Kindred Pairs

by milesprower06

"Hey, Mako?" Ai asked, looking up from the pair of dolls she was playing with.

"Yeah?" Her younger sibling responded, turning his head to look at her, kneeling in the middle of his wooden train set.

"Do you think we'll see Impmon again?" She asked.

Mako took his hands off of his train set and turned completely to his sister.

"Yep. I hope it's soon, but mommy has always told us that it's good to be patient."

"You're not mad that he lost your favorite gun?" Ai asked him. Her little brother immediately shook his head.

"He said he was sorry, and that he was trying to save somebody from the bad guys."

Ai looked down at her dolls, in the middle of which was their repaired teddy bear.

"I really miss him."

"Me too. But I know we'll see him again. That's why we still have that, right?" Mako said, pointing at the purple-ringed digivice hanging around his sister's neck, that they had both gotten when they had taken him home and nursed him back to health. "Mommy said that he's welcome back any time, and that he's a part of this family. As much as we think about him, wherever he is, I know he's thinking about us, too."

Rika stood off to the side of Shinjuku Junior High's running track in a dark purple tank stop and white gym shorts, doing some basic pre-workout stretches, while Henry walked in a small ice chest with water bottles from the basket on his bike. Rika checked her watch, seeing that it was fast approaching 11:00AM. If he wanted to work up an appetite for lunch, he was quickly running out of time.

"Typical Takato. He lives the closest, but he's the last one to get here." Rika complained, switching up the calves she was stretching. Henry came over and set the cooler on the front row of bleachers, next to her left foot.

"Maybe he isn't all that anxious to get left in the dust again." Henry joked.

"He better close that gap from last time, with how often he's been out here." Rika quipped.

"Well, if he doesn't perform to your expectations, I think Sensei Chou has a kendo stick you can chase him around the track with." Henry joked, then having a moment of concern that he might be giving her ideas.

"Sorry I'm late!" They both heard a voice call from back at the gates, where Henry's and Rika's bikes rested against the wall. The pair looked over, and saw Takato briskly walk towards them, pulling wired buds out of his ears.

Rika smiled when she saw that in addition to his school's gym shorts, and his oft-worn blue hoodie shirt, his yellow and blue-tinted goggles were around his head.

"I would've jogged here, but I wanted to save my energy. Figured you'd kick my butt if I didn't keep up with you this time."

"Yeah, and she could kick it before. You should see her now in the dojo." Henry said, as Takato handed him the stopwatch that was hanging around his neck. He did a few quick stretches and took a sip from one of the iced water bottles in the cooler, before stepping up to Rika at the starting line.

"Alright, you two ready?" Henry asked.

"Ear buds in, Gogglehead. I want you at your best." Rika told him. Smirking, Takato dug his MP3 player out of his pocket and got his ear buds back in and his playlist set.

As Henry raised his arms up, a stopwatch in each hand, Takato pressed play on his player before immediately pocketing it, hearing the familiar bass lines begin, as the two of them got into starting positions on the line.

In almost perfect timing, Henry brought his arms and thumbs down just in time for the main guitar riffs to start, and both Tamers were off like a shot.

~It doesn't really matter where you go

It makes no difference, baby, who you know

This thing has gotten way out of control...

Mrs. Misaba made her way down the Matsuki Bakery display cases with practiced precision, pointing out what she'd like, while Mie, also well versed with one of her regulars, could wrap and bag her usual order blindfolded. She and her husband could usually handle breakfast no problem. Takato had told them he's be at the track with Henry and Rika before going out to lunch, and then he'd be back to help with the afternoon rush, as people were headed home for dinner.

"Alright, here's your usual brunch, Mrs. Misaba," Mie said, handing the woman a filled tote bag, pressing a few keys on the front register. "That comes to 1600 yen."

After a few moments of digging through her purse for the right amount of currency, she was in the middle of handing the bills to Mie when something concerning caught her eye.

"Mrs. Matsuki, you may have a problem in your kitchen..." Mrs. Misaba told her, pointing back to the doorway that led to the kitchen, where a smoky haze was beginning to waft out into the front of the hbakery. Mie turned to look, and her eyes widened. She very quickly took Mrs. Misaba's correct amount, then scrambled back towards the kitchen.

"Takehiro, check the ovens!"

~So everything's not perfect,
Don't matter 'cause you rework it,
Nothing's holding you,
Never stopping, never stopping...

Takato's breathing was considerably more labored as he entered the last turn of the last lap, as Here We Go's bridge took the song to the final chorus. To his credit, Rika was much closer this time around, and he knew this was the time to push. Last time, he was constantly distracted by checking his stopwatch, but now that burden was solely Henry's, as he watched his two friends curve around towards the finish line, nearly neck and neck. The two of them finished the turn into the final straight away.

'Now.' Takato said to himself.

Keeping his breathing as steady as he could manage, he broke into a sprint, bringing him shoulder to shoulder with Rika, not willing to even risk glancing over at her as his gaze was glued to the line where Henry stood with both stopwatches. The closing chorus played in his ears, and he kept himself as straight up as possible as he lost track of Rika in his peripheral vision. He saw the line come up, and gave out an exerted cry of victory as his right foot slammed down on it, and he immediately started to coast down, taking gasping breaths. Rika had been right behind him, was was just as winded. He yanked the ear buds from his ears and stopped the music before pocketing it.

"Who would've thought you had it in you?" Rika told him with a friendly slug on the shoulder as the two of them went over to the cooler and grabbed the two water bottles sitting in the ice, each unscrewing the caps and taking several gulps before coming up for air. Henry came over to them with both stopwatches.

"Please tell me I got nine minutes..." Takato said, taking another gulp of water, already halfway through the bottle.

"What, it's not enough that you won?" Rika asked.

"Rika..." Henry said, handing over her stopped timekeeper.

09:02:50

"And Takato..." Henry said, handing him his, and he looked at it, and his face showed the exhausted disappointment.

09:01:01

"Aw man... So close..." He said, putting it back around his neck.

"Takato, that is so much better than when you started at the end of the school year. You'll get there eventually, and even farther down." Henry told him.

"He's right, Gogglehead. Those are best times for both of us." Rika added.

Takato finished off his water bottle before crushing it and tossing it in the recycling can next to the bleachers.

"Thanks, Henry. Awesome race, Rika. It's been awhile since the three of us were together, so where do we want to go eat?"

As they pondered all the nearby spots to go grab some grub, their thoughts of hunger were quickly dismissed as beeping started emanating from the pockets of all three of them.

Their hearts collectively skipping a beat, they hastily reached in and took out their D-Arcs, seeing their LCDs shining white and sounding the familiar proximity signal. Almost at the same time, they each hit the left button, and the holographic compass popped up above each of their respective screens.

Each pointing back towards their separate homes.

The trio silently exchanged glances, each wondering for a moment if they were dreaming.

"You know what?" Takato asked, breaking the silence. "On second thought, lunch can wait."