Rika stood in the bathroom, still shaken by what had just happened. What was that? Just tripping wouldn't have frightened her so, but what she felt before that would've startled even Renamon. She had seen the step, but as she moved to lift her foot, she felt it. Hands, touching her shoulders, pushing her over the little drop, but there wasn't anyone behind her. Henry was the only person nearby, and he was in front of her.
That touch, that presence, it reminded her of someone, something…
That was it. Him, it had to be him, but he had been destroyed! He couldn't be back, could he? She must've been imagining it…but it had been so real, so real that she had thrown herself into Henry's arms. No, no, that had been an accident, she would never do that. But she would've pushed away from him immediately, instead of letting him hold her like that. She hadn't meant to, but she'd been petrified with fear, and so cold, his touch made her feel like she was frozen. That must be why she had clung to Henry, because he was warm. Yes, he was warm, and real, he brought her back to reality. He had been so gentle, so patient, holding her through her sobs…She blushed, then quickly began to change.
Looking into the bathroom mirror, she snorted.
"I can't believe I let my mother do this to me. Dress me up like a doll, curl my hair, yuck! Never again!"
She reached up to pull her hair into a ponytail, and then realized that she didn't have a tie.
"Well, I'll just have to leave it down," she muttered. She let it drop, hanging down past her shoulders, then opened the door and stepped into the hall.
◄♦►
"I wonder what's taking her so long," Henry mumbled to himself. "I'll just close my eyes and take a little…"
"Come on, Henry, we don't have all day."
Rika stood in his doorway, with Susie grasping her hand.
"I had to have a little help finding you," she explained, smiling at the tiny girl.
Susie ran in, crying, "Hendwy, whehs Tewiewmon?"
"Did you check in the living room?" Henry gently nudged her in the right direction, then, turning to Rika, remarkedHimdtleka;lsdkHimhiasdoakjsdl;fs;ldka;lkdfU Henry , "You still look different. I'm guessing you had to compromise with your mom?"
A green sweater with one purple stripe the exact color of her eyes replaced her usual blue and white t-shirt. Her pants were long and dark blue, and her hair still hung down loosely. She scowled at him, and he laughed. Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, Henry beckoned for her to come in.
"Welcome to my room, probably the one part of my house that you haven't seen, if you've taken the grand 'Susie tour.'" He laughed again. "Come on in, don't be shy, take a seat."
Rika sat down next to Henry, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
"Where's everybody else? I know that Takato will be here later, but what about Kenta, Kazu and Jeri?"
Now it was Henry's turn to feel uncomfortable.
"Well, you see," he began, taking a deep breath, "I, uh, needed your help to decorate, so I asked you to come earlier than the others. I thought that Takato would like it if we put it together, seeing as we were the original tamers. I don't know, just a thought."
He sat back and waited for her sounds of disapproval. They never came.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Rika said, standing up and smiling. "Let's get decorating."
She walked out. Henry stared for a moment. 'Well, that went better than I expected' he thought, before jumping up, calling, "Hey, wait for me!"