Disclaimer: Because lawsuits exist and scare me-- I do not own Digimon Tamers or MOST of the characters used. All rights go respectfully to the creators.

Rika's POV

"Why do I bother?"

It was a question I had asked myself time and time again, and every time I looked to someone for a nonverbal answer, I was greeted with nothing. It frustrated me because I already knew the answer. It was them. I never had too many friends growing up, nor did I bother making any. It was exactly eight years ago I had given up on adults, given up on friendship, and given up on that little girl that sang on the swings. I did not need them. I did not need anybody. Or so I thought. I was a lone wolf, and I still am, but I've changed over the years. Hell, it was exactly three years ago when I met Renamon, nearly killed a certain goggle-headed Tamer's pet, and somehow ended up saving the world with a bunch of lunatics. Three years have flown by, and still, I cannot help but scoff at our little adventure in the digital world.

When me and the other Tamers had arrived at what appeared to be a wasteland, I did not plan on sticking around for long. I had simply wanted to fetch Calumon from the freaks that kidnapped him and go on with my card-playing life. Of course, that did not happen. Of all things that had to happen, I was separated from the group and forced to travel with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb. The whole experience was so degrading I would have probably choked one of them out for their stupid comments. Not to forget when so-called Mr. Perfect decided to show up, Kazu and Kenta were all over him as if he was a god. That memory still irritated me like a bunch of gabbing Numemon. Then there was the entire encounter with Beelzemon, Leomon's death, and the invasion of the D-Reaper.

But that was years ago. I'm sixteen already, and I should not have been dwelling on the past, but it was not like I wanted to dwell on it. It sort of just burrowed into my thoughts and made a nest there. This is stupid. It truly was. Jeri dragged me to the park to "socialize" with the other Tamers, and while they all played rounds of their card game, I just lounged on a tree branch with nothing but silence and fur accompanying me. "You appear stressed, how come?" An enchanted and rich voice asked coolly, her voice managing to ease my nonexistant worries for a brief second. "Nothing, I'm just thinking," I muttered in response, barely able to outline the frame of my stoic partner, Renamon. The gold-furred kitsune bowed her head, jumping from one of the higher branches to sit next to me. "About what?" She questioned further and shot a glance towards Takato and the others.

"When have you become so nosey?" I retorted harshly, not processing my unneeded coldness towards my partner before mumbling an apology. She accepted it without words. "I am merely wondering why you seem so downcast. Jeri had invited us to hang out in the park for fun, not for you to sulk," she answered my question bluntly and pointed a claw to the group. From what I could see, Jeri and Henry were joking around while Takato was demolishing Kenta in a card fight. Kazu was observing and cheering his best friend on. Guardromon and MarineAngemon lingered nearby, and Terriermon was apparently running away from Suzie while Lopmon laughed hysterically. Guilmon, no surprise, was indulging himself in the pastries his Tamer had brought for everyone to share. Cyberdramon appeared to have been watching the card game as well, and Ryo was pointing out mistakes in their paper combat.

I tore my gaze away from my friends and closed my eyes. We all had come a long way. Now that I thought about it, we all changed in so many ways, yet remained the same. Takato was still an idiotic klutz, but he has grown a pair and began taking charge without the use of stutters and pleads. Henry was still the brainiac he was, yet he had still managed to mature further than us all and hold onto his digimon-loving ways. It took a lot of time, but after the incident with the D-Reaper, Jeri, who would coop herself in her house and turn down opportunities to hang out with us; thankfully managed to get a hold of herself and rejoin them-- them meaning everyone else but me. It wasn't that I did not like her, I cared for her very much, but I just saw no reason to hang out when there was so much to do. Kazu and Kenta were still annoying parasites, but I've somewhat grown on them. Not entirely, because I would not hesitate to sock one of them in the face if they stepped out of line, but the urge to have Renamon kick them to the other side of the world was well... gone. Maybe it was because I've started to see them as my little brothers. You know, the kind you want to kill because of something stupid they did, but would kick anybody's arse if someone hurt them? It was something like that. Ryo was still that infuriating Mr. Perfect I had met in my younger years, and even though he still flirts with me-- which still pisses me off to this day-- he has managed to get less annoying and more mature. Sort of. I've lost my interest in pummeling him into the ground and running him over with a bulldozer, but that did not mean I would spare him a beating or two if he crossed me.

