A/N: My mind works like I'm watchin MTV 24/7... well, when I'm writing songfics anyways. I knew I'd have to write a good one sooner or later so while listening to me Scene 23 (Pop Stars 2) CD, my brain went into music video mode, and... this WHOLE THING played in my mind... I had about 5 minutes to write it down afterwords...so here'ya go. This is to the song 'Another Night' - Scene 23.


Henry Wong trudged slowly down the sidewalk on the cold, dark Friday night in the midst of January. It hadn't snowed in the city yet by a long shot, not even for Christmas, but the weather took a chilly turn the day before, and this limited time alone he had before any of the digidestined members got to the small stone building in the park they always came to let him think.

~ Did you know I was lonely? Was I a fool to be foolin' myself? ~

Takato had called earlier, using his multiple-lined phone to call everyone at once, Jeri had just about gotten to sleep, Rika wasn't thrilled at all, Kazu and Kenta had become a bit TOO excited at the thought of being a part of this club of tamers, and Henry really didn't mind. This was their team after all. But, yeah, he shared Rika's opinion that calling at 9:30 at night wasn't really what they all enjoyed.
Takato said, meet him there in half an hour. Henry left immediatly. He had never really been first one there before, but he'd had alot on his mind lately. Rika switched schools recently, something about her mother not enjoying her in the company of a rival model's daughter, and had moved right into the desk beside him in every single class he took.

~ Was it your thrill when you made me believe all your lies? ~

He was glad that now all the tamers went to the same school, but, something seemed wrong. Rika was overly tensed at the thought of being surrounding by the digidestined every day now. There was something more to it, well, there was something more to everything about Rika Nonaka, something deep down inside of her that confused everybody.
Takato claimed earlier that day at lunch that at the last few meetings Rika was always there already, huddled against the outside of the headquarters, and with a camping latern lit inside her eyes were a redish color. Nobody believed him of course.

~ I believed you cared for me, I believed you had nothing to hide.. ~

After all, Rika Nonaka didn't cry, and crying was what Takato was trying to prove. That the 'ice queen' wasn't as tough as everyone thought, but the coversation hadn't gone on any further once Rika sat down beside them.
He could sense Rika's body tense again as she noticed she cut a coversation short. Maybe that was it, maybe she thought they were talking badly about her, or that they didn't want her around.... but that wasn't it at all. That was it. He'd ask her about it at the meeting tonight.

~ There was something about you that woke up my passion inside. ~

Henry trudged up the stone steps towards the building that was now in his sites. The small latern wasn't on, so he could tell no-one was there.
He slid open the steel gate and walked inside, surprised to find that the latern's batteries had burnt out.
"Oh well, Takato always has extra anyways." he sighed, shrugging.
He sat against the wall, knowing well that it'd be about fifteen more minutes until someone else showed up, plenty more time to think to himself.
Both his older siblings had a boyfriend and girlfriend, his little sister Suzy had what she called a boyfriend, a boy she met in her preschool class and he shared his playdough with her.
Seemed as if he was the only one of his family still single, except Terriermon. But Terriermon really didn't count.
Henry ran through his mind of all the girls in his class. Alexa, Lilly, Harriot, Angel... none of them seemed like a girl worth pursuing.

~ Another night when you said we would be on, another night with your touch on my mind. ~

Kathy, Elisabeth, Teresa, Madison.... they were all sweet girls, but not his type. He ran through his gym class, girls he met in the cafeteria, science, math, history.... he started to sound like a broken record, going over the same girl twice or three times each.
.. Lisa, Juliet, Nicole, Patty, Rik--
Henry stopped, and repeated the word out loud slowly.
"Rika..."

~ Another night, need your body to lean on, too many nights, wonderin' how to get it right. ~



"She's just so angry lately." Rika's mother sat at the kitchen table watching her own mother fixing a cup of tea. "Is it just me?"

