Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

What's Left of You

Chapter: 10

Renamon made her way through the Nonaka household, the cold gleam of moonlight illuminating its interior, giving it a ghostly, otherworldly appearance that the vixen rather liked. Passing by the rooms of Rumiko and Seiko, she paused briefly, listening to the breathing of their occupants before moving on, satisfied that they were all right while continuing her rounds. The adults, at least slept soundly. Rika however, for her part, merely slept.

Pausing at her partner's room, the kitsune drew back her door just enough to look inside, finding her wrapped up in her futon, a slight frown on her face. Her dreams were unsettled. That much was obvious even without their psychic link, and had been these last two days. Curious, Renamon brushed her thoughts against their connection, and the girl made a slight moan in response, turning over in her futon. Withdrawing from their connection, sensing Rika's desire to confront her dreams alone, she slid the door shut and made her way outside, where the cool air greeted her with a friendly, welcoming touch. She was soon in the air, bounding off the wall surrounding the house and leaping from rooftop to rooftop, steadily making her way into the city. Landing atop a ledge, she rose and looked out over the gleaming streets below. Although a familiar sight to her, it felt that it had been a long time since she had simply gone out and took in the sights of Shinjuku. She rarely left Rika's side, and especially now she was reluctant to do so, but she felt a quick checkup on Takato was due, if only for Rika's peace of mind once she woke up in the morning.

The vulpine digimon narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, once more considering Rika's feelings regarding her fellow Tamer. The day had…changed things somehow, though she couldn't quite place a claw on it.

A scent, perhaps? Her tail flicked about her in agitation. Guilmon would know better. But it was subtle. The change is there.

She closed her eyes, thinking back on when the group broke apart and went their own ways.

Even Jeri noticed it, she mused, thinking of how the brown-haired girl had looked when she saw how Rika had rushed up to Takato before any of them could even react, taking hold of his hand before hugging him. Perhaps that was the reason for the change? There could be no denial that Jeri liked Takato in a 'more than friends' manner and that Takato felt much the same in return, but the distance between them, greater now as a result of Jeri's father's desire to protect her following first the events of her capture by the D-Reaper, and then the Parasimon attack on Shinjuku, served as a deterrent against the two of them growing closer. Jeri no doubt felt this quite keenly.

Perhaps even more so when she sees how close Rika has become to Takato in her absence. Especially in light of recent events. No doubt it reminds her of all the things she can't do. That it's harder for her to help with.

The vulpine digimon pressed her lips together tightly, pondering the growing complexity of the situation, wondering if Rika's apparent deepening feelings for Takato – if that's what they were – would be good for everyone involved. Rika, she knew, didn't have any friends by the time she became a Tamer. Acquaintances, yes, but no one that she could truly consider a confident for her heart or vice versa. Since truly accepting her as her digimon partner, things changed, and to her benefit, but it didn't change the fact that Rika still, even to this day, held certain immaturities and insecurities with regards to her emotions and how she interacted with others.

Could it be possible that she was confusing her sympathy for Takato as something more?

Of course, this is all assuming that this is more than it appears at first glance. Renamon folded her arms together at that. It could be as Jeri says. We may be thinking too much about it. Perhaps it's best to leave things be, at least for now. Takato needs help adjusting to his current condition after all. Rika wants to help, and she can help. She can be there when he needs someone.

Still, the thought continued to nag at her. Rika rarely spoke about being in love or love in general, except in annoyance during the Valentine's Day and White Day celebrations. She went out on a date with Ryo on one occasion, during one of his rare visits to Shinjuku, though Rika never called it such herself, and nothing more seemed to come out of it than a visit to the movies and a game shop. If anything, the anger she often expressed toward the Legendary Tamer remained, and in some ways, even deepened.

As to why this was, Rika didn't elaborate, save that it wasn't from anything Ryo did or didn't do. Their outing had been fine, leaving Renamon to wonder if that by itself had been the problem.

