"Hey, are you ok, Rika?" A girl with tawny brown bed hair and dull green eyes looked up, letting everyone see how broken she is. Dark circles rimmed her eyes and her face was pale, unlike her slightly rosy complexion before everything happened. When no one would talk, she looked down and stared at her cell phone where a photo of HIM was shining brightly as her wallpaper.
Eyes looked at each other with concern etched within them. One dared to sit next to her and wrapped her arms around her friend's miserable form. She tightened her grip around her friend and felt tears of anger and sadness rim around her eyes. "Rika, you'll be fine, ok? He's a bastard, he doesn't deserve you. You're much better than this." Murmurs of agreement echoed in Rika's room.
"Yea, Rika-chan. He doesn't know what he's missing!" One said.
"Oh, once I get my hands on that bastard—"
"Guys…" Everyone looked at Rika. "Can I have some privacy…? I need to be alone…"
"But, Rika—"
"Haruhi, I'll be fine," she gave a sad smile and got herself out of her friend's grasp. She grabbed her robe from the chair next to her bed and walked away, staring at her phone. Haruhi stared at Rika with avenging eyes. Immediately, she grabbed her coat and rushed out of her friend's eyes to where the cuplrit lives.
It was early winter and Rika sat at the edge of her family's pool with her feet kicking in the water. Her eyes couldn't adjust to the sunlight glaring down on her as well as it reminds her of a certain someone so she hugged her knees to her chest and started crying. Her hands tightly gripped her phone and opened it to read the last loving text message he gave her.
You know it's our 2-year anniversary. I know it's surprising that I remembered but if it concerns you, I'd do anything to remain by your side. I love you, Rika. I'll see you tomorrow?
'Why…?' She thought. 'Why is it always me? First my parents, now him… Am I doomed to forever experiencing heartbreak and sadness?'
"Rika!" And just when she thought it couldn't get worse than this. Rika stood up and gave a smile to the boy that doesn't deserve it. His shocked expression was the last thing she saw as she fell into the freezing water.
"RIKA!"
"YOU BASTARD!" A hard slap was given to him, clearly knowing that he deserves it. His glasses flew to the ground where it cracked from the force of the fall. A pair of twins had to restrain the enraged girl away from the sitting male. "Did you get a look at how BROKEN Rika is because of what you DID to HER?"
Rika sat under one of the trees in the park where he told her to meet with him. She giggled and looked inside the bag she was holding. She knew that sweets were out of the question and that non-pratical items didn't amuse him, so she got him a custom-made watch just for him. It was silver with an onyx background, just like his eyes. His watch read '2:30' and he said he was going to meet with her at 2. Rika puffed out her rosy cheeks and sighed.
'I guess his father dumped work on him today…' She thought. 'I'll wait a half an hour more and if he doesn't come, I'll just give it to him the next time we meet.' Her phone rang, his ringtone reaching her ears. She smiled and answered it. "Hey, are you ok? You're late!"
"Tomoyasu-san, this is Ootori Yoshio." She froze.
"Forgive me, Ootori-sama. I assumed that it was Kyouya on the phone."
"No need to apologize. Well, right down to business. This will be the last time this number will reach you." Rika's eyes widened.
"Wh-what do you mean, Ootori-sama?"
"After this call, I will cut this number so those who have contact with this number will not be able to contact him at all."
"Wh-why, sir?"
"By the end of this month, Kyouya will be wed to Houshakuji Renge. You should know by now that you were just my son's so called 'fling' until he has to marry Houshakuji. In fact, he's been engaged to her since they were in high school."
"It was for the best—"
"HOW THE HELL WAS IT FOR THE BEST? I THOUGHT YOU TRULY LOVED HER!"
A pair of steeled onyx eyes glared at Haruhi and towered over her small form. "How can I truly love her when shadows continously follow my every move? How can I truly love her, without either hurting myself or her? HOW CAN I TRULY LOVE HER WHEN I CAN'T EVEN DEFEND HER FROM MY FATHER?"
