Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
Seeing Red
Chapter: 04
Rika pulled her hair up into its usual ponytail as she padded down the hall away from her room, humming softly to herself. Her clothes were more her usual self today, a simple blue T-shirt with a white heart on it. Casual and easygoing. Friendly was the emotion she wanted to convey today with few thorns. And she was in a decent enough mood in spite of the weather's threats of rain, of which there was a high chance of. If anything, the storm gave her plenty of reason to feel more at ease. After a week of settling down from their earlier mishap and trying to work out a second shot at a date between the two of them, the two of them ultimately decided on staying in and just chill out watching some movies with maybe some light studying on the side. Simple. Straight forward. And homework aside, it was an activity they both enjoyed with no pressures being placed on one another and, most importantly, no crowds.
Simple. Easy. And right now, they both needed a bit of simple and easy.
As long as Takato keeps his pants on, she thought sarcastically. A smirk tugged at the corners of her lips at her joke, only for it to die quickly, her stomach twisting, remembering how that day ultimately ended with her masturbating to a daydream of him making love to her.
Why am I getting all squirrely about it? she asked herself, tying off her ponytail. I even admitted to Takato that I do that sometimes. It's natural…isn't it? Besides, I'm plenty sure Gogglehead would be more than happy to mix it up like that sometime.
Her thoughts hung there. Would they end up having sex? Suddenly she began to feel worried. Given how close they were, the answer felt like there would be an inevitable 'yes' down the road, but did she want that? Would Takato pressure her into trying it? She couldn't see him doing that sort of thing; felt ludicrous to even consider, but…people could be different once sex was on the table.
How do I feel about it? she wondered, thinking back to her previous conversation with Takato, when he had asked her about how she felt about his masturbation. Her socked foot stomped on the floor in frustration, as if by doing so she could beat away her anxieties. She wanted to be okay with this. She felt like she should be okay.
So why do I feel like I'm not? she asked herself, entering the dining area where her mother sat, looking over a letter while drinking from a glass of wine, her expression set in a grim line.
"I'm heading out now," she said, and Rumiko looked up, smiling.
"Have fun at Takato's," she winked. Rika felt a blush rising on her face and she suddenly found herself becoming self-conscious.
"Yeah. Sure," she replied, her eyes suddenly becoming evasive, as if she felt her mother had an inkling of what happened between herself and Takato. "Shouldn't be a problem. If worst comes to worst, he'll just embarrass himself again. That's always worth a few laughs."
"Hmmm…" Rumiko set the letter down and Rika felt her eyes strangely drawn to it. She felt a flash of surprise as she saw, clipped onto its corner, a photograph of a boy her age with proper, neatly combed hair and wearing a smart-looking suit that, she suspected, made him appear far more intelligent than he actually was. Her surprise quickly soured into annoyance and she tsked.
"Ugh. Please tell me that's not what I think it is."
Rumiko gave an amused laugh at that. "I'd be setting a bad example for you if I lied."
"Again?! When are they going to get a hint that I'm not interested in any of their stupid little marriage interviews?"
Rika was fuming now, her good mood rapidly evaporating. For about several months now, a relation to the family had been sending out propositions to her, ranging from cousins to wealthy elite families she had never heard of nor cared for. Being a Tamer, it seemed, had an unexpected downside in the current digital age, especially when her profession was now more public knowledge than when she was younger.
"I'm sure they'd stop if we married you and Takato," Rumiko replied, tipping her daughter a wink. "That's a joke by the way," she added hastily upon seeing her daughter's face abruptly go red.
"I never should have told you we were going out," the girl grumbled. "And I shouldn't have to…to marry the stupid Gogglehead to get people to back off!"
Marry…Takato… Rika's face was positively burning now as she suddenly found herself envisioning the two of them crossing that threshold. Herself wearing a long, flowing white dress and him in a smart, black suit, carrying her bridal style while she nuzzled his cheek, smiling…
Let's…stop that thought right there before it goes too far… she thought, feeling her temperature somehow finding another degree it could climb to.
"Well, if not then maybe you could be able to brag about him," Rumiko continued, enjoying her daughter's embarrassed reactions. "Aside from being such a handsome, dashing knight in shining armor, he might have the right bloodline."
"Huh?" Rika cocked an eyebrow at this, confused. "What's bloodline got to do with anything?"
"The Fujiwara's," Rumiko clarified. "Well, it's extremely unlikely there's any direct connection, but he is a Matsuda. Some Fujiwara's took the name for…well, all kinds of reasons."
Rika shook her head at this. That made no sense to her. The Fujiwara Clan dominated Japanese court politics during the Heian Period, maintaining close ties with the Japanese Emperor and monopolizing many titles right up until the Meiji era. Though declined from their previous glories, even today the clan retained somemeasure of influence over the nation. But Takato's family was just that of bread bakers. There was hardly a drop of court intrigue in them and Takato never gave any indication that they had any such connections in their family tree or cared. At least, so far as Rika knew anyway.
And as for Matsuda…
"Hate to break it to you, Mom, but Takato's a Matsuki." Rika narrowed her eyes, starting to see where her mother was going with all of this.
"Matsuda on his mother's side," Rumiko tapped a mischievous finger against her smiling lips. "I've been doing a little research since you told me you two were dating. Thought you might like to know."
"I didn't," Rika said flatly. "What's it matter if Takato's related to the Matsudas or the Fujiwaras anyway? It doesn't matter to us."
And it didn't. Not to her anyway, and Takato never seemed to care about her family background. She knew there was some awkwardness about their social and financial differences, but he stuck by her and didn't question her feelings for him when she made clear how deep for him they ran, just as he did when their friendship finally sprouted. That was one of the things she loved most about him. He took her at face value and accepted her without too many questions. He didn't make her feel guilty about their differences. She was Rika, and that was all that mattered to him, just as his being Takato was all that mattered to her, lowly baker or not.
He's saved my life enough times, she thought. Not bad for a 'lowly baker.' I doubt these other kids I keep getting in the mail would show half as much guts as he does.
"Whose business is it anyway who I'm with or who I like?" she continued with an angry grumble.
