First off I would like to thank all the people who liked my Tagaki fic. Everyone here is awesome and I am glad that this was the first forumn I became active in.
Secondly, I would like to dedicate this chapter to tru_harmony, cause I hear today is sept. 10 and I hear its her birthday, so as a present, since i did not write in your birthday thread, I dedicate the most important/longest chapter of CIW to tru, we love ya kiddo.
Hope you enjoy.
Ch 8. Garden Games
The worries that had plagued her mind were forgotten, feeling the warm breeze kiss her bare skin. Everything about this garden was perfect. From each perfectly manicured blade of grass to the soft touch of the blue sky, nothing but shear perfection. Even though Rika was over brimming with excitement, she made sure to take her time, she would not want to miss a single piece of beauty that this garden had to offer. No more than a few feet from the open door laid a grand rose bush which bore white rose blossoms on its delicate branches. Rika skipped over to the bush her senses wrapped in the sight and fragrance of each glamorous rose. As Rika gazed upon each lovely blossom, Rika felt something splash against her cheek. Rika quickly swiped at her cheek, confusion once again grabbing her attention at the sight of deep red. Rika swiped at her cheek again, nope, not blood. Rika pinched the substance between her fingers.
“This feels...this feels like paint.”
Rika continued to stare at the paint slowly drip off of her fingers, stepping back a bit watching it splatter against the soft grass. A step became a hop when then tiny spot became a puddle of red. Rika slipped her fingers into the rose push, a small smile on her lips feeling the soft touch of the blossoms against her slender fingers. Rika peeked her head from behind the rather tall bush, freezing when catching eye to eye with someone. Her body had become paralyzed with surprise, after a few moments of stillness she jumped back ripping her fingers from the bush, a small drop of blood spilling into the air, as a thorn catches the tip of her finger. Rika's bottom met the soft ground with a rather harsh thud, the surprised girl clutching at the ground to stop her rolling. Rika clamored on all fours,her arms and legs aching after grinding against the ground. Rika bounced up brushing away the dirt before slipping the wounded finger into her mouth. Rika looked over to the bushes trying to identify the woman who had surprised her. To her amazement she found not one, but three woman peering over the rose bush. The three woman emerged from behind the bush, each one equipped with a heavy can of paint and a brush. It suddenly hit Rika, the small nagging feeling that she felt in her mind finally came to a screeching halt. Aya Ishiguro, Asuka Fukuda, and Sayaka Ichii, thats who these people look like. Even though they were before her time, Rika had seen many promotional pictures and recordings of her predecessors. Before Rika could bow,the three woman beat her to it, their knees bend deeply greeting Rika with a low bow. The three older woman stood up and quickly turned, the delicate bristles of their brushes washing red over the fragile petals of each neutral blossom.
“Um excuse me, may I ask why you three are painting those roses?” Rika inquired.
“This was supposed to be a red rose bush, not a white one. We are painting them red so the queen will let us keep our heads.” the three replied in unison.
“Keep your heads? What are you guys talking about?” Rika huffed.
Asuka looked over her shoulder, “Well you see, the queen is a very temperamental person who...” she suddenly became silent.
“Who...” Rika mimicked.
