Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

The Dreamer

Chapter: 9

Finally, breathed Takato mentally as he finished putting the finishing touches on his essay and got up from his desk, relief flooding his body like a refreshing breeze of spring air. Glancing over at the window that he had been sitting next to for the day Takato took note of the position of the sun. It was starting to set. It wouldn't be long before the sky began to take on a golden orange hue to it. Takato frowned at the dark clouds that were starting to group together in the sky. Was there going to be rain tonight? Takato couldn't rightly recall if his mother of father had mentioned it before he left the bakery that morning. Certainly none of his friends said anything about it (or gave an indication that they knew one was coming, as they were lacking the presence of umbrellas) but then again the weather was a rare topic of conversation between them. It was usually the sort of thing that Terriermon would bring up whenever things got boring, and usually to annoy Rika, as she was not one who enjoyed conversations that began that way.

Even if I don't get caught out in the rain I'm going to be getting home pretty late. Maybe if I run I can get home before it gets dark out. Maybe I can say that a digimon attack held me up. Well…probably not. Aw nuts! That reminds me that Guilmon's waiting for me at the playground! He's probably hungry! Knowing him he'll have finished off that bag of bread I gave him this morning before I even got to school! He's going to be hungry! But then again when is he not hungry? Aggghhh…maybe one of the others picked him up something to eat…

"Are you done with your essay, Takato?" Called out Ms. Asagi from her desk, snapping the boy out of his thoughts and causing his face to heat up slightly at having been caught lost in thought…again.

"Ah! Um…yeah! Yeah, I'm done, Ms. Asagi," said Takato as he picked up his essay booklet and walked over to where his teach sat, handing it to her. Taking it, the brown haired teacher began thumbing through it, glancing only briefly at the rather hastily scribbled words at the end (owing in some measure to Takato's desire to finish the essay before it got too late out) before looking up at the boy and nodding to him in satisfaction.

"Now I hope you learned your lesson this time about the importance of completing your homework Takato," said Ms. Asagi. "And in the future please try to remember it so that you don't end up in this situation again."

"Yes, Ms. Asagi. I understand," replied Takato, smiling inwardly. In a way Takato knew that Ms. Asagi meant well, even if her assignments could be brutal and her punishments for breaking a school rule (even by accident) could be a little bit harsh (at least so far as students like Kazu were concerned), but she was just upholding her own sense of right and wrong in the world. Takato remembered a time not too long after the events from when their digimon had returned from their exile to the digital world. Ms. Asagi had informed them that even though they were Tamers and had saved the city from certain destruction on multiple occasions, she would continue to expect their homework to be turned in on time so that none of the other students would feel as though that they were being given special treatment.

I distinctly recall Kazu complaining quite loudly about it that day, thought Takato.

"Good," said Ms. Asagi to Takato's affirmation of the lesson that he tended to learn most frequently during his time at school. "After all, Shinjuku would hate to be deprived of its knight in shining armor during a crisis because he had to make up a late assignment."

Takato's eyes widened in surprise at his teacher. Ms. Asagi looked at her pupil, a small smile gracing her features as she shook her head at Takato's dumbfounded expression.

"It was a joke Takato. Now you had best get going before it starts to get dark out."

Takato's mind suddenly went blank at what he had just heard. Ms. Asagi…making a joke? That…couldn't be…could it? Suddenly feeling that it would be best to just do what his teacher had bid him, Takato simply nodded his head numbly and, trying not to look hurried, went back to his desk and began to pack his bag. It didn't take him all that long to finish packing what was needed to be brought home. Ms. Asagi had been extra generous with her students today and had merely assigned some reading in history and a page of math questions, but not all that much beyond that. Lucky, especially since he was getting out of school later then he otherwise would have been, so there wasn't much of a chance of him missing any assignments the next day. Armed with that knowledge, Takato raced out of the school, taking care to not be caught by any teachers remaining in the building and soon escaped to the freedom of the park.

Looks like everyone's gone, thought Takato as he neared the playground that had, of late, became their newest meeting ground for the morning. Lack of room at the old hideout prevented them from gathering there as much as they would have liked, but Takato wasn't overly concerned about it or the lack of his friends' presence. Aside from Guilmon he expected everyone to have gone home, as they had their own lives to take care of.

