Run(A)Way

By: Tainted Fire

-Chapter Three-

Finally, the last period of the day Rika thought wearily. She glanced over at Taichi, who was strutting along side her. Taichi probably isn't thrilled with the idea of "attending" school, oh well.

That's his problem.

The pair walked through the doors of the girls' gym and noticed most of the students wandering through a door labeled Dressing Rooms'.

"Hey Rika, I forgot to mention this before," Tai began.

"What is it now?" the fiery-tempered teen demanded.

"I have this note here saying you're not allowed to participate in any of the activities. It's from your mother. She told me she doesn't want you scraping, bruising, or injuring yourself."

"So what am I supposed to do? Sit on the sidelines and do nothing? Gee, that sounds like fun," she noted sarcastically.

"Well, what can you do about it?" Taichi sighed.

Rika raised a delicate brow before gently taking the note out of Tai's hand. She read it over once, then looked at him accusingly. Without taking her eyes of her bodyguard, she slowly crumpled the paper into her mouth, where she proceeded to chew it. She gave him a smug look and nodded her head slightly before swallowing the soggy wad of stationary paper.

"That," she paused, "is what." She strolled off, leaving her mentor to wonder.

"Nonaka, right?" a burly woman asked.

Must bet the coach, what a slob how can she possibly be teaching physical education? "Yeah."

"You'll need to purchase a uniform. They cost fifteen dollars, if you don't have the money today, I'll excuse you from class today."

Rika rolled her eyes and whipped out a fifty. "Got change?" she asked mockingly.

Once dressed in her new pair of itchy gym shorts and a shirt with the enlarged, overly enthusiastic school mascot printed on the front in the school's colors, she joined the rest of the girls for the warm-up stretching and roll-call.

"Okay, who's not here today?" a different coach (than the one Rika bought the uniform from) yelled to the masses.

"Coach Motimiya?" [A/N: Yes, this is Jun, . I couldn't help myself! Lol] "Winona went home early!"

Rika turned her head to see the three girls who were with the one who she punched. "Yeah, she probably went home to cry to her daddy. Fix my face daddy! Fix my face!' Give me a break" Rika muttered under her breath. The few girls situated around her snickered.

"Anyone else missing?" Coach Motimiya asked. There was no response. "Great! Now, since I let you watch the football team practice last semester-" Rika groaned inwardly "-we'll have to actually do something today." Moaning and curses were heard through the echoes of the gym. "I know, I want to watch those cutie guys too-" Rika stared at the odd woman with disbelief "-but we're going to play kickball! So, I want the left half of the room to be kicking and I want the right half to be pitching."

Rika was on the left half of the room, so she went over with her temporary team to kick. The first girl bunted the red rubbery ball towards the first base and was tagged out. The second and third girls made it to first base, but the second didn't get to the second base.

What pathetic weaklings, Rika thought as she stepped up to home plate preparing to kick. As the poorly tossed ball, bouncing once or twice, came toward her, she drew her leg back and launched her foot at the ball. It went sailing across the high-ceilinged room every girl turned her head upwards to see where it would land several danced around going to attempt to catch it

"URG!" And hit Taichi in the face.

Rika smirked as she ran around the bases and yelled, "Sorry Tai!" The brown-haired man stumbled around dazedly before falling promptly on his rear. The opposing team ran towards the ball, running over Tai in the process. They were too slow, however, and Rika round the third base for a home run.

Rika dabbed the beads of sweat off her forehead with a towel before hopping in one of the school showers to rinse off. After dressing, she made her way out of the dressing room to find Taichi sitting in the wooden bleachers with an ice pack on his face.

"Oi Rika, next time don't hit so hard oooo," Tai trailed off.

Rika hid a giggled behind her hand as Taichi stumbled getting up.

"I just wanna go home," the bodyguard whined.

"I have detention, remember?"

"Aw man do you have to go? Can't we skip it?"

"No, if I skip detention this time, they'll just give me more tomorrow. I have to go to my locker, then we'll head down to the detention hall."

Along the way, Ryo showed up to walk with Rika.

"Hey Rika! So how was your first day here?"

Rika rolled her eyes. "It was one of the most horrible experiences of my life."

"Really? Oh, well," he gave her a charming smile, "at least we met."

