Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
Seeing Red
Chapter: 21
Renamon stood on a wire, her eyes gazing skyward. The grey clouds, though dormant, threatened rain and thunder much like it did yesterday, leaving the vulpine digimon to wonder how soon it would be before it let loose all its pent-up energy. She found it oddly difficult to be certain. Normally, she would be able to tell by scent alone – rain was rarely subtle – but this storm ebbed and flowed, as if it were uncertain what it wanted to do.
It struck her as having an oddly fitting resemblance to her partner's current frame of mind.
She reached out through the connection she shared with Rika and brushed against her mind – just lightly enough to check up on her without disturbing her. She found a bundle of anxiety, but with it a steady, reassuring sensation as well. A presence.
Takato, no doubt, she mused, stepping along the length of the wire. That was good, she felt. It meant that the pair were working things out as best they could. She wished she could do more to help, but there was only so much that she, as a digimon, could do with so little understanding of humans and their world.
She turned her attention down to the street below, pondering her education and wondering if she ought to broach the subject of attending a school to Rika's mother. She felt a hesitancy in doing so. Though Rika's mother and grandmother treated her as though she were family, in many ways she still felt like an outsider. Owing, perhaps in no small part to her earlier, secrecy and the amount of danger Rika frequently put herself in on her behalf. Yet, she couldn't deny that Rika's world was expanding and that if she were to continue supporting her as her partner, she needed to know how to navigate her world better.
Rika's family will be out though, she mused, considering her options. Her thoughts turned toward Henry and their still unfinished 'date.' The mutterings of the weather dashed any possibility of such an outing in her mind, but she did wonder if she could at the very least stop by and talk to him. Perhaps he could enlighten her on the human experience by merely 'hanging out' together, as she normally did with Rika.
She frowned lightly, unsure if she wanted to expand her scope of relations. Rika and her family were enough as far as she was concerned. Still, she couldn't deny that Henry offered her a perspective that was at times necessary, and that he mentally kept pace with her in ways neither Rika nor Takato were capable of. She wondered if that was due to his martial arts training, giving them a bit of an overlap.
Something to ask, I suppose, Renamon said, leaping into the air. With no real excuses as to why she shouldn't go see Henry, she made a line right for his apartment. It took her very little time, as his home wasn't too far away from the park they frequented. Before too long, she landed on the balcony of his home. Approaching the glass door, she lifted a paw and, after only a moment's hesitation, tapped lightly on it.
Suzie was suddenly there, looking at her with the kind of devilish, knowing smile that only she could have.
"Hello!" the girl sang, pushing the glass sliding door open. At twelve years old, Suzie was now the height Rika had at her age and now wore her hair in Odango style with cloth coverings that, for some reason, made Renamon think of the manju buns Terriermon favored. The girl crossed her arms and tilted her head back, attempting to make herself look intimidating.
In any other context, Renamon would have found it amusing. Since Suzie discovered that they were 'dating' she did not entertain such notions.
"Hello," she said, bowing politely. "Is Henry in?"
"That depends."
"Depends?"
Suzie smirked. Renamon narrowed her eyes subtly. She looked every bit like a cat that wanted to play with a mouse it just caught, but beneath that exterior, the vulpine digimon saw something else. A guardedness suggesting that she was being protective of her older brother.
"I assume you have been told about the nature of my visits?" Renamon offered.
"Oh, I heard allll kinds of things," Suzie replied, drawing out the word 'all' as she did so. "Not that I trust Henry to tell me the whole truth when he gets all flustered. And, well, you know Terriermon."
"Who knows what about me?" came the expected voice as a pair of beady black eyes poked from around the corner.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear, thought Renamon. Terriermon's eyes lighted up as they spotted her.
"Hey! Renamon!" he crowed with a laugh. "I thought I sensed you! And Henry didn't believe me! Coming for another date?"
"I thought they were lessons," Suzie said, scowling at the diminutive Rookie.
"Same difference," Terriermon giggled. "Henry's about as bad as Takato used to be before he started dating Rika. And here, I thought I was going to run out of things to tease people with."
"Hold on!" Suzie exclaimed. "Takato and Rika are dating?! You mean those two numbskulls finally confessed to one another and no one told me?"
"Momentai. I was a bit distracted by Henry's blooming love life. Anything that gets him away from his computer is the most interesting game in town these days."
Renamon sighed and looked at Suzie imploringly. The girl puffed her cheeks out like a chipmunk, clearly unhappy over how she had been left out of the loop on such an important development. Seeing Renamon's expression (subtle as it was), she considered the kitsune for a moment.
"I want full details on what happened between them," Suzie said. Terriermon's eyebrows shot up.
