Dark-Angel: *"Forever" by Kid Rock starts playing* Oh, I'm back. The fog is
lifted. The earth has shifted. It raised the gifted. You knew I'd be back,
so pack your bone and hit the road, Jack.
Floramon: *sweatdrops* Ok...Dark-Angel's hiatus is over but maybe that's no the best thing in the world. Anyway, we're back for chapter 5 of Devil's Advocates, so sit back and relax.
A/N: How could they relax with you doing the author notes? *clears throat* Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or its characters so you can't sue me! Hahahahahahahaha! However, I do own Alicia and the other members of the band Devil's Advocates, who I will introduce more during the story. Oh, and of course, I own this story! Hahahahahahahaha!
Floramon: Anyway, when we last left you, there was someone at the door of Rika's house and Alicia had just finished her band rehearsal. Oh and Alice was wishing Ryo luck because he wanted to tell Rika just how much he truly cares about her. *sniffs* That's so sweet.
Devil's Advocates
Chapter 5: And Then I Go And Spoil It All By Saying Something Stupid Like I Love You...
~*~*
The knocking continued as Rika found herself running to the front door. She carefully opened the door and stopped when she saw who is was. Ryo.
"Hey, Rika." Ryo smiled when he saw the girl frown slightly.
"Ryo, what do you want?" Rika's tone wasn't meant to come out the way it did, it was just something about his smile that made her feel...weird.
Instead of a teasing smile, Ryo's smile turned into a hopeful one. "Do you want to go for a walk? You know, just to the park or something?"
Rika's frown turned into one of confusion. "Why." She was now leaning on the open door and looking at Ryo sideways. 'What's he up to?'
Ryo's face faulted for a second before his hopeful smile returned. He wasn't going to give up this fight. "Well, because I really need to talk to you and please don't say that you don't have time because I know you do."
Rika raised a brow at Ryo's statement. What did he have to say to her and why would it be so important? She thought for a moment and weighed up her options. If she went to the park with Ryo, she might let a little secret slip and she didn't want him to know so soon if not ever. But then again, Terriermon had practically let it out already, so maybe it wouldn't matter. "Fine, let's go. Renamon, look after the house."
The radiant Digimon appeared immediately in the door way and without hesitation caught the key Rika had thrown to her. "Of course, Rika."
"Thanks." Rika walked quickly past Ryo before turning around and giving Renamon a final glance. "If Alicia comes home before me, tell her I've gone for a walk, ok. Thanks again, Renamon."
It took Ryo a few seconds before he actually knew what was happening. As soon as he saw Renamon raise an eyebrow at him, he smiled sheepishly and quickly turned around, jogging to catch up with Rika.
Renamon blinked twice before she looked carefully at the key in her paw. A smile grew on her fox-like features before she turned around and walked back inside the house. She would have just simply materialised like she had when she appeared, but she wanted to give things a more human approach. Renamon would now be alone in the large house, with the key to the front door, no less.
~*~*~
'The end of one thing, the start of another.' Henry sighed to himself as he walked down the busy street of West Shinjuku. He was heading to his Sensei's house, where he would be training and experimenting new things with his martial arts. His style of martial arts did not include the award of different colour belts. Instead, Henry and the other students who attended the well-known dojo were rewarded with sow-on badges. As he carried the worn orange gi, Henry fingered each of his four badges. His first badge was his first reward and he would never forget the day he received it. He was only ten years old when Sensei had given it to him willingly. He had said that it was a very special reward for all the work he was putting into his martial arts. But it was also a reminder that he had a long way to go, as well.
'And now, six years later, I have received three more of those badges and I still feel I am waiting for something. A chance to be shown how good I really am and how much I have to improve in my techniques. Maybe today will be the day...' Henry thought to himself as he neared the house. The weight Terriermon was putting on his head didn't really matter to Henry as he began to run. Terriermon began to slightly bounce up and down rhythmically to Henry's even run.
"Ah, Henry. You finally arrive." Henry's sensei spoke patiently as he saw Henry with Terriermon on his head running toward the house.
"Sorry, Sensei. I had to work today. You know, a normal Sunday." Henry bowed apologetically to his sensei and good friend.
Sensei waved his hand slightly at the teenage boy and gestured for him to walk into the house. "Henry, don't apologize to me. You know it is no skin off my back if you are late. I have plenty of other students who would love to have a private lesson just like you. Now, get changed and we will begin."
Henry bowed again. "Yes, Sensei." He ran off quickly to the change rooms, uh, the very small change rooms. He placed his gi on the bench and began to untie his shoelaces. Terriermon jumped off his head and landed right next to the gi.
