It was supposed to be simple. Just go to Ruki's, pick up the rare cards she wanted rid of, and get back home. Maybe try take Takato out to get something to eat.

But her stepmother had asked her to take her brother... Well, more demanded...

***

"Juri... Can you take Masahiko with you when you go out today?" Shizue Katou asked.

"But I'm not going out myself for long!" Juri protested.

Her stepmother sighted.

"He misses you. You haven't spent much time with him recently. Please?"

Juri groaned.

"Fine! I'll take him but we won't be gone long. And I'm not taking him anywhere with Takato."

She went to her room, ignorant of the fact the "him" in question had been behind his mother the whole time.

"Is it 'cos of Takato Juri's not fun any more?"  He asked.

Shizue wasn't sure of the answer herself.

"I don't think so. She's... having some changes in her life just now, sweetie..."

***

But no. That plan was damaged when Culumon lagged along too. He'd had the sense be carried rather than blunder around or sit on someone's head, but Juri's trip was doubled just to get there as a result.

And then Ruki had reminded her why she'd hoped to make it quick...

***

"Is she always like this?" Juri sighed. Ruki had become distracted by Culumon and Masahiko somewhat, and was playing with the two in the garden.

"Not until recently..." Renamon had answered. Juri had a feeling somehow that Renamon was not happy.

Juri sighed.

"Well, love to stay here with the warm reception and all but I need to get Ruki to sort this thing and go. Takato's taking me somewhere."

"Oh? Where?" Renamon enquired icily.

"No idea, I haven't figured out where to tell him to take me."

Renamon stared at her. Juri imagined she was biting back the responses she had. Or maybe Renamon just had no idea how relationships really worked and didn't understand what she was saying. Why had Ruki trained her Digimon in small talk when it should have been getting stronger?

She sighed again.

"I wish I was still a tamer..."

Renamon stayed silent again as Juri stood to go into the garden.

"Hey! Ruki! Time's wasting, Takato's taking me somewhere later."

"Oh? Oh! Sorry! I'll just finish up and..." Ruki said.

The girl was rushing around in a dress chasing the other two children. Not a formal dress, just a plain one clearly intended for everyday wear. Ruki's respect for finer clothing had grown, in no small part thanks to her having started following her mother's footsteps and doing her own modelling work.

"Finish up? With what?"

"Well, I'm it..."

Juri sighed.

"Fine. Just hurry up."

She looked at the pond. She wondered why it was even here. No fish in it, no ducks... Just there. Why have such a pointless thing?

It was at that moment someone ran into her. There was falling, splashing, and wetness...

***

"I'm really sorry, Juri... I slipped." Ruki apologised for the millionth time.

"It's okay... really..."

Juri didn't buy that Ruki had ran into her. Well, she could believe it but she had a feeling that she was covering.

Currently, she was in a borrowed bathrobe in the washroom, drying her hair, while her own soaked clothing was ready to be piled into the dryer having been given a quick wash (Juri had her own quick wash in the shower). But that meant that she was unable to head out, and her day was being eaten away. Luckily Culumon and Masahiko were distracted by Mrs. Makino, who had taken over from her daughter and was now rushing around like a loon.

"Look... I know you were in a rush, do you want some of my old clothes?" Ruki asked.

"To borrow to go home?"

Ruki shook her head.

"No... To keep. I don't wear the sort of stuff I mean any more."

Juri pondered this.

"Okay."

"Great! I'll get your cards too..."

Ruki dashed off, towards her room. Juri dried out her hair, and pondered what sort of clothing it was that Ruki had stopped wearing. Probably her jeans and heart shirts...

'Called it...' Juri congratulated herself, as Ruki (and Renamon) brought in armfuls of the garments.

"Okay, there's five heart shirts... I kind of bought a lot. Some silly rebellious thing about Mother wanting a varied wardrobe.  And the jeans were hard wearing but I have a few in blue... Oh, there's these grey shirts, and these cargo pants..."

Ruki began sorting them all out one by one. Juri sighed.

"Ruki... I'll just put something on and I'll take whatever you want rid of."

"Really? Thanks! I really wasn't sure what to do with it..."

Juri grabbed one of the heart shirts and a pair of jeans. Drying her own shirt and jeans would take a while even with Ruki's clothes dryer, but her underwear wasn't quite so tricky and was wearable again after a few minutes inside. It was apparently a dehumidifier type, but Juri didn't really care.  She just had to wait now.

