A Day and a Knight

by Crazyeight

A single day can see many changes in one's life. Who knows what the future will bring? Two friends, coming to grips with how much their lives will change in the days ahead, soon discover one more change that will touch them for the rest of their lives.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A Day and a Knight

A Digimon Tamers fanfic by: Crazyeight

Takato knelt in the bushes, his eyes scanning the park path for any sign of movement. Swallowing, he tightened his grip on a long, curved stick, feeling a knob from a broken-off branch dig into his palm, and then he ventured outward into the opening. His heart banging in his chest, he took out a small, angular device from his pocket. A holographic circle rose up from its screen, an arrow swinging wildly along its edges.

Where is he? Turning in the direction the arrow pointed – now that it made up its mind – he began to cautiously inch forward.

This is the only way, he thought, straining his ears for the slightest sound…

"Takato?"

Spinning around with a cry of alarm, Takato raised the stick in his hand in self-defense, only to blink in surprise as a startled girl with her red-hair tied back in a ponytail took a step back at this unexpected act.

"Whoa! What?" she began, violet-eyes wide. Face flushing, Takato lowered his stick and scratched the back of his head.

"Hey Rika!" he laughed, embarrassed at having been surprised and flailing a stick about by the girl. "What are you doing here?"

Relaxing a little at seeing the boy's more normal, awkward behavior, the girl allowed a small, tentative smile to play along her lips.

"I was…taking a walk," she began. "Thought about paying you a visit, but you kind of beat me to the punch on that." She glanced at the stick in her friend's hand curiously. "Do I want to know what that's about?"

"Oh this?" Hefting the item in question, Takato let out another embarrassed laugh. "Oh, it's nothing. Guilmon and I were just…"

"I win!"

Before Takato even had a chance to react, the bushes behind him exploded and a crimson dinosaur launched itself at the boy, bowling him and wrestling him to the dirt. Rika could only stare in dumbfounded amazement as the reptile proceeded to laugh and lick her friend all over his face, ignoring his squawking protests and exclamations.

"Gah! Guilmon! H-Hey! Come…Come on! Knock it…" The tongue bathing along his cheek, Takato looked up helplessly at the fire-haired girl, who was struggling now to hold back a smirk.

"A little help please?" he asked. Planting her hands on her hips, Rika shook her head, giving up all pretense of trying to hide her growing smile at the antics of her two friends.

"I don't know… You two seem to be having all kinds of fun there, and I'm sure you need a bath after kissing dirt like that."

"But Rik… Blagh!" Takato spat to the side all of a sudden, Guilmon's tongue having accidently found its way into his mouth as he tried to talk. Undaunted, Guilmon continued to slather his face all the way up to his goggles, almost causing them to slip off in the process.

"She's right you know," Guilmon snickered between licks. "I got you dirty, so I should clean you up. Your mom would be happy don't you think?"

"I think she'd rather I didn't get slobbered and took a bath like a regular person," Takato laughed, trying to push his digimon partner away so as to stem the flow of the saliva. "Rikaaa…"

"Fine, fine," Rika replied with annoyance that was belied by the amusement in her voice. Approaching the pair, she raised a fist and tapped the reptile on the side of his head. "All right, Guilmon. I'm calling it off before you lick his face right off."

"Whaaa…?" At once, the reptile rose up, gold-colored eyes widening in horror at the thought of his partner making his way through life with a blank face; as though he were a picture whose features had been erased. "I can do that?"

"I'd rather not find out," the girl chuckled as Takato climbed to his feet, using one hand to wipe at his face to dry it off.

"Thanks Rika," he said, flashing the girl a grin. The girl winked at him playfully.

"No problem. Sorry your partner stole your first kiss though. Maybe I should have acted faster to save it."

Takato went beat red at that and he scratched the side of his face, flustered.

"Erm… Let's…just pretend that didn't happen," he said awkwardly. Taking a step closer, Rika grinned mischievously.

"Don't worry," she said. "It'll be our secret. Well, so long as you tell me one thing. What are the two of you doing? I don't know many games that would involve a stick, and I don't see you playing fetch with Dinoboy."

"Fetch?" Guilmon's eyes lit up at that and his bat-wing like ears rose eagerly. "But I thought we were on a quest."

"Quest?" Rika fixed Takato with a questioning look. Blushing even harder now and half-hiding the stick behind him, Takato gave another abashed bout of laughter.

"Oh… We're just…kinda…you know. Playing around and stuff. Pretend stuff."

"He's a knight and I'm a dragon and we're on a quest to save the world," Guilmon chirped. "We only started a second ago, so we're meeting up for the first time."

"I…see." Rika tilted her head to one side, not sure what to make of this. It struck her as being a little immature, especially with the use of a stick to represent what she assumed was a knight's sword.

Well, this is Takato we're talking about…

Hearing her lackluster response, it was now Takato's turn to tilt his head to one side.

"You think it's stupid, don't you?" he asked.

Rika winced inwardly, but rather than deny it as so many other people did, she owned up to it.

"It kind of is," she said with a nod as Guilmon looked up at her with a shocked face, unable to believe she could say something like that. From the corners of her mind, she felt a sense of reproach trickling through her; her own digimon partner, Renamon, showing disapproval at her blunt honesty. Nonetheless, she drove on, fully expecting a scolding for it later.

"It's immature," she continued. "Waving a stick around and pretending it's a sword and acting like you're on some quest? Do you know how stupid it looks?"

"Since when do you care about appearances?" Takato returned, lifting an eyebrow. Rika's eyebrows narrowed in irritation at that.

I don't care about appearances…

"It's immature," she repeated sternly, hoping he'd get the message.

But apparently, he didn't, though in retrospect, Rika supposed she shouldn't have been surprised.

"You know, you never know if you'll like something until you've tried it," the boy replied, holding the stick out to her. "Just think of it like you're acting in a theater, like the ones you go to with your grandma."

"Yeah!" Guilmon chimed in, golden eyes gleaming. "You can be a knight too, and you saw us fighting and broke us up!"

"Yeah," Takato beamed, turning toward his partner. "She could be on the same quest as us! Or maybe on her own quest or something, or…!"

"What kind of quest are you on?" Rika interrupted. As one, the pair turned toward her with questioning eyes and then back toward each other.

"Um…" began Guilmon, tapping a claw on his chin. "Takato and I usually make them up as we go along… So, I don't really know. Maybe we're on the quest to find the ultimate bread?"

"Or the ultimate digimon card," Takato grinned. Rika rolled her eyes.

"You live in a bakery and there's a game shop in town," she pointed out. "Why would you need to go on a quest for those things?"

"You know, sometimes it's just about having fun with the experience, not the end result of the game," Takato pointed out. "I mean, part of why I like this is because I can dream up whole worlds and stuff." Returning his gaze to Guilmon, he smiled. "It's where I first thought of him after all. I would pretend to go off on adventures and be a Digidestined. Save the world."

"Except it's not fun and games all the time," Rika pointed out, reminding him of the harsh reality they faced.

"I know that," Takato said, his voice tinted with exasperation. "It's just… Look. What's wrong with wanting to pretend once in a while? I like imagining new things and exploring them. Besides, haven't you ever wanted to be something different for a change?"

"I got to be a dragon!" Guilmon said proudly, straightening up. Rika stared at him flatly.

"You are one."

"But I can fly."

"You…" Rika shook her head, not even bothering to wrap her mind around that one. For all she knew, Takato used the Aero Wing Modify Card to help Guilmon pretend to be a dragon. Somehow however, a part of her doubted that. "Look. It's still stupid. Why would I want to pretend to be anything else but me? And it's still immature!"

"But it can still be fun if you don't care about appearances," Takato pointed out. A playful grin bloomed across his face just then. "Are you afraid of being made fun of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything!" Rika declared heatedly, taking a menacing step closer. Takato, for a wonder, didn't back away, but instead turned to Guilmon, still grinning all the while.

"What do you say, Guilmon? Does she smell like she's afraid of being seen as immature?"

Rika's eye twitched at that and she turned a baleful glare on the hapless reptile.

"Right now, she looks and smells angry, but…" Guilmon's ears wilted under Rika's smoldering anger, and he looked at Takato, as if beseeching him to protect him from the Digimon Queen's wrath. "Ah… Yeah, I think she does smell afraid? Or maybe that's me?"

"It's you," Rika insisted firmly, but Takato wasn't buying it.

"I'm pretty sure it's you," he said to Rika, his wide, goofy grin growing along his mouth. "I mean, why else would you be making a big deal about looking…"

"Takato."

The boy blinked, taking note of the finality to her tone.

"Uh…yeah?"

"Give me the stick."

Without question, the goggle-wearing youth handed it to her, but a curious look was in his eyes. His imagination, curse to him as it was, envisioned Rika taking a swing at him with it, having finally reached the limit of her patience with his teasing, but the girl took it, frowning at it and its rough knobbiness. It was roughly three feet in length and straight, with a broken end jutting out like a guard, the reason why Takato had chosen that one specifically, as it allowed him a clear visual of where the 'sword handle' ended and the 'blade' began.

Rika, considering it for only a moment, flipped it around.

"This is my sorcery staff," she declared.

"Huh?" Takato's mouth dropped, so surprised by her response that he forgot that she just appropriated his sword for her own uses. "You mean…?"

"I'm playing to prove to you that I'm not afraid of how I look to others. I still think that this is stupid though."

Takato smiled at that and, much to Rika's surprise, bowed with a flourish.

"Thank you for saving me, uh, my lady, and for showing us we're on the same side."

"Yeah!" Guilmon crowed happily. "I would have kept licking him until his face was all gone if you didn't stop me!"

