Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own When the World's Not Ending, by Smartalec121 or any of their associated works.

Off the Beaten Path

Chapter: 19/ Flowing Storms

"You went beyond your authority, Mitsuo Yamaki!"

Holding his lighter tightly in one hand, Yamaki weathered the storm of Himiko's anger as it crashed upon his metaphorical shores. That she sat at her desk, separated by the projector, did nothing to relieve the force of her outrage. Yamaki couldn't blame her. He did indeed go over his authority negotiating with Kuzuhamon.

"I apologize," he replied calmly. "It was a rapidly evolving situation and…"

"Don't give me that, Yamaki! You're smarter than that!" Leaning forward, she knuckled her forehead. "Do you have any idea what you've done by compromising yourself this way?" Looking up, she scowled at him from behind her fingers. He blinked behind his sunglasses. For an instant, she actually looked worried for him.

"Don't look so surprised," she said. "Yes, I think you're a maverick who can't be trusted with the power you have over Hypnos, but you are still a valuable asset to the country. Japan – humanity – cannot afford to lose you. But…" She sighed. "This will be the end of the road for you I'm afraid." Sitting up, she shuffled through some papers. "There will be an official investigation into your operations. I won't be able to stop that. The least I can do is convince the Chief Cabinet Secretary to not toss you out. I don't think I need to remind you that he is not your friend in this like the last one was."

"No, I don't need any reminders," Yamaki replied stiffly.

Himiko gazed at him for a moment before leaning back in her chair. Her eyes remained on him, oddly apologetic, yet stern. They both knew she had been responsible for that changeup in an attempt to control him and reign in his power. Perhaps she was regretting that now.

"I'll be coming down there," she resumed. "Officially, I'll be taking over the operation and retaining you as a consultant. The Chief Cabinet Secretary won't like it, but I'll make it stick. Unofficially, you will deal with this situation by whatever means necessary. This version of the D-Reaper is not to establish any kind of beachhead in our world. That includes the deletion of the supposed components that you describe. Am I making myself clear?"

"Crystal." Yamaki repressed a grimace. Components. The word sounded so clinical and it sidestepped the issue of the alternate Jeri and Calumon living within the D-Reaper. It held a certain appeal. It made it easier to pretend that Himiko wasn't ordering a potential child to be killed to safeguard the world.

Assuming that it is the case, he thought. Still, he was pleased that she gave him broad latitude to handle the situation. It was risky for Himiko as she was assuming all responsibility if he failed. At the same time, the reward for success would certainly catapult her into a position of even higher authority. Or, perhaps, even position her to manage Hypnos' affairs, and by extension the world's interaction with the digital world, directly.

"I'm on my way now," Himiko continued. "I expect to be fully briefed on this when I arrive."

With that, she cut their connection, leaving Yamaki alone in his office. Finally, he flicked his lighter open. Its click was so loud it echoed in the quiet of the room.

There were times, such as this, that he simply wanted to scream.

###

"Come on, this time let's run to a place not on any map,

There's nothing to be afraid of.

"A small heart, filled only with courage,

Alone in the rain.

My pockets are empty, but

I'm only looking ahead.

"I knock on the door of the unknown and advance, advance,

To the other side of the world, I won't waver any longer.

"Come on, this time let's run to a place not on any map,

There's nothing to be afraid of.

Now is the only time to build tomorrow.

Take off to my distant tomorrow.

"The wind blows through between buildings,

A night when even the stars have disappeared.

My clasped hands are trembling, but

I'm looking up at the sky.

"In the flow of time I grasp, grasp

What I really want, without hesitation.

"The day will come when I'm enfolded by an invisible brilliance.

Surely, surely, I'll be able to change.

"Come on, this time let's run on this road we've chosen,

I don't want something that just looks similar.

I am the only one to build the future,

Awake to my new tomorrow.

"This time let's run on the road we've chosen,

I don't want something that just looks similar.

I am the only one to build the future,

Awake to my new tomorrow."

Rika breathed a sigh of relief as the last words tapered off. She looked at Kayoko and Toshiko, who were both now clapping ecstatically.

"Damn it." Kayoko wiped a tear from her eye. A genuine grin spread across her face, eclipsing the disappointment she felt. "Of course, you win again. I just can't beat you at this."

"I'm fine giving you another round to try," Rika smirked. Kayoko waved off the offered microphone.

