- Never Too Far From Home -
Kusho a.k.a. DigiFreak103
Chapter
1: Prologue
Rika Nonaka, 24, was
walking home on the busy streets of
As
Rika walked into the apartment she resided in, she felt a presence behind her.
She turned around and saw nothing. She kept on walking and felt the same
presence again. She whipped around and saw two teenaged girls and one teenaged
guy.
“Who
are you?” Rika managed to stutter out.
“Go
back, Rika,” the one with purplish-pink hair said.
“Everyone
misses you, Rika,” the boy with brown hair said, smiling.
How do they know me, when I
don’t even recognize these people, Rika thought.
“You
have to prove you’re still alive, Rika Nonaka,” the
girl with brown hair said.
“What?
They think I’m dead?” Rika shouted.
“Yep,
and as long as you’re here, they’ll keep thinking that,” the browned haired boy
said.
“No,
I won’t go. Let them think I’m dead. I’m happier here, than I was back in
“Are
you sure about that,” the pink-purple haired girl said, grinning, “because we
think you miss everyone especially one of the tamers.”
The
others nodded as Rika crossed her arms.
“And
besides, who says you’re going back to live there. You can just go and visit,”
the brown haired girl explained.
“Ha.
I wouldn’t be able to go for a couple of days anyway because I don’t have a
plane ticket.” Rika said, smiling at her remark.
One
of them stepped forward and handed Rika the ticket. Her face faltered. Then she
ran up to her room.
“I
guess we couldn’t convince her,” one said.
Rika
came down again, carrying a small duffle bag and her knap sack.
“Or
maybe we did,” another said.
Feeling
defeated, Rika walked passed them, snatched the ticket and said, “Thanks, I
guess.” She walked out of the building and got a taxi to the airport.
Chapter 2: Joy Ride Back to the Past
When Rika’s taxi finally made its way to the
airport, Rika was angry at the driver. She got out with a fit, and slammed the
door.
“Stupid
driver doesn’t know where he’s going,” Rika muttered to herself, as she walked
through the crowd.
- - -
Rika got in the taxi and
told the driver that she needed to go to the airport. The taxi driver looked
confused, but drove anyways.
What does he think he’s doing!
He’s going the wrong way, Rika thought.
“Umm…excuse me, but you’re
going the wrong way,” Rika said, trying to be calm.
“No, no. I go right way.
This way…” the man said, turning around to Rika and pointing the way he was
going.
The man obviously couldn’t
speak English well, so Rika didn’t understand him. Rika then looked out the
window and was that she wasn’t anywhere near the airport.
“Hey, you’re not going the
right way,” Rika said again, with a hint of anger.
“No, no. I go to airport.
See…” the man said, taking his hands off the stirring wheel to show Rika a map
that was upside down.
“THE STUPID MAP IS UPSIDE
DOWN…” Rika yelled, then got a glimpse of the road, “KEEP
YOUR
The driver looked back at
the road and saw that they were about to run a red light. He slammed the breaks
on. Rika got out and told the driver to get in the passenger seat. He moved
over, as Rika drove herself to the airport.
When they got there, Rika
grabbed her things and was about to open the door when he said, “You need pay,”
the driver said, pointing to himself.
“You think I’m paying you
for going the wrong way and almost killing me? I don’t think so,” Rika said,
opening the door.
“Pay half or police,” the
driver said, holding up his cell phone.
Rika gave in and gave the
driver half the price.
- - -
Rika
set her duffle bag on the conveyer belt, as she walked to find her boarding
place. She took a glance at her watch.
“Great,
15 minutes till the plane leaves,” Rika said.
After
about ten minutes of searching, she found the place. She gave the lady her
ticket.
“Thank
you, your seat is in the first class area towards the front of the plane. Hope
you enjoy your flight,” the lady said.
First class? Wonder where those three managed to get first class tickets, Rika thought, as she
walked through the gate.
Rika
walked towards the front of the plane. When she got there, she sat in her seat
and relaxed. The engines of the plane started as Rika dozed off.
Later,
during the flight, Rika woke up and looked back at her watch.
“Oh,
that’s right. I have to adjust my time,” Rika said.
Rika
fixed her watch as a stewardess came up to her and asked her if she wanted
anything. Rika felt a little hungry, so she took a bag of peanuts. The other
items on the cart seemed to have a bad stench to them.
Ha, they call this first
class?
Rika thought, opening the pack.
Just
then, Rika saw three shadows over her head. She turned around and saw the three
teenagers from before.
“AHH…Why
are you here,” Rika asked, startled of their presence.
“Uhh…” one said.
“What?
You think we’re going to stay in the
“Oh,
good point,” Rika said, as she looked down.
“Glad
to see that you changed your mind about going back,” the other one said.
“So,
who are you, anyway—” Rika started, as she looked up.
Instead
of the three teens, Rika saw a little boy, hanging over the seat.
Where’d they go? Rika thought.
“Hello
ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. We are about to land so
please put your seat belts on, when the light comes on. Thank you and enjoy
your time in
“Well,
this is it, I guess,” Rika said, as she got up to get off the plane.
Chapter 3: Where It All Started
Rika started to board off the plane and went
through the gates. When she got her duffle bag, she headed towards
“Wow,
it’s been a long time since I’ve been here. So much has changed since I left,”
Rika said, to her self, wandering around the city of
“That’s
what happens when you leave the country for almost 7 years,” one of the teens
said, appearing from behind her.
“Do
you stalk me or something because you guys are near me almost all the time,”
Rika said, once again startled of they’re presence.
“We
just thought you could use some help getting around,” another said, walking
behind Rika as the others followed.
“Right,”
Rika answered, “can you just help me gets to
When
Rika turned around, she saw no one. All the people around her were staring at
her, giving her ‘I think you’re crazy looks.’ She continued walking, puzzled by
their sudden appearance and disappearance.
As
she walked towards the train station, Rika saw a small dark figure. Curious of
what it was, Rika approached the figure. As she drew near the figure, some
physical features became more distinct. It had some type of red fabric around,
what looked like a neck, had two pointy pointy ears,
and had an arrow-shaped tail. With every meticulous step, Rika tried not to
scare whatever it was away. Kicking a small pebble, the figure looked back, and
then ran away. Catching a small glimpse of the face, Rika stood there like a
stone.
“Was
that…Impmon?” Rika asked herself.
