Too Close To Be Apart
Con2020tran: Okay, I've made my decision. This is the last chapter, there is not going to be another. The chapter that I thought of putting in was too pointless. I'm so crazy sometimes... Oh yeah, I apologize for taking such a LONG LONG time to update. I had a case of writer's block because although I had written the entire story out before, I had to retype it SO MUCH.
This is the final chapter of Too Close To Be Apart, then later when I finish The D-Reaper 2 and a possible Dark and Light, will I start on the sequel. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, but I do own this story and the plot. I also do not own the song: If You Asked Me To by Celine Dion (Have you noticed that this is the first song disclaimer I've put up? I can't believe that I'm such an idiot that I forgot the other three...)
To a-Bob: Well, yeah. The knights really aren't supposed to talk like 21st century men, but I wasn't that familiar with the "Thou, thine, thy, thee" etc., until I read Sun God, Moon Witch; but by that time, I had already written the fifth chapter. As for the fact that the knights aren't really supposed to act noble and stuff, well I was reading Everworld: Enter the Enchanted by K.A. Applegate, and I was kinda referring them to the knights in the book. Yeah. And also, the people in Everworld were speaking "normally", so I just did the same here! :) It was easier for me.
To Logo the Twin: Yeah, well I couldn't help it! I just couldn't bring myself to write the-moment-I-refuse-to-write in that chapter. Sometimes I like doing that...make people think the obvious and then it turns out that it's not. Maybe I might do it again in this chapter...He he he. Oh, and sorry 'bout the VERY LATE update. :)
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Chapter 6: Realization
Rika Nonaka sat cross-legged on the floorboards outside her room, gazing out at the dark grey clouds that were approaching quickly. The clouds moved quicker as the wind picked up speed making the tree branches sway to the west. Rika shifted her gaze to stare out at the pond where the water was no longer calm; the water was now moving quicker, following the wind.
It had been only a week since she and Ryo Akiyama had set foot on the Earth, as they knew it, from their adventure. Rika sighed and began to recall the last moments they had spent in the other world.
~Flashback~
The two had reached the home of the old man, a large grey tower, nothing special. As soon as the man had closed the door, the two teenagers, having walked pretty far without much rest and in their condition, had dropped down onto their knees.
"So," Rika began as soon as she got onto her feet. "I have a couple of questions that went unanswered. One, who are you? And Two, you said that you could get us back home, how?
The old man gave a long sigh. "My name is Jonathan, I've been working with magic for quite a time now, in fact, it's in my blood." He paused for a minute. "Anyways, you just asked how I could get you back home, didn't you?"
Rika nodded impatiently, annoyed by the old man's forgetfulness. "Yeah, and I'm still waiting for the answer. And while you're at it, I've got another question. Why did you help us?"
Jonathan walked to the other side of the room and sat down on an old wooden chair and gestured for them to sit down as well. "Come, you two are not going to stand there all day, are you?"
"All day?" repeated Rika. "We're not going to stay here all day, are we?"
Jonathan shook his head. "Of course not. It was just an expression. But you two must be tired from everything that has happened, aren't you?"
"Answer our questions," said Ryo, speaking up for the first time. "Why did you help us? Are you just going to hand us over to the King later? And more importantly, how do you know where our home is? I mean there can be a thousand different worlds out there. How do you know which one it is?"
Jonathan looked at Ryo and nodded. "Fine, you want to know how I know where your home is? Well, first of all, I was the one who brought you here," then he looked at Rika. "At least one of you."
"What?" demanded Rika. "Why did you bring me here?"
"Because I was told to do so by an evil demon from your world," Jonathan answered calmly. "His power was beyond anything I'd ever seen before. He had threatened to destroy this world if I hadn't done so. There were billions of lives at stake. I had no choice."
"So how did I end up being Yama?" asked Rika.
"It seemed like that evil demon had already planned everything from the start, either that or he was extremely lucky. Princess Yama had been missing as a child and King Peter and Queen May have been looking for her for eight years now. They discovered me and ordered me to use my magic and bring their child to them. The demon had told me beforehand and had instructed me to bring you here instead of their true child."
Ryo opened his mouth to speak, but Rika interrupted him with another one of her questions. "And why did you help us?" she asked. "You could have just left us to die."
"I helped you because I needed to," said Jonathan. "You two were not supposed to come here in the first place. It was only because of the demon did you come here. He had a reason for you two to come here, if you were to die here, it would only be a victory for that evil demon. Evil should never prevail in any world."
"Wait," said Ryo, getting his question in before Rika got hers in again. "You said that you had only brought Rika to this world. Right?"
Jonathan nodded.
"Well, then, how come I was brought here?" asked Ryo.
"I'm not sure about that one," admitted Jonathan as he got out of his chair and began to pace around the room. "Maybe it's because there is some kind of connection between you two," he suggested.
"A connection?" repeated Ryo and Rika at the same time.
"I'm not that sure," confessed Jonathan. "I don't know much about this. Usually it is someone who possesses powerful magic who can bring someone somewhere. But now..." the wizard trailed off and it wasn't until a couple of minutes did he continue. "All I know is that there would have to be some kind of connection between you two for one to bring the other where they are; where most needed, when most needed."
~Flashback end~
Thunder roared in the background, pulling Rika back into reality and out of her thoughts. Lightning streaked the dark evening sky as rain began to attack the rooftops of every house below the raining clouds.
What did the old man mean by saying that there had to be a connection between them for her to bring him to that world? Protected by the rain because of the roof above her head, Rika remembered the first dream she had while in that Medieval World; it was about this Earth, and Ryo. Then soon after that, she had found Ryo during her walk. Could she have pulled him into that world because of that one dream? Could they really have a connection like the old wizard said? The answer was so obvious but she refused to believe it, she couldn't.
Yes, in the Medieval World she had come to the conclusion that he wasn't just someone who could help get her memory back and had admitted, to herself, that she had feelings for him. But that was all before she had obtained a part of her past that Ryo had kept from her. The memory of her father.
