Disclaimer: I don't own digimon or the idea of having an external soul.

Author's Note: All right, I know I said I didn't have a clue of what to write next, but yesterday after school I made myself sit down and rewrite some of what I had been writing in physics. And this came out. I think it's pretty good. Whatever. Final Law of Storytelling: "Never let the facts get in the way of a good story."

Review and enjoy. Thanx.

Coming Out of Your Shell

After a few blocks of walking, they caught a bus. It was about noon, and there was almost no one on board. The driver didn't even look up as they stepped inside to pay, and Torey slipped in behind them without being noticed. They headed to the back and Rika took one of the many empty seats. Davis sat next to her, still silent, as the lynx settled himself inconspicuously between her feet.

Davis still didn't say anything, his eyes distant and troubled as he stared out the window. She didn't mind the quiet though. He obviously had a lot on his mind, whatever it had been about that phone call that had upset him so badly. And she had things on her mind as well. Like the meeting with her father, though that didn't bother her as much as the strange way the dreams came to her now. She would see them over her vision, like seeing images in your contacts, and it was pretty creepy at that.

Torey sat between her shoes, laying down and looking over the empty bus as if there was some sort of threat that could materialize out of nowhere. The bus picked up another passenger, and she sensed the lynx flatten his ears and hunker down even farther as the man walked toward the rear doors. She wished he didn't have to hide, but both of them knew it wouldn't be good if anyone tried to take him away from her. No one should be separated from their soul.

Finally, Davis spoke up. "Sorry about that." He muttered.

She shrugged, knowing he didn't want to be asked about it. Instead, she took his phone out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"So," she asked tentatively. "Where are we going now?"

"Uh," he swallowed, uncomfortable. "I gotta go pick up something for my sister. You can go find the others if you don't want to come with."

"No, that's okay. I'll stay. But afterwards we should go find them. I need my digivice back from Izzy."

"Um," he hesitated, as if he didn't want her to come with. "Sure."

"I won't tell them anything that happens, Davis."

He sighed and stared out the window again for a while. "Rika, I don't know if I want you to know."

She chewed he lip, disappointed for some reason. Maybe it was because he was now the only person that knew about her dreams. Maybe she expected him to confide in her for some stupid reason.

"Okay." She said.

"But I guess you'll probably just see it anyway." He muttered.

"Maybe not, Davis."

"Maybe yes, though. Just come with. I don't want to go alone anyway."

She smiled and looked at him. It was funny. Just a little while ago, she had been afraid that she had a tumor in her brain or something that was causing her dreams. But now she was making friends with Davis and it felt good. For the first time, it felt good to have a human friend.

But he doesn't feel good. Torey whispered to her mentally. You won't really be friends with him until he trusts you, and he doesn't yet.

I know. She replied. And I'm trying. He won't trust me until he isn't threatened by my dreams anymore.

At least you understand that people will be threatened by them.

Yeah. But what did Kamira mean? Do I have to be friends with all of them now?

Maybe. It's not a bad thing to have friends, Rika.

Davis interrupted their mental conversation. "So, what exactly is that little cat, anyway?"

She blinked. "Torey? He's my soul."

The cinnamon haired boy stared at her for a second. "Your soul? What does that mean?"

"Everyone has a soul, Davis."

"Then why can't we see them?"

"Because they're invisible."

"I," he shook his head. "I don't get it. We have souls but they don't want us to see them?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe Torey does. We can ask him when we're alone somewhere." She looked off at the man sitting closest to them.

Davis shrugged too and looked out the window again. Rika reached down like she was tying her shoes and scratched Torey's head. He sent her a friendly feeling through their shared thoughts. Suddenly, Davis's phone rang again. He cursed and pulled it out of his pocket, muttering something about turning it off before.

"Hello?" He answered.

Rika leaned her head against the pole in front of her to listen to his side of the conversation.

"I had to do something for her first..... No....... No, she wanted to see Jun.................. Yeah, where are you guys gonna be?........... Yeah, sure...... Bye."

He hung up and sighed, leaning his head back and putting the phone back in his pocket.

"I hate this." He muttered to himself.

Rika looked over at him. "What?"

"Everything. It never goes away. More things just keep going wrong."

She blinked, not understanding at all, but stayed quiet so he could think.

But he didn't. "I hate it, Rika. All my teachers hate me. I have two C's and D. I never see by best friend outside of school because he's been grounded for failing all his classes. I really like Kari, but she doesn't give a can of beans about me. I could drop dead and she wouldn't care. And Jun's, well, I don't wanna talk about that here. But I hate it all." He was staring at her, his eyes so sad and frustrated.

