Hello everybody. So, here I am, a student in the ninth grade, taking many tests and having a plethora of homework. I barely have time to update. Of course, my mind tends to differ, providing me with this wonderful idea that I find myself having to write despite already working on other stories. Part of the inspiration comes from a television show called Firefly which is amazing and you should all watch. So, here goes! I sincerely hope that you all enjoy. I own nothing, and please leave a review when you complete this chapter!

When a traumatic experience occurs in your life, it is not something that is simply disregarded. You are scarred for life, burdened with the fear you experienced that day forever. Your perception of the world changes drastically. Everything you ever knew is not the same from that moment on. The pain of that memory will always come to torment you. Although many facades can cover it up, it will not ever completely vanish. That is what Rima Mashiro believed was true for her.

She had once been an ordinary child, desiring to be a clown in a circus. She wanted everything like any little girl her age. There was very little that set her apart from everyone else. Perhaps her doll-like appearance was one factor that separated her, but internally, she was no different. However, one night would change her, in so many ways that she did not know for many years.

It started out like any other day. Rima arrived at school, her usual peppy personality gone. Like the other students, she loathed attending school. However, as the day progressed, Rima became more upbeat as she usually was. The grin on her face was impossible to remove. One incident, though, would change this. One moment in her life would make her life turn upside down.

Rima started to walk home, although she was only nine-years-old. Her parents provided her with many freedoms many other kids did not have. Unlike many of the other kids, Rima did not go home with anyone, since she had barely any friends. People knew of her, but no one loved her or bothered to befriend her. Since she was no different from them, they did not find anything too redeeming that would make them want to be her friend. Rima didn't mind; she was blissful in her own world.

She skipped happily home, excited to get back to her house. Her father would be baking his delicious Baked Ziti, and there was nothing Rima preferred to eat over that. She was oblivious to the world around her. This included the tree branch that lay motionless on the ground in front of her. Rima skipped over it, but her foot got caught. Rima yelped in surprise, falling to the ground. She winced in pain, examining her cuts. Her leg was all bruised up, but it wasn't too bad. She suddenly felt the presence of someone else. She glanced up, and saw an older man's eyes on her. He extended his hand. His hair was gone, replaced with a shiny bald head. Tattoos were sprawled across his body, one specifically standing out with an hourglass, one side black and one side the color of the man's pale skin. If Rima had been a few years older, she would have known better than to take the stranger's hand. However, she was an innocent child, foolishly trusting everyone. She took the man's hand, her fingers touching his. Her eyes softened, letting herself go. A large grin began forming on her face, her cheeks puffing up. This was the last smile that Rima would ever have for a long time. The man returned the smile for a brief second, before it rapidly changed into a side smirk. Rima cocked her head to the side, her smile not subsiding for a second.

Before she could blink again, the man grabbed her roughly, and tied her hands together by rope. Rima's mouth opened to scream, but it was quickly stifled by tape. The man dragged her by her hair into a truck. She was tossed into the back of a truck. The door began to close, leaving her in the back of a truck in darkness. She felt the truck below her begin to move. She was petrified in fear; unable to move even if she could. Hot tears ran down her face. Where was she going? What was going on? Endless questions crossed through her mind. The optimism of the happy girl was replaced by the strongest emotion of all; fear.

Finally, the truck seized to a halt. Light finally penetrated its way into the truck, revealing the man who kidnapped her. He looked more menacing than before, with the sunlight stalking him as he stepped closer to her. Rima shivered in fear, sweat pouring down her skin. The man took something out of his bag that Rima couldn't see, and began walking even closer. Rima shut her eyes, frightened. Suddenly, she heard police sirens.

When Rima opened her eyes again, she found herself sobbing into her mother's arms, the tape and ropes removed from her. She had no idea how she was safe, but she didn't care. She was alive and with her mother, and that was all that mattered. The incident scarred her for life, and the carefree girl was now replaced with a cold, uncaring girl, often known as the ice queen. Rima would never know what actually happened that day, until four-years-later, when everything would change forever.

