Disclaimer: This work is for purely entertainment purposes and is not for profit. I do not own Digimon or any characters previously seen in Digimon. This chapter makes reference to the audio drama Digimon Tamers: Message in the Packet. I do not own that either. If anyone who does own Digimon sees this I am more than willing to help with the next season. Enjoy.

Chapter Four: Old Friends.

Rika had herself and the Digimon dropped off in the park where they all use to play. While the Digimon fooled around in their favorite stomping ground Rika began making calls.

Takato was the first called, since he was their unofficial leader, and despite the fact that it was four in the morning he picked up on the second ring. When Rika said who it was he replied, "Hi Rika. What's new with you?"

Rika was surprised he was up. He sounded jittery too. She tried to remain calm, though she was excited too "Meet me in the park."

"Yeah sure, Rika. What's going on?"

"They're back."

Takato went silent. Rika called Guilmon over with a wave of her hand. The red dinosaur walked up to the phone and Rika held it to his ear.

The little dinosaur, confused, asked, "What do I say?"

Rika tried not to smile at the goofy Digimon as she suggested, "Tell him you miss him, you big dummy. Just say what you've wanted to say."

Guilmon thought for a second and then put his face closer to the phone "Takato, I've missed you so much! Come down to the park and we'll chase squirrels together. Pleeeease!"

There was no response. Rika put the phone back up to her ear and listened. The phone began to beep showing that the call had ended. Rika shut her cell phone and opened it to call the others. Takato was definitely on his way.

All hours of the night teenage boys and girl gathered in the park to reunite with their lost partners. Jeri came down for Calumon. Kazu rode home on Guardromon's back. MarineAngemon, the pink six inch mega, slept in Kenta's pocket as the Tamer took the little guy home. Terriermon and Lopmon were both on Henry's head as he took them home to wake Suzie up. Impmon wanted to surprise his partners so he left on his own to take the subway down to Hongo. Takato sat on a swing set watching Guilmon head up towards his old hideout Takato didn't have the heart to tell the big red dinosaur that he no longer had a home. Rika stood watching the scene from a stair on a playground toy.

Renamon asked Rika, "So how has life been without us?"

Rika thought for a moment before replying casually, "Good I guess. We all tried our best to be the same as we were when we had you. Takato got the stuffing beat out of him once when he tried to stop a mugging. Without his little dinosaur he just wasn't a match."

Takato yelled over to Rika, embarrassed, "I told you not to mention that to anybody!"

Rika just continued, "Jeri is just as happy as she used to be. For her there was never a chance of getting her partner back so its been easier for her to deal with everything. Kazu and Kenta had a slight falling out for a few days."

Renamon tilted her head, curious, as she asked, "Over what?"

Rika laughed, "They've been fighting over some girl. You know how it is. Boys."

Renamon just looked away towards the little red dinosaur coming back down from the cemented hideout. She'd never known anything similar in any of her Digimon friends. So she mussed, "I think it's a human thing."

Rika continued, "Um' Henry has gotten really big into science and computers. He was trying to figure out a way to get you guys home. It'll be funny to see if he gives it all up now that you're all here."

Renamon sat next to the girl. There was silence as the two watched the teenage boy and his Digimon talk about the past. It was probably a similar conversation to what they were having.

Rika remembered something and asked, "Did you get our messages? We sent them to you a while back."

Renamon, smiling internally at the thought of Rika sending her a message, replied "I never got one, but Impmon did. What did yours say?"

Rika looked away as she recalled the message, "You know. That I missed you and I wasn't going to say goodbye because I knew I'd see you again. That I thought of you as a big sister. Stuff like that. I'm probably gushing, but it's good to see you again."

The yellow fox put a paw on Rika's shoulder "Thank you, Rika. I knew that you would never forget about us. It is good to be with you again."

Rika wrapped an arm around her friend, pulling her into a hug. Renamon just sat there and let Rika hold her. After some time the yellow fox said to the girl, "you've gotten bigger too. How old are you now?"

The girl replied, "I'm fourteen in a month."

The fox stood and stretched as she stated, "Do you still play with the Digimon cards?"

Rika thought for a moment. Her cards were in a box in the back of her room. She'd gotten bored with them mostly; only taking them out to spar against one of the others. With Renamon back maybe she'd get back into the spirit of things.