Still
confused, she boarded a train to
During
the 30 minute ride, Rika was thinking about what had happened throughout the
weird two days she’s had.
Wonder how those three kids
know me? It’s not like I’ve met them before. Or at least, I think. And what about that thing before I got on the train? Was
that Impmon or was I just hallucinating? Rika thought.
“You
seem to having a rough day, miss,” a man said, walking up to her.
“No,
I’m just thinking. What is it to you anyways?” Rika retorted, as she looked up
to see who the man was.
The
man had ruffled blue hair and had slate colored eyes. He seemed to be on his
way home from work because he was in a suit, and carrying a suitcase.
“Oh,
I was just asking. Sorry for bothering you,” the man said, walking off.
The hair. I recognize him from somewhere, Rika thought.
The
train came to a screeching halt and then a voice came over the intercom.
“We
have arrived in
Rika
walked out and headed for the park. She approached a familiar looking bakery
shop. Feeling a little hungry, she walked up to the door. There she saw a young
man and a young lady at the counter, talking. The lady had brown, shoulder
length, flowing hair and wore a green tank top with blue jean shorts, behind
the apron she wore. The young man also had brown hair and wore a t-shirt and
had khaki shorts, under his apron. Looking at the two of them, Rika recognized
them as Takato and Jeri.
They can’t see me, Rika thought, taking out
her sunglasses and putting them on. She then walked in.
“Hello.
Welcome to Matsuki bakery. How may we help you?”
Takato asked.
“Umm…just browsing. Thanks anyways,” Rika
hesitated, looking at all the rolls and breads.
“So, you new around here?” Jeri asked.
“Actually,
I used to live around here. I’m just over on a visit,” Rika said, hesitating
once again, as she put a few creampuffs on the tray.
Rika
walked over to the register and paid for her creampuffs.
“Thank
you and hope you come again,” both of them said.
Rika
waved and then left the bakery. Once she stepped out, she noticed that it was
already dusk.
“Darn,
I have to look for a place to stay,” Rika said to herself.
“I
know where you can stay,” a voice said.
“Huh?”
Rika turned around and saw those three teens once again, “why do you always
have to creep up on me like that?”
All
three of them shrugged. They took Rika to an empty apartment room.
“Wait,
how do you know, someone doesn’t already live here?” Rika asked, suspicious of
the three.
“Trust
us,” the boy with brown hair said.
“And
another thing before you disappear on me or whatever, why did I have to come
back?” Rika asked.
“A
lot of people miss you, Rika,” one said.
“Who?” Rika asked, curious of what they were going to
say.
“That,
you’ll have to find out on your own,” another said.
The
three of them walked off. Rika shut the door to the apartment room and looked
around, inside. It was pretty big, space-wise and was already furnished with a
few things like a table and three chairs, a drawer, a few beds, and a
television set. Rika sat at the table, took out her creampuffs, and turned the
TV on to watch the news.
“In
other news,” the news anchor announced, “rescue workers are still looking for
the car that reportedly drove off the Shinjuku bridge.
We don’t know how many people were in the car, but the rescuers hope that they
are safe.”
“Wow,
who would drive off a bridge like that?” Rika asked herself, taking another
bite out of the sweeten bread.
She
turned the TV off after she was done and went into the bathroom to brush her
teeth. While doing that, she thought about what those three teens told her
earlier.
What did they mean by ‘a
lot of people miss me?’ It didn’t seem like it before I left this country.
- - -
It was the summer before
some of the tamers’ senior year in high school. All the tamers were at the old
hang out, where Guilmon used to stay.
“So where should we go this
summer?” Jeri asked.
“Even if you guys planned
something, I probably wouldn’t be able to go because my mom booked me for all
these photo shoots,” Rika said.
“Don’t worry, Rika. There’s
always next summer,” Henry said.
“Well, it’s not like we’re
going to miss you or anything,” Kazu said.
“You better take that
back,” Rika said, making fists.
“Nope, he only speaks of
the truth,” Kenta said, grinning.
“Well, fine,” Rika said,
getting up and kicking Kazu and Kenta on her way out.
Later that evening…
‘I’ll show them. If they
don’t want me here, then I’ll leave,’ Rika thought, as she packed all her
clothes and prized possessions in a bag and took all the money she had with
her. ‘Luckily, mom and grandma aren’t home. Hope they do better without, just
as they said earlier,’ Rika thought, taking one last good look at her room
before turning the lights out and shutting the door.
Chapter 4: Do I Know You From Somewhere?
Rika woke up the next morning, having the weird
feeling of being out of place. She seemed to have fallen asleep in the chair she
was sitting in from the night before. The TV was left on and which was still
turned to the news channel.
“…reporters
are at the scene now, where the car was believed to have driven off the bridge.
We are in contact with reporter, Sherry Tins. Sherry, what’s the news so far?”
the news anchor announced.
“Well,
the rescue workers have found the car that was supposedly driven off the
bridge, but none of the people that were in the car were found. Rescue team is
still searching. Reports have confirmed that the car did not drive off the
bridge, but was hit by another car or truck that made it go off. That’s all we
have for now. This is Sherry Tins, reporting from Shinjuku bridge,”
Ms. Tins informed.
Rika
then turned the TV off.
It was probably some
teenagers,
Rika thought, as she cleaned up her mess from last night.
KNOCK,
KNOCK! There was someone knocking at the door. Rika went and opened the door
and saw two men, in suits, carrying suit cases. One man had blue eyes with
brown, stuck-up hair. The other man had a teal-ish
colored hair, matching both his mustache and his eye color.
Are they…Kazu…and Kenta? Rika thought as she
stifled her laugh.
“Hello
ma’am. We are here with Shioda & Kitagawa Co. and we came to see if you are
interested in buying one of our all-in-one cooker? It cooks rice, bakes, and
fries, all at the same time. So are you interested?” Kazu said.
Kazu and Kenta, both a
door-to-door household appliance salesman. Ha, who would’ve thought? Rika thought.
“Umm…that’s
okay. I’m not interested,” Rika said, still trying to stifle her laugh. She was
about to close the door when Kenta said, “Wait, I’ve seen you somewhere
before.”
Rika
just stared at him and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Kenta
looked at her and thought for a few seconds before he spoke again.
“I
know…” Kenta started, as Rika started to get a little shaky of what he might
say next, “you’re the girl that won $100,000 off of the Japanese Jeopardy,
aren’t you?”
