definitely can't carry him... or abandon him."

"Wait," said Ruki. "If we've got to have a fight, let's at least not sit here like a bunch of target dummies. Let's at least see if we can come up with a plan of defense."

"Defense?" said Takato, eyes lighting up a bit. "I can do that."

"Can you?" asked Jenrya.

"Sure. It's basic training. Hm..." Takato's brow furrowed in thought. Then he looked up again. "Ruki, didn't you say you could do light-casting?"

"Yeah," she said. "I mean, that's basic magic. Anyone with even a little skill can do that."

"You too, Jenrya?"

"Some, yes."

"Good. Now, what I've got in mind is like this..."

Takato dropped his voice, and everyone huddled together so they could listen.

The warrior's first clue that there was someone nearby was a scent of woodsmoke. He tested the breeze, trying to find the direction it was coming from.

"They're close," he whispered to his comrade. "Now, stay quiet. Remember, our first objective is to get that Culumon, not to hurt anyone, so don't waste your time fighting. Got it?"

"Right," the mage whispered back. "I'll immobilize them for you. Is that good?"

"Perfect. All right, follow me."

They slipped silently through the underbrush. Finally, the warrior caught sight of a glint of color that stood out in the leafy green and grey forest: a glowing camp fire. He padded closer, hardly breathing. Through the trees, he could see a small clearing next to a stream. Sitting there were three humans and an assortment of Digimon - mostly Rookies, he guessed, though the one huddled off to the side looked to be several levels beyond that. Still, he could tell it had been badly injured at some point, and wasn't up to any kind of fighting. There was a man in warrior's garb sitting closest to him, with his back to him. A few feet away sat a man dressed completely in white, wearing a sword at his side. The Cardmage herself was on the other side of a small campfire, staring pensively into the flames; she apparently hadn't yet realized someone had sneaked up on her. No one was speaking, and the warrior guessed they were being as still and quiet as possible to avoid detection. Well, it wasn't going to do them any good. The Digimon were resting, apparently asleep. One of them, resting to one side of the mage-girl, fitted the description of Culumon.

The warrior turned to his companion and made a series of hand signals, silent but effective. Then he began sneaking around the fringes of the camp, moving invisibly through the trees. When the mage judged that his friend had been given a sufficient amount of time, he released his spell.

"Freeze Arrow!"

Bolts of blue ice rained down on the campground, striking every living thing in it, engulfing them in a frozen cage. At least, that was how it was supposed to work. The mage stared in consternation as his bolts seemed to pass straight through their targets. The humans and Digimon seemed to vanish into thin air.

"What the...?" he began.

There was a rustle in the underbrush, and the warrior leaped out to grab at Culumon... only Culumon wasn't there. The swordsman's hands closed on thin air, and he fell on his face in the grass. He sat up, spitting out bits of twigs and leaves.

"What just happened?" he demanded. "I told you not to attack them!"

"I didn't! I was only going to freeze them, I didn't-"

"Didn't even come close to us," Ruki's voice finished.

The two attackers turned to see Ruki watching them from her perch in a tall tree. She dropped lightly to the ground to fix them with one of her cold stares.

"Thought you'd sneak up on us, did you?" she said. "Your friend here must not be much of a mage if he can't even tell an illusion when he sees one."

"Why, you...!" the swordsman snarled. "You tricked us!"

"Score one for the genius," she answered.

Angrily, the swordsman drew his blade and charged at her. She waited calmly, not even making a move to escape. As the warrior neared, Takato sprang out of the bushes and dashed to meet his adversary, sword held high. The other soldier moved to attack him, to force him out of the way...

Then they both froze. They stared at each other.

"Takato?" said the mercenary.

"Hirokazu?" Takato replied.

"Takato, it is you! What are you doing here?"

"Well, it's a really long story," Takato replied. "I really wasn't expecting to see you way out here! Why aren't you in Electrode City?"

"Got tired of the whole mercenary bit," said Hirokazu. "Too much competition. I've taken up bounty hunting now. I get to work solo, I don't have to take orders, and it pays better. That's why I'm here. Some guy hired me to pick up this weird little Digimon, and he offered me a ton of money to do it, so here I am. Nobody told me you were going to be here."

"Well, it's great to see you again, Kazu. I really missed you," said Takato. "Man, we've got a lot of catching up to do."

"I believe it," said Hirokazu. "Never thought you'd be working with the legendary Ruki Makino. You must have really risen in the world."

"It was really sort of an accident," answered Takato modestly.

"Yeah, well, we'll have to go have a drink somewhere, and you can tell me all about it," Hirokazu replied. "In the meantime, would you mind helping me get that little Digimon? I don't think the boss-man is the kind who puts up with people being late."

"Sorry, Hirokazu," said Takato. "I can't do that."

"What?" Hirokazu replied. "Don't you know where he is?"

"Yeah, I know where he is," Takato said. "It's just... he's my friend, and I can't just give him away like that. He has feelings like anyone else. He's not a piece of property."

"Well, convince him he ought to go with me, then. This is really important."

"I can't do that."

"You mean you won't." Hirokazu's friendly voice had suddenly taken on an edge.

"You've gotta understand, Culumon's not just a monster," said Takato. "He's my friend."

"And I'm not?"

"Not lately." Now Takato's voice was turning dangerous.

"I don't like this," Jenrya whispered, coming to stand next to Ruki. She shrugged.

"I don't either," she replied, "but I don't think we're going to stop it. We're going to have to let them fight it out."

"Look, Takato, don't get all virtuous on me," said Hirokazu. "I know you're an idealist, but my skin is on the line, here. If I don't finish this job, the boss-man might take it out on me. I need that Digimon. Hand it over. Come on. We'll even split the reward - there'll be enough to set all of us up once the job's finished."

"Nothing doing."

"I see what's going on," said Hirokazu. "You still think you're better than me, is that? You get picked up by a celebrity, and suddenly you think you're something special. Too good to help your old friend out..."

"That's not what I think, and you know it."

"You always thought you were better than me. Well, I'm getting tired of it."

With a swift movement, he brought his sword around. Takato dodged what might have been a crippling blow if he hadn't been so quick, and the blade clanged harmlessly off his shoulder plate. Takato retaliated - nothing damaging, just enough to drive his friend off a little.

"Stop it," he protested. "You don't know what you're doing."

"Hold still," Hirokazu demanded. "We're going to finish this. Right now, I'm going to show you who's really in charge here."

"I don't care! Just stop this!"

Takato flourished his sword again, driving Hirokazu back another pace, but only for a moment. The other swordsman retaliated, putting Takato back on defensive. The tempo of their swords picked up as they clashed again and again. Ruki stared worriedly, wondering if she ought to intervene. Takato seemed determined not to hurt his former friend, but the other warrior looked as if he were seriously out for blood...

Suddenly, Hirokazu's blade found its way through an opening, sliding through a chink in Takato's armor to stab through his biceps. Takato howled in pain and dropped his sword. The other warrior raised his blade, but before he could deliver another stroke, Ruki dived in. She managed to force him away from Takato, but then she was left with the burden of keeping Hirokazu from slicing her into ribbons, and she wasn't even armored as Takato had been. Jenrya bounded in to try to guard her, but both of them were tired and drained, hardly a match for a trained warrior in top form...

Suddenly, there was a dazzling flash of light, so bright that everyone cringed away. It lasted for several seconds, and when it finally cleared, the mage had latched onto his companion's collar and was dragging him away. Both Hirokazu and his enemies were bleeding from several small injuries.

"That's enough," the hooded mage said quietly. "The plan failed. Come on."

"You haven't heard the last of me!" Hirokazu shouted. "I'm going to get you next time! You can count on it!"

"We'll be waiting for you!" Ruki shouted back.

They were gone. The sorceress and her friends sat down where they were, and their Digimon converged on them.