I opened my eyes, my gaze now glued to a red, saurian digimon. He stood at the trunk of the tree, his head cocked to the side like a confused puppy while he stared up at me and Renamon. "What do you want, dino boy?" I questioned with a scowl. His bat-like ears perked upon hearing my question. "Why don't you and Renamon come down to play? We can play tag!" Guilmon piped merrily, his tail wagging like a dog's. I swore sometimes Guilmon must have been part dog. "Fat chance," I grumbled and turned my attention to my partner. "You can go play with him if you want to," I chastised, not even having to look down to see Guilmon's excited expression. "And you do not mind?" Renamon questioned and stood up hastily. "Nah, just go play with dino boy so he leaves me alone," I sighed and waved her off. My digimon disappeared into thin air, soon materializing behind Guilmon and tapping his shoulder. "I believe the term is, 'Tag, you're it!'" I heard her say and disappear once more. "No fair!" Guilmon wailed and took off. With Renamon able to phase in and out of the plane of reality, I wouldn't be surprised if she kept dino boy looking around for hours.

Once again, I closed my eyes and leaned against the trunk of the sakura tree, one of my legs propped up while the other dangles loosely off the side of the branch. "I should've stayed home," I grunted to myself and shook my head. But if I had stayed home, I would have derived quality time between Renamon and Guilmon. It was funny. It wasn't too far back when me and Renamon were trying to turn dino boy into digi-dust. Yet here we all were, friends and getting along for the most part. For a brief moment, a thought crossed my mind. What if I had succeeded in destroying Guilmon? Where would we all be? Diving further into my thoughts, I could only be presented with death. If Guilmon was destroyed, he and Takato would not have been able to biomerge in Gallantmon. I would not have been able to accept that digimon weren't just data, and they possessed human emotions like us. The D-Reaper would have won. Such a tiny act such as being able to kill a bread-loving dinosaur would have sealed not only this world's fate, but the digital world, too.

A cold sweat acted as a blanket over my forehead. I was bitter losing a fight to Takato back then, but looking back at our first encounter, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. What was it called? Fate? Or perhaps it was destiny? I can vaguely remember Renamon telling me that we can choose our own fates, but let it not change us for who we are. Before, y'know, we decided to make a suicide jump into the D-Reaper and biomerge into Sakuyamon. That was terrifyingly fun... Mostly terrifying. A knock on the sakura bark startled me, resulting in me flinching and whipping my head around to glare at whoever interrupted my thoughts. "Hey Rika! Why don't you come down and play a game with us? Kenta just turned the tables last minute and beat the crud outta Chumley!" Years... Years had passed, and yet Kazu still called Takato Chumley. Then again, I hadn't stopped calling the crimson-eyed Tamer Gogglehead.

Before I could shake my head in response, I could hear Kenta call out, "It's true! Come on, Digimon Queen, you need to teach Takato how to be a better card player!" I watched as Takato pinched Kenta's arm. "Oh!" Kazu exclaimed loudly, loud enough to gather almost everyone's attention, "we would have suggested Ryo teach Chumley, but I think the boy prefers you." Kazu winked at Kenta, who burst into a fit of laughter. "Knock it off, you two! I d-didn't say that!" Gogglehead protested and scooted away from Kenta. I rolled my eyes. Idiots. "Idiots indeed, but you still care for them," I heard Renamon reply from a branch directly behind me. Unmoving, I pinched the bridge of my nose and grumbled, "Reading my thoughts?"

"Sorry for invading your privacy, but I was hoping to get an idea on why you are frustrated," she answered and disappeared once more. Rude. "Heh? What's got you all upset? I mean, you're always upset, but this is different," Kazu questioned. If one thing has changed, Kazu has gotten bolder. He's still a cowardly chicken, but he no longer flinches when I'm around. "Nothing your tiny brain could comprehend," I snapped icily and crossed my arms over my chest. "Hey! I'll have you know I have all A's in school!" I rolled my eyes once more and shot him a glare. "Copying off Henry does not make you any smarter," I growled, and as soon as Kazu took a hesitant step backwards, I turned my head away from him. "Alright, alright, geez. This is what I get for being nice, huh?" His footsteps got farther and farther away, and certain I was alone once more, I buried my face into my hands. Was I too harsh? Perhaps, but I would not apologize. If I did, that'd make me look soft. Don't get me wrong, I have warmed up to them all, but I had a reputation to handle, and no single person was going to make me into a soft and meek doll.