Screams echoed through the house, as Rima awoke from her sleep. She clutched her blanket close to her, as sweat poured down her body. She thought back to the nightmare she had. As the memories of getting kidnapped came back to her, hot tears fell down her face. She hated when she had those repeating nightmares, or recollection of her kidnapping. Each time, the same memory repeated, with her innocently walking home from school, and then being kidnapped. The same mystery repeated, with Rima immediately appearing at her house after being in the trunk. She became increasingly curious, but decided to disregard it; she was just content to be alive.

Rima was not surprised that her parents did not even notice her screams. They were likely fighting, as usual. She glanced over at her clock, and her eyes widened. It was seven twenty, and school began at seven thirty. Panicking, she threw on her school uniform, and brushed her hair. She went to the door, only to observe her parents fighting. She waited for a moment, waiting for one of them to give her a ride. When neither of them noticed her existence, Rima sighed in annoyance, and departed from the house. She walked to school in a huff, feeling grumpy and morose. The dream made her feel down.

It took her about three minutes to arrive. Since she jogged the whole way, she was exasperated when she got to the school grounds. She panted for a moment, and quickly walked to her classroom. She casually walked into the room, about ten minutes late. Students looked up at her. She ignored them, and sat in her chair. She was relieved to be sitting. Sweat was pouring down her skin.

"Is there a reason why you're late Mashiro-San?" Nikaidou wondered, glancing at her. Rima looked up at him for a minute.

"Overslept," Rima replied bluntly, breathing heavily. She felt the concerned eyes of Amu and Tadase on her, but she chose to ignore them. Nikaidou sighed, and faced the rest of the class.

"As I was saying, today is the last day of school." After that statement, the class erupted in cheers. Nikaidou rolled his eyes. "I get your excitement, but we need to get one final lesson in, alright? Middle school is going to be increasingly difficult, and…"

"Oh who the hell cares?" A student wondered. "We don't do anything in this class; why start now?" Nikaidou opened his mouth to speak, but closed it quickly, muttering something under his breath. The class started talking amongst themselves.

"You alright Rima? You have a very distant look on your face," Amu observed. Rima glanced at Amu for a moment, forcing a small smile.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine," Rima lied, stuttering slightly. Amu and Tadase exchanged glances quickly. A sudden drowsiness swept through Rima. She yawned quietly, and placed her head on her arms. The talking of the class grew quieter, as sleep suddenly possessed Rima.

"Your time is coming." A voice whispered in Rima's mind. Rima sat up abruptly, her eyes snapping open. When she looked around, she realized that the class was almost completely empty. It occurred to her that there were people standing right in front of her. She turned to them. Amu and Tadase were standing in front of her. Beside them, there was Nikaidou, along with the other two guardians, Nagihiko and Yaya.

"Rima, thank goodness! You wouldn't wake up no matter what we said!" Amu exclaimed. She hugged Rima suddenly. Rima didn't hug her back, and stood there, confused.

"What… happened?" Rima wondered, yawning.

"You fell asleep while we had class, and you wouldn't wake up," Nikaidou explained. "We were growing worried, but we're glad you woke up."

"How long was I out for?"

"The whole day," Tadase admitted. Rima glanced out the window, realizing that it was not as bright as before. It was afternoon.

"I slept for the whole school day?!" Rima was extremely perplexed at this point. She glanced at Nagihiko and Yaya. "When did you two get here?"

"We were wondering what was taking you guys so long to come to the guardian meeting. I would not have speculated that sleeping beauty was taking a nap. I guess she just needed her prince to wake her up." Rima shot Nagihiko a glare.

"You are not my prince," Rima grumbled. Nagihiko merely chuckled.

"How was your nap Rima-Tan?" Yaya wondered, bouncing up and down. Rima glanced at Yaya.

"I don't know… It was so brief. I had a quick dream, and before I knew it, school was over…" Rima recalled the voice she heard in her dream. What did it mean?

