DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, but I do own the OCs introduced in this story and later stories (except where stated).

Thanks to Crazyeight for beta-reading.


DIMENSIONS

BOOK 6 - TRICKS

CHAPTER 11

The Trick To Keeping A Secret


TUESDAY, 6TH JULY 2010


Guilmon's Hideout, Shinjuku Park

08:03 JST

The morning was already bright by the time that Rika reached the small concrete hut hidden just off the tree-lined paths of the park. The park was rather quiet, those who would normally be able to visit on a weekday being at home still, and those going to work and school too busy commuting to be able to stop off in a park. The sounds of traffic horns and a gentle breeze rustling through the trees were audible, lacking the laughing children and arguing teens you would normally have. Nonetheless, some made a special point of meeting up here, chief among which were the Tamers, who used this particular spot as a sort of meeting place. There was no agreement on it; they just seemed to use it as a meeting spot. The Tamers as a group were far less coherent than the Digidestined of the TV series, and now real life. Sure, Takato acted kind of like a leader, but as Rika had noted several times back in the early days, there was no vote on it. He had proved his skill as the leader several times, albeit lacking the natural determination and courage that Tai and Davis emitted, the former more than the later.

Currently, a red haired girl sat on the steps of the hideout, awaiting another Tamer who was all too familiar to her, for numerous reasons. But for now, she was occupied in her thoughts, contemplating once again what she had learnt the previous day. The past few days, she had learnt so much, perhaps too much for such a short time period. But she knew that her life would never be the same ever again.

Renamon and her had discussed the matter of the digi-egg the previous day, not going into too many details on the nitty-gritty of it, although Rika did not need to know that. Renamon had expressed surprise at how accepting Rika had been of the fact, but Rika was not about to judge Renamon having made practically the same mistake herself.

Nonetheless, whoever was to blame aside this was just another thing on top of a growing pile of concerns for the girl. Be it the child in her womb, the digi-egg hidden at her home, or the Demons that threatened to destroy all she cared for, everything was against her right now. The worst thing was that for once, she felt alone in all of it. She hadn't felt that alone since their early days, in particular, after IceDevimon had inadvertently caused her to disown Renamon. Although she didn't notice at the time, Rika had felt so lonely in all that time. She had dismissed the emotion when she was feeling it, but now she knew it all too well.

The thing was, she had no reason to feel it. Beyond the omnipresent voice in her mind, that of a God who she was a part of (although, unusually, the voice was actually her as well: Harmony had suggested it was simply the human mind's way of coping with the stresses), she had her near-omnipresent Digimon partner, Renamon, and her usually-present partner-in-love, Takato, not to mention the other tamers and Digidestined, be they annoying, like Kazu or Davis, friendly, like Kari or Jeri, or just insightful, like Henry or Izzy (although the latter she considered to be a bit too much of a computer nerd to be truly insightful).

So why did she feel alone?

Maybe it was because she knew it was all so tenuous. Occasionally she had wished for a normal life, oblivious to the real dangers that the city's hidden residents presented. Because with knowledge came fear. Fear of losing everything she held dear.

Anyone she loved could say whatever they wanted, be it "I'll be there", "I will always protect you", or those two cursed words, "whatever happens", because in the end, it meant nothing. Ryder had been lucky not to die, and his death had highlighted the true nature of their lives. All it would take would be a rampant Mammothmon, a powerful Demon, or just a car accident, and those words would fade to mean nothing.

What would she do if Takato died? He could say he'd be there as much as he wanted, because it really never meant anything. What would she do if Renamon died? She could say she'd protect Rika as much as she wanted, because it really never meant anything. What would she do if her mother or grandmother died?

Rika paused in her thoughts; she'd never even contemplated the last one before. She'd been fearful for her parents during the D-Reaper, and likewise when the Demon Lords attacked, but she'd never truly contemplated the potential aftermath that their deaths would have, and not at all the potential aftermath that their deaths would have with the prospect of her having a child as well.

