I promised a New Years fic. Here it is. Now I can only pray it's as good as my Christmas one, Happy Holidays…
Which it is the sequel to. No prereading necessary, just know that Rika and Henry ended up dating. I would love it, however, if you read that one too!! *plug, plug*
Tell me what you think, and with any luck I'll be back with another *before* Valentine's.

A clock struck midnight somewhere in the house, causing Rika to roll over violently and glare with her best 'look of death' at the ceiling. This time the next night, everyone she knew would be celebrating. But not her. Yes, she would watch the fireworks. Yes, she probably would be drinking cider or something, and there would be cheering and such, but… It would only be her. Well, yes, sure, her grandmother would be there, but she didn't really *count* to her. She always fell asleep, and her mom was out of town. Renamon had requested to be elsewhere for the night… most likely with the other Digimon, as she had been on Christmas. Rika knew she'd be spending New Years exactly like she'd spent every other one. Alone. The only trouble was, that for the first time in her life, she actually cared.

She knew it was mostly her fault; Jeri *had* invited her to the Christmas party, but she'd refused to come, despite the protests of her inviter, who she'd come to view almost as a younger sister. She was going out with Henry that night, truth to tell, but because of that, no one had bothered to invite her to Kazu's New Years bash… not that he would of, anyway, but there would have previously been the possibility of Jeri asking her on his 'behalf'. But she'd shot all those chances and others in the mouth with that simple phrase the week before. "No, sorry… I don't do parties."

She rolled over again, shoving her head beneath her pillow to block out the memory. Heck, it was only a new year, what did it matter? There'd be plenty of others, and this would be the nineteenth she'd seen. So why did it matter? Why did she mind that she was going to be alone?

Because of him. She had someone she wanted to be around, and she wouldn't be around him. So as the twelfth strike of the clock came, Rika sighed and stared back at the ceiling again, but this time her stare was one of longing. She'd figure out someway to see him tomorrow. She clutched something in her hand from beneath her pillow, rotating the small box in her hand nervously in anticipation of her intentions with it. Tomorrow… is mine.

**********

Nineteen year old Henry Wong came running down the hall at top speed, Terriermon clinging helplessly to his back. They were being chased by perhaps the most vicious monsters ever -- a little sister and her ex-deva who wanted to go to the party. "Hey, look, Suzy… there has to be an easier way we can settle this. How about, since mom and dad are going to be out, the Digimon come over here and you guys can have a party, huh?" the 13 year old looked up at her older brother, using a look she'd learned from the older girls to glare at him for a moment, then sighed in defeat and nodded slowly, heading back to her room. "Hey, I tell you that *you* get to host a party, and that's all I get? Get back here, you!" Henry laughed, picking up his younger sister and spinning her around for a moment before setting her on the couch. "I'll even help you make some cupcakes before I leave so you will have something to eat. I'll call the others and tell them to have their Digimon come here first, though." Suzy nodded and ran off to the kitchen. Henry sighed in relief and picked up the phone, dialing the numbers of the other Tamers one after another.

Henry leaned against the wall as he dialed the second number on his speed dial. The first, Takato's number, had been busy, so he'd try back later. He reached up to hang up the phone as he realized who's number he'd dialed. "Um, hi, is Rika there…" he mumbled, his face turning red as he realized that she wasn't going to go to the party so it was almost cruel to invite Renamon to this party. But that wasn't the source of his embarrassment… even after 6 years of dating her, the sight of Rika or even the sound of her voice still made him shaky. That fateful Christmas Eve all those years ago *had* changed him though… He had realized, moments after he'd quietly whispered that simple phrase, that if he hadn't said it then he might not have said it ever. A choice that had changed his whole life.

"Yeah? What do you want?"

"Rika? Hey, it's Henry. My lil sis wanted to have the Digimon come over here for tonight, so… I thought I'd let you know that that’s where they're all gonna be."

"Oh, Henry… um, ok, that's fine. What are you going to be doing tonight?"

"I was going to Kazu's party…"

"Oh, I understand…"

"If you want, I'll come by there first…"

"No, no, that's alright… I'll be fine, granma wants me to be here with her tonight for New Years, and I'll be fine with it just being her and me."

"Alright… Hey, if I can convince Kazu to invite you though, you want to come?"

"Whatever. I gotta go."