"So, Henry? Do you like Alicia?" Terriermon asked slyly as he sat down on the cold bench. He saw Henry immediately turn red.
"What do you mean, Terriermon? I just met her." Henry hid his face by turning it away from his Digimon. He slipped off his shirt and reached for his gi. He changed into it but didn't pull the top part up, revealing his bare chest as he sat down next to Terriermon.
"C'mon, Henry. You don't expect me to fall for that one, do you? I saw the way you two looked at each other today. You really like her, don't you?" Terriermon's voice suddenly became one of concern when Henry didn't answer. "Henry, what's wrong?"
Henry stared ahead until he thought he should answer his partner. "Terriermon, I-I don't know how I feel about her. Sure, she's attractive and everything and she has a great voice, but I really like Alice as well. And besides, we just met Alicia, so we don't know much about her. But, Alice...well, I've known her for a while and well, I like her a lot. I just don't know which one I like more, and which one is better for me, you know? Well, I guess you really don't know, you're a Digimon."
Terriermon's face became one of sympathy and he immediately hugged his Tamer with his ears. "Oh, Henry! I had no idea you were in such pain! I would've helped you, otherwise. Do you forgive me, Henry-o-buddy? Huh? Oh, please forgive me, Henry! I'M SORRY!'"
Either Henry was hearing things or Terriermon was sobbing now. 'Oh my God! What happened to Terriermon? I have to help him.' "Oh, Terriermon. It's ok, I forgive you! Maybe we should visit a phycologist for both of us, huh?"
Terriermon was now crying hysterically onto Henry's chest. Henry was trying to extract his Digimon from him as gently as possible.
Someone coughed deliberately from the doorway. It was sensei. His eyebrows were raised as he stared at the pitiful sight.
Henry blinked and blushed as he realised he and Terriermon must have looked pretty stupid. "Uh, sorry, Sensei." He quickly pulled Terriermon off him and stood up. He pulled his gi on fully, covering his chest and walked out of the small room, embarrassed.
Terriermon just wiped his eyes and followed Henry out like a lost sheep looked for the rest of his flock.
~*~*~
"Ugh, Jeri! I don't understand any of this homework! What the hell does all this mean?!" Takato yelled from his bed down to Jeri, who was playing with Guilmon on the floor. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed with his homework folder in front of him. A few notes were scattered across the bed. Obviously, they weren't helping him.
Jeri giggled slightly. "Takato, I've given you all the help I can give and you're still not understanding it? What does a girl have to do around here? Shove over!" Jeri climbed onto the bed as Takato obediently moved over to make more room for her.
Jeri looked from her notes to Takato's homework as she tried to figure out where he had gone wrong. "Ok, Takato. See where you've put the 20? Rub it out and write in 14 because 14 is a factor of 70. Got it?"
Takato nodded naively and blushed at his stupid mistake. 'Of course 20 isn't a factor of 70! Ugh, I'm so stupid!' He quickly rubbed out the 20 and inserted a 14.
Jeri just giggled again and kissed him lightly on the cheek. She jumped down off the bed and turned around to see Takato's dumbfounded face.
"Uh, I wouldn't mind learning that again, Jeri." Takato's expression turned into a hopeful smile as he looked at Jeri.
Jeri smiled at Takato's comment and turned to walk out the door. "Love to help ya more, but I gotta get home! Try to make some use out of the notes I wrote for you and call me tonight so I can see how you went! Till then, see ya!" Jeri gave a final wave to her boyfriend and Guilmon before she left the bakery altogether.
All Takato could was stare after her. She had only been gone two seconds and he was already missing her.
~*~*~
"So, Ryo. What did you want to talk about?" Rika asked as she walked beside the boy as they entered the park. She looked down at her shoes as she instinctively kicked a small stone out of the way. Her hands rested in the pockets of her jeans as she walked.
Ryo was also looking down. He didn't really know how to tell her how much he cared about her, but he knew he had to. He was practicing all the while in his head as the two were walking to the park, hence both of them hadn't said a word to one another since they left Rika's house. "Uh, Rika. Um, can we sit down?"
Not looking up from her shoes, Rika replied. "Sure." She was actually relieved that Ryo had suggested they sit down. It wasn't because she was tired, it was because Ryo was somehow making her weak and powerless.
The two found a single wood block that was supposedly a back-less bench. They both sat down on it, facing one another.
"Rika." Ryo took a deep breath. "I know you probably won't want to hear this and you probably won't care, but I really need to tell you this."
Rika rolled her eyes impatiently. "Ryo just spit it out." Her hands were supporting her from in front of her, while her legs hung loosely from the bench.