"You okay?" asked Terriermon worriedly. His partner's chest was stained in blood from a long gash.

"I'm okay," Jenrya replied. "It just... stings a bit, that's all."

"And you?" asked Renamon.

"I've had worse," Ruki replied. She hadn't taken any direct hits, but she was scratched in several places and bleeding slightly. "I think Takato got the worst of it."

Guilmon was snuffling worriedly at his partner, who was still lying on the ground. His face was pale, and there was a dark puddle on the grass next to him. Ruki hauled herself to her feet to have a look, and winced.

"I can't move my arm," said Takato faintly. "I think he cut through the muscle."

"I think you're right," she answered, forcing herself to examine the wound. "I don't think he hit any major blood vessels, though. Here, hang on a minute."

She went to where they'd hidden their packs and began going through them. While she was there, she took a moment to press her hand to Antieramon's nose. He felt feverish.

*This is bad,* she thought, hurrying back to Takato's side as best she could. She took out some bandages and began wrapping his arm tightly. *Our swordsman has lost his sword arm. Jenrya and I are spent. Antieramon is dying. All we've got left now is the Digimon. How long are they going to last?*

She had no idea how she'd managed to get any sleep. It was probably only sheer exhaustion that had done it, because now that the adrenaline had worn off, Ruki was feeling terribly sore and uncomfortable. Hirokazu had landed a wild shot across her thigh, leaving behind a nasty gash, and she wasn't looking forward to going back to hiking again. She had another injury across one shoulder, and no position she tried to lie in felt comfortable. Finally, close to midnight, she dropped into uneasy dreams of her companions being hacked up by angry swordsmen. The distress it caused her was surprising, and she woke up with a gasp. Heart pounding, she stared up at the star-strewn sky and wondered about her dream. Takato, Jenrya, all the Digimon... just when had they become important to her? When had she begun to care about them? Because she had to admit, now, that it would hurt her deeply if they died. She also had to admit that they were going to die. Maybe they could survive one more attack, but after that...

"Psst!"

Ruki jumped. She sat up and stared around wildly. "Who's there? Come out and show yourself!"

The shadows parted slowly to reveal the cloaked mage. She relaxed, but only marginally. If it hadn't been for his intervention earlier, she would probably be dead by now, but that didn't make him an ally.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

"To help you," he answered. His voice was soft and measured, difficult to hear even over the gentle night wind. "If I can."

"What can you do?" she answered suspiciously. "And why aren't you out there with your buddy? Are you planning another attack?"

"Hirokazu is sleeping. He's been drinking. He's angry. I don't think he'll wake up again any time soon. I'll have to get rid of his hangover in the morning."

"Oh," said Ruki. "So... what did you want?"

"I told you, to help," the mage replied. "I don't like having to do this. Tracking criminals, that's one thing, but capturing innocent creatures so some sorcerer can experiment on them... it's not right. Neither is what Hirokazu did to your friend Takato. He had an unfair advantage. I want to undo a little of the damage he did, if I can."

"How are you going to do that?" she asked, though she thought she had an idea now.

The mage shrugged. "I have some healing powers. Not much, but enough to heal your wounds."

"Any help would be useful," said Ruki slowly, "but I'm not sure I trust you yet."

"Would you trust me if I healed your friend for you?"

Ruki shook her head. "Me first. I can defend myself if you try anything funny, and don't you forget it."

"All right," said the mage. "Hold still, now. It's harder if you move around, and I'm not very good at this."

He came forward and set his hands on her shoulders. She almost gasped aloud as she felt the healing energy flow through her. She had been healed by professional Healers before, and there was a big difference between one of them and a less skilled mage with some healing ability. Her own healing ability, when it was applied, felt cold, like ice being pressed over the wound - it took the pain away, but it was hardly more comfortable. Jenrya, more talented, only brought on a tingly numbness, as if the area he was working on had fallen asleep. However, the touch of a gifted Healer was one of the more pleasurable things life had to offer, and this hooded mage was the most talented she'd ever encountered. The moment he touched her, a delicious warmth ran through her veins - not just over her injuries, but everywhere, from head to toe. Involuntarily, she closed her eyes to savor the sensation, and tried not to sigh.

All too soon, he finished what he was doing, and she reluctantly opened her eyes to assess his work. All her injuries were healed as if they'd never been. Not only that, but all the stiffness and soreness had gone from her muscles; she had gone from utter exhaustion to brimming with energy within the space of a few heartbeats. She checked her magic levels, and crimson light flared brilliantly around her hands.

"Oh my," she said.

"Did I miss anything?" asked the mage. "I know I'm not a very good healer, but I thought that might make you feel a little better..."

"No, that was... exactly what I needed. Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," he answered. "Do you want me to help the others now?"

"Um... yes, I think that would be a very good idea," answered Ruki. "Oh, and there's a Digimon who could use some attention, while you're at it."

The mage flushed, his discomfort clear even behind his cloak.

"Don't worry," she said. "Antieramon won't hurt you. He's half-dead at the moment, anyway. He wouldn't hurt anyone who helped him."

"That's not it," the mage replied. "It's just... my magic... it doesn't work on Digimon. I've tried it before - someone accidentally ran over a little one with a cart outside my home. I tried to fix it, but... it was like trying to put healing on a tree, or a rock. It just wouldn't take."

"I see," said Ruki. "Well, once Jenrya and I have our energy back, we should be able to look after him well enough."

The mage looked uncomfortable. "Sorry. I'm really not a very good healer... You shouldn't expect too much of me."

"I won't," she said faintly. "Hang on. I'll go wake up the others."

The first thing she did was wake up Takato and give him a brief explanation of the situation - that a healer had randomly appeared in the middle of the night who was willing to fix his arm for free. Under the circumstances, that was all he wanted to hear. Then she went to wake up Jenrya and give him a more detailed explanation.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" asked Jenrya, when he'd seen who their new healer was.

"Yes, we can," said Ruki. "Jen, this guy is a Healer, an honest-to-goodness Healer. Probably the most powerful - definitely the most powerful I've ever met. He's got healing energy coming out of his ears, and he doesn't know it's there."

"What?" said Jenrya, coming awake instantly.

"He keeps telling me that he's not a good healer, that he's not powerful at all, but when he worked his spell on me... well, you'll see when he gets to you. I know one thing - I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight. Look."

She made her magic nimbus flare again. Jenrya looked and whistled.

"Don't cast any spells while I'm nearby," he said. "You're overcharged - you're liable to burn down a forest in that state."

"I know," she said. "And this loose cannon is running around the countryside with no idea what he's capable of. Can you imagine what would happen if someone really dangerous got him on their side?"

Jenrya whistled again.

"We've got to talk to him," he said. "Soon. Now."

"Not now," Ruki replied. "Let him finish putting us together first, and then we can try to convince him he's dangerous."

Jenrya thought about arguing, but the aches of his injuries convinced him she might have a point, so they waited for the healer to finish what he was doing. Ruki had to admit, it was interesting watching her companions' faces as the healer worked and his patients slipped into blissful stupors, then snapped awake as the full force of what had been done hit them.

"Whoa," said Takato. "That was weird..."

"Sorry," said the healer. "I'm doing my best."

"You might want to think about slacking off a bit," Jenrya told him. "I think you're trying a little too hard."

"Really?" said the healer. "But... I have to, don't I? I'm not powerful..."

Ruki shook her head. "Powerful enough. Who said you weren't good at this?"

"My teacher," he answered promptly. "He said I barely had any potential, and he was just taking me on because he felt sorry for me. He only put me on the cases that were too unimportant for him to bother with - peasants with the pox and - and street women with infections." He blushed furiously.

"Figures," Ruki muttered. "What was your teacher's name?"

"He was Healer Willowstaff, of the city of Mainboard," answered the healer promptly.

"Humph," said Ruki. "It figures."

"What figures?" asked Takato.

