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Grandmothers Are Sacred

Both Alice and Rika were officially grounded for life with Simon getting off easy only because he didn't have parents to make his life a living hell like they did. Takato's parents shocked the hell out of him by trying to do precisely that and he found the idea of having parental figures trying to ground and lecture him sort of nice in a weird, twisted sort of way. Normally his own mother had yelled at him over the stupidest things, it was strange to actually be yelled at when he really deserved it. All three had their social lives ended and were basically confined to home, school and or work until hell froze over. They were smart enough to know that that would happen in a couple months if they behaved so they complied with nothing more than a few token protests. Thankfully they were still allowed to go to Hypnos though they were under strict orders not to enter the Digital World under punishment of death. In other words, Alice and Rika were threatened with pink, frilly wardrobes for the rest of their teens until they left for university. As threats went, it was more effective than most.


It was three days after the official grounding that Rika was stopped by a decidedly pale first year who looked like death recently warmed over. As soon as he'd touched her shoulder he'd drawn it back like he was afraid she would bite, making Rika wonder just what the guy had heard about her. She had a rep of course but she hadn't beaten anyone up recently and she wasn't that scary..was she? He didn't look familiar after all and she wasn't big on the picking on kids smaller than her..unless the brats were really asking for it.

"Are you okay?" Henry asked from Rika's side, somewhat concerned since the kid looked ready to keel over if Rika so much as breathed on him. What the hell had she done to the poor kid?

"There's...there's a girl..out...front!" The boy gasped out, his eyes darting around like he expected this girl to pop out out of nowhere and kill him. "She said...to meet you there...or else."

"Or else what?" Rika wanted to know, crossing her arms in front of her as a warrior gleam came into her eyes at the idea of a fight. It had been a while since she'd gotten to kick ass, three days ago not including, and all this constant lecturing from adults was getting on her nerves. This bitch could be the perfect outlet, provided she didn't get suspended or expelled for it.

"Or else she's going to hunt me down, cut out my eyeballs, make a necklace out of them and mail them to my grandmother. Grandma has a heart condition!" Normally the boy would have shrugged off the girl's words but the look in those crazy dark eyes...she'd actually been serious. He'd heard Rika Nonaka was a pretty tough, Class A bitch but he'd never expected her to be the type that messed around with teenage sociopathic.


"She threatened to send them to your grandmother?" Morally outraged since she adored her own grandmother Rika's eyes narrowed dangerously, her eyes going from violet to near black as her mood went as dark as Alice's wardrobe. Messing with people's grandmother's was just too low for words. Even if the bitch had been joking, you just didn't joke about grandmothers like that. It was like running over someone's dog just because you didn't like their owner. You hate the owner, run their damn ass over, not the poor dog!

"Yesh, who have you pissed off lately?" Henry wanted to know.

"Hell if I know but I'm going to find out." Marching off, a woman on a mission, Henry and the kid trailed behind her at a quick jog to keep up. Henry, of course, was there to intervene if necessary and the kid just wanted to make sure Rika did show up so that he wouldn't be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life wondering if the crazy psycho was out there waiting for him.

People getting out of her way automatically Rika was out the door and onto the grounds in record time, her destination the front gates where her opponent was apparently waiting. Seeing a lone figure leaning up against the gate she came to an abrupt halt as soon as she recognized the threatening looking teen patiently waiting for her. "Well hell." She cursed under her breath, her hands going to her hips as she cocked them to one side. "It figures that it's you."


"Please don't make her angry." Was the boy's whispered plea as he looked around Rika's shoulder at the girl who had quickly become his personal Freddy Koeger.

Looking over Rika's shoulder Henry could feel a massive headache coming on. "Oh come on!" He raged, sliding his hand down his face in agitation. "Can't you be good for one friggin day? It's no wonder Grandmother wants to send you to a convent."

"Wha...does your grandmother hate nuns?" Rika wanted to know, the very idea laughable. "She'd either kill them all or turn them into Satan worshippers out of self defense once they realize not even God could save them from her."

"See now, that's what I said." Pleased that at least Rika understood Ice walked over to meet them since they'd stopped walking. The little squirt she'd cornered was quivering behind Rika like a leaf, proving how pathetic he really was which was why she'd chosen him. He wouldn't have the guts not to do exactly what she'd told him to.

