D. N. Angel Fan Fiction ❯ Dream Variations ❯ Chapter 8

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

A/N: I know Miyuki is a bit harsh to Dark and she deserve a slap from Daichi. But all ends well now. The chapter below is about Rika Hiwatari. I didn't get to write her much. I had planned to make her meet with dark but I haven't got the chance to do it. Please read and review, tell me what do you think will happen next. I still confuse in deciding with whom Daichi will ends up. The candidates are Yuzuriha, Ameko or Rika and maybe some more OC on the way… Help please?

Holiday is over. Rika Hiwatari is now a Seijuu Junior High School student. She is so excited, having to cross from the elementary school building to high school building. Not only that, she get to wear new uniform as well and meeting new friends and teachers.

The one thing she regretted is that she is not in the same class with her two best friends, Miyuki and Ameko. The three girls are separated from each other now. But soon Rika has found new close friend, Sakura Kinomoto.

It has been 3 days after school started. Rika goes out of school building. She stares at the magnificent sakura trees that grow in the schoolyard. The petals are all over the air. It is so beautiful and enchanting.

“Rika-chan, wait for me!!” Sakura yelled.

Rika stopped walking and turn to see Sakura running toward her with big smiling face. She looks so innocent; kind of remind her a little with Miyuki. She misses Miyuki and Ameko; they hardly meet at school.

They walked together. Sakura babbles about Math and how she has difficulties understanding it. Rika listens carefully and offering her help. Sakura sounded so excited.

Rika smiled. She looked up front and froze when she saw a young man dressed in formal foreign suit. The young man has a wand on one of his hand. She saw him with a young girl whom Rika doesn't know but a student of the school. The young man put his hand over the young girl's head and suddenly the girl's body disappeared!

Rika's eyes are widened in shock. Her face turned pale.

“Rika-chan? Are you all right? You look so pale…” Sakura asked.

The handsome young man looked up and his eyes met up with Rika's. He looks surprised to see Rika but then smiled.

Rika suddenly felt so dizzy. She fainted and collapsed to the ground.

“Rika-chan? Rika-chan? OMG! Rika-chan!! Somebody help!!” Sakura yelled.

A/N: Guest stars appearance: character from `Eternal Soul' by Yuana Kazumi. To tell you the truth I don't know why I write this. It just probably because I think the character from that manga is cool and all. Have you read it?

`I knew that man…' Rika thought as she lost her consciousness. She felt like flying. Her body felt so light like feather. `I have seen him before…when I was a kid…'

“What happen to her?”

“I don't know! She suddenly just fainted!!”

&&&

Rika blinked and realized she is in school's nursery. She saw her brother, Seiji. He sat there, looking so worried. “Onii-chan…”

Seiji smiled at his sister. “You have awakened…”

“What happen?”

“You fainted outside the school.”

“Oh…”

“The doctor said it's probably sun stroke…”

“Onii-chan, I dreamed something weird…” Rika said with serious face.

Seiji looked at her, encouraging her to continue.

Suddenly Ameko opened the door to the nursery. “Rika-chan!!” she yelled. She entered the room, followed by Miyuki. “Are you alright?”

Rika smiled, seeing her best friend. “Hey…” she greeted them. “I'm fine…”

Miyuki approached Rika with a small smile but she stopped when she saw Seiji.

Seiji ignored Miyuki. He turned to Rika. “Do you want to go home now? I had asked someone to pick us up with a car…”

“Oh, ok, I guess…” Rika said. She looked at Miyuki and Ame. “I have to go home but I will call you girls later, ok?”

“Sure.” Miyuki said. “Go home and rest, Rika-chan…”

Seiji led his sister outside. Rika waved goodbye to her friends.

“Tomorrow meet us in canteen, Rika-chan!!” Ame yelled.

&&&

Hiwatari resident

After finished dinner, Rika locked herself in her room and goes to make her homework. After that, she calls Miyuki, Ameko and Sakura to have a little chitchat. Around nine o'clock, Rika changes her clothes with a nightgown.

As she lay on her bed, she thought of the young man she saw before and thought where she had seen him before. She closed her eyes and search her memory of the young man but instead fall asleep.

Rika woke up when she felt the cold chill of the night wind blowing inside her room. She sat down on her bed and realized the door to the balcony has been opened while she certain that she had closed it before. The wind blows the curtains, giving an eerie feeling.

It was then she noticed the young man she saw before standing on the balcony. Rika slowly get out of the bed and walk toward the balcony. She could see the young man more clearly now. He had blonde hair and brown eyes (I think). He's wearing that strange foreign suit again, with a wand on his hand.

The young man smiled when he saw her. “Well, hello there…”

“Who…who are you?” Rika asked.