Before the three could reply, they dove to the ground, the loud clang of the metal cans crashing against the ground ringing in Rika's ears, while deep red bled over the bright green grass. Rika stepped away from the pool of crimson and quickly surveyed the grounds, catching the grand parade which entered from the far wall. “
This must be the queen! Only a queen would get an entrance like that!” Rika thought to herself, giddy with delight at the oncoming parade. As expected there was a large entourage that proceeded the entrance of the queen. Rika decided to take a seat on the ground, no doubt there will be a large number of familiar faces amongst the numerous strangers. Rika firmly gripped the grass, her fingers mindlessly tugging on the blades of grass as she watched the parade. From the far wall she could hear the clang of the armored soldiers that marched towards her. Melon Kinenbi, T&C Bomber, Danielle, Lehua and Ayaka of Coconuts Musume made up the 10 heavily armed soldiers. The ten woman march forward, each of them clenching the clubs that hung at their sides. Behind the stoic guards, the cheerful laughter of children could be heard. Rika narrowed her eyes, looking past the ten soldiers, catching a glimpse of children that flooded the garden. Every one of the ten kids was decorated with hearts. Rika shook her head slightly, she thought she had seen the last of Berryz and C-ute, no such luck. As the parade progressed Rika grew more and more anxious, of all the girls she has seen, she had not yet met her. There was a break in the parade after a number of crowned H!P eggs made their way into the garden. Rika hung her head, she knew that hoping against hope would only lead to disappointment. Something told Rika to cast her attention back to the parade. Rika took a deep breath, a slight sigh escaping her lips as a familiar voice echoes from the dark opening. Rika could feel a smile creep onto her lips, even though they had their troubles in the past, Rika could not help but adore the undeniable cuteness of the “White Rabbit”. The small woman bounced out from the dark opening, her legs kicked wildly in the air, her sweet smile turning into a look of concern as her ears slip off of her head. The ears that Rika had retrieved for the bunny, snapped as the tiny woman landed on them. The White Rabbit stood still for a moment, her eyes fixed upon the shattered set of ears that laid at her feet. Rika's heart sank as she watched the little woman sniff wildly, seeing the glimmer of tears in the corners of her eyes. As quickly as the tears came, they went as Yaguchi slipped on a spare set of ears that she had brought with her. The small woman adjusted the ears and winked playfully to no one in particular before bouncing away. Rika blinked, “
Even here, she is still just as crazy as ever.” she thought to herself as she chuckled. Rika's chuckle stopped as the sounds of trumpets filled the garden. Rika focused on the opening in the wall, no doubt the queen will soon make her arrival. In the distance, a shadowy figure made its way toward the light. Rika's arms fell to her side, if the ground was not there to hold her she would of fallen, how her weary eyes longed to see her again.
The long blades of grass creaked as the woman stepped into the garden. Rika could feel her body shake, even though she knew that it was not Yossi, the mere shadow of her love quelled every doubt, every trouble that she had. The handsome girl stood at the entrance of the garden, adjusting the crown that sat atop her head. The taller girl yawned momentarily, the warmth of the garden usually having that affect on her, her eyes darting back and forth between the parade participants. Before her first step fell the mysterious woman stumbled back a few steps, crashing against the nearby wall. She looked down, only to find a set of arms wrapped tightly around her waist, as an unusually pink-clad girl nuzzles her head against her chest. Warmth rushed into the taller girl's cheek, this was the first time she had received this kind of greeting, even with the queen of hearts and her “friendly” personality. A stifled cough came from the taller girl as she regained her composure. The girl wrenched out of Rika's grips, Rika's footing becoming unstable as a pair of hands violently push themselves against her shoulders. Rika tumbles backwards roughly meeting the ground once more, looking up with teary eyes as her assailant nears the downed girl. Rika could feel the tears in her eyes as the taller girl leaned over her.
“Your in the way! Move aside for the King and Queen of Hearts!” The taller girl barked viciously before stomping away.
Rika sat still, the sharp tone of each cold word cutting through her, one thought racing through her mind,“
Why would she shove me?!? Why would my Yocchan hurt me like this?”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“I am sorry Rika, I kinda already promised some of the girls that we would go out for dinner after work.” Yossi apologetically stated.
“Really? Well thats okay since I did just kinda surprised you with this request. Which of the girls are you going out with?” Rika whispered while taking a deep breath, the sweet aroma of Yossi flirting with her senses.
“Uhh...Reena, Sayumi, Miki, Eri, Risa, and Takahashi.” Yossi said anxiously.
“Reena, Sayumi, Eri, Risa, Takahashi, and WHO?” Rika barked shooting a piercing glare at Yossi.
Unable to meet Rika's burning eyes, she looked to her right out the window and sighed “Miki Fujimoto.”
Rika released Yossi and pushed against he chest trying to fight her way out of Yossi's grips.
“Fujimoto? Why is it always Fujimoto? Shes trying to take you away from me! Why can't you see that?” Rika shouted.
Rika fell silent, her words ceased and her body froze, her eyes fixated only on Yossi. The loud boom of Yossi's fist against the wall startled the older girl, the gentle creaking of the door as Yossi's fist trembled gently against it.
“What is your problem Rika? Why don't you trust me? I love only you! How many times do I have to tell you that?” Yossi stammered, the words coming out awkwardly as her voice trembled slightly.
