Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
Seeing Red
Chapter: 22
Renamon sat on Henry's bed, watching the boy in question work on his computer. One of the many computers that surrounded him. Her azure eyes panning about, she took in the various models that lay about. Monitors and boxes of different shapes and sizes. None of it made much sense to her. Her experience with computers rarely involved any interaction at all. Rika did not care much for the technology and so it did not figure much in either of their daily lives outside of Seiko's usage.
How strange that I owe my existence to objects that look like little more than boxes.
"Did you say something, Renamon?"
The vulpine digimon blinked at Henry's questioning expression. She had been unaware she had spoken her thoughts aloud.
"My apologies," she said, inclining her head in a polite bow. "I was merely thinking. I did not mean to break your concentration."
"No, it's fine," Henry said, looking rather apologetic himself. Leaning back in his chair, he stretched. "I can't imagine that this is what you had in mind when you came over." He tilted his head to one side, grey eyes becoming concerned. "Do you need anything? Something to drink?"
Renamon offered the boy a small, barely visible smile and her eyes softened. No doubt Henry was beating himself up for not having thought of doing so earlier. Caught up as he was in his own work, it had completely slipped his mind.
"No, that's quite all right. I've been finding it interesting watching you. You're very much like Rika when she is focused on something."
Henry arched an eyebrow at that and Renamon gave a light chuckle.
"Yes, as strange as it might sound, Rika does have her quiet moments."
"No, I already knew that," Henry replied with a slight frown. "It's more… Well, this is probably Terriermon's influence but…" He coughed and then his cheeks began to tinge a slight red. "You said you found it interesting to watch me."
Now it was Renamon's turn to lift an eyebrow, but unlike Henry it was an act of amusement.
"Don't humans find it flattering to be watched by someone they care about?"
At that, crimson flooded Henry's face and he hastily glanced away from the kitsune. Renamon's good humor evaporated and she bowed her head once more.
"I am sorry. I have overstepped my bounds."
"No, it's just…" Henry trailed off and pressed a hand to his face. After a moment, he sighed. "So, this is how Takato felt before he and Rika got together."
"Feeling as though you are being 'put on the spot'?" Renamon asked. "Is that how the phrase goes?"
"That and just feeling very confused about what is going on." Lowering his hand, Henry gave Renamon a wan smile. "Although I at least knew what I was getting into when you began your research project. Takato never really knew what he was getting into when it came to Rika's feelings for him."
"I can assure you Rika didn't know what she was getting into either," Renamon admitted with a smile. "But perhaps I should ask you again if you're all right with continuing with this. I do not mean to make you uncomfortable after all and I realize that my studies are trespassing onto ground that many humans would not feel comfortable with if they were in your position."
"I can't argue with you about that." Henry ran a hand through his hair and took a shaky breath to steady himself.
"I also worry that my studies are interfering with your own," Renamon added, adjusting her seating on his bed. Henry pressed his lips together at that.
"I don't want you to think that you're a burden," Henry said, his grey eyes meeting her blue ones. "And this is to help you understand humans better." He dropped his gaze, his brow furrowing. "But maybe we should take things a little slower. Maybe try other things too. Like… Like… I don't know. Question and answers or something?"
Henry's blush burned prominently on his face, leaving Renamon to feel a bit sorry for him. How many times had she witnessed Takato and Rika acting in this manner around each other before acknowledging their mutual feelings? And they had been attracted to one another. Henry… While she couldn't say with certainty that he was attracted to her the way Takato and Rika were to each other, her recent dabbling with her transformation ability was no doubt throwing him off.
"Perhaps questions and answers would be a good place to begin," the vulpine digimon acknowledged. "I've had one for some time now, if you don't mind."
Henry shook his head, looking a little more at ease. "No, I don't mind."
Renamon nodded before continuing. "Would you be able tell me which it is that you prefer? The way I look now? Or is it the other one?" With a mutter of kohenkyo, a wire mesh materialized over Renamon's body, and she quickly altered in appearance to the form she had taken during their last date. Golden hair spilled down her shoulders as she assumed her human disguise.
