Me: Okay, I've finished my finals with prestige and honor...

(utter silence)

Me: (rolls eyes) Don't everyone congratulate me at once.

Takato: (claps hands enthusiastically) Congrats!

Rika: Yeah-nice job, although you really didn't need our support.

Me: What are you talking about? I don't own Digimon. Now, let's get to the story before I do something I'm probably gonna regret.

Rika: Like what-yell like some sumo wrestler and try to jump me?

Me: (grits teeth; stifles a growl)

Takato: (grins) Good to have you back, Rika!

Rika: Likewise. (smiles)







Digimon Tamers: Tamers V.S. Dracula

Chapter VII-Darkness Restored







"Why don't the bad guys ever just stay down?!" -Takato Matsuki

"The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible-and achieve it, generation after generation." -Pearl S. Buck







While Takato was receiving a pep talk from Renamon about how courageous he'd been before this vampire thing started, Jeri and Henry ended up covering for Rika when her grandmother called. Things would've worked out great if Dracula hadn't showed up for a bite and caused an eclipse to appear. Thanks to Takato reminding Rika about how happy he'd made her feel the day he proposed to her, that one act alone, plus the traditional kiss, was enough to restore Rika whole entirely! Unfortunately, we haven't seen the last of the Dark Prince, not entirely!







"Mom, if I could just get one word in...Look, Takato and I didn't go out shopping...No, we didn't stay up all night, but...Mom, I'm just barely old enough to have wisdom teeth, and you're worried about that happening...?"

Takato was blushing heavily as Rika held up her cell phone to his ear, which meant he could now hear everything her mother ranted into it. "You promised me you would look after Rika, so where did the two of you go-out for a night on the town? There are dangerous people out there, and what would your parents say about this?"

Takato couldn't help but place his two cents in during that time. "My dad would probably give me some money and tell me not to be out past 10:00; my mom, on the other hand, would undoubtedly agree with you."

Smiling weakly, Rika pulled the phone away from Takato's ear and started talking again. "Look, Mom-here's what happened. We accidentally stayed up all night talking, and we realized it had gotten a little late...Around 7:00 in the morning, but we're fine...Mom, I'm telling you, he didn't try anything with me-Takato's not like that!"

"How long until Takatomon and Rika come out of there?" Guilmon asked while waiting impatiently with the others on the other side of the door the following day.

With the way her ears picked up even the sounds Rika's mother was making, Renamon responded, "From the way Rika's mother sounds, it could be a while."

"Yay! Time to eat cream puffs!" Calumon cheered.

"Calumon, we don't eat cream puffs for breakfast!" Jeri insisted. Calumon's ears retracted at that moment, until Jeri held out a doughnut as a peace offering.

"Doughnuts, on the other hand, are okay to have."

"Yay!"

"Save some for the Rookies, huh?" Terriermon advised while pulling Lopmon-and Susie-after him.

"Another round of card games?" Ryo asked cynically.

"What for? The only winners here-other than the two of you-would be Rika, and she's in there fighting for her right to have one traumatic adventure after another with her mother!" Kazu spat out.

"Calm down, everyone. We can still relax even after what we've gone through."

"How? There's still a vampire after us, and personally, I'm all for taking on the forces of evil, but Dracula? That sounds like something the cops or Scotland Yard or whoever can handle."

Eyeing Kenta with an irritated glance, Henry said, "Dracula isn't something the cops, the military, the army or anyone can handle! For some reason, we were brought here to stop him, and if that means we have to go back up to that castle of his, we're gonna go! Got it?"

Kazu and Kenta nodded briefly.

"Momentai, Henry! Here-have a doughnut. Jeri saved you the kind with the jelly filling."







"Mom, I promise you that Takato and I aren't...Well, we do have some money, but...Together, it comes out to quite a bit, actually...You're kidding?!...Okay, we'll do it, but only because there isn't anything else to do up here!...Have Grandma call me when she gets in, okay?"

As Rika clicked off her cell phone, Takato replied, "Nothing else to do up here, huh? I wouldn't say that. Taking care of the Prince of Darkness and protecting the innocent civilians of Transylvania sounds like something to do, hmm? Whoa!"

"Come on, Gogglehead-we've got to go...shopping." Rika shuddered even as she pulled on her coat. Eyeing his girlfriend with a weird look, Takato pulled his own jacket on and rose his eyebrows up.

"Are you sure you're still Rika? No side effects or anything?"

"To prove to my mother that for the past two nights you and I have kept our word and not done anything beyond kissing, we've got to pool our resources..."

Realizing that Takato still had that blank look in his eyes, Rika pulled her hand up and whacked her boyfriend on the back of the head.