She reacted in a way she wouldn't have thought she would. She reached over and hugged him. He was ridged at first, just as surprised by the action as she was, but his arms soon closed gently around her as he accepted it. After a moment, he pulled away and looked around the bus, like he was unsure of what to say now. Then he glanced out the window and stood.

"This is our stop." He whispered to her.

She got up and followed him to the rear doors, strategically placing herself so the man sitting near them wouldn't see Torey. They left the bus and Davis set off down the sidewalk, leaving Rika to keep up with him. The lynx slipped under a car and followed the two carefully.

"What did you do that for?" The boy asked her.

"I don't know. You needed it."

He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "Thank you. Don't tell anyone what I said, though."

"Of course."

They walked until Rika caught sight of a convenience store up ahead. Davis looked at it apprehensively and then turned to her.

"Wait here. I gotta get something."

"Davis?" She reached out to stop him, confused.

"Just wait. Please."

He pulled out of her grasp and walked across the street from the store and approached a shady looking guy sitting in a beat up black car. They talked for a while, Davis looking extremely uncomfortable, until the guy passed some sort of package out the window to him. He took it and headed back to Rika as the black car drove off abruptly. She stared at him as he came over to her, pale faced.

"What's that." She breathed to him.

"Nothing." He muttered as he rushed past her in the direction they had just came.

She ran to catch him and walked at his side, trying to match his fast pace. She wanted to ask him a lot of questions, but she held them back for when they were inside. After they passed the bus stop again, he walked a little farther until he stopped at the door of an apartment. Fishing a key out of his pockets, he stuck it in the lock and opened the door for her. When she stepped inside he followed her in, quickly closing the door.

"Davis, what the heck was that back there?"

"Look, can you stay down here while I go upstairs?" he asked her.

"No. I want to come up."

"Please stay." He stared at her, eyes pleading, and after a while headed up the stairs.

Rika sat on the bottom stair and listened to his footsteps echo off the walls of the stairwell. Torey crawled into her arms. She waited, listening, and heard a door open somewhere above as the footsteps stopped. She stood and quietly headed up after him.

"You won't earn his trust by disobeying his requests." Torey whispered to her.

"Shhh." She said and continued climbing.

When she reached one of the floors, she saw the door open a crack and went over to open it a little more. Inside she could see Davis standing there, silent, as a strange mean-looking guy looked over the package.

"All right, now get out." He sneered.

Davis quickly turned to go, but was stopped as his sister grabbed his arm.

"I told him he could sleep here tonight, Mark." She said.

The guy frowned cruelly. "You would. Whatever. We can go somewhere and really get wasted, then." He turned to Davis. "You come back before eleven, and I'll beat you so bad that you won't be leaving for a long time." He picked up a stray baseball bat and swung it at Davis, who recoiled before it hit him.

The boy backed away from the two of them as Mark laughed. He came to the door and Rika threw herself against the wall so she wouldn't be seen as he pulled it open. Stepping out, he closed it and looked at her, angry. Before she could respond, he headed down the stairs. Rika followed carefully, apologizing silently at his back.

See. Torey pointed out.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Davis turned around and stared at her.

"Why?" He asked flatly. "Why did you have to follow? I told you I didn't want you to come up."

"Davis, I..."

"I didn't want you to see that. I don't want anyone to see that. Ever." He pushed his way out the door and walked down the sidewalk in the opposite direction of the way they had come. She ran to catch up with him

"Davis, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was like that. Who is that guy?"

"I don't want to talk to you now." He answered through clenched teeth.

She stopped and stood there, watching him receding as he walked away. After a minute, he turned around and looked at her as well.

"Rika," he called, "it's nothing you need to worry about."

She shook her head.

"Are you coming?" He asked, turning back the way he had been walking, still waiting for her.

She paced forward slowly until she stood beside him. "I want to know."

He stared at her. "I don't want to tell."

"I want to know."

He sighed and started walking again, Rika alongside him. "Not now. Later."

"Okay," she said. "Tomorrow's Saturday in my world so I don't have to do anything. I'll just stay here tonight."

He glanced over at her. "Won't your mom miss you?"

"No. She's not even home right now. I live with my grandmother. She's used to me not coming back sometimes."

He didn't say anything for a long time, thinking. "Okay."

She smiled as they continued on their way, silent the rest of the time.

Post Script: Okay, so I know Demiveemon kinda disappeared in this chapter. I only realized it when I reread it for grammar errors. Let's just say that Renamon scooped him up and is carrying him around while she's invisible. I hope you like it. Two chapters till they actually get to talk. Please review and tell me what should happen after that. And how should I end it?

Thanx to ApricotKisses for the great review. I'm glad you liked the last paragraph. It was pretty good, wasn't it? Yay!!

neoKOS-MOS