Ryo looked down at his hands, and then hers. He suddenly had an idea, but he thought better of it when he thought that Rika might not appreciate it all that much. "Rika, you're a good friend. A really good friend, and sometimes I really hope that we could be more than just that. I don't know. Maybe it's just because you're special and I really like you, but I do and I can't really deny that. And if I'm not making any sense, please tell me because I don't really want to be yakking on about nothing." He laughed slightly at his own words before he realised Rika was just staring into his face, like he wasn't really there.
"Uh, Rika? Are you ok? You're not angry, are you?" Ryo peered curiously at Rika before waving a hand in front of her face. She still didn't move. Ryo was now getting quite nervous. What could be wrong with her?
Flashbacks of her father kept replaying over and over in her head as Rika stared blankly into Ryo's eyes. In his eyes she saw many different emotions and feelings, but the thing she saw most was her own self. She was everywhere in his mind. In his eyes...
~*Flashback*~
Rika's father quickly took Rika off his shoulders and placed her on the ground. She ran to her mother and Rumiko hugged her tightly.
"I'm sorry, Rumiko, I can't visit anymore. Please don't ask why, maybe Rika can tell you, but I have to go. I'm sorry."
With that, Rika's father walked to his car and turned on the ignition. He backed out of the front driveway and drove off down the receding street.
Four-year-old Rika began to sob and tried to run after her father. Rumiko held her tight though, and wouldn't let her out of her grasp. Rika gave a little squeal before looking at the spot where her father's car had been just a couple of seconds ago. "Daddy...I'm sorry."
~*End of Flashback*~
A still image of her father began to form in Rika's mind. He was smiling at her, his kind, gentle smile, full of compassion and love. An image of Ryo appeared over that. The same smile he always bore whenever she saw him. It looked strangely like her father's.
Rika suddenly stood up from the bench and looked at Ryo. She shook her head a couple of times. "No, Ryo. You can't. You just can't!" She began to run, tears blinding her. She didn't know where she was going, but she could faintly make out the entrance of the park.
Ryo just stood up off the stool slowly and stared after her running figure. "Looks like she rejected me after all, Alice." He looked down at his clenched fist and sat back down on the bench. 'Now what am I going to do?'
A hidden figure in Guilmon's hideout reluctantly moved back towards the back of the small building. Despite her own tears, she sighed quietly and slid down the cold wall until she reached the same cold floor she had been sitting on for the past two hours. "I'm sorry, Ryo." A flash of lightning struck just as she said this and revealed the whole of the hideout. There, in the far corner of the building, Alice McCoy sat with her hands behind her head, her blonde hair falling loosely out behind her.
~*~*~
"Mother, what do you think of this one?" Rumiko Nonaka picked up a small bottle of perfume and spayed a little on her wrist so she could smell it better. The fragrance filled the air around her and hit Seiko Hata immediately.
"It's nice, but expensive, dear. Are you sure you want to spend money on something like that." Seiko looked closely at the price tag of the bottle before looking at her daughter's smiling face.
"Well, I always say that French perfume, despite it's price, is the best you can buy. And anyway, wasn't it you who always told me to follow my heart?" Rumiko put the lid back on the tester perfume and reached for the same brand from the shelf full of amazing fragrances.
Seiko sighed and looked at her daughter with a raised brow. "Yes, it was. But I never did say spend all of your money on perfume, or get married when you're seventeen, now did I?"
Rumiko shook her head at her mother's fake stern voice. "Well, maybe you could tell my two daughter's the same thing, then. But, maybe you could warn them about the risks involved in taking chances, hmm?"
Seiko waited until her daughter had walked past her and walked up to the counter to pay for the bottle of perfume before answering. "Rumiko, I am past my time, now. It is not my responsibility to tell your daughters about the facts of life. And one more thing. Don't you think they're a bit old now?"
Rumiko payed for the perfume before walking out of the store with her ageing mother in tow. "Well, for one thing, Rika doesn't seem to be taking any interest in boys even at her age, and well, Alicia, I don't about her. Her father never said anything to me about relationships and such. I guess we're just going to have to figure that situation out by ourselves."
Seiko smiled mysteriously as she walked closely behind her daughter. "I wouldn't be so sure about Rika, Rumiko. She has changed. A lot."
~*~*~
Henry was concentrating on his breathing as he sat on the ground of the dojo with his legs underneath him. An ancient Japanese ritual that had not faded with time was important in the art of martial arts. It was called Zen meditation. As Henry breathed deeply, he thought about what Terriermon had said about him and Alicia. It was true that the two had looked at each other in admiration, but it still didn't change the fact that he didn't know her at all.
"Good, Henry. Now, we may begin."
