A Surprise

Seven


"Jen!" Takato greets him with a clap to his back before the younger boy sits down next to him, leaving Hirokazu and Kenta to sit opposite them.

"Hey," He smiles. "It's good to see you guys."

"Where's Ruki?" Kenta asks, pushing his glasses back up after they slide down his nose. Hirokazu's already busy studying the menu.

Terriermon is about to answer Kenta's question when Jen claps his hand over his partner's mouth. "Uh, she's caught up with work so she decided to skip lunch."

Hirokazu snorts. "Please," He scoffs, putting down the menu. "We all know she's still pissed at us."

The rabbit pushes Jen's hand away. "That's what I was about to say!" He cries.

"I guess she's got the right to be," Takato mumbles before Jen can cover for Ruki, though she had made sure to let him know she doesn't want him to defend her. In fact, she wants the guys to know just how pissed she is at them.

A week after getting engaged, they'd shown up at Jen's old home to have dinner with Shiuchon. As promised, all the Tamers were present - even Ryo, who'd decided to stick around for a bit after his return. Ruki had called up everyone the day before and warned them not to say a word about the baby in front of Jen's family, and of course everyone obeyed her orders. But she hadn't said anything about her relationship with Jen and naturally, the boys took advantage of that and went a bit overboard with their teasing, as expected. It only got worse when the couple announced they were soon to be married.

That was nearly a month ago.

"Yeah, we kind of overdid it." Kenta says, rubbing the back of his head.

"This is Ruki we're talking about; if she can dish it out, then she should be able to handle it." Hirokazu says dismissively as he flags down a waiter and the conversation is paused for a moment as they all place their orders.

"Look," Jen says after the waiter assures them their food will arrive soon and makes his way to another table. "We let you guys have your fun that night but that's it, okay? Not another word about our relationship."

It feels good to speak so openly about Ruki after ten years of secrecy. There's something amazing about the freedom of being able to address their relationship, the way he can talk about what happened last Thursday or two weeks ago or that one time he took an island vacation without having to edit Ruki out of his conversations, even the light-hearted teasing their friends hurl at them – it makes all of this seem more real somehow, and that's something Jen welcomes these days, when he wakes up next to Ruki to see her fiddling with her ring, telling him the baby kept her up again. Anything that can keep him grounded and remind him this isn't just one long, fantastical dream is good in his book.

"We promise." Takato says immediately.

"Yeah, I guess." Kenta pitches in.

"Fine," Hirokazu grumbles. "It's not like we had any more jokes left, so yeah, we're done."

"Oh, believe me," Terriermon pipes up. "Come live with these two for a bit and they'll give you plenty of things to poke fun at."

"Terriermon!"

"What?" The Digimon turns wide, innocent eyes upon his Tamer. "It's true. You two are disgustingly sweet. It's like watching one of those TV shows Ruki's mom likes so much."

A blush slowly makes its way up Jen's neck but thankfully, his tan complexion hides it as he turns to Terriermon. "Why did I even agree to bring you along?"

"Because I'm adorable." Terriermon, who'd decided not to wait for the others and had gone ahead and started ordering as soon as they arrived, stuffs a piece of sushi into his mouth. "And also because you were afraid I'd talk some random kid in the office into buying me tons of food."

The other three laugh at their back-and-forth as their drinks are served.

"Wait," The rabbit says right as he's about to take another bite of his food. "Why am I the only Digimon here?"

Right on cue, MarineAngemon pops his head out of a pocket in Kenta's jacket.

"Hey, you!" Terriermon waves happily. MarineAngemon emits several happy-sounding noises before he ducks back into his hiding place. The smaller Digimon isn't that fond of loud, crowded places and the popular restaurant is nothing but loud and crowded. Outside, a line is beginning to form as people wait for a table.

"Guilmon and Guardromon are around," Takato answers Terriermon. "We passed by the park on our way here and some kid was having a birthday party. Next thing you know, two dozen ten-year-olds were begging Guilmon to stay and play with them. Guardromon decided to stay with him."

Jen laughs. "He's a hit with the kids, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Takato nods. "They were even asking him to do all the voices, Guilmon-chan!" He pitches his voice a bit higher to mimic the excited children.

"Hey, Jen," Hirokazu says with a mischievous grin. "Think your kid will be a big fan?"

Just then, Jen's phone starts ringing.

Hirokazu grows pale. "Shit, don't tell me Ruki somehow heard that."

