Me: Geez, I never really thought I would write a "Digimon" fanfiction again; but after I went back to the "Digimon" section and read a couple of fics, I began to like it all over again. Plus, WPP just got episode six of "Tamers" subbed and watching it made me feel nostalgic.

So here I am writing a story that I had actually forgotten about the first time I thought it up. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: "Digimon" is property of Akiyoshi Hongo, Toei, Saban, Disney, Tokyopop, and anyone else I may have missed.

Never-ending Drama

Ruki turned off the microphone and sat quietly. She felt cleansed, sad, but also happy. Maybe it was a good thing Ryo had talked to her after all. The thought made Ruki smirk just a bit.

The two boys turned when they heard the door open and Ruki stepped through it.

Takato rose from the couch he was sitting on. "Ruki, did you – uh…" The expression on Takato's face changed from cheer to something which looked like concern.

Ruki noticed this. "What?"

Takato hesitated. "Your eyes… they're…"

It then occurred to Ruki what had caught Takato's attention. She touched the delicate skin around her eyes which were now red and puffy.

"Ruki, were you…"

She tore her hand from her face. "No!"

Her forceful answer caused Takato to jump. "Eh – but…"

"I recorded the message like you wanted me to." Ruki walked towards the door of Jen's apartment. "I'm going home."

"Ruki…" Takato had just said her name when the girl shut the door behind her.

Jen walked up and put a hand on Takato's shoulder. "Just let her be for a while Takato. Probably for Ruki, it's hardest to think about her partner." He left Takato with that remark to go to his room and prepare the packet to be sent to their Digimon.

His words were still on Takato's mind when the goggled Tamer went to bed that night. Jen had said that it must be hardest for Ruki – why would that be? Takato thought about what she was like when they had first met, when they had first spoken. She was cold, distant, and reluctant to have any feelings whatsoever for Digimon or other people.

He recalled how when he first tried to seek her out, how he had to describe her to her peers from school. Did she have any friends at school? Considering how she was then, Takato doubted it; and it dawned on him that Renamon was probably the closest thing she had to a friend when they became partners. Now, that first close relationship for Ruki in a while was stretched across a border.

'Ruki, you really miss Renamon, don't you?' Takato flipped over onto his side. He was feeling sorry for her. He tried thinking of something, anything that might be able to cheer her up. His eyes trailed across his darkened room, the moon and streetlights from outside casting paths of light. He saw his desk, saw his pencil and sheets of paper scattered on his desk. Takato propped himself on his shoulders. It might not be much, but still…

- - -

She had thought about what had happened at Jen's apartment. How she had a slight blow-up in front of them; and she thought, maybe she really shouldn't have reacted that way. It wasn't like they had never seen her cry before; but then, that was when they all were tearing when the Digimon left. For her to get upset like that; was probably because she had felt vulnerable coming out of Jen's room looking like that way. Maybe she should apologize…

"I'm going now." Ruki cleared her dishes and shouldered her backpack.

Her grandmother smiled at her from the table. "Come back safely."

When Ruki got to the threshold of her home, she put her shoes on and reached around inside her bag. She found what she was looking for and opened the folded sheet of sky-blue paper, sighing when she had finished reading it and stuffing it into her pocket. Lately her mother had gotten into the habit of leaving her notes when she wasn't able to see Ruki in the morning. The first time Ruki had found such a note was at lunch at school.

She had unwrapped her bento to find the note with her boxed lunch, and when she read the contents she quickly shoved it into her pocket so none of her classmates would see. Though she had told her mother to cease with the messages, her mother happily continued to leave her pretty stationary with loving words on them. It had become a routine for Ruki to look for these notes before she left for school, in case it happened to pop up unexpectedly when she was there.

'Can she at least not leave them in my school things?' Ruki inwardly groaned as she stuffed the note in her pocket.

She closed the door behind her and walked up the path to the gate which surrounded her home. Pulling the gate door open, she heard something flutter, and turned to see a sheet of blank paper taped to the gate. Ruki pulled it off and flipped the paper over, sighing. 'What's this now; another one?' When she saw what was on the flipside however, the idea that this was left by her mother was wiped from her mind. For one thing, there wasn't a message on the sheet – it was a drawing. A drawing of herself and Renamon, side by side; partners. She was initially shocked by the sight, but then her mind went straight to determining who had done this; and she could only think of one person.

- - -

Takato yawned as he left school. During the school hours he had kept nodding on and off, his teacher eventually having to result to smacking him in the head with a rolled up notebook. When Juri asked him at lunch if he was okay, Takato simply said yes and gave her a tired smile.

Jen was walking with him out of the school gates when the bell had rung. "Why were you up late last night? Homework?"

Shaking his head, Takato answered, "There was just something important I had to do."

