A Queen in uniform
Shinjuku Special Ward, Tokyo, 2022.
Greeted with the familiar sight of Shinjuku, a young woman smiled as she walks out of the train station, an olive green rucksack on one hand and a rolling baggage on the other. With her free hand, she lifted her thumb up to call in a cab. Fortunately there was one ready to give her a ride. The driver got out and greeted the woman with a polite and friendly smile, he picked up her luggages and placed them in the taxi's trunk. After she gave him the address, the woman looked at the urban landscape with nostalgia in her eyes.
Rika Nonaka, now a yound adult and a sergeant of the JGSDF's 32nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Division of the Eastern Army, was on leave for a week. She was thrilled to be reunited with her family.
It has been three years now eversince she enlisted in the military. She clearly remembers her friends' and family's reaction when she made that fateful decision, Takato was by far the most accepting. She remembered their little talk at the park years ago.
Three years ago...
Laughter filled the air after Takato told Rika one of his terrible jokes. The two friends sat on a bench, reminiscating of their times as teenagers and the adventures they had with their digimon partners, who at that time are now in the DigiWorld fighting for the IDDF.
Leaning back in a more relaxed manner, Rika took the last sip of her soda can and tossed it at the nearby garbage bin.
"Nice throw." Takato admitted, "Let's see if mine is as good as yours..."
He carefully aims his can and threw it. The soda can hit the edges of the bin and bounced off, landing pathetically on the grass. Takato stared at it in disappointment while Rika laughed uncontrollably, her sides aching. After picking the can and properly tossing it in the bin, Takato sat back on the bench and silence fell between the two.
"So how are things on your end?" She asked, wanting to get rid of the silence.
Her friend scratched his chin sheepishly, "Uh, y'know... not much really." He answered with a shrug, "It's weird that we don't see each other as often as we used too." Rika hummed in agreement.
"Eversince the invasion, things just seemed so distant lately." She pointed out with a frown, "And lonely." She added with a sad sigh. She slumped over, her forearms resting on her knees as she stared emptily at the ground.
Takato did the same, staring off in the distance pensively. "Yeah, I know what you mean." A dry chuckle escaped his mouth, "It's surreal that our lives shifted so drastically in a few years."
Silence resumed its course, leaving the two young adults in their own little world. The wind blew gently, the grass swayed to the breeze dazily.
So much has changed eversince the attack in Tokyo. Parts of Tokyo had to be rebuilt from the ashes and debris of the battlefield but somehow life resumed back easily. Only difference was the now increasing military presence in the city, soldiers from NATO member states were deployed to Tokyo before they were sent through the Gate and into the "Digital Front" as it was named by the JSDF.
It was hard for the Japanese citizens but most quickly adapted to their new daily life. Key word "most".
For Rika and her friends, it was quite the roller-coaster. First, they had to say goodbye to their digimon partners – no, friends – sent to war with the other soldiers, only Terriermon and Lopmon were spared because they were too small for the military... as for Impmon though, he was also too small and too rebellious for the military life style.
Then little by little, they parted in their own way, keeping contact with each other became harder. Jeri Katou, despite her protest against her parents, moved out to Nishitokyo, where it was much "safer" and the fact that their home had been destroyed during the battle. Rika felt especially saddened and bad for her, now separated from friends. But at least she has found her calling as a paramedic.
Henry on his part focused on his studies and occasionally worked with his father with digimon-related projects as an intern under Hypnos's eyes. Which means the projects must be kept as a secret or he might get his father kicked out of the Monster-Maker group.
Katou and Kenta, surprisingly managed to stay side-by-side with Takato in college, all three of them still clueless with what they want to do in life. Maybe Takato is an exception; he still wants to work in his parents' bakery as a side job while trying to pursue a career either in video games or mangas.
Ai, Mako and Suzie were still in high school, living the life of a teenager.
Then there is Ryo Akiyama. For the past two years he was on and off with part-time jobs and wandering around Japan with his father. As of right now, he is staying in Okinawa for two months.
Last but not least was her, Rika Nonaka, so-called "Digimon Queen" and daughter of a popular fashion model. She spent these two years surviving in university while trying to figure out what she wanted to do in her life.
And then she found a solution.
"How about you?" Takato enquired, taking the red-haired woman back to reality.
"I've decided to take a new path in life." She stated, relaxing her back against the bench.
"Really?" Takato raised an eyebrow, "And where does this new path lead to?"
"The SDF." She answered bluntly.
Her Gogglehead friend chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his head. "I wasn't expecting that from you. What convinced you to join up?"
Rika looked away shyly and sighed, "It's about Renamon... and our friends," She then stared back at him, eyes filled with worry, "I can't help but be afraid of what can happen to them! I mean what if they were killed? Have you read the casualty reports? It's a disaster!" She exclaimed as the bottled up frustration of these past months were finally out, unconsciously standing up and ignoring the whole world as she continued on her rant,
"I-I miss her so damn much, I'm scared of receiving a letter from them, telling she was killed in action," Tears streamed down her red cheeks, "For fuck's sake, even Alice lost her brother last month! What if that happens to Guilmon?"
With a shaky breath, she sat back down on the bench, her face on her hands as she quietly sobs. A minute of silence passed, Rika didn't care at this point to show her emotions in front of the gogglehead. She then felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Wiping her tears, she meekly stared back at her friend.
"Look Rika, I know this is hard for you, it's hard for all of us. I miss Guilmon every day and I just wish that somehow he can come back to us, here with everyone else. But the world needs them, the soldiers that are fighting, protecting us with their lives, need them."
"And why not sending us at the same time?" She countered angrily, her eyes still red from her crying, "We're the only ones that can make them stronger! They can't digivolve or get better without our help!"
"That...I can't tell why they didn't send us out there, maybe it is for our security." Takato replied frankly, "But what I do know is that our partners, our friends, are tough and they'll never give up nor back down. I'm sure they are all fine and kicking all kinds of butt." He said with a determined look, confident in their digimon's abilities.
"You make it sound so easy." She noted with a sad smile.
"You just got to trust and believe in them. That is how we managed to get them to digivolve, it applies as well when they're away... I think." He added sheepishly. "Besides, our digimon are with the Americans, nothing says battle-hardened soldiers more than the US. They are in capable hands."
"I-I guess you're right, I should put more faith in them..." She stated thoughtfully, wiping the remaining tears she had.
"But hey, if you want to enlist, go ahead. If you're happy then I'm happy. Just make the right decision." He smiled and gave her a thumbs up, "Now that I'm thinking, military life could suit you: strict routines, lots of exercises, waking up early in the mornings... You know stuff you do everyday." He pointed out amusingly.
What happened next surprised him. Rika grabbed him into an embrace, hiding her face on his shoulder blade. She tightened her grip around him, making him blush in embarrassment.
"T-thank you... for being such a good friend for me..." She spoke out sincerely.
Takato warmly hugged her back, wrapping his arms around her and rubbed her back in a friendly manner.
"We're best friends, it's what we're supposed to do." He then pushed her out of the embrace, "I'll always have your back." He smile brightly at her.
She smiled back before giggling, "Now you make it seem like we're a couple." She pointed out with a light pink blush.
