Author's Note: You people must not listen to Matchbox Twenty, either that or just like me too much to tell me I got the names of the songs wrong. A friend of mine had borrowed the actual CD case for lyrics and things like that, so all I had to go on was the lyrics off the music itself... and since I had just gotten the "More Than You Think You Are" CD, I didn't know the names of most of the songs.. so *bows* my apologies.

I was too nervous to say it at first, but this story is sort-of based of a real-life experience of mine.. only the past members of the Digimon Role-Playing Game of North Carolina could truly understand this story.
And yes, Keith (Teenager Kazu) is right, in order to put things behind me, I have to write them into Rika's own life, then I'm able to put it past me and live on.. this is definatly one of those things. If my friends who haven't known me that long *taps DreamKeeper Jeri* wish to learn a few new things about me, this is probably the best way to find out.

Okay and my friends have been telling me to try and 'be better than the fans.. because they're reading your story.. not the other way around', but it goes against my so-called "humble"(?) nature. .. See without you guys there to read my stories in the start, I wouldn't BE popular and I wouldn't HAVE a story to write, so here, I'm gonna give credit to y'all who read it (other than Teenager Kazu because you're the one with the 'better than your fans' philosophy in the first place)..

I love Jenrya
Henrika
Takako
renamon25
littleweirdwriter
Teenager Henry (of course)
Yavahna, Warrior Goddess
.. and yet he still tells me my chapters are good... arghforge

^_^ and thanks a bunches to LittleTakato33 and his website for giving me an A+ authors rank! It's a great honor!!

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Just a day just an ordinary day, just trying to get by.
Just a boy just an ordinary boy, but he was looking to the sky and
As he asked if I would come along I started to realise
That everyday he finds just what he's looking for.
Like a shooting star, he shines, he said..

Take my hand, live while you can.
Don't you feel your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand?

And as he spoke he spoke ordinary words,
Though they did not feel.
For I felt what I had not felt before
And you swear those words could heal and
As I looked up into those eyes, his vision borrows mine.
And I know he's no stranger for I feel I've held him for all of time.
And he said..

Take my hand, live while you can.
Don't you feel your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand?

Please come with me, see what I see.
Touch the stars for time will not flee.
Time will not flee, can't you see...

Just a dream just an ordinary dream
As I wake in bed.
And that boy, that ordinary boy, was it all in my head?
Didn't he ask if I would come along? It all seemed so real.
But as I looked to the door I saw that boy
Standing there with a deal, and he said..

Take my hand, live while you can.
Don't you feel your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand?

