MysticalDreamer: *dodges everything thats thrown at her* I *ducks* am
sorrry for the long update! *ducks again* I had very very very bad *ducks a
third time* writer's block. I'd stare at the screen, but nothing would come
to my head. *bows, and ducks*
thanks to the editor! *drum roll* Ruki!
disclaimer: dont own it
chapter eighteen: slowly returning to normal
"WAKE UP!"
Rika's eyes shot open, hearing the shout in her ears. She looked into the eyes of Takato, who was grinning.
"And why are you so happy this early?" she asked, throwing off the blankets on her futon. She sat and and yawned.
Takato shrugged. "School." he replied. "Mom said to wake you up. We gotta leave for school in twenty minutes. You can-"
"Before you even ask me, goggle-head," said Rika, cutting him off. "I can get ready in five minutes if I wanted. All I do is skip breakfast and not brush my hair."
Takato blinked. "Sure..." he said. "Whatever..."
Rika stood up and stretched. "Where are my clothes?" she asked.
"Right. My mom washed your jeans and shirt..."
"Why the pause?" asked Rika.
"Well, you wore them on Friday.."
"Whats your point?" she asked.
"Nevermind.."
Rika shook her head and wandered off to find her clothes. After getting dressed and eating a bagel, she quickly brushed her teeth and plopped back on the couch.
"Wanna leave now?" asked Takato.
Rika looked up. "Huh? Why?"
He shrugged. "We got nothing better to do."
"How true." said Rika. She stood up and the two headed out, grabbing their jackets along the way.
"Wait just a second!"
They bothed turned and saw a slightly annoyed Mrs. Matsuki. "Yeah mom?"
She turned to Rika. "Rika... I must ask you to come back here again tonight." she said. "I know your friend is coming back tomorrow, or today, which is it dear?"
"Tonight."
"Right." contiued Takato's mom. "I know she's coming back, but the more I think about it... well, lets say I would feel a lot better if you came here after school."
Rika looked at her. She grinned. Mrs. Matsuki seemed really worried about her; like she cared a lot. "Sure." she replied. "I'll come."
Mrs. Matsuki smiled. "And you're welcome to come back anytime you need to, Rika." she said.
"Thanks."
"Now leave before you're late!!" she shouted, shooing them out of the door.
Rika and Takato stared at the door that closed behind their backs, and blinked. "Your mom can really have some mood swings." she said.
"You're telling me." said Takato. "Try living with her... oh right.." he grinned.
"Heh." replied Rika. "That was intelligent."
"Thank you."
Rika rolled her eyes. The rest of the trip to school was basically in silence. Neither could seem to think of anything to say.
They arrived at the school a bit earlier than normal. To kill some time, they wandered around aimlessly, saying what ever came to their mind.
"Look!" came a shout. Takato and Rika turned. They shook their heads and grinned when they saw Phil and Stevo running towards them.
"It is the mighty creator of chaos!" shouted Phil. "Rika!"
"Hey guys." she said.
"Oh wonderous Chaos Queen!" said Stevo. "Please give us an idea of something to do before school starts! BOREDOM HAS STRUCK US!"
"Oh no, not boredom." said Takato saracastically.
"Yes." said Phil. "It would be wise of you to get boredom insurance, as we have done so. Recently though."
"Boredom insurance?" asked Takato. "Where did you get that from?"
"Rika!" they both shouted, pointing at her. She grinned. "So oh mighty keeper of boredom escaping things... boredom executioner.. whatever..." said Phil. "Just give us an idea!"
"Can't you do that on your own though?" she asked.
"Yes!" said Stevo. "But its still before nine. Our minds aren't functional."
"You're minds are never functional." said Toshi, coming over from down the hall.
"How true!" said Stevo.
Toshi shook his head. "So how are ya, Rika? Takato?" he asked.
"Good." said Rika.
"Great!" grinned Toshi. "Yet unfortunely, it is Monday, and school again."
"Great observation." grinned Makou, appearing out of nowhere.
"Be quiet you." said Toshi. "We must be off. Phil, Stevo. Come."
And with that, the four guys left just as quickly as they had appeared, and just as mysteriously.
"I'll just go along with that.. " grinned Takato.
"Rika!"
She turned and saw Jeri running towards them carrying some books and a big poofy coat in her arms. "Hey Jeri!" shouted Rika.
"I hate mondays." she said, as the three of them walked towards lockers. "Although I'm actually doing something now, unlike my weekend."
"Heh, completely opposite of mine." grinned Rika.
"What did you do?" asked Jeri.
Rika shrugged. "I beat the crap out of some girl from my old school. That was definitely the highlight."
Jeri shook her head. "It figures."
"What figures?" asked Rika.
"That that was the highlight!" she grinned.
"Heh."
After finishing piling whatever they needed into their lockers, Rika, Takato and Jeri wandered off again. The bell wouldn't ring for five more minutes and you never want to get to class on time.
"Matsuki!"
They turned to see Henry dashing towards them. They stopped and waited for him to catch up, before walking again.
"So Faye isn't coming back til tomorrow?" asked Henry.
"Nope." replied Rika. "She'll be back tonight, but kinda late. She'll probably be back in school thought, because she missed so much already this year."
"Ah yes." said Henry.
"Just don't expect her to stay awake in class." grinned Rika.
Henry laughed. "I won't." he said.
At this, both Rika and Takato began to laugh hysterically, and randomly, getting weird looks from everyone that was walking by.
Henry and Jeri raised an eyebrow.
"..."
"What is so funny?" asked Henry. "Were you plotting something all weekend and just know remembering?"
"Yup!" laughed Rika.
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?" he asked.
"Well, not all day long, but during the weekend yes." grinned Rika.
Jeri cocked her head. "Did you hang out all weekend or something?" she asked.
"Kinda.." said Rika. She didn't want the whole school to know that she had stayed at Takato's. Especially with the messed up rumor back in October.
Jeri sighed. "You are very confusing, Rika..." she said.
"Good!" she grinned. She looked at her watch. "It appears that the bell is going to ring soon. And I don't want detention after such a halfway decent weekend."
"Halfway decent?" asked Henry.
Rika nodded. "Just leave it at that.." she said, remembering her hell of a Friday night.
The first bell rang, which caused everyone in the halls to take off at top speed towards their first period classes.
Rika, Takato, Henry and Jeri stumbled in their class a bit later. Of course, there was the glare from Danielle and posse, and the smiling hello from the teacher, and quick glance from the other students to see who had just walked in the classroom.
The rest of the day was relatively normal, and no one had said anything about Rika staying at Takato's, so she assumed that no one knew.
Rika walked into lunch with Henry who she had run into in the hallway. He asked something about Faye, and it was all that Rika could do but not burst into hysterics. You could see it on her face, as she sat down at her normal table.
Jeri glanced at her. "Whats got you so hyper?" she asked.
Before anyone could say anything, or Rika could answer, she burst out laughing. She slammed her hand on the table.
Takato looked at Henry. "Whats got her so happy?"
He shrugged. "All I did was ask when Faye's birthday was." he said.
Takato snorted, then proceeded to laugh just as Rika was. Jeri giggled a bit, while Henry just shook his head confusedly.
"Rika!" said Phil, slamming his hands on the table. He looked between the four of them as Henry looked lost and the rest insane.
"Did I miss something?" asked Stevo.
Henry shrugged again. "Who knows." he said. "Who knows."
Rika continued to laugh.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Nonaka-Makino!"
Rika groaned. Only one person called her name like that, and she wasn't in the mood. She was heading back to Takato's, to check in with his mom, before going to Faye's to await her return.
"I'm not in the mood, Spencer." she snapped, not even bothering to turn around.
A hand latched onto Rika's shoulder, forcing her to turn. There stood the one and only Danielle, shivering a bit.
"Ya know, if you're so cold why don't you wear a freak'n coat?" asked Rika, zipping her's up just in spite.
"I wanna know why the hell you were with Takato this weekend." said an extremely pissed off Danielle.
"Why do you care? I thought you hated Takato." said Rika, shoving off the prep's hand and walking off.
"Thats not the point. I wanna know. I deserve to know."
Rika rolled her eyes. "Deserve? What the hell makes you think you deserve to know anything about me?"
Danielle opened her mouth, but no words came. Her jaw opened and closed much like that of a fish.
"The correct sound is 'blub blub'," said Rika, walking off now and not turning back, no matter how loud the prep screamed.
She shook her head as she left the school grounds. She headed off in the familiar direction of the Matsuki Bakery.
