MysticalDreamer: Eh heh heh... :Sweatdrop: Sorry this took so long to get out... I blame it on lack of computer time and writer's block... Happy New Years! I'm ignoring the fact that it's nearly February...
disclaimer: If I haven't owned it throughout this entire story, what makes you think I own it now?
Everyone say a good and long thanks to my beta reader, Ash. If it were not for her, this chapter could still be in the works... and keep getting delayed. Her constant nags often times get me writing even when I don't feel like it!
chapter twenty: realizations and cat tails
Rika nearly killed Takato when he tried to get her up the next morning. She didn't fall asleep till at least one the night before, as her mind was constantly being bugged by Faye and Henry. She wanted so desperately to know what had happened with them in the room and why everything between them seemed so different.
"Begone!" she shouted at Takato, throwing her pillow at his face. It bounced off and hit the floor and he stared at it.
"Interesting," he said, leaning over and picking it up, tossing it lightly back at her on the futon. "I just figured you'd want to get up at some point."
"Yeah, yeah..." she grumbled. She managed to roll out of bed some time later and quickly tossed on some of Faye's clothes. She enjoyed a nice, warm bagel as she gathered everything she needed for the day, brushed her teeth and the two were off.
They practically sprinted the entire way to school, running over some people along the way. Their faces were flushed and they were out of breath when they crashed into Jeri.
"Wow," she said simply, staring at the two of them. "Did you race here or what?" she asked, blinking a few times.
"We... just wanna... know what...happened with world domination..." blurted Rika, in between breaths. She took in a deep one and collected herself, standing up straight and grinning at Jeri.
"Ah, I see," said Jeri as Takato too caught his breath.
Faye appeared out of nowhere and slammed her hand on Rika's back, making everyone jump. Two seconds later, she was dragging her friend off somewhere, leaving Takato and Jeri very dumbfounded.
After walking to a different and empty hallway, Faye spun Rika around and looked her straight in the eye. "I love Takato," she said.
Rika's eyes widened open in shock and she was just about to shout something, when Faye covered her mouth.
"Before you go getting all jealous, and don't hit me for that," said Faye, catching Rika's hand with her free one, "I'm talking about his clumsiness."
"Oh," said Rika. "Wait a minute! Why should I be jealous 'cause you said that?"
Faye just rolled her eyes and dropped her hands. "Just shut it and listen," she said, a wide and excited smile spreading all across her face. "After the door closed on us, it got really quiet. So, we just started talking about stuff."
Faye stopped talking and Rika raised an eyebrow. "So, you're thanking Takato because you got to talk to him?" she asked. "Then thank me for introducing you in the first place-"
"No!" shouted Faye. "I'm not done."
"Go on," said Rika, extremely interested now.
"I think he tried to kiss me!"
Rika nearly fell over. "Come again?" she asked in a slightly loud voice at the sudden outburst of Faye's.
"You heard me!" she said, grabbing Rika's hands and spinning her around in a happy dance. "We sat on the floor and he kept getting closer and closer to me. It was so weird," she explained. "He even started leaning in towards me, when you three decided to come back."
Rika punched herself inside. If they had only waited five more seconds...
"So, not only am I going love Takato forever, I am also going to kill him for coming back so soon," concluded Faye.
"You seem to have come up with a very strange love-hate relationship," said Rika, putting a finger to her chin, as if deep in thought.
"Oh, shut it," said Faye. "The whole point is-"
"I know!" interrupted Rika, with a grin on her face. She high fived her best friend. "I'm happy for you, you know that!"
Faye threw her arms around Rika and twirled around. "And now we go back to everyone, before they suspect something."
"All right, all right," said Rika, allowing herself to be pulled away by Faye.
"Oh, and Rika?" she asked, turning around slightly. "Don't say anything about this to anyone, okay? I kinda got the impression he was embarrassed and didn't want anyone to know..."
Rika sighed. "All right, I'll keep my mouth shut," she said. "Promise."
