Fast Food Run

"I feel kind of sorry for them..." Natsu bemoaned as the two girls watched a conspicuous pair of dogs run off as they parted ways. A pair of akita, one with dark blue fur, and another with whitish-grey fur with pale blue stripes. "I really don't know why they chose to take those forms, of all things..."

"I think it's pretty fitting, don't you think?" Haru answered with a hearty chuckle. "Besides, it's less weird to pet them now, don't you think?"

Natsu didn't necessarily disagree. And neither did their partners. "But still, I'm worried about what's going to happen to them when they're out alone like that... If someone mistakes them for strays... most strays that are caught get euthanized!"

Haru gave her sister a reassuring pat on the shoulder, followed by a light-hearted chuckle. "Please, there isn't a dog catcher alive that could handle those two!" Natsu was quiet for a while, as she likely tried to imagine Gaomon going up against a dog catcher. The only possible result that Haru could think of was one criminally underpaid city worker getting uppercutted, and evidently Natsu came to the same conclusion.

However, the tale of two dog Digimon in doggy holosuits exploring Shibuya on their own was a tale for another day. Instead, there was a far more pressing matter at hand.

Burgers. And probably some shopping, of course. Summer was over, and it was time to get some new Autumn threads. They had meant to get it done a little earlier, but... well... two alien dogs taking you into another world kind of kept you distracted for a while, you know? Still, it had been a pretty neat time since then. Natsu gave her sister an odd look before asking, "What do you keep smiling about?"

"It's nothin'!" Haru answered without faltering. Ever since they had been going to the Digital World, the two of them had been a lot less distant. Sure, they didn't do a bunch of silly pranks like they used to, but it was still nice to spend time and adventure with her little sis. As they strolled into the food court, Haru kept the goofy smile on her face. Ever since they met those two classmates that were Digimon in disguise, life had been so much sweeter. That big guy, Anderson, and the other one...

Speak of the devil, and the dragon-boy shall appear! "Lu! How ya doing, man?" Haru boldly blurted out across the entire food court as soon as she spotted the young man himself. She raised her whole arm up and made a grand gesture waving towards him.

"Haru... don't just... yell like that in here!" Natsu scolded as if on reflex, turning over towards the Luneth, and a much more subdued wave. "Hello, Kanzaki-san..."

"Oh... he's leaving..." Haru noted as soon as Luneth had clearly noticed them, then turned the other way and began to walk away. She looked to Natsu and said, "Hey, let's follow him!" And without waiting for her sister to respond, she immediately moved in on her target. All those years of sneaking around and playing pranks, add the fact that she and her sister were hella athletic, and the ultimate result is a Haru who chased down the young man and slung her arm over the young man's shoulders. "Man, I don't know where you're going, but how about we go and grab a bite to eat together?"

"Haru!" Natsu, unwilling to outright run in public, caught up to the pair. "Don't just grab onto him like that!"

"Come on, he's always avoiding us at school! Don't you wanna get to know him better? This is the perfect opportunity!" She let go of him and pat him on the back a couple of times. "Besides, you get an opportunity to spend your lunch hanging out with two cute girls!"

"Haru... If he's avoiding us for a reason, then that means he probably just hates us! So just leave him alone, would you? He's probably just angry at us for knowing his... you know..."

Haru gave it a thought for a moment, then nodded, tapping into the rusty parts of her brain that controlled her empathy. "Yeah... I guess it is kind of like if we walked in on him while he was naked..." She admitted. Then her eyes lit up as she met Luneth's eyes. "Hey, Lu! Give us your number, and we can make things square by sending you nu-" Natsu's firm, crushing grip clamped down on Haru's shoulder. "Ah... I didn't think that would go over so well..." She finished, chuckling.

"Kanzaki-san... I'm sorry for our behavior," Natsu stated, bowing her head and moving past Haru's horrible offer. She reached up and lowered Haru's head as well. "I understand if you dislike us, and if we've done something to hurt your feelings, can we at least treat you to something to make up for whatever it is we did to you?"

Haru eased off the physical contact for a bit... but when seeing Luneth's embarrassed face, she couldn't help herself. "Oh...? 'Someone' told you, huh? Was it a girl? I bet it was Kaya, wasn't it? Hehehe!" She covered her mouth as she let out a mischievous chuckle, then gently jabbed his side with her elbow. "I bet she just doesn't want you peekin' at other girls, you dog..."

