Who doesn't love Rimahiko? In this story, all the charas are busy with Kiseki, so they aren't present. Please read and review!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
"You're in love," Amu Hinamori smirked at her friend. "Don't even try to deny it. You're in love, that's why."
"No! If I ever fall in love with him, I think I'll have a heart attack!" The petite blond glared at her friend in response, her curly hair shielding most of her face in a desperate attempt to hide her warm cheeks. "And you've been spending too much time with the cat. You're smirking."
That achieved Rima's goal: Amu's face flushed crimson and she began to stutter, "R-Rima! N-no I'm not! Don't compare me with that pervert!" Rima giggled softly before clamming up and sink into her previous sulking. "Rima," Amu recovered from her embarrassment and addressed her friend sitting in front of her, "you've been cordial to him ever since that Easter thing. Now you're acting nice to him. Your blush is more than enough evidence!"
Rima resumed her glare, and muttered something indistinguishable under her breath. "What?" Amu asked.
"I'm not nice to him. And I never will be. I don't blush either. If blushing means love, you must be madly infatuated with Tsukuyomi then," Rima put her façade back on, her voice flat and colorless. Amu's face turned tomato-colored again.
"N-not the point!" She tried to divert the subject, but no avail. Rima just turned the other way and continued to read a gag manga, hiding a smile. Amu breathed deeply and tried to confront the blond about the subject again, but was interrupted by a voice.
"Hi, Amu-chan, Mashiro-san," Tadase's face peeked in from the Royal Garden's entrance. "Here already?"
"Yes," Rima's voice gave no indication that anything happened before Tadase's arrival. "We had nothing to do beforehand, and Nikaido let us off early."
"Alright," Tadase entered the glass building, and put a big stack of papers on the table. "We have to get these all sorted out today. Where's Fujisaki-san and Yaya-chan?" The girls just shrugged and awkward silence hung in the air.
"Gomen!" The trio heard the voice of the Jack as the two missing Guardians rushed into the building, panting all the way to the table. Rima felt her cheeks warm up significantly. "We got held up by Nikaido-sensei after class."
"That's fine," Tadase brushed their late arrival aside. "We just have to…"
XXX
After the Guardian meeting…
"That's it for today," Tadase announced, much to everyone's immense relief. Yaya yawned. Rima stood up to leave but felt her phone vibrate in her bag, and reached in.
"I will be a bit late today, so just wait beside the gates with someone trustworthy, or a teacher. Do NOT go anywhere, or come home alone." The message was from Rima's mother. The Queen shut her phone with a sharp click, irritated. Not that she expected anything else from any of her parents – they were never the same since the kidnapping. But who could wait for Rima's mom with Rima afterschool? Nobody was in school five o'clock in the afternoon except from the Guardians and the teachers.
"Rima?" Amu inquired her friend, who was frozen in her current position. "Is there anything wrong?"
"My mom is late," the blond answered softly, trying to conceal her frustration behind another neutral response. "I need to wait for her beside the school gates with someone in school."
Amu looked away from Rima, answering her silent question awkwardly, "I'm sorry, Rima! I promised to babysit Ami tonight. My mom and dad are going out for dinner."
Rima nearly flinched, but stopped halfway. Lucky, she thought. My parents will never go out for dinner together again. "That's fine, Amu."
"I could wait with you, Rima-chan," Rima froze at the sound of his voice. "I'm free today. I would walk you home, but I don't think your mother would allow it."
"It's fine," Rima repeated in that same emotionless voice that contradicted her own roaring emotions. Despite her answer, she glowed when he offered his help. She was grateful that she had turned over before freezing, so he wouldn't see her blush. "I'll manage."
"I'll wait with you, Rima," his voice accompanied his touch as his hand seized Rima's wrist gently, sending chills onto her spine. His touch was warm and comforting – nothing like the iron vice-like grip of her parents. "Let's go." The two of them walked to the school gates in silence, and Rima was glad. She was probably blushed the whole way, but her hair shielded her expression from him, so he (hopefully) couldn't see her face. When they stopped before the street, he spoke, "Ne, Rima, do you hate me?"
Surprised by his sudden question, Rima hesitated. Hate him? No, she was past that phase a long time ago. She didn't even know what their relationship was like in the present. "No," Rima whispered. "I don't hate you. I'm past that, unless you try to steal Amu from me again."
She heard him chuckle. "I'm glad," he answered. "And you don't need to put that mask back on in front of me. I can see past that, you know? I can tell when you're lying." He walked in front of her, and turned to face Rima, slightly crouching so their faces were level. "What's the problem then?"