Not to mention homework, smiled Takato, slowing down upon his approach to the dinosaur hut.

"Guilmon!" he called out, ducking into the entrance. "I'm sorry that I'm late! I— Aaah!!!"

Stumbling backwards in surprise, Takato banged the back of his head on the hut's roof and slid down to the floor, groaning in pain. As he did so, the source of his startling chuckled softly at him.

"Smooth, Takato…"

"Rika," Takato laughed back in return, honestly surprised, and quite grateful for it as well. "You're here!"

"Sure am," smirked the girl on the other side of the hut. "After everyone else went home, I thought I'd stick around and guard your things."

"You really didn't have to," smiled Takato, massaging the lump that was beginning to form on the back of his head. "I mean, I've left my things here plenty of times before and Guilmon was here…uh…right? Guilmon?"

"Up here, Takato!" came a muffled voice up in the small cave-like niche above where Rika sat. The crimson dinosaur poked his head out and offered the boy a goofy grin. "I thought I'd try climbing up here since Rika said she'd keep an eye on your cards." Guilmon's ears lilted a little as he continued. "You know that I have trouble getting into this place. It's so small, and I can't climb very well with my claws." Like a blow up clown rising after just being knocked down, Guilmon's face went back up to full-on sparkling happiness. "But I finally got up here!"

"After you fell down about a hundred times," grunted Rika in an amused tone. "It kind of got old after fifty."

"Well, Guilmon's never been known to give up on something once he sets his mind to it," said Takato. "Except when food gets his attention," he amended.

"Just when I thought he inherited one of your finer qualities," said Rika as she got to her feet and stretched as best as she could in the confines of the dinosaur hut. Takato stared at her, dumbfounded by the red haired girls compliment. It wasn't often that she handed those out, and when she did…

This week's just full of weird things happening, isn't it? He thought, thinking back onto the first victory he had scored upon the legendary Digimon Queen.

"What's that look for?" asked Rika sharply, catching him watching her. In response Takato jerked, making a light squawking sound, and turned away. His cheeks burned, and he thanked whatever deity was out there watching over him for the growing cloud cover above them, as it darkened the hut just enough to prevent his blush from being seen.

Sometimes…it feels like the universe just likes to trip me up in front of girls just to have a good laugh, thought Takato, fighting down the heat in his cheeks.

Looking back and forth between the two Tamers, Guilmon cocked his head to one side in confusion. He scratched one ear before speaking up.

"Takato. I'm confused."

"Uh…about what, boy?"

"Well, your face is getting all red and funny looking…"

Takato's eyes began to grow wide. He saw that?

"Guilmon," interceded Rika, quickly sensing that the topic of conversation was starting to go down a road that wouldn't be comfortable for anyone involved. "How about we drop the subject and get going, all right? I don't want to be here all night while Takato embarrasses himself." The violet-eyed girl fixed Guilmon with a fearsome gaze that would brook no argument from him, and Guilmon quieted.

"Mmm…okay," Guilmon moped, dropping his chin on the floor of the hut's niche, causing Rika to feel a little bit guilty for snapping at him the way she did. However, memories of her conversation with Jeri rang through her mind as strongly as they did an hour ago, and they refused to leave her alone.

Rika leaned against the huts wall, casting her gaze up at an open portal towards the gray sky above.

Jeez. Just what happened back there? she wondered, thinking back to her conversation with Jeri by the swings. And why did I decide to wait here for Gogglehead to get here from his detention? It's not like he needs someone to hold his hand anyway, and he's right about one thing. Guilmon was here…even if his attention span disappears at the first sight of food…

Rika sighed. Things were just not making any sense to her. Just what was going on in Jeri's mind that she should…say what she said to her. Rika's mind paused again, going over the conversation in her mind, taking in her friends words, still fresh to her even though they were little more than an hour ago.

"If you do like Takato, I wouldn't have a problem with it…"

Rika shuddered slightly and wrapped her arms around herself, berating herself for even having such thoughts in the first place. They were not the kind that she was used to having, but the time that had passed since the Hanami celebration, strange…feelings…were starting to settle in the back of her mind. She'd been aware of them, feeling them nestle within her and grow, but they were just that. Feelings.