"Nah. I'm beat and you still haven't gotten everything out of your system. At this point, you'd just be beating me to death."

"Don't you mean singing to death?" Toshiko giggled. Kayoko poked her friend's shoulder.

"Wow. Listen to you. One day, you really will get smart with me without using text messages."

A bright blush bloomed along Toshiko's face and she started to shrink into herself. Not having it, Kayoko clasped hold of their friend by the shoulders and drew her into a tight hug.

"So, what's next that you feel like singing, Nonaka?" Kayoko asked, squishing Toshiko's face against hers. Toshiko squirmed in embarrassment, but Kayoko held tight, determined, as she always was, to keep her from withdrawing into her usual shell. "The day is still young for us after all. School doesn't let out for another hour."

Rika sighed and sat down.

"I don't know," she said. "Honestly, I feel like I'm just a kid having a tantrum."

"Quite the game you're being left out of, Nonaka."

"Not funny." Rika shot her friend a sharp look. "This is real. What they're doing is dangerous and…" Her hand tightened around the microphone. "I'm just feeling sorry for myself."

Silence fell over the three teens. After a moment, Kayoko got up, dragging Toshiko along with her. Scootching over to where Rika sat, she plopped the two of them down next to her. Reaching out, she wrapped an arm around the fire-haired girl, and the struggle for a group hug began.

"Kayoko! What…?"

"Come onnn… The little princess needs a hug!"

"I do not need a…! Princess?! What are you on about?"

"Huuuggg…"

With an effort, Rika broke free from Kayoko's attempts to embrace her and shot to her feet. Kayoko smirked triumphantly.

"There. Got you fighting again at least. Are you done with the pity party?"

Rika huffed irritably, but her eyes shone in appreciation. "Now I remember why we became friends."

"I know your best qualities, Nonaka. Don't you forget it. So, what are you going to do next?"

Digging into her bag, Rika produced her phone. Kayoko's methods were blunt, but she had to admit that the girl knew where to land her hits. Perhaps above all else, Rika hated being coddled and wallowing in self-pity. Whenever she got stuck in that particular rut, especially after a particularly chilly evening at home, Kayoko would find a way to get her moving again, even if it meant taking a hit herself.

If you don't know how to fix a problem from one angle, attack it from another, she thought. She ran through her address list and quickly found Kenta's number.

Are we still on for training?

She fired the text away. She stood there, waiting pensively for some seconds until her phone buzzed. After quickly reading Kenta's message, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good news?" Toshiko asked. Rika nodded.

"Yep! The card training stuff I had set up with Kenta is still on. He wants to meet in Chuo Park."

"Then I guess we'd better get going," Kayoko said, standing up. "It's a bit of a hike from here."

"You don't have to come along…" Rika began, only to be interrupted by another buzzing on her phone. Looking down at it, Rika arched an eyebrow.

"Toshiko, why…? Oh."

"What'd she say?" Kayoko asked, suddenly curious. Rika rolled her eyes.

"Definitely not something I'd say out loud," she replied, offering her phone to Kayoko to read. Toshiko shrank into herself, twiddling her fingers and blushing badly. Kayoko gave a loud and sharp laugh.

"Wow! Toshiko!" She flashed their friend a grin. "Bold! Now why don't you try saying that out loud sometime?"

"I-I'd rather not. It's-It's embarrassing and…"

"Out loud! Out loud! Come on, Rika!" Kayoko pumped her fists up and down. "Encourage her!"

"Give me a break," Rika replied with a sympathetic smile to her friend. "I'm not going to pressure her." She glanced at her cellphone again. "Come on. If you're tagging along, I'd like to get to Chuo Park sometime in the next decade."

###

Suzie made her way home in record time and found herself in the arms of her mother, who embraced her tightly, grateful that her daughter was home after so long away. Suzie could hear the beating of the woman's heart against her ear and it brought forth memories of Henry, lying on the ground in Chuo, growing colder with each pump. Her hands tightened around her mother and she forced the memory away.

It's not the same thing, she told herself. It's not the same thing.

Drawing back, she smiled. "So… Do anything fun while I was gone?"

Mayumi gave a shaky laugh. "Movie night wasn't the same without you, but your older sister did a pretty good impression of you and Lopmon." To demonstrate, she raised her hands to the sides of her head and mimed a pair of bunny ears. "Princess Suzie to the rescue!"

Suzie giggled.

"Oh, Mom." She looked around. "Where is Jaarin anyway?"