Rika blinked uncertainly before her brow knotted up, unsure once more if this was a good idea. It was clear that they were acting out the dialogue as well.

Do I have to do this too? she wondered, shifting uncertainly before sighing inwardly. Well, that's what actors do at the theater, so maybe I should just treat it like that.

Feeling utterly foolish for doing so, she allowed herself to sink into the world that Takato and Guilmon were creating. A knight and a dragon, huh? Let's see…

"Yeah, well…" she began, scowling as she fought for lines. "Don't do it again, Gog… Um…" She paused, fixing Takato with thoughtful eyes for a nickname that was similar to her usual of Gogglehead.

She soon had it.

"Don't do it again, Brush Knight," she finished before adding, as an afterthought, to Guilmon. "Dragon Boy."

Guilmon's eyes shone at that.

"I'm a boy who's a dragon?!" he beamed happily.

Takato, on the other hand, looked a bit perplexed, though he was grinning, happy to see her striving to get into the swing of the game.

"Brush Knight?"

"You came out of a bush. What else am I going to call you?"

"How about just 'Takato?'" he continued to smile, holding out a hand to the girl. Grunting, she took it and shook awkwardly.

"Brush Knight it is."

Takato laughed.

"Hey," Guilmon began, looking around. "Would Renamon like to play with us too? She could be a fox spirit that protects you."

No! Rika thought mentally. While she was fine going along with this for the sake of defending her pride, she did not want to order Renamon to suffer through such an indignity.

Renamon phased into view directly behind the girl, her expression seemingly neutral and unreadable, but emotion trickled in to Rika through the link she shared with the kitsune, and it was most definitely one of bemusement.

"Well…if Rika summons me…" she replied to the reptile, who promptly began to prance around happily, satisfied with at least that much.

"Yay! Renamon's going to play with us! Renamon's going to play with us! Hurray!"

"Words I never thought I'd live to hear," Takato laughed lightly while the red digimon waved his massive arms about in celebration. Shaking her head, she hefted her staff and turned her attention to Takato expectantly.

"So…Brush Knight. I'm Rika. And this is my partner, Renamon. We're…on a quest."

Oh kami, this is so stupid… she shuddered mentally.

"Rika, huh?" Takato appeared to mull the name over in his head before nodding. "That's a nice name."

"And pretty too, just like you!" Guilmon cheered. Rika turned a very harsh glare at the reptile, causing his ears to wilt and for him to retreat behind Takato.

"Uh, oh. I think she's possessed by an angry demon, Takato."

"Let's move on," the boy said, eager to change the subject. "Anyway, Lady Rika…"

"That's Rika," the girl insisted, still looking irritated. Takato winced noticeably, feeling that this game was not off to a good start.

"Anyway, Rika," he corrected. "What is your quest?"

"Apparently getting Brush Knights out of trouble with dragons," she returned, hefting the staff and leaning it on her shoulder. "What's yours?"

Takato and Guilmon exchanged looks while Rika's mind worked, trying to get 'in character' and determine her motivations, something that was a lot harder than she initially anticipated.

"There's a cave up that way," Takato said, pointing in the direction of a concrete bunker that the four of them knew so very well, having served as Guilmon's first home away from home for a number of months during his first year in the human world in addition to being their hangout. "There's treasure in there."

Like what? Buried bread? Rika thought sarcastically, but she'd play along for now, if only to prove that she wasn't afraid of making herself look like a fool.

"But it's guarded by a terrifying monster," Takato continued, his tone becoming deeper, darker, as though he were about to tell a terrifying ghost story. "Legend says that it's a merciless demon with powerful, black magic that…"

"Right, merciless demon," Rika interrupted with an impatient tone. "All we have to do is beat it up, right?"

"Rika!" Renamon scolded. "You interrupted the story."

Rika looked up at her partner in bafflement and upon seeing the interested gleam in her azure eyes, her mouth fell open. Was Renamon actually enthralled by the Gogglehead's storytelling?

"It's just a regular, run of the mill, monster. It shouldn't be too hard."

Especially since it's all pretend anyway…

"But it's not just any regular monster," Takato insisted, bringing his hands up and curling them into close approximation of claws. "It's got huge teeth as big as your body, and claws that can rip through anything! And its eyes…they glow with red light…"

"Work on making things sound scary, Gogglehead," Rika said flatly. "We fight stuff like that before breakfast some days and I'm scarier than them when I miss eating before school."

"She's kind of right you know," Guilmon pointed out, much to Takato's displeasure.

"Well, either way," he said, folding his arms across his chest, a pout forming on his face, causing Rika to smile slightly, "I need to scout out the entrance and surrounding area, so I'm going to…climb that tree over there and see if I can get a good view of the landscape."

"Why not just send Di-I mean, Dragon Boy up there, since he can fly?"

"Hah?" Guilmon looked up. "But I can't fly."

Rika fixed him with a flummoxed expression.

"You just said that you could, didn't you?"

"But my wings are tiny," Guilmon laughed, wiggling his wing-like ears for emphasis. Seeing Rika's confusion, he shrugged. "I got a growth spurt in all the places except for them."

Rika could have sworn she heard Renamon bark a laugh at that.

"I would argue that he had a spell placed on them that shrunk his wings," Renamon said, patting the dinosaur on his head, causing him to croon and lean into her touch. "That sounds more…probable, don't you think?"

"Anything you say sounds about right, Renamon," Guilmon replied, his eyes shining with adoration.

Oh kami… Rika had to resist the urge to roll her eyes, unable to believe Renamon was getting into this. It was so immature! And with sticks!

Why couldn't Gogglehead just get a toy sword or something if he wanted one so bad? she wondered as Takato approached a tree and hoisted himself up onto the first branch.

"See?" he continued. "It's like Renamon said. We're dealing with a very powerful demon here that can make a dragon's wings shrink."

"And prevent them from coming up with a consistent storyline," Rika snorted, glancing at her staff for half a second before jamming it through her belt and grabbing the first branch closest to her, climbing up after him.

"Uh… What…?" Takato began, only for Rika to shoot him a hard look.

"I'm not staying stuck down below while you get to have all the fun. You should know me by now, Gogglehead."

"Way to break character…" Takato mumbled, grabbing another branch.

"I heard that, Brush Knight!"

"You're being kinda inconsistent," Takato laughed, hoisting himself up another level.

"Maybe that's because I'm still trying to figure out how this is fun for you," Rika grunted, rising along with him. "This isn't even like the Noh plays that Grandma takes me to. No costumes. No scenes. You seem to be making it up as you go along…"

"It's all in here though," Takato said, tapping his skull for emphasis. "It's all about seeing something else with what's there, or not there. I mean, I don't need a stick for a sword, but…it kind of makes it a little easier…"

"I know what you said earlier," Rika replied with a touch of irritation as she went another branch higher. "I don't know. I guess it's just too weird for me. Playing with things that aren't even there. Playing at being things…"

"I…guess it is a little weird," Takato conceded reluctantly before resuming his climbing. Watching him with soft eyes, Rika started alongside him. Their hands found the same branch and their fingers clasped over each other as they hoisted themselves up. It took half a second for the two of them to notice and draw away, both blushing lightly in the shade of the tree.

"Well…I've always been a bit of a weird person," Takato continued, hoping to change the awkward feeling that now permeated the air between them to something more productive.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing…" Rika began, only for Takato to give her a quizzical, sidelong look.

"Didn't you say it's stupid and immature?"

"So?" Rika grunted, grabbing another branch. "You're a Gogglehead and you're immature, but that doesn't mean you're bad. I guess…"

She trailed off and hesitated in her climb, her lips thinning as she thought things over. Seeing this, Takato felt a strange pull at her suddenly becoming quiet, and his hand reached out to cover her own. Rika jerked in surprise and looked at him, eyes wide before softening, searching his odd, red-colored irises. Seeing this, Takato, face painted a light crimson, withdrew his hand tentatively, but for a wonder, he didn't retreat any further or apologize for the unexpected act.

A part of Rika couldn't help but wonder if their being high up in a tree had something to do with that, but the fact that he maintained eye contact left her thinking otherwise.

Her own cheeks now becoming tinted slightly with the same red discoloration as his, she continued.

"Mom's always going on about how she started working when she was my age. And Henry already knows what he wants to do with his life."

Takato's expression softened a little, understanding things a little better. They had this conversation before, last year, when the digimon were still in the digital world. It hadn't been the focus, but it came up when their friend Henry was discussing how they could send messages to their digimon partners. It was clear, at least to Takato, that Henry having determined what he wants to do in the future so early had caught her attention, and her own lack of similar drive…bothered her.

"I…don't know what to say," he admitted, once more reaching out and covering her hand with his own. Rika's eyes turned toward his touch, a bit surprised by how bold he was being.

Guess telling him he can complement me can work wonders, she thought, thinking back to a horribly awkward moment in Shinjuku's flood tunnel from over a year ago; how he had avoided saying what he thought of the new shirt her mother gave her – a full heart to replace the broken one that had been her trademark for as long as they had known each other – until she straight up put him on the spot with a touch of annoyance at his evasiveness.

"You're in the same boat as me," she grumbled, shifting uneasily on the branch. "Doesn't it ever bother you? We're not going to be kids forever! Before we know it, we'll be graduating high school! We'll be out there in the adult world. What are we going to do?" Her violet eyes flashed at his crimson ones. "Do you have a plan?"

Takato adjusted his footing, looking ashamed and a touch uneasy.

"Not really…"

"I knew it," Rika scoffed irritably.

"It's not like I haven't given it any thought since then!" Takato exploded. "I-It's just…I don't want every moment I have to be a worry about that! I want to enjoy the time I have with Guilmon and with you and with everyone before…before…"

Now it was his turn to trail off, and he looked down, his face a mask of tension.

