A/N: I used this as an introspective piece about Ruki to strengthen my grasp on her character and see how the others may view her.
Disclaimer: "Digimon" is property of Akiyoshi Hongo, Bandai, Toei Animation, etc.
Tap, tap, tap…
A journal lay open before her with the pages full of fresh writing. Her birthday party was over, and now Ruki was making a brief record of it in her room. Keeping an account of her thoughts was something she had started a few months after entering junior high school. She had heard Jenrya talking about blogs he read over the Internet, and understood them to be a way for people to express themselves. While she wasn't about to reveal her inner feelings online, Ruki figured it was a good way to organize her thoughts.
She bought a journal with the intention of doing it the traditional way. It was a simple navy book but bore highlights of silver along the spine. The very day she bought it was when she started. At first she only wrote a few lines, but as time wore on Ruki found she could easily fill a page in one night. Eventually she began adding occasional lines of verse. It seemed a bit silly initially, but if she could listen to the lyrics of her music then there was nothing wrong with trying it herself. Putting her words into poetry served to focus what she was feeling.
In the middle of writing Ruki paused to reflect, gazing at a corner of her room and resting her head on a propped arm. She tapped the pen against the paper for a while before glancing sideways at a memory card lying on her table. In something akin to the spirit of what the Tamers had done for their partners, her friends had each recorded birthday wishes for her to listen to. They were compiled onto a card compatible with her mp3 player, and given to her after she had unwrapped her other gifts. It was a little strange… Ruki was conflicted over whether to listen to it that evening or not.
Her friends would expect her to; and they did put thought into it. Plus, Ruki was curious about its contents. Exasperated, she finally rose and fetched her mp3 player to replace the card. She slipped the player over her head, paused for a moment… then reached up to press play.
Juri: Ruki-cha~n! Hehe, just kidding. Happy Birthday, Ruki! I can't believe it's only been two years that we've known each other. To be honest, when Takato-kun told me about the idea to record birthday messages for you I was both excited and nervous. I wasn't really sure what to say… but, you're an important friend to me, Ruki. I've had other girl friends my age, but you're very different from them. In a good way of course! I like your outspoken and prickly personality. Haha, don't take that last part the wrong way. I know you have a nice side as well despite what Hirokazu-kun says; like the time you offered to teach me how to play the card game. Hmm… it's because of digimon that we met. A lot of things happened… ah, but you know, it's okay now. … Ruki, thank you for being my friend. Happy Birthday.
Hirokazu: Yo, Ruki! Happy Birthday! This is Hirokazu, in case you can't tell. Heh, I never thought I'd be friends with the Digimon Queen. Little did I know what kind of person you are. Geeez, remember when we got separated from the others in the Digital World? What a trip, huh? And we got to meet Ryo! Aha, yeah… Listen, I don't always understand you. One minute you're yelling at us and the next you're saving us. … I guess the first time it hit me was when you left the Arc to get Impmon. You do some crazy things sometimes. Well, I suppose that's just how you are. Let's see if the next year will change that, haha. Later!
Kenta: Um, hello? Oh, Ruki! Uh, Happy Birthday! Kenta here! Hm… time sure flies. Growing up can be pretty tiring. I'm already thinking about entrance exams for high school. Do you know which ones you'll be applying for? After that is post-secondary. More school… I don't even know what I want to do for a living. Takato is still interested in drawing and I have no idea what Hirokazu is aiming for. I wonder if you think about these things like I do. You're lucky if you have it all figured out. If that's the case, good luck working towards it. Bye!
Shuichon: Ruki-onee-chan, Happy Birthday! I hope I get to hear you sing this year! It's not fair that Takato-nii-chan and Renamon were the only ones who got to hear you. Let's have a lot of fun! I wish we could play more often. Ruki-onee-chan is more fun than my nee-chan in some ways. I like when we go places together. Being with friends is better than being alone. I know… I think I mentioned it to Lopmon before. Let's make sure to be together and have fun! Bye-bye!
Ryo: Hey Ruki, Happy Birthday! How do you feel now that you're a year older? Maybe the same, or a little different? Maturity's a funny thing. I'm in high school now, but I still like playing the card game; although, I don't enter tournaments anymore. You must be thinking, 'Finally! It'd be lame if you were,' right? Haha. Of course, you gave it up before I did. What do you do nowadays? Ah, maybe I've already found that out at your party. Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll put all your effort in it, just like you did with the card game and as a Tamer. You're something else, Ruki. Keep that in mind.
Jenrya: Happy Birthday, Ruki! You know this was Takato's idea, right? I have to admit though, a recorded message as a gift provides makes it more personal, so I went along with it as did the others. If we were doing it for someone else I wonder if you'd readily agree to it, haha. Well, you would eventually if it's for a friend. Before though… you were quite different. You can be stubborn when you want to be. Our views on digimon were complete opposites. In the end… there needed to be equilibrium between digimon as friends and fighters. We both found that out, I think. In the process you reached a balance as well. Or, maybe you're still trying to achieve that. Then again, it must be like that for everyone. We don't know what the future will bring, but aim for something that'll make you happy. See you later.
Takato: Ruki, Happy Birthday! Ah, I hope you don't think this gift was weird or anything. Although, you probably do, hehe… You've always been that way. I hope you had a good birthday. It probably wasn't anything like that first party we threw for you. … Locomon… no, Parisimon caused a lot of trouble. I'm still not exactly sure what happened that day – um, well to you I mean, I suppose, but… if you want to talk you have people you can count on. There are probably things you don't want to talk about… but just know we'll listen. I'm not sure if you know this, but followed you when you left the party for a moment. I wanted to check if you were okay, but Renamon stopped me. I guess she thought you needed some time alone. I think she was right. Renamon seemed to know you pretty well. Actually, she probably knew you best. I'm still trying to figure you out. Hopefully there's plenty of time for that. Happy Birthday, Ruki.
That was it. Ruki sighed and buried her face in her hands. The things her friends said touched on various aspects of her life and revealed many things she didn't know, while also reflecting her own feelings. They made her remember herself, the past, the present… and the unknown future. She moved her hands to gently hug the earphones, and closed her eyes. It really was a memory card.