Henry's eyes snapped open and he looked at the ageing man in front of him. "Yes, Sensei." In one move, he used his leg muscles to force himself up off of the floor. He looked at his sensei in the eyes and bowed respectively.
Sensei used one hand to strike Henry in the temple with a knife hand strike. Henry immediately blocked it using his left, open hand. He counter- punched it with a well-aimed punch to his sensei's torso. The punch hit its target, but sensei recovered quickly. Using his other hand, he sent a hook punch straight for Henry's temple. Henry moved back a step and allowed the punch to swipe past his face with inches to spare.
Both sensei and student breathed heavily, letting themselves recover. Finally, Henry's sensei spoke. "Henry, I want you to come at me with whatever techniques you wish. Don't worry about hitting me, I want you to do this, ok?"
Henry looked at his sensei's strong, sincere face and nodded. "Yes, Sensei." Immediately he sent a number of straight punches towards his instructor's face and stomach. All the while, his sensei was moving back, trying not to get hit while observing Henry's techniques. Henry changed his technique from punching to kicking, sending different types of kicks to their aimed target.
A front kick hit sensei straight in the stomach and caused him to lean over in pain, but he quickly recovered. Mustering enough strength, Henry turned around and aimed a spinning-back kick to his sensei's head. Seeing the attack coming, sensei moved back and blocked it with his bare hand, imitating Henry's earlier block.
Sensei sighed and motioned for Henry to stop. "Henry, remember you're not trying to kill your opponent. Using 100% power in your technique will only make you lose balance. I know that you want to use strength in your every move, but using that much energy is dangerous and your opponent could easily use it against you. You should only be using a minimum of about 70% power so that you keep your balance and your technique goes through your opponent rather than bouncing off him, or in this case, her."
On that last comment, Henry raised a brow. "What do you mean 'her'?"
Sensei cleared his throat before continuing. "I know that this is supposed to be a private lesson, Henry, but until I can make a fixed time, you will have a sparring partner to train with. I'd like you to meet my newest student."
Henry turned his head to where his sensei was gesturing. There, in the doorway, a certain redhead girl was standing, wearing a full dark purple training gi. One thing came to his mind. "Alicia."
~*~*~
'Ugh, I am such an idiot! Why did I have to have a sudden flashback of my father and then tell Ryo he couldn't love me? Why, why, why?' With each "why" she said, Rika hit her head against the railing she was leaning on. 'I mean, it's not like I don't want him to, I do. Why does my father always have to haunt me like that?'
Rika had somehow made her way to a deserted area of town where an old building sat. It looked to be an old shed, but Rika couldn't be sure. It was covered completely in graffiti and she could just make out the door. Rika pondered on whether or not to go inside the shed, while she tapped her foot on the dirt. 'If I do go in there, I might not be able to get out, so it wouldn't be a good idea. Anyway, I should be getting home, it's way past six.'
Rika carefully made her way through the rubble and ran out into a clearing. Street signs told her she was still in Shinjuku and not far from her house. She ran along the footpath and breathed steadily, all the while thinking about the importance of pride in life. A blessing and a curse, she summed up in her head.
~*~*~
Henry raised his eyebrows in confusion and looked from his sensei to Alicia. He wondered what she was doing here, and how she could be a new student within just one day. "What are you doing here, Alicia? I mean, you've only been here for what, a couple of hours at the least."
Alicia smiled her mysterious smile. "A member of my band told me about this place, and since I already had experience in martial arts, he recommended this place. This was a couple of days ago, by the way, so I was currently packing for the move. Anyway, I rang up and I was offered a deal from Sensei, here. I could have my first three lessons free, and between my parents, they would pay for the expenses after that."
"Ok." Henry nodded his head slowly, still not quite buying Alicia's story, but thought he shouldn't make a big deal out of it.
Sensei coughed slightly, calling attention to himself. "Well, since you two already know each other, maybe you could actually start training. I'll be over there." He pointed quickly to a door, and walked to it. Before he walked through it, he glanced back at the two teenagers and smiled to himself. The two were already warming up with various stretches and talking quietly to one another.
"I forgot to tell Rika about this, so she thinks I'm coming home from band rehearsal." Alicia changed her stretch and sat on the ground, pulling one leg in and reaching out to the other.
Henry cocked his head to the side. "Did you want to call her, I've got my cell phone?"
Alicia smiled but shook her head. "No, it's ok. Mom will tell her." She stood up from the ground and looked at Henry. "Should we begin?"
~
*
~
*
~
A/N: Hmm, can this be true? Did Rika really reject Ryo just because of her father? And what's the deal with Alicia and martial arts? Find out in the next exciting episode of...
Floramon: They get it, already.
