I don't own digimon.

Characters: Rika/Juri

Universe: Tamers - Post-Locomon

Notes:

This was started in late December, worked a little bit in January and then finished it off here. Inspired by some art done by FlameofSwords.

Chapter 88

Comfort

The day following her birthday party, Rika Nonaka wasn't entirely sure how to feel.

Everything, from that stupid runaway locomon terrorizing the town to her getting possessed by that that... parasimon played in the back of her mind with little sign of stopping. Kind of like a mental VHS.

While the nightmare was long over now, it still felt close and threatening. Her dreams were filled with images of parasimon and her possession. Nor was she certain on when exactly sleep came to her. Not that it made a difference right now.

"You going to be alright?" Renamon whispered and focused on her partner. While no lights had been turned on in the household, it was quite clear where Rika was and the mood she was in.

"No." Rika answered back and followed it up with a deep breath. "I just need to be left alone."

As much as she probably believed in those words, the doorbell rang. And being the only two home at the moment, it was probably best to at least. If it was Kazu, Kenta, or even Ryo for that matter, they could be turned away. Suzie, she was willing to humor. Maybe.

As Rika slowly approached the door, images of that parasimon flashed through her head. Renamon seemed to notice, carefully placing a paw on her back.

"It'll be alright, Rika." Renamon coos, watching their partner carefully grab hold of the door and twist the knob open. She swings the door open, revealing Juri of all people standing there. No Calumon. I guess they went to go get cream puffs with the twins and Impmon. "What brings you here, Jeri?"

The former tamer sighs, taking a step inside.

"I just wanted to see you, Rika." she greeted, letting a smile hang on her face. Wasn't the best Rika had seen this week, it did help. "I wasn't really able to help, so I thou-"

A hand on the shoulder brings a stop to that.

"It's alright." Rika answered and motioned for both her partner and their guest to follow.

What follows, is a short walk from the front to Rika's bedroom. No words are exchanged. Just silence.

looked around for a place to sit. So she turns on a light and scans the room one more time. Eventually, she just decides to go with the bed.

"Just working through this mess."

The two sat down, their focus solely on each other. At some point, Jeri's arm found its way to Rika's back. It was not what the digimon queen expects, but she doesn't mind.

"It'll be alright." the former tamer whispers, acting on auto to some extent. "Your friends are here to talk if need be."

While Rika appreciated the gesture, the words barely ring through.

"Then how the hell am I supposed to talk about getting possessed by a giant spider and wanting to sing?"

Jeri falls silent.

Yet, she gathers her thoughts and opens her mouth one more time. A last ditch effort to get through.

"I tried to burn this ward to the ground along with the rest of the world." she continues, her gaze falling to the floor. "Father or not, there's someone who knows the sort of things you went through."

Rika focuses on her.

"You."

Jeri just nods.

Silence follows, but both girls feel better. Not that one of them would really show it.

Notes:

Well, it's been a while.

I've been very busy just editing Cho & Me. Which is nearly as long as the unedited version of Digital Adventures Online.