"Great."
Rika grinned. She'd have to keep this a secret, so she'd have to resort to telling everyone they had conquered France or something. Then they'd understand, and she wouldn't really be telling. She nearly laughed, but caught herself.
They were one step closer in their quest for the world.
XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD
Rika was the first one to enter the cafeteria that day and she lazily sat down at her now normal table, pulling out the sandwich Takato's mom had made for her. It was nice to have normal lunches for once and she smirked as she bit it.
Someone pushed into her as they walked past, making her fly into the table. She whirled around to yell at Faye, only to see Danielle walking away casually, with a smug strut. She glared dangerous daggers at the girl and watched as she sat down. She reached for her paper bag and rolled it into a ball, taking aim and throwing it at the girl's head. It bounced off the top and hit the floor and Rika burst into laughter. Danielle only "ughed" before turning back to her friends.
Rika was soon joined by Faye and just as the dark haired girl was about to speak, they caught some words from Danielle's mouth.
"-Party-"
Rika and Faye glanced at each other, hopping over a few tables to hear better. The random people they sat with tossed them curious glances, before turning back to their own matters.
At last, the two were in earshot and they stayed deathly silent as they listened.
"Yes!" said Danielle, overflowing with ego as she smiled superiorly. "My parents are going away for the weekend. So I'm gonna throw a party. Everyone's invited! It's going to be so much fun!"
"You're parties are so much fun, Danielle!" squealed Jenny. "I'll be there super-uper early!"
Rika and Faye gagged as they listened to the rest of the details. They slowly table hopped back to their own table, sliding into their seats and giving Takato, Henry and Jeri a slight shock.
"I don't even wanna know," said Henry, shaking his head as he opened his soda.
"Danielle's having a party," said Faye quickly in a hushed voice. "I suggest telling every single person you possibly can. The more people there, the more trouble she'll have."
"Splendid idea, Faye!" said Rika.
"Splendid? What is so splendid about ham and cheese?"
Everyone turned around just as Stevo sat down at the table next to Rika and snatched her sandwich, taking a bite.
"Sure Stevo, you can have my sandwich," said Rika, rolling her eyes.
"Thanks," he said. "Now what is so splendid?"
"Danielle's having a party and we're plotting to ruin it," explained Faye. "Tell as many people as you can. That is what's splendid."
"Ah, I see," said Stevo. "But what better a way to ruin a party than to crash it?" he asked. "Show up and that'll rain on her parade."
Rika and Faye stared at him, then at each other. "Call someone important, Stevo just had a good idea!" said Rika.
"I know, I know," said Stevo smugly, nodding his head proudly. "I'm just that great. No need to praise me, though."
"Who said we were gonna praise you?" asked Faye, flicking him in the forehead. Henry's eyebrow twitched and Rika snorted. Faye glanced at her friend and rolled her eyes. "Now, who's gonna come with?" she asked.
"Hm?" asked Rika.
"To crash the party, of course!" said Faye, slamming a hand on the table. "It'll be so great! Danielle won't know what hit her!"
"I won't know what hit me? What are you talking about, Miss Kamiyo?"
Everyone turned to see the much talked about Spencer standing behind them in all her preppy glory, wearing clothes not meant for winter.
"Go away," said Faye, waving her hand in that "shoo shoo" motion. "Scoot."
Danielle rolled her eyes now. "If my name is mentioned, I have a right to know."
"Begone!" shouted Faye, crossing her index fingers like a cross barrier and aiming it at the girl.
"How childish," said Danielle. Before Faye had a chance to make a snappy comeback, she turned to Takato and twisted her hair playfully. "You're invited to my party, Takato. It's this weekend"
In return, he sent her the coldest glare. "Why the hell would I wanna come to your house?" he asked with venom in his voice.
For a moment, Danielle looked stunned at the tone of his reply, before catching her ground. She narrowed her eyes slightly, while everyone else at the table smirked. "Everyone's going to be there," she said.
