A/N: Wow, it looks like I'm causing quite a stir of opinions in the review section. Anyway, I was finishing up this chapter when I got an e-mail from a writer. Per her suggestions (grr.) , I decided to change the second half of this chapter (DC is going to kick my ass), and I have to say it was a lot harder. I know that a couple of you wanted me to listen to no one else in writing my story, but sorry, this reviewer is a very good writer and I have to observe her ideas. Hopefully this isn't my rookie status making this decision. I hope this still satisfies all of your needs. This is a long chapter.

Also, check out my new story: Friendship and Love!

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Takato couldn't believe his eyes. There, lying in a small pool of blood, lay his good friend Jeri Katou.

And she wasn't moving.

Takato panicked. His mind raced with scenarios. 'What if she tried to kill herself? Who did this?" He looked at Jeri, who still did not make a move.

Just then, a woman came in looking for a free stall. She went in the one Takato and Jeri occupied. She saw the boy first.

"Hey! Young man, you are in the women's bathroom! Get out of here- "

"There's a girl unconscious, maybe dead, and I suggest you call the damn 911!" He shouted back. The woman looked at him, then at Jeri. She nearly screamed, but regained her composure and dialed 911 on her cell phone.

"Don't worry, Jeri, you'll be ok."

****************

September 20, 2003

"Hmm? Where.am I?"

"The hospital. Hey Jeri, I see you're finally awake," came a voice she immediately recognized.

"Oh, Takato! I can't tell you how good it is to see you!"

Takato smiled. It made him feel so much better to see her alive and doing well, and how she said that it was good to see him.

Those words-



*Flashback*

"Hey Jeri! Wakey, wakey!" Called Calumon.

"Can you hear me? Jeri, it's me," Takato whispered.

She came back to her senses. "Takato.you finally came.

He smiled. "Well of course I did! What did you think? I'd leave you?"

She smiled with him. "I can't tell you.how good it is to see you!"

*End Flashback*

Takato remembered those words from long ago. How she said it. It was exactly like this.

Takato needed some time to think about it. "Um. Jeri, maybe you'd like to see your parents alone," he said, walking outside.

************

Takato sat outside in the waiting room. Jeri. She couldn't. is she still in love with me? After what she overheard last night, she's willing to forgive and forget, willing to tell me that she can't say how good it is to see me? Just like in the D-reaper? I know she liked me then, but does she still like me now? Maybe I've not realized the love and forgiveness she has, especially with what happened with her and Beelzemon those years ago.

And Rika. She lied to me. Why?

As Takato pondered these thoughts, Jeri's dad and stepmother came out of her hospital room.

"She wants to see you," Her dad said without looking at him. Takato looked at him, nodded, and opened the door.

**************

"Do you know what happened to you?" Takato asked her. He had an idea, but he wanted to be sure about it before he made any accusations.

"Well," Jeri started, "My memory's a bit shaky, but."

*Flashback*

Jeri ran directly to the girls bathroom and locked herself in a stall. She held her thoughts only to herself.

'How could Takato not like me? Why did Rika say that?' she thought, sobbing.

Suddenly the door to the bathroom opened and the girl walked inside. She heard Jeri sobbing, so she decided to see what was the matter. She looked under the stall and saw a familiar pair of shoes. "Jeri?"

"Rika?" She stepped up, but she immediately stopped crying and put on a serious face. "Why the hell did you say that about me?"

"About what?" she asked innocently while walking into the stall.

"You know what. I'm too wild and no one should go out with me?"

Rika laughed. "Oh yeah, that. Well, it is true."

Jeri couldn't take it anymore. She lost her temper. "Take that back, you bitch!" Jeri didn't realize what she said until it already came out of her mouth, a habit she knew she had to break.

"Um," Rika said to herself, then at Jeri, "I don't think I will."

"You will take that back!" she said, her senses taking over, then threw a hard punch at Rika. It connected and left Rika dazed, but she still had a lot left in her.

"Ohh, I'll make you sorry you ever did that," Rika responded with a more powerful version of a punch that landed at Jeri's face. The force sent Jeri back and she hit her head on the toilet, initiating a deep gash on the back of her head.

"Not so wild now, aren't you?" She taunted to Jeri as she fell unconscious.

*End Flashback*

"That's all I could remember," Jeri said. "Sorry if I didn't tell you enough."

Takato couldn't believe it again. His prediction was right. "No." He said to her, palms sweating. "You said just enough." His quote-unquote girlfriend, Rika, beating up a helpless girl like Jeri, who acted on instinct rather than conscience. He couldn't believe Rika would do such a thing to her friend. He knew Rika could control herself better than that. But he traced back to the roots of the problem. He and Rika were being unfair to Jeri. Talking bad about her. They took her for granted.

