Dark-Angel: Wow, I finally finished this chapter. It's not actually very
long but I've been tied up with school and stuff. Anyway, thank you to all
of my great reviewers! Love ya!
Well, enjoy my latest entry and I do not own Digimon, nor do I own Floramon anymore because I just don't.
Floramon: Liar! I'm still here and whether I'm allowed to or not, I'm staying! Hahahaha!
~*~*
Devil's Advocates Chapter 6: Enter Stacie
~*~*~
"Ok, where do you want to start?" Alicia looked in Henry's direction before finishing off her last stretch.
The two were alone in the spacious martial arts dojo. Sensei had walked out of the room and into his kitchen, which as situated in the next section of the house, to make a cup of tea for himself. Either that or it was just an excuse to leave by two teenagers alone in the room together.
Henry thought for a moment before answering. "Uh, how about we start on some self defence. Maybe some take downs and then-" He was never able to finish his sentence since Alicia had already swept his feet off the ground and was now currently holding him in a straddle hold, her hands pinning his arms down.
Alicia smirked at him before using the force of her arms to back flip off the boy. She offered her hand to him and pulled him off the ground.
Henry blinked a couple of times. "Wow, you're fast. So, uh, how many years have your been doing this exactly?"
Alicia began to crack each of her knuckles and smiled at Henry. "About five years. I'm guessing you've been doing it for almost double that, huh?"
Henry nodded. "Yeah, I've been doing martial arts for eight years now. Just one more question. Where'd you learn that? I mean, you almost moved so fast I couldn't see you move at all."
Alicia shrugged and looked away. "My old sensei taught that to me and he was really big on agility. So he taught us to move fast and be able to dodge things and stuff. So, should we continue?"
Henry frowned slightly and nodded. "Yeah."
~*~*~
'I wonder if Alicia's home yet. It's almost seven. She should be. Her band rehearsal finished at six.' Rika wandered around the streets of Shinjuku, looking out for the turn off to her house. She had been walking for twenty minuets straight and she still had about another ten to go. 'I wonder if Ryo's ok. I really hope he is. I didn't mean for what I said to come out. It's just my father. He always has that effect on me. I guess that's why I became the Ice Queen after he stopped visiting. Because he was gone and a part of me was taken away forever. For twelve years I haven't heard from him. At least not personally, anyway. I don't want to make the same mistake with Ryo.'
Rika saw the familiar corner and turned it. Because she lived on the corner, her house was now right in front of her and there was a police car outside the gate. She frowned and wondered what was going on. She ran quickly through the open gate and into the house, where a young police man was talking to both her mother and grandmother.
When Rumiko saw her daughter, she called for her to come over to where they were standing. "Rika, this is Doug. He's here investigating the disappearance of a local girl who used to go to school with you. Her name's Stacie Tseng. Do you remember her?"
The name rang a bell in Rika's memory and an image of a blonde-haired, blue- eyed, thirteen year old girl came into her mind. Of course, she'd be Rika's age now, but Rika hadn't seen her since she changed schools. Rika nodded and glanced at the police officer whom she now knew as Doug. "Yeah, I remember her. Do you know how she disappeared, or why?"
Doug turned around to face the teenager and shook his head. "No, we're still looking into that. Anyway, can you tell me if she had problems at home, or anything? We've seen her parents, but that would hardly tell us anything. Or more like they were too upset to."
Rika breathed deeply and thought hard. Stacie had been a really good friend to her, although Rika never recognised it as friendship. Stacie had always been trying to fit in with the popular girls, so Rika never really had the chance to get to know her. "Well, I don't know about family problems, but Stacie was always trying to fit in with the popular girls, although she knew she didn't. That's all I really know." Rika suddenly remembered that Stacie had played the Digimon card game and was also really good at it. Rika thought about something and quickly ran to her room without another word.
The three adults in the room were left to stare at Rika's receding figure as she ran down to the other end of the house. Rumiko laughed slightly and looked at Doug. "Don't worry, she does that a lot."