"Well…the knowledge still might help," Rumiko offered, pressing her lips together, uncomfortable with how the conversation was going. "You know. Just in case."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Rika, to some people, these things do matter," Rumiko sighed regretfully. "I just thought you might like to have a tool you can use to deal with them when they come pounding on your door. Your situation is a little bit different from what mine was when I married your father. I want to make sure you don't lose what you have…like I did."
They fell into an uncomfortable silence at this mention of Rika's absent father. They had never really talked about what led to the divorce, not even after it was learned he had died during the D-Reaper attack. Rika doubted even now they would have much to say because she herself was afraid to ask.
Afraid to ask because I'm scared to know the reasons why, she thought quietly. All the changes she experienced in her life had to some degree frightened her, truth be told, and she hated that. Fought against it. Denied fear's attempts to take what she cared about. She supposed she was afraid to find out that her father left – truly left – because he hadn't loved her. Hadn't loved either of them in spite of the few fond memories they had of him. She was afraid to lose the happiness those memories gave her.
It felt like running away, and she visibly grimaced at herself for it.
"I'm not losing anything," Rika declared, drawing her hands up into tight fists before turning away. "I'm not about to lie about Takato. I don't want to make him look acceptable to other people as if I need their permission to go out with him. He's Takato. My Takato. And that's all I want!"
"All right, all right," Rumiko gave her an apologetic look. "I understand. I noticed that you didn't say you were against marrying him though…"
Rika's temper floundered suddenly at her mother's rather brilliantly conducted flanking maneuver on the conversation. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, she gave an angry humph, and whirled about.
"I'm out of here," she growled, storming away. "For goodness sake, what is with this week?!"
Rumiko giggled a little as the fuming girl stomped out of the house. Off to the side, Seiko entered the room, a bowl of strawberries in hand, looking somewhat amused by Rika's abrupt departure.
"Really, Rumiko. Must you tease her?"
"Oh, let me have my fun, Mom. My baby girl is growing up. Besides, if she can handle world-destroying monsters, she can take a bit of teasing." Sighing happily, she took another sip of her wine. "I'm just glad she's finally doing something about that crush of hers instead of pretending it doesn't exist. It hurt watching her getting so worked up about that boy every time they got together."
She watched as Rika made her way down the front walk toward the gate that surrounded their home, and wished her all the luck in the world for her happiness.
###
Rika stepped outside of the gate and stood there. She felt Renamon's curious gaze on her, wondering about her sudden delay. She wondered herself, feeling a fit of impatience and irritation wash over her previous moods. Good, it seemed, was long gone and buried beneath the annoyance she felt at her mother's advice and the proposed marriage interviews that came before it. She looked down at her shirt.
I don't want to change now, she thought. And…I don't want the mood to be different from what I wanted for today either…even if it's not how I'm actually feeling. I just…
She let the thought hang there as Takato's face flitted through her mind, feeling further annoyed at the implications his intruding visage conveyed. But deciding that she had wasted enough time in indecision, she cast her thoughts towards her partner.
Renamon!
"Yes, Rika?" the kitsune asked, phasing into view beside her.
"I was going to walk, but there's been a change of plans," she said turning toward her. "Give me a lift instead?"
"Always," the fox digimon nodded with a small, barely visible smile. "Front door this time?"
"Now, don't you start too," Rika grumbled, stepping into her partner's arms. "But yeah. Front door this time."
The kitsune chuckled and with that, they vanished into thin air.
###
"Where…are they?!"
Guilmon looked up at the sound of Takato's frustrated voice, finding him kneeling down in his closet. A box shifted as he tried to peak underneath it and then plopped back down. He had a stash of movies that Rika insisted they watch for their date. Not anything she picked herself, but having watched a Noh play for their first date, she had been adamant that it was only fair that they see something from his interests this time around. Not quite what Takato would have thought of for a date, as his preferences in films were neither romantic nor shared by his lover. He expressed that he felt that his picks should be for the both of them, but again, Rika had been rather insistent.
"I'm sure after last week, we could both use something a little mindless anyway," she had teased playfully, not meaning anything derogatory by her words. "Don't worry too much about it, Takato. I'm sure it'll be fun."
"She sure has a lot of faith in me, so I've got to make this perfect," he mused aloud, moving another box over so he could get deeper access to his closet's contents. "Of course, if I could actually find anything…"
"Still can't find them, huh?" Guilmon asked, poking his head in. Takato shook his head regretfully.
"I really don't understand because we just watched something recently, remember?"
"Yeah," Guilmon nodded. "The movie with the racoons. I liked that one."
"And that was…what? Last week?" Takato puffed at a strand of hair that had fallen between his eyes. "I swear, sometimes I think Calumon sneaks in here and hides things on me."
"Maybe it's a digignome instead," Guilmon suggested. "That one who followed us home was really good at hiding things, remember?"
"Now that you mention it…" Takato trailed off just then, his eyes going wide as he caught sight of something familiar and he gave a happy cry of discovery. "There! I think that's…"
Another box higher up shifted and promptly spilled over to the side, dumping a number of papers and one CD atop Takato's head. The CD bounced off his scalp, clipping him with its corner and eliciting a surprised yelp from the boy. Turning a fearsome glare at the treacherous box, he rubbed the spot where he had been struck and picked up the CD curiously.
"Ohhh… A movie?" Guilmon asked, sniffing at the disk in question. Takato turned it over.
"It's not labeled… Huh. I don't remember seeing this before. Maybe it's something I borrowed and forgot about."
He wracked his brains, but for the life of him he couldn't remember ever borrowing a CD from anyone recently or even the past year.
Must've been a long time ago, he thought.
"Takatooo!" came his mother's call from downstairs. "Rika's here!"
Takato gave a startled gasp and scrambled to his feet.
"Oh man, she's here already? And I still haven't picked out a movie!" His eyes darted toward the mess of papers on the floor. Dropping the disk, he hastily swept them up and stuffed them back into their respective box before wrenching out the one he had eyed earlier. A quick peak at its contents showed that, yes, they were precisely what he had been looking for.
