Authors Note: Yes. Authors. This is a story co-written with Crazyeight. Honestly I don't remember how we got this idea - pretty sure I was harassing him while I was at work about Digimon again - and after a lot of talking, and throwing ideas around, Mnemosyne was born. We did a lot of world crafting, character building and discussion, as well as start to lay down the initial plot of the chapters.

I don't want to give much away - or anything at all really - but just to let you know this will be a rather dark story. We hope to not only capture the extensive feelings of teenagers but make you all think. While there will be light hearted moments, a lot of the time you will be cursing our names, and to be honest, we will be laughing evilly since you have no idea what is in store.

But I promise you - it will be well worth the journey.

Chapter 1: What is Forgotten

The air was cold, as to be expected from the month of January, and with the sun angling closer toward the horizon, it was only going to get colder. Still, for the dark-haired, grey-eyed boy, he smiled all the same in spite of the chill. Hot or cold, he was at home in it, especially when it involved his friends.

For one Henry Wong, his friends were among the most important people in his life, even if some of them, such as the red-haired girl who was presently by his side, expression neutral, could be a bit prickly.

"Trust me, Rika," he repeated for what had to be the hundredth time since he managed to convince her to come with him to Hananzo Shrine for the first shrine visit of the New Year, "you'll like them. They're a good bunch."

The only answer he got was a grunt as she pulled the black kimono closer to her body, a white scarf wrapped around her neck, chasing away the bitter weather.

Honestly, she wasn't sure why she agreed to go with Henry to the shrine instead of lounge in front of the TV like she normally did with mama and grandma, the older women gossiping as they drank cup after cup of sake. It just seemed like a good alternative, especially when mama got rather weepy last year halfway through her third cup of sake, blubbering about something the teenager couldn't really remember besides feeling rather uncomfortable during the whole situation.

While mama and her had their differences which only grew by the day, it didn't mean the rebellious teenager enjoyed it when her mother cried.

Henry chuckled a little at her small response. He felt bad about dragging her out into the cold. He knew from experience that she was not a fan of the cold. Well, here's hoping it was all worth it. "So what do you plan to wish for when we get to the shrine?" he prompted, hoping to get her to at least be in a more talkative mood once they met up with the others.

Rika didn't answer right away, her violet eyes following a small child - a boy who looked no older than five - pulling at his father's hand, pointing with small, chubby fingers at one of the vendors selling dumplings.

"I really didn't have anything in mind," she said after a minute. "Probably just for a good year."

It wasn't like she was struggling in school, and she still had a year before she needed to start thinking about studying for the entrance exams.

Coming from a well-to-do family, she had no real monetary concerns to worry about. Her mother typically provided her with anything she wanted as well - a well-meaning but misguided attempt to show her love.

She had a friend - singular, Henry - and if he was right, she would have more by the end of the night. At the very least, some people to spend time with when the half-Chinese boy was in cram school or otherwise busy.

There was that she supposed ... to find that which alluded to her. She felt speaking it aloud was rather embarrassing and not something she would admit to. Not even to Henry.

"What about you?" she asked, turning to him as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Henry's head turned skyward, his expression becoming wistful. "I guess…" He furrowed his brow, hesitating before giving a rueful laugh. "It might sound strange, but I guess for our friendships to never end." He gave Rika an embarrassed look. "Sometimes I feel like I've been drifting apart from everyone and it's about all I can do just to keep in contact with them."

Giving the girl an awkward smile, he rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I worry a lot, don't I?"

"You do," came the blunt reply before a small smile crossed her lips. Reaching out, she lightly grasped his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "Unfortunately for you, you're stuck with me."

"Lucky me." Henry's smile relaxed at her touch. "I can always count on you," he said. "You're too stubborn to give up on a friend."

"You mean too stubborn in general," she snorted as she removed her hand.

Turning her attention forward, she squinted her eyes as she made out the the tori, marking the entrance to the stone stairs leading up the approach to the shrine. In the sea of people, she couldn't make out who they were supposed to be looking for, nor did she immediately recognize anybody herself.

"Where did you say we were meeting them again?" she asked, her lips thinning.

