Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
Christmas Moonshine
A Digimon Tamers story by: Crazyeight
Chapter: 01
The wine bottle clinked lightly against the glass as Rumiko Nonaka began to pour. The smooth, rich, deep red liquid sloshed about the bottom, swirling wildly as the wine level rose. Rumiko's eyes flickered away from the glass. Her lips curved into a proud smile.
"Say when."
Across from the woman, her daughter, Rika watched the glass uncertainly. A part of her wondered how much was too much for herself. Having never drank a drop of alcohol before, she had no idea what her tolerance levels were. She glanced back and forth between her mother and the wine glass, feeling an odd sense of competitiveness rise up within her as the red liquid rose above the halfway point. She knew her mother could handle much more than this. She wanted to prove that she could do the same. So, she waited until the wine was near the top.
"When," she said, and Rumiko expertly tipped the bottle back, allowing only a single crimson drop to join the rest of its kindred below before settling back and taking up another wine glass.
"Now, remember, Rika," she said with a warning tone as she began to pour. "Not all at once. This is pretty strong and you're not used to it. Start slow and don't rush things."
"I think I get the gist of it," Rika hmphed, taking hold of the wine glass by its thin stem. "I've seen you drink this stuff enough times."
"Yes, but I'm older and more experienced," Rumiko replied with a smirk, tipping the bottle back and handing it to the older, brown-haired woman sitting next to her. "You ought to listen to wisdom when it speaks."
What's so special about drinking wine that it needs wisdom?
Rika bit back the sarcastic response, not wanting to accidently upset the evening. Instead, she cast an amused look at the older woman – her grandmother, Seiko Hata – who simply smiled.
"She has the right of it, you know."
"Terrific," Rika sighed. "I'll be sure to remember that the next time I join a drinking tournament. Slow sips win the race."
"Rika!"
The girl grimaced at the scolding tone and her eyes flickered up to its owner. Seated next to her was a golden-furred, foxlike creature with striking, blue eyes. Renamon. Her digimon partner, best friend and 'sister,' at least in Rika's mind.
"Sorry," she apologized. Feeling a slight blush of shame in her cheeks, she shifted uncomfortably on her cushion. Rumiko chuckled and began to pour another drink.
"Well, since tonight's a big night for you, I think we can let it pass. Just like we're letting this pass as well."
"Are you still sure you want to drink?" Seiko asked.
"Mom!" Rumiko laughed. "We already discussed this!"
"If by 'discuss' you mean rush to the wine cabinet as soon as you heard the news…"
Rumiko again tipped the bottle back and passed the glass over to Renamon, who took it in her claws gingerly. The vulpine digimon's tail swished behind her.
"Oh, come on now. It's not a bad idea for my little girl to cut loose once in a while. Especially when there are things to celebrate. She's earned it. Besides, we're here to watch her in case she has a little too much." She beamed at her daughter expectantly. Rika shrugged nonchalantly.
"It's not really my thing, so I'm not worried about 'too much,'" she said. She offered her mother a reluctant smile. It was true enough. Unlike some people she knew, she had never been tempted to try a drop of alcohol. A part of her wanted to push back on this as well, but at the same time, she liked seeing her mother happy and didn't want to cast a shadow over the evening.
"Well, maybe it's a taste you'll acquire." Rumiko set to pouring herself a glass now. "It usually is. Besides, you're an adult now. It's not a bad idea for you to get a taste of what being an adult is like before you head off to university. You'll have the experience and you can decide if it's something you like or not. And just in case it is…" She set the bottle down and lifted the glass. "Everything in moderation. You don't want to go overboard. Believe me, the hangovers are not worth it. Neither are the missing memories for that matter."
"Right." Rika looked down doubtfully at the glass and lifted it up. Seiko and Renamon both took up theirs as well and as one the little family brought them together with a musical clink.
"Congratulations on getting into university."
Rika felt a glow of pride as she drew the glass to her lips. University. She was done with her old school, the Kagurazaka Girls Academy. No more uniforms. No more stuck-up classmates. She could now go and make her own way in the world. Choose her own life.