"So... How about we go get a burger?" Natsu offered, pushing Haru aside, and gesturing Luneth to lead the way. And they made their way to the generic burger place that every hip and happening young teen goes to eat at. Haru went on ahead, while Natsu spoke softly to Luneth. "Hey, sorry about the misunderstanding, then. We genuinely didn't understand, so we just assumed the worst..." She gave a long, wistful sigh. "I guess... Haru and I don't get many opportunities to have many secrets of our own. So it's not something I can understand fully, but I don't doubt that you have our reasons..." Haru had gone on way ahead of them, and was waving them over in a rush. Natsu waved back before turning back to Luneth once more.

"But... You don't have to be embarrassed about anything! It's a little strange, I guess, but right now my best friends are a dog that wears boxing gloves and his twin brother that's more lizard than dog. And yet by far the weirdest person I have ever met in my life is..." She gestured over towards her near-doppelganger ahead of her, then returned to face Luneth with a gentle smile.

"I think that if I had found out your secret and never involved myself in that other world, I probably would have avoided you just as much as you've done to us, so I don't blame you for anything. But Kanzaki-kun, given my current life right now, the fact that you just want to be seen as normal... I think that you're one of the most normal people I've met as of late. And I understand if it's still a little too weird, but I would love it if we could become friends! And in her own... difficult way, I think Haru would like the same!"

"Lu! Natsu! If you two don't hurry up, I'm ordering for all three of us! And it's gonna be the most biggest, fattest, most juiciest burgers they have!"

"Haru! You can't do that! What if we have to go up a size just because you decided to stuff your face!"

"Well, that's different than from what I hear about most boys!" Haru stated in an almost smug tone. "In fact, from what I hear, it should be what all boys your age should be thinking about!" She was grinning ear to ear.

"I... I'm sure that's not actually true!" Natsu insisted, chuckling nervously.

Then she listened to Luneth talk about his friendship with Kaya, and tried to put herself in a similar situation. Obviously, it's not like she knew Kaya and Luneth all that well. "I think... If I were Kaya, and if you were Haru in this situation, I don't think I'd be very happy with Haru, honestly." She reasoned. "Especially if Haru knew my secret, if she still didn't tell me her own secret, then it'd feel like a slap in the face, you know?" She pursed her lips in thought. "Because trusting each other with secrets just means you're that much closer, so... by not sharing your secrets, it's like saying you DON'T want to be better friends with her... Maybe that's how she took it?"

Natsu seemed more than a little pensive before adding, "But, I'm only guessing! And I'm sure you had your reasons for keeping a secret! And I'm sure that things will get better between you two in time!" Then Natsu realized something. "Oh... but if it seems like Kaya's the type to value honesty in friends, you should probably text her or tell her in person that you told us that she's a tamer. And it's fine if you tell her about us, too!"

And while Luneth didn't exactly seem to be excited about the prospect of being friends, he didn't seem particularly against it, either. Natsu supposed that would have to do. And Natsu couldn't help but chuckle. "Unless you're, like, radioactive or something, I don't really see the harm in it!" She pondered things for a second before admitting, "But I guess it does make you a little more interesting. Being a Digimon in the human world's kind of like having superpowers, you know? You can do awesome things, and I know if Haru and I were younger, we'd love to have those kind of special powers!" Well... in Haru's case, she probably wouldn't mind that even today. "So... I'm guessing it's the same for you?"

And when the group finally got back with Haru, and Luneth revealed his Digimon appetite, and Haru chuckled, no doubt remembering fond times. "Well... we know a little bit about that!" Natsu sighed as Haru continued. "We weren't sure what kinda food to get Gabumon and Gaomon, so we got a big ol' bag of dog food for 'em! And Gaomon packed it away in one night!"

"8000 yen gone... all in one night..." Natsu muttered. "Anyways, we learned real fast that it's cheaper to find food over in the Digital World. And that... dog food doesn't sit well with some Digimon..."