"What was your dream?" Tadase asked.

"It wasn't really a big deal. It was just like any other dream, I guess…" Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Nagihiko giving her a cynical stare. She chose to ignore him.

"I'm glad you're doing better Mashiro-San. Have a good day! Come and visit me any time you guys!" Nikaidou waved to them.

"Good-bye Nikai-Tan! Yaya hopes she has you next year!" Yaya grinned, and led the guardians out of the classroom. They walked to the Royal Guardian, and took their respectful seats.

"So, this is our last guardian meeting as the guardians, for most of us…" Melancholy was apparent on Tadase's face.

"Oh no… Yaya will miss you guys," Yaya whimpered.

"It's not like we'll never see you again," Amu reassured. "Kukai visits all the time!"

"Yeah, but…"

"Yaya-Chan, it's okay. We will all be friends always." Nagihiko smiled.

"Yaya doesn't want you guys to change! Yaya knows that people change in middle school, and Yaya wants you guys to stay just how you are…"

"Yuiki-San, we won't change too much; we'll still be who we are," Tadase told her. Rima wasn't paying attention to them. She thought about her brief dream. Was it a sign of some sort? How come she slept for so long? Why wasn't she able to be awoken?

"Rima-Tan, don't space out on us again!" Rima looked up, glancing around at the others. They were all looking at her.

"Sorry, I-I was just thinking…" Rima sighed. "What were we talking about?"

"What are you going to miss most about Seiyo?" Amu asked.

"Um… The Royal Garden, I guess, although we can just visit anytime, so it doesn't really matter," She muttered.

"That's what Nagi-Tan said too!" Yaya exclaimed. Rima's eyes narrowed, glancing at Nagihiko. He gave her a smirk. She returned his smirk with a glare.

"Anyway, it is getting late, so we should head-" Yaya suddenly broke out in sobs.

"It can't end! I don't want this moment to end!" Yaya screamed, speaking in first-person as she seldom does.

"Everything has to end at some point," Rima murmured.

"Noooo!~" Yaya screeched, tears running down her cheeks. Her eyes grew red and puffy.

"Yaya-Chan, it will be okay," Nagihiko tried to reason, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll visit you. We can hang out in the summer."

"It's not the same," Yaya sniffled.

"Remember when Souma-Kun left? You still see him almost every day."

"Still…" Yaya hugged Nagihiko tightly. For some arbitrary reason, Rima felt her heart churn."I love you guys so much…"

"We love you too Yaya," Amu whispered. "Hey guys, I have an idea." Everyone looked up. Yaya let go of Nagihiko, and looked at Amu with watery eyes. "Put your hands in the middle." Everyone did as instructed. Rima did it last, her hand with her unfortunate luck on Nagihiko's. She felt her cheeks redden. "Let's make a promise. We will always be friends, and nothing will ever change that. Alright?"

"I concur." Nagihiko smiled.

"I'm in."

"Yaya agrees!"

"…Sure." Everyone removed their hands, and beamed at each other.

"Friends forever!" Yaya grinned in excitement. Finally, everyone left the Royal Garden. Yaya was crying like a baby, but walked home. Rima called her mother, knowing that she would be reprimanded for walking earlier this morning.

"Hey Rima-Chan, are you waiting for your parent?" Rima didn't need to look up to know who it was. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the indigo-colored hair come closer to her.

"No, I'm waiting for Santa Claus," Rima muttered sarcastically. Nagihiko rolled his eyes at her.

"Well, I'm waiting for my mother as well, so I'll wait with you."

"Cool." Nagihiko sighed.

"Rima-Chan, why are you always so blunt with me? I'm just trying to talk to you as friends, and you don't seem to register that ever. What sets me apart from everyone else?" Rima finally looked up at him. A tiny smile crossed her face.

"You're stupid. That's all."

"Rima-Chan…"

"Look, Nagi, I just…" What Rima saw next, made her freeze. Her train of thought completely left her, suddenly feeling insignificant. There was nothing that mattered more to her than the sight. A look of pure horror struck Rima. She started to shake uncontrollably.