"…before we get to be too old to do this kind of thing anymore," he finished.

A pall of silence fell between them for a moment, and then Takato continued.

"Jeri's convinced me to enter some writing and art contests since I'm always coming up with stories and drawing. And I'm looking up how to get better at them. Guilmon and I area always looking for ways to improve the Guilmon Bread recipe too. Dad's teaching me how to get better talking to people so I can sell them better. I may end up inheriting my parents' bakery, but I don't know what the future will hold for me. There's a lot to go over. It'll be years before I get anywhere with any of that. I imagine things a lot – like what we're doing now – and sometimes what I imagine…isn't…like that. The future worries me sometimes too, Rika. All I can do is prepare as best I can and give it all I've got. I have things I'm interested in, and that's what I'm going to focus on."

His eyes meeting with Rika's again, his hand unconsciously gave Rika's a small squeeze.

"What about you?"

Rika glanced away. She hadn't liked hearing that Takato of all people was making moves to find something for the future, even if he had no idea what that was to begin with.

"I don't know. Besides taming digimon, I don't really have anything."

"Then…Then what about working at the bakery for the summer sometime?" Takato suggested. "It probably won't be what you want, but…at least it'll give you an idea of what you don't want."

Rika shrugged uncertainly. She had liked cooking bread the one time and had quite a bit of fun in fact, but she couldn't imagine doing that for a living. She certainly wasn't too keen on asking for handouts like this either. She preferred to earn whatever she wanted.

Still, it was a suggestion, and not a bad one either she had to admit. It would be a start.

Talking about this kind of thing isn't why we're here though, she thought, glancing at Takato's hand, still covering her own. Gazing at the smoothness of his hand, a darker shade to her own, pale skin, she tightened her grip on the bark. It's not why I'm here.
"Thanks," she said reluctantly, shifting again on the branch. "I'll think it over."

"No problem." Giving a light laugh, a spark of humor danced behind his eyes. "So, I guess you really are worried about appearances after all, huh?"

"Shut up," Rika glared at him. "Kami, Gogglehead! Can't you ever read the mood?"

"Uh…mood?" Takato asked, baffled. Rolling her eyes, Rika took to climbing again.

"Yes! The mood! That thing that happens sometimes before you act like a complete and total Gog-!"

Rika was abruptly cut off as the branch she was standing on abruptly broke beneath her, causing gravity to assert control over her body and for her to lose her grip on the tree before she could readjust. She heard Takato's shout of horror as she began to plummet and her hand reached up toward the direction of his voice just as his own snapped out toward her quick as lightning. Their fingertips briefly brushed against one another, only to fall away as the world's pull yanked hard on her from below, causing her heart to leap into her throat.

"NOOO!" Takato screamed, throwing himself after her without a second thought and her eyes widened in panic, memories from the two of them atop a moving train, with wind lashing about them, flashing through her mind.

Renamon!

Before they could fall very far, gold blurred about the two friends and in the next moment they both found themselves deposited on the ground, Renamon standing between them, tail flicking anxiously.

"Are you all right?" she asked Rika, who nodded, her heart starting to return to a slower, more comfortable rhythm.

"Thanks, Renamon," she smiled, stepping back. "Perfect timing as always."

"Are you all right, Takato?" Guilmon asked, pressing up against his partner's leg worriedly. The horrible scream that he let out up in the tree had taken him by surprise, and for a moment he thought that Takato had been hurt badly.

"Yeah, boy, I'm fine," the boy replied, but as Rika's gaze fell on him, she saw that he wore a portrait of tension on his face, his eyes flickering over to hers before retreating, and though he smiled, patting his partner's side, she saw a ghost of a shadow lying behind it.

She watched as he scratched behind Guilmon's ear, contemplating what she saw before Takato noticed her staring.

"Uh… Do I have something on my face?" he asked, tilting his head to one side. Blushing lightly, the girl shook her head, dismissing what she saw for the time being.

"Just…thinking about how stupid you were up there, throwing yourself after me like that when you knew Renamon was down there."

Takato barked an uncertain laugh at that. "Sorry," he apologized. "I just didn't stop to think up there. I saw you fall and…"

There. That shadow she saw earlier was back, clouding his crimson eyes as he trailed off. With an effort, he shook his head and forced a smile on his face.

"Man, it was a good thing Renamon was there, otherwise we would have been in some serious trouble."

Setting aside her thoughts for the time being, Rika folded her arms together, harrumphing at him.

"Between you and Renamon, I'll be surprised if I ever get introuble again."

Again, the shadow and with it tension in Takato's face. Her heart softened at it, suspecting what lay at the roots of it. Although the incident with the digimon Locomon had been a couple months ago, Takato, being the sensitive soul that he was, had to have been unsettled by her near death on that runaway locomotive. He was similarly affected, she had noticed, by their adventure from the previous year when it ended up hurting their mutual friend, Jeri Katou. The murder of her partner, Leomon, and subsequent abduction by the digital entity known as the D-Reaper had been a traumatic experience for her, and she knew full well that he blamed himself for a fair amount of it. The fact that the situation had spiraled badly beyond anyone's control didn't matter in his mind. The safety of their group having been among his top priorities, and he didn't quite succeed at that.

Not that he ever said anything about this to her or anyone, but Rika could read it in his eyes whenever the puppet-loving girl was around. She knew him too well for him to be able to hide anything from her and, of course, he was terrible at keeping secrets in general.

"Chill out, Takato," she smiled soothingly. "I'm not going to yell at you for wanting to watch my back. I was complimenting you…for once."

"Huh?" The boy looked puzzled by this, but Guilmon laughed, quickly understanding.

"She says you're like Renamon with how you look after her."

"Only unlike Renamon, you do stupid things and trip over your own feet," Rika added playfully, her eyes still soft. "But you're always there, in your own haphazard way."

"Um…thanks?" Takato scratched the side of his head before smiling slightly. "But Renamon really deserves some serious thanks. I probably complicated the rescue."

"It was nothing I couldn't handle," Renamon reassured him. "Now, about our game… Did you find anything useful before taking your tumble?"

"Ah…no," Takato admitted regretfully. "We…kind of got distracted by…things."

"I see." Renamon tilted her to one side before turning to Rika. "Then, may I?"

The fire-haired girl cocked an eyebrow at her partner before heaving a sigh. It seemed that in spite of her best efforts, Renamon was going to play the game anyway.

"Fiiine… Go scout. Seeing as how we Goggleheaded that up, someone might as well do it properly this time."

With amused, shining eyes of blue, the kitsune digimon disappeared from view, returning moments later to report sighing a 'demon' at the entrance to Guilmon's former home that served as the quest's destination.

A demon that turned out to be Impmon, digging up one of Guilmon's old buried bread boxes.

###

The stick fell out of Beelzemon's hand and struck the ground with a clatter. Staggering backward, the Demon Lord clutched at his heart, feigning intense pain. Before him stood Rika, hefting her stick, looking cold and menacing.

"You got me," he panted through clenched teeth. "I knew that the Digimon Queen and the Knight were strong, but together?"

His three red eyes darted from one to the other in their pretense of fear.

"Who would have guessed that you two would join together?"

"Not you," Rika replied, planting a hand on her hip. "This fight's over for you, Demon Lord. The treasure is ours."

"It is," Beelzemon acknowledged. One claw groped behind him, blindly landing on a box. Taking hold of it, he presented it to Rika as though it were a gift. "Take it. You've earned it."

Accepting the box triumphantly, Rika passed it off to Takato.

"Now…" she began, a smirk curving along her lips. "What to do about you…?"

"Do?" With a glow of light, Beelzemon's body shrank down, becoming a small, foot tall, dark-furred creature with a pale face, a mischievous-looking emoji emblazoned on his belly, and plain, red-gloves and a bandanna wrapped around his neck.

"You've beaten me, toots," Impmon – the lower evolved form of Beelzemon – grinned. "What more do you need to do?"

"He's right, Rika," Takato said. "I'm pretty sure we can let him go. We have the treasure after all."

Impmon snickered at that."

"Seal him, duh!" Rika rounded on Takato, this time looking every bit the teacher that he envisioned her as. "He's a Demon, Brush Knight! Part of my job is to seal demons because they cause trouble!"

"Uh… You sure about that?"

The fire-haired girl gave him an expression that all but asked, Are you kidding me?

"I think that's my cue to jump ship," Impmon declared, rushing past the two Tamers at lightning speed. "Hope you enjoy your treasure, and thanks for lettin' me play! Ba-boom!"

With that last ba-boom, Impmon leapt into the tree line and was gone. Frowning, Rika turned toward Renamon's direction, just as the vulpine digimon materialized out of thin air, a small, almost smug smile on her face.

"You let him get away."

"You didn't order me too, Lady Rika."

The girl's eye twitched at that. She's having way too much fun…

"We can always get him another time," Takato said, working on the lid of the box. "If there's another time. I know this game isn't exactly your kind of thing after…ew."

"Whatever it is, that didn't sound good," Rika said.

"It's not," Takato replied, showing her the contents before exiting the old bunker and shaking it, causing something large, fuzzy, and containing a disquieting number of rainbow hues all over it in a quilt-like fashion to fall out.

"I don't think we can call that treasure," Rika grimaced as Takato finished dumping the old, moldy bread loaf into the bushes. "I don't even want to know how long that thing has been there."

"Well, we can be sure it's an ancient treasure for a reason," Takato said, closing up the box. "Probably at least a year old now. Man, I'm going to be doing some serious scrubbing later."

"Or I could clean it up for you since it's my bread box," Guilmon pointed out, to which Takato gave him a hard look.

