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: 05/ Destiny Forged
"I can't believe that you got involved in two digimon fights in two days. You have some weird luck, Nonaka."
Looking up from her lunch, Rika glanced at a girl sitting across from her. Kayoko Fujiwara was, for lack of a better word, something of a mirror image of her, if slightly taller and with midnight-dark hair draped down her back. Rika pressed her lips together and glanced over at the girl seated next to her, this one with thick-framed glasses and curly, mouse-brown hair.
"You told her?"
Toshiko fidgeted in place, blushing as she suddenly found herself the center of attention between her two friends. Raising an eyebrow, Kayoko looked back at Rika.
"Was there a reason why she shouldn't have? We worry about you, you know."
"Sorry," Rika sighed. "I didn't mean for it to come out like that. You just have a way of getting on my nerves sometimes and I thought Toshiko would wait for me to fill you in when I was ready for that."
Kayoko barked a laugh at that and dipped into her bento. "All right. I guess I can live with that. So, Toshiko. You told me?"
"Sorry," Toshiko squeaked, trying to hide behind her meal.
"Don't start on her, Kayo."
"Right. Right." Kayoko rolled her eyes in amusement. "Sorry, oh Queen Nonaka. I didn't mean to pick on her, even though that's totally not what I'm doing."
Not for the first time did Rika wonder how she and Kayoko became friends. When they were children, they didn't get along very swimmingly, but one study session when they were twelve had, rather unexpectedly changed that. Even today, she was still puzzled about the change in attitude. Kayoko still poked at her, but the barbs were considerably filed back.
"I just didn't think it was a big deal," Toshiko spoke up, her voice hesitant and reserved.
"It's not, I'm just making a big deal out of it because I worry and I express that by being a giant pain in the butt." Leaning forward, Kayoko tilted her head to one side questioningly at Rika. "Nice hair, by the way."
Rika blushed lightly, suddenly feeling self-conscious about her new ponytail. Instinctively, she found herself looking around, but their other classmates were all engrossed in their own conversations. She wanted to scold herself for her paranoia, but old habits die hard.
"Thanks."
"I like it," Kayoko continued, leaning back in her seat. "Kind of has a nice samurai warrior look to it."
"It is nice," Toshiko chimed in.
"Did you change it up because of the digimon attack?"
Rika lifted an eyebrow. "Why the focus on my hair all of a sudden? What are you, my mom?"
"Hey, you've got to admit that it's pretty sudden." Kayoko looked at Toshiko. "Bet her mom thinks it's because of a boy."
"Most moms would be right," Toshiko remarked.
"Most moms don't have kids who suddenly change their hair after being in two digimon attacks two days in a row. Also, most moms don't have Nonaka as their daughter."
"Remember how I said that you get on my nerves?" Rika asked. Kayoko smirked and nodded. Rika rolled her eyes. "How did we become friends again?"
"You have a nice singing voice, what can I say? Besides, you made nice with Toshiko by punching out Chikako when she was being a bitch to her." With a laugh, Kayoko reached over to the other girl and pinched her cheek, causing Toshiko to squirm and blush. "Who couldn't love this girl?"
"Maybe another version of me with trust issues."
Kayoko and Toshiko both raised eyebrows at that. Rika sighed, cursing herself mentally for her slipup.
"Forget it. I've been thinking about a lot of what-ifs lately. I guess when your life flashes before your eyes a couple times, you start reevaluating your decisions." Looking at the two girls, Rika's expression softened. "I'm glad I know you though. Wouldn't trade you two dorks for the world."
"Awww…" Toshiko blushed and beamed happily. "Thank you, Rika!"
"Even me?" Kayoko laughed, pointing at herself. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with the real Rika?"
"Don't worry, I'm still me," Rika grinned back. "And yes, even you. But I can amend that if you'd like."
"Please don't." Still laughing, Kayoko clapped her hands together and bowed her head. "I like your singing too much. Oh, that reminds me! Do you want to go karaoke after school? I haven't heard your voice in so, so long."
"W-We have exams coming up," Toshiko pointed out. Kayoko shrugged nonchalantly.