As the first rays of sunshine beamed over the treetops of the park foliage Takato and Guilmon ran over to Rika and Renamon.

Takato adjusted the goggles on his head "Rika, I don't know how you did it, but thank you. I don't know how any of us could ever repay you."

Rika wasn't about to mention Adman Hows, the boy in black who had somehow brought all their Digimon back to them, as per their deal. She was prepared to take all credit and reward for it though.

The young girl cocked her head nonchalantly "Well a treat from your bakery would be a nice start."

Takato smiled "Sure thing. Anything else?"

Rika dismissed her old friend "I'll think about it. In the meantime go spend some time with that bread snarfing doofis of yours."

Guilmon nodded. The teenage boy and his Digimon walked away leaving Rika and Renamon alone.

The fox just watch the two go "What about you, Rika? How have things been for you?"

Rika put her back against a log and stretched "things have been okay I guess. I do well in school and mom and grandma are fine. I even got asked to one of those stupid dances at the school."

The fox tilted her head, revealing nothing of her inner thoughts, "How was it?"

The young girl slid down into a lying position, "I didn't go."

The fox dropped her head slightly "I see. You know it was okay for you to have fun while I was gone."

Rika replied, "I do have fun. Just not as much as when you're here."

The fox walked up higher onto the toy and looked over to the sunny horizon.

Rika thought for a moment and then piped up, "I want to give you your own room when we get to my house."

The foxes eyes actually became surprised for just a moment, a rare display of emotion "Why, Rika? Do you not want me in your room anymore?"

The girl stood up "It's not that. When you left I realized that even though we had tons of extra rooms at my house you never had a space to call your own. I want to give you that this time."

The fox was genuinely touched "That's very generous of you, Rika."

The young girl began walking home and the yellow fox followed.

Rika called back, "Well, you're family. You deserve to be treated as such."

The yellow fox didn't say a word, but inwardly a single thought rolled through her head, 'family.'

Over the next few days Renamon was reintroduced to Rika's mom and grandmother. They agreed to allow the Digimon to have a room. Rika brought some paints from storage and began painting one of the walls. Renamon watched as the young girl worked; observing the calm strokes of the brush as a picture was formed. In the mural on the wall was a beautiful full moon on a pitch black night over some body of water. The water rippled as single leaves fell onto it and the light of the moon reflected off of the almost completely calm surface. Renamon watched Rika paint for hours without saying a word.

When the grand mural was complete Rika dusted herself off and turned to ask Renamon, "What do you think?"

The fox stared at it deeply "It's beautiful, Rika."

The girl took a towel and began wiping paint off of her arms "Thanks. This is what I feel every time we biomerge. It's a calm that I just can't seem to ignore. A beauty and a peacefulness seems to surround us. It seems almost magical."

Renamon rubbed paint off of Rika's nose "I know."

There was a small knock at the paper sliding door of Renamon's room. She slid it open to reveal Takato and Guilmon. The young boy was carrying a potted plant while the dinosaur was holding two grocery bags. Renamon allowed them in.

Takato looked around "Your room is coming along great, Renamon. I just wanted to give you a room warming gift."

Takato handed her the plant "It's a Japanese Peace Lily. I've been told they're very relaxing."

Renamon held the potted plant and ran a finger gently across one of the leaves "Why thank you, Takato, but how will this warm my room?"

Rika smirked "It's like a housewarming present. When someone gets a new house their friends bring them something to make the space feel more like home. But since this is a room and not a house they brought a 'room warming' present."

The Digimon stared at it; confused for a second. Then she set the plant down in one corner of the room "Thank you, boys. It does make the room feel more natural."

Takato smiled "Just remember to water it every now and then."

He turned to the mural on the wall and gasped, "Wow. That looks beautiful! You two sure have a talent."

Renamon put her back against one of the unpainted walls "Rika did it."

Takato looked to Rika "You have a career as an artist, Rika."

Rika blushed ever slightly, embarrassed, as both Takato and Guilmon praised her work.

Renamon asked, "So Takato, have you been watching after Rika while I was gone? I sure hope someone was."

Rika cut in, "oh Renamon, I don't need to be looked after."

Takato smiled "we've all been taking care of each other as best we can."