Even though I still haven't really figured out what I want to do yet, she thought, but she pushed such concerning thoughts to the side. Now was not the time to worry about such things. Now was a time for celebration. The wine glass touched her lips and her nose twitched at the strong, fruity scent. The liquid smoothly slid into her mouth and she found herself almost choking at the sudden, unexpected warmth that followed. She clenched her eyes shut and dipped her head back, clenching a fist tightly. She found herself aware that all attention was on her, waiting to see what her reaction would be. She swallowed a bit more, resisting the urge to cough as the wine seemed to dance and prick against the back of her mouth. The warmth flowed through her, causing a light blush to rise in her cheeks.
Another swallow, this one going down a little easier, and then she drew the glass back, setting it down. She looked back and forth between her mother, grandmother and Renamon.
"Well? What? Is that all there is to it?"
Rumiko chuckled.
"Everyone says that after the first sip," she said. "Believe me. It's the rest that comes after that makes all the difference."
"Give me a break," Rika scoffed, leaning her chin into her free hand. "I've seen hamsters with more bite than this. What about you, Renamon?"
The golden-furred kitsune swirled the remains of her own drink in the glass thoughtfully before answering.
"Well, it almost has as much punch as an energy drink. The packaging at least is nicer."
"So nothing to be concerned about," Rika laughed, and then, to prove her metal, took another, deeper draught. The heat rushed into her stomach like a lead weight. Setting the glass down, she frowned slightly. She didn't feel any different.
Shouldn't I be a little bit drunk now? She wondered if another drink would give her an answer.
She looked at the glass for a moment before deciding to test the theory. Another drink, this one longer than the previous two, and she set it back down.
"How are you feeling?" Seiko asked. Rika sniffed and took a deep breath. The buzzing warmth crept through her body, making its way out from her stomach and chest and into her limbs, loosening tension she hadn't realized had been there. It felt…nice. Pleasant even.
"Well, I feel pretty relaxed now," she said, giving her grandmother a small smile. "How about you, Renamon?"
The vulpine digimon looked at the wine in contemplation, tapping a claw upon the surface of the table.
"I feel…much the same," she said carefully. "I don't think I'll be having much more of this though. If a digimon were to bio-emerge I would prefer to be in full control of myself."
"That's understandable," Seiko smiled with a nod. Rumiko however, huffed.
"Can't the digital world just relax for even a little bit," she grumbled. "All work and no play makes my daughter and her partner dull girls."
"I find other ways to have fun," Rika said, deciding to take just one more sip. She ran a tongue along her lips, enjoying the taste of the wine. Despite the dry, rough texture, it was quite sweet. Just the way she liked it even. "I'm not like you, Mom."
"That much is obvious," Rumiko replied with amusement, leaning her head into her hand. "Well, just as long as you find some time to relax and let it all hang loose, I suppose nothing's bad. I just wish you had more opportunity to enjoy the finer things in life without always having to be on guard, you know?"
Rika looked down, thinking about all the good times she had with her friends and how often they had been interrupted by one emergency after another. She wondered how the others would be able to handle things without her. They were stretched pretty thin now due to their already tight, shaky schedules making coordination between one another difficult. As it was, she hardly ever saw Henry anymore and he would soon be going overseas upon graduation. Takato and Jeri were really the only ones she could find time for – wanted to find time for really, if she were being honest – and that wasn't a whole lot. Certainly far from what she would prefer.
Takato… She traced a fingernail along the rim of her glass, thinking about that goggle-wearing boy and the light, crimson blush coloring her features deepened as a small smile curved along her lips. A surprising need to see her friend again made itself known to her and she held it in her mind thoughtfully with the mental image of the boy's face. A soft swelling of affection rose and she found herself digging her cellphone out of her pocket.
"You know what would go really well with this?" she said, perusing her contacts list. "Freshly baked bread."
Rumiko began to rise. "I think we still have some in the kitchen…"
"I said freshly baked bread, Mama," Rika said, finding the number to Takato's bakery and hitting the dial button. "I'm not settling for second best tonight."
Rumiko, Seiko and Renamon all exchanged looks at this.
"Oh dear," Renamon sighed, deciding to take another sip from her glass after all.
