A/N: Written for the Tale in Fragments Challenge, 10 prompts List 1, prompt #08 – haze, and for the Female Character Appreciation Competition (with Ruki), both on the Digimon Fanfiction Challenges Forum (link's in my profile).
Enjoy. :D
Picnic Day
8. Haze
It is a night fair, and somehow they manage to spend all night there. Ruki was doubtful at first, but they manage it and, by morning, they're all a little tipsy at the very least. Most of the digimon, even Guilmon and Monodromon (though, to Ruki's relief, Renamon had only a small glass and was perfectly in control of herself), had had more sake than they could really handle. The adults had joined in on the fun as well, and Rumiko's cheeks are redder than Ruki has ever seen them.
Luckily, Rumiko's had practise, having been a single mother for all these years, so Ruki isn't embarrassed beyond belief at the silliness her mother exhibits since it's nowhere near as bad as the digimon. Especially Monodromon, who won't get away from her. At least Guilmon drunk isn't much different to the Guilmon she'd first met: that same big old baby.
She laughs a little as she spots Takato chasing after him. Definitely like a big old baby, she thinks. 'Good think you're not a hopeless drunk,' she whispers to Renamon.
'I have my dignity,' the yellow fox replies with a sniff, flicking her tail at Monodromon who comes again.
Ruki sighs in annoyance at that. 'Ryo,' she calls. 'Control your digimon.'
He gives her his usual insufferable smirk. 'He likes you too much,' he replied, before wandering into the crowd with his hands in his pockets.
Ruki scowls at his back. 'Wish I'd beaten him,' she mutters.
Renamon wisely says nothing, but Rumiko can't withhold her comment. 'You two will make the most adorable couple. Ooh, I can't wait.' She clutches her camera tight.
Ruki goes bright red. 'I'm not dating him in a million years,' she snaps, a little higher than she has to. But she's thought of Ryo as a rival for too long to even consider falling in love with him – even if she could fit all his faults in one hand.
'You're saying that now, sweetheart.' And Rumiko wanders ahead, swinging her plastic bags like an excited child behind her. Ruki follows, wondering for a moment if it's really possible, then decides it's not. She and Ryo are too competitive, even if Ryo manages to hide it most of the time under his gentlemanly act. They'll probably kill each other before they marry each other, no matter what everyone says and no-one would dream of tearing that dream couple apart.
Though, she supposes, from the outside they would look like a good couple. What with the way Ryo's always teasing her and she's always falling for it – but Takato gets under her skin as well and she doesn't hear anyone saying they make a cute pair. Maybe it's because everyone knows Takato's utterly devoted to Juri and that Juri feels the same.
And that's all fine and dandy. She doesn't like Takato, or Ryo, or any boy whose name she can remember at the drop of a hat, and she's hardly interested in dating.
What she is interesting in is getting back to the real world and to bed, because she's tired, especially after all that sparring she's done and staying up all night, and there's only so much bright colour she can take before it's all a haze. She hasn't had a drop of sake; she's too young and she's sure that motherly instinct would have had her in deep strife if she'd felt rebellious enough to try.
But she's long past that rebellious chapter of her life, she thinks. And she'll drink with her mother when she's twenty and not a day earlier. No-one's in any rush. Her mother's got other companions to drink with, even at some place like this. And it looks like she's enjoyed herself, and Ruki has to admit she's had fun too.