Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ An Absence of Light ❯ The Return of Guilmon ( Chapter 5 )

Note: I'm really proud of this chapter. Apparently it was so good that no one but me noticed that Ruki was too young to be driving (this is only a year after Reaper). Unless the law is different in Japan. Well, in the updated version, Ruki's knowingly doing it illegally. ...what? This is Ruki we're talking about...

 

 

Chapter 5: The Return of Guilmon

 

 

Ruki had not liked the idea from the start, but Juri had begged her.

 

Still, Ruki, being the sensible person she was, pointed out several times that it was utterly pointless to ride past the bakery. There was no guarantee Takato would even be outside at all, and what was the point of seeing him if he didn't see them?

 

Juri insisted that Takato shouldn't see her, but that she wanted to see him all the same.

 

Culumon thought they were both being silly, but not enough to be fun, which was a tragedy in his eyes.

 

Ruki thought it was a sign from the gods that the storm started up as soon as they got into her mother's car.

 

Juri thought gods were generally subtler than that, and that Ruki should shut up and drive fast.

 

* * * * *

 

As the jaws of XV-mon drifted closer, Takato closed his eyes at how ironic the situation was. He was going to be eaten by one of the Digimon that epitomized heroism and justice. “Well,” he thought, opening one eye to see Shuichon hopping up and down excitedly, “at least he's eating his biggest fans…”

 

Without warning, his D-Arc began to beep and glow bright red. He and Shuichon both looked down at it.

 

“Hey!” she cried. “That only happens when-”

 

A large fireball came out of nowhere and caught XV-mon on the horn, knocking him off the dumpster.

 

In the next instant, a giant red head with shaggy white hair appeared, grinning with delight. “Takatomon!”

 

Takato blinked in disbelief. “Growmon?!”

 

The grin turned feral as XV-mon quickly got up. “Stay here,” Growmon instructed before tackling the blue dragon to the ground.

 

“Get his autograph!” Shuichon wailed desperately.

 

Takato sighed and sagged, before flinching as he realized he was still lying in a pile of garbage.

 

* * * * *

 

Ruki thought she was going nuts when she first saw the Cyber Dramon flying straight at the car. Well, actually, she scolded herself for having Ryo on the brain first. She was already too young to be driving legally, and only got away with it while her mother was out of town. The last thing she needed was for her grandmother to find out she'd been hallucinating while on the road.

 

But by the time Juri screamed, confirming that it wasn't a hallucination, it was too late to swerve and avoid the Digimon.

 

The Cyber Dramon crashed heavily into the windshield, and instead of being knocked out cold, it punched through the thick glass and tried to maul Ruki with its claws.

 

Ruki's next thought was why in the blue HELL Ryo's Digimon would be attacking her outside of a tournament, but then she figured out that this Cyber Dramon didn't belong to Ryo. Partially because Ryo was nowhere in sight, but mostly because a second Cyber Dramon tore through the roof and grabbed Juri's neck.

 

Ruki had never suffered from delusions of grandeur, imagined herself in Renamon's place during battles, or anything of that nature. But something in her snapped when she saw something, ANYTHING, trying to hurt Juri. With strength she never would've thought she possessed, she reached up, grabbed the Cyber Dramon's arm, and yanked down, smirking in satisfaction as the Digimon's head slammed into the roof.

It let go of Juri at once.

 

It was then that the OTHER Cyber Dramon, apparently angry at being ignored, grabbed Ruki by her shirt and yanked her bodily out of the car. As she hit the ground hard, Ruki cursed herself for a fool. That was pure pack logic: separate the main threat from whatever it's protecting.

 

It was not Juri's frightened screams that got her attention, but the blinding red light from Culumon's forehead. Ruki closed her eyes as both Cyber Dramon roared in anger at being halted, even for a few seconds. She hadn't known Culumon could use his power to blind others, but she was glad he had.

