A/N: Been a while. I had an idea for where to go next for quite a while, but at the time lacked the interest in pursuing it (though I did jot down ideas and short scenes every now and then to see where things would go). Finding myself with considerable amount of time now I figured I could work on bringing everything together and flesh it all out. Without further ado, I present to you the next, and overdue, chapter of 'Seeing Red.'
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
Seeing Red
Chapter: 07
Rika's back thumped against the wall of her closet and she curled a finger towards her, beckoning Takato to approach her. The boy, who stood on the other side of the room, face flaming red, swallowed nervously and began to approach as requested. Her legs spreading slightly, her hands slipped down and took hold of the hem of her jeans. One of the two buttons popped open and she spread the flaps apart, revealing bare skin and crimson hair within. Takato's eyes fell upon the sight and she saw him almost freeze up in shock and amazement.
Rika wasn't having any of that.
"Don't stop now, Takato," she said, a tone of false annoyance in the smirk on her face. "We're not at the good part yet."
His eyes broke away at her voice and he hurried the rest of the way to her. He folded her into his arms and their lips met one another in a passionate kiss. Rika shook, her hands fumbling with his pants. More. She needed more. Her lips parted and she pressed against him all the harder. Her fingers slipped inside and she felt the smooth hardness of his length. Drawing out his member, she pressed it against her jeans and jerked her hips against it with needy urgency.
"Takato…" she gasped around his mouth before he pressed against her once more, causing her back to thump against the wall once more. She groaned eagerly, heat washing over her body. Finding the opening that led into her pants, she carefully guided him inside where the head of his penis pushed into the tangle of red hair before gliding upwards against her stomach. His legs slipping about hers while his hands caressed her back, he began to hump against her. One stroke. Two strokes. Rika felt the passion rise up within her as a pleasant swelling tightened within her. She gasped in ecstasy at his hammering, her heart pounding, sending a flood of hormones surging through her veins. Something powerful hovered at just the edge of her senses for one long moment before it came crashing down upon her, smashing the swelling tension that lay between her legs. She gave a loud, pleasurable cry and something wet and warm flooded her pants.
The dream dissolved just then, leaving her gasping for air and staring at a spot of sunlight peeking through the crack of her bedroom door. A pair of white furred feet materialized into view and Rika looked up, confused as to what was going on. She was in her room just as before, but Takato wasn't there. She was in her futon, and one arm lay wrapped about it in a haphazard fashion, squishing it to her as tight as possible. Her lips felt dry and fuzzy from kissing the pillow, and her other arm at some point during the night had slipped between her legs and snuggled there. Her thighs were locked about it tight, ensuring that escape was impossible.
Her pajama bottoms also had a slight, damp spot where her arm lay trapped.
"That sounded like you had a good dream," Renamon said. Rika looked up and sudden realization hit her like a truck. With a disgusted, embarrassed growl, she kicked herself out of her futon and, upon disentangling herself, punted it away from her. Renamon tilted her head to one side questioningly, watching the girl stomp her way over to her clothing wrack where her clothes for the day were laid out.
"Rika…" she began, only for her Tamer to shoot her a glare, face burning tomato red.
"I don't want to hear it!"
"Rika, this is not the first time this has happened," the vulpine digimon remarked, picking up the girl's futon and folding it up. "And as I've been given to understand, it's perfectly normal."
Rika made a low, grumbling noise that didn't sound at all like she agreed with her partner.
"Stupid hormones… Stupid puberty…" Her pajamas were thrown roughly onto the floor as Rika quickly changed into a fresh set of clothes. "Stupid, stupid, stupid wet dreams!"
Renamon sighed, placing the futon away. There was no getting through to Rika while she was like this. The best thing to do was to simply wait until her temper burned itself out.
Rika made another growling noise and a second later the bra she had been putting on quickly joined her pajamas on the floor.
"Stupid bras that don't fit!"
Throwing on her shirt, she stomped out of her bedroom. Without a single word, Renamon picked up the abandoned clothes. Her nose twitched slightly as she did so and she sighed again in wonder at how her partner could get so wound up over something so simple.
"Well, at least it was a good dream," she said softly, placing the pajamas into the hamper to be washed.