"Uh, Suzie, I don't think that's…"
"If Terriermon doesn't want the Princess Pretty Pants dress brought out, then Terriermon won't interfere," the girl said with a smile of a promise, glancing sidelong at the Rookie as she planted her hands on her hips authoritatively. As Renamon looked on, she saw her long-eared compatriot blanch at the threat and reflexively take a step back. Not for the first time did Renamon find herself in awe at Suzie's ability to terrorize Henry's partner. This ability grew with age, not less.
"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to divulge such information," Renamon said, bowing to Henry's younger sister apologetically. "I am certain you understand that I must protect Rika's desire for privacy."
Suzie huffed again and crossed her arms together once more, but her pout swiftly vanished into a smile. Renamon felt the fur on her back bristle and she tensed up instinctively.
"That's fine," Suzie sang before twirling about like a ballet dancer. "You can come in. Henry is in his room, like always."
As they watched Suzie dance on down to the couch to resume watching TV, Terriermon spoke up.
"She gets weirder with every year. I'm almost afraid of what she's going to be like when she starts going through puberty. I don't know how Lopmon can handle her."
Renamon chuckled and stepped into the apartment.
"Pardon my intrusion," she said, making her way to the other side of the room and toward the hall leading to where Henry dwelled.
"No problem," Suzie said before adding, "Renamon?"
The kitsune paused in her stride and turned toward Suzie. The girl wore a pleasant smile, but that protective look gleamed in her eyes.
"If you're learning things from Henry, maybe I could help you learn some things too? I've been learning to make new dresses and I have an idea for one but it's a tough project and I think that I could really use a model." Her eyes went up and down Renamon thoughtfully. "You're just the right size for it and you'd look so very pwetty in it."
Renamon narrowed her blue eyes ever so slightly, but the diminutive girl only beamed at her. That protective gleam in her eyes grew, causing Renamon's fur around her back to stand on end.
Renamon's tail slashed through the air, relaying that the message was received. Don't hurt my brother.
"I am certain that you won't need to resort to such drastic measures," she said with a slight incline of her head. "Thank you for the offer though."
Suzie's giggling could be heard from down the hall as Renamon and Terriermon both beat a hasty retreat from the girl.
"Seriously, I don't know how Lopmon keeps her in line," the long-eared digimon said in a hushed whisper. "She just keeps getting weirder and weirder."
"I would imagine that it's due to differences in temperament," Renamon replied, arriving at Henry's door. "You are not the most subtle of digimon after all."
"Hey! I can be subtle! I always leave Henry's room when he's about to have alone-time and I don't even say a word about it!"
Renamon's fist hesitated at the door and she peered down at Terriermon in silent alarm. The tiny digimon was smirking up at her.
"Is…that what he's doing now?"
"No," Terriermon giggled. "I just sensed you and came out to see what was up. Come on. Do you really think I'd do something like that?"
"Hmmm… Perhaps," Renamon replied before knocking politely at Henry's door. Terriermon huffed.
"Renamon, I think that was rude! I can't believe you would think something like that!"
"Momentai," Renamon said as, within, there came a sound of footsteps. The door opened, revealing Henry. His grey-eyes widened at the unexpected sight of Rika's partner.
"Renamon!" he gasped, to which the kitsune smiled.
"Hello, Henry. Rika and Takato are dealing with some things today. Do you mind if I…hang out?"
The bright blush on Henry's face was answer enough.
###
Yamaki flicked his lighter open as he read over the report. Across his desk, Shibumi stood attentively, reading over his body language to gauge what the man thought.
"And you're sure about this?" Yamaki asked finally, leaning forward on his desk, reading over key lines once more.
"I don't think there can be any doubt about it," Shibumi said. "The germinating energy pattern that we detected was more than just Takato and Rika's digivices connecting them to one another."
"Creating a new digimon…" Yamaki murmured, flicking his lighter closed.
"Well, to be more precise, the data is still in a raw, disorganized state," Shibumi clarified. "At present, there's the shell of a digi-egg forming, but no digimon." Scratching at his beard, the balding man pondered his discovery. "At least, not yet anyway, but I guess you could call it a kind of embryonic soup that will lead to the formation of a digi-core. And then, data will be processed…"
"Their digivices are creating a digi-egg that could potentially birth a new digimon," Yamaki interrupted. "I think that is all that needs to be said. How is this possible?"
"It's difficult to say," Shibumi shrugged. "Even during my time in the digital world, I wasn't able to research everything I would have liked to, owing to my…state back then. Digimon have evolved far beyond the original program that we created for them. All that can be said for certain is that digimon, by themselves, have no ability to procreate the same way we do. Yet they do."