There may be a way to find out how Rika feels, she thought. Guilmon's nose is quite sensitive. More so than mine and Terriermon's. Perhaps he can detect how Rika feels about his Tamer. After all, he knows how Takato and Jeri feel about each other, and he has mentioned before how their scents change around one another…

Something to ask him once they saw each other the next day. The trick was how to ask appropriately.

Perhaps this is too much an invasion of Rika's privacy, she thought, closing her eyes. Yet, at the same time, she didn't want to go into this fully blind. Any little bit of information would help her help Rika if she needed it, and if she understood Rika's emotions better…

The vulpine digimon allowed her thoughts to trail off. There was time yet to consider things, and she still needed to check in on Takato to make sure he was doing all right. She was allowing herself to be distracted too easily by this concern. Unfolding her arms, Renamon leapt back out into the air, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, drawing ever closer to the Matsuki bakery…

Renamon paused on a flagpole just on the edge of the park, tilting her head to one side questioningly.

Is that…Guilmon I sense? Curious, she diverted her course, entering the park and vanishing into the tree line. It didn't take long for her to zero in on her fellow companion, and soon she took note that Takato was with him as well. As to why they were out here, well past the time that they were supposed to be in bed, she didn't know or understand. Was there another one of Armageddamon's 'family' out here, attacking them?

She drew up to the edge of a clearing overlooking a baseball field, one that she remembered quite well, and took in the surrounding area with her enhanced senses. She frowned, detecting no other digimon, save for Guilmon. There was just the crimson reptile and his partner. What could they be…?
"Digi-modify!" she heard Takato shout. "Biomerge activate!"

The pieces fell into place as Renamon sat on the tree branch, continuing to watch the scene unfold.

###

"Takato?" Guilmon began as Takato stood there motionless, his digivice tucked into the armpit of his stump, card-slot facing outward, and a sheet of paper torn off from his notepad hanging in his hand. The boy stared at the paper – one of several, the work of over an hour's thought – for a moment before hanging his head.

"Nothing… Nothing again…" he said in a harsh whisper, his tone tinged with frustration. Approaching him, Guilmon placed a claw on his hand, tugging at him slightly.

"Takato, why don't we go home? It's late out and you might catch a cold."

"No!" Takato's eyes shot up, blazing fiercely. "We can figure this out! I've just…got to come up with something!" Turning up the sheet of paper, he ran through its contents again. A crude – very crude – drawing of a stick figure in a circle, with some small scribblings of something that could be classified as writing detailing what the drawing was supposed to represent. Himself biomerged with Guilmon again.

"Maybe… Maybe if I just…add more details… Or maybe if I draw you around me, then maybe it'll work?"

Guilmon's gold-colored eyes shone worriedly in the light of the moon.

"Takato… Your mom's going to be worried if she finds out that we're not in bed."

"I believe your partner has raised an excellent point," came the voice of Renamon as she emerged from the shadows, causing the two companions to whirl about in surprise. "Several excellent points as a matter of fact."

"Renamon!" Takato exclaimed, his mouth dropping open before he looked about, half expecting Rika to show up from out of nowhere as well. Seeing this, Renamon chuckled slightly.

"Rika is still at home, sleeping, just like you should be. You risk compromising your health by staying up so late."

"I'll be fine," Takato replied determinedly, his eyes set in a deep frown. "I mean, it's not like I can get any worse, right?"

Renamon folded her arms together at that, her own eyes shining, and not from amusement.

"Don't be a fool, Takato," she told him. "You are many things, but this is not something you are known for. Don't add it to the list, if not for your sake, then for those that care about you. Right now, you are supposed to be sleeping. Do you need to be tied to your bed now?"

Takato met her eyes levelly, and to his credit, managed to hold her gaze for several seconds, his gaze angry and defiant, before finally falling away, his shoulders sagging in exhaustion.

"I just…wanted to try and fix my problem with biomerging," he explained, shifting in his place uncomfortably.

"And that justifies compromising yourself?"

"It's not like I'm any good to anyone right now anyway, right?" Takato shouted, his bottled emotions exploding outward for the briefest of moments before he realized what – and who – he was doing it to. Shame twisted up his features and he hastily looked away.