Rika
stumbled after the last few words, but let out a soft sigh. She obviously
wasn’t recognized by the two of them, which made her happy.
Kenta and
Kazu. They are still as dim-witted
as they were before I left, Rika thought. “Sorry, I am not. Good-bye,” Rika said, as she
closed the door. Weirdos. What time is it anyways? Rika asked
herself, glancing at her watch. “Whoa, it’s 10:30, already? Maybe I should get
some breakfast and take a look around the city, to get to know it again,” Rika
said, rushing to the bedroom where she left all her clothes. She took a quick
shower, got changed, and left the apartment building.
Rika
walked around the city for a while before walking back towards the bakery.
Walking inside, Rika was greeted by the same people that were there yesterday.
“Good
morning. How are you on this fine morning,” Jeri asked, in her usual ‘peachy’
voice.
“I’m
fine, thank you,” Rika answered, grabbing a tray, and then looking for
something good to eat.
“I’m
sorry for asking, but you said you used to live here, right? Then is there a
possible chance that we’ve met before because you look very familiar without
your sunglasses on,” Takato asked, wearing his confused look.
“Hmm…I’m
not sure, maybe. I really don’t remember,” Rika lied.
“Oh,”
Jeri said.
“Anyways,
can you ring me up?” Rika asked setting the tray of rolls and blueberry bagels
on the counter.
“So
what are you planning on doing today?” Jeri asked, as she put the breads in a
bag.
“650
yen,” Takato said.
“Umm…probably
just walking around the city,” Rika answered, getting the money out and paying
Takato.
“Ohh…may I make a suggestion? Go to the park. It’s really
nice,” Jeri said, handing Rika the bag.
“Thanks,”
Rika said, putting her sunglasses on.
“No,
thank you. Come back again,” Takato said.
Rika
left and once again, tried heading towards the park. She came across her old
house and saw a group of people gathered around near the door. Rika walked up
to the assembly of people.
“What’s
going on?” Rika asked one of the people.
“Supermodel,
Rumiko Nonaka, is about to leave her house to visit
her mother at the hospital,” one said.
“Well,
if she’s on her way to the hospital, then why don’t you just let her through?”
Rika yelled out, “What if it was an emergency?”
Rika
started to chase all the people away. Worried about her mother, she went to see
if she was alright, and wanted to know what happened to Seiko.
“Hello,
err…Ms. Nonaka,” Rika started as she walked up to
Rumiko, “how are you?”
“I’m
fine thank you,” Rumiko said, locking the door to the house, “I’m sorry, but I’m
on my way to see my mother. The doctors called me and said that she had another
heart attack.”
Grandma had a heart attack? Rika thought.
Rumiko,
who was too busy fiddling with her keys, looked up at Rika for the first time.
“Oh
my goodness,” Rumiko said, “you look so much like my daughter.”
“Umm…really? Never heard that one before,” Rika
hesitated, watching Rumiko’s reaction through her glasses.
Rumiko
took a look at her watch and said, “Oh, dear. I’m late. Nice talking to you,”
walking off towards the hospital.
Rika
continued to walk towards the park, passing by all the people that stared at
her.
Ha…just like old times, Rika thought, staring
back at the people.
Finally,
she made it to the park. The trees were swaying in the fall breeze.
“I
might have refused to come back, but a small part of me is glad that I did,”
Rika said, sitting down on the park bench. She started to rummage through her
bag of baked goods, and picked out a blueberry bagel. She watched all of the people pass by, and all the kids play at the
playground near by. She also saw couples walking by, hand in hand.
I wonder if he’s still
here. I haven’t seen him yet, Rika thought, thinking about a particular person.
Chapter 5: When You Came Back To My Lonely
Heart
Rika spent the rest of her day, roaming around the
city, getting to see the new and old side of the place. She had noticed, on her
way home, that the old Hypnos building was still there, and she also walked by
the photo shoot, where she spent agonizing hours, during her childhood. There
were a lot of new clothing shops, where teenage girls went in and out happy
because they got the new line of clothes.
As
the sun started to set, Rika made her way up the apartment steps, as she took
out the keys that the teens gave her.
Hmm…surprisingly, those
three haven’t bugged me today, Rika thought, looking for her room number.
Little
did she know, the three teenagers were right behind her the whole time. Earlier, before Rika came back to the apartment, the
three of them switched the apartment numbers on the doors. Whose room will Rika
get, no one knows…
Hmm…could’ve sworn my room
was here,
Rika thought, oh…there it is.
Rika
tried to unlock the door, when a tall, tan, muscular man with dark chocolate
brown, azure eyes came and said, “Umm…do you need help, miss?”
Rika
turned around and saw the man, surprised to see the familiar face.
“I
believe this is my room,” he said, “because of the big dent in the door,”
pointing to the dent.
“But,
my room number is 26,” Rika said, pointing to the number on the door.
“Oh,
the kids around here always switch the numbers around to confuse everyone,” he
said, unlocking the door that Rika had tried to open.
“Oh,
well how do I go about finding my room?” Rika asked pointing to the other
doors, “all the others are switched, too.”
“You’ll
have to wait till tomorrow because I’m pretty sure everyone’s asleep already,”
the man explained, “you can stay over with me, till tomorrow, seeing that you
need a place to stay for the night.”
“Sure,
I guess,” Rika said, “I really don’t have a choice, do I?”
The
man flashed a smile over his face and then it hit Rika.
“Ryo,”
Rika whispered, staring at him.
“Excuse
me, did you just say Ryo?” the man asked, looking into Rika’s eyes.
“Umm…sorry,
wrong person, I think,” Rika said, turning around, making her hair fall out of
its ponytail.
“Rika,
is that you?” the man asked, looking at Rika’s red-orange colored hair.
At
the sound of her name, Rika turned around and looked back at the man, now
revealed as Ryo.
“It
is you,” Ryo said, pulling Rika into an unexpected hug, “all of us thought you
were dead. Does everyone else know you’re here?”
Rika
was happy that Ryo remembered her.
“I’ve
seen everyone around, but I don’t think they know it was me,” Rika answered,
looking back at Ryo.
“Come
in. So much has gone on since you were gone,” Ryo said, as Rika entered his
apartment.
Amazingly,
his apartment was spotless. All the dishes were properly put in the cabinets,
and not a single piece of clothing was on the floor.
“I
guess you still have that “Mr. Perfect” touch,” Rika said, looking around some
more.