"Back at university." Mayumi's face fell a little. "It's been pretty quiet around here."

"Daddy's got overtime," Suzie nodded. Mayumi closed her eyes unhappily.

"More digital world stuff?" she asked. Suzie nodded again.

"I can't really talk about it."

"But it's going to be dangerous, won't it?"

"I'm sorry, Mom." Suzie gave her mother an apologetic look. Reaching out, she brushed her mother's fingers. "We're hoping things won't be too bad. We've got some more help this time."

Hopefully, she added mentally. The idea of working with Kuzuhamon and her friends didn't sit well with her, given their first encounter wrecked Gyoen Park. Whatever their reasons, the damage they caused didn't speak well for them as far as she was concerned.

"W-We should be fine for tonight though," she decided to throw in. "I mean, I can't make any promises that the digital world won't mess things up, but no one's expecting anything to happen until tomorrow."

Mayumi smiled. It was a sad smile, and a strained one. She would take what she could get though.

"I'll make you your favorite then for dinner," she said before looking at Lopmon. "And an extra serving of ice cream for you as well."

"Oh!" Lopmon's eyes perked up. "I-I really shouldn't…"

"Oh, nonsense! Besides, the extra sugar will help keep your strength up."

Suzie frowned at her partner jealously. "You have the best excuse for getting extra ice cream."

"I can't help it. She won't let me refuse and it would be rude to let it go to waste."

"Are you still going to martial arts today?" Mayumi asked, making her way over to the fridge. Suzie's shoulders sagged. She had completely forgotten about that.

"I…probably should," she glowered. "Takato will probably be there."

Her fists tightened reflexively. At once, she felt contradicting emotions. The first was a deep desire to be as far away from him as possible. She felt rather sick of him and how he tried to carry the whole weight of the world on his shoulders, but at the same time she berated herself for how unfair she was feeling.

I've done more than my fair share of adding to his pile of problems. It's not his fault Henry died. I've got to show that I can be dependable.

Yet, looking down at Lopmon, she found herself wondering if she would ever be reliable. For all the grief she gave him about Megidramon, at least that had been a one-time thing. Cherubimon continued to haunt her well after her first appearance.

Making her way down the hall, she paused only briefly at the door that had been Henry's room. As always, it remained closed, but she knew that if she opened it now, she would find all his belongings in the same place they had been before he died. Shivering, she hurriedly passed it by. Entering her 'princess' chambers' she moved to gather up her martial arts uniform. From behind her, she heard the sound of Lopmon's tiny feet padding into the room behind her.

"Lopmon? Could you stay here and help with Mom tonight?"

"Of course, Suzie. But what if you need me?"

"I won't." She swallowed. "Besides, I'm going to be sparring with Takato later. I don't want to be worried about you."

Lopmon looked down. "I see."

"Sorry, Lop."

"No, it's fine. I understand that there are some battles that need to be faced alone." Lopmon looked back up at her partner. "I wish you the best of luck."

Turning, Suzie gave her partner a small smile. One that Lopmon returned.

"Thanks, Lopmon. I'll try not to be too much of a jerk to him."

"Just be yourself. He'll understand."

Suzie's smile disappeared beneath a scowl. "That's what I'm afraid of."

###

Suzie could feel Chou Sensei's eyes on her as she sat in the dojo, legs crossed and eyes closed in meditation. He was silent, offering only a lesson in patience and serenity. Until he felt she was ready, she would remain seated there. Her breathing was his clue. To the layman, it sounded slow and calm, but the man was long versed to the torrent of emotion that lay underneath the surface of the masks people wore for the outside world.

She didn't even try to fool him. Her feelings were a twisted ball of yarn. A thought or memory would wander to the surface and she would feel herself focus on it; end up getting lost in its snarl. She would fight to untangle herself and smooth out the strands of her feelings, only for them to tighten their grip about her just in time for something else to rise up and catch her attention.

She didn't say it was impossible though; or that she couldn't do it. Chou Sensei wouldn't believe her for starters, and for another she didn't want to quit. She didn't want to dishonor the memory of her brother.

I just wish I could get through this faster! Why's this got to take so long?

She let out a heavy sigh.

"Something disturbs you, Suzie," Chou Sensei observed.

"It's the same problem like always," she replied.

"Old wounds," Chou nodded. "Your brother is still by your side."

"I'm just remembering him," Suzie huffed. "He's not a ghost haunting me."