Rika knew that there were boundaries that were not meant to be crossed when it came to things like friendship.

I must really be losing it if I'm developing a 'crush' on Takato of all people. Rika glanced up at the goggle-wearing boy and frowned. And of course, he's got to be completely oblivious to it…just like he is with Jeri. Typical.

He was still standing there, looking at her with a confused expression on his face. Rika felt like growling at him and tell him to get a move on. He had his cards, shouldn't he be going home now? She had places she had to go to—home for example—and schoolwork to get started on.

Why the rush? A part of her asked. Before she could even begin to respond, Takato spoke up.

"Um…Are you okay, Rika?"

Rika blinked, half not expecting the question while simultaneously cursing herself for doing so in the first place. She had been staring at him and being quiet for a while now.

"I'm fine," she grumbled, turning away with a frown and a slight blush appearing on her face. "Don't you have somewhere to be, little boy?"

Takato frowned, taking in her change in attitude, which went from open and friendly to rather standoffish.

"I was just asking if you were all right? I mean, you weren't saying anything when I was asking if you were going to stay here or if you were going home and…um…well…"

"You were staring at him like he had peanut butter on his face," spoke up Guilmon as he hopped down from his little cubby.

"…Not exactly how I would have put it…"

"Sorry," Rika apologized, closing her eyes thoughtfully. "I just had a complicated day, that's all. I didn't think you would stick around for very long after getting your stuff."

"Why wouldn't I?" asked Takato, tilting his head to one side, suddenly curious. Rika shook her head, realizing that it was a foolish thing of her to say. Of course, Takato would stick around. He wasn't the sort of person who would up and leave without taking the time to talk to a friend.

As long as the city wasn't being destroyed, thought Rika sarcastically. A distracting thought, but Rika felt it was a necessary one. Such thoughts kept her from focusing on…other matters. Namely one involving the boy that she was with.

"I guess I've just got a lot on my mind," said Rika, getting to her feet. "Anyway, I think it's about time I headed home and…" Her words ground to a halt as she felt something cold and wet land on her face, just beneath one eye. Turning up towards the portal above her with a scowl that could split trees, she groaned.

"Terrific. Rain."

With a sigh, she stepped off to the side. No sooner had she done so, rain began to pour through the portal, making a pitter patter sound on the concrete floor. Rika grimaced at it. For his part, Takato forced a smile onto his face, hoping to make the best out of a situation that, quite literally, dampened his day.

"Well…at least now you have a reason to have a rematch with me."

Rika raised an eyebrow at him, looking rather surprised by the suggestion before again turning away. A soft chuckle escaped her lips.

"Yeah…that's right. A rematch. I can't say that I'm in the mood for one. Today's just been a weird day."

"Well, we seem to have plenty of time," said Takato, setting his bag and box of cards down on the ground. Rika gave him a stern stare.

"What? Am I being psychoanalyzed now?"

Takato bit the inside of his cheeks and furrowed his brow.

"No," he replied. "I just thought that…you'd like to talk about it since it seems to be bothering. Sometimes me and Henry do that when we have to work something out. It helps."

Rika glanced to the side, hating herself for not opening up as she did at the end of Hanami, when she had sung her song to him. That had been a sure sign that their friendship had progressed far, as she never would have even considered doing something like that for anyone, least of all Takato of all people.

It's not like I don't want to tell him anything, thought Rika, and she was surprised to find the honesty in that thought. Lately, even before Hanami, she had been finding it easier to talk to him, venting her frustrations when she needed a human ear to bend. However, she knew that what was on her mind was not the sort of thing that she could just up and talk about. She recognized too easily the kinds of ramifications that could result because of a simple word. Consequences that Jeri, whether she knew it or not, had planted the seeds for in her own heart.

That kind of thinking though, it did not sit well with her. It felt as though she were running away. She didn't want to hurt Jeri, or put Takato 'on the spot' as it were by admitting to anything about what she had begun feeling for him…a fondness that was more than she knew it should be. Hanami may have been a little over a week ago, but it still stood out quite clearly in her mind. She couldn't remember the last time she felt that carefree, save perhaps when she biomerged with Renamon for the first time. When she became Sakuyamon, everything felt possible. When she played Frisbee with her friends in the park, it felt as though she already attained everything she wanted. Opening up to Takato felt as though she gained the last thing she wanted.