"So? We're not in any danger of failing. Even I've got my worst subject on lockdown, thanks to Ms. Nonaka here." She grinned at the redhead in appreciation. "Thank you," she said in English.
"You're welcome," Rika replied back in the same language before falling back to Japanese. "Anyway, I can't make it. I've got some things to do after school."
"Boo, I say. Boo." Kayoko looked at Toshiko. "Join me, Toshi. Boo."
"B-Boo?"
"Toshiko, you're just making yourself sound cute," Rika sighed, looking amused. Toshiko blushed and tried to make herself smaller, yet she was smiling, plainly pleased by the compliment. Rika didn't call people cute very often, so hearing it from her was high praise indeed.
"Boo," the reserved girl repeated in a quieter voice. Kayoko squealed and pinched her cheek again.
"Ah! H-Hey! Kayoko! Stooop…"
"Only if you stop being so dang cute! I swear the world will end if you keep making Nonaka use that word."
"B-But if you keep pinching my cheek she's going to call me cute again…"
"Oh? Is that so? What do you say, Nonaka? Is the world worth ending?"
"Oh, for goodness sake," Rika snickered, hiding her face behind one hand to cover her growing blush. "You two are such numbskulls."
Does Other-Me have these two as friends? she wondered. A part of her felt that it wasn't the case. The alternate version of her had obvious issues with trust. Toshiko was too shy and passive in public while Kayoko had been nothing short of abrasive in their early interactions with each other. Only a study session in English had forced them to see each other in a new light.
Neither of them like the digimon card game either. Toshiko liked the anime, but only because she thought Joe's character was cute and dreamy. Rika frowned slightly. Was the card game that much of a determinator of her relationships? Ryo was a Tamer and she only met him once during a tournament when she was eleven. The only thing she remembered about him was that he had been difficult to beat and unsettlingly attractive to look at. Perfect tanned skin. Perfect teeth and hair. It was almost frightening.
Other than him, she saw none of the other Tamers at card tournaments or game shops. At least, none that she could recall.
Would I lose these two if I became a Tamer? she suddenly found herself wondering, and instantly her hands clenched into tight fists. No. That's ridiculous. Why would that happen? I'm my own person. I'm not the same as her.
"R-Rika? Are you okay?"
"Hm?" Rika blinked and looked up at Toshiko, who was pointing at her fists. They were clenched so tight that her knuckles had gone pale. Relaxing her grip, she flexed her fingers, working out the tension.
"I'm fine," she half-lied. "Just thinking about where I'd be without you two around."
"Probably still being you," Kayoko replied, taking a bite out of her meal. Rika raised an eyebrow.
"What's that mean?"
Kayoko ate another bite, mulling over her response for a bit. "Just that you're who you are," she said with a shrug. "You're not the biggest people-person. You're not shy like Toshiko is, but you do find people to be noisy. You're better at being alone. Maybe not comfortable with it, but you'd manage."
Rika's face fell, not at all sure how to feel about that. "Feels like you're saying it doesn't matter that we're friends."
"I didn't say that. Jeez, Nonaka. Don't put words in my mouth." Reaching out, she grabbed hold of Rika's cheek and gave it a sharp pinch.
"Ow! Hey! What's the big idea?" Rika slapped away Kayoko's hand, starting to become incensed now. Kayoko went back to eating her meal like nothing happened.
"That's for being a stick in the mud. Don't make me make you look cute next. All I was saying is, you can't help who you are." She gave Rika a comforting smile between mouthfuls. "I do appreciate hearing that you'd miss us. Because we'd miss you too."
Rika's temper simmered down at that. She still wasn't sure how she felt about Kayoko's words, but they rang true and she couldn't deny them. Leaning back, she crossed her arms.
"This is starting to sound mushy."
"You started it, Nonaka."
"Fine." Rika rolled her eyes. "Then I'll end it. I'm not giving you two a girl-hug or anything. I don't care how sappy I'm feeling."
Kayoko smiled. "And that's why we love you, Nonaka. With you, what we see is what we get." Raising her chopsticks, she pointed around at their fellow classmates. "Better than all these other bitches. You would not believe what I overheard Fusae and Fuyuko say about Haruko in the bathroom today."
"W-What? You mean it's true?" Toshiko sat right up in alarm. "But I thought they were friends!"