Thunder sounded again as Rika began to recall the powerful feelings of that one day. She felt anger at her father for leaving his family, for being the man who no longer cared about what was going to happen to his wife and daughter. She felt anger at her mother for letting him just go. She felt sadness knowing that the Nonakas would no longer be one happy complete family.
She felt a million other things that day, but most of all, she felt the hurt. No matter what, that man was her father. She loved him probably even more than she loved her own life because he was one of the two who gave her that life. But upon knowing that she had to live the rest of her life without him, and knowing that it was his decision as well; well that was just too much! To protect herself from ever experiencing that kind of pain again, she had told herself that she would never ever love anyone again.
'But what about Ryo?' asked a voice in her head. 'You love him, don't you? No matter what, you had told yourself that you had feelings towards this boy.'
'No, I don't!' thought Rika. 'Yes, I had admitted to my feelings, but all of that was before I remembered everything! I told myself that I would never love again after he left! If I hadn't had my memory mixed up, I wouldn't have gotten as close to Ryo as I have!'
'Wouldn't you?' asked the voice. 'You would have gotten as close to him as you have, even if your memory wasn't in pieces.'
'No I wouldn't have!'
'Don't lie to yourself Rika Nonaka, you know that you would have.'
Rika clenched her hands. "No, I wouldn't had have," she argued through gritted teeth, though it was hardly audible over the fury of the storm. However, the knock was.
At first Rika ignored the sound, believing that it was either her mother or grandmother at the door and that they could open it for themselves. But again came the knock, louder this time and Rika knew at once that it was neither of them.
"Coming!" she shouted over the storm and went inside her room to get an umbrella. With the umbrella in hand, she headed towards the large wooden red door. When she reached it however, she hesitated for a second. Her heart was racing. 'Could it be him?'
'Open it!' insisted the voice. 'You know that you want to see him.'
'No, I can't,' she thought. 'I mean...I don't.'
'OPEN IT!' the voice roared out.
Somehow she found herself opening the door and who stood at the door? None other than Ryo Akiyama. Also known as the Legendary Tamer, Digimon King and the boy that she had been trying to avoid all week. Rika had to fight off the urge the voice created to walk right up to him, wrap her arms around him and kiss him. That would destroy all of the pride that she had in herself, she could NEVER do that.
He was wet from head to toe because of the storm and was using his arms in a feeble attempt to protect himself from getting any wetter. He wore a white t-shirt and dark green jeans, not to mention a smile that threatened to destroy any defence Rika had built around her, but luckily she held firmly.
"Hi Rika," he greeted her over the storm. "Sorry if it's a bit late, but I was just going for a walk when the storm hit. My house is pretty far away, so can I come in and wait until the storm dies down a little? That way, I don't get wetter than I already am."
"Can't you stay at someone else's house?" she asked.
"C'mon Rika," pleaded Ryo. "You wouldn't want me to get so wet that I would catch a cold. Then you'd have to live the rest of your life with a guiltily conscience, knowing that you made me catch a cold." He grinned. "So are you going to let me in or are you going to let me suffer?"
Rika hesitated again. She could make up an excuse to not let him in the house, any excuse and he would leave. Make an excuse that she had to run an errand soon or pretend not to care or even say that her mother didn't allow anyone in the house when she was home alone.
But none of those reasons matched the words that came out of her mouth. "I think that I'll let you in Akiyama. I don't want you to suffer because of me."
"Thanks," said Ryo, stepping under the umbrella with Rika.
'Finally!' exclaimed the voice as they walked side-by-side towards the living room. 'Haven't seen him for an entire week! I thought that you would die of a broken heart!'
'A broken heart?' repeated Rika.
'Of course. You love him, don't you?'
"No! I don't!" shouted Rika before she registered out that she had shouted it out loud.
"You don't what Rika?" asked Ryo, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"Nothing," Rika said quickly, as they stepped into the living room. Rika retracted the umbrella and set it against the wall.
"I should probably get you a towel," said Rika as she took off her sneakers, observing that he was wetter than she had originally thought.
Ryo laughed. "I think that you should get two towels. One would hardly be enough."
Rika just rolled her eyes and walked off to get the towels. But again, as her hand hovered over them, she hesitated.
'Why is Ryo here? I've got to get him out.'
'Why?' the voice, again. 'You're glad to see him, aren't you?'
'Well...' Rika shook her head to clear out her thoughts. 'No! I'm not!'
'There you go again, lying to yourself like always. I'd know if you were telling the truth or not. And now, I say you're not!'
'Stop it! Who are you anyways?' Rika demanded, but only heard a laugh from the voice.
'I think you know Rika Nonaka,' it simply replied.
"Rika!" Ryo called from the living room, breaking the argument. "It doesn't take that long to get a couple of towels, does it?"
Rika silently scolded herself for getting so caught up in the pointless argument and quickly grabbed the towels.
"Here," she said as she entered the room where Ryo continued to stand, trying his best not to get the floor wet, but to no avail.
"Thanks," Ryo said as he accepted the towels from her. "Oh, can I use the bathroom? I've got to get the excess water out of my clothes, or else there will be more puddles wherever I walk."
Rika nodded, knowing that Rumiko and Seiko would definitely be in a fit if they saw a thousand more puddles than there were already; at least Rumiko would.
Ryo thanked her again and went off to the bathroom, being careful not to cause any more puddles than it was necessary to reach it. Rika let out a sigh of relief as soon as she heard the door close, not aware that she had been holding her breath. What was going on? Why was she acting this way, especially since Ryo was here? Wanting to get some fresh air, Rika walked outside and sat cross-legged on the wooden boards outside her room again, watching as the raindrops made tiny ripples in the pond.
She didn't love Ryo, she told herself. She couldn't love him. All the feelings she had felt towards him in the Medieval World were nothing, it was just admiration for someone who would do anything for her. It never turned into anything more than that. She kept telling herself this until a part of her almost believed that it was true, but that part was like only 1%, the other 99% sided with the voice. But even that 1% switched sides once she heard the voice of 'the boy'.