“I do trust you and I know that you love me, its that Fujimoto that I don't trust.” Rika exclaimed.
“I cant just stop hanging out with her because of your jealousy Rika, all I can say is that I love you and I would never betray that, but... shes a good friend and I wont be forced into choosing between my friends and my relationship.”
The air hung heavy with anxiety, both girls stood silent unable to look at one another. The silence came to a screeching halt, shattered by the sharp sound of paper fluttering in the air. A very confused Yossi looked up only to meet Rika's script, the snap of the script against her cheek forced Yossi to stagger back a few steps into the hallway, the sharp sting on her cheek was nothing in comparison to the pain in her heart. Rika stood frozen, her arm stretched forward, her fingertips parted, a stream of tears rolling down her cheek. Rika fell to her knees, her hand cupped over her mouth in a futile attempt to hold back her whimpers, after the loud crash of the slamming door. Rika could only cry, the sounds of Yossi's footsteps slowly fading in the distance, each muffled step pricking at Rika's heart.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“I guess after treating her like that, and not trusting her, I can understand why she would do that.” Rika mumbled to herself.
Rika stood up and wiped away the tears that fell from her eyes.
“No! My Yocchan would never hurt me! Well not on purpose at least.” Rika exclaimed, gently patting her hands against her cheeks , “ I have to find a way back to my world, a way back to MY Yocchan.”
Even though the goal was clear, meeting the goal will be a difficult task. Rika did not even know where to start, this place made no sense, Rika could feel her hopelessness and frustration consumed her. Rika's ears perked at the familiar sounds of trumpets, though this time they were accompanied by the furious beat of drums. Rika stood up and leaned against the wall. From the darkness emerged the King and Queen of Hearts. Rika felt her body collapse as her knees gave way, her fingernails clawing at the wall that supported her, of all the people to be Queen, Rika should of known. Rika took a few moments and regained her composure. Rika pushed off the wall and slowly made her way towards the King and Queen. Even in this world, that woman turned her beloved against her her, no matter where she goes, Miki Fujimoto will always stand in the way. Rika clenched her first, her frustration taking on the face of rage as she inched closer to the Queen. Rika will no longer stand for Miki's interference, no matter what Rika will fight for her Yocchan, be it the real Miki or not.
As Rika neared the parade, her mind was flooded with nothing but thoughts of anger.
Charmy: “
Hm...okay do we have everything we need?”
Rika: “
What are you talking about Charmy?”
Charmy: “
Rage, frustration, Rika...yeah the gang is all here. Didn't we tell you Rika, its Fujimoto
stomping time. ”
Rika: “
Oh. WAIT WHAT?!?! WERE GOING TO FIGHT FUJIMOTO? IN QUEEN FORM? ARE YOU
CRAZY CHARMY?!?!”
Charmy: “
No need to shout Rika. Besides I thought you would be all for it.”
Rika: “
Why would I be? Aren't you supposed to be the level headed one anyways Charmy? This is
rather uncharacteristic of you.”
Charmy reaches into a box and pulled out a rather large poster of Yossi.
Charmy: “
Ahem. Do I have to say more?”
Rika: “
Dammit! I see your point Charmy.”
Charmy: “
So are we in agreement then?”
Rika squeezed her fist together, the hollow crunch of cracked knuckles echoing in her empty mind.
Rika: “
This time.”
Before the two personas could carry out their plan, the two cried out in pain feeling a hefty paper fan swat the tops of their heads. From the poster that Charmy held, the image of Yossi leaned out from the poster, her hand raised clenching the paper fan. Smack. Charmy and Rika fell back, their hands gripping at their throbbing heads. Rika and Charmy looked at each other then to the poster. The poster stood up, Rika and Charmy backing away as it inched closer to them. The Yossi on the poster stepped out from the poster and loomed over the two girls.
Yossi: “
Okay. Now I am flattered that you would be willing to fight over me but this has to end. There
is nothing between us. Really. And I think she would kill you guys”
Rika: “
Who cares! Don't try to stop us Yocchan, this has to happen.”
Charmy: “
This is all for the sake of our love.”
Yossi: “
Thats all really sweet, but if you guys would take a closer look at things, you will see why you
don't have to fight her.”
