Little Richard's Intentions for Ryo & Rika

Or Is It Still Where I Left It?

DF103 – sorry for the delay…school and stuff…yup…well another chapter for all you people…comin' at ya…thanks for the reviews, all you dudes and dudettes…yup yup…

dead/morbid DF103 – starting to get towards that 100 spot…

immature DF103 – I'm so excited jumps up and down yup yup!

lovesick DF103 – -.-;;

boring DF103 – uh…none of us own digimon, or Amber...only uh…:grabs list our brain, Richard, and Melanie…yeah…

immature DF103 – so on with Little Richard's Intentions for Ryo & Rika – Or is it Still Where I Left It? inspired by Sarah McLachlan's "I Will Remember You".


Henry looked at the box and shook his head.

"No, you keep it. You never know when the time might come," Henry said, handing it back to Ryo.

"No, it's okay," Ryo said, pushing Henry's hand back.

"You sure?" Henry asked, with a concerned look appear on his face.

Ryo only nodded before walking into his room.

"Ryo," Henry said, as Ryo looked at him with his tear-stricken face. "Are you coming tonight?"

"I don't know," Ryo said, turning around and closing the door.

'I hope you do, Ryo. I hope you do,' Henry thought, stepping outside, then looked over at a familiar van.

"Oh my gosh, I forgot about them!" Henry yelled out, running over to the van.

He opened the van door and saw Kenta and Kazu, playing go fish. The two of them glanced at Henry and looked back at their cards.

"Hey, Henry," Kenta said, as he grabbed a card from the deck, "what's up?"

"You guys actually stayed here for the whole night?" Henry asked, surprised to see they were enjoying they're time in the van. Nothing in the van seemed to have changed except, it was a disaster area.

"Um, yeah. I think it's more exciting like old times, don't you think so?" Kazu said, looking through his cards. "Do you have a 9?"

"Okay…" Henry said, with a weird 'I think you're crazy' look, then remembering about the tickets.

"Aw, man," Kenta said, throwing Kazu the card.

"Um, do you guys want to go to a dance with all the others?" Henry asked, watching the two play their game.

"Sure, when?" Kenta asked, looking through his cards.

"Tonight," Henry answered, holding up two tickets.

"Cool, the annual dance. I'm definitely there," Kazu said, taking a ticket.

"Me, too," Kenta replied, taking the other ticket.

'Maybe I'll give away Melanie's ticket. She's probably still mad at me anyways,' Henry thought, 'she'd probably decline my invite.' "You guys have anyone you want to invite? I have an extra ticket."

"Oh, I have someone in mind," Kenta said.

"Cool, okay," Henry said, handing him another ticket. "I have to give out the other tickets, so I'll see you two there, okay?"

"Sure," Kazu and Kenta replied, continuing their game.

Henry walked away from the van, shaking his head, and headed for Takato's house.

'Jeri's probably there, too,' Henry thought, walking up to the bakery.

He walked in the building, only to see no one at the counter. He walked around and looked at the variety of bread, savoring the smell of the freshness. Takato and Jeri walked in and yelled out a happy, "Hello," making Henry jump.

"Did you guys have to scare me like that?" Henry asked, turning around.

"Of course," Jeri said, gleefully.

"So what brings you here to our humble bakery?" Takato asked, smiling and wrapping his arm around Jeri's waist.

'Is it just me or is everyone acting uncanny today? Everyone seems to be out-of-place,' Henry thought.

"I got tickets…" Henry started.

"OoOo! I love tickets. Tickets to what?" Jeri asked, excitedly.

"I think he was getting to that," Takato said, with another one of his smiles.

"Eh, yeah. I got tickets to the annual dance," Henry said, as he put the two tickets on the counter. "Everyone else should be coming, too, hopefully."

"Ryo and Rika, too?" Takato asked.

"I'm not sure. I didn't get around to asking Rika yet, and Ryo's not sure if he's coming," Henry explained.

"Is Ryo even okay?" Takato asked, with a more serious look on his face.