She sat there expectantly, watching Henry's eyes roam over her, wide and surprised. With an effort, the teen shook his head.
"That sort of thing really shouldn't matter," he said with a tone that sounded as though he were trying to convince himself of his words.
"And yet appearances do matter, and as you are human, this is a more pleasing shape to you, isn't it?"
Henry closed his eyes. "Renamon…"
The kitsune looked down at her lap where her bare legs, clothed by fake shorts, peeked out at her.
"Why do humans place such importance on appearance?" she asked. "And why do they treat something that is natural as though it were wrong?"
"Those are very complicated questions," Henry replied, opening his eyes back up. "But I just know that you can't always judge someone by looks."
"Because appearances can be deceiving?"
"That too," Henry acknowledged. "Don't get me wrong, I'm…" He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm definitely attracted to this version of you and that has been bothering me, but at the same time, it's not the real you that I know, and you-you're beautiful without…" He gestured to her current, human appearance. "…that."
Renamon allowed a small, grateful smile to cross her lips.
"Thank you," she said, feeling quite pleased with his compliment. "Although I'm afraid that the real me is getting in the way of my studies."
"You wouldn't think that if you looked on the internet these days," came the voice of Terriermon as the door opened, allowing the tiny digimon in. Henry frowned slightly, knowing that his partner heard everything thanks to his large ears.
"I really don't think it's a good idea to bring that up," he said. "And what are you doing here? I thought you were going to let us have some privacy."
"I was!" Terriermon cried out indignantly. "At least, that was my plan. But… Suzie. She's really hot on wanting to know about Takato and Rika. Speaking of which, has there been anything from those two goofballs or are we still waiting on them?"
"Still waiting," Renamon replied, opting to return to her natural form for the duration of this conversation. While she couldn't blame her long-eared companion for wanting to escape Suzie's clutches, she found his arrival ill-timed. Deciding to turn the topic of conversation, she said, "What do you mean about 'looking on the Internet these days' with regards to the 'real me'?"
"Oh no…" Henry groaned, palming his face. Giggling, Terriermon hopped onto Henry's chair, latching onto the boy with his appendage-like ears.
"Let's just say that you're really popular. I mean, really, really popular. Kind of caught me by surprise because humans aren't like digimon."
"What kind of sites are you visiting?" Henry asked, his face blushing profusely. Terriermon giggled.
"Momentai. Nothing serious. But some things you can't help but stumble across no matter how safe you are. Remember the Renamon figurine you bought for Rika?"
Renamon tilted her head to one side curiously. This was the first time she had heard of this. Seeing her questioning gaze, Henry sighed, his shoulders sagging.
"I did buy one like he said for Rika's birthday last year," he explained.
"And he got worried about it because she already has you and Rika doesn't like clutter taking up space in her room. You know how she is. But then, one day, there was a little bit of an accident."
"You broke it," Henry said flatly.
"It was still an accident! Anyway, the plastic tuft on the toy broke off and, well, here. Let me show you."
"Terriermon, I don't think that's a good idea."
"Momentai. It's a lot easier than watching you try to explain it, get embarrassed and then yell at me for trying to pick up your slack. Aren't you trying to help Renamon?"
"Well…"
Extending an ear, Terriermon reached into a drawer and drew out the figurine in question, tossing it to Renamon. The kitsune caught it, watching Henry's expression all the while. The boy looked quite embarrassed and was doing his best to not meet her gaze. Looking down, she took in the toy. It certainly looked a lot like her, minus the tuft that otherwise would have blanketed its chest. Turning it over to further inspect this discrepancy, as this was the chief source of Henry's embarrassment, she found both her eyebrows rising in surprise.
There, seated in the middle of the white expanse of plastic fur, were a pair of small, roundish lumps that were unmistakably meant to be breasts.
"I see," she said, running a claw along them as she cocked her head. "Interesting."
"Not quite the response I expected," Henry stammered out.
"I suppose it's not the response you would expect from a human girl," Renamon replied with a light chuckle.