"Hey Rika, mind if I join you?" asked Ryo.
Rika surprised herself again by shaking her head. "No, not at all. I was just thinking..."
"About what?" asked Ryo as he sat down beside her.
Rika shook her head again, wanting to avoid the question. "Nothing."
The two adolescents stayed silent for a couple of minutes, lost in their thoughts. The only sounds were of the rain hitting the rooftops, cement and puddles. Finally, Ryo who didn't like the growing silence between them spoke up.
"Rika, we both went to that other dimension and we both had to help each other in order to get back home, right?" After receiving a slight nod from Rika, he continued. "Well, after all we've been through together, how come all week, you've been avoiding me?"
Rika looked out at the ever-darkening sky, unable to meet his gaze. "I couldn't do anything else Ryo," she said simply.
Ryo looked a little surprised at this answer, he wasn't expecting it at all. "Why?"
"There was one thing that you hadn't told me about in the time when we were in that other world. You never told me about my father Ryo." There was a hint of anger in her voice.
"Your father?" repeated Ryo. "Yeah I knew that your parents divorced, but I never knew the true reason for it. I didn't want you to think that I was telling you lies the entire time. That's why whenever you asked about your family, I did my best to avoid it."
"But still, you never even mentioned him."
"I couldn't."
"I made myself a promise Ryo," said Rika. "I promised that I would never love anyone again since he left. And now..." she trailed off.
Ryo shook his head. "I never knew. You never told me about him, how could I have known? I didn't want you to get your memory back and figure out that I had been telling you lies along. Then you and me wouldn't even be friends."
It took a minute after that for Ryo to register what Rika had completely said. "What? You love me Rika?"
Rika's eyes widened and she spun around to face him when she heard the words coming out of Ryo's mouth, remembering what she had said over a minute ago. "What? I said that?" Rika asked in disbelief then she quickly turned around again. "Forget I said that, forget I said anything," she added quickly.
But Ryo couldn't and gripped her by the shoulders, willing her to face him. "Rika, answer my question. Do you love me or not?"
Rika looked down, unwilling to met his eyes. "I don't know," she said, her voice was barely audible over the storm.
But Ryo was close enough to hear it. He put more pressure on her shoulders until it was enough to make her wince. "Give me a straight answer Rika. It's a simple yes or no," his voice was so forceful that Rika almost had no chance but to give him the straight answer that he was looking for.
"Yes!" she cried out and pulled herself away from his grip.
That was all Ryo needed to hear. On any normal occasion, he would have been celebrating and he would have done so now as well, but when he caught a glimpse of her violet eyes, he cancelled all celebrations. When he saw how full of hurt and confusion they were in, he regretted the very thought of celebrating crossed his mind.
"Hope that you're happy now that you got your answer," said Rika bitterly. "Why don't you just leave now?"
"I'm sorry Rika," Ryo apologized. "I wasn't in control of myself. A part of me wanted to know the answer and I just that that part just got too out of control."
Rika laughed. "And I wasn't in control of myself when I said that I loved you nor was I in control when I invited you in nor was I in control of myself when I first accepted you as my friend, I hate you. I just went along with everyone and took you as my friend. Do you really think that I meant it? Why don't you just go out the door and never come back again?" But as soon as she said those words, she instantly wished that she could take them back. Ryo stared at her in disbelief and once she saw how much hurt she had caused him, the voice spoke up again.
'Great job Rika Nonaka, look at what you have done now!'
'I-I never meant for it to come out that way.'
'But it had,' pointed out the voice. 'And now you're going to lose the one you risked loving. After all that you've been through, you don't feel anything for him?'
'I had, but it was never real.'
'Wait,' interrupted the voice. 'Did I just hear you correctly? You HAD? And all of it was never real? Change that "had" to a "do", take away the "but" and "never", add an "and" between the "had" and the "it" and you have a prefect sentence!'
'I can't,' argued Rika.
'You can't or you won't?' asked the voice. 'So many years have passed since you made that stupid promise! Don't you think that it's about time that you throw that promise out the window for someone who loves you and needs you to love him back?'
'I don't love him. The feelings that I had were never real.'
'Just keep on telling yourself that, you're only hurting yourself by letting him go.' With that, the voice grew silent. At the same time, Ryo stood up.
"I'm sorry for what I did Rika," he said. "If you want me to go, I'll go. If you say that you don't love me, I'll stay out of your life. I'll try to forget everything that had happened during our little adventure. I'll try to forget that I ever met you and I'll try to forget that I had ever even developed any feelings towards you." Ryo stopped, met her eyes and smiled, though it wasn't his usual smile. "I'll try my best, but I can't make any promises. Like I said before: If it was for anyone else, I wouldn't do it. But for you, I will do anything." He turned to go and started to walk away. But the sound of Rika's voice stopped him.
"Ryo, don't go," said Rika as she got up. "I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings and I really wish that I could take back what I said. I wish that I could bring myself to love you but I can't. You know that, I can't risk hurting myself again by loving you."
"Rika," he said as he around to face her. "I would never hurt you. Physically, mentally or emotionally. Over time, you have become a part of me. When you were missing, I didn't understand how I could still live on. I felt like a part of me was missing. I felt so empty, I felt so lonely. How could I bear to hurt someone who when I'm without, I'm not complete?"
Rika looked into his eyes, trying to find out whether he was telling the truth or not. She found her answer and almost didn't believe it herself.
"Rika, if I asked you to, would you give me another chance. Would you let go of your promise, take a chance and love?" Ryo asked, his eyes pleading that he be given another chance. "I told you that I will do anything for you, will you do the same for me? To leave you would be too much, but if you want me to, I will."
Rika couldn't say anything for a while. He was so dedicated to his feelings that he would do anything to earn her love. He had even risked his life to help her in the problem they both faced in the Medieval World. Couldn't she risk something like love? Rika saw Ryo start to turn around again and she found herself letting go of every defence that she had and surrender to her powerful emotions.