"Some digimon have obviously biological female and male traits," Yamaki noted, flicking his lighter open again. "Yet, that is just a faux appearance. A mimicry based on human data they absorb. Our initial studies confirmed that much."
"I did speculate once that digimon are born from humans or are born for humans," Shibumi said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps it has always been that way and the digivices are merely making the process easier and more noticeable. There's no way we can know for certain without further study on the data, but at the very least we can confirm that this appears to be the case with regards to Takato and Rika's digivices. The digignomes used the blue card algorithm to bring humans and digimon together, which wasn't its original intention. The digivices concern themselves with storing data and communicating it. If their algorithm is making use of their, ah," Shibumi coughed, "budding love for one another to increase their 'communication' then it stands to reason that, going by my earlier speculation, a digimon would result from it. Perhaps even in preparation for a potential partner."
Yamaki flicked his lighter closed with a loud clink at that and stayed silent for a moment, reading over the report again. The implications, if true, spoke volumes.
"Run through the data again, just to be certain," he said.
"Sure thing," Shibumi nodded.
###
For as long as he had known her, Takato always had a sense of how big her house was – how large her yard and the wall that surrounded it. It stood as a constant reminder of the kind of social circles their two families walked in. Not that it ever stopped them from being friends or, now, becoming lovers, but the awareness was there all the same. He accepted it though and it never felt like an issue between them.
Arriving with her here, hand in hand, with the intention of doing what they were about to do, in all its emptiness and quiet, that awareness became manifold for him. He found himself feeling as though he were an intruder, breaking the peace and quiet of the garden. Abusing the trust that her family placed in him.
More and more this is feeling like a bad idea, he thought to himself, his pace matching that of Rika's as they passed through the gate. But…this is what she wants, isn't it?
She seemed so sure about it and said nothing more to indicate that she had changed her mind. But concern still gnawed away at him. He squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back before breaking away from his grasp. Rika closed the gate behind them with a click that sounded considerably louder than it should have. Turning toward her, his eyes met hers and they held one other. There hung an air of uncertainty about them. Neither of them quite sure what to do now that they were here.
Takato swallowed, all too aware of the silence around them and the drumming of his heart inside his chest
"Come on," Rika said, breaking her gaze away from his and starting toward the house. Her voice was shaky. Barely noticeable, but Takato, her long companion, knew her well enough now to catch it. Frowning, he started after her.
"Rika, are you sure you want to go through with this?" he asked. This felt like the wrong thing to ask even if it were the right thing to bring up, and seeing her glance at him, he saw why. Her emotions were already badly mixed, leaving it plain that she didn't like having an element of doubt introduced to something she already committed herself too, regardless of how she herself worried over it.
"Yeah, I'm sure," she said before giving him a playful smirk that didn't reach her eyes. "Are you chickening out on me or something?"
"No," Takato replied, his frown deepening. "I just want to make sure that you're really alright with this." He scratched the back of his head uncertainly. "And things have been kind of freaky lately. We could do with a little less freakiness."
"No argument here," she nodded in agreement. Reaching out, she took his hand into hers, and Takato found an odd tenderness to the gesture that went beyond anything she had done previously. "But like I said earlier, I think maybe we need to get this out of the way." She gave him a soft, loving squeeze, as if for emphasis. "Maybe it'll make things a little less freaky."
He gave her a squeeze back, sensing she was talking about something more than how their desires manifested into the real world for each other. Rika had never been very good at talking about her problems and he had to learn over the years that those rare occasions she did, she tended to talk around them, giving clues and hints, but never quite opening up completely except when pushed to the extreme.
Approaching the entrance, Rika slid the door open and they both stepped inside. The silence of her house struck him like a wall. The very atmosphere had a weight to it that he couldn't quite identify. It felt like a storm were brewing, much as the sky appeared to be doing again outside.
No thunder yet though, he thought as they took off their shoes. It's like the world is holding its breath or something.
Again, that sense of intrusion encroached upon his senses.
After what I did to her… The thought flitted through his mind, but Rika's motioning him to follow her to her room brought it up short. Pressing his lips together, he did so. Their socked feet made soft little echoes in the quiet of the household. An eternity and a moment later, they were at her door. Rika slid the door to her room open and together they stepped inside.
Pardon my intrusion, Takato thought, casting his eyes about. He had been in her room so many times over the years, and until that fateful two nights ago, it had been only at her invitation. It looked much the same as ever and yet he felt as though he were seeing it for the first time. Spacious didn't quite describe the room, as it had an almost gymnastic amount of room to romp around in even with the long table sitting at the corner of the room. No clothes on the floor, as would be the case in Kazu's room. No school bags or modify cards carelessly lying about either as tended to be the case sometimes in his own. Everything was neat and put away to the point of the room nearly appearing spartan.