"Anyway... I've kind of been thinking... The way we changed. I kind of think you're better at being me from before than I was." Ruki said.

"Huh? How?" Juri wondered.

"Well, the tournament a few weeks ago, when you beat Ryo. I don't think I'd have ever been quite as good as you were then. I mean, I was an amazing player before, not to boast, but... You'd have blown the old me away."

Juri pondered this. It was, she had to admit, quite true.

"Yeah. But... I sometimes kind of want more. I want to be a tamer again. I think I could manage it properly this time. "

Ruki was silent, but Juri spoke next anyway.

"By the way, how does alll that make you feel, Ruki?" Juri asked, tying her hair back into her now-common Pineapple shape.

The redhead shrugged, idly fiddling with her own hair that she wore today in a ponytail.

"Okay, I guess. If you want to be a tamer again it's not up to me, but I think you would do well. As for you getting better at the card came...  I enjoy the game more now I play it with more friends. Ami and Mokoko are pretty good, they'd give Takato a hard time."

Juri noted that her step-brother would give her boyfriend a hard time but didn't voice this fact.

"Do you ever want to go back?"

Another shrug.

"I don't think so. What about you?"

Juri pondered this. What was she before? Weak. Vulnerable. Afraid to act.

"No. The old me was so weak. If me now had been a target for the D-Reaper, I'd have saved us all a lot of grief. I refuse to be weak again or let others use me like that."

Ruki looked a little concerned.

"Well, it was a pretty tough time for you. I don't know how I'd have responded if Renamon had..."

Juri shook her head.

"You'd have mourned, like I should have. Not let it destroy you like I did. Leomon hadn't wanted me to be ruined by his death, and I don't doubt Renamon would want you to move on if she ever fell."

"Renamon is right here, you know." The fox noted.

"Of course, you changed too. You're a lot more girly than I was." Juri teased.

"Ah, all the new outfits and hairstyles? Well... I guess the way I was before Mother missed out on all that stuff when  I was little so..."

Another shrug. Silence, and then the dryer halted. Juri redressed, and Ruki blinked.

"Hey, you look a lot like I used to."

Juri paused, checking her refection in a small mirror hanging in the washroom.

"I guess I do. Well, thanks, Ruki. I'd better grab the dorks and get going."

Renamon seemed to narrow her eyes at this, but Ruki just giggled.

"Okay. See you later. Tell Takato I said hi!"

Juri went to fetch Masahiko and Culumon, avoiding the pond this time.

"Oh, Ruki gave you those old clothes? She'd mentioned trying to get rid of them. They suit you, Juri." Rumiko complimented her.

"Thank you. Come on, you two, we're leaving. Say goodbye."

Masahiro and Culumon both looked a little dissapointed (as did Mrs. Makino) but they bid goodbye anyway.

"Bye Mrs. Makino! Can we come back some other time?"

Juri groaned. She hadn't been planning on bringing them back here at all...

***

Renamon watched as Ruki, despite having said goodbye, waved off the trio as they left. She sighed.

Her tamer... She was still her tamer, but... She was weakened. Well, not really weakened... Okay, weakened. There was no beating about the bush. But if the alternative was Juri, who sounded like she was downright controlling Takato like a puppet and dismissive even of her own half-brother suddenly...

Renamon was sure she was preferring a tamer who cared. She worried Juri wasn't that kind of person any more. True, it might have just been the kind of professionalism or tough talk that battle-hardened fighters used, but Renamon was concerned that the change of personalities had exaggerated things, not made them better at being each other.

"Renamon? Is something wrong?"

"Hm? No. Just thinking."

Ruki nodded, and was about to leave her Digimon alone when she paused.

"Renamon? If it's about what Juri said... About Leomon... I want you to know that I never want you to ever have to give yourself up for me."

Ruki left then, and Renamon growled angrily. Ruki's thoughts were way out of sync. It was one thing to deliberately regard others as pawns or just units on the screen, but to start thinking thoughts like that? Of self sacrifice first? That was supposed to be a worst case scenario... But, it was the exact scenario Renamon had faced more than once. She'd survived them all and so had Ruki but when it had come down to the line, she was ready to give herself up to save Ruki.

Renamon knew the only difference was she made the choice herself. Such a choice was never easy for someone sane.

It was a choice that Ruki would never make even if she had to. Not any more. This had changed her tamer.

And it had also changed her, the Digimon realised.