"I don't think so. Talk about being moody," Henry said, with a distinct sigh.

"She must've broken his already broken heart," Jeri said.

"Oh, yeah, the time when the country stopped the search for her," Henry said.

:FLASHBACK:

"Hey you guys! You gotta come listen to this!" Kazu yelled, running up to the group.

"Gosh, what's the rush, Kazu?" Suzie asked, getting up.

"Yeah, is Kenta going through his wild tantrum because he lost to you again?" Ryo asked, jokingly.

"This is no joke, Ryo. Just follow me to the hideout," Kazu said, running back to the hideout.

The 18 year old tamers (with Ryo 19 and the Suzie, Ai, and Mako 11) ran up to the old shack. As they approached, Kazu and Kenta were huddled around the radio, listening to the national news. The tamers sat down as the radio blared, what sounded like an interview.

"Okay, to recap what has happened so far, I am here with the chief of the police department, discussing on the topic of missing persons, mainly Rika Nonaka, who has turned 18 only weeks ago, if she's still alive…" blared the radio.

"But, she is still alive! I know it!" Ryo yelled out.

"Quiet! We're trying to listen," Ai complained.

"…yes, today we will be ending the search for Rika Nonaka. She's been gone for nearly 6 months now, and our chances of finding her alive are very slim and gets slimmer within each day. Of course, if we find any signs of her, we will reopen the case, but for now, its going to stay closed," the interviewee said, "with this, representing as the chief of the police department, I proclaim that Rika Nonaka is dead."

The tamers sat around the radio, shocked and in awe. What the man just said kept them thinking, losing hope for Rika's return, as seconds past.

"They can't stop looking for her," Jeri said, shutting her eyes and shaking her head, "they just cant."

Everyone sat there, staring at each other.

"What kind of bozos stop a search for a missing person, especially the daughter of a well-known model?" Ryo shouted, obviously in an upset tone. "Rika is still alive, I know it. They're just being lazy and not looking hard enough!"

"Dude, you've gotta calm down," Kazu said, trying to be calm, himself.

"And all this time, I thought she was going to be back by graduation night," Alice said, head hanging low.

Ryo couldn't help hearing all these things. He got up, and started to walk away from the group, thinking.

"Ryo, wai—," Takato yelled out, before Henry stopped him, "what gives?"

"Let him go. Losing Rika is probably upsetting him right now," Henry said.

"He's right. We all know that Ryo had a thing for Rika, so right now, I think he needs to be alone," Kazu said.

"Wow, that's probably the smartest thing you've ever said, Kazu," Alice said, smirking.

"Ha ha ha," was Kazu's only response.

:FLASHFORWARD TO GRADUATION NIGHT:

The tamers arrived at the school. The tamers' parents had already left to go save some seats in the auditorium, as they spoke to each other.

"Well, the day is finally here. You guys are finally graduating," Ryo said, placing his hands in the pocket of his pants.

"Yup, can't wait to get out of this dump," Kazu said.

"It's still a wonder to me, why you are actually gonna graduate," Mako said, laughing.

"Hey! That's not funny! Although, I can't believe it myself either," Kazu said.

Everyone ended up laughing, until one of the teachers came up to them.

"Hello everyone," the teacher said, walking past the group, stopped. "Is that you, Ryo?"

"Um, yeah," Ryo said, raising an eyebrow, "do I know you from somewhere?"

"No, you don't know me, but I surely know you," the young teacher said, as she walked over to him and the others, "I was an intern here when you attended this school."

"Uh, cool," Ryo said, with a weird look on his face.

"It's quite an honor to have you be on this particular school ground," she said, then glancing at the others, "and you 6 are an asset to the school."

"Thanks," Henry said, speaking for everyone, wearing the same look as Ryo.

"And you three," she said, looking at the younger tamers, "hope to see you in a few years here at this school."

They just smiled and nodded. The teacher was about to leave, when she turned back around and looked at the group.

"Isn't there another one of you?" she asked.

"Well, yeah, but she's gone," Takato said, "Rika Nonaka."

