She Came To Him
The famous nineteen-year-old genius Ryo Akiyama, Digimon King stared up at his bedroom ceiling in dismay. It was two o'clock in the friggin morning and yet here he was, on his nice and comfortable bed, completely wide awake. Running his hands over his closed eyes Ryo cursed whatever was keep him awake and promised to be good for the rest of the week if God would only let him get some sleep. He was home from university for the weekend and he'd come home to relax for a while, not to suffer acute insomnia. Why can't I get to sleep, Ryo growled to himself as he looked over at his clock for the fifth time in the last three minutes. It was almost as if his body was deliberately keeping him up, like there was something he had to do or remember. But the only thing I want to do is sleep, Ryo thought miserably, pulling his covers over his head with another dejected groan.
"Why am I still awake?" He mumbled from under the covers as he mentally cursed a blue streak at whoever was responsible for his insomnia. "I'll even let Kazu and Kenta's start their stupid Digimon Fan club if you'll just let me sleep!"
As if on cue the sound of someone on the back porch attracted his attention, causing him to sit up in bed, blinking in the darkness. Whoever was out there wasn't being loud by any means and if he hadn't been wide awake he would have never heard it. Quietly sliding out of bed Ryo grabbed a pair of jeans off the floor and quickly slid them over his boxers. Never taking his eyes off the door that separated his room from the backyard Ryo looked around for something heavy and easy to swing. Moving over to his packed closet Ryo felt around until his fingers finally connected with his old and no longer used baseball bat. Pulling in out slowly Ryo carefully shut his closet and made his way across his room, careful to avoid the items littered across the floor. Cautiously moving to the window beside his door he looked out to see if he could catch a glimpse of the would-be intruder. Peering out Ryo was just able to make out the shape of someone sitting on the back porch, making no move to do anything, just sitting there quietly. The person didn't look like trouble, Ryo thought objectively as he weighed out whether to go outside or not. The intruder looked to be around average height and was really slender too, nothing he couldn't handle on his own. He couldn't make out any features because he was sitting closer to the shadows with his back to him but Ryo didn't think he was in the shadows on purpose. Now why would someone walk into his backyard and just sit down and do nothing, Ryo wondered with a puzzled look. Maybe he's lost or drunk, Ryo thought with a smirk. A neighbor that had walked into the wrong yard. Having never been one to let his curiosity go unanswered Ryo moved away from the window and quietly opened the door, not making a sound. Moving out onto the porch he kept a close eye on the figure as he moved forward, bat still firmly in hand.
"You lost?" Ryo asked when he was a few feet away from the still figure who hadn't moved since he'd peered through the window. The person didn't respond and Ryo realized that the figure probably couldn't hear him given the way he had his head buried in his arms. Moving closer Ryo came to a quick halt when it hit him that the figure on his porch was in fact a girl. And a redhead at that, Ryo realized as a stray beam of moonlight caught her hair for a brief moment. He didn't have much luck with redheads, one in particular so of course she had to be one. "Can you hear me?"
"I heard you the first time." The girl said, her head still in her arms as she answered back. But that's, that's Rika's voice, Ryo though with a start which nearly made him stumble as he drew closer. It was her, he thought in shock as he stared at the figure huddled on his porch at such an ungodly hour. She was wearing her usual jeans and white shirt but her hair was down which was probably what had thrown him off in the beginning since she wore it like that so rarely. Setting the bat down gently against the wall Ryo carefully walked over to her and sat down beside her, careful not to touch her.
"What's wrong, Rika?" Ryo asked softly, desperately fighting the need to draw her into his arms and comfort her which was an unusual feeling because it was Rika but there was just something about the way she sat there that got to him. But he knew that she'd just shrug him off or break his nose if he tried, possibly both if she wanted to. He didn't call her a wildcat for nothing and she accepted comfort from no one.
"Nothing you can change so you can go back inside." Sixteen-year-old Rika Nonaka said lifting her bowed head slightly, her head looking straight ahead as oppose to at him. "Just go away okay? I don't need you."
"Probably not." Ryo agreed looking straight ahead as well. "You and I don't really need anyone to survive or take care of us. We're loners, we prefer to handle things our way without others interfering. But sometimes, Rika, it doesn't hurt to talk with a friend and get their spin on the problem. You might disagree but it doesn't hurt to listen and hear what they have to say. I can't sleep so my ears are available to listen."
"And what if its not a pretty story, Ryo? Do you still want to hear it?" Rika demanded, still not looking at him, not really looking at anything really.
"If it will help you yes."
"What happened to your mother, Ryo?" Rika asked out of the blue after minutes of silence, her eyes looking at him before quickly turning away. Rather surprised Ryo looked over at her and wondered where that had come from. She'd never asked about his family before and he'd never asked about hers either.