“Yeah,
I guess,” Ryo said, bringing out some hot cocoa, for the two of them.
Rika
sat down and said, “So, what do you do for a living?”
“Since
my dad died, I inherited the money and the business he owned. He was an
engineer, so now I’m one, too,” he answered, setting the mugs on the table.
“Wow,
if you’re an engineer, then why do you live here, and not like a big house or
something?” Rika asked, taking a sip of her cocoa.
“It’s
better to conserve your money, rather then spend it on something you really
don’t need, don’t you think? It’s not like I have a family to take care of or
anything, so why not just get a place that suits me,” Ryo said, taking a seat
across from Rika.
“Good
point,” Rika said, feeling unusually nice to Ryo.
“So, where have you been for the last – what -
seven years?”
Ryo asked.
“I’ve
been in the States,” Rika answered.
“Wow,
you must’ve been lucky to get in the States,” Ryo said.
“Well,
I had connections. But it sort of feels good to be back in
“Cool,
wish I could’ve gone,” Ryo answered.
“So,
how are the others? Like I said before, I saw them, but I really didn’t get a
chance to talk to them,” Rika said.
“Well,
if you saw them, I guess you know that Kazu and Kenta are door-to-door salesmen,
Takato owns the bakery and is dating Jeri, who works at the bakery, Henry works
for the new and improved Hypnos, and Alice is traveling the world with her dad.
I haven’t heard anything about the others,” Ryo said.
“That
explains why Henry was in that suit, and why Jeri and Takato looked like they
were flirting,” Rika said, laughing.
They
both talked practically the whole night, each telling stories of what happened
throughout the years that have passed.
Chapter 6: Rude Awakening Back To Reality
Rika woke up on the couch. She felt like she woke
up from a long peaceful dream.
Gosh, it really does feel
great to be back,
Rika thought, getting up.
Upon
doing this, she saw Ryo in the kitchen cooking breakfast.
“Hey,
pumpkin…sorry, I couldn’t help myself, to call you that. You know, for old time
sake,” Ryo said, flipping the pancake.
“Sure,
Mr. Legendary Tamer, keep telling yourself that,” Rika said, walking towards
the balcony door, which was open to let the cool, fresh, autumn breeze through.
Rika’s
hair flowed with the gentle wind. She let out a soft sigh as she stepped out to
see the view of the city.
Wow, she looks so angelic
like that. I’m really glad she has come back here, and to know that she’s safe, Ryo said, gazing at Rika,
burning the pancake. Turning around to see what was burning, Rika caught Ryo
staring at her. Realizing this, Ryo turned back to the pan and took the remains
of the pancake and threw it out.
While
pouring another scoop of batter, Ryo glanced at Rika to see if she was still
staring at him. Rika looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and with her arms
crossed. Then, the door to Ryo’s room creaked open. Out came a purple
dinosaur-like creature.
“Is
that Monodramon?” Rika said, forgetting about Ryo’s stare.
“Umm…yeah,
all the digimon came back after Henry and Alice started to work at Hypnos,”
So I did see Impmon that one time at the train station, Rika thought.
“Well,
do you know if Renamon came back?” Rika asked.
“We
told her that you were dead, since that’s what they said because you were
nearly gone for a year, without a trace. She left and we never saw her again,”
Ryo explained, sadly.
“Oh…well
I guess that’s my fault for leaving, isn’t it?” Rika said, sighing.
“Come
on, cheer up. You want breakfast?” Ryo said, placing another pancake onto the
stack.
“Sure,
I guess, as long as you didn’t poison them,” Rika said, smirking at him.
“Don’t
worry, I didn’t,” Ryo answered back, setting the large plate of pancakes on the
table.
“I’m
going to go see if I can find my door so I can change,” Rika said, walking
towards the door, clutching her keys.
Rika
went out and saw that all the numbers were back at their rightful places.
“Hmm…weird,” Rika thought, as she walked over to her room door.
Rika
took a very quick shower and went back to Ryo’s place. “Welcome back, Rika,”
Ryo said, inviting her in.
“Umm…thanks,”
Rika said, hearing the distant sound of the TV. When Rika got to the table,
which is where the TV is, she heard something devastating.
“Today
is definitely a sad day. Rumiko Nonaka and her mother
are pronounced dead after a few gun shots were heard at the local Shinjuku
hospital. Nonaka was visiting her mother after she
had a heart attack yesterday. They both died minutes ago from bullet wounds
through their chest. Their attorneys have asked close family friends to gather
at the will reading. One of their attorneys said, ‘This family has gone through
a lot with Rumiko’s divorce, the loss of her daughter, Rika, a few years back,
and the persistent paparazzi. We just hope that they are now a happy family
again, and they will be missed.” The people that shot these two have been
captured and are being sent to the city jail. They may face a death sentence.
The will reading, that was talked about earlier, will be held at the Nonaka residence at 1pm, this afternoon…”
Rika
was paralyzed. The news hit her like a speeding truck. Ryo approached her
cautiously, hoping she wouldn't snap at him.
“Rika,
are you okay?” Ryo asked.
“…”
Rika turned around and faced Ryo.
“I’m
here for you, Rika,” Ryo said.
“Everyone
that I once loved is gone. Everyone but…” Rika’s voice trailed off.
“Everyone,
but who?” Ryo asked.
Rika
didn’t answer and ran out the door. Ryo stood there wondering what he did
wrong. He then, went to run after her. First he ran to the Matsuki
Bakery.
“Hey,
Takato, Jeri, did you see Rika around here?” Ryo asked.
“Ryo,
Rika’s dead, remember?” Takato said, looking a little confused. He looked at
Jeri, concerned that Ryo might’ve gotten into depression again from losing his
dear one.
“No,
she’s not. She’s been in the
The
two bakers exchanged glances of astonishment. “So that nice lady that came in
was Rika. I knew she looked familiar,” Jeri said.
“So,
did you see her?” Ryo asked.
“Nope,
we haven’t seen her since, I think yesterday morning. Why?” Takato asked.
“Didn’t
you hear what happened on the news? Her mom and grandma were killed this
morning,” Ryo said.
“Oh
my gosh. Poor Rika. She must
be so sad,” Jeri said, remembering the time when she lost her mom to grasps of
death.
“Exactly. That’s why I’m looking for her. If she comes by,
call me on my cell,” Ryo said running out of the bakery.