"I…don't think so, Guilmon."

"What's that look for?" Rika asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I don't know. I just said I'd clean it up," the reptile supplied with a shrug, but Takato only massaged his forehead.

"Guilmon… We've been over this since you moved into the bakery. Licking this, won't get it clean. Not to mention it's disgusting."

Now it was Rika's turn to fix Guilmon with a hard look.

"Please tell me you weren't cleaning out the garbage like that."

"No! Well… Not after the first time anyway…"

"Ugh." Planting her hands on her hips, Rika assumed an authoritative stance over the crimson dinosaur. "Well, I'm going to add to Gogglehead's scolding since I get the feeling he's too nice about it." Her eyes taking on a cold, icy glare to them, she met Guilmon's golden gaze levelly and when she spoke, it carried all the weight of an avalanche. "Don't do it. No eating out of the garbage and no cleaning plates with your tongue." She narrowed her eyes, further cementing her image in the dinosaur's nightmares. "Got it, Dinoboy?"

"Takatomon… Make her stop…" Guilmon cowered, ears wilting.

"I think you've made your point, Rika," Takato chuckled, coming around to pat the dinosaur on the head. "Man, you'd probably make a pretty good, but scary teacher. I don't think any kid would want to cross you."

Lifting his eyes skyward, Takato envisioned his friend as a teacher like Ms. Asaji and found himself unconsciously shivering in response.

Somehow, I get the feeling that pop quizzes and making me stand out in the hall would be the nicest thing she'd do to someone like me…

"You're thinking of something weird, aren't you?" Rika asked, seeing his skyward look. Giving an embarrassed laugh, Takato rubbed the back of his head.

"Y-Yeah," he admitted. "Sorry. You know how my imagination goes in all kinds of weird directions."

"Well, keep a lid on it with this, because I have something I want to ask you," Rika said, folding her arms together, her expression hardening again. Lifting his eyebrows, Takato tilted his head questioningly.

"What's that?"

"What are you doing tonight?"

"W-Wha…?" Takato blinked. Of all the questions she could have asked, that had been the last one he would have expected. "Tonight?"

"Yes, tonight," Rika repeated, looking a touch frustrated by the boy's response, or lack of an informative one. "There's a festival going on, remember? Are you going to it?"

"Ah… Yeah!" Takato nodded. "Are you going to it too?"

"I am. Do you want to hang out together?"

Takato blinked again. This was…almost sounding like he was being asked out on a date.

Nah, he thought. Can't be.

As if reading his thoughts, a slight red discoloration tinged Rika's cheeks and she shifted her footing, looking uncomfortable.

"Don't get the wrong idea," she said. "This is just a friendly outing, just like when you asked me to go watching the Cherry Blossoms on my birthday, remember?"

"Uh… Yeah." Now it was his turn to blush as well, remembering that horribly awkward moment when he first proposed the notion to her – when the Sakura trees weren't even blooming yet no less – and the odd tension he felt lying between the two of them ever since then.

Well, at least the we won't have to worry about whether or not they're in bloom, since we're already past Hanami.

"So, do you want to hang out or what?" Rika asked, her fingers tightening around her arms. "Be direct, and no stammering this time."

Takato covered a stammer by laughing nervously. "Same old Rika," he said. "Don't change."

"Well?" Rika's blush returned, deeper than before. "What's your answer?"

"Sure," the boy beamed. "What time do you want to meet up at and where?"

"Here, at six." She paused, considering for a moment. "That's not going to be a problem, is it? I mean, with the bakery…"

"It won't be a problem," Takato smiled, soothing her worries. "It's not like the fall holidays. Everyone's more interested in going to the festival than getting bread, so it shouldn't be a problem. I'll give you a call if there's any goof ups, but I think we can manage it."

Rika relaxed a little at that and unfolded her arms.

"All right," she smiled, patting the boy on the shoulder before brushing by him. "That's what I wanted to see you about earlier before I got all caught up in your crazy world."

"Oh. Um… Okay." Again, Takato scratched the back of his head. "So…you're…done with the game then?"

Rika paused and turned toward him, an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"We finished it, didn't we?"

"If you want it to be," Takato said, shrugging his shoulders. "It can go on or not. Although…" Takato shifted uncertainly before smiling at Rika. "…it could have used a better story. I mean…I wasn't exactly expecting to be playing it with you…"

Rika allowed a small smile to touch the corners of her lips before turning away.

"I'll pick you up here at six," she said. "I might have a few ideas you can use to improve on your game by then."

Takato and Guilmon watched the girl go, Renamon following behind her, jumping from tree to tree as she went, and the boy suddenly heaved a heavy sigh.

"That…was weird."

"Hah?" Guilmon asked, perplexed. "Why do you say that? Because Rika played with us?"

"Yes! Well… More like that too, but…" He scratched the back of his head. "Maybe I'm just reading too much into it? I mean, she just wants to hang out for the festival. No big deal, right?"

"Isn't it supposed to be a big deal?" Guilmon asked, tapping his chin with one claw. "I remember Calumon saying something about how it's supposed to be a big deal when it's just two people together, especially when one of them asks the other out."

"Um… Rika didn't ask me out on a date…"

"It kind of looked that way, just like it does on TV."

"Guilmon…" Takato groaned. "TV isn't realistic."

"Wasn't I unrealistic until you drew me?"

"T-That's different!" Takato blurted out, becoming exasperated by Guilmon's line of logic. "Besides, Rika said that it's just a friendly outing. Nothing to get worked up about."

"So how come you're getting all worked up about it?" Guilmon asked, not in the least bit understanding his partner's reactions, particularly his blushing face.

"Ah jeez… Guilmon…" Takato groaned again, this time burying his face in his hands.

###

"You seem to have taken a fancy to your 'staff' there."

Realizing that she hadn't gotten rid of Takato's stick, Rika blushed lightly and promptly tossed it to the side.

"I forgot, so sue me," she grumbled not wanting to give her partner the benefit of an admission to anything that would only allow her to tease her.

"Still," Renamon said, phasing into view next to her, walking as casually as though she had been there all along. "It looked like you were having fun toward the end. Really…getting into the swing of things."

"Swinging at things," Rika grunted. "Takato got Impmon to join in our little game…"

"Our?" Renamon prompted, a small, barely visible smile crossing her muzzle.

"…and I got to swing a stick at him," Rika continued, ignoring the jab. "Yes. I call that fun."

It wasn't precisely true. Fighting had lost much of its luster for her over the many months since becoming a Tamer, but even today she could admit to a certain degree of eagerness when she had gone one too many days without venting her frustrations in a physical way. The whole thing still looked stupid to her, but she couldn't argue with the results.

"I see," Renamon said, eyes sparkling with amusement. "Well, as long as you had fun then…"

"Are you making fun of me?" she asked, sensing the playful note in her partner's voice.

"Not at all," but I do note that you became relaxed enough to be able to ask Takato out after worrying about it all da…"

"I was not worry about it!" Rika interrupted harshly all of a sudden. "Everyone just has to make a big deal about it! It's not!"

"As Terriermon would say…"

"Forget that Rabbitmon!"

"Very well. Then as your mother would say, it is out of the ordinary for you to pick a particular person to spend time with. I believe I have been the exception to this."

"You're forgetting Jeri," Rika reminded. "I hang out with Jeri without the others sometimes."

"When she calls you or comes to see you," Renamon pointed out.

"Why is everyone making this such a big deal?" Rika grumbled, exiting the park now. "This whole thing is stupid."

"So you keep insisting." A pause, and Renamon smiled. "Perhaps I should go ahead and get your yukata ready."

"Don't," Rika growled in embarrassment, her cheeks flushing with heat. "Kami, you're as bad as Terriermon these days."

Renamon chuckled at that.

"Well, he is a bad influence."

"This was a bad idea," Rika grumbled again, crossing the street, ignoring the stares she was getting because of Renamon's presence. Renamon glanced at her worriedly.

"You don't have to do this you know."

Rika harrumphed. "A Tamer never walks away from danger."

"Ah. So Takato is dangerous now?"

Rika shot a glare at her partner.

"Renamon…"

"I'll leave you be," the vulpine said before vanishing from view. Rika felt a sting of regret at that, feeling as though she had chased her partner away.

I sure have that effect on people, she thought with a touch of sorrow, but she couldn't help it. People…annoyed her; always poking and prodding into her business. What did it matter that she wanted to hang out with Takato specifically this time? They were friends after all. Why did it have to mean something more?

Well, it's like Renamon said, she thought. I don't do it often, so of course it's going to mean more.

And of course, there was the business with her yukata. While nothing special by itself, at least from her perspective, her purchasing it during one of her rare shopping outings with her and Jeri a whole week in advance of the upcoming festival set off alarm bells in her household, not to mention leaving her mother feeling rather put out for not being there for the momentous occasion.

"I was just getting a new one because I've outgrown my old one," she remembered, explaining to her mother. "It's no big deal."

Of course, that did not deter her mother in the slightest from gushing about her little girl growing up. And she was. The changes were subtle so far – a slight growth in height – but they were noticeable. Childhood was ending. Takato's words from earlier echoed through her mind.

"I want to enjoy the time I have with Guilmon and with you and with everyone before we get too old to do this kind of thing anymore."

"I might not get another chance like this," she said aloud, glancing down at the full heart emblazoned on her chest.

"Rika?" came the voice of Renamon, materializing out of thin air next to her, an eyebrow raised.

"Just…thinking," the girl sighed. "Ugh. Maybe Takato's right. Maybe I do worry about appearances."

Renamon chuckled at that. "I never would have guessed."

Rika's eyes flashed at that.

"Okay, now I know you're making fun of me."

