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A/N: What did I say? Updates quickly, but don't expect the next for a little bit. I killed off two of these guys right in a row and I was gonna wait to update, but I couldn't resist. I hope everyone is enjoying the story thus far. Pay attention for context clues to see as to what's been going on. Enjoy. Love and be loved. Read… and review!
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In The Sun

My heart thumps… I feel nothing. I stare at her… she stares back. I see her mouth moving, but I don't know what she's saying. It's kind of like one of those moments on TV, ya know? When everything slows down, and you can see the people talking, but you most certainly cannot hear what they are saying. When you notice the slightest things that give away the biggest things; some sort of hint to the truth of the matter which makes way for the facts to be displayed. But this isn't tv, and things aren't moving in slow motion, but I am most certainly not hearing what Rika is saying.

"So what do you think?" she asks me.

Stunned for the moment as I am well aware that I have no idea what she wants me to comment on, I just acknowledge this fact rather than try and avoid it, "About what?"

"About THAT." Rika says, walking along, paying no attention to my bewilderment on what exactly 'that' is?
"About what?" I say again, not hiding my confusion.
"Were you even listening to me? Do you ever listen?!" She says, exasperated.

I smile bashfully at her, and say, "Of course I do… half the time."

She smiles and shakes her head. I am too much of a little kid that she can't possibly stay mad at me. I mean, c'mon. Look at this face… would could EVER get mad at this face? "You're a cute little son of a bitch, aren't you?"

"WHAT?!" I say shocked at what she's said.

She turns to me with a smile, her red hair flying around like fire, and, if I'm not mistaken, a little red in her cheeks, "I said… you're a cute little son of a bitch, aren't you?" I gape at her and stop walking. She continues to slowly walk away and just stares back at me before chucking, facing forward, and walking away.

So goes my walk in the park with Rika. This is how we decided to spend our last Saturday in September. Henry usually joins us for a good ol' ass whoopin from Rika in cards, but she doesn't even bother when it's just me all by my lonesome. I literally can't even hold a candle to her skills. But whatever, the two of us are just walking, hanging, chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool. When a couple of guys, they were up to no good… "Why are you humming the theme song to Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?"

I burst out laughing, and when I look up at Rika, she is just staring at me like I'm a little psychotic. She bites her lower lip and looks down at me pitifully. I just smile right back at her. And so goes my walk in the park with Rika.

I straighten up, and hurry to her side. We walk down some unconscious path, unsure just of where we are going, but sure that we are going there. The air is by far much colder than it was a month ago, or a little more, whenever it was in that time and place when school wasn't ruining our lives. Ahhh, how I miss that time so. We continue to walk on for a while, side by side, without saying a word. Just the two of us… walking through the park without a care in the world. "So, how's life?" I finally ask her.

"Hmmm… life's good. Just… getting by." She says, seeming to pick her words carefully.
"Something the matter?" I ask her, noticing her hesitation, and wondering about it.
"No. It's just…" She pauses.

"What?"
"Well… what do you think of Ryo?" she asks me.
"Ryo? Uhm… well, he's good at cards, I guess." I say, unsure of why she's asking me about him.
"Yeah, no duh. I mean, I'm better but…"

"Yeah… so… how's about Henry and Jeri… dating? Pretty nuts, right? Whoda thunk it?" I say, unsure of where to go with the conversation.
"Yeah. Crazy." Rika says, turning her head the other way.

What the fuck, man? What's her problem? Did that asshole do something to her? Aww shit, did he turn her into a fuckin druggy, like I was afraid he would? That asshole, who does he think he is? He just busts onto the scene and turns my best friend into something she's not.

Ryo… where do I even begin? I was so okay with him at first. Kazu and Kenta like worshipped the very ground he walked on. Meanwhile, I was trying to gauge what kind of person he was. It pissed me off that he and Rika were always able to play cards in a fair competition, and Rika couldn't handle easily crushing me. If she wanted a good competition, she should play me more and watch me get better. She could make me into something better than I already am, but she simply refused. She only wanted to play with someone on her own level and watch and wait for someone else to catch up, all the while crushing the hopes and dreams of someone who wasn't 'on par.' What the hell? And now he's taken her and warped her into something even further away from the real, TRUE Rika I know. He's corrupting her. He's destroying her. "You don't like him, do you?" I finally burst out with, unable to stop myself anymore.

Rika turns quickly to look at me again, and I swear I see some pink in her cheeks, before she turns away again, saying, "No way! Why would you even say that?"

"Just because… ugh…" I stopped myself. I don't want to accuse her of having feelings for him, because I don't want to drive her way, but I want to get out the truth. "I just… I don't know."

Now she turns to me, "What are you crazy? I don't care about anyone!"

She tries to shoot daggers into my soul by staring at me vilely, but there's something different. This was a new emotion on her. This was… something fake… something docile in comparison to her other hate-stares. She wasn't actually mad… she was trying to appear mad. Before I can continue on, she interrupts my thoughts again, saying, "Why don't you like him, anyway?"