"Everyone without a mind of their own," he retorted.
Rika and Faye couldn't hold it in anymore. They burst into laughter, not even bothering to hide it.
Danielle's eyebrow twitched. "Fine then!" she said angrily, stomping her foot on the tiled floor. "You can just go to hell for all I care!"
"I'll see you there, then," replied Takato cooly.
Danielle was fuming by now. She whirled on her heel and stormed off, sending everyone sitting at the table into hysterics.
"That was so fucking awesome Takato!" said Stevo, slamming his hand on his back, finishing the last bite of Rika's sandwich.
Takato smirked. "I've been waiting to do that for a while now," he said.
"Praise be to him!" shouted Stevo, starting to bow by placing his hands on the table and moving his head up and down.
"Come on, don't do that," said Takato. "I feel weird."
"You're still going though, aren'tcha?" asked Faye.
Takato raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Rika smirked. "Of course he is," she said. "Although... it won't exactly be in the way little Miss Spencer had it planned..."
"Yes!" shouted Faye.
Takato sighed. "I'm going to crash it, aren't I?" he asked.
Rika and Faye nodded. "There's no way I'm gonna let you stay home, Takato my friend," said Rika, patting him on the shoulder. "Afterall... you can't refuse an invite, now can you?"
Henry groaned a bit. "Are you really going to crash the party?"
"Of course."
He sighed and crossed his arms. "I've only been to one of Danielle's parties before, and that was a minor one."
"Minor?" asked Faye.
"Her parents were home," he explained. "It's hard for me to go places without my parents doing the whole Who-What-Where-When-Why-How thing."
"Ah, yes," said Stevo. "I too have parental units like that."
"Anyway," said Henry, "It sounds like this upcoming party is a No-Parents kind. There's no doubt there'll be drinking."
"I won't drink," said Faye. "Actually, I never really have..."
"From what I've heard, Danielle's parties can get wild. Seniors even show up at them," said Henry, continuing in his story telling mode. "If we go and she gets busted while we're there, we are going to be in deep shit."
Faye blinked. "I don't think I've ever heard you say shit before," she said.
Henry shrugged. "I say shit all the time."
"No shit?"
"Gods, just stop!" snapped Rika, laughing a bit. "Enough shit! It's annoying."
Everyone laughed. After they could finally get words coming out of their mouths again, Henry went on.
"Either way," he explained, "It's not going to be pretty."
Rika rolled her eyes. "Who cares? I still wanna go," she said. She turned to Takato. "You'll come, right? You know where she lives so you'd have to be our director dude. Ya'know, bring us there."
Takato sighed. "I don't have a choice, do I?"
"Not at all!" grinned Rika. She turned around to everyone else at the table. "Who else is coming? Faye?"
"Hell yeah! Like you even have to ask, Rika," she said, shaking her head.
Henry sighed. "Maybe..." he said. "It might be hard for me to get out of the house and all. Especially at night."
"Say you're going to a movie," suggested Faye. "This way you can't be contacted. No phones on, remember?"
Henry shrugged. "Maybe..."
"Jeri?" asked Rika.
She shook her head furiously. "There's no way I'd get away with it," she said. "My parents are the extreme version of Henry's. They barely let me out on Rika's birthday without an escort. So going somewhere on a Saturday night alone? I really don't think it'll happen. Not at the moment, anyway."
"Damn," said Rika. She looked to Stevo. "Well, Stevo? What is your mind telling you?"
"One voice says to go, another is telling me to shut the hell up, another tells me to go away he's eating tacos and another says I couldn't get it passed my parents," he explained. Everyone blinked in unison, as if some weird outside force was pulling the strings. "In short, I'll let you know later."
"Okay!" said Rika. "So far then, it's me, Takato and Faye."
"Three?" asked Faye. "That's not enough!"
"Deal with it. Not everyone can leave whenever they want to and go where ever they want to," she replied.