"Don't you have a dictionary at home?! 'Resources: wealth, finances?' Anyway, we've got to combine our money and think of something to buy your parents and my mother and grandmother."

Takato sighed while sitting on the bed he and Rika had-once again-slept on the previous night, although at a late hour, Takato had ended up on the floor for reasons unknown by even him.

"Should we take the Digimon with us?"

At that statement, Rika rose both eyebrows at Takato and gave him an "are you crazy?" look.

"Guilmon and Calumon wouldn't cause trouble! I'm sure they've had something to eat by now, and if they haven't, we can treat them-and ourselves-to something later on."

Noticing Takato's eyes start to well up, Rika nodded in agreement.

"Fine, but Renamon gets to leave, too. She'll get to look out for Dracula and get some fresh air."

"It's Transylvania. How much fresh air can anyone get while you're out here in the first place?"







Observing the sun's rays striking the blackened curtains surrounding his windows, Dracula was busy searching his spells for something he would need for this night's activities.

"No, that's not it...I wouldn't use it if I was given enough people's blood to last a lifetime or two...Ah, here it is! The question is, will it work efficiently? Only one way to find out-practice, practice, practice. You know what they say-'all play and no work makes the Dark Lord a living jerk."









"What?! You're kidding me!"

Takato was fuming with irritation and anger as he found himself bartering for what he considered to be good presents for his parents, Rika's mother and grandmother with the seller of the store he, Rika and the Digimon had walked in a few moments ago-for his parents, he'd found a collection of cooking utensils, his and her's, obviously; for Rika's mother, some bottles of perfume, and for Rika's grandmother, a cookbook. Together, Takato and Rika's money was more than enough for them to pay this stuff with and have some more for later. There was only one problem, however.

"I can't believe you won't take our money just because we didn't exchange it at the airport! It's still good, isn't it?"

"Hold on a moment, sir." Rika pulled Takato away and started talking to him in a low voice.

"I thought I was supposed to be the mediator around here."

Trying to hide a grin, and failing, Rika retorted, "We've switched roles for the moment. Now, if we can't convince him that our money isn't good, maybe we can try something else to pay this stuff with."

"I've got it! We can sell him Ryo."

Takato and Rika both stifled giggles and laughter for that wry comment he'd just made for a few minutes.

"No argument from me there, but on a serious note, there's got to be something we can do that wouldn't offend him and wouldn't be too demeaning for us-"

"Hey! What are your pets doing to my pieces of meat?"

"They're not pets-they're our..."

Takato and Rika both facefaulted in shock as they, along with the seller, saw Guilmon and Calumon hungrily eat up piece after piece of meat on the shelves.

"What are you two doing?!" Rika shrieked angrily, a couple of veins popping out of her forehead.

"We were hungry." Guilmon briefly explained.

"Yeah, and you guys were busy talking to that mean man behind you to hear us call so, we helped ourselves." Calumon added sweetly.

The seller snapped his fingers at that instant. "I've got it! In return for you taking this stuff, you-" Takato was pointed at a second later. "-can help me in the back with the meat, and you-" a moment later, Rika found a finger aimed in her direction. "-can inform others of our new policy until you have to leave-while wearing this." That's when Rika found herself wearing what was considered an apron, but to her it suspiciously looked like a dress with tomato drippings over it.

"Yaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!" Takato grunted as he struggled to hold Rika away from Guilmon and Calumon's grasp, a giant sweatdrop appearing on the back of his head.

"Takato, let me go! Vampire or no, I'll show these two they can't mess with the Digimon Queen and make her wear a dress!!"

"Rika, wait! I thought we were supposed to keep a low profile while we were here!"









Later on that night, as everyone had turned in for the day after scouring the province for any vampire appearances or other stuff, Takato once again, found himself next to Rika for the third night in a row.

"I know I'm the one who said that we needed something to do while we were up here, but working for a meat seller guy who apparently sells more stuff that isn't considered meat is asking for a lot. At least Rika and I got to keep our money, even if we did have to spend half the day helping out a guy who could stand to lose a pound or twenty."

Takato's thoughts were interrupted as he felt Rika snuggle up against him and sigh contentedly. His cheeks ended up as red as they'd been the day he'd proposed to her outside of Guilmon's home back in Shinjuku.







At that moment, Dracula was chanting another spell, this time in Sumerian. The purpose behind the words were no different, however. Not losing sight of his goal, nor concentration, his chants gradually rose higher and higher until he snapped the book shut. A second later, Takato's eyes glowed a dark red and Guilmon's eyes dilated as his viral side took over!

Uh-oh! Looks like something just happened to Takato and Guilmon! Will the others figure out what's wrong with their friends? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!