The vulpine digimon allowed a small, barely visible smirk to cross her features as she said one and only one word before disappearing.

"Momentai."

Rika made a disgusted sound, but a small smile played at the corners of her lips all the same.

Walked right into that one, didn't I? she thought before speaking.

"You're terrible, Renamon, you know that?"

Renamon's laughter followed the girl all the way home.

###

The hours passed with agonizing slowness, and Rika found herself glancing at the clock far more than she should have. Her mood became irritable, berating herself for behaving in such a manner over simply hanging out with an important – special – friend of hers, all the while also berating the clocks for not moving faster.

"Watched pots never boil," her grandmother had reminded her, but like all things, Rika heeded the advice in her head, but her heart growled angrily at the world's injustice, half tempted to call Takato and tell him the whole thing was off.

Finally, the hour of the momentous occasion arrived, and before too long, her grandmother was helping her with the yukata.

"There," Seiko said, putting the finishing touches on the obi sash surrounding Rika's waist before stepping back. "All finished."

Rika turned toward her mother's mirror, wincing noticeably.

"I look like a butterfly," she said flatly, her eyes focused on how the tie of her sash poofed out from her back end, like a pair of butterfly wings. The image was made rather ironic by the fact that her dark-blue yukata had yellow butterfly patterns on it.

"You look beautiful, Rika," Renamon said from her corner of the room, arms folded over her chest. Rika blushed and hung her head, attempting to hide her face with her bangs.

"I can't believe I let Jeri talk me into buying this," she mumbled irritably. "I don't even like butterflies. They're stupid."

"I seem to recall you saying you didn't care how it looked and that you trusted Jeri's judgment," Renamon pointed out. "Just as long as you had one available for today and that it fit you."

"And I'm seriously regretting it now."

"I don't think you have too much to worry about," Seiko smiled, looking at Rika's reflection in the mirror and smiling warmly. "I'm sure Takato will think you look fine."

"I don't care what he thinks about how I look!"

Whirling about, Rika stormed toward the hall, her face a portrait of crimson.

"Stupid festival. Stupid yukata. Stupid…Gogglehead!"

Seiko exchanged a worried, yet somewhat amused look with Renamon, who could only shake her head, being no less sure about what it was that set the girl's temper off. Anxiety filtered in through their psychic bond, much of it fluctuating. The only certainty was that it involved the festival and Takato.

For something that was merely meant to be a friendly outing, Rika was getting quite worked up over it.

I suppose it's to be expected, Seiko thought, following her granddaughter out to the porch where she began to forcefully jam her feet into a pair of sandals. It's the first time in a while since she went to a festival, and she's invited a friend. Since making friends, she's become a touch self-conscious about appearances with them. She wants things to be perfect.

As Rika rose, Seiko took hold of her by the shoulders and gave them a soft squeeze.

"Well, however ridiculous you may find it, try not to put too much pressure on yourself or your friend to have fun. I know it sounds strange, but it'll be much harder for you if you keep worrying about it so much."

"Worrying about having fun?" Rika snorted. "I think I'm going to be more worried about being bored."

"Perhaps," Seiko chuckled. "But you tend to expect too much from yourself."

Rika made a harrumph sound.

"So…what? Are you going to be like Mom and tell me that it's a good idea to 'let my hair down' or something?"

"Not literally, but…just remember to take a deep breath, relax, and don't expect everything to be perfect."

"I'm going out with Takato," Rika scowled. "Of course it's not going to be perfect."

"Then at least you'll have a little excitement."

"Huh?" Rika cocked an eyebrow at her in confusion, but the elder matriarch simply smiled.

"Renamon will see you home safe and sound," she continued, releasing the girl and stepping away. "Relax and have fun with your friend. Whatever happens, I'll have some gizzards made up for you when you get home."

Rika couldn't help but smile a little at that.

"Thanks Grandma."

As Seiko departed into the household with a wave, Renamon drew up to the girl, holding in her paws a small fan and a carry-bag – a kinchaku – for her. Taking them, Rika drew in a deep breath.

"Why does this feel like a bad idea?"

"You felt this way when you took Henry and Takato here during the D-Reaper invasion," Renamon pointed out. Rika found herself nodding in recollection. Even though the two had been to her place before, it had been the first time she had them over as her friends. She reflected on the oddity how, before, she hadn't cared what they thought of her as they were her enemies (or at least people she cared little about herself), but that changed drastically once they found a place in her heart.

"Grandma's probably right that Takato won't care what I look like," she said, taking a deep breath. "I'm getting worked up over nothing, right?"

"Perhaps," Renamon replied with a small smile. "But I am curious; why does it matter to you how he thinks you look?"

"I already said that I don't!" Rika grated, feeling her face heat up like wildfire again. "Look, can we just go already? I want to get this over with."

"Very well," the vulpine digimon said, holding out her arms for Rika to climb into. Doing just that, the girl adjusted herself and slung an arm around her partner's shoulder.

"Ready?" Renamon asked, once Rika had situated herself. Rika paused, thinking about something for a moment before reaching up to her hair. Undoing the tie that held her hair in its traditional ponytail, she let it stream down her shoulders and the sides of her face. Renamon lifted an eyebrow, a bit surprised at this.

"And what is this about?" she asked. Rika harrumphed.

"Taking my mom's advice and letting my hair down. If Takato doesn't care what I look like, then why should I get worked up about it, right? It'll be a brand-new start for me."

Chuckling, Renamon adjusted her grip on Rika.

"I wonder now if Takato's going to be worried about how he looks to you."

Rika frowned at her partner.

"Hey, he may look like a goofball, but he's my goofball. As far as I'm concerned, he looks fine."

She paused, ignoring Rika's amused look as they leapt into the air.

"Although he might want to do something about those goggles one of these days…" she added a bit regretfully as the wind blew her hair over her eyes.

###

Takato ran the comb through his hair for the umpteenth time before finally giving up on the brown locks as simply untamable.

"Getting ready for your date, son?"

Glancing in the mirror, Takato felt a small blush touch his face and he shook his head.

"It's not a date, Dad," he insisted – as he had been insisting ever since Guilmon spilled that the friend he was hanging out with later at the festival was none other than Rika Nonaka. Behind him, Takehiro grinned and, approaching him, ruffled his hair messily.

"I remember Mie and me having that dance when we were your age. Well, we weren't 'your age' since we were older than you are now, but you get the idea."

"Don't you think you guys are blowing this out of proportion?" Takato asked, tilting his head to one side, wondering not for the first time why his parents saw this gettogether as a date.

"I think it's reasonable," Takehiro pointed out. "It's the first time you're being asked out after all, and she's a very pretty young lady." The man grinned knowingly. "Besides, it's a lot of fun to tease you over this, even if it happens to not be the case."

"Greaaat…" Takato sighed before taking out his toothbrush. "Well, I'm pretty much done trying to make my hair look like it didn't get attacked by a hurricane, so all that's left now is to get dressed and be on my way."

"Did you put on deodorant?"

"Daaad… I spent an hour in the tub, making sure that I'm clean! Yes, I've used deodorant too!"

"Just making sure," Takehiro chuckled. "I've gone on more than a few awkward dates with Mie because I forgot something so crucial and I got badly nervous. There's nothing worse for you than having nervous sweats when you're with a girl, believe me. Especially someone who looks like they have pretty high standards…"

"Dad. You're not helping to make this any better."

"Leave him alone, Takehiro," came the voice of Mie, poking her head into the bathroom. "And you, Takato. Why aren't you done yet? Honestly, you're going to be late if you don't hurry up. Honestly, that's a bad habit you have there, and you might want to consider changing that, because young ladies like her shouldn't be kept waiting…"

"I'm not going to be late!" Takato exploded, spitting into the sink and hurriedly rinsing out his mouth. "I'm going, I'm going. Just…stop making fun of me about this, okay? Rika and I aren't dating! She just wants to hang out!"

"I remember saying that a lot to your aunt when I was your age," Mie smirked as Takato hurriedly ducked passed her. "But unlike your father I'll take your word for it."

Following his path down the hall to his room, she cupped a hand around her mouth, still not finished with her chaotic mess of a son.

"But you'd still better hurry up! Friend or not, you still shouldn't keep her waiting!"

"I'm not going to be late!" Takato called back, sliding the door shut behind him. Breathing a sigh of relief, Takato headed over to his chair, where he kept his yukata, a simple red piece with thin, dark-crimson stripes and a yellow sash. A little less busy than the kind he saw girls wear, and as it was just about all he could afford at the moment, it wasn't what he would call fancy.

"Man, what is it with everyone today?" he asked aloud to no one in particular as he slipped the yukata on. "Or just…everyone period?"

Ever since Jeri pushed him to invite Rika out to watch the non-yet-blooming Cherry Blossoms, he sensed the tension lying between himself and the fire-haired girl. Nothing major, but it was something that always lay under the surface of their friendship. Their other friends took note of the oddity as well, Henry's partner Terriermon especially. The teasing wasn't anywhere near as bad as his parents were tonight (though Rika's mother often gave him a knowing, sidelong glance whenever he visited), but it did weigh on his mind every so often, leaving him to wonder if he should say something to Rika to dispel such concerns from her heart.

Knowing her, she'd either get mad at me or just say, 'Whatever' and pretend I didn't say the stupidest thing in the world.

Takato gave a light, nervous laugh as he began to tie the sash on around his waist.

"Man… This is crazy. We're just friends. Why is everyone being so weird about us? Why…?"

He paused in his tying, frowning slightly, a part of him wondering just why Jeri had wanted him to run such a distraction on Rika's birthday and why her mother was so supportive of it. Going to watch the Cherry Blossoms was tantamount to asking Rika out on a date.