"I know! I'm one of them," said Faye.
Rika rolled her eyes at her best friend, before turning to the others. "You three let me know on a definite answer by Thursday, all right? We'll need Friday to plan everything out perfectly."
Henry and Stevo nodded, while Jeri sighed. Rika grinned. What a fun weekend she had coming up. They finished the rest of their lunch and came up with weird, random things involving gummy bears and surf boards; insane laughter echoing all around the cafeteria.
XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD
Rika sat lazily on Takato's couch, flipping through the channels mindlessly. Takato was up in his room on his computer doing some sort of school work. Mrs. Matsuki was bustling around in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Takato's father had run to the store to get something, with a simple "I'm off and I'll be back," before speeding out the door.
"Whatever you're cooking Mrs. Matsuki," called Rika into the kitchen, "It smells awesome!"
"Thanks Rika! At least someone likes my cooking!"
Rika chortled to herself at the woman's comment and went back to flipping the channels. She was watching a very weird infomercial when the phone rang, making her jump. She glanced at the phone and "watched" it ring a few times, before it was finally answered. She rolled her eyes and changed the channel just as Takato came pounding down the stairs. She nearly jumped off the chair when he leaped over the couch and plopped next to her, smiling like a madman.
"Don't tell me," she said, "It's the funny farm and they're coming to get you?"
"No, they'd come for Faye," said Takato. "Hey!"
"Sorry, I couldn't resist."
"Anyway," he said, motioning to the phone. "Henry can come."
"Really?" asked Rika, thinking of Faye's soon to be excited reaction.
"It's him right now."
"Hi Henry!" she shouted at the phone, making Takato cringe a bit. She smirked when he shook his head.
Takato went back to talking to Henry while Rika continued her channel surfing. She half listened to Takato, half listened to the television. It was only when Mrs. Matsuki called them for dinner did Takato hang up and Rika turn off the TV.
"So you guys," asked Mr. Matsuki when he sat down. "Any plans this weekend?"
Rika shoved a spoonful of potatoes in her mouth to avoid the question. She also avoided looking at Takato for fear of spoiling their plan.
"Not sure," said Takato smoothly. "We thought about going to see a movie with Henry, Faye and Jeri, possibly Stevo too, but we don't know yet."
"That's nice," said Mrs. Matsuki. "Should be fun."
Takato nodded. "We're still waiting on Jeri and Stevo though."
"Stevo is...?" asked his father.
He laughed. "You've never met him, have you?" he asked. "He's a friend of Rika's, well, a friend of mine too. He's a bit on the odd side, but you gotta love him anyway."
"Crazy but harmless," chipped in Rika, after she swallowed her food.
Mr. Matsuki nodded. "I only ask because your mother and I wanted to get a little Christmas shopping done. And I know you hate shopping with us, so we figured we'd get some things for you as well."
Takato smirked. "Ah, trying to get me away, eh?"
"You're not coming," said Mrs. Matsuki. "So you and Rika and everyone go see your movie. Just be back by eleven."
"Okay, okay," said Takato, taking a sip of his soda. He stuck his hand under the table and he and Rika high fived.
They volunteered to do the dishes, so Takato's parents went inside the living to watch some TV.
Takato turned on the water and snatched a sponge, dowsing it with soap. "Dishes are annoying," he said.
"Yeah," she replied. "Thanks for nominating us for the job."
"You're welcome," he said simply. She just rolled her eyes and started to dry. They grew silent and echoes of the television whispered in the kitchen. When someone shouted something along the lines of "You crazy bastard! Did you not think we'd discover the paint on the cat's tail?", the two started laughing hysterically.
"That was the most random line from television I've heard in my life!" said Rika, putting a dish away.
"You're telling me!" laughed Takato. "I'll be repeating that one for a while."
"We should say it when we go and see that movie of yours," grinned Rika.
He grinned. "Am I not a genius?" he asked.