"Jeri said that they were going to meet up at the Chōzuya," Henry replied, scanning the crowd for a sign of their destination. "She should be wearing a yellow kimono while Takato wears a red… Ah! There they are."

Picking up his pace a little bit, he headed over toward a water-basin. He spied Kazu leaning against one of the posts that held up its roof, smoking a cigarette while next to him was Takato and Jeri, the latter of whom was busily sketching something in a small notepad. He wanted to sigh at the trio—especially Kazu, who was straight away not giving the best of impressions.

Although Takato could at least pay better attention to what's around him, he thought, instead of losing himself in his worlds.

He suddenly found himself wondering if it actually was a good idea introducing Rika to them.

I wonder where Kenta is? he mused before spying him sitting on the ground behind Kazu, head in one hand and tracing a finger in the ground. He didn't even have to see his face to know that the boy looked bored out of his mind.

Rika followed after them, silently wishing her kimono had pockets as she suddenly felt rather apprehensive if not slightly nervous. She didn't do well in large groups - especially not with people she didn't know well. However, she had promised Henry she would come, so she couldn't back out now - not when they had arrived and especially not when they finally seemed to have noticed her.

"Henry!" It was the girl - Jeri she recalled Henry calling her - waving her hand wildly only to slow down as her brown eyes land on her. She bit her lip as the two girls stared at each other for a minute, bringing her hand closer to her chest. Rika, for her part, crossed her own arms as her frown became more pronounced.

Great, she thought darkly, immediately recognizing the skittish body language.

"Henry ... is this ... your friend?" Jeri asked slowly, tentatively as the others took notice the final two members of the group had finally arrived.

"Yeah," Henry replied with a nod. Stepping to the side, he gestured to the redhead. "Everyone? This is Rika Nonaka. Rika, these are the friends I was telling you about." He gestured to each one, introducing them in turn. Kenta fumbled over his words as he waved, while both Kazu and Takato remained silent, though each for their own reasons.

The difference between them in their silence was rather stark. Kazu simply regarded Rika as he drew on his cigarette, giving her a complete once-over with his eyes before grinning, as if liking what he saw. Takato, for his part, fidgeted and had difficulty meeting her gaze—finding the ground to be a much more interesting sight to behold—but otherwise was able to offer a welcoming smile that was open and warm.

Jeri leaned back, her own expression one of puzzlement and curiosity, as if having difficulty understanding Henry's state of mind in regards to Rika. "I thought you said your friend was shy," she said. "I know you." She looked at the other girl more fully. "I've seen you around school." She giggled. "The teachers are afraid of you."

The remark didn't really garner much of a response besides an eyebrow raise and a grunt. Honestly, she never saw the other girl before - not that it said much as she preferred to keep to herself - but she was rather aware of the rumors which circulated around her. She had learned to ignore them over the years, although she was the slightest bit impressed the girl had the gall to state one of them to her face.

"She's the Demon Queen I've been hearing about?" Kazu asked, looking baffled. He took another puff and then tapped his cigarette so that ashes fell to the ground like black snow. "Eh," he said after a moment. "I've seen scarier stuff in my lunch."

Somehow...the air became a bit colder, Henry noted, seeing Rika take on a more defensive stance. Of course Kazu had to be the one to cause it, as he tended to rub people wrong on the first meeting—and usually every time afterward. He wouldn't fault her for not liking him.

"So...what do we want to do first?" he asked, hoping to break the ice that was now suddenly building between them. "Should we go make our wishes now?" He glanced over his shoulder at the crowd. It was pretty packed, leaving him uncertain if anyone, particularly Kazu and Rika, would want to stand for it. He really wished he had thought this through better. Unfortunately, everyone was a general only after the battle.

"Might as well get the wishes done first," Kazu chuckled, taking another drag. "I bet Chumley here gets bad luck again, just like last year. I want to see what his fortune says."

Takato scowled at Kazu, but for the moment stayed quiet.

Rika merely shrugged - not caring one way or the other - as Jeri clapped her hands enthusiastically, her fingers interlacing with each other.