###
Rika threw herself in the bathroom and locked the door. Her breath came out heavy, like a bull considering making a charge. Closing her eyes, she made an effort to settle down and, for a wonder, it worked.
"Well…that was immature," she berated herself. She didn't feel any better for the acknowledgement – she rarely liked seeing herself as anything less than perfectly composed – but it helped bring her thoughts into focus.
Stepping away from the door, she went proceeded to strip back down so she could rinse herself off. Steam rose from the tub, already full as programmed. She sighed despondently. It had been quite some time since she last had a dream like that. They were rather rare for her, but when they came, they were always powerful and very lifelike in feel. The first one hit her at the tail end of thirteen and had alarmed Renamon, who not only had zero experience with human puberty, but no practical knowledge of what it entailed. So, when Rika had cried out in the throes of her first orgasm…
Rika set out the bathroom stool and sat down on it, humiliated heat flushing the length of her body. Real mature indeed, as Renamon, once she understood what happened, had been completely understanding and didn't judge her in the least.
"I'm sorry, Renamon," she thought, reaching out to her partner through the psychic connection that they shared.
"It's quite all right, Rika," came the response, and with it a flood of relief.
"No. It's not all right. I shouldn't have reacted that way. You can pay me back."
"There's no reason to 'pay you back' for anything. I understand this is a difficult time for you. Like any battle, one must roll with the punches until they find a way to win."
A small smile crossed Rika's lips. Leave it to Renamon to speak to her in a language she could understand.
"You got that right," she thought, withdrawing from their link. Taking up the bowl, she filled it up and poured it over herself. Shaking her head, she sent small droplets of water spraying about her. Her crimson hair clung tightly to her face. Turning, she looked at herself in the mirror and her eyes dropped down to her bosom.
She frowned, remembering another irritation.
Speaking of battles… There's one I'm going to have to deal with sooner than I'd like.
Getting up, she stepped into the tub and sunk down into the water.
Stupid breasts, she growled irritably.
###
Renamon stood outside the changing room, arms folded together. She was aware of the looks she was receiving from customers and store attendants. And no wonder. A fox digimon in a lingerie store would, of course, stand out anywhere. She normally wouldn't, but Rika insisted upon her presence. And as the girl wasn't too keen on the idea of her partner always having to hide who she was since becoming a part of her family, transformation was also out of the question.
Not that I mind, she thought, blue eyes turning as the curtain Rika lay behind ruffled and a hand emerged.
"Renamon? I…need your help with this one."
Slipping her claws past the curtain, the vulpine digimon readily found the troublesome article of clothing. Needing no guide from her eyes – a talent nurtured in the early years of her partner's puberty – the bra came free and there followed a sigh of relief from its former wearer.
"Rejecting that one," the girl said. "Next."
A small smile touching her lips, Renamon took up the next brassiere and passed it along. It took only a second for Rika's head to poke out, her eyebrows knotted in annoyance.
"Really, Renamon?"
The kitsune gave a light mental chuckle while retaining an 'innocent' expression. "Given recent events, I didn't think you would have been opposed."
"I'm not wearing a pushup bra!" Rika growled, ducking back behind the curtain once more. A moment later, the bra in question was thrust out at Renamon, who took it and set it aside with some amusement.
"Apologies. Given your enjoyment of certain reactions of his, I had thought that you would prefer flustering him in this manner as well. I am sorry if I overstepped my bounds."
There came a pause behind the curtain, and Renamon closed her eyes, envisioning her partner racked in indecision, weighing the pros and cons of provoking the sort of reactions from Takato that she enjoyed seeing. No doubt, she was considering the possibility of her lover-boy's meltdowns were just tempting enough to put up with any potential downsides.
"Renamon…" she finally said. "You can be so awful sometimes, you know that?"
"Should I see if a plunge bra is available then?"
"Renamon!"
The fox digimon gave a barely audible laugh at her partner's embarrassment. While she didn't always understand the ins and outs of bras and breasts, she had to admit that the affects they had on humans could be quite amusing.