The paper fan that Yossi had been wielding fell to the ground, draping her arm over each girl, she pulled them close to her, pressing her lips to each of their wounds.
Yossi: “
Okay girls, just watch.”
Rika and Charmy looked at their Yocchan, a familiar heat racing to their faces as they gaze upon her handsome face. Listening to her, Rika and Charmy observed the situation closer, both girls gasping as Yossi chuckles.
Rika: “
Oh”
Charmy: “
my”
Rika: “
god!”
Charmy: “
Really?”
Yossi: “
Explains some things doesn't it.”
Rika's mind was ripped from the clouds at the sight of the king and queen. Rika's mouth hung open, as she watched THE Fujimoto blush and giggle like a schoolgirl, as her king's lips press against the back of her hand. Rika could see the rosy tint on the Queens fare cheek, she shut her eyes tight and quickly opened them, nope not a dream. Rika was dumb founded, what should she do? She could only watch as the Queen's excitement grew with each playful kiss, and teasing touch from her King. As shocking as the meek Miki was, Rika found the identity of her King more strange. Who would of thought she was this aggressive, this daring in public. Even though in the back of her mind she knew this was not her world, Rika noticed how quickly the two became intimately close friends at time she would see Yossi and her in their eyes.
“Wait...maybe...she was never after Yossi. Aya...Miki, it seems right. That means all this time I have been worried...” her lips became motionless in the light of her overwhelming sense of stupidity and embarrassment. “ over nothing. They were just friends. Oh goodness, do I owe some people a lot of apologies.”
As Rika quietly reflected to herself, the Queen of Hearts made her way to the strange girl and watched her intently. As Rika paused between thoughts, her eyes caught the familiar piercing gaze of Miki.
“Who are you?” the Queen shrieked.
“Well I am Rika Ishikawa, nice to make your acquaintance.” She answered cautiously.
“Okay you are Rika, but who are they?” The queen snapped, pointing at the three gardeners who laid flatly against the ground.
“Well I don't know who they are because I can't answer for them, its not my affair so I can not meddle in it.” Rika retorted.
The queen's mild curiosity quickly changed into anger as the difficult girl refuses to answer. The queen stomped around Rika, the confused girl catching sounds of swears and threats under the fearsome Queens breath. After a few moments, the Queen paused her thrashing, her head slowly turning towards Rika, her gaze once again piercing, throwing her right hand into the air.
“OFF WITH HER HEAD!” The queen shouted.
Rika stomped her foot against the ground at the outrageous command that the Queen had bestowed.
“This is ridiculous!” Rika firmly stated.
Aya walked over to her livid queen, what to do in this kind of situation? Aya quickly brainstormed coming to only one possible answer. Aya wrapped her arms around Miki, her left arm draped across Miki's collar while the other wrapped around her bare waist. The noble king, traced a small trail along the bare shoulders of her queen with her soft lips, each gentle kiss met with a soft touch. Aya playfully ran the tips of her fingers across Miki's other shoulder, a small smile creeping to the king's lips feeling the queen shutter abruptly under her touch. Aya masterfully slipped her right hand underneath the Queen's shirt, her warm hand gliding across the Queens trim waistline, teasingly tracing the lines of her hips. Rika's cheeks became warm watching the King's attempt in quelling the anger that brewed inside the queen. The queens loud barks softened to whimpers under her kings touch, each word escaping as a mere whisper, every touch charging her body with excitement. The queen tried as hard as she could, but no one knew her as well as her King. Miki regrettable pulled away form her king, coughing into a clenched fist before regaining her composure. The queen shot a look over her shoulder, the King jumping slightly at the sudden glare.
“Fine. I don't care about you anymore! YOU THREE! What were you doing with my rose bushes?” The queen bellowed.
Before the three could answer, the Queen cut them off, “Bored now. Off with their heads!” Miki ordered.
The three gardeners began to weep, each one holding the other awaiting their unjust desserts. The queen turned around and made her a to the soldiers to arrange their fate. As the queen focused elsewhere, Rika motioned for the three to hide. Each of the gardeners quickly crawled into the large rose bush, luckily there was a large hollow opening in the center of the rose bush. Rika stood in amazement as the three disappeared into the thick bush, carefully watching the conversation between the Queen and her soldiers.