"She died when I was six, why?" Ryo asked curiously as he waited for her to answer him. She was actually talking to him and possibly letting him in. It must be something serious to have driven her to this.
"Do you remember her, Ryo?" Rika continued and this time her eyes stayed on him. " I mean do you remember what your life was like when she was still alive?"
"I remember bits and pieces. I wish I remembered more but I was too young. Why do you ask?" Ryo asked as casually as he could manage. What could his past possibly have to do with her unusual behavior?
"I remember my father from my childhood, when he and my mother were still together and we lived in the same house. Little things here and there about what life was like when he was around and hadn't left us yet. I used to remember him really well but its gotten so that everything's blurry and jumbled up in my mind. What I do remember- never mind." Rika said looking closely at him, as though what he said next was really important.
"There's nothing wrong with that, Rika. Memories fade with time. Just because you can't remember him very well doesn't mean that you don't care." Ryo said with a reassuring smile. He and the rest of the Tamers didn't know much about Rika's father and truth be known he was curious about the guy but he wouldn't ask unless she brought it up.
"You know what I was like when we first met? I was like that because of him." Rika said looking out into his backyard once again, preferring the darkness to his concerned face. "I bet you weren't expecting that curve huh?"
"I didn't know that." Ryo said carefully while his mind whirled with the revelation. "I knew that something had to have made you the way you were back then before you became a Tamer and the person you are now."
"He's back." Rika said folding her arms in front of her chest, an instinctive defense. "He was home when I got there from Jeri's house. Its been five years since the last time I saw him face to face and he just sits there and expects me to be happy about it."
"And you don't want him here. You didn't want him to come back." Ryo guessed beginning to hate this guy with every note of barely disguised pain in her voice. Anyone who could reduce his Wildcat to this was someone he could never like or respect. If he had made Rika the Digimon Ice Queen then he was lower then dirt in Ryo's books. "Why didn't you want him to come back, Rika?"
"It's funny if you really think about it. When I was a kid I'd have killed to have him visit, to spend time with me and my mom like we were a family. I became the Ice Queen trying to be the kind of daughter he'd want and now that I'm not he comes back and I don't want him here. Stupid huh? I spend half my life wishing he'd come back and now that he has all I want to do and did was tell him to go to hell." Rika said with a dry laugh that spoke only of bitterness and pain. "The irony of it all."
"Why did you become the Ice Queen, Rika?" Ryo asked asking the question he'd wondered for so long. What had happened to turn such a warm and caring person into an unfeeling and cold Ice Queen? "Why did you think your father would love you more if you were like that?"
"Because I had to be the best, Ryo. Number one. And that meant stepping on people to get there." Rika said holding his gaze, refusing to be a coward in his or anyone's eyes. "I had the stupid idea that if I was the best at something then my dad would want me. So I did whatever it took to prove to him that I was the best and that he'd made a mistake when he'd left me."
"Leaving someone like you would be anyone's biggest mistake." Ryo said as he put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to his side. Instead of pushing him away as he'd expected she allowed him to hold her close and even laid her head on his shoulder, a true sign of how emotionally wiped out she was. They stayed like that for several minutes in complete silence; each filled with unspoken emotion and turmoil.
"I'm sorry, Ryo." Rika whispered and for a minute Ryo thought he'd imagined it or misunderstood but then she repeated it slightly louder the next time as she moved from his hold to sit by herself once again. Allowing it Ryo reached out and taking her limp hand in his tried to put into words what he was thinking. Rika so rarely let anyone in that he knew he could screw this up far to easily if he wasn't careful. If he blew it lord only knows what she'd do.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Rika." Ryo said with a smile as he tightened his hold slightly, sensing that she was drawing some comfort from his touch even though she'd probably never admit it. "I'm glad to help and I'm glad you stopped by to talk, even if you weren't probably intending to wake me up."
"I'm sorry for all the mean things I've said to you and the way I've treated you over the years. It's just that the match meant so much and when I lost I lashed out and I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry I was so mean to you." Rika said in a small voice, a child's voice as she hurled herself at him. Holding the girl tightly against him Ryo gently stroked her hair as he watched the girl he'd come to admire above everyone else struggle for control and the will not to break. Oh, Rika, what's happened to you, Ryo thought desperately as he whispered nonsense to her, what's going on and what could he do? Her face was pressed into his neck and he could feel her heavy breathing as she refused to cry, simply holding onto him as she fought for control.
"Why was the match so important to you, Rika?" Ryo asked beginning to realize that that was the key to all this. According to gossip she'd become even worse after he'd beaten her at the game so something at the game must have triggered something, been partially responsible for breaking Rika down enough that she needed someone else's support.
"Because I was going to show him that I was the best. I told him to watch it on TV. and he'd promised he would. But I lost, Ryo. I lost." Rika said in a choked voice as she clutched his shoulders, her nails digging into his back though he didn't even feel them. That's why the match had been so important to her and why she'd never forgiven him for winning. She'd been trying to prove to her father that she was worthy of his attention but had lost instead.