The young man stepped inside the room. He touches Rika's cheek gently. “My name is Glorious…” he said. “…a soul collector…”

Rika look so enchanted by him. “What is a soul collector?”

Glorious smirked. “Soul collector is a person who lives by feeding on the soul of other people…”

“Is that what happen to that girl…?”

“Yeah. I'm surprise that you can see me and that the fact that you know of the disappearance of that girl…” Glorious said. “A soul that has been eaten by a soul collector means that the person is no longer exists from people's memory…as if she has never been born into the world in the first place…”

“How horrible…to erase her existence just like that…”

“What I did is merely an act to survive…just like you human feed on animal, destroy woods, all for the sake of living…”

Rika can't reply to that. “But what you did is like murdering…” she finally managed to utter something.

“You human are no different too, rite? You guys are even worse than me… You kill to hurt others… and sometimes you kill because you don't understand what the others are like…” Glorious said. His eyes look so cold as if he felt rage for all human.

Rika looks scared now. “Did you come…for my soul?”

Glorious blinked. “Perhaps…” he said with a mischievous smile. “You look kind of tasty…”

The way Glorious said that makes Rika realized that he's not kidding.

Rika took a step backward. Glorious took a step forward to match her. They did the same thing at least 3 times before Rika turns around and starts to scream in fear. Glorious chuckles and grabs her from behind.

The two fell to the floor. Rika screamed and struggled as Glorious pulled her down. He put a hand over her mouth. “No need to make such a fuss…” he whispers huskily, almost like seducing, except he's not. He let go of his hand.

Rika found herself unable to cry out anymore.

Glorious smiled. “It won't hurt a bit…” he said softly. He raises his wand and said, “Disappear…”

Rika's eyes turn glassy as her body slowly blurred.

Glorious look satisfied. Suddenly a white light covered Rika's body and she re-materialized in front of Glorious. He looks shock. `This never happen before…' he thought.

Rika slowly opened her eyes. She saw Glorious standing beside her with bored expression.

“You are one interesting girl, little miss…” Glorious said with a creepy smile.

Rika screamed like hell, she doesn't care that it would damage her image as long as someone comes in and save her already!

They could hear hurried steps followed by the opening of the door. As soon as the door opened, Glorious shimmered away. Satoshi, Risa and Seiji entered the room and saw Rika on the floor, crying hysterically.

Risa rushed toward her daughter. “Rika, what is it? What happen?”

Rika screamed, “There is a guy in here! He's trying to kill me!”

Satoshi switched the lamp on but sees no one there. Even the balcony door is neatly closed.

Seiji looked around the room and examined for the sign of the man his sister talked about.

“There is no one here…” Satoshi said.

Rika slowly opened her eyes. “He was here! He was here before you came! He said he wants to eat my soul!!” she yells.

“Stt, honey, It was just a dream. You're having a nightmare.” Risa said as she helped her daughter to bed.

“I'm not lying, Mom, Dad! He's here! He said he's a soul collector! He ate that girl's soul! I saw it today! Please, you've got to believe me!!” Rika begged then she cries.

Satoshi and Risa look at each other in confusion.

Seiji leaned against a wall, deep in thought. `A soul collector huh?'

&&&

Rika goes to school the next morning. She looks so down and tired. She couldn't go to sleep after all the freaking out thing. She shook her head and display her perfect smile as she greet Miyuki and Ame who had been waiting for her at the school gate.

“Hey, Rika-chan! Have you feeling better?” Miyuki asked.

“Yes, thank you for asking…” Rika said.

“You look tired. Didn't you get enough rest last night?” Ame asked.

Rika didn't answer; only smile solemnly.

The bell rang. The three girls bid their goodbyes as they goes to their respective class.

Rika thought of the night before during the lesson. She wonders why Glorious didn't eat her soul as he said he would. The teacher reprimands her for being distracted from class. Sakura look concern, seeing Rika like that.

“Rika-chan, are you alright? Did you still feel not good? Do you want to go to the school's nursery again?” Sakura asked.

Rika plastered her trademark smile. “I'm fine, Sakura-chan…”

After class, Rika had forgotten to meet Miyuki and Ame in the canteen. She goes to the rooftop instead. She doesn't want to follow the next lesson. She sat down, leaning against a wall. She looks at the sky above and sighed.

FLASHBACK

6 years old Rika is lying flat on her stomach as she reading a fairytale book. Beside her is a beautiful lamp she likes so much, the one she had seen in one of the book. Her mother had given it for present.

Ever since little, Rika likes fairytales story just like every little girls in the world. She grew up, believing in prince charming and that someday she will receive a kiss from the prince. Rika likes to hear the story of `Ice and snow: Dark version' that her mother told of. But when she grew up to be a lovely lady that everyone admired, she had to bury her crush for the gentleman thief because it is inappropriate.