In so many ways, it spoke of Rika's personality and the standards she held for herself.
The door slid shut behind them, closing them in together. Takato heard Rika breathe a nervous sigh.
"Well, we're here," she said, heading over to her closet. "Might as well get comfortable."
"R-Right." Takato swallowed, his nerves kicking up a notch. "How… How do you want to do this? How do you want to start?"
Sliding open the closet, Rika tugged out her futon. Looking at him, she lifted an eyebrow.
"You don't know?"
"Hey, I've never done this before."
Another eyebrow arched in surprise. "Not even with…Jeri?" she asked, rather surprised. A blush rose on her cheeks for asking something so personal, but she couldn't hide her curiosity. She hadn't thought of it until now, but she realized she just assumed that the two had already done the deed in question, or come close to it. Many girls in her school had had sex already and she was certain much the same was true of Takato's. Throw in how infatuated Takato and Jeri had been with one another, it wouldn't have surprised her if they got a little adventurous.
Jeri sure gives that impression with the kinds of things she reads, she thought, remembering the doujin's that the puppet-loving girl let her borrow from time to time.
Takato shook his head, also blushing badly.
"W-We never… No." He shook his head again and shrugged sheepishly. "It just never came up and, well…"
The boy seemed to be at a loss for further words. Rika could understand that. Takato and Jeri's breakup, despite their ongoing friendship, remained something of a sore spot for him. Talking about it would never really be easy no matter how strong their friendship remained.
"Well, at least we'll both be figuring this out together," she said, feeling a little relieved that she wasn't alone in her inexperience. At the same time, she also felt a touch of frustration. Much to her surprise, she had hoped Takato at least would have some something with which to walk them both through this. This wasn't some kind of game. It had no instruction manual that she could follow beyond him sticking his penis into her. No real rules either except yes, no, stop or keep going. They would have to feel things out as they went. Discover what they liked and didn't like.
That only made her anxious. She wasn't at all sure what she would like Takato to do to her. And, unlike a game, she needed to be concerned about how good she made Takato feel just as he did with her. That left her wondering whether she would be good at all.
There's far too much guesswork in all this, she thought, setting her futon down and smoothing it out. I don't know if I can do this.
Doubts gnawed at her, and something else. The stiff awkwardness that dogged her ever since she awoke to Takato on top of her yesterday morning. She meant what she said to him about how it hadn't been his fault what happened. Her heart on the other hand quavered, fearful that she placed it in hands that would only hurt her, as happened so many times before.
Takato's not like that, her head insisted to her heart's rapid drumbeat. She even reminded herself that she did the same thing to him just last night as well and it wasn't as though she had meant to. Yet, in spite of her insistence on this matter, her heartrate increased its pace and her breath began to come out faster. She closed her eyes and forced herself to relax.
It won't be like that, she said more firmly. It won't!
"Rika?"
The girl gave a slight start at his voice. Turning toward him, she saw his concerned face and the anxiety that dwelt there, twin to her own. He was waiting for her. Waiting for her to decide if she really wanted to go through with this. She didn't have to guess very hard at what was on his mind. She could read him like a book. Not even her doubts could deny that.
He's afraid he might hurt me again, she thought, looking away with a slight frown. Stupid… As if he hurt me the first time.
"Sorry," she said, patting down her futon again. "I got distracted thinking about everything you're going to do to me."
She glanced over her shoulder, offering the poor, hapless boy a playful smirk to lighten the mood. As expected, Takato blushed mightily at her teasing.
At the same time though, she saw that she hadn't fooled him one bit.
"If you're nervous about this, we can stop at any time," he said. "We don't need to do this right now."
Rika's smirk fell away and she turned back to her futon. "No," she said quietly. "I need to do this."
Takato raised an eyebrow, but found he wasn't sure how to respond to that. She wanted to confront this issue rather than run from it. He could see that fighting her worries was important to her, especially as the flipside of the coin tended to be anything but a solution for her historically. At the same time however, this was different. It wasn't about her partnership with Renamon or realizing it was okay to have their relationship out in the open. This was sex and intimacy and he didn't think that was something to be taken lightly.
And yet, this was important to her. Could he really take that choice away from her?
As her boyfriend, isn't it my responsibility to help her get through this as best I can? What is the right thing here?
"Okay," Rika said, interrupting his thoughts as she rose to her feet. "I guess we can get started now."
Takato watched Rika for a moment as she began unbuckling her belt before looking down at himself. He suddenly found himself even more uncertain about the whole situation. Unable to deny his desire to help her see this through, he frowned and with force of will, he took hold of his shirt.