Rima tried to ignore his expression. But his chocolate eyes and indigo hair were mesmerizing, beauti- NO! She blushed again. They are NOT beautiful. Get a grip on yourself, Rima, her mind lectured her. But his hair – it looked really soft, and she envied him for that. A boy shouldn't have hair this nice. She really wanted to touch it...
"Rima?" Nagihiko asked, still waiting for her reply.
"Eh?" Rima jerked alert from her musings. "No, there's nothing wrong. What gives you the idea that anything was wrong?"
"Your face," he straightened up and laid a hand on her shoulder. "You looked troubled, but you were also blushing the whole time. So, what's the problem? Do you have a crush?"
Crap. He had seen her blush. Rima reacted violently to the last question. "No!" She screeched, her hands crossed in front of her chest, but Rima can feel the red creeping onto her face. Why does her acting skills go when she needed them? "I do NOT have a crush on anyone! Why you too?"
"It's quite obvious," Nagihiko raised an eyebrow at her defensive answer and teased. "You're in denial, huh?" Rima just turned away and ignored him. She did not have a crush. Not on anyone. Nope. At least not on this person in front of her, despite his extremely attracti- NO! She did not think that he was attractive in the least. No, definitely not.
But why does his touch affect you so? Her rational mind asked her, why do you care so much about him? Why do you blush every time you are close to him? Why – "Enough!" Rima cried, frustrated. "I do not have a crush!"
"Rima? Are you alright?" Nagihiko asked, concerned by her sudden outburst. Rima jumped. She didn't realize that she has spoken out loud.
"Nothing," she answered nonchalantly. "I'm fine. Why do you worry so much?" It's hard to hate you if you care so much, she added in her head.
"I worry because I care for you," he replied in a matter-of-factly tone, "and because you look upset over something that you are in denial with. The Nile isn't just a river, you know." He looked carefully at her reaction. Her face flushed red, like Amu's face when she's near Ikuto. Rima looked very upset.
"I am not in denial!" She protested, finally breaking her "Ice Queen" façade. Why are you so darn nice? "I just don't have a crush on anyone!"
"You care for this person, yes?" Nagihiko probed. She nodded uneasily, not sure where he was going. "You like being in this person's company, yes?" She hesitated at this, but nodded. "You like the way he makes you feel, yes?" She nodded again, scenes of being in close proximity with the boy in front of her replaying in her head again and again. "Last question: you are somehow close with this person, right?" Rima nodded again. "Then you do have a crush on this person! You're in denial, huh?"
Rima's frustration welled back up, "But I can't tell him. He'll hate me." She hated the way she felt now – fragile, helpless, desperate. She felt comforted, however, by the presence of the purple-head. Strange, huh? If it was Amu, Yaya, or Tadase, she wouldn't ever admit to having a crush.
"So who is it?" Rima's accomplice asked her, curious. "You don't have to tell me though, if it bothers you," he added hastily.
"I would rather not tell you," the blond answered emotionlessly, but her heart was pounding so fast and so hard, Rima was sure that he could hear it. Thank god he was dense when it came to romance.
"How 'bout this, I ask five yes-or-no questions about this person, and that's it. I won't probe anymore," Nagihiko's curiosity took over. Rima nodded, her eyes averted. What did I get myself into? "Is he in our school?" Nod. "Is he in our grade?" Nod. "Is he a member of your fanclub?" Rima shook her head. "Well that takes it down to about ten people," Nagihiko chuckled. "Hm, is he a Guardian?" Rima's eyes widened and she nodded her head a fraction of an inch, heart thumping. Nagihiko's eyes widened as well, and a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.
"Rima!" A black car stopped in front of the duo, shocking the two from their staring contest. A woman poked her head out. "We need to go, Rima."
"Bye," Rima whispered to Nagihiko. "Coming, Mama!" She scurried off and left the Jack standing there, alone on the sidewalk, wondering who, out of Tadase and himself, did Rima Masiro like.
Time skip to the evening…
Rima yawned and was ready to go to sleep when her phone buzzed. She grabbed it from her nightstand and stared, It was a text from Nagihiko. "Last question: does this person have blond hair?"
Rima froze. She had not forgotten about the afternoon, but she had hoped that he did. Her hands were numb as she tried to text back. Lie, or say the truth? He'll find out sooner or later, though. He was far too observant, and one of the only people that can see past her indifferent mask. "No," Rima texted out; her heart was pounding again. "Happy now?"
Meanwhile, in the Fujisaki mansion, a certain boy with indigo hair stared at his phone, shocked and speechless.