In realisation, Takato awkwardly let go of her and nervously looked away, "S-s-sorry." His cheeks were blushing madly as he coughed to suppress them.
"Uh, Takato?" He replied with a 'hum', "Do you mind coming over to my place, just to spend the rest of the day there?"
"Um, sure. But why though?"
"I haven't told my mother yet. I might need some support." She explained to him sincerely.
"Ah, I see. Well count me in then, I sure do miss Seiko's iced tea." He admitted as they begin walking toward the Nonaka residence.
"We're here, ma'am!" Announced the taxi driver after the car pulled over gently.
Breaking away from her empty trance and back to reality, she pulled her wallet out and paid the man, leaving a small tip. She grabbed her rucksack and with the driver, grabbed her luggage. She waved him goodbye as he turns around at the end of the street. She then stares at her home's front gate.
A lot has changed in this part of the city but she was glad that her old home was left with minimal damage despite the fact that Shinjuku was at the epicenter of the battle and held Tokyo's most violent and intense fightings here. Now most of Shinjuku was rebuilt, with little remains of the battle as if nothing happened here. Only few places were still under heavy reconstruction, such as the Shinjuku National Garden which saw the heaviest and bloodiest fighting in the battle, thousands of lives were lost in an hour at that time. The English Garden became a mass graveyard in honour of the fallen.
Taking a step forward, she buzzed the bell and waited patiently. Her heart pounded with excitement of finally meeting her family after six months of absence. The gate opened and she was greeted by the familiar sight of her grandmother, Seiko Nonaka, still well and strong despite her age. Seiko's usual smile widened at the sight of her granddaughter.
"Oh, Rika! You're home!" She exclaimed cheerfully and hugged her.
Rika gladly hugged back, missing the particular warmth her grandmother could give by instinct. However due to their height differences, she had to bend down a little, not that she minds it.
"It's good to see you too, grandma!"
Eager to have her home, Seiko pulled her in the courtyard making Rika laugh as she barely got the time to grab her luggages.
"Rumiko!" She called her daughter out loud, "Rika's here!"
A high-pitched squeal erupted in the house followed by frantic footsteps as Rika's mother rushed out of the house, wearing over her work clothes an apron, covered from head to toe in flour. She hugged her daughter dearly... or more accurately choking her with a very tight bear hug.
"M-mom, you're killing me!" Rika said half-jokingly.
Rumiko let go of her and apologised rapidly and nervously at her daughter, begging pardon as if she was being judged by God. Rika put her hands on her shoulders to calm her down.
"I'm fine, mom, no need to fuss around now," With that said, she happily returned the embrace, catching her mom by surprise. "I've missed you too, mom." She said with a smile.
After their initial greetings, the two older women led her in the house and into the kitchen. The smell of a homemade cake engulfed Rika's nostrils, making her stomach growl with anticipation. She sat down on the stool at the kitchen island, waiting patiently for her grandmother to give her a glass of iced tea. She thanked Seiko and took a sip, savouring the taste of the fresh beverage. She missed it a lot, her own men couldn't even make tea properly.
"This tastes like heaven!" She said blissfully as she emptied her glass in one go, "Back at the base, tea and coffee tasted like crap."
"Language, young lady." Seiko lightly scolded her while pouring in more tea.
"Is Renamon here?" Rika asked hopefully, wanting to spend her leave time with her best friend and partner.
"She's out in the park with Guilmon and Viximon." Rumiko replied as she takes the tray of the freshly baked cake out of the oven, "Do you want me to call her?"
"No, no, let her spend some time with her family, it's good for her." She said while raising her hands in refusal, she was glad that Renamon was spending more time outside than in the house.
That means her health has been improving, mentally speaking. All of it was thanks to Guilmon and their little creation: Viximon, their red furred daughter... with the added "bonus" of having the Hazard energy in her, inherited from her father. As for the military psychiatrist that Hypnos assigned to her, it helped a little curing her traumatic nightmares.
Rika yawned and stretched her arms upwards. She took her glass of iced tea and excused herself out of the kitchen, heading straight for the couch in the living room. Flopping down ungracefully, she placed her glass on the small coffee table and rested her legs all across the furniture. She rested her right arm on her eyes as she takes a small nap.
Half an hour later, Rika was stirred by the sound of giggles and of a small weight on her stomach. Opening her eyes, she was met face-to-face with a red furball with gleaming golden eyes. The small digimon was smiling joyfully, giddy to have surprised her aunt. Rika smiled tiredly and patted the digital monster.
"Hey there, furball."
"Hi, Aunt Rika!" Viximon replied cheerfully before she snuggled close to her left cheek, purring in delight.
Enjoying the happy little fur on her face, she wrapped her arms around the digimon and tickled mercilessly, making her laugh uncontrollably. Sensing a presence looming over her, she halted her ruthless attacks on the baby digimon and looked up with a warm smile. The familiar figure smiled back before Viximon jumped into their arms happily.
"Save me mamamon!" Viximon shouted playfully, using her mother's nickname.
"Don't know, kind of tempted to put you back into her arms." Renamon said teasingly, making her daughter pout, "So, how has Aunt Rika been doing these past six months?" She asked curiously while gently patting Viximon's small tuft of white hair on her scalp.
Eversince Renamon came back from service, she became more expressive, able to speak her mind and heart out casually, which was highly appreciated for Rumiko and Seiko, enjoying this "new" Renamon. She evolved as a person... but as a war veteran she also developped an empty façade to hide her inner demons.
"Got promoted to sergeant," Rika answered nonchalantly, "But I want know how was your day, hmm?"
"We went to the park with daddy!" The red Viximon replied happifully, "We had a picnic and played lots of games!"
"And he also fell into the fountain, again." Renamon added with disappointment in her voice, evident that she had scolded him.
"But at least it was fun!" Viximon chimed in to defend her father.
"Your father would do anything to make you happy." She admitted with a warm smile.
"That is why he is the best dad!" Her daughter stated proudly.
Her mother and aunt both hummed in agreement. Making people happy was his specialty, even when he was in a warzone. His service time seemed like a game compared to Renamon yet he managed to keep up with the reputation of a fearless and selfless warrior.
"I know..." Renamon sighed, "I just wish he would tone down his acts a little." She then looked at Viximon and sniffed her, pretending to cringe in disgust and pinching her nose, "Oh my, this little Vixi needs her bath." She stated dramatically.
"Oh yes, I strongly agree," Rika joined in the fun, pinching her nose as well, "Ouh, this is worst than a skunk!"
"Can I at least have some bubbles?" Viximon asked with the most adorable puppy eyes she could muster. Anyone could've fallen for those eyes except her mother, who was trained to resist anything. Though to be honest even she was having a hard time from internally screaming at the cuteness level. Again, another characteristic taken from Guilmon.
"No." Renamon said flatly, ending the negociation as fast as it began. Viximon simply pouted and obeyed her mother's instructions. "I'll talk with you later after she takes her bath." Renamon told Rika as she went to the bathroom.
Rika sat back up on the furniture and stretched her arms out. She leaned over the coffee table and took her glass of iced tea, drinking it in one go. After that she went to the entrance to fetch her luggages back and headed straight for her bedroom. Once in her room, she settled her rucksack next to her bed and the luggage next to her drawer.