"Good," he breathed in relief before turning over his shoulder. "Coming!" he called back before turning toward Guilmon. "We'll be back," he smiled, a nervous but happy twitter to his voice. Without another word, he hurried out the door to meet up with Rika, leaving Guilmon alone in the room.
The crimson dinosaur looked down at the unlabeled CD with curiosity, his head tilted to one side in thought before gingerly picking it up.
"Maybe we should see what your story's all about?" he asked it.
###
Takato hurried down the stairs and ducked out into the bakery section where he found Rika standing at the cash register, his mother happily chatting with them. Upon seeing them, Rika smiled.
"Hey there. All set?"
"Just about," Takato grinned sheepishly. "Still need to pick a movie. Sorry. I put them in a weird place."
"Maybe if you organized your room more often like you're supposed to, you wouldn't have that problem," Mie said in a reproachful tone. Takato blushed, embarrassed at being admonished in front of Rika by his mother. Still, he bore it without complaint. After all, she was correct.
"Definitely something to think about," he laughed. "Um… So, anyway, snacks are upstairs with Guilmon…"
Rika lifted an eyebrow. "You left food alone with Dinoboy?"
"Hey!" Takato exclaimed. "He'll be good! I promise! He's been getting a lot better lately, and he knows how much this means to us."
Rika regarded him skeptically. "Well, there's only one way to find out," she said, turning toward Mie, seeming to be asking for permission silently. The woman smiled and gave a laugh.
"Oh, go on up," she said before becoming serious. "I'll be in to check in on you in a little bit, so no funny business."
"W-What funny business are you talking about?" Takato asked, the two teens blushing hard at Mie's implications.
"Takato, just because I've gotten older doesn't mean I've gone senile. You're old enough to know what I mean and I was your age once. Now that I've given you your fair warning, why are you two still down here? Go on!" She made shooing noises with her hands, indicating that they were to get on with their date already. Taking the hint, the two teens beat a hasty retreat towards the living section of the bakery and began to climb the stairs to Takato's room.
"Very subtle, Takato," Rika said, amused, once they were out of earshot. "You accidently masturbate in front of me because you forgot to close your drapes and you think you can pull a fast one on your mom?"
"Okay, not exactly my smartest move," Takato admitted with a laugh, his ears burning bright red at the memory from last week. Rika smirked.
"Like you have many smart moves?"
"Point taken. I just got a little bit flustered, that's all. I thought she trusted me a little better than that when it comes to this stuff."
"Takato, you've told me yourself that she didn't trust you with a goldfish and that was part of the reason why you didn't tell her about Guilmon. Besides…" Reaching the top of the stairs, they paused briefly next to one another. "Like she said, she was our age once."
A tense silence fell between them, the two teens quietly acknowledging the truth of her words. Sex was a dragon that had been rearing its head amongst their peers since about the time puberty kicked in, and though interest varied from person to person, Takato and Rika both knew that they weren't an exception. Rika blushed further, remembering how she had masturbated to the memory of the boy and his own bit of personal fun. Though not said out loud, they both couldn't help but wonder just how long it would be before they made an attempt at the deed.
Would…Would we actually try? He felt a part of him jump in excitement at the idea and his penis began to grow hard in his pants, but it was strongly tempered by his concern for Rika, especially after last week. She had seemed rather unsettled by seeing him masturbate, and he himself was unsettled by her reaction. Was she disgusted by him? But if so, why did she want to date him? Or kiss him? Why did she want to have anything to do with him? Shouldn't she have left and never have anything to do with him again?
She said it's natural, but…is that what she's trying to tell herself? Trying to tell me so I don't think these things? Does she…?
"Takato?"
"Huh?" Startled out of his thoughts and back to reality, he saw Rika shift on one foot, appearing uncomfortable.
"You're staring."
"S-Sorry." Takato hastily averted his eyes. "I guess I got too lost in my head."
"Yeah?" Rika smirked, trying to hide her obvious anxiety. "Did you get lost because you were trying to imagine me naked or something?"
"N-No!" Takato protested, blushing ferociously. "I…" Looking away again, he rubbed the back of his head anxiously. "I was just wondering why you liked me."
Rika tilted her head to one side, seeming to be confused by his question. "Well, why do you like me?" she returned, crossing her arms defensively, a sliver of red touching her cheeks.
"Hey! I asked first!" Takato protested. Rika allowed her smirk to return to her lips, this time becoming more natural as her earlier discomfort receded to a playful boldness.
"All's fair in love and war."
Takato laughed at that, relaxing a little. "And which one's this?"
"Probably both," Rika replied, uncrossing her arms and giving his shoulder a playful punch. "Come on. We've got a date to get started, remember? We can't do that outside your room. Hurt your brain all you want about why I like you while we watch our movie together."
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as she pushed past him, her smirk still teasing. "And if you don't embarrass yourself too much, I might let you hold my hand."
Takato visibly swallowed, red creeping into his face like an invading army. Rika laughed upon seeing it. She couldn't help it. He was just too much fun to tease. There was just no hiding things from her, no matter how much he tried, and she…
She was soon ripped free from her thoughts by the sound of a cry of ecstasy emanating from Takato's room. She turned toward the boy questioningly, but he looked even more baffled than her. The cry repeated itself with greater intensity and together they approached his door, curious to solve the mystery. From within, they heard Guilmon making a sound of amazement.
"She must really like that to let him do it to her…"
Oh no…
Light bulbs turned on in Takato's mind and there, promptly exploded. Hurriedly throwing the door open, he bolted into the room, suspicion and horror growing in his mind in equal parts like an out of control virus as his imagination took off.
It didn't take much for his worst fears to be confirmed.
There, on his TV, was a woman lying on a futon while above her a man held her tightly by her waist, his throbbing penis buried as deep as it could go into her vagina. Both of them groaning loudly in mutual orgasm. As Rika stepped inside to join Takato, the man withdrew, panting heavily, his softening penis slipping out of the woman, a thick string of sperm connecting them together.
While their eyes grew wide and their faces went bright red, Guilmon leaned closer to the screen and tapped its glass with a claw, his golden eyes curious.
"Are they trying to make babies in this one?" he asked idly. "Usually he lets it out on her stomach…"
"G-Guilmon!"