~*~*~
'Where do I go from here? I mean, I never really thought about what things would be like if she rejected me. Should I keep trying, or try to understand her and let it go?' Ryo walked along one of the streets in Shinjuku and thought about things, such as Rika, Rika and well, more Rika. But nothing he thought of could ease the pain he felt in his heart. Rika was definitely one of a kind. If it was any other girl, they'd be all over him and he would never be able to get away from them. But Rika was different. She never let her emotions get the better of her and, if she ever did, then she'd shrug it off and pretend she didn't care. But why? Why was she so afraid to love? Was if because she was afraid she'd show weakness by showing emotions, or was it because she had been hurt by love before?
Ryo stumbled upon an old, abandoned building with a ton of rubble surrounding it. The walls were completely covered in graffiti and the door was almost invisible from the outside. Ryo walked up closer to it and he could see strange, almost indistinguishable writing on it. He could barely make out the words. "Remember your roots, my friend. They're right down below, because heroes come and heroes go."
Ryo stared at the words and soon, he became immune to the fact that the words had been carved into the wall, very professionally, and not just by accident. Taking a step back, Ryo observed the building more carefully. It wasn't anything special, no more than a shed, and still it looked somewhat ancient and calculated. There was something about the appearance that drew Ryo forward, and drove his curiosity into checking the place out.
~*~*~
After rummaging through a wooden, hand-carved box, Rika finally found what she was looking for. A Digimon card that Stacie had given to her when Rika had beaten her a couple of years ago. It was a special, power upgrade card that only allowed for Ultimate and above to use it. It gave a huge boost to the power of the played Digimon that no one could beat it, even if they played all of their power cards in one duel. Rika stared at the card while her index finger ran along the edge of it. The covering of it was coated in a golden shine while the back of it had a somewhat metallic sliver look that told of supreme power and vigilance. A power that shimmered through Rika's body every time she saw it. A power so great that one could hardly imagine a simple card could give off that much aura.
Rika turned her head towards the door of her room when she heard footsteps. She quickly put away her cards and stood up to greet whoever it was that wanted her. Seiko Hata's face suddenly appeared in front of Rika's. She was smiling slightly at her granddaughter and she held a piece of paper in her hands. Seiko handed it to Rika and watched her read it.
There in front of her, Rika was reading what seemed like details of Stacie. Rika looked up confused. "What's this, and why do you want me to read it?"
Seiko sighed. "It's just Stacie's details and her family's contact numbers in case we see anything. You don't have to worry about it, Doug just asked us to give it to you. Anyway, that's not the main reason I'm here."
Rika raised her eyebrows, gesturing for her grandmother to continue.
Seiko nodded, understanding Rika's gesture. "Rika, I know something's distracting you. I can just tell by the way you're looking at everyone. You're not looking anyway, not even your mother in the eye, and I'm just wondering why."
Rika followed her grandmother over to her bed where she now sat. "There is something that's bothering me, but I don't think you'd want to hear it." That wasn't really the reason; Rika didn't really want to tell her grandma the story about her and Ryo.
Seiko nodded once. "Rika, if you don't want to tell me, then that's fine. But I would be willing to listen to anything you wanted to talk to me about, and so would your mother. We're here for you, as Alicia will be when the time comes."
Rika looked down and played with the edge of her bed. "Grandma, there is something that I want to tell you." She looked at her grandmother's interested glance and took a deep breath. "Today, someone told me that they liked me as more than a friend and I told them that they couldn't, even though all I really wanted to do was to tell them how long I had been waiting to hear that. I don't know why, but whenever I'm thinking about those things, Dad always comes into my mind and messes up my feelings. And I don't know how to get rid of him. I mean, I'm practically living with the daughter that he brought up and never even bothered to tell me about for sixteen whole years." A thought crossed Rika's mind. "By the way, where is Alicia?"
Seiko smiled warmly at her granddaughter. "She's at martial arts practice, training with Henry no doubt. His Sunday lesson was at six, wasn't it?"
Rika looked very surprised. "Martial arts practice? How? I mean, she's been here, what, five hours and already she does martial arts, with Henry?"
Seiko laughed and lifted herself off the bed. "Why don't you ask her about it when she gets back, the class only goes for an hour." She began to walk out of the room. "And Rika, try to ignore your father. I know he hurt you and it still hurts to think about love, but when your mind lets you, open up you heart and find the answers you're looking for. Trust me, it will work."