###
Takato stood at the cash register, finishing up with an order when the door to the bakery slid open. Looking up, the mop-haired teen smiled brightly as he saw a familiar pair of faces come marching in. Dark-haired, grey-eyed with tan skin and an easygoing smile on his face. Henry Wong marched up to him, a large paper bag held in one hand. On his shoulder sat a much smaller, stout creature with cream-colored fur, long, droopy ears and round, black eyes. A Santa hat sat on his head, hiding the single-horn on his forehead.
"Hey! Takatomon!" the long-eared digimon called exuberantly. "How's it hanging?"
"Hey you guys," Takato greeted with a grin. "What brings you here?"
"I'm going to be going to Hong Kong with my family in a couple days," Henry replied. "I figured I'd drop by and pay my respects while I still could. I've got presents for you and Guilmon."
"Homemade bread for Guilmon," Terriermon grinned. "Well, homemade as in made at our home instead of here."
"Which you kept trying to eat, I might add."
"Well, you had to give it peanut butter and chocolate filling. My paws kept getting sticky with the stuff."
"I'm almost afraid to find out what mine is now," Takato laughed. "Man, I wish I knew you guys were leaving. I'm not done yet making your presents." He scratched the side of his cheek in embarrassment. "I…kind of got a little hung up making Rika's."
"All's forgiven," Terriermon giggled. "We know how often you get hung up on anything to do with Rika nowadays."
"Terriermon…" Henry scolded as a bright blush suddenly bloomed to life on Takato's face.
"Momentai!" the long-eared digimon giggled again. "At least he's not denying it anymore. He's not going to confess if we keep pretending he's not interested in her. I'm doing him a favor by helping him confront his feelings!"
"Right." Henry looked back at Takato, who was busily going over receipts from the last few orders and trying to ignore Terriermon's insinuations. "Anyway," the half-Chinese Tamer resumed, "we'll be back after Christmas, so you should have plenty of time to finish up."
"I hope so," Takato said. "There's not a whole lot of time before you leave for…uh… Stanford, did you say it was?"
"Yeah, but I'll still drop by to visit. Don't worry, Takato."
"He should be worried." chimed in Terriermon, crossing his tiny arms together. "What's he going to do without me here to help him out?"
Takato wordlessly rubbed the back of his head once again, not sure what to say to that. The subject of Henry's leaving to continue his education in the United States was a bit of a bitter pill to swallow and only served to remind him of the growing gulf that kept he and his friends from seeing one another on the regular basis that they had prior to entering high school. The thought, as always, left him sober.
Rika will probably get into a good university too, he thought. She's always been at the top of her class. Pretty soon, it's going to be me, Guilmon, Kazu and Guardromon protecting the city.
Takato wondered if his own attending university would be worth it. He was still waiting to hear if he had been accepted, but Digimon continued to pop up like always. Consequently, he had the feeling that his grades were unlikely to handle the strain that Shinjuku's safety would demand from him. But what else was there to do? Yamaki was working something out while he organized his new agency, Nyx, but nothing was certain. The government was still in disagreement about whether or not there ought to be a program inducting the Tamers – current or future – to be trained for handling digital anomalies.
"-ello? Takatomonnn… What's up with you? Are you listening?"
Takato's head jerked, realizing Terriermon had been saying something to him. "Huh? Sorry. What's up?"
"It's about time. Sheesh." Terriermon shook his head. "I was asking where Guilmon was. Usually he's out front being a walking advertisement, but he wasn't there."
"Oh!" Takato laughed. "Mom and Dad are in the kitchen teaching him to make bread. Well, teaching him to make better bread than what he's learned so far."
"How's that going?" Henry asked, taking a pair of packages out from his bag and setting them on the counter. As if in answer, there came a low, clanging sound followed by the ringing of a phone. The ringing was abruptly cut off and was swiftly followed up by more clanging, this time unmistakably the sound of pans hitting the floor as Guilmon made a howling sound.
"Doesn't sound like it's going well," Terriermon observed.
Before Takato could respond or even go investigate, the phone by the register rang.
"Ah… Just a second," he said, picking up the phone while holding up an index finger to his friends. "Matsuki Bakery. How can I help you?"
