AN: Hey again! I know, I've been writing three Rimahiko fics in a row, but hey, they're cute. There are so many cliché "knight in shining armor" plots in Amuto and Rimahiko fics, but none of them stand alone. I love that idea, even though I know it's overused. So this is my take on that situation. – HG519
Warning: Two swear words and very, very minor violence.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize.
Nagihiko slunk down the nearly-empty street, silent and unobserved by the petite blond walking ten meters before him. He was wearing a dark hoodie and casual attire, but very common and not attention-seeking – exactly what he wanted. He had a face mask on, covering his mouth and nose, to keep his identity secure.
"KusuKusu, I told you, there's no one there!" Rima reprimanded her tiny chara, who was floating beside her bearer. "You must have been mistaken."
"But Rima…" KusuKusu seemed to wilt. Nagihiko groaned inwardly. Now that clown is going to get him busted! Nagihiko had decided to stalk his girlfriend when she suddenly decided to venture out to the mall eight blocks away from their shared apartment with no satisfactory explanation, in the evening. He had brought Rhythm along, just in case. Now he regretted that decision – if Rima found out, she would probably lock him out of the house, force him to sleep on the couch, or even worse, break up with him.
"Fine!" Rima gave in and stopped her footsteps. Nagihiko ducked into a random alley just in time, heart pounding from the near miss. "I told you, KusuKusu! Just forget it." Nagihiko walked out gingerly after he heard the soft sound of Rima's shoes clicking on the sidewalk.
"Nagi," Rhythm started, "are you sure this is the right way? I mean, she's not in any danger…"
"Quiet, Rhythm!" Nagihiko hissed, voice barely audible. "And I thought you were the impulsive one? She's a stunning, tiny, and solitary fifteen-year-old girl! Do you think she'll be fine walking sixteen blocks alone, nine-thirty in the evening?"
His chara grumbled, but found no argument. They were like this for a while, and when Rima arrived at the busy mall, Nagihiko sighed in relief. "Are you still going to follow her into the mall?" Rhythm asked. "I think you should just go home. She'll be fine."
"No," Nagihiko persisted. "I'm going to wait 'till she comes out."
"That might take hours!" Rhythm floated around Nagihiko's head in circles, impatient at his bearer. Nagihiko's answer remained unchanged.
He had no idea how long he had been waiting in the shadows for Rima to come out. He did know that it was well past eleven when she did, carrying heaps of grocery bags and struggling to walk upright. His gentlemanly instincts told him to rush out and help her with the bags, but his willpower triumphed. He watched, guilty as hell, as his girlfriend wobbled out of the quieting mall, and followed her footsteps.
The streets were silent and foreboding, but Rima's pace was steady as she made her way back to the apartment, with Nagihiko following. All was peaceful until a burly man stumbled out of an alley, unsteady and reeking of alcohol. Nagihiko cursed quietly. It was this exact situation that he had been afraid of. He has fought his fair share of drunk men "lusting" after him when he cross-dressed as Nadeshiko, but he had hoped that Rima would be able to make it home safe.
"Hey babe," the man tried to flirt with Rima, who was edging away warily. His words were slurred and his eyes were unfocused. Nagihiko growled when he saw the general direction the man's gaze was concentrated on. "Ye Wanna come to my house now? Got some real good whiskey some'ere, 'eh?"
Rima ignored his and her walk quickened into an unsteady trot, as she struggled with the shopping bags. Nagihiko could tell that her arms were sore, and her hands probably hurt from the bags' handles. KusuKusu was oddly silent the whole way.
"Chara change," Ngaihiko whispered to his chara, not taking his eyes off the offending man by the alley. Bright blue headphones popped into existence, circled around Nagihiko's neck. He quickly tucked his signature device into his hoodie to conceal it.
But he couldn't walk out, not yet. He hoped that the drunk would just leave his Rima alone, and she would walk away unscathed. Unfortunately, his hopes were in vain. The man lunged towards the small girl, and she attempted to dodge. She failed. Pinned down by the sheer weight of the man, Rima struggled, screamed, and writhed to throw him off, but she was too small.
Nagihiko felt the monster in him explode in fury, sort of like when he changed with Temari, but a hundred times more. He sprinted and closed the distance between him and the drunk, then threw the man off of Rima. The man fell back onto the ground, and Nagihiko held him up by the collar. Ah, the joys of having an energetic and athletic chara!
"You dare," the normally amiable boy threatened him quietly, so Rima wouldn't hear him, "to touch her, and I will murder you, cut you open with a naginata, and feed your organs to a dog. Fuck off."
The man didn't need to hear it twice. Jerked out of his stupor, he dashed back to the alley and didn't reappear. "Are you okay?" he turned and asked Rima, who was picking herself up from the ground. He lowered his voice by a couple notes just to avoid recognition. She nodded mutely, and whispered a soft "thank you". Picking the shopping bags back up, she turned back to the path in front of her and started off.
"Told you," Nagihiko said to his chara, happy he got the event right, but furious that it even happened. Rhythm and the bearer were both silent on the way back. When they approached the front door, only two minutes after Rima, they both agreed to not use the entrance. After chara-changing again, Nagihiko successfully entered his bedroom through the balcony. It was the reason why he chose to occupy the room when they chose the apartment, after all. Though Tsukuyomi Ikuto should be credited for that idea.
"Nagi?" Rima wandered into his room not a second after he changed out of his outfit into his normal sportswear.
"Yes, Rima?" He answered calmly, hoping that his lying abilities would not abandon him.
"I nearly got attacked on the way back."
"Holy crap!" Nagihiko tried to pretend like he was surprised and Rima believed it, if her eyes and expression were any indication. "Are you okay? I know you shouldn't have gone alone!"
"I'm fine," she replied quietly. "A person – a boy – came and saved me."
"Who?" Nagihiko thought he sounded truly curious, but who knows. "I'll have to thank him."
"I don't know," Rima confessed, but her piercing gaze into his eyes made him fidget and look away. What if she knew it was me? Nagihiko shuddered inwardly. "But I don't think it matters. Say, Nagi, why is there is face mask, a hoodie, and dark jeans on your bed? Hm?"
End.