"Well, some human girls," Terriermon giggled. Again, Henry frowned at him.
"Terriermon…"
"Momentai! I just happened to walk in on Jaarin while she was watching some kind of visual novel. Don't yell at me. I didn't do anything. Well, except run I mean. After several seconds of watching what she was watching that is and hooo boy…"
"Please stop talking," Henry groaned. "A-Anyway, I was afraid that Rika would get mad about that, so I just got her that game instead."
Renamon nodded, continuing to inspect the figurine, her claws running along seams in the plastic. She knew about the toy, of course, having seen it during one of Rika's outings to Akihabara. The girl, of course, hadn't been interested, as Henry suspected; the real thing being miles superior in form and function after all. Yet, the presence of the breasts struck her as odd, as she lacked them, save only when she biomerged with her partner. There were digimon who did have them even without the presence of a human influencing them. Angewomon and LadyDevimon were prominent examples, but so far as she knew they served no purpose and were artifacts of human data that reproduced itself in their code. And here, for some reason even though it was hidden, it was deliberately produced in her form. Did humans find her natural appearance that attractive?
In her many conversations with Rika's grandmother, Seiko mentioned numerous myths in which humans attracted the romantic and sexual attention of a non-human entity. It was difficult to know where the myth and reality started and ended in a world where digimon and the digital world existed, but it was clear to her that there were humans who responded positively to such attentions despite the obvious differences in biology.
Most curious.
"If it's all right with you, could I borrow this?" she asked, indicating the toy. Both Henry and Terriermon's mouths fell open, stunned by the casualness of her request.
"Did I hear you right?" Terriermon asked in the same moment that Henry asked if she was sure.
"Yes," Renamon responded simply to both. Henry's mouth snapped shut with a click.
###
"You're kidding me."
Yamaki adjusted his sunglasses calmly. He was long used to Rika's behavior and so wasn't the least bit fazed by the outburst. Instead, he settled his gaze on Shibumi, who presently looked over his data pad, as if to reconfirm his findings.
"I've been over the data of your digivices twice. There can be no doubt about it. That digi-egg…" He pointed at the screen before them, upon which was displayed an egg lined with blue and gold stripes. "…is a result of your digivices sharing data with one another." He looked at Takato and Rika, his smile thin and forced, uncertain about their reaction be to the news and hoping to put a positive spin on things. "I suppose under any other circumstances, congratulations would be the appropriate response? You've made a digimon."
"This is not funny, you know!" Rika snapped before darting her eyes over at the screen. A worried look crossed her features and she lifted a hand, as if to caress the egg, only to hesitate as she remembered it was in a different plain of existence. Seeing this, Takato placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. She glanced at him, seeming at a loss for words.
"How soon until it hatches?" the boy asked, not looking away from Rika. "Do you know?"
"It hasn't yet formed a digi-core," Shibumi replied. "And since we have no data on how long it takes for a digi-egg to form and hatch, it could be days. Weeks. Months. Maybe even years."
"You created Guilmon," Yamaki said, snapping his lighter open. "How long did it take for him to hatch?"
"Practically the next day after I scanned his drawings," Takato said. "But he was a lot more put together than this little guy. Not to mention he was already a Rookie. Sooo…" He shrugged. "Guilmon's kind of a unique case."
"And this isn't?" Rika asked, her lips twisting slightly.
"It might not be," Shibumi replied. "I believe it's quite possible that digimon are born from the emotions of humans, possibly even as a consequence of their own romantic partnerships. This one just has the added benefit of its 'parents' both having a digivice."
"Any idea on how that will impact things?" Yamaki asked, flicking his lighter closed. Shibumi gave a shrug.
"It might be making the gestation easier. It's hard to say. This is entirely new territory after all. We'll just have to wait and document everything that happens. If that's all right with you of course."
Shibumi was looking at Takato and Rika when he said that. They both glanced at each other. Rika shrugged uncertainly.
"I guess we might as well," she said hesitantly, glancing at the egg on the screen again. "Is it safe where it is? Can we bring it into the real world?"
