Gomen nasai for the EXTREMELY late update. Track started so I've been busy with that, I lost my flashdrive with all of my 'fics on it over my entire spring break, so I didn't get to work at all, so for all this I'm so so sorry! I've only got a page written in Wherever You Will Go, so that might be a while. The main thing I wanted to do was update this one, since I hardly ever write in this 'fic anymore. I love my plot, so I really don't wanna give up on it.

But apologies aside, here's chapter 8 of my Tamers fanfiction. Hope you enjoy!


Chapter 8: Just a Little Game

"Man, this is taking them way too long." I began to dry off my hair with a towel, having just turned off the shower after getting back from a nice long run. The night before, after Henry's little exploit of managing to run into a sliding door—twice—Takato "conveniently" decided to invite the bluenette on a run with me, of which he also invited himself on as well. And since neither one seemed to be the type to go out for runs every single morning, I found myself rather ahead of the game and always a block or two ahead and still increasing. "I lost track them a while back…"

As I began to wipe down my body, I heard the sound of the door shutting and then the proceeding sound of Takato's voice, which seemed to carry a heck of a lot more than it probably was supposed to and seemed to be answering something that Henry asked, "Huh, it doesn't look like Rai's here. Maybe she got lost somewhere. Oh well. So yeah, you can use the shower."

I didn't have any time to react before the door swung open and I found myself screaming as I wrapped myself up in the towel. "Henry, what the hell?" I shouted, the swearing just falling out of my mouth uncontrollably, feeling my face heat up like I had just stuck it in the oven, coming to the instantaneous realization that Henry had just seen me totally nude.

I had never seen his face turn so red since I met him. "Sorry! Sorry!" I could see his look change to one of complete and total panic, like he had just clicked the big red button that you're never supposed to click in all of those movies that I had seen. But right now, that was the least of my worries. Right now, I was one piece of cloth away from exposing myself completely.

And since I was pretty much at the panic mark myself, I did the first thing that came into my head. It had seen pretty reasonable at that hectic point. "Get out! Get out! Get out!" I screamed, grabbing a bar of soap and chucking it at him.

It nailed him on the head and seemed to just ricochet right off. And because it just managed to cluck him in noggin, he was quick to respond to the cheap shot that I was so eager to execute. "What was that for?"

And I had a response all ready to go like a key in the ignition. And it wasn't the fact that I was mad at Henry, despite the fact I just hit him with a bar of soap, it was really Takato that I was angry at. Man did he have the worst judgment. If we didn't look so frickin' similar, I wouldn't have believed we were even related. And at times, I wished we weren't. "If you weren't in here, it wouldn't have hit you! Now get the hell out!"

He was swift to flee from the scene and as soon as the door slammed shut behind him, I proceeded to collect my misplaced marbles as I continued wipe myself dry. "This is one downside of this trip…" I mumbled to myself, feeling the blood pulsating in my head as I brought the soft towel against my skin and glided it up my legs, one after the other. "…And yet, somehow this seems pleasurable…Hmm…"

I put on the attire that I picked out for the day: slightly faded blue jeans; a plain, soft yellow t-shirt; and a red, short-sleeved, button-up jacket [A/N: That's what I was wearing when I wrote this. If I was wearing different pants, I would be cosplaying Takuya]. Then I ran a brush through my naturally messy-looking hair once before walking out, hardly ready to challenge the day, but if I that determined my attendance to the living all around me, I'd rarely even get out of bed. So this had to suffice.

Feeling my face retain its abnormal, cherry-red color as my eyes laid upon Henry, I frowned as Takato mumbled to the bluenette, "Yep, she's pissed." Yeah, as if I wouldn't hear you talking about me. And I already know that I'm pissed.

Henry looked like he was trying hard not to groan at my cousin's overly-obvious statement and then answered back with a rhetorical question that was rather fitting to this situation and seemingly what I'd say at a time and situation similar to this one, "Whatever gave you that idea, Takato?"

I confronted my goggle-wearing cousin, my face inches from his just so I knew he could feel my breath on his face and gave my best Rika death stare that I could conjure up, along with a hiss, "I. Blame. You. And if you ever tell anyone about this, I will hit you so hard that your great, great grandchildren will hurt. Am I clear, Tomato?" I narrowed my eyes even as he carried on with his answer, trying to portray the feelings that ran through me.

He gulped loudly, enough that I probably would've been able to hear him from across the room. "Crystal." I could hear his voice crack just in fear that I might hit him or something. But I shouldn't just tempt myself like that.