Takato had to run to Henry's for a little bit, to finish some project in one of their classes, so Rika walked alone towards his house. Thankfully, Danielle didn't follow.
She arrived a bit later, and debated whether she should knock, or walk right in. She decided to walk right in, and that she did.
"Takato?"
"Nope. Its me, Rika."
"Hello there!" said Mrs. Matsuki. "I forgot that Takato had to run to Henry's after school. You can just walk on in anytime, dear."
"Thanks Mrs. Matsuki." she replied. "I just came to check in with you though. I'm gonna run to Faye's house, but first I'm gonna stop by my mom."
"Okay. Just be careful. I'll tell Takato you went out when he gets home."
"If you want." said Rika, shrugging. "I'll see ya later."
"Bye!"
And with that, Rika left the house, just as fast as she had entered. She walked down the street, and it started to softly snow. She smiled. It hadn't snowed sinse...
Then her smile disappeared. It snowed last Friday...
She shook her head. "No bad anythings today." she said. "Faye's coming back, and I have something to look foward to. No bad, no bad..." she told herself.
She reached her mother's office building, where she was staying during the day. At night, she and her grandma went to one of Rumiko's friend's houses.
She walked in, and nodded at the security guard. He knew her, so he let her walk on by. She went up to her mother's floor, and knocked.
"Yes?"
"Rika Makino." she said without thinking.
"Come right in."
She opened the door, and walked inside. Two seconds later, she was being hugged tightly by a woman whom Rika assumed was her mother.
"Rika!!" she squealed. "I've missed you!!"
"Okay, okay.. let go of me now.." said Rika.
Rumiko pushed away, but kept her hands on Rika's shoulders. "How have you been?" she asked.
"Fine." she replied. "I stayed at Takato's all weekend, and we went out with some friends to take my mind off things."
"Friends? Plural?"
Rika nodded. "Yes mom.." she said, knowing what was gonna happen next.
"Ohh!" she squealed. She hugged Rika again. "For as long as I could remember, its always been just you and Faye! I'm so happy you're actually becoming a crowd!"
"Thats great mom... can you let go of me?"
"Sorry.." she grinned.
"S'ok." shrugged Rika. "How have you been? Any sign of that .. uh, him?"
"I don't care." said Rumiko. "Call him a bastard. He is a bastard. I know he is, you know he is, so just say it."
Rika grinned. "So, any sign of that bastard?"
Rumiko grinned a bit too. "Sadly, no. The police haven't found anything, and they have no idea where he is."
Rika sighed. "What good are they?" she asked.
"Apparently, none."
"I never want to see him again. Ever."
"You're not the only one." said Rumiko. "So, where are you going to stay tonight?"
"Mrs. Matsuki wants me to stay there." she said. "She says she'll feel more compfortable that way."
"What about Faye and the Kamiyos?"
"I don't know. Faye still has no idea what happened. I don't wanna force myself into their household..."
"Well you know that Faye is going to insist you stay with her." said Rumiko, crossing her arms. "As will her mother."
Rika nodded. "Maybe I should just go back to the Matsuki's tonight, and then tomorrow we can talk things over with the Kamiyos and Matsukis."
"Yeah.." said Rumiko. "That sounds good. I have the Matsuki's number, and you have my new cell phone number, right?"
Rika nodded again. "Yeah. I'll call if anything happens. Should I call your friend's house or the cell phone though?"
"My cell." said Rumiko. "I don't want to wake Midoriko up if I don't have to."
"All right. So, how's grandma?"
"She's great. She insists on cooking for Midoriko and her roomate, as a sort of payment for letting us stay there."
"Thats Grandma for you." grinned Rika.
"Midoriko is one of my best friends, and she knows what happened. She's unlisted because of it. Faye is the same, correct?"
"Yep. Except... Justin got her number somehow..."
"What?" said Rumiko. "You never told me this!"
"I forgot until just now..." said Rika. "They screen their calls now, called I.D. and stuff. They're in the process of changing their number."
"Well thats good.." said Rumiko. She sighed. The mother-daughter duo remained in silence for a bit.
"If he died, I wouldn't care." said Rika suddenly.
"What?"
"If Justin were to die, I'd laugh. I wouldn't give a damn about it." she said. She sat down in a chair.
"Rika..."
"Why doesn't he just go to jail? Or die!" she said angrily. "He's screwing everything up, and we're always on the lookout for him!"
"Rika.."
"I swear... One day he will get his just desserts... and I will sit there, and laugh at him. I will spit right in in face."
"Rika!" said Rumiko.
The icy fire in Rika's eys vanished as her mother brought her out of her hatred, almost sadistic remarks.
"Sorry... I got carried away a bit..." said Rika. She stood up. "I should go now... I've been here a while, and I gotta go to Faye's and leave a note that says I'm at Takato's."
Rumiko nodded. "Okay." she said. "I'll call the Matsuki's later, and we'll set up a date to figure everything out. We are not going back home until that bastard is caught."
Rika smiled. "Well.. I would like clean clothes tomorrow..." she said, eying her mother for some cash.
Rumiko grinned. "Any excuse for money, eh?"
"You bet."
Rumiko laughed and shook her head. She went over to her purse, and pulled out her wallet. She gave Rika a fifty. "Buy some pants and a shirt for tomorrow, and then after school we'll get an inviso-guard or two to go with you and a friend to your house to get some clothes. You are not going home today."
"All right, all right." said Rika, shoving the fifty in her pocket. "I guess I should be going now though. I'll be at Faye's if you need me, then I'm heading back to Takato's."
Rumiko nodded. "Okay. Take care." she said.
"I will. See ya.. mom.." she grinned. She turned to leave, when Rumiko dashed over and hugged her daughter tightly.
"Bye for now Rika..."
"Mom.." she grinned.
They pushed away, and Rika was off. She went down the elevator, and headed off for Faye's.
The snow was still falling, and it left a light coat on the ground. Not many people were outside, because of the snow and the coldness, but the few that were out left their foot prints in the snow.
Faye's house was about ten minutes from her mother's office building, so she had a bit of a walk. Her own house was a bit closer, and she debated whether or not she would take the long way to Faye's, or chance going past her house.
She decided to go past her house, just to look at it. She turned towards the street it was on, and walked foward.
She zipped up her coat a bit, when a shiver went up her spine. She pulled her hands in her sleaves, and put her chin in the collar of the coat. The temperature seemed to be lowering by the minute.
Five minutes or so later, she turned down her street. At the end of it, she'd make another turn and that led to Faye's house.
As she neared her house, she felt a little weird. She kept glancing around, here and there, afraid someone was gonna jump at her.
"RIIIIIKAAAAA!!"
She jumped, and turned around, and was soon being hugged tightly by a dark haired girl. "Faye?" she asked.
"RIKA!!" she shouted. She pushed away. "Ohmigod! Your face!!"
Rika touched her cheek. She guessed it was still bruised. But then why didn't other people ask what was wrong?"
"Hey Faye.." she grinned lightly.
"Rika..." said Faye. "I've called your house at least fifty times sinse I got home, and there was no answer! I tried your cell phone and no answer! I had no idea what was going on!"
"Faye, listen."
"See, I called to tell you I was home AND to demand a mountain dew bottle, as there was none on my bed when I got home. Not to mention, it didn't seem like ANYONE had entered the house sinse we left."
"Faye-"
"So! Sinse there was no answer on your phone, I decided to go to your house! I arrived, and what did I find? A disastor zone!"
"Faye-"
"I walked around, and found the place was a wreck! I figured thats why you didn't answer your phone and all. So now there's only one thing I wanna know."
Rika waited.
"What the hell happened to you?" asked Faye softly.
Rika leaned foward, and hugged Faye. She returned the hug, although she was still completely lost.
"Rika?" asked Faye, pushing her friend away for a second.
"I have to head back to Takato's soon, but first I gotta stop at your house."
"Takato's? Huh?"
"I've been there all weekend."
"What?" asked Faye, eyes widening."Rika Nonaka-Makino..."
"Yeah, I do have some explaining to do, don't I?" she said. As the memories of Friday flooded back into her mind, her eyes watered up a bit.
"Rika..." said Faye.
She smiled a bit. "Lets go to your house. I'll tell you everything. Then you can tell your parents." she said.
"Why don't you tell them?"
"Because I don't think I can tell anymore people." she said.
Faye nodded. "All right. I understand. To my house it is then." she said. She put her arm around Rika's shoulder and hugged her. "Whatever happened, you'll be fine. I swear it to you, Rika. I swear it to you."
"Thanks Faye-Faye.."