- - -
At
the park, Rika went inside the old hideout and sat down. She looked up at the
walls and found a lot of newspaper articles, magazine cut-outs, and pictures of
the tamers, especially the time when they defeated D-Reaper, hung up.
Whoever said memories are good,
can go jump off a bridge, Rika thought, as she looked at the articles.
Just
then, Rika heard distant footsteps coming towards the hideout. A little boy
walked in, carrying some more pictures and articles.
“Hey,
who are you?” the little boy asked.
“What
is it to you, kid?” Rika asked, staring at the little boy. This kid reminds me of someone, Rika thought.
“Hey,
you look like Rika Nonaka, the girl that died a long
time ago,” the boy said, holding up a picture.
Rika
let out slight chuckle, looking at the old picture that Kenta took when they
first got to the Digital World. Her chuckles slowly drifted away, as she absentmindedly
traced her fingers over the photo as if she missed all of the good times the
tamers have had. She snapped out of her reverie. “Well, I guess you know all of
these people then,” Rika said, pointing at all the tamer pictures.
“Yup,
my mommy and my daddy told me that these people saved the world from
destruction,” then little boy said, hanging up the papers he brought in.
“You
want to know a secret about one of these people, kid?” Rika asked, with a smirk
on her face.
“Yeah,
tell me, please,” the little boy said.
“I
am Rika Nonaka,” Rika whispered, in the kid’s ear.
The
little boy gasped. “Holy cow, are you a ghost?” the little boy asked.
“No,
I was in another country,” Rika said, as her voice started to sound depressed
again.
“Oh,
wow, now I’ve met all the tamers,” the little boy said, then noticed that Rika
didn’t look happy.
“Oh
my gosh, I forgot about what happened to your mom and
grandma. I heard it on TV. I’m so sorry,” the little boy said, walking up to
her and hugging her.
“I’m
fine, its okay. By the way, what is your name, and how do your parents know
me?” Rika said, looking down at the kid.
Chapter 7: You’re Who’s
Kid?
“I’m Richard and I’m six,” the little boy said,
holding up 6 fingers, “my mommy is Riley and my daddy is Mitsuo.
They said that they helped you get out of the Digital World.”
“Wow,
no wonder you looked so familiar. You know for a six year old, you know a lot
of vocabulary,” Rika said, stooping down to his height.
Richard
smiled showing his two missing front teeth.
“I
get it from my dad, I think,” he said, putting the papers down and looked at
Rika.
“That
sounds pretty reasonable,” Rika said.
“So,
do you like him, Rika?” Richard said, looking at her, curiously.
“What
do you mean? Who’s ‘him’?” Rika asked, wondering who he was talking about.
“Mr.
Akiyama. Do you like him?” Richard asked, walking over to Rika.
“What
is it to you, Richard?” Rika retorted.
“Just asking. Whenever I saw him, he used to talk about
you; how a great person you were, how much you loved to fight, and a lot of
other stuff,” Richard said.
There
was a slight pause. Rika and Richard kept on exchanging glances at each other.
Then, a distant person was heard saying, “Richard! Where are you!”
As
soon as that was heard, a young lady, about Rika’s age, with blonde, shoulder
length hair walked in.
“
“Huh?
Do I know you?” the lady asked.
“Ms.
McCoy, that’s Rika. Don’t you remember her?” little Richard asked, tugging on
“Rika? Is that really you?”
“Yup,
up and living,” Rika said, “I’ve been in
“
“Yeah,
great place,” Rika said.
“Well,
Yamaki wants Richard to come back to headquarters, so…”
“No,
wait, I have to finish putting these up,” Richard said, picking up the pile of
papers and starts to hang them.
“Okay,”
The
two of them talked for a few minutes before another voice was heard.
“Hey,
Mitsuo and Riley are getting worried, you two,” a man
said, as he stepped into the hideout.
Rika
looked at him and then remembered he was the man that she first met on the
train. He turned to her and stared for a few moments. “You look familiar,” he
said.
“Of
course she looks familiar, Henry. She’s Rika,”
“Rika’s
dead, Ms. I-Think-Know-It-All,” Henry said.
“No,
I’m not. I’m here, in person. I was in
“I
can recognize that voice anywhere. It really is Rika,” Henry said.
“Rika? Where?” said a green and white rabbit-like
creature.
“Terriermon!” Richard said, running over
to him.
Terriermon looked around in the hideout. It’s been a
while since he’s been in here again.
“You
really fixed this place up, Richard,” Terriermon
said, looking around some more.
Rika
watched him as he walked around.
I wish I could see Renamon
again, she
thought.
Then
Terriermon’s eyes met Rika’s.
“Ahh…she’s really back! And I thought she was gone for good!
Now she’s come back to haunt me!” Terriermon said,
hiding behind Henry’s leg.
“Tact,
Terriermon. Tact,” Henry said.
“Man,
after all these years, he still doesn’t understand the meaning of that word,
does he?” Rika said, chuckling a little.
Henry
smiled, and said, “Well, whether Terriermon likes it
or not, it’s good to see you again.”
“Thanks,”
Rika said.
“Richard,
are you done yet? We really should be going before your parents get mad at both
of us,”
“Coming,”
Richard said, “I’ll see you later, Rika,” as he waved good-bye and ran to catch
up with Alice and Henry.
- - -
Meanwhile,
Ryo searched across the city for Rika. Whenever he asked someone if they have
seen her, they’d just say something like, “You crazy? She’s dead,” or “Who are
you talking about?”
Ryo
decided to rest, on a bench in the park. With cold sweat running down the side
of his face, he leaned back, hoping Rika would be okay. Rika, wherever you are, I hope you don’t get yourself in trouble,
Ryo thought, standing back up to resume the search.
- - -
Rika
got up and looked around the hideout some more.
Wow, he really did fix this
place up,
Rika said, looking around.
She
walked around until she stepped on soft ground. She knelt down and dug up
whatever was buried there. To her surprise, it was a box full of Digimon cards.
“I
bet Richard got these cards from Takato,” Rika said, looking at the various
cards in the box, “those were the days.”
Rika
was about to walk out when she heard a soft voice.
“Rika?”
it asked.
Chapter 8: Piece By
Piece
“Rika?” a dark shadow asked.
Rika
tried to see the outline of the figure. Slowly, it crept out of the shadow.
“Renamon,”
Rika said, as she ran towards her.