"Willowstaff. He always was an arrogant jerk," said Ruki. "He couldn't stand the idea that there was anyone out there better than him. Then this guy comes along with powers that make him look like a snake-oil salesman. So what does he do? Convinces the poor kid he's no good and never will be, and then puts him on the lowest scum he can find - the ones with incurable fatal diseases - while he sticks with the nice, clean upper-crust who never get anything worse than a head cold. And I'll bet your patients lived, didn't they?"

"Yes," said the healer slowly. "Now that you mention it... Willowstaff always said the common people were hardier, and could recover more quickly than delicate nobles."

"Well, I've got news for you," said Ruki. "Willowstaff was a big fat liar. You, on the other hand, have some serious power going on, no matter what he says."

"But..." the healer protested. Ruki felt sorry for him.

"What's your name?" she asked him.

"Kenta," he answered. "Kenta Kitagawa."

"Well, Kenta Kitagawa," Ruki replied. "If I were you, I'd go back into training and find a real Healer to train you - preferably a priest of some sort. Most of those are too busy trying to please their deities to worry about their temporal powers - at least, the good ones are. I'd track down Priest Moonstone in Access City. He's one of the best, and a pretty nice guy, besides. He was my healing teacher when I was in school."

"More training?" Kenta repeated. "Well, now that you mention it, mine was never officially finished..."

"Why not?" asked Jenrya.

Kenta shrugged. "Willowstaff died. Influenza. There was an epidemic, and he used up all his own magic and wouldn't take any of mine."

Ruki shook her head. "Proud to the bitter end. Well, if I were you, Kenta, I'd dump your buddy Hirokazu and go finish your schooling."

"But - but I can't!" Kenta protested. "I have to stay with Hirokazu!"

"Why?" Takato demanded.

"Because," said Kenta, "I owe him."

"Owe him what?" Jenrya asked.

"My life," Kenta explained. "A year or so ago, my village was attacked by Devidramon. I know some fighting magic, so I was trying to chase them away from my family. One of them got too close to me and would have killed me if Hirokazu hadn't been there. He killed it, and saved me and all my family. I owe him a life debt. I have to stay with him until I've paid it."

"I see," said Jenrya slowly. "Yes, I've heard of customs like that. So, you have to follow Hirokazu around until you get a chance to save his life?"

"That might not take long," Takato muttered.

"Don't be too hard on him," said Kenta. "He's really not so bad, once you get to know him. He's just... got a lot to prove."

"Those can be dangerous," Ruki murmured. "Those are the ones who kill themselves trying to take on things bigger than they can handle."

Kenta's smile turned wry. "Maybe I won't have to wait long to pay my debt, then."

"I can help you with that," said Takato.

"Don't be like that," said Jenrya.

"Why not? I thought he was my friend, and he was trying to kill me!" Takato said angrily. "For money! What did I ever do to him, that he's treating me like this?"

"Why don't you ask him, next time you see him?" asked Kenta. "It might be easier than trying to kill each other." He got up and prepared to leave. "I need to go now. He might wake up and realize I'm not here. Good night."

He started to walk off, and Ruki felt a pang of regret. Despite the company he kept, Kenta seemed to be an all right person... and, she had to admit, it would be very nice to have a powerful Healer around... She smacked her hand against her forehead.

"I almost forgot!" she said. "Hey, you, wait up a minute!"

Kenta stopped. "What?"

"Come here a minute," she said. "I want to test one little thing, really quick."

Looking puzzled, Kenta turned around and waited while Ruki went rummaging through her things. She took out the trusty old box and offered it to him.

"Close your eyes and pick one," she instructed.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Just do it!"

He did as he was told, running his hands over each of the devices. Ruki was not at all surprised to see that he stopped over the pale pink one, the one labeled "Healer".

"There's something different about this one," he said. "It feels just like when I'm using magic..."

"Keep it," said Ruki. "It's yours."

His eyes snapped open. "I couldn't do that!"

"You have to," Ruki said. "I don't think there's much choice in the matter. It's chosen you."

"He's one of us?" asked Jenrya.

"It looks that way," said Ruki with a sigh. "Great. Just what I wanted - more complications. Look, are you sure you have to go back to Hirokazu right now?"

"Yes," Kenta answered. "Look, what's going on? What is this thing?"

"We call it an Ark," said Ruki, "and it comes with some... interesting side effects. They seem to choose their owners, and that one has claimed you. That means that any moment now, the Digimon who goes with it is probably going to show up."

"A Digimon?" Kenta repeated, looking around apprehensively. "Are you sure I have to keep this thing?"

"Positive," she answered. "Rats. This is going to get tricky... because you're not on our side, are you?"

"I'm not sure..." the healer replied. "I don't understand what you're talking about, but... I really think I need to go back where I came from." He took one last worried look at the Ark before resolutely putting it in his pocket. Before anyone could say anything else, he turned and fled back into the night.

No one saw something small and pale flit away after him.

"You know, it's really too bad that guy had to take off," Ruki commented, as she settled herself down to sleep again.

"The Healer?" asked Jenrya. "I suppose he could have been useful."

It had been some time since their unexpected visitor had vanished back into the forest, but it was only now that the two mages had unwound enough to feel ready to sleep again. The excess energy left by the overenthusiastic healing had been siphoned off to Antieramon, who seemed mildly improved after the attention. Maybe if they could get a solid night's sleep after all this, they would be able to patch him up enough in the morning that they could move on again, at least as long as it would take to find a more defensible position.

"Definitely useful," Ruki agreed. "We certainly could use a Healer aboard, much as we seem to get bashed up, and he was a decent sort - the kind of guy who almost makes you look forward to breaking you leg or catching pneumonia."

Jenrya laughed a little. "Maybe after he gets some more training. I've heard of people like that doing more harm than good when they get carried away."

"True," said Ruki. "Lucky for him, he seems to have at least some instinctive control. I hate to think of him working with our enemies, though. He's good enough to be a major factor in all of this. People with his kind of talent can do almost anything - even raise the dead, sometimes."

Takato, who had been dozing until that point, sat up in surprise. "People can do that?"

"It's been known to happen," said Jenrya, nodding as if this were all very commonplace.

Catching the swordsman's dumbstruck expression, Ruki said, "Don't imagine you're going to face off with a bunch of dancing skeletons. Even the ones with the gift can't just resurrect anyone. It only happens under special conditions. They can't raise someone who's been dead for more than a day or so, or someone who died of something they couldn't have healed in the first place, like beheading or old age."

"Someone with that kind of power only comes along once every fifty years or so, if that often," said Jenrya. "It's very unusual."

"Hm," said Takato. "I guess that could get pretty bad, knowing any enemy you killed might just pop up again later."

"Exactly," said Ruki. "You surprise me - I wasn't sure you'd catch on so fast."

"Hey, I'm a soldier, remember? I don't like having to kill people, but if I do, I want them to stay that way."

Ruki looked at him, a puzzled light in her violet eyes. Takato had always appeared to her to be a nice, rather inoffensive person, and it surprised her to hear him talking about killing people, even if she'd known objectively that he must have been in mortal combat at some point, since he was a soldier. He caught her look and shrugged.

"I told you I don't like it," he said. "I'm lucky it doesn't happen often. Only when there's no other choice."

She nodded. "I know. That's my life, too. Good night, all."

They settled down to sleep. Jenrya and Terriermon had staked out the area closest to Antieramon, keeping a covert watch on him. Culumon curled up as close to the embers of the fire as he could without cooking himself, curling up into a cozy ball, with Ruki and Renamon sleeping back to back nearby. Takato himself stretched out on the ground near the edge of the forest, with Guilmon flopping at his feet like an oversized dog. However, sleep was a long way from Takato's mind. Perhaps it was only because of some restlessness caused by the fresh burst of strength the healing had given him, but he found that he could barely even close his eyes. Instead, he stared up at the sky and thought.

