Reunited [Complete]

[thatshiningexit.livejournal.com]

Character(s): Furude Rika, Maebura Keiichi
Content: Rika and Keiichi meet up in Paixao.
Setting: Actua Are [J7]
Time: morning
Warnings: none

Rika was waiting anxiously in the lobby that morning. After learning Keiichi had also made his way to Paixao, a great degree of her worry was lessened. That meant the others might be here, too. It also meant they could escape. Keiichi tended to help things in that regard. She would have never managed in Hinamizawa without him.

Standing on her tip-toes, staring out the window, she waited for Keiichi to arrive. She hoped it wouldn't take him long; the sooner she was reunited, the better she would feel.

Comments

[homerunbat.livejournal.com]

It didn't take too long, honestly, although the train felt kind of sluggish now and then. It had given him some time to look over the messages going around, and some time for everything to really sink in, as much as it could, and with that Keiichi had come to one compelling conclusion:

.... he had no idea what the hell was going on.

It was ridiculous! Mickey Mouse? Penguin suits? That weird... Hex... thing? If this was the work of his subconscious, then he was clearly on drugs.

For now, he just had to focus on Rika. For one thing, she was about the only bastion of reality he was likely to find here, but for another, he'd promised to protect her, and he wasn't about to let her down again. Even if the drugs theory turned out to be right.

He found the hotel easily, especially with her waiting right there in the window. Well good, it was the right one! He picked up his pace and came in through the revolving door. "Rika-chan?"

[thatshiningexit.livejournal.com]

"Keiichi!"

Rika flung herself at her friend, allowing a bit of genuine childish happiness to shine through. Certainly things would work out if Keiichi was here.

"Keiichi is here~ Nipah~! How was the trip?"

Her mood had improved considerably.

[homerunbat.livejournal.com]

Keiichi grinned in spite of himself and caught Rika in a both-armed hug. "It was alright," he answered, pulling away after a few seconds. "I had to wait for something like half an hour before the train even showed up, though! Can you believe that? City this big, you'd think they'd at least run on time," he added, exaggerating his actual annoyance. (It had actually been closer to ten minutes, but he hadn't had a watch to check.)

"... I'm glad you're okay, though," he said, on a somewhat more serious note. "Did they let you get a room already?" He wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't been allowed to check in alone at her age. Then again, in a place like this, he wouldn't be terribly surprised if she had, either...

[thatshiningexit.livejournal.com]

"Trains are late everywhere," Rika said with a smile, clinging to Keiichi. "I have a room! Four-four-four! You can stay there, too!"

She wanted to keep Keiichi close anyway. Meeting new friends was agreeable, but it was her old ones she trusted the most.

[homerunbat.livejournal.com]

"Triple-four? Bummer of a room number," he remarked facetiously. Not that he believed in bad luck, but none of the hotels he'd been to had even had a room numbered that. "All right, 444 it is."

On an impulse, he stood to attention and gave her a crisp salute, though he was still grinning as if immensely amused by the whole thing. "Lead the way, Commander!"

[thatshiningexit.livejournal.com]

Rika grinned. "We can beat the bad luck! Nipah!"

She didn't believe in bad luck anyway. You could make your own luck if you tried hard enough. With a giggle, she returned the salute.

"March~! Nipah~!"

She led him up the steps to her room.