***

Ruki was in school, and it was lunchbreak. And that meant her now regular conversation with her new friends. Yuriko, the ribbon-girl who had been the catalyst for her rejoining her classmates and enjoying school. Yokkako, a friend of Yuriko's. Momoko, a slightly energetic girl who had always been a little interested in strange things, and Ami, Momoko's friend since "practically forever" according to Momoko and "thanks to a curse from the gods for a past misdeed" according to Ami when Momoko turned being Momoko up to eleven.

Right now though, the topic was clothes. The clothes that now belonged to Juri.

"Aw. Some of those shirts were cute though." Yuriko pouted, twiddling her ribbon.

"Yeah, but they're not Ruki's style any more." Yokakko noted.

"Who cares? Clothes are gone, Ruki's happy, she can fit more dresses or a Ryo in her wardrobe..." Momoko spoke up.

Ruki squeaked, and blushed, as Ami growled and gave her friend a quick smack on the back of her head.

"Idiot! Don't say weird things..."

"Yeah. Besides, it'd be bad if her guy was in the closet..." Yuriko giggled, then began laughing fully.

Everyone else just stared at her.

"...In the closet? Come on..."

"We got it, we just don't get what's so funny." Yokakko admitted.

Ruki smiled as the conversation started twisting to other girls getting teased. Yuriko's own not-so-secret crush, a boy who lived next door to her. Ami's misthought statement that Jenrya was "kind of cute" after she had met Ruki's other fellow tamer. Momoko's irrational hatred of some American teen singer...

Well, the last one wasn't teasing, but at least no one was mentioning Ryo and making her blush...

"So, anyway, about clothes. Ruki's modelling with her mother now, right? Did you hear any more about modelling on your own?" Yuriko asked

"Ah, no. My mother was waiting on the right kind of job for me... The right kind of clothes... Nice dresses, you know..."

"Maybe she can try get Ryo involved and it'll be a..."

Momoko was interrupted by another smack.

"Don't be an idiot." Ami sighed, as Ruki felt her face start matching her hair again... Mostly at the thought of herself in a wedding dress and the treacherous thought of Ryo as a groom...

"Well, even if you interrupted me she's thinking about it!"

Ruki squeaked again and buried her face in her hands, whilst another slapping noise was heard.

"Ami, have you ever considered you might be causing the brain damage?" Yokakko pondered.

***

"I'm home!" Ruki shouted as she walked into the house. She found Renamon waiting.

"Hi, Renamon. How was your day?"

The fox looked at her with the same piercing eyes that made some people feel nervous. They made Ruki feel nervous too now, for a different reason.

Because Renamon looked worried. She might not be the best of tamers for her, maybe, but Ruki could read her friend well.

Renamon broke the eye contact and seemed to be speaking to something slightly above Ruki's head.

"It was fine. I relaxed a little. Thought about things."

Ruki shifted nervously.

"Look, Renamon... I know we're kind of having a rough patch..."

She paused at the wording she had used. Maybe she should worry about herself in a closet, not Ryo...

Renamon was looking back at her now.

"I suppose we are. I'm not an expert on humans, really. All I know is this... This is all still a little hard to handle. I'm not used to it yet."

Ruki nodded.

"Okay. Um... Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Renamon shook her head.

"No. This isn't you, it's me."

Ruki giggled.

"Wow. Sorry, Renamon, but the way we're speaking here was like an old married couple having problems. Like we were breaking up or something...."

Renamon looked alarmed, which made Ruki alarmed.

"Not like that! I don't mean I want anything like that, but it's... We chose the wrong words I guess."

Renamon relaxed, then wondered something.

"Ruki... What causes humans to break up?"

Ruki pondered this.

"Well... Sometimes they just drift apart. Or one of them changes. Or one does something to upset the other. And sometimes maybe one of them is too pushy with the other one."

Renamon didn't miss that the first two might very well apply to her and Ruki's own partnership, a thought that was innocent enough to Renamon, and would provoke alarmed blushing and denial from Ruki for remaining on the "old married couple" line of conversation if voiced. But the other two, those seemed to apply to Juri...

"I see. Maybe Juri should listen to that last one the way she seems to treat Takato..."

As Ruki pondered that herself, neither of them had any idea. However, they were to be interrupted as Rumiko also arrived home.

"Ah, Ruki, I have good news! There's a pair of good openings you could go to for your first modelling without me. There's a wedding company needing models for Bridesmaids dresses..." She began.