"Rika!" Her mother called out from the living room.
"Yeah?" She replied back loudly.
"Would it mind you to get some bread from the Matsukis?" Rumiko demanded politely, knowing that her daughter would gladly accept to make a brief visit at the bakery.
"Sure! Let me change!" Rika responded.
In the kitchen, Rumiko and Seiko were sitting around the island, drinking their tea and having a small piece of cake. Rumiko giggled upon hearing her daughter's response.
"What are you laughing at?" Seiko asked while eyeing her own daughter suspiciously.
"Oh nothing," She replied innocently, "Just wondering if Rika will finally ask him out." She said hopefully. "I ship these two! They're so adorable together!"
"Rumiko, dear... don't tell me you've made a bet with your friends." Her mother gave her a deadpan look.
"Whaat? Me? Of course not!" She glanced away with a mischevious grin.
"You're terrible." Seiko declared disappointedly.
"Thank you very much and have a wonderful day!" Takato stated energetically while bowing down to the customer, leaving the bakery with a bright smile on their face.
Relaxed, he takes a small water bottle under the counter and greedily drank as much as possible. With a satisfied sigh, he looked back at the kitchen.
"Need any help in there, dad?" His father's head popped out of the door, his face covered in sweat and flour.
"Everything's fine, Takato! Just hold the counter for an hour more, your mother should be here anytime soon." He informed him sheepishly before going back to work.
The shop's bell rang happily as someone passed through the door, followed with hasty, heavy footsteps.
"There you are! Come on, dude, dad needs assistance." Takato urged Guilmon as he ran passed him.
"I know, I know, sorry!" The saurian digimon apologised frantically as he rushes to get his apron on to help his "dad" out.
"Heh? What happened to you? Where did all that water come from?!" Takato heard his dad asked surprisingly.
"Sorry! I fell in the fountain again!"
The bell rang happily once again. Takato tossed the bottle under the counter and bowed down, forcing out as much positive energy as possible.
"Welcome to the Matsukis's bakery! What would you like?"
"Oh I think you know the usual." The customer replied amusingly.
Looking back up, he was greeted with a smiling Rika, leaning against the counter. "Oh wow! You came back!" He exclaimed while instinctively grabbing the Nonakas' usual bread order. "How's life in the military?"
"Average, frustrating, got promoted." She answered casually.
"Promoted, huh? Congrats! I, myself, got promoted to counter management." He added jokingly, making her laugh.
"I miss your sense of humour." She admitted as she grabs her wallet to pay the order.
"You know me, this joker ain't going nowhere. I mean seriously, I still haven't found a decent job yet and college is kicking my ass now." He said sheepishly and tiredly.
"Didn't you have a manga in the works?"
"I do but I still have to help Henry with the video game we're about to create. Anyways, it is nice to see you again, Rika," He admitted sincerely, "Things have got pretty lonely in these parts."
"Hey now," He felt a hand on his left shoulder, Rika was staring at him with a friendly smile, "You'll pull through this. I'm sure there is an opportunity waiting for you out there," She then playfully jabbed his arm with a fist, "Now stop be gloomy, it's weird of your part."
With that, their small greet ended. The red haired woman waved him goodbye which he gladly returns. Then the door re-opened abruptly.
"Oh and don't forget to tell Guilmon I said hi!"
"'Kay, I will!" He responded with a smirk.
Laughter echoed in the dining room as the Nonakas, including Renamon and Viximon, were having a wonderful conversation, accompanied by an equally well-cooked meal prepared by Rumiko herself. The chat mostly centered on their past times and recent rumours and stories of Rika's family while she was away.
"Oh that reminds me!" Rumiko suddenly exclaimed, shifting the topic, "Rika, do you remember Yuki Tanjiu?"
"You mean "Yoyo" ? Yeah, why?" Rika asked.
"She's coming here after tomorrow for a short break." Her mother announced happily, "She's been dying to see you again, now that she knows you're a soldier and a digimon tamer."
"Well that's great news!" Rika commented, forcing out a smile. She actually doesn't remember much of her old friend 'Yoyo'. She felt a little bit ashamed at that point.
"Anyway, how long will you stay here, dear?" Her mother asked, hoping that her only child and daughter (sorry Renamon) will stay with the family longer this time.
"A week." Rika answered nonchalantly as she eats her meal casually.
"And after that?" Her mother asked and everything went quiet.
It took the young woman a moment to realize that everyone was staring at her, expecting, hopefully, a reassuring answer. She gulped nervously. She knew why she had a short leave but she didn't know how much she's allowed to spill the beans. It was also at this moment that Viximon saw an opportunity to steal Renamon's bread out of her grasp, with a single and swift mouth grab. It was a trait she got from a certain red dino digimon.
"Well after that... I'm going on a deployment." She answered meekly. It was half the truth, so it should be enough, in her book anyways.
"Deployed where?" Rumiko asked more seriously, not looking at her daughter as she grabs more salad onto her plate.
"Somewhere." Rika replied casually.
"Somewhere."
"Yeah."
During the exchange, Renamon examined her tamer with careful and attentive eyes. "Damn her high perception!" cursed Rika internally as she tries to avoid her digimon's gaze, which only shows her more that she was hiding something. Then something clicked in Renamon's mind. First, her eyes widened with shock and worry, second, she scolded Viximon for stealing her bread, and third, she sternly stares at her tamer, indicating Rika to tell the whole truth now. Rika felt betrayed and glared back for a while before letting a defeated sigh.
"...In the Digital World..." A loud metallic 'clang' sounded on the dining table as both Rumiko and Seiko stared at her with wide eyes and mouths hung open.
"Oh boy, this is going to be a long night." She thought dreadfully.
"Is- Is there something wrong over there?" Rumiko asked after recomposing herself, "Is there another conflict?" Fear was evident in her voice.
"Ah, no, no," Rika reassured her... with a lie. But Renamon decided to let this one slide and play along. "Just going to spend six months in there to train the troops and stuff. Just like I did a year back with the Australians and Americans." She explained calmly.
This info seemed to calm both her mother and grandmother as they relaxed on their seat and resumed to eat their diner.
"In that case, I hope everything goes well. We're proud of you!" Seiko wished proudly to her granddaughter.
"And stay safe!" Rumiko quickly added.
"Of course, mom." She replied with a mock roll of her eyes.
The wind was a bit chilly but Rika didn't mind it, in fact, it was quite soothing and relaxing to her. Sitting casually on the porch, the woman idly stared at the full moon, enjoying the steady tranquility of the night. The distant sound of Seiko's soap opera interrupted the air before being muffled again by the porch's sliding door. Quiet shuffling footsteps approached her from behind before stopping and sitting beside her. The presence was familiar to her.
Not a word had been spoken for a few moments.
"There's more to it, isn't it?" Renamon asked quietly.
"Yep," Rika spoke up, "Apparently there was a terrorist attack at some empire and the peacekeepers are doing a terrible job at negociating with that empire. You know, politics and imcompetents." She added bitterly.
A chuckle escaped the vixen's mouth, "Who knew the Royal Knights were bad diplomats?" She asked sarcastically. She had experience with them and knew how bad they were as negociators. That's including their tactician.