“Are the offender's heads gone?”The queen asked one of her soldiers.
One of the soldiers pushed the bridge of her glasses until they sat comfortable on her nose. She peered over the Queen's shoulder watching as the three gardeners crawl into the bush.
“Yes. The offenders heads are no longer there my Queen.” the soldier enthusiastically reported.
The pleased queen turned around and focused her attention back onto the strange girl. Miki circled Rika leaning over Rika's shoulder as she stands behind her.
“Do you happen to play croquet?” The queen inquired.
Rika nodded. As soon as she answered the queen, the entire parade marched towards what she later found out to be the croquet ground. Rika hesitantly followed the parade, catching small flashes of white out of the corner of her eye. Rika looked to her side her head bobbing, following the playful skipping of Bunny-Yaguchi. The small bunny ran her fingers against the back of her ears, a small pout on her lips every time she had to adjust the falling ears.
“Um...Miss Bunny, I thought Yu...I mean the Duchess was going to play croquet with the queen today.” Rika correctly stated.
“Well you see Mary Ann, she WAS going to play croquet but the Duchess boxed the Queen's ear and lets just say that is not the best way to keep a head in the game if you know what I mean.” She replied.
“You mean...” Rika questioned.
“Yup.” Yaguchi answered happily, running the tip of her index finger across her neck.
Rika wrapped her hands around her neck, hoping she would not follow the same fate as that ill tempered woman. Rika's eyes swayed back to the Knave of Hearts, even though she knew that she was not Yossi, Rika yearned to be close to the her. As she continued to stare, Rika's foot caught on something, her feet tripping over themselves sending her on a familiar trip towards the ground. Rika sat up quickly and looked around on the ground, her eye twitching a bit as a hedgehog rolls away from where she tripped. As she reached forward to try and catch the offender, she snapped her hand back quickly as a pink flamingo walks between them. Rika froze, the only thing to move were her eyes which followed the strange bird's strut across the grounds. Rika noticed something, this was possibly the most bizarre croquet setup she had ever seen. Some of the H!P eggs bent down making the wickets for the croquet, which were later explained to be one in the same as the hedgehogs that Rika tripped over.
“Wont the mallets hurt the hedgehogs?” Rika inquired.
“Well most of the time these mallets miss, so not really.” The queen replied, wrapping her hands around the slender legs of one flamingo.
Not wanting to endure the wrath of the Queen, followed suit, reaching for one of the flamingos. This version of croquet turns out to be extraordinarily difficult, since the hedgehogs refuse to stay curled in ball form and the flamingos, who seem utterly confused by the whole game, are even less easily managed than the hedgehogs. To make matters even more confusing for Rika, everyone plays at once without waiting for his or her turn. Soon the Queen becomes frustrated and furious and issues almost constant orders for somebody's head to be chopped off. This begins to make Alice rather uneasy so she decides it would probably be best to sneak away before the Queen gets angry with her. As Rika crept away from the chaos that inhabited the grounds, Rika stopped dead in her tracks hearing a very familiar purr. Rika looked up watching the feint image of a smile appear.
“Hello there RrRrRika...~” The mouth purred.
Before Rika could answer, the rather strange sight of Abe's hovering head momentarily stunned Rika.
“Abe-san this place is awful, and that Queen is just awful. And what is with that silly croquet game, are there even rules? Even if there was, I don't think anyone would follow them!” Rika shouted to the hovering head.
Her words of slander quickly changed to words of praise as she catches sight of the queen from the corner of her eye.
“Who might this floating head be? I do not like the looks of it, one should always watch out for hovering heads. Remove it from my sight.” Aya demanded resting her chin on Rika's shoulder.
Rika jumped up at the sudden appearance of the king.
“YOU! Hovering head thing, you offend my king! You must be punished, off with your head.” The queen proclaimed.
A crowd formed around the hovering head, each person wondering whether or not a head could be beheaded, since there is no body to begin with. It falls to Rika to settle the dispute, and she decides that, since it is the Duchess' cat, the Duchess would be the one to ask. Before the Duchess can be fetched from prison, the head disappears entirely and the crowd, with nothing better to do, returns to the croquet game.