 

But as the light finally faded, Ruki became aware of a new Digimon standing next to her, mainly because it picked her up. She was about to start struggling when she noticed the shotgun in its other hand.

 

“Double Impact!” Beelzebumon shouted, even as the first Cyber Dramon was blasted off the hood of the car, landing ungracefully on its back. He grunted in slight surprise when the Digimon wasn't deleted instantly. “Hmmph. That's new.” The Demon Lord walked over and stomped on the Cyber Dramon's head a few times, smiling in satisfaction as it finally converted to data that he quickly absorbed. “Ah, I needed that,” he sighed contentedly.

 

“You couldn't cut it any closer?!” Ruki snapped.

 

Beelzebumon shrugged. “Hey, you got one,” he replied, nodding at the still unconscious Cyber Dramon on the roof. “Wanted to see what you'd do to the other. But you just laid there all bruised. I'm disappointed.”

 

“Would you just make sure they're okay?!” Ruki shouted, waving her arms frantically as he set her down.

 

“We're fine, Ruki,” Juri said as she emerged carefully from the car. There were a few scratches on her throat, but other than that and being a little shaken up, she seemed okay. She was holding onto Culumon a little tightly, though.

 

“Are all your road trips like this?” Culumon asked worriedly.

 

“If they are, I REALLY gotta start hangin' out with you guys,” Beelzebumon chuckled. “You wouldn't believe how little action a bodyguard gets.”

 

“`Bodyguard?'” Ruki & Juri asked at once, staring at him.

 

“Long story. A `Mon's gotta eat.” He shrugged. “So, you two wanna stay out here in the rain and see how long it takes us to get attacked again, or you wanna get your tails outta here while we can?”

 

Suddenly, there was a loud roar not too far away.

 

Beelzebumon's shotgun was out again as he stepped in front of the two girls, each of his legs effectively shielding one of them.

 

Ruki frowned. “Wait…that sounds like a motorcycle.”

 

Beelzebumon sighed wistfully. “Damn, I miss my hog.”

 

A few seconds later, a motorcycle appeared, ridden by a human rider in all black. The bike stopped a few feet away.

 

Beelzebumon put his gun away, not because he was at ease, but because he could dispatch any human with his bare hands.

 

The rider removed the helmet, revealing a head of blond hair, secured in pigtails by black ribbons. “Ruki-san, is that you?”

 

Ruki gaped. “Alice?! What are you DOING here?”

 

Alice stepped off the bike with a frown. “A Greymon tried to eat my bed. While I was still in it.”

 

“And you got away?” Juri asked in surprise.

 

“Not exactly. While I was throwing things at it, my electronic diary turned into this,” she said, holding up a solid black D-Arc. “I'm not really sure how it works yet, but a bright light came out and made the Greymon de-evolve.”

 

“You mean…it's your partner?” Juri squeaked.

 

Alice frowned. “Hardly. Partners don't try to eat each other. But I did bring it along, just in case.” She pointed at what looked like a struggling, soaked canvas bag tied to the back of the bike. “I figured having to ride like that in the rain would be punishment enough for him.”

 

“Damn…I LIKE her,” Beelzebumon said approvingly.

 

“I assume you all had your own…encounter?” Alice asked, nodding at the damaged car. “It's strange, but no one else in my area was attacked. Just me.”

 

“That's not strange,” Ruki replied. “That comes from being a Tamer. Welcome to the club.”

 

“But…if Tamers are getting attacked,” Juri said, her eyes widening, “Takato and Shuichon…Kazu and Kenta…”

 

“Jenrya and Ryo, too,” Ruki added. “Maybe one of them knows why this is happening…again.”

 

“All right, too much talkin', not enough deletin',” Beelzebumon growled. He walked over to Alice's bike, studied it for a moment, and placed a hand on the seat. The bike shuddered and nearly tripled in size, taking on an entirely new style.

 

“…that was my uncle's bike,” Alice noted, blinking a few times. “I think he'd rather have this one…”

 

“My hog,” Beelzebumon said happily, stroking the seat lovingly. “Daddy's here, baby.”

