A birthday present she won't forget

Summary: Nagihiko didn't come to her birthday party. So why does she feel upset about that? Rimahiko, OC featured, fluff

Characters: Rima, Nagihiko, Nadeshiko (See notes below), Tadase, Amu, Hika-chan (OC), Yaya, Kukai, Kairi and charas

Before-Story-Note: Ok, don't flame me because I have said I will feature both Nagi and Nade, but I like both characters and, since I can do whatever I want in MY story, I am making them two separate people.

OK, LET'S START THE STORY

(-_-;)(o_O;)

Rima sat by the window and looked at her friends, waiting outside. They were talking about something, but she didn't know what. It was obviously a big secret, but Rima hated secrets, unless she was hearing them. She sighed and turned around to look at her house. Everywhere she looked, Rima could see balloons, streamers and the special sheets of A5 paper they had made in art the other day to hang up on the wall.

Rima's eyes landed on hers. She had used a multi-colour spray can and she smiled at the chaos. Then, her smile turned into a frown as she looked at the sheet on the other side of hers. Nagihiko had decided to use different cans, rather than be quick and use the multi can like Rima. His looked like a picture, even though it was crazy and chaotic like the others. But at the same time, it looked more organised than the others. Especially next to Rima's.

Rima turned her attention back to her friends, but sat up in confusion when she couldn't find them. Sighing, she stood up and wandered into the kitchen to get a drink. When she walked out, she nearly spilled her drink all over herself as everyone was now inside her living room. They had all jumped up with party poppers and shouted, "SURPRISE!" Rima just stared, until she started to laugh. "You know," she laughed, "it doesn't make sense to shout surprise when I planned the party as well".

Hika-chan walked forward and said, "Well, it was supposed to be a surprise party until Yaya spilled". At the last part, she glanced over at the fourth grader from the corner of her eye. Yaya started whining, "Yaya didn't mean it!" Rima started giggling. Hika-chan smiled. "So, we decided to surprise you anyway". Rima looked around her friends, smiling. They were all there. Amu, Tadase, Yaya, Hika-chan, Kukai, Kairi, Nadeshiko...

"Eh?" Rima looked around, expecting her most hated rival to just jump out and grab her, and say, "Happy Birthday, Rima-chan". But he wasn't there. She looked at Nadeshiko and asked, "Nadeshiko-san?" She smiled, Temari floating by her shoulder. "Nani?" "Where's your brother?" Nadeshiko blinked, as confused as Rima. The others started looking around as well, looking for the boy. Amu frowned. "He was outside with us, so, where could he have gone?"

Hika-chan looked out the window, looking up and down the street. "It's like he just vanished". Sincerity, Hika-chan's chara floated up and shouted, "Rhythm?" The little chara flew out of the kitchen, traces of chocolate cake around his mouth. "Yah?" The butterfly chara didn't answer him back, only turning to her person and saying, "Nagihiko is obviously around, since Rhythm's here". Hika-chan nodded. Turning to face everyone, she took a deep breath and shouted, "Ten hut!"

Everybody lined up like in the military. Hika-chan said, "Ok, people. Nagihiko is somewhere in this house or around this neighbourhood, and before we start the party, we are going to find him. Right?" "Right!" "Alright. Now then, me, Amu-chan, Tadase-kun and Nadeshiko-san will search the house. Kukai-kun, Yaya-chan, Kairi-kun and the charas will search the street. Now spread out!" Yaya, Kukai, Kairi and the charas ran and flew out the door as Tadase and Amu ran upstairs.

Hika-chan ran past Rima, who had stayed in the kitchen door frame, and out into the back garden. Rima looked down at her feet, feeling upset. She didn't know why. She didn't like Nagihiko. When she first met him, she was paranoid that Amu would stop being her friend once she had heard about Amu and Nadeshiko. Then she found out that Nagihiko had played as his sister while she was dancing in England. From then on, she had hated the cross-dresser with a passion.

So why was she feeling upset that he wasn't at her party? He was the one who had suggested the party. He was the one who had planned the party. And he was the one who had gotten Rima a special present, which Rima hadn't opened yet. She had agreed with everyone when she had found out not to open her presents until the party was in full swing. And with the way things were going, she'd never know what Nagihiko had gotten her.

She looked over to the tiny parcel. It was the same size as a ring box, but was slightly longer. 'Maybe a bracelet?' she thought. She went and picked it up, and noticed a corner of wrapping paper not taped down. The temptation. One half of her told her to open it, but the other half, which won the argument, told her to put it down and wait. Rima walked over to her window and rested her head on her arms, ignoring Amu running downstairs and looking in the under-the-stairs cupboard, the shout as Kiseki, Ran and Miki threw a fur coat on her.