"Oh! Yes, let's go!" she insisted, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Henry smiled gratefully at Jeri. If there was anyone he could count on to break the ice, it was most definitely her. "All right," he nodded. "Let's go fight the crowds."

With that, the group began to wind their way through the throng of people, Rika hanging back, or at least attempting to as Henry saw what she was doing and deliberately slowed his pace to keep the group with her. He smiled knowingly at her, his grey eyes shining with amusement.

So far everything's going well, he thought, noting that the group was sticking together. Even Takato, for a wonder, didn't wander too far in either direction, though he seemed to be trying to keep some measure of distance between himself and the fiery girl. Not that it did him much good.

However, even Henry could tell that things were tense in the group, save for Kazu, whose boisterous nature decided to make himself the life of the get-together, going on and on about some random incident at school, and generally talking the most; keeping himself the center of attention whenever things began to quiet down.

Rika kept shooting glares at Henry each time her attempt to distance herself from the group failed. While he had assured her that she would like the others, it seemed that he forgot to take into account whether or not they would like her in turn. Judging by Jeri's reaction, and Kazu's remark, her reputation had already tainted whatever view they could have held on her.

They eventually reached the front of the line, and dropping in a 5 yen coin in as an offering, she picked out the O-mikuji, unrolling it a little only to frown slightly upon reading her lot.

Great blessing in your wish or desire.

Rolling it up she handed it over to Henry - she didn't need something like this. It would be wasted on her, and Henry actually had something he wanted while she didn't.

"Here," she said simply. Henry raised his eyebrows in surprise at her, but quickly guessed what she was doing.

"You shouldn't," he insisted, pressing it back toward her. "That's your fortune. Whatever happens, happens. I don't think the gods will let you just hand it off to anyone you know."

"Yeah," crowed Kazu with a laugh. "You might piss them off. Wouldn't want that to happen. You'd end up like ol' Chumley here." For emphasis, he reached over and rubbed Takato's head with a fist, giving his scalp an extra hard dig, causing the boy to finally reach up and grab hold of him by the wrist, pushing his arm away.

"Kazu…" Takato warned, glowering at him. The other boy simply grinned.

"Take it easy man, I was just joking. You know I always kid around."

"Yeah, Takato," supplied Kenta from behind him. "Don't be such a baby about it."

Takato heaved a sigh and massaged his head, attempting to get his hair back to something resembling order, a job made difficult by its penchant toward disorder. Almost against his will, his eyes flickered over to Rika before darting away once more toward the ground, a small, barely noticeable blush creeping its way across his face.

Rika noticed this, but didn't say anything. Out of all the people in the group, it seemed Takato was the least irritating - besides Henry of course. Of course, he had said just as much as she had - that is to say, barely anything at all.

Jeri now deposited her 5 yen as an offering and withdrew an O-mikuji. Unlike Rika, she unrolled it without concern and a smile bloomed across her face. Spinning around, she showed it off to the others. The kanji read Great Blessings in her romantic relationships. Kazu tsked at it.

"Figures that a girl would get that," he remarked. Jeri stuck her tongue out at him.

"Maybe if you didn't brag as much you'd have better luck with love. The gods don't like braggers."

"I do plenty fine with love," Kazu snorted and then forked over 5 yen for his O-mikuji. He quickly unrolled it, turning around as he did so, a bored expression on his face. He smirked.

"Guess I'm getting my desire too," he said, rolling it up. "All right Chumley. It's your turn on the chopping block again."

Tightening his lips, Takato exchanged his 5 yen for the O-mikuji that would seal his fate for the rest of the year. Unrolling it, his shoulders sagged a little.

"That bad, huh?" Kazu grinned, looking over his shoulder. "Oh...wow. Disputes! That's some pretty bad luck there."

"Put a sock in it," Takato grumbled under his breath, rolling his O-mikuji back up. Rika tapped his shoulder before pointing over to a metal fence where other O-mikuji were tied, bad fortune and good fortune alike. However, it was typically bad fortunes, and the half-Japanese girl felt there was no reason why Takato's bad luck couldn't wait by the pine tree with the others.