"Are you…finding everything all right?" came the voice of a store employee, peeking from around the corner. Smiling reassuringly, Renamon nodded just as Rika thrust a hand through the curtain, brassiere in hand.
"A new pair of breasts would help," she grumbled. "Especially something smaller. Do you happen to have any?"
"Um…" The employee blushed brightly, but she shook her head. "If…If you'd like, we have someone who can help you find a proper fit…"
"No," came the stern reply, to which Renamon sighed mentally at her stubbornness.
"All right…" The employee's eyes flickered over to Renamon before bowing politely. "We'll be available in case you change your mind."
With that, the woman hurried away, leaving Renamon to cast a hard look at the curtain.
"What?" Rika asked from behind it, having sensed the vixen's gaze through their psychic link.
"Should I point out that her offer of assistance would have shortened this trip?" Renamon took up another bra and pushed it into the changing room, where Rika promptly took it up and began to test fit it. "I know how much you dislike shopping and…trying on certain articles of clothing."
"I don't want someone else's hands on me when I don't know them," Rika grumbled.
"Perhaps I should be the one trying on clothes for you then?" Renamon offered. "Mimicking your appearance is easy enough now, and I could have you measured without…"
"I especially don't want anyone touching you," came the even fiercer response followed by the dull thump of the wall being kicked. Renamon sighed. Rika's temper was the stuff of legends, and always flared over the smallest of things. Fitting herself for clothing always annoyed her, a problem that magnified as she grew older and more developed. Furthermore, her insistence on refusing help only made things worse due to the sheer amount of time it took doing it on her own.
Rika's hand thrust back through the curtain, holding out the bra she had been trying on.
"Next," she said curtly.
###
Rika and exited the store, her bag slung over her shoulder and Renamon following behind. She ground her teeth against each other. She hated shopping. Hated having to take time out of her day to do something she didn't care for. Worst of all, hated having to shop for things like underwear.
At least it's over, she told herself, hoping to take the edge off her frustration. All that's left for me is to go home and pretend this day never existed.
She hmphed instinctively at that. Yeah right. Pretending is more Gogglehead's specialty.
She felt as though she should be angry again, yet thinking of Takato brought a smile to her face once more. She began to wonder if she ought to pay him a visit. Tease him a little and get him all flustered and blushing. It would certainly go a long way toward making her feel better, and she had a feeling he'd be appreciative of it now that they were together.
W-Without the pushup bra though! she told herself with surprising force as heat crossed her cheeks. That…That one's for special occasions!
When that 'special occasion' would be, she didn't know. With how embarrassed she was, she didn't believe there was ever going to be one. Already she was regretting allowing Renamon to plant that particular seed in her mind. If her mother or grandmother ever found it…
Stupid… I can't believe how stupid I was for buying that! Why did I let her get under my skin and…and…
"Rika!"
Rika gave a cry of surprise at the familiar voice. Caught halfway between storming toward the mall's exit and kicking the floor in the process, her foot caught and would have tripped her up if not for Renamon catching her by the arm. Nodding a flustered 'Thanks', she turned to find the source of the call and quickly spied Jeri Katou hurrying toward her, waving cutely. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, Rika hid her bag and its contents ever so slightly behind her leg for Renamon to take. Quickly picking up on her intentions, the vulpine digimon took the bag and stepped behind her, ensuring that it would be outside of Jeri's sight.
"J-Jeri…" Rika coughed, cursing herself for her stutter. Smiling sweetly, Jeri drew up and bowed politely to both her and Renamon.
The years, Rika felt, had been kind to the girl. The pain that she had in her eyes since the death of her digimon partner, Leomon, had taken on a much softer edge that mixed well with the open and honest happiness that she had for the world around her. It gave her a kind of wisdom that, at times, reminded her of Renamon.
If Renamon tried to be cute and entertained kids with sock puppet plays that is, Rika thought. Almost straight away, her mind began to envision one such scene, only to quickly banish it with a shudder.
Takato… You're having too much of an influence on me…
"I'm so glad I saw you," Jeri beamed. "How are you doing?"