Rima sighed as she saw Kukai ask her next door neighbour with Kairi, and Yaya look under her mother's car. Rima gave a small smile. For once, her parents weren't arguing and weren't worrying about her and were having fun together. They had walked to the train station and, last time they called, were having dinner at a restaurant they hadn't been to since Rima was almost kidnapped. Rima smile dropped. She sat up again and looked back over at hers and Nagihiko's pictures.

She felt tears well up. 'Nagihiko, baka. You planned this whole party and you're not even here'. Then, she realised with a shock that she was caring about Nagihiko. 'What is wrong with me? Why am I thinking about him?' She held her head in her hands as Tadase and Hika-chan passed by each other in the living room behind her, not even noticing the girl by the window. Once they were out of the room, Rima gasped as she realised something. Something that was always there.

"People in love sometimes tease each other...each other...each other" Yaya's words from a long time ago echoed around Rima's head. Nagihiko teased her, and sometimes, just to be smart and wipe the smirk off his face, she'd tease him. Rima smiled, her eyes sparkling. 'Oh my god...I love Nagihiko! I'm the baka for not realising! When we find him, I'm telling him the truth!' Rima turned around in the seat just in time to catch Hika-chan shuffle in and everyone else gather in the centre of the living room.

Rima smiled, then realised that nobody knew she had just committed herself to confess, so she frowned and said, in an emotionless voice that gave nothing away, "Did you find him?" The charas flew up in front of the girl and shook their heads. Rima's frown didn't look sad, but Kusukusu wanted her person to smile so she did the face, the other charas joining in. But Rima turned around in the seat, rested her head against her arms and looked out the window, tears coming to her eyes again.

Hika-chan stepped closer to the saddened girl and almost whispered, "Rima-chan..." Rima-chan sat up, whipped her eyes and turned. Hika-chan gave the girl a small smile and said, "Don't worry Rima-chan. Maybe Nagihiko plans to show up during the party. So, how about we get started?" Rima gave a small nod. Hika-chan's smile grew bigger. "Ok. Miki," she turned towards where Amu's chara floated, near the CD player, "music please".

The blue chara nodded, and gripped the dial in her small hands, turning it until it clicked, and the music blasted out, causing her to tumble through the air, only to be caught by her sisters, Ran, Su and Dia, holding a small square of cloth. The other charas flew up and smiled at her. Each chara flew to their person and floated above their shoulder as they danced. Rima stood and started dancing, although her thoughts were elsewhere.

'Why? Why isn't he here? Why didn't he come? Nagihiko...why are you so cruel?' her thoughts sounded like whispers, echoing around her head. She struggled to hear them over the music, but she heard them, bringing more tears to her eyes. Fortunately, nobody had seen, too busy dancing and talking. Rima gave a small smile to see everybody so happy. Her eyes fell on the banner, which hung above the kitchen door frame. Nagihiko had painted it himself.

It read: 'Happy Birthday, Rima-chan' and was surrounded by multicoloured hand prints by everyone else. Rima smiled again as she noticed the 'I's. The charas had put their hand prints close together above the 'I's, making the dot above them. Rima's dancing slowed down until she stopped completely. She sighed, looked down at the floor. She only looked back up again when she heard Amu shout, "Atashi wa no kokoro...UNLOCK!"

The crowd parted to reveal Amulet Clover holding two platters of food, one dotted with little cocktail sausages with cocktail sticks sticking out of them, the other, covered with lemon squares. She winked at everyone and said, in a cute voice rarely known to Amu, "Minna, the food is now served". A little ghost Su appeared, floating above Amu's shoulder and smiled, giggling, "Hurry and get them while they're hot, desu". Amu placed the platters on the already set table and lifted the cling film off the snacks.

Amu's other three charas were lifting the rest of the platter covers off the platters, the hungry Kukai and Yaya lunging for them as soon as it was uncovered. Daichi and Pepe floated behind their people and sweatdropped at their behaviour, shared a look, shrugged, then followed their example. Kairi and Musashi waited in the 'line', chatting with Nadeshiko as they stood behind the duo that was devouring the food.

Rima walked up to the end of the line and picked up a paper plate. By the time she had made it in front of the food platters, Yaya and Kukai had piled most of the food onto their plates and Kairi and Nadeshiko had taken the rest. All that was left was a small lemon square, three pathetic sausages, a chicken drumstick that had gone cold and a riceless riceball. Rima looked at what was left while Amu came up to the table, still as Amulet Clover and said, "I'm sorry, Rima. If you can wait, I've got more cooking. Make sure you get it before Yaya and Kukai" she giggled.