"I wouldn't chance it at this stage," Shibumi said. "Like I said, it has no digi-core. Much of its data is in a pre-embryonic state. Or at least what passes for it anyway for a digimon. Without a sentience, it might not be able to survive bio-emerging and decompile as soon as it realizes."
Rika clenched a fist together at that and her eyes narrowed to angry, knife-like slits.
"Terrific," she half-growled. "So, we can only just sit here and hope some wild digimon doesn't find it and think it might make for a nice meal."
"We'll be monitoring it while it develops and doing our utmost to keep it safe," Yamaki said. Rika hmphed.
"Yeah, like that's always helped."
"Rika…" Takato said, his tone warning, but Yamaki continued, ignoring the girl's barb.
"Presently there's no evidence of any digimon in the vicinity, and as the digi-egg is 'underdeveloped,' for lack of a better word, it's likely to be overlooked. All the same, we'll be inserting some safeguards."
Takato looked up at Yamaki before returning his attention to the egg on the computer screen. All at once, he felt a flash of a familiar mistrust for the man and a powerful desire to protect the digi-egg. A mental image – a memory – of Guilmon's hut being sealed up with concrete rose up in his mind and before he knew what he was doing, he said, "Are those safeguards there to protect it or destroy it?"
He felt all eyes suddenly on him, not least of which was Rika's own surprise at his words. Shame welled up in him and he shifted uncomfortably.
"Sorry," he said, his eyes twisting up in self-reproach. "That was pretty awful of me to say after everything you've done for us."
Yamaki flicked his lighter open, frowning at the boy. "I understand your concerns. Bear in mind that the protection of our world is the top priority of Hypnos so, yes, some of those safeguards are designed with that intention in mind. But I'm only erring on the side of caution. As this digimon is a product of the two of you, I have more reason to believe that there is little to be concerned about." The lighter clicked closed and Yamaki took his sunglasses off.
"I promise you both, we will do our best to assist you in this."
Takato closed his eyes as he felt Rika's hand slip into his.
###
"I never thought I'd hear you say something like that to Yamaki of all people," Rika said as they exited Hypnos and returned to the streets of the city. "Usually, you take his side."
Takato turned toward her, his lips pressed into a tight line. With a heavy sigh, he ran a hand through his hair.
"I know. I just… I don't know. When he brought up the safeguard thing, I just got to thinking about when he sealed up the portal at the hideout. I know he's on our side and everything and I believe him about what he said, but I guess a part of me just doesn't like that if it came down to it, he'd delete that egg if he felt he had too. You know he'd do it."
"Yeah, he would," Rika agreed, the two of them walking side by side. Her expression was soft and sympathetic. She was trying to sort the whole thing out in her mind, but at present it remained difficult.
It's kind of our kid in a way, isn't it? a part of her whispered and she immediately tried to push the thought to the back of her mind. It didn't budge however and she felt a tremor pass through her. She folded her arms in an attempt to suppress it. Seeing this from out of the corner of his eye, Takato eyed her sympathetically.
"This sure is a lot to take in, isn't it?"
"I'd rather not talk about it," Rika said bluntly, trying once more to push the little ball of uncertain emotions away. They shifted, but only a little bit. "At least…not right now," she amended, knowing that this wasn't something she could just simply ignore, never mind that neither Takato nor Hypnos would let her even if she herself wanted to. Takato began to nod reluctantly at this but soon broke into a yawn. Rika looked at him in surprise before remembering that he had stayed up all night to ward against any further night visitations on his side of the dream world.
"Sorry," Takato said. "I guess my all-nighter is catching up to me again. I need some coffee."
"What you need is a nap," Rika said, frowning now. Unfolding her arms, she took hold of the boy and began to steer him in the direction of his home. "Come on. I'll convince your parents to give you the afternoon off so you can catch up on your sleep."