Faye shook her head. "Must you?"
"I must." she grinned.
They walked off towards Faye's house. In a few minutes, they arrived there. They went inside, and took their shoes off.
"Rika!" said Mrs. Kamiyo. "Faye said she tried to call and... oh my! Your face!"
"Its okay, mom." said Faye. "Rika's gonna tell me, then I'll tell you."
Rika nodded. "If thats okay?"
"Of course." said Mrs. Kamiyo.
Rika and Faye headed for the latter of the two's room and went inside. They sat on Faye's bed, and stared in silence for a bit.
"So..?" asked Faye.
"Well, it was after the dance on Friday.." started Rika. "After leaving your house, and went home and found my gate open. I went in, and it all went to hell..."
And with that, Rika continued her story. Throughout it all, Faye's eyes got larger, or even closed, as if she was in pain herself. When Rika had finished her story, Faye looked like she was on the brink of tears. She leaned foward, and hugged Rika tightly.
"Oh Rika!!" she shouted. "I knew I shouldn't have gone to Hong Kong! There was this little voice in the back of my head, telling me not to go! I shoulda listened! I usually do..."
"Its okay, Faye." said Rika. "But, I've been staying at Takato's all weekend. Mrs. Matsuki wants me to come back tonight, and so does my mom. So I go back there tonight."
"Then tomorrow you come here!" shouted Faye.
"My mom wants to talk in over with your parents, and Takato's parents. She's gonna call everyone to plan it out. She doesn't want to go home yet."
"Well thats understandable." said Faye. "I mean, the bastard breaks into your home and goes berserk! I wouldn't want to go home after that!"
Rika laughed.
"What did I say?" asked Faye, freezing in her current position, in which her hands were in different directions.
"You always know how to make me laugh when I need it the most." grinned Rika.
Faye unfoze and grinned. "What are best friends for?" she asked.
"Well, I have to head back to Takato's. His mom is a worrywort."
Faye laughed. "I'll tell my mom what you said and stuff." she said.
"All right." siad Rika. "I gotta go though. I gotta stop somewhere and get clothes for tomorrow. My mom doesn't want me to go back."
Faye shook her head. "Don't waste your money on clothes." she said. "You can borrow some pants and shirts from me. I got plenty, trust me."
"You sure?" asked Rika.
"Of course!" grinned Faye. She walked over to her closet. "My aunt always gets me jeans on my birthday and Christmas. Easter too sometimes, although I don't know why. Then, I also get-"
"Okay, I get it, I get it." grinned Rika. She walked over to the closet too. "Any pair?" she asked.
"Jeans are jeans. I don't care." she said. "Take three for the rest of the week, and then you can wear the ones you have now on Friday."
Rika pulled out the three biggest looking jeans Faye owned, as she was slightly taller than her best friend. "This okay?" she asked.
"Yup." said Faye. "You don't care about shirts do you? I know you like to layer up once in a while.." she said.
"Just give me a couple shirts. I'll mix and match everyday."
"All right." said Faye. She opened the dresser, and pulled out random shirts. Long sleaved, short sleaved, even a three quarter sleaved. "These okay?" she asked.
"Its fine." said Rika. "I'll return them at some point." she said.
"I don't care. I know I'll get them back eventually, and I really can't yell at you right now if you don't return them." grinned Faye.
"Thanks Faye."
"Don't mention it." she replied. "Now, I suggest you head back to Takato's."
"Will you come?"
"Huh?"
"I want the Matsukis to meet you." said Rika. "After all, now that you're back, and depending on how long I'll be at the Takato's, you'll be calling everyday."
"How true!" grinned Faye. "All right though, I can go."
"Great. Then lets go now, before Mrs. Matsuki begins to panic."
"What about my mom?" asked Faye.
"Oh yeah!" said Rika. She thought for a second. "You stay a bit and tell her about what happened. Then head over to Takato's when you're done. You remember where he lives, right?"
Faye nodded. "Yup. Sounds good to me." she said. "I'll see ya in a little bit then."
"Okay. See ya." said Rika. They hugged again for the hell of it, and then Rika set out back for the Matsukis.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rika arrived back at the house, and told Mrs. Matsuki that Faye was coming. She also told her of her mother's plans for tomorrow. She aggreed.
A few minutes later the doorbell rang. Rika ran to get it, and sure enough it was-
"Hiya Rika!" grinned Faye cheerfully. "Can I come in?"
Rika nodded. "Of course." she said. She led Faye into the kitchen. "Mrs. Matsuki? This is Faye. Faye Kamiyo."
"Hello Faye." said Mrs. Matsuki. "Rika told me... well, yes."
Faye nodded. "Its nice to meet you." she said. "Can I stay awhile? If Rumiko, Rika's mom, calls here, I can represent my parents."
"That's fine, dear." said Mrs. Matsuki. She turned to Rika. "Takato called a few minutes ago. He and Henry are coming here. They have a bit more to finish on that project, but the last piece is here. Apparently, my son forgot to bring it to school with him."
Rika laughed, for two reasons. Reason one: Takato being Takato and forgetting something. Reason two: Henry was coming over, and Faye was here. Faye's eyes lit up at the mention of one Henry Wong.
Mrs. Matsuki raised an eyebrow. "Rika?"
Faye shook her head. "Sometimes Rika just bursts out laughing for no apparent reason." she said, grinning.
Mrs. Matsuki just shook her head. "I'll be in the kitchen." she said. "Why don't you two just wait in the living room for now?"
"Okay." said Rika. She grabbed Faye's shoulder, and pulled her out of the kitchen and into the living, and sat her on the couch.
"Geez, so masterfulish..."
"Huh?"
Faye shook her head. "Don't ask..." she said.
"I won't." said Rika, sitting next to her.
"Its perfect!" she grinned, suddenly.
"What is?"
"I come over to Takato's house, and look who else is gonna show up?" she grinned. "And here I was thinking that I would have to wait until tomorrow to see Henry."
"Oh, I'm so happy for you." said Rika, rolling her eyes.
"If I'm not mistaken, Rika, that was sarcasm."
"Very good."
Rika was hit the face with a throw pillow from the couch. Two seconds later, the door opened from down the hall.
"I'm home mom!"
Faye's face lit up excitedly. Rika rolled her eyes again, and got hit in the face again. Shortly after she tossed the pillow back on the couch.
Takato walked into the living room, with Henry right behind him. "Rika! .. And Faye! Great to see you." he said.
"Faye?" asked Henry, looking around. "Hi! Welcome back from Hong Kong."
"Thanks!" she said brightly. "I'm glad to be back. I missed everyone, and leaving after such a fun crazy night was driving me crazy."
"What brings you here, Faye?" asked Takato, sitting on the recliner.
"Stuff." she said. It was that simple.
"Ah." said Takato, clearly understanding.
Henry was confused, but he didn't say anything. "Well Matsuki, I can't stay for very long. I gotta get home, so lets get this project finished."
"Okay." said Takato. "The thing's in my room. C'mon." he said, standing. Then he and Henry had gone upstairs.
Faye sighed. "That made my day." she grinned.
"Oh thanks I feel so loved, Faye." said Rika.
"Oh you know I love you, Rika." said Faye, shaking her head.
"You know, it just wasn't the same without you this weekend, buddie." said Rika. "Ya missed it."
"Missed what?"
"I trashed Kaylee."
"What?! And I wasn't there!?" said Faye, rather loudly. "Curse my brother's college!" she said, shaking her fist at the ceiling.
"Oh, and Phil ate one of her little clip thingers."
"Phil what..? Ate something out of her hair?"
Rika nodded. "He was acting like a monkey, saw a bug and ate it." she said.
Faye stared at her for a second, before bursting out into hystertics. "Ohmigod! I wish I was there!!" she shouted.
"Geez, Faye lower your voice." said Rika. "This isn't my house, ya know."
"Sorry, sorry.." she said, still laughing.
They continued talking for about ten minutes, about random things here and there, when Takato and Henry bounded down the stairs.
"Hullo thar." said Faye.
"I gotta go." said Henry. "Takato Matsuki. Do not forget the project or I will kill you. Not literally, but I will be one angry guy."
"All right, all right." said Takato. He turned his head towards Rika. "Don't let me forget it tomorrow, okay?"
"Hey, its not mine. I don't gotta worry about it." said Rika.
Takato shook his head. "See ya later Henry." he said as he headed out.
"See ya!" came the reply. Two seconds later, the door opened, then closed. Looking out the window, you could see the guy running down the street.
"Wow.." said Faye. "Someone was in a big rush..."