"Takatomon!" Guilmon greeted, looking over his shoulder. "I took a look at that CD you found to see what was on it and…"
"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Takato yelled, bolting over and hitting the off button on the TV. At once, Guilmon's ears wilted and he backed away.
"Oh… What'd I do?"
"N-Nothing!" Takato replied, feeling like a heel for yelling at his partner now for what was most likely an innocent curiosity. His eyes flickered hastily over at the blushing Rika, who stood at the door now, arms folded back over her chest, violet eyes watching the scene play out. Takato swallowed, feeling the heat overtaking his face. "S-Sorry, Rika," he stammered out, throwing on a cheesy, embarrassed smile. "I-I found a disk earlier and didn't know what was on it and…"
"…and I thought I'd have a look in case it was something you both would like to watch," Guilmon quickly added. "But I guess it wasn't? Sorry if I ruined your date. Please don't be mad at him."
Unfolding her arms, Rika stepped over to the pair and placed her hands on both their heads, scratching Guilmon's ear while ruffling Takato's hair.
"You two are such numbskulls," she said, hitching a fake, exasperated sigh. "What am I going to do with you boys?"
"You're…not mad?" Takato blinked. Rika grimaced, looking uncomfortable.
"I've done worse," she admitted, thinking back to when she had masturbated to her fantasy of Takato, earning her a blink of confusion from the pair. She frowned. "Look, can we just pretend to forget about this? Do you have an idea on what we're watching or was it just to watch your little porn flick?"
"D-Definitely not that!" Takato said, disentangling himself from her touch and hurrying over to the box on the floor. "I…uh… I did have some ideas, actually. Did you ever watch Gojira when you were a kid?"
"The big lizard that shoots fire?" Rika raised an eyebrow while Guilmon's ears perked up excitedly. "Maybe once or twice, but I don't think I ever got into it. Looked a little too campy for me."
"That sounds like you saw something from the Showa era," Takato explained, sifting through the box he had, producing a number of films of the DVD and VHS variety. "There were others that were a little darker. Um… The very first one he's actually a bad guy and… Let's see… I know it's in here somewhere…"
"Can I watch too, Rika?" Guilmon asked, looking up at the girl with big, shining golden eyes. "I really, really like Gojira. I promise to be quiet!"
There came the sound of a flute playing upon the air and Renamon materialized next to the dinosaur.
"Why don't we let them have their date and go to the park?" the vulpine digimon suggested, bringing a paw down atop Guilmon's head. "This is their special time and they might not get many before too long. If you'd like however, you can tell me all about this Gojira."
Renamon exchanged a glance with Rika and the girl nodded to her in relief, knowing that if not for her, she would have said yes in the end. While she was largely resistant to cuteness, Guilmon's large, pleading eyes coupled with his promise of silence made a nigh convincing case to her.
"Okay," Guilmon said, looking a little disappointed, but he swiftly perked up at the idea of engrossing Renamon in stories about the films. With nothing more to be said, Renamon patted her thigh, indicating Guilmon was to follow her. The Tamers and their digimon said their respective goodbyes – indicating that they would be within the vicinity of their old meeting place – and soon enough the two teens were alone in the room. Rika scrunched her face up, feeling an odd sense that they were saying goodbye for real.
Don't be stupid, she thought, turning toward Takato, who looked at her with concern. "What?" she began defensively. "Do I have peanut butter on my face or something?"
Takato relaxed visibly, but still looked a touch concerned for her. "No. You just had a funny look, that's all."
"And here I thought you got lost in your head again trying to imagine me naked."
"I…I wasn't…" Takato stammered out, becoming badly flustered. He quickly whirled about back toward the TV, fingers fumbling with the DVD drive. "I'm just going to put in a movie."
"Don't you already have one in there?" she asked teasingly, settling herself down at the table Takato had set out for their use. From her angle, she saw the marching crimson on his face invading the hills and valleys of his ears and steadily creeping towards his neck. Takato's motions became more erratic, struggling to concentrate on just the simple task he set for himself. In spite of herself, Rika smiled upon seeing this.
He has no idea how cute he gets when he's embarrassed, she thought, ignoring her casual use of the word 'cute.'
"A-An actual movie!" Takato blurted out, all but dropping the unlabeled CD as he took it out of the DVD drive. He frowned at it for a moment before chucking it into a nearby wastebasket, much to Rika's surprise.
Something's up, she thought. Did I push him too far?
"It's probably Kazu's," she heard Takato continue, his tone unexpectedly scornful. "He's always bringing stuff like that over during our study sessions and must have forgotten it. I really wish that he'd…"
Okay. I think I get what's going on now…
"Takato, you know you don't have to prove anything to me, right?"
Her question punched across his agitated mutterings and Takato turned toward her, red and baffled with a restless look in his eyes. Rika felt an unexpected swell of pity for him.
Can't really blame him for getting uptight. It's like the universe keeps trying to yank his pants down on him, she thought. Almost literally.
"Don't look at me like that, Takato. I'm just saying, you don't have to prove anything to me, so stop being a gogglehead about this stuff." She paused and smirked, deciding to test the waters. "It's not cute."
Great. Now I've said it.
They held each other's gaze for several, long moments, Rika allowing Takato time to process her words. Finally, he turned away, and though his face remained flushed, he looked more visibly relaxed, if confused.
Back to being cute, she thought, relaxing herself. Good.
Taking out another disk, he plopped into the DVD player and closed it up.
I don't have to prove anything? Is that what I was doing? he wondered, turning the TV back on. As he searched for the remote, he carefully thought back on his behavior, feeling the squirrelly sensation that had pervaded him since they entered the room and found Guilmon watching a porn film. It still sat there in the pit of his stomach, but it had curled up, becoming passive, giving him time to think. Yes, he supposed that he had wanted to prove to Rika that he wasn't just another creep.
It's not like I'm being given a chance to prove otherwise, he thought. First, she walks in on me when I'm…a-and then we walk in on Guilmon and… He groaned mentally, wanting to hang his head at the unfairness of it all. I just want Rika to have a good time watching a movie. Why can't the universe just let me do that?