I ponder the question for a few seconds, unsure of how to respond. Why don't I like him? Because he's taking my best friend and tearing her down! But… that's just my opinion, and I certainly can't tell her that. She'll get mad and tell me I'm crazy, or a jerk or at least that I'm wrong. So what DO I tell her? "Well… I just… ah, I don't know, Rika, I just don't like him."

"Well that's a pretty shitty reason for not liking someone."
"Ughhh…" I scoff. What the fuck? She just doesn't fucking understand, does she?

We come to the top of the hill that we had raced down before, way back on that summer night. God, things were SO good back then, weren't they? I should have known that Henry was gonna steal Jeri away from me and Ryo was gonna fuck up Rika. What the hell is wrong with these people? Fucking Ryo is turning her into such a different person, and I don't like it at all! He's not even here and he's inciting the two of us to fight! Some how… some way… I'm gonna make him pay. I stare down the hill to the jungle gym where it all started, and a thought occurs. "Hey, Rika… wanna race to the swing set?"

She takes a long, sideways glance at me, but, slowly but surely, a smile dawns on her face like a new sun. "Ready?" she starts.

"Set?" I start, but before I can get to 'go' she's off.

I take off after her, and I don't hold anything back. Going only downhill means she already has a small advantage, because she won't have to endure flat plains or up-hills, but more importantly, this is only a sprint, and Rika's not exactly slow. She's extremely athletic, which I guess comes with her toughness and tomboy act. I rush my mechanics into full steam and my training and practice certainly pays dividends, as I pass by her quite quickly and then find myself at the bottom of the hill and, after another couple of seconds, I come to a slow stop in front of the swing set. I turn, and Rika comes jogging up, worn out and exasperated from the quick sprint. I smile gleefully, "How'd you like that for a change?"

"What do you mean?" she asks, bewildered.
"How does it feel to have your own ass handed to you, for a change?"

She stares at me with shock and anger for a moment. She opens her mouth preparing to say something, but shuts it quickly. She looks like someone just told her she was the worst card player on the planet. She marches past me, and takes a seat on the swing set behind me, and I cautiously join her. I wasn't that vicious, was I? 'Why was I vicious at all?' I… ugh… ugh, I, I really don't know why I was that mean?

Images of Ryo blast into my mind, and the thoughts of him corrupting Rika are at the forefront of my mind. That bastard! I will kill him! But… how do I tell her that? She won't hear me out if I try and tell her that… 'Or will she?' No! There's no way. Rika Nonaka never lets people tell her how to live her life. She's her own ruler.

'Then how do I explain that I don't want Ryo to hurt her?' But is that what I really want? Is that how I really feel? I really can't tell her that though, even if it is how I really feel, because then I'm just a selfish asshole. Then… how do I explain how I feel?

"Ya know, whether you want to think so or not, he's a really nice guy." Rika says, albeit she seems a little insecure saying it.

What the fuck, man? Why does she keep trying to bring him up again? Doesn't she already know he's on my mind? Does she want to shove him down my throat to? Is that what she's trying to do? Force-feed me these ideas of a person I don't really like, nor completely understand? Why is she doing this to me?! "I just… don't know him all that well, I guess." I say, reluctant and unsure. I'm not really speaking my mind, but it's the best thing to say to her in this position.

"Yeah, I'll say." She says, pushing her feet off the ground, making her swing go back and forth.
"So what is there to like about him?" I ask, unsure if I want to hear the answer.
"Well, for starters, he's really thoughtful, and romantic." She says, almost… adoringly?! "Not that I like that kind of stuff… but I mean… he's kind of like you in that sense, ya know? Just a big dreamer."

Something about her saying that strikes a nerve. If he's just like me, than why is he better than me in her eyes? What makes him better? And fuck that, he's not like me. He's the opposite of me. I'm… I'm the dreamer. I suppose. I mean, I guess I never thought of myself that way, but if that's what she thinks I am, then I guess that means I am. A dreamer… someone always thinking optimistically of the future and all that it holds… someone who can share his vision with anyone else and dream of a better world… or a happier time… someone who never lets the world beat him; always knowing there are better days around the corner… yeah, I guess that's me…

And she thinks Ryo is a dreamer too? And Ryo's better than me, so I guess that means that he's a better dreamer than me too. Fuck that, there's no way that can be true. I'm the only dreamer. I can be the only one. I must endure. "I don't know, he's just… really nice, I guess. He's cute. What do you think?"

"What do I think?! I think he's a pretentious asshole with an overly exaggerated ego. He wants to constantly be playing the hero, even when the role doesn't exactly fit him. I can see him throwing his friends under the bus in order to become greater than them. He needs a reality check; he thinks he's the shit, but he's not worth an ounce of my time, let alone yours." I say as bitterly as possible, much to Rika's dismay. She hangs a gaping mouth at my awful assessment of him.

"Excuse me? Who do you think you are? Ryo Akiyama is a great guy, and far from any of the things you just claimed him to be. I would even venture to say that you just perfectly described yourself." She shoots back at me.