Takato sat back in the recliner, and the three were in silence for a bit. Faye coughed once, but other than that, the only sound was a clock somewhere, and the sounds of someone cooking in the kitchen.
"You know?" asked Faye suddenly, looking directly at Takato. He nodded. So did she. There was silence again.
"Now what?" asked Takato.
"We just wait for my mom to call." said Rika.
They all nodded. It was just one of those awkward things, that everyone knew, but didn't really want to talk about.
A couple minutes later, the phone rang. They all jumped. It rang again, and they stared at it.
"I guess I'm getting it!" said Mrs. Matsuki from the kitchen. "When the phone rings, you answer it. Its not that difficult to do..." she grumbled.
Takato laughed a bit.
"Hello? Matsuki residence." said his mom. There was a pause. "Hello Miss Makino!" she said cheerfully. There was another pause. "Oh no, its no trouble at all that she's staying here."
"Do you have speaker phone?" asked Rika Takato nodded. "Then put it up." she said. Mrs. Matsuki heard this, and did what she asked.
"Miss Makino? You're on speaker phone." said Mrs. Matsuki. "Rika's friend Faye is here to represent her parents, or so she says."
"Hello Faye!" came Rumiko's voice.
"Hi Rumiko!" grinned Faye.
"Please, before we go on, call me Rumiko." she said to Takato's mom. "I'd feel a lot more compfortable if you did."
"All right then, Rumiko." grinned Mrs. Matsuki. "Then please call me Meiko."
Faye coughed. "Hello?"
"Sorry, Faye." said Rumiko. "Now, I was calling to arrange a meeting of sorts. You know, to figure out where Rika is staying."
"Well, my mom's off for the the rest of the month." said Faye. "Some weird thing at her job. I dunno. But she can come just about anytime." she said.
"I stay at home and manage the bakery." said Meiko, Takato's mom. "So as long as my husband is here, I'm free as well."
"Well, how about we just meet at your bakery then?" asked Rumiko. "This way, you don't have to leave your job. Not to mention... he doesn't know where it is."
Faye piped up. "True."
"That is, if its okay with you, Meiko?" asked Rumiko.
"I think its a great idea." replied Meiko. "Now, I'm sure that Rika, Faye and Takato are going to want to be here as well, so why don't we have it when they're not in school?"
"Yes!" said Rika. "Its me that we're all talking about, so I definitely wanna be there." she said. Faye grinned.
"Well, I don't have anything sceduled tomorrow." said Rumiko. "Do you think tomorrow, after school gets out for them, is okay?"
Meiko paused. "That should be fine. Not too many people come to a bakery in mid afternoon anyways." she said.
Faye spoke, "Yeah." she said. "My mom was actually complaining that she had nothing to do tomorrow, so she'll be here."
"Great." said Rumiko. "I still feel terrible about making Rika stay with you all though..." she said.
Rika looked down. She felt kinda bad too for forcing herself into their houses.
"Its not trouble." said Meiko. "I told you, its fine. I understand now you're situation, so I have absolutely no objection."
Faye nodded, although unseen by Rumiko. "I've known Rika for a long time, and she's been over a lot. My parents treat her like another daughter, and we know whats going on too, so its no big deal." she said. "Its okay, Rumiko, Rika. You're not causing us any trouble."
Rika smiled. 'Thanks Faye' she thought. Rumiko sighed from the other end of the phone conversation.
"Well, I really have to get off the phone. I'm using a payphone in my office, and time is running out." said Rumiko. "I'll have Rika come tomorrow to get me at the office, and bring me to your house, Meiko."
"Oh no, its some distance I was told." said Meiko. "I'll give directions, or come get you myself." she said.
"Are you sure?" asked Rumiko.
"Positive." said Mrs. Matsuki. "Besides, I want to get to know you better." she smiled. "It would be the perfect opportunity."
Rumiko sounded a lot happier when she spoke again. "Okay." she said. "That would be great. So, shall we remove me off speaker phone, and talk things over as to me getting to your house tomorrow?"
"Sounds good to me." said Meiko, pressing a button and taking Rumiko off speaker phone. She walked into the kitchen to talk privately.
Rika sighed. "I hate it." she said.
"Huh?" asked Takato.
"I hate feeling like a burden to everyone. And I know that you tell me I'm no trouble," she said, seeing them both about to object, "But I still feel like I'm intruding on your everyday lives."
"Oh Rika," said Faye.
"If Justin would just disappear. Or die." she said. "I wouldn't give a damn about it. I'd throw a party."
Faye shook her head, then leaned over and shook Rika. "STOP MOPING!" she shouted. She turned to Takato. "Sorry if I cause too much rucus, etc." she said. He nodded. "We understand what you're going through, as its affecting our lives too! Stop blaming yourself, and stop acting so negative when you don't need to be!" she said.
Rika grinned. "You're right Faye."
"And-wait. I'm right?" she asked. "I mean, of course I'm right. Now heed those words, and follow them. You're our friend Rika, and we love you. Don't think of it any other way."
Rika grinned again. "Thanks, Faye." she said.
Mrs. Matsuki came back into the living room. "You're mother's time ran out, but I'm going to pick her up tomorrow when you guys get out of school. Come straight here, and Takato? Henry doesn't know, right?"
Takato shook his head.
"Then tell him you've got to do something if he wants to come over. Tell him you'll stop by his house later if he insists."
"Okay."
"Rika? Faye? You're welcome here at anytime."
"Thanks." they said.
"Now, Faye? What time do you have to be home?" asked Meiko.
"Soon." she said. "I should actually go now and tell my mom she has to come here tomorrow. Heh."
"All right. See you then." said Meiko.
"See ya!" grinned Faye as she headed out. "Rika, call me if anything comes up, okay? And forget about the Dew." she grinned.
"You got it." laughed Rika.
With that, Faye was out the door and heading back home. Meiko went off to make dinner, and she and Takato sat there.
"Thanks." said Rika suddenly.
Takato looked over at her. "Huh? For what?"
"For everything." she said. "I've only known you for a few months, but you and your family have done so much for me. I just wanna say thanks."
Takato grinned. "Don't mention it. Thats what friends are for, right?"
Rika grinned back. "Right."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
MD: it went kinda slow, but i got plans for upcoming chapters. ::nods:: this was just kinda setting up for future chapters. review now, and i will try to update as fast as i can -_-
thanks to reviewers:
The Diamond Mistress: heh, sure if you really wanna eat Phil... go ahead, but I need him back for the story ^.~
shadowlegend: Whoohoo! Mountain dew and doughnuts! ^-^ and you reviewed twice for the same chapter ! lol thanks
Aires1: ::gets you out of straight jacket:: better now? ^-^ thanks for reviewing
Hayate Minamoto: thanks
Tamer of Light: yes, Rukato Itsumademo!!! and dont worry, they'll get to together soon enough. its all planned out. ::snicker::
Justmeh: heh, nice penname. lol and thanks
Cardcaptor Hikari: thanks! ^^ and dont worry, i have plans for their first real kiss. just keep reading and you'll see it
Mortus: ::sigh:: i try my best to edit, but i'm not very good at it. gomen ne ::bow:: thanks for reading ^^
SerpentTreize: heh, yesh i do love phil and stevo ^^
John Surber: yay! thanks, i'm glad ya like it. well, I'm glad as many people like it as they do ^^ anyways, thanks
Silver Kitsune Light: oo! spiffy penname! anyways, heh nice review lol. not the oompa loopas!! ::runs:: thanks ! ^^
Black: faithful reviewer! ^-^ much thanks. and to let you know, I've given a lot of thought to your idea about the preps trying to get Takato back, and I think I've come up with something good. Thanks a lot!! ::bows:: and yes, Regless can be kinda scarey... . ^^
JessAnthonyMakito: monkeymummies... lol and yesh, who doesnt love a good beating? heh
Twerp: heh, thanks
Senko Mareon: Faye sounds like you? that means i sound like you too! Faye is sorta like me, but a bit different ^^ thanks
ferqiaj: i hope i got your penname right . thanks anyway ^^
ejqHorseLady: alas! another faithful reviewer! ::bows:: and heheh, suzy's crush.. i dunno where that came from . thanks a lot!
Neverwhere: Chaos Mode: wooT! you have reviewed many of my stories, and as I have probably said before, THANKS! ::bows:: oh faithful reviewer, keep on reviewing ^^ heh, cool beans, man... lol
newbi: what is he talking about? even i do not know... ^^ thanks
once again, THANKS TO YOU ALL!! if there was anyone i forgot, i am sorry -_- keep on reviewing, and the chapters will keep coming! ^-^ ja for now! ::waves::
thanks to the editor! *drum roll* Ruki!
disclaimer: dont own it
chapter eighteen: slowly returning to normal
"WAKE UP!"
