Disclaimer: Yo, you know I don't own Digimon.
Me: Hey y'all, this is the master here, here to tell you about my short leave of my other story to do this one shooter.
Rika: Okay, space for brains, mind telling me why you're doing this little fry when you have bigger fish that need cooking?
Me: Well, you royal pain in the backside, it's Halloween and I fine like doing it, okay?
Rika (Groaning): Great and knowing you, its one of those stupid Rukato stories and you don't do anything normal, right, space for brains?
Me (Grinning): Well yeah, you and Takato are my favorite couple and I like to think outside the box.
Rika (Mumbling sarcastically): That's just great.
Me: Why thank you, you royal pain in the backside.
Night of the Creatures
It is the night of which supernatural creatures are said to roam the Earth. It's the night of vampires; zombies, werewolves and other creatures of the night came out and play. It's October 31, the night of Halloween. It's on this night that little kids dressed up as their favorite monsters or TV character and go out and get some free candy. It's the night when someone could be something else. And that saying was no truer then at the bakery of the Matsuki family.
Young Takato Matsuki stared out of his bedroom window at the setting sun. He was dressed in nothing, but a crimson colored rob and he wore a solemn look on his face. His partner, Guilmon, was fatefully by his side as always.
"It's going okay, Takato, you'll see," Guilmon said, trying to sound comforting with his baby-like voice.
Takato sighed and patted his close friend on the head as he said solemnly," I know boy, I know."
The young tamer continued to look at the setting sun, deeding the coming night. Takato just had turned 14 about two mouths and just the other night, his forks had reveled to him a family secret that had been in the family since his great, great grandfather. And he was fearing what was about to happen to him.
"Why do these things happen to me?" Takato wondered to himself out loud.
"What do you mean, Takatomon? Guilmon asked in his all to innocent voice.
Takato smiled a little bitterly at the obvious joke his partner just tried to make and it did make he feel a little better about what was going to happen to him once the sun sets.
"I'm not a mon, Guilmon," Takato tried to sound like he usual do when Guilmon referred to him as Takatomon, but it fill kinda short.
"I know...Takatomon," Guilmon said and leaned into his partner's side.
Takato just continued to patted his friend on the head and want back to looking at the setting sun. By now the sun was half way down and Takato was already feeling the change. His tailbone was starting to inch and his ears were slightly burning. Yes in a few short hours, something was going to change about Takato Matsuki and he would become a creature of the night.
(...)
"I still don't understand this holiday," the yellow, humanoid fox known as Renamon said calmly as she watched a group of trick or treaters, ran by her.
The fox and her partner, Rika Nonaka, A.K.A. the digimon ice queen, were walking around busy streets of the city with no real direction in mind. Normally Rika like Halloween, but like anything, her mother made a big deal out of it and by the time the actually holiday had rolled around, the house was so flashy, it made Rika sick to her stomach. Plus with her mother's constant up beat altitude, it made Rika's stomach arch even worse, so that why, the so-called ice pair were now aimless walking around the streets.
"Rika are you listening?" Renamon asked when she noticed her partners far off glazed and waved her paw in front of Rika's face.
"What is it, Renamon?" Rika asked in a semi harsh tone.
"I was just wondering why you seemed be in a much worse mood since our run in with Ryo," Renamon said calmly.
Rika frown angrily just thinking about that loser. The pair probably hasn't even gotten two block from their house when Ryo came calling. He was dressed in a football suit and he wasted no time in asking Rika if she want to go to a costume party with him. Rika turned him down without a second thought and walked away in a heartbeat, but Ryo wasn't one just go gave up. He had followed Rika for a while, trying to get her to change her mind. Well it didn't take long for Rika's incredibly short fuse to light and her anger all came out in the form of hard punch to Ryo's right cheek. Needless to say, Ryo was lifted with a swelled cheek and a far missing teeth. Rika had also lifted Ryo was a insult about how he now looked liked a real football player and lifted him to tented to his wounded pride.
"Well he should know not to mass with me when I'm in a mood," Rika said defensively and crossed her arms.
"Well then it seems he always catch you when you're in one of your moods," Renamon said.
"And what does that imply?" Rika asked suspiciously.
"Well it seems anytime Ryo's around, you get in a extremely bad mood and take it out on him," Renamon stated calmly, but couldn't stop a small smile from gracing her lips as said," If I didn't know any better, I'll say, you're saving yourself."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Rika asked, her suspicion mixing with her raising temper.
"Just look over there," Renamon said calmly and looked toward her right.