"Oh yes, that's right. She disappeared and never came back. I remember now. It's too bad they stopped the search a few weeks ago. I'm sorry for your loss," the teacher said, then continued walking down the hall.

"Man, why did she have to bring up Rika?" Ai said, frowning. "I miss her."

"I think we all miss her," Henry said, frowning also.

Ryo let out a heavy sigh and said, "Cheer up. You guys are graduating. Have fun and enjoy yourself," as he smiled weakly.

"I guess," Jeri said, looking at her watch. "Oh my gosh, we have to get changed!"

"Darn, I'll see you later, after the ceremony," Takato said, running down the hall as the others followed.

"Let's go find our seats," Ryo said, looking at the three younger tamers.

Later, that evening, halfway through the ceremony, the principal came up the lectern.

"At this time, I would like to recognize a few people, so if your name is called, please stand up," he said, into the microphone, "Jeri Katou…"

Jeri stood up in her school uniform as she looked around, confused.

"Kenta Kitagawa…"

Kenta looked around asking whether his name was called. Someone finally said yes and he stood up.

"Takato Matsuki…"

Takato shot up and looked over at everyone, smiling.

"Alice McCoy…"

Alice stood up, fixing her school uniform skirt.

"Kazu Shioda…"

"What I do this time?" Kazu yelled out, as he stood up, earning laughs from the audience.

"Henry Wong…"

Henry stood up, and adjusted his tie. He looked over at the others and asked in a hush tone, "What is this about?"

"and last year's graduate, Ryo Akiyama," the man said. "Ladies and gentleman, and future graduates, the group, who has risked themselves for the sake of world."

Everyone gave them a standing ovation, as if they have never been thanked before. The tamers were shocked as to this was a recognition for something they had done years ago. It was a nostalgic and emotional moment for the tamers and all the more when the man spoke again.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid to say that Rika Nonaka, another person of this group, was never able to make it here tonight, as all of you may have heard on the news," the man said, "so with the loss, a group of students have made a tribute to Rika Nonaka and these wonderful people who have saved West Shinjuku."

Everyone on stagefiled off, as a large, white screenslowly scrolled down from the ceiling. "I Will Remember You" started through the speakers as the song accompanied a series of pictures and silent video clips.

The first set of pictures showed pictures of the tamers when they were thirteen, secretly taken when they battled some of the minor digimon in the Real World. The pictures contained mostly of Henry, Takato, and Rika, individually.

More pictures came into view as the clips began to show pictures of them hanging out with each other. Some clips included pictures of when the tamers fought D-Reaper and others showed pictures of them in the Digital World. Ryo and the others sat there watching this as memories began to come back to them, some parts almost impossible for them to watch.

The last set of clips were pictures of the tamers, in high school, after all the destruction was over. Many of the pictures showed the tamers laughing and having fun. The digimon came into this last set also.

Jeri became teary-eyed with all the memories that have come back to her, from this set, as a another picture with Rika and Jeri in it appeared. Ryo was trying hard to keep his tears in, as more clips of Rika emerged onto the screen. He couldn't help but remember that he never told her how he felt.

The tribute was almost over as they showed many pictures of Rika, from when she was a little kid, to the day she started her senior year. Ryo couldn't help, but break out into tears. More pictures appeared, then a video clip of an interview with Rika came up. She was among her tamer friends, crowded onto a couch.The music stopped and the interview rolled on, of Rika in the beginning of the year, before her disappearance.

"So Rika, from my understanding, you were one of those kids who fought that massive red goo, right? What was it like after you knew it was defeated?"

"I was glad to know that we have done something good for everyone, even though I may have never showed it."

"When you look back at what had happened, what do you think was the most significant thing that has come out of this?"

"Well, this is obviously a no-brainer. Throughout the whole D-Reaper experience, I think the most significant thing that has come out of it is my friends. If none of the D-Reaper stuff happened, I wouldn't have met the great friends I have now." Rika laughed, and all the tamers in the clip joined her.

The song resumed as the last few pictures flashed across the screen.