"Important, huh…" Jen didn't question his friend any further on the subject. If Takato thought it was important, then it must have been.

They parted ways and Takato walked the rest of the way home by himself. He couldn't wait to get home and take a nap to get his energy level back to normal. "I'm home," Takato said when he went through the sliding doors of his parents' bakery.

"Ah, welcome back Takato," his mother replied while she cashed a customer's order. "You have a visitor inside."

Takato blinked. "A visitor?"

His father came from behind the counter and added with a grin, "You'd best not keep her waiting."

His mind still a bit fuzzy from a lack of sleep, Takato wasn't able to link together his thoughts properly. He simply droned, "Okay," and went to the back of the shop to his family's kitchen. When he turned the corner and saw who was seated at the table, his eyes widened and he dropped his bag. He was also unable to form a proper sentence and instead began stuttering.

The girl looked at him questioningly. "What's wrong with you?"

"Uh… um … nothing!" He looked at the dishes placed in front of her; a plate with half-eaten bread and a glass of juice on the verge of being emptied. "How did you…"

Knowing what the rest of the sentence was meant to be, she said, "School ended early."

"Oh…" That would explain how she changed into her casual clothes already. Takato put a hand behind his head. "I guess you must have gotten it then…"

She tilted her head away, feeling warmth on her cheeks. "Yes…" After a moment Ruki glanced at him. "Are you going to sit?"

"Ah – yeah!" Takato scurried over and took the seat across from her.

After more seconds of awkward silence, Ruki said, "Why?"

Takato looked up at her. "Eh?"

"Why'd you do that?" she said a bit defensively.

"Oh, well…" Takato reddened. "I just wanted to do something nice for you; to make you happy."

Ruki continued to look at him with the same expression. "Again, why?"

Takato fidgeted. "Well, because… I know you miss Renamon."

Mixed feelings flared up inside Ruki. Upset took over. "So out of pity?"

"Huh? N-No!" Takato began to worry that she was taking his actions the wrong way.

"Yes it is!" Ruki grew more infuriated. "You just said so yourself. You said that I miss Renamon, so you felt sorry for me!"

"Ruki, wait a minute! I – "

"You know what? Forget it!" She pushed back her chair so it screeched against the kitchen floor and walked past him to leave.

Takato didn't want her to leave like this again. He stood and grabbed her wrist, blurting, "I care about you!"

Ruki stopped dead in her tracks. She turned. "…What?" Then, still feeling his hand on her wrist, she yanked away from him.

Takato put up his hands, flustered and colouring when he realized what he had said. "U-Um… I mean…" Slowly, he lowered his arms. "It's just that seeing you unhappy… makes me feel unhappy too." He chanced a look at her. "We're friends, right?"

She stared at him, then feeling her features betray her, moved her gaze to the floor. "… I guess that's… a better answer…"

They both stood in the middle of the kitchen, unsure of what should happen next. Seeing this, Ruki said, "I guess I'll be going home now."

As soon as she took one step however, Takato said, "Do you want to do something later?"

Ruki gave him a look that read she thought he was insane. "What?"

Once again Takato's words hadn't come out right. "I-I mean all of us. You know, Jen, Katou-san… all of us, together."

She stared at him. "I suppose… when you have a better idea of what and when."

"Yeah!" Takato nodded. "I'll call you."

"Okay. Later then." Ruki left, and Takato was alone in the kitchen.

He slumped back into his chair and rested his head on one of his hands. "That was something…" He sighed. "I really need a nap."

- - -

She had already left the Matsuda's bakery when she remembered she had meant to apologize to Takato. Ruki closed her eyes. 'Maybe it really isn't necessary; Takato's pretty understanding after all…' Her eyelids rose when she realized what thought had just gone through her mind, and made an uncomfortable noise in her throat.

Pushing it aside, she continued her trek back home. It felt strange to her though, walking alone. Before she knew Renamon was always with her, even though she might not have been able to see her. Now, Ruki really was alone, walking the streets of Shinjku.

When she arrived home she went straight to her room. She stooped to pick up her school uniform which she had tossed to the floor when she had changed. Usually she hung them on the rack by her door, but took to abusing them when she was in a rush. Today, she was in a rush to see…

Ruki tugged on her uniform roughly when she placed it over the clothing rack; the thought that had caused her to do so made her frown, but also colour. 'This is stupid. What am I thinking?'

She reached into her uniform's pocket and pulled out the note she had put there that morning. Moving across her room, she opened the cover of a box she had tucked away discreetly and placed the paper in with all the others. Ruki paused, staring into the box. She got back up and crossed the room once again, then back. She looked at the paper she now held in her hand; and put that in the box as well before replacing the cover.

'… stupid…'

Me: The end… or is it? Hahaha!