"Kay, bye-" he was cut off by the click on the other end of the line and sighed. No matter how much he'd been changed by those years, Rika had only changed on the level of her actions to him. Towards everyone else she was exactly the same. Henry let his finger hit the off button on the phone, then pressed on again and tried dialing Takato again…

**********

"Grrr what did I do that for?!" Rika yelled, throwing the phone down violently on her bed. He'd asked her to do about half a dozen things with him that night, and she'd turned them all down! How was she ever going to ask him if she couldn't even see him?! She leaned against the wall and let her mind wander for a while, hoping it would calm her down. But each time, her mind only drifted back to Henry.

"I'm going for a walk!" she called back into the house, storming down the street. Not even the transition from High school to college had phased her in the last year. Either she was being tough and ready to beat someone up, her public face, or she was silently smiling in Henry's arms, her preferred side. All these 6 years, and she hadn't even looked at another guy as even potential for anything other than a friend.

That summer, after they'd gotten out of high school, she'd made her decision… she'd boughten it. She stared at the simple gold band in the black box on her hand. She'd saved up money forever, for whatever purpose she thought would be good use of it. She'd found one, at the end of that school year, and had meant to give it to him at his birthday… then when school started back up… Halloween… Christmas, which was their anniversary… yet somehow she'd lost her nerve right before every opportunity. "At this rate, I'm never going to marry him…" she mumbled, shoving the box back into her coat pocket.

She'd sworn the night before that she'd go through with it today. No more putting it off. But now she'd turned down all her chances to see him that night and tell him. Some promise keeper she was…

Down the street, Henry spotted his approaching girlfriend and chuckled to himself. She was examining something, but now it was in her pocket. So, he smiled, a light flashing in his eyes that was often there when he had plans for Rika, I'll just have to find out what it is… the traditional way. Traditional referring to the way it had always been in their relationship. He ducked into an alleyway, waiting for Rika to reach the location. The moment she did, he snagged her arm and pushed her into the wall, smiling and placing his face a few inches from her. "Well now, you're certainly a pretty girl…"

"Henry! Don't scare me like that!" she scolded, struggling to return her elevated breathing and heart rates to normal.

"Ah, but I thought you didn't scare…" Rika glared back at him, grabbing the shoulders of his still trademark vest forcefully.

"You'll pay, Wong…" she smiled, flipping them both around so her was the one against the wall, and she was holding them there. No matter the fact that she was smaller than him, they both still knew how easily she could hold him still for ages. She smiled, watching his careful movements for the perfect time to strike, then with a grin leaned up and forceably set her lips to his. It was a game they often played… cat and mouse, hunter and the hunted… It made Rika feel a bit more at home in the world of romance if she could be forceful and fierce about it, if she was the one who was always in control; a concept that Henry was more than happy to oblige to. If Rika was happy, and he was around her, he was happy. Finally she released him from her grip, smiling up at him gently and leaning her head into his chest. "So whatcha up to, handsome?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing, beautiful…" he whispered back, kissing the top of her head and wrapping his arms around her, almost instinctively since he was so used to it. He ran his hand down the side of her jacket, and put his hand so he could reach into her pocket and find out what she was hiding there…

"Henry, I, will y-" she said suddenly, looking back up and reaching her hand for the same pocket. He froze and went to maneuver his hand away, but they were both interrupted by a pair of spunky brunettes who came wandering past, halting at the sight of their friends.

"Hi, guys!" Takato said enthusiastically, as usual, looking up from where his eyes had been locked on Jeri's. The two had been dating for almost as long as Rika and Henry, and were three times as inseparable. But by now, they were only apart for mere moments each day… Takato had proposed to Jeri on Christmas, which had been half the reason why Rika hadn't asked Henry that day… the last thing she wanted, even at their age, was to be too similar to him in any way.

"Oh, I'm sorry… we're not interrupting anything are we?" Jeri suddenly added, noting the poses of both the others. Henry shook his head slowly, and Rika snarled a 'yes' under her breath before looking up and smiling sweetly at her other friends.

"No, not really. We can make out any time," she said, rolling her eyes and walking to the very entrance of the alley where the group stood and talked for a few minutes. The conversation was ended as Rika's cell phone began to ring, her grandmother beckoning her home, and with a sigh of "I'm to old for this," she headed back off for home.