Rima nodded as Amu walked away. She sighed, and took her plate with her as she walked back over to the window. She looked out the window and watched a couple walk past, the man holding a purple leash, a Dalmatian pulling the couple along. Rima blinked, then blinked again, shaking her head as the man and woman became her and Nagihiko. She turned around in the seat, blushing. Nobody noticed. She snuck a look over her shoulder and sighed in relief when she saw the couple no longer looked the way it did.

Rima walked back over to the snack table and picked up what was there, not really expecting it to fill her up. She went back to her seat and nibbled at the meagre pile. She looked on in boredom, not even registering who was doing what. She sat up even straighter, a sparkle in her eye, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth when she heard a very familiar voice shout from the kitchen, "Sorry I'm late, minna-san!"

Rima jumped up, surprising everyone and she ran towards Nagihiko as he walked into the living room. With an "Oof", he fell to the ground with Rima onto. She looked at him and said, "That's for being late to my party, baka". Then everybody realised. Rima tackled him, and besides, that was a smirk, not a smile. But Rima knew the truth. She had lunged at him because she wanted him to take a hint, and, so as to keep it a secret, she had disguised her smile. But, knowing Nagihiko, he'd see through it. And if he did, he didn't acknowledge it.

Rima grabbed his arm as Nagihiko stood up and pulled him into the room with such force that nobody would guess she was lovestruck. Rhythm flew up to Nagihiko and said, "You're late, Nagi". Nagihiko smiled. "I know".

(-_-;)(o_O;)

Rima opened Amu's present and gasped as she pulled out a Bala-Balance figurine. Turning to Amu, she almost screamed, "Arigatou, Amu!" Amu merely shrugged, a huge smile on her face. Rima stood up and placed the figurine in the centre of the coffee table. So far, she'd opened everybody's presents except Nagihiko's. Once she'd opened a present, she'd place it somewhere in the room. Both she and Kusukusu, without words, agreed that the figurine fit on the coffee table since they both sat there to watch their favourite comedies.

Rima picked up the box that was Nagihiko's present. She glanced at Kusukusu and they both smiled. She looked down at the box and carefully and slowly began to pull the paper off the box. 'It's a bracelet! Wait, Rima. Don't jump to conclusions. It could be something else. Like...a necklace or a crystal figurine. Rima, get some sense in ya. If it's a figurine, then it's a pretty darn small one. But, Nagihiko's rich, so it'd be a small, expensive figurine. Now then, I open this, then I confess' she thought, as she pulled away the last strip to reveal a purple velvet box.

She opened it, and was about to thank Nagihiko, when she saw what was in the box. It wasn't a bracelet, and it wasn't a necklace. It was something, but it wasn't made of crystal or silver, so it wasn't a figurine. It was a sprig of mistletoe. It was fresh, as Rima could still smell roses on it. Rima knew that Nagihiko grew mistletoe and that the tree's low hanging branches hung close over his rose bush. But why get her a sprig of mistletoe?

Rima looked up at him, sitting across from her. She pouted. "What" she lifted the mistletoe out of the box, "is this?" He smiled. "It's mistletoe" he said. He took it off the girl as she moaned, "But it isn't even Christmas". He held above their heads and said, "But, it's still tradition". Everybody, who had stayed silent while Rima had opened the present, gasped as they realised what Nagihiko was planning. Rima gave a small smile.

Hika-chan came out of the kitchen carrying a small white box. She bent down and whispered to the boy, "This what you wanted?" He looked in the box and smiled. "Yep. Arigatou Hika-chan". Hika-chan nodded and took a handful of something out of the box then passed it to Amu, who did the same. Soon, everyone had taken something out of the box, and Hika-chan had placed it out of Rima's reach, so she couldn't see what was in it.

Nagihiko smiled. "Well, Rima-chan?" Rima's smile grew larger. They both leaned forward, and, just as their lips touched, the circle around them threw up their handfuls of confetti. When they separated, they stayed close together, their foreheads touching, as Nagihiko whispered, for Rima's ears only, "Happy Birthday, Rima-chan". She smiled. "Arigatou, Nagi".

(-_-;)(o_O;)

Alright then, I am dedicating this story to Amutolover1, who is looking out for more Rimahikoness. Who you like it Al1! But, this story is also for everyone so...ENJOY, MINNA-SAN!

WAIT!

BTW, Yaya's words is a reference to RimaxNagi's story, I Don't Think This is What Lovesick Means. And the Bala-Balance figurine is a reference to Episode 18 of Doki!

Now you may enjoy! :)