She doesn't want things to be weird between us, he reminded himself, lifting his shirt up and over his head. He wondered if he was overthinking things too much. Letting his fears and concerns about the last two nights get in the way of what Rika needed and wanted to have happen between them in order to move past it all.
What happened bothers her, he thought, letting his shirt fall to the floor. Can't blame her. I mean, it bothers me and I still have a hard time seeing past it. But why…?
An oomph sound from Rika followed by a series of growling mutters caught his attention. Looking up, he saw that she was working her pants down, only for it to bunch up around her ankles. Takato felt a sudden rush of heat at seeing her nearly bare bottom and legs, pale and slender and smooth looking. He felt as transfixed by the sight as he would at the moon on a clear summer night. Certainly, his penis enjoyed the view as he felt it push against his underwear, becoming hard and eager for the free air that lay beyond its confines.
Seeing Rika continue to struggle with her jeans however brought him out of his reverie and he hurried over to her.
"Here, let me help," he said, dropping down to his knees without thinking.
"I don't need…"
"Hey, you're stuck. Just let me hold it while you pull."
Rika huffed in annoyance before acceding to his aid and letting him grip onto the bottom of her jeans around her ankles. Her eyes cast down to his bare shoulders and she found herself admiring the tanned skin that greeted her. It hadn't been that long since their visit to the beach, but she found the desire to touch, to feel the smoothness of his skin return to her.
"Uh, Rika?" Takato's voice came to her and she shook herself back to attention. Planting the palms of her hands against his shoulders, she grit her teeth.
He feels too nice, she thought irritably. Blushing brightly, she closed her eyes, attempting, and failing, to drive out images of his arms, hard with muscle wrapped gently around her, cupping her back. Reflexively, her fingers tensed, grabbing more firmly at the sinews buried within. Her blush deepened and she felt a dim heat, eager and needy, begin to form between her legs.
This is bad… she added shakily, feeling Takato secure his grip and pull taut.
"Okay," she grunted, tugging up while he pulled down.
Her pants came away stubbornly, the legs pulling inside while reluctantly relinquishing her feet. With a growl of frustration, she kicked it off, only for her balance to slip, causing her to stagger backward. With a cry of surprise, Takato caught her by her hips.
"Are you okay?" he asked, looking up at her with concern. Rika turned her eyes down at him, the burning in her face seemingly finding no end to its intensity. Takato was there, shirtless and kneeling in front of her, face level with her underwear, practically holding her rear and seemingly unaware of it! Her heart thumped hard in her chest and her hands squeezed, causing her nails to bite into his shoulders. Takato grimaced.
"O-Okay. So not okay," he stammered out. Suddenly, he became aware of Rika's waistline and its proximity to his face. Blushing brightly, he relinquished his grasp about her waist as though he were touching a hot oven and began to pull back. "Ah! S-Sorry! I didn't mean…!"
"D-Don't!" she gasped out before, much to her surprise, inching toward him. Her grip slipping free from his shoulder she snatched hold of his now free hand. Takato looked up at her questioningly. His eyes were warm and full of concern. Finding herself becoming lost in those crimson, loving depths, her mind raced and crushed his palm more tightly in hers.
"Don't…stare at me like that," she said.
"L-Like what?" Takato asked, rising to his feet. Their intwined hands fell between them and Rika turned away, trying to ignore the tremors that racked her body. This was happening. It was really happening! She could feel his heat practically baking into her. She had a crazy mental image of herself as a bun and he was the oven she was in, baking her.
How did he get to be so tall? she wondered in sudden realization, her eyes sneaking back over to him, tracing his broad shoulders. They looked like they could sweep her up and cover her completely.
"That…way you look at me," she said before scowling up at him. "Like right now."
"I don't understand," Takato said, leaning toward her, honestly befuddled. "What am I doing wrong? How am I looking at you?" The heat emanating from him grew and intensified, all but suffocating her in its embrace. Her gaze traced up his neck and to his face, finding an ever-deepening blush, bright and luminescent, staining his cheeks. Her heart raced even harder now, practically battering against her ribcage.
"You're looking at me…like…a gogglehead."
Her tattering voice came out as a whisper as she found herself rising on her toes. Her lips parting, she leaned into him and kissed his neck. Both of them drew in a sudden, sharp breath at the contact and she felt Takato shiver. She kissed his neck again, this time more fully, suckling at his skin. It was oddly pleasant, causing her to relax a little as it gave her something to do. Takato gasped again, this time more strongly. His free hand fell on her forearm, attempting to brace himself. She felt him quaking at her touch and a spark caught in her at that. Becoming bolder, she snaked a hand around his waist and set it to wander up his backside, exploring the tight muscle she had seen and roved over at the beach.