"Rima-Chan, what's wrong?!" Nagihiko wondered, a sudden persistence appearing in his voice. Rima didn't say anything, but she held up a shaky finger. Nagihiko followed where she was pointing. There was a man that looked way too familiar to Rima. The shininess of the bald head had seized her attention. Although there were many bald men that Rima has met in her life, there was one aspect about him that Rima knew it was him; the man that kidnapped her four years ago. Although the side smirk was a good indicator, it wasn't as evident as what covered his arm. A familiar hourglass tattoo made Rima almost start to scream. If that wasn't frightening enough, Rima noticed that the side of the hourglass that was black was the opposite that it was four years ago. How could the hourglass change sides? It was just a tattoo. Even though it was a minor detail from many years ago, Rima knew for sure that it had to have changed, since she so vividly remembered the other way. Suddenly, his head started to turn, facing Rima's direction. Rima bit her lip to keep from screaming loudly. Without thinking, she roughly clutched Nagihiko's hand, and started running for her life. Puzzled, Nagihiko followed her. After they were far enough away in Rima's mind, she started panting.

"Rima-Chan, what just happened? Are you okay?" Nagihiko asked anxiously, clearly worried. "You've been acting strange all day." Rima's face was deathly pale. She slowly faced Nagihiko. She fought back hot tears, but she couldn't stop herself from breaking down into sobs. It occurred to Rima that she was still gripping Nagihiko's hand tightly. She felt Nagihiko stroke the top of her hand gingerly. She blushed.

"T-That w-was m-my k-kidnapper…" Rima faltered. Nagihiko's eyes widened.

"How do you know for sure?" Nagihiko asked.

"When something like that happens, you remember specific things," Rima whispered. "He still has that bald head and t-the tattoo of the hourglass…B-But the hourglass, it was colored on the opposite side as before…" Nagihiko nodded slowly.

"Don't worry, you'll be okay," Nagihiko soothed, placing his available arm that was not intertwined with her fingers around her shoulders. A warm sensation filled Rima's chest. It momentarily made her forget about the dire situation. However, that moment of serenity was quickly forgotten. More tears cascaded down her cheeks.

"Nagi, why would he be here? Is he coming to follow me? W-Will he hurt me again? Nagi, I moved from my old town to escape him! He found me again!" Rima's speech was beginning to turn inaudible. Benignly, Nagihiko massaged her shoulders.

"Rima-Chan, I won't let you get harmed in anyway. I'll protect you to the end of the world. Even so, I highly doubt he's after you. It might just be someone that looks like him. You know, just a weird coincidence, like…" Nagihiko stopped speaking, since he was not sure how to reassure her anymore. However, Rima stopped listening to him after he said he would protect her to the end of the world. Rima stared at him, her watery eyes widening.

"N-Nagi…I-I…" A poignant smile formed on Rima's face, as she slid her hand out of his, and wrapped her arms around him. Nagihiko, clearly taken aback, gradually placed his arms around her. Despite knowing that her old kidnapper was nearby, Rima felt protected in her crush's arms.

An obnoxious beeping interrupted the tranquility. Rima glanced up, and suddenly realized who that was. Rima's eyes widened, as she immediately let go of him. She gave him a small wave, and hurried off into the car. She sat in the back seat, without greeting her mother.

"Who was that?" Her mother asked.

"Oh, um, that's my friend. Since it's the last day of school, we were saying goodbye," Rima quickly explained, lying slightly. Her mother did not reply, as she began driving. Rima glanced out the window, searching for her biggest fear. To her dismay, she could not find him anywhere. Rima sighed a breath of relief. She had no idea where he went, but she was pleased that he was nowhere near her. She allowed herself to relax, and think about Nagihiko. She could still feel the security of being in his arms. A dreamy smile crossed her face, despite every bizarre event that occurred that day.