Rika frowned, that reminded her of another of the risks. She was now living her life for two people, and she knew that nothing was keeping her alive beyond Harmony's empty words. Ryder was an Angel, a godly being himself, but he had died. Nothing was protecting them. If she died, her child, Rey, died too, with untold effects on reality, as they knew it. Even if she weren't to die herself, she knew that her unborn child was fragile, and that she could no longer take the same risks she used to take in the most dire of situations, such as leaping off the side of the pit in an attempt to stop the D-Reaper from destroying everything, an attempt that was only limited in its success.

Another fear, or at least a worry, dominated her mind. Even if Takato weren't to die, even if none of them were to die, how could she really be sure he'd stay? Maybe not straight away, maybe only once the pressure of fatherhood got to him, but a faint yet growing worry plagued the mind of the young woman. Takato wasn't exactly the most determined or confident of people. To be perfectly honest, both of them knew who really "wore the trousers" in their relationship. Takato had shown himself to both be a coward and a hero in situations akin to this, but never this major before. But this wasn't a battle, a war or a kidnapping. This was a child; something so innocent, and yet so sinister. Something that shouldn't turn their lives upside down so much, instead being something that should always be treated as a blessing, but undoubtedly would in the end manage to flip everything on its back regardless.

Rika clenched her right hand into a fist. What was she doing? How could she doubt Takato? Why hadn't she told Takato about her real worries? Weren't they meant to tell each other everything?

Rika glanced across to her partner, the fox looking up in readiness for hearing, be it with words or telepathy, what Rika had to say. Rika shook her head.

"Almost everything at least," she thought, recalling the digi-egg once again.

Renamon frowned; Rika must have had some reason to look to her in such a way. Renamon was almost completely certain what it was that caused the glance, but she knew that pursuing the point to be completely certain would get no answer.

Renamon was glad for one thing right now; Rika wasn't going to tell anyone about the fox's secret. Renamon knew that Rika had enough to think about right now regardless.

With the concern of telling Rika now evaporated, Renamon's mind was able to think about other things, such as how to tell Guilmon, or the rest of their group, about her own secret.

A thought occurred to her as she dismissed it initially. The thought refused to budge, as Renamon gazed down at her tail, swishing it round to one side as she considered a fact she had overlooked.

"Is Realmon my child?" she asked herself, her eyes widening. She frowned, holding back the rash guess. She knew she was not alone in her race, and she knew that Digimon were now able to breed, so she couldn't jump to such conclusions without more evidence yet. She would have to find out more before she did so, because the consequences of jumping to conclusions had been illustrated in the past many times.

She couldn't help but consider contemplating the thought, however.

A call from nearby awakened her from her thoughts, as she looked up to see Takato running up towards them, Guilmon bounding along in front of him, the pair as cheerful and near-unaffected by the painful realities as ever. Rika, despite wanting to, couldn't smile. Renamon's faint smile at seeing the "innocent" Guilmon was short lasted, as she recalled that that word was no longer usable to define him.

"Good morning Takato," Rika asked, lacking the cheeriness that he had had when greeting her. Takato stood on the lowest step, near where she sat two steps above.

"Are you okay?" Takato asked, his optimism vanishing as he noticed the girl's dour expression and pose.

"I was sick this morning, what do you think?" she answered bitterly, looking him in the eyes.

"Oh…sorry," Takato stuttered out in response.

Rika exhaled through her nose, her expression saddening. "It's not your fault…not entirely at least…I guess I just have to get used to it," she answered, moving to one side on her step and gesturing for him to sit next to her, which he did, stretching his legs out down the steps and reminding her that in the past few months, he had overtaken her in height to be about two inches taller. The silence drew on, the peace of the park contrasting with the inner conflict of all of those by the hideout with the exception of the red dinosaur, who was currently contemplating why Renamon was being so quiet, and hadn't yet greeted him that morning.

"Are you okay?" Guilmon asked. Renamon looked up, snapping out of her thoughts and looking down to him where they both stood on the inclined grass.

"Yes Guilmon," she answered, her voice continuing as always with its wisdom, depth and maturity, that which she had held (apart from a few examples of taunting within battles) ever since she had first come to this world.

"You don't seem okay. What's wrong?" Guilmon continued, Renamon lightly smiling at his amazing perceptiveness, adding yet another confirmation to her theory that Guilmon was actually incredibly bright and had a huge capacity in terms of intellect, but simply lacked practical knowledge of the world to apply it to, and his time was usually diverted by his incredible hunger.