Takato now joined her kisses and explorations, though with considerably more caution than she had exhibited earlier. His fingers traced down her arm before falling on her shirt. His thumb massaged her through the fabric before, tentatively, slipping underneath and finding the smooth, bare skin that lay hid. Their other hands, still holding one another, squeezed even harder, encouraging their partner's respective journeys while simultaneously offering support for one another's nervousness.
Wandering steadily southward, Rika brushed against the edge of his pants. Her nails traced along its edge before slipping inside, past his boxers and traced along the smooth, tight swells that lay beneath.
"Rika…" she heard Takato gasp into her ear. There was a needy tremble to his voice she couldn't remember hearing from him before. An unspoken question lay behind it. Knowing it for what it was, she drew her lips back before nodding.
"Mhm," she murmured, kissing his jawline and, for added emphasis to her giving permission, took hold a large portion of his rear and squeezed. Muscles jumped beneath her grip, as did Takato's grasp in hers, but his free hand took her encouragement and marched southward of her shirt and slipped beneath her panties, exploring her own buttocks now, roaming freely along her smoothness before gripping it. Rika shuddered at the feel of his fingers sinking into her skin and instinctively pushed her rear into his touch. The heat between her legs had increased now in its intensity, becoming a familiar, swollen ache of desire. With a low groan, she parted her legs ever so slightly and again pushed her buttocks back against his hand, desiring his touch against her dampening sex. Takato traced his hand down her rump and brushed against her thigh just as she circled her own to the front of his waist and there, found his erection waiting for her beneath his underwear. Her fingers took hold of his penis and there, held it, feeling it quaver at her touch. Takato grew suddenly tense, ceasing in his ministrations and arched on his feet. His hands went tight on her leg and about her fingers. His whole body felt coiled, poised for some kind of action and she suddenly realized he was holding his breath with a quiet desperation, struggling against something deep inside him.
"Are you okay?" she asked, becoming concerned, and unconsciously, her thumb traced the crown of his penis, causing it to quiver excitedly. She found herself curious about that, but before she could pursue it further, Takato nodded hurriedly.
"Y-Yeah. I just…need a second."
"Take your time," Rika smiled, feeling a growing sense of confidence and satisfaction at that. Her thumb stroked him again, feeling an odd, warm, wetness on his tip. Takato drew in a sharp breath and the quivering in his penis grew into his body. Sensing what this meant, she stilled her fingers and after almost a minute, Takato slowly relaxed against her.
"S-Sorry," he stammered out, giving her a tender kiss on the cheek. Kissing him back, Rika scowled.
"Don't be stupid," she said. Withdrawing her hand, she pulled back, looking at him more fully. The boy was positively blushing and she smiled at that. Despite herself, she always found him cute whenever he did. She couldn't quite put a pin on why, as it made him look immature, but she supposed in a way that was part of the charm of his blushes. A way of saying that he took this seriously. Now that she thought about it, she supposed, in retrospect, that gave him a different kind of maturity she had previously overlooked. Since creating Guilmon and having to figure out how to raise him, Takato rarely, if ever, did things without at least a basic understanding about what he was getting himself into.
Drawing her hand up to his face, she cupped it gently. She could still feel her worries in her touch, and now that she was becoming aware that they were fast approaching their ultimate destination, they began to return to the forefront of her concerns.
So, in response to them, she pinched his cheek.
"Ow!" Takato started in surprise. "Rika! W-What was that for?"
"You were looking at me like a gogglehead again," she muttered, retracting her hand. Stepping back, she drew him to her futon and together they both sat down.
"W-We'd better hurry up and move things along," she said. Breaking the hold of their hands, she grabbed the bottom of her shirt. She hesitated for a moment before, without much rigmarole, drawing it up and over her head, bearing her bra-covered top for him to see. Takato's eyes grew wide and he felt his mouth go dry at the sight of her soft, swell of her breasts prominently displayed before him.
"Rika…"
She blushed at the awe in his voice, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. The pushup bra definitely had the intended effect on him, thrusting her breasts up so that they would appear more prominent and draw at his eyes. Embarrassment still plagued her though and she watched him worriedly, wondering what he might think of her wearing such a getup.
"H-How do I look?" she asked, suddenly feeling shy. "Do you like what you see?"
Takato's eyes rose from her breasts. Leaning toward her, he kissed her lips gently.
"You're beautiful," he said softly with a smile. His blush rose and his smile twitched, wondering about how he sounded to her. Did she think he thought that only because she was baring herself to him now? "I-I mean, you've always been beautiful…" he stammered out, but Rika silenced him with a kiss, recognizing his anxieties and determined to shut them down before they got too far along. As she did so, her hands trailed to his lap and proceeded to unbutton his pants. She was soon joined by him and he lifted his hips up, helping them wiggle both it and his boxers down. His penis fell out into the open and Rika took hold of him, breaking their kiss to look down at his throbbing member.