A/N: -_- Please review! _I_ would really appreciate it. As you can see, I'm just ignoring Floramon now.
Floramon: *sweatdrops* Ok...Dark-Angel's hiatus is over but maybe that's no the best thing in the world. Anyway, we're back for chapter 5 of Devil's Advocates, so sit back and relax.
A/N: How could they relax with you doing the author notes? *clears throat* Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or its characters so you can't sue me! Hahahahahahahaha! However, I do own Alicia and the other members of the band Devil's Advocates, who I will introduce more during the story. Oh, and of course, I own this story! Hahahahahahahaha!
Floramon: Anyway, when we last left you, there was someone at the door of Rika's house and Alicia had just finished her band rehearsal. Oh and Alice was wishing Ryo luck because he wanted to tell Rika just how much he truly cares about her. *sniffs* That's so sweet.
Devil's Advocates
Chapter 5: And Then I Go And Spoil It All By Saying Something Stupid Like I Love You...
~*~*
The knocking continued as Rika found herself running to the front door. She carefully opened the door and stopped when she saw who is was. Ryo.
"Hey, Rika." Ryo smiled when he saw the girl frown slightly.
"Ryo, what do you want?" Rika's tone wasn't meant to come out the way it did, it was just something about his smile that made her feel...weird.
Instead of a teasing smile, Ryo's smile turned into a hopeful one. "Do you want to go for a walk? You know, just to the park or something?"
Rika's frown turned into one of confusion. "Why." She was now leaning on the open door and looking at Ryo sideways. 'What's he up to?'
Ryo's face faulted for a second before his hopeful smile returned. He wasn't going to give up this fight. "Well, because I really need to talk to you and please don't say that you don't have time because I know you do."
Rika raised a brow at Ryo's statement. What did he have to say to her and why would it be so important? She thought for a moment and weighed up her options. If she went to the park with Ryo, she might let a little secret slip and she didn't want him to know so soon if not ever. But then again, Terriermon had practically let it out already, so maybe it wouldn't matter. "Fine, let's go. Renamon, look after the house."
The radiant Digimon appeared immediately in the door way and without hesitation caught the key Rika had thrown to her. "Of course, Rika."
"Thanks." Rika walked quickly past Ryo before turning around and giving Renamon a final glance. "If Alicia comes home before me, tell her I've gone for a walk, ok. Thanks again, Renamon."
It took Ryo a few seconds before he actually knew what was happening. As soon as he saw Renamon raise an eyebrow at him, he smiled sheepishly and quickly turned around, jogging to catch up with Rika.
Renamon blinked twice before she looked carefully at the key in her paw. A smile grew on her fox-like features before she turned around and walked back inside the house. She would have just simply materialised like she had when she appeared, but she wanted to give things a more human approach. Renamon would now be alone in the large house, with the key to the front door, no less.
~*~*~
'The end of one thing, the start of another.' Henry sighed to himself as he walked down the busy street of West Shinjuku. He was heading to his Sensei's house, where he would be training and experimenting new things with his martial arts. His style of martial arts did not include the award of different colour belts. Instead, Henry and the other students who attended the well-known dojo were rewarded with sow-on badges. As he carried the worn orange gi, Henry fingered each of his four badges. His first badge was his first reward and he would never forget the day he received it. He was only ten years old when Sensei had given it to him willingly. He had said that it was a very special reward for all the work he was putting into his martial arts. But it was also a reminder that he had a long way to go, as well.
'And now, six years later, I have received three more of those badges and I still feel I am waiting for something. A chance to be shown how good I really am and how much I have to improve in my techniques. Maybe today will be the day...' Henry thought to himself as he neared the house. The weight Terriermon was putting on his head didn't really matter to Henry as he began to run. Terriermon began to slightly bounce up and down rhythmically to Henry's even run.
"Ah, Henry. You finally arrive." Henry's sensei spoke patiently as he saw Henry with Terriermon on his head running toward the house.
"Sorry, Sensei. I had to work today. You know, a normal Sunday." Henry bowed apologetically to his sensei and good friend.
Sensei waved his hand slightly at the teenage boy and gestured for him to walk into the house. "Henry, don't apologize to me. You know it is no skin off my back if you are late. I have plenty of other students who would love to have a private lesson just like you. Now, get changed and we will begin."
Henry bowed again. "Yes, Sensei." He ran off quickly to the change rooms, uh, the very small change rooms. He placed his gi on the bench and began to untie his shoelaces. Terriermon jumped off his head and landed right next to the gi.
"So, Henry? Do you like Alicia?" Terriermon asked slyly as he sat down on the cold bench. He saw Henry immediately turn red.