"Kid, you can beat it now. So what did you want to talk to me about?" Rika asked as she motioned the boy away, having noticed that Ice's gaze had turned to the shaking mass of testosterone behind her like a cat spotting a corner mouse. The sooner the kid was out of the equation the better.

"I'm going to kill your boyfriend but I don't know where he is."


Well of all the things she'd thought of as possible reasons for Ice coming here this was not one that had entered into Rika's imaginative mind. "Why the hell do you want to kill my boyfriend? Kenta or Kazu I could completely understand but most people like Ryo." In fact, it was rather annoying the way everyone loved her boyfriend because they thought that just because he was a nice guy that she had to be a nice girl. She didn't like people as a general rule, much less people who thought they needed to inform her that her man was the greatest thing since the wheel. Suck ups deserved to be sucked up..into a water drain or a sewer.

"Because he told my uncle I was planning to kill grandmother. He promised he wouldn't if I gave him that phone number and he lied to me. I told him that I'd douse him in alcohol and light him up if he told and I'm a woman of my word. Now where is the bastard because I've looked everywhere and his father won't tell me where he is. The sooner you let me have him the less painful his death will be."

Raising an eyebrow Rika wondered just who's phone number had been so important to get that Ryo had willingly dealt with Ice. "Who's number are we talking about?"

"To that Triad guy."

Jaw dropping slightly Rika suddenly saw several pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Kei not calling her until the day after, Ryo's hangover and bruising, the lack of questions about Kei when everyone else had been full of them. Oh dear God in heaven..what had her idiot boyfriend done?


"He didn't tell my dad about it, moron." Henry informed his cousin since Rika appeared to have been shocked wordless for once in her life. "He was contacted by the man you talked to who thought he'd want to know what you were up to. Ryo had nothing to do with it."

Having not considered that possibility Ice knew Henry could be lying but she was pretty sure he wasn't. He was her cousin after all and he was as good at lying as she was at being socially acceptable. In other words, he was probably telling the truth. Damn, now what was she going to do? She'd gone out of her way to come up with all these awesome ominous plans for Ryo only to find out that he wasn't the one who deserved them. Well Ryo did annoy her for the sole reason that he represented the popular crowd but he'd been pretty nice to her all things considering. Plus she liked his girlfriend and her cousins about as much as she ever liked anyone. Hmm, decisions, decisions.

"My aunt had to have been on drugs when she was pregnant with you." Henry muttered, watching his cousin wearily.

"I heard that."

"You were supposed to."

"So you aren't going to try and kill him now right?" Rika interjected before a family fight broke out which would result in her having to save Henry's ass since she was pretty sure her friend wouldn't be able to get mad enough at Ice to actually cause her physical damage. He was old fashioned like that. Right now, all she wanted to do was make sure Ryo wasn't going to be meeting his maker any time soon and then get Kei on the phone to find out whether or not he was responsible for those bruises. If he was, she just might point Ice in his direction. Ice would get the rear end tanning she deserved and if she was lucky maybe Ice would give him a migraine at the very least.

"I guess not." Was Ice's reluctant response. Killing some idiot university student was one thing, killing a Triad member was another. Especially a high ranking one. Then again, if she did kill him maybe they'd let her join them and take his place. Now there was something to consider.

Watching his cousin's face Henry grimaced. "I hate it when you smile like that. It's like the Grinch after he decides to dress up as Santa and steal all the Whos' Christmas."

"You know, she actually does." Rika marveled, torn between being impressed and freaked out over that fact. "Anyways, she's your cousin, you can have the fun of dealing with her. I have to head home after all." Leaving Ice in Henry's unhappy hands Rika hurried off towards the school parking lot to get in her car and home as soon as possible. She had a feeling this wasn't going to be a conversation she wanted to be driving during.


Grabbing a snack from the kitchen Rika paused only to make sure her grandmother knew she was home so that there wouldn't be any question of her not following her grounded rules. That done she hurried to her room, locked the door, and sitting down on her bed called Kei up, pressing the buttons harder than was entirely necessary. As soon as he picked up she was all over him like white on rice. "Did you hurt my boyfriend three days ago?"

"Well hello to you too, Xiao Mei." Was his amused response, no background noise to indicate what he was up to at the moment.

"I asked you a question, buster!"