“Rika,
I knew you were out there somewhere,” Renamon said.
“Am
I glad to see you,” Rika said, hugging the graceful yellow fox digimon.
“Why
did you leave, Rika, why?” Renamon said, with a hint of anger in her voice.
“Well,
I didn’t like the way I lived here, so I moved to the
“Without telling any of us?” Renamon said.
“Yeah,
I guess I wasn’t thinking at the time,” Rika explained
“Are
you planning on staying?” Renamon asked.
“I
don’t know, these three kids came and said I needed to come back here,” Rika
explained.
“You’re
not going back, are you?” Renamon said, shuddering to think what Rika’s answer
would be.
“No,
I’ll probably stay. I guess I missed
“Good,
I don’t know if you know this, but everyone misses you,” Renamon said.
“Yeah,
Ryo told me,” Rika said, walking out, “come on, let’s
go back to my place.”
Renamon
followed Rika, as they crossed the busy streets. Everyone started to stare
until they finally recognized who the two were.
“She’s
really back! It’s Rika and her digimon, Renamon. Everyone should remember her
from when that red blob attacked,” a man said, pointing directly to the two of
them. A mob of people rushed towards them. Rika and Renamon started to run as
more people, especially reporters, joined in on the chase. As they ran, Ryo
heard the people yelling Rika’s name, so he followed them as well.
As
they ran, Rika made her way towards her old neighborhood, where her old house
was, to lose at least some of the people. She and Renamon ran into one of the
gates of the houses. Little did they know, it was the gate to Rika’s old house. They heard the crowd of people rush by the two gates.
Then, they hear distant voices from inside the house.
“…and
now we will start the will reading,” a voice said, from inside the house.
“Rika,
I think you should take a look at this,” Renamon said, looking through one of
the windows.
Rika
walked up to the window and saw some of her possessions held up. Surprised at
the sight, Rika ran in to stop them from giving her things away.
“Wait,
I’m alive!” Rika said, barging into the house.
“Rika, is that really you?” one of the attorneys asked.
“In
the flesh,” Rika said.
“Prove
it,” the other attorney said, anxious to see if it really was Rika.
“Well,
I have this,” Rika said, taking out her old digi-vice.
“Just that? Little kids these days buy those in stores,
so that one could be a replica of the real one,” the attorney asked.
“Oh
yeah, well how about this,” Rika said, opening the door, “Renamon.”
Renamon
appeared almost instantly after she was called. The attorneys got up and looked
over Renamon. They both turned to Rika and gave her a smile.
“Welcome
back, Miss Nonaka,” said one of the attorneys.
“We
missed you a great deal, and it your mother and your grandmother were here,
they would, too. If they were here, I’m sure they would’ve been happy to see
you,” the attorney said.
“Thanks,”
Rika said.
“Well,
since you’re here, you get to claim all the things your family left,” a voice
said from behind her.
Rika
turned around and saw Jeri’s little step brother, Masahiko.
“You
know that Jeri and the other tamers were really sad when they heard that you
were claimed dead?” he asked, “they’d be pretty mad right now if they saw you
here.”
“They
probably know that I’m around, since Mr. Perfect, knows that I’m here and that
he probably told them already,” Rika said.
“Oh,
well, glad you’re back, Rika. I better get going. I promised mom and dad that
I’ll be home whenever this was done. I’ll see you around,” Masahiko said,
walking out of the house.
“I
bid you good luck, Miss Nonaka,” the attorneys said,
as they shook hands and left.
Rika
shook hands with everyone else that left, and then closed the door. Renamon
followed Rika as she looked around the house, getting acquainted with it again.
“So
Renamon, what have you been up to, while I was gone?” Rika asked, walking
towards her old room.
“Throughout
the day, I stayed in that hideout, keeping an eye out for little Richard, and
at night, I wandered along the streets,” Renamon explained, opening the door to
Rika’s room.
“Wow,
sounds like me, except I basically worked all day,” Rika said, looking into the
room.
She
saw that every piece of furniture was in the exact same place as it was before
she left. On her faded, dusty bed, she saw three human figures. Rika saw a
small outline of their faces, and then recognized them, as the three teens that
have been following her.
“Miss
us?” one asked, as it turned towards her.
“We
don’t have much time, but we just wanted to let you know that if you don’t
leave soon, the mob of people will eventually find you again,” another said.
The
third person nodded. Rika, looking shocked, she looked over to Renamon.
“Did
you see that?” Rika asked.
“See
what?” Renamon answered back.
Rika
looked and pointed back at the bed, only to find that the three of them were
gone.
Hmph, they probably went and hid somewhere, Rika thought.
“Never
mind, come on. Let’s go back to the apartment I’m staying in right now. There’s
a better chance that people won’t find us there than here,” Rika said, walking
out the door of her room.
This
time, Renamon carried Rika to her apartment. That way no one would’ve seen them
and they wouldn’t be chased again.
Simultaneously,
Ryo was on his way to room also, because he was exhausted from his search for
Rika. Almost as soon as he got to his floor, he found Rika and Renamon,
standing by the door, trying to unlock the door.
“Rika,
there you are!” Ryo shouted to her.
“Look,
I’m sorry for leaving. I was just upset and I needed to get out,” Rika said.
“I
was so worried that you might’ve gotten hurt or something,” Ryo said, embracing
her into a hug.
“Let
go of me,” Rika demanded, shoving him away, harshly.
“I’m
sorry…for caring,” Ryo said, sadly, as he unlocked the door to his apartment
room.
Rika
stood there in awe. Renamon and Rika stood there, watching Ryo take one last
look at them, before he went inside and closed the door.
Chapter 9: Never Knew You Could Care Too
Much
I
took one last glance at them before I went inside. My heart felt as if it
shattered into many pieces; pieces that no one could possible put back
together. Is it possible to care for a person too much? Is it possible that
I’ve pushed Rika away?
The
room is dark, with all the curtains shut. Even though it’s still about four
o’clock in the afternoon, I left them shut and turned the lights on. Through
the years that Rika’s been gone, I feel I have lost everything. Probably
explains why I’ve become I little more sensitive.
I
never really meant to anger Rika in anyway. The way she manages to retort all
the things she’d say to me, flattered me, which is probably why I love her so
much. But, she seemed to never mean what she said, until today.
What
if she doesn’t have the same feelings for me? I walked into my room and turned
the TV on. Laying down on my bed, and not paying attention to what the TV was
saying, I stared blankly at the ceiling.