"Well, you can start by bringing me fresh bread, Gogglehead."
Takato's eyes went wide at the familiar, commanding voice. A wide smile broke across his face and he felt his heart start to speed up a little.
"Rika?! Hey! It's been so long! How are…?"
"Did you listen to me?" she interrupted. "The clock is ticking. You. My house. Bread. You know the kind I like. I'll see you soon."
The line abruptly went dead, causing Takato to stare at it, blinking in confusion.
"What…just happened?"
"It sounded like she was giving you marching orders," Terriermon said, his ears shifting.
"Hey now, it's not nice to listen in on someone else's conversation," chided Henry.
"But I couldn't help it! My ears are huge and Rika really didn't try to keep it down or anything." He tapped a paw against his chin, his round, black eyes frowning thoughtfully. "She sounded kind of weird, even for her. I wonder what's up?"
"I guess she really wants bread," Takato replied, scratching at the side of his head. He felt Terriermon was on to something. Rika had sounded a little bit off.
When was the last time she just told me to show up at her place and expected me to be there, no questions asked? It's weird.
Still, orders were orders, and he couldn't deny that it was as good an excuse as any to see Rika again. Stepping away from the cash register, he entered the kitchen area.
"Mom! Dad! I need to make a delivery to Rika's…Whaaa!
Takato stood stock still at the door leading to the kitchen, eyes wide and frozen with horror. Takehiro, his father, approached, covered head to toe with flour and an amused grin on his face.
"Taking off, kiddo?" he said, planting a hand on his son's shoulder and giving it a meaningful squeeze. "Better take Guilmon with you. And…uh…" His shoulders rose and fell as he attempted to hold in laughter. "…take your time."
Takato stood there for a moment longer while Guilmon slinked out from behind the boy's father. The crimson dinosaur's head was downcast and batwing ears were wilted with guilt.
"Ah… Takatomon?" he asked while Takehiro gave him a concerned look.
"You okay, son?"
Takato finally jerked.
"H-How…?" he began to stammer out while, behind him, Terriermon poked his head out from behind his legs. His mouth fell open in awe at what little he could see around everyone's legs.
"Whoa. I didn't think bread dough could do that to a wall. Or have such weird colors."
"Terriermon…" came Henry's sigh, yanking his partner back by the ear.
"Er…" Takehiro glanced over at the stairwell leading to the upstairs nervously. "Seriously. Get Guilmon out of here. I'll try to clean things up before Mie…"
"Before I what?" came the voice of Mie as she emerged from the stairwell. She gave her husband a hard look, noting his and Guilmon's disheveled appearances. "This better not have anything to do with all that noise I heard from up there!"
Guilmon shrank back fearfully, his claws going to his mouth where he immediately began to suckle them like a pacifier.
"Oh boy…" he whimpered.
###
Snowflakes made their slow, winding dance down to the streets as Takato, Henry, Guilmon and Terriermon made their way through Rika's neighborhood. Of all of them, Guilmon was in a sorrowful mood, and with good reason.
"Takatomon… Do you think your mom will let me back into the kitchen?" he asked. Takato winced. The damage in the kitchen hadn't been horribly bad. At least, not as bad as it appeared at first glance. It didn't change the fact that there had been a mess made in the first place that would take considerable time to clean up and even repair. Convincing his mom, if he were being honest, was as close to impossible as one could get after an incident like that. He didn't want to lie to protect the Rookie digimon's feelings, but at the same time, he didn't want to leave him utterly without hope either.
"I'd give it a couple of months to let her simmer down," he suggested, adjusting his grip on the bag of bread he held. Atop the pile of bread, there lay a small package, glinting in the streetlight.
"A couple of months?" Terriermon asked with a giggle. "More like several decades. After your mom's gone senile."
"Now, now," Henry warned. "Be a good Santa's little helper."
"What? Momentai! It's not my fault if Guilmon gets a stocking full of coal this year after the mess he made, is it?"
"Ohhh…" Guilmon hung his head. "Terriermon's right. I'm never going to be able to help out in the bakery." Pausing in his stride, the poor, crimson dinosaur threw his head back and let out a loud, mournful howl.