I could not hear what Kazu was telling the others, and quite frankly, I didn't care. If he was talking smack, I'd give him a bruise or two later. Just as a sadistic grin managed to tug at my lips, the sound of footsteps warned me to quickly drop it. I put my pokerface back on and cracked an eye open to see Gogglehead approach with his stupid, cheery smile. "Hey Rika," he greeted sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck, "Kazu told me you were acting all funky because you're upset. Wanna talk about it?" I glowered at him bitterly. Pity from Gogglehead? I'd sooner put on a skimpy dress and proclaim myself as Ryo's wife. "If I wanted to talk about it, I wouldn't be wasting my time here. And even if I wanted to talk, I wouldn't confide in you," I scoffed and scrunched my nose up. Hurt flashed over his expression, but it did not last for very long. "W-well, we can still talk," he stammered and offered a nervous smile. The king of idiots speaks, I thought to myself and exasperated, "Is lover boy just talking bull so he could bask in my awesomeness?" I teased without much emotion drawn over my face. Truth be told, I found amusement in messing with the goggle-wearing teen. He was like a toy, one I didn't want to give away. Red flooded his cheeks, and throwing his hands up defensively, he shook his head feverishly. "N-no of course not! Wait, I'm not saying you're not awesome, b-but that wasn't what I me-" I placed my index finger over my mouth and shushed him. He shut his trap, and with him no longer rambling like a Parrotmon, I deadpanned, "It was just a joke, Gogglehead. You make it too easy to mess with you." He looked at me with a confused expression.

I raised a hand and waved him off like nothing, hoping he would give up and leave me be, but he wasn't like that. No, Gogglehead was one of the most stubborn people I've ever encountered-- besides myself, and adding on to the fact that he was as dense as a brick, I mentally scolded myself for thinking I could shove away Takato without getting physical or yelling. He didn't reply, so I had assumed he waddled back over to his friends. At least, I thought he had until I heard grunts and the sound of snickers from the boys. Now adjusting my posture and leaning over the branch, my gaze fixated on the goggle-headed tamer struggling to climb up the Sakura tree. "What are you doing?" I asked with a scowl, ticked that he was starting to annoy me. "What's it look like?" He shot back with a small frown, which would quickly flip around. I chuckled lamely at how dumb he looked right now. I counted around up to five minutes and eighteen seconds before he climbed onto the same branch as me. Because I was leaning against the trunk, Takato was forced to sit directly in front of me, which was rather promising considering the layout of the tree. Because the branches themselves would slowly direct themselves upright, a rather steep hill was formed, and a single shove would result in him toppling right on top me-- which I would clock him for if that ever happened. I raised a brow at him and mused, "Five minutes to climb a tree? I know you're packing a couple extra pounds, but you've been getting way too sluggish for your own good." He rolled his eyes and snorted, "Haha, very funny Rika. Now, why are you up here?" Didn't I just tell him that I wanted to be alone with my thoughts? "Why do you care? I can lounge wherever I want," I told him with a bored expression.

Takato draped a leg on each side of the branch and shrugged. "I didn't realize you looked lonely until Kazu pointed it out, and I don't want any of my friends to be left out soooo," he trailed off and flashed me another sickeningly sweet smile. Did Kazu really just say I looked lonely? Hah! I was not alone. Far from it, actually. "I'm not alone, Gogglehead, I'm literally surrounded by a bunch of screaming children," I retorted sarcastically before huffing. He eyed my expression wearily, and not liking how he looked at me funny, I growled, "What?" He put his hands back in that ridiculous defensive pose of his and blurted, "Nothing, it's just..." He trailed off again. Seriously, what was it with him? He was acting weird, or at least, weirder than usual. "Just what? I'm not getting any younger," I pushed forth with a frown. "Well uhh-" He opened his mouth and let out ONE word before falling back into a mumbling mess. "It's been eights years now. I'm married, I have a house, I own a car, I gave birth to a boy named Kaito," I deadpanned in a semi-joking manner. Takato cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head. "You know what I meant when I said you looked lonely. Being alone and being lonely are two different things," he explained with beads of sweat coating his forehead. Why was he trying to get into my head now? And why did it anger me that he was assuming I was lonely? I'm Rika Nonaka-- the infamous Digimon Queen and daughter of Rumiko Nonaka-- I don't GET lonely. I have no reason to be. "You're not my psychiatrist, so don't even start before I send you to dreamland for good," I threatened and furrowed my eyebrows at him, my jaw clenched and teeth gritting against one another.

