Title: White Candle
While taking a left turn into the entrance, Rima glanced passed the komainu statues and searched for the other guardians. Almost instantly, she saw Amu and Yaya just outside the offering hall, waving at her. Rima smiled at them and quickened her pace . The pinkette had actually planned to visit the shrine since it was the new year, inviting Rima and Yaya along.
After bowing deeply at the offering hall, the girls clapped their hands twice, followed by a short prayer.
'I hope this year would pass by well,' Amu closed her eyes and prayed in her mind. When she was praying halfway, images of Tadase and Ikuto appeared in her thoughts. W-Why am I thinking about them at this time? Amu placed both hands on her head and blushed slightly. The truth was, she actually hoped that her love would blossom this year too.
'Yaya wants to be more cuter this year, as well as having more sweets.' The two-tailed orange haired girl prayed, grinning when she imagined lollipops and cakes falling from the sky.
'I hope to continue enjoy my time together with my friends, and also seeing them laughing everyday.' The petite girl prayed, smiling a little. Almost instantly, an image of Nagihiko smirking at her appeared on her mind. Rima flustered and shook her head rapidly to shove it off.
Hmph! Who would care for that crossdresser...Rima thought.
'I heard that the performance over there is worthwhile.' A female visitor spoke, grabbing onto a child.
'Really? Then let's take a look.' Another lady responded, strolling towards the area.
'Sounds interesting! Let's go too!' Yaya beamed, heading to the location.
Standing behind a huge crowd, Amu gazed at the performer and could not believe who she saw.
'E-Eh? Nadeshiko? I didn't know that she would be holding a dance here!' She exclaimed, feeling a mixture of confusion and joy. It had been a long time since they met, and she wanted to talk about a lot of stuff with her.
'Nadeshiko is so gorgeous in that kimono!' Yaya thrilled. Watching their reactions made Rima sweatdropped. I wonder how they would react if they know about Nagihiko's identity...She thought, chuckling inwardly. However, she must admit that she is amazed by the dance. The graceful steps ''she'' took while stretching out a paper fan with one hand, and the calm expression which showed ''her'' elegance.
After a few minutes, Rima left the area without telling Yaya or Amu. Being curious about the shrine, the yellow haired girl decided to explore around for the time being.
Just when she was walking aimlessly and looking at the holy statues, Rima spotted something that caught her attention. She headed towards it to have a better view. Once in sight, Rima felt the heat emitted from the flames as they danced on the white candles. Several girls around her age were holding one of the candles, carefully carved their names and the lovers' names onto it.
Suddenly, an image of Nagihiko appeared in her mind again as she tried her best to push it aside.
This is foolish, Rima thought, convincing herself that she would not fall for someone like him. She was about to leave when she felt her hand holding onto a object. A white candle. Gasping slightly, Rima did not realised that she took one unconciously. She frowned and tried to put it back but was unable to.
Fine then...hmph! Rima began carving her name onto it with a grim expression, which gradually changed into an angelic smile. It seemed that she was enjoying it afterall, avoiding flaws in the process. Once she had finished, Rima stared at it and felt satisfied. She brought it near a flame to light it, before placing the candle together with the rest.
Somehow, she felt that her candle was the most attractive as compared to the other candles. When Rima noticed the time, she quickly left and went back to where Amu and Yaya were, not wanting them to be worried. On her way, the petite girl assured herself that the carvings previously was because she felt like it, not because of him.
Behind a preparation room, a certain long blue haired boy spotted Rima rushing out of the hall and got curious. He decided to have a look inside since he had some spare time left. As he strolled along the corridor, he saw many similar candles being lined onto a long wooden plating. However, there was a candle at the edge that caught his attention. Recognising the handwriting with a glance, Nagihiko smirked.
Meanwhile, Amu and Yaya were prepared to leave when they realised that Rima was missing.
'Nngk...she must have gone to a candy store without telling us!' The two-tailed orange haired girl pouted.
'...I don't think so...' The pinkette sweatdropped. It was not long until they heard footsteps behind.
'Sorry, I wondered off to explore and forgot about the time.' Rima told, half panting.
'Explore the candy store?' Yaya asked. Refusing to tell the truth, Rima could only nod her head and reluctantly said that she ate candy.
'Eh?' Amu sweatdropped again. Is there even a candy store at a shrine? She thought. Then, an idea struck her.
'Since the performance is over, Nadeshiko would be at the backstage right?'
'Oh! Let's visit her!' Yaya squealed, punching her fist in the air.
'Searching for Nadeshiko? Erm...w-well,' The female manager stuttered, unsure of what to respond. Surely she can't say that Nadeshiko is a guy, right? Although the manager wanted to turn them down, however, knowing that the girls are his friends, she had to bear with the situation and think of something to answer.
Staring at the lady, Rima knew that she was panicking. The yellow haired girl could not help but felt amused by the tense situation, curious on how the manager would handle it.
'If you are looking for Nadeshiko,' A familiar voice spoke which startled everyone,' she had left for the airport since she had a busy schedule.' Nagihiko told while leaning against a door.
'Nagihiko...hmm, that's too bad.' Amu said, feeling disappointed.
'But she was glad that you watched her performance.' He added, hoping that it would at least lift her spirits. Indeed, he saw them when he was dancing. The female manager was relieved that he came back in the nick of time, walking out of the room to leave the matter to him. Yaya simply smiled while Rima gave an expression of I-don't-care look, despite feeling a little happy to meet him.
'We are going off soon, want to join us?' Amu asked.
'No thanks, I still got things to attend.' He sighed, forcing a smile.
Yaya and Amu turned the door knob and opened the door, walking out from the backstage after waving. Rima followed behind, but got held by Nagihiko. He whispered something in her ears before letting her go.
'Rima chan, you can be really cute at times.'
Her yellow eyes widened as her intuition told her that he might have seen ''it''.
'Baka.' Getting flustered, Rima instantly rushed out to catch up with Amu and Yaya.
Ayano: Thanks for reading! I hope you had fun reading as much as I had fun writing! Reviews are welcomed.