Rika glared at her partner for a quick second and then look in the direction that her partner was. It was no surprise to Rika, that Renamon and herself were about 7 and a half feet from The Matsuki bakery. Rika had always came to bakery when she had problems or just to hang out with gogglehead.
"So, Gogglehead and I are only good friends, nothing more," Rika, said in her defense.
"Riiight," Renamon said calmly, but threw her partner one of her rare playful smiles. "And you just happened to comfort Takato when he got his heart broken by Jeri or the way you keep defending him anytime Ryo makes fun of him and lets not forget how you help out when Takato or one of his parents are sick."
By the time Renamon was finished, Rika was shaking from anger and yet her cheeks were red from embarrassment. That was the only thing she hates about her close friend, was her watchful eyes and the fact that she knew Rika like a book.
"Renamon, does this all have a point?" Rika asked, trying to keep her voice calm and even leveled.
"Yes, if you just opened up and let your feeling show then maybe you might just learn some surprising things," Renamon said calmly and then began walking away. "Now if you excise me, I feel like trying this trick or treat. See what all the fuss about."
Rika would had usually stopped Renamon, but she felt like she need time to herself to get her head straight. She walked up the alley next to the bakery and took a seat on a trashcan.
I don't like Gogglehead they way Renamon says. Sure he's nice and all and he does have those cute eyes, when Rika realized what she just thought, her eyes widened as large as dish plants. I just didn't think that!! I don't think Gogglehead had cute eyes, but his smile makes him look adorable. WAIT!! I don't mean that either!
Rika sat there for minutes on end, trying to rid herself of those annoying thoughts about Gogglehead being cute or adorable, but she just couldn't and gave up.
Lets face it, Rika thought in defeat. I know, I have a crush on Gogglehead. I like everything about that goofball. He gentle and yet, he can be strong too. I love to make fun of him and watch his expression when I did it, but it that's smile that's the best. Anything he throws me that smile, I feel like I'm about to melt.
Rika was suddenly brought out of her thoughts when she heard riddling noise coming from within the alley. Slightly from the noise, she jumped from her seats and peeled into the alley, trying to locate the source of the noise. Suddenly something spited from Rika's right and went deeper darkness of the alley.
"If some kid is on a stupid sugar high, I'm going to gave them the talk of their little lives," Rika mumbled to herself and want against all reason by going into the alley. "All right whoever in here, you better come out and face the music!"
Rika wanted for a reply, but none came, which got the digimon queen slightly ticked.
"Hey, come out right now or else!" Rika yelled slightly.
Still no one replied and Rika's temper finally broke.
"Fine! Get hurt because you're being stupid, not like I care!" Rika screamed into the alley and turned around on her heels.
She was about to walked away when she saw a shadow moved behind a trash bag out of the corner her right eye. Now Rika may act cold, but she's a nice person when the needs arise and she didn't want to leave some sugar high kid alone to get hurt. So sighing, the queen slowly crept up on the bag, she thought she saw the shadow move too and carefully grabbed it.
If this kid is playing a joke, then he's going to get a really long talk, Rika thought and then threw the bag behind her.
When she looked down, her eyes widen slightly from the sight she was looking at. A chestnut brown Gatomon stared up at the tamer with fearful eyes. This Gatomon has had deep red eyes that seemed familiar to Rika somehow. The fur on the top of its head also seemed be familiar too. Like other Gatomon, this one had yellows traits, but it tail ring was gold instead of yellow.
"Are you a wild one?" Rika asked, looking at the Gatomon while getting this feeling that she knew this digimon somehow.
The Gatomon timidly shook his head no and looked awhile. Well to say this least, this was weird by Rika's standards. She had never seen a champion level digimon act so timid and afraid. And there was that sense in the back of her mind, that she knows this digimon somehow.
"Are you a tamed digimon?" Rika asked gently like she was talking to a frightened kid as she kneeled down to get a closer look at the Gatomon.
Again, the Gatomon shook his head timidly and withdraw more into himself. That feeling in the back of Rika's head became more intense as she was trying to figure out where she seen those kind of eyes and the style of the fur on top of The Gatomon's head.
"Then where did you come from?" Rika asked softly.
The Gatomon choose that time to clam up and also gave into his fears. He tried to run for it, but Rika saw it and quickly caught the digital feline in a tight hug. He tried to free himself, but Rika held onto him tightly. Suddenly the Gatomon looked up at Rika, fearfully, and she finally got a clear look at Gatomon's eyes and what she saw scared her.