"I was wrong Ryo," Rika finally admitted, both to herself and to him. "I was wrong about not trying to let myself love and be loved. I was wrong to dismiss my feelings from you as nothing but admiration for someone who would do anything for me. I was wrong to try to ignore what my heart have been telling me the entire time." She summoned all the courage she ever had and finally said the words that had wanted to come out for what seemed like an eternity. "I love you Ryo."
Ryo looked stunned by these words and didn't speak for a long time. But when the words had finally begun to sink in, he smiled and took her hand. "I love you too Rika."
Neither of them spoke for a while, fearing that anything said would destroy the moment. But finally, Rika broke the silence with a smile.
"Do you remember the time Jason came and we found out that he was Yama's fiancé* and then you were challenged to a jousting match? And when you said that for me you would win?" she asked.
"So?" asked Ryo. "I won, didn't I?"
"Not exactly, not without my help anyways."
"Well I couldn't exactly help it that you just decided to butt in, could I?" he asked her.
"But you could have died if I didn't help you," countered Rika.
"Okay, I give up," said Ryo, playfully. "What did you bring up the topic for anyways?"
"You said that for me you would win, but it turned out that you lost. So how important am I really to you?" asked Rika. "As important as a piece of lint?"
"Hey, I couldn't help it that I went up against someone as skilled as he was. I tried my best, but I wasn't as skilled as he was. So I lost. Have I've mentioned that I tried my best?"
"Yes you have. But you still lost, didn't you? Well, since you lost and said that you would win for me, well, I think that you should owe me something."
"Owe you something?" repeated Ryo.
"Yes, you owe me something," confirmed Rika.
Ryo gave her a smile. "I think that this will be my payment."
With that, he took a step closer to her and stopped for a second to see if she would stop him. Again Rika had known what he was going to do the instant she saw his eyes, though this time she didn't step back. Instead she also took a step forward and when Ryo saw this, he began to tilt his head. Finally, their lips met and the two could feel all of their surroundings disappear and their thoughts melt away. They were in love and there was no doubt about it. When they finally pulled away, both could do nothing but smile.
"Thank you for giving me a chance Rika," Ryo whispered, his voice audible only because the storm had dead down a little.
"As long as you don't make me regret my decision," Rika said back to him.
"I never will," said Ryo and held her close to him as if afraid that if she was any farther, he might lose her.
Rika sensed this and pulled away a little, enough to meet his eyes. "Don't worry Ryo. Remember? We have a connection. We'd never be too far from each other. We'd always be together, no matter what."
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~Used to be that I believed in something
Used to be that I believed in love
It's been a long time since I've had that feeling
I could love someone
I could trust someone
I said I'd never let nobody near my heart again darlin'
I said I'd never let nobody in
But if you asked me to
I just might change my mind
And let you in my life forever
If you asked me to
I just might give my heart
And stay here in your arms forever
If you asked me to
If you asked me to
Somehow ever since I've been around you
Can't go back to being on my own
Can't help feeling darling since I've found you
That I've found my home
That I've found my home
I said I'd never let nobody get too close to me darling
I said I needed, needed to be free
But if you asked me to
I just might change my mind
And let you in my life forever
If you asked me to
I just might give my heart
And stay here in your arms forever
If you asked me to
If you asked me to
If you...
Asked me to, I will give my world to you baby
I need you now
Ask me to and I'll do anything for you baby, for you baby
If you asked me to
I'll let you in my life forever
If you asked me to
All you gotta do is ask me to
All you gotta do, all you gotta do
All you gotta do is ask me to
If you asked me to
I'll give you my word
Everything, everything baby
If you asked me to
Just ask me to
If you asked me to
I'll change my mind...~
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* I'm not sure if this is the right one, so sorry! Also, if anyone knows, how do you do the little dash above the 'e', like sometimes in French 'e's. I only did mine's because of AutoCorrect and I really want to know how you do it. Please tell me :(
Con2020tran: I'm finally done typing this chapter. :) I feel happier than chicken pie! That was the final chapter of Too Close To Be Apart. I'm so sorry if it was too...*scratches head* weird" for you?? Oh mess it. Sorry if it was too "icky" for you, but I was reading a whole bunch of Nicholas Sparks' books and I guess that happened. And, yeah, sorry for the LATEEEEE update, with school starting and all, I just couldn't find the time to put it up. I could have put it up last week if I didn't have to change some things a little bit.
Oh, and you know what? I finished in time for my birthday! September 10th! Hurray! My life can't get any better...well actually it could if I got a total of 30 reviews or more... :)
Thanks to all of my signed reviewers: Logo the Twin, dragongirl18, sakura-rika-nonaka, Akino Matoumiken, ray1, Cold Hearted Queen, Keyblade Oblivion, littocherryblossom, Tache, o0Kasumi0o; and to my anonymous reviewers: Unknown, bob, Kira, jptrsusa@aol.com and Ms. J. A special thanks to Akino Matoumiken and Unknown, you two have always reviewed my story for each and every chapter; I am happy to know that you two have stuck with me ever since the first chapter. A special, special thanks to Ms. J, my teacher; without you, I would have never have improved in everything as greatly as I have now.
Too Close To Be Apart is finished now, but the ending leads to many questions, such as what will happen now? Why had that "evil demon" done what he had? Probably some of the answers you have already figured out, probably some of you have even more questions, but probably, most of you don't know what will happen yet. That's why you will have to wait for the sequel..., which will come out, like I said, after I finish The D-Reaper 2 and a possible Dark and Light... I don't think that that would ever happen. Hopefully I get a sudden burst of ideas for The D-Reaper 2, but that's unlikely. Maybe I should put TDR2 on hold for another year...
Please review! Please Review my story, give me suggestions, give me comments, just give me something! Thanks! Con2020tran, sighing out...I mean signing out until further notice.