Rika shrugged nonchalantly, doing her best to ignore the presence of her recent shopping spree. "Well enough," she replied a bit stiffly. She gave the girl a quick once over and grimaced mentally, feeling an odd sense of inadequacy in the presence of Takato's first love. She wanted to kick herself for feeling that way – especially where Jeri was concerned whom she counted as one of her best friends after Renamon and Takato. Yet the feeling was there all the same. While she was far from the kinds of girls that Rika knew at her school and saw around the city, she still wore fairly feminine outfits, with a long, sweeping skirt of green and a fluffy, sun-yellow shirt emblazoned with the image of a sparkling, red heart. The sleeves were slightly puffy along the shoulders as well, thin and silk smooth. In short, Jeri and Rika were as opposite as two people could be despite the close friendship they shared with one another.
It left her wondering, briefly, what it was that Takato saw in her. Jeri had been his first love after all and was everything she herself wasn't.
Easy there, she told herself, curling her fingers into her palms. Don't be stupid over a boy.
"How about you?" Rika asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from herself.
"Getting a few things together," Jeri replied, rocking back and forth on her heels. "I'm planning on taking a bit of a break this weekend from studying." Her expression wilted slightly and she heaved a heavy sigh. "I didn't realize becoming a teacher was so hard. But…" She took a deep, determined breath just then and nodded, her eyes becoming fierce. "…I know I can do it!"
"I know you can." Rika smiled slightly at the girl's optimism. After all the things you've been through, becoming a teacher should be a walk in the park, she added mentally."Have you figured out what grade you're going to teach yet?"
"No, not yet," Jeri admitted, looping an arm through Rika's and steering her through the crowd, circling her back into the depths of the mall. "But I've been thinking a little about going into the fifth year." She pressed her lips together, her expression becoming suddenly serious. "Who knows? I might end up teaching the next generation of Tamers. If that happens, I might be able to help them."
Rika gave a light chuckle as Jeri led her along, becoming more relaxed as they went on. "I bet you'll get a gogglehead as annoying as ours is."
"Don't you mean cute?" Jeri teased, giving Rika's arm a slight squeeze. The taller girl rolled her eyes at this, yet a light blush crossed her features.
"Yeah, okay, cute too," she grumbled. "Just don't go telling anyone I said that."
"Cross my heart," Jeri giggled. "But speaking of which…how are things going between you two? Have you finally gotten around to confessing to him yet?"
Rika cursed, realizing she hadn't told Jeri that they had actually been a couple for some weeks now.
"I'd rather not talk about it," she said. Jeri scowled.
"Did he do something?"
"What? No! He… Oh, for goodness sake! We're together! Are you happy?"
She glowered at Jeri, but the smaller girl didn't wither in the least as any of her other friends – save for Kazu and Henry – would. Instead, she pressed all the more tightly to her.
"You're together?!" Jeri squealed happily. "Oh, I knew you could do it! How did it happen? Did he say something? Did you confess?" She paused, and a frown briefly marred her features, a thought occurring to her. "Why don't you sound happy?"
"Because I knew you'd be doing what you're doing right now and make a big deal out of it."
"But it is a big deal," Jeri huffed. "For you anyway. Besides. Can't I be happy for my friends?"
Rika sighed. "You can. Just…don't make a fuss about it. And don't go blabbing about it to Kazu or Terriermon. I don't need them making a big deal about it either."
Jeri's frown deepened slightly. "You know they will anyway. We all know how you two feel about each other. Don't you think it'd be better if they did know? They might lighten up."
Rika grimaced. The thought was tempting, especially where Terriermon was concerned, but at the same time familiar ground felt far safer to be on than new, unproven terrain. Who knew what sort of things Kazu or Terriermon might get up to once they found out about her and Takato's budding relationship? She didn't want that ruined.
As if sensing Rika's thoughts, Renamon chimed in as well. "Rika, they're going to find out about it eventually. Wouldn't it be better to just get it out of the way?"
"Oh, fine. Fine." Rika rolled her eyes, annoyed that her partner was taking Jeri's side in this argument. "But only if it comes up, got it?"
"I can live with that," Jeri giggled. "Sooo…"
Rika's eye twitched, detecting her friend's curiosity for details.
"No."