"Ah! Guilmon!" cried Takato, half afraid of the kind of attention they might draw with his partner's howling. "C'mon! Don't be like that! When we get home, I promise that I'll talk to Mom and work things out!"
"Momentai! I'll even help out," Terriermon chimed in. Henry gave him a suspicious look.
"You mean make things worse?"
"Well, I can't really make things any worse than they already are right now. Besides, I don't want to see Guilmon banned from the kitchen. How else would I be able to get him to make me bread?"
"Should have known you had an ulterior motive…" Henry chuckled.
"Hey, a digimon knows another digimon's stomach best. And besides, it's not like he poisoned anyone the last time he made bread, right?"
"True…"
Takato patted his partner's head as they resumed their trek and allowed a small smile to cross his face. The incident back home aside, he was rather glad for the excuse to get out of the house so he could see Rika again.
Man, it sure feels like forever since I last saw her. She's been studying hard for months to get into university. I hope she gets her first choice. I wonder how she's doing…
His thoughts trailed off as an excited flutter of butterflies flew up from his stomach and through his heart, causing him to grow warm with nerves. Seeing Rika again would be difficult, much as it had been for the last couple of years since he found himself developing a crush on her. It had begun so innocently in fact. Calling her 'Nonaka-san' out of the blue one day, which earned him a round of chastisement from the girl in question. He wouldn't have noticed it if not for Rika's own attentiveness to the rather odd detail, as she often did with many of his odd details. Thinking on it afterward, he remembered how he had done the same with Jeri for a time back when he had first begun to fall for her. A way of 'distancing himself' from her in an attempt to hide his growing feelings.
Unfortunately for him, he had never been able to hide things from Rika very well and thanks to her, he couldn't hide it from himself either. That first year had been difficult. Fumble-mouthed, fumble-footed, and a blushing mess as he attempted to reconcile his feelings for the girl he had been friends with for years. Jeri had helped him with it. He felt guilty, as they had circled each other for years as well with unreconciled feelings, but she was happy for him and made it a point to remind him that she had been the one to turn him down in the end.
"I just know that you'll make Rika happy. You two are perfect for one another."
Takato pressed his lips together doubtfully at the memory of her encouragement. Perfect? Yeah right. She's perfect, while I'm…well…not. There's no way she sees me in that way. I mean, why would she? She hasn't said anything or done anything to suggest otherwise. Besides. If she were to be with anyone, it'd probably be someone like Henry. Or even Ryo, when he visits.
That was the luck of Takato Matsuki, he felt. But that was fine. She was one of his best friends after all, and was more than fine with her not liking him back. As long as they were friends, all was right with the world.
They arrived at Rika's home in short order and Takato knocked on the door. They waited for a minute before the sound of footsteps came to their ears and a moment later the door swung open, revealing the fire-haired girl, pale as moonlight and with shining violet eyes. Takato felt his face heat up immediately as her gaze fell on him.
"You're late," she said sternly, folding her arms together. Takato grinned cheesily, more than used to Rika's antics. She always said he was late now, no matter how on time he actually was. It was her way of taking control of the situation by putting him on a defensive footing.
"Hey, Rika," he chuckled awkwardly, holding out the bag for her to take. She did so and just then took notice of Henry and Terriermon's presence.
"What are you two goofballs doing here?"
"Making sure Takatomon here didn't get lost on the way here," Terriermon giggled as Henry held out a bag of his own. Lifting an eyebrow, the girl took it and looked inside.
"What's this for? You didn't fall in love with me and come here to confess, did you?" she asked, a sudden note of hostility in her voice. Henry raised an eyebrow of his own at that and shook his head. Rika had a habit of jumping right into things.
"Actually, we came to give you your Christmas presents before we left for Hong Kong. Your timing was just good."
"Takato left a little present for you as well in the bread bag," Terriermon said, winking at the other boy. Takato felt heat begin to rise in his face again and he shifted uneasily.
"I-It's not a big deal. A-And I didn't fall in love with you either."
He half-croaked on that last sentence and he immediately cursed himself mentally for having said it. Why did he feel the need to reassure her about his feelings by pretending he didn't have any?
