"….HHH!!!!"
"What? Is there something wrong, Rika?" Renamon asked, rushing to her Tamer's side. That wasn't a normal scream.
"Uhh, just a little, umm, startled, that's it," Jeri stammered. She looked at the mirror again, and she still saw Rika's face staring back at her. She cleared her throat and continued.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," she said, her voice only cracking a little. What's going on here? She thought. Why is Rika's face showing up in the mirror?
"You sure you're all right? That was a pretty nasty looking blast back there," Renamon reiterated. Rika had been acting strangely towards Renamon ever since the Harpymon incident, but never this bad.
Okay, Jeri thought, what would Rika do right now? She had wanted to be more like Rika, but this was ridiculous. What to do, what to do? Oh, goodness, what to do? Wait, if I'm Rika, does that mean that Rika is me?
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have to talk to Jeri," Jeri said, turning to face Renamon.
"I know how much you enjoy spending time with her," Renamon smiled, forcing Jeri to fight to avoid a blush. "But your mother wanted to take you shopping again. She still has the idea she can get you to wear something… pretty."
"Rika!" a voice called from somewhere in the house. "Where are you?"
"And that would be her now," an amused Renamon said. "Good luck," she added with a laugh, fading out of sight.
"I'm in here, uh, Mom," Jeri called hesitantly. This was going to be tricky.
******
"Jeri!" Leomon exclaimed in response to Jeri's scream. "What's the matter?"
Rika cursed under her breath. It was a bad habit, so her mother always told her, and thus she did it often. She had to remind herself, though, that Jeri wasn't like that. "Hmmph," she said, crossing her arms in front of her.
"If you ask me," Leomon said, "you're spending too much time with Rika. You're even starting to act like her."
"Is that a bad thing?" Rika asked, raising an eyebrow. Just a little information, she decided.
"I know that's what you want," Leomon said, causing Rika's other eyebrow to rise, "but this is going a little too far. You're positive you're all right?"
Rika nodded. She was as all right as could be expected under the situation. Without another word, Leomon was gone, out through the window.
"Ok," Rika said, pacing around the room, "What to do now?" She suddenly stopped, remembering something important. "Oh no, that's right, Mom wanted to go shopping with me!"
Rika opened the door and ran down the stairs into the bar/restaurant that was the first floor of Jeri's house. She was just about out the door when Jeri's mother called.
"Jeri!"
Rika kept walking, forgetting that as far as anybody knew, she was Jeri. Jeri's mother called again louder.
"JERI!"
Rika stopped and turned around. This was going to take some getting used to, Rika said to herself. "Yes?" she said in her best impersonation of Jeri's tone of voice.
"I could really use your help in here," Jeri's mother said. The restaurant/bar was packed with people, and Rika sighed again.
"Coming," Rika said, walking back into the house. She just hoped Jeri wouldn't screw things up shopping with her mother.
******
"Oh go on, honey," Rika's mom was saying. "Try it on." She held out a dress towards Jeri, pink and frilly.
"You know I don't like to wear stuff like that," Jeri said, doing her best Rika. She kinda liked the dress, but she knew Rika wouldn't be caught dead wearing something like it. Plus, she didn't feel comfortable trying it on.
"I worry about you, dear," Rika's mom continued, "you dress and act too much like a boy, and you spend too much time with other girls." What if her daughter was a… she couldn't even make herself think the word.
"Can't we just go home?" Jeri huffed, hiding her embarrassment at Rika's mom's comments. She didn't feel right, eavesdropping on Rika's life.
"No," Rika's mom said firmly. "We're not going anywhere until you try that dress on." She crossed her arms and stood there, intent not to budge.
"Mom…" Jeri said, trying to be just as firm.
"Try on this dress, or we'll be living here," Rika's mom told her.
She wasn't going to budge. Shakily, Jeri took the dress and walked towards the changing room. Halfway there, she looked back, and sure enough, Rika's mom was still standing there. With a sigh, Jeri stepped into the changing room and closed the door.