Does Rika like me in that way? he wondered, resuming tying his sash. It seemed crazy to him, but…what if that was the case? She had teased him about being in love with her before – although they weren't friends then and more like enemies – and she had blushed badly when she found out that he genuinely liked her new shirt – changed from the broken-heart that she wore for so long to the full-heart that was her new trademark. Weren't those supposed to be the hallmarks of someone with a crush?

Maybe I'm reading too much into things, he thought, shaking his head. I mean, she did tell me not to let my imagination run away from me when she asked what I was doing tonight.

With that in mind, he put on the finishing touches and patted himself down. Giving himself the once over one final time, he grabbed what few things he needed and exited his room.

###

Takato and Guilmon hurried through the park paths, the boy doing his best not to trip on his yukata while his sandals flopped around on his feet. Before too long, they reached the stairwell that led up to Guilmon's old home. Swallowing down a healthy gasp of air, he poured on the speed and together the pair began to take the steps two at a time.

Almost there… Takato thought desperately as the thick brush began to clear and the long length of stairs shortened, revealing a pair of figures waiting at the concrete bunker.

"Rika!" he called out, a wide smile breaking across his face. "Hey! Sorry if I made you wa- Bu-wha?!"

Grinding to a halt at the second-to-last stair, the boy stood there, mouth parting slightly as the girl turned her eyes up at him and unfolded her arms. Seeing his expression, she furrowed her brow and a slight blush crawled across her face.

"What's that look for, Gogglehead? Are you eating flies now?"

"Takatomon!" Guilmon said in a hushed whisper, elbowing his leg to break him out of his stupor. "You're acting funny!"

"Huh? Oh!" Barking an embarrassed laugh, he rubbed the back of his head and flashed Rika an apologetic smile. "It's just… Well, you look…" He fought for the right words to say at seeing Rika's hair down, something that he didn't see normally as she tended to be rather particular about keeping it in its usual ponytail. 'Pretty' was the first thing that came to mind. His first instinct was to clamp down on it, knowing how she would get flustered over little things like that, but remembering that Rika gave him permission to compliment her once upon a time, he decided to test the waters.

"You look…pretty nice," he said tentatively, and cursed himself for half-chickening out at the last second, but his mouth had tangled itself up as he spoke, leaving him uncertain if he could even say the word properly without utterly mangling the intent behind it. Such a snap decision – a compromise so to speak – was the only way he could break the twisting of his mouth without making things horribly awkward.

All the same, Rika's blush darkened ever so slightly, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, appreciating the compliment.

"Thanks," she said, trying to ignore the warmth spreading over her face. "I see you left your goggles home this time."

Takato smiled goofily. "Yeah, I figured that you might appreciate it if I didn't wear them tonight. I know that they make me look kinda funny after all."

Rika felt a little bad now, knowing she had picked at and needled him on occasion for wearing such childish accessories as though he were a Digidestined from straight out of the TV show, but all the same she was glad that he came without them for once. As much as she hated to admit it, he did look rather nice without them. There was a glow of maturity in his face that she rather liked but those silly goggles hid.

Not to mention he looks kind of cute this way, she thought before her eyes widened ever so slightly at her rather uncharacteristic thought. Fire flashed across her body and she turned away, her red hair hiding it as best as it could manage.

"You look fine," she muttered, earning her a raised eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"I said, we'd better get going," she said in a much louder voice this time, turning back to him. Marching forward, she started down the stairs, indicating to Takato that he was to follow her with a wave of her fan. "Come on. The festival isn't waiting on us you know."

Stepping back a way, trying to make sense of the situation – being certain that Rika had said something different from what she just informed him of – but soon gave up on it, deciding it was better to try going with the flow rather than decode this particular mystery.

However, as Renamon came abreast, he caught sight of a mirthful glint in her eyes before following after Rika.

"Takato?" Guilmon asked, looking up at him. "Why are you just standing there?"

"Just…lost in thought, Guilmon," the boy said, starting after their two friends. "Don't worry about it."

###

The four friends made their way through the crowd, the two humans not yet saying a thing as they looked about the vendor stalls, checking for something that would catch their attention and looked interesting.

Man, I hope Rika doesn't end up getting bored, Takato thought worriedly. Although he had hung out with Rika plenty of times, he did admit to feeling somewhat at a loss for what to do whenever the two of them were alone with one another. Digimon was their common connection, along with a few select movies and manga, but Rika eschewed conversation much of the time, often preferring silence and thought. Not that Takato didn't enjoy the quiet from time to time, but sometimes he worried that by not talking to Rika, it meant that he simply wasn't interested in her. Finding the right middle ground was sometimes hard as a result, since he also didn't want to annoy her either.

A part of him wondered if it were better if she were bored, because then they could both do something that she really wanted to do and was more comfortable with, rather than attend something that she normally didn't have an interest in.

Well, either way, she wanted to be here, so we should try to make the most of it, he thought, looking to his left and finding a stand of steaming food. He calculated his saved yen and opened his mouth to make a suggestion, only to be interrupted.

"Fishies, Takato!"

Looking over, Takato saw Guilmon hovering over a kingyo sukui stand, wherein goldfishes swam about. The vendor eyed the crimson digimon warily, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Strange looking dog," he muttered before waving a fan in front of him. "Go, go. We don't let big dogs like you play this game. You'll eat all the fish."

"Hah?" Guilmon tilted his head to one side, feeling as though he were being scolded. "But I'm not a dog. I'm Guilmon."

"So, a child in a costume," the man grunted. "Where's your parents?"

"That would be Takato," Guilmon beamed, looking in the direction of the boy in question as both he and Rika stopped to see what was going on.

The man adjusted his glasses, peering at the boy and girl questioningly.

"I might need to get my eyes checked, but I'm pretty sure that's not possible boy."

"But it's true. Takato drew me one day and I came to life…"

"Guilmon…" Takato groaned. "What are you saying?"

"He's right you know," Rika smirked. "I can't think of any other way you could describe it, especially with how you baby him sometimes."

"Jeez… Rika… Don't you start too."

"Take it easy," Rika chuckled, giving the boy a light punch on the arm. "I'm sure you'd make a great dad."

Turning to face Guilmon more fully, Rika held out a hand to the dinosaur, crooking her fingers toward her indicatively.

"Come on, Dinoboy. I'm not having you playing that game. You're not old enough for a pet yet."

"Hah?" Guilmon's ears wilted. "But…I promise to take really good care of the fishy."

"Now, Guilmon," the girl said firmly. Taking one last look at the goldfishes, Guilmon complied, slinking back toward the two humans and falling in line next to Takato, who patted him on the side. Folding her arms over her chest, Rika gave Takato a prideful look.

"See? You just have to be firm sometimes."

"Hey, I can be firm too," Takato laughed, scratching behind Guilmon's ears. "Don't worry boy. I'll get you something nice later."

"See?" Rika shook her head, grinning. "There you go, babying him."

"Rika, I've been raising him on my own since I got him," the boy laughed again, unable to believe Rika of all people was offering him advice on parenting a digimon. "I think I know how to do this better than you."

"I'm afraid I must agree with Takato," Renamon chided, materializing next to the girl. "Especially since I was rather…self-sufficient right from the start. He has done rather well, considering how difficult a time he had in the beginning."

"I guess I can't argue with you there since Renamon's agreeing with you…for once," Rika huffed, crossing her arms together and lifting her head skyward. "And as we know, Renamon's always right, so I'll just have to swallow my pride on this one. Congratulations, Takato. You win this round. You make a good dad."

"Don't worry Rika," Guilmon laughed from beside Takato. "I'm sure you'd make a good mom. You sounded just like Takato's whenever she scolds me for making a mess in the kitchen."

Crimson fire flooded Rika's cheeks as a vision of herself having a family shone in her mind, and she quickly dismissed it.

"I can't see it," Rika said. "I don't think I'd have the patience for dealing with that kind of thing."

"You never know," Takato smiled softly. "I mean, I never thought I'd be raising Guilmon. Who knows what the future might bring, right?"

"Hmmm…" Rika hummed, frowning slightly as she rolled Takato's words around in her mind. She still couldn't see it however. Setting aside the fact that she wasn't even sure she wanted to have a family, she felt that she would at least need a little help to balance things out. She just couldn't see herself as having the patience for dealing with that sort of stress.

How Takato managed it with Guilmon, I have no idea, she thought, and for a moment, she envisioned Takato as being that 'little help' that would balance things out.

But only for a moment. Blushing and feeling a little silly, she brushed such ridiculous thoughts aside. Casting her eyes about, she spied a kakigori – shaved ice – stand. Grabbing hold of Takato by the arm, she steered him toward it, indicating for their two partners to follow along.

"Whoa! Wha…?"

"This way," she said simply. Coming to a halt, she flashed the vendor a quick smile. "Four please. And yes, the two weirdos behind us are with us."

The vendor glanced uncertainly at the two digimon approaching from behind, but nodded, deciding to simply brush the oddity off as costumes being worn for the sake of the festival. Filling the cups up with shaved ice, she passed them over to them, one at a time. Accepting them, Rika took out her kinchaku.

"My treat," she said to Takato, seeing his surprised expression as she paid for their snacks. "I invited you after all, remember?"

"R-Right," Takato smiled a bit bashfully, his earlier suspicions coming back to life. Oh man… It almost really does feel like we're on a date. What's going on here?

Rika had told him to keep a lid on his imagination, yet so far, he was utterly failing in that regard.

"For me?" Guilmon's eyes grew wide like saucers as Rika handed him his Kakigori. "But I thought you said Takato spoiled me too much!"

"Just because Gogglehead babies you, doesn't mean I can't do nice things for you once in a while too, Dinoboy," Rika replied, taking a bite out of hers. "Now eat up before it melts."