Rika was left in the room to ponder about what she should do the next time she saw Ryo. Should she try to apologize to him? Should she ignore him until her feelings are resolved? Should she act like nothing happened and they would still be friends? But she wanted more than that. She wanted what he wanted, but her pride would not let her penetrate her heart and find the answers. Rika sighed and looked up at the ceiling. She was in for the long haul, and she knew she couldn't give up.
A shaded figure watched Rika through the paper door of her room. Renamon stood in a corner of the back garden of the Nonaka's house and watched silently. Not even her breathing could be heard. She was perfectly still. Her thoughts were concentrated on what Rika had said to her grandmother. But if what she said was true, then she had rejected Ryo and left them both broken hearted. "I hope you find your answers, Rika."
~*~*~
As Alicia walked out of the dojo, she hummed the tune to the song "Mesmerize" by Ja rule. She had just had the best hour training with Henry that she had forgotten her father had practically dumped her out of his house. Not that she cared that much, anyway. Her father was always either away on business trips or caught up in his work that he practically never even noticed he had a daughter. Anyway, back to Henry. He was the most amazing guy she had ever met. Those gentle, caring eyes, his tanned skin, his soft blue hair. Everything about him was amazing. Too bad he seems to be just a little distracted...
Alicia stopped and flipped her hair back. She took out her bandana and tied it around her head, holding it back a little. She took a stray strand of auburn hair twirled it around her finger, curling it temporarily. It fell loosely in front of her eyes and she looked at it for a moment before continuing to walk to her new house. She glanced at a street sign and estimated that she was about ten minuets away from it. She'd be there before seven thirty.
Again Alicia found herself thinking about her sister, Rika, and how they were so different and yet so similar. They both found that emotions and caring about other people's opinions were useless, except when you want someone, particularly a boy, to like you. Her thoughts went from Rika, to Henry, to Alice, whom she now regarded as a rival who she had to destroy. Alice's blonde hair and blue eyes made her a tough enemy, but like all others, she would defeat her, sooner or later. Henry would become hers, and Alice will be left in the corner to cry away her life. Perfect.
When she reached the street where her new house was, Alicia turned and walked to it. She opened the gate quietly and glanced back one last time towards the setting sun. It's bright orange-pink colour brilliantly cascaded over the whole city. Even the dark, ominous shadows were now covered in the radiant glow of the powerful thing we call the sun. The dark had no become the light and soon the reverse will happen. All light will become darkness.
Alicia walked with a small smile on her face into the front garden and without turning around, closed the gate shut. She walked with a steady pace towards the door and opened it without hesitation. This was her house too, now, and she was allowed to do anything she pleased. As soon as she walked in, she could tell that someone not welcome had entered the house not so long ago. Maybe possibly a police officer...
"Hi, Honey. How was your martial arts training?" Rumiko flashed a warm smile at her daughter and continued to place a loaf of bread in the hot oven.
Alicia slipped into her role of the sweet, innocent, long-lost daughter who deserved all she got because people should take pity on her and smiled back at her mother. "It was great! I really learned a lot from Henry. Oh and his sensei, of course. 'And I'm not your Honey.' She added mentally.
Rumiko gave a small laugh. "Of course. Oh, by the way, do you know of anyone called Stacie Tseng?"
Alicia thought for a second and made a small thinking sound. "Um, no, not that I can think of. Why?"
"Well, because she's disappeared and the police came around earlier asking us if we knew anything of her. Apparently Rika went to school with her before she transferred, but other that that, we couldn't really them. Her poor parents, how devastated that must be..." Rumiko shook her head and looked down.
"Err, yeah. Well, anyway, I'm going to have a shower! I forgot how much working out takes out of you." Alicia ran perkily to the bathroom and closed the door behind her, leaving Rumiko to stare after her.
Seiko had seen the sudden burst of energy that Alicia had given out and looked over to her daughter. "What drug is she taking and where'd she find it?"
Rumiko laughed and turned to face her mother. "Apparently Henry Wong and the connection would be Rika. I hope they both are getting along. They are sisters, after all."
~*~*~
Ryo started intensely into the darkness of the old building and tried to make out a light switch. So far, he wasn't having much luck, as the door had slammed shut behind him as soon as he stepped foot in the building. He was now beginning to think that coming here was a mistake. A big mistake. Eventually, he found what felt like a light switch and flicked it on. He could hear the lights above him flickering and looked up to see slight flashes of light. The lights finally settled and Ryo could see everything there was to see in the shed. In one corner, there was a drum kit, with the word Phoenix written in the middle in black ink. Next to the drums were amplifiers, and a turntable with a pair of headphones on it. Ryo could only guess what they were for.
