Digital Cowboy: Prologue - Again
Title: Digital Cowboy: Prologue - Again
What: Digimon Tamers (and Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Adventure: Anode/Cathode Tamer, Digimon Adventure 02: Tag Tamers, Digimon Adventure 02: D-1 Tamers, and Digimon: Brave Tamers) fanfiction - the prologue of a longer work that was, alas, never completed
Rating: R for sexual themes in later chapters, never mind the cartoon violence and bad language
Words: 1094
Summary: Largely AU - in a digital world where the digignomes have made the would-be after effects of dreams come true, Akiyama Ryo gets a little tired of being stuck with a feral beast for a partner, constantly battling for his life, and saving the world over and over again. (No, I don't know where I was going with this either.) Japanese names, abuse of formatting, and an absolute refusal to capitalize words like "digital world", "digimon", and "tamer" out of laziness and how silly a fic looks with so many capital letters; one-sided Ryo/Ruki and vague one-sided Milleniumon/Ryo; and a whip not of the digital variety in the next chapter. The beginning of my love affair with the present tense. Written in November 2003 but never posted; barely edited since.
Sample: Human teenagers. I'll never understand them.
Welcome to a world...
"Where are we?" Ryo asks, looking very obviously ticked off. Cyberdramon looks set to tell him that they're very obviously in the desert, but Ryo puts up a hand to stop him. "No, wait! Don't tell me!" he adds, very obviously sarcastic. "I know where we are. This is another digital world, isn't it?"
Cyberdramon, unused to this extremely out of character rant when compared to Ryo's normal taciturnity, merely raises an eyebrow in affirmation.
"And don't tell me. I have to save the world, again." Ryo goes on.
...that always seems to need saving...
Cyberdramon shrugs.
"Oh, it figures that I'd have to be the one to save the world, again." Ryo rants. "I know I've saved the world before ‘you’ chucked me out of the time-space continuum, I have a feeling I saved the world several times before ‘you’ chucked me out of the time-space continuum, I just don't remember it, because ‘you’ chucked me out of the space-time continuum, damnit. And nobody's telling me anything about my life before ‘you’ chucked me out of the time-space continuum, because they’re all in a different frigging dimension."
...from the same monster...
Cyberdramon rolls his eyes. [Human teenagers. I'll never understand them.]
"And it's all ‘your’ fault I have to stay in this digital world too, because I am not in the mood to go back to Shinjuku and try to explain to all the police officers that their cars were destroyed by a cybernetic dragon from a different dimension. Why the hell do ‘you’ enjoy tormenting me so?!"
...by the same kid...
Cyberdramon regards his tamer from behind his opaque mask, noting the tamer’s utter disregard to his being half Monodramon. "Well, if that's the way you feel about me, then I suppose I'll just leave you alone and see how long you survive without me."
...over and over again...
"Damn straight!" Ryo shouts, before fractionally calming down. "Wait. Could I survive without a digimon here?"
Cyberdramon cocks his head to the side thoughtfully. "Possibly. Though I doubt it. Legendary tamer or not, this digital world is different from the ones we’re used to."
...where physical needs can be ignored...
"Different from all the different dimensions you put me through?" Ryo demands.
"Very different." Cyberdramon nods.
"And how different is different?" Ryo adds.
…where reality…
"Try a digital world where everyone's trying to kill the humans and the humans' digimon of their own accord, and not because they're under some random evil influence." Cyberdramon deadpans.
"Sounds absolutely wonderful," Ryo agrees, equally sarcastic, "any idea why the hell they'd be doing so?"
Cyberdramon shrugs. "Eh, something about 'if you kill a tamer or a tamer's digimon, you'll either digivolve or go to the real world', to my limited knowledge."
"This world is crazy." Ryo eventually voices.
…is how you believe it to be…
"I quite agree. And I haven't even told you about the dream thing yet."
"'Dream thing'?" Ryo asks, no longer angry, but now genuinely curious.
Cyberdramon starts walking, forcing Ryo to run for a few metres to catch up with him. "I don't know, given that I've never actually slept in here, and that I'm not a human, but apparently when a human sleeps here, the after-effects of their dreams will come true. Dreams; I've never understood them. Humans, too."
…where dreams…
"Explain this again?"
"Let's say you fell asleep and you got, oh, I don't know, heavily beaten up in the dream or something. You'd wake up with the bruises."
…can come true…
"Remind me never to sleep here. I always dream."
"You probably don't need reminding. You probably won't sleep of your own accord. But the pleasant dreams carry over their after-effects too."
…and always do…
"Wow, all I need now is something to prevent nightmares and I'm quite happy to sleep all day." Ryo jokes.
"You could have done that in this universe's 'real world'. I thought you don't like being cooped up in cities." Cyberdramon replies, entirely missing the entire concept that there might be humor in that sentence.