Renamon frowned again, however, as she looked down to him, their eyes meeting and a silent pleading for acceptance of no answer passing between them, without even requiring the telepathy which Renamon and Rika would use. Guilmon frowned, before sitting his bottom down on the ground below in a clumsy manner.

Renamon's hand gently landed on his head in a show of reassurance, Guilmon smiling as he looked up to her, feeling her hand press down his bat-like ears before they sprung up once again. He closed his eyes, feeling the fur cross his reptilian skin as his nostrils silently flared, taking in the smells of the area, from the faint distant musk of pollution to the distinctive smell of Renamon above him, all identified as separate smells in his mind and categorised as threats, friends or background smells. It would take a great level of skill to avoid this talent, one that seemed to be even more able in sensing enemy Digimon than Renamon herself, who was always considered to be the one with the best instincts in the group.

"So how are we going to tell them exactly?" Takato asked, interrupting the peace that had descended, a rare peace compared to their hectic lives, be it with battles, hospital or school.

"They're coming over for dinner on Saturday, aren't they? You did ask your folks, didn't you?" Rika replied, looking to him with curiosity, and being concerned about his answer if it were to be in the negative.

"Yeah, I did, but that's not what I meant. I meant how exactly do we phrase it? Do we just randomly throw it in to the conversation, or do we like, set it up beforehand?"

"You're over thinking this Takato."

Takato chuckled. "Heh, I know, rare for me eh?"

Rika nodded, sighing as she looked down to the stone step below. Takato had, even if unintentionally, reminded her of one thing that she was not looking forward to this week. Seiko had expressed pleasure about the concept of having dinner with Takato's parents, the meeting between Tamer's parents being few and far between as they were. She had also promised to avoid letting Rumiko cook, something that the model had initially objected to before she accepted the fact. Seiko was a good cook, and it did surprise Rika that it hadn't really rubbed off on her daughter, apart from some occasional moments of brilliance during the D-Reaper crisis when she, under the watchful eye of her mother of course, made a meal that wasn't half bad. Nonetheless, she hoped that Rumiko would learn to cook properly (and consistently) at some point, before one of them was poisoned. Someone getting food poisoning that Saturday would deviate from the true purpose of that day, albeit that potentially being a blessing in disguise. The evening would at least cement the relationship between each of their parents, before they would have to truly become involved in Rika's pregnancy. Doubtless, there would be arguments, and Rika was afraid of their consequences. Would they blame her? Would they blame Takato? She didn't want to see either of them taking all of the blame for the other, they were both involved, as Takato himself had said, and as Rika had, at least reluctantly at first, agreed.

Takato, feeling the nervous silence that had descended since his last comment, glanced to his watch, or rather his D-Vice, checking how long it would have to be before they had to set off for school. It was curious how meeting up with Rika here every morning had dramatically improved his punctuality, but he still had some days where, for whatever reason (and his reasons varied from his intermittently working alarm clock to tripping over his own feet), he was late, occasionally causing Rika to be the same. He knew that, after the previous day, he didn't want to be late today, lest Mrs Asagi keep him in detention for several days. There was once again their reputation with the teacher to consider in order to ensure she gave permission for them to go fight as required when a Digimon would biomerge, something which they had to be careful to keep.

Then again, Takato doubted that their teacher not giving them permission would stop them.

Takato stood up, turning and putting out his hand to Rika, flashing his usual grin. "Come on, we don't want to be late again."

Rika nodded, taking his hand and standing up, before returning with a witty comment of her own. "No, you don't want to be late Takato, I don't particularly care."

Takato smiled, nodding. "Sure," he answered, a faint hint of sarcasm in his voice. Rika had expressed annoyance before at having her lunchtime or evening "stolen" by Mrs Asagi before, and it was clear she wanted to avoid it where possible, even if she expressed indifference about the matter. Takato noticed Rika's mood, and pulled her forward into a kiss, Renamon and Guilmon silently watching as Guilmon moved into a standing position again to facilitate walking.