"I-I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't… I mean…"

Unfolding her arms, the vulpine digimon approached Takato and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Go on," she said softly. "Whatever is in your heart, let it out. We're your friends, and we're here for you."

She felt Takato tense up at that, his remaining hand clenching and unclenching as he flexed his fingers around the sheet of paper in his grasp. After a moment, there came the sound of his digivice clattering on the dirt as it slipped free from his stump. With a heavy sigh, he reached down and awkwardly lifted it back up, muttering an annoyed complaint under his breath.

"Takato?" the kitsune prompted. It was obvious that Takato's situation weighed heavily on his mind – and how could it not? – and that his being out here with Guilmon, trying to find a way to biomerge, was his attempt at trying to deal with it. His apparent lack of success in that regard darkened his mood. While he tended to wear his emotions on his sleeve, he also had the tendency to, like Henry, Rika and Jeri, bottle things up and pretend that they didn't exist until they exploded outward. She remembered the desperation he had in his voice during their final battles with the D-Reaper, where it seemed as though his ability to keep himself from charging recklessly into the D-Reaper's zone of influence was hanging by a thread.

He was so easy to read for any of them. He couldn't keep a secret from anyone, no matter how hard he tried.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Takato said quietly, "but it's…kind of weird seeing you asking me to offload on you about how I'm feeling."

"I can certainly see why you would feel that way," Renamon acknowledged. "Nonetheless, I will stand by you as long as Rika does." She paused, tilting her head to one side before adding, "She cares a great deal about you."

Takato was silent for a moment, seeming to digest the kitsune's words before his hand, still holding his paper and digivice, drifted over to his empty right sleeve, brushing against it.

"When we were in the digital world… When it was just me, Henry and Terriermon, and Beelzemon had us cornered… I couldn't do anything to help. All I could do was just sit there and watch. I was just…dead weight."

Renamon considered this for a moment before speaking.

"And you feel this way now?"

"I…guess?" Takato shrugged, though his expression was hard. "If Guilmon and I can't biomerge, then that kind of limits what we can do, right? What sort of things we can help out with. If a Mega were to show up again like they've been doing lately, we wouldn't be able to back you guys up."

He dropped his hand from his sleeve, tightening his grip around his digivice.

"I was hoping that I could fix things. I mean, the digital world is made of wishes, and…it should be easy to just…wish that Guilmon and I can biomerge again, just like we used to. Arm or no arm…"

Renamon tilted her head again at this. "Not rebuild your arm?"

She felt Takato grow rigid again at that. Sensing there was some hidden meaning to it, she squeezed his shoulder comfortingly and looked down at Guilmon, who shrugged, not certain as to why Takato didn't try the same thing himself.

"Takato?"

"I…don't know if that would be a good idea," Takato said after a moment. "I had a weird dream about that. That my arm turned into a monster and tried to kill me." Turning toward Renamon, he smiled in embarrassment and shrugged. "Kind of dumb, huh?"

"Perhaps," the vulpine digimon replied. "But perhaps it's also a warning. Your dreams have been rather…prophetic in the past, as I recall."

Takato felt heat rise in his face at that. "J-Just the one time," he stammered, and Renamon gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze again.

"Either way, it might be a good idea to wait until after Hypnos has had a look at you. We don't know how your injuries might have affected you and it could very well be that they may be able to fix that. But even without that…" Turning Takato toward her, she placed her other paw on his remaining shoulder, her frightening, blue-colored eyes looking into his crimson ones. "I do not believe for an instant that you cannot aid us, whether you are capable of biomerging or not. There are always other ways, and you have a knack for discovering them." A small smile touched her lips. "However haphazardly you tend to do so."

Takato looked up at the kitsune for a moment longer before breaking eye contact, chuckling lightly.

"Gee, thanks," he said with a touch of sarcasm before remembering he was talking to a ninja fox who could easily break him over her knee if she so felt like it. "I mean it though!" he continued a little too quickly, returning his gaze to hers. He soon visibly relaxed, and his words took on a more natural, honest tone. "I mean it. Thanks."