Ruki might tease him because she was educated, had been to the University, while he had never known much besides the sword, but he did have a working brain in his cranium. Now he put it to work, trying to solve the puzzle life had presented him in the form of Hirokazu. The day's performance, while unexpected, was not really that much of a shock. Hirokazu had always loved attention and acclaim, and the one place he'd been able to really shine was on the battlefield. The fact that the person he'd considered his best friend continually outshone him had been almost more than his pride could stand. There had been nothing for it but to start competing - first in friendly sparring, then in more serious contests of strength. In the end, Takato had decided it was too painful to have to be forever watching his back for someone he cared about, never quite feeling sure that he wouldn't feel a dagger between his ribs at some odd moment, or be struck by a sword he hadn't defended himself from because he couldn't bear to hurt his attacker. It was easier to disappear.

*So why is he here now? With me gone, he should be having fun being number one back at the barracks. Why is he roaming around where nobody can see him when he could be the center of attention in a big city somewhere?*

Takato rolled over on his side and turned the matter over in his mind. Why was Hirokazu here? Certainly not looking for him; he'd been completely surprised to find him here - not in the fulfillment of a vain hope way, but in a way that said that meeting was the last thing he'd expected. When he'd asked him, Hirokazu had cited less competition in the bounty-hunting trade. That sounded about right. Past facts bore out that he didn't care for competition. Of course he'd enjoy a line of work that allowed him to be the only one in the spotlight, with the possible exception of a rather weak-willed Healer who was willing to go along with anything he said.

He'd also talked about money, which didn't sound right at all. Payment had never particularly mattered to him before, as far as Takato could remember. It had always been the glory of battle and the thrill of danger that moved him, not the price tag attached.

*It's an excuse,* Takato decided. *He doesn't want to admit what he's really doing, so he says its all about the money, and nobody questions him because that's what bounty hunters are always after. That's why they're called bounty hunters, isn't it?*

Which still left the real question: just what was he after? Takato frowned, trying to logic it out. Reasoning wasn't necessarily his strong point, but he thought he had a good feel for human nature. He ought to know his friend well enough to guess what was wrong with him. Searching for clues, he reran their earlier meeting in his mind. What had upset him so much? Well, he hadn't started getting angry until Takato had refused to help him complete his job. He had really been angry, though, at about the same time he'd been ranting at Takato for joining forces with Ruki...

*Wait a minute. That makes sense! Ruki's a legend - everybody's heard of her... just like he wishes everybody had heard of him. Now I've gone and joined forces with her... I wonder if he knows who Jenrya is? He might be able to recognize him, or his employer might have told him. Even if he has no idea I'm traveling with a prince, he'll still know all about Ruki, and just the fact that she's treating me like anything even close to an equal is going to make him green with envy. How is he supposed to know keeping company with a legend is just a long round of running from badguys and monsters and crazy sorcerers trying to kill me?*

He couldn't, of course. All he would comprehend was that somehow, his friend had gone from an absent nonentity to near-legendary status. In that kind of situation, Hirokazu almost had to do something drastic to satisfy his pride.

*I'll bet anything he's working for Yamaki. That would be just like him. No matter how ambitious he is, he's still a soldier - he needs someone to work for, to give him orders. Knowing him, he'd look for the most important person he could find. With the king out of commission, Yamaki was probably the most important person left... next to Ruki. Good grief, I'm upstaging him again and I wasn't even trying! No wonder he's mad at me!*

Takato sighed miserably. If only he could sit down and talk to Hirokazu, without having to worry about getting a sword run through him, maybe he could get this mess straightened out! But there wasn't much chance of that happening. He didn't even know where Hirokazu was right now, and...

Wait. Hadn't someone said something about Kenta being able to sneak away from his partner's side because Hirokazu was sleeping off a round of drinks? He was sure someone had said something of that nature while they were explaining the Healer's presence in their camp. He had been mildly disturbed by the pronunciation; he had never known his friend to indulge in that kind of thing, not in a profession where sluggish reflexes could get his head chopped off. Takato shook off a faint unease and forced himself to keep his mind on one issue at a time. Where did one buy drinks? Not in the middle of the woods, that was for sure. You got them at a public house, which was in a town. Public houses usually had rooms upstairs where travelers - and roaming warriors - could stay the night. The nearest town was Wire Junction, just down the road. It was small enough that it was not likely to have more than one public house. When you found that, you found Hirokazu.

"Hey, Guilmon," he said, nudging the dinosaur with his foot. "Wanna take a walk with me?"

"Okay," said Guilmon agreeably. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to go to town," Takato replied, "to have a chat with my old friend."

Kenta walked slowly through the forest, in no real hurry to get back to his sleeping friend. Alcohol made Hirokazu disagreeable, and Kenta hated a scene. He would just as soon not be around when his friend was drunk and in a bad mood. Besides, he had a lot to think about. Almost against his will, his hand went to the pocket where he'd stashed the strange device Ruki had given him.

*I shouldn't be keeping this thing. They're enemies; we already attacked them once. They're likely to plant a bomb on me or something.*

Nevertheless, he had a hard time making himself believe that this machine was really dangerous. Touching it spread a tingling warmth across his fingers, a pleasant sensation that he had a hard time associating with anything bad. Besides, who would paint an explosive pink?

He took it out and studied it by the dim moonlight. It sat there, gleaming softly. It fit comfortably in his hand, as if it belonged there. Ruki had said it had chosen him, and he did get the oddest feeling that it was in some way content to be there with him. She had said that there was magic at work, and more importantly, that there was a Digimon that came with this odd little machine... but that was preposterous. All his life, he had been told that every Digimon from the largest to the smallest was wild and dangerous, impossible to tame.

Then again, the Digimon who had been sitting around the campsite had seemed peaceful enough. None of them had offered to do more than look at him while he had been doing his healing. More than that, they hadn't looked at him with the wary expressions of, say, attack dogs, but with intelligence. They had comprehended what he was doing there, and would watch him only enough to ensure that he was not planning to trick them. As soon as he had finished what he was doing, most of them had gone back to sleep.

*Hm. Well, I suppose if you're a warrior, having a friendly Digimon around to watch your back is a pretty good thing. Just knowing they're around would be enough to make most people think twice!*

No, those Digimon weren't the monsters they'd been painted as. He had always harbored a suspicion that they couldn't really be as bad as all that, if only because, if they were, why didn't they attack any human who dared set foot outside the walls of their town? If the Digimon were really such bloodthirsty killers, it would be impossible for anyone to manage any kind of safe travel. That was his logic, anyway. It could have just been a Healer's gentle nature, believing the best of anyone.

On the other hand, he didn't think he wanted a Digimon around. Healers didn't need a bunch of scary monsters hanging around them, even if the monster in question was gentle behind its claws and talons. It was his opinion that stressed patients did not heal as quickly or as well as patients who were properly relaxed. The last thing he needed hanging around him was something most people viewed as the bane of the earth and the most dangerous things alive. He probably couldn't pay someone to let him work on them while he had a Digimon lurking around!

Even as he was thinking that, he heard something rustling in the treetops. He froze, staring around frantically.

*It's just a bird. Or a bat. Not a Digimon.*

The thing rustled again. It sounded closer. Kenta began trying to back away from it, even as he knew the gesture was pointless. He was in the middle of nowhere, alone in the dark, far enough from both the town and his enemies' camp that there would be no help on any front, and he was not a woodsman. He didn't know where or how to hide, and his pale cloak made him stand out in the dark forest like the moon in the night sky. If there was something out there looking for him, they would find him.

The trees rustled again, now just above him, and Kenta froze, staring. There was something flitting around up there, something small and fast and pale. It seemed to shine softly with its own light, as if a star had come down to have a closer look at the earth. Odd, Kenta thought distractedly, how he could come up with such poetic similes in such a precarious situation. Suddenly, the thing gave a squeal and launched itself at him. Kenta braced himself for teeth and claws...