"They're gossip queens. They're not really friends. Fusae and Fuyuko have been talking shit behind Haruko's back for years."
"Maybe I should go punch them out," Rika said, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm not going to cry about them getting their just deserts, but I'd rather wait for karma to catch up with them. Cutting ahead of the karma line is not worth the detention and will only bite me in the ass later."
The day went on like that. A slice of normality that was at once so familiar and simultaneously alien now. Leaving school felt like leaving behind another lifetime.
Endless days of talking and joking and hanging out. Never having to worry about anything worse than what one of our classmates says behind our backs or a stupid test. Kayoko talking about her boyfriend. Toshiko's text messages that are so at odds with how she is in public.
She knew that whole life would still be there regardless of whether or not she became a Tamer. She doubted she would lose her friends because of that, but even if she did, 'normal' was only a step away. She would still go to school, go home, work on homework, study for exams and prepare herself for life after high school. Even her alternate-self had to deal with those things, of that she felt certain.
Guess I'm just feeling nervous. Once I do this, there's no taking it back. I'll be part of some other life that I can't just ignore because I'm not liking how it's turning out.
She swallowed, feeling her anxiety cranking itself up. Now that she thought about it, was this really a good idea?
People died because of me. I can keep that from happening in the future. The Other-Me is proof of that and if I want to do better than her, I can't risk cold feet now.
With a flash of determination and self-frustration, Rika broke into a run. She made good time, though she felt a bit winded upon arriving home.
"Going to have to take up running,"she panted as she passed the gate of her home. Stepping inside, she slipped off her shoes and then ran around the side in the direction of her home.
"Hi, Grandma! I'm home!" she called, spotting the elder matriarch seated in her usual room overlooking the koi pond. Behind her, Seiko raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Rika? Is that you?"
She didn't respond right away. Quickly sequestering herself in her room, she dumped her bag unceremoniously onto the floor and hastily stripped down. She had her outfit for the day all ready to go, having taken some time last night to figure out what she wanted to wear for her meeting with her gogglehead.
Dress for the job you want and dress to impress, she thought, reciting her mother's lessons for the fashion industry. Not the career she wanted, but the advice was perfectly applicable in other areas as well, and with her wardrobe she had no shortage of clothes with which to impress with. Rather instead, it was an issue with outfits that were suitable. Being a Tamer was a bit rough and tumble after all and her encounters with Raremon and Gaiomon proved that looking fashionable was secondary to being maneuverable and sturdy. She had very little of either, but she did have something.
Black leggings went on first followed by a tough, denim skirt. The latter had been difficult to get her mother to buy. They were jean-like after all and her mother considered them a little too boyish despite being a skirt. But she relented. Her top had been a much easier affair. Light-blue with some slightly frilly sleeves. This, combined with the white, full-heart that leaned slightly off to the left on the chest was just feminine enough to pass her mother's critical eye.
Fully dressed now, Rika snatched up her deck of digimon cards and slid them into her card box along with her card-reader. Slipping them into her skirt's pocket, she took one final look at herself in the mirror.
She looked like her, but at the same time, not. It felt as though they had fused in some manner and this was what came out. Instinctively, her mother's training came to the fore. Planting her hands on her hips, she shifted her footing and turned about, checking to see how well the jean-skirt moved and if it would get in the way. It didn't. At least, not that she could see.
Only one way to find out, I suppose, she thought, but she nodded to herself in approval. She liked her look. The question though would be what Takato thought of it once she met him.
Jeez. Feels like I'm getting ready to ask him out on a date or something.
She mulled that over in her mind. Did she want that? Their counterparts were in a relationship – or at least, Other-Rika was in denial about it when it was plain as day – so there had to be something there. At the very least, she was Takato's type.
At least, I think so. Does that apply over here? He's not exactly the same person. Compared to his other-self, he looked a little bit like a chipped teacup. But that sweetheart also looked like it was still in there, so maybe…
"Ugh. Listen to me," she said aloud. "I don't even know this gogglehead and I'm already having thoughts about hooking up with him? I blame you, Other-Me."