"Hah, maybe it will calm over when we will be there. Who knows?" Rika said with false hope, knowing all too well the situation on the other side. "What's it like out there?" She asked suddenly out of the the blue after some time of silence. "I mean in the battlefield, leading troops under your command?"
Frankly, Rika was a bit afraid, not for herself but for those who will follow her in the heat of battle, expecting her to do the right thing.
"To be honest, kind of hard," Renamon began with a nostalgic smile, "Even with special forces under your command, men will act like children when there is no action going on."
"I know, right?" Rika agreed.
"But nonetheless, they were like my brothers. We've gone through a lot... Lost a few good men..." A sad smile appeared on the digimon's soft face, "A very good friend of mine died while saving my life..." A short raspy breath came out before she continued, "You need to be in a mindset that you must give them orders and lead them by example. Look out for your fellow soldiers. The mission comes first but so those their safety. They will be trusting you with their lives." Her features softened, traces of guilt and sadness lingered in her icy blue eyes. "Things won't always go as planned and when things hit the fan... Make sure to prioritize their lives before adapting to the situation. Well that was how I did it." She explained sincerely.
A bit at ease with Renamon's advice, Rika sighed and placed a hand on her partner's shoulder. "How have you been with the nightmares?" She asked with worry.
"Better actually." Renamon answered without a trace of lie or hesitance, she was confident once again, "Yamaki will drop by here soon for the monthly inspection."
"And Guilmon?"
"Heh, he's the lucky bastard to have gotten fully recovered from them. Peanut butter and jelly sure did a trick on him."
The both of them laughed loudly; it could've been true, Guilmon is always an exception to everything. A couple of minutes of idle chatter later, the two of them decided to call it a night, Rika's mind was at ease and enjoyed her time with her long-time partner, friend, and in a way, her sister.
[******]
A cheery ring woke Rika up from dreamland. Lazily sitting up from her comfortable futon bed, she stretched her limbs out with a loud yawn. Moments later she changed her clothes and washed her face up before heading for the kitchen and get breakfast.
On her way there, she could hear faint but calm voices in the kitchen, she identified two females, one of them being Renamon, and one male, evident by the deeper voice.
"I'm glad to see you're fine and somewhat happy." The male stated.
"Indeed, we're happy that you're alright, it seems that therapy had worked well for you." The other female commented cheerfully.
"Thanks but this is mostly due to my family, they helped me a lot through the nightmares." Renamon said happily.
"Ah yes, how's your family doing? With Guilmon and Viximon." The female asked.
"Wonderful, Riley-san." Renamon answered truthfully.
"Glad to hear that, Renamon," The male coughed lightly and cleared his throat, "Anyways, since you're alright, we wondered if you'll like to have a job." He began tentatively.
Rika stepped in the kitchen, "What's up, Yamaki." She greeted almost coldly and with a scowl. "Good morning, Riley, long time no see." She greeted the woman with a friendly smile.
"Why do I always get these kind of treatment?" Yamaki whispered to the woman next to him in desperation.
"I don't know, maybe you were an asshole?" Riley suggested sarcastically.
"Oh come on! I thought we got over with this!" He exclaimed with frustration, almost like a child.
"I did, but not them obviously." She pointed out evidently.
"Can't you back me up?" He whispered back. She shook her head with a mischevious smirk.
"So, what's this about the job offer?" Rika cut in firmly, her cold gaze still onto Yamaki, which made him even more nervous.
"A-ah, y-yes, job offer... *clears throat* I was going to suggest Renamon to work for us."
"And you expect her to say yes?" Rika asked rhetorically, defending Renamon before the latter could even speak up.
"Now, now, Miss Nonaka-"
"That's Sergeant Nonaka." She corrected sternly.
"Huh, you got promoted..." He lowly said, honestly impressed, "We are not forcing her to join, just suggesting." He reassured with a little more of courage.
"Rika, please, let me handle this," Renamon finally spoke up, "I want to hear the offer."
"You do?!" Both Rika and Yamaki were baffled.
"Uh, yes?"
"Well okay then... the United Nations and the government are funding us for a project; the creation of a quick reaction task force for internal security here in Japan." He explained with a serious tone, "This task force will only accept volunteers and we are actually considering to allow tamers to join in aswell, since a digimon and a partner will be more effective to deal with rogue digimon."
"So you expect to have rogue digimon roaming the streets again?" Rika asked now intrigued.
"Yes and no," Riley continued with the explination, "We have detected small breaches in Juggernaut, thus making gaps wide enough for individual digimon to go through spontaneous portals, and so we concluded that they will come here either intentionally or by accident."
"With that said, we want to welcome them," Yamaki stated calmly, "There are probabilities that these digimon will want to seek a refuge here and possibly seeking a tamer. As for rogue digimon, if negociations don't work, we will eliminate them."
"Are you seriously suggesting welcoming digimon to this world?" Renamon questionned curiously.
"Yes, they will be treated fairly and humanely. We will establish several refugee installations so that they can eat, sleep and adapt here." Riley explained with a smile.
"No bullshit?" Rika was a bit skeptical at this project.
"None, we really want to strenghten our relations with the Digital World." Confirmed Yamaki, "In addition, the U.S will have a unit permanently stationed here in Tokyo. I think Renamon knows who they are." At that, Renamon's heart skipped a beat; a chance to see her old teammates and friends. She felt a smile crossing her lips.
"We have already proposed the offer to other digimon in the city; Guilmon, Terriermon, Lopmon, Monodramon and even Impmon, to name a few," Riley added, "More will come and we hope you can be part of it."
"Of course you don't have to sign the contract now, the project is still in discussion and under heavy management, so we won't see the light of it until next year or two. We will let you think about it as long as you want." Yamaki affirmed clearly and sincerely.
"Thank you for the proposition, Mr. Yamaki, I will think about it." Renamon stated with a bow.
"You have our business card, so contact us anytime, and again, I'm really glad to see you well, you've done so much for this country." Riley said graciously.
"Like she said, contact us if you have any questions," Yamaki reiterated.
"Actually, I do have a question," Rika spoke up suddenly, "This task force, who's going to train the new recruits?"
Riley gazed at Yamaki with a knowing smile, this could be his chance of redemption from Rika and have her approuval.
"Right now, we plan on having the SFGs train the recruits, we want the unit to be an elite task force, it will be harsh and tough but it is necessary to field the best to protect our country and possibly our world," He informed her as a matter of fact, "But in the future, we also plan on having other special forces units from around the world to train the recruits,"
"And since Renamon was a special forces operator," Riley pointed out, "She could hold a spot as a drill sergeant for digimon recruits and so could you." She said while pointing at Rika.
"It could be a future path in your career... well if you do want to continue your career in the military," Yamaki told her with a small smile. He pulled out another business card out of his pocket and handed it to Renamon's tamer, "Here, I'll contact your superiors about it and I hope you'll accept the offer."
"I... I'll think about it." Rika replied pensively.
The two visitors eventually left after Riley chatted a bit with Renamon and Rika. The young woman stared at the business card, flipping it to the other face, read it and flipped it back. To Renamon, she seemed to be struggling about something, evident by the fact her face frowned when she looked at the card. Truth be told, the digimon was right, Rika's mind was struggling to make up a decision, a decision that could change her whole life.