For whatever good it could do him - it already seemed to her that the curse was taking effect.

Takato jerked in surprise at Rika's touch and nearly spun around into her, but managed to catch himself at the last second. Following her finger to the metal fence, he raised an eyebrow before a light bulb turned on in his head. "Oh!" he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Ah...Thanks."

Blushing lightly again, he headed over to the fence, kicking himself mentally for not thinking about this earlier...or the year before when it had been no less obvious.

Yep. It's not just my imagination that's a curse, he berated himself, tying his bad luck up with the others.

Henry took note of this as he withdrew his O-mikuji and took a quick glance before rolling it up. Lost articles, he mused, noting that it came with a curse. Well, as Rika liked to say, we choose our own destiny.

That was...such a long time ago… he thought, his expression becoming melancholy as he looked each of his friends over, one by one. Things sure changed a lot…

Now however was not the time to be thinking about such things.

The last acquiring of O-mikuji was met with a groan from Kenta, who refused to divulge its contents despite even the best of Kazu's pesterings.

Give credit where credit is due, at least he didn't just take it from him and read it out loud, thought Henry, amused. Maybe there's some hope for him.

"Where should we head next?" Jeri asked the group, tucking her fortune away carefully in a clutch she had carried.

"We could all drink sake," Kazu grinned, earning him a frown from the brown-haired girl and a scowl from Rika. The teen simply shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, not so much as withering under their baleful glares. "Hey, I'm just throwing ideas out there. What've you got?"

"How about we just wander around?" Henry suggested. "Maybe we'll find something that interests us."

"There's lots of food," Takato added, grinning now. "I'm pretty sure we'll find that interesting."

"You'd know best, Chumley," Kazu smirked playfully.

"Food's fine," Rika grunted as her stomach rumbled slightly in agreement. Placing a hand over her stomach, willing it to be quiet, she looked up, standing on her toes as she tried to look over the sea of people. While she wasn't exactly a picky eater, there were foods she definitely preferred over others. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she noticed a Taiyaki stand a few yards away.

Without really saying much to anybody else, she began to wander over to the vendor.

Exchanging glances, the others were quick to follow behind.

"Just charging off like that without even waiting to wander around with the rest of us," Kazu grimaced. "That girl's crazier than catfish."

Rika was waiting for them at the end of the line - or really she was waiting for Henry. Honestly, she hadn't really cared if anybody followed her or not. If not, it was better for her - she might be able to slip out easier of this farce without being rude to Henry.

"Jeez, you should wait for us," Jeri complained as she joined the line, after casting a quick glance what it was for. "We're here as a group."

"Hn."

It wasn't what Rika really wanted to say, of course. There were several things she wanted to say - most notably that she only agreed to this outing because of Henry, and what would she care what the 'Demon Queen' did. However, she was being polite - she had to keep reminding herself that - so the million barbed wire comments waiting to leave at the tip of her tongue stayed silent.

"She's quite the talker," Kazu quipped, placing his hands on his hips and tilting his head to one side. "She's even worse than Chumley."

"Rika just has her own way of going about things," Henry defended with a small smile. "Sometimes you have to take small steps. Anyway, since she's made her decision about what she wants to do, what about the rest of you?"

"I wonder if there are any Hamaya being sold?" Jeri said, looking around. Kazu smirked.

"Why? Got some evil demons you need protecting from?"

Jeri regarded Kazu with a small, amused smile. "I've got you," she replied ambiguously, causing the teen to raise a confused eyebrow at her. Next to him, Takato barely managed to repress a laugh, causing Kazu to give him a sharp look.

"Maybe you should get yourself a Hamaya to protect yourself from Demon Queen there…" he said under his breath to Jeri.

"Don't worry, she's not my type," Rika quipped, hearing the conversation despite Kazu's "best" efforts to keep it quiet. She was trying to be polite, but he was making it harder than it should be.

A grin suddenly split across Kazu's face. "Too bad," he said mischievously, causing Jeri to raise an eyebrow at first before suddenly blushing as she, through her long years of association, realized what he was going on about.

"K-Kazu!" she stammered.