I suddenly grinned and slapped him on the back as hard as I would've if he was choking on some sort of food. "Hehe, I'm just messin' with ya, Veggie!" I retorted, though still feeling the embarrassment coursing through my veins. I wouldn't hurt Takato even if I wanted to. He was too light-hearted to deserve any of the violence this world held; any of the violence that he was caught up in with the D-Reaper incident.

There was a long awkward pause as no one else really knew how to go from there. And so I suggested brightly, almost in an uncontrollable manner, "Now, let's avoid this awkward moment by going outside and pretending like nothing happened! Like this!" I made my exit and left them wondering what the heck just happened right there.

I walked through the house and into the bakery, saying good morning to my aunt and uncle while doing so. Before I could exit, my aunt Mei called over to me, catching me right before I was about to step through the automatic door which had just opened at the detecting of my figure, "Going out, Rai? You better take your pet."

At this, I stopped, and veered my head around. Pet? I felt my eyelids immediately tighten together. Salamon. "Oh God…" I groaned, looking at my aunt with the look that said 'what did she do now?' Ever since we had gotten here, Salamon was kinda on a short string with Mei. Sure, at first she loved the little devil to death for her outward cuteness, but that was opinion was short-lived as soon as she found out how much the beast ate in one sitting. And how much she loved to destroy things.

My uncle Takehiro took that as his cue to enter the room, holding a long loaf of French bread with a determined Salamon clamped onto one end with her teeth, heart-set on getting the rest of it into her belly. I wasn't sure how that'd actually all fit in there. "Hi, Rai!" my Digimon greeted me, never for a second loosening the tightness of her jaw.

I gave an unsure wave to my partner, envisioning a little sweatdrop dripping down the side of my face as I gave a cheesy grin. "Hey, Sal." I glanced at my uncle before saying, "She's not gonna let go until she knows it belongs to her. So you're gonna have to give it to her." It was rather embarrassing that my family had to go through so much bread only for me to make an excuse why it's justified for Salamon to eat it without pitching in or paying for it, but if I hadn't, this puppy Digimon probably—no, most definitely—would've gotten the boot a long time ago.

Mei signed as Takahiro merely chuckled and released the French bread, causing Salamon and her prize to drop to the floor with a thump. It seemed to please my uncle with each little victory my partner got, but I could only wish the same for my uptight aunt. I'd never say it to either one of their faces, but I preferred Takahiro over Mei, just for the freedom and crap. But this was confidential to my own thoughts, but that actually seemed to be popular opinion with all of Takato's friends as well.

I bowed to my relatives in my apology. I figured that that wouldn't cover my remorse enough after a certain point, so I had to use it as much as I could before the effect wore off with them. "Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. M!" I looked to my Digimon. "Come one, Salamon. We're headin' out." I began to head out the door, her at my heels.

Well, at least she was at my heels until she got to the door. The French bread she had wasn't quite short enough to get through the door, and so blocked her path, causing it to break in half when she tried to run through with it. And much to her dismay, the door closed in between her and her abandoned bread, and that was just too frickin' bad.

I scooped her up in my arms before she could turn back for her lost meal and it instantly went to the whining. "I told you that I don't like to be man-handled!" she complained, quoting Jedediah from the movie Night at the Museum. There were just some movies that she watched way too often, so often, in fact, she could probably recite the entire cast's lines in order from beginning to end. And this was one of those movies.

There was no hesitation in my response. It was out of my mouth in a single instant. "Shut up," I retorted back brusquely, ripping a chunk of her bread off and beginning to nibble on it, despite the complaints I was probably going to earn very soon that concern one of the following that was either 1) stealing, or 2) destruction of property.

"Is someone a little cranky?" I gave her a hard stare for her rhetorical question, saying nothing in response to it. "I thought running with your little sexy friend would've lightened your mood. Guess not. He better eventually or there's just no use of having him around." She suddenly grinned. "'Cept for something pretty to look at. Right, Rai?"

She was really trying to push my metaphorical buttons today. And this was more than usual. "Yeah. Sure." I turned my attention to the environment around us. I had begun walking down the sidewalk, scanning the windows of the buildings that towered over us. I stopped in front of the entrance of a card shop. "…Hey, check it out, Sal." I chuckled slightly, looking at the name of the shop and putting a grin onto my face.

"Yeah, this is so rich!" Salamon burst out laughing, nearly falling out of my arms and also dropping the French bread. "Who woulda thought that there was an actually trading card store called Card Shop? It's just like Yu-Gi-Oh!" She could hardly contain herself from the instantaneous excitement that suddenly sparked. "We have to go in! Maybe Mr. Moto works here! And maybe Yugi! Ooh! Ooh! And maybe Yami! Yami is hawt!"

