Angel's Second Chance
Chapter 9: Angel's Second Chance
DF103 of the Present: I'm wondering why I'm adding a chapter now, almost two years after ending this fic. My first Ryuki, this fic started it all. Actually, this fic brings back horrible memories; it's a wonder how it turned out all happy ending-ish. Betrayed and lost many, many friends during this time. The scar remains on my arm, too. Anyway, I found that some people suggested ::cringes:: an epilogue in some reviews. I hate calling it that. Here's something like it, so I don't own Digimon. And, the fates of the tamers and…POOF!
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The sun had finally set into the horizon and the beautiful night sky displayed glimmers of the first stars though soon faded as Ryo and Rika entered the brightly lit city, where most of the daytime stores have closed up their shops. Clubs soon opened up and the night people roamed the streets.
"It's been so long since I've seen the city like this, so alive," Ryo commented.
"No kidding." Rika fidgeted in her school uniform. "And…what happened back there…it never happened, okay?"
Ryo grinned, watching her for a moment. "Whatever you say," Ryo replied. "Hey Rika. Is it okay if we stop by one place before we get to your place."
Rika's eyes glinted in suspicion, before her cell phone rang. She sighed and answered, "Hey mom—I'm fine. Don't worry about it. I'm with Ryo." A loud squeal resounded from the phone, shocking the two teens. "Mom…I'll be home later, okay? I'll be fine," Rika rushed, hanging up before her mom could reply. Turning her cell phone off, she continued walking with Ryo. "So…where are we going?"
"Jeri's restaurant. The group told me to meet them there after I found you," Ryo explained. The two sauntered down the street in silence. "You think…" Ryo stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked skyward. "…We could ever be more than friends?"
Rika froze in shock before she smirked and replied, "Oh, yes Ryo. I would love to cling onto you all day long and be very dependent on you." Ryo blinked and laughed. "It wasn't that funny."
"Did you know that hearing is that last thing to go before you die?" Ryo asked, out of the blue.
Rika raised a brow in confusion. "No…but what does that have to do with anything you asked or anything I just said?"
Ryo's smile disappeared as he glanced down at the ground, and then turning to Rika. His eyes shimmered in the light like the ocean. "I heard you talking to me…" he whispered.
Rika gawked at Ryo. "Are you still drugged with whatever the hospital gave you or something?" she asked, laughingly. "I mean, you expect me to believe that?
Bringing his hand to his chin and thinking, Ryo replied, "No, I guess not."
"Jeez, your head has gone weird on you…" Rika scoffed.
"I don't expect you to believe it, but it's the truth," Ryo clarified. "Your voice was very comforting to me, Rika. It's what gave me the strength to hold on." Rika gaped at Ryo and for the moment gazed into his eyes. She saw only truth, unable to do anything but slowly shake her head in incredulity. "I'm sorry…that was probably overly corny. I'll shut up now."
The two walked alongside each other in silence. Rika peered over to Ryo and sighed. "No…tell me. I'm actually willing to listen," Rika requested.
"Why the sudden change of heart, Rika?"
"We're friends, aren't we? Friends tell each other things," Rika said, coolly.
Ryo's lips curved. "Yeah…" Rubbing his hands together and sighing inwardly, he looked ahead. "After I'm done telling you this, you'll probably think I'm crazy…but I have a guardian angel, named Rikken."
Observing Ryo's serious expression, Rika bit her lip, repressing her laughs. "So, what did this guardian angel tell you?"
"I'm not quite sure really," Ryo replied, as he shot Rika a grim glance. "But, he let me stroll down memory lane. I had to tell him about the good and bad things that happened between my loved ones…"
"Meaning, your dad, right?" Rika's subdued laughter dissipated in the midst of how all this nonsense made sense until… "If this guy or whatever is your guardian angel, why did he ask you to tell him all of this? He should know what went on in your life." She crossed her arms with skeptical eyes gazing at Ryo. "Are you sure you weren't drugged?"
They slowed their pace. "Medicated probably. Now that you mention it, I don't get that either, him asking me to tell him all this when he supposedly watches over me," Ryo noted.
Rika halted and stretched. "Maybe he was trying to get you to realize something. Maybe you need a better relationship with your dad." She adjusted the uncomfortable skirt, Ryo slowing his pace. "You didn't have the greatest relationship with you dad."
"Well, you didn't have the greatest relationship with your mom either."
"But, I'm trying to improve it, slowly," Rika looked up and saw Ryo watching and waiting for her. She blinked unable to believe…that wings were sprouting from his back. Her eyes bulged when Ryo unknowingly whipped around to reveal a creature on his back. Was it a cat? It had pointy, upright ears. Was it a bird? It had large wings that could soar the endless sky. In so little light, Rika couldn't distinguish what it was, but she knew it wasn't at all human. And then, it hit her. "It's him…"
Ryo heard a voice call to him, Rikken's voice. "Danger's afoot. Walk away casually and get the two of you out of here." The voice drifted away in a heartbeat before Ryo could ask what was going to happen. He spun around and cautiously waved Rika over; alert to anything that could've happened.
"Rika, he says we're in trouble. You've got to believe me."
Without hesitation, Rika nodded. "He was on your back, wasn't he?"
"I don't know… I didn't feel anything." Ryo turned to a random person. "Was there something on my back?" The person shook his head. "Now who's doing the hallucinating?"
"I know what I saw, Akiyama."
Ryo shook his head. "There's no time. Let's get to Jeri's."