"But… Rika…"
"I said 'no.'" She felt a familiar blush growing in her cheeks again. "What happens between me and Takato is our business and no one else's."
"Spoil sport," Jeri huffed. "Fine. I won't pry. But if you ever need to talk to me or if you need advice, I'm here. I know Takato pretty well and I get the feeling you will need all the help you can get with him."
"We're managing," Rika replied, though she winced slightly at Takato's recent rash of erratic behavior. While nothing serious, she had picked up on a touch of guilt in him, similar to how he reacted during their second date, when they walked in on Guilmon playing a porn movie.
"'Managing,' huh?" Jeri lifted a hand and formed it into a dog's head, her pinky and index fingers representing a pair of perky ears. "Rrruff!" she barked, her thumb dropping like a dog's mouth. "That's Rika's way of saying that something's bothering her and she doesn't want to talk about it even though if she did she'd solve whatever's bothering her!"
"Stupid puppet…" Rika scowled while Renamon chuckled lightly.
"Her puppet is usually correct, Rika." The vulpine digimon looked at Jeri approvingly. "You've gotten better. I almost didn't notice your lips moving."
Jeri beamed happily at this compliment and giggled.
Rika fumed for a moment, but she couldn't really argue with Jeri's assessment. Part of the reason why it took her so long to even ask Takato out on a date was due to the fact that she tended to push away things that dealt with her feelings. She liked Takato a great deal and for far longer than she cared to admit, but those feelings also scared her, as they had before when she first became partnered with Renamon.
Change…worried her, and the familiar was far better, or at least easier to deal with. For the longest time she hadn't known what she wanted with regards to Takato, but she knew she wanted something more than what they had at the time. That more, however, came with risks. Risks she worried about back when she finally made up her mind to do something about her feelings. The risk of losing her friendship with the gogglehead she came to care about. This fear had reached an almost panic level when Takato and Jeri had broken up, but seeing how the two of them maintained their friendship in spite of that, she had relaxed a little.
Only a little though. As she noted herself, she wasn't like Jeri, or even Takato in that regard. She took things a little more personally.
She found herself broken out of her thoughts as she realized where Jeri had been dragging her to. A clothing store.
"Please tell me we're not going in there."
"Why not? We're catching up and I was heading there anyway to get a new swimsuit."
"Rika had just left that particular store," Renamon pointed out, hefting the bag that contained the parade of bras within. Rika flushed lightly, remembering the one member of its contents.
"What do you need a new swimsuit for?" Rika grumbled, hoping to deflect attention away from her purchases. Jeri giggled.
"For the beach, silly! I've been getting a hold of everyone that I could so we could all go there as a group like we used to before everything became so busy!" Her eyes became cat-like slits and she smiled at Rika coyly. "I was going to ask Takato if he wanted to go, but if you would rather instead…"
"Why would I want to go to the beach for?" Rika asked. "I burn up there easily."
"Oh, don't be like that! We'll bring umbrellas and sunscreen. You could have Takato put the sunscreen on you!"
"Jeri…" Rika groaned, flushing mightily as they crossed the threshold into the store. She was too late however to prevent her friend from planting the image into her head. Already her imagination began to run away from her, seeing Takato leaning over her, his hands pressed to her smooth skin and rubbing the lotion along her back and down near her derriere.
That… That wouldn't work! she stammered out mentally, trying to force her imagination to halt in its tracks. I've got a one-piece swimsuit!
Her brain, as predicted, responded by pointing out she could purchase a two-piece. That way, she could untie the string to her bikini and lay on her front while Takato…
Okay, you really need to stop doing that! she berated herself while shaking her head mentally.
"This is a bad idea… Besides, it's not even summer yet!"
"It's near enough," Jeri pointed out, pulling her down in the direction of the swimsuit aisle. "And I'd like to see you all before I take summer courses." Breaking away from her friend, Jeri's eyes softened and she began to peruse through articles of clothes, searching for a style that suited her best.
"You're not taking time off?"
Jeri shook her head. "When I began studying to be a teacher, I saw how much I had to do to get ready. I can't afford to take time off. Not this year anyway."