******
Rika wasn't having any better luck. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing in the restaurant, and it showed. She messed up orders, dropped plates, and was getting angrier by the second. Then, of course, it got worse. Who should walk in but Takato?
"Umm, hey Jeri," Takato said nervously. Rika didn't answer, she was both really busy and she forgot that he was talking to her. "Jeri?" Takato said again.
"Oh, what do you want, goggle…" Rika scowled before catching herself. "I mean, hello Takato."
"Are you all right, Jeri?" Takato asked. This was weird even for Jeri.
Why does everyone keep asking me that? Rika asked herself. To Takato, she said, "Oh, I'm fine, just a little busy right now."
"How did lessons with the Digimon Queen go?" Takato joked. "I bet they were pretty tough."
"Oh, yeah, they were tough," Rika said, screwing with Takato's mind. That was one of her favorite activities. "She can be downright mean at times." It was all Rika could do not to burst out laughing. "But, if you'll excuse me, I really have to get back to work."
"Oh, okay. Bye Jeri," Takato said, walking out of the bar, face flushed. Rika decided that her day was looking better already.
******
Finally, Jeri and Rika's mom left the clothes store and headed home. Inside a bag was the pink dress, part of Rika's mother's plan to get her daughter to dress more like a girl. Rika was going to be pretty if she had to replace every stitch of her daughter's clothing.
Jeri managed to find a phone and called her house. Her father answered the phone.
"Hello, Dad," Jeri said before she could catch herself. Mentally she kicked herself.
"I think you have the wrong number," her dad said, about to hang up the phone.
Jeri thought fast. "Sorry, bad joke? Umm, is Jeri there?"
"And you would be?"
"J-… Rika," Jeri stuttered. She still didn't quite have the hang of it. Fortunately, her dad didn't notice.
"Hold on, I'll get her," her dad said, laying down the phone.
Rika was in Jeri's room, reorganizing Jeri's cards, when Jeri's dad got her. She rushed to the phone. "Rika?"
"Jeri?" Jeri responded.
They both talked in unison. "Aww, nuts."
"What? Is there something wrong, Rika?" Renamon asked, rushing to her Tamer's side. That wasn't a normal scream.
"Uhh, just a little, umm, startled, that's it," Jeri stammered. She looked at the mirror again, and she still saw Rika's face staring back at her. She cleared her throat and continued.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," she said, her voice only cracking a little. What's going on here? She thought. Why is Rika's face showing up in the mirror?
"You sure you're all right? That was a pretty nasty looking blast back there," Renamon reiterated. Rika had been acting strangely towards Renamon ever since the Harpymon incident, but never this bad.
Okay, Jeri thought, what would Rika do right now? She had wanted to be more like Rika, but this was ridiculous. What to do, what to do? Oh, goodness, what to do? Wait, if I'm Rika, does that mean that Rika is me?
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have to talk to Jeri," Jeri said, turning to face Renamon.
"I know how much you enjoy spending time with her," Renamon smiled, forcing Jeri to fight to avoid a blush. "But your mother wanted to take you shopping again. She still has the idea she can get you to wear something… pretty."
"Rika!" a voice called from somewhere in the house. "Where are you?"
"And that would be her now," an amused Renamon said. "Good luck," she added with a laugh, fading out of sight.
"I'm in here, uh, Mom," Jeri called hesitantly. This was going to be tricky.
******
"Jeri!" Leomon exclaimed in response to Jeri's scream. "What's the matter?"
Rika cursed under her breath. It was a bad habit, so her mother always told her, and thus she did it often. She had to remind herself, though, that Jeri wasn't like that. "Hmmph," she said, crossing her arms in front of her.
"If you ask me," Leomon said, "you're spending too much time with Rika. You're even starting to act like her."
"Is that a bad thing?" Rika asked, raising an eyebrow. Just a little information, she decided.
"I know that's what you want," Leomon said, causing Rika's other eyebrow to rise, "but this is going a little too far. You're positive you're all right?"
Rika nodded. She was as all right as could be expected under the situation. Without another word, Leomon was gone, out through the window.