"What?" he laughed. "You said it, not me."

Takato heaved a small sigh, causing Henry to glance at him thoughtfully for a moment before stepping forward.

"How about we look around for a Hamaya stand then?" he asked, trying to salvage the outing. This was increasingly looking like a bad idea, but he wasn't willing to give up just yet.

"I'm almost to the front of the line. I need Taiyaki, Henry," Rika said bluntly as she inched forward.

"That's okay," Henry smiled. "We'll only be gone for a second. Takato can stay with you."

"Ah!" The boy flinched visibly and pointed at himself. "I...ah… Okay?" He glanced at Rika. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah," she grunted. If Henry wasn't the one staying, Takato was the one person she felt she could stand and be polite towards. The less temptation there was to snark, the better it would be for everybody. "That's fine if you want to."

"We won't be gone long," Henry assured, giving a light nudge against Kazu's back, causing the boy to glower at him even as he acceded to the pressure.

"Try not to do anything embarrassing while we're gone, Chumley," Kazu joked. "We know how much you like doing that, but I think Henry's pretty hot on his girlfriend hanging out with us tonight."

"Friend, Kazu," Henry said before Rika could explode on him, giving him a little extra encouragement to get moving. "We'll be back," he smiled over his shoulder, and with that the four disappeared into the crowd, leaving Takato and Rika alone together.

Rika glared at Kazu as they disappeared into the crowd, a million words at the tip of her tongue but not a single one in the air. At the end of this whole charade, Henry would owe her bigtime for having to put up with this group's drivel.

Honestly, this kid is the only redeeming feature of Henry's friends, she noted, taking a sidelong glance at Takato. No wonder Henry is worried about his friends drifting apart with people like this. What does he see in them?

"S-Sorry about that," Takato said. "Kazu can be a bit of a jerk sometimes. He's not a bad person, but he… Well, he just has a hard time remembering not to say everything that's on his mind."

He flushed a little. He wasn't used to talking much, especially to strangers, more so to strangers as pretty as Rika was.

"I don't know why you're apologizing," Rika said bluntly, feeling that 'a bit of a jerk' was the politest understatement Takato could have possibly uttered. She had several other adjectives she felt was more fitting. Imbecile. Dunce. Simpleton. Jackass.

"I guess I just feel bad about it," Takato shrugged. "I mean… This doesn't seem like…" Scrunching his face up, his brain abandoned his brain and he gave up pursuing them. What was the point? "Never mind. I guess I don't know what I'm talking about."

"Do you always stand up for those who don't deserve it and put down yourself?" she asked, frowning slightly. Honestly, it felt to her Takato was enabling Kazu's behavior while not agreeing with it. "Your friend mocks you enough - you don't need to add it yourself."

Takato shrugged, not really agreeing with her. "Kazu...didn't used to be like that. Well.. Okay, he still likes to brag a lot and...say stupid things sometimes, but… I've just known him for a long time. I guess…" He drifted off and then shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around the riddle of his friend. Deep down he knew this girl was right, but the strands of loyalty bound him tightly. "Anyway, sorry. I'll try to keep him quieter and...ah...separate from you."

He offered the girl a small, beaming smile. Despite his lack of confidence in himself, he meant what he said. At least when it came to Kazu, he knew where he stood.

A small smirk - barely noticeable - flashed across her face as they got to the front of the line finally.

"A real knight in shining armor, aren't ya?" she asked, but what might have been a barb in the past was more of a statement made on a light note. She found the gesture the crimson eyed boy was doing rather sweet, even if he did apologize a lot. Glancing at him, she paused when she saw white armor covering him, a red cape resting on his shoulders. With a blink, it was gone.

What was that? she wondered, slightly startled by how real it seemed before brushing it off as just her imagination.

Dipping her head, she looked at the fish shaped pastries trying to figure out which filling she wanted before deciding on getting one of each. Giving the vendor her order, she dropped the change into the man's outstretched hand as she collected her meal.

Giving another look at Takato, she held out one of the Taiyaki - the chocolate filled one - to him quietly. Henry wanted her to become friends with these people, so she supposed it might bode well to act a little friendly to the single person she didn't want to strangle.