He moved his eyes slowly around the room, taking in every detail of the building from what was to be found in it to the graffiti on the walls. Ryo's eyes once again rested on the jet black turntable and he impulsively walked up to it. There were a couple of sheets of paper, with printed words on them. He read them out loud.
"Hey, Mr. Seeker, hold on to this advice. If you keep seeking, you will find. Don't want to follow, down roads been walked before. It's so hard to find unopened doors. Are you ready? Are you ready? Hey, Mr. Hero, walking a thin, fine line. Under the microscope of life, remember your roots, my friend. They're right down below, cause heroes come and heroes go. Ten, nine, eight, seven six, five, four, three, two, one. Count down to the change in life that's soon to come. Your life has just begun..." Ryo suddenly felt himself glowing, and he was surrounded by a burst of blinding light. On impulse, he shut his eyes tightly and shielded his face. He felt something ripple through him and he felt different. Still glowing with a gold aura, Ryo felt all of his despair leave him. All thoughts of Rika disappeared from his mind, and he felt himself been pulled through some sort of vortex.
There was now nothing left in the building but the band's instruments and the now falling pieces of paper. Ryo had completely disappeared, no evidence that he was even there at all.
~*~*~
A dark, shadowed figure looked into a glowing crystal and smiled to himself. "Come ever closer, my friend. You will give me much amusement. You and my little pet, over here."
The figure moved slightly in the shadows, creating movement and a glimmer of light, revealing a blind-folded, blue-eyed, blonde-haired sixteen year old girl, who was tied to a chair and struggling desperately to beak free.
~
*
~
*
A/N: Ok, to get one thing straight, no Alicia is not evil, she's just different. *nods head* Anyway, hoped you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to review! If it's not too much trouble. *looks around* It's not too much trouble, is it?
The song that Ryo read out by the way is "Are You Ready?" by Creed. It is kinda significant to the reason why he just, um, disappeared. *nods head* Ok, I'm outa here.
Well, enjoy my latest entry and I do not own Digimon, nor do I own Floramon anymore because I just don't.
Floramon: Liar! I'm still here and whether I'm allowed to or not, I'm staying! Hahahaha!
~*~*
Devil's Advocates Chapter 6: Enter Stacie
~*~*~
"Ok, where do you want to start?" Alicia looked in Henry's direction before finishing off her last stretch.
The two were alone in the spacious martial arts dojo. Sensei had walked out of the room and into his kitchen, which as situated in the next section of the house, to make a cup of tea for himself. Either that or it was just an excuse to leave by two teenagers alone in the room together.
Henry thought for a moment before answering. "Uh, how about we start on some self defence. Maybe some take downs and then-" He was never able to finish his sentence since Alicia had already swept his feet off the ground and was now currently holding him in a straddle hold, her hands pinning his arms down.
Alicia smirked at him before using the force of her arms to back flip off the boy. She offered her hand to him and pulled him off the ground.
Henry blinked a couple of times. "Wow, you're fast. So, uh, how many years have your been doing this exactly?"
Alicia began to crack each of her knuckles and smiled at Henry. "About five years. I'm guessing you've been doing it for almost double that, huh?"
Henry nodded. "Yeah, I've been doing martial arts for eight years now. Just one more question. Where'd you learn that? I mean, you almost moved so fast I couldn't see you move at all."
Alicia shrugged and looked away. "My old sensei taught that to me and he was really big on agility. So he taught us to move fast and be able to dodge things and stuff. So, should we continue?"
Henry frowned slightly and nodded. "Yeah."
~*~*~
'I wonder if Alicia's home yet. It's almost seven. She should be. Her band rehearsal finished at six.' Rika wandered around the streets of Shinjuku, looking out for the turn off to her house. She had been walking for twenty minuets straight and she still had about another ten to go. 'I wonder if Ryo's ok. I really hope he is. I didn't mean for what I said to come out. It's just my father. He always has that effect on me. I guess that's why I became the Ice Queen after he stopped visiting. Because he was gone and a part of me was taken away forever. For twelve years I haven't heard from him. At least not personally, anyway. I don't want to make the same mistake with Ryo.'