 

“…let's just find the others before something ELSE happens,” Ruki sighed.

 

“Then climb on, ladies. I just got me a scent, and it smells like a fight…which reminds me.” He drew his gun, blasted the last Cyber Dramon off the car, and grinned as he absorbed its data.

 

“Please be okay, Takato,” Juri whispered worriedly as they rode off.

 

Behind her, Alice squeezed Juri's waist gently. “He'll be fine, Juri-san. Takato can look out for himself.”

 

* * * * *

 

Takato was still picking bits of trash off his clothes when Growmon finally wrestled XV-mon to the ground, with most of his red bulk resting squarely on the snarling Phantom Dragon's back.

 

“I'm only going to ask you once,” Takato said. “Why are you trying to kill us?”

 

XV-mon remained silent.

 

“Oh, I see. Growmon, why don't we get Shuichon her autograph now?” he asked, winking.

 

Growmon winked back at his Tamer and pounded XV-mon's hand into the ground, leaving a very sizeable print on both the street and XV-mon's hand. XV-mon hissed in pain, but made no other sound.

 

“Wow!” Shuichon gasped, running up to the print…but then she scowled. “It'll never fit in my room…”

 

Takato rolled his eyes. “Well, he's not going to talk, I guess.”

 

“Maybe he's just a grunt?” Growmon suggested, grunting himself as he picked XV-mon up and drove him horn-first into the dumpster. He tried a few tugs and nodded, satisfied the blue dragon would stay put.

 

“Maybe, boy. In that case, we need to find out who's behind his being here.”

 

“Can't we do that after we feed my…friend?” Shuichon pleaded. “If he gets really hungry, he might eat something he shouldn't.”

 

“Like clothes?” Growmon asked.

 

“Like the wall,” Shuichon replied.

 

Takato shook his head. “You two stay here. I'll go round up some food.”

 

“But one of your arms looks funny,” Growmon noted, leaning down to poke at it with a large claw.

 

“OW!” Takato quickly backed away.

 

“Sorry!” Growmon backed up, looking concerned.

 

“That's okay, boy. I guess my arm is bugging me. Shuichon, you know what…ah, Pepper likes?”

 

Shuichon nodded and skipped into the bakery. “Gonna get food for Pepper,” she said in a singsong voice.

 

Takato sat down and gingerly tried to move his arm. “I must've landed wrong in that dumpster. I wonder how it got there in the first place?”

 

“Wasn't me,” Growmon said helpfully. “Maybe Impmon did it? I smelled him earlier.”

 

“Shuichon did say he was right outside…so where is he now?”

 

“Maybe he saw something else to fight?”

 

“I hope not. We're going to need all the Digimon we can get right now, and if he keeps running off to do what he wants…”

 

Just then, there was sound not unlike a cannon firing.

 

Takato felt something zoom past his ear, just barely missing it. Nervously, he turned around…only to see XV-mon looming over him, converting to data with the dumpster still stuck on his horn. Growmon yanked him out of the way just before the dumpster crashed to the ground where Takato had been.

 

“Nice reflexes, Big Red,” Beelzebumon commented as he walked towards them, a smoking shotgun on his shoulder. “A little slow, though…”

 

Takato took a deep breath in Growmon's fist, shaking in anger. “You…”

 

“Funny how EVERY time I save a life today, all they do is complain about how close it was. How `bout we see how close it IS the next time, when I decide NOT to step in, huh?”

 

Takato deflated. “Sorry. Thanks. Who else did you…?”

 

Beelzebumon whistled, and was instantly answered by a loud rumbling as a huge, black motorcycle rolled into view.

 

Takato tensed up upon recognizing it. “Not THAT thing again!”

 

“You wanna walk, be my guest. They didn't mind the ride,” he added, nodding at Ruki, Juri, and Alice.