"Memories are like ghosts. In many tales, ghosts are the spirits of the departed that are locked within a single event, emotion, or purpose left incomplete. They are sustained by them while at the same time limited. Living people can fall into the same state when they are unable to reconcile something. They relive the moment over and over, even when they aren't aware of it."

Suzie hung her head, seeing what he was saying.

"I'm making a ghost of Henry because I still can't accept that he's gone," she said softly. She then gave a dry, empty laugh. "My brother would have probably described me as a program that got stuck in a loop."

"An apt metaphor. One I think he would appreciate hearing from you."

"I don't think he'd appreciate how I'm acting." She frowned. "I've heard over and over that I have to accept Henry is dead and move on, but it's not that simple." Her hands drew into tight fists. She looked up at Chou. "Tomorrow I'm facing the thing that killed him. The D-Reaper. I feel like that should help put things to rest." She glanced away, her expression filling with doubts. "Only, the thing is, it's not really the D-Reaper. We already beat it. This is some new version and it's supposed to be different. Gooder, I guess? I don't know. Guilmon says it wants to help. Or it needs our help. I can't remember which. But it's biomerged with another version of Jeri."

Chou gazed at her for a moment before indicating the table off to the side.

"Perhaps we should sit down so you can explain this over some tea."

So, they did, and Suzie told all that she could as she understood it. She kept the details light so as to not get her teacher in trouble, but she explained about Rika, the alternate dimensions and the new D-Reaper that showed up. Chou Sensei digested it all without saying a word. Only the sound of tea being poured and drank interrupted the girl.

"You were very young when Henry died," Chou said, pouring a fresh cup for the young girl. "And thrust into a situation that was very stressful and very dangerous. Until that point, Henry was like an anchor to you. You didn't think he would ever leave because he had always been there."

"But he's not anymore." Suzie shook her head. "Except my brain turned him into a ghost and won't let him go. Because I miss him."

Suzie accepted the cup of tea and gazed at it. Her reflection looked back. Her eyes were somber and filled with more wear and tear than other girls her age had. There were times, she felt, that so many of her fellow classmates were stupid because they lived such carefree lives, worrying only about homework or some game level they were stuck on. Other times, she envied them for their innocence.

"Mom and Dad don't talk about him," she murmured. "Mom still makes his bed every week. Sometimes, she even washes his clothes. She doesn't think anyone knows, but I do. I think Daddy does too, but he won't say anything." She ran a finger along the edge of the teacup. Gripping it, she lifted it up. "Mom doesn't like seeing Takato or Kenta either. She doesn't like that Daddy and me work with them."

Her mind sparked on something and she frowned, the teacup mere inches away from her lips. Turning it over, her mind focused on the sudden and unexpected intrusion into her thoughts. Chou Sensei watched her, ever patiently. She set the teacup back down.

"I need to go back to meditating," she said quietly. She bowed to her teacher and then stood up. Making her way back to the center of the dojo, she sat herself back down and closed her eyes. She sought the tangled yarn in her head, tugging at her emotions along the way. There was something there that she needed to know in order to understand…

She heard the sound of the dojo door opening and the sound of two sets of feet entering the room.

"Sorry I'm late," she heard Takato say. Her brow furrowed noticeably as annoyance flashed through her. A snarky response formed on the tip of her tongue, but she bit it back.

Leave it to the teacher to discipline him, she told herself. In spite of her best intentions, she cracked an eye open and glanced over at their teacher. The man had some grey starting in his mustache, but his eyes remained as attentive and thoughtful as ever. He didn't look at all perturbed by Takato's late arrival; no more or less than he did when at Henry's funeral. It felt as if only time ever affected him in any meaningful fashion. For everything else, he might as well be a stream; always flowing. Always in motion.

"Welcome, Takato. Once you are ready, begin your meditation and center yourself. When you are ready, we will begin our lesson."

Suzie closed her eyes and devoted herself to untangling the knots she found herself in. Takato. Always Takato. He hadn't been much to her when she first met him. There was some business about Guilmon disappearing, but nothing came of that as far as she heard, but he had been a little flaky and understandably so. She saw him a few more times, always with some problem that needed dealing with and Henry, after a certain point, was becoming a little frustrated about him. For her, it was always in the background and not really worth her attention. She had her world and Henry had his.