They didn't come. Instead, something small, light, and warm collided with his chest and started trying to hug him with a pair of tiny flippers that were utterly unsuited to the job. Kenta stared at it, dumbfounded. He had never seen anything quite like this creature - a tiny, pale-pink, winged being that he could easily have held in his hands. It stared up at him with innocent green eyes and chattered happily.

"What in the world?" said Kenta.

"Pa pi pu pe po!"

"You don't say."

"Pa pi pu!"

"Can you talk?"

The little creature chattered at him. It seemed to find his question amusing, and he had a feeling the chattering meant something along the lines of, "I am talking, silly!"

"Are you a... a Digimon?" asked Kenta, even as he realized it was a silly question. Nothing else could have such a peculiar blend of characteristics as this creature.

"Pa pi!"

"Did you come looking for me?"

"Pa pi!" The Digimon nodded vigorously.

"Um," said Kenta. He was not entirely sure about this situation. "Why me?"

More chattering. Kenta listened, feeling faintly overwhelmed. What he was hearing was complete gibberish, but somehow, he knew the creature was telling him something, and he had a feeling he knew what it meant. The Digimon was saying that it had come looking for Kenta, because they were partners. It was happy to see him, too - it had been very lonely living in the forest on his own. He was so glad to have finally found the one he was waiting for!

"There's got to be some mistake," said Kenta. "You can't have been waiting for me."

"Pa pe po?" Why not?

"Well, I'm - I'm a Healer, okay? Not a warrior. I don't have any use for a Digimon."

The Digimon laughed, a tiny squeaky trill that made Kenta want to smile in spite of himself. It chattered again. What, it wanted to know, did Kenta think it was? Did it look like a warrior to Kenta? It made a face that came nowhere near looking ferocious and waved imaginary claws at the air. Then it dissolved into giggles again. Kenta smiled weakly.

"Yeah, I guess you aren't much of a fighter, are you?" he said. "What do you do, then?"

"Pa pa pi pu!" Just wait and see!

Kenta considered this a moment. He was feeling just a trifle overwhelmed, and under the circumstances, and in need of some authoritative figure to tell him what he was supposed to do next. Ruki - she had known this was going to happen. She seemed to know what was going on here. Was this a trap she had planted for him, or...?

"I think I need to talk to someone," said Kenta. "Do you want to come?"

The Digimon nodded vigorously - anywhere Kenta wanted to go was okay with him.

*He can't be as bad as all that,* Kenta thought. *How could this little pink sugar frilly thing be dangerous? Anyway, it looks like I'm stuck with it. I might as well be nice to it.*

"My name's Kenta," he informed his new companion. "Do you have a name?"

"Pa pi pu pa pe po pu."

"Marine Angemon," Kenta repeated. "An angel Digimon?"

His new Digimon nodded and chattered his affirmative.

"Nice to meet you, Marine Angemon," said Kenta. "Come on. There are some people I think should meet you."

The innkeeper at the Agumon's Tail was an old, gnarled fellow who had seen thousands of people come in and out the doors of his establishment. He had stood through tavern brawls and even a small forcible invasion without suffering a great deal of damage, and continued to evade the law on the rather fuzzy matter of what exactly went on in some of his upstairs rooms. There was not a lot left that could upset his equanimity, and so he took his latest midnight visitor with the same stoic expression he took everything else.

"You say you're looking for a mercenary soldier?" he asked in the uninterested tone he used for anything that didn't have money involved.

"That's right," said Takato. "About my height, brown hair, gray eyes, probably traveling with a guy in a white cloak. I was told I could find him here."

"Might be," said the innkeeper. "Why would you be wanting to speak to him, eh?"

"He's a friend of mine," answered Takato, who saw no reason to be dishonest. "We had a - a misunderstanding, and I was hoping I could talk to him and clear things up."

"You won't be doing much talking to him, I'm thinking, in the state he's in," the innkeeper replied.

"So he is here," said Takato.

"The innkeeper grimaced. "Aye, that he is. Though you might be better off waiting until the morning to speak with him."

"I can't wait until morning. Can you tell me where he is, please?"

"Second floor. Third room on your right. Cause any trouble, though, and you'll regret it. I won't have you disturbing the guests."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Takato answered, and headed for the stairs.

Finding the door the innkeeper had indicated, Takato rapped lightly on the wood.

"Anybody home in there?" he called. His only answer was a soft snore. Well, that wasn't informative. Oh, well. If this was the wrong door, whoever was behind it didn't sound like they were in any shape to protest if he wanted to come in. Finding the door unlocked, Takato opened it and went in.

He immediately recognized the sleeping figure that was sprawled across the bed. It was undoubtably Hirokazu, sleeping like the dead. He hadn't even pulled the blankets over himself, or even taken off his boots. Aside from the heaviest parts of his armor, which were piled haphazardly next to the bed, he was still fully dressed. He looked less like he'd gotten there under his own power and more as if his attendant Healer had deposited him there before sneaking off on his own mission. It crossed Takato's mind to wonder where Kenta was - he had left the camp before Takato had; surely he'd have made it here by now, wouldn't he? He decided not to look into the matter too closely; there were more important things to think about.

Taking a few steps into the dimly lit room, his foot encountered something that clunked and rolled, and he hurriedly reached down to stop it, old instincts warning him not to make more noise than he had to. The obstacle proved to be an empty bottle, bearing a picture of a masked and hooded man along with the label, "Seigram's Gin." Takato shook his head as he placed the bottle carefully upright again. So, his friend really had been drinking. That was strange. While no one would say that a man of eighteen couldn't drink what he wanted, people in his trade were generally discouraged from using alcohol much or often. A warrior who was drunk or drugged would not be as able to think clearly or react quickly, putting himself and his comrades in danger. Maybe a little celebrating for a feast or holiday was all right, but routinely putting oneself in a stupor was frowned upon. The only soldiers Takato knew of who engaged in that kind of behavior were the ones who had been badly injured and couldn't afford Healers, and therefore drank to dull the pain, or the ones who had lost loved ones, or the ones who drank to drown their guilt...

*Guilt? I never knew Hirokazu to be big on guilt. What's he got to feel guilty about... except, maybe, trying to hurt his best friend?*

Experimentally, he crept closer to the bed and carefully prodded his sleeping friend in the shoulder - one didn't startle a sleeping swordsman no matter what kind of shape he was in. Hirokazu snorted a little but otherwise didn't show any signs of waking. With a shrug, Takato walked across the room, where stood a small dresser. There was a large pewter jug of water sitting on top of it, as well as a bowl that stood in place of a washbasin. He filled the bowl with water, and, returning to Hirokazu's side, dumped its contents over his head.

"Wah!" Hirokazu shouted, sitting up and spluttering. "What? Where? Who did that?"

"Hi, Kazu," said Takato. "Awake now?"

Instead of replying, Hirokazu dropped back into bed with a whimper. "Ow, my head... what'd you do that for?"

"I wanted you to wake up," said Takato. "Here."

He poured some of the remaining water from the jug into the bowl and offered it to him. Hirokazu, finding that his earlier drinks had left his mouth feeling cotton-dry and bad tasting, accepted the cool water eagerly.

"Better now?" asked Takato, when the last drop was gone.

"A little," said Hirokazu. He turned to his friend with a gaze that was reasonably steady, all things considered. "What are you doing here, anyway? Weren't you in the woods last time I looked?"

"I moved," said Takato.

"Ah," said Hirokazu. "That makes sense. Why'd you move into my room?"

"Because I wanted to talk."

"Look, there's nothing to talk about," Hirokazu said, beginning to bristle. "You already made it pretty clear you don't want to help me."

"Take it easy," said Takato soothingly. "Just give me a chance to explain, okay?"

