A/N:
Laura: YO! It's been a while, fanfiction. Buuuut. I'm BAAACK. I WILL finish this, I...might promise.
Rima: Laura does not own Shugo Chara! Or Forrest Gump. She only knows Arika, the damn blue-head girl.
Laura: Oh, and I'll say this here, and at the ending of the chapter. This story will seem happy-ish. Buuut. It's gonna get dark-ish...Well, in my standards. There'll be character death, for sure.
Flames.
Dancing specks of fire here and there, spreading slowly.
I was afraid, I think.
I wanted my Mom, I think.
I cried, I know I did, as they reached my bed.
I...was screaming as they first touched me...it was hot.
It hurt.
I just kept thinking it would stop.
And...it did.
When...when the fire had surrounded me, I felt...kinda woozy.
Then, it all...stopped.
The pain, everything.
I think...I think I died that night.
–
A pair of honey-coloured eyes snapped open. What had just happened? That dream...she was sure she had seen it before! Well, she thought, it's probable. She had always been one to have recurring nightmares.
But was it really a nightmare? It triggered a sort of feeling inside of Rima, one she had come to know very well over the course of the past nights. A hollowed out, lonely feeling. She didn't belong.
"Ha, Rima, stop scaring yourself," she muttered quietly, before hopping out of bed. "It's just a stupid dream, y'know?"
Well, even though those were the words she spoke, her heart was unsure. She still could feel an ache in her heart, telling her that she was only trying to convince herself.
–
I think...I think I died that night.
It was a small girl who had always said that line. In time, Rima had memorized what she said, and how the dream played out.
Wait, why was the stupid dream still occupying her thoughts, anyway? Stop it, she told herself. Just stop already, please! Got to focus on something else...anything...come on, Rima, you can do this...focus on...Amu!
She turned to the bright-eyes girl who sat beside her. "Hey, Amu," she whispered. "Where's Nagihiko today?"
NO! Why did I bring HIM up? Stupid Rima, stupid, stupid, stupid...
Amu turned around in sheer surprise. "Um...Rima? What are you talking about? He's right-"
"I'm right here, Rima-chan. Good morning." A warm voice spoke from behind her, as the boy sat down at his desk, flipping his hair. "Why were you talking about me, anyway?"
Rima felt a soft blush appear on her cheeks. "I...I wasn't, really...It was more like...I...I'M YOUR CLASSMATE, OF COURSE I WOULD WONDER WHERE YOU ARE! It's not like I was worried or anything..."
"Tsundere. Definitely tsundere behaviour." Wait. Who was...? Rima didn't know that voice.
She whipped around to see a small girl, even smaller than Rima, glaring up at her. The girl had bright amethyst eyes, and darker blue hair. "Are you, by any chance, in love with that girl?"
"Girl?" Rima blinked, looking at Amu. "Uh, she's my best friend, girl. She has enough boys going after-"
"NO, not THAT one, that one! The purple-headed one! The...uh..." The girl looked at a loss for words as she tried to describe "that girl".
Rima followed the direction of the amethyst eyes. "Oh, you mean Nagihiko? That's a boy, not a girl," she corrected. "...Although he likes cross-dressing."
Nagihiko snapped up his head. "Nagihiko + cross-dressing = Rima talking about me. What are you doing?" he asked.
Rima shrugged. "Oh, nothing, just this girl over here thinking you're a girl who I'm in- WAIT. Did you just think that I'm in love with...HIM?!"
The girl nodded, eyes sparkling. "My name's Arika Farrow! I'm your newest student! Pleased to meet ya!" she winked, sticking a hand out as she spoke. Rima, unsure what to do, slapped it away.
"I don't talk to strangers."
"What's your name?"
"Rima."
"Well, now we ain't strangers no more!" she recited in perfect English.
"Weru nao we ento sturaingarusu no moru?" Rima tilted her head, unable to speak English.
"Haha, sorry. I have a tendency to slip in and out of English. My bad..." she laughed nervously. "It's a line from my favourite movie, Forrest Gump, nya!"
Nagihiko and Amu exchanged a glance. What was with this girl? Rima, however, just stared. "Did you just say nya?" she asked coldly. "You're not a cat. Stop pretending to be. And what's with your last name? Farrow? That's not normal."
"It so is!" Arika defended, sticking her bottom lip out, her face forming a pout. "I was raised in Canada. I'm half-and-half. And I can't help it if I'm different. Nya is just so much fun to say!" She giggled childishly, before winking again.
She jabbed her hand out again. "Now, we shake hands. Come on, it's easy!"
With a sigh, Rima went forward to shake her hand.
Only, then it happened.
Rima's hand slipped through Arika's.
For a moment, Rima thought that she had imagined it. She took her hand back, and looked up at Arika in astonishment, meeting Arika's equally shocked stare.
What had just happened?!
--
Flames.
Dancing specks of fire here and there, spreading slowly.
I was afraid, I think.
I wanted my Mom, I think.
I cried, I know I did, as they reached my bed.
I...was screaming as they first touched me...it was hot.
It hurt.
I just kept thinking it would stop.
And...it did.
When...when the fire had surrounded me, I felt...kinda woozy.
Then, it all...stopped.
The pain, everything.
I think...I think I died that night.
A/N:
Laura: Well, that's it for today, kiddos. Yeah, there's something up with Arika. But there's something up with Rima, too. OH, just a warning. TO ALL THOSE WHO PREFER HAPPY ENDINGS: Stop reading this. Please. Or you will not be happy.
Rima: WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT HAPPENED?!
Arika: Uhh, your hand went through mine. DUUUUH!
Rima: -glares-
Arika: -shivers- Er...I'll be right back.
Laura: Anyway. For any people who read my other two stories, sorry, but they're on Hiatus. I don't know how long they'll be like that. Sorry. . I have tried to write for them, but with no avail.
Rima: Whaaaatever. Oh, and this chapter was short, yeah, Laura knows. They WILL get longer, though. Laura just ran out of time. You could count this as a sort of prologue, even. But it'll get longer. Trust Laura. I don't. But it's up to you.
Laura: Anyway, please review~ :D