"It's her." Jen confirms as Ruki's name flashes on his screen.

"Better run, buddy." Kenta elbows his friend as Jen accepts the call.

"Hey," He smiles. "Did you change your mind about lunch?"

"Are the guys with you?"

Ruki sounds out of breath and slightly alarmed. Jen frowns. "Yes, why? And what's going on?"

"Round them up and wait, Renamon will come get you guys." Ruki instructs. "There's been a breach two blocks away from the office. First responders are calling it a Digimon army."

Her words send a chill up his spine. "How? We would have noticed something this big." By now, he's drawn everyone's attention. Even Terriermon's stopped eating.

"That's what all those disturbances were!" Ruki tells him. "Look, I'm on my way with a team. I'll see you there."

Renamon appears just then.

"Okay, Renamon's here. I'll see you. Be careful!" He adds right before Ruki hangs up.

"Digimon invasion," Jen tells the others as he stands up. "Let's go."

He turns to Renamon. "Guilmon and Guardromon are in the park. We need to stop by and get them first."

"Very well," Renamon nods. "Form a circle, please." She instructs the others. Takato's travelled this way a few times and once, they'd run into Kenta late at night and given him a ride home. Hirokazu is the only one who's never hitched a ride with Renamon and it shows in the trepidation upon his face.

"I don't like this." He declares as Kenta pulls him in and keeps one hand around his arm. With everyone huddled together, Renamon closes her eyes and focuses on tracking Guilmon. She nearly gets distracted by the huge amount of activity where the unknown Digimon are invading.

Takato tosses some cash on the table and calls out an apology to their bewildered waiter just before they blink out of existence.

"Hey, that wasn't too-" Hirokazu cuts himself off by clapping a hand over his mouth, looking like he's about to throw up in the bushes they've appeared next to. Takato jogs out to the clearing where the party is going on to call back their Digimon while Kenta and Terriermon coach Hirokazu through his nausea.

"Renamon," Jen says quietly, drawing the fox's attention. "I have a favor to ask of you. It is a lot to ask, and I might be out of line but-"

"You do not wish for Ruki to join me as Sakuyamon in this battle."

Jen turns to Renamon in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I have given this matter some thought as well." Renamon admits. "And I do not know how the process would affect the child."

"There's no way to predict what could happen." Jen tells her, feeling helpless.

"Do not worry, Jen. For as long as Ruki carries this child, we will not take the form of Sakuyamon." The fox vows.

"Thank you." He looks Renamon in the eye, hoping to convey his gratitude. The Digimon nods just once, right before Takato returns with Guilmon and Guardromon in tow.

"Alright, guys, let's go!"

Hirokazu, who seems to have recovered, fist-pumps the air. "Digimon battle!" He cheers. "Now this is what I'm talking about!"

"I can't even remember the last time we were in a battle," Kenta muses. From within his pocket, MarineAngemon makes some sort of noise, probably in agreement.

Takato turns to Jen as they prepare to travel once more. "Here we go again, huh?"

"Just like old times." Jen nods before they all shut their eyes to protect themselves from the shadow world. He hopes transporting such a big group isn't going to drain Renamon before the battle's even started.

Their arrival goes unnoticed amidst the chaos of an invasion, with people running everywhere and in all directions. Policemen herd members of the public away from the scene while agents of multiple organizations push against the flow to get closer. Above, helicopters from the media hover already, ignoring safety warnings in favor of shooting valuable footage of the impending battle.

In a sea of dark uniforms and helmets, Ruki's red hair flickers like a flame as she makes her way to them. She's changed out of the loose blouse and cigarette pants Jen had last seen her in and now wears the new Hypnos uniform, a bodysuit of black made out of some blend of Kevlar and flame-retardant material. The uniforms are new, a gift from one of their American allies. The black fabric covers nearly every inch of her body but fails to hide the smallest hint of a baby bump.

"Looking good, Ruki." The words are out of his mouth before Hirokazu can censor himself, and his eyes widen when he realizes what he's said. "Please don't kill me." He whimpers when Ruki glares at him.

"Shut up and I might consider sparing you."

"Shutting up now," He promises, holding his hands up in the universal sign of please don't hurt me. "I'm not stupid enough to piss off a pregnant woman."

Four agents standing right behind him turn around when they overhear him and their eyes immediately land upon Ruki's stomach. A quick glare from the woman sends them scurrying off, though it's obvious that they've already started a whispered conversation amongst themselves. Jen hopes they're not the gossiping kind.