Con2020tran: Okay, I've made my decision. This is the last chapter, there is not going to be another. The chapter that I thought of putting in was too pointless. I'm so crazy sometimes... Oh yeah, I apologize for taking such a LONG LONG time to update. I had a case of writer's block because although I had written the entire story out before, I had to retype it SO MUCH.
This is the final chapter of Too Close To Be Apart, then later when I finish The D-Reaper 2 and a possible Dark and Light, will I start on the sequel. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, but I do own this story and the plot. I also do not own the song: If You Asked Me To by Celine Dion (Have you noticed that this is the first song disclaimer I've put up? I can't believe that I'm such an idiot that I forgot the other three...)
To a-Bob: Well, yeah. The knights really aren't supposed to talk like 21st century men, but I wasn't that familiar with the "Thou, thine, thy, thee" etc., until I read Sun God, Moon Witch; but by that time, I had already written the fifth chapter. As for the fact that the knights aren't really supposed to act noble and stuff, well I was reading Everworld: Enter the Enchanted by K.A. Applegate, and I was kinda referring them to the knights in the book. Yeah. And also, the people in Everworld were speaking "normally", so I just did the same here! :) It was easier for me.
To Logo the Twin: Yeah, well I couldn't help it! I just couldn't bring myself to write the-moment-I-refuse-to-write in that chapter. Sometimes I like doing that...make people think the obvious and then it turns out that it's not. Maybe I might do it again in this chapter...He he he. Oh, and sorry 'bout the VERY LATE update. :)
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Chapter 6: Realization
Rika Nonaka sat cross-legged on the floorboards outside her room, gazing out at the dark grey clouds that were approaching quickly. The clouds moved quicker as the wind picked up speed making the tree branches sway to the west. Rika shifted her gaze to stare out at the pond where the water was no longer calm; the water was now moving quicker, following the wind.
It had been only a week since she and Ryo Akiyama had set foot on the Earth, as they knew it, from their adventure. Rika sighed and began to recall the last moments they had spent in the other world.
~Flashback~
The two had reached the home of the old man, a large grey tower, nothing special. As soon as the man had closed the door, the two teenagers, having walked pretty far without much rest and in their condition, had dropped down onto their knees.
"So," Rika began as soon as she got onto her feet. "I have a couple of questions that went unanswered. One, who are you? And Two, you said that you could get us back home, how?
The old man gave a long sigh. "My name is Jonathan, I've been working with magic for quite a time now, in fact, it's in my blood." He paused for a minute. "Anyways, you just asked how I could get you back home, didn't you?"
Rika nodded impatiently, annoyed by the old man's forgetfulness. "Yeah, and I'm still waiting for the answer. And while you're at it, I've got another question. Why did you help us?"
Jonathan walked to the other side of the room and sat down on an old wooden chair and gestured for them to sit down as well. "Come, you two are not going to stand there all day, are you?"
"All day?" repeated Rika. "We're not going to stay here all day, are we?"
Jonathan shook his head. "Of course not. It was just an expression. But you two must be tired from everything that has happened, aren't you?"
"Answer our questions," said Ryo, speaking up for the first time. "Why did you help us? Are you just going to hand us over to the King later? And more importantly, how do you know where our home is? I mean there can be a thousand different worlds out there. How do you know which one it is?"
Jonathan looked at Ryo and nodded. "Fine, you want to know how I know where your home is? Well, first of all, I was the one who brought you here," then he looked at Rika. "At least one of you."
"What?" demanded Rika. "Why did you bring me here?"
"Because I was told to do so by an evil demon from your world," Jonathan answered calmly. "His power was beyond anything I'd ever seen before. He had threatened to destroy this world if I hadn't done so. There were billions of lives at stake. I had no choice."
"So how did I end up being Yama?" asked Rika.
"It seemed like that evil demon had already planned everything from the start, either that or he was extremely lucky. Princess Yama had been missing as a child and King Peter and Queen May have been looking for her for eight years now. They discovered me and ordered me to use my magic and bring their child to them. The demon had told me beforehand and had instructed me to bring you here instead of their true child."
Ryo opened his mouth to speak, but Rika interrupted him with another one of her questions. "And why did you help us?" she asked. "You could have just left us to die."
"I helped you because I needed to," said Jonathan. "You two were not supposed to come here in the first place. It was only because of the demon did you come here. He had a reason for you two to come here, if you were to die here, it would only be a victory for that evil demon. Evil should never prevail in any world."
"Wait," said Ryo, getting his question in before Rika got hers in again. "You said that you had only brought Rika to this world. Right?"
Jonathan nodded.
"Well, then, how come I was brought here?" asked Ryo.
"I'm not sure about that one," admitted Jonathan as he got out of his chair and began to pace around the room. "Maybe it's because there is some kind of connection between you two," he suggested.
"A connection?" repeated Ryo and Rika at the same time.
"I'm not that sure," confessed Jonathan. "I don't know much about this. Usually it is someone who possesses powerful magic who can bring someone somewhere. But now..." the wizard trailed off and it wasn't until a couple of minutes did he continue. "All I know is that there would have to be some kind of connection between you two for one to bring the other where they are; where most needed, when most needed."
~Flashback end~
Thunder roared in the background, pulling Rika back into reality and out of her thoughts. Lightning streaked the dark evening sky as rain began to attack the rooftops of every house below the raining clouds.
What did the old man mean by saying that there had to be a connection between them for her to bring him to that world? Protected by the rain because of the roof above her head, Rika remembered the first dream she had while in that Medieval World; it was about this Earth, and Ryo. Then soon after that, she had found Ryo during her walk. Could she have pulled him into that world because of that one dream? Could they really have a connection like the old wizard said? The answer was so obvious but she refused to believe it, she couldn't.
Yes, in the Medieval World she had come to the conclusion that he wasn't just someone who could help get her memory back and had admitted, to herself, that she had feelings for him. But that was all before she had obtained a part of her past that Ryo had kept from her. The memory of her father.