In his introspection, he missed the look of disappointment on her face. One that was quickly replaced by a more inspective look. Takato hummed nervously as the blush in his cheeks grew even warmer under her violet gaze. Her eyes narrowed and after a moment she let out an uncharacteristic giggle.
"You're such a gogglehead," she said, digging into the bag of bread to fish out Takato's present to her. "As if you can fool me when you keep looking away like that."
"She's got you figured out, Takatomon," grinned Terriermon as Takato's eyes grew wide in half panic. Guilmon sniffed the air.
"I've always got him figured out," Rika hummed, unwrapping Takato's present to her. She soon revealed a small ball of yellow fuzz with a tail and ears attached to a violet loop. Turning it over, a pair of blue eyes had been sewn on to it, similar to Renamon. She looked up at the boy.
"Did you make this?" she asked.
"I…ah…thought you might like something for your new phone," Takato said, rubbing the back of his head. "But yeah. I thought you might like the personal touch more than if I went out and bought something like it from a store."
Rika looked back down at the small gift, her expression softening. Taking a step toward the boy, the bags in her hands crinkled as she suddenly embraced him.
"Thank you," she whispered and then, much to Takato's surprise, she kissed him on the cheek. It was light and gentle, yet his skin prickled all the same at her unexpected show of affection. Heat flushed Takato's face as she stepped away, leaving Terriermon to watch them rather bewildered. Henry watched in consideration, a slight frown to his face.
"Wow, Takato," Terriermon said after a pregnant pause. "I was wrong about you. You are a lady's man after all."
"What's he going on about?" Rika asked, shifting her grip on the bags.
"N-Nothing!" Takato insisted, his mind doing its best to rally from the curveball Rika had just sent his way. Already, he was replaying the feel of her in his arms. The touch of her soft lips against his cheek. The sparkle in her eye and the way she looked up at him when she saw the gift he had made for her.
"Doesn't sound like nothing," she said, her eyes swinging back around to him. "You want to clue me in here, or do I have to guess?"
Oh man, I could use a distraction right about now…
"I smell something weird," Guilmon announced suddenly.
Oh, thank goodness! Takato breathed a sigh of relief, only for it to be immediately followed by, Wait, what?
"You're always smelling something weird," said Terriermon. "So, what else is new?"
"Well…" Guilmon continued to follow his nose and padded up to Rika, who pulled back.
"Hey! Claws away from the bread, Dinoboy! This is mine!"
Takato's raised an eyebrow at this rather possessive behavior and he glanced over at Henry.
"Oh, I don't want that." He sniffed again, this time loud and long and then pointed a claw at Rika. "You smell funny. Like… Like…" He tapped a claw against his chin thoughtfully. "Like, I don't know. But I know I've smelled it before."
Rika glowered at the dinosaur. ""I do not smell funny. Your nose is lying to you, Dino boy."
"Ah...? My nose can do that?"
"G-Guilmon!" Grabbing hold of his partner, Takato pulled him back, all the while laughing nervously. "S-So…ah… H-How've you been doing, Rika?"
"I'm fine," Rika smiled. "I got into my choice of university so I've been celebrating with my mom and grandma." Her eyes softened as they fell upon Takato again. "That's when I thought of you. I figured seeing you and getting some fresh bread would make my night complete." Her smile slipped just then. "I…um…don't have any Christmas presents for you guys though… Not yet anyway."
"That's fine," said Henry. "We know you've been busy. We're glad to hear that your hard work paid off."
"Like that's an excuse," Rika hmphed. "You two stay right there. I'm sure I've got something for you boys."
Whirling about, she rushed toward her house and disappeared around the corner of the porch toward the back where her room was. Puffs of breath rose up from their mouths as they waited in the chill of the evening.
"Well… She's sure full of energy," Takato noted.
"She's got reason to be," Henry shrugged with a smile. "I felt much the same way when I got accepted into Stanford. By the way, have you heard back anything yet?"
Takato immediately became glum. "No," he admitted. "Not yet. But I'm not real sure about my chances or even if it's a good idea. Digimon keep popping up around here and somebody's got to keep them in line. School…makes it hard to do that. And I'm going to have to choose between keeping people safe or keeping my grades up."