Rika's eyes shot open, hearing the shout in her ears. She looked into the eyes of Takato, who was grinning.
"And why are you so happy this early?" she asked, throwing off the blankets on her futon. She sat and and yawned.
Takato shrugged. "School." he replied. "Mom said to wake you up. We gotta leave for school in twenty minutes. You can-"
"Before you even ask me, goggle-head," said Rika, cutting him off. "I can get ready in five minutes if I wanted. All I do is skip breakfast and not brush my hair."
Takato blinked. "Sure..." he said. "Whatever..."
Rika stood up and stretched. "Where are my clothes?" she asked.
"Right. My mom washed your jeans and shirt..."
"Why the pause?" asked Rika.
"Well, you wore them on Friday.."
"Whats your point?" she asked.
"Nevermind.."
Rika shook her head and wandered off to find her clothes. After getting dressed and eating a bagel, she quickly brushed her teeth and plopped back on the couch.
"Wanna leave now?" asked Takato.
Rika looked up. "Huh? Why?"
He shrugged. "We got nothing better to do."
"How true." said Rika. She stood up and the two headed out, grabbing their jackets along the way.
"Wait just a second!"
They bothed turned and saw a slightly annoyed Mrs. Matsuki. "Yeah mom?"
She turned to Rika. "Rika... I must ask you to come back here again tonight." she said. "I know your friend is coming back tomorrow, or today, which is it dear?"
"Tonight."
"Right." contiued Takato's mom. "I know she's coming back, but the more I think about it... well, lets say I would feel a lot better if you came here after school."
Rika looked at her. She grinned. Mrs. Matsuki seemed really worried about her; like she cared a lot. "Sure." she replied. "I'll come."
Mrs. Matsuki smiled. "And you're welcome to come back anytime you need to, Rika." she said.
"Thanks."
"Now leave before you're late!!" she shouted, shooing them out of the door.
Rika and Takato stared at the door that closed behind their backs, and blinked. "Your mom can really have some mood swings." she said.
"You're telling me." said Takato. "Try living with her... oh right.." he grinned.
"Heh." replied Rika. "That was intelligent."
"Thank you."
Rika rolled her eyes. The rest of the trip to school was basically in silence. Neither could seem to think of anything to say.
They arrived at the school a bit earlier than normal. To kill some time, they wandered around aimlessly, saying what ever came to their mind.
"Look!" came a shout. Takato and Rika turned. They shook their heads and grinned when they saw Phil and Stevo running towards them.
"It is the mighty creator of chaos!" shouted Phil. "Rika!"
"Hey guys." she said.
"Oh wonderous Chaos Queen!" said Stevo. "Please give us an idea of something to do before school starts! BOREDOM HAS STRUCK US!"
"Oh no, not boredom." said Takato saracastically.
"Yes." said Phil. "It would be wise of you to get boredom insurance, as we have done so. Recently though."
"Boredom insurance?" asked Takato. "Where did you get that from?"
"Rika!" they both shouted, pointing at her. She grinned. "So oh mighty keeper of boredom escaping things... boredom executioner.. whatever..." said Phil. "Just give us an idea!"
"Can't you do that on your own though?" she asked.
"Yes!" said Stevo. "But its still before nine. Our minds aren't functional."
"You're minds are never functional." said Toshi, coming over from down the hall.
"How true!" said Stevo.
Toshi shook his head. "So how are ya, Rika? Takato?" he asked.
"Good." said Rika.
"Great!" grinned Toshi. "Yet unfortunely, it is Monday, and school again."
"Great observation." grinned Makou, appearing out of nowhere.
"Be quiet you." said Toshi. "We must be off. Phil, Stevo. Come."
And with that, the four guys left just as quickly as they had appeared, and just as mysteriously.
"I'll just go along with that.. " grinned Takato.
"Rika!"
She turned and saw Jeri running towards them carrying some books and a big poofy coat in her arms. "Hey Jeri!" shouted Rika.
"I hate mondays." she said, as the three of them walked towards lockers. "Although I'm actually doing something now, unlike my weekend."
"Heh, completely opposite of mine." grinned Rika.
"What did you do?" asked Jeri.
Rika shrugged. "I beat the crap out of some girl from my old school. That was definitely the highlight."
Jeri shook her head. "It figures."
"What figures?" asked Rika.
"That that was the highlight!" she grinned.
"Heh."
After finishing piling whatever they needed into their lockers, Rika, Takato and Jeri wandered off again. The bell wouldn't ring for five more minutes and you never want to get to class on time.
"Matsuki!"
They turned to see Henry dashing towards them. They stopped and waited for him to catch up, before walking again.
"So Faye isn't coming back til tomorrow?" asked Henry.
"Nope." replied Rika. "She'll be back tonight, but kinda late. She'll probably be back in school thought, because she missed so much already this year."
"Ah yes." said Henry.
"Just don't expect her to stay awake in class." grinned Rika.
Henry laughed. "I won't." he said.
At this, both Rika and Takato began to laugh hysterically, and randomly, getting weird looks from everyone that was walking by.
Henry and Jeri raised an eyebrow.
"..."
"What is so funny?" asked Henry. "Were you plotting something all weekend and just know remembering?"
"Yup!" laughed Rika.
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?" he asked.
"Well, not all day long, but during the weekend yes." grinned Rika.
Jeri cocked her head. "Did you hang out all weekend or something?" she asked.
"Kinda.." said Rika. She didn't want the whole school to know that she had stayed at Takato's. Especially with the messed up rumor back in October.
Jeri sighed. "You are very confusing, Rika..." she said.
"Good!" she grinned. She looked at her watch. "It appears that the bell is going to ring soon. And I don't want detention after such a halfway decent weekend."
"Halfway decent?" asked Henry.
Rika nodded. "Just leave it at that.." she said, remembering her hell of a Friday night.
The first bell rang, which caused everyone in the halls to take off at top speed towards their first period classes.
Rika, Takato, Henry and Jeri stumbled in their class a bit later. Of course, there was the glare from Danielle and posse, and the smiling hello from the teacher, and quick glance from the other students to see who had just walked in the classroom.
The rest of the day was relatively normal, and no one had said anything about Rika staying at Takato's, so she assumed that no one knew.
Rika walked into lunch with Henry who she had run into in the hallway. He asked something about Faye, and it was all that Rika could do but not burst into hysterics. You could see it on her face, as she sat down at her normal table.
Jeri glanced at her. "Whats got you so hyper?" she asked.
Before anyone could say anything, or Rika could answer, she burst out laughing. She slammed her hand on the table.
Takato looked at Henry. "Whats got her so happy?"
He shrugged. "All I did was ask when Faye's birthday was." he said.
Takato snorted, then proceeded to laugh just as Rika was. Jeri giggled a bit, while Henry just shook his head confusedly.
"Rika!" said Phil, slamming his hands on the table. He looked between the four of them as Henry looked lost and the rest insane.
"Did I miss something?" asked Stevo.
Henry shrugged again. "Who knows." he said. "Who knows."
Rika continued to laugh.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Nonaka-Makino!"
Rika groaned. Only one person called her name like that, and she wasn't in the mood. She was heading back to Takato's, to check in with his mom, before going to Faye's to await her return.
"I'm not in the mood, Spencer." she snapped, not even bothering to turn around.
A hand latched onto Rika's shoulder, forcing her to turn. There stood the one and only Danielle, shivering a bit.
"Ya know, if you're so cold why don't you wear a freak'n coat?" asked Rika, zipping her's up just in spite.
"I wanna know why the hell you were with Takato this weekend." said an extremely pissed off Danielle.
"Why do you care? I thought you hated Takato." said Rika, shoving off the prep's hand and walking off.
"Thats not the point. I wanna know. I deserve to know."
Rika rolled her eyes. "Deserve? What the hell makes you think you deserve to know anything about me?"
Danielle opened her mouth, but no words came. Her jaw opened and closed much like that of a fish.
"The correct sound is 'blub blub'," said Rika, walking off now and not turning back, no matter how loud the prep screamed.
She shook her head as she left the school grounds. She headed off in the familiar direction of the Matsuki Bakery.
Takato had to run to Henry's for a little bit, to finish some project in one of their classes, so Rika walked alone towards his house. Thankfully, Danielle didn't follow.