Thunder sounded again as Rika began to recall the powerful feelings of that one day. She felt anger at her father for leaving his family, for being the man who no longer cared about what was going to happen to his wife and daughter. She felt anger at her mother for letting him just go. She felt sadness knowing that the Nonakas would no longer be one happy complete family.
She felt a million other things that day, but most of all, she felt the hurt. No matter what, that man was her father. She loved him probably even more than she loved her own life because he was one of the two who gave her that life. But upon knowing that she had to live the rest of her life without him, and knowing that it was his decision as well; well that was just too much! To protect herself from ever experiencing that kind of pain again, she had told herself that she would never ever love anyone again.
'But what about Ryo?' asked a voice in her head. 'You love him, don't you? No matter what, you had told yourself that you had feelings towards this boy.'
'No, I don't!' thought Rika. 'Yes, I had admitted to my feelings, but all of that was before I remembered everything! I told myself that I would never love again after he left! If I hadn't had my memory mixed up, I wouldn't have gotten as close to Ryo as I have!'
'Wouldn't you?' asked the voice. 'You would have gotten as close to him as you have, even if your memory wasn't in pieces.'
'No I wouldn't have!'
'Don't lie to yourself Rika Nonaka, you know that you would have.'
Rika clenched her hands. "No, I wouldn't had have," she argued through gritted teeth, though it was hardly audible over the fury of the storm. However, the knock was.
At first Rika ignored the sound, believing that it was either her mother or grandmother at the door and that they could open it for themselves. But again came the knock, louder this time and Rika knew at once that it was neither of them.
"Coming!" she shouted over the storm and went inside her room to get an umbrella. With the umbrella in hand, she headed towards the large wooden red door. When she reached it however, she hesitated for a second. Her heart was racing. 'Could it be him?'
'Open it!' insisted the voice. 'You know that you want to see him.'
'No, I can't,' she thought. 'I mean...I don't.'
'OPEN IT!' the voice roared out.
Somehow she found herself opening the door and who stood at the door? None other than Ryo Akiyama. Also known as the Legendary Tamer, Digimon King and the boy that she had been trying to avoid all week. Rika had to fight off the urge the voice created to walk right up to him, wrap her arms around him and kiss him. That would destroy all of the pride that she had in herself, she could NEVER do that.
He was wet from head to toe because of the storm and was using his arms in a feeble attempt to protect himself from getting any wetter. He wore a white t-shirt and dark green jeans, not to mention a smile that threatened to destroy any defence Rika had built around her, but luckily she held firmly.
"Hi Rika," he greeted her over the storm. "Sorry if it's a bit late, but I was just going for a walk when the storm hit. My house is pretty far away, so can I come in and wait until the storm dies down a little? That way, I don't get wetter than I already am."
"Can't you stay at someone else's house?" she asked.
"C'mon Rika," pleaded Ryo. "You wouldn't want me to get so wet that I would catch a cold. Then you'd have to live the rest of your life with a guiltily conscience, knowing that you made me catch a cold." He grinned. "So are you going to let me in or are you going to let me suffer?"
Rika hesitated again. She could make up an excuse to not let him in the house, any excuse and he would leave. Make an excuse that she had to run an errand soon or pretend not to care or even say that her mother didn't allow anyone in the house when she was home alone.
But none of those reasons matched the words that came out of her mouth. "I think that I'll let you in Akiyama. I don't want you to suffer because of me."
"Thanks," said Ryo, stepping under the umbrella with Rika.
'Finally!' exclaimed the voice as they walked side-by-side towards the living room. 'Haven't seen him for an entire week! I thought that you would die of a broken heart!'
'A broken heart?' repeated Rika.
'Of course. You love him, don't you?'
"No! I don't!" shouted Rika before she registered out that she had shouted it out loud.
"You don't what Rika?" asked Ryo, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"Nothing," Rika said quickly, as they stepped into the living room. Rika retracted the umbrella and set it against the wall.
"I should probably get you a towel," said Rika as she took off her sneakers, observing that he was wetter than she had originally thought.
Ryo laughed. "I think that you should get two towels. One would hardly be enough."
Rika just rolled her eyes and walked off to get the towels. But again, as her hand hovered over them, she hesitated.
'Why is Ryo here? I've got to get him out.'
'Why?' the voice, again. 'You're glad to see him, aren't you?'
'Well...' Rika shook her head to clear out her thoughts. 'No! I'm not!'
'There you go again, lying to yourself like always. I'd know if you were telling the truth or not. And now, I say you're not!'
'Stop it! Who are you anyways?' Rika demanded, but only heard a laugh from the voice.
'I think you know Rika Nonaka,' it simply replied.
"Rika!" Ryo called from the living room, breaking the argument. "It doesn't take that long to get a couple of towels, does it?"
Rika silently scolded herself for getting so caught up in the pointless argument and quickly grabbed the towels.
"Here," she said as she entered the room where Ryo continued to stand, trying his best not to get the floor wet, but to no avail.
"Thanks," Ryo said as he accepted the towels from her. "Oh, can I use the bathroom? I've got to get the excess water out of my clothes, or else there will be more puddles wherever I walk."
Rika nodded, knowing that Rumiko and Seiko would definitely be in a fit if they saw a thousand more puddles than there were already; at least Rumiko would.
Ryo thanked her again and went off to the bathroom, being careful not to cause any more puddles than it was necessary to reach it. Rika let out a sigh of relief as soon as she heard the door close, not aware that she had been holding her breath. What was going on? Why was she acting this way, especially since Ryo was here? Wanting to get some fresh air, Rika walked outside and sat cross-legged on the wooden boards outside her room again, watching as the raindrops made tiny ripples in the pond.
She didn't love Ryo, she told herself. She couldn't love him. All the feelings she had felt towards him in the Medieval World were nothing, it was just admiration for someone who would do anything for her. It never turned into anything more than that. She kept telling herself this until a part of her almost believed that it was true, but that part was like only 1%, the other 99% sided with the voice. But even that 1% switched sides once she heard the voice of 'the boy'.