"Look, you have to take the initiative, Jeri." He said to her. "Don't keep apologizing or forgiving so quickly. People like Rika will be quick to take advantage of you. They know you'll forgive them without thinking so be sure to think about it before you act."

Jeri looked at him, wondering what he was talking about. Takato knew he had made a big mistake.

Tears started to form at his eyes. "I'm so sorry Jeri. I was wrong to take you for granted like that. I shouldn't tell you how to live. God made you to love and forgive, and I love you for doing that."

Jeri started to cry also. "Oh, Takato." she said, pulling him in for a hug, a hug that meant little, yet so much.

****************

Takato paused. "So that's what happened to Jeri."

The four other boys occupying the vicinities of Shinjuku Park looked at him. "Good God!" Kazu blurted. "Well, I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Rika's crazier than catfish."

Takato frowned. "You think this is funny? Funny my foot. As soon as I can talk to her alone, I'm going to break up with her. I never knew she had this side."

Henry looked at him. "Boy, you know darn well about this side of Rika. Remember when she thought about hurting Calumon?"

"Yeah, but this is today's Rika, not two years ago Rika. Anyway," Takato concluded. "I'm going home to go think about some things." With that, he got up and left the park.

"C'mon, chumly," Kazu motioned to Kenta. "Let's go visit Jeri, maybe go get a card." So those two went off, leaving Henry and Ryo.

"Let's talk for a minute," Ryo said to Henry.

Henry looked at him. "Uh.ok." He readied to leave but decided to sit down.

"Do you realize what a great opportunity this is?" Ryo asked, smiling.

"Great opportunity what is?" Henry returned, confused.

"Takato is going to break up with Rika. That's my chance to get her!"

Henry didn't believe what was coming out of Ryo's mouth. He shook his head. "Hold on there! What makes you think you would want her? Didn't you just hear what she did to Jeri? Or did you hit your head on a toilet also?"

"Dude, she's hot-"

Henry had enough. "Idiot! There's more to a girl than just her looks! Don't you get it? Beauty is only skin-deep! Beauty is only the crust! Beauty is overrated! Look, I'll admit that she is one of the most beautiful girls I have ever met, but if I ever want to go out with her, I will make sure she gets rid of this little problem of having temper outbursts!" He left in disgust.

"Dude, you'd better control your problem of having temper outbursts." Ryo, all alone, had a conversation with his own thoughts. 'Was I really that blind? I guess there is more to Rika than what she appears. Henry was right. If I ever want to become friends or anything more, I must change her negative personality. I must help her.'

Sad, however, that it took poor Ryo this long to figure that out.

****************

September 26, 2003

I'm not ready for this.

My grades are dropping in nearly every subject, even Keyboarding and English. I hardly am concerned with my grades, but when an A drops to a B- , I have to take action. Also, here I am, with a stupid Biology project due on Monday, haven't done a bit of it, I have to apologize to Jeri, I guarantee she won't forgive me, and I haven't spent much time with my mother and grandma lately.

And I have a date with Takato tonight.

There are just so many things to do. Having a boyfriend isn't helping anything. Maybe this boyfriend-girlfriend isn't as good as I thought it would be. I mean, I know Takato cares about me, and I care about him, but there just isn't any time for him. I have come to a decision.

Rika Nonaka, signing off.

She closed her journal and put her shoes on. Picking up her phone, she pressed the speed dial button for Takato's number. 'Guess I'll have to erase that,' she said to herself.

"Hello?"

"Takato, it's me."

"Look, Rika, I can't talk to you right now-"

"No, Takato, this is very important."

He paused for a minute. "Ok," he said very hesitantly.

"Meet me in the park right away," She said, hanging up.

**************

Takato hung up after he heard dial tone. "I guess I'll have to tell her there," He said to himself.

**************

Rika walked around in the park. It was pretty cloudy, but there was no sign of rain-yet. She looked up in the little fort where it all started. The whole adventure. She went up the steps to the fort, thinking of what to say.

"Takato, this just isn't working out between us, I don't have the time, I don't have the dedication, I don't have the complete desire to stay with you like-no, not that."

"I'll have to break up with you. I can't tell you why, it just is for the better." Rika knew that wouldn't work either. She had to come up with something soon. Too late.

"Takato, I have something to tell you-" she started.

"No, I have something to tell you. Wait, I have something to ask you," Takato retorted. "Why did I ever think I should go out with you?"

Rika was set back. "Hold on a sec. what are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. Jeri."

