Destiny, Chapter 1: All Alone Again
"Forget it, Dad! You just don't understand!!" A fourteen-year-old girl yelled angrily. "Jeri, talk to me with some respect, damn it! I'm your father!" Jeri's father looked away from the road and lost control of his car. It skidded on the icy road and smashed into a guarder rail.
Drones of the world around her softly echoed in Jeri's head. "Jeri? Jeri, can you hear me?" A voice asked. Jeri opened her sparkling ruby eyes. "Ta… ka... to…?" She managed out, recognizing the voice. Relief painted the cinnamon-haired boy's features. "Wha… what happ… ened…?" She murmured. "You were in a car accident. You crashed into a guarder rail." He explained. "Whe… re's… my… dad…?" Takato's smile faded. "Takato?" She questioned. He looked away. "No…" She said catching on to Takato's hesitance. "No…" He looked back at her, teary-eyed. "I'm sorry, Jeri… you were the only one… who survived… I'm only here because I saw it on the news…" "N… n… no…" She sobbed. "I'm so sorry." Takato said sympathetically, holding Jeri as she cried.
A few days later, Jeri was released from the hospital. Nearly whisked away by Social Services, after some convincing from Rika, Rika's grandmother volunteered for Jeri to come life with them. And so she did. But Jeri had changed from the cheery girl she had been after their return to the real world, she was similar to how she acted in the Kernel Sphere. Again, she had lost the people she loved.
The lonely teenage girl laid on her futon, staring numbly up at the ceiling. Her beautiful ruby eyes, once sparkling with hope, were now dull, empty orbs of crimson that glistened with tears. "Jeri, are you okay?" Came Rika's voice hesitantly. Jeri just muttered and rolled over onto her side. With Jeri's back now facing her, Rika just sighed sadly. "Good night, Jeri." She said before drifting into a light sleep. Once she knew Rika was asleep, she stood up, pulling her blanket around her shoulders. She then slid her slippers over her chilly feet and wandered over to the door.
She pushed the door and amado out of her way and stood on the engawa. She watched as the wind swirled the snowflakes around, the cold not seeming to phase her. "Why didn't I die?" She spat coldly. "Why am I still here?" Tears softly fell from her eyes. "I'm better off dead… everyone I love is… except…" Her voice drifted off. "Even though he's still alive… I can't tell him… I can't show affection towards him… then… then he'd die too…" She fell to her knees and cried. "Jeri, what are you doing out here in this snowstorm?" Rika asked worriedly approaching the girl. "Go away." She spat bitterly. "You'll just die too if you get close to me! You'll leave me alone like everyone else!" She said. "No I won't, Jeri!! I'm your friend! Friends don't turn their backs on their friends when they're in need." Rika said, letting her guards down and showing her gentler side. "I promise, Jeri. I won't leave you." She said hugging the auburn haired girl as she cried. "It's alright, Jeri, don't worry… it's alright…" Jeri pulled away from Rika. "Please, Rika, you're my best friend. I don't wanna take a chance on losing you too… you should just stay away from me." And with that, Jeri went inside. Rika sighed sadly. "We all care for you, Jeri… we're not going to just let you isolate yourself…" She whispered even though she knew Jeri couldn't hear her. Little did Rika know… Jeri did.
As Rika laid down, she fell asleep worried about Jeri. And, she could've sworn, that she heard a soft "Thank you…"
Author's Note: No, this is not a Rika/Jeri. It's a Rika/Jeri friendship fic… and a romance between Jeri and one of the guys. But not a Rika/Jeri… ew… I promise a longer chapter next time!! And just to note, a futon is one of those mats they sleep on… like Rika does, an amado is a rain door, which people who live in temples and stuff with those light doors put up during storms and an engawa is a veranda.