~ So you think I deceived you ~

Rika's grandmother shook her head slowly, picking the cup of tea up and taking a sip of it. "No, I think it's just her age. You were pretty much the same way when you were her age."
"Mother! Of all the horrible things to say!"
A pang of hurt went through Rika's heart at those words as she stood outside the doorway of the kitchen, listening to the whole conversation.
"If I was ever like that girl I'd go crazy! She's rude and nasty! Sometimes I wish she wasn't even my own daughter!"
Rika froze completly, breath becoming short and quick.

~ Did you assume I was playin' with your mind? ~

"Now you don't mean that, she's your daughter..."
"Mother I do! Why couldn't we just send her off to boarding school like I wanted to in the first place?!"
Rika's face molded into a scowl, despite the tears coming to her eyes. "I'M GOING OUT.. DON'T EXPECT ME BACK UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING!!" Rika screeched, stomping into view, past the doorway, and out the front door, slamming it behind her.
Rika's mind spun as she walked, she started into a jog, then a run hearing her mother calling her name.
She grabbed the bicycle parked right out front of the gate of her house and jumped on it.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!!" she yelled back, pedelling off towards the park, knowing she'd be first one there again, and she was glad of it. Tonight she'd probably sob harder than normal...

~ But would I waste my time, if I didn't care? ~

She sped under the street lights, past Takato's bakery, which she could see Takato still in, maning the counter like he did most nights anyways. Takato waved at her, but she just pedalled on through the chilly air.

~ Good things don't come too easy, I've been heart-broken too many times. ~

Between her mother's boyfriends, her mother's job... her mother's EVERYTHING... the whole reason Rika's life was messed up was because of her MOTHER... why was she stuck with a type of person as her parent?! She felt the tears already threatening to roll down her cheek as she pedalled harder through the streets. She rushed past Jeri's house, the resturant downstairs was lit warmly, and Rika could see Jeri pulling on her shoes on one of the booths at the bar. She looked up at her father and grinned, making Rika's heart get hit with another pang of heartache at just the scene.

~ You try to hard to impress me, you shoulda figured out what it takes to entice me. ~

Rika could see the entrance to the park in front of her now, and she sped up, going so fast she at first believed she wouldn't be able to stop on the dark path without causing some sort of commotion, but with much luck she was able to skid to a stop without too much noise coming from the tires as she slid sideways, kicking up dust.

~ Another night when you said we would be on, another night with your touch on my mind. ~

The tears that had threatened to fall finally let loose in a river of tears as she hiked up the stairs towards the small stone building the meeting was to take place in. The words of her mother echoing through her head, and causing her to cry harder.

~ Another night, need your body to lean on, too many nights, wonderin' how to get it right. ~


Henry stood up and leaned his back against the wall, he turned the green light on his watch on to look at the time. "9:50." he said. 10 more minutes.
Honestly he didn't know why he was here. It WAS just another stupid meeting, probably about the same old thing over and over again, and then having to watch Takato and Jeri flirt with each other the rest of the night. Same old same old.
Henry was too lost in his thoughts to hear footsteps coming up his way.

~ Too many nights.... ~


"She's so stupid.." Rika thought. "She's always thinking about herself.."
Her mind echoed a reply to itself. "..... but so are you...."
Rika growled silently and marched up the rest of the stairs.

~ Another night when you said we would be on, another night with your touch on my mind. ~

Henry smirked finally hearing footsteps that abruptly stopped outside the small building. It was probably Takato thinking he beat Rika here for the first time in every single meeting he had called, maybe it was Jeri, looking for Takato, Kazu or Kenta, just hoping to hide and scare somebody straight when they jumped out at them.

~ Another night, need your body to lean on, too many nights, wonderin' how to get it right. ~

Rika stopped right outside the building, slumped against it, and sank down the outside wall, curling her legs against her chest, wrapping her arms around them, and breaking into audible sobs. She'd never felt so hopeless in her life. Why was she, the 'Ice Queen' so easily broken?