I got my pleasure in this as well, despite the fact the name was probably in order to attract random anime-fanatics like myself, and so I walked in the building. It was rather heart-breaking to Salamon that there was no one from the Yu-Gi-Oh show here, but I had to admit that it was a rather pleasant little shop. There were shelves lined with different types of trading cards, a few mangas and comic books, and varieties of guides and rulebooks. The room was lit with several lights and had posters of different characters and protagonists all over the walls that advertized countless franchises. A nerd's paradise, ladies and gentlemen.

I paced the aisles, glancing here and there, glancing at all of the types of trading cards available. Catching my eye, I noticed a booster box with Angewoman printed on the package, briefly looked at the price, and then questioned to Salamon, "What do ya think, Sal? Worth the money?"

She gave her famous puppy grin as she immediately exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with delight, "Heck yeah! I'm on that box!"


After getting out of Card Shop, I walked to Guilmon's old home-place, where I figured that Takato would be at this point in the day. Except much to my surprise all of the guy Tamers that I had been introduced to at this point were there. They were all gathered around in a circle in the middle of the floor of Guilmon's house. I instantly saw that Kazu was whipping Kenta's gay, sorry butt at the Digimon card game.

I blinked a few times as I watched Kazu throw down a card, give a weird little cheer-whoop-brag-thing, and Kenta fall over backwards in defeat. "Man you guys are eccentric. It's just a game." They all peered to look at me as I said this and as I pulled out my box of new cards. "A game I'd like to learn how to play." I looked about at them, their attention now all on me. "Who's the unfortunate candidate that's gonna teach me?"

"Hey! No girls allowed!" Kenta wailed, a fast recovery from on the ground and back up to a sitting position. But it seemed like everyone just ignored him. Haha, poor sap.

Kazu, apparently giving not a crap to what his friend just blurted out, was the first to jump up, waving his hand in the air like an over-eager kid wanting to answer a question in school. "Ooh! Ooh! Pick me, Cupcake! Pick me!" His grin grew to easily the size and shape of a banana as he was the only one to vocalize their offer at this point.

Takato grinned deviously, his eyes darting over to Kazu without turning his head having a little glint within them. He then retorted rather flatly, right in the perfect moment to do so, "I think she meant someone with skill."

"Burn!" I exclaimed suddenly, causing everyone to give me a weird look. "What? Gotta commemorate a good burn. Nice going, Cous." I cast him a smile before getting my mind back onto the current conversation on hand. But it really was a good burn. Salamon has taught my cousin oh-so well. And maybe potentially too well.

"Well, then it can't be you then!" Kazu countered Takato, trying to get a good mark against the damage already thrown against him. But since this one really sucked, I was pretty sure I could hear crickets filling the silence. Cricket, cricket…

My cousin wiped off the visor-wearing kid's remark like dust collected on a shelf and then said rather matter-of-factly, "I didn't mean me anyway. Why would I want to teach her how to play Digimon? She's my cousin." He said it as if my relation to him was disgusting or something. Trying to act tough in front of all of his buddies. Must be a guy thing that went along with asking directions.

"'Cause you're just that nice of a person?" I questioned rhetorically, knowing that he didn't really give a crap anyway. I heard Salamon right after I said this make a 'Pfft! Yeah right!' from on my shoulder and the 'pfft' casting spit from her mouth onto my cheek. Yeah, gee thanks.

Again, Takato managed to just brush off the words directed to him as he responded, "Yeah. Sure. Let's go with that. Actually I was thinking, Henry because—" I cut him off before he could finish whatever he was saying.

"You don't wanna show me how much you suck?"

He narrowed his eyes at me and crossed his arms across his chest. Apparently I wasn't allowed to insult his Digimon card playing skills or something. Because it grew deathly silent at that point, even the crickets stopped and that always meant something big. "I'm just gonna ignore that remark…" Yeah, like you have for the past while, I answered mentally.

I couldn't help but grin, playing my words how they instantly appeared in my head, keeping rather calm throughout my speaking. "You're really pissed now, aren't you? I can see it in your eyes. You're burning up inside, Tomato. Soon you'll be a cooked vegetable, maybe even a steamed vegetable. I'd pay to see that one."

"You're still on the tomato-thing?" He actually seemed surprised at this, even though he should've known enough by now to realize it just won't stop.

My voice came out rather proud and pleased with myself. "It shall never die…" After a moments pause and with no other remarks coming my way, "Well, anyway, back to the original topic of discussion… Who will it be?"

Instantly, Kazu came up to me again, moving with practically light-speed. "It's not too late, Cupcake! I'll show you a time you'll never forget—" Are you turning this into who gets to go on a date with me? "—and show you more skill than any of these dweebs could ever display!" He sounded extremely big-headed, so big his head probably won't be able to fit through the doorway when he leaves.