"What do you mean, Terriermon? I just met her." Henry hid his face by turning it away from his Digimon. He slipped off his shirt and reached for his gi. He changed into it but didn't pull the top part up, revealing his bare chest as he sat down next to Terriermon.
"C'mon, Henry. You don't expect me to fall for that one, do you? I saw the way you two looked at each other today. You really like her, don't you?" Terriermon's voice suddenly became one of concern when Henry didn't answer. "Henry, what's wrong?"
Henry stared ahead until he thought he should answer his partner. "Terriermon, I-I don't know how I feel about her. Sure, she's attractive and everything and she has a great voice, but I really like Alice as well. And besides, we just met Alicia, so we don't know much about her. But, Alice...well, I've known her for a while and well, I like her a lot. I just don't know which one I like more, and which one is better for me, you know? Well, I guess you really don't know, you're a Digimon."
Terriermon's face became one of sympathy and he immediately hugged his Tamer with his ears. "Oh, Henry! I had no idea you were in such pain! I would've helped you, otherwise. Do you forgive me, Henry-o-buddy? Huh? Oh, please forgive me, Henry! I'M SORRY!'"
Either Henry was hearing things or Terriermon was sobbing now. 'Oh my God! What happened to Terriermon? I have to help him.' "Oh, Terriermon. It's ok, I forgive you! Maybe we should visit a phycologist for both of us, huh?"
Terriermon was now crying hysterically onto Henry's chest. Henry was trying to extract his Digimon from him as gently as possible.
Someone coughed deliberately from the doorway. It was sensei. His eyebrows were raised as he stared at the pitiful sight.
Henry blinked and blushed as he realised he and Terriermon must have looked pretty stupid. "Uh, sorry, Sensei." He quickly pulled Terriermon off him and stood up. He pulled his gi on fully, covering his chest and walked out of the small room, embarrassed.
Terriermon just wiped his eyes and followed Henry out like a lost sheep looked for the rest of his flock.
~*~*~
"Ugh, Jeri! I don't understand any of this homework! What the hell does all this mean?!" Takato yelled from his bed down to Jeri, who was playing with Guilmon on the floor. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed with his homework folder in front of him. A few notes were scattered across the bed. Obviously, they weren't helping him.
Jeri giggled slightly. "Takato, I've given you all the help I can give and you're still not understanding it? What does a girl have to do around here? Shove over!" Jeri climbed onto the bed as Takato obediently moved over to make more room for her.
Jeri looked from her notes to Takato's homework as she tried to figure out where he had gone wrong. "Ok, Takato. See where you've put the 20? Rub it out and write in 14 because 14 is a factor of 70. Got it?"
Takato nodded naively and blushed at his stupid mistake. 'Of course 20 isn't a factor of 70! Ugh, I'm so stupid!' He quickly rubbed out the 20 and inserted a 14.
Jeri just giggled again and kissed him lightly on the cheek. She jumped down off the bed and turned around to see Takato's dumbfounded face.
"Uh, I wouldn't mind learning that again, Jeri." Takato's expression turned into a hopeful smile as he looked at Jeri.
Jeri smiled at Takato's comment and turned to walk out the door. "Love to help ya more, but I gotta get home! Try to make some use out of the notes I wrote for you and call me tonight so I can see how you went! Till then, see ya!" Jeri gave a final wave to her boyfriend and Guilmon before she left the bakery altogether.
All Takato could was stare after her. She had only been gone two seconds and he was already missing her.
~*~*~
"So, Ryo. What did you want to talk about?" Rika asked as she walked beside the boy as they entered the park. She looked down at her shoes as she instinctively kicked a small stone out of the way. Her hands rested in the pockets of her jeans as she walked.
Ryo was also looking down. He didn't really know how to tell her how much he cared about her, but he knew he had to. He was practicing all the while in his head as the two were walking to the park, hence both of them hadn't said a word to one another since they left Rika's house. "Uh, Rika. Um, can we sit down?"
Not looking up from her shoes, Rika replied. "Sure." She was actually relieved that Ryo had suggested they sit down. It wasn't because she was tired, it was because Ryo was somehow making her weak and powerless.
The two found a single wood block that was supposedly a back-less bench. They both sat down on it, facing one another.
"Rika." Ryo took a deep breath. "I know you probably won't want to hear this and you probably won't care, but I really need to tell you this."
Rika rolled her eyes impatiently. "Ryo just spit it out." Her hands were supporting her from in front of her, while her legs hung loosely from the bench.