Takato looked first at her and then the Taiyaki in surprise before, hesitantly, accepting it. "T-Thanks," he blushed, uncertain as to what to make of the gesture. "So what do you want to do now?" he asked, wanting to push past what felt like an incredibly awkward moment as quickly as possible.

"Probably find the others," she said simply, taking a bite out of the red bean paste one. It was her favorite flavor - a bit odd, perhaps, but she had developed a rather unique taste after spending countless festivals with her grandmother.

All the same, in all honesty, she wanted to go home. She was getting rather tired, and her mother's weeping seemed in hindsight much preferable to the tension which plagued the outing. Still, she made a promise to Henry and she intended to keep it.

Takato nodded, taking a bite out of his Taiyaki - his eyes widening slightly as he discovered it to be chocolate - and cast his eyes around for any sign of their group. It wasn't difficult to spot them fortunately, as Kazu's height made him stand out distinctively in the crowd.

"There," he said, swallowing his bite and pointing in Kazu's direction. They were in front of another vendor - not a Hamaya stand, but rather a Yakitori one. With nothing more that seemed needing to be said, the duo set off together, each with various degrees of reluctance.

At the stand, Rika noticed one of her mother's photos - they must have contracted with her for advertisement. Honestly, she was a bit surprised ma took such a low level job, but that was mother for her - she seemed to honestly enjoy modeling. It seemed to be a small business as well - despite her many, many flaws, mother was a great supporter of the local economy and those who put their own money forward on an idea.

"It takes a lot of courage, honey," Rumiko told her daughter as she combed her hair. "I just want to support that - to support their dream. Like my mother did me."

Of course, it seemed that Rumiko struggled on supporting her own daughter - at least in her interests.

But that isn't true - mama always allowed me to pursue whatever I wanted. She even asked about Digimon one time, even though she didn't get it…

Her brow furrowing, she took another bite out of her pastry. Her stomach twisted slightly for the first time that night upon realizing she left her mother and grandmother at the house themselves to spend time with people who were in majority strangers to her. Sitting in front of a television may not be glamorous by any means, but perhaps it was time with the family - her mother - she didn't have normally.

While waiting in line, Jeri turned to look at the photo of Rumiko. Reaching out, she picked it off the stand it was on and looked at it with a dreamy smile. At the bottom was a price marked at 3000 yen. Her smile dropped and she set it back down.

"She's very pretty," she said, disappointed that she couldn't afford it. Behind her, Kazu took a gander and grinned.

"Yeah, I'd fuck her," he laughed. "Looks like a ten out of ten to me."

Scowling, Jeri gave him a light elbow jab.

"Kazu!" she hissed. He stepped back, arms up in a placating gesture, but the cocky grin on his face didn't disappear.

Unfortunately for Kazu, while the insincere gesture might have been enough to placate one of the girls, the Demon Queen was not someone who would be easily forgiving.

"You goddamned-" she snarled in a bestial growl, and while she normally found swearing to be vulgar and beneath her, this cocky boy was beneath even that. However, as her hand rose to wipe that cocky smirk off his face and hopefully remove a few teeth, it was caught by the only other hafu of the group - Henry.

"How about we not resort to violence?" he asked, grey eyes locking with violet.

"Um… What's going on?" asked Kenta, adjusting his glasses as he suddenly made himself a part of the conversation. At this, Kazu turned with raised eyebrows.

"Oh hey! Chumley! You're back! And I see you brought a girl with…" He stopped upon realizing that Henry still held Rika's fist firmly in one hand, the two struggling against each other. "Whoa… Someone's knickers are in a bunch. Did I miss something?"

"I don't know," Kenta began. "It looked like Rika was about to punch one of us."

"Phht!" Kazu snarked. "Seriously? Ah, she probably hits like a girl…"

"Um… Haven't you been beaten up by a girl before?" Takato asked. Catching a look from Henry, he stepped between Rika and Kazu, suddenly getting the feeling that the time had come to keep his promise to make sure these two were separate from each other.