Here it is, she swallowed. Of course, this wasn't the first time she had seen it, but this was certainly the first time she got a good look at it. Not to mention actually hold it and be aware enough to appreciate it. The hardness of his erection fascinated her and she pressed her fingers about it, testing its rigidity. The stiff muscle gave reluctantly, resisting her.
This is so…weird, she thought as the penis twitched in her hand, the head seeming to stare up at her expectantly. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"
"N-No." Takato shook his head and offered her a reassuring smile. Smiling back, she poked at the little hole at the tip. Her finger came away with a thin string of something wet and warm. Takato's breath caught in his throat.
"This…really is happening, isn't it?" he said, watching as she examined his member. His tone was heavy, as he were recognizing the enormous weight of what they were about to do. Blushing, Rika nodded.
"Yeah," she said, forcing on a smirk. "No dreams this time, Gogglehead. This is the real thing now."
The real thing. Rika felt her heart drop in her chest at that. Was this natural for them? It wasn't exactly the way she envisioned their relationship going. Not that she didn't expect sex to emerge as part of it, but the road it took to get here and the speed of its approach left her again feeling a little unsure. She thought back to Takato's concerns. Was she okay with this? Really okay?
I need for us to be okay with it, she told herself adamantly, fighting back a powerful wave of anxiety that threatened to drown her and her desires. I don't want to feel like what we're doing is weird. I don't want that stupid dream stuff making things weird. It's got to be now, before I lose my nerve.
Her fingers slipping away from his penis, she fell back onto her futon. Arching her hips, she drew her underwear up her legs and over her feet before setting them aside. Almost fully naked now save for her hair tie and bra, she spread her legs open invitingly.
"Okay," she said, her voice a hushed whisper. She found she could barely hear herself over the pounding of her heart. "Come get me."
She offered the boy a reassuring smile, but she was trembling badly now. She watched as Takato swallowed, his eyes sharing her nervousness. Yet, she did as she bid and he drew up to her, dropping to all fours.
Just like that, Rika was back to the morning from two nights ago, waking up to confusion from a disturbed sleep to Takato's shadowy figure over her. Her hands tightened about the sheets of the futon just as Takato positioned himself at her vaginal entrance.
It's not like that, she told herself fiercely, feeling his penis searching about as he pushed. It occurred to her that he didn't quite know where to put himself.
"L-Lower," she whispered. Her voice had shrunken somehow and her anxiety grew in intensity. Grating her teeth, she said nothing as Takato followed her advice and found her opening. Her stomach muscles tightened as he began to push and then…
What's going on? Blinking, she looked up to find him pulling his penis away. A thin string of liquid connected their separate halves and she felt her swollen heat suddenly pulsate, angry at its emptiness. Angry that the expected filling of its insides was not happening as it desired.
"Takato?" she began, hoisting herself up onto her elbows. "What are you doing?"
Leaning forward, the boy cupped her face between his hands, gazing into her violet eyes with his red ones while his penis came to rest in the tuft of her red pubic hair. There was a strange firmness to his gaze. Concern was there too, but a firmness as well.
"You're not okay with this," he said. Not a question. Just a statement of fact. Rika's lips parted, about to ask what he meant, but nothing came out. He had read her too well. Flushing with shame, she looked away.
"Don't be a gogglehead."
"Rika." Again, that firmness in his voice. "I told you that we don't have to do this now. If you're really not up to this…"
"I want to be up to this!" she exploded suddenly, hitting his arm with her fist. Not hard enough to hurt him, but enough to get her frustrations across. She blinked blearily. Angry tears had formed in her eyes, blotting her vision. She hated that. Hated them and worse, hated herself for her weakness. "I don't want to say no! I don't want things to be weird between us when I want to…to…" Rika clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to look at his eyes. Those stupid eyes of his that she loved so much. "Takato… There are so many things I want to do with you. Do you know how hard it is wanting those things and always holding myself back? I promised Renamon that I'd always be the best version of me, so why am I not being that?"
Her fist struck her futon now, this time with considerably more force. She felt a bit of pain, but she didn't care.
"Even after what I did last night to you, you're still willing to…to lie with me and… Oh, for goodness sake! I even said that none of that is either of our fault! So why can't I believe that with someone I care about?!"
Her chest was heaving as she finished. Her breathing was strong, rapid and angry. A hot tear slipped free from her eyes and Takato wiped it away for her. She looked at him irritably.
"Don't treat me like that," she said warningly. Takato gave her a small, understanding smile, still stroking her cheek.