"I will deal with you after we save the world." Ruki hisses before she walks off, followed by Renamon, Jen and Terriermon.

The three boys and their partners trail after them. "You messed up." Takato points out unnecessarily from where he stands on Hirokazu's left.

"Big time." Kenta agrees, walking on Hirokazu's right side.

Meanwhile, Jen catches up to Ruki. "You're not going to kill him, are you? I really don't want you to have our baby behind bars."

"Your father," Ruki says, ignoring his joke, "offered me his congratulations while I was on my way out. Did it slip your mind to let me know you've informed your family?"

"Oh."

"Damn it, Jen. A little warning would have been nice." She's whispering now as they near the frontlines, where Yamaki and a few others wait. A thick fog hides the invaders from view, as is always the case when uninvited Digimon appear in their world.

"I'm sorry," He whispers back. "I told him right before I left for lunch with the guys and I thought I'd have time to tell you when I got back."

Ruki sighs, seemingly satisfied with his explanation. "At least he won't find out through the rumor mill."

"Let's hope everyone will be too busy with this battle to spread rumors about you." Jen says, trying to soothe her.

"It's fine," Ruki waves dismissively. "They're bound to find out sooner or later, right? And this one," She pokes lightly at her bump, "isn't being very subtle."

Jen laughs and it draws a smile from Ruki.

"She's smiling." Hirokazu stage-whispers to Takato as they catch up to the couple. "Does that mean I'm off the hook?"

"It means," Ruki says, turning to face him, "that your death will be quick and painless."

"Alright," Yamaki says as he walks up to them. "Enough of that. You know I can't have you threatening civilians on my watch, Miss Makino."

Ruki shrugs, unapologetic.

"But that's not going to stop you." The older man mutters.

"We've detected seventeen separate signs of life," He says to the group. "A probe was sent in and the images we captured don't match up with anything in the database. Hopefully, you guys will have more luck identifying the creatures."

"Identification is, however, not your main focus. Your priority is to contain the situation at all costs. It would be preferable if you can capture one for interrogation but if you need to take them all down for security reasons, then go ahead."

Ruki and Jen nod, catching his hidden message. Some of the agencies they've partnered with are probably demanding they capture one of the invaders, eager to dissect and study a creature they view as nothing more than a few lines of codes. But Hypnos, as a whole, is dead set against that sort of thing… these days, at least. Yamaki's changed a lot since they first met him. Hypnos can't outright deny their partners and benefactors such a request, though – not without offending some very powerful people - so this is their loophole.

"For security reasons," Jen repeats with a knowing look.

"Yes," Yamaki nods. "Now, off you go. Save the world while we sit around in our fancy suits and give press statements."

The Tamers laugh at Yamaki's self-deprecation before they grow serious and focus on the task at hand. They slip on glasses of various styles and colors as they approach the fog.

"Hey, where's Ryo?" Hirokazu questions right before they enter the Digital Field.

"Somewhere in Africa." Ruki informs him as they walk in and immediately catch sight of the army.

Seventeen might seem like too small a number to call an army, but what these creatures lack in numbers, they more than make up for in size. They don't present that big a threat though, as far as Ruki can tell. They're prepared to attack the Tamers, that much is obvious, but they move sluggishly and some of them can't quite produce an attack. Ruki thinks she notices a few of them flicker in and out of existence, as if they're not quite there.

"Do you recognize any of them?" She asks Renamon as Takato whips out his Digivice. Renamon shakes her head.

"I'm not getting anything." Takato says after a few attempts. The others try with their own devices and fail to get any readings.

The boys turn to Jen and Ruki for orders.

Ruki shrugs. "Battle first, questions later."

"Some of them are already attacking nearby buildings." Jen points out. "We can't have them spread out and go after people next. I'm with Ruki on this one."

"Well then," Takato says, pulling out a card. "Let's go, Tamers."

Just like old times, Jen thinks to himself as their opponents charge at them.

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"Well, that took way longer than our usual lunch break." Hirokazu quips, checking the time on his Digivice.

"Nearly two hours." Kenta agrees, checking over MarineAngemon for injuries. His partner hovers mid-air happily, looking completely unharmed.

Renamon brushes dust off her gloves. "It was a short battle, given the number of enemies we went up against." Halfway through the battle, after they'd dispatched of ten Digimon or so, another Digital Field had appeared right next to the original one, pitting the Tamers and their partners against another fourteen opponents.