Rika saw the familiar corner and turned it. Because she lived on the corner, her house was now right in front of her and there was a police car outside the gate. She frowned and wondered what was going on. She ran quickly through the open gate and into the house, where a young police man was talking to both her mother and grandmother.
When Rumiko saw her daughter, she called for her to come over to where they were standing. "Rika, this is Doug. He's here investigating the disappearance of a local girl who used to go to school with you. Her name's Stacie Tseng. Do you remember her?"
The name rang a bell in Rika's memory and an image of a blonde-haired, blue- eyed, thirteen year old girl came into her mind. Of course, she'd be Rika's age now, but Rika hadn't seen her since she changed schools. Rika nodded and glanced at the police officer whom she now knew as Doug. "Yeah, I remember her. Do you know how she disappeared, or why?"
Doug turned around to face the teenager and shook his head. "No, we're still looking into that. Anyway, can you tell me if she had problems at home, or anything? We've seen her parents, but that would hardly tell us anything. Or more like they were too upset to."
Rika breathed deeply and thought hard. Stacie had been a really good friend to her, although Rika never recognised it as friendship. Stacie had always been trying to fit in with the popular girls, so Rika never really had the chance to get to know her. "Well, I don't know about family problems, but Stacie was always trying to fit in with the popular girls, although she knew she didn't. That's all I really know." Rika suddenly remembered that Stacie had played the Digimon card game and was also really good at it. Rika thought about something and quickly ran to her room without another word.
The three adults in the room were left to stare at Rika's receding figure as she ran down to the other end of the house. Rumiko laughed slightly and looked at Doug. "Don't worry, she does that a lot."
~*~*~
'Where do I go from here? I mean, I never really thought about what things would be like if she rejected me. Should I keep trying, or try to understand her and let it go?' Ryo walked along one of the streets in Shinjuku and thought about things, such as Rika, Rika and well, more Rika. But nothing he thought of could ease the pain he felt in his heart. Rika was definitely one of a kind. If it was any other girl, they'd be all over him and he would never be able to get away from them. But Rika was different. She never let her emotions get the better of her and, if she ever did, then she'd shrug it off and pretend she didn't care. But why? Why was she so afraid to love? Was if because she was afraid she'd show weakness by showing emotions, or was it because she had been hurt by love before?
Ryo stumbled upon an old, abandoned building with a ton of rubble surrounding it. The walls were completely covered in graffiti and the door was almost invisible from the outside. Ryo walked up closer to it and he could see strange, almost indistinguishable writing on it. He could barely make out the words. "Remember your roots, my friend. They're right down below, because heroes come and heroes go."
Ryo stared at the words and soon, he became immune to the fact that the words had been carved into the wall, very professionally, and not just by accident. Taking a step back, Ryo observed the building more carefully. It wasn't anything special, no more than a shed, and still it looked somewhat ancient and calculated. There was something about the appearance that drew Ryo forward, and drove his curiosity into checking the place out.
~*~*~
After rummaging through a wooden, hand-carved box, Rika finally found what she was looking for. A Digimon card that Stacie had given to her when Rika had beaten her a couple of years ago. It was a special, power upgrade card that only allowed for Ultimate and above to use it. It gave a huge boost to the power of the played Digimon that no one could beat it, even if they played all of their power cards in one duel. Rika stared at the card while her index finger ran along the edge of it. The covering of it was coated in a golden shine while the back of it had a somewhat metallic sliver look that told of supreme power and vigilance. A power that shimmered through Rika's body every time she saw it. A power so great that one could hardly imagine a simple card could give off that much aura.
Rika turned her head towards the door of her room when she heard footsteps. She quickly put away her cards and stood up to greet whoever it was that wanted her. Seiko Hata's face suddenly appeared in front of Rika's. She was smiling slightly at her granddaughter and she held a piece of paper in her hands. Seiko handed it to Rika and watched her read it.
There in front of her, Rika was reading what seemed like details of Stacie. Rika looked up confused. "What's this, and why do you want me to read it?"
Seiko sighed. "It's just Stacie's details and her family's contact numbers in case we see anything. You don't have to worry about it, Doug just asked us to give it to you. Anyway, that's not the main reason I'm here."