 

Takato tried to hide in Growmon's fist, but forgot to relay the message to his Digimon, who moved forward to greet the girls.

 

“Hi, guys!” Growmon rumbled happily.

 

Ruki scowled up at him, Juri smiled uneasily, and Alice…well, after seeing a Greymon up close, she was pretty hard to impress at that point, and made do with a nod.

 

Growmon leaned closer, sniffing loudly, particularly at Alice.

 

Alice frowned. “Does he have to do that, Takato?”

 

Takato managed a one-armed shrug. “Yeah. In case you get lost, he can track your smell. It's more handy than it seems right now, honest.”

 

“What happened to your arm?” Juri asked suddenly.

 

Takato blinked, shocked that she was even speaking to him. “Um…I fell on it.”

 

“From the second floor. I saw you,” Growmon added helpfully. “Just like in the movies.”

 

“No, I think it hurts less there, boy,” Takato chuckled. Then he got a better look at Juri as she climbed off the bike. “Hey…what happened to your neck?!”

 

“You didn't get the memo?” Beelzebumon joked. “Cyber Dramon roaming the streets and all? Maybe I left it in my other pants…”

 

“We're fine,” Juri said shortly. “Growmon, put him down. We're going to do something about that arm.”

 

Takato sputtered as Growmon did just that, and right in front of Juri, no less. “I'm fine, really,” he protested weakly. “Aw, Juri, don't!” he cried as she began to tear off some of her dress to make a sling.

 

“He's right; don't,” Alice deadpanned, tossing a leather jacket at Juri. “Use that instead.”

 

Juri carefully tied the jacket around Takato's shoulder, making a point to look him in the eye. “You shouldn't ignore your injuries, Takato,” she scolded lightly.

 

“Neither should you,” he countered, reaching up to brush his fingers against her neck without thinking. He quickly jerked his hand back. “S-Sorry, Juri.”

 

She smiled softly. “It's okay, Takato. Really.”

 

Shuichon returned just then, carrying a big bag of food in her arms. “Hey, where'd everybody come from?” She aimed a look at Beelzebumon. “And where'd you go, mister?”

 

Beelzebumon scowled at her. “Lay off, kid.”

 

“He left to help us, Shui-chan,” Juri supplied. “Even if he won't admit it.”

 

“Oh. That's okay, then.” Shuichon glared at the Demon Lord. “But leave a note next time!”

 

“Can we go yet?!” Beelzebumon nodded at his bike, which instantly sprouted a sidecar. “BUT! YOU are gonna have to downsize it, pal,” he said sternly, pointing up at Growmon.

 

Growmon pouted…which didn't have quite the effect it normally would in his Child form. “Aw…do I have to?”

 

Takato nodded. “He's got a point, boy. There's no way me, Shuichon, the food, AND you will fit in there if you're this big.”

 

After another pout, Growmon shrank until he was Guilmon. “If I eat some of the food, will there be more room?”

 

Shuichon giggled. “No, silly! But I thought you'd be hungry, so I brought this!” She pulled out a peculiarly shaped loaf of bread.

 

“Yaaay! Guilmon bread!” the red Reptile cheered, licking Shuichon's face.

 

Beelzebumon sighed. “I'm gonna be sick, and I didn't even eat yet…”

 

* * * * *

 

Xuanwumon slowly but surely shuffled his way into the clearing. “Am I late?”

 

Zhuqiaomon scowled at the huge turtle from his perch in a nearby tree. “You always are, Xuanwumon. But you are not the last to arrive. That distinction belongs to Qinglongmon, the one who summoned us together in the first place.”

 

At the tree's base, Baihumon snorted loudly. “Don't like the air here. Doesn't smell like Qinglongmon.”

“And it never will again,” said a new voice as it entered the clearing.

 

The three Holy Beasts turned as one to see a figure cloaked entirely in shadow, even as it stood in the light. Only two yellow eyes were visible.

 

“Who dares intrude upon a meeting of the DigiGods?!” Zhuqiaomon shouted, his eyes blazing with anger.