The twins stared at the enraged male and looked at his hands. "Wait, what's that, Kyouya?" In one of his hands was a chain. Kyouya looked at the item in his hand and with an angered yell he threw it at a glass case which it cracked. Before he could leave the room, Mori and Honey grabbed onto his arms and dragged him to the limo in front of his house.
"What are you doing?" The door was slammed on his face and growled when he didn't get answer. The limo started moving at a fast speed to the direction of his used-to-be-favourite route: to Rika's house.
The limo came to an abrupt stop and the door was opened by none other than his idiotic best friend. "I think you should talk it out. At least give her some peace of mind with your side of the story." Kyouya got out and glared at Tamaki who was smiling. "She's at the back near the pool."
"NEAR THE POOL? TAMAKI, SHE CAN'T SWIM!" Blue eyes widened and both rushed to the back of the house.
Sitting dangerously next to the pool was Rika who had her knees up to her chest. "Rika!" She turned around, making Kyouya stare at her broken form. She gave him a smile, one that he didn't deserve, and fell to the freezing water. "RIKA!" Kyouya dove into the water and tried to swim towards the unmoving girl. The cold made it impossible to move as it kept prickling on his exposed skin. Once he reached her, he grabbed her hand and pulled her up to the surface with him. He grabbed onto the bar and got out of the water with her in his arms. He started warming her up, but it was in vain as he was also freezing to death. "Rika, Rika, wake up. Please wake up. Don't you dare leave me!"
The bag in her arms fell onto the ground as the conversation between her and Yoshio ended. Like a zombie, she started her way back to her house which was a few hundred metres away from the park.
"Kyouya, the ambulance is here!"
About a half an hour later, Kyouya arrived panting. He looked around for Rika but he couldn't see her. 'Damn you, Father, making me work overtime.' And it didn't help that he left his phone at his house in a rush to get to work. "Rika? Are you there?" His foot felt something hard and looked down. It was one of Rika's handmade bags. 'She's been here? But why did she leave this?'
As the rest of their friends were contacted, Hikaru and Kaoru stared at the item Kyouya threw at the wall. "Come on, boys! They're on their way to the hospital!" Kaoru pocketed the item and together they rushed to the hospital.
When they arrived, Kyouya was being held back by Tamaki as they watched Rika being wheeled to the emergency room. "Get off me, Tamaki! I need to be with her!"
"YOU need to get checked-up as well. You might have pneumonia from the cold!" Tamaki argued.
"I don't care! I rather get sick than not be at her side!"
"Get a hold of yourself!" Kyouya slid down the wall and let his tears fall from his eyes.
"I'm stupid and weak. I can't even defend her from my father…" Tamaki sat next to him and patted his shoulder. The rest of their friends gathered around and tried to warm him up since he was stubborn.
After a few agonizing minutes, the doctor emerged from the ER and Kyouya immediately stood up. "Is she ok?"
"In a way she is. We managed to warm her up and let her sleep but her brain activities are low, as if she's not determined to live. Did she try to kill herself earlier?" By the shifting the eyes of everyone, the doctor got his answer. "Well, she's in a coma right now but we don't know when she will wake up or if she has the will to wake up."
"Where is she?"
"In room 412—" Kyouya didn't hear the rest as his legs immediately rushed to Rika's room. Before he could enter, the nurse looked at his dishriveled appearance and sighed.
"Only for an hour, visiting hours are almost over." Kyouya walked up to Rika's bed and felt his heart shatter at every step he made. Everyone else cautiously entered the room as Kyouya sat on the stool next to her bed and grasped her hand.
"Please wake up, Rika, please. I don't know what I would do without you…"
Kaoru stepped up and got out the item in his pocket.
He looked inside and saw a watch in a case. He got it out and checked if it was still working. He sighed and noticed something at the back of the watch.
Kyouya grabbed the item from Kaoru. He sadly smiled and placed it around her neck. "Please, wake up…" It was a necklace, with words that says…
In the back, in beautiful script was…
"Forever and Always"
Ah...It's been a while since the last time I've updated or published a story here... I hate school...
Anyway, Inspiration: Forever & Always by Taylor Swift (...Blame my iTunes shuffle play XD)
Disclaimer: I do not own the song and the anime. Only Rika and this fanfiction.