Her mother had said that she has quite the imagination. She had claimed that a fairy had come to her room and asks her to be her friend. Her mother laughed then.

But one day Rika saw something horrible. She saw the nice old lady who lives upfront disappeared after having been touched by a handsome young man that look like a prince from fairytales.

Rika didn't think much about it then because she thought she was dreaming. But the next day, when she asked her mother if she can go to the nice old lady's house again like she used to, her mother look so confused and asked her what's she talking about.

Rika grabbedher mother's hand and led her to the door to show her, which house the nice old lady lived in and surprisedto see the house has disappeared, leaving only yard filled with meadows.

Rika asked her brother and father about the whereabouts of the nice old lady but no one knew what she istalking about. She remembered then what happened to the old lady. She had witnessed it. She told her family about the young man but they laughed at her, saying that she has quite wild imagination.

In the end, Rika is convinced that the nice old lady might just her imagination all along…

END FLASHBACK

Rika snapped her eyes open and realized that she's on the rooftop. She goes inside the building and goes to the school library, digging everything about myth and legend. She couldn't find anything about soul collector.

“I wonder if it was just my imagination…?” Rika said to herself.

“What was your imagination?” Daichi asked.

Rika jumps in surprise. “Wha…? Daichi-kun! You're scaring me!”

Daichi grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, sorry about that… What were you reading about?”

“Just some stuff…”

“Really?”

“Is it more important than class?”

“I could say the same about you… Why weren't you in class?”

“I got bored…” Daichi said and shrugged.

“I'm doing some research…” Rika said.

“About what? Maybe I could be of help…”

Rika look hesitated to tell him. “Hmm, about soul collector…”

“Soul collector? I'm not familiar with it…”

“I thought so…” Rika sighed. “The entry about them is not on those books either…” She pointed to a pile of book near her.

“Why were you so interested with this soul collector thingies?”

“Because I think I saw one of them…”

“Really?”

“You don't believe me, do you?”

“Err…”

“Nobody does…” Rika looks upset.

“It seems like Miyuki-chan's thing…” Daichi said. “She likes reading that kind of thing. She had read almost every book of myth and legend in here and public library…”

“Maybe I should ask her…”

“What does it look like?”

“What?”

“The soul collector?”

“Like us…” Rika said. “He looks like human. He wear this strange outfit and take a wand everywhere he goes…”

“Hmm…”

“Daichi-kun, I saw him devour a girl's soul and when I was little, I saw the same man devoured an old lady's soul…” Rika confess. “I know it sound crazy but it really happened and I'm not crazy!”

“Devour how?”

“He… I don't know he made them disappear and then nobody remember they did exist. It's like their entire existence in the world has been wiped out!”

“How do you know so much about them?”

“That's because the one I saw…he saw me too… Last night he came by to my room and tried to eat me!”

“What?”

“Can you imagine how scare I am? But when my parents and Onii-chan came into my room, he already had gone…like he had never even been there before. My parents thought I was having a nightmare but I don't! I swear!”

“How do you know that he's a soul collector?”

“He told me when he decided to drop by…”

“You seem to know a lot about soul collector then what would you hope to find from those books?”

“Anything…like what are they? How did they do whatever they do? How to fend them off? That sort of thing…because I sure don't want to be unprepared the next time he decided to drop by!” Rika said. She looks at his cousin. “Do you still want to help me out?”

“Of course…”

Rika smiled. “Thanks…”

Daichi smiled. “No problem…”

The two went to the public library to find some more books regarding myth and legend but find none from those regarding soul collectors.

“This is ridiculous! I know what I saw! How come nobody ever came across them?” Rika yelled, obviously very frustrated and losing her calm demeanor. “I don't care if it was just a small entry, a literature of some kind just get me the name soul collector already!!”

Daichi looked at his cousin, not knowing what to say.

Rika shook her head. She put her hands over her face then her hairs. She sighed. “I'm sorry, Daichi-kun. Maybe this is a waste of time after all. Maybe I have let my imagination run wild…”

“Rika…”

“You know what? Let's just go home! I feel so stupid. It might be just a dream and I'm freaking out over one little dream!” Rika said.

“Ok…if you say so…” Daichi said.

The two goes out of the public library and bid their goodbyes.

Daichi watched as Rika walked away and sighed. “What do you think, Dark?”

`There is no such a thing such as a soul collector!' Dark said.

“But she seems so sure…” Daichi said.

`We have been doing some research about these being called soul collector…and we came up with nothing…'

“That doesn't mean they don't exist! It just means that they are very discreet about themselves…”

`A being that can erase other people's existence huh? So they are like God or Devil? What do you think, Daichi?'