In spite of herself, a giggle escaped her lips anyway. If her Takato was anything close to his other-self, she knew she wouldn't mind being in a relationship with him. He was cute in a dorky sort of way that she liked.
"Okay, knock it off," she scolded herself. "You're getting a little ahead of yourself. Let's at least meet him first and see what happens next, all right?"
Fighting off her growing blush, she took one last look at herself in the mirror before exiting her room.
"I'm heading out for a while!" she called out to her grandmother as she headed back around to the front to collect her sneakers and jacket.
"Huh? But honey, you just got home. Well, make sure you're back by dinnertime."
"Don't worry Grandma, I will." Sitting down, Rika threw on her shoes and began to tie them up. "What are we having anyway?
"I'm making deep-fried chicken gizzards!"
Standing up, Rika pumped one fist excitedly. "Terrific," she said under her breath. Everything looked lined up to be a perfect day for her.
She was off.
The spring air was warm and clear. That, combined with the prospect of a good dinner and her inevitable encounter with Takato, put a spring in her step as she ran. She knew she couldn't keep the pace up for very long, but she ran anyway. In part, she saw this as only the beginning of her training for the future, but also to burn off her anxiety and excitement. When she met Takato, she wanted to be in full control of her faculties. And she would meet him, of that she felt certain. She had enough clues now for the general area he was in. If he still worked at a bakery in the area, tracking him down became further simplified. If not, her job remained complicated, but not insurmountably so. Takato looked like someone who spent a fair bit of time outside. She wondered if that meant she might find him at Chuo Park. She knew from the news reports that a great many digimon appeared there, so perhaps it was a place he patrolled?
Maybe. I'm making a lot of guesses here. What happens if he's not even remotely like that other Takato? What do I do then?
Her violet eyes flashed and she poured on the speed.
Never mind. I'll figure it out when I get there. Can't decide anything if I don't know anything.
###
Kuzuhamon watched Rika race off, her face – what little of it remained visible beneath her mask – betraying little emotion to the casual viewer. Yet, her chin subtly followed the girl's course. Stepping off the rooftop of the house she watched Rika from, the rings on her Khakkhara staff jingled slightly and she faded from view.
###
Upon reaching Chuo Park, Rika slowed to a walk. Her breathing was ragged and painful and her lungs were more than grateful for the reduced pace.
"Y-Yeah," she said between large mouthfuls of air. "Definitely need to do this more often."
Wiping an arm across her brow, she took in her surroundings and gauged where she ought to go next. She wasn't that familiar with this part of the city. Apart from her friends, visits to the game shop and the occasional outing with her father or grandmother, she had little reason to leave the house.
I-I think there's a business area around here. Um…to the south, is it? Or do I keep going west?
She shook her head. She needed to rest a bit before continuing on so she could think more clearly.
Not much in the way of selection here, she thought. Deciding that a slow and sluggish walk would have to do for now, she soldiered on. The chirping birds and the rustling of squirrels were her only company.
Rather surprising with how little traffic there is around here, she thought. Then again, with how often digimon appear around here, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It's not like I made my way down here all that often because of them.
Thinking about it, she wondered a little why her grandmother gave her the clue to come out this way, knowing what she did. They didn't get to have their conversation since her return from the other world, but did she get more out of the brief explanation than she thought?
Grandma's always been pretty good at putting two and two together. I don't think I've ever surprised her for Christmas or her birthday.
"Grandma, have you ever thought about what might have happened if someone made a different choice in life?"
"Seems like you had a lot more than just a weird experience,"
Spotting a staircase leading uphill, Rika found her curiosity piqued enough to have a look as she mulled things over.
Yeah. I bet Grandma figured I was talking about being a Tamer or maybe knowing one. She understands me pretty well. Maybe a little too well.
Unconsciously, she tapped the first step with her sneaker and looked up its length. The area around it was quite lush, offering what appeared to be considerable privacy.
Looks like a nice place to rest. Or to have for a hideout.
She tilted her head to one side, for the first time wondering just where the Tamers hid their partners, or if they even needed to hide them at all. Still, if there was a need for it, this looked like one such location.
Yeah right. Maybe I'm just overthinking things. I bet they…
Rika blinked as a loaf of bread fell on the step in front of her.