Rika felt a soft warmth on her shoulder. Startled back to reality, she turned around to stare at Renamon's icy yet mesmerising eyes. She had the eyes of a concerned parent, wanting to know what's wrong with their child without speaking out.
"It's... it's not that big of a deal." Rika replied to Renamon's unspoken question.
"I can tell you're lying." Renamon responded right after. Her tamer internally cursed once again at her high perception and complied in defeat.
"Fine... this is could be game changer, changing my whole life with one phone call," She explained while she lifted the card up, "I mean shit, I just got a ticket to be in the special forces but... I don't know if I want to go down that path. My contract ends in two years and I still do not have a plan B..." She breathed out and shoved the card in her jeans' back pocket.
Renamon placed both of her paws on Rika's shoulders and gazed at her straight into her eyes, her gaze narrowed and steeled; one thing she learned from the Marines was motivating the troops and now's the time to use it effectively.
"You're Rika Nonaka, daughter of a famous fashion model and designer, and now a sergeant in the military. You've faced life threatening dangers, stared Death in the eyes and told them to piss off. You went through, fought and survived the invasion of Tokyo. And beat up dozens of boys at a card game, earning you the reputation of the Digimon Queen," Rika chuckled at the last part, feeling her cheeks flushing in embarrassment, "My point is, Rika, when you asked for a powerful digimon, when I stepped up to accept you as my tamer, I didn't walked up to you because you chose me, I also chose you because I knew that in there," She pointed at Rika's heart, "I knew that you were strong, confident, unwilling to admit defeat. I knew from the start that you'll never back down, you'll fight to the very last breath to earn victory. You always know what to do in any situation even with extreme pressure on your shoulders but you carried your team, your friends and even me out of defeat and towards victory."
"Damn, I didn't know you were this good at giving motivational speeches." Rika admitted honestly, feeling her blood coursing with adrenaline.
"It comes with being a Staff Sergeant in the Marines; I didn't give them often but when I do, it works like a charm," Renamon stated with a smug smile, "I'll always have your back, don't you dare forget that."
"Yes, ma'am." The red-haired giggled with a mock salute.
"Now's the time to wake Viximon up," The vixen said with a hint of dread, "Would you be surprised if I said she sleeps just like Guilmon?" Rika laughed before shaking her head, "I swear, she gets most of Guilmon's data: eat, sleep and be extremely cute."
"Well you were the one who started to date him." Rika remarked with a cat-like smirk.
"Actually he did the move, not me."
"Wait... HE asked you out first? Like he came up to you and asked you out?" Rika's mind was blown away by this revelation.
"Yeah, he can be mature on some occasions," Renamon told her as a matter of fact, "He isn't always the goofy bread loving dork. And besides, our first date was basically moon gazing, I didn't know I that time we were dating." She recalled her casually.
"Then how did you two became a couple? You're like the complete opposite of him!"
"I guess I haven't told you about that," Renamon shrugged and pulled a chair at the kitchen island, "I'll let Viximon enjoy some extra sleep then but you better sit down because this is actually a long story... and it's a sweet memory for me." She stated with a faint blush.
As per usual, Shinjuku Station is as crowded as it was before its renovation, possibly even more. Thankfully, Rika didn't have to go through the busy and claustrophobic sea of daily travelers, tourists and workers, to name a few.
The red haired woman had her eyes glued to her phone's screen, checking up occasionally with her mom, who had been worried for the past five minutes... she just arrived at the station and now she had to deal with this problem.
Glancing back up, she spotted a lone woman in the middle of the crowd, she seemed lost. The woman looked to be the same age as Rika. She wore a simple grey sweater and dark blue slim jeans with black and white sneakers. She also wore over her neck lenght black hair a blue beanie.
Her hazel eyes darted back and forth as if looking for a way out of this sea of people, a lost expression present on her petite round head. Her right hand held her red backpack while the other held onto her yellow wheeled suitcase.
Her face seemed familiar to Rika, but she felt that something was missing. Then their eyes met, the other woman instantly beamed at her with a wide smile. Yep, that was the cheerful "Yoyo" alright, she thought.
Rika waved happily back at her old friend while the other quickly made her way there. Yuki embraced her long time friend dearly with a joyful and infectious laugh. The two women were more or less of the same height, with Rika having a slightly larger body frame; in large thanks to her military workout.
"Bless the Heavens for your red hair! I thought I was in the wrong station!" Yuki said half-jokingly and half-seriously. It is not often that you come across a red-haired Japanese woman. "Damn, is it just me or did you hit the gym or something?" She asked curiously with her usual cheery tone as they head outside the station.
"I did," Rika nonchalantly replied, "I'm a soldier now, so I got to keep myself in shape." She added with a small smirk, unable to contain her pride.
"So are you an officer or a medic or something?" She asked with admiration and interest.
"I'm in the infantry." Rika answered casually while waving for a cab to stop. "Recently got promoted to sergeant." She precised before they got in the taxi.
"Well damn... and here I am still an university student while you already have a job." Rika chuckled at that before replying:
"It's not all that great." She reassured her friend, "You have no idea how hard and idiotic it is to take care of men acting like children." Yoyo laughed at the comment.
The two reunited friends continued to talk during the trip back to the Nonaka residence, where Yuki is impatient and excited to meet, for the first time, Renamon and Viximon.
Yuki let out a high pitched squeal when she met Remamon's child. The red furball shied away into her mother's arms, the squeal frightened her.
"Oh my god! She is so CUTE!" Yuki commented as she leaned in closer to stare at Viximon. "She is so adorable!"
"Mommy, this lady is scary..." Viximon squirmed in her mother's embrace.
"Don't be, child, she is just very happy to see you." Renamon explained with a motherly smile.
Once Yuki had settled her baggages in Rika's bedroom, the two young women joined Seiko and Rumiko in the living room, a jug of home-made iced tea waiting for them.
They conversed during the whole afternoon, catching up with recent events and reminiscing about the past. Rika enjoyed her time with her family and friend. And as per usual, Viximon had been the center of their conversation, shying away behind her mother's tail while Yuki begged for a picture with the small digimon.
Finally night came and after they had dinner, Rika and Yuki quickly called it a night and went to their bedroom.
Rika slid the door shut, she spun around and saw Yuki observing her old digivice with curiosity. The woman stared at the small device in her hand before shifting her gaze to her friend Rika.
"Must be cool, huh, having a digimon partner and stuff."
The red-haired woman shrugged nonchalantly, "Apart from the life or death situations at a young age, yeah probably."
"R-right, I forgot about that." Yuki stated and placed the digivice back on the desk, "Oh! That reminds me!" She exclaimed and quickly strode through her luggages.
Intrigued, Rika walked up behind her and leaned a little bit forward, taking a little peek. With a cheer of victory, Yuki yanked back a photo, nearly slapping Rika to the face.
"Haha! Sorry..." She then showed her the picture.
It was a picture of them as young girls, in their school uniform, a week after starting their first year in Junior highschool in 2010. Rika remembered that year fondly, her time spent with her old friends before being a digimon tamer. It was nostalgic and a happy memory, a time when she was just an ordinary girl with an ordinary life who played a lot of the digimon card game before meeting her partner. Though she didn't mind the drastic change of her life, she wouldn't trade Renamon for anything in the world.