Takato's worried expression became fearful, and now forcing a bright smile onto his maw, he coughed, "Sorry, I just-" I cut him off harshly, "You what?" I could tell he was getting as frustrated as me. He was trying to coax me out from my wall, but guess what? It was not happening. He sighed, and now turning his head away from me, he mumbled, "I just didn't feel comfortable with you looking so upset. Sorry if I made you madder." For some reason, this only angered me further. He wasn't comfortable with me being the way I am? That stupid Gogglehead wouldn't have noticed anything if Kazu kept his loud mouth shut. The desire to punch his shoulder for ticking me off further bubbled in the back of my head, but I refused to follow through with it. I've changed... haven't I? Yeah, I did, and the old me would have shoved this moron off the branch without a second thought. Trying to suppress the red that pricked the corners of my eyes, I let out a sigh and grumbled, "It's fine. You meant well. You should go back to your game... Speaking of game, how did you lose to Kenta?! That's like challenging a cloud to a fist fight and LOSING!" Takato burst into a fit of bubbly laughter, but I didn't join. I was seriously confused on how he lost. "It's been a while since I've played, so I guess my skills are being flushed down the drain," he replied and tugged on the collar of his shirt. "It wasn't a total loss. I got to make his day better."

I exhaled slowly and rubbed my temples with my palms. "I'm tempted to teach you a few of my winning strategies," I started and noticed Takato's expression lighten, "but I don't know if I WANT you to know them." He pressed his hands together and bowed his head. "Please! Getting digimon card lessons from you would really help me!" He begged, and for a split second, I almost smiled. Almost. "But do I really want to?" I continued to tease and tap an index finger against my chin. "Don't tease me!" He whined pathetically, which only fueled the bemusement I felt towards our situation. "But teasing you is fun."

"Whaa?"

"RIKA AND TAKATO SITTING IN A TR-"

I whipped around to send the most intimidating and bone-chilling glare at a certain rabbit-like digimon. "Finish that sentence and I'll turn your ears into a scarf for Renamon!" I hollered angrily at Terriermon, who smirked at me smugly. "Momentai, Rika! I was just kidding!" He laughed, but soon shrieked as soon as Suzie caught up to him and picked him up. "Now I got you," Henry's little sister chimed and spun on her heels. "I may have gotten over putting diapers on you, but I still think a dress looks awesome on you!"

"HENRY! DO SOMETHING!"

"After that stunt you pulled with Rika, you deserve it."

"B-BUT HENRY!"

I didn't bother listening to the rest. Why should I? It was just Terriermon acting foolishly while Henry backed me up. I drowned out their petty squabbles by pressing the back of my head against the trunk of the tree and closing my eyes. I SHOULD have stayed home, indeed. Silence followed Gogglehead, and before he could say something, I quickly shot him down, "Whatever you're about to say, forget it. Head back to the group and give Rabbitmon a slap for me." I felt him shift awkwardly before mumbling, "Are you sure? You still seem pretty upse-" His words died in his throat upon his gaze landing on my shaking fists. "Leave me alone," I growled and rolled off the branch. I had originally planned on catching myself on the branch right below, but that idiotic Gogglehead just had to think otherwise. I heard him yelp, "Rika!" before darting forth and grabbing my ankle last second. Now dangling by my foot, I looked up to see Takato struggling to hold onto me. "I was going to grab onto the other branch, Gogglehead," I hissed and tried to kick him away, but his grip refused to loosen. "You could have told me beforehand! I thought you were dozing off and you fell over!" He argued back with a frown that just didn't suit him. "My bad, now can you let me go?" I retorted sarcastically and shot a glance at Terriermon, who was barely managing to stifle a laugh. "And let you fall and hit your head? Nuh-uh, no concussions today!" His reply was sharp and tinted with bitterness. I guess I hurt his feelings, huh? "Why would you care if I got a concussion? It won't kill me," I grunted and crossed my arms right below my breasts, the blood now rushing to my head. "Because I care for you? What kind of question is that?" He huffed and tried to pull me up.

I could feel his grip weakening, and with a roll of my eyes, I mumbled, "Just drop me. I'll gave Renamon catch me last minute."

"And if she fails?"

"You doubt her abilities?"

"Not at all! But it's still foolish!"