She arrived a bit later, and debated whether she should knock, or walk right in. She decided to walk right in, and that she did.
"Takato?"
"Nope. Its me, Rika."
"Hello there!" said Mrs. Matsuki. "I forgot that Takato had to run to Henry's after school. You can just walk on in anytime, dear."
"Thanks Mrs. Matsuki." she replied. "I just came to check in with you though. I'm gonna run to Faye's house, but first I'm gonna stop by my mom."
"Okay. Just be careful. I'll tell Takato you went out when he gets home."
"If you want." said Rika, shrugging. "I'll see ya later."
"Bye!"
And with that, Rika left the house, just as fast as she had entered. She walked down the street, and it started to softly snow. She smiled. It hadn't snowed sinse...
Then her smile disappeared. It snowed last Friday...
She shook her head. "No bad anythings today." she said. "Faye's coming back, and I have something to look foward to. No bad, no bad..." she told herself.
She reached her mother's office building, where she was staying during the day. At night, she and her grandma went to one of Rumiko's friend's houses.
She walked in, and nodded at the security guard. He knew her, so he let her walk on by. She went up to her mother's floor, and knocked.
"Yes?"
"Rika Makino." she said without thinking.
"Come right in."
She opened the door, and walked inside. Two seconds later, she was being hugged tightly by a woman whom Rika assumed was her mother.
"Rika!!" she squealed. "I've missed you!!"
"Okay, okay.. let go of me now.." said Rika.
Rumiko pushed away, but kept her hands on Rika's shoulders. "How have you been?" she asked.
"Fine." she replied. "I stayed at Takato's all weekend, and we went out with some friends to take my mind off things."
"Friends? Plural?"
Rika nodded. "Yes mom.." she said, knowing what was gonna happen next.
"Ohh!" she squealed. She hugged Rika again. "For as long as I could remember, its always been just you and Faye! I'm so happy you're actually becoming a crowd!"
"Thats great mom... can you let go of me?"
"Sorry.." she grinned.
"S'ok." shrugged Rika. "How have you been? Any sign of that .. uh, him?"
"I don't care." said Rumiko. "Call him a bastard. He is a bastard. I know he is, you know he is, so just say it."
Rika grinned. "So, any sign of that bastard?"
Rumiko grinned a bit too. "Sadly, no. The police haven't found anything, and they have no idea where he is."
Rika sighed. "What good are they?" she asked.
"Apparently, none."
"I never want to see him again. Ever."
"You're not the only one." said Rumiko. "So, where are you going to stay tonight?"
"Mrs. Matsuki wants me to stay there." she said. "She says she'll feel more compfortable that way."
"What about Faye and the Kamiyos?"
"I don't know. Faye still has no idea what happened. I don't wanna force myself into their household..."
"Well you know that Faye is going to insist you stay with her." said Rumiko, crossing her arms. "As will her mother."
Rika nodded. "Maybe I should just go back to the Matsuki's tonight, and then tomorrow we can talk things over with the Kamiyos and Matsukis."
"Yeah.." said Rumiko. "That sounds good. I have the Matsuki's number, and you have my new cell phone number, right?"
Rika nodded again. "Yeah. I'll call if anything happens. Should I call your friend's house or the cell phone though?"
"My cell." said Rumiko. "I don't want to wake Midoriko up if I don't have to."
"All right. So, how's grandma?"
"She's great. She insists on cooking for Midoriko and her roomate, as a sort of payment for letting us stay there."
"Thats Grandma for you." grinned Rika.
"Midoriko is one of my best friends, and she knows what happened. She's unlisted because of it. Faye is the same, correct?"
"Yep. Except... Justin got her number somehow..."
"What?" said Rumiko. "You never told me this!"
"I forgot until just now..." said Rika. "They screen their calls now, called I.D. and stuff. They're in the process of changing their number."
"Well thats good.." said Rumiko. She sighed. The mother-daughter duo remained in silence for a bit.
"If he died, I wouldn't care." said Rika suddenly.
"What?"
"If Justin were to die, I'd laugh. I wouldn't give a damn about it." she said. She sat down in a chair.
"Rika..."
"Why doesn't he just go to jail? Or die!" she said angrily. "He's screwing everything up, and we're always on the lookout for him!"
"Rika.."
"I swear... One day he will get his just desserts... and I will sit there, and laugh at him. I will spit right in in face."
"Rika!" said Rumiko.
The icy fire in Rika's eys vanished as her mother brought her out of her hatred, almost sadistic remarks.
"Sorry... I got carried away a bit..." said Rika. She stood up. "I should go now... I've been here a while, and I gotta go to Faye's and leave a note that says I'm at Takato's."
Rumiko nodded. "Okay." she said. "I'll call the Matsuki's later, and we'll set up a date to figure everything out. We are not going back home until that bastard is caught."
Rika smiled. "Well.. I would like clean clothes tomorrow..." she said, eying her mother for some cash.
Rumiko grinned. "Any excuse for money, eh?"
"You bet."
Rumiko laughed and shook her head. She went over to her purse, and pulled out her wallet. She gave Rika a fifty. "Buy some pants and a shirt for tomorrow, and then after school we'll get an inviso-guard or two to go with you and a friend to your house to get some clothes. You are not going home today."
"All right, all right." said Rika, shoving the fifty in her pocket. "I guess I should be going now though. I'll be at Faye's if you need me, then I'm heading back to Takato's."
Rumiko nodded. "Okay. Take care." she said.
"I will. See ya.. mom.." she grinned. She turned to leave, when Rumiko dashed over and hugged her daughter tightly.
"Bye for now Rika..."
"Mom.." she grinned.
They pushed away, and Rika was off. She went down the elevator, and headed off for Faye's.
The snow was still falling, and it left a light coat on the ground. Not many people were outside, because of the snow and the coldness, but the few that were out left their foot prints in the snow.
Faye's house was about ten minutes from her mother's office building, so she had a bit of a walk. Her own house was a bit closer, and she debated whether or not she would take the long way to Faye's, or chance going past her house.
She decided to go past her house, just to look at it. She turned towards the street it was on, and walked foward.
She zipped up her coat a bit, when a shiver went up her spine. She pulled her hands in her sleaves, and put her chin in the collar of the coat. The temperature seemed to be lowering by the minute.
Five minutes or so later, she turned down her street. At the end of it, she'd make another turn and that led to Faye's house.
As she neared her house, she felt a little weird. She kept glancing around, here and there, afraid someone was gonna jump at her.
"RIIIIIKAAAAA!!"
She jumped, and turned around, and was soon being hugged tightly by a dark haired girl. "Faye?" she asked.
"RIKA!!" she shouted. She pushed away. "Ohmigod! Your face!!"
Rika touched her cheek. She guessed it was still bruised. But then why didn't other people ask what was wrong?"
"Hey Faye.." she grinned lightly.
"Rika..." said Faye. "I've called your house at least fifty times sinse I got home, and there was no answer! I tried your cell phone and no answer! I had no idea what was going on!"
"Faye, listen."
"See, I called to tell you I was home AND to demand a mountain dew bottle, as there was none on my bed when I got home. Not to mention, it didn't seem like ANYONE had entered the house sinse we left."
"Faye-"
"So! Sinse there was no answer on your phone, I decided to go to your house! I arrived, and what did I find? A disastor zone!"
"Faye-"
"I walked around, and found the place was a wreck! I figured thats why you didn't answer your phone and all. So now there's only one thing I wanna know."
Rika waited.
"What the hell happened to you?" asked Faye softly.
Rika leaned foward, and hugged Faye. She returned the hug, although she was still completely lost.
"Rika?" asked Faye, pushing her friend away for a second.
"I have to head back to Takato's soon, but first I gotta stop at your house."
"Takato's? Huh?"
"I've been there all weekend."
"What?" asked Faye, eyes widening."Rika Nonaka-Makino..."
"Yeah, I do have some explaining to do, don't I?" she said. As the memories of Friday flooded back into her mind, her eyes watered up a bit.
"Rika..." said Faye.
She smiled a bit. "Lets go to your house. I'll tell you everything. Then you can tell your parents." she said.
"Why don't you tell them?"
"Because I don't think I can tell anymore people." she said.
Faye nodded. "All right. I understand. To my house it is then." she said. She put her arm around Rika's shoulder and hugged her. "Whatever happened, you'll be fine. I swear it to you, Rika. I swear it to you."
"Thanks Faye-Faye.."
Faye shook her head. "Must you?"
"I must." she grinned.
They walked off towards Faye's house. In a few minutes, they arrived there. They went inside, and took their shoes off.