My
mind dozed off and started to think about Rika. It’s hard not to think about
her when she’s really the only girl you like. Am I afraid of failure? Afraid
that some other person will get her before I do?
Maybe
if I never teased her the way I did, she wouldn’t have pushed me away, like she
did with everyone else. I have to think of a way to make it up to her.
As
I processed the events that has happened in the last few minutes, a strange
deliberation came into mind. I thought Henry and Suzie lived in the room Rika is
in. Yeah, they have to be living there because I found them that place. Henry
did say that he was going to stay in a different place for a while, though,
because he couldn’t concentrate on his work. So then what happened to Suzie?
Now this is starting to confuse me. I did see her hang out with Ai and Mako, one night.
All
of a sudden, my attention turned to the TV.
“Sherry
Tins here with another report about the recent car accident. Just to recap,
rescue workers have been searching for the missing people. A few days ago, they
have found a car in the water. Now with the new information: There were three
bodies found in the water near Shinjuku bridge. We
have had a few people try to make an identification of these three people. They
were unsuccessful, so far. They are still looking for people to identify these
people. If you…”
I
turned the TV off, not wanting to listen to the news right at the moment.
Anyway back to my moment of thought.
I
sat up and grabbed my jacket that is next to me and stood out. I couldn’t think
straight at a moment like this, so I decided to go take a walk.
- - -
“He
looked so sad, when he went in,” I said, turning towards Renamon.
“Rika,
I don’t know if you have noticed this, but he cares for you,” Renamon said.
I
stood there, staring at Renamon. I started searching around her emotionless
face, to see if she had some type of grin on her face. I see none. She’s
telling the truth. I thought she was joking.
Looking
away from Renamon, I continued unlocking the door into my part of the complex.
Then a sudden thought struck me. I turned back around to Renamon.
“You
sound so sure of yourself. Why do you think that?” I asked.
I
saw Renamon, grin.
“When
you were gone, Ryo would sometimes come over to the old hideout and talk to
Richard. Most of the things they talked about was you,
Rika,” she said to me.
I
cannot believe those words came out of her mouth. I mean, sure Ryo would flirt
sometimes, but he does that with almost all the girls. I put the thought aside,
and went back to opening the door. When, I finally got the door to budge.
Renamon went inside while I looked towards Ryo’s door again, to see if he would
come out. Nothing.
I
soon regret what I did and said to him. Wait, why do I care how he feels? He’s
just like all the rest of the guys. Or is he? Am I starting to have feelings
for him?
I
shook my head, and went inside. Renamon looked at my in an awkward way.
“Isn’t
this place Henry and Suzie’s?” she asked.
“I
don’t know. These three kids said no one lives here,” I said.
“Hmm,
could have sworn they did, or at least Suzie anyways. Henry’s out somewhere
else,” Renamon said.
Soon,
I saw the three people again, standing behind Renamon. They seemed to be
mouthing the words, “go apologize to him.” I looked at them for a second until
Renamon said, “Rika what are you looking at?”
I
looked at her and said, “Nothing, nothing.”
She
turned around and that’s what she saw, nothing. I wondered myself how they
could flee that fast. But once again, I took they’re advice, and walked towards
the door.
“Make
yourself at home, Renamon. I’m going to go take a walk,” I told her before
shutting the door behind me.
I
walked down the hallway of the complex, when I saw Ryo walking towards the
door.
- - -
“Ryo! Wait, I want to apologize,” Rika said, rushing
over to Ryo.
Ryo
turned around and glanced at Rika, before turning around again.
It hurts to even look at
her, Ryo
thought, clutching the door handle.
“I’m…sorry,
Ryo. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” Rika said, looking down at her
shoes.
Ryo
looked at her again and gave her a weak smile.
“I’m
sorry, too, Rika, for all I’ve done in the past to annoy you,” Ryo said.
Rika
gave him a rare smile, and walked up to him and gave a hug.
“Umm,
I gotta run. I’ll see you later, Rika,” Ryo said.
“Okay,
see you later,” Rika answered, as she watched him walk out.
Chapter 10: Just Remember That You’re Never Too Far From Home
Rika headed back to her room, thinking about many
different things, including Ryo.
Does he really like me?
More over, do I like him? Rika repeatedly asked herself.
She
reached for the door knob and opened the door. Right before her eyes, she saw
three pale, almost translucent people sitting in the three chairs at the table.
Rika didn’t see Renamon anywhere.
“Who…are
you?” Rika asked, her voice quivering with every word.
“I
told you we should’ve told her the last time we saw her,” one said to the
other.
“You
don’t recognize us, Rika?” another asked, looking at Rika.
“Hmm…after
all these years, she remembers everyone else, but us. That just makes me sad,”
one said.
“Wait,
I’m supposed to know you three?” Rika asked, regaining her composure a little.
“Yes,”
one answered.
“Hurry
up, the gate isn’t going to stay open forever, Suzie,” one said, looking at the
pink haired girl.
“Hmm…I
think it’s too late, Mako. Come on, Ai, we have to
go,” the pink haired girl said.
“You
three are…Suzie, Ai, and Mako? But…” Rika said,
startled of what was happening.
The
three of them put they’re hand up and told her to say no more.
“Tell
Henry, I love him, as well as everyone else, Rika,” Suzie said, as a powerful
glowing light appeared.
“Don’t
go back to
“Especially Ryo. So don’t get on that plane
tomorrow, okay?” Ai said, winking.
The
three of them disappeared as the light started fade. As soon as they vanished,
the TV was turned on by Renamon, who had no idea of what just went on.
“Sherry
Tins here, with an update on the Shinjuku bridge saga. We have found the
identification of the three unknown teenagers. They were recognized as Ai and Mako insert last name here and Suzie Wong. The bodies have
been sent to a mortuary where they can be kept safe until their proper burial.
Families and friends of these three are devastated with the news…” the TV
blared.
“So
that’s how they died,” Rika said to herself.
“Rika,
did you here that? Ai, Suzie, and Mako are dead. Do
you think Henry is alright,” Renamon said.
“I
don’t know, but there’s one way to find out,” Rika said, once again running out
the door.
Hmm, I wonder if the group
still have the meetings at the hideout, Rika thought.
“Renamon,
you think you can take me over to Guilmon’s old hideout?” Rika asked.
Gosh, I feel like I lost a
sister,
Rika thought in her mind, as they flew from tree top to tree top.