"Don't sweat it," Terriermon said. "I bet Yamaki's going to get his special government agency all set up, so you'll have nothing to worry about. Well, except for wild digimon that is."
"Do you want to work for Yamaki?" Henry asked. Takato hesitated before nodding.
"I trust him and all I've ever wanted to do was to be a Tamer. I just wish things were a bit more certain, that's all."
Henry nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm pretty sure that you'll continue to be great at being a Tamer. I don't think you have too much to worry about there."
"I hope so," Takato said as Rika came running back around the house. With almost ghostly speed, she raced up the path to the gate and ground to a halt, not looking the least bit winded.
"Henry," she said, handing the boy a card. Henry took it and his eyes grew wide.
"Hey! Isn't that…?" began Terriermon.
"The card I won off him when we were kids," Rika said with a touch of smug to her voice. "I figured it was about time he got it back." She smirked. "Take it as a reminder to never bet against the Digimon Queen."
"No more reminders needed," Henry laughed, pocketing the card. Although he didn't have much use for it anymore for lack of playing the game associated with it, the old, battered MegaGargomon card held immense sentimental value. "Thanks, Rika."
"No problem. Now, as for you, Gogglehead…"
Takato swallowed nervously as she approached him. Raising her hands, she held out a piece of cloth for him to take. Cocking an eyebrow in confusion, he took it and unfurled it. His mouth fell open a second later. It was the shirt she wore when they were kids. Her old shirt with a whole, unbroken heart emblazoned on the chest. Battered. Worn. The odd hole in some places. It told a tale of its many months of service before finally being retired. Yet Rika kept it when all other articles of clothing had been thrown out or given away. It was her 'good luck charm,' as she said. The many scrapes she narrowly avoided being seriously hurt in certainly led credibility to the notion.
"I figured you might like having some of my good luck," Rika said, crossing her arms together and shifting her weight to one foot. "I know you need it more than I do. And… And I figured that maybe you might want a reminder of me close by."
"To have something to cuddle with in case he gets scared or lonely?" Terriermon quipped from Henry's shoulder. Both boys' eyes went wide with horror at the implications of his partner's choice of words.
"Terriermon!" Henry exclaimed.
"What? Well what else is he going to use it for?"
Rika, for a wonder, was unphased.
"Sure, why not?" she shrugged before smirking at Takato. "Little boy's need their teddy bears, don't they?"
Takato blinked, feeling the heat rise up in his face. "Wait, whaaa…?"
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Terriermon chimed in, equally perplexed by that unexpected response – one of the confusing many that had cropped up since their arrival here. Rika tended to react rather poorly to his jibes and insinuations after all and for her to not rise to one such as this spoke volumes. Rika's smirk however broadened. Stepping closer to Takato, she flicked her fingers across his chest.
"You'd better be waiting for me when I get back, got it? I won't forgive you if you start seeing other girls."
An almost deathly silence filled the street as Takato blinked again. Terriermon blinked, for once finding himself at a loss for words. Henry looked at Rika as if she had grown a second head, grey eyes wide with increasing disbelief.
"Henry…?" Terriermon began carefully. "Did…Did Christmas come early for me or something? Did I get the date wrong? Because this is just too good."
Henry shook his head, not at all certain what was going on here. Rika sounded as though she wanted to monopolize Takato for herself.
First the kiss and now this? What's going on here?
A question that most certainly was echoed in Takato's mind right that very moment.
"Uh…Rika? Are you feeling all right?" Takato asked uncertainly, the crimson in his face returning full force. He forced on a smile, his mind at war with itself. A part of him was glad to hear what sounded like interest in him on her part, but all the long years of her showing no interest in him sat heavily in the back of his mind.
Where's Renamon? he found himself wondering.
Before he could pursue such concerns, Rika's hand gripped the front of his jacket suddenly.
"Whaa-ohhh!" he stammered out as she abruptly yanked him toward her, much to Henry's growing distiress. Their faces were inches apart now. Her eyes, brilliant orbs of violet midnight, bore angrily into his crimson ones. Her breath came out in slight puffs and Takato had just enough time to pick up a slight whiff of something sharp on her breath.