Luneth didn't seem too pleased about what Natsu said. Well... getting advice from someone you barely even knew probably wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world. She had a couple of other things to say about it, but she figured that she should just back off it for now. No point in asking to be someone's friend, then pushing them to the point where they're clearly uncomfortable. While Haru preferred to make friends by pushing people's limits and comfort zones in order to understand them as quickly as possible, Natsu preferred to take things slower. So she figured she'd drop the conversation by saying, "Now that the truth's out in the open, you'll have the opportunity to be better friends for it. You're both the same people, after all. Kaya can understand you better, and you won't feel like you have to lie to your friend anymore! And we won't go out of our way to do it, but if you just say the word, Haru and I can try and put in a good word about you!"

Besides, listening to Luneth explain himself helped Natsu understand him a bit better, too. And as much as she preached earlier, Natsu couldn't necessarily say that she wouldn't have done the same. Nobody's perfect, after all!

Luneth offered to reveal his Digimon form and briefly spoke about his family for a bit. Natsu didn't really understand fully what he was saying, though. But apparently being a RedMagnamon was a big deal, and his mom was a war hero or something? Well, they must be a big deal if they were able to afford to send their child to School... on another planet. What kind of paperwork was necessary for that kind of... It was probably best not to think about it. Still, it would be rude to listen to someone talk about their folks and not offer anything in return. "Wow. That's sounds pretty amazing! Our dad's an office worker, and our mom stays home and looks after the house, so that all seems kind of fantastical by comparison!" Well, maybe her mom may be a housewife, but she had also been responsible for looking after Haru and her, so she supposed that was a fantastical feat in of itself.

Luneth had brought up their rather peculiar choice in diet for their Digimon, Haru laughing as she explained, "Yeah, Gabumon let us know that any ol' food would do after Gaomon chomped down, so we told our folks that we were gonna eat in our room at dinnertime and let Gabumon chow down that night. Though... Gabumon seemed pretty down that he didn't get the chance to eat any dog food, for whatever reason..." Was it because the lizard Digimon had a complex? Probably, but that was beyond the scope of his partner's empathy.

"Oh, speaking of Gabumon, you never had the opportunity to meet, did you?" Natsu asked the Digimon in disguise. "While my partner, Gaomon, can be a little..."

"Pig-headed? Stupid? Fun to mess with?"

"...intense, Gabumon is one of the sweetest Digimon we've met. I think you and him would get along pretty well!"

And after all that, they ordered their food. Natsu ordered light, a salad and a small drink, but Haru ordered two greasy combo meals regardless, and several orders of french fries.

They had noticed the cameo of the older pair of twins, but... going to approach someone just because they were twins was... well... even Haru had the sense not to do that. They've had enough strangers stare at the two of them growing up, and way too many distant family and classmates treated the pair like some kind of sideshow attraction. And that's just not cool!

So Haru and Natsu led Luneth to a table, then nodded to each other.

It was time.

The sisters sat on either side of the boy, scattering their fries a little bit past Luneth's food. Then Haru faced the lad with an uncharacteristic serious expression. "Lu. You're about to learn of a sacred Fujisaki mealtime tradition. And we would like for you to partake in this," She gestured to the large pile of fries before him. "We won't touch your food out of courtesy, but at the Fujisaki table, a meal is a battlefield, a constant struggle for survival, where the strong eat and the weak starve."

Haru looked down massive pile of fries and reached out towards a particularly long one. However, in a sudden blur of motion the fry vanished, only to appear in Natsu's grasp. She offered her sister a sweet smile as she put the thin potato into her mouth. "Tch..." Haru responded, offering her sister a begrudging nod.

"We're a lot more alike than I care to admit, but everyone's different, right?" Natsu answered back with a slight giggle. Truth be told, it was probably the highest compliment you could possibly give the girl. Needless to say, it cheered her up quite a bit.

"Parents with mysterious pasts that they don't want to pass on... I guess that can be rough for a kid..." Natsu pondered. All of a sudden, having such mundane parents didn't seem so bad. No wonder Luneth seemed to have some trust issues. His family seemed to be all about keeping secrets!

"But you can keep talking, but only if you want to!" Natsu commented. "I do want to get to know you better, but I'd rather not pry if you're comfortable!"

Haru spoke up then. "And if that's something you don't wanna talk about, then maybe you can answer this..." She scarfed down a fry really quick, then asked, "What's war like in Digiworld? Here it's all about shooting people and blowing them up from really far away. But the bigger, tougher Digimon don't seem to be bothered by all that kind of stuff."