"Brilliance, Takato, pure brilliance," she said, patting him on the shoulder. She stole a glance towards the living room to make sure his parents weren't listening. "I can believe how fast you spit that out. You're an awesome liar."
Takato grinned smugly. "Why thank you," he said, taking a little bow.
She raised her hands like she was worshipping him and bowed them up and down. "Praise Takato and his lies!" she whispered.
"Yes, I am God."
"I wouldn't go that far, buddy," she said, shaking her head. She stopped her worship and went back to drying the dishes.
He sighed sarcastically and flicked water in her face. "Bow before me again. I like being worshipped."
"Yeah, right!" she laughed. "That was a spur of the moment sort of thing. Ain't gonna happen again, let me tell you."
"Right then," he said.
She shook her head in silent laughter and put a glass away. She reached for another one and pulled it out, only to have it slip from her grasp. It hit the ground and shattered into pieces.
"Dammit," she whispered, squatting down. "I'm sorry. It slipped."
"Don't worry about it," said Takato, reaching down to pick up some pieces. "We have plenty of those glasses. My mom bought them for guests in case they did get broken. She didn't like 'em too much."
"Good, because I would feel horrible if they were a precious gift from her great-great grandma or something," sighed Rika, reaching for a piece. Takato's finger brushed against it and it sliced open her finger.
"Ahh!" he said, seeing the blood. "I'm so sorry! Ack!"
Rika looked at it and grinned a little. "It's okay. It's just a cut."
"You sure?" he asked. "Here, let me look at it."
He reached at her hand and grabbed it, pulling it close to him. He looked over her finger, studying it.
"Uh, Takato. I said it was fine."
He stood up and took Rika with him. He shoved her hand under the water and rinsed off the blood. "Clean it at least," he said with a small grin.
He caught her eyes and held them as he kept her hand under the water. It was warm - not too hot, not too cold and Rika barely noticed her hand was getting wet. The blood mixed with the water and twisted down the drain, dishes forgotten.
Rika could feel her heartbeat speeding up. She wondered if her cheeks were getting red as well, although she couldn't feel that. A strand of hair fell into her face, right in front of her left eye. Without thinking, Takato reached over and pushed it out of her face. But he didn't move his hand when he was done. His fingers lightly touched her cheek and now Rika knew she was blushing.
"Takato..." she managed to get out, although it was in a low whisper.
"Are you guys done yet?" called Mrs. Matsuki from the living room.
Takato and Rika jumped, both of them jerking away from each other and pulling their hands out of the sink.
"Almost!" Takato called back, reaching for another dirty dish to wash. Rika bent down to finish picking up the shards of glass. After she got all the larger ones, she went for a broom and swept up the small pieces, gathered them up and tossed them in the trash.
She went back to the dishes and continued drying. Takato began to help her when he finished with the washing, but with no conversation. They just went on in a weird silence. Rika couldn't even focus on one thought. She had never felt so weird in her life. When she shook her head, Takato gave her a weird look.
"Please don't tell me Stevo's voices have begun to affect you as well," he said, raising an eyebrow sarcastically.
"If they do, you'll be the first to know, trust me," she laughed, putting away the last glass.
When they both finished, they joined Mr. and Mrs. Matsuki in the living room and watched some TV. They never did discover what show it had been that had talked about that cat tail, but it didn't matter. It was just one of those times.
XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD
"What?" squeaked Faye in a very loud voice. Her eyes widened, going from bored to shocked to excited in three seconds flat. "Really?"
"That's what I said," grinned Rika. "He called last night. You lucky ducky you."
"Huzzah!" shouted Faye, getting a quick look from a random person walking by. She slammed her locker shut with a bit too much force, as she made Rika jump, as well as herself. "Whee!"
Rika laughed. "And you never know," she said. "Something could happen."
Faye gasped. "You're right!" she said, slapping her hands on her cheeks. "Something more than in that stupid little closet thing! I could be getting my first kiss this very weekend!" Her face lit up like a candle as she spun around in a circle.