Ryo looked down at his hands, and then hers. He suddenly had an idea, but he thought better of it when he thought that Rika might not appreciate it all that much. "Rika, you're a good friend. A really good friend, and sometimes I really hope that we could be more than just that. I don't know. Maybe it's just because you're special and I really like you, but I do and I can't really deny that. And if I'm not making any sense, please tell me because I don't really want to be yakking on about nothing." He laughed slightly at his own words before he realised Rika was just staring into his face, like he wasn't really there.
"Uh, Rika? Are you ok? You're not angry, are you?" Ryo peered curiously at Rika before waving a hand in front of her face. She still didn't move. Ryo was now getting quite nervous. What could be wrong with her?
Flashbacks of her father kept replaying over and over in her head as Rika stared blankly into Ryo's eyes. In his eyes she saw many different emotions and feelings, but the thing she saw most was her own self. She was everywhere in his mind. In his eyes...
~*Flashback*~
Rika's father quickly took Rika off his shoulders and placed her on the ground. She ran to her mother and Rumiko hugged her tightly.
"I'm sorry, Rumiko, I can't visit anymore. Please don't ask why, maybe Rika can tell you, but I have to go. I'm sorry."
With that, Rika's father walked to his car and turned on the ignition. He backed out of the front driveway and drove off down the receding street.
Four-year-old Rika began to sob and tried to run after her father. Rumiko held her tight though, and wouldn't let her out of her grasp. Rika gave a little squeal before looking at the spot where her father's car had been just a couple of seconds ago. "Daddy...I'm sorry."
~*End of Flashback*~
A still image of her father began to form in Rika's mind. He was smiling at her, his kind, gentle smile, full of compassion and love. An image of Ryo appeared over that. The same smile he always bore whenever she saw him. It looked strangely like her father's.
Rika suddenly stood up from the bench and looked at Ryo. She shook her head a couple of times. "No, Ryo. You can't. You just can't!" She began to run, tears blinding her. She didn't know where she was going, but she could faintly make out the entrance of the park.
Ryo just stood up off the stool slowly and stared after her running figure. "Looks like she rejected me after all, Alice." He looked down at his clenched fist and sat back down on the bench. 'Now what am I going to do?'
A hidden figure in Guilmon's hideout reluctantly moved back towards the back of the small building. Despite her own tears, she sighed quietly and slid down the cold wall until she reached the same cold floor she had been sitting on for the past two hours. "I'm sorry, Ryo." A flash of lightning struck just as she said this and revealed the whole of the hideout. There, in the far corner of the building, Alice McCoy sat with her hands behind her head, her blonde hair falling loosely out behind her.
~*~*~
"Mother, what do you think of this one?" Rumiko Nonaka picked up a small bottle of perfume and spayed a little on her wrist so she could smell it better. The fragrance filled the air around her and hit Seiko Hata immediately.
"It's nice, but expensive, dear. Are you sure you want to spend money on something like that." Seiko looked closely at the price tag of the bottle before looking at her daughter's smiling face.
"Well, I always say that French perfume, despite it's price, is the best you can buy. And anyway, wasn't it you who always told me to follow my heart?" Rumiko put the lid back on the tester perfume and reached for the same brand from the shelf full of amazing fragrances.
Seiko sighed and looked at her daughter with a raised brow. "Yes, it was. But I never did say spend all of your money on perfume, or get married when you're seventeen, now did I?"
Rumiko shook her head at her mother's fake stern voice. "Well, maybe you could tell my two daughter's the same thing, then. But, maybe you could warn them about the risks involved in taking chances, hmm?"
Seiko waited until her daughter had walked past her and walked up to the counter to pay for the bottle of perfume before answering. "Rumiko, I am past my time, now. It is not my responsibility to tell your daughters about the facts of life. And one more thing. Don't you think they're a bit old now?"
Rumiko payed for the perfume before walking out of the store with her ageing mother in tow. "Well, for one thing, Rika doesn't seem to be taking any interest in boys even at her age, and well, Alicia, I don't about her. Her father never said anything to me about relationships and such. I guess we're just going to have to figure that situation out by ourselves."
Seiko smiled mysteriously as she walked closely behind her daughter. "I wouldn't be so sure about Rika, Rumiko. She has changed. A lot."
~*~*~
Henry was concentrating on his breathing as he sat on the ground of the dojo with his legs underneath him. An ancient Japanese ritual that had not faded with time was important in the art of martial arts. It was called Zen meditation. As Henry breathed deeply, he thought about what Terriermon had said about him and Alicia. It was true that the two had looked at each other in admiration, but it still didn't change the fact that he didn't know her at all.
"Good, Henry. Now, we may begin."
Henry's eyes snapped open and he looked at the ageing man in front of him. "Yes, Sensei." In one move, he used his leg muscles to force himself up off of the floor. He looked at his sensei in the eyes and bowed respectively.