"You are most welcome," Renamon replied with a small smile before, awkwardly, embracing the teen, much to his surprise. It felt strange to the vixen to hold someone who wasn't Rika, and Takato didn't appear to know quite how to react to it either. After a moment, she withdrew.

"Too much?"

"I…" Takato looked down, scratching at the top of his head before shrugging uncertainly. "It's…different. I don't know if it's too much or what but…thanks?"

Deciding that was probably the best answer for either of them, she bowed politely to the Tamer, who now looked at her quizzically.

"Um… So… What are you doing out here anyway?" he asked.

"I was checking up on you," the vulpine digimon said, turning away, her tail swishing through the air. "And it seems, it was a good thing that I did so. Now, I believe it is time for you to return home. Or else you really will catch a cold."

"Wow," spoke up Guilmon, his voice full of awe. "Renamon, you sound just like a mom, you know that?"

"I am fairly certain mothers don't threaten to chain their children to their beds if they don't get enough sleep," Renamon chuckled, at which Takato and Guilmon exchanged an amused look.

"I'm pretty sure that's written in the mom rulebook," Takato grinned before bowing in turn to Renamon, a move that caused her eyebrows to rise up in surprise.

"Thanks again," the boy said.

"See you tomorrow," Renamon nodded, quickly recovering. And with that, the kitsune vanished into thin air, bounding away from him faster than his eyes could follow. Takato and Guilmon stared at the empty space where she had been before the boy let out a heavy sigh.

"Man…" the boy breathed, earning him a quizzical look from Guilmon.

"What's the matter, Takato?"

"I don't know. I guess…" He scratched at his head again before shaking his head. "I don't know. I'm just…tired. And I've got a lot on my mind." He barked a harsh laugh at that and waved the stump of his arm at Guilmon indicatively, the empty sleeve dangling beneath it whirling about in an almost obscene manner. "I mean, that seems kind of obvious, right?"

Guilmon scrunched his face up at that, not sure what to make of Takato's demeanor. It almost sounded…bitter. Seeing the look on Guilmon's face, Takato lowered his stump, and rubbed his hand over it.

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Takatomon," Guilmon said, bumping up against his leg affectionately. "We'll get through this, just like always."

Takato pressed harder against his stump, his expression uncertain.

"Yeah… Sure," he said quietly before releasing his grasp and looking down at his partner with a small smile.

"Are you ready to go, boy?"

Guilmon's answering leg bump told him all that was needed.

###

Renamon vaulted through the air, leaving her two companions behind. A part of her was concerned about her doing so, but another part knew that in spite of things, Takato and Guilmon would be able to find their way back home with little trouble.

At least, as long as there isn't another bio-emergence, she thought. But they have proven themselves capable of handling such dangers before, when they were less experienced and more vulnerable.

Drawing closer to Rika's home, she wondered what tomorrow would bring. Good news, hopefully, but nothing was certain, least of all in the real world, where chance was much harsher on the world's inhabitants. As she traveled, she replayed her conversation with Takato in her mind. It was…different from the other times when he was surrounded by friends and family, marked mainly by his being more honest with her, instead of trying to shrug her off and pretend there was nothing wrong with him. She had managed to see a bit beneath the mask he made for himself since becoming aware of his injury. Not much, but still a great deal more than she bargained for.

Why is that? she wondered, coming to a landing within the yard of the Nonaka residence. Of course, no answer came to her, but that was all right. She would ponder, question, and observe. Eventually, she would find an answer.

She made her rounds throughout the household again, though she didn't expect anything to have changed since she left, and as she thought, nothing had, save for Rika having turned away from a sliver of moonlight filtering into her room, brushing against her pillow. Settling herself down across from the young girl, she contemplated her, wondering if she should ask Guilmon what he thought before falling into a meditative trance, opting to leave such concerns for the morning and to take her own advice about the need for sleep.

Tomorrow was, after all, another day.

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