Rika was silent for a moment, feeling amazed at Jeri's desire – her passion for her chosen line of work – before she joined her in the quest for an appropriate swimsuit. Seeing this, Jeri raised an eyebrow.
"Is that a yes?"
"It is," Rika nodded. "I'm probably going to need a new swimsuit anyway. That's why I was here earlier. I'm…" She blushed lightly. "…still growing it seems."
Jeri gave her a sympathetic look. "I know just what you mean," she said softly. Rika made a grumbling noise at this.
"You at least don't mind the attention. I do."
"You mean as long as it's not coming from Takato."
"I wouldn't be able to get Takato to look at me if I stripped down naked," Rika grumped, though she couldn't quite deny Jeri's observation there either. While she didn't enjoy being gawked at, Takato was a different story altogether. She couldn't quite put her finger on the why of it, but she found herself feeling that she wouldn't mind a little of that kind of attention from the boy.
I wonder how he would react to seeing me naked, she found herself wondering before scowling down at herself.
"Stupid Gogglehead," she muttered irritably. Jeri gave a light laugh.
"I knew there was trouble," she said, picking up a green outfit that had a fluffy, almost petal-like skirt about it.
"You're imagining things then."
"I don't think sooo…" Jeri sang, miming her dog puppet again. "The puppy knows."
"Sure, it does," Rika hmphed, setting down a top that, upon further inspection, revealed far too much than she was comfortable with. At least it has the right color, she thought.
Jeri inspected the swimsuit in her hands for a moment before glancing over at Renamon. "Um… Could you…? I mean, is it okay?"
"Quite," the vulpine digimon replied with a bow. A crawl of TV snow passed over her and the kitsune's form shifted, becoming a near-perfect duplicate of Jeri Katou. Smiling in gratitude, Jeri held the swimsuit up to her, contemplating it. Rika eyed the duo before picking up the threads of conversation.
"It's my mom," she began. "She's already making noise about marriage. She even went through Takato's family tree to make him 'look better' to my relatives."
Jeri turned toward her with a raised eyebrow before setting the swimsuit down and taking up another one that was black with red trim.
"A little premature, but…Takato's the only person you've ever shown an interest in. I'll admit, I have a hard time imagining you with anyone else. You don't seem interested in wanting anyone else."
Rika's hands paused in their search, contemplating that. There was certainly an element of truth there. While she had certainly felt attracted to other boys and even the occasional girl, she never thought about them the way she did about Takato. Even Ryo, the refreshing breath of air that he was, didn't do much of anything for her. Could her mother be aware of that quirk of hers and just be looking to get ahead so there weren't any complications later?
"It's annoying. I don't know if I even want to get married."
Jeri hummed thoughtfully, holding another swimsuit up to Renamon, this time, a two-piece that was yellow with white, lacy trim on the corners that gave them the appearance of a pair of butterflies.
"Well… You never know," Jeri pointed out. "You might feel differently in a couple of years. You've only just started dating. Give it some time. You might like it as long as it's to Takato after all."
Rika pressed her lips together tightly.
"With how he gets all worked up, I wonder…"
"Wonder what?" Jeri asked as Rika trailed off. The Digimon Queen closed her eyes.
"Wonder about…us. About what we might do in the future." Her blush returned full force now and Rika avoided Jeri's gaze, hoping that she'd just get the message. Jeri cocked an eyebrow in confusion and glanced at Renamon questioningly. Something seemed to pass between them and Jeri's mouth became one large 'O' in realization.
"Okay, I thought I was your partner, Renamon."
"Jeri and I share no link," the kitsune replied, and Rika felt a shiver pass down her spine at her friend's voice coming out the matter-of-factly manner that was common with her partner. "But we both know you quite well."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Rika asked turning towards them and planting an annoyed hand on her hip.
"Just that you're easy to read sometimes," Jeri giggled behind a blush. "I…I wouldn't worry that much about Takato. I know he can be a bit of a worrywart, but you know that in the end, he'll stand up for you. And he'll do it because he loves you despite whatever he's worrying about."
Rika's eyes turned away, frowning darkly in thought. Her own concerns remained, but she wondered if she was making a bigger deal out of them than they truly were. Takato worried. He was always going to worry, but in the long years of their friendship he did do right by her despite that hang up.