"H-Hey! Come on, Rika! It's no big…"
"It is a big deal!" she snapped suddenly, tightening her hold about his arm. Anger flared in her, unfocused but searching to lash out at something. It was so bad, she felt herself waver on her feet, as though she were dizzy. Closing her eyes, Rika visibly reigned herself in, but not before Takato folded his free arm around her and drew her into a gentle hug. Rika let him without any resistance whatsoever, riding the waves of her frustrations in his embrace and enjoying the feel of his hand against her back.
"This is not how I wanted things to go," she said, her voice muffled against his shoulder. She felt something crack within her and her own free hand gripped the back of his shirt tightly.
"Sorry about that."
"I've already told you to not apologize. Why do I have to keep telling you that?"
Because I'm a gogglehead?" he replied in a tone that wasn't a laugh but was attempting to lift her spirits all the same. She felt Takato's hand lift to the back of her neck, massaging her bare skin. Opening her eyes, she saw a passing group of people. They were watching the two of them with a mixture of curiosity and slight distaste for her and Takato's public display of affection for one another. Rika glared at them.
"I'll give you that," she said, her gaze following the group until they were out of her sight. "I like you for it, but I really wish you wouldn't be that right now."
She felt Takato shift against her and she tensed, expecting another apology.
"Okay," he said, taking her by surprise once more. "Do you want to catch a movie then or something? I mean, since you don't want to talk about this right now, maybe it'd help to do something to take our minds off things for a bit."
It was the most sensible suggestion she heard from anyone all day, though she doubted it would accomplish its stated goal. Too much had happened since yesterday.
Dream sex with my gogglehead. Almost twice even! And then we tried to have sex for real and that didn't work out. Then Yamaki telling us about our baby digimon that we made together…
Her fingers grew tight against the back of his shirt and around his arm. Their baby digimon. Possibly being made in preparation for a child of theirs that wasn't even a zygote yet.
It was just then that she realized that, so caught up in their worries and anxieties, neither of them had thought to use protection for their earlier attempted venture.
I guess Takato was right to worry for a change. She shuddered against the possibilities. Good call there. Oh man, I can't believe that we almost…!
"Rika?"
Snapping out of her thoughts, she realized she hadn't answered Takato's question yet. She hesitated. So much remained unsaid between them right now and she wasn't even sure how to handle it. Yet, wrapped in his embrace she felt good. Safe. Not great, but the knowledge that he was there for her, first and always, reminded her that she could be herself around him in spite of all her fears. Her hold of his shirt relaxed and she ran a hand along his back. She breathed in his scent, taking in the smell of bread and comfort. She couldn't say even that made her feel any better, but she became steadier. The tangled knot of emotion still sat in her mind, but it felt confrontable.
"A movie sounds great," she said finally. "Your place though."
She felt Takato nod against her and in spite of herself and the torrent of emotion roaring through her, she smiled against his shoulder. They had each other's back, and that was enough.
###
On the TV screen, the magical, large and round creature with grey fur stood at a bus stop in the rain, wearing a leaf on his head that did absolutely nothing to keep him dry. Rain drops dripped from the edge of the leaf and onto his nose with loud plinks. Yet, for some reason the creature stared ahead with its large, round eyes like some kind of robot. In Takato's mind, it called up a memory from years ago, when the digimon had returned from the digital world and their fate was being decided in halls of power far greater than any Mega Takato had faced before. The power of his country.
He closed his eyes, remembering that day of rain soaking him to the bone. Guilmon had come looking for him, holding a leaf over his head like an umbrella. It was no more effective than it was for the creature in the film, yet Guilmon had persisted all the same. He wanted to be by his partner's side after all, and no storm would stop him.
Would that Takato felt the same confidence. His home was still reeling from the chaos of the Deva and the D-Reaper attacks. The lives lost were a scar that would remain etched in people's hearts for years to come. How could he safeguard his partner?
How can I protect Rika? asked a part of himself. The day's events flitted in through his mind, but in his exhaustion it all lacked the punch that it should have. His mind felt sluggish, as though it were stuck in the mud. Yet the memory continued on its course with Guilmon approaching him.
"It'll be okay, Takato," he remembered Guilmon having said then.
