A/N: Hey guys! First of all, I'd like to give my 'thank you' 's for those who opened this... uuh... story. Yeah, let's go with that (beams widely).

Anyway, first of all, I'd like to inform you that this is my first Digimon fanfic, so if ever something wrong is going in here, please do tell me.

Second, I will be willingly accepting reviews especially constructive criticisms. Just not flames.

And third, this story is something that I cooked up as a fan. So technically, this could be half true or not true at all, considering that's it's a fanfic. This would be happening between the story lines of episode 51 of Digimon Tamers: Such Sweet Sorrow and the Digimon movie: Runaway Locomon.

And fourth, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do notown Digimon and all of its merchandise. If I did, Tai and Joe's bad singing could've been a hit, sold a million albums worldwide, Kazu and Kenta went to concerts to sing their "Soaking in the Bath" song, Henry could've had a movie of his own or a movie centered on him (it's unfair, really!! He only gets few episodes to show his coolness and what? Takato gets three-fourths of the series to himself, Rika gets a Rika-centered movie!!) and TK and Kari could've married each other!!! The point is, I don'town Digimon, k?


Even though I thought I'd never be the same, the world soon went back to normal. And after a while, so did I...

Life became exactly what it was before I met Guilmon; Kazu still made bad jokes and Ms. Nami still gave too much homework.

Sometimes, I go by our old hang-outs just to see if he's there... 'don't know why I bother 'cause he never is. Most times, I'm okay but there's this one thing that bugs me: a promise I made to a friend. A promise... I don't think I can keep...

...Actually, scratch that. I think I'm gonna keep that promise afterall.

Chapter One:

Aftermath

"C'mon Kenta!! I can't beat you faster if you're too slow!!" a rather arrogant shout came from a distance.

"Oh c'mon, Kazu! Why can't you give me a chance?!" the boy named Kenta had replied loudly as he put his shoes on. Kenta Kitagawa fixed his glasses that hung upon his nosebridge. He had a fixed vexed expression that fell upon his face as he put his shoes on.

"KENTA!!" another familiar arrogant shout came again.

"I'm coming Kazu!" Kenta replied yet again as his eyebrows furrowed further into the start of his nosebridge. He squinted his eyes as he pushed his heel into his left shoe. And when he opened his eyes again, he tried to stifle in an upcoming sneeze, but not managed to do so.

"LET'S GO!!!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!!" Kenta now shouted furiously. He scoffed to himself and picked up his slippers. As quickly as he could, his clammy and clumsy hands shoved in his slippers into his locker and closed the door of it with a slam. He sighed as he picked up his small brown backpack and hung it upon his small shoulders. He jogged groggily towards his so-called friend, Kazu Shioda, who was now crossing his arms and sported an annoyed face to match Kenta's. But as he was about to join Kazu, he turned around and his eyes had caught a boy from a distance who was getting ready to go.

"Takato, aren't you coming?" Kenta shouted his concern to the boy.

Takato Matsuki, the twelve year old who had Kenta seen from the distance, looked from his shoes to his friends. His goggles had now been gone, now that he didn't need to use it anymore, and because of this, more of his messy brown hair can be seen. He smiled and returned to his shoes as he replied loudly: "No thanks guys!!"

After successfully putting on his green shoes, Takato grabbed his slippers and neatly put them inside his own locker and closed it. He walked rather calmly to the awaiting twelve year olds.

"Why aren't you coming?" Kazu asked as he fixed the visor that hang just a few inches before his forehead. "Wouldn't you like to see me beat Kenta?" This statement, however, had earned Kazu a well-deserved death glare from Kenta. On the other hand, this had sent Takato chuckling.

"Sorry guys," Takato said after his small fit. "I really can't go. I got uh... homework," he said this as he half-extended his right arm, palm facing up. The other two didn't really buy it but had decided to shrug it off.

"Your decision," Kazu stated idly as he stretched up his arms and somehow ended at the back of his head, showing his laid-back and lazy attitude towards school and all its affiliates. "Catch 'ya later," he said dryly as he turned around and walked away with Kenta following him.

"Bye guys," Takato waved at the two retreating figures. He was about to head out of the school campus when he eyed the sky above him. Its light had glowed bright orange and yellow, signaling the ending afternoon. 'Don't worry, buddy. I'll be coming there,' he thought as he continued looking at the orange tinted sky. He took a few steps as he let his eyes wander around the school for the last time that week and had suddenly found a figure just... standing there.

