Back again! Sorry it's been taking me so long to update, I've been busy with schoolwork and crap like that… Lame excuse, I know, and I'm sure you guys don't want to hear it. So, on to the chapter!

Never had I felt so alone at school before. Though there were lots of people I knew, everyone felt like a stranger. I felt oddly scared, as if they could hurt me. I'd never before realized the effect Rima had had on me. And now that she was gone, I felt empty and alone. I walked numbly down the familiar halls that seemed foreign, the hordes of chattering teens around me blurring together into a colourful mess. When I finally stumbled into my first period classroom and fell into my seat, I was already wishing the day was over. Ignoring the teacher, I put my head on my desk and prayed that the time would pass quickly. I needed to talk to Kukai, soon. The next thing I knew, I was the only one in the room, save for the teacher. He looked over at me disapprovingly. I bowed hastily and ran out, blushing faintly. Shit, I was late to my next class, the only class that I shared with Kukai. Not paying attention to where I was going, I hit something and almost fell.

"Oh, sorry. I wasn't looking- oh, hello, Amu."

The pink-haired girl glared up at me from her position on the floor. I felt a momentary flash of joy that I had knocked her over, but it faded when she stood up and bared her teeth at me.

"Where's my phone?"

I almost tensed up, but my acting skills kicked in instantly. If I hadn't had as much practice acting as I had, I probably would've been caught. Carefully keeping my eyes and hands from straying to my bag, where her phone was, I replied with a blank, innocent expression.

"How the hell should I know what you did with your phone? You're responsible for it, not me."

Her guarded expression fell for a moment, showing confusion. She covered it up again, digging in her own bag. She pulled out another phone triumphantly, a victorious smirk on her face.

"I think you have it. It's on vibrate, so if I text it with Saaya's phone, it'll give away the fact that you stole my phone."

Oh shit, I thought, I'm screwed. She's going to see it vibrating in my bag. I have to get out of the situation…

She began typing something on the phone. Beads of sweat erupted from my hairline. I scoffed and pretended to not care. My heart pounded hard in my chest. She finished typing, I was going to be caught-

"Oh, there you are, Utau! I was wondering where you were, since you weren't in class."

Both Amu's and my eyes snapped to the speaker, and I almost exhaled in relief. There, at the end of the hallway, stood Kukai. He waved cheerfully, his eyes flickering between the two of us.

"Oh, right. Class. I just got a bit caught up in my conversation with Amu. See you around, Hinamori."

I turned my back on her, walking towards Kukai. When I arrived, he grabbed my elbow and pulled me down another hallway.

"What's going on? You're never late to class. I told the teacher I was going to the bathroom. What did Hinamori say?"

I explained what had passed between the two of us as quickly as I could, not leaving anything out. He looked angry and confused.

"Why would you have her phone?"

"I do have her phone. Ikuto took it so that I could check her texts."

His eyes widened, even more confused. His grip on my arm tightened causing me to flinch slightly.

"You stole her phone? Why, Utau? What the hell is going on with you two? And where is Rima?"

I gulped, knowing that he would notice eventually. In school, we were practically attached at the hip. It was unusual to see us apart. We'd even been called twins before, because of our closeness.

"We should probably be getting back to class. The teacher will think something's wrong with you for being in the bathroom for so long."

Kukai shook his head fiercely, looking beyond pissed. I felt bad about stalling, but something was telling me not to tell him right now. I didn't know what the feeling was, but I trusted my instincts.

"Why won't you tell me now?"

"I feel like something's not right. Almost as if we're being watched."

He glanced around quickly, looking for anyone. The corridor was empty, but I still felt slightly unsafe. He sighed in frustration and released my arm.

"Fine. Let's get to class."

I followed him a bit shamefully. I felt bad about not explaining the situation, but something really felt off. As we passed an empty hall, I thought I caught a glimpse of pink hair ducking behind something, but when I blinked it was gone. When we finally arrived at the class, we took our seats, avoiding the glare of the teacher. I pretended to pay attention as I doodled aimlessly in my notebook. Suddenly, a whisper from the back of the room caught my attention.

"… Heard that she's in the hospital, with AIDS."

I strained to hear more of the conversation.

"Yeah, I noticed that she wasn't with that blonde today. Amu told me that she saw them in the hospital yesterday."

My blood boiled. Suddenly, something landed on my desk, breaking my concentration. I stared at the wad of paper that had landed in front of me. I flattened it out, indentifying the messy handwriting. It belonged to Kukai.

Are they talking about Rima?

I quickly scribbled a reply and tossed it back to him.

Yes, but that's not the truth. I'll explain at lunch, I swear.

He nodded and went back to gazing longingly out the window at the soccer field. I tried to focus back on the conversation the two girls in the back had started, but I couldn't make out what they were saying anymore. Finally, the class ended. Kukai waited for me, helping me pack up the books I had been pretending to look at. I gave him a grateful look. The day had been absolutely terrible so far, but with Kukai by my side, it was looking better. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as I'd thought it would be…

I really suck at ending the chapters, don't I? I find it quite awkward. Sorry. Anyway, I think this chapter was longer… Maybe? Whatever.

Thank you to Starry-eyed Starfish, Kutau forever, and Heart-Shaped Quill for the reviews. See you next chapter!

~Rainy