"No, it won't," he remembered replying, and the fear he felt then suddenly felt as fresh now as if that day had never ended. The fact that the day had long passed and Guilmon and the rest of the digimon remained by their side didn't occur to his sleep-addled mind.
"But why?" Guilmon asked. "Things have always worked out before, so why not now?"
"Because I'm going to lose you and I don't want that," he found himself murmuring the words he said then to Guilmon all those years ago, causing the Guilmon of his memory to look up at him, head cocked to one side, confused.
"What are you talking about, Gogglehead?" Guilmon asked in Rika's voice. The boy jerked and found himself back in his room with the movie still playing, Rika by his side, snacking on some pocky. Takato blinked his bleary eyes and rubbed at them. They felt as though sandbags were tied to them, dragging them closed. He couldn't believe how tired he felt.
"Sorry," he said. "I think I fell asleep there for a second. I'm okay now."
Rika furrowed her brow at him, curious about what he had been dreaming of. She chose not to press it in lieu of other concerns. Her hopes that he would just nod off weren't going so well.
He keeps fighting to stay awake, she thought. The reasons why were obvious, but that didn't mean she liked it.
"You know, you really should get some rest," she said to him, but Takato adamantly shook his head.
"Shibumi didn't say that our digivices were fixed yet. Who knows what might happen if I…" He swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut for just a second. "…dream."
Feeling Rika's gaze on him, he smiled at her. "Besides, I don't want you to feel like you're the only one watching."
"You're sweet, Gogglehead, but you're also being very stupid," Rika said bluntly. She had been watching him veering through his exhaustion all day and though he carried on admirably, she knew it was only a matter of time before he conked out completely. The sooner, the better. She hated seeing him like this, and it served as a reminder of recent events.
I don't…want to be chained to that, she thought, curling her fingers into her palms. I don't want us chained to that.
"You need to sleep. Besides, I trust you."
At that, Takato's smile slipped and she knew she had poked an open sore. After all, this whole mess began with his dreams about her. Regardless of her reciprocation and their lack of awareness at the time, she was painfully aware of how he felt about the whole ordeal.
"You were just dreaming now, you know," she continued, trying a different approach. "Nothing happened, right?"
Takato was silent for a moment, trying to organize his scattered, fog-filled thoughts.
"Yeah, but not for very long," he replied, rubbing at his eyes again as they threatened to close on him again. "Maybe… Maybe it needs some time or something?"
"Maybe you're overthinking it," Rika harrumphed, becoming increasingly annoyed at his insistence on staying awake to protect her from his dreams. As though her own dreams on the matter had meant nothing.
Still, she decided to let the matter go, at least for now. She knew she only needed to wait. Sleep wasn't the same thing as a game after all. It could only be postponed for so long and was far more inevitable than either victory or defeat.
That didn't mean it couldn't be helped along though.
The idea came to her in a flash, but she betrayed no outward sign of it. Instead, she continued to wait until, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Takato's head dip a little, just as it had before and after about a minute he began to sway in his spot. Blushing, she scooted a little closer and took hold of him by the shoulders.
"Here," she said, giving him a gentle tug. The boy's eyes opened, confused.
"Rika?" he began, his voice slurring a little while he tilted toward her. She wanted to smile. Sleep was almost on him. "What…?"
"I'd rather you not fall and hurt yourself," she explained, giving him another tug toward her, indicating that he was to lie down. "No big deal, right?"
Takato shook his head, attempting to dislodge sleep's hold over him. What Rika said made a certain kind of sense. He was tired of course. He could feel exhaustion clawing at him. But to lie down? That would put him to sleep for certain.
Maybe if I just rest my eyes a little bit, came the lie that slumber always told him when it was at his doorstep, enticing him with warmth and the promise that when he opened his eyes again, all would be well again. If only he would just close his eyes for a few minutes.
Between sleeps weight upon his eyes and Rika's gentle touch about his shoulders, it made for a very compelling argument.