The two sped up their pace. "What's going on?"
"I don't know…" Ryo turned his head left and right, before running into someone awfully familiar. Ryo peered up to the man who reeked of alcohol, as Rika groaned seeing who it was.
"Why're you with Rika," the man asked, slurring his words slightly.
"I'm walking her to a friend's house. Is that a crime?" Ryo asked, backing Rika away from him. "What are you, some kind of drunk?"
The man grabbed Ryo's shirt and thrust him against a light pole. "That's my daughter you're with and if you want t'make something outta this, then make something outta this." Rika's dad tried bashing Ryo's head against the pole, making a few successful hits, while all passers briefly witnessed and walked away, assuming it was another drunken argument. Ryo struggled to pull away. "You weren't humiliated by your divorced wife. You got my daughter's attention for the past few days."
"Let him go!" Rika grasped her father's shirt.
"She doesn't even want to side with me…" tears slowly trickled down his reddened cheeks. Ryo's head bobbed trying to gain consciousness, as the man loosened his grip and opened his arms to Rika. "Give daddy a hug, Rika." A few other people slowed as they passed the three. Ryo's body slowly fell, before Rika caught him. "So you choose him over me…" He swung a fist at Ryo.
Suddenly, Rika's vision illumined where she saw Ryo's back truly growing great white wings and spreading from his limp body before it all went away. Ryo caught Rika's dad's fist and dropped it. The brown-haired teen, with a squinted eye, looked up. "I'm sorry it turned out this way with your family life," he said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Don't apologize to him." Rika turned to her dad. "Get over it. Move on!"
Rika's dad fell to his knees, out of thought, as he viewed the two walking away from him, out of sight.
"Gosh, he's got some nerve," Rika uttered. "Let's get to Jeri's before he stalks me…"
"Sounds good to me," Ryo replied, still rubbing his head.
After constantly turning back to see if the long-forgotten father followed them, the two entered the small restaurant only to find the whole place empty; Jeri's dad was the only one there, wiping the countertop. "Hey, you two…"
"Could Ryo get some ice for his head?" Rika asked.
"Sure." Jeri's dad opened the cooler as he whipped out a sandwich bag and filled it up with ice. "Here you go. I thought you just got yourself out of the hospital, Ryo." He took out a couple of cups and fixed some drinks.
"Yeah, but we ran across a short detour on the way here," Ryo replied, holding the bag against the back of his head.
"Okay… Jeri, Rika and Ryo are here!"
"I thought everyone else was supposed to be here…" Rika said.
"I did, too."
"I don't know anything about that," he said, placing the Shirley Temples on the counter. "I'll get Jeri for you…" With that, Jeri's dad disappeared up the stairway.
Rika carried the drinks to the table where Ryo sat. "If you weren't hurt, I would hit you for coming here. No one was supposed to be here, were they…"
Ryo's brows perked up. "They said to come here when I found you."
Rika's poker face intimidated Ryo. "Tell Jeri I said, 'Hi'," Rika replied, getting up and heading for the exit.
Dropping the bag of ice, Ryo halted Rika. "Please don't go."
"Ryo, it's a school night and my mom is probably worried. I'm in my uncomfortable uniform. I have to get home," Rika explained.
"Friends tell each other things, right? You have to believe me. I have this deep feeling of affection for you and I know you know that because I've told you so. Because of that, I could never lie to you. When I was in the hospital, Rikken made me realize that my dad isn't my only loved one. You are, too. If having a better relationship with the people I love is the reason for my second chance, I want let you know that I'm always here for you…Wildcat."
Something in those words made the corners of Rika's mouth curve upward. "Seems like I also have a guardian angel and by the way he's looking at me, he seems like he's telling me to do this…" Rika leaned in, her face nearing Ryo's and for the moment stayed there. She wrapped her arms around him, feelings mutual, and pulled away, only to find someone appearing from the stairs.
Jeri applauded the two, though disappointed that Rika pulled away so soon without lips having been met. The rest of the tamers emerged from Jeri's room.
"What are you all doing here!" Rika exclaimed.
"I live here, remember?" Jeri giggled. "We never got to finish our gathering, so we have to end it right! Hit it, Takato!"
Takato plugged the stereo in and switched the radio on. "Let's have some fun everyone."
"But, I should be getting home…" Rika replied.
"We called your mom. She knows what's up, so have some fun," Henry assured.
"But my uniform—" Rika started.
"It looks fine. It's nice to see a change sometimes," Ryo winked.
The night carried on as if time had stopped and life was put on pause. Kazu, Kenta, and Suzie were the only ones who danced while everyone sat at the counter chatting.
"At least you've lightened up since last time, Rika," Jeri commented.
"Yeah…I'm moving on. I can't keep moping around, right? If I ever see Renamon again, great, but for now, I've got all of you to worry about." She smirked, gazing at Ryo in particular.
"Looks like you two are getting close," Henry commented.
Rika laughed, glancing at Ryo again before making contact with the others.
"Of course. Ryo's my angel…"
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DF103 of the past: "…Unless I think of another thing to chapter it."
DF103 of the present: Is that proper English?! o.O;; Anyway, I want to revise this so bad, but I'm busy with my other fics and revising LRIFR&R. I hope that's a better ending for all, if anyone actually bothers to read this. How corny the ending ended, but I guess that's all one can expect from me. Well, back to working on NTADBLTS, BitD, and IACDTT. Talk to you people later. Adieu. ø.ø;; Me and my broken glasses. XD