Feeling his lips part from hers again, Rika looked up into his eyes, as he spoke.

"Cheer up," he said, smiling.

"Such insightful words," she answered, noting the lack of the lengthy pep talk she was expecting.


Chiyo dropped the pair of binoculars as she watched the pair of Tamers walk away, hand in hand as their partners followed promptly after. She frowned at having to keep her distance from Guilmon's powerful sense of smell, which could easily have picked up the slight variation in her scent due to her differences from a normal human. Her partner would just as easily arouse suspicion, and Chiyo knew that if the Tamers were to see her, they would try to figure out who she was. She did not want that yet, she had other things to attend to before she could confront them. She had to set up a plan that, while taking a long while to give results, would be all the better for the reconnaissance she would get in the first stages. She knew that several of her kind would rush straight in without a moment of thought, and she would not make that kind of mistake.

Her mind briefly questioned why she was doing what she was doing, but her mind then pushed it well out of the way again. They were not thoughts she should have been having, and nothing for her to concern herself with.

Friday was the day, and she would be ready for it. She had a very important meeting to attend.


Shinjuku General Hospital

08:04 JST

"Good morning," greeted a voice, forcing the boy's eyes open with its presence from its previous equilibrium between being conscious and unconscious. Ryder looked over to the figure standing nearby, holding a brown tray in her hands. Her green jacket loosely mirrored Ryder's own, currently strewn on a nearby chair, albeit the colours on hers being more vivid. Her black shirt, blue jeans and black and blue D-Vice on her wrist finished off her outfit, her auburn hair tied behind her head in a loose ponytail.

"Ooh…normal food?" Ryder asked, his voice raspy from his dry lips.

Mari frowned, shaking her head. "Nope…hospital food I'm afraid."

Ryder groaned, pushing himself completely up as he looked around at the five other figures in the room. At the foot of his bed, loyal as ever, was his bat-like partner MiniDonmon. Behind Mari, standing silently against the wall, was DarkRenamon. Standing off to one side watching as Mari gently woke him was Rey, Realmon on her shoulder in the usual pose. Mari placed the tray on the bars crossing his bed, making Ryder feel as if he were in a retirement home.

Mari sighed. "Sorry," she answered. "Wasn't allowed to bring in anything of my own."

Ryder looked down to the cornflakes, quickly becoming soggy, and glass of water, feeling tinges of regret at how his life had turned out recently, the cereal illustrating his mood perfectly. He looked back up to Mari, who attempted to cheer him up with a smile.

"You'll be able to eat more normal food soon, but for now Dr Imai wants to be certain that you're completely human."

"Huh?" Ryder replied, Rey and Mari having already noted the irony that Ryder was by no means human.

"Yeah, I know that you are, well, pretty much anyway, but she's concerned that you may have been adversely affected by your death."

"In what kind of way?"

"Well," Rey began, speaking up for the first time. "What if this like, drained your energy each time? Or it put unnecessary strain on your organs by being started and stopped repeatedly? I mean, having your heart return to beating is all well and good, but the heart has to actually be able to function to be able to beat again continuously."

"I see," Ryder answered dully, feeling a bit irritated by being treated like a freak show attraction. "I presume you're going to school today?" he asked Mari, looking over to her.

She sadly nodded, frowning as Ryder's gaze moved across to Rey, who answered the question without being asked.

"I think I'm going to skip ahead a bit, I can't waste too many days of aging."

"I see," Ryder answered, sighing. "How long am I going to be in the ICU?" he asked.

"Dr Imai said they will be moving you to a normal room later," Mari answered. Ryder nodded.

"Good, because I really want a television. You have no idea how boring this is."

TO BE CONTINUED…


And a bit more slice-of-life' stuff, mainly continuing to deal with Renamon, Rika and Takato's feelings at this present moment. The next chapter will be set on the 7th July, so I'm moving on a bit each chapter. There will be a battle in the next chapter, although I'm not sure how much detail I plan to go into on it.

Next time…

Who does Chiyo have a meeting with? How will Rika and Takato's dinner with their parents go? Will Ryder die of boredom?

Find out in "The Trick to Being Interviewed", Chapter Twelve of Dimensions Book Six: Tricks.