He wondered if this was the universe's way of saying that the two of them simply weren't meant for one another and that they should call the whole thing off before things became too weird. If things were this bad now, then the universe was only warming up for bigger, worse things to come.
He pondered that thought as he made his way back toward Rika, who had found the chicken gizzards that he had painstakingly searched for in preparation for today and was already digging in.
"It's a pretty old movie," he explained as the film began in all its grainy gloriousness. "Black and white. Actors wearing rubber suits. I think there's even a scene where Gojira is obviously a hand puppet…"
"The Noh play we saw doesn't exactly have convincing costumes," Rika shrugged over the sound of ominous, thundering footsteps as the opening credits began, holding out a gizzard with her chopsticks for him to take. "I'm only in it for the story."
Takato paused in surprise at the offering of her favorite food before reaching for his own chopsticks, fumbling them slightly and causing one of them to flip out of his hands. Rolling her eyes, Rika simply leaned forward and pushed the gizzard up to his lips.
"Oh, for goodness sake," she laughed. "Here!"
"Ah! Rika, what…? Gmmph!"
"What do you mean what?" she asked, her eyes flicking over at the screen of Takato's old, beat up looking television, ignoring his shocked expression as she continued to push until the boy finally opened his mouth and accepted the gizzard. "This is a couple thing, isn't it?"
"Um… Fwell…" he began, his voice muffled. Rika scowled at him, retracting her chopsticks.
"Table manners, Gogglehead."
What the heck is going on here? he couldn't help but wonder in bafflement. He chewed quickly and swallowed. "W-Well… I guess it is. I mean, I've only ever seen it in manga and I think some couples, but…" He paused, looking flustered and then looked down at the bowl of gizzards she was eating out of. "Can I…?"
Rika raised an eyebrow at him as, on the screen, the film officially began. Taking his chopsticks, he dipped into her bowl and produced a gizzard, and he held it out for her. Rika looked at it skeptically, red tinging her cheeks before finally rolling her eyes again and leaning forward, mouth opening expectantly. Swallowing, Takato slipped the gizzard between her lips and drew back. Rika chewed thoughtfully in consideration.
"This is…kind of stupid, isn't it?" she asked. "The food-sharing thing, I mean, not the movie."
Takato scratched the back of his head. "I don't know. I never really thought about it before. I'm kind of surprised that you brought it up. You never struck me as the sort of person who would do things because other people did them."
"I'm not," Rika grunted. "But you were taking forever getting your own chopsticks, so I figured, why not?" She popped another gizzard into her mouth, chewing some more. "Shouldn't you be happy about it anyway? It's practically an indirect kiss."
Takato blushed immediately at the mention of an indirect kiss, and Rika could only shake her head in amusement at him.
"You get worked up over the weirdest things," she said. "At your age, I would have thought you'd be getting flustered over more risqué things. You're such a kid."
"B-But…those kinds of things…!" Takato began, only to find himself being silenced as Rika pressed another gizzard against his mouth, eyes set in a fearsome, yet playful, look. On the screen, a group of sailors screamed as a flash of light burst across their vision, and they scrambled about, knocking over instruments and a game of Go in the process.
"Don't be a kid, Takato," she said, slipping the gizzard into his mouth with a cat-like smile on her lips.
"Y-You know…" Takaato stammered out between his heart's nervous flutters and chewing. "You're kind of treating me like one…"
"Might as well get the practice in I guess," Rika shrugged with a slight frown, causing Takato to lift an eyebrow yet again as he swallowed.
"W-What do you mean?" he asked, wiping a hand over his mouth. "Rika…"
The sound of a gentle knock at the door interrupted them. Sliding open, Mie poked her head in.
"Just thought I'd check in on you," she said, taking careful stock of the room around them, as if to ensure that the teens she saw weren't somehow digital copies and that the real ones weren't getting up to mischief in a corner somewhere. Satisfied that such wasn't the case, she turned toward the film and then promptly scowled at her son.
"Gojira? Really Takato? What got into your mind that that was the sort of appropriate film to watch on a date?"
"Mom…" Takato protested while Rika shook her head.
"It's fine, Mrs. Matsuki," Rika shrugged. "I'm not a fan of romantic movies anyway. Trust me. This is way better."
Mie pressed her lips together at that, but chose not to say anything to challenge the girl's taste in films.
"Hmmm… All right," she conceded, giving Takato a look that promised a talking to later. "I'll be back in a little bit to check on you again."
With that, Mie reluctantly ducked out of the room, an almost disappointed cloud hanging over her. As the door closed behind her, Rika glanced over at Takato as he picked up a wasabi roll. He held it out for her, smiling.
"Want some?"
"You're really taking to this whole 'feeding your girlfriend' thing, aren't you?" she asked, tilting her head to one side in amusement.
"What can I say?" Takato beamed. "I like making you happy."
"Fine." Rolling her eyes at his corniness, she leaned forward and allowed Takato to feed her. She hummed in approval at the earthy taste, savoring it before swallowing.
"So…um…if you don't mind my asking, what did you mean by what you said earlier?" Takato asked. "About getting practice?"
"It's nothing," Rika shrugged, her violet eyes suddenly becoming evasive. "Just stupid things. I'm not really in the mood to talk about them."
"Okay," Takato said, reaching for another gizzard. "But you know…"
"Yeah, I know." Rika glanced back at him, seeing the offered gizzard. "You're there to listen if I need an ear." She smiled and leaned forward, mouth opening to accept his present.
Her mouth closed around nothingness and she looked up at him in confusion. He was grinning, the gizzard dancing just beyond her reach.
He's teasing me… she realized as, on the screen, a character named Ogata was receiving a phone call from the coast guard that effectively canceled his date with his girlfriend, Emiko. "You know… I've got this entire bowl of gizzards right here. I don't need that one."
"Yeah," Takato laughed, holding out the gizzard back for her to take. "I guess I should have thought about that. But… I know how much you like chicken gizzards, and that bowl won't last you forever."
Refusing to be tempted, Rika turned away. As a matter of fact, she drew the bowl over to her side, as far away from Takato as possible.
"What makes you think that you can tame me?" she asked, giving him a hard, thoughtful look.