But things are different now, she thought, remembering his odd behavior when he walked her home. He's got something going on in that goggle-headed brain of his. Knowing him, it's got something to do with what happened when I first asked him out on a date.
It felt logical, nor could she blame him for it, or for being shook up again when Guilmon played a porn video at the start of their second date. No doubt he was afraid that he wasn't actually worthy of her.
"But what about you?" she remembered him saying to her. "What does your dream boy do for you?"
What…do I want with him? To do with him?
She remembered their kiss and she closed her eyes, losing herself to its memory. Her hands tightened about a swimsuit top and she envisioned her hand holding his, squeezing it. All the things she felt for him… All the things she wanted… It all came down to that. His presence. The trust she had in him.
"That's a cute one," Jeri hummed, looking over her shoulder. "It matches your digivice too."
"Yeah…" Rika acknowledged before, taking up the two-piece. She had made her decision.
"I'll get this one," she said, blushing a little. This was more skin than she had dared show before, even when she went to ask Takato out the first time.
We're just going to have to get used to things, she thought to herself. I'm not going to let any nervousness mess things up between us.
She swallowed, feeling nervous all the same. This was a bit of a big step for her. She wondered how Takato would react.
With any luck, like his usual goofball self and just get flustered, she thought. That was good. She could deal with that as long as she was controlled it. And, hopefully, from there, get Takato to settle down and relax. After all, she didn't do this for anyone, so Takato shouldn't have any reason to think himself unworthy of her.
At least, that's what she hoped to accomplish anyway.
"Jeri, are you rea…?" she began, turning, only to pause as she saw her partner, having now dropped back to her natural appearance, holding the top to a blue bikini up to herself. Her eyes turned up toward Rika, curious. Remembering to pick her jaw up from off the floor, Rika shook her head and planted a hand on her hip once again. "What are you doing?"
"I was just considering whether to wear something that matches you at the beach," she said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Jeri giggled.
"I think it looks cute on you."
Rika groaned.
###
"Yeah, I think going to the beach would be a great idea!" came Takato's voice from Rika's phone as they chatted. She turned the page in the doujinshi that Jeri had lent her following their outing – a non-sexual one for a change – and smiled. Takato sounded better today, meaning he either got over whatever funk he was in or he had been busy with something that distracted his worrying thoughts. Either one was good as it made setting things up easier.
"This Sunday then," Rika said. There was an affirmation on the other end, and Rika nodded. Renamon phased into view at her door, and seeing her, the Digimon Queen held up a finger, requesting a second to finish things up. "Okay," she said. "Looks like I've got to go. Catch you later then."
With that, she hung up and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Everything all settled?" Renamon asked.
"Yeah, looks like. Unless the D-Reaper shows up or something, it should be a relaxing day at the beach." She knotted her face up and tilted her head at her partner. "I still can't believe you actually bought that thing."
"I could say the same for you," Renamon replied, allowing a small smile to grace her muzzle. Rika's cheeks darkened.
"Yeah, but…I need them," she said, embarrassed.
"You'll need this too," the kitsune said, bowing her head slightly. Rika's head snapped up at that.
"What do you mean?"
"Rika!" came the call of Seiko from the dining area. "Renamon! Dinner's ready!"
"See you there," Renamon said, vanishing from view.
"Yeah… See you there." Rika frowned at the spot her partner had vacated, wondering what she had in mind before turning her attention over toward the bag of garments that sat in the corner of her room, still not put away. Getting up, she started toward the door, only to pause. Curiosity seizing her, she made her way over to the bag and rutted through it. Drawing up the pushup bra she had purchased, she held it aloft by its strap before threading both hands through it and standing up. She drew her arms through the loops experimentally and held it against her chest. It didn't fit right, but then, she still had her shirt on, but the effect was definitely noticeable. Her eyes narrowed as crimson began to once more stain her cheeks.
"Stupid…" she muttered to herself, hastily shrugging the bra off and shoving it back into the bag. She buried it as far into the bottom as it could go where, hopefully, it would remain undiscovered, and quickly headed off to have dinner.
Tomorrow's another day, she told herself.
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