Sensei used one hand to strike Henry in the temple with a knife hand strike. Henry immediately blocked it using his left, open hand. He counter- punched it with a well-aimed punch to his sensei's torso. The punch hit its target, but sensei recovered quickly. Using his other hand, he sent a hook punch straight for Henry's temple. Henry moved back a step and allowed the punch to swipe past his face with inches to spare.
Both sensei and student breathed heavily, letting themselves recover. Finally, Henry's sensei spoke. "Henry, I want you to come at me with whatever techniques you wish. Don't worry about hitting me, I want you to do this, ok?"
Henry looked at his sensei's strong, sincere face and nodded. "Yes, Sensei." Immediately he sent a number of straight punches towards his instructor's face and stomach. All the while, his sensei was moving back, trying not to get hit while observing Henry's techniques. Henry changed his technique from punching to kicking, sending different types of kicks to their aimed target.
A front kick hit sensei straight in the stomach and caused him to lean over in pain, but he quickly recovered. Mustering enough strength, Henry turned around and aimed a spinning-back kick to his sensei's head. Seeing the attack coming, sensei moved back and blocked it with his bare hand, imitating Henry's earlier block.
Sensei sighed and motioned for Henry to stop. "Henry, remember you're not trying to kill your opponent. Using 100% power in your technique will only make you lose balance. I know that you want to use strength in your every move, but using that much energy is dangerous and your opponent could easily use it against you. You should only be using a minimum of about 70% power so that you keep your balance and your technique goes through your opponent rather than bouncing off him, or in this case, her."
On that last comment, Henry raised a brow. "What do you mean 'her'?"
Sensei cleared his throat before continuing. "I know that this is supposed to be a private lesson, Henry, but until I can make a fixed time, you will have a sparring partner to train with. I'd like you to meet my newest student."
Henry turned his head to where his sensei was gesturing. There, in the doorway, a certain redhead girl was standing, wearing a full dark purple training gi. One thing came to his mind. "Alicia."
~*~*~
'Ugh, I am such an idiot! Why did I have to have a sudden flashback of my father and then tell Ryo he couldn't love me? Why, why, why?' With each "why" she said, Rika hit her head against the railing she was leaning on. 'I mean, it's not like I don't want him to, I do. Why does my father always have to haunt me like that?'
Rika had somehow made her way to a deserted area of town where an old building sat. It looked to be an old shed, but Rika couldn't be sure. It was covered completely in graffiti and she could just make out the door. Rika pondered on whether or not to go inside the shed, while she tapped her foot on the dirt. 'If I do go in there, I might not be able to get out, so it wouldn't be a good idea. Anyway, I should be getting home, it's way past six.'
Rika carefully made her way through the rubble and ran out into a clearing. Street signs told her she was still in Shinjuku and not far from her house. She ran along the footpath and breathed steadily, all the while thinking about the importance of pride in life. A blessing and a curse, she summed up in her head.
~*~*~
Henry raised his eyebrows in confusion and looked from his sensei to Alicia. He wondered what she was doing here, and how she could be a new student within just one day. "What are you doing here, Alicia? I mean, you've only been here for what, a couple of hours at the least."
Alicia smiled her mysterious smile. "A member of my band told me about this place, and since I already had experience in martial arts, he recommended this place. This was a couple of days ago, by the way, so I was currently packing for the move. Anyway, I rang up and I was offered a deal from Sensei, here. I could have my first three lessons free, and between my parents, they would pay for the expenses after that."
"Ok." Henry nodded his head slowly, still not quite buying Alicia's story, but thought he shouldn't make a big deal out of it.
Sensei coughed slightly, calling attention to himself. "Well, since you two already know each other, maybe you could actually start training. I'll be over there." He pointed quickly to a door, and walked to it. Before he walked through it, he glanced back at the two teenagers and smiled to himself. The two were already warming up with various stretches and talking quietly to one another.
"I forgot to tell Rika about this, so she thinks I'm coming home from band rehearsal." Alicia changed her stretch and sat on the ground, pulling one leg in and reaching out to the other.
Henry cocked his head to the side. "Did you want to call her, I've got my cell phone?"
Alicia smiled but shook her head. "No, it's ok. Mom will tell her." She stood up from the ground and looked at Henry. "Should we begin?"
~
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A/N: Hmm, can this be true? Did Rika really reject Ryo just because of her father? And what's the deal with Alicia and martial arts? Find out in the next exciting episode of...
Floramon: They get it, already.
A/N: -_- Please review! _I_ would really appreciate it. As you can see, I'm just ignoring Floramon now.