"Tame you?" Takato tilted his head to one side, honestly puzzled. "I just thought… My parents…" He paused, frowned, trying to work out how to best say what he was trying to tell her. "My parents sometimes just tease each other for fun," he explained carefully. "Like, how my mom will say that husbands drive wives crazy, or like how my dad will sometimes tickle her…"
"So, your idea of teasing me is keeping food out of reach instead of tickling me?"
"Well… You'd probably hurt me if I tickled you… Wait, do you want me to tickle you?!"
"I-I didn't say that," Rika stammered out, flushed. She shot him a sharp look. "And don't you even think about trying anything!"
"Wouldn't dream of it," Takato said, waving a hand in a placating manner.
"Oh, sure you will," she replied, poking at him with her chopsticks. "You and your dreams! Holding my hand? Having an arm around me?" She poked at him again. "Yeah, I just bet you want to tickle me!"
On the screen, Emiko expressed regret at the canceling of the date.
"Okay, okay," Takato laughed again at her playful jabbing. "Bad idea. I promise to keep my hands to myself."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Rika harrumphed, turning her attention back to the television just in time for Gojira to torch another ship. Memories of her conversation with her mother came to mind, and her expression fell, thinking on how her mood had soured then. How it still felt sour even now. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Takato watching her, but she chose not to comment on it, not wanting to give him anything to latch onto. He had more than enough practice teasing out whatever things bothered her nowadays, knowing full well that it was just a matter of time and patience.
I'm not about to give him the satisfaction this time, she thought. I don't…want to talk to him about the marriage interview. Or marriage at all. I just want to enjoy my time with him.
She felt – heard – Takato shift and move closer to her. She sighed, already knowing that he sensed that she was upset about something. For all his faults, Takato was sensitive to her moods, and as he likely knew she was bothered about something, that was more than just 'stupid things,' he wanted to help her feel better. She had already shot down talking, so he was hoping to help her just with his presence. With his closeness. A part of her knew that he wanted to fold her into his arms, and a part of her desired it as well. To breathe deep his scent and hold him close to her…
But that only made her feel angry, not wanting to give the impression that she wanted to rely on him. Old habits died hard, and this one died very hard.
I hate this, she thought, seeing him place the gizzard he had been teasing her with on her plate. Sighing, she massaged her shoulder. She didn't want him to get worried. She just wanted to enjoy the date with him and not have to think about what her extended family wanted from her. For the briefest of moments, she entertained the idea of tickling him, if only to distract him, but a quick trip to the realm of her imagination gave her pause.
With Takato's luck, his mom would probably find us and think we were trying to get frisky, she thought, imagining the woman marching in, hearing the commotion of their laughter and finding Takato on top of her, hands under her shirt. With that in mind, she decided on the much better compromise of tossing him a bone that, at the very least, contained a nugget of truth, even if it made up only the tiniest of concerns that lay on her mind.
"It's my bra," she said, blushing a little. "That's the stupid stuff I didn't want to talk about."
There was a heavy pause, during which Takato, having finished processing her words, blinked and then looked at her abruptly.
"Wait, wha…?" His mind's cogs worked. That didn't seem to fit with what she just said. Nevertheless, Rika pushed on, determined to blot out his questioning nature before it had time to ask the right ones that would plant and take root in his brain.
"My bra," Rika repeated, annoyed. "It's…pinching me a little." She rubbed at her shoulder again for emphasis, adjusting the strap a little in an attempt to give herself some comfort. "I'm…starting to get a little big for it again, and it's…annoying me." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, seeing the creeping red in his face again. In spite of herself, she found herself smiling ever so slightly.
Cute.
"Oh! Ah… Um… W-Well, if you want… If it bothers you so much, you can take it off and then you won't have to…" At her stunned expression, Takato's words ground to a halt suddenly, a light switching on in his head a second too late. The crimson already staining his cheeks darkened visibly and he placed his face in his hands, groaning.
"It was incredible," a rescued sailor – victim of Gojira – moaned on the television. "The ocean just blew up!"
"You want to run that by me one more time?" Rika asked, grateful that she appeared to have accomplished her goal of distracting the boy.
"Okay, yeah, that…sounded kinda different in my head," he said, lifting his head up from his hands.
"No surprise there," Rika smirked, leaning her chin into her hands, waiting to see where he was going with this. In spite of his words, she had a suspicion that what he was thinking on had nothing to do with tidily winks and some flimsy hope at being able to see her breasts.
Not like we'd have the chance with his mom running the place, she thought.
"S-Sorry," he shifted uncomfortably, looking ashamed. "I just… If it's making you uncomfortable, I thought it'd be easier and… Oh, who am I kidding?" Takato's shoulders sagged and he looked at Rika apologetically. "I sound like such a creep right now, don't I? I just want you to feel like you're at home. Like you can relax here and…stuff."
He felt like such a heel now. She had to think he was trying to take advantage of her. After what she saw him doing, why wouldn't she believe such things? Those eyes of hers… Those beautiful, violet eyes that he sometimes found himself getting lost in. Eyes that were full of hidden kindness and hurt. He searched them for any sign that he had hurt her with his suggestion. If he had…
If I had, I'd never forgive myself.
Rika contemplated his words for a minute before coming to a decision. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Rika hoisted herself up with a grunt and stepped away from the table.
"No peeking," she ordered, causing him to lift an eyebrow, his gaze almost starting to follow her before jerking away, his brain, for once, listening and realizing it needed to jump ahead of the line. He focused on the movie now, watching the concerned citizens of the two destroyed boats asking for news; demanding any information about their loved ones who had been lost at sea to Gojira's attack.
He heard some shifting of clothes behind him and he forced himself to pay closer attention to the movie, even though he had already seen it a hundred times by now. Anything to keep his imagination from running wild with what he heard going on behind him. His imagination, unfortunately, fought back, eagerly attempting to form an image of Rika's naked back, smooth and pale, that disappeared down into the hem of her jeans that hid her posterior. More rustling of clothing, and he closed his eyes, ignoring the stirrings of a longing that had gone ignored for some days now; a longing that filled his penis and caused it to begin growing within his pants. He bit his lower lip, attempting to banish such thoughts from his mind. The longing almost seemed to laugh at him, conjuring up Rika, looking at him with a decidedly seductive smirk, one arm raised, revealing the soft side-swell of a milky-white breast. His penis twitched, hardening, a pleasant ache washing along its length and spreading outward, rising from his hips and into his chest where his heart quickened its beat. The ache flooded him and groaned against the prison of his pants.