"Rima, the car stopped," Her mother pointed out. Rima's smile subsided, as she immediately left the car. That happened way too frequently today; her spacing out and being delayed in doing something. Rima walked into her house, which immediately resulted in her parents beginning to scream at each other. Rima started to her room.

"Rima! How dare you leave this morning without getting a ride!" Her father reprimanded.

"I-I was in a rush…" Rima muttered.

"Why do you care anyway; it's my job to drive her, as you always say!" Her mother retorted.

"You should care about her well-being; you don't want another kidnapping to occur." They screamed at each other. Darkness formed over Rima's eyes. She still wondered if they were going to her official graduation tomorrow. She walked into her room, and collapsed onto her bed.

"What a long day…" Rima murmured.

"Sure was!" Kusu-Kusu agreed floating up. Rima gave her chara a tiny smile, before drifting off to sleep.

"Is the test subject prepared properly?"

"Yes, she is all ready to be experimented on."

"Perfect. Let the fun begin."

Rima's eyes snapped open. She looked out her window, to see the sun rising. She, then, glanced over at the clocking, reading it as eight. She sighed a breath of relief; she was not late to her graduation. It began at nine. As Rima stood up, a wave of dizziness swept through her. Rima grabbed something to keep her balance. Shrugging it off, she went to the bathroom, and took a shower. She soon prepared her hair and got dressed. She wore a pink dress that extended to her knees. It matched with a white blouse. She put a pink headband with a white flower in her hair. She straightened her hair as well and put on red lipstick and mascara.

"Mother. Father. I am ready to be driven to the graduation," Rima told them, walking over to them. They both looked up.

"Rima, you look beautiful!" Her mother admired.

"You are growing up…" Her father muttered. Rima smiled softly. She began to feel dizzy again. She tried to ignore it however. She walked out to the car, unknowing of the glances her parents exchanged. She walked into the car, and sat in the back. Her parents drove and parked in the school parking lot. Rima stepped out, and walked to where the other students sat.

"Rima!" Rima turned, and faced Amu. She wore a midnight blue dress and slippers. Rima walked over to her. Nagihiko and Tadase stood beside her. Tadase's blonde hair was combed back neatly, and he wore a red dress shirt with black pants. Nagihiko wore a white dress shirt with a tie and black pants as well. His purple hair was combed back as well. When he saw Rima, she noticed a blush form on his cheeks.

"Rima-Chan, you look beautiful," Nagihiko exclaimed. Rima's face reddened shyly.

"T-Thanks… You look…dumb, like always." Rima winked at him. Nagihiko stuck his tongue out at her. Amu and Tadase exchanged smiles. Rima always had a weird feeling that they were plotting to get Nagihiko and her together. Of course, if they ever asked her about her feelings towards Nagihiko, she would immediately deny it. However, even she knew that it would be a huge lie.

Rima felt her head starting to throb. Painful was an understatement. Rima didn't grip her head, not wanting to show her pain to the others.

"Everyone, get in alphabetical order!" Tsukasa instructed. Rima waved to them, and hurried to the M section. As they took their seats and the graduation ceremony began, Rima's head only began to get worse. She found it difficult to focus on her friends going across the stage.

"Mashiro Rima!" A teacher finally announced. Rima walked across the stage. She found it difficult to walk straight however. Suddenly, memories flooded through her mind. She thought back to the time she got kidnapped. There was more, so much more she had forgotten. How could she forget that? Her eyes widened suddenly, as it all came back to her. She froze in spot, oblivious to the fact that she should be receiving her diploma. The memories were too much for her to handle. She did not know what to think anymore. She could hear voices, instructing her on what to do. The world was spinning faster than she could comprehend. Rima let out a shrill scream, before collapsing to the ground.

I really hope you all enjoyed this! If you have not read any of my other stories, you will learn that I like using cliffhangers. I know there are a lot of things still unanswered, but I assure you, they will all be answered in later chapters. Keep in mind that this is probably the only chapter where it is shown from Rima's perspective. Also, there won't be nearly as much romance later on. You'll see! Please review/favorite/alert!