"Can't believe you still hold onto this picture." She said with a small smile.
Yuki wrapped an arm around Rika's shoulders, her eyes looking between the picture and her friend.
"Well duh! That was my last year with my best and dearest friend!" She exclaimed, hugging Rika tightly. The two women shared a laugh.
"How about we take an updated picture?" Rika asked while pulling out her smartphone.
"Heck yeah!"
Rika lifted the phone high enough for the selfie camera to have them in the frame. They pressed against each other little more, wide smiles and cheeks touching one another, eyes sparkling with joy. With a press of a button, the phone emitted a 'snap' and took the picture. Their new picture.
Of course, Yuki wanted to take the picture with her phone. They took a few more, having more fun than expected.
After changing into her casual sleeping attire, a grey tank top and marine blue jogging shorts, she made her way back in her bedroom. Yuki sat on her own futon bed, wearing a panda hoodie with black matching jogging pants, texting to her mother.
Yuki perked her head up and raised an eyebrow with a sly grin.
"Aren't you going to get cold wearing this?" She asked and pointing at her friend's attire.
"Aren't you going to get too warm wearing the panda?" Rika shot back as she sat down on the futon bed next to Yuki's.
"Nope!" She answered blissfully, "It's soo fuzzy I love IT!" She said while cuddling herself in delight.
She lifted her arms up, stretching them until they popped, making her sigh in satisfaction. She then leaned to the side and ungracefully flopped on Rika's laps like an overweight and lazy cat. Yuki looked up at a flustered and bewildered Rika, urging a cat-like smirk forming on her lips while she eyed her friend teasingly. Rika stared down and frowned, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Do you mind?"
"Nope!" Yoyo replied with her tongue stuck out, "I'll be using your thighs as a pillow from now on. So comfy and squeeshy~" She pointed out with... a purr (?).
With no other choice in hand to vacate the small but lazy creature out of her laps, Rika assaulted her friend by jabbing at her ribs with an index. Yuki yelped instantly and thrashed around to escape the ruthless attacks but unfortunately for her, Rika grabbed hold onto her, her superior strenght meant that her struggles were fruitless, trapped in her strong grasp and torture.
"Hahaha! I s-surrend-er! Hahah! Please! Stop! Hahahaha!" Rika paid no attention to her words, wanting to savour her small moment of revenge.
But revenge ended abruptly when Yuki, with the uncontrollable agitation she was making, bumped her head against Rika's chin and both women tumbled at the other side in a mess of tangled bodies. Yuki was on top of a knocked out Rika. The smaller woman pushed herself up a bit, her face just a few inches away from Rika's. When the latter managed to recover, she looked up and gazed at her with a questionned look. The two remained quiet for a full minute before they suddenly bursted into laughter. Then it slowly died down to chuckles, then to light giggles before they gazed at each other in an awkward silence.
Rika knew something was wrong by the way Yuki was staring deeply into her eyes and the light tint of blush on her cheeks.
"Um... Yoyo... Can you get off me? Please?" She asked politely.
Yuki blinked and nervously chuckled as she got off and sat beside Rika, looking away with embarrassment and an extremely red face. Rika gazed at her with worry, concerned that she might've hurt her friend or something.
"Are you okay?" She asked concernly.
"Y-yeah... Just can't believe they came back..." Yuki answered meekly.
"What came back?"
"..." Yuki sighed before turning around and fully looked back at Rika, "...My feelings... for you..."
Those words hit her like a brick. She could feel her cheeks heat up in realisation. "You love me?" She asked uncertaintly, "Wait...you're a lesbian?"
"Yes and of course. Didn't Rumiko-san told you?" Yuki asked back with a puzzled look.
Rika shook her head trying to piece everything together, "Okay hold on! How – when did – since when did you have a crush on me?"
The other woman sweatdropped and sheepishly glanced away, "Uuuh... since we met..."
"HEH?! Is that why you approached me that day? Becoming my friend just to get closer?!"
"No! Not really!" Yuki dismissed with a wave of her hands, "I wanted to ask you out but then we talked and stuff and then we became friends like that! I wasn't totally sure about my feelings since then! But- but then I saw you on TV! The invasion and stuff! I contacted your mother and then here we are!" She sputtered out those words like a runaway train, breathing heavily after to whole ordeal while Rika stared at her in a stunned silence.
After a minute of complete silence, Yuki groaned and turned around, getting ready to sleep the rest of the embarrassing night away. She glumly pulled her panda hoodie down.
"Look if you hate me... I understand, well kinda... but I want you to know that you're an amazing woman, beautiful, confident and kind... I hope we can still be friends..."
She felt a soft hand took hers and lightly squeezed it. She gazed back at Rika, a small smile formed on her lips.
"I may not return the same feelings but you're still a dear friend of mine. I don't want to lose you just for that," Rika told her calmly, pulling her in a warm hug and rubbing her back comfort, "Besides, you're not the only woman who's been hitting on me." She said with a light chuckle.
"Really?" Yuki asked with amusement a bit of jealously.
"In addition to guys, I've been receiving a lot of love letters from other women. Some just wanted sex while others wanted a deep relationship. Heck there was one that tried to propose to me in front of my platoon; a week after a guy have done that." Rika told her with a chuckle.
"No waaay!"
"Way." She responded with a laugh.
She pushed herself out of the hug, much to Yuki's dismay, "How are you feeling?"
"Relieved," Yuki answered sincerely, "Thanks... for being there for me and being a good friend."
"It's nothing, really. I'm just glad we're still friends." Rika admitted with an honest smile.
Her shore leave ended a day earlier than planned. Her platoon leader called her and ordered her to return from the short break. Likewise, she wasn't very happy to hear that but nevertheless she has a duty to maintain and told her family about it. She dropped the rucksack and baggage on the ground of the entrance courtyard, sighing before turning to her family. Standing near her were Seiko, Rumiko, Renamon and Viximon. Both Viximon and Rumiko were sad to see her leave, the little furball of joy pleaded to Renamon why her aunt was leaving them.
Seiko had a sad smile on her lips. She spread her arms out and demanded her grand child to hug her. Rika gladly embraced her grandmother, not wanting to let go. Reluctantly, Seiko pushed her away and held her hands.
"I am so proud of you! You've grown to be a beautiful and strong lady. Stay safe." Seiko said with a wide smile.
Rika then walked up to her mother, whom started to sob quietly behind Seiko. Rumiko immediately pulled her daughter into a tight hug, holding her for dear life. Rika simply laughed and hugged her back as much as possible before she pulled out much to Rumiko's dismay.
Finally, she faced Renamon and Viximon. The baby digimon looked her with wide, sad eyes, her furry mouth quivering as her eyes threatened to water.
"Please don't go!" She begged weakly.
Rika could feel her heart go "awww!" and drumming in pain. It hurt her to see Viximon sad. She bent down and petted her head, "I'm sorry, furball, but I can't. There are people and digimon who need my help. It's my job to keep them safe from baddies." She explained softly before putting a small kiss on her head.
