A/N: This chapter is my attempt at giving more depth to Rika's relationship with her watcher, Hugh, and also bring in an actual character from BtVS. Yes, you read it correctly. A surprise is coming up. ;) The stuff Hugh is saying while Rika is meditating was swiped from season 5, episode 2 "Real Me".
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Chapter 3 - Lost
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By the shadows of the night I go
I moved away from the crowded room
That sea of shallow faces masked in warm regret
They don't know how to feel, they don't know what is lost
Lost in the darkness of a land
Where all the hope that's offered is
Memories of being taken by the hand
And we are led into the sun
But I don't have a hold on what is real
Though we can only try
What is there to give or to believe
I want it all to go away I want to be alone
Sympathy's wasted on my hollow shell
I feel there's nothing left to fight for
No reason for a cause
And I can't hear your voice and I can't feel you near
I wanted a change knowing all I could do was try
I was looking for someone...
Sarah McLachlan - Lost
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Rika POV
Rika was sitting in the back row in the chappel, listening to some student, whose name she didn't know, talking about Janine and how wonderful she had been. Rika hated memorial services, and the people there. They were so pretentious and fake, pretending to care. Most of the people in the chappel at the moment hadn't even known Janine. They hadn't known her name, and they had most certainly not noticed her. Janine wasn't the type of person to make a fuss about herself, and that was why Rika had liked her. She was a nice girl, but she hadn't been loud. Rika could easily have pictured her being friends with Janine. She could feel a tear running down her cheek, and quickly wiped it away. She always cried at these things.
When someone died, or got killed, suddenly everyone remembered something about the person who was now gone. What a great person they had been. Fantasies mostly, nothing real. Suddenly everyone cared. Of course the death of the students had been tragic, and Rika was sad, wanted to pay her respects. But she hated fakes and liars.
No, she couldn't sit here anymore looking at all the shallow faces wearing masks of compassion. She needed to get out, get some fresh air. She was starting to feel slightly claustrophobic. Without a sound she got up from her seat and walked towards the exit, she had to meet up with her watcher anyways. Soon, she was out the door without anyone even noticing that she was gone. Or so she thought.
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Sam POV
Sam and Dean were standing in the back corner of the chappel, listening to the memorial service for the latest victim - Janine. Sam looked around the room. It was packed with people. "She must have been popular" he thought. His eyes swept across the back row, and he saw a familiar chunk of honey blonde hair. It was the girl he had bumped into at the diner earlier that morning. He watched her silhouette and once again thought she was absolutely beautiful. She had gotten changed, and was now wearing a black dress and a grey cardigan.
The girl looked sad, and Sam saw a single tear fall down her cheek which she quickly wiped away. He suddenly felt the urge to comfort her. Maybe Janine had been a friend of hers? Her eyes were filled with compassion. Suddenly, she stood up and quietly walked towards the exit, and then she went out the door. He tapped Dean on the shoulder.
"I should go talk to that girl who just left", he whispered, Dean merely nodded.
Sam walked out of the chappel, and looked for the mysterious, blonde girl. She was nowhere to be seen. Sam sighed, and went back into the chappel. He had really wanted to talk to her and find out more about her. She seemed very interesting.
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Rika POV
After leaving the memorial service, Rika had gotten back to her appartment to get changed. She was now wearing a pair of comfy, black sweater pants and a black tank top. She was also back in her black ballerina flats, and it felt great. The heels she had worn to the service had been hell. She was now walking down the street towards her watcher's house for a training session. His house was quite large, and he had turned his basement into a gym.
When Rika reached the house, she didn't knock. She was expected, and Hugh allowed her to walk in and out of his house as she wanted. He had nothing to hide, and a sort of father-figure for her. She trusted him more than anyone else. She closed the front door and removed her jacket and scarf. Then she opened the basement door and started walking down the stairs, when she suddenly heard voices. One of them belonged to Hugh, the other to another male. He aswell sounded British, but she didn't recognize the voice. She couldn't hear what they were talking about. When she reached the end of the stairs, she saw that Hugh was standing there talking to a man who looked about the same age as her own watcher. He was wearing glasses, a brown suede jacket and a pair of blue jeans. His hair was dark brown and tousled, with slight hints of grey.
"Hugh?", she tried.
"Oh, hello Rika, come on in!", Hugh turned to her with a huge smile on his face.
"Who's this?", she asked and nodded her head towards the other man.
"Ah, I'm so sorry, I forgot my manners", Hugh excused himself. "This is Rupert Giles, and old friend and collegue. Rupert, this is Rika."
"It's a pleasure to meet you", the man named Rupert said and shook her hand. He had a very kind smile.
"The same", she said and smiled back. "So, you're a watcher too?"
"I am, yes", Rupert responded while looking at her intensely.
"Why are you looking at me like that?", she asked and the other watcher shook his head, like he had been lost in some deep thoughts that he now was trying to get rid off.
"I'm very sorry", he said. "It's just that you remind me very much of someone very dear to me."
"Your slayer?", she asked.
"Yes", he merely said, then turning towards Hugh. "It was a pleasure talking to you again, old friend. I should be heading out, I'm meeting up with Faith and Robin in a few hours."
"The same", Hugh replied. "Hopefully we'll meet again soon."
The two men shook each other's hands and then Giles walked up the stairs and exited the basement.
"What was that all about?", Rika asked her watcher.
"Rupert was just passing through the city on his way to a meeting and decided to pay me a visit", Hugh explained. "I asked him if he had any idea what might be causing the killings, but he didn't. Anyways, we ought to start training. Whatever we are facing you need to be in good shape and fully concentrated."
Rika sighed as she knew her watcher well enough to know he wasn't going to tell her anything else.
She spent the next half hour warming up: stretching, some tai chi... After that she practised kicks and punches for nearly two hours and felt exhausted. She thought she was done when Hugh suddenly spoke.
"I'd like you to try a new type of meditation with crystals", he said. "You need to get a better focus, and Rupert recommended this one. He's done it once, but the meditation failed."
Rika sighed, but agreed. Soon she was standing with her hands on top of a chunk of wood, with her eyes closed, listening to her watcher's voice. Some crystals were in a formation on the floor in front of her. Apparently she was supposed to practise a handstand.
"There is nothing but you. You are the center. And within you, there is the core of your being ... of what you are. Find it ... breathe into it. Focus inward. Let the world fall away ... fall away ... fall away...."
Rika felt strange. She heard her watcher's voice, but it was distant, like he was at a longer distance from her. She felt completely focused and peaceful. Her eyes flickered open, and she took a deep breath. She pushed herself up into a perfect handstand on the block of wood, her body in a straight line upwards. She closed her eyes once more. She was deeply concentrated and started lifting her left arm. Soon, she was standing on only one of her hands, still keeping her balance. She felt strong and completely at ease.
"Good, good job!", she heard Hugh's voice in the distance. "Now, start bringing yourself back to full conscience."
Rika opened her eyes, put her left hand back on the block, pushed herself up and did a backflip off the block, doing a perfect landing on the floor. She took another deep breath and relaxed.
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A/N: There you go. The chapter isn't very long, but it serves it's purpose. ;) Reviews are better than ice-cream in summer.