"Oh yeah, because I'M a pretentious asshole? Where do you even get off telling me that? I just told you exactly what I thought of him and you're telling me I was talking about me? Good one."

Rika jumps up off of the swing set and walks a few feet away, saying, "Fuck off, Takato. You are exactly what you just said; you have an insatiable need to play the hero, ya know? No matter if things are awful or just slightly messed up, you HAVE to be the one to try and solve the problem, or to save people from themselves. Who says they even need saving? You also have a misplaced sense of entitlement!" she says, exasperated at having to tell me everything that's wrong with me.

"What does that mean? I never said I was entitled to anything!" I yell back, as I too stand up from the swing set.

"I didn't say you ever said it. You come off as feeling like you're entitled to so much, when, in reality, you are entitled to oh so little."

"Oh, I'm entitled to 'oh so little,' huh? I guess then the next time you need someone to save you from the D-Reaper or Beezulmon you can go crawling back your boyfriend, RYO!" I shout at her, and then walk a few feet closer. "But I doubt he'll help you then, since God knows he didn't the first time around!"

"He… is not… my boyfriend." She hisses back at me, as she draws closer and now our glaring eyes are barely a foot from one another.

"Go home and cry to daddy." I hiss at her.

Her violent stare stops. Her eyes droop, and then I feel flesh meet flesh. The whole left side of my face burns with searing pain as I grab it with my hand. I look up and Rika is storming off, without another word to be said. I stand up… she slapped me. She really just slapped me. But she definitely deserved that. She's being such a bitch. Fucking Ryo… he's ruining everything! He's tearing Rika and me apart! I'm gonna kick his ass, I swear. Someone is gonna pay for this.

I turn around and start heading in the opposite direction of Rika. She had started on her own way home, but it was also the shortest way back to my house. I certainly wasn't going to appear to be following her, which would be just creepy and weird and shit. So, I started to go the long way home, as much as that sucked. 'Maybe I should follow her so that I can apologize for that… it was really mean to say something so cruel.' No! She totally deserved it, the way she was putting Ryo up on a pedestal, and leaving me to look like a complete jerk. Where does that even come from?! That jerk is putting her through a metamorphosis and now she's coming off as some kind shielded, crazy bug, disconnected from the outside world except for what she knows in him.

'Or is she right… am I the one disconnected from the truth?' No! No way… at least… I don't…

CRUNCH!

I look down and see that I have just crushed one of the few remaining leaves from the fall. We're getting further and further into fall now, and I just don't know if I'm ready to see the autumn leaves go. I mean, we still have like a month and a half before its 'technically' winter, but I just… I feel the cold, cutting air coming into the atmosphere already. It really sucks. I look up again… the sun is barely visible through the clouds, but it beats down on me again. Rika…. I guess that was really mean. But… what's wrong with everyone recently? Henry and Jeri shocked me… Rika is changing in front of my eyes, and leaving me behind it all… Ryo is responsible for that… it's just… everything is wrong. Nothing is alright. I don't even know anymore what it's all for… my friends abandoning me… that's not cool. Back in the summer… Rika and Henry and I… we had so much fun. We spent afternoons together under this same sun… and now I'm not even sure if there is anyone who is in the sun. Won't anyone help me to understand? I feel like I'm caught in between all I wish for… and all I need. Oh… maybe none of them are even sure what it's for… anymore than me?

I drop my head and stare around my surroundings. The lake… Jenkin's Lake… in all its bestiality. That beautiful lake from the summer is now drying up. It is black-brown around the edges, which is the soil that was under the water before, I suppose. It's murky and dark… so far changed from what it used to be… it's changed into something else. What the fuck. Why do the seasons have to change something so beautiful and turn it into something that makes me want to vomit? Scattered rocks are imbedded into the dirt near by. I pick one up as I walk along, wind up, and throw it as hard as I can into the perverted lake. It hits a little off-center and splashes water up.

Fuck this… something gotta change… I have to fix this… I have to change it… how do I bring them back… how do I make it better… how…

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A/N: Hey, all. This is quite angst-y, I'll say. The chronicles of Takato's fall from tranquility to inner-unrest. There certainly is a lot of symbolism, and I do have to admit that you have to be able to read between the lines a little to understand what is going on in the psyche of each character. Rika is really seeking approval from her best friend for her romantic interest, whereas Takato is so jumpy after losing one of his own romantic interests, Jeri, to one of his friends, Henry. That whole race to the swing set was supposed to be Takato unconsciously living his rivalry with Ryo out with Rika. There are certainly a lot of dangerously ambiguous references in the story, but that's up for you guys to decide. So yeah, that's just some of the things that are happening between the lines. I should hope you guys can decipher some of the other things on your own :] Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter(s). PLEASE REVIEW!!!! I LOVE IT WHEN YOU GUYS DO!! Anyway, hope ya'll liked it.

Love Always. Rukato Forever!

Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
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