----- Ordinary Day - Vanessa Carlton -----

"-- and you'll need to grab your jackets and bundle up today. The sun will break through the clouds and the temperature will rise to around forty degre---" the small television in the kitchen spat off the last words of the weather report before Rika clicked the remote button and shut the picture into a black screen. She turned and looked at Henry who was struggling to keep a wriggling Suzy under control as he attempted to slide a thick baby-pink jacket over her arms.
"Suzy-- hold still!"
"-- and then, Jackie wan into the woods.. and now they'wre not sure they'll be able to find hewr evewr evewr again!" Suzy continued ranting about the show she had watched early that Saturday morning, turning this way and that in order to talk directly to Henry's face, and at the same time, throwing Henry off and the jacket fell onto the floor time and time again.
Rika covered her mouth to surpress a laugh, just as Henry looked up at her and scowled. "You're liking this a little too much, Rika."
"I know." she grinned, and another sharp look from Henry caused her to stand up, and walk to where Henry kneeled on the ground.
"For goodness sakes, it's just a jacket, Henry." she corrected her sudden perky mood, growled at him, and snatched the jacket out of his hands.
She kneeled down beside him, gently pushing him to the side with her hip, and waited patiently for Suzy's many rants to calm down. After a few minutes of hearing a story-plot Rika had no clue even existed, the girl calmed down enough for Rika to slip the jacket over her arms, and even turn her around to zip up the front.
"There." Rika said in a satisfactory voice, leaning back on her heels.
"Rika you're my hero." Henry said quietly, almost in a state of awe as Rika stood up and shrugged.
"As I said.. it's just a jacket, but--" teasingly, Rika put her hand on the boys shoulder and faked a sympothetic look. "-- you'll get it."
Henry made a face at her and followed her out of the room, Suzy close behind realising if she didn't hurry they'd leave her behind. "Very funny." he retorted, snatching his own jacket that Rika's mother had bought him, and stepping a distance back as to not hit someone in the face as he strugged to put it on. "So where are we planning on going, again?"
"The mall--" Rika had already put her jacket on, and was now sliding the black cellphone into her pocket.
Suzy who had been overly perky the entire morning was now strangely quiet as she listened to the conversation between the two teenagers, looking between each of them for any hint of a glint in their eyes. She sat down on the wooden bench in the small foyer, eyes still on them, and frowned at their casual talk. They didn't seem to be interested in each other at all-- now what was she going to do? Henry and Rika talked on about a certain store in the mall and a certain movie they could buy there, something Suzy had no interest in even if she understood it, especially when the news of her not being able to watch the higher-rated movie reached her ears.
"Sorry, Suzy.." Henry said patiently. ".. it's rated PG-13.. you're too young to see a movie like that. Rika and I are going to have to watch it alone this time."
Suzy's frown melted away, and she did all she could to hide away a hint of excitement in her voice. "That's okay, Henwy..."
Henry gave a bit of a start at her words and both he and Rika exchanged surprised glances. "It's.. okay?"
"Mmm hmm!" Suzy slipped off the bench and rushed towards the front door, seeing Rika finish off Henry's outfit by throwing a white scarf around his neck, much to his disliking.
"I'm already burning up in this outfit--" Henry started to protest, and Rika smirked at him.
"You'll live. Besides, Mom's making us walk to the mall, you'll get cold soon enough." she retorted.
"And since when are you so worried about me?"
Rika shrugged a responce and closed the door behind them, shrinking back a bit from the sudden blast of cold air hitting her in sharp contrast to the heat of the house.
It had grown exceedingly cold in the last day or so, and yet the weather man on television still insisted highs in the forties until Christmas. Rika gave a quick glace at the thermometer attached to the inside of the wall that surrounded their home. That couldn't be right, it only read that it was about twenty degrees--
Rika stopped a moment to take a closer look at it, and Henry grabbed the edge of Suzy's jacket as the girl went bounding past him, oblivious now to Henry or Rika with her mind set on going shopping.
"Henwy!!" she exclaimed, twisting a bit under his grasp, but Henry either didn't hear her, or just pretended not to.
"Rika?"
Rika straightened up and looked at him. "I think it's busted." she snorted, and Henry let the twisting child go and leaned down a bit beside Rika to take a look at the thermometer also, just as a light snow started to fall from the sky.
Suzy gave a quick gasp of delight, and both Henry and Rika looked up also. "Didn't the weather-guy say no snow today?" Rika asked with a bit of curiousity in her voice and she stood up straight again, holding her hand out to catch a few snowflakes.
"Yeah.." Henry's voice wasn't full of curiousity, just worry. The last time West Shinjuku had seen snow this early was back when--
He shook the thought out of his mind, and decided not to bring it up immediatly in front of Rika. He knew the IceDevimon experience still sent chills down her spine, no pun intended.
If he brought it up, it would only cause Rika to worry more about things than she already was. It was clear across the girl's face every night that she was worried about Henry's family situation, maybe even her now more frequent arguments with Ryo. All she needed was to worry about one more thing.
"Come on, let's go. It's just snow, and weathermen do have the ability to be wrong." he said quickly, putting his hand on Rika's back and pushing her towards the open walkway that Suzy had already bounded down.
He wouldn't have dared to touch the girl before, in fear his hand would get ripped off, but in the last day or so he had seen a slightly differant side of Rika. She was being more of a sibling to Suzy than he was, and was even kind and understanding towards his own faults. He looked towards the girl as his thoughts suddenly circled around her once more.
What was he thinking? His mind shook him out of his trance as soon as he saw the sturn look return to Rika's face, once out in public. He was talking about her kindly-- a little too kindly. He couldn't be--
His thoughts were cut off again once Rika spotted him watching her, and her eyes went from harsh and cold to semi-soft and full of worry. "Henry, is everything okay?"
Great, she probably had already figured the entire situation out.. she was only *playing* stupid to get him to admit it himself and then make a fool out of him by telling him she didn't share his fe-- No, he didn't have feelings for Rika. He couldn't have feelings for Rika... they were just friends, and would always be "just friends".
"Of course." he said just brightly enough that Rika's look faded away into almost contentment.
"Alright." she said briskly, then sped up a bit to catch up with the small girl almost a half a block ahead of them. "Suzy slow down!!" she called to the girl, and suddenly burst into a run truly grasping how far ahead Suzy had gotten.
Henry stayed at his normal pace, chuckling at the girl his own age bounding after Suzy, who suddenly had the idea to move a bit faster as to create a chase. Rika's yells went from annoyed to a light laughter and Henry smiled. It was almost like they were their own family now, and Henry found himself enjoying it more and more with each passing moment.
"Got you!"
Suzy let out a shriek, then a flood of giggles that made the passers-by smile as they looked upon the scene. Henry laughed as Rika suddenly shot up, and straightened out her hair, realising a few kids were recognising her. Her eyes shot death-glares at people left and right, and she suddenly froze, seeing someone in the crowd. Henry didn't notice her suddenly shock at first, but Suzy followed the girl's glance, and stared also.
"Mommy--" she whispered under her breath, and Rika's hand immediatly went to the girl's shoulder and pulled her back.
There standing in front of them was Mrs. Wong, her hand to her mouth as if she was trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.
"Mom.." Henry started at the sight of his mother, and much like Rika had done, pulled Suzy back even more. There went one of his ideas-- the idea that his mother left him there because of something wrong with the family, like someone was sick. But here she was, shopping bags over her arms, looking like she did every year as she dashed from store to store buying the children's Christmas gifts.
Everything around them seemed to fade away, and to Henry, even Suzy and Rika weren't there.
His mother's tears finally fell as her son's face became cold and sturn at the sight of her, and she knew her suspision was right, her son did hate her for what she did.
"Henry, I can explain everything."
"Yes, I think an explaination would do just fine." Henry snapped off proper sentances at her, much like his father did, and that realization was clear in his mother's eyes as he spoke. ".. considering you just left us like that... no, you know what? Nevermind."
Rika and Suzy both watched Henry storm down the sidewalk, and into the mall that was only a few yards away from them now.
"Henwy!!!" Suzy exclaimed, suddenly chasing after her brother from the awkward silence that had befallen the entire area.
"If he would only listen--" Mrs. Wong's tears fell a bit harder. "-- it's all my fault.. I've lost my son and it's all my fault---"
Rika stood there with three options on her hands. She could turn and run like Henry had, try and understand what was going on, or snap off some remark at Mrs. Wong. Her mind was quickly made up. She was sick of this wild goose chase of trying to find out what the reasoning was for the sudden abadonment of Henry and Suzy, and she opened her mouth to speak.
"What kind of a mother are you?!" she demanded, much to her own surprise. Wait a minute, she wasn't going to say that-- but it was almost as if her heart overrode her mind, and she wasn't even in control of her own actions anymore.
Mrs. Wong stared at the girl almost a fourth her age, acting as if she was just as old as she was.
"Do you know the heartache you've caused Henry? No mother would do that!!!" Rika shrieked, and Mrs. Wong's tears fell a bit harder as Rika did a complete turn and stormed off the way Henry had.
"Take care of him and Suzy before it's too late."
Rika stopped short of opening the glass door of the mall at the words muttered by Mrs Wong, and she turned slowly. "What?"
But she was already gone in the crowds.