"Oh, that," Rika sighed. "Look, Takato, I was going to apologize to her-"

"Apologize for nearly killing her. Like she'll forgive you." Takato said. "Let me tell you something now-"

"No, I want to say something now. It's my turn," Rika calmed down. "I don't think we should go out anymore."

Takato gave her a surprised look. "Wait, you were going to."

"Yes, I was going to, and I am going to. Look, I have too many things to do and to many things to take care of, and I'm just not ready for this." She looked directly at his eyes. "We're too young to be worrying about this! Don't you have more important things to do? Like schoolwork?"

"Hold on, hold on. You came here to break up with me?"

Rika frowned. "I had to. It was the thing I could get rid of to make time for my other activities." She immediately kicked herself for saying such a thing. But it was too late.

Takato and Rika both thought they were talking to walls. One would try to communicate to the other about their situation, but the other one would try to drive their point more. Rika gave up. Takato was to head strong on this one to give way.

"Well, I planned to break up with you," he confessed. Rika looked at him, then at the ground.

There was a long pause, for what seemed like hours, was actually seconds.

"Maybe we should just be friends," Rika said. "It was so much better that way."

"No. Not even that. Until you change your personality from beating a helpless girl like Jeri to a sweet and lovable girl that looks and cares after others, I won't even talk to you." Takato, now in tears, ran out of the smelly fort, leaving Rika behind.

Rika fell on her knees. "Takato."

***************

Jeri took a tray filled with remnants from her dinner and put it on her nearby desk. She would be released from the hospital the next day, and her head felt a lot better. She was bored, so she looked over her get-well cards. She started with the card from Kazu:

"Hey Jeri! Get well soon so we can trade more digimon cards and I could beat you! -Kazu"

Jeri shelved through the cards until she got to the bottom. It was Takato's.

"Jeri, you have been a very sweet friend. Your honesty and love is what makes you you. Don't ever change the way you are. Love, Takato."

Jeri read the card over and over again, and then put it to her chest and sighed. "Takato." A friend of hers that she wished would be just a little bit more than just a friend.

****************

Rika walked down across town to the hospital. She would go apologize with Jeri, and whether she forgave her or not, she still had to do it. She figured the horrible inevitable, but what had to be done had to be done.

After 30 minutes of walking, Rika approached the large building. She took a deep breath and walked in.

'The place is bigger inside,' she thought. She went up to the service desk.

"May I help you?" The young lady attending the desk asked.

"I'm looking for Jeri Katou's room," she said.

After searching on a computer, "Room 352. Take that elevator to the third floor," she pointed to the elevator not too far away- "go left and it should be one of the doors on the right."

She gave a "thank you" to the attendant and ran over to the elevator. She got out, ran to her left and looked for a 352. Upon finding it, she slowly opened the door.

"Jeri?" She quickly recognized the voice.

"What are you doing here?" Rika sighed.

"I'm here to tell you something." She walked over to Jeri, who would have none of it.

"Stay back!" Jeri said, picking up a nearby flower pot and holding it up, as if to hit her with it.

"Cool down," Rika responded, her hands waving back and forth. Jeri hesitated, but she slowly put the flowerpot back on the desk. Rika sat down on the guest's chair.

"What do you want with me?"

"Jeri, I wanted to apologize." Jeri looked at her.

"Excuse me? You tried to kill me!"

Rika shrugged. "I exactly wouldn't call it killing. But you're kind and forgiving right? I mean, I really regret doing that, and if I could go back in time, I wouldn't have done something stupid like that. I don't expect you to forgive me, but if you were, I would forever be in your debt.

Jeri paused. 'I must forgive her. She means well, and it took a lot of bravery to not throw a punch at me when she entered, nonetheless the fact that she even showed up.' She however, remembered what Takato said here yesterday.

-They know you'll forgive them without thinking, so be sure to think about it before you act.-

She was caught between a rock and a hard place. If she forgave her, that meant Rika took full advantage of the fact that she was easy to ask for forgiveness. On the other hand, if she didn't forgive her, she could very well jeopardize the friendship that had already been weakened with the incident last week.

After thinking for a while, she came up with a decision.

"Rika."

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A/N: Well, there was the alternate chapter that I have decided to post up, and this is what I'm working with now. If you want the original chapter that I had planned to use previously, just email me and I'll be more than happy to email you a copy. Keep in mind, however, that I will not be building off of that chapter, but I am working off of this very chapter you just read.

As for the story, what will happen? Will Jeri forgive Rika? Or will she break her spirits? And what about Takato? What will he do now?

Sorry about the change in chapters. I thought my previous one was better written, but this one was really more accurate.

Till next time.