"Aren't you conceited? I don't care if I met you or not, you're just another parasite on my back. And don't you think you're laying it on a little thick?"

Ryo grinned and winked at her. "Most girls wouldn't know."

Rika began to say I'm not like most girls' but stopped herself. "Whatever"

"Ow Rika my face still hurts" Tai complained.

"Stop your blubbering, I said I was sorry."

"Yeah, but—" he was cut off by the sound of a cell-phone ringing. He dropped the ice pack from his face and pulled out a phone. "Hello? (Pause) Yes, I understand. (Pause) Glad to talk to you too again. (Pause) Yeah, I'll tell her. We've got a study group to attend, so we'll be late. Four o'clock sound good? (Pause) See you then."

"A study group to attend?" Rika quoted. "Who was that?"

"Your grandmother."

"What did she want?"

"I'll tell you later."

"You lied to her for me?"

"Well, yeah I didn't think she wanted to hear about the fight you got into."

"Don't you ever think things through? How am I going to explain this?" She pointed to the scratch marks on her face.

"Gym class?"

"I'm not supposed to be doing gym class, remember?"

"Er well, I dunno we'll think of something," Tai reasoned.

Taichi held the door open while Rika and Ryo went through.

In a random outburst, the detention teacher seemed to spurt fire behind him and loom over the two entering teens. "De~tention slips!" he roared over-dramatically.

Ryo and Rika exchanged looks and sweat-dropped. "We don't have any" Ryo answered for both of them.

"Then what are you doing here?" he continued to roar. "Get out!" Not wanting or caring to argue, both teens exited the room.

"The principle forgot to give us the detention slips," Rika explained to Taichi, who was standing outside the room.

"Okay, well your ride isn't coming for an hour, so why don't you head down to the library to do homework?" suggested the brown-haired man. "I'm going to get some food"

Rika rolled her eyes and sighed. "I suppose you're going to tell me where the library is," Rika stated to Ryo expectantly.

He grinned, "I'll walk you down there."

Great just great this is just what I need.

"Good thing the principle didn't hand us those slips, huh?" Ryo commented lightly.

"It really doesn't matter to me. It's either stuck with you there or stuck with you here."

Surprising Rika, Ryo laughed. "Well You know what, your bodyguard reminds me an awful lot of the main character of digimon, Tai they even have the same names kind of."

Rika thought about her mentor if he grew his hair longer like the digimon character and wore those goofy goggles he wore on the weekends he might just stand a resemblance. "So what?"

"I don't know" Ryo smirked and scratched the back of his head. "You're not exactly what I expected."

Rika growled softly, "How many times am I going to tell you? Never assume things about me. I'm not perfect and I don't want to be."

Ryo was taken aback by his companion's statement. She doesn't want to be perfect? What's that supposed to mean? He thought in confusion. He glanced at her sideways as they continued to walk the hallways. She was beautiful, of course, even when wearing unflattering clothing. Her clear and pale skin, full pink lips, and fiery red hair made her look well, striking. If she had been a random person in a crowd, she would indefinitely turn heads.

"See something you like?" she sneered, obviously catching his stare.

"You know, a lot more people would like you if you weren't so rude and snappy," he glared at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Rika seethed sarcastically. "Did I hurt your feelings?"

How can she be like that? She's so stubborn! "Here's the library." He showed her to the door and began to open it, before noticing the note on the door. He read aloud, "For the first week of the second semester, the library will be closed for meetings of the school board. From the Administrative Board of Education."

"So does that mean we can't get in?" Rika asked harshly.

"I suppose so If you'd like, I'll walk with you to the cafeteria to meet your bodyguard" Ryo suggested.

"Well all right. But don't get any ideas," she warned.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Taichi plunked his quarters in the vending machine and selected the numbers for the chocolate covered rice ball. He nearly drooled as the rice ball was moved forward with the metal rings on the inside. Unfortunately for Tai, the snack's plastic wrap caught on the edge, which prevented it from falling. "Noooo!" he shouted, completely crestfallen. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, he bumped the side of the vending machine to attempt getting the treat down. Failing, he stuck his hand through slot to collect the food and reached up and grabbed it. As he pulled it down, he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

"Need any help?" Sora giggled. Taichi grinned and shook his head no, then pulled out the rice ball.