As Guilmon dove into his snack, enjoying every bite that he stopped to taste, Rika looked at Renamon, who was gazing at her meal with a cool, wonderous gaze.

"Something wrong?" she asked, suddenly a bit worried that she had picked a snack that didn't agree with Renamon's tastes. "If you don't want it…"
"Hm?" The kitsune's eyes flickered over to her partner before going back to her shaved ice. "Oh, no. Nothing's wrong. I'm just…enjoying it."

"But…you're not eating it?" Rika replied, confused.

"I don't need to eat just to enjoy everything you give me as a gift, Rika," Renamon smiled.

"I'm confused."

Takato chuckled between mouthfuls, and he smiled at her behind his shaved ice, understanding full well why Renamon was so appreciative of Rika's gift to her.

"Rika… You never change," he said, remembering a time when the two had broken off their partnership for a time, and were too stubborn to admit how deeply they cared about one another.

"Are you making fun of me, Gogglehead?" Violet eyes narrowed half dangerously, half playfully, a part of her eager to see if he was teasing her, something she wasn't used to. The very notion was…oddly interesting to her. Almost exciting even, though she supposed it had to do with the fact that the boy very rarely did that sort of thing toward her. The boy, if nothing else, had the tendency to surprise her and catch her off guard, even if by accident.

"Just a little bit," Takato laughed. "But actually, I take back what I said. You've changed a lot from when we first met."

"When we first met, I was trying to kill Guilmon," Rika pointed out, her brown knotting together as she felt a pang of guilt in her heart at how close she had been to destroying one of the most important friendships in her life before it even got started.

"I mean it!" Takato insisted. "I mean, I kind of always thought that you had a good, kind heart, but…you're more open about it."

"I called your game stupid today," Rika pointed out. Takato just smiled goofily.

"Well, you're honest. And blunt. But, that's one of the things I like about you. I can depend on you to always tell me what you think whenever you think it needs to be said."

"Which is quite often," Renamon pointed out, taking her first bite from her shaved ice. Her eyes widened after a moment and a shiver passed over her body, causing her fur to stand on end. "Oh!"

"Are you all right, Renamon?" asked Guilmon worriedly. "Did you just get an ice cream headache?"

"No, but this almost packs as much punch as I do, and, might I say, it looks almost as nice as well."

Guilmon smiled. "Everything looks nice when it comes from a friend."

Smiling at that, Rika turned back to Takato. "So, you like that I'm honest, huh?"

"And blunt," Takato added with a smile and a nod. "Don't forget blunt too."

"That makes me a bit prickly."

"That's okay." Takato took another bite from his shaved ice. "You wouldn't be Rika if you weren't."

Rika found her face flushing yet again. Seeing this, Takato lifted an eyebrow and paused in his stride.

"Hey, are you all right?"

Hiding her flushed face behind her own shaved ice, she glowered at Takato.

"You're a Gogglehead," she grumbled before her expression softened. "But…thanks for being a Gogglehead."

Lowering her snack, her free hand dropped down and her fingers brushed against the corners of Takato's sleeve before coming to rest on it. Curling her grip around the piece of his yukata, she held it tightly in her grasp.

"If you weren't one…I wouldn't be here today with you."

Takato blinked at that, wondering what she meant. He hadn't done anything that no one else would do if they were in his shoes, especially Renamon, who protected her night and day.

Is this because of Locomon? he wondered. Had it really been that important to her? Renamon saved her all the time after all. What did he do that she hadn't been doing already?

Maybe…that's the point? he thought questioningly, gazing at her hand, still clutched around the sleeve of his yukata. Just…knowing that someone will say they'll be there and won't let go no matter what.

Closing his eyes, he remembered briefly how he panicked when she rolled off the top of the out of control train digimon; how he had caught her by the wrist at the last second. And when she demanded that he let her go to keep from falling along with her…he had actually told her to shut up. He wasn't going to let her go no matter what the danger to himself. He would hang on until Renamon arrived…or go down with her.

He knew, deep down in the bottom of his heart, if that's what it took, he would have fallen with her, refusing to let go, all the way to the bottom.

There were nights however, where he dreamt that he had missed. Worse yet, there were nights where he dreamt he had headed her demand and…let go.

He didn't know which one hurt worse. It didn't matter. They, like the nightmares he had about Jeri's capture by the D-Reaper – finding her dead or worse, having become the monster he destroyed – always woke him, tears stinging at the corners of his eyes, swallowing his cries to keep from waking Guilmon while his heart tore itself to pieces, nearly compelling him to call his friend to check and see if she was safe.

He kept these things to himself however, not wanting any of his friends to worry. Opening his eyes and finding Rika's hand still on his sleeve, he felt the strength of their bond – unknowingly forged in a crazy dream he had about the girl before either of them had ever met and fought – flowing through her touch. Almost before he knew what was happening, his hand slipped over hers and took it in his own. Her skin felt smooth as they clasped around one another, both squeezing each other reassuringly.

"Any time, Rika," he said almost in a whisper, smiling softly as their eyes met. "I've got your back."

"Same," Rika said throatily. A great well of emotion was growing in her heart. She wondered what the heck was going on all of a sudden. Here they were, holding hands and acting as though they were about to confess their love for one another. It was like a scene out of a stupid fairytale.

A scene…just like in Takato's game from that morning.

"Takato…" she began, only to be interrupted by the last voice she wanted to hear in a place and a moment like this.

"Are you two on a date or something?"

"Terriermon…"

"Momentai!"

Turning, their hands remaining tied together, Rika turned a baleful glare on a small, cream-furred rabbit-dog digimon with long ears hanging on the shoulder of a grey-eyed, dark-skinned boy as he approached, an apologetic smile on his face.

"Hey guys," the boy – Henry – greeted. "Sorry if we interrupted anything. I was with my family when I saw you and I thought we'd stop by and say hi."

"It's okay," Takato laughed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment at earlier Terriermon's comment. The girl next to him narrowed her eyes unforgivingly at the rabbit-dog digimon.

"For you, maybe," Rika said irritably. "I'll let you go, Henry, but Terriermon on the other hand has a habit of talking at the wrong time and ruining the mood."

"What mood is that?" Terriermon giggled from atop Henry's shoulder, placing one paw on his mouth as his dark eyes sparkled mischievously. "The two of you were looking pretty chummy there. Like, really, really…"

"I think we get it, Terriermon," Henry sighed. "Now leave them alone."

"Aw, come on, Henry! I just want to know if they really are dating!"

"It's just a friendly outing," Guilmon interjected, scarfing down the last of his shaved ice. "Rika asked Takato if he wanted to hang out with her and she said as friends."

"Guilmon, that sounds an awful lot like asking someone out for a date."

"It's a friendly outing," Rika insisted, forcing herself to ignore the blush once again rising on her face. "Kami, Terriermon. Why do you have to make a big deal out of everything?"

"Because it's funny?" Terriermon suggested with another giggle. "Besides, it's not everyday you pick someone out for a little one on one. The last time you did that with Takato, you brought the house down. Well, more like a parking garage…"

"Might I remind you that you also helped with that?" Henry added, giving his partner a little bop on the head. "Now be a good rabbit."

"Henry, the only way you can do that is if you give me something even more awesome and interesting to distract me with."

Shaking his head in bemusement, he raised his other hand, revealing that he was holding some sparklers.

"All right, here. Let's go and get these lit up then. That should take care of you for a while, right?"

"Did I take down Zhuqiaomon with my bare, Mega-level hands?"

"Well, they were also my hands…"

"The answer's yes, Henry!"

"Just for your information, that qualified as rude," Henry pointed out with a chuckle, bringing out a lighter his family had given him for lighting the sparklers. Flicking it open, he set it to the first of them and passed it off to Terriermon, who took it and abruptly thrust it outward, as though it were a shining sword.

"Take that denizens of the digital world!" he cried. "Terriermon's here and he's about to kick your booty!"

Guilmon's eyes shone at the glorious light as sparks were sent flying every which way.

"Takato… What…What's that?"

"Those are sparklers, Guilmon," Takato smiled, patting his partner on the head. "Pretty amazing, huh boy?"

"Yeah," Guilmon nodded, still in awe at the wonder of it all. Seeing this, Henry lit up the remaining sparkler and passed it over to Takato, who accepted it gratefully.

"Here, boy. Why don't you have a look? Just don't get too close or smell it, okay? You might burn yourself."

"I have a hard time imagining Dinoboy hurting himself from a sparkler when he's taken shots from Renamon without even flinching," Rika chuckled, releasing Takato's hand and taking a step back. Kneeling down so that his partner could get a better look, he smiled up at the girl.

"Yeah, I know. But… I can't help but worry sometimes. I'd be a bad Tamer too if I didn't look out for Guilmon, you know?"

Rika smiled at that, and behind her, Renamon spoke her unvoiced thoughts.

"And that's why you would make a good father."

"Who's a father?" crowed another voice as a new arrival – white and small with large ears spread outward, serving as wings – dove in from the night, a wide, beaming smile on its face that looked as though it were still somehow too small to contain all the bubbling happiness of its owner. "Oh, hey! Sparkly!"

Calumon, thought Rika, turning away and inching her way into the darkness to keep from falling into another one of the tiny digimon's never ending supply of Eskimo Kisses. Glancing over her shoulder, her eyes fell on the crouching Takato and Guilmon as the dinosaur investigated the sparkler, taking care to follow Takato's warning while next to them, Henry stood, arms crossed over his light blue yukata, Terriermon continuing to slash circles in the air with his own sparkler.