Ruki had recalled the earlier conversation, and even with her luminous face managed to speak

"What's the other one? I'm not sure I want to try that just now..."

Rumiko smirked.

"I see... You want to drop the maid part and maybe have a certain boy as a groom?"

"Don't you start too!"

Renamon made herself scarce as Ruki's glowing face practically turned the room red.


***

All things considered, he had a very long fuse. Osaka to Tokoyo via New York long. But even Takato Matsuda had limits.

At first it was great. Juri was his girlfriend! Sure, he'd had a lot less money, but he'd had a lot more fun! And besides, his parents had upped his allowance anyway.

Over time though, there were issues. Always dragging him, having him do her favours, having him loan her things she forgot... Almost daily.

And now, out playing Soccer for Gym class, the fuse reached the end.

"Okay, Takato, you go in goal for us. You're good there..."

He snapped.

"No!" He shouted. The entire class turned to look at him.

Luckily, that long fuse was to set off a squib. Someone, somewhere, had a short fuse rigged to an atomic bomb, but that was a different problem for a different person. Takato calmed down and lowered his voice.

"Juri... You've been telling me what to do for weeks. Making me do what you want. Every day. I... I like you. I like being around you. But..."

He paused.

Juri stared, looking confused.

"But what?" Someone murmured in the background

"Shut up, Kazu!" A girl hissed.

"But I really think this is getting a little much. Can we please... Please just try and let me make some choices here?"

"I'm Kenta..."

Juri frowned.

"...I'm sorry, Takato. I guess I..."

She looked very confused now.

"Whoever you are you're an idiot!"

"Huh, come here and say tha... Ow! Ow! Uncle! Uncle! Mister Mori! Help! "

"Miki, please leave Kazu alone."

"She's Ayaka! And I'm Kenta! Oh, wait, now Miki's attacking me, you're right... Wait! Aaaah!"

"I guess I just got carried away. You can decide where to play." Juri said, ignorant of the other spectacle ongoing, that was causing their classmates frantic inner debate over which was better to watch.

***

She got home, trudging in. Had she and Takato had a fight? Arguments were meant to be screaming and yelling... Well, Kazu being attacked had supplied that... But Takato had looked so angry for a moment. She'd never seen him ever direct that anger at her before.

How had she been treating him, she wondered?

She looked at it. She had been doing what was expected. The two had gone out with each other often, and she had always had fun. But now she realised, Takato always paid. She always picked.

She'd been treating him like a toy. Something that important and she was just abusing all value it had... She'd had a crush on him for years! And now she was being some spoiled brat who took everything for nothing?

No. What was wrong with that? She was asserting her strength!

...No. She was confirming her weakness. Her insecurity. A desire to control and command....

It was a sobering realisation. She was weaker than ever before even as she called it strength. To get rid of old weakness she had discarded old strengths. Her friends. Her family. Her crush, now boyfriend... She couldn't ever discard that herself, but if she kept this up, he'd give her no choice.

After all, if she had been attracted to him somehow, what was to stop other girls? He wasn't a heartthrob or a superstar with a fanclub, but he was handsome and polite, and that was more than enough for a lot of girls. Only lunatics would chase after some emo bad boys just because he had a troubled soul or because he had a chiselled jaw.

She couldn't talk to Takato tonight. He'd been quiet since his outburst today, and she'd tried to give him some room instinctively.  And she had felt angry at that at the time, but every time she had looked in his direction it seemed others were watching and she wasn't giving them the pleasure.

But there was someone closer to home she'd been hurting, she realised. She went there. She knocked on the door. He was sitting there, in front of the TV in his room. Too close, she remembered, but she wasn't here to scold him for that. That was their mother's job.

"Masahiko?"

***

Of course, she wound up putting it off.

Their talk before had been eye opening to Ruki. She could read her partner. And Renamon had been worried they were drifting apart.

And now, now she realised it, Ruki knew it was true. And something had to be done. She could read Renamon but could she understand her anymore?

But she'd stalled. She'd delayed. And now two days later she was meeting Juri and the others in the park. She'd planned it short notice. One of her delaying tactics. But... She wanted to speak to Juri. If Juri had her old outlook, maybe she'd help her understand...

But as she neared the bench they'd agreed to meet at, Juri looked annoyed. Other park patrons seemed to be giving her a wide berth.