As the song ended, the video tribute ended with three final pictures. The first one of Rika and on the bottom it said, "Rika Nonaka 1986 – 2003." The second one of the tamers after they beat D-Reaper. And the third one of the tamers grouped together in a silly picture on the last day of their junior year.

:FLASHBACK END:

"Well, I hope he comes, so those two can be friends again, or something more," Jeri said.

"So are you guys coming?" Henry asked.

"Of course we are," Takato said, "since when did we not go to a dance?"

"Hmm…I'll have to think on that," Henry said, laughing, "I'll see you guys tonight."

Henry walked out of the bakery and head towards Amber's house. On the way there, Henry took out his cell phone and dialed Alice's office number. The phone rang for a few seconds and then Alice picked up.

"Hey Alice, how's everything? That's good…I was going to ask you if you wanted to go a dance with the rest of the gang…really? Okay, I have your ticket, so um…meet me in front of the civic center at 6:00…okay…I'll see you then…bye," Henry put his phone back on his belt and continued walking. He made it to Amber's house and knocked on the door. The door opened and Henry saw Amber.

"Hey Henry, you get the wrong house again?" Amber said, smiling.

"No, actually I came here to invite you to come with me and some of my friends to the annual dance tonight," Henry said, holding out the ticket and smiling, "my treat."

"Really?" Amber asked, as Henry nodded with a smile. "You're so sweet! I would love to go with you and your friends."

"Great, I'll come pick you up at around 5:30-ish, is that okay?" Henry asked.

"That's fine. I'll be ready," Amber said, as she gladly took the ticket.

"I gotta deliver a couple more of these tickets, so I'll see you this evening," Henry said, heading out towards the gate, waving goodbye.

"Two more to go," Henry said, to himself.

Henry walked up to Rika's house and knocked on the door. The door opened and Henry's eyes met with no one. All he saw was the inside of the house. He wondered who opened the door until he remembered that Richard was staying here, too. He looked down, and saw Richard with his arms crossed.

"Henry, you didn't see me," Richard said.

"Sure I did, I was trying to see if you'd say something," Henry said, making an attempt to get Richard to smile.

"No, you didn't," Richard said, his arms still crossed.

"Okay, okay. But I have another plan to get Ryo and Rika together," Henry whispered, as he waved the tickets in Richard's face.

Richard was overjoyed and smiled again.

"I'll go get Rika," Richard said, running around the house to look for her.

Henry stepped into the house and waited for Rika to come. Richard finally came back dragging Rika along.

"Hey Henry. Richard says you have something for me," Rika said.

"Not just you, him, too," Henry said, handing Rika the ticket. "There you go."

Rika looked at the ticket and blinked.

"But, Henry, I can't go to this," Rika said.

"Aw, why not. It'll be great to be one happy group again," Henry said, "Richard wants to go, too."

"Please, Rika," Richard said.

"Alright, I'll go," Rika said, feeling defeated.

"Cool, see you there," Henry said, and then handing Richard his little kiddie ticket, "don't lose this."

Richard nodded as Henry turned around and walked out the door, yelling, "See you tonight."

Back on the cruise ship…

Yamaki and Riley were out on the deck, coming back from breakfast when Riley felt queasy. She ran towards the railing and as she threw up over the edge of the ship. Yamaki walked over to her and held her hair back.

"Are you okay?" Yamaki asked.

"I think so," was all she could manage to get out before she continued to vomit.

"Well, it's not food poisoning, because then I'd be sick, too," Yamaki said, thinking of all the possibilities of his wife being sick, "and it can't be seasickness because it's a cruise. Which only leaves one other possibility." He looked at his watch and found that it was just about 11. "Morning sickness…"


lovesick DF103 – love is in the air…

morbid/dead DF103 – shut up…you can be such a love sap…

lovesick DF103 – well you're a demonic, death-loving punk…

morbid/dead DF103 – why thank you…

immature DF103 – well…you've made it to the end of that chapter…yup yup! Please review…

boring DF103 – and flames are accepted…uh…yeah…

DF103 – I will catch you all…next chapter…