He easily made out the figure and smiled a small smile. He turned into that direction and walked toward the person. The person, however, did not notice his approach as he continued to look at the sky and the wind lightly blowing his clothes.

"Hey Henry," Takato greeted to the sentimental figure. Henry Wong only kept silent and only nodded in response. His hands found his pants pockets and shoved themselves in. He blinked at the sky as if he was communicating with his environment.

"Pretty... uh.. sky, isn't it?" Takato sheepishly said, in hopes of making a good conversation. This had only earned him a mutter from the twelve year old boy. Henry started to walk away and headed towards the school gate with Takato watching him. Later, Takato found himself following the Chinese-Japanese boy.

Takato had been worried about Henry lately. After the whole Digimon incident, Henry was far more distant than his old self. He couldn't laugh at any jokes anymore. He always kept a straight face. Talked little, did more. He had a cool composure, but it was the kind of composure that signaled everybody that everything wasn't alright in his field. He didn't hang around Takato and his circle of friends. Takato had also heard that Henry's grades had been falling, he always kept himself inside his room, and walked and ate alone.

This isn't right, Takato had thought more than thrice. He knew meditation was to keep his mind on one thing, cast out all the rest and would have a good result. This was a result he got on opposite day; a different one from the promised. He thought meditation was good, but this wasn't one of his expected results. He didn't want this no more than Henry's parents didn't. He was more... unsociable than he used to. Unsociable to mankind, unsociable to activities and unsociable to his family and friends.

Takato has to cheer the guy up. Any way was better than no way. He would kill for a suggestion and chance. He didn't let one pass away. So every moment he had met up with Henry, he would grab the chance right away.

Henry had been walking faster than usual so Takato had to jog to catch up with him. He took hold of his backpack and jogged to the walking boy. "So uh..." Takato trailed off, thinking of a good ice-breaker. "...how's it going?" Realizing what he said, Takato had mentally slapped himself, knowing wholly that would certainly not break the ice between them.

"Fine, I guess," Henry muttered audibly enough for Takato to hear.

"Great!" Takato perked up like a happy little school girl in hopes of trying to get in a good conversation with him. "Maybe you could help me out tomorrow?" he beamed.

Henry looked at his smiling friend and stopped without showing any sign of curiosity upon his face. "What's with tomorrow?" he blankly asked.

"Well you see," Takato started as he stopped alongside Henry as his smile grew wider. "I'm going to the park tomorrow to--"

"He's not there, Takato," Henry said, knowing where this was going. Apparently, Henry knew, alongside others, that Takato had been going to the old hang-out saying that Guilmon was there. Takato insisted his friends into believing but only ended up getting comments like "He's losing his marbles," or "Yeah right. What a joke." Even though he'd like to believe it, there was no certain evidence, whether or not Takato is his friend.

Takato's happy aura had been replaced as confusion and disbelief had clung onto him. "But Henry--"

"It's been nice talking to you Takato," Henry started as he faced the road home again, his head hanging low. "But I got to go home. I have... businesses I need to attend to." With that final statement, twelve year old Henry Wong had parted, that being his goodbye.

"But he's there..." Takato muttered as he could only watch Henry's leaving figure into the afternoon sky.


Those looks. They had given them before. Now they take them back. It was like, one second, they had them on for him, now they're gone. Suddenly, the looks had just disappeared.

He didn't miss them, nor did he miss them. No, not one hint of miss had lit up inside him.

He didn't like them either, and altogether, nor did he like them.

Instead, the looks only brought back memories to the twelve year old Henry Wong. Those looks had reminded him of a once annoying past that has now turned into something worthwhile. He just wished that that "worthwhile" moment had lasted longer than he thought. Now, everything that had been a good memory to him was now lost. Disappeared. And the faces that crossed his way had faded away with it.

Henry glanced at one lady who came across his way. She was a familiar figure for she had taken that road everyday and almost the same time that Henry had walked home alone. He began anticipating for that look once more, as if to signal him that everything was still alright and all had been nothing but a sad nightmare. He blinked at the brown-haired lady as she had returned a simple smile.

Henry stopped dead in his tracks and watched the lady walk by as she guarded her purse. Heavy as his heart and mind may be, curiosity still found its way inside him.

That wasn't what he was expecting for. He had expected her to become puzzled and watch him pass by like she used to. If that was not the case, he had expected her to be astonished... or just simple shock. But nothing. All was said well in her simple smile. In that smile alone, he had already been given the signal that he was just a simple twelve year old walking home from school. It was as simple as the smile she had released.