Coming to a stop next to Renamon, she turned back around and took the sight in. Her friends. Her best friends. She felt warmth suffuse into her, surrounding her, similar to, but different from the same warmth that she found when she and Renamon first biomerged together in the digital world.

I don't want to ever forget this, she thought. Her heart beat a little harder at that and despite her earlier misgivings about Calumon's Eskimo Kisses, she soon found herself wandering back toward the light. Kneeling down next to Takato, she exchanged a smile with the boy before the two of them turned their attention toward Guilmon and Calumon's wonder at the fizzling sparkler, and the warmth they shared from each other's closeness.

###

"Thanks for inviting me to hang out with you today, Rika," Takato said as the four friends made their way down the park path, Guilmon and Renamon hanging back a ways to give the two humans some space for each other. "I had a really fun time with you tonight."

"Same," Rika nodded, smiling at him. "It was…kind of nice. I mean, festivals aren't really my thing, especially with all the dressing up, but…I liked hanging out with you." She paused, feeling a sliver of heat crawl just under her skin. Biting her lower lip, she considered her words carefully before continuing, wishing she didn't feel so nervous about asking simple questions.

"Do you…want to do this more often?"

Takato turned toward her as they passed beneath a lamp, and the girl registered his surprise.

Stupid. It's not like we don't hang out already. I mean, we hang out with the others, but…I mean, alone. The two of us. Ugh. There's no way that he's not going to think I'm asking him out.

Yet, in spite of her misgivings, she saw a small smile touch his lips and he nodded.

"Yeah, I think I'd like that. I think I'd like that a lot."

Rika let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Feeling a touch more comfortable, she turned her gaze skyward, seeing the stars that wheeled over them.

"You want to know something weird. Earlier today, I just got so worked up that I thought this was a terrible idea. But now I don't know what I was so frustrated about earlier. It's like…I was expecting everything to go wrong and that I'd get angry and storm off, but it went pretty well for the most part."

"Why were you frustrated?" Takato asked, causing Rika to chuckle in bemusement.

"Didn't I just say that I didn't know?"

"I heard." Now it was Takato's turn to laugh lightly. "I don't know though. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if we do know, but don't know how to say it out loud. When I was making my message to Guilmon back when he was still in the digital world, there was a lot that I wanted to say but didn't know how. Sometimes I think…being a Tamer puts us in touch with those parts of ourselves before we even have the words for them."

"When did you start sounding like Henry?"

Takato blushed and grinned goofily. "I get some things from him sometimes. I listen and sometimes I even think about stuff."

"So that's what's causing all the steam at your place," Rika grinned back. "But…yeah. Maybe you're right. I…" Coming to a halt beneath another lamp, she clutched her fists together tightly. "All right. I'm going to try to come clean a little here. I think…I think I was afraid. I…I don't have a lot of friends, so I get worried about losing you and Henry and Jeri and all the others." She grimaced as Guilmon and Renamon approached, eyeing the scene, but as yet, saying nothing. "Yes, even Kazu and Ryo. You guys are all special to me. I don't like to show it, but I do worry about how I present myself to you, and this was…a big deal to me. I…kind of wanted to not do it. Keep things as they were since I could be pretty sure nothing would go wrong or crazy that way. And then, to have to go through all that waiting…"

She gave a sudden laugh, and she found that there was a nervous, yet oddly relieved twitter to it. Her heart felt a little lighter, as though she had relieved some pressure from it.

"Kind of silly, isn't it?"

Their eyes met, and Takato shook his head.

"No, I don't think it's silly at all. I guess…change can be a little scary. When I first got Guilmon, I was so happy about it, but…then things got so crazy and…and huge." Takato turned his eyes up at the night sky, losing himself in memories that felt like yesterday, and in a strange contradiction, felt like a whole lifetime ago.

"When Guilmon digivolved for the first time, I wanted him to go back to how he was. Make things safe again. Smaller. Easier to manage."

He kicked at a small pebble on the ground.

"But everything around us just kept getting bigger. We had to get bigger just to keep up."

"Must have been pretty crazy, thinking about how you got this far, huh?" Rika asked, drawing closer to him.

"Sometimes," Takato agreed. "But I had you and Henry and everyone else with me, so maybe it's not so crazy? Maybe, as long as we have each other, things won't be so bad."

"I remember you saying things like that a lot after I helped you get over some of your funks."

Takato was silent for a moment before he again kicked at a pebble.

"I look up to you a lot, you know," he said softly. "You're easily one of the strongest people I know. And tonight, you've shown me why all over again." Flashing Rika a wide, goofy smile, he rubbed the back of his head. "You're so amazing, you know that?"

A small smirk tugged at the corners of Rika's lips as he said that.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, you know," she said playfully.

"I mean it though. You are amazing. You've come so far, done so much. You've pushed along when anyone else would have given up. And you always keep fighting, no matter what the odds."

"Not always," Rika pointed out, slipping her hand around his. "But…you helped remind me to not quit when things got tough, remember?"

Locomon… Takato thought, tightening his hand around hers. Rika squeezed his back as she moved in front of him. Her heart was racing, a thought having occurred to her. A thought so crazy that she couldn't believe it had come to her in the first place. It…almost sounded like something Gogglehead would do.

Yet…she wanted to thank Takato for being the Gogglehead that he was. She couldn't let them part ways without doing at least that.

She was nervous though. This was also a big deal, and as Takato pointed out, change could be scary. Would this change things between them? Most likely, and if so, how much? And in what ways? For the good? For the bad?

Finding that she couldn't just stand there forever, she made a decision.

"There's…one idea that you needed for your game, Takato," she said softly.

"What's that?" he asked, a bit confused that she was bringing their game from this morning up now of all times. Licking her lips nervously, she met his eyes levelly, steeling herself. Thinking herself in one of the plays she went with her grandmother to, she spoke, and found her voice was surprisingly calm.

"A lady will sometimes show her favor to a brave knight. Especially one who stood by my side when things were at their darkest. I would show you my favor."

Leaning forward before the confused boy could say anything further, her lips pressed gently against the corner of his, and she felt them tremble beneath her soft touch. The kiss was short and sweet, and as she pulled back, she found that they were both speechless. Giving Takato's hand one final squeeze, she stepped back and into the awaiting arms of Renamon.

"I'll see you tomorrow Takato," she said softly, her face blushing once more, and with that, the pair vanished into the night, leaving Takato and Guilmon, amazed by what had transpired.

Lifting a hand, Takato touched the place where the girl's lips had met his, eyes wide, still seeing the girl in his mind, his mind awhirl with a growing torrent of emotions that left butterflies in his stomach.

"Rika…" he whispered softly into the empty night.

###

The next day found Rika slipping on the last of her clothes, preparing for the new morning. She was silent, as ever, yet her eyes contained the noise of distraction, thinking of the clueless boy who she had kissed last night. Next to her digivice, her cellphone displayed a voice message. Takato's. She had listened to it earlier, and she would listen to it again before too long, hearing the stammering chatter he would fall into whenever he was flustered or unsure of what to say. She wanted to smile at that. He was…cute when he got flustered, but she found herself unable to do so, uncertain as she was as to whether or not she had done the right thing.

I sure changed things in a big way last night, that's for sure, she mused, smoothing out her shirt. Glancing down at the full heart emblazoned on her chest once more, she took up her hair tie.

"Where are we going today?" came the voice of Renamon, materializing out of thin air. "I assume you'll be wanting to clear the air with Takato?"

"You got that right," Rika said, pulling up her hair and starting to tie it all together. Before she got very far, she paused and then looked at her reflection in consideration. After a moment of thought, she dropped her hair back down and took a smaller handful, leaving just enough to fall past her shoulders still and within short order made up a new ponytail, smaller than what was normal for her. She tilted her head to one side, not sure what she thought about it. It was so…different from what she was used to.

"Going for a new look?" Renamon asked.

"Going for something different anyway," Rika said. "What do you think of it?"

A small, barely visible smile graced her features.

"I think you look wonderful, Rika. Very…pretty."

Rika rolled her eyes at that, but smirked all the same.

"Here's hoping it won't give Takato a heart attack."

"Is that why you've decided on the change?" Renamon asked as they departed her room.

"I… Maybe. I don't know. I've been kind of thinking about it for a while now, it's just…I guess it's more like now's as good a time as any, all things considered." She shook her head, feeling the strands of her hair sweep across her shoulder blades. An unusual feeling to be sure, but not entirely unwelcome either. "I did something major last night. Things are changing. We're all going to change. I can't pretend that I can keep things the same by playing it safe."

Slipping on her shoes, she stepped out into the front yard. She turned to look at Renamon and smiled. There was nervousness in that smile, but eagerness as well. Whatever the future held, she would face it.

"A Tamer never walks away from danger, right Renamon?"

Lifting the girl up, Renamon nodded.

"That's right, Rika."

With that, the two disappeared into the sky and into the start of their new day.

###

A/N: So yeah. This was a project and a half. It was born out of a curiosity about what kind of things Takato played other than the card game or even video games. Just a kid horsing around outside and using his imagination. It came to encompass a picture I saw of the Tamers at a festival, and in Tamers Twice fanart where Rika had altered her hair, and I got to wondering the genesis of those as well, and what kind of things would have led to Rika making such a drastic change. Obviously, the Rukato bias is my OTP speaking to me, though I feel it's likely Rika would have come to changing her hair on her own, and added a small bit regarding that. From there, the story just kept growing…and growing…and growing.

Seriously, this was almost a beanstalk story with how much it just kept growing longer, and it's easily the longest oneshot I've ever written, outdoing even my longest chapters for multi-chapter stories. Not sure how it happened. Not sure if I'm pleased with the results, but this was a major breakthrough for me in combatting my burnout. :)

Until next time.

-Crazyeight

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