"There's nothing to explain," Hirokazu answered. "I know it all already. You ran off with a legend, and left me to scratch out a living in the dust... You just thought you were too good for me..."

"I never thought that."

"Yes, you did. That's why you left."

"Look, don't talk like that," said Takato. "Now is not a good time to pick fights with me. I'm still armed and armored, and I've got a Digimon outside who will be really upset if he thinks you might be trying to hurt me. If he hears a fight start, you'll be in trouble." That wasn't technically true; Takato didn't know what Guilmon would do, if anything, but Hirokazu didn't know that, either.

Hirokazu tried to muddle through that, then shook his head. The movement sparked off his headache again, and he winced. Takato felt sorry for him.

"What did you do this to yourself for, anyway?" he asked. "You look miserable. You can't fight like this."

"Kenta'll make it better in the morning."

"Yeah, but Kenta's not here right now," Takato pointed out. "If somebody wanted to walk in here and stab you in the back or rob you blind, you couldn't have stopped them. You're just asking to be killed. You know that. Why are you doing it?"

Hirokazu frowned. "I don't know."

"Well, maybe you should think about it."

It was uncertain whether he took Takato's advice, but he did remain quiet for a few minutes. However, the idea he eventually lit upon was of a bit more immediate importance to him than a drinking problem.

"Where's the privy?"

Takato rolled his eyes a little. "I don't know, I just got here. Shouldn't you make sure of things like that before you need them?"

"I had other things on my mind!"

"Humph." Takato frowned, thinking. "I think I saw an outhouse in back."

"Figures," said Hirokazu. "Betcha the help around here is too lazy to want to clean chamber pots."

"Would you?"

"Never mind. Look - gimme a hand, would you?"

Takato helped to haul his friend to his feet. However, once up, he was steady enough on his feet that he made it to the door without help and with only a minimum of stumbling. He was certainly in better shape that Takato had guessed he would be; perhaps the Healer considered it his duty not only to help his friend when he was in trouble, but to try to keep him out of it in the first place. He had a brief vision of Kenta trying to pry a bottle out of Hirokazu's hand as he dragged him up to his room. Takato and his friend made their way to the back of the building and toward a small shack in the back. While Hirokazu was conducting his business inside, Takato leaned on the wall - carefully; the structure looked none too sound, and it would be highly embarrassing to knock it over while Hirokazu was still inside, and wouldn't do much for smoothing over their differences.

"There has got to be a better lodging place in this town somewhere," he commented.

"So, what did you really come out here for, anyway?" asked Hirokazu, his voice muffled by the wood. "Did your sorceress dump you, or what?"

"Ruki's not my sorceress," Takato replied, "or anyone else's. And I already told you, I came to talk to you."

"Why?"

"Why?" Takato repeated. "Because you're my friend. Because I missed you after I left. Because I'd rather we not be trying to kill each other. Are those good reasons?"

"They would be, if I believed them."

"Why don't you?"

"If you were really my friend, why did you go off and leave me?"

"Because I was sick and tired of fighting with you!"

"You mean you couldn't stand the competition."

"Hey, you're the one who couldn't stand competition! I never cared one way or the other."

"If you don't care, what are you doing setting yourself with the most famous Cardmage in the world, huh?" Hirokazu demanded, stepping out of the outhouse. "Why couldn't you settle for just being a soldier like the rest of us."

"I didn't set myself up!" Takato protested. "It just sort of happened."

"Yeah, like I believe that. Tell me another one."

"Takato?" A pair of golden eyes blinked open in the shadows.

"Yow!" said Hirokazu, jumping away from the eyes. He hit the outhouse, which lurched backwards with an alarming creak. "What is that?"

"This is Guilmon. My Digimon friend," Takato answered, as the reptile stepped into the light.

"A Digimon," said Hirokazu. "Man. I knew you traveled with them, but... good grief, look at the teeth on that thing! Aren't you nervous?"

"About Guilmon? No way. The only thing he bites with those teeth is bread," Takato replied. "He loves the stuff, for some reason. Maybe because it doesn't grow it in the wild. What is it, boy?"

"There's a Digimon looking around out here," Guilmon replied. "I thought you might want to know." He sat back casually and began scratching his ear with a hind foot.

Hirokazu looked around. He could distantly see the top of the fence that surrounded the city. "Um... are Digimon supposed to be able to get in here?"

Guilmon blinked benignly. "I don't know. Are they?"

"No," said Takato. "Okay, let's be calm about this. We don't know what it wants; it could be friendly. Can you tell what kind of Digimon it is, Guilmon?"

Guilmon sat up and sniffed the air, nostrils twitching as he sorted through the night odors of town humans and livestock and cooking smells.

"Big," he declared at last.

"How big?" Takato persisted.

"Big," said Guilmon. "Bigger than me, but not as big as Antieramon."

"How can he smell how big something is?" asked Hirokazu.

Takato shrugged. "Don't ask me. Maybe he's talking about levels? Guilmon's a Rookie; Antieramon's an Ultimate, so maybe whatever's lurking around out there is a Champion."

Hirokazu sized up Guilmon. Standing at his full height, he was nearly as tall as Hirokazu himself was, and armed with long claws and a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"I don't want to meet anything bigger than him," Hirokazu said. "Not right now. Preferably not ever."

"Well, maybe we won't have to," said Takato, ever optimistic. "I mean, after all, there's no reason for-"

Clunk! A heavy footstep resounded in the quiet night. Both young men turned to face the sound, just as another clunk sounded. Squinting into the shadows, they could see a shape - a very large, broad, solid-looking shape that was moving slowly but steadily towards them.

"Never mind how that thing got in," said Hirokazu, staring. "I'll bet that thing just walked through the walls!"

"Um, do you think now would be a good time to make a strategic retreat?" asked Takato.

There was another heavy clunk, and then a crunch. Hirokazu looked at Takato.

"I think that would be a good idea."

"Help me!"

For the second time that night, Ruki was jolted from an uneasy sleep, and wondered bitterly just what it was this time. She was starting to get annoyed by these late-night distractions, and was beginning to think it would be merciful for someone to kill her just so she could get some rest. She sat up and looked around, taking in her surroundings in a split second: Renamon standing at full alert, Jenrya sitting up with his hand at his sword, Terriermon with his hackles raised, Culumon hiding under the nearest shrub, and something crashing through the underbrush.

"Ruki, you've got to help me," panted a familiar voice.

Ruki sat up and glared as a familiar personage came dashing out of the trees, looking somewhat breathless and clutching at a stitch in his side.

"You again," she said. "What's gotten you so upset now? If somebody's done your friend in, don't come looking to me for help; whoever it was did us all a favor.

"That's not it," Kenta panted. "That's it."

"Huh?"

Staring into the darkness, Ruki could just make out a small, flitting object that she had at first taken to be just a stray shaft of moonlight. Now she could see that it was moving of its own volition - that it was alive. She blinked and looked at it again.

"You came all this way because of a baby Digimon?" she asked.

"Wait," said Jenrya, giving the creature a thoughtful look. "That's not a hatchling; that Digimon is fully-grown."

"A Champion?" asked Kenta, blinking at the tiny shining thing.

Jenrya shook his head. "A Mega. Nothing else could have that much power. Test it yourself, if you want."

"I think I'll pass," said Kenta. "I just want to know what I'm supposed to do with it. It won't stop following me. It says its my partner."

"Then it is," said Ruki, rolling over. She wanted to go back to sleep. "Don't worry about it. Mega or not, it doesn't look like it's going to hurt you."

"Don't think so," Terriermon agreed, hopping over for a better look. "Actually, he's kinda cute."

"But what am I going to do?" Kenta persisted.

"Go to sleep," Ruki suggested. "It's late."

Jenrya took pity on him. "It's not so bad, once you get used to the idea. The Digimon actually make pretty good friends, once they get to like you. They're not nearly as bad as people have made them out to be."