"Got stuck," Tai explained smiling. Sora shook her head good-naturedly as the man stood up to confront her. "So, Sora—"

"Taichi, you want to do something this Saturday?"

"That'd be great," Tai said warmly, making the crimson-haired teacher blush.

"Tai! The library was closed," Rika called out, entering the cafeteria with Ryo.

"Well I suppose I could call your grandmother and tell her to come early"

"Why is she coming?" she asked shortly.

"Mrs. Nonaka had a spur-of-the-moment fashion shot in Paris, so you'll be staying with your grandmother until she returns," he informed.

"Er Rika, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Ryo told the fuming girl.

"Fine, whatever," she gritted through her teeth. When Ryo left, Sora bid her farewells and left also. "Why does she have to go and ruin my life!?" Rika cried out to the empty, echoing cafeteria. "I can't take it, Tai! I just can't!"

"Rika," Tai said softly, embracing the young girl, "not now. You need to be strong."

Rika quivered and looked through unshed tears. "You should call now." She left Tai's hold and sat down on the nearest seat.

"I'm not perfect and I don't want to be."

Her words ran through Ryo's head as he listened to her just outside the cafeteria. She was cruel and tempered, but he knew there was something else in her. Something he planned to figure out.

I'll know your secrets soon enough, Rika Nonaka, he thought walking out to his car.

Rika banged her head into the soft pillow over and over. "When will this nightmare END?" she screamed into the digimon-pillow-cased cushion.

"Sweetie?" Rika's grandma asked tentatively.

"What?" she answered with her voice muffled by the pillow.

"I thought you might like some tea I made. I brought some bread fresh from the oven too!" she smiled.

"Oh um, thanks," Rika replied quietly. Her grandmother placed the tray on Rika's bedside drawers.

"Do you like the new sheets?" she asked cheerfully. "I saw them in the store and since you were into the digimon or whatever they might be, I bought them for your bed here."

Rika gave her maternal grandmother a small, reserved smile. "I like them, glad you picked them up for me."

"No trouble at all!" she stated while leaving the room.

The strawberry-haired teen grabbed the mug of tea and drank some of it. She pretends she understands pathetic. She shook her head. At least she's a trustworthy care

Sighing, she finished eating and flopped onto her bed. "This has got to be one of the longest days in history."

Junbug: Lol, I wouldn't have expected any less from you!
Arabella Silverbell: Glad you like it! ^_^
Baby Angel Wings: Okay, I'll be sure to do that.
DBZstar: Lol, read the 2nd chapter first? Well, they haven't exactly met before, I guess I should've made that clearer. Glad you're enjoying it!
Midnight: I like Taichi as her bodyguard too hehehe
Koji Imate: They are mean, aren't they? I thought the character was a little weak, but she served her purpose *cackles quietly* mwahahaha
Silver sunlight: Thanks! I like your penname by the way, it's cool!
Riah-chan: Glad you like it!
Nicole: Arigato!
PaJamas: Gracias!
Endless Rain: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it!
Sweetpea: Thanks!
Hoobastanker: ^_^ Happy you like it!
DinsFire: You're a Zelda fan too? *grins* Yay for blonde elfins! Thanks!
Fallon: Thank you!
Mika aka Digiberry: Thanks for the encouragement!
Sonydjsnmix: Well, lol, here's the second time!
C Queen: Glad you like it!
Saiyan Warrior Princess: (*grins* I like your penname! Yay for DBZ!) Thanks!
Asira: Wow! Thanks! ^_^

Thanks for all the reviews ya'll!—I'm a Texan, I'm allowed to say ya'll Sorry I hadn't gotten this up faster, but once ff.net went down and began giving me grief, I couldn't get it up. I should have the fourth chapter up soon.
~TF tainted_fire@hotmail.com

NOTICE: Is Ryo out of character? Please tell me if he is. Truth be told, I hated 03 for the longest time until I saw the last episode with Ryo and Rika (I had seen Rika before and was like "Who the hfil is he?") making eyes at each other or whatever So, naturally I had to read fics to figure out his character. If someone would email me describing his personality on the show, I would. I will er, aw hell, I'll give you the next chapter in advance. Sound good?