Rika raised her eyebrows, gesturing for her grandmother to continue.
Seiko nodded, understanding Rika's gesture. "Rika, I know something's distracting you. I can just tell by the way you're looking at everyone. You're not looking anyway, not even your mother in the eye, and I'm just wondering why."
Rika followed her grandmother over to her bed where she now sat. "There is something that's bothering me, but I don't think you'd want to hear it." That wasn't really the reason; Rika didn't really want to tell her grandma the story about her and Ryo.
Seiko nodded once. "Rika, if you don't want to tell me, then that's fine. But I would be willing to listen to anything you wanted to talk to me about, and so would your mother. We're here for you, as Alicia will be when the time comes."
Rika looked down and played with the edge of her bed. "Grandma, there is something that I want to tell you." She looked at her grandmother's interested glance and took a deep breath. "Today, someone told me that they liked me as more than a friend and I told them that they couldn't, even though all I really wanted to do was to tell them how long I had been waiting to hear that. I don't know why, but whenever I'm thinking about those things, Dad always comes into my mind and messes up my feelings. And I don't know how to get rid of him. I mean, I'm practically living with the daughter that he brought up and never even bothered to tell me about for sixteen whole years." A thought crossed Rika's mind. "By the way, where is Alicia?"
Seiko smiled warmly at her granddaughter. "She's at martial arts practice, training with Henry no doubt. His Sunday lesson was at six, wasn't it?"
Rika looked very surprised. "Martial arts practice? How? I mean, she's been here, what, five hours and already she does martial arts, with Henry?"
Seiko laughed and lifted herself off the bed. "Why don't you ask her about it when she gets back, the class only goes for an hour." She began to walk out of the room. "And Rika, try to ignore your father. I know he hurt you and it still hurts to think about love, but when your mind lets you, open up you heart and find the answers you're looking for. Trust me, it will work."
Rika was left in the room to ponder about what she should do the next time she saw Ryo. Should she try to apologize to him? Should she ignore him until her feelings are resolved? Should she act like nothing happened and they would still be friends? But she wanted more than that. She wanted what he wanted, but her pride would not let her penetrate her heart and find the answers. Rika sighed and looked up at the ceiling. She was in for the long haul, and she knew she couldn't give up.
A shaded figure watched Rika through the paper door of her room. Renamon stood in a corner of the back garden of the Nonaka's house and watched silently. Not even her breathing could be heard. She was perfectly still. Her thoughts were concentrated on what Rika had said to her grandmother. But if what she said was true, then she had rejected Ryo and left them both broken hearted. "I hope you find your answers, Rika."
~*~*~
As Alicia walked out of the dojo, she hummed the tune to the song "Mesmerize" by Ja rule. She had just had the best hour training with Henry that she had forgotten her father had practically dumped her out of his house. Not that she cared that much, anyway. Her father was always either away on business trips or caught up in his work that he practically never even noticed he had a daughter. Anyway, back to Henry. He was the most amazing guy she had ever met. Those gentle, caring eyes, his tanned skin, his soft blue hair. Everything about him was amazing. Too bad he seems to be just a little distracted...
Alicia stopped and flipped her hair back. She took out her bandana and tied it around her head, holding it back a little. She took a stray strand of auburn hair twirled it around her finger, curling it temporarily. It fell loosely in front of her eyes and she looked at it for a moment before continuing to walk to her new house. She glanced at a street sign and estimated that she was about ten minuets away from it. She'd be there before seven thirty.
Again Alicia found herself thinking about her sister, Rika, and how they were so different and yet so similar. They both found that emotions and caring about other people's opinions were useless, except when you want someone, particularly a boy, to like you. Her thoughts went from Rika, to Henry, to Alice, whom she now regarded as a rival who she had to destroy. Alice's blonde hair and blue eyes made her a tough enemy, but like all others, she would defeat her, sooner or later. Henry would become hers, and Alice will be left in the corner to cry away her life. Perfect.
When she reached the street where her new house was, Alicia turned and walked to it. She opened the gate quietly and glanced back one last time towards the setting sun. It's bright orange-pink colour brilliantly cascaded over the whole city. Even the dark, ominous shadows were now covered in the radiant glow of the powerful thing we call the sun. The dark had no become the light and soon the reverse will happen. All light will become darkness.