Those eyes carried a great level of fear, but this wasn't any normal fear. No, this was the fear of not being accepted; a fear Rika knows all to well. But deep within that fear lay other emotions, but that's not what truly scared Rika. No, what really scared the so-called ice queen were the eyes themselves. She, in a million year would never forget those eyes. It was those eyes that she had secretly fantasized when she was bored or when she was sleeping. Those eyes, that seemed so familiar, could only belonged to one person that Rika care deeply about.
"G-G-Gogglehead," Rika stammered and lost her held on the Gatomon.
The Gatomon landed on his hire legs and began scratching the back of his head. "Umm, would you believe this is one believable costume?" the Gatomon said and then let out a nervous laugh.
Though slightly higher then Rika's remember, she would never forget that voice, not even if she was put under a spell and forced to forget him. Plus all the body gestures and the weak excuse followed by that nervous laugh was another gave away.
"But how?" Rika asked breathlessly.
Takato's ear dripped as he hanged his head and said lowly," You might want to seat down for this one."
Rika simply nodded and sat down on her knees. Takato took a cat-like seat and looked at Rika, his eyes shinning with fear.
"Well, would you believe this is something that has been in my family since my great, great grandfather," Takato said solemnly.
"What?" Rika exclaimed loudly, causing Takato to grabbed his ears in pain.
"Rika, please, I'm right here," the former tamer pleaded in a weak voice.
"Sorry," Rika said in a more reasonable voice. "But even for you Gogglehead, this is too weird."
"Tell me about it," Takato said with a sigh. "Well maybe I should start from the beginning."
"Yes, that might be a good thing," Rika said, still in shock from learning that her crush had somehow turned into a digimon.
"Well it started about three night ago, when I got home from the fight with that pack of Gatomon," Takato said softly and looked towards the full moon.
(Flashback)
Takato slowly crept around the dark bakery, trying not to disturb his sleeping parents. In his arm was Guilmon in his smaller form of Gigimon. The entire group was at their favorite spot in the park, when a digital field marterized right in front of them and a pack of at least Ten Gatomon came from it, accompanying by their digivovled state, Angewomon. Everyone thought it was going to be an easy fight, but that soon was proved wrong as the Gatomon used teamwork to hold the lesser digimon at bare, while their leader want for Takato, Henry, Rika and Ryo. It was a hard fight, because the Angewomon was at strong and in the end, it took a combined effort of WarGrowlmon and Taomon to finished the fight. But before getting deleted, the last Gatomon was able to leave her mark by scratching Takato on his left hand. Luckily Jeri was there to pouched him up before it could get bad.
The young tamer slowly made his way to the stairs and for the strange reason, Takato could see clearly, like he has a pair of cat's eyes. He made it to the stair without tripping over anything and that's when he got this feeling that he was being watch. Scanning the room, he found nothing out of place and just let it slip and was about to go up when...
"...Say Takato, we need to have a talk," Startled, Takato spun around just as the light came up, reveling that the one who spoke was his own father.
"Umm, did I wake you?" Takato asked nervously.
"Not at all, son, we wanted to talk to you about something really important," Takato's mother said kindly.
Takato didn't really notice his mother there until she said something nor did he notices that the only piece of clothing they were was robs.
"Umm is something wrong?" Takato asked nervously.
"Well, Takato, there's something wrong, but it's nothing to worry about," Takehiro insured his son. "But, I think we should sit down for this one."
Takato simply nodded. He was still feeling confused by what was going on, but he trusted his parents. The Matsuki family walked over to the family table and took their usual seats. Takato set Gigimon softly on the table and patiently waited for his parents to tell him what was wrong. Takehiro looked towards his wife and Mia looked at him. It was clear that both were having a hard time trying to find the right words for what needed to be said.
Finally after sitting in an uneasy silence for a while, Takehiro sighed and look at his son," Takato, I know this my sound weird, but can I see your left hand?"
"Umm, okay," Takato said uneasily and held out his bandaged hand.
Takehiro gently took his son's hand in his own and quickly undid the wrapping. Takato was speechless when he saw the claw marks glowing a grass green.
"What's this?" Takato suddenly asked, staring at the glowing marks.
Takehiro sighed and said," We should have told you this when you turn 14, but we thought you can avoid it."
"Avoid what?" Takato exclaimed confusingly.
Takato's parents choose that time to fall silent and just held out their own left hands. Takato watched in shock as the same glowing marks appeared on his parents' hands, adding to his confusion.
"What's going on?" Takato yelled, pulling his hand free from his father.