“I think they are no different with murderers, no, they are even worse…to cease a person from existence… So it means that if they eat my mom's soul, I would disappear as well? Erasing my mom from existence meaning she would never met my dad and would never give birth to me and Miyuki…” Daichi shuddered. “How scary…”

`But if people are supposed to forget about the victims of these soul collectors, how come your cousin remembersthem all?'

“That's a good question. I don't know. Maybe Rika-chan has some sort of gift or something…”

&&&

Glorious watched Rika secretly. He raised his chin as if he is thinking. “Hmm…”

“Leave her alone. We better don't get our butt on something that we don't know…”

“That's not like you to do something like this…usually you'd be the first one who would want to try to eat her first…”

“Not this time…”

“Why?”

“There is a plan called grand design, Glorious… We can alter life of some human but not everyone…not one with a destiny… The fact that you can't take her soul before…prove that much…”

“Destiny huh?”

“Hey, hey, Glorious! Where are you going?”

Glorious didn't answer but his intention is very clear as he made his way toward Rika.

Rika sighed as she walking home. “I feel so stupid… I even had involved Daichi-kun in my little insanity act! Glorious does not exist! It was all just a dream!” she said to herself.

“How rude…” come the reply of Glorious. The man was floating just above Rika. “…to claim that I don't exist… What you did is what I hate of human… If they found something that they don't understand, they would either won't accept it or think that we're the bad guy…”

Rika looks at Glorious. “OMG…” Her knees gave out and she collapsed onto the ground.

Glorious chuckled. “We meet again…”

“You…you are real!”

“Of course I am… What? Just because you don't find anything on me from those books doesn't mean I don't exist! Like just because you don't have crime record doesn't necessarily mean you're good…”

“Oh…rite…”

Glorious offered a hand to help her stand up.

Rika stared at him suspiciously. “Are you…for me…?”

Glorious rolled her eyes. “Please, if I want to eat your soul I would have done it yesterday…”

“Then why didn't you?” Rika asked. “Not that I complaining…” she added quickly.

“Well, according to Vermillion you have some kind of destiny… That makes you…sort of…off-limit…”

“I have destiny?”

“Yeah, I know that sound lame but it is…” Glorious said. “Never one to like destiny… Would love to screw the grand design but the others follow certain rules… What an annoying rules that are… Plus supposedly we're not supposed to screw destiny or everything would be thrown off the balance… Only people…with special destiny…have power to make big change…”

Rika stand up slowly. “You mean…I'm special…?”

“More or less…”

“Wow…”

“Give you an advice… It's not cool to have special destiny… You will just ended up hurt physically and emotionally… I have seen people with…” Glorious snorts. “…special destiny… They ended unhappy for a lifetime…”

“What about those people you have eaten? Are they happy?”

“They should be. I spare them the pain of living, the sin of hurting each other and so on…”

“But wasn't life…about love and pain?”

“You obviously haven't experience life as human long enough to know what horrible creature human are…”

“Aren't you human too? You look like human…”

“Once upon a time I was a human…” Glorious said sadly. “…But I gave that up, I gave my humanity to become other being, to be a great being…because being human disgusts me…”

“I don't know what happen to you but just because you're miserable before doesn't mean you have the right to make others miserable too…”

“I make them miserable?” Glorious looked angry. He pushes Rika against the nearer wall and grabs her neck. “You don't know anything about me! I save you pitiful human from your pitiful existence! How dare you say I make them miserable?”

Rika looks scared but she braced herself. “Don't…justify…us…humans…miserable… Some…of…us…actually…living…and happy…”

Glorious let go of Rika as she coughs for breath. “You're an idiot, you know that? You're such a fool! Fine, if you treasure life as human so preciously then by any mean I will let you be…with your so called special destiny…” he said. “I'd love to see just how long you could hold on bearing that special destiny of yours…”

Rika stared at Glorious, not understanding what he means.

Glorious slowly fades away. “Someday…soon…I will come to you again…when your destiny has come full force on you…and we will see…if you would still treasure life…”

Rika blinked.

“Rika-chan!!” Daichi rushed to meet her cousin. “Are you alright? We, I mean, I hear you scream!”

Rika looked at Daichi. She touched her neck. She look to where Glorious once standing. “I'm fine…”

Daichi looked uncertain. “Are you sure? You look pale…”

“I'm fine…” Rika said. “I will be fine…” This times more to herself as if she is making a promise.

Even after a few days, the young man whom Rika had seen never show up again. She has no proof that Glorious did exist much less the proof of the victims' life record… But Rika would have never forgotten Glorious' words.

`Destiny huh?' Rika thought. She looks at the sakura petals that flowing in the air. `Wonder what would the future hold for me…? It must not that terrible as Glorious talk about rite?'

Who know?

Do you?

TBC