Then she was in the digital world, and Takato forced Guilmon to digivolve to Megidramon. She learned to fear him a little then, even after he and his partner biomerged to become Gallantmon. And Henry… His mood grew darker. Already frustrated with being pulled constantly into a world of violence, Suzie joining it did something to him. After Gallantmon's fight with Beelzemon, he all but blew up at Takato.

Something about that memory caught her attention. She tugged on that string. Focused on it. But it slipped away.

"Why don't we begin with some katas?" Chou Sensei said, breaking her concentration. Snapping out of her meditation, she looked up at him in confusion.

But I haven't centered myself, she almost said out loud. Their teacher was already falling into a basic form. His fists were tucked in at his waist with one foot forward and the other pulled back behind him, giving him the appearance of a drawn bow.

Bow stance.

Reluctantly, Suzie climbed to her feet, joining Takato. The two mimicked their teacher's form, knowing the patterns he was going to lead them through. They began with punches. Simple, launched from the waist. Then he shifted them into a horse stance – feet now positioned on the sides, further than shoulder distance, fists again tucked in at the sides.

Move for move. Position to position. Suzie lost herself in the forms, and for the time being, she simply flowed.

###

Rika found Kenta waiting for them at the hexagonal concrete building that they played at before. The boy was sitting on one of the stone seats when she and her friends reached the top. Upon seeing them, he rose to his feet, one hand coming up to wave, only to freeze upon seeing Kayoko and Toshiko.

Uh oh. Rika frowned slightly at the nervous blush rapidly forming on Kenta's cheeks. Better break the ice quick.

"Sorry," she said. "They wanted to come along. These are my friends, Kayoko and Toshiko. They wanted to see how you used the cards to help your partner and…"

"Oh my God! He is so cuuute!"

"…and see your partner it seems," Rika sighed as Kayoko dashed toward MarineAngemon. The tiny, fairy digimon squawked in surprise at the girl's sudden and rapid approach. He didn't try to get away though. Instead, he allowed Kayoko to cup him gently in her hands and bring him up to her face where she promptly booped his nose with hers.

"Nonaka! It's not fair! How could you hide this cute little guy from us?" Kayoko said, scowling at her redhaired friend. "Toshiko! You have got to make a plushie of this little guy!"

"Ah…" Toshiko stammered uncertainly. Her eyes darted back and forth between Kenta and MarineAngemon. "I-Is that o-okay?"

Kenta was silent for a moment before shaking himself back to attention. "W-What do you say, MarineAngemon?"

"Pih!"

"H-He says he's fine with it." Kenta pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. "He also says that you're holding him a little tight."

"I am?" Kayoko released her hold on the tiny Mega, and MarineAngemon floated up with a smile of relief. "Sorry about that. Hey, he only said one word. How'd you get all that from it?"

Kenta gulped. "We just understand each other really well."

"Sorry for dumping all this on you," Rika apologized while setting her bag on the concrete table.

"I-It's fine!" Kenta's expression suggested that this was anything but fine as he failed miserably at hiding it behind a placating smile. "It's-It's nice to see someone who likes digimon. Instead of, you know. Hating them."

"He's very cute," Toshiko said, her eyes avoiding Kenta.

"Who couldn't find this little guy, cute?" Kayoko said, poking at MarineAngemon. "I bet he'd conquer the whole world on his cuteness alone." Giggling, she booped MarineAngemon's nose again with her finger. "I for one have no problem welcoming our cute digital overlords."

"Pih?" MarineAngemon asked, looking over at Kenta with concern.

"No, I'm sure she's just trying to be funny. I think?" Kenta looked over at Kayoko worriedly. The girl merely grinned, not answering.

"I wouldn't pay too much attention to her, if I were you." Opening her bag, Rika took out one of her various card boxes and set them on the table. "So, how do you want to do this? Is this place fine?" She looked about them. "It's pretty cramped."

"I-It's fine here." Kenta again adjusted his glasses. "Not many people come here and the hideout has the por…oops."

"Poroops?" Kayoko laughed. "You have a hideout and a poroops? What's that?"

"It's nothing, we want to mess with," Rika said, looking over at Kenta. "Right?"

"R-Right." Kenta shifted his feet, plainly unsure of what to say or do. Rika pressed her lips together sympathetically. It seemed that Kenta was one of those boys who, in that part of their puberty, could get awkward around girls he didn't know. Especially if he didn't have someone else who could take part of the attention off him.