"That's not it," said Kenta, shaking his head. "It's just - I'm a Healer. Digimon are fighters. Even if this little guy looks cute and friendly, he's still a Mega. He's powerful. I'm not the right person to use that kind of power."

"The Ark thought you were," Ruki pointed out. "So does he, apparently."

"But...." said Kenta helplessly.

Meanwhile, Marine Angemon was flitting around the camp, giving everything a curious inspection. He hovered over Ruki's Cards and found no earthly use for them, gave Jenrya's sword a brief examination before rejecting it with a disapproving squeak, and flitted over to the bush where Culumon was hiding. He flew a circle around it and chirped a few times. Culumon stepped cautiously out into the open.

"Culu, culu?" he said.

"Pi pu pi!" Marine Angemon replied.

"Culu, culu, culu!"

"Pu pa pi pi po."

"Culu?"

"Pa pi pu!"

Jenrya laughed a little. "I think they like each other!"

"What was that all about?" Ruki wondered.

"Well, I don't know what the white one was saying," Kenta replied, "but I think they just came to an agreement."

"You understood what he was saying?" asked Jenrya, indicating Marine Angemon.

"Of course. Can't you?"

"Not really," Jenrya admitted.

"Well, they sounded like they were debating something. Marine Angemon just agreed to it, whatever it was."

"Marine Angemon, did you say?" Renamon repeated.

Kenta jumped. "It talks!"

"Of course I talk," Renamon replied. "You just said you could understand the other creature; why be surprised that I speak?"

"Well, because... he doesn't talk like humans do. I just know what he means," answered Kenta defensively.

"You ought to consider yourself lucky," said Renamon. "I have heard of Marine Angemon, but I have never seen one myself. Legend holds that they bring good fortune to those they honor with their presence."

"Really?" said Kenta, with a trace of disbelief. It was pardonable, considering the way the ethereal pink creature was cavorting around the campsite.

Yet, even as he watched, Marine Angemon seemed to tire of his play and become serious. He drifted over to where Antieramon lay, examining him carefully from his toes to the tips of his long ears.

"Hey, you leave him alone!" said Terriermon defensively. He doesn't need you messing with him!"

"Quiet, small one, and let the 'mon work," Renamon scolded.

Chirping quietly to himself, Marine Angemon began fluttering in circles over the injured Digimon. Gradually, light began to form around him, light that resolved into bubbles - blue bubbles that glowed vividly with their own light. The others gathered around to watch the light show. Much to their amazement, where the glowing lights touched the sleeping rabbit, his wounds healed up, burns smoothed over, and new fur grew in. Within a few minutes, he was sitting up, blinking his ruby eyes as he looked up at the dark sky.

"Where am I?" he murmured.

Marine Angemon chattered, clearly pleased with himself, and fluttered over to Kenta for a word of praise. Kenta looked from the newly-healed Digimon to Marine Angemon and back again.

"You healed him," said Kenta slowly.

"Pa pi!"

"Is that what you do?" he asked. "You're a Healer... a Digimon Healer."

"Pa pi!"

"That's wonderful!" Kenta exclaimed. "I never knew that Digimon had Healers... You can heal the ones I can't..."

Marine Angemon chattered happily. To the others it was only gibberish, but to Kenta, it sounded like, "You and I, we can do anything together! Just you wait and see!"

"Guess Digimon are good for something after all," said Ruki.

"I guess so," answered Kenta, looking sheepish. "But I mean, you're all warriors, and your Digimon are fighters, too, so I just thought... well, you know."

"Culumon's not a fighter," said Jenrya. "And Terriermon doesn't really look dangerous, but he can do a lot in a pinch. I don't know about Guilmon sometimes, though... By the way, where is Guilmon?"

Everyone looked around, for the first time realizing that Guilmon - and his partner - were nowhere to be seen.

"Is it following us?" panted Hirokazu, running full tilt up the road.

"I don't know! Keep moving!" Takato called back.

The two of them were hurrying out of town as fast as their feet could carry them, fleeing the town and the dark thing that clunked in the night. Hirokazu was mentally berating himself for leaving his armor and weapons back at the inn; Takato was wishing he wasn't burdened with the same things. It would be so much easier to run if he wasn't carrying such a load, and he didn't like the idea of trying to stop and fight an unknown Digimon. Guilmon didn't seem bothered by anything, loping along beside them with no evidence of discomfort.

"It's still back there," he informed them. "I think it wants to come with us."

"Oh, great," said Hirokazu, rolling his eyes. One good thing - their panicked dash seemed to be sweating the alcohol out of his veins, and he was coming around with a vengeance. "Maybe it wants to be friends!"

"Maybe!" said Guilmon, completely missing the sarcasm.

"Well, I don't want to hang around and find out," said Takato. "Come on, the forest is just up ahead. Maybe we can lose it in the trees or something."

They reached the edge of the forest and went crashing into the underbrush, looking for a sturdy tree they could use as an escape route. Reaching a thick-trunked oak, Takato made a flying jump and managed to catch hold of a branch and swing himself into the treetop. Guilmon simply hooked his claws into the bark and scurried like a lizard into the leaves. Hirokazu, however, was not so agile. He jumped for the branch and missed, and landed with a thump and a stream of swear words. He got up and tried again, but had no more success than he had the first time. Meanwhile, the quiet night echoed with the distant thuds of something heavy clomping up the road.

"Oh, great," Takato muttered.

He jumped down from the tree and went to give Hirokazu a boost, kneeling in the fallen leaves long enough to help his friend scramble up onto the branch. Then he pulled himself up into the leafy shelter, and was surprised to feel Hirokazu reaching down to help him up.

"Thanks," Takato panted, bracing himself in the crook of two limbs.

"No problem," said Hirokazu. "You helped me, didn't you?"

"I had to," Takato replied. "I wasn't about to let that thing get you."

"Why not?" asked Hirokazu. "After the way I've been acting, you ought to be glad to be rid of me."

"That's not true. You're my friend."

"You're a better friend than I deserve," Hirokazu said softly.

Takato knew when to stay quiet.

"I used to think... I would be glad to have you go away," Hirokazu continued. "Everybody liked you. You were good at everything. I was tired of being ignored. I thought I'd be happy if you just went away and let me have the spotlight for a change."

"Weren't you?"

"For a while. After a while, though, it got... boring. There was no point in any of it, so I left. I thought I'd go out on the road and have some real adventures, know what I mean? Fight monsters, rescue damsels, meet great sorcerers, all that stuff they tell stories about. Instead it's all tromping around the countryside getting attacked, and for what? Nothing. I haven't got anything to show for it."

"It's about the same here, you know," said Takato.

"I don't know," Hirokazu answered. "What's she like?"

"Who?"

"Ruki Makino. The Cardmage."

"She's okay. I like her. She's got a lot of guts, and she doesn't take anything from anybody. She's doing her best to be a good leader for us."

"She doesn't act all high and mighty and like that?" Hirokazu persisted.

"Well, maybe when she's in a bad mood, or when she's showing off... but she's still a real person, Kazu. She eats breakfast and gets hurt and gets grouchy in the morning, just like the rest of us. And she swears like a sailor when she's mad."

Hirokazu laughed. "Seriously?"

"I've heard her! She puts even you to shame."

"I'd like to hear that."

"You can, you know," said Takato. "You can meet her, if you want."

"For real?"

"Why not? Your buddy's already been by, and he was okay. I'm sure they'll let you come along too. We've got to be better company than Yamaki."

"You know about him?"

"He tried to kill us the other night. That might count as knowing."

"Oh," said Hirokazu. "But... I tried to kill you guys..."

Takato shrugged. "So did Jenrya, when we first met him, and we like him."

"Jenrya?"

"Prince Jenrya. King Janyuu's son. He's with us, too."

"And he'd be okay with me?"