It wasn't just any loaf of bread, as a matter of fact. It was a loaf shaped like the head of a certain, red-scaled dinosaur partnered to Takato, complete with his long, bat wing-like ears. It was longer than her hand, stretching almost halfway up her forearm and sprinkled with something red in color that she could only assume was cinnamon. It even had the odd, four triangles smack in the middle of the face right between a pair of cartoonish-looking, black, beady eyes. Kneeling down, she picked it up and brushed off the trace bits of earth that had gotten on it.
"Where did you come from?" she wondered, glancing skyward.
As if in answer, another loaf of bread pelted her from the sky, this time bouncing off her forehead.
"Hey! What…?!"
"Nooo! Come back, Mr. Bread!"
The tiny, childish voice was definitely not Guilmon. The first thing she saw in the bombing run of bread being rained upon her was a tiny, white creature swooping through the air. A brown paper bag was held between a pair of stubby arms that should not have been able to grip anything at all. It cried out, attempting to catch the falling food, only to be caught up in its avalanche. One good hit to its head sent it tumbling to the stairs where it crash-landed.
"Owww…" the tiny creature groaned, rubbing its too-large head with a stubby arm. "Why'd you have to escape? I thought you wanted to be eaten, Mr. Bread."
"What…?" Rika began, her brain trying to catch up with events. Here, in a sea of Guilmon bread, was the smallest digimon she had ever seen with what looked like the beginning of a bump on its noggin. And it just appeared from out of nowhere.
Realization hitting her like a truck, Rika rushed over to the little thing.
"Hey, are you alright?" she asked, dropping down to her knees in front of the digimon. The creature, resembling something like a creampuff, looked up at her with great, big, green eyes. Now that she got a good look at him, she saw that the digimon had the same symbol on his head that Guilmon did. Four triangles – three black centered around a red – were arranged around one another to make up an even larger one. And its ears were huge. Wider than its whole body in fact.
"Huh?" the digimon asked, blinking at her in confusion.
"I asked if you're all right," Rika reiterated. "You took a pretty big fall there." Her expression softening, she reached out and gently patted the bump. The digimon showed no fear at her touch and seemed to be looking at her with frank curiosity. She considered picking him up and holding him, but decided against it. Not knowing anything about this digimon, she didn't want to take too great a liberty with him.
"I'm okay, but my bread isn't," the little digimon said, indicating all the bread that lay around him. "One minute, I was carrying it and the next they were all trying to get out! I don't understand it. I thought bread liked to be eaten! But I guess these ones don't."
"I'm…sure it was a misunderstanding," Rika said, deciding to go with the flow of things for the time being. Picking up the digimon's paper bag, she looked at it. No name was on it, so there wasn't anything she could use. The bread on the other hand was at least a clue. "Guilmon bread, huh? You really like this stuff?"
"It's the best bread in the whole wide world!" the digimon boasted. "Well, except for chocolate bread with sprinkles. Oh! But when Guilmon bread is filled with peanut butter it's suuuper delicious!" Picking up one of the fallen pieces, he offered it to her. "Would you like some?"
Rika considered the proffered loaf for a moment. "Maybe later," she said, starting to collect the rest and pile it in the bag. She glanced back at the digimon for a moment before asking, "Are you Guilmon?"
The digimon cocked its head in confusion before suddenly bursting out laughing.
"That's an even sillier question than your last one! I'm not Guilmon! I'm Calumon!"
"Uh, right. Do you digivolve to Guilmon, then?" She knew nothing about Takato's partner or his evolved forms below Rookie, nor had she seen any of them in the card lists. She found that curious.
"Nope!" Calumon chirped. "Nope! Nope! Nope! I don't digivolve at all! I…" Calumon hesitated and then, abruptly, his ears shrank into his head. His eyes fell and his expression became downcast. "Although sometimes I wish I could. If I did, then maybe…"
He trailed off, leaving Rika to finish packing away the rest of the bread. Feeling like she had stepped on something important, she reached out and patted him again.
"Sorry," she said, although she wasn't sure what she was apologizing for.
Heaving a heavy sigh, the tiny digimon plopped himself down on the step.