Rika blinked as she smiled. The smile was just a show, as she remembered that night. She hadn't told anyone. Not even Faye.
"I'll let ya know, Rika!" she said suddenly. "You know, in case we're alone or something. Mmkay?"
Rika nodded blankly. Faye tilted her head and waved a hand in front of her friend's face. "Yoohoo!" she called. "Anybody home?"
The taller girl shook her head furiously. "Sorry," she said. "Spacing out."
"Ah, thinking of when you'll have your first kiss?" grinned Faye, looking as if she was formulating some sort of evil genius plan.
Rika nearly froze. Oh dear God... she thought. Keep it cool, Rika. If she finds out what happened on Devil's Night, you'll never live it down!
"Anyway," said Faye, waving her hand to shake off the conversation, "You should head home now. Gotta sleep and all! And keep me informed on all Henry updates."
"Sure thing," grinned Rika. "You'll be the first, and probably the only one to know."
Faye laughed and pushed her friend outside, waving her off as she walked down the street and headed back for the Matsuki Bakery.
She stopped to glance inside a small, cute shop. It was an antique store, full of musty old things, wallowing away and gathering dust. It was relatively empty, but Rika couldn't stop staring inside. Had she been older, perhaps it would have brought on some nostalgic feelings, but seeing as she was fifteen, it was highly unlikely.
She looked at the reflections in the glass window when moving objects caught her eyes. "It's snowing!" she laughed, turning from the store and spinning in a circle. She closed her eyes and stuck out her tongue, trying to catch some snowflakes.
As it was a Wednesday, not many people were out and about, but the various few that were walking around ignored the falling snow and carried on. Rika didn't understand how people could just ignore it. She twirled around once more before continuing on her way to Takato's, stopping occasionally to catch some more snow.
Her mind drifted. She had never really been alone for a while. Now, here she was, lonely with her thoughts. Random things here and there, but perhaps the most dominant issue that plagued her mind was just one thing.
Takato Matsuki.
She had never known anyone like him before. Then again, she hadn't really had any guy friends. She hadn't really had any friends, except for Faye. But there was just something about him that kept her wondering.
He had been friends with beefed up jocks and made up flashy girls. Yet even when he still hung out with them, he just didn't seem to fit it. She figured he'd always been somewhat of an outcast among them. She expected him to be just like them. Annoying, spiteful and rude. She had found herself doing the very thing she criticized them about: stereotyping. She just assumed he was "one of the popular fools". How wrong she was.
She didn't think she'd ever grown so close to someone in such a short period of time. She hadn't grown so close to anyone in a short period of time. She learned little things about him every day, sometimes shocking her deep inside. He wasn't one of those rude, spiteful fools she called preps. He was far from it.
She even found out he liked to draw. She discovered an entire sketchpad full of various drawings, some colored, some in pencil. She even spotted a few in pen. She noticed that off to the side, in the corner of this room was a box, with a spiraled notebook sticking out; upon closer inspection, she found a box of sketchpads.
What kind of rude and spiteful fool drew? And liked to draw?
She'd have hated herself if she had just dismissed him as another face in the crowd. For crying out loud, she was living in his house!
Maybe it had been bad things that brought her to where she was. That didn't matter though. She was happy things turned out how they were. She wondered if she'd still just be another skater in the park, watching Takato walk by from time to time and calling him off as another mindless drone who follows all trends set out by those supposed "teenage know it alls".
When she tried to imagine it, she couldn't. She just couldn't see her life right now without Takato in it. She stopped walking and froze in place.
Where was all this coming from? She shook her head. "It's not like I'm in love with him or anything..." she grumbled to herself. "I'm not," she told herself again.
She looked up at the sky and hugged herself. The snow continued to fall and dance around her and she felt like some character in a fairy tale. A light breeze picked up and blew loose strands of hair around her face.