"Took you long enough."
After looking around the mall for a few minutes, Rika finally stumbled upon Henry and Suzy who were sitting on the edge of one of the large water fountains.
Suzy dashed back and forth, looking for just the right place to toss in the penny that Henry had given her, almost flipping over the edge of the concrete that separated the mall floor from the water.
Henry had seemed to be in his own thoughts, sitting on the concrete ledge and staring at the bubbling water, until the corner of his eye spotted Rika, looking quite distracted as well.
"Stopped and talked to my mother, didn't you?"
Henry flicked his own penny into the water and Suzy perked up before Rika could reply.
"Henwy.. you'wre 'posed to make a wish fiwrst!"
Rika smiled as the big-brother Henry she knew came back to life. He looked over at Suzy, grinned, and flipped another in after closing his eyes for a moment. "There, how's that?"
Suzy grinned in return. "What'd you wish fowr?"
"I can't tell you that.." Henry messed with the girl's hair and laughed, standing up.
He turned to look at Rika, and teasingly offered his arm out to her. "Should we be on our way?"
Suzy's eyes lit up like the Christmas lights dangling from the ceiling of the mall as Rika snorted in disgust, but still slipped her arm into Henry's. "Yeah.." Rika forced a snarl in her voice, but the stubborn grin Henry was giving her broke through it and she playfully pushed him aside. He caught his balance just short of falling into the water of the fountain, and gave her a look.
"That wasn't fair!"
She smirked, flipped a piece of hair back and walked on like one of the popular girls at Henry's school would. "I don't play fair."
Henry grinned again and bounded after her, causing an uncharacteristic shriek from Rika and both went running down the middle of the semi-crowded mall, Suzy following behind them, not at all phased by the fact they had forgotten about her. That's exactly what she wanted them to do.. well.. sort of, but she wasn't complaining. They seemed to actually have that click she was looking for before, and with Henry's arm now wrapped around Rika's waist as they walked at a normal pace, she could tell she didn't have much work to do after all. Suzy just laughed happily at the site of her brother finally "in love", and followed the teens with a bit more skip in her step.


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To my readers: ... first person to figure out what's going on (and it's not that hard.. and anyone with TEENAGER in front of their names are NOT allowed to respond to this) will be my hero. I wanna know how smart y'all people really are.