And this was another insult to Takato's card-playing skills. But anything that Kazu said should've been like water on a duck's back to him by now. Maybe I just set him off for a jump off the deep end. "What? Are you saying you're a better Tamer than me?"

Kazu brought himself into a hunched up position, trying to make himself seem much taller than his goggle-wearing friend, trying to loom over him like a tower. "I don't lie." His smugness was building up like an over-inflated balloon, going hand-in-hand with his over-inflated ego.

"I'll make a liar out of you yet." Takato pulled out his cards and took Kenta's place where he was sitting, getting his game face on like he was preparing for some big war or something. And I had a deep suspicion that this might just be the beginning of World War Three.

"You're on, Chumley!" Kazu quickly collected his cards from the mat placed between them and shuffled the deck, never looking away from his new opponent. Their gazes were locked with a deep tension that couldn't be broken if you came at it with a hammer.

I inched over towards Henry, who hadn't spoken a single word through this entire event, and leaned over as I questioned in a half-innocent tone, pointing with a single finger over toward the bickering rivals, "Did I do that?"

The bluenette shrugged indifferently, not really glancing at me through this affair. "This happens a lot. You'll get used to it eventually." He waited for a response, but I gave him none, having little to nothing else to say in accordance with that matter. "C'mon, I'll show you how to play. That is…" He paused to glance back at Takato and Kazu, who were pretty much at each other's necks at this point. "…if you're still interested."

"Sure. I just know who not to ask for favors now." Beginning to open the box of cards, I followed him out of the building and to the stone steps that led down and through the whole park. We sat down on the top step and placed down the cards beside me. I bowed to show my respects, grinning. "Okay, what first, oh great card master sir?"

He chuckled at my remark, his beautiful blue hair blowing gently in the wind that had begun to blow. "First, we should probably start out with the basics, like distinguishing the different types of cards. You know what Modify cards look like, right?"

I scavenged through the cards and pulled one out, holding it out for him to see. "These are it, right?" But before I could say anything more, or he could respond, the card was whipped out of my hand and blew off somewhere before I could track it with my eyes.

But I instantly heard a cry coming from Takato an instant later, giving me the knowledge as to where it went. "Ow! Paper cut on my nose! Ow! Paper cut! Papercut!" I could hear his tone change immediately. "Okay! Who threw that card?"

Me and Henry exchanged glances and I mumbled, "Oops…"

After a few moments of merely pondering and absorbing the sound of my cousin's complaining, I heard the bluenette sitting next to me erupt into laughter. I smiled at the sound that came from his lips; it was so different, yet in some unknown way rather charming. And because of that, I couldn't resist the small desire to laugh along with him. The fact of what had just clearly gone down was in a demeanor, so astonishing, so accidentally yet perfectly executed, that it was worth laughing at, to be honest.

With a small chuckle, I made out the words to him, "Heh, your laugh." This was just something I couldn't hold back from him, even though he probably already knew this fact I was about to tell him.

He raised an eyebrow at my fragment. "What about it?" he questioned, looking at me with those bright silver eyes.

"I don't know," I responded back, grinning in a cheesy way and feeling my face turn a dark crimson hue because I had just realized what I had stepped into, "It's just that it's so…it's so dorky, it's cute."

His face gained that rosy pink hue as his eyes darted away from my face and disappeared under his eyelids momentarily. "Oh…uh, thank you, I…guess…?" It was apparent that by his reaction no one had ever complemented his laugh before. Such a shame.

To be sincere, I had no problem with this noting of his little…er, quirk, despite how it was actually written on my face. Some of these things could just fall out of my mouth without much difficulty, usually on its own and without my permission. It was one of those situations when my mouth didn't even give a crap as to what I thought.

I felt a smile creep onto my face, the satisfaction of flustering him in his words filling me like the warmth that comes with sipping sweet wine. Not that I drink or anything, it's just a very convenient metaphor that I happen to have a little bit of knowledge in—I mean, uh…ugh, never mind.

He scratched the back of his head, craning his neck so that I wasn't able to see his face at all. "Soooo…" I could just imagine the look on his face; that expression of muddle put together with his embarrassment. It was a great combination. "Wanna continue with the game?"

I shrugged, even though I knew that he couldn't see me do so. Then, grinning, I retorted back smugly, "Sure. If you can without hitting Tomato with a card."

His head veered around to glance at me with one of his looks that showed that what I had just said didn't make any sense. "That was all you, Rai. I had no part in that."

"Ya sure?" I questioned. "'Cause I'm pretty sure you did."

He returned to me a puzzled expression, taking no time to consider his answer. "Yeah. Certain of it."

"Oh…Well, I still don't believe you."

"I've already stopped caring."

"Ah-hah! So I win, then!"