This had disappointed Henry Wong. In every slightest detail his quick-thinking mind could make up, it had disappointed him in every angle. This disappointment had led his hand through his hair, checking once and twice and now thrice to see a round little furry head above him. But nothing was caught but thin air.

This disappointed him even more.

With frustration boiling inside of him, he left his stationary spot and began to walk towards a big building.


Henry closed the door casually as his mom, Mayumi Wong, looked at him from the pile of clothes she and Suzie made. Henry, upon seeing this, hadn't said a word as his mom looked at him with deep concern and uncertainty. Mayumi opened her mouth to say anything but what came out was her own breath as Henry had waited for something.

Eventually, after enough thought, Mayumi just smiled normally at her son and began to say, "Welcome home, honey. How was school?" Henry blinked and thought for a good thirty seconds before he looked down the floor and started to take off his shoes.

"Fine," was the only thing that came out of his mouth. He didn't look his mom straight in the eye and just concentrated on unzipping his shoes. Mayumi could only watch his son in anticipation to continue his sentence. But this anticipation she was hoping for was far too fragile and began to shatter immediately. She continued to stare at Henry as he picked up his shoes, set them aside neatly, put on his slippers and walk away.

"Dinner's going to be served in a few minutes," Mayumi informed her son and began to smile sadly. "It's Take-Out Night." She had said this with much hope that saying this would bring back Henry's love for their so-called "Take-Out Night."

But it didn't. Henry had only muttered the words, "I'm not hungry," and walked in his room. Within minutes, she could hear the door snap close then a click of the lock. This had worried Mayumi so much that it almost broke her heart to not see Henry come out of his room for the rest of the night.


"I'm home!" she heard her granddaughter say in their house.

Twelve year old Rika Nonaka casually took off her school shoes and stepped inside the wooden house, walking around until she reached her own room. Seiko Hata, Rika's busy techno-grandma watched Rika go by and stood up from her computer after typing "Be right back" in "Granny Chat."

Rika sighed as she closed the sliding door immediately to change her clothes. It was actually more than that that she wanted to close the doors between her and her family. After doing so, she leaned on her doors as she could hear footsteps outside stop.

"Rika dear?" she could hear her grandmother start. Rika sighed inaudibly and crossed her arms. She didn't utter a word, a signal for her mother to continue. "I-is something wrong, honey?" Seiko asked from outside, worry capturing her voice.

Rika shook her head lightly and slowly, as if her kin could see her. "No, nothing's wrong, grandma," she reassured as she stood up straight and pulled the red tie off of her ponytail, letting her fiery red hair fall onto her shoulders.

From outside, Seiko could only pull off a sigh of concern and touched the door but with no intention of opening it. "If ever there's a problem--" she started but was cut-off.

"I said I'm fine, grandma." Although this had sounded to her grand-child as a sure reply, this had sounded to her like a demand to leave her alone. The impact of the words were hard on her ears and had sank to her heart, making her feel a heavy load on her chest.

Rika looked into nothingness as she waited for her grandmother to answer. Her eyebrows bent toward to the start of her nosebridge, signaling her vexed feeling. No answer came.

"I'm okay..." she muttered to her grandma, softer this time yet hard on her stand. "...I'm okay." Seiko blinked at the door for a few times. Seiko's hands found her chest and felt her own heart pumping from the tension between her and her grandchild. Though Rika meant to say that she was okay, Seiko had always found to herself that something wasn't at the right place. And now, she could finally conclude that asking wasn't really the best way to get close to what she considered her second-daughter.

"I'll call you for dinner, okay?" Seiko softly said.

Inside, Rika nodded as her hands travelled to the first button of her cardigan. She waited for footsteps to occur and disappear again. Much to her surprise and expectations, it did happen.

Now she had felt heavier by the second as she finished unbuttoning her cardigan and throwing it to her clothes rack. The heavy sensation wasn't really caused much by her aggravation towards her kins. No, it wasn't the reason.

The more she thought about the reason, the more slowly she pulled her casual clothes on. She more she blinked, the wetter her eyes get. And the more she internalized about what had happened for the past few days, the more tears she had shed on the floor.

She didn't like it. She wasn't the type to cry. But she couldn't help it. What has been pulled out couldn't be pushed in again. That was the unfortunate nature of tears.

Renamon...


A/N: Haha! Yes sirs, I'm done!! With the first chapter!! Anyway, there's still more to come. They'll just be late however. Man, I have a bad sense of bad timing. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the first few parts! Please read and review, and submit constructive criticisms if you like!! Thanks again! :D