"I don't. You're right. Never mind, forget I ever said anything." Ryo shoots back, rolling his eyes.
...where monsters live…
"Okay, I'll forget this conversation ever happened." Cyberdramon retorts, smiling very slightly.
Ryo stops suddenly, giving his partner an odd look. "...You've changed." he eventually points out.
"As have you." Cyberdramon returns. "I thought it was in 'human nature' to change."
"That's not what I mean!" Ryo yells indignantly. "No, it's just that... Well..."
…trapped in an endless cycle of battle and data absorption...
"Spit it out. We've only got all day." Cyberdramon says, a hint of good humor coming into his eyes behind the mask.
"Well..." Ryo starts hesitantly. "You didn't use to be like this, you know? I mean, the whole 'taking over time' mess... And what I figure went on before that... Well, we didn't use to be like this. You know, friendly, joking around, putting up with each other. I mean, the circumstances we were in, I don't blame you for not doing so, but it just feels so weird...and yet so right...to be acting like this... I don't know, it feels better being friendly rather than you trying to kill me... Well, of course it was, I mean, I was only like twelve or so and no twelve-year-old should have to save the world, but... Oh, I don't know..." He trails off, feeling and looking awkward.
Cyberdramon smirks. "You're babbling." he replies, causing Ryo to break into indignant, incoherent mutterings before he interrupts it. "But I understand where you're coming from."
"You do?" Ryo repeats, genuinely surprised. "Coz I don't. Care to explain it to me?"
The digimon snickers, a slightly unnerving experience to behold in Ryo's eyes. "You prefer us being friends rather than enemies. Which makes sense, seeing as we’re ‘partners’ and all. It's really that simple, only your babbling over-complicated matters." He goes on without pause, halting Ryo's renewed incoherent mutterings in their tracks. "And I must say, I agree with you."
Ryo blinks. "You do?"
Cyberdramon stoops down to Ryo's eye level and fixes him with a cold stare, and, just for a moment, even though it's one of Monodramon's evolutions he's seeing, Ryo can plainly hear Milleniumon speaking. "Yes. I do. And let's leave it at that."
With that confusing statement hanging in the air, Cyberdramon turns and strides off into the digital sunset again. Ryo stares after him for a moment, wondering, then shrugs and follows.
Welcome...
...to the Digital World...
to part of Chapter 1: Bring it On
What: Digimon Tamers (and Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Adventure: Anode/Cathode Tamer, Digimon Adventure 02: Tag Tamers, Digimon Adventure 02: D-1 Tamers, and Digimon: Brave Tamers) fanfiction - the prologue of a longer work that was, alas, never completed
Rating: R for sexual themes in later chapters, never mind the cartoon violence and bad language
Words: 1094
Summary: Largely AU - in a digital world where the digignomes have made the would-be after effects of dreams come true, Akiyama Ryo gets a little tired of being stuck with a feral beast for a partner, constantly battling for his life, and saving the world over and over again. (No, I don't know where I was going with this either.) Japanese names, abuse of formatting, and an absolute refusal to capitalize words like "digital world", "digimon", and "tamer" out of laziness and how silly a fic looks with so many capital letters; one-sided Ryo/Ruki and vague one-sided Milleniumon/Ryo; and a whip not of the digital variety in the next chapter. The beginning of my love affair with the present tense. Written in November 2003 but never posted; barely edited since.
Sample: Human teenagers. I'll never understand them.
Welcome to a world...
"Where are we?" Ryo asks, looking very obviously ticked off. Cyberdramon looks set to tell him that they're very obviously in the desert, but Ryo puts up a hand to stop him. "No, wait! Don't tell me!" he adds, very obviously sarcastic. "I know where we are. This is another digital world, isn't it?"
Cyberdramon, unused to this extremely out of character rant when compared to Ryo's normal taciturnity, merely raises an eyebrow in affirmation.
"And don't tell me. I have to save the world, again." Ryo goes on.
...that always seems to need saving...
Cyberdramon shrugs.
"Oh, it figures that I'd have to be the one to save the world, again." Ryo rants. "I know I've saved the world before ‘you’ chucked me out of the time-space continuum, I have a feeling I saved the world several times before ‘you’ chucked me out of the time-space continuum, I just don't remember it, because ‘you’ chucked me out of the space-time continuum, damnit. And nobody's telling me anything about my life before ‘you’ chucked me out of the time-space continuum, because they’re all in a different frigging dimension."
...from the same monster...
Cyberdramon rolls his eyes. [Human teenagers. I'll never understand them.]
