What a fine morning! The Makino house would eat well. All seemed well. Perhaps it was for all but one. Ruki was in a bad spot. Her mother somehow found about about her new relationship and wouldn't stop talking about it. Rumiko was as happy as could be, but perhaps a bit pushy. She knew Takato since he was a boy and trusted him. Perhaps she trusted him too she made a casual joke about potential grandchildren Ruki wanted to scream. Her agitated groans could be heard from quite a distance away and made up much of the noises she created that day.
She protested as loudly as she'd ever done around family. Seiko was amused. Renamon was confused. Eventually Rumiko would be asked by her mother to stop. Renamon would check to see if Ruki was well. She was still outwardly sour, but a small part of her from within appreciated her mother's approval of Takato. She was a woman now and wouldn't have taken no for an answer either way, but this was still the ideal outcome.
Perhaps the family oddities would die down when the last one had finally cleared her respective plate. Alas, there was more to come. It all started with a look shot to Rumiko to Renamon that left the latter a little puzzled. "I'll bet you already knew about it, didn't you?" "Yes, I'm happy for them both." Rumiko's small grin got wider. "How about you she asked?" Ruki immediately noticed Renamon tense up slightly before sheepishly responding. "I beg your pardon, mother?" Rumiko laughed. "Oh come on, you might be a fox but you don't have to be that coy. You know I still get attention from men, even some younger ones even as age is slowly started to find me." "Oh...you mean...that." Renamon replied. Ruki didn't know what to say, but Seiko and Rumiko found her sudden shyness endearing. "Surely there's a digimon somewhere that catches your eye, hmm?" "Eh, no, mother." Renamon was had turned more and more defensive. "No, why would I want that?" She asked. Rumiko's teasing continued. "Oh, come on! It's okay. I don't know how digimon relations work, but surely someone would have given you that eye by now with that coat and figure." Renamon was embarrassed to such a degree that even she couldn't hide it. Eventually, the Makino matriarch put a stop to things. Seiko stood up to put a hand on the fox's shoulder. "Oh come on, don't scare her." She said. "It's her business, after all." "Wait," Renamon cut in, "I, I mean this that isn't that sort of situation, mother, grandmother, Ruki. I'm most certainly not afraid, just confused." Rumiko's playful social pressure ceased after a set of parting words for the vixen. "Well, fine, but I'm sure he's lucky. Or whoever else, Renamon." "I...am not certain if I should feel complimented or not." Said the fox digimon.
Eventually family gossip hour would end and Ruki and Renamon both would finally have some much needed time away from the house. Both needed it more than ever after starting of a morning like that.
Ruki didn't care where she went, she just drove her bike in town and let fate decide where she'd end up. To her misfortune, the cafe she stopped at for a drink would contain someone she never wanted to see, an older man with brown hair, Ryo Akiyama. He'd offer her a friendly greeting and attempt to strike up a conversation. Her poor mood relating to his presence was as plain as day. Yet she would speak back. There was tension at first, as expected, but they had enough common ground to talk for a bit. Renamon sat in the not-so-distant darkness as the two chatted. Ryo spoke of how he would soon return to the Digital World for a Hypos related project. Ruki cared little for the reason and simply wished him and his partner safe travels. To the surprise of Renamon, Ryo, and perhaps even Ruki herself the two would talk as plain as any other friends. Ryo even threw a joke or two her way. All of these years and he still had a horrible sense of humour. Regardless the young man stood up to say his goodbyes. Ruki merely waved him off. "Oh, and Ruki?" "Hmm?" Ruki said looking back at Ryo. Ryo gave her a large smile and two thumbs up. "Takato's a really lucky guy, huh?"
Ryo left his friend(if he could even call her that) red-faced and annoyed. "Fucking agh. Does everyone know about my relationship now!?" That made Renamon chuckle. Perhaps it was as Ruki left the building. "What are you laughing at?" Said the annoyed red head starting at an empty corner outside of the building. Eventually Renamon appeared from that space with another chuckle. "I'm laughing because he's right, you know?" Ruki rolled her eyes. "Eh, he puts up with me, I guess. I'm the one who's lucky." "I disagree." Ruki returned to her bike but before putting on her helmet she called out to her friend. "Hey, Renamon".
"Yes?" Renamon replied re-appearing not to far from Ruki. "I gotta ask you something." "Oh?" "How long have you and this whoever he is been together?" "Oh!" Replied the vixen a bit taken back by the question. She took a moment to think. "Hmm. I believe it was sometime after the yearly gathering, a bit of time after you and Takato became a thing." For once she spoke of her relationship with some degree of openness as she speculated how much time had past. "Perhaps February? Usually my least favourite month until...well, you know." "Whoa, so you two really are getting in-deep, huh?" "Assuming that means what I think it means, yes, Ruki." Ruki opened her mouth to ask another question, but couldn't before Renamon vanished again. Then she heard a group of teenagers chatting as they walked past her. "Right, public." She groaned. Oh well, it's not like it was their only means of communication. Ruki would board her motorcycle, but hadn't started it. Instead she would lean on it while asking what she wanted to via their mental link. "So when ya gonna tell me who it is?' She asked. Ruki didn't even need to see Renamon's face to know the conflicting feelings her partner had. It shined bright through her changed breathing and speech mannerisms. "I..." "Renamon, the year's gonna over before we know it. If you two can stand each other for this long I think you'll manage. But hey, its been long enough." "Perhaps..." Ruki gripped her bike handle tight. "Why won't you trust me? You're my best friend and whoever digimon it is it can't be THAT hard." She made a strong point. Her partner's words dug deeper into Renamon's mind pushing past all mental defences that she'd had. "I...Ruki, Im sorry, I...he." Perhaps it was time. Or maybe it wasn't, but Renamon was at her absolute limit and Ruki was clearly very upset. "Ruki, when I told you this is harder to talk about than you could imagine, I was serious." "Why's that?" Ruki fired back clearly still upset. "Because, Ruki, he...isn't a digimon."
Ruki dropped her helmet. "Wait, what?!" She yelled. That's when she realised her mood and shock had temporarily severed her mental conversation. So she was yelling out loud in public. The got her some unwanted attention a nearby group waiting at a nearby bus stop. Hastily she made her excuse slapping a hand over her ear. "I uh, head piece, phone convo, piss off!" Some of the strangers found the brash young lady to be quite rude, but that was enough to dispel any suspicion any of them could have had. Renamon no longer saw hostility in her human partner. When Ruki calmed down and focused her mind she made that clean. "Whoa, holy fuck." "Are you disappointed? Are you angry?" Renamon said. Her voice grew lower and weaker. Ruki couldn't stand hearing it. "I, uh, no? I think? But, Renamon, how the fuck did that happen?" "Perhaps that is best said later and face to face again." "Yeah, maybe." "Ruki, are you still upset?" "No, Renamon. It's just...wow. Human guy, huh? Well sure if you love him." "I do." "I guess uh I see what you meant now, Renamon."