"Ok," Rika said, pacing around the room, "What to do now?" She suddenly stopped, remembering something important. "Oh no, that's right, Mom wanted to go shopping with me!"
Rika opened the door and ran down the stairs into the bar/restaurant that was the first floor of Jeri's house. She was just about out the door when Jeri's mother called.
"Jeri!"
Rika kept walking, forgetting that as far as anybody knew, she was Jeri. Jeri's mother called again louder.
"JERI!"
Rika stopped and turned around. This was going to take some getting used to, Rika said to herself. "Yes?" she said in her best impersonation of Jeri's tone of voice.
"I could really use your help in here," Jeri's mother said. The restaurant/bar was packed with people, and Rika sighed again.
"Coming," Rika said, walking back into the house. She just hoped Jeri wouldn't screw things up shopping with her mother.
******
"Oh go on, honey," Rika's mom was saying. "Try it on." She held out a dress towards Jeri, pink and frilly.
"You know I don't like to wear stuff like that," Jeri said, doing her best Rika. She kinda liked the dress, but she knew Rika wouldn't be caught dead wearing something like it. Plus, she didn't feel comfortable trying it on.
"I worry about you, dear," Rika's mom continued, "you dress and act too much like a boy, and you spend too much time with other girls." What if her daughter was a… she couldn't even make herself think the word.
"Can't we just go home?" Jeri huffed, hiding her embarrassment at Rika's mom's comments. She didn't feel right, eavesdropping on Rika's life.
"No," Rika's mom said firmly. "We're not going anywhere until you try that dress on." She crossed her arms and stood there, intent not to budge.
"Mom…" Jeri said, trying to be just as firm.
"Try on this dress, or we'll be living here," Rika's mom told her.
She wasn't going to budge. Shakily, Jeri took the dress and walked towards the changing room. Halfway there, she looked back, and sure enough, Rika's mom was still standing there. With a sigh, Jeri stepped into the changing room and closed the door.
******
Rika wasn't having any better luck. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing in the restaurant, and it showed. She messed up orders, dropped plates, and was getting angrier by the second. Then, of course, it got worse. Who should walk in but Takato?
"Umm, hey Jeri," Takato said nervously. Rika didn't answer, she was both really busy and she forgot that he was talking to her. "Jeri?" Takato said again.
"Oh, what do you want, goggle…" Rika scowled before catching herself. "I mean, hello Takato."
"Are you all right, Jeri?" Takato asked. This was weird even for Jeri.
Why does everyone keep asking me that? Rika asked herself. To Takato, she said, "Oh, I'm fine, just a little busy right now."
"How did lessons with the Digimon Queen go?" Takato joked. "I bet they were pretty tough."
"Oh, yeah, they were tough," Rika said, screwing with Takato's mind. That was one of her favorite activities. "She can be downright mean at times." It was all Rika could do not to burst out laughing. "But, if you'll excuse me, I really have to get back to work."
"Oh, okay. Bye Jeri," Takato said, walking out of the bar, face flushed. Rika decided that her day was looking better already.
******
Finally, Jeri and Rika's mom left the clothes store and headed home. Inside a bag was the pink dress, part of Rika's mother's plan to get her daughter to dress more like a girl. Rika was going to be pretty if she had to replace every stitch of her daughter's clothing.
Jeri managed to find a phone and called her house. Her father answered the phone.
"Hello, Dad," Jeri said before she could catch herself. Mentally she kicked herself.
"I think you have the wrong number," her dad said, about to hang up the phone.
Jeri thought fast. "Sorry, bad joke? Umm, is Jeri there?"
"And you would be?"
"J-… Rika," Jeri stuttered. She still didn't quite have the hang of it. Fortunately, her dad didn't notice.
"Hold on, I'll get her," her dad said, laying down the phone.
Rika was in Jeri's room, reorganizing Jeri's cards, when Jeri's dad got her. She rushed to the phone. "Rika?"
"Jeri?" Jeri responded.
They both talked in unison. "Aww, nuts."