"Right, Kayoko?" Rika repeated, giving her friend a stern look. Kayoko shrugged and turned to Kenta.

"I'm not interested in traveling. I'm just here to support Nonaka, though I don't mind cuddling this little cute guy."

"Y-You…" Kenta cleared his throat. "You might want to step back. We're going to be, um, testing some stuff with him."

"Oh. Right. The cards." Kayoko beamed at MarineAngemon. "Well, a little later, okay, little guy? I'll buy you something sweet later."

Kenta sighed.

"A-Anyway, the cards…" Taking out his card box and digvice, he set them both on the table. Rika saw Kayoko and Toshiko eye the digivice with interest. Rika leaned closer as well. While she had seen it up close a few times since meeting the Tamers, she still found herself mystified by the object. It appeared to be not too different from the tamagotchi toys that had been all the rage before the digimon card game and anime took off. It had a plastic look, white with pink trim surrounding a screen. Beneath it, lay a button and on the side was a thin slot where cards could be scanned.

Opening the box, Kenta drew out a single card and brought it to the slot on the side of the slot.

"So, what this does, it reads the data from the digivice and we yell, Digimodify! Followed by whatever card we're using."

"Why do you have to do that?" Toshiko asked.

"Um, gee. I don't actually know. It's just something we do, I guess." Kenta's face reddened again. "A-Anyway, this means we can modify our partners stats. Make them a little faster. Increase their stamina. Recharge their energy. Sometimes…" A smile drew across his face. "…we can even give them items."

He looked at each of the girls. "You might want to stand back."

"Okay," Rika nodded, doing just that. Toshiko and Kayoko drew back to a respectable distance. Kenta nodded. Seeming to gain a little more confidence, he looked at MarineAngemon.

"Are you ready?"

"Pih!"

Raising his digivice, he slashed the card through the slot. Sparks flew and the screen lit up as it analyzed the data fed into it.

"Digimodify!" Kenta shouted. "WarGreymon's Brave Shield activate!"

Light formed above MarineAngemon and expanded until it greatly dwarfed the tiny Mega. MarineAngemon however was undaunted, and even giggled as his tiny, wings grasped hold of the glowing light. The light flared briefly before fading, revealing a towering, golden shield with a sun logo embossed upon its surface. MarineAngemon gently laid it down across the table and beamed at the three girls.

"Puh!" he said triumphantly.

"You don't have to brag, you know," Kenta laughed.

"Pih? Pihpuh!"

"I was not…!"

"Is it real?" Toshiko asked as she, Kayoko, and Rika all approached now. Rika slid her hand along its surface.

"Sure feels like it," she said. Her violet eyes flickered up to Kenta. "How long does this last?"

"Not long," Kenta lamented. "Usually a few minutes. The card is usually done for a few hours too. Don't know why."

"Hmmm…" Rika circled about the shield. "Suzie tried to use an Ophanimon card during the fight with Gaiomon. Um, I think she was using an attack…"

"Yeah," Kenta nodded. "We can sometimes do that too. Some cards usually have to match what our partner can handle. Like, Guilmon, a long while back, used a MetalGarurumon card, but it tired him out and he could only get one shot off with it. I guess for strong cards, you need to be strong." He looked at his partner. "MarineAngemon's a Mega, but there's not a lot of cards he can use for offense. He's not, uh…"

"Pihpih!" MarineAngemon said. Kenta rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, but I didn't want to say it."

"Let's see… If it's strength that matters…" Rika said to herself while opening one of her card boxes. "Then what about this?"

Taking out one, she held it out to Kenta. The boy cocked an eyebrow.

"Training grips?"

"Why not? You already said that your digivice can make items. Why not have your digimon do some weight training? I'm sure that effect will outlast the card, right?"

Kenta looked over at MarineAngemon. The Mega gave a tiny shrug with his wings.

"Pihpih."

"I'm just worried because you're a little small."

"Pihpuhpuh."

"Well, I guess it's worth a shot."

"And if that doesn't work on its own, we can probably combine it with a strength boost card or something," Rika continued, digging out another card. "In the game, you can usually boost the effect of another card through synergy. Like combining a Speed boost card with Hyper Wing."

"Watch out. Nonaka's gone into game nerd mode," Kayoko chuckled. "Before you know it, she'll have you beating Gojira."

Rika hmphed. "When we're done, beating Gojira's going to be just practice. Now what other cards can we use?"