"I'm just glad no one was hurt." Takato sighs tiredly, slumped against Guilmon.

"Terriermon almost was!" Guilmon reminds them all.

"It was nothing, you guys." Terriermon assures them from where he's perched on Jen's shoulder. "Moumantai."

The gathered Tamers and their partners groan good-naturedly as Terriermon quips his catchphrase.

Yamaki joins them then, having wrapped up his discussion with a group of important-looking people who'd arrived just after the battle was over.

"Good work, everyone. We owe you guys again."

"Don't mention it, Yamaki." Takato rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "This is what we're meant to do; it's why we're Tamers."

"Well, Tamers, I'm afraid I'll have to ask one more favor of you guys." Yamaki says. "If you could all come back with us to the office for a while, we'll just take your statements and send you on your merry way."

"Statements?" Kenta asks.

"We'll need to write up reports for this." Ruki explains. "Come on, you guys can ride with us. I assume the agents I drove over will find some other way of getting back?" She directs her question to Yamaki.

"I'll handle it." He nods.

"Alright then," Ruki sighs, motioning for the others to follow her. She leads them to one of Hypnos' armored vans and tosses the keys to Jen. It would be faster for Renamon to transport them all but after the battle they've just faced, Ruki would rather sit in a car with Hirokazu and his endless chatter for an hour than let Renamon exert herself any further. They pile into the car quietly, all of them exhausted now that the adrenaline rush of their first Digimon battle in years has worn off.

"When we get back," Ruki says as Jen drives away from the scene. "Just follow us. I'll arrange for an agent to come up to my office and take your statements so that you guys can finish up as soon as possible." She pulls out her phone and starts typing out a message, coordinating with Yamaki.

Ruki gets a reply two minutes later, telling her he's already got someone waiting in her office and once they're done, she and Jen can leave as well.

"Yamaki's giving us the rest of the day off." She tells Jen, a grateful smile lighting up her face as she sends a thank-you message to their boss. The battle has certainly left her winded, more than these things used to when she was younger. But everyone else seems just as tired, so maybe it's just age coupled with how long it's been since their last fight.

"That's nice of him." Jen says, focused on the road.

Takato, who's sitting just behind them and has overheard their conversation, speaks up. "Do you guys want to go out for dinner together? You know, since we're all free and our lunch was interrupted."

"Maybe some other time," Jen suggests, having noticed the way Ruki's eyes keep closing of their own accord. She's fighting against sleep. In the back, Terriermon, Hirokazu and Guilmon have already dozed off while Renamon stares blankly at the passing scenery, a clear sign of her exhaustion. "I think we're all worn out."

"Yeah," Takato agrees, yawning. "That's probably a better idea." He slumps down next to Guilmon. "Some other time." The boy mumbles, closing his eyes.

Soon, the only ones left awake are Jen, Ruki and Renamon, who seems to be too tired to pay much attention to anything.

"Are you okay?" Jen asks quietly, glancing at Ruki when they stop at a red light.

"I'm just tired," Ruki tells him with a sleepy smile. "And this thing is so uncomfortable." She pulls at her uniform, scrunching up her nose in distaste.

Jen chuckles. "Good thing I didn't have time to change, then."

"I don't know why they insisted I put it on." Ruki grumbles. "We've always fought in normal clothes. But it's not that bad," She decides, "it's just a size too small, right now."

Despite what she'd said earlier, about everyone being bound to figure it out sooner or later, Jen knows she isn't comfortable with the idea of walking into the office and letting everyone see the slight swell of her stomach, framed by the form-fitting uniform.

"I'll give you my jacket when we get there," He offers.

"Okay." Ruki says quietly, because saying thank you would force her to acknowledge that she knows that he knows about her trying to hide their baby, and that's not something she wants to talk about right now.

It takes them another fifteen minutes before they get to Hypnos, where Jen navigates through the underground parking lot to leave the van in its designated spot. Renamon wakes Terriermon and Guilmon up, and they in turn poke at the others until everyone's awake. Ruki hops out of the car as soon as Jen kills the engine and stretches her muscles while Jen takes off his jacket, then helps Ruki into it, as promised.

Luckily, the others are too tired to comment, though they observe the couple's interaction curiously. It's the first time they've ever seen Ruki and Jen actually show any sort of affection.