She straightened her back and stared at Renamon; her partner, best friend and sister. Both of them had gone through a lot together and faced many dangers. Ironically, she enlisted in the JSDF to be closer to her but instead it separated them further, physically. Despite that, they remained as close as ever. Both were soldiers now, one was a veteran of a brutal war, the other is about to begin her journey as a soldier and leader. Although Renamon was known to be stoic and cold, either by intention or not, Rika could in her eyes that the vulpine was holding her tears back. The woman didn't care when her tears started to drip down her cheeks as she gave Renamon the warmest and strongest hug she can possibly muster.
Pulling away, Renamon swiped away the few tears that was on her tamer's cheeks. She smiled warmly and took hold of her hand, squeezing it in comfort, "I'll always be in your heart."
"I'm going to miss you..." Rika said meekly.
"I know... and so do I. Stay safe, please."
"Always."
Unable to hold her tears further more, she quickly grabbed her luggages and waved at her family one more time before she walked out of her home's gate. During the trip back to the metro station, Rika mindlessly stared outside of the taxi, her heart conflicted with duty and emotions. In the end, she sighed sadly; this was her decision, she didn't regret it but there were some inconveniences, being apart of loved ones was one of them.
The rest of the trip back to her regiment's camp was a blur to her. Coincidently, it rained heavily once she reached the military base. She grumbled under her breath as she walked and dragged her luggages the rest of the way to her barracks.
She got in the platoon's barracks completely drenched. She got to the female side of the building and reached her personal quarter. She got in, dried herself, changed to her uniform and got out of the room just in time when her platoon leader, Lieutenant Hideo Hongo, appeared just in front of her.
"Oh? Just in time as usual, Sergeant Nonaka." He stated with a grin.
"As expected, lieutenant." She sharply saluted him.
He saluted back and waved at her to follow him, "Have you heard of Aki-san?" He asked.
"No, lieutenant." She replied with a shake of her head.
"He lost it... Hung himself at his apartment yesterday," The officer answered grimly, "Poor soul... got back from the war as a broken man." He added as they entered his office. He sat behind his desk while Rika sat on the chair facing him, "I thought I could use his experience to help us out with some advises... guess not."
"That's like the tenth suicide in the regiment in these past two months." Rika remarked out loud in shock, she knew some of them, all veterans but fragile and disturbed men, eventhough they showed stoictism and confidence once they were in "soldier mode".
"I know and the government noticed. The entire army is on stand-by while doctors and psychiatrists are trying to organise a group help effort. It's all a mess now," Hongo sighed heavily and glanced at the sheet of paper in his hand, "We've just received another batch of greens last week, freshly out of bootcamp to fill in some of our missing numbers." He announced before he handed to her a clipboard with the names of their new soldiers.
She read through them quickly, two dozen more for the platoon, most of them were privates or PFCs, four were Leading Privates and one was a Sergeant. She then looked at their designated units; second squad, her unit, has two new members: Private First Class Junichi Kanemaru and Leading Private Ryo-
"What?!" She nearly shouted in surprise.
Her sudden outburst startled the officer, making him jump out of his seat and land on the floor on his rear. Rika quickly helped him up and apologised urgently.
"I'm fine, I'm fine! Just explain to me what the hell was that for?"
"Well... uh... Lieutenant, I personally know this man," She explained while pointing at the name on the document. He gave her a "so what?" look, believing her reaction was not justified, "He's also a digimon tamer, like me."
"Really?"
"Yes, lieutenant. His partner, Cyberdramon, was part of the Digital Marines." She informed him, not believing herself that Ryo Akiyama enlisted in the military and was part of her squad. This could go either way: he would listen to her like an obedient soldier or try to flirt and tease her everytime like he used to when they were younger. She shruddered at that last thought.
"What a small world, huh?" Hongo said with a light chuckle, "What could possibly go wrong?"
"Everything," Rika thought bitterly, "Also, famous last words." She added with sarcasm.
"Welp, at least we have another soldier with some knowledge on digimon." Hongo said with a pleased smile, "Say, why don't you welcome him. He's at the mess hall,last time I saw him anyway."
Rika sighed and stood up, giving the officer a formal salute before heading out for the mess hall. It wasn't hard for her to spot the fellow tamer in the mess hall, mainly due to the fact that most women of the platoon were gathered around him like in a cliché of a teen movie. She shook her head in disbelief but couldn't help let a small smile slip by her lips.
"Still a charmer." She muttered under her breath as she made her way towards him.
Ryo didn't seem to change from the last time she had seen him. He still had his usual spiky hair, though a bit shorter, he had a slightly larger build and still had his signature smile on, charming the women in the mess hall, except Rika.
They were chatting animatedly until one of the women, Leading Private Hana Matsuda, spotted the sergeant coming towards them. On cue, everyone spread out and left Ryo alone with the sergeant. Rika crossed her arms and blankly stared at a nervous Leading Private Ryo Akiyama. His smile instantly vanished as he shifted on his seat awkwardly. It took him half a minute to realise he wasn't standing at her attention. Quickly, he stood up with his back as straight as a wooden plank and sharply saluted the NCO, introducing himself as per formal military protocols.
"Leading Private Ryo Akiyama, reporting for duty, sergeant!"
"At ease, Leading Private." She saluted back and nodded at the door behind her, "With me, Akiyama." She said bluntly.
To her surprise, Ryo actually followed her command without a single remark or comment. She led him to her office and closed the door behind them. She flipped the blinds shut, making sure no one could hear or see them in the office. Once satisfied, she turned around and faced Ryo, still standing upright with confusion and worry written on his face.
"You have my permission to speak freely." Ryo seemed to relax on the spot as soon as the words left her mouth.
"Am I in trouble or something?" He asked with a sly smile, his usual personality returned as he leaned down on her desk.
"Kinda," She began with her arms crossed over her chest, "Like, where the fuck have you been in the past six months?"
"This." He simply replied while pointing at his uniform. "It wasn't easy to get my dad and Monodramon off my back but I managed... so here I am."
"But why? I clearly remember you saying that the jietai isn't for you." Rika remarked.
Ryo chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his head, "Uh... well, you see... college didn't suit me, part time jobs wasn't an enjoyable time and it wasn't enough to pay the bills so I got lost and ended up here." He explained with a sheepish smile.
Rika facepalmed and sighed in frustration, "Oh my god you're ridiculous..." She muttered before perking her head up and staring coldly at him, "Okay look, I don't really care why or how you got here, in my unit, but I'm your sergeant now. As a soldier, you will listen to me and carry out my orders to the letter, no remarks or any of that bullshit. Is that clear?"
Ryo felt a chill running down his spine and nodded formally. "Yes, ma'am."
"Good. You do that and you won't get any trouble from me. You do your job, I do mine and everything will be fine." She said straightly as she heads for the door and pulled it open. "And don't you dare try to flirt with me. You're a soldier, not a horny teenager. Now off you go."
Ryo hurried out of her office before the door slammed shut behind him. He looked back at the door, remaining silent on his spot before slowly walking away with a confused mind.
"This will be interesting..." They both thought in unison.