Before our quarrel could mutate into a full-blown argument, Guardomon flew up to me and Takato and placed his hands around my sides. As much as I hated to admit it, but I was ticklish, and I couldn't help but squirm uncomfortably. "I got you, m'lady. You can let her go, Takato," the iron mass announced proudly, and now certain that I wouldn't be plummeting, Gogglehead finally let go of my ankle. "Wait, can you fly me down, too?" He asked with puppy dog eyes. Most would have fallen over for them, but over the years, I've developed an immunity to anything cute. So far, it's been doing me good in life. "Can you not just jump?" Guardromon asked in a confused manner, in which Takato would chuckle half-heartedly and explain, "I don't want to risk twisting my ankle." The metallic digimon nodded and flipped me over so I sat on his shoulder, which I didn't mind. It was better than being carried like some cat being rescued from a drainage pipe. Takato hopped onto Guardomon's other shoulder, and as soon as the digimon's feet hit the ground, Kazu purred, "Aww~ Looks like Takato saved Rika from falling again!" I was too busy shaking my fist at Kazu and berating him to notice Takato's flushed cheeks.

I was about to knock Kazu's lights out before Jeri stepped in and smiled. "Let's not fight, alright? Why don't we all get something to eat before we go off on our own?" She suggested calmly, and shooting a glance at Kazu, I could tell he was thankful she stepped in. "But why? I brought a ton of pasties and Guilmon bread over," came Takato's response. Was Gogglehead even WATCHING Guilmon? That glutton practically tossed the basket over and devoured all its contents! "I don't know if you've noticed, but dino boy literally ate ALL of the food," I stated in an impassive manner. Ggglehead turned to look at the picnic basket he brought over, and seeing the object empty and lying in a bed of crumbs, the goggle-wearing boy now turning to scold his partner. "Guilmon, that bread was for everybody!" Said saurian digimon frowned, his ears drooping as it had done before when I turned down his game. "Sorry, Takatomon, but I was really hungry," he apologized with a pout. "It's okay, boy," sighed the leader of our group before he turned to Jeri, "I'm down to get a bite. Everyone coming along?" His crimson gaze turned to us all, and while everyone else had agreed, I wasn't very interested. "No thanks, I've got stuff to do," I lied through my teeth. "Your calendar was empty the last time I checked, Rika. That's why I invited you to come along," Jeri whined with a playful frown. Busted. "Alright, you caught me, but you did not invite me, Jeri. You dragged me over as if I was Suzie's replacement Pretty Princess." Terriermon visibly cringed, knowing exactly what I meant.

"Please?" Jeri pleaded and clasped her hands together. Oh no, she was doing it again. Look away, Rika, look away. But I couldn't. She may have been just a friend, but we acted sisterly towards each other on a few occasions, and with that mental image of Jeri actually being related to me, I failed to reject her. "Fine," I groaned and brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear, "but I don't plan on staying for much longer." Jeri's smile brightened. Without warning, she grabbed my hand and pulled me forth whilst skipping. I could hear Renamon chuckle from the sidelines, and unable to keep my frown up for much longer, I let a very small smile grace my lips. Big mistake. "Oh my gosh, Rika's smiling! It's the end of the world!" Kazu howled and latched onto Kenta, who shared an equally terrified expression with his best friend. I quickly wiped my smile off and replaced it with a scowl. "Sorry for actually being content. I'll go back to being mad in a few seconds," I seethed before clearing my throat, "And if you both keep that up, I'll ensure the only thing coming to an end would be your lives." Henry sighed with a small smile of his own. "Look at what you guys did," the blue-haired Tamer chided and shook his head, Terriermon now clinging onto his shoulder like a monkey. Jeri giggled and Takato chuckled nervously. "Things have changed and yet... they haven't," I mused under my breath. "Huh? What was that?" Suzie asked, for the younger girl was skipping beside me. "Nothing," I spoke hastily and turned my attention to the road. "But Rika," she whined, the girl no longer pronouncing her R's as W's, "you can tell meee!" Henry's gaze slid over to his little sister. "I said Terriermon secretly likes the 'Pretty Princess Treatement.'" Terriermon's mouth fell agape, and with squinted eyes, he protested, "I do not! I hate being in dresses as much as you do!"

I chuckled at Terriermon's shout, and glad that Suzie had lost interest in what I had to say, I swiftly turned my attention back to Jeri. She still tugged me along, and only had I now realized that we were in the lead. I glanced over my shoulder, and surely enough, everyone was tailing behind me and Jeri. The only person-- or digimon, I should say, that was not bouncing around the group was my partner. I felt Renamon's presence nearby, so I didn't worry. She just preferred lurking out of sight.

Funny. All of us really have come a long way, yet it still feels like we've never aged. I can't help but wonder if this'll last...