"Juri?" Ruki asked. The other girl's head had whipped up and then she looked crestfallen for a second.

"Oh... Hi, Ruki. I was kind of hoping you were Takato."

Hmm... Maybe she could try goggles like a ribbon.... No, that would look odd. Whoever heard of a goggle girl?

"Something wrong?" Ruki asked, back on track.

Juri sighed, and then closed her eyes.

"We had a little... Okay, for Takato this was a big argument. We've not been speaking much over the past few days and I tried to ask him to come here early but..."

Juri had one hand in a trembling fist at her side. Ruki wanted to go over and comfort her but she was a little nervous.

"He hasn't shown yet. I think he's avoiding me. He might not even come at all... But he has to! He has to!"

Juri growled.

"And now I'm being a weakling again!" She cried out.

Ruki shook her head.

"No... No you aren't. It takes a lot of strength and courage to admit a problem exists. It takes just as much to want to solve it too. Me and Renamon have had our own problem lately but... I think I can solve it when..."

Oh, drat.

"Okay, so maybe we're both in the same sort of boat. But your boat is cuter...."

Juri arced an eyebrow.

"...Did you just call my boyfriend cute?"

Ruki considered her words carefully.

"...Well, yeah. Compared to Renamon. I mean, Renamon is pretty but she's not really cute. She's a little too tough to be cute I think..."

Juri chuckled.

"So's Takato, when he has to be."

They both sat down on the bench without another word.

"So, when is everyone else showing up?" Juri asked.

"Well, my friends were delayed a little, they'll be here in a few minutes. But Jenrya..."

It turned out Jenrya had met with Takato, and Ruki didn't miss the fact Takato barely looked at Juri.

It takes a lot of strength and courage to admit a problem exists. It takes just as much to want to solve it too.

Ruki pondered her own words.

'Ah, to heck with it all. The whole nine yards it is.'

Ruki stood, yanked a surprised Juri to her feet, and gently shoved her towards Takato.

"Hey! What the..."

"You two! Fix it! And Jenrya, you keep them civil."

"What? Why me? And what are they fixing?"

Ruki gave him a look.

"I'll be busy talking to Renamon."

And with that, Ruki wandered off to the trees, shouting for Renamon, who had been... In the other trees, but still went over anyway.

"Um... Look, Takato. I know I made mistakes. I know I pushed you around, but I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I was being weak and I'll let you make the decisions from now on but please, can we just stop ignoring each other?"

Takato blinked.

"...Sure. I thought you'd been ignoring me though..."

"...What?"

"I thought I'd went too far the other day. I was hoping you'd try to talk to me first." He admitted.

"Wow. You two are such a weird couple..." Jenrya noted, getting a look from both.

"Yeah, and how much experience with girlfriends do you have?" Takato noted.

"None at all."

"Exactly!" Both Juri and Takato shouted together. Jenrya laughed.

"Good to see you back together."

***

"Renamon... I've been kind of bad at being your tamer lately..." Ruki began, but Renamon shook her head

"No... I've been bad at adjusting. I've not tried to fit into your new life at all. I've been waiting on you to fit me it. If anything, I'm at fault."

"No, I'm..."

Ruki paused. No. She wasn't. Well, she was really the one mostly at fault, but a real partnership was based on a compromise. And if letting Renamon take a little more self blame would help...

"...I'm sure we're both to blame. But we can both fix it, right? I can start now. You can come and meet my newer friends."

Renamon looked a little confused.

"Uh... Okay, I guess... "

***

Ruki and Renamon walked back over, noting that Juri and Takato were standing beside each other.

"Hey! Hold hands or something!" She half demanded.

She got her own look from the pair. She simply laughed as well.

"We need to level up our glaring skills..." Takato grumbled.

However, Ruki's four friends arrived. She promptly greeted them to Renamon, as the four others had already met. Ami was already rolling her eyes at someone's comment as they spotted Jenrya, and Momoko practically squealed as she saw Renamon

"Ah! Renamon came with you! She's so cute!"

Juri blinked.

"...Is she cuter than Takato?"

Momoko glanced at the only other boy present.

"...Yeah. He's just a guy. He's not got a tail."

Renamon looked a little alarmed.

"Wh...What? I'm confused..."

Unfortunately,  there was an interruption from the D-Arcs.

"...Great timing, wild Digimon. Great timing." Ruki moaned. Renamon quickly grinned when no one was looking.

"Oh, well, Guilmon's not too far away..." Juri noted, as Momoko squealed again.