"You're so stupid," she growled darkly at him. "Stupid, stupid, stupid Gogglehead! You never understand my feelings unless I spell them out for you!"
Her mouth twisted angrily and she pushed towards him, angling her face as her lips parted slightly. Takato's eyes went bug-wide as realization dawned on him. The smell on her breath. Her odd behavior. It all came to him in one second and the boy jerked instinctively in a bid to break her hold on him before things could go too far. Consequently, she tightened her grip and pulled him toward her roughly again, refusing to let him escape.
The end result was a dull clunk as their heads collided accidently with one another, sending them both staggering backward. Rika clutched at her forehead, half in a daze while the other half fumed with smoldering anger at his last-minute jerking motion. Her eyes shone brightly and lowering her hand, she started toward Takato once again. It was at that moment, Renamon materialized behind the girl and placed a warning paw on her shoulder, drawing her up short.
"I think that's enough for one night," she said. "I imagine that they need to get back home soon." Her azure eyes swung up at the two boys and a stunned, gaping Terriermon meaningfully. "Wouldn't you agree?"
"Ah…" Takato massaged the spot on his forehead where he and Rika had bumped into each other, his brain having not quite caught up with what was going on now. Henry, fortunately, clasped his forearm and began to draw him back.
"Y-Yeah," the half-Chinese Tamer acknowledged with a forced smile. "An excellent idea."
"No… No!" Terriermon began, finally recovering. "That's a terrible idea. Henry, we may never get another…"
Henry clamped a tight hand about his partner's mouth, reducing him to a series of muffled protests. Takato, having finally recovered, gazed at Rika in confusion and sadness. He fumbled for something to say.
"Um… I-I hope you like your present?"
He immediately kicked himself mentally. That clearly wasn't the right thing to say. A disappointed look crossed her features and with a hmph, she turned around and stalked back into her yard, slamming the gate shut behind her with a loud clack.
Henry let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.
"Not…exactly how I thought things would go…"
"That's what I was trying to say!" Terriermon exclaimed, finally breaking free from his partner's hold over his mouth. "We may never get another scene like this again and you wanted them to stop?!"
"I felt it was appropriate for them to stop," Renamon said coolly, and something in her tone caused Terriermon to swallow. Seeing that he had finally quieted, she turned her attention to Takato. "I apologize," she said, offering the Tamer a small bow. "She had been celebrating with her family and perhaps celebrated a little too much. I will clear things up once she recovers."
Takato swallowed. "Will she be okay?"
"I believe so," Renamon said, smiling softly at the boy's concern. "This was only her first time sampling from her mother's wine selection. She hadn't had too much to drink. Just enough to…loosen her up, so to speak."
"If that's loosening up, I'd hate to see what happens if she completely relaxes," Terriermon quipped. Renamon sent a dark glare his way again, to which he squeaked, "Sorry!"
"Come on, Takato," Henry said, brushing a hand against his friend's arm. "We'd better get go. She'll be okay with Renamon and her family watching out for her."
"Are you okay, Takato?" Guilmon asked, padding up to the boy, concern in his voice. Takato nodded numbly. His brain was filled with a thousand thoughts and feelings and not a single one of them could be pinned down. Rika had been trying to say something to him about how she felt. Trying to kiss him and it was all alcohol-fueled. No matter what happened, she was not going to be happy about tonight.
"Yeah," he nodded softly. "I just hope that we can still be friends."
"Don't be stupid!" came Rika's angry call from the other side of the gate, causing all heads to snap up in surprise. "Of course we will!"
The gate jerked abruptly from the sound of something impacting it. Renamon sighed.
"I'll see to her. Goodnight."
With that, the vulpine digimon vanished from view, leaving the quartet to their own devices.
###
A/N: I had this idea floating around in the back of my mind since around last year or so, but attempts to get it to work never really fell through. Then I hit it up again a few weeks ago and I didn't get very far before forgetting about it. Today, it was like a dam broke. Not sure if I'll continue this, but I enjoyed putting together this little piece of much needed cheer. :)
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