A dream fulfilled, huh? She thought with a sense of quiet irony, contemplating Takato, the groups resident 'dreamer'.

Reflecting further, she remembered how Jeri had the courage to discuss her own worries on the matter. Did she have that same courage?

The sound of rain dripping down to the floor resonated with her thoughts as she mulled the issue around in her mind.

For Takato's part, he beheld the red-haired girl curiously, wondering just what was going through her mind. Briefly he wondered how many times he had been in this situation with her, sitting on the outside while she kept her own council. That of course became less of an issue as they began to work together and become friends, but there were always times where she would close up and not speak. Things were changing between them though…she opened up a lot more in the time since her birthday, especially after Hanami…

Takato found himself blushing as he remembered her singing to him. Out of all the things, he expected he never expected that. The idea of her agreeing to his request flew in the face of everything he knew about her.

Now that I think about it…that's not a whole lot. I don't really know much about her. As far as I know, the only things that I do know is that she has a mom, grandmother, likes digimon, sings, and her father left when she was young. Other than that…

Takato wanted to berate himself for that, but he knew that such thoughts were pretty much useless. For one, Rika would come down on him if she knew he was doing so, and for another they hadn't exactly known each other for very long, as opposed to Kenta, Kazu, and Jeri, whom he had known since early childhood.

Then again, I know more about Henry than I do about Rika, he thought, scratching the back of his head idly. He felt that he was missing something. Something important in the way that she had been staring at him, like she was contemplating of something of great importance. What that was he couldn't tell, and since she wasn't speaking and he didn't want to push her any further than she was willing to talk…

There's sunshine…

The realization broke across Takato's thoughts quietly, a ripple that disturbed the surface of his mind. Looking up through the portal of the hut, Takato saw a sight that made his eyes widen in surprise. A rainbow. It shone through the hole while curiously rain continued to pour down as hard as it ever did, showing no signs of stopping. Unconsciously it brought to mind something that he had heard from his mother.

"A kitsune wedding…" he murmured, and Rika looked at him with a bewildered expression on her face.

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hm?" Takato looked at her questioningly before realizing he had spoken aloud. Feeling a little self-conscious, he rubbed the back of his head nervously before answering. "Oh, it's just something my mom told me when I was a kid. I'm sure you've probably heard it before. When it's raining and the sun is out a kitsune is getting married or something. I thought of it when I saw the rainbow outside."

Takato pointed to the portal, and Rika's violet eyes followed it. A slight frown fell over her face and she scoffed at it.

"It's a dumb story," she grumbled.

"Why do you say that?" Takato asked, surprised. "I kind of liked it when I first heard it."

"You would." Rika shook her head. "But I still think it's kind of dumb."

Takato pressed his lips together as he thought it over. He had to admit that the story was rather colored with romantic tones, which he tended to be a sucker for. Rika on the other hand…well, needless to say she tended to be quick to shut down any mention of the subject, especially when it involved her. There had been at least a couple exceptions that he knew of, one where before they had been friends where she teased him about 'being in love with her', and another much more recently and well after the start of their friendship when she encouraged him in his pursuit of Jeri.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same," said Takato, offering the girl a small smile. Rika's replying scowl did not share the same playfulness that he had, and Takato shrank back from it. "Sorry," he coughed loudly. "I was just thinking about how much you've changed since we first met."

"I know what you meant," said Rika. "You said something a lot like that when we were going off to rescue Jeri. Remember?"

"Yeah," nodded Takato. "You said how you were tired of fighting."

"Wherever you go, there you are," agreed Rika. "Guess it was a kind of 'full circle' kind of thing. I didn't realize a lot of things back then, and was only just starting to. Things change. Not everything remains the same." Rika's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "…But…sometimes I think we're brought back to the starting point, just to realize that."

Takato tilted his head to one side, confused.

"What do you mean?"

Rika just placed her hands on her hips and glared at the rain through the portal. It continued to fall through, damping the hut's ground.