"Hey Rika, mind if I join you?" asked Ryo.
Rika surprised herself again by shaking her head. "No, not at all. I was just thinking..."
"About what?" asked Ryo as he sat down beside her.
Rika shook her head again, wanting to avoid the question. "Nothing."
The two adolescents stayed silent for a couple of minutes, lost in their thoughts. The only sounds were of the rain hitting the rooftops, cement and puddles. Finally, Ryo who didn't like the growing silence between them spoke up.
"Rika, we both went to that other dimension and we both had to help each other in order to get back home, right?" After receiving a slight nod from Rika, he continued. "Well, after all we've been through together, how come all week, you've been avoiding me?"
Rika looked out at the ever-darkening sky, unable to meet his gaze. "I couldn't do anything else Ryo," she said simply.
Ryo looked a little surprised at this answer, he wasn't expecting it at all. "Why?"
"There was one thing that you hadn't told me about in the time when we were in that other world. You never told me about my father Ryo." There was a hint of anger in her voice.
"Your father?" repeated Ryo. "Yeah I knew that your parents divorced, but I never knew the true reason for it. I didn't want you to think that I was telling you lies the entire time. That's why whenever you asked about your family, I did my best to avoid it."
"But still, you never even mentioned him."
"I couldn't."
"I made myself a promise Ryo," said Rika. "I promised that I would never love anyone again since he left. And now..." she trailed off.
Ryo shook his head. "I never knew. You never told me about him, how could I have known? I didn't want you to get your memory back and figure out that I had been telling you lies along. Then you and me wouldn't even be friends."
It took a minute after that for Ryo to register what Rika had completely said. "What? You love me Rika?"
Rika's eyes widened and she spun around to face him when she heard the words coming out of Ryo's mouth, remembering what she had said over a minute ago. "What? I said that?" Rika asked in disbelief then she quickly turned around again. "Forget I said that, forget I said anything," she added quickly.
But Ryo couldn't and gripped her by the shoulders, willing her to face him. "Rika, answer my question. Do you love me or not?"
Rika looked down, unwilling to met his eyes. "I don't know," she said, her voice was barely audible over the storm.
But Ryo was close enough to hear it. He put more pressure on her shoulders until it was enough to make her wince. "Give me a straight answer Rika. It's a simple yes or no," his voice was so forceful that Rika almost had no chance but to give him the straight answer that he was looking for.
"Yes!" she cried out and pulled herself away from his grip.
That was all Ryo needed to hear. On any normal occasion, he would have been celebrating and he would have done so now as well, but when he caught a glimpse of her violet eyes, he cancelled all celebrations. When he saw how full of hurt and confusion they were in, he regretted the very thought of celebrating crossed his mind.
"Hope that you're happy now that you got your answer," said Rika bitterly. "Why don't you just leave now?"
"I'm sorry Rika," Ryo apologized. "I wasn't in control of myself. A part of me wanted to know the answer and I just that that part just got too out of control."
Rika laughed. "And I wasn't in control of myself when I said that I loved you nor was I in control when I invited you in nor was I in control of myself when I first accepted you as my friend, I hate you. I just went along with everyone and took you as my friend. Do you really think that I meant it? Why don't you just go out the door and never come back again?" But as soon as she said those words, she instantly wished that she could take them back. Ryo stared at her in disbelief and once she saw how much hurt she had caused him, the voice spoke up again.
'Great job Rika Nonaka, look at what you have done now!'
'I-I never meant for it to come out that way.'
'But it had,' pointed out the voice. 'And now you're going to lose the one you risked loving. After all that you've been through, you don't feel anything for him?'
'I had, but it was never real.'
'Wait,' interrupted the voice. 'Did I just hear you correctly? You HAD? And all of it was never real? Change that "had" to a "do", take away the "but" and "never", add an "and" between the "had" and the "it" and you have a prefect sentence!'
'I can't,' argued Rika.
'You can't or you won't?' asked the voice. 'So many years have passed since you made that stupid promise! Don't you think that it's about time that you throw that promise out the window for someone who loves you and needs you to love him back?'
'I don't love him. The feelings that I had were never real.'
'Just keep on telling yourself that, you're only hurting yourself by letting him go.' With that, the voice grew silent. At the same time, Ryo stood up.
"I'm sorry for what I did Rika," he said. "If you want me to go, I'll go. If you say that you don't love me, I'll stay out of your life. I'll try to forget everything that had happened during our little adventure. I'll try to forget that I ever met you and I'll try to forget that I had ever even developed any feelings towards you." Ryo stopped, met her eyes and smiled, though it wasn't his usual smile. "I'll try my best, but I can't make any promises. Like I said before: If it was for anyone else, I wouldn't do it. But for you, I will do anything." He turned to go and started to walk away. But the sound of Rika's voice stopped him.
"Ryo, don't go," said Rika as she got up. "I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings and I really wish that I could take back what I said. I wish that I could bring myself to love you but I can't. You know that, I can't risk hurting myself again by loving you."
"Rika," he said as he around to face her. "I would never hurt you. Physically, mentally or emotionally. Over time, you have become a part of me. When you were missing, I didn't understand how I could still live on. I felt like a part of me was missing. I felt so empty, I felt so lonely. How could I bear to hurt someone who when I'm without, I'm not complete?"
Rika looked into his eyes, trying to find out whether he was telling the truth or not. She found her answer and almost didn't believe it herself.
"Rika, if I asked you to, would you give me another chance. Would you let go of your promise, take a chance and love?" Ryo asked, his eyes pleading that he be given another chance. "I told you that I will do anything for you, will you do the same for me? To leave you would be too much, but if you want me to, I will."
Rika couldn't say anything for a while. He was so dedicated to his feelings that he would do anything to earn her love. He had even risked his life to help her in the problem they both faced in the Medieval World. Couldn't she risk something like love? Rika saw Ryo start to turn around again and she found herself letting go of every defence that she had and surrender to her powerful emotions.