No! Takato exclaimed mentally, ruthlessly crushing the dream hard, and for a wonder, it ceased. The longing remained, as did his pleasurably painful erection, but his imagination retreated, finding a corner somewhere to sulk at his lack of cooperation. In the next moment, Rika sat back down next to him, still fully clothed and breathing a sigh of relief as she rotated her arms.
"B-Better?" Takato asked, not yet looking at her for fear that he might accidently break his promise to her.
"Better," she said, and her hand slipped into his, giving it a loving squeeze. "Thanks, Takato."
Oh, how Takato wished he felt that he deserved such thanks.
###
The rest of the movie passed without further incident, and Rika stayed for dinner at Mie's request, during which Takehiro, having discovered that the Digimon Queen had seen Gojira for the first time, excitedly grilled her about the film and what she thought of it, being something of a longtime fan himself of the franchise. This ended when Mie intervened, feeling that her husband was making himself a nuisance to the 'poor girl,' and soon enough the date ended. The pair left the bakery together, not hand in hand, but their presence enough for one another.
"Did you have fun?" Takato asked as they made their way down the park paths. Rika hummed, not answering right away.
"It wasn't bad," she said with a smile. "It was only a little less crazy compared to last time at least."
"Sorry about that." Takato rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment at the memory. "I didn't…"
"Takato, you don't have to apologize," Rika quickly cut in. "Guilmon's a goofball and I'm pretty sure neither of you meant anything by it, so don't worry."
"I'll do my best," Takato chuckled dryly. "But…you know me."
"Yeah. Tall order, but I'm sure you can pull it off." Drawing close, she bumped him playfully with her hip. "You've pulled bigger miracles in the past, so I'm not worried."
"Well, you're usually right, so maybe I should listen and just stop worrying like you said." He scratched the back of his head, smiling goofily. "So…what do you want to do for next time? I mean… Is there a next time?"
"For goodness sake, I just said to stop worrying." Taking hold of Takato's hand now, she pulled him to her and bumped him with her hip again. "I'm not letting you get away just because we watched a movie about a radioactive, fire-breathing dinosaur." She looked up at him, violet eyes shining. "It was a good film, even if it's hard to swallow that a nuclear blast turned the dino into a giant, rampaging monster."
"We're partners to digimon and that's the hard thing to swallow?" Takato laughed.
"I don't see radiation giving people superpowers, Gogglehead."
"Well, maybe Gojira's just different," Takato returned. "Hey, do you think Gojira would be able to beat a digimon?"
"Not if it's Renamon," Rika chuckled. "Renamon beats everyone, hands down. Dinoboy on the other hand…"
"Hey! You don't really think Guilmon would lose to Gojira, do you?"
"Hmmm… Yeah, you're right. You're both too hardheaded for him to crack."
"Okay, that's… Hey!"
Their hands squeezed around one another lovingly as they shared their laugh. Approaching the stairs that led up to an old concrete bunker – their meeting place past and present – Rika drew to a halt.
"Last stop before we get to our partners," she said, turning toward him. "Got anything else in store for your queen before we go?"
Blushing for what had to be the hundredth time now, Takato nodded, not trusting his voice to answer for him. His hands rose and took the fire-haired girl by her arm and shoulder and drew her towards him. Smiling, Rika's eyes closed as her lips parted slightly. She moaned softly as their lips met and she felt an excited tremor pass through them. Feeling emboldened, she gripped his shirt and pulled him tighter against her, her breasts pushing against him briefly as she deepened the kiss. For half a second, she felt something stir in his pants, growing rigid, trembling slightly, like an animal preparing to pounce. She shuddered, heat washing over her and she drew away.
"N-Not bad," she replied, her voice shaky. She looked up at him, gauging his reaction. Takato appeared stunned by the depth of their kiss, but he managed a quick recovery.
"Y-You're better," he stammered out with a laugh before quickly falling back into silence. They gazed at each other, the air between them feeling as though it had become charged with electricity. Rika found herself glancing downward at his pants – briefly – before looking back up at his crimson-colored gaze. That warm, needy sensation was back, and it pulsed the length of her body excitedly. She saw it reflected in Takato's eyes as well in spite of his best efforts to hide it behind the wall of his love for her.
We both want it, she thought with quiet realization. But I think…I think we're both too scared to really bring it up. Her eyes searching Takato's face, her expression softened, remembering his earlier behavior with the porn disk Guilmon had popped in. And…maybe too ashamed.
The silence grew, slowly becoming uncomfortable, but fortunately it was soon broken by the sound of Guilmon's excited voice as he came charging down the concrete steps.
"I was right!" he proclaimed loudly. "I did smell Takato and Rika!" With a cry and a laugh, the big dino leapt into the air and bowled over Takato, his warm tongue quickly going for his face. Takato squirmed and cried out against this unexpected tongue bath, and Rika rolled her eyes.
"Guilmon…" she sighed. "You do know I like kissing him, right?"
Pausing in his ministrations, the dinosaur looked up at her, golden eyes questioning. "Yeah. That's why I'm helping him stay clean for you. Why? Do you want him to be dirty?"
"It is the polite thing to do," Renamon said, phasing into view behind Rika. "Though I imagine Rika feels that she would be kissing you as well indirectly."
"Ohhh… Yeah, that's a good point," Guilmon nodded in understanding. "Takato, why didn't you draw me more like Renamon? She's always so smart."
"I don't think anyone could be like her," Rika chuckled, helping Takato back up to his feet. "Anyway, about next time… Why don't we put it on the backburner for now, okay?" She gave his hand a squeeze. "No point rushing things, right?"
"Y-Yeah," Takato agreed. Another pall of silence fell between them, only to be interrupted by Guilmon.
"Awww… That's so nice," he commented, and just like that, Rika released Takato's hand.