"Rika!" said Mrs. Kamiyo. "Faye said she tried to call and... oh my! Your face!"
"Its okay, mom." said Faye. "Rika's gonna tell me, then I'll tell you."
Rika nodded. "If thats okay?"
"Of course." said Mrs. Kamiyo.
Rika and Faye headed for the latter of the two's room and went inside. They sat on Faye's bed, and stared in silence for a bit.
"So..?" asked Faye.
"Well, it was after the dance on Friday.." started Rika. "After leaving your house, and went home and found my gate open. I went in, and it all went to hell..."
And with that, Rika continued her story. Throughout it all, Faye's eyes got larger, or even closed, as if she was in pain herself. When Rika had finished her story, Faye looked like she was on the brink of tears. She leaned foward, and hugged Rika tightly.
"Oh Rika!!" she shouted. "I knew I shouldn't have gone to Hong Kong! There was this little voice in the back of my head, telling me not to go! I shoulda listened! I usually do..."
"Its okay, Faye." said Rika. "But, I've been staying at Takato's all weekend. Mrs. Matsuki wants me to come back tonight, and so does my mom. So I go back there tonight."
"Then tomorrow you come here!" shouted Faye.
"My mom wants to talk in over with your parents, and Takato's parents. She's gonna call everyone to plan it out. She doesn't want to go home yet."
"Well thats understandable." said Faye. "I mean, the bastard breaks into your home and goes berserk! I wouldn't want to go home after that!"
Rika laughed.
"What did I say?" asked Faye, freezing in her current position, in which her hands were in different directions.
"You always know how to make me laugh when I need it the most." grinned Rika.
Faye unfoze and grinned. "What are best friends for?" she asked.
"Well, I have to head back to Takato's. His mom is a worrywort."
Faye laughed. "I'll tell my mom what you said and stuff." she said.
"All right." siad Rika. "I gotta go though. I gotta stop somewhere and get clothes for tomorrow. My mom doesn't want me to go back."
Faye shook her head. "Don't waste your money on clothes." she said. "You can borrow some pants and shirts from me. I got plenty, trust me."
"You sure?" asked Rika.
"Of course!" grinned Faye. She walked over to her closet. "My aunt always gets me jeans on my birthday and Christmas. Easter too sometimes, although I don't know why. Then, I also get-"
"Okay, I get it, I get it." grinned Rika. She walked over to the closet too. "Any pair?" she asked.
"Jeans are jeans. I don't care." she said. "Take three for the rest of the week, and then you can wear the ones you have now on Friday."
Rika pulled out the three biggest looking jeans Faye owned, as she was slightly taller than her best friend. "This okay?" she asked.
"Yup." said Faye. "You don't care about shirts do you? I know you like to layer up once in a while.." she said.
"Just give me a couple shirts. I'll mix and match everyday."
"All right." said Faye. She opened the dresser, and pulled out random shirts. Long sleaved, short sleaved, even a three quarter sleaved. "These okay?" she asked.
"Its fine." said Rika. "I'll return them at some point." she said.
"I don't care. I know I'll get them back eventually, and I really can't yell at you right now if you don't return them." grinned Faye.
"Thanks Faye."
"Don't mention it." she replied. "Now, I suggest you head back to Takato's."
"Will you come?"
"Huh?"
"I want the Matsukis to meet you." said Rika. "After all, now that you're back, and depending on how long I'll be at the Takato's, you'll be calling everyday."
"How true!" grinned Faye. "All right though, I can go."
"Great. Then lets go now, before Mrs. Matsuki begins to panic."
"What about my mom?" asked Faye.
"Oh yeah!" said Rika. She thought for a second. "You stay a bit and tell her about what happened. Then head over to Takato's when you're done. You remember where he lives, right?"
Faye nodded. "Yup. Sounds good to me." she said. "I'll see ya in a little bit then."
"Okay. See ya." said Rika. They hugged again for the hell of it, and then Rika set out back for the Matsukis.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rika arrived back at the house, and told Mrs. Matsuki that Faye was coming. She also told her of her mother's plans for tomorrow. She aggreed.
A few minutes later the doorbell rang. Rika ran to get it, and sure enough it was-
"Hiya Rika!" grinned Faye cheerfully. "Can I come in?"
Rika nodded. "Of course." she said. She led Faye into the kitchen. "Mrs. Matsuki? This is Faye. Faye Kamiyo."
"Hello Faye." said Mrs. Matsuki. "Rika told me... well, yes."
Faye nodded. "Its nice to meet you." she said. "Can I stay awhile? If Rumiko, Rika's mom, calls here, I can represent my parents."
"That's fine, dear." said Mrs. Matsuki. She turned to Rika. "Takato called a few minutes ago. He and Henry are coming here. They have a bit more to finish on that project, but the last piece is here. Apparently, my son forgot to bring it to school with him."
Rika laughed, for two reasons. Reason one: Takato being Takato and forgetting something. Reason two: Henry was coming over, and Faye was here. Faye's eyes lit up at the mention of one Henry Wong.
Mrs. Matsuki raised an eyebrow. "Rika?"
Faye shook her head. "Sometimes Rika just bursts out laughing for no apparent reason." she said, grinning.
Mrs. Matsuki just shook her head. "I'll be in the kitchen." she said. "Why don't you two just wait in the living room for now?"
"Okay." said Rika. She grabbed Faye's shoulder, and pulled her out of the kitchen and into the living, and sat her on the couch.
"Geez, so masterfulish..."
"Huh?"
Faye shook her head. "Don't ask..." she said.
"I won't." said Rika, sitting next to her.
"Its perfect!" she grinned, suddenly.
"What is?"
"I come over to Takato's house, and look who else is gonna show up?" she grinned. "And here I was thinking that I would have to wait until tomorrow to see Henry."
"Oh, I'm so happy for you." said Rika, rolling her eyes.
"If I'm not mistaken, Rika, that was sarcasm."
"Very good."
Rika was hit the face with a throw pillow from the couch. Two seconds later, the door opened from down the hall.
"I'm home mom!"
Faye's face lit up excitedly. Rika rolled her eyes again, and got hit in the face again. Shortly after she tossed the pillow back on the couch.
Takato walked into the living room, with Henry right behind him. "Rika! .. And Faye! Great to see you." he said.
"Faye?" asked Henry, looking around. "Hi! Welcome back from Hong Kong."
"Thanks!" she said brightly. "I'm glad to be back. I missed everyone, and leaving after such a fun crazy night was driving me crazy."
"What brings you here, Faye?" asked Takato, sitting on the recliner.
"Stuff." she said. It was that simple.
"Ah." said Takato, clearly understanding.
Henry was confused, but he didn't say anything. "Well Matsuki, I can't stay for very long. I gotta get home, so lets get this project finished."
"Okay." said Takato. "The thing's in my room. C'mon." he said, standing. Then he and Henry had gone upstairs.
Faye sighed. "That made my day." she grinned.
"Oh thanks I feel so loved, Faye." said Rika.
"Oh you know I love you, Rika." said Faye, shaking her head.
"You know, it just wasn't the same without you this weekend, buddie." said Rika. "Ya missed it."
"Missed what?"
"I trashed Kaylee."
"What?! And I wasn't there!?" said Faye, rather loudly. "Curse my brother's college!" she said, shaking her fist at the ceiling.
"Oh, and Phil ate one of her little clip thingers."
"Phil what..? Ate something out of her hair?"
Rika nodded. "He was acting like a monkey, saw a bug and ate it." she said.
Faye stared at her for a second, before bursting out into hystertics. "Ohmigod! I wish I was there!!" she shouted.
"Geez, Faye lower your voice." said Rika. "This isn't my house, ya know."
"Sorry, sorry.." she said, still laughing.
They continued talking for about ten minutes, about random things here and there, when Takato and Henry bounded down the stairs.
"Hullo thar." said Faye.
"I gotta go." said Henry. "Takato Matsuki. Do not forget the project or I will kill you. Not literally, but I will be one angry guy."
"All right, all right." said Takato. He turned his head towards Rika. "Don't let me forget it tomorrow, okay?"
"Hey, its not mine. I don't gotta worry about it." said Rika.
Takato shook his head. "See ya later Henry." he said as he headed out.
"See ya!" came the reply. Two seconds later, the door opened, then closed. Looking out the window, you could see the guy running down the street.
"Wow.." said Faye. "Someone was in a big rush..."
Takato sat back in the recliner, and the three were in silence for a bit. Faye coughed once, but other than that, the only sound was a clock somewhere, and the sounds of someone cooking in the kitchen.