"I was wrong Ryo," Rika finally admitted, both to herself and to him. "I was wrong about not trying to let myself love and be loved. I was wrong to dismiss my feelings from you as nothing but admiration for someone who would do anything for me. I was wrong to try to ignore what my heart have been telling me the entire time." She summoned all the courage she ever had and finally said the words that had wanted to come out for what seemed like an eternity. "I love you Ryo."
Ryo looked stunned by these words and didn't speak for a long time. But when the words had finally begun to sink in, he smiled and took her hand. "I love you too Rika."
Neither of them spoke for a while, fearing that anything said would destroy the moment. But finally, Rika broke the silence with a smile.
"Do you remember the time Jason came and we found out that he was Yama's fiancé* and then you were challenged to a jousting match? And when you said that for me you would win?" she asked.
"So?" asked Ryo. "I won, didn't I?"
"Not exactly, not without my help anyways."
"Well I couldn't exactly help it that you just decided to butt in, could I?" he asked her.
"But you could have died if I didn't help you," countered Rika.
"Okay, I give up," said Ryo, playfully. "What did you bring up the topic for anyways?"
"You said that for me you would win, but it turned out that you lost. So how important am I really to you?" asked Rika. "As important as a piece of lint?"
"Hey, I couldn't help it that I went up against someone as skilled as he was. I tried my best, but I wasn't as skilled as he was. So I lost. Have I've mentioned that I tried my best?"
"Yes you have. But you still lost, didn't you? Well, since you lost and said that you would win for me, well, I think that you should owe me something."
"Owe you something?" repeated Ryo.
"Yes, you owe me something," confirmed Rika.
Ryo gave her a smile. "I think that this will be my payment."
With that, he took a step closer to her and stopped for a second to see if she would stop him. Again Rika had known what he was going to do the instant she saw his eyes, though this time she didn't step back. Instead she also took a step forward and when Ryo saw this, he began to tilt his head. Finally, their lips met and the two could feel all of their surroundings disappear and their thoughts melt away. They were in love and there was no doubt about it. When they finally pulled away, both could do nothing but smile.
"Thank you for giving me a chance Rika," Ryo whispered, his voice audible only because the storm had dead down a little.
"As long as you don't make me regret my decision," Rika said back to him.
"I never will," said Ryo and held her close to him as if afraid that if she was any farther, he might lose her.
Rika sensed this and pulled away a little, enough to meet his eyes. "Don't worry Ryo. Remember? We have a connection. We'd never be too far from each other. We'd always be together, no matter what."
______________
~Used to be that I believed in something
Used to be that I believed in love
It's been a long time since I've had that feeling
I could love someone
I could trust someone
I said I'd never let nobody near my heart again darlin'
I said I'd never let nobody in
But if you asked me to
I just might change my mind
And let you in my life forever
If you asked me to
I just might give my heart
And stay here in your arms forever
If you asked me to
If you asked me to
Somehow ever since I've been around you
Can't go back to being on my own
Can't help feeling darling since I've found you
That I've found my home
That I've found my home
I said I'd never let nobody get too close to me darling
I said I needed, needed to be free
But if you asked me to
I just might change my mind
And let you in my life forever
If you asked me to
I just might give my heart
And stay here in your arms forever
If you asked me to
If you asked me to
If you...
Asked me to, I will give my world to you baby
I need you now
Ask me to and I'll do anything for you baby, for you baby
If you asked me to
I'll let you in my life forever
If you asked me to
All you gotta do is ask me to
All you gotta do, all you gotta do
All you gotta do is ask me to
If you asked me to
I'll give you my word
Everything, everything baby
If you asked me to
Just ask me to
If you asked me to
I'll change my mind...~
*****************************
* I'm not sure if this is the right one, so sorry! Also, if anyone knows, how do you do the little dash above the 'e', like sometimes in French 'e's. I only did mine's because of AutoCorrect and I really want to know how you do it. Please tell me :(
Con2020tran: I'm finally done typing this chapter. :) I feel happier than chicken pie! That was the final chapter of Too Close To Be Apart. I'm so sorry if it was too...*scratches head* weird" for you?? Oh mess it. Sorry if it was too "icky" for you, but I was reading a whole bunch of Nicholas Sparks' books and I guess that happened. And, yeah, sorry for the LATEEEEE update, with school starting and all, I just couldn't find the time to put it up. I could have put it up last week if I didn't have to change some things a little bit.
Oh, and you know what? I finished in time for my birthday! September 10th! Hurray! My life can't get any better...well actually it could if I got a total of 30 reviews or more... :)
Thanks to all of my signed reviewers: Logo the Twin, dragongirl18, sakura-rika-nonaka, Akino Matoumiken, ray1, Cold Hearted Queen, Keyblade Oblivion, littocherryblossom, Tache, o0Kasumi0o; and to my anonymous reviewers: Unknown, bob, Kira, jptrsusa@aol.com and Ms. J. A special thanks to Akino Matoumiken and Unknown, you two have always reviewed my story for each and every chapter; I am happy to know that you two have stuck with me ever since the first chapter. A special, special thanks to Ms. J, my teacher; without you, I would have never have improved in everything as greatly as I have now.
Too Close To Be Apart is finished now, but the ending leads to many questions, such as what will happen now? Why had that "evil demon" done what he had? Probably some of the answers you have already figured out, probably some of you have even more questions, but probably, most of you don't know what will happen yet. That's why you will have to wait for the sequel..., which will come out, like I said, after I finish The D-Reaper 2 and a possible Dark and Light... I don't think that that would ever happen. Hopefully I get a sudden burst of ideas for The D-Reaper 2, but that's unlikely. Maybe I should put TDR2 on hold for another year...
Please review! Please Review my story, give me suggestions, give me comments, just give me something! Thanks! Con2020tran, sighing out...I mean signing out until further notice.