"And it's all ‘your’ fault I have to stay in this digital world too, because I am not in the mood to go back to Shinjuku and try to explain to all the police officers that their cars were destroyed by a cybernetic dragon from a different dimension. Why the hell do ‘you’ enjoy tormenting me so?!"
...by the same kid...
Cyberdramon regards his tamer from behind his opaque mask, noting the tamer’s utter disregard to his being half Monodramon. "Well, if that's the way you feel about me, then I suppose I'll just leave you alone and see how long you survive without me."
...over and over again...
"Damn straight!" Ryo shouts, before fractionally calming down. "Wait. Could I survive without a digimon here?"
Cyberdramon cocks his head to the side thoughtfully. "Possibly. Though I doubt it. Legendary tamer or not, this digital world is different from the ones we’re used to."
...where physical needs can be ignored...
"Different from all the different dimensions you put me through?" Ryo demands.
"Very different." Cyberdramon nods.
"And how different is different?" Ryo adds.
…where reality…
"Try a digital world where everyone's trying to kill the humans and the humans' digimon of their own accord, and not because they're under some random evil influence." Cyberdramon deadpans.
"Sounds absolutely wonderful," Ryo agrees, equally sarcastic, "any idea why the hell they'd be doing so?"
Cyberdramon shrugs. "Eh, something about 'if you kill a tamer or a tamer's digimon, you'll either digivolve or go to the real world', to my limited knowledge."
"This world is crazy." Ryo eventually voices.
…is how you believe it to be…
"I quite agree. And I haven't even told you about the dream thing yet."
"'Dream thing'?" Ryo asks, no longer angry, but now genuinely curious.
Cyberdramon starts walking, forcing Ryo to run for a few metres to catch up with him. "I don't know, given that I've never actually slept in here, and that I'm not a human, but apparently when a human sleeps here, the after-effects of their dreams will come true. Dreams; I've never understood them. Humans, too."
…where dreams…
"Explain this again?"
"Let's say you fell asleep and you got, oh, I don't know, heavily beaten up in the dream or something. You'd wake up with the bruises."
…can come true…
"Remind me never to sleep here. I always dream."
"You probably don't need reminding. You probably won't sleep of your own accord. But the pleasant dreams carry over their after-effects too."
…and always do…
"Wow, all I need now is something to prevent nightmares and I'm quite happy to sleep all day." Ryo jokes.
"You could have done that in this universe's 'real world'. I thought you don't like being cooped up in cities." Cyberdramon replies, entirely missing the entire concept that there might be humor in that sentence.
"I don't. You're right. Never mind, forget I ever said anything." Ryo shoots back, rolling his eyes.
...where monsters live…
"Okay, I'll forget this conversation ever happened." Cyberdramon retorts, smiling very slightly.
Ryo stops suddenly, giving his partner an odd look. "...You've changed." he eventually points out.
"As have you." Cyberdramon returns. "I thought it was in 'human nature' to change."
"That's not what I mean!" Ryo yells indignantly. "No, it's just that... Well..."
…trapped in an endless cycle of battle and data absorption...
"Spit it out. We've only got all day." Cyberdramon says, a hint of good humor coming into his eyes behind the mask.
"Well..." Ryo starts hesitantly. "You didn't use to be like this, you know? I mean, the whole 'taking over time' mess... And what I figure went on before that... Well, we didn't use to be like this. You know, friendly, joking around, putting up with each other. I mean, the circumstances we were in, I don't blame you for not doing so, but it just feels so weird...and yet so right...to be acting like this... I don't know, it feels better being friendly rather than you trying to kill me... Well, of course it was, I mean, I was only like twelve or so and no twelve-year-old should have to save the world, but... Oh, I don't know..." He trails off, feeling and looking awkward.
Cyberdramon smirks. "You're babbling." he replies, causing Ryo to break into indignant, incoherent mutterings before he interrupts it. "But I understand where you're coming from."
"You do?" Ryo repeats, genuinely surprised. "Coz I don't. Care to explain it to me?"
The digimon snickers, a slightly unnerving experience to behold in Ryo's eyes. "You prefer us being friends rather than enemies. Which makes sense, seeing as we’re ‘partners’ and all. It's really that simple, only your babbling over-complicated matters." He goes on without pause, halting Ryo's renewed incoherent mutterings in their tracks. "And I must say, I agree with you."
Ryo blinks. "You do?"
Cyberdramon stoops down to Ryo's eye level and fixes him with a cold stare, and, just for a moment, even though it's one of Monodramon's evolutions he's seeing, Ryo can plainly hear Milleniumon speaking. "Yes. I do. And let's leave it at that."
With that confusing statement hanging in the air, Cyberdramon turns and strides off into the digital sunset again. Ryo stares after him for a moment, wondering, then shrugs and follows.
Welcome...
...to the Digital World...
to part of Chapter 1: Bring it On