"I guess I better get going too… I've got a bit of shopping to do, I told Kazu I'd make desert for the party tonight," Jeri smiled, racing off towards the store. "See you soon honey!"

Takato and Henry shrugged and started to walk along together, intending to catch up on each others life over the past few weeks. But as Takato went on and on, he suddenly stopped and looked up at his blue-haired friend for a moment. "What's wrong with you? We *did* interrupt something, didn't we?"

"Not that I know of…" Henry shrugged.

"Then what's up?"

"I'm just… not sure if I want to go through with this…"

"Oh good grief, not this again! You've got the money. They've got the ring waiting there for you," he pointed to a shop across the street from them. "Exchange one for the other and ask her TODAY Henry!" Takato scolded in a miss of an attempt to cheer his friend up. He sighed, giving up when there was no response. "They gave you the lecture, right? The 'maybe you two should see other people' lecture. Henry, wake up! My parents gave me that Christmas Eve, what do you think made me ask Jeri spontaneously and ringless? You've been planning this for months! And I think you guys would have fallen apart long ago if it wasn't meant to be…"

"Honestly?" Henry finally said, looking up and struggling between the urges to cry and punch something. He sighed and pressed the crosswalk button. "Alright, alright… I'm going. But if she rejects, I am *not* selling the ring to you guys for any less than three quarters of the price," he said sarcastically, walking off across the street. I'll ask her at midnight, so it'll be our year. Tomorrow is mine…

**********

Rika, laying on the couch in PJs and a robe, stared at the TV and the re-run broadcast from America of their traditional New Years celebration. Half an hour to midnight, and despite being alone, it still hadn’t been that bad of an evening. Sure, it could have been better, but she knew she'd see Henry first thing in the morning. He'd promised her that, when he stopped by her house on the way to the party. She'd politely refused both his offer for her to come and for him to stay. She wanted to let him go have fun, and it actually *was* true… she didn't like parties that much, unless she'd organized it into a concert event or something. Small events were just too… big for her, actually. Being alone with Henry was fine, and being around a million others was fine, but small groups were what honestly bothered her. She heard Henry's word's echoing through her mind again, 'first thing in the morning.' He'd be the first person she saw the next morning, the first non-family of the year… I'll ask him then, so that essentially I'd have only seen family that year, she laughed to herself.

**********

Henry looked at his watch and took a deep breath. Five minutes to midnight. He glanced through the window, the clock on the TV saying only ten seconds ahead of his watch. I can do this, You can do this, Henry… he tried to breath slower. He placed one hand to his forehead, and the other to his pocket as he moved the small box to his vest, where it would be easier to retrieve. He looked back at his watch, and the TV. 1 minute… time was moving to quickly for him, his mind wasn't registering things correctly. He rang the doorbell, not wanting to waste any more time as the counter on the clock dwindled.

Rika sighed and raced to the door, opening it and preparing to yell at whoever was standing there. But it was Hennry standing there in front of her…

"Juu… kyu…hachi… [10, 9, 8]" started the countdown on the TV.

"Henry?!"

"You're supposed to start off the year how you want to spend it," he smiled.

"…yon…san… ni…[4, 3, 2]"

He wrapped his arms gently around her and smiled, kissing her deeply as the countdown finished, and slowly pulling the ring from his pocket with his extra hand, smiling and holding out the open box as they parted. Rika stood staring at it for a moment, then started laughing silently.

"You weren't kidding about the first thing in the morning bit…" she whispered, reaching into her robe pocket and slowly pulling out a nearly identical box, showing it to Henry breathlessly. As she opened it shyly and reached her hand towards the ring he was showing her, she looked back up at her slightly startled boyfriend's face. "Of course, Henry. I was going to ask you…" she smiled and pulled herself into Henry's chest, leaning her head into his shoulder.

"And I will, too, Rika. I love you… always have, always will," he stared at the fireworks display on the TV over Rika's head, rocking her gently and smiling. "I was wrong, Rika. I thought this was going to be my tomorrow," he looked down into her questioning eyes for a moment and kissing her gently. "It's not. It's ours…"

Ah, written under the influence of Aaron Carter. *sigh* Review please… and I suppose I need a follow up for this now, too, right? Tell me, please! CCRya@aol.com Ja ne to heiwa, Happy New Year, ai Lyra-chan!