"Ugh. Is this rain ever going to let up?"

Guilmon watched the rainbow through the portal, remembering the first time he had seen such a thing and how it had captivated him then. It had been the first lesson he had in learning how to reverse digivolve, though he wouldn't yet get the hang of it over the weeks that followed, having not noticed how his emotional state functioned alongside his digivolution. Looking at it, Guilmon thought about how, just as it did then and the many times he had seen rainbows since, the phenomenon continued to hold him with the same wonder he felt then. And this time it was during a rainstorm, where the clouds were becoming few and far between.

Takato said that this was a special moment. A kitsune is getting married. And…

Guilmon scrunched his face up in confusion before looking over at Takato.

"Takato? What's a kitsune?"

"Well…um…it's kind of like Kyubimon. A fox with nine tails. Only it's supposed to be magical."

"Oh." Guilmon tapped one claw against his chin. "Kitsune wedding…" his eyes suddenly lit up and he tugged at Takato's pants. "Takato? Does that mean Renamon is getting married?"

"Say whaaa…?" Takato blinked in stunned amazement before glancing over at Rika fearfully, wondering what her reaction would be, or even worse, Renamon's as she was likely to have overheard the conversation.

And where is she anyway? I would have thought she'd have come in to get out of the rain.

"Guilmon…" replied Rika in an annoyed tone, closing her eyes. "No one is getting married. And don't you go getting any funny ideas either, Gogglehead."

"Funny ideas?"

"Forget it. It looks like the rain is starting to let up." Rika indicated the absence of the sound of rain.

"Oh." Takato got up and collected his things. "Well…um…I guess this is where we separate, huh?"

"Yeah…" Rika hesitated and then glanced at Takato. "Hey. This weekend…do you have any free time?"

"Huh?" Takato's eyebrows shot up. Before Rika could become annoyed at his utter cluelessness, he stammered onwards. "Y-You mean…like…a…a date?"

The question had escaped his lips before he even realized what he was saying, and silence hung between them with a pregnant pause.

"Just when I told you to not get any weird ideas…"

"Sorry! Sorry! It's just that the question…never mind. Yeah, I have some free time, but I don't think Henry is going to be available. He said something to me earlier about doing something with his dad and…"

"That's fine," shrugged Rika. "And before you can even bring up the moron twins, I'm going to say 'no' to that. I just…" Rika paused, knowing how her next words were going to sound. "…want it to be the two of us."

"Ahhh…"

"Takato?"

"Huh? Ah! Yeah! I mean, yeah. I'll be there. I'll call you or…uh…"

"Tell you what. Why don't we give your brain a chance to calm down and I'll give you a call later this week and we'll figure things out from there." Rika was about to leave when she thought of something and looked back at him again. "This is 'as friends', understand? No funny business."

"Uh…right."

The two held each other's gazes for a moment before Rika departed, a curious expression on her face. Takato watched her go, a dumbfounded one on his own as he processed what had just happened. For the strangest reason the memory of the dream he had earlier this week flashed through his mind, almost distracting him from Guilmon's urgent tugging on his shirt.

"Huh? What's up, Guilmon?"

"Shouldn't we be going home before it rains again?"

"Yeah," Takato nodded, his eyes taking on an almost distant look as he watched Rika disappear down a park path, the vulpine form of Renamon phasing into view briefly as she followed her. "This is going to be weird…"

Guilmon looked at his partner, his face a mixture of worry and curiosity.

"Ahhh…kitsune wedding?" the crimson reptile asked aloud, remembering the conversation between Jeri and Rika that he overheard. Takato looked at him, not understanding his fixation on the story, and frowned.

"Guilmon…"

A/N: It's been a little over two years since I last updated this fic, having been focusing on 'Less than Human' during that entire time, but now that it's finished I can finally put some focus onto some stories that have been hanging around, languishing. Originally this was meant to be the final chapter to this story, but as I was writing I realized that I could add a little bit more as I felt that the dream that started off this fic hadn't been included as a factor, and it felt rather odd to leave it out even though it started the whole thing. So, with that said, there are still a few more chapters to go for this fic. Hope that you've enjoyed this latest update, and I'll see you next chapter.

Sincerely,

-Crazyeight

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