The rest of the afternoon wore on for the teens until finally it was time for them to part ways. Closing up her bag, Rika sighed. In spite of herself, she found that she wished she could have stayed longer. Kenta, it seemed, wasn't too bad once he became comfortable and his nerves settled down.

"T-Thanks for helping out today," he said. "I'll pass this along to Takato later."

"No problem," Rika smiled. "And if he wants any lessons, I'm more than happy to provide them."

Rika's phone buzzed just then. Expecting it to be her mother or father wondering where she was, she took it out. She was surprised to find Toshiko's message waiting for her instead. The girl was hiding behind her own phone, blushing madly.

I'm…almost afraid to read her message now, she thought. She opened the text anyway so as to not be rude.

Can you ask him if he wants to hang out sometime? she read. Rika resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Oh, for goodness sake… How am I supposed to ask him that?

"Ask me what?" Kenta asked. Rika jumped, unaware that she had actually spoken out loud.

"My friend, Toshiko." Clearing her throat, Rika turned to face him. "She wants to know if you have any free time."

She shot Kayoko a warning look, and for a wonder the taller girl didn't say a word. She simply smirked.

"Um, well, I kind of need to go home now…" he began, looking at Toshiko. He seemed confused.

"Later in the week or something." Rika grit her teeth. She could not believe she was playing matchmaker for her friend. Toshiko, you really owe me for this.

"Sure, I guess? Maybe?" Kenta adjusted his glasses, still looking confused. "Probably not tomorrow. We… Oh! That's right." He shifted his feet, looking uncomfortable. "Before you go, I should probably tell you that you should avoid being around here tomorrow."

Kayoko raised an eyebrow. "Why? Is there going to be something dangerous?"

"M-Maybe. I can't really talk about it, but we're going to be busy and… Well, just avoid being here, okay?"

Rika fell silent while she processed this. She thought about her earlier conversation with Takato at Gyoen and the mention of the D-Reaper. She thought about the creature Gallantmon had destroyed as well and how it was related to that apocalyptic program.

"Okay," she said carefully. "You guys take care of yourselves tomorrow, okay?"

"W-We will," Kenta nodded quickly. "And, uh, thanks again."

"Don't mention it. And here. I'll send you Toshiko's number. You two can work something out later."

"R-Rika…!" Toshiko began, her face flooding with crimson. Rika shot her a look.

You started it, her eyes told her friend. You're not backing out now.

Toshiko fell back.

"Sorry," she squeaked.

"Um, why are you apologizing for?" Kenta asked, completely and utterly confused.

"Nonaka's not a fan of cupid," Kayoko answered in Toshiko's stead. She had a wide smirk on her face. "She much rather prefers knights in shining armor."

Rika made a growling noise. Kenta scratched the side of his head.

"Oookay… Well, um, if that's all, I'll see you when I see you?"

"Sure." Rika shrugged on her bag, trying to sound nonchalant. "And again, take care of yourselves out there."

Kenta and MarineAngemon were the first to depart. While he plodded down the stairs, Toshiko watched him go, phone held in front of her face for her to hide behind.

"Bye…" she said under her breath. She turned toward Rika and hastily began to type a new message on it. Reaching forth, Rika snagged the phone out of her hand.

"Not this time," she said with a slight frown. "And no, I'm not upset with you. But you did put me in a weird position you know. So, I'd just rather hear you say it out loud for once."

Toshiko shuffled her feet as she blushed brightly under Rika's violet eyes.

"I-I think he's cute," she said in a hushed whisper. Rika looked at her, a part of her worried about her friend's rather sudden crush. Kenta was a Tamer after all, and likely to be involved in all manner of dangerous situations. And half the Tamers were dead.

I don't really have room to criticize her though, do I? she thought, recalling Takato's face to her mind. Taking out her phone, she opened up a new text message. A second later, Toshiko's cell buzzed.

"There," she said, handing back her friend's cellphone. "You handle it. I'll just…cheer you on, okay?"

"T-Thank you," Toshiko murmured. Smiling, Kayoko wrapped her arms around her two friends and pulled them close.

"Nonaka… So, you do have a heart!"

"I-I…!" Rika stammered out. She raised a threatening fist, but upon remembering that Kayoko would only find it endearing, she huffed and looked away, folding her arms across her chest. Kayoko laughed.

"Let's cross our fingers for tomorrow," she said, leading Rika and Toshiko away.

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