Alicia walked with a small smile on her face into the front garden and without turning around, closed the gate shut. She walked with a steady pace towards the door and opened it without hesitation. This was her house too, now, and she was allowed to do anything she pleased. As soon as she walked in, she could tell that someone not welcome had entered the house not so long ago. Maybe possibly a police officer...
"Hi, Honey. How was your martial arts training?" Rumiko flashed a warm smile at her daughter and continued to place a loaf of bread in the hot oven.
Alicia slipped into her role of the sweet, innocent, long-lost daughter who deserved all she got because people should take pity on her and smiled back at her mother. "It was great! I really learned a lot from Henry. Oh and his sensei, of course. 'And I'm not your Honey.' She added mentally.
Rumiko gave a small laugh. "Of course. Oh, by the way, do you know of anyone called Stacie Tseng?"
Alicia thought for a second and made a small thinking sound. "Um, no, not that I can think of. Why?"
"Well, because she's disappeared and the police came around earlier asking us if we knew anything of her. Apparently Rika went to school with her before she transferred, but other that that, we couldn't really them. Her poor parents, how devastated that must be..." Rumiko shook her head and looked down.
"Err, yeah. Well, anyway, I'm going to have a shower! I forgot how much working out takes out of you." Alicia ran perkily to the bathroom and closed the door behind her, leaving Rumiko to stare after her.
Seiko had seen the sudden burst of energy that Alicia had given out and looked over to her daughter. "What drug is she taking and where'd she find it?"
Rumiko laughed and turned to face her mother. "Apparently Henry Wong and the connection would be Rika. I hope they both are getting along. They are sisters, after all."
~*~*~
Ryo started intensely into the darkness of the old building and tried to make out a light switch. So far, he wasn't having much luck, as the door had slammed shut behind him as soon as he stepped foot in the building. He was now beginning to think that coming here was a mistake. A big mistake. Eventually, he found what felt like a light switch and flicked it on. He could hear the lights above him flickering and looked up to see slight flashes of light. The lights finally settled and Ryo could see everything there was to see in the shed. In one corner, there was a drum kit, with the word Phoenix written in the middle in black ink. Next to the drums were amplifiers, and a turntable with a pair of headphones on it. Ryo could only guess what they were for.
He moved his eyes slowly around the room, taking in every detail of the building from what was to be found in it to the graffiti on the walls. Ryo's eyes once again rested on the jet black turntable and he impulsively walked up to it. There were a couple of sheets of paper, with printed words on them. He read them out loud.
"Hey, Mr. Seeker, hold on to this advice. If you keep seeking, you will find. Don't want to follow, down roads been walked before. It's so hard to find unopened doors. Are you ready? Are you ready? Hey, Mr. Hero, walking a thin, fine line. Under the microscope of life, remember your roots, my friend. They're right down below, cause heroes come and heroes go. Ten, nine, eight, seven six, five, four, three, two, one. Count down to the change in life that's soon to come. Your life has just begun..." Ryo suddenly felt himself glowing, and he was surrounded by a burst of blinding light. On impulse, he shut his eyes tightly and shielded his face. He felt something ripple through him and he felt different. Still glowing with a gold aura, Ryo felt all of his despair leave him. All thoughts of Rika disappeared from his mind, and he felt himself been pulled through some sort of vortex.
There was now nothing left in the building but the band's instruments and the now falling pieces of paper. Ryo had completely disappeared, no evidence that he was even there at all.
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A dark, shadowed figure looked into a glowing crystal and smiled to himself. "Come ever closer, my friend. You will give me much amusement. You and my little pet, over here."
The figure moved slightly in the shadows, creating movement and a glimmer of light, revealing a blind-folded, blue-eyed, blonde-haired sixteen year old girl, who was tied to a chair and struggling desperately to beak free.
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A/N: Ok, to get one thing straight, no Alicia is not evil, she's just different. *nods head* Anyway, hoped you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to review! If it's not too much trouble. *looks around* It's not too much trouble, is it?
The song that Ryo read out by the way is "Are You Ready?" by Creed. It is kinda significant to the reason why he just, um, disappeared. *nods head* Ok, I'm outa here.