When
they got there, Rika saw everyone. She noticed that Henry was crying and
everyone else was trying to comfort him.
“She’s
gone, she’s really gone,” Henry cried.
“Don’t
worry, it’ll pass,” Takato said.
“I
should’ve been there with her, then this wouldn’t have
happened,” Henry choked out.
“A
truck hit the car, Henry. There’s nothing you could’ve done to prevent this,
anyway,”
The
group looked at
“Hey,”
Rika said, walking up to the group.
Guilmon
sniffed the air and said, “It’s Rika and Renamon!”
“Hey
Toots. I thought I saw ya the other day,” Impmon
said, trying to hide his red, tear-covered face.
“I’m
sorry about Ai, Mako, and Suzie. I saw it on the
news,” Rika said.
“Why
would you care, Rika. Why? You didn’t care to tell us
when you left,” Takato said, angrily.
Taken
back by this, Rika said, “Fine, if you don’t want me here, I’ll leave.
Tomorrow’s the day I go back, anyways.”
Everything
paused for a moment, before Jeri ran up to Rika to hug her.
“Please,
don’t go back, Rika. Don’t you think it’s bad enough to lose three of the
youngest tamers?” Jeri said, bursting out into tears.
“Yeah, Rika. Stay with us,” Henry said, wiping his
tears.
“I
gotta tell ya how much I missed being beat up by
you,” Kazu said.
“Yeah,
it was quite entertaining those days,” Kenta said.
As
this went on, another day was ending and as the sun started to set, a large
crowd of people gathered around the tamers, digimon, and hideout, holding out
candles.
Looking
at this, Henry’s teary eyes were no more. He saw all the people that have come
to do a candlelight vigil for his beloved sister, Suzie, Ai, and Mako. He was amazed of how many people came. You could here
distant voices saying, “if it weren’t for all of you,
we wouldn’t be here,” “thank you,” and, “sorry for your loss.”
Rika
looked at all the people, and then at her watch. She was still not convinced of
staying here in
“Sorry
guys, I have a plane to catch tomorrow. I’ll see you guys again someday,” Rika
said, waving.
“Stop,
Rika!” were the first words that came out Ryo, throughout the time she was
there, “don’t leave, again. We’ll miss you.”
“No,
I know I’m not wanted here,” Rika said, sadly, as she continued walking.
She
continued until she felt a light tug on her jacket. She looked down and saw
Richard holding a candle in one hand and clutching Rika’s jacket with the
other.
“Please.
Rika don’t go. I wanted to talk to you more. I just met you,” Richard said, his
eyes welling up with tears.
Rika
kneeled down and looked into Richard’s brown eyes. She patted his head, smiled
weakly and said, “I’m sorry, kiddo.”
She
got up and walked off again, away from the crowd and her friends.
Rika
made it back to the complex and went into her room. She got out her duffle bag
and put in everything she had brought with her.
“Hmm…maybe
I’ll stop by the old house tomorrow to pick up a few things, before I leave
Once
she gathered all her things, she scoped the place to see if she forgot
anything. Then she found an envelope on the table that read, “To Rika, Letter From Heaven.” At this, Rika’s eyes widened, and gazed at it
before opening it. She tore the top part of the envelope and read the piece of
paper that was there.
Hi Rika,
Obviously, it's Ai, Mako, and me, Suzie. Since we had to “go” we never got to
explain why you had to come here, and knowing you, you need explanations for
everything. The angels up here told us that we needed to do one good deed to
get into heaven. Well, since we wanted to go to heaven, we thought of you and
Ryo. They said that until our mission was accomplished, our bodies and our
souls wouldn’t rest in peace. So basically, backing out wasn’t an option for
us. We tried everything to lead you to Ryo. I guess we would have to confess
that we are the ones that switched the numbers on the doors. Sorry! I want to
thank you for keeping the apartment clean, by the way.
I hope you and
Ryo will stay together and we really hope you don’t leave the country for the
sake of everyone, especially Ryo. We can tell that you enjoy staying in West
Shinjuku rather than staying in
Angels,
Ai, Mako, and Suzie
P.S. Your mother and grandmother say “hi” and send you many hugs
and kisses.
After
reading this, Rika was won over and decided to stay.
Hmm…I guess I do like
staying here more than going back to
She
took her bag and was about to open the door, until someone knocked on it. She
opened it and saw Henry with Richard sleeping in his arms.
“Hey
Rika,” Henry said, looking at her glumly.
“How’d
you know I was staying here?” Rika asked.
“Um…Ryo
told us. Look, you’re really not leaving, are you?” Henry asked.
“No,
I changed my mind. Su—I mean someone finally got me to realize that I have the
best friends I could have here,” Rika answered, with a reassuring smile.
“You’re
staying?” Richard asked, waking up, and jumping down from Henry’s arms to hug
Rika.
“You
got it, kiddo,” Rika said, hugging the little boy, “well I’m going go to my old
house so I’ll see you guys later.”
“Mr.
Wong, can I stay with Rika tonight? Please?” Richard asked.
“That’s
up to Rika. Rika, is it okay if he can stay with you tonight?” Henry asked.
“Sure,”
Rika said.
“Yay!” Richard said.
“Now,
don’t bother her too much, okay” Henry said.
“Okay,”
Richard answered.
“I’ll
come by tomorrow to pick him up, so I can take him to Riley,” Henry said,
looking at Rika.
“Okay,”
Rika said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Oh,
and Rika,” Henry said.
“Huh?”
Rika asked turning around.
“Glad
you decided to stay,” Henry said, smiling.
“I’m
glad, too” Rika answered, as she and Richard walked out of the building.
When
they made it to Rika’s old neighborhood, Rika saw Richard yawn and looked at
her watch.
“Must
be past your bedtime,” Rika said, looking down at Richard.
Richard
nodded and yawned again.
“Here,
I’ll give you a ride,” Rika said, as she kneeled down.
Richard
climbed on her back. Rika grabbed her duffle bag and continued walking towards
her house.
By
the time Rika got to her house, Richard was already sound
asleep. Rika smiled and let herself into the house. She took her shoes off and
dropped her bag near the door.
She
took Richard into Rika’s grandmother’s bedroom and set him down on the bed. She
took his shoes off and tucked him in bed.
She
walked out, whispering a “good night,” closed the door and sighed.
“It’s
great to be back.”