Renamon seemed to smile for a moment. Then her head tilted and there was almost a look of mischief in her features "so Rika tells me she was asked to a school dance, but she won't tell me the boy's name. It wasn't you was it?"

Takato blushed and took a step back "not me. Word on the street was…"

Rika cupped her hands over his mouth and Takato was silenced as the redhead told Renamon, "he has no idea. Now what's in the bags, Takato?"

Takato removed the hand "a nice treat for you two. They're creampuffs fresh from my family's bakery. I made them myself. I figured that was a decent treat."

"So you're trying to poison us," she mused.

Takato objected, "I seem to recall you liked my bread back when the D-reaper attacked."

Rika did vaguely remember back when they all cooked in Takato's bakery. She opened a bag to find it stuffed with creampuffs.

Rika put on her offended face, though she was secretly happy "That's a lot of creampuffs. You trying to make me lose my girlish figure? Trying to make me fat so I get sluggish so you and dino boy can become top Tamer?"

Takato laughed nervously; defending himself "well I made extra since Guilmon was in charge of carrying them."

Guilmon piped in, "yeah and I only ate a couple. I guess he thought I'd eat more than that so I can still eat more if you like."

Rika couldn't help but smile at the goofy dinosaur, "I was just joking. Like I care."

She handed him one and the crème inside exploded onto the dinosaur after one bite. Renamon even had to work to control herself to avoid laughing at the gluttonous red Digimon.

Renamon sat on the floor next to the Digimon and pulled one of the treats from the bag. In dainty little bites she tested the creampuff and turned to Takato "thank you, boys. They're delicious. Certainly not poison, Rika. Try one."

Rika pulled a creampuff out of the bag and bit in. The contents fell out the back and all over Rika's painting overalls. Now covered in paint and crème and with her face as red as Guilmon's, Rika waited for the others to start laughing. None of them did.

Takato handed her one of the unused painting towels "they can get messy sometimes."

Rika wiped herself off and handed the towel off to Guilmon.

Guilmon looked at it "what's this for?"

Rika finally bust out laughing "your face is covered in creampuff, you dummy."

Guilmon stuck his long tongue out and proceeded to lick the mess off himself "see. All better now."

Rika had never seen anything so disgusting and yet so funny in all her life. She simply left the room to go change into better clothes. She tried not to burst out laughing before she was out of earshot.

As soon as Rika left Renamon turned to Takato "so which boy asked Rika to the dance?"

Takato was surprised that Renamon would be so mischievous "I don't think Rika wants me to tell you."

The Digimon stood to her full height. Her eyes narrowed to deadly slits and she glared, "let's be honest. Who are you really more afraid of?"

Takato backed as far away as he could. He was strangely not sure himself of who scared him more.

Rika came back into Renamon's room in new clothes and noticed that Takato and Guilmon were gone "where'd the boys go?"

Renamon sat eating a second creampuff "they said they had other things that came up. So Ryo asked you out to the dance?"

Rika was shocked Takato had blabbed on her. She was going to kill him next time she saw him. She tried to remain calm, but she and Renamon had known each other for far too long. They couldn't lie to each other even in looks.

Rika confessed "Yeah, he did. But like I told you I shot him down."

Renamon simply responded, "Too bad for him."

Rika sat next to her friend "damn right."

Renamon tilted her head toward Rika "I didn't know you cursed."

"Yeah, well things change."

"I'm surprised Ryo mustered the courage to ask you out."

"Yeah. He can take on mega level Digimon, but one girl scares him. And that girl is me," Rika said proudly.

"I don't think you scare him. You seem to scare Takato though."

"That's me alright; scary to the core. Wait what did he say?"

"Nothing at first, which is why I know he either really respects you or is really afraid of you. Probably a mixture of the two."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. I just put on my angry face and the answers seem to spill out."

"That was mean."

"I know."

"He brought you creampuffs. They brought you a plant."

"I know and right now I am enjoying them both immensely."

"Let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"WE are going to catch up to those two so that YOU can apologize. I can't believe we now have to go apologize to Goggle-head because you need to stick your nose into my business."

"I was curious."

"We still have to go."

"As you wish," Renamon agreed as they walked towards the door.

With that the two were gone. Going after Goggle-head so Renamon can apologize; what a lame errand.