 

“The one who summoned you,” the shadow replied simply.

 

“You are NOT Quinglongmon,” Zhuqiaomon snapped.

 

Baihumon sniffed and growled softly. “No. But he smells of Qinglongmon…of his blood.”

 

“What I smell of should be of no concern to you. I, for all intents and purposes, am now the Guardian of the Eastern Digital World.”

 

“You think you can just walk in here and say that?!” Zhuqiaomon roared. “You are NOTHING unless we all agree to it!”

 

“If what Baihumon said is true, then clearly Qinglongmon is defeated,” Xuanwumon muttered. “We have little choice but to allow him to take the responsibilities. We all have our own quadrants to look after.”

 

Baihumon growled thoughtfully. “If he's that strong, and he wants the job, I say let him have it.”

 

Zhuqiaomon wasn't about to give in so easily. “Show me the DigiCores,” he challenged.

 

Wordlessly, the shadow shifted, revealing several DigiCores swirling around an armor-covered arm. All of the DigiCores were tainted solid black.

 

“So be it,” Zhuqiaomon relented. “You are the new Guardian of the East. But we WILL be watching you.” With that, he quickly flew off.

 

“I expected nothing less,” the shadow replied as it faded away.

 

Xuanwumon shifted uneasily.

 

Baihumon walked over to him. “You saw it, too, Eldest?” the white tiger asked.

 

The turtle nodded. “Hmm. Yes. That piece of armor…it was a…”

 

“Dramon Killer,” Baihumon answered.

 

“But…it can't be…him, can it?”

 

“Not the same one the legend spoke of, no. But he could reproduce as easily as any other Digimon. He had the power.”

 

Xuanwumon sighed. “I don't like this, Baihumon. If he's defeated Qinglongmon, what's to stop him from coming after the rest of us?”

 

Baihumon shook his head. “He won't. Not right away, at least. We can worry about that after he gets used to the power. Then we'll deal with him.”

 

“But what of Qinglongmon?” the turtle asked as the white tiger turned to leave.

 

Baihumon grunted. “If he was beaten, there's nothing more we can do. If he lives, he would still be in the East Quadrant, and that is beyond our control now, my friend.” With that, he walked off, his head lowered in thought.

 

Xuanwumon slowly began to turn to leave himself, sighing heavily. “Farewell, Seiryuu,” he muttered. “You will not be so easily forgotten…at least, not by me…”

 

* * * * *

 

Next Chapter: Shuichon's pet is finally revealed, Takato & Juri have a heart-to-heart, and Jenrya makes a deal.

 

 

Digidex

Zhuqiaomon: The “red sparrow” Holy Bird, Guardian of the Southern Digital World.

Xuanwumon (Ebonwumon): The “black turtle/mysterious warrior” Holy Beast, Guardian of the North.

Baihumon: The “white tiger” Holy Beast, Guardian of the West.

Qinglongmon (Azulongmon): The “blue dragon” Holy Dragon, Guardian of the East. One of the Four Great Dragons.

 

I'm sorry if I have the personalities of the DigiGods wrong, but I really only have the NA dub to go on. Zhuqiaomon was quick to anger and bossy, Xuanwumon was old-fashioned and amusing, Baihumon was an intense fighter, Qinglongmon was the peacemaker that seemed to command respect at the same time. The only two that seemed to get along were Baihumon & Xuanwumon. When Ryo & Cyber Dramon came upon Baihmon battling the Reaper alone, Xuanwumon stepped in to keep Cyber Dramon at bay and watch Baihumon's back. I don't know that Baihumon would've welcomed the help, but Xuanwumon is the oldest and arguably wisest of the four, so I would think that at least one of the others respected him. There is a Guardian dragon of the center part of the Digital World, but he was never mentioned in Tamers, for some reason, so I won't mess with him for now.

 

Kudos to you if you can guess who the new DigiGod is.