Natsu wanted to stop Haru for asking a... well... was it really that bad a question? She figured that she would just let Luneth decide that. It was clear that he was capable of standing up for himself, after all!

And when the conversation with their partners rolled around, the sisters shrugged. "You'd think it'd be the other way around, wouldn't you? I feel like I'd get along better with Gabumon, personally... Gaomon's a bit of a handful, but..." She gave a quick glance to her sister. "I guess it's because I'm used to those kind of people?"

Haru was about to reach for another fry before she stopped and gave Natsu a level glance. "What kind of people?" But Natsu took the opportunity to snatch her chosen fry up instead of explaining. "Ah, dang it!"

As for why Natsu herself was a little weird, too... well, everyone's a little bit weird, right? Can't help how you grew up! In a bit, Natsu called a food truce and excused herself from the table for a bit, to which Haru begrudgingly complied. She got up to go somewhere, which left Haru alone with Luneth. Probably more than a little awkward, for sure.

"So..." She began, absentmindedly drumming her hands on her thighs as she tried to think up the proper words. "You don't like me very much, do you?"

Blunt as always, apparently. But it seemed like she wanted to say something more. "I mean, I get that. I know I can be... you know." She shifted in her seat nervously. Rather unnerving, considering the source. "But... I guess..." She grumbled in frustration for a bit as she was lost on her words.

"She probably doesn't wanna talk about it, but... Natsu and I... kind of... almost... died the other day..." She began. "Long story short, there was this volcano that was about to blow, but it turns out that it was actually like, the ghost of some superpowerful Digimon that was too pissed off to stay dead or something. I guess that's just usual Digiworld stuff... Or maybe not, I dunno..."

She was quiet for a bit before continuing. "We ended up getting saved by this one cat Digimon that could turn into an angel, and some other weird stuff, but... I dunno what I'm trying to say at this point..." She seemed pretty frustrated with herself as she grabbed her own burger, chomped down on it, and then continued talking after she swallowed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... for me, that was probably the coolest thing that had ever happened in my life. Like, ever. But Natsu..." She let out a sigh. "Natsu's not like I am, you know? She actually wants to do all that normal stuff. Do good in school. Get married. Have kids one day. Stuff that doesn't make any sense to... someone like me." Someone broken.

"But despite all that, she wants to come with me to the Digiworld and everything. Even though it's not really what she wants. So I guess... I don't want to get in the way of the stuff that she wants," She looked Luneth square in the eyes. "I don't wanna be the reason why you can't be friends with Natsu. So if you would rather hang out with just Natsu, I get it. Just... please put up with me for today!"

And with that said, Haru lowered her head to the boy.

Welp, Haru seemed to loosen up once again once Luneth told her what's what. "We're okay. That cat and her sister kind of... took that monster out in one hit... but the four of us were safe enough. Gaomon got a little roughed up, but he needed to be knocked down a peg or two, if only for a little while," Haru answered, noticeably more comfortable now. Something else came to her mind. "Oh yeah, here's a question you'd probably know! Do they make saddles for Digimon or anything? Because Natsu, she-" She stopped, then leaned in to whisper in Luneth's ear. "Natsu bruised her butt after riding on Gaomon's Digivolved form!" She said what she wanted to say, and Luneth didn't seem to hate her guts after all. That made things a lot easier. She took a long sip of her drink before shaking her head.

"We talked about it last night," She added. "What we came down to is that we just gotta get stronger, you know? We can't expect to be saved by wandering cat siblings that are capable of wiping out an entire mountain without any effort every time we're in danger, you know? But if there's someone causing trouble, then I don't exactly wanna ignore it, either..." She crossed her arms, lowering her head in thought for a second, before she had an idea.

"I guess we'll just have to... train or something. I don't know if Gabumon and Gaomon can ever get as strong as those cats, but something tells me that... If Natsu and I try our best, and stay careful, things will work out..." She looked back to Luneth. "So you said you're a warrior sometime, right? You should help us train or something one of these days! Natsu and I can hang out with a friend, and Gabumon and Gaomon can get a good workout in!" She pulled out her phone. "Besides, if you're anything like Natsu, that practically means we're good friends already! So we should get your number so we can hang out!"