"Come on, then." Ruki says, ignoring their blatant staring. The group follows her up to her office, where a man and a woman they vaguely recognize from earlier wait outside her door.

Ruki greets them and leads everyone into her office, where they begin the hour-long process of taking statements. There's not much to say and most of the details are repeated over and over, but the agents have a list of questions they need to ask everyone and the Tamers go along with it for the sake of protocol, hoping their co-operation will speed things up.

Juri calls while Hirokazu is in the middle of telling his version of the afternoon's events.

"Is everyone alright?" She asks, nearly tripping over her own words. "I can't believe it. Wild Digimon attacking our town, again? And I wasn't there! Culumon didn't even notice!"

"Juri," Ruki says, trying to calm the other girl down. The name draws everyone's attention. "We're fine. Everything's okay now, we're back in my office. And don't blame yourself; Hypnos didn't even notice anything was going on until it was too late."

"Oh… okay, then." Juri sighs hesitantly. "Is… is Takato there?" She adds shyly. Ruki rolls her eyes and thrusts the phone at Takato, who accepts the device with a hint of pink in his cheeks and retreats to the opposite corner of Ruki's office. Hirokazu pauses in the middle of his story to laugh at his friend.

Jen is sitting on the sofa pushed up against the office's only window, and Ruki joins him since her desk has been taken over by the two agents. It's a tight fit with Kenta there and Terriermon perched on the side, but Jen pulls her down and keeps her by his side, holding her closer than she would prefer in front of their friends and two strangers.

The agents don't seem to notice and she doesn't want to cause a scene, so she leans into him without protest and ignores the burn of Kenta's eyes upon them. The boy quickly averts his focus and noticeably avoids them to be polite. Ruki knows there's always been a reason why she prefers him to Hirokazu.

"You haven't eaten, have you?" Jen murmurs, low enough that she's the only one to catch it.

"According to Takato, neither have you."

"Yes, but I'm not the one growing a little person inside of her." After all the chaos of this afternoon, even with sheer exhaustion written across his features, Jen smiles brightly at her, his eyes shining. Ruki fights against the voice reminding her that they have an audience and laces her fingers with his, bringing their joined hands to rest on her stomach. The late afternoon sunlight streaming in through the window bounces off her ring.

"I think the baby's started moving," She whispers, curling into Jen's side. Kenta must have overheard because he makes an awkward choking sound and nearly jumps out of his seat in relief when the agents call on him and tell him it's his turn. Thankfully, Hirokazu chooses to stand by his friend's side and provide commentary to his story rather than come over and take up Kenta's vacant seat.

"You mean she's started moving."

"We won't find out until next week." Ruki reminds him. The baby had been in a hide-and-seek mood during their last appointment, so the doctor had given them the option to either wait until their next scheduled appointment or come in again two weeks later. They chose the latter.

"Let's just say… I've got a feeling." Jen smiles as Ruki leans her head on his shoulder and sighs happily, basking in the warm sunlight. With Kenta gone, she can probably stretch out a bit, re-position herself so that she's not half-seated in Jen's lap. But she's too comfortable to bother.

"I've got a feeling, too." She confesses, closing her eyes. Here, curled into Jen's side, safe in her office, far from the monsters they had battled just this afternoon, Ruki finally gives in to the heaviness weighing down her eyelids.

She dozes off.

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They get home around five and after an early dinner, or very late lunch, Renamon excuses herself.

"Please, just stay away from the Digital World." Ruki asks of her partner before the fox can disappear. "We don't know who's behind today's attack yet and Hypnos is still detecting anomalies."

"I am curious and concerned for my home world," Renamon admits after a pause. "But I do not think it would be wise to return now, not on my own."

"Okay." Ruki says, relief coloring her voice. "I'll see you later, then."

"I will not be long." Her partner assures her, and then Ruki is alone in the kitchen. She makes her way to the living room, where Terriermon is curled up and watching bad reality shows. If you call him out on his taste in TV programming, the rabbit will defend himself and claim he's studying humans, just like Renamon. Ruki knows this from experience; it had made for a very amusing conversation.

Jen appears not long after she sits down next to the Digimon, and joins them with a laugh when he realizes they're watching one of Terriermon's favorite game shows. When drops of water fall from his still-damp hair and land on her left arm, Ruki snatches the towel around Jen's neck and absent-mindedly starts towel-drying his hair. He's taken aback, but remains silent. Every day is a new page to add to his catalogue of ways Ruki can show affection without saying a word.