"Why do people go away?" he asked. "People leaving makes my face all wet. I tried asking Jeri's mom once, but her face got all wet too and then so did Jeri's brother and…and…" Calumon looked over at the Guilmon bread. "Ohhh… It's all dirty. They won't want to eat that."
Jeri! The name flashed through Rika's mind. She remembered the girl from the other world. So, she was a Tamer too and didn't make it.
Now that she thought about it, she did remember hearing something about her having died, but she couldn't quite remember what any of the details were.
"You don't have to worry about that," Rika said. "I'll get you some more to replace it. You're coming from where Takato works, right?"
At the mention of the name, Calumon's eyes lit up. "You're one of Takato's friends too?" Hopping up into the air, his ears expanded and held him aloft. "But I've never seen you before."
"Uh…no. I mean, kind of, but not really."
"You sure sound confused."
"Well, I only really met him yesterday," Rika admitted. "But we didn't get to talk. There was a fight going on."
"Oh. I know all about those." Calumon floated around Rika, seeming to inspect her. "They're not very fun. Takato gets in a lot of fights. He wishes he didn't have to and it makes him sad."
Rika's eyes softened, remembering how tired and grim he looked to her yesterday. "Yeah, I don't blame him. Hey, do you know where he lives? I'm trying to find him. I think he's having a hard time and I… I'd like to help him if I can. Him and his friends."
Calumon floated closer, eyes curious. Rika shifted uneasily, feeling as though she were under a microscope. But she held his gaze and made no effort to hide her feelings. From childhood, she knew eyes were like a window to the soul. If she wanted this digimon to trust her, she needed him to have a reason to do so.
Calumon's eyes bore into hers as he drifted closer, becoming increasingly serious until, suddenly, their noses bumped against one another.
"Eskimo kisses!" Calumon exclaimed with a laugh. Blushing in surprise, Rika blinked.
"W-Wha…?" she stammered, but Calumon was already flying off.
"Come on, whoever you are! Let's go see Takato!"
"H-Hey! Hold on! Cal-Calumon!"
Snatching up the bag of bread, she hurried after the tiny, flying creampuff. She barely remembered the events of the chase. Only the fear of losing the digimon – and the stitch in her side – held her attention.
Finally, she stood in front of a bakery, panting heavily, the muscles in her side tugging painfully at one another. A warm glow emanated from beneath a sign labeled Matsuki Bakery, and within were people going back and forth between various foodstuffs on display, many of whom were smiling and looked happy to be there. She saw a woman manning the cash register. She looked comfortable where she stood, and was chatting with the customer in front of her with the familiarity that could only come with long, friendly association.
"T-Takato works here?" she asked hoarsely. "This is the place?"
"Yep!" Calumon was already floating toward the bakery. "They make the best bread and I've had lots and lots of bread! Do you like bread?"
"I…Y-Yeah." Rika scanned the window. She didn't see Takato, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. He could have been in the back or he was still in school. There were so many factors to account for.
I don't know anything about him.
It wasn't a new realization, but again she was struck by the gulf between herself and her double. She and her Takato were good friends if not romantically entangled. They knew each other as well as anyone could; trusted each other with their backs and who knew what else. Over here, the opposite was true, yet she called him at various times – when asked – her friend.
A friend who she didn't know.
I'm acting like we're destined to be friends just because they were. I'm being so stupid about this.
"Are you coming?" Calumon asked, stopping at the front entry to the bakery. The automatic doors slid open to allow him entry. "Oh! Maybe I should check his room! He might not be home yet!"
"Wait!" started Rika, stepping forward. "He lives he-?"
Rika found herself abruptly cut off as she walked into the path of a passerby, sending her sprawling to the ground.
"Hey!" she shouted, scrambling up. "Watch where you're going!"
"Sorry!" came a voice that was now all too familiar. "I was in a hurry and I wasn't… You!"
Rika's lips parted slightly in surprise. From them, emerged only one name.
"Takato…"
Their eyes met, red on violet, and for an instant, the whole world came to a halt around them. Takato. Takato Matsuki. Baker. Tamer. A mop of messy brown hair. The first thing she noticed now that she got a closer look it was how much longer it was compared to the other Takato she met. Not long-long, but enough at the front to nearly cover his eyebrows. When he brushed some strands out of his eyes, she saw the knotted scar that it just barely hid.