Takehiro sigh deeply and look at his wife. "Mia, I think you should show him."
Mia nodded and got up from her seat. Takato watched as his mother moved to the side of the table. Mia closed her eyes and concentrated. Takato saw his mother's mark become brighter and it wasn't long before he noticed that his mother looked smaller and that her rob seemed more lose then he first thought. It soon became obvious that Mia was shrinking and changing at the same time.
Mia's ears fused into her skull and her hair became slightly more thicker as it changed from hair to fur. Her fingers shorted as her hands began smaller and claws replaced her fingernails. Her skin tingled from all the new fur that was spouting around her body. Her face pushed out slightly and began more cat-like. Within a matter of minutes, Mia Matsuki had disappeared within her rob and a few seconds later, a deep drown fur cat emerged from the rob and look up at her son.
At this moment, Takato was close to fainting from shock, it was a wonder he hasn't yet. His breathing was hard and his eyes seemed be to permanently locked in dish plate mode. His face was as white as a ghost.
He stiffly turned his head to his father and asked in a creaking voice," W-W-What h-h-happened?"
Takehiro sighed deeply and picked up his wife, who had just jumped into the table and began patting her. "Well it a curse or a blessing as my father said to me. Well something happened to my great, grandfather that caused him to by marked by a cat and soon, he was turned into a cat himself. And since then our family would changed into cat after they would be scratched and ususally after their 14th birthday."
"But then how did mom just do that?" Takato exclaimed, pointing at his feline mother.
"Well that's my fault," Takehiro replied and sigh deeply.
"W-What?"
"Well you see after a week, we're able to control the change, but that week is dangerous because we're hot and we can infect others," Takehiro said lowly.
"W-What?"
"We can caused a similar change if we bit or scratch someone during that week," Takehiro said lowly. "The only good thing about it is, if we avoid cats for about two mouths and whatever caused us to change would die. But it seem like the curse is going to get you too."
At this point, the shock finally became too much for Takato and he fainted. Gigimon woke up a little when he felt the table jolt and looked at his partner. He thought Takato was just sleeping and want be to sleep as well.
(End Flashback)
"I want to stay inside until my week was over, but this night seem to call to me and now I'm afraid," Takato finished his story with his sobbing.
Rika sat there, taking all of this in. From that story alone, she understood why Takato was so afraid when she first found him. He was afraid that no one would accepted him now that he was half human, half digimon. But that didn't matter to Rika, as long as she could be with her fury gogglehead, she was happy. She was suddenly hit with an idea that might just come him down.
Rika leaned forward and gently grabbed Takato's ears. She searched around for his soft spot and when she found it, she began scratching that spot gently. At first Takato was confused as to why Rika was scratching behind his right ear, but soon he was bombarding with a wave of pleasure. To both of the tamers surprise, Takato began purring like a kitten and soon Rika had taken Takato in her lap and continue to scratch behind his ear.
It was at that moment that Takato realized something that never wanted to admit to himself. He was in love with the digimon ice digimon. Takato Matsuki, the now half human, half Gatomon tamer loved Rika Nonaka. In truth, Takato had known about these feelings since the D-reaper attack, but also knew that he would never have a chance with someone like Ryo, so he just concentrated on forgetting about Rika and tried Jeri, but he was soon heartbroken when Jeri only want to be his friend. That's when those feelings for Rika resurfaced, but he kept himself from thinking about it. But now he was in heaven and all thanks to some curse too.
The two set there for untold minutes, both just enjoying in their own way. But few minutes, Rika stopped scratching Takato's ear and that cause him to look up at his fellow tamer with a frown.
"Gogglehead...Takato, do you...do you...love me?" Rika asked hesitantly.
Takato's eyes suddenly want wide and he stood up on his hire legs. He was in shock to say the least. He here was with the woman he loved and now she was asking a question that he never would have thought would lifted Rika's lips. All he wanted to do at the moment was take Rika in his arms and hug her with all of his might, but that was hard when you're just a small digital cat. So he settled for the next best thing, he snuggled into Rika's lap and began purring his affection to her.
Rika was starting to get worried when Takato didn't answer right away. Now she was the one afraid. Afraid that Takato didn't feel the same as she did, but her fears were put to rest when she felt him snuggled into her lap and began purring differently then before. Rika let a soft and gently smile cross her lips and she resumed scratching behind Takato's right ear.
"Gogglehead, if you truly love me, can I ask something of you?" Rika asked softly.
"Anything," Takato purred.