"Oh, Rika. I'm so sorry. If I'd known I would have..I would have let you..I'm so sorry, Rika." Ryo said holding her tighter. What agony it must have been for her, Ryo thought with a grimace, hoping that by some miracle his words would help. All she'd wanted was to have her father's love and he'd gone and beaten her when she'd needed to win the most. And the game hadn't even been that important, just another game to be played and won for the fun of it. It had been a game for him, everything to her.
"It wasn't your fault, Ryo. It was mine for being so stupid. I wasted so many years on the jerk trying to win him over and all I succeeded in doing was turning myself into a monster." Rika said lifting her head with a few solitary tears drying on her pale face.
"Never a monster, Rika." Ryo said as he tenderly reached out and wiped away the faint wetness on her cheeks with a slightly shaking hand. "A very angry Wildcat to be sure but a monster, never."
"Why were you always so nice to me, Ryo? Even when I was mean and cruel, said mean things about you and tried to get you in trouble?" Rika asked as she leaned against him, drained of her energy now that she'd got the apology off her chest, which had eased some of the tension in her chest. She'd been holding that apology in for a lot of years. She must be exhausted Ryo thought realizing just how late it was.
"Because I saw the real you through your attitude and anger, Rika. I saw who you really were and how could I not like her." Ryo said with a smile as he looked down at her as she looked up at him. Staring at each other Rika smiled and Ryo felt a similar smile take over his face as well.
"I'm glad you did." Rika said quietly as she snuggled closer to him. Holding her tight Ryo laid his head on top of hers and just held her as the sounds of the night still at large continued with their song.
After a few minutes Ryo looked down and couldn't help but smile wider. Rika Nonaka, the Digimon Queen, was fast asleep in his arms, looking like a beautiful angel fallen from heaven. Grinning at the fanciful thought, Ryo slide one of his arms under her legs and picked her up, cradling her in his arms as he tried to figure out what to do with her. Deciding he left the bat where it was and made his way over to his door, managing with some minor juggling to get the door open. Carefully moving around the room Ryo walked over to the side of his double bed and tried to lay Rika gently down on it, thinking to let her take the bed and him the floor. Unfortunately she had other ideas. Rather then let go of him her arms tightened around his neck and no matter how gently he tried to loosen her hold with his one free hand she wasn't having any of it. The only way he could think of to get loose would most likely wake her up and if he was being truthful he really liked the feel of her holding him close. But he had to make her let him go. Carefully leaning over so that he was half on the bed he gently let go of her so that she was completely on the bed except for her arms, which remained wrapped tightly around his neck. Using his own hands he tried to loosen her hold but as she'd shown before when Rika wanted something she used everything she had to get it. And right now she apparently wants you to stay, Ryo thought to himself with a roguish grin as nothing he did could shake her hold. Now if only she was awake and a little older this would be a dream come true.
Obviously she agreed because before he knew it she had grabbed a hold of his arms in a surprisingly strong grip and had pulled him down beside her on the bed. Before he could move away or get off she'd snuggled up against him and started his heart to beat faster then a train. He was in his bed, with Rika, alone, and damn if he wasn't going to have to act like a gentleman. They were both tired and worn out he reasoned to himself as he tried to ignore the feel of Rika snuggled against him. It wasn't safe for either of them to go to her house at this hour, especially since she obviously wanted to be as far away from her father as possible. Letting her stay here was the right thing to do. Ryo told himself to justify not waking her up or driving her home. Sure she was asleep but she'd made it clear that she trusted him, otherwise she wouldn't have told him anything. She wouldn't have come to him period. Of course she'd probably belt him tomorrow when she woke up Ryo thought with a small smile, but it was her fault that he was on this bed too. After all she'd made it quite clear that she wanted him to remain right where he was and it was only right to do what it took to make his house guest happy, Ryo thought as he pulled his blankets over them, content to lie there as the urge to sleep began to take over. Laying down more comfortably Ryo smiled as Rika loosened her hold so that she could get closer, curving her body against his side. You may be a wild cat when you're awake, Rika, Ryo thought as he closed his eyes for the last time, but you're definitely one cute kitten when you sleep. I'll take care of you, Rika. You can depend on me." Ryo said as he snuggled closer as he slipped into a deep sleep.
Come stop your crying it will be all right
Just take my hand, hold it tight
I will protect you from all around you
I will be here, don't you cry
For one so small you seem so strong
My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm
This bond between us, can't be broken
I will be here, don't you cry
Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes you'll be in my heart
From this day on, now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart always..
Why can't they understand the way we feel?
They just don't trust, what they can't explain
I know we're different but deep inside us
We're not that different at all.
Note: IF YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE YOU HAVE TO REVIEW OF I WON'T AND THEN YOU'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!