"Yeah, I guess it's no big deal," he said, surrendering himself to Rika's tugs and laying his head to rest upon Rika's lap. He felt her go rigid in surprise but his brain, caught at the very edge of dozing already, failed to make the connection. Almost immediately his sense of the world dulled, his awareness becoming little more than darkness, the sound of the television and softness.
Okay, I didn't quite expect that, Rika thought with quiet alarm as the boy's head fell atop her lap. Yet, a smile touched the corners of her lips anyway. He was almost out and then she wouldn't have to worry as much anymore.
At least, not about his health, she thought, threading her fingers through the mess of his hair, stroking his brown strands. There was still the matter of his dreams of course, and Renamon wasn't there. She could call her, but in the time it took for her to get here, anything could happen.
Anything, she thought, including nothing.
I trust him, she continued, watching him as, on the screen, a young girl gave the large, grey-furred creature an umbrella. I need to trust him. More importantly, I do trust him. How could I think I couldn't? After everything we've been through together, why wouldn't I trust him?
To this day, she still remembered when the two of them had clasped hands in the digital world, her pulling him after her into the ark. She had found him waiting for her to return from her private mission, prepared to miss the way back to the real world if she hadn't gotten there when she did. The very moment their hands touched was etched into her mind like an electric shock. His dopy, smiling face and her own mirroring his, completely unable and unwilling to hide it this time. She had sensed then the beginnings of what their friendship would blossom into. The knowledge that he would do his best to never let her down and to always push himself as hard as he could to honor the trust she placed in him.
Something he would later prove again on her thirteenth birthday when he caught her during her fall off Locomon and his complete refusal to let her go even if it meant his death.
And that was to say nothing of how hard it was to get him to look at her when she wore a showier outfit. Even before he learned about her distaste for having her picture taken, he had a sense she didn't like being gawked at. The possibility that she might welcome his attentions did not so much as occur to him.
On the television, the grey-furred, round-eyed creature suddenly let out a bellow of joy upon realizing that the umbrella kept him dry now. Takato stirred a little at that, his eyes fluttering open.
"What'd I miss?" he slurred, starting to fight his way back up from his slumber.
"It's nothing," Rika said, continuing to stroke Takato's hair, easing him back down into sleep's embrace. She felt him shift upon her lap, mumble something incoherently and then grow still again.
Typical gogglehead, she thought with a smile.
A minute later, she began to hum softly. Thoughts of the digi-egg they made together came to mind, and this time she didn't fight them. It was a complication that brought a new awareness to her. None of it was intentional on either of their parts, but it still happened, and likely would have in one form or another, given time and their feelings for one another. That things weren't even more complicated was a sign of their good fortune. Fortune they couldn't take for granted.
What kind of digimon will it be? she wondered. For that matter, whose partner will it be? Someone else's or…
She cast the thought adrift, leaving the rest unsaid and knowing full well the course it was taking. The same course they almost took today and had barely checked themselves on. Still humming, she turned her violet gaze down at Takato and brushed a finger against his cheek. He didn't stir this time. He was out like a light. He looked so peaceful now, free from the stress-lines and baggy eyes that previously marred his face. It made her feel a little jealous, but it was tempered by the knowledge that her gogglehead, when awake, worried enough for ten people and worked harder than twice that amount, even when he had no idea what he was doing.
"What am I going to do with you?" she asked softly.
"Hah?" came a nasally voice from the doorway. "Is Takatomon okay?"
Her head jerking up, she looked quickly to find Guilmon peering inward, sniffing the air to catch the scent of whatever had knocked out his partner. Rika's mood soured quickly.
"Guilmon…" she began in as quiet, but as stern a tone as possible to get her message across to the crimson dinosaur. "If you do anything, and I mean anything to wake him up now, I'm turning you into a pair of shoes."
Guilmon blinked his gold-colored eyes at that before understanding dawned in them. Raising a claw, he ran it across his mouth like a zipper.
"Okeydokey!" he said in a hushed whisper. "I promise!"
Gliding into the room with a grace she hadn't known him to possess, the reptile plopped himself down next to her and Takato and, without further comment, joined them in their movie.
10