"Okay, that's enough for tonight. Better hurry on home, little boy. You don't want your mom to worry or anything."
"Wouldn't want your mom and grandma worrying about you, either," Takato replied, taking a step back. "Good night, Rika. And…ah…sweet dreams."
"Don't be corny," Rika rolled her eyes as she stepped into Renamon's awaiting arms. "But…yeah." Red tainted her cheeks in the growing shadows of the evening. "You too."
With that, the pair vanished from view, leaving Takato and Guilmon alone in the park.
###
"You seem to have had fun in spite of things," Renamon said as Rika made her way towards her bedroom, having greeted her family and given an abridged account of her date to them.
"Takato has a way of making big things seem small and small things seem big," she said with an amused shrug. She paused and scowled at her partner. "That wasn't a reference to anything by the way."
"I'm not sure I catch the meaning," the vulpine digimon replied, though the amused tone in her voice suggested otherwise. Rika slid open her bedroom door and stepped inside.
"You've been around Terriermon too long," she grumbled, making her way over to her clothing stand and snatching up her pajamas. It was a little early for her to turn in, but the date had drained her and she felt now was as good a time as any. She would need the rest anyway. Her mother was respecting her need for space now, but come tomorrow it would be about all she could do to fend off questions from her. Still, that was tomorrow. For now, she only wanted to dream. Closing her eyes, she remembered the feel of Takato's hands on her arm. The press of his lips against hers; her chest against his. Her heart skipped a beat at the memory and she sighed in contentment, grasping hold of the hem of her shirt, preparing to lift. That was what she wanted. The Takato she knew and loved holding her, loving her in turn.
He doesn't need any propping up, she thought, her shirt rising. He's fine just the way he is and…
Rika froze, eyes widening with horror. Renamon tensed up, sensing her sudden distress.
"Rika?" she prompted. The girl turned toward her, swallowing in embarrassment.
"I…um… I just realized something. I…I need you to do something for me."
###
The old, beat up television showed a giant, mechanical dragon firing lasers and missiles at a dog-like, humanoid monster with jeweled eyes. The dog growled and snarled, angry at the attack and strove to avoid it, but the robo-saurus was not one to be so easily evaded. Guilmon pressed his nose up against the screen, eyes wide with worry.
"Ohhh… Poor King Caesar," he moaned, his claws flexing. "Do you think he'll be okay?"
"I'm sure he will," Takato chuckled lightly from atop his bed where he watched idly, a manga laid out before him. Although Guilmon had seen this particular film many times, he had the odd concern that each viewing might be different. He wondered if that was how Guilmon kept the excitement fresh each time. He remembered feeling much the same way when he had been younger and still in his single digits. "He's one tough cookie after all."
"He is, isn't he?" Guilmon nodded, happy with that acknowledgment. "But MechaGojira is tough too. He beat Anguirus and Gojira!"
"Yeah," Takato replied, stretching and yawning along the length of the bed. "But I wouldn't say that either of them are out of the running just ye… Huh?"
Takato's hand bumped up against something he didn't recognize in his bed, squirreled away beneath his pillow. Confused, he pulled it aside to see what it was. A pair of blue-colored cups tied together lacily to a form-fitting strap graced his vision and for a moment, the boy was at an utter loss for what he was seeing and how it might have gotten there. He knew what it was he was seeing of course. A bra – and Rika's bra to be more precise, but so completely unexpected was its presence, that he felt that he had to be dreaming. That it couldn't have turned up in his bed like this. He had to be imagining things. His fingers graced its surface, feeling its smooth hardness. His penis at once hardened back to life and cocked itself eagerly, trembling within his pants for a chance to explore its imaginings to its fullest potential. Takato swallowed and did his best to ignore his penis' urgings.
"Why is this…?" he began, picking the bra up in confusion. The answer dawned on him almost immediately. When she took it off. She must have hidden it here and forgot it.
There came a tap-tap-tap on the large window of his bedroom, and looking up, he saw Renamon standing outside, blue-eyes shining in his direction.
"R-Renamon!" he yelped, quickly scrambling down from his bed.
"Ha?" Guilmon asked, turning around. "Renamon's here? How come? I don't sense any digimon."
Hurrying over to the window, he yanked it open, allowing the kitsune entry.
"Apologies for disturbing you," she replied. "But Rika requested that I come to retrieve an article of clothing for her that she accidently left behind." Her eyes flickered down at the bra dangling in Takato's hand before returning up to him, twinkling in amusement. "I see you have just found it yourse…"
"Takato," came the voice of Mie from outside the room, the door sliding open much to the boy's sudden horror. "I wanted to talk to you about…"
A deathly silence fell upon the room as Mie froze in place, eyes growing wide at the sight of her son standing in front of Renamon, a blue brassiere dangling between them.
"Oh… Oh my…" she began, her voice in a hushed whisper. "Is that…? Takato! Why…?"
"M-Mom! It's…It's not what it looks like!"
"Not what it looks like?!" Mie all but shouted incredulously, causing Guilmon to flatten his ears against his head. "Because it looks like…like…"
"Mrs. Matsuki," Renamon began, attempting to intervene as she took claim over the article of clothing. "If you could remain calm, I believe I can explain…"
"Takato?" Guilmon asked, turning towards them, gold eyes blinking innocently in confusion. "Why is Renamon holding booby-holders and why do they smell like Rika?"
Silence struck once more like a hammer, broken only seconds after by Renamon's exasperated sigh.
"Oh dear…"
###
A/N: Some weeks ago, when doing some research into the last names of the characters, I found that Takato's surname of Matsuda does have some connections to the aforementioned Fujiwara clan, which was a historically powerful clan with close relations to the Japanese Emperor and Shinto priests. The Matsudas especially tended towards the priesthood and for a variety of reasons Fujiwaras would take the name. Given the importance of bloodlines in the elite circles of Japan's upper crust (the kind of circles Rika's family would move in), this seems like something that would come up, especially with regards to marriage interviews. Rumiko, keeping an eye out for her daughter's interests, would likely bring this up as a means to fend off any outside pressures to break off Rika's relationship with Takato.
Research! Can't even begin to stress its importance. :D
18