I have to admit, I have been looking forward to updating this story. I have such good ideas! I own nothing, and please enjoy.

The moon was high in the sky. It was late at night. The window was cracked open a tiny bit, enough for him to sneak inside. He walked beside the bed; watching the girl breathe slowly, but remain unconscious. He wanted nothing more than for her to wake up. It would make everything so much easier, all of the things he wanted to say to be heard. However, with her eyes slammed shut, waking up did not seem like a likely option. He watched her for a minute, sighing. He wanted to stay by her side forever, hold her in his arms. However, life was not that kind, as he only had a few hours left. There was so much he wanted to tell her, yet she would hear none of it. He put his hand in her blonde hair, wrapping it around his fingers. She didn't budge in the slightest. Tears danced down his face, as he put his other hand over hers.

"I love you so much. I always will." He whispered, his voice trembling. "No matter what happens, I will always remember you, and I will never cease to love you." His sobs were preventing him from speaking. He knew he had to leave. Sighing, he let go of her hand and removed his other hand off of her hair. He jotted a quick note, and left her a little gift. He gave her one long glance, before retreating out of the window.


As Rima's eyes slowly opened, she found herself in a white room. She was lying in a bed, surrounded by a lot of furniture, all of it white.

"She is awake." A male voice announced. Rima had not realized anyone else was in the room. He wore a nurse's uniform, making Rima realize she was in the hospital.

"W-Where am I?" Rima wondered, despite knowing the answer. Her voice was groggy, as if she had just woken up from a deep sleep.

"The hospital." The nurse replied. Rima sighed. Again? The last time she was in the hospital, she had gotten amnesia. However, she knew everything now, including the reason she was in the hospital. Rima gasped.

"M-My father! He…" Rima's voice shook.

"Your father is in jail." Another nurse informed Rima. "The abuse was caught on tape, so evidence was piled up against your father. He is sentenced for jail for ten years." Rima nodded. Basically, her father was in jail and her mother was dead. Rima's life really was great. Rima didn't know what to say.

"Oh." Rima sighed. There was a knock at the door. Both nurses looked up.

"It seems you have a visitor." Rima looked up eagerly. Who would visit her? Rima knew her parents would obviously not visit her. Rima was not surprised when she saw a familiar pinkette walk into the room.

"She's awake?" Amu wondered, surprised.

"She just woke up a few minutes ago." The first nurse announced. "We'll leave you two to privacy." The two nurses left the room. Rima stared at Amu for a minute.

"Rima…" Amu whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know…" Rima admitted. "Physically, I'm fine, but I don't know if I can handle anything else. My shoulders sure have a lot of weight on them." Amu didn't crack a smile, and in fact, gave Rima an even sadder face. "That was supposed to be funny Amu."

"You just woke up?" Amu wondered. Rima nodded. Amu looked at the ground, sighing a little bit.

"How long was I out for?" Rima wondered.

"A little more than a week. You had a concussion, the doctors said." Amu explained. "However, I'm glad to see you awake."

"Sorry to keep worrying you Amu." Rima muttered with a sad smile. "I'll try to stop ending up in the hospital and running away." Again, Amu didn't crack a smile at Rima's dark humor. Amu looked at her, with hurt eyes. "Amu, is there something you're trying to tell me?"

"N-No." Amu whispered, not hiding a lie very well.

"Amu. What happened while I was unconscious?" Rima wondered. Tears ran down Amu's face, as she slowly lifted her finger and pointed. Rima followed her finger, and noticed a scarf.

"A scarf?" Rima wondered, puzzled. Amu didn't say anything. Rima gradually moved from her bed, and made her way to the scarf. She felt stiff, since she had not moved in over a week. She picked up the scarf, holding it in her hands. It was red with yellow thread sticking out of it. It was plain, but it was beautiful Rima noticed a note attached. She picked up the note, and read it.

See you soon. ~NF.

"N-No…" Rima whimpered, clutching the scarf in her hands. Tears fell down her cheeks. She should have known. He said he was leaving in a week. It was very evident to Rima who NF was. She had missed him say his final goodbyes. The last thing he said spoken to her was him sharing his suspicions of her sudden departure from the Royal Garden. Rima had not even imagined that being the last time she saw him. Well, not the very last time, but he was moving away, and would be visiting extremely inconsistently.

"I'm sorry…" Amu whispered. "He just told the rest of us three days ago, the day before he left. He did say goodbye to you, if it makes you feel better." It didn't make her feel any better. She knew he would say goodbye to her. She just wished she had been awake. She went back over to her bed, and sighed, sitting down. She wrapped her arms around her legs.

"It was inevitable." Rima muttered. "Maybe it's better I was out for it. Seeing him again might have just hurt more." However, Rima didn't believe any of that. She knew she would have wanted him to say something more. The scarf lay on her lap.

"Rima, you know, if you ever need to talk, you can always talk to me or Tadase or Yaya or anyone else." Amu tried to reassure. Rima simply nodded.

"Yeah." That was the only response Rima could say. She was heartbroken. She tried her best not to cry, but she couldn't help herself. Amu put a comforting arm around her friend. The nurses walked back into the room.

"Just before you woke up, we took an X-Ray scan. It seems you have no broken bones but a few bruised areas on your face." Rima nodded slowly. "You also fell on your leg as he hit you, so you may have a slight limp."

"Is she ready to go?" Amu wondered persistently.

"Mashiro Rima may leave the hospital." The nurse announced. Amu helped Rima out of bed, as they slowly left the hospital. Rima was still wearing her hospital gown.

"Amu, where am I going to go?" Rima asked.

"My house. My parents said you can stay there as long as you want." Amu told Rima. It surprised Rima how planned Amu was.

"I need clothes though… I'm going to stop at my house. No one will be there; my mother is dead and my father is in jail."

"I'll come." Amu offered.

"No, it's okay. I want to be alone for a bit. I'll meet you back at your place." Rima hurried off. It must have looked strange, seeing a blonde girl in a hospital gown in public. Rima was slightly flustered.

When Rima arrived at her house, she opened the door with a key that she managed to still have in her pocket. The house was empty, as expected. She went to her room, and began packing a suitcase she found in her closet. She packed everything, since she had no reason to ever return, and changed into a long sleeved green shirt with jeans. She dragged her suitcase, and started to leave her house. Tears ran down her face. It would be the last time she was ever here, probably. She would be leaving everything she had in her family behind. What did she need from them anyway? She knew it would be a relief. It still didn't eliminate the pain of Rima's mother being