"Mark me," Rika said passionately.
"What?" Takato screamed and looked up at Rika. "I...I can't do that to someone I love!"
"If you love me, you'll do what I ask," Rika said softly.
"I can't. I just can't," Takato said breathlessly.
"Takato, I want to help. I want to be by your side as you work through this. I love you so much that I want to be with you, through the bad and good, so please mark me," Rika said in a soft, passionate voice and looking Takato straight in the eye.
Takato stared deeply into those eyes and saw nothing by the truth. Rika really was willing to do anything just to be with him, even became half human to do it. So without a second thought, Takato brought up his left paw and Rika held out her left hand. They slowly moved their hands closer together and before anyone knew what had happened, Rika was marked.
Rika pulled her hand back and looked at it. The marks were glowing green, just like in Takato's story and instantly, she could feeling this tingling sensation going down her arm and through her entire body. Her tailbone began itching and her ears were starting to burn as well. Suddenly it felt like the alley was getting a lot bigger and her clothes were becoming roomer. She could feel the fur spouting from her skin and her ears fused into her skull. Rika felt her hair just begging to be let down and with a quick hand she pulled her hair free. She then looked at her hands as her wristbands fell off and her skin pushed away from her bones to form her new gloves. Her fingers shorted as their fused together and turned into claws. Her face changed into a more cat-like one as her new fur spouted out and her ears quickly grew. She could feel her toes fusing into her feet, becoming her new feet. With a small jolt of pain, Rika's new tail burst from her tailbone and pushed away her ill-fitting jeans. Finally her D-ark glowed in the same color as her markings and flew from her belt. The D-ark grew smaller as it reshaped it into a ring and snapped onto Rika's tail.
With the transformation done, Rika pulled herself free from her clothes and looked at everything in awe. Objects that once seemed so close and easy to reach, now felt like alien buildings and so far away. She took a cat-like seat and looked at everything for a while before she became curious about her new look. So she walked over to a trashcan that just happens to be under a window and jumped onto it with ease. It was amazing how fast Rika adjusted to this new body, like it was always hers.
Rika looked into the mirror and saw the new here. She was your standard Gatomon with everything someone would expect, but her fur was flame colored and the tips of her ears, strips on her tail and cane of her tail were yellow. Her gloves were red like her wristbands and of course her tail ring was blue. Like all Gatomon, Rika had that annoying cute look to her eyes.
Well I maybe cute, but at least, I'm with the one I love, Rika thought very uncharacteristically of her and then grinned a cat-like grin.
"Say, Gogglemon!" she called down in a very playful voice.
"Yeah, Rika, what is it?" Takato called back.
"Catch me if you can!!" Rika called and looked at her new boyfriend playfully for a quick second before jumping onto the roof and running off.
Takato couldn't stop the playful smile that appeared as he jumped onto the can and then the roof in hot pursuit if his new girlfriend that was going to be the first of many things for these new hybrids.
Moments after the half human, half Gatomon tamers lifted the alley; three shadows appeared in the light of the moon. Two were cat shaped shadows while the third one was a taller one. The tall shadow walked up to the cloth, forgotten by their owner and began picking them up.
"Well I guess it what you said, Miss Matsuki. On the night of creatures, anything is possible," Renamon, said as she finished collecting her tamer's cloths and look at Takato's parents in their cat states.
Even though, Takato's mother was in her cat form, she had this strange smug look on her face, a look that said something to humanoid fox.
"Yes, Miss Matsuki, as our deal states, I'll work in your bakery for a whole mouth," Renamon said calmly. "Now if you don't mind, I think I better go after those two creatures of the night before they get into trouble.
With that said, Renamon bend at the knees and jumped into the sky, disappearing into the night sky. Takehiro and Mia then want over to their favorite spot and cuddled.
"Isn't lovely when two person express their feeling toward each other?" Mia asked her husband in cat talk.
"Yes, it is," Takehiro, replied as he snuggled in his wife's neck. "And my boy did it willingly. For me it was an accident."
"Yes," Mia said, purring. "But I think it was a great accident."
Takehiro just smiled a cat's smile and cuddled into his wife more. It is said on this day, October 31, is the night of creatures and you know what, that saying isn't more true then in one major city in Japan.
(...)
Me (Tired): Wow, I worked on this all day and now I'm just done with it.
Rika: You know you just used your how curse thing again, didn't you, space for brains?
Me; Yes and like I said before I like to recycle my things, now please get lost so I can finished with this.
Rika: Fine with me. You see in your other story.