His right hand too, still held out in offer of helping her up. Thin, vein-like markings ran along its length, as if something had burrowed inside of him like an infection. But that wasn't quite accurate. They were vein-like at first glance, but closer inspection revealed them to be different. More fractal-like, like the stems on a plant, and reddish-pink in hue. She remembered seeing something like that before. A picture from a magazine or newspaper report.
Lichtenberg Figure. He's been struck by lightning.
Her eyes returned to his as he approached. He looked tired, but at the same time, he looked relieved to be seeing her.
"Hey," he smiled, holding out his hand for her to take. Behind him, she saw Guilmon arriving, looking puzzled by what was going on. "I'm glad to see you're okay. Uh, are you okay?" Concern quickly erased his smile. "I'm really sorry about running into you. I was in a hurry and… Hey! How do you know my na-?"
Rika didn't give him time to finish. Clasping hold of his hand, she used him as leverage to hoist herself up and then pull him to her where she promptly folded her arms around him in a powerful hug.
"Thank goodness you're all right," she whispered, holding him tight. She could feel the sudden rise of tension in him, as well as the blush that erupted in surprise at her unexpected affection. She had taken him off guard. Another time, she would have considered that a good thing, but right now she didn't want his brains scrambled trying to figure her out.
"Um… Thanks?" he replied. Awkwardly, he patted her back while Guilmon went up to her and sniffed her leg. She let him. She had the sense that if there was anyone who could put in a good word for her, it was Guilmon.
"Ah…" Guilmon sniffed her again, his nose taking deep breaths, as if trying to gather more information. Finally, he looked up and cocked his head in confusion. "Have we met before?"
"Guilmon… This is the girl who helped us, remember?" Takato began to disentangle himself from her. Rika let him; all the while allowed Guilmon to continue his investigation.
"Oh, I know that. I just…" More sniffing. "It's just that I smell us, but the smells smell different."
"Yeah, there's a bit of a story behind that, Dinoboy," Rika replied, giving Guilmon's ears an affectionate scratch. The dinosaur's eyes perked up at her touch before promptly melting into her hand. "It's why I'm here to see you guys."
"And to get bread!" Calumon said, floating on over. "I led her here!"
"Calumon? Of course." Takato sighed. "Calumon, I've told you before about showing strangers where we live."
"But strangers come here all the time and Guilmon's always out front singing about his famous bread."
"That's…a very good point." Scratching the back of his head, he looked at Rika uncertainly. "Sorry. We've had some bad run-ins with strangers before."
"If she knows us, she can't be all bad, right?" Guilmon asked as Rika's hands quested under his chin now. The dinosaur's eyes promptly rolled up into their sockets in utter bliss. "Ohhh… That's nice."
"Glad to help, Dinoboy," Rika smiled before returning her attention to Takato. "Speaking of help, I-I want to talk to you about that."
Takato's expression, which had been guarded, switched to worry and concern once again.
"Is it about that digimon who captured you?"
"No. It's…" Rika drew back one foot and tapped her shoe's toe against the pavement. She had gone over this conversation in her head so many times last night, but now that it was actually happening, she found she lost her train of thought.
This is actually happening. It's actually, really happening! Her eyes darted away from Takato's and she began to feel her cheeks heat up.
Keep it together. Keep it together. Just tell him! Stupid… You threw rocks at a Mega! This should be easy for you!
"T-This is going to sound really weird, but a couple days ago I…I was transported to another dimension where-where I was a Tamer and a part of your team."
"Wait, whaaa…?"
At his confused response, her eyes rose up again to his. The boy had a stunned look on his face. Sensing that she was losing him, she took hold of her determination and bore onward.
"I want to be a Tamer and help you and the others protect our city. Will you show me how I can become one?"
At that, she saw Takato's eyes refocus and something stirred within them. She couldn't catch what – a memory perhaps – but whatever it was, it vanished almost immediately. Hidden away, even from himself. The grim look she saw from before returned and at once he was as far away from her as anyone could be.
"No," he said firmly with a shake of his head. "No, I won't."
11