"Sure," said Takato. "Look - it doesn't matter to any of us if you're a mage or a prince or a Digimon just a soldier. We're all in this together. We can't go pulling rank on each other. We're a team. More than that, we're friends. And you're still my friend, if you'll let me be."

Hirokazu shook his head. "You're too nice to be a soldier, Takato."

"The Digimon is getting closer," said Guilmon, sniffing the air. "Is that good or bad?"

"Depends," said Takato.

"So much for meeting your friends," said Hirokazu. "We're never even going to get out of this tree!"

"Maybe if we're quiet, it won't find us," Takato suggested.

They became still. The clomping footsteps came closer, first booming loudly as they clomped on the hard-packed road, then turning to crunches as they stomped over the underbrush. They stopped directly below the tree.

"All right," boomed an authoritative voice. "I know you're up there! Come down and accept your punishment like men!"

"Punishment?" repeated Hirokazu, surprised into speaking. "What did we do?"

"Don't play innocent with me, varlet!" shouted the Digimon. "You can't fool me! I saw you breaking the law, and you will be punished!"

"Who are you calling a varlet?" called Takato. "I'm an honest mercenary! I haven't broken any laws!"

"You deny it?" the voice said incredulously. "I saw you go into that town leading a Digimon! Don't think I don't know that's not allowed! The fence was build and guards posted to keep Digimon out! I may not like it, but I respect the rules, and the rules say, no Digimon!"

"Is that what's gotten you all ticked off?" asked Hirokazu.

"That is, indeed, my grievance," said the voice, "and you will pay for your disobedience!"

"And who are you to tell us what to do?" asked Takato.

"I am Guardromon!" the voice boomed. "It is my bounden duty to defend the weak and protect the innocent, and I will not stand for rogues disrupting order!"

"A Guardromon," said Takato. "Well, that makes sense. No wonder he's mad about us breaking rules."

"A Digimon soldier," Hirokazu mused. "That's kinda funny. Hey, Guardromon, I've got a question?"

"Then ask, knave," Guardromon boomed back, "but don't think you can fast-talk your way out of your punishment!"

"Okay. You say the law forbids letting Digimon into the city, right?"

"Correct."

"All right. What do you think is a fair punishment for doing that?"

"Well-"

"I tell you what I think," said Hirokazu quickly. "If I'm going to let Digimon into the city, the fair thing to do is to get them out again. Does that make sense?"

"Ye-es..."

"Well, we have," said Hirokazu. "So we don't need any more punishing."

"But-"

"On the other hand," the bounty hunter continued, "I heard you clomping around inside the city, making all kinds of noise, stepping on things, and generally causing a nuisance."

"Well, I-" said Guardromon, and stopped. "Goodness, so I did. This is awful? What will I do now? I must make amends..."

"You can start by getting us out of this tree," said Hirokazu.

"Of course, good sirs!" Guardromon agreed. "I apologize profusely for my unfair accusation. Anything I can do for you..."

"On the ground, please," Hirokazu said.

"Right," Guardromon replied.

Within moments, the three of them were comfortably situated on solid earth once more, looking up at their strange new acquaintance. He had the look of a large machine, completely plated in brown metal with bronze fittings, with only two green eyes peering out of a viewslit to show there might be something more to him than a large robot. They could see that he was nearly as broad as he was tall, with a solid air to him that made them glad he had decided they were friends and not enemies. They didn't want to think about what kind of justice those large metal arms would dish out.

"Thanks for the lift, Guardromon," said Hirokazu.

"No trouble at all," the robot assured him. "It is the least I can do for you. I beg your forgiveness for troubling you. Please, allow me to make up for it."

"Oh, that's not really-" Takato began.

"Like how?" Hirokazu asked.

"I can see by your garb that you two are swordsmen. Perhaps I can be of use to you. Any protection I can offer is yours for the asking."

"Sounds like a good deal to me," said Hirokazu. "What do you think, Takato?"

Takato sized up Guardromon and decided it wasn't worth arguing with him. "Well, if he really wants to be helpful, he might as well come. We can always use someone to watch our backs."

"Excellent!" Guardromon said. "You will not find in all the land a more loyal protector!"

Takato shrugged. "Fine with me. How about starting by protecting our campsite? I'm getting tired."

"Lead the way!" said Guardromon. "I shall follow wherever you lead!"

"Is he always going to be like this?" Takato asked as they began to walk.

Hirokazu shrugged. "Look on the bright side - he could still be mad at us."

They arrived at the riverside camp to find a good deal more activity than they had left. Ruki and Renamon were prowling the perimeters of the camp, while Marine Angemon, Culumon, and Terriermon played in the grass. Jenrya sat next to Antieramon and Kenta, filling them in on what had been going on thus far. All of them turned to look when the soldiers and the Digimon arrived.

"There you are!" said Ruki. "We were wondering what happened to you, Takato. Where have you been?"

"Just picking up some friends," said Takato, plopping back down on his bedroll. "Gang, meet Guardromon. He wants to come along."

"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen," said Guardromon, executing a bow with agility that was surprising for his bulk. "It is an honor and a privilege."

"Well, at least his manners are good," said Jenrya. "Good to meet you, Guardromon. We always welcome friends here."

"That's your opinion," said Ruki, sizing up Hirokazu and Guardromon. "Hm, this is interesting. What do you think, Jen? Show 'em the box?"

"It can't hurt," Jenrya replied.

Hirokazu looked blank. "What box?"

"Don't worry; it's not so bad," said Kenta, who was now cradling Marine Angemon in his arms. "Just look at the Digimon it brought me!"

Ruki produced the box of Arks and proffered it to Hirokazu.

"Close your eyes," she instructed, "and touch each one. Tell me if one of them feels different than the others."

Hirokazu looked as if he thought she'd gone crazy, but apparently decided it was wisest not to argue with a sorceress. He did as he was told, running his fingers over the few remaining Arks. His hand came to a stop on the brown one.

"Weird," he said. "This one... it's humming. It feels like steel, and engines..."

"It's yours," said Ruki. "Congratulations, Hirokazu. You're one of us."

"It's that easy?" said Hirokazu, picking up the device and studying it.

"The Ark chose you," said Takato. "That machine binds you to a Digimon... probably that one."

Hirokazu looked at the Ark, and then at Guardromon. His eyes roved around the circle of firelight, taking in each of the humans and their partners. He smiled slowly.

"Just like a legend," he said softly. Then he beamed. "All right! That settles it. I'm with you guys - wherever you're going, whatever you're doing, I'm coming too!"

"Great. Just what we needed," said Ruki. "More followers. I don't know whether we're an adventuring party or a traveling circus."

"Neither," said Jenrya. "We're something different. We're... we're Digimon Tamers, that's what we are."

"Digimon Tamers," Ruki repeated. "That does about sum it up, doesn't it?"

"I guess so," said Takato, yawning.

"So," said Hirokazu, "now that we're all here, what do we do now? What happens next?"

"Now," said Ruki, "we sleep. I'm bushed. Good night, folks."

"Huh?" said Hirokazu. "But..."

"Good night," said Jenrya.

A swift gesture made the fire die down to red embers. One by one, the Tamers lay down on the soft grass, until only Hirokazu and Guardromon were left. The soldier stared.

"Isn't that always the way?" he muttered. "Oh, well. Want to stand watch, Guardromon?"

"Of course," he answered. "That's what I do best."

They settled down next to the fire, Hirokazu resting against his newfound partner's solid back. They stared quietly off into the darkness, listening to the soft night noises. Hirokazu stared thoughtfully up at the stars as they blinked through the leaves.

*Now, this is more like what I thought heroing would be like,* he mused. *Magic and monsters... I'm going to enjoy this. And I tamed a Digimon, and got chosen by a magical box. That's something to talk about. Hm, me, a legend...*

He smiled, closing his eyes to savor the image. Within a few moments, he was sound asleep.