"What about Terriermon?" Ruki asked.

"...What about me?" He asked.

"Whoa! Were you on Jenrya's head the whole time?!"

"...He was on my head?" Jenrya pondered.

"...You're kidding, right?" Ami asked.

"Yeah, he is. And so is Ruki." Takato sighed, telling himself he'd known Terriermon was there too.

"...I'm not kidding, you were on my head?"

"Drat. It's somewhere in the park. This is bad. This place is pretty busy..." Ruki noted.

Juri spoke up.

"Maybe you guys can split up to track it down with the Digimon. I'll keep your friends out of trouble, Ruki, and when you guys find it you all meet up and we'll just try to stay away?"

Renamon nodded.

"I agree with it."

"Seems good. Nice plan, Juri." Takato nodded.

"Then it's settled. Let's go. And guys, be careful." Ruki said, addressing the last to everyone.

"Aw... I want to watch..." Momoko whined.

"And get blown up or something? You still owe me for that magazine!" Ami protested.

"I'll go get Guilmon." Takato said, rushing off.

The other tamers left too, leaving Juri with Ruki's four friends.

"...So, I hear some of you guys play the card game..." She began.

***

This had gone bad.

Jenrya was on the wrong side of the park. Takato and Guilmon had found the Digimon, and it was a Mega. A Devitammon, supposedly jammed with all the evil in the Digital World.

And it was heading right for the four girls that Juri was trying to keep out of trouble.

Even Biomerging to Gallantmon hadn't helped much. The Digimon was too strong. Gallantmon was playing a dodging game.

"Guys, look out! Jenrya, Ruki, hurry up!" Juri was trying to co-ordinate her friends together.

Ruki and Renamon arrived.

"Okay, Renamon..." Ruki said...

And froze.

This thing was tough. Gallantmon was in trouble... Renamon could be hurt or worse.

"Ruki! What do you want me to do?"

"Um... Try... Attacking it. Work with Gallantmon."

Renamon leapt in, but it seemed that it was a waste. She dived out of the way of a Laser Eyes attack.

"Ruki, we need to bio-merge! Gallantmon can't hold his own and I can't help!"

"But..." Ruki hesitated, and at the same moment, Gallantmon's dodging failed, and he was glanced.

"Gallantmon! Ruki, help him, please!" Juri shouted up.

Ruki nodded.

"Renamon... Let's do this."

They bio-merged.

And the end result was a surprise to all.

"Huh? That's not Sakuyamon..." Gallantmon noted.

The resulting merged Digimon was not the yellow-and-black armoured normal form of Sakuyamon, but the shrine-maiden like Miko form, wearing red and white robes.

It was a surprise to the Devitammon when the Miko took him out in one hit. The two tamers and their Digimon separated, and the four friends of Ruki approached nervously. Juri meanwhile checked up on Takato.

"Ruki... Are you okay?" Ami asked.

Ruki stared at her friends. She seemed to be... scowling.

"...Yeah. I'm fine."

She then grinned.

"That was pretty cool, wasn't it? Renamon, I never knew we could do that!"

She then looked horrified.

"Oh no! We should have got someone to film it!"

Juri meanwhile, was fussing over both Takato and Guilmon.

"...Juri, we're fine. It only glanced Gallantmon."

"You're sure?"

Guilmon nodded.

"Yep. All in one piece."

Juri smiled, and drew them both into a hug.

"Good. " She said simply.

Jenrya finally arrived.

"Hey guys. What did I miss?"

Ruki gave him a look and a grin.

"Everything. And a good chance to have impressed someone..." She giggled.

"Ruki!" Ami said, then yelped in fear.

Jenrya was puzzled. He was filled in on what happened. Ruki had saved the day, but was now chatting happily with her friends as they walked. Takato and Juri had held hands during their walk/explanation to him. And Renamon and Guilmon had just walked along with the humans, looking pleased enough.

"Hey, Jenrya. What does all this mean by the way? Weren't Juri and Ruki being weird before?" Terriermon asked.

The human shrugged.

"I guess so. But they seem to be good now."

He never noticed Renamon nodding. He didn't see Ruki overhead it and grin. He had no idea that behind him, Juri leant in and took the one thing from Takato she wasn't going to always ask for.

To his credit, the boy had finally stopped blushing every time she did kiss him on the cheek, at least...

But pretty much the whole group would agree.

Things were good now.