"Your boyfriend was in one piece and walking the last time I saw him. If anything has happened to him since than it was none of my doing. He is all right?" He was pretty sure he hadn't hit anything vital and the boy had been in good shape considering the decline in that area in today's youth. Still, Ryo had been woefully inadequate when it came to hand to hand combat. Perhaps his training had been a bit too...harsh for a beginner?

"There were bruises on his body the last time I saw him and I want to know if you put them there."

"And how would you know the state of his body?" Was Kei's silky reply, his dark eyes narrowing thoughtfully. He'd made it quite clear to Ryo that Rika was to remained untouched until her wedding day or else. He'd been very specific as to 'or else' entailed.

Briefly toying with the idea of letting Kei think she and Ryo were rolling around naked already Rika ditched the idea since she didn't even want to imagine what Kei would do to her boyfriend if he thought there was the slightest chance that they were. Kei had a very black and white point of view where women and sex was concerned and had no illusions as to the lengths he'd go to preserve her honor as he'd see it. No, it was better to nip that in the bud right now. "When I went to see him the day after he was still in his pajamas." So that was a little lie, but it was Ryo's sake and she was sure God would understand. "Now quit evading the issue and tell me the truth. I want you to admit that you're responsible for those bruises."

"Fine, I admit it."


Struck dumb for the second time that hour Rika didn't know quite what to say now. Kei usually danced around topics he didn't want to discuss or refused to all together. He was rarely this blunt unless he was pissed off or out of patience. "And why did you do that?" She finally asked, though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer to that one.

"He just didn't move out of the way fast enough."

Feeling a twitch develop under her right eye Rika mentally cursed in her head, wishing Kei was in front of her so that she could at least try to whack him upside the head. He had on occasion let her do that and she really, really wanted to hit something right now. "If he had broken up with me over this I would really have to kill you right now." She finally said through grinched teeth, her jaw aching as a result of the rigidity.

"If he dumped you over something I did he wouldn't deserve you either."

"And you think that lets you off the hook?" Rika demanded to know.

Shrugging even though she couldn't see him do it Kei amused himself by picturing what she must look like at the moment with her violet eyes flashing and smoke practically pouring out of her ears. She was always at her most entertaining when she was angry with him. "I've done nothing wrong." He reminded her, knowing she'd see things differently before she stated exactly that using several four letter words and rather vulgar suggestions. "Now, now. Someone of your education and upbringing should use proper language or at the very least make your threats physically possible. I was simply helping you out, you should be thanking me."

"How does you beating up my boyfriend help me?" Was her exasperated demand.

"He was under the mistaken impression that if he had gone with you three he would have been of some help to you. I merely demonstrated him the stupidity of that idea and made it clear that it was for his benefit that he wasn't there, especially since he might have accidentally gotten you killed trying to play the hero. Boys like him belong in ghetto areas about as much as you do. Even less for that matter. And I didn't beat him up either. Had I meant to cause him serious physical harm he wouldn't have been capable of getting through his front door, much less into his room to change into those pajamas and we both know it."


Unfortunately that was completely true and Rika supposed this was the bastard's way of telling her she should count her blessings for getting Ryo back in one piece. "I can't wait until you're an actual surgeon getting ulcers, no sleep or a social life for little to no thanks."

Laughing in response Kei sensed he was off the hook so to speak. "Anyway, as you probably know we've been invited to dinner at Hypnos to discuss what's happening in your Digital World and to thank me for my intervention on your behalf. Will you be allowed to go?"

"Yeah, mom said I could go to that."

"Well then, I'll see you on Friday. I'd stay and chat but unfortunately I've come across some rather annoying data concerning one of our accountants that I've been asked to deal with. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss before I leave to take care of that?"

"You aren't going to whack him, are you?" She was pretty sure it would make her an accessory if he was since she had some prior knowledge of the whole thing. That was all she needed right now.

"If I was, you really wouldn't expect me to tell you that, now would you?" Was his amused response to that. He wasn't going to kill the moron but he was going to fire him if he didn't get his head on straight and start using that brain he was being paid handsomely for. Accountants with gambling problems were never a good thing to have in their sort of business.

"True...and now I'm going to be stressing about this all day."

"Then put your mind at rest because he isn't going to die. At least not by my hand any time soon."

"That's so comforting."

"Glad I could help."

"I was being sarcastic."

"So was I."