Two weeks has passed since then and strangely for the both of them, they bonded together and became close friends. Rika was surprised to learn that Ryo was a capable and excellent soldier; he followed orders to the letter, he's an excellent marksman and a team player. She assumed that the military must've did a one eighty to his personality. He later confirmed her theory when they shared their stories of bootcamp. That being said, some remnants of his old self stayed with him. On rare occasions, he would try to flirt with her, only to be met with silence or a strong jab to his ribs. All in all, they were great friends and she was glad for that.
The entire company was assembled in the mess hall, rearranged as an improvised conference room. The company commander, Captain Susumu Chiba, stood stoically beside the regiment commander, Colonel Naoki Kurihama. The high ranking officer adjusted the microphone in his hand before he addressed to the troops.
"Warriors of the 32nd IR! It is my duty to inform you all that in a week you'll be deployed with the American, British and Belgian forces as the Third Expeditionary Forces, where the JSDF will be the primary force of this expedition. It is an honour to uphold such position with our allies. Our mission in the Digital Front is simple: maintain peace and order in the nearby regions. As soldiers of the JSDF, you will be representing our great nation to the world, you are ambassadors of Japan and its allies. It is your duty to show compassion for the locals and protect them with your lives!"
Rika eventually zoned out of the speech, preferring to listen to her own thoughts than those of an over enthusiastic and over eager colonel. She pretended to listen to the speech by maintaining a stoic façade and a straight posture. She was a professional after all. She looked to her left and saw that Ryo wasn't paying any attention, he simply glanced left, right, up and down, trying to find something more interesting to pass the time. Their gazes eventually met and he gave her a smile and a wink, she replied with chuckle while shaking her head.
The whole company suddenly snapped to a salute when the colonel ended his speech. Both her and Ryo were quick enough to keep pace with their comrades, saluting blindly at the high ranking officer before Chiba stepped up.
"At ease," He calmly ordered. "Ahem... this expedition will only last eight months however it is prone to be extended. The reason why is because of a current situation that is happening as we speak in the Digital World. As some of you may have heard, a possible war is brewing and is threatening the security of our citizens and the stability of that world." He explained straightly, "With the permission of the UNSC and the CNS, we will be sent to the western border of the Eniac continent, controlling the border shared with the Metal Empire. I know that very few of you have combat experience. The Metal Empire is not to be underestimated. The empire possesses a very well trained, disciplined and experienced military, the D-Brigade. We are here as peacekeepers, not warfighters. We're here to make sure that the Metal Empire doesn't infringe the armistice. If a war broke out, then we will be the first to respond. Stick with your training in mind, aim smart, be smart and stay professional. That's all I have to say. We begin to pack up tomorrow and leave at 1600 hours for Yokota air base." The captain finished his speech and saluted his soldiers.
The men and women were given a free time for the rest of the day. Rika headed straight for her personal quarter. She got in and lied on her bed, staring emptily at the bland ceiling. Frustrated, she decided to take some fresh air outside the building. Going out through the back door of the building, she sat down on the cement staircase with a small water bottle and pulled out her phone, trying to ease the pressure on her mind. Her solitary moment was interrupted when the glass door swung open behind her. She glanced back and saw none other than Ryo, holding two soda cans in his hands.
"Hey." He greeted curtly and sat down beside her.
"Hey yourself." She replied.
He handed to her a soda can. She silently took it and thanked him. They both opened their can at the same time and drank a sip. Silence resumed between the two for awhile, neither spoke a single word.
"Why did you join the jietai?" Rika suddenly asked out loud causing him to chuckle in response.
"Hehe, didn't I already answer that question?" He retorted while staring at her confusely.
"Ryo, there's literally thousands of options you could've done that would've assured you a good pay and suit your style." She remarked knowingly. "I can tell you're not telling me everything. It doesn't explain why you left most of your friends in the dark for half a year."
Ryo sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and sighed heavily, "I guess you do deserve the whole truth..." He shifted in his seat and gazed back at Rika, his face frowned pensively, "I don't really really know why but I feel like I enlisted for... Monodramon and you guys in general," He stated sincerely, "The military isn't really the lifestyle I wanted; I could've done something better than this... but I guess I wanted something purposeful and meaningful in my life. After what happened in Tokyo, I... I was over protective of my family and later of Monodramon. The fact he almost died back there destroyed me." He chuckled dryly, "Every night I clinge on to him, making sure he was okay. Then there were his nightmares, his stories during his service..."
He felt a hand pressed on his shoulder. His eyes focused back on the woman beside him, smiling empathically at him.
"I know what you feel," She said lowly, almost to a whisper, "I was the same. I joined so I could be closer to her but then I got lost during bootcamp, wondering if I made the right choice. Then Renamon came back... she had a child but she also had the nightmares, the memories still haunt her to this day. But when I see her with Guilmon and Viximon, her family, and my family... I told myself that I joined the military for them, to protect them: my family and friends." Her smile slowly grew wider, "And I guess this sense of family and protection extended to my other family: here in the jietai. That's why I keep pushing myself further beyond my limits, physically and mentally and apparently that got me promoted to sergeant." She added with a giggle.
Ryo breathed out, feeling a bit comforted by her words and thanked her. They both took their soda cans and raised them as a toast before taking a sip at the same time.
"Can I be honest with you?" He asked formally.
"Sure."
"I'm scared." He said honestly.
Normally, she would mock or jab him however this moment was different. Scared might be a strong word to describe what he was feeling but she can see that he was nervous and apprehensive.
"I know." She simply replied.
"What about you?"
She didn't answer his question for a minute, keeping it to herself. He didn't make any move to prod her, instead he just sat back and drank the soda in his hand.
"Worried would be more fitting in my case," Rika finally said, "I'm more worried about you guys than myself." She explained to him while staring at the late afternoon sky, "But I'm confident that everything will be alright. And if things do hit the fan," She then stared at Ryo with a faint smile, "I'm positive that we'll it make through, like we always do."
Ryo snickered and raised his can, "Always as confident as I remembered," She raised her own can and lightly tapped his once again. "And a wildcat." He added jokingly.
In response, he received a jab through his ribcage while he was drinking, resulting in him spilling the drink on his uniform and into a coughing fit after he choked on the soda. Rika laughed heartily at the scene while he recovered. He glared at her for a moment before he laughed with her.
"If we weren't soldiers, I would probably take my revenge on the spot." He stated with sly smirk.
"As if, I'll still beat you to it and throw you on the ground." She retorted with a smug grin.
"I see that you're still the Ice Queen I know and love." She stared at him, still grinning. She then slapped him behind his head.
"Flattering but that would be the only time I let one slide under the carpet." She explained before standing up and leaving Ryo alone outside.
"Uh thanks... I guess?"
The next day, her company along with a sister company of the regiment packed up and left for Yokota Air Base, now a NATO base. Joining the Japanese Self-Defense Force in the upcoming expedition were the Americans, British and Belgians, numbering in at least eight thousand troops. Like the previous expedition, the multi-national military coalition must maintain peace and relations with the Digital World. They weren't frontline troops anymore, they were mere peacekeepers. However no one would've excepted that this expedition will lead in a rapid escalation of tensions and rivalries. For many like Rika and Ryo, this will be their first taste of combat, their first baptism by fire.
In a world of fragile peace, war is inevitable.