"You know?" asked Faye suddenly, looking directly at Takato. He nodded. So did she. There was silence again.
"Now what?" asked Takato.
"We just wait for my mom to call." said Rika.
They all nodded. It was just one of those awkward things, that everyone knew, but didn't really want to talk about.
A couple minutes later, the phone rang. They all jumped. It rang again, and they stared at it.
"I guess I'm getting it!" said Mrs. Matsuki from the kitchen. "When the phone rings, you answer it. Its not that difficult to do..." she grumbled.
Takato laughed a bit.
"Hello? Matsuki residence." said his mom. There was a pause. "Hello Miss Makino!" she said cheerfully. There was another pause. "Oh no, its no trouble at all that she's staying here."
"Do you have speaker phone?" asked Rika Takato nodded. "Then put it up." she said. Mrs. Matsuki heard this, and did what she asked.
"Miss Makino? You're on speaker phone." said Mrs. Matsuki. "Rika's friend Faye is here to represent her parents, or so she says."
"Hello Faye!" came Rumiko's voice.
"Hi Rumiko!" grinned Faye.
"Please, before we go on, call me Rumiko." she said to Takato's mom. "I'd feel a lot more compfortable if you did."
"All right then, Rumiko." grinned Mrs. Matsuki. "Then please call me Meiko."
Faye coughed. "Hello?"
"Sorry, Faye." said Rumiko. "Now, I was calling to arrange a meeting of sorts. You know, to figure out where Rika is staying."
"Well, my mom's off for the the rest of the month." said Faye. "Some weird thing at her job. I dunno. But she can come just about anytime." she said.
"I stay at home and manage the bakery." said Meiko, Takato's mom. "So as long as my husband is here, I'm free as well."
"Well, how about we just meet at your bakery then?" asked Rumiko. "This way, you don't have to leave your job. Not to mention... he doesn't know where it is."
Faye piped up. "True."
"That is, if its okay with you, Meiko?" asked Rumiko.
"I think its a great idea." replied Meiko. "Now, I'm sure that Rika, Faye and Takato are going to want to be here as well, so why don't we have it when they're not in school?"
"Yes!" said Rika. "Its me that we're all talking about, so I definitely wanna be there." she said. Faye grinned.
"Well, I don't have anything sceduled tomorrow." said Rumiko. "Do you think tomorrow, after school gets out for them, is okay?"
Meiko paused. "That should be fine. Not too many people come to a bakery in mid afternoon anyways." she said.
Faye spoke, "Yeah." she said. "My mom was actually complaining that she had nothing to do tomorrow, so she'll be here."
"Great." said Rumiko. "I still feel terrible about making Rika stay with you all though..." she said.
Rika looked down. She felt kinda bad too for forcing herself into their houses.
"Its not trouble." said Meiko. "I told you, its fine. I understand now you're situation, so I have absolutely no objection."
Faye nodded, although unseen by Rumiko. "I've known Rika for a long time, and she's been over a lot. My parents treat her like another daughter, and we know whats going on too, so its no big deal." she said. "Its okay, Rumiko, Rika. You're not causing us any trouble."
Rika smiled. 'Thanks Faye' she thought. Rumiko sighed from the other end of the phone conversation.
"Well, I really have to get off the phone. I'm using a payphone in my office, and time is running out." said Rumiko. "I'll have Rika come tomorrow to get me at the office, and bring me to your house, Meiko."
"Oh no, its some distance I was told." said Meiko. "I'll give directions, or come get you myself." she said.
"Are you sure?" asked Rumiko.
"Positive." said Mrs. Matsuki. "Besides, I want to get to know you better." she smiled. "It would be the perfect opportunity."
Rumiko sounded a lot happier when she spoke again. "Okay." she said. "That would be great. So, shall we remove me off speaker phone, and talk things over as to me getting to your house tomorrow?"
"Sounds good to me." said Meiko, pressing a button and taking Rumiko off speaker phone. She walked into the kitchen to talk privately.
Rika sighed. "I hate it." she said.
"Huh?" asked Takato.
"I hate feeling like a burden to everyone. And I know that you tell me I'm no trouble," she said, seeing them both about to object, "But I still feel like I'm intruding on your everyday lives."
"Oh Rika," said Faye.
"If Justin would just disappear. Or die." she said. "I wouldn't give a damn about it. I'd throw a party."
Faye shook her head, then leaned over and shook Rika. "STOP MOPING!" she shouted. She turned to Takato. "Sorry if I cause too much rucus, etc." she said. He nodded. "We understand what you're going through, as its affecting our lives too! Stop blaming yourself, and stop acting so negative when you don't need to be!" she said.
Rika grinned. "You're right Faye."
"And-wait. I'm right?" she asked. "I mean, of course I'm right. Now heed those words, and follow them. You're our friend Rika, and we love you. Don't think of it any other way."
Rika grinned again. "Thanks, Faye." she said.
Mrs. Matsuki came back into the living room. "You're mother's time ran out, but I'm going to pick her up tomorrow when you guys get out of school. Come straight here, and Takato? Henry doesn't know, right?"
Takato shook his head.
"Then tell him you've got to do something if he wants to come over. Tell him you'll stop by his house later if he insists."
"Okay."
"Rika? Faye? You're welcome here at anytime."
"Thanks." they said.
"Now, Faye? What time do you have to be home?" asked Meiko.
"Soon." she said. "I should actually go now and tell my mom she has to come here tomorrow. Heh."
"All right. See you then." said Meiko.
"See ya!" grinned Faye as she headed out. "Rika, call me if anything comes up, okay? And forget about the Dew." she grinned.
"You got it." laughed Rika.
With that, Faye was out the door and heading back home. Meiko went off to make dinner, and she and Takato sat there.
"Thanks." said Rika suddenly.
Takato looked over at her. "Huh? For what?"
"For everything." she said. "I've only known you for a few months, but you and your family have done so much for me. I just wanna say thanks."
Takato grinned. "Don't mention it. Thats what friends are for, right?"
Rika grinned back. "Right."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
MD: it went kinda slow, but i got plans for upcoming chapters. ::nods:: this was just kinda setting up for future chapters. review now, and i will try to update as fast as i can -_-
thanks to reviewers:
The Diamond Mistress: heh, sure if you really wanna eat Phil... go ahead, but I need him back for the story ^.~
shadowlegend: Whoohoo! Mountain dew and doughnuts! ^-^ and you reviewed twice for the same chapter ! lol thanks
Aires1: ::gets you out of straight jacket:: better now? ^-^ thanks for reviewing
Hayate Minamoto: thanks
Tamer of Light: yes, Rukato Itsumademo!!! and dont worry, they'll get to together soon enough. its all planned out. ::snicker::
Justmeh: heh, nice penname. lol and thanks
Cardcaptor Hikari: thanks! ^^ and dont worry, i have plans for their first real kiss. just keep reading and you'll see it
Mortus: ::sigh:: i try my best to edit, but i'm not very good at it. gomen ne ::bow:: thanks for reading ^^
SerpentTreize: heh, yesh i do love phil and stevo ^^
John Surber: yay! thanks, i'm glad ya like it. well, I'm glad as many people like it as they do ^^ anyways, thanks
Silver Kitsune Light: oo! spiffy penname! anyways, heh nice review lol. not the oompa loopas!! ::runs:: thanks ! ^^
Black: faithful reviewer! ^-^ much thanks. and to let you know, I've given a lot of thought to your idea about the preps trying to get Takato back, and I think I've come up with something good. Thanks a lot!! ::bows:: and yes, Regless can be kinda scarey... . ^^
JessAnthonyMakito: monkeymummies... lol and yesh, who doesnt love a good beating? heh
Twerp: heh, thanks
Senko Mareon: Faye sounds like you? that means i sound like you too! Faye is sorta like me, but a bit different ^^ thanks
ferqiaj: i hope i got your penname right . thanks anyway ^^
ejqHorseLady: alas! another faithful reviewer! ::bows:: and heheh, suzy's crush.. i dunno where that came from . thanks a lot!
Neverwhere: Chaos Mode: wooT! you have reviewed many of my stories, and as I have probably said before, THANKS! ::bows:: oh faithful reviewer, keep on reviewing ^^ heh, cool beans, man... lol
newbi: what is he talking about? even i do not know... ^^ thanks
once again, THANKS TO YOU ALL!! if there was anyone i forgot, i am sorry -_- keep on reviewing, and the chapters will keep coming! ^-^ ja for now! ::waves::