She tosses the towel into his lap when she's done and keeps her eyes focused on the screen while he gets up to throw it in the laundry hamper. End credits are rolling by the time Jen returns, prompting Terriermon to jump down to the ground.

"I'm going to sleep." The rabbit announces between yawns and stretches.

"It's only six-thirty." Jen points out.

"Yeah, but I'm exhausted." Terriermon says, padding off in the direction of the room he shares with Renamon. He's got a crib there, like a human child's. Renamon had insisted on a simple mattress and would not accept even a bedframe. "Good night, guys."

"Good night." Ruki calls back, watching in amusement as the sleepy rabbit nearly walks into a wall and stumbles twice before reaching his door. "He wasn't joking about being exhausted." She says to Jen, who's flipping through channels for something better to watch.

He lands on a news program, which is airing a report on this afternoon's battle. Those helicopters had captured some decent footage, after all.

Ruki snatches the remote and turns the channel to a documentary.

"Hey," Jen protests half-heartedly.

"I've had more than enough of that battle for today." Ruki says, moving herself so that she's stretched out across the sofa, her head in Jen's lap. She grabs his right hand and places it on her stomach.

"Baby's moving." She tells him, too caught up in the moment to mask the glee in her voice. Her hand guides his, moving around a bit. "Right there." She presses down on a specific spot.

"Books say it'll take a while before I can feel it." Jen reminds her, smiling at the excited way she had snatched his hand.

"Damn." Ruki's smile falters, though her lips quickly curve upwards once more as she detects more flutters.

"It's okay," He assures her. "I've waited a long time for this baby; I can wait a little longer until she's strong enough so that I can feel her kick."

Ruki says nothing at the reminder that he's wanted this even before she ever thought of it as possibility, that every development she's blindsided by is a turn Jen has been expecting for a long time. He'd been the one to tell her that they should be able to find out the gender once she hits sixteen weeks, and though they both spend a lot of time reading up on books written for first-time parents, Jen is definitely the more dedicated student.

"I called up the municipal office." Ruki says instead. "They said we can go any day and just sign some papers."

That's the wedding they're planning.

"My father asked us to wait. Apparently my grandmother on his side is determined that we let her pick a date."

"Let me get this straight: her grandson knocked a woman up and is having a shotgun wedding, and all she's concerned about is the day we pick to get married?" Ruki laughs.

"I'll have you know that this is not, by any means, a shotgun wedding." Jen tickles her side, causing Ruki to jolt upright and rush to the opposite end of the sofa. "Wikipedia defines a shotgun wedding as a wedding that is arranged to avoid emba-"

Ruki groans. "Renamon got you into Wikipedia. I should've seen this coming."

"No, Ruki, listen," Jen sounds unbearably earnest, and his eyes show nothing but sincerity. "A shotgun wedding is arranged to avoid embarrassment due to an unplanned pregnancy, and we've established that isn't why we're getting married." He reaches forward to pull her back. "I don't care what other people think but I want you to remember that, okay? I'm not marrying you because of the baby."

She pulls him closer and kisses him because it's easier than looking into his eyes. "Okay."

"How long is it going to take your grandmother to pick a day?" Ruki asks as they settle down.

"I don't know." Jen admits. "Hopefully not too long but you can't rush these things, unless you want our marriage to be doomed the minute we sign those papers." He exaggerates.

"Pretty sure that has nothing to do with the day you choose to get married." Ruki points out, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"Pretty sure you know nothing about the ancient Chinese art of feng shui." Jen retorts.

Ruki shrugs. "True." She concedes, and they both laugh.

After a while, she speaks up. "You do know feng shui has nothing to do with picking a date, right?"

"Ruki," He grins, "frankly, I have no idea what feng shui is."

She swats him on the arm and turns so that her eyes are on the TV, not him.

"Tell her to hurry up," Ruki says, deliberately avoiding his eyes. "I'm not a very patient person."

"Hey," Jen bumps her shoulder with his own, drawing her attention back to him. "I'm pretty impatient to marry you too."


This is as close to a filler-chapter as this story has gotten so far. I'm not very happy with it but what do I know, I'm just the girl who bangs away at a keyboard all day.

What do you guys think? Oh, and I'll be getting back to reviews and messages soon, I promise. I've just been a bit short on time.

E Salvatore,

November 2014.