"I'll show him just how a girl can punch," she hissed at Henry, venom lacing her voice as her eyes burned with the fury of the sun. The anger which she normally had kept forced down, hidden, was beginning to boil once more to the top and was threatening to overflow.

She had tried to be nice. To be polite. However, this just crossed the line. This jackass would learn some manners.

"Okay, what feelings did I hurt to get you so riled up?" Kazu asked, folding his arms over his chest. "You just showed up threatening to punch me out. What's the deal?"

Takato frowned at the taller teen. "Could you dial it back a bit, Kazu? She's mad and I don't think she would be that way without a good reason."

"Dial what back? I'm not the one being bitchy right now."

"Kazu…" Now it was Takato's turn to start seeing a little red, though he kept himself more tightly restrained. His fists shook as his nails bit into his palms. "Knock it off."

Seeing this, Kazu looked honestly confused by his friend's attitude. He was supposed to be on his side! Not some stranger that Henry brought along. Tilting his head to one side, he cocked an eyebrow. "Okay Chumley. What the heck happened between you two when you were alone together that's got you so uptight? You white-knighting for her or something? She's not going to fuck you dude."

In a rush of adrenaline, Rika broke free from Henry's grip and followed through with her plan to punch Kazu in the face. It felt good, as her fist connected with his nose. It felt great, watching the piece of scum fall to his knees, cradling his face and blood beginning to drip down from his nose like a leaky faucet.

Kazu screamed into his hands as pain, shock and anger surged through him. She punched him. She punched him! Broke his nose by the feel of it screaming nerve obscenities at his brain's pain receptors. Distantly he heard Jeri's cry and the vendor shouting something, drowned out by Henry trying to restore order in the group by grabbing Rika and trying to restrain her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kenta back away, no doubt terrified.

Can't ever depend on him, he thought distractedly through his pain. In the war between it and his anger, anger quickly won out and he surged to his feet, ready to return the favor with interest...only to come to a dead stop as he saw the wild, furious look in Rika's eyes as she glared at him. In an instant, she wasn't just some girl in his eyes. She was some wild animal - a wild cat - looking to tear him apart.

His anger retreated, restoring some measure of clarity to his thoughts and, with great effort, he looked away, down at the ground where blood was starting to pool. His blood.

"I want you kids out of here, now!" the vendor shouted at them.

"We're going," Henry grunted against Rika's thrashing. "Rika! Calm down! We'll leave! Okay? Rika…" The girl tore free from Henry's grasp, but, for a wonder, chose not to do any further harm to Kazu. Instead, after brushing aside her bangs, she gave him one last venomous glare and stormed off. Running a hand through his hair, Henry gave everyone an apologetic look.

"Sorry," he said simply before rushing off after the girl, leaving the other four alone.

Takato stood there, shaking. He looked over at Rika's retreating form before heaving a sigh. Gathering as much self restraint as he could possibly muster, he took hold of Kazu by the arm and led him off. "Come on," he grated. "Let's get you cleaned up so your mother has less of a reason to kick your butt when you get home later."

"She punched me, Chumley! You saw that? She's freaking crazy…"

"I'm pretty sure the crazy one here was you, Kazu…"

Jeri and Kenta exchanged glances before following tentatively. Jeri lingered for a second longer, looking at the poster of the model, sensing that there had been something about it that had set Rika off.

For an instant, those violet eyes struck her as familiar, but before she could make the connection, she was broke out of her thoughts by Kenta.

"Let's go," the bespectacled boy said. "I think we've all had enough fun for one night."

Jeri nodded reluctantly before following after him.

Author's Note: Before you all leave, I just wanted to give a nod and credit to RGZ Archer who came up with the theory (although I don't like to call it that, feeling "all but confirmed canon" is much more appropriate) of Rika's heritage. Most notably the fact she is only half-Japanese. While we don't see much of it in this chapter with the exception of a singular mention, it is very possible and likely this will be explored in additional chapters as it is a big part of who Rika is. Especially when it comes to her grandmother. When that time comes, we will explain RGZ Archer's research more, and hopefully I won't sound like an idiot and get it wrong. xD