~ Another night when you said we would be on, another night with your touch on my mind. ~

Henry froze, and directed his attention towards the entrance way of the headquarters, narrowing his eyebrows at the sound of a girl crying. This wasn't at all what he had planned.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he echoed the remark about Rika crying that Takato had said, but paid no real attention to it.
Henry grew up with two girls, not including his mother, and was sensitive to that sound, and this cry wasn't a frustrated 'I didn't get my way' cry, or 'I hate my parents' cry.... it was a heartbroken cry.

~ Another night, need your body to lean on, too many nights, wonderin' how to get it right. ~

Rika sat in her own heartbroken world. It was confirmed in her mind now that her mother hated her, completly. No wonder she left her alone all the time, she probably couldn't stand to be around her.
Rika put her forehead against her knees and let herself completly go, thinking she was probably going to be found in the morning still crying uncontrollably.

~ Another night when you said we would be on, another night with your touch on my mind. ~

Henry came out of the headquarters, and his crystal-like gray eyes softened until it looked like he was going to cry himself at the crumpled heap of girl on the ground.
He immediatly sank to his knees and put his hand on Rika's shoulder, yanking it away when she jumped, eyes becoming wild.

~ Another night, need your body to lean on, too many nights, wonderin' how to get it right. ~

Rika looked up at him, fiercly rubbing her sleeve over her eyes and looking up at him once more. "I.. didn't know someone was here...."
"I know." Henry said kindly, sitting down right beside her. "What's wrong, Rika... and don't tell me nothing.. that wasn't nothing..."

~ Another night.. ~

Rika looked away from him. "My mother... I overheard a conversation between her and my grandmother.. she said she wished I wasn't her daughter."
Henry fell silent, putting his hand back on her shoulder at a loss for words.
Rika sniffed, and rubbed her hand over her one eye again, wiping away an extra tear. "I must look pretty stupid right now.... being miss 'Ice Princess' as you all call me..."
"Anything but.." Henry whispered.

~ Too many nights.. ~

Rika looked over at him with tear-filled eyes. "Really?"
Henry smiled a responce, and stood up, offering his hand to her. She took it slowly and Henry pulled her up off the cold ground. He pulled her a bit closer to him when she got to her feet, until she was an inch away from himself. "Rika just cry... I won't tell anyone.." he whispered, taking her chin in his hand and smiling at her.

~ Wonderin' how.. ~

There was immediate silence as Rika pondered Henry's last statement. But in no time at all, she buried her head in his shirt and just sobbed.
Henry smiled once more and wrapped his arms around her, rocking her back and forth in the blue-colored moonlight that filtered through the trees onto them.
"I'm right here.. I'm not going to let you go.." he whispered into her ear, lifting his hand off her back and stroked her auburn hair softly. He didn't like it when anyone, especially Rika Nonaka, cried so bitterly. He never had experienced that type of hurt, the hurt of a parent's hate, but...

~ Too many nights, without you. ~

Takato and Jeri came around the corner and froze at the sight of the two other tamers, known for being the level-headed ones, wrapped in each other's arms, Rika's sobs being heard.
Jeri pulled Takato's arm down as she dropped to her knees and crouched behind the already dew-covered bush to peer over it.
Takato's blank face and open mouth stayed as he watched the scene, Jeri gently lifting her hand and closing his mouth. "Com'on.. let's go..." she whispered, grabbing his hand again and stood up, walking down the stairs again trying not to be heard by the two other tamers.
Takato truged after her, waiting until they were just out of range of them.
"I told you... I told you she cries..."
Jeri leaned against the tall stone wall at the bottom of the stairway and sighed. "Yeah..."

~ You've gotta tell me... how you feel... you've gotta tell me, how you feel, baby. ~

Kazu and Kenta soon stopped their bikes in front of the other two and grew confused looks on their faces.
"Why are we waiting?"
"Meeting's cancelled guys..." Takato shrugged. "Come back tomorrow."

~ Too many nights. ~





~ A/N: I KNOW ... SAPPY ENDING.... okay so listening to country music while doing a pop music song isn't the BRIGHTEST thing to do... but... I got it done! ^_^ R/R!