"Sorry," he said. "I guess… I don't know. I'm not very good with words, but I do want to help you. But maybe we're not ready for this right now? I mean, after the stuff with the digivices…"
"I told you, I don't want that making things weird between us," she huffed, annoyed. Yet, at the same time, she felt touched by his concern.
"Well, things are weird now," Takato said, dropping to her side. "But maybe we can fix that another way?"
Rika lifted an eyebrow. "Like what?" she asked, rolling onto her hip so she could face him more fully. She felt her vagina throb at the shift in her weight. She forced herself to ignore it in favor of her curiosity about whatever was on Takato's mind.
"I don't know," Takato admitted. "Maybe I could try wooing you?"
"You woo me." Rika's expression and tone were both flat.
"Well, I mean, I know you kind of have this idea about what couples do and everything and the digivices acting weird kind of threw that off," Takato hastily explained. "I was just thinking that, once they do get fixed, we could take a step back and try it over again. You know, like reshuffling a deck after the first round is over. Switch out a few cards."
"Are you really using the card game as an analogy for our relationship?" Rika asked. Her tone had a heat to it, but a smile tugged at the corners of her lips all the same. Of all the ridiculous, goggleheaded ideas to come up with…
"Why not?" Takato asked sheepishly, a blush forming on his face as he realized they were chatting with one another while being practically naked. "I-I mean, you've always liked that sort of thing. Maybe it'll help reorient you and we can both get comfortable again with…things."
Takato swallowed and she saw that he was having some difficulty maintaining eye contact. Rika chuckled mentally. Her pushup bra was really disorienting for him it seemed.
Still, I've got to admit, I'm surprised he's lasted this long, she thought with some amusement. She felt a little better about that though. It reminded her of what she liked best about him. The knowledge that he would always put her before himself and his own desires.
Still, she wished she could do the same.
She placed a hand on his arm, stroking it lovingly with her thumb.
"It's a stupid idea," she said. "But…I'm kind of curious about how you'll 'woo me' when we're already in a relationship. Are you going to read me poetry or something? Because that would be pretty stupid."
"You do like to make things hard, don't you?" Takato asked with a nervous laugh.
"I prefer the word 'challenge,'" she said, her violet eyes dropping down to his member. He had remained erect throughout their entire conversation. Its tip was aimed right at her. Curiosity sprang forth in her mind, tempered only by her anxiety that remained firmly fixed in her heart and mind.
But, even if they weren't going to have sex, she didn't want their time alone here to be wasted.
"Takato?" she asked hesitantly, her blush again rising to her face.
"Ah, yeah?"
Rika ran her tongue around her lips, feeling as though they had gone painfully dry. "I…still would like to try something. I-I mean…" She blushed harder. "I don't want this to be a waste of time, I mean and, well, since we're here right now…" She swallowed. "Do you think I could see…see you…?"
She trailed off, unable to find the right words to say what she meant. How did one just tell the boy they liked that they wanted to see what it was like for him to ejaculate? Really see, that is, not the brief bit witnessed on his balcony. She looked down at his penis and then back at him indicatively.
Fortunately, it seemed that Takato had been blessed with extra insight today, because after following her gaze, he seemed to get it.
"Oh. O-Oh!" He blushed fiercely and looked back at her.
"I mean, you don't have to," she said, covering for herself. "I've just been kind of curious."
"N-No, it's okay," Takato replied quickly. Of all the requests, he hadn't expected that one, but he could see the sense of it. She had caught a glimpse of him doing just that at the start of their relationship. She had every reason to be curious. "Um," he looked around. "We'll need some tissues handy though."
"Over here," Rika said, rolling onto her feet with surprising speed in a desperate bid to hide her embarrassment. Snatching a box off her dresser, she hurried back over and settled down. "Um, do you need me to do anything?" she asked. She thought about undoing her bra. Lots of boys liked breasts after all and she knew Takato did for certain even though he never said anything and would likely never admit to it without some serious prodding.
Takato shook his head. "N-No," he said, sitting up as she held out the box of tissues for him. "I, um, don't think this will take very long. I…"
The sound of Rika's phone buzzing broke across their conversation. Rika glared in its direction for its poor timing and for half a second, she was tempted to simply ignore it. Yet, worries that her mother or grandmother might need her or news about their digivices being fixed quickly nixed that idea. With an exasperated sigh, she got up.
"I'll be back," she grumbled, making her way over to her phone. Picking it up, she checked the caller ID.
Yamaki. Terrific.
"What do you want?" she greeted upon flipping her phone open.
"We'd like for you and Takato to come down to Hypnos," the blond-haired head of Hypnos said over the phone. "There's something we think you need to see."
13