She looked back at the ground and followed a snowflake as it fluttered to its doom on the sidewalk. It hit the ground and she sighed.
She looked up and caught sight of herself in a window. The image seemed to smirk at her and she glared. "I'm not in love with him!" she hissed at her reflection. When she realized she had just spoken aloud, and to a mirror, she huffed and whirled around. Just what exactly was coming over her?
The snow continued to fall at a steady pace from the heavens.
Of course, there had been times when it seemed they had something more between them. On more than one occasion to boot. And even now, if for some unknown, mystical reason she would never see him again, she thought she might even start to cry. Just thinking about never seeing him again got her feeling all weird inside. "Okay..." she mumbled. "Now what are you thinking, Rika?"
He was always there now. No matter what she did or where she went, Takato would always be there when she needed him. As much as it was the same with Faye, it just didn't feel the same. It was like a little twist in a roll of thread - just different.
She stopped walking in confusion. If she strolled along anymore, she might have fallen over in a mind maze. Thoughts bounced around in her brain and she could barely decipher one before another took its place. She lightly punched her head to get it to stop. Needless to say, nothing happened except for a short throbbing in her skull.
She couldn't be in love with him. Faye was the one in love, and she was all ga ga and obsessive. Besides, she promised herself she'd never fall for anyone after seeing her mother go through with so much pain. She didn't want to bring that upon herself. So she swore off the emotion called "love".
"Wait..." she muttered, crossing her arms. "When did I start thinking about this? Oh, nevermind. I'll never figure it out..."
She lightly kicked over a small pile of snow that had been piling up nearby and watched the shape fall apart. The frozen water from above continued to fall and Rika knew that pile would just reform again, given the time. She looked up into the sky and into the falling snow. It danced around her and dropped into her eyes, making her close them tightly.
She squatted down and played around with her finger in the light layer of snow that had found a home on the sidewalk. She doodled mindlessly for a while, staring blankly ahead, trying to get the jumbled mess that was her mind back in order. She looked down at what she had ended up doodling and froze in shock, her eyes widening.
There, in the snow, she had written it.
Takato.
It was there, plain as day for all the world to see. His name carved softy into the white powder. She felt a blush creeping onto her cheeks as she hopped to her feet and stomped on the name, messing it up and making it illegible. She grinned a bit at her work, before the realization of what she had wrote clicked in her mind.
She felt a hot liquid escape her eyes and lightly brushed a hand against her cheek, wiping it away. A small smile twisted onto her lips as she clutched her own face. She laughed softly and whispered, "I do..."
Looking back up at the sky again, more water scurried from her eyes, although they were not melancholic tears. They were warm, which was just how Rika was feeling inside right now.
"I do..." she whispered again, her smile growing wider. "I love him... I love Takato..."
She spun around in a circle, spreading her arms out and letting them soar around. She stopped abruptly and wrapped her arms around herself tightly once again. "I don't know why... or how..."
She took in a deep breath and dropped her arms to her side. She blew hot air on her numbing fingers and smiled deeper. "But I do," she sighed. She glanced back down where she had written his name, only to see part of the 'T' remaining. She erased it completely and stretched, speaking again.
"I love Takato..."
She glanced at her reflection in some nearby glass and grinned. She didn't want to grin, but she couldn't stop it either. It grew wider and wider as she stared at herself, until she looked away in embarrassment. She took in a deep breath of crisp air and continued on her way back to the Matsuki Bakery, in a much more cheerful mood than she had been all day.
After minutes of warm and fuzzy thoughts, as well as a weird grin that freaked out some passerby, Rika reached her destination. She pulled open the door and stepped inside. "Hello!" she called into the depths of the house. "I'm back!"
Normally, she would have shouted "I'm home," but this was not her home. She would have felt weird saying that phrase.
She kicked off her shoes and tossed her jacket on a nearby coat hanger. She didn't hear a lot of noise coming from the house, which was a bit odd. She shrugged it off and moved along. Nothing was going to spoil her mood.
"Hi Rika!"
Or not.
"H-hi, Takato," she said, slightly shocked at his sudden appearance. Seeing his face reminded her of what she had come to deal with just recently. She quickly walked passed him and headed for the living room. He blinked in confusion before following after her.
"Rika, listen!" he said as she collapsed onto the couch. She tossed him a questioning look, telling him to go on with whatever it was he planned on saying.
He took a seat next to her. "Your mom called before," he said.
"And? What about it?"
"She sounded kinda... nervous. Not sure what about, but it was weird," he explained, leaning backward into the cushioned sofa behind him.
"Nervous?" she asked, afraid it had something to do with a certain someone. All other thoughts were pushed out of her mind as she urged him on. "What did she say?"
"Not much... She asked if you were here," he told her. "I said you weren't home yet. You and Faye did stay a little late today."
"That's all?"
"Well, she did say she'd try to call again later..." he said. "It kinda freaked me out though. She didn't seem to be in her usual high spirits."
"Agh," groaned Rika, running a hand through her hair and pulling out some strands, messing up her already messy ponytail. "Now she's gonna have me worried!"
"It probably wasn't a big deal," said Takato, trying to reassure her. "Maybe she was just being all motherly and wanted to check up on you."
"Was that all she said though?"
He nodded. "She did seem a little disappointed that you weren't here. I did ask if I could help her with anything, but she said no."
"Pah!" she said, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, holding up her head with her hands. "It's probably something stupid..."
"Probably."
They grew silent after that. A small clock ticking from somewhere echoed in their ears. It slowly built up the tension inside Rika, until she exploded when it chimed to signify the hour.
"Dammit!" she shouted. She turned to Takato. "Where are your parents, anyway?"
He shrugged. "They left a note saying they'd be home a bit later. I think it might be something to do with my grandma. She freaks out over the littlest things."
"Ah, I see."
It was shortly after this that Rika's mind decided to remind her of her affections for dear old Takato, who happened to be sitting right next to her at the time. Her eyes slowly glanced over in his direction. She studied his face and he appeared to be spacing out. She felt herself blush without reason and nearly punched herself in the face. Trying to settle her internal conflicts without bloodshed, she resolved to shake her head furiously.
"Are you okay...?" he asked, catching on that something was on her mind.
"I'm fine," she said quickly, leaping to her feet. Just as she stood up straight, the doorbell rang. Barely two seconds later, there was a fierce pounding on the door. Takato climbed to his feet as well as the doorbell rang again. She eyed the door warily as he walked over to answer it.
He looked through the peek hole and his facial expression changed to relief. He pulled open the door. "Hello Miss Makino. What brings you here?" he asked, allowing the woman to step inside.
Rika peeked around the corner. "Mom?" she asked.
Rumiko looked up when she heard her daughter's voice. "Rika!" she wailed. She ran over and wrapped her arms around her offspring tightly.
"Mom, mom!" she said, trying to push her mother away. "C'mon, stop!"
She allowed some distance between herself and her daughter as she stepped away. Rika's eyes widened at her face. Rumiko's eyes looked blotchy and tearstained. Her makeup had been smudged and she seemed out of breath. She touched her mother's arm lightly. "Mom?" she asked.
"Rika..."
Rika grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the living room. "Sit down..." she ordered, setting her on the sofa. She sat next to her as Takato closed the door and hurried in after them. Now she knew something had been wrong when her mother called before.
XD XD XD XD XD XD XD
MD: End of zee chapter. I guess it's a cliffhanger. Pah. Anyhoo, I know how this is all going to end, but how many more chapters there are depends on how I write it out. Writing this for so long is gonna make me miss it when I'm done TT.TT
And I must say my writing itself has dramatically improved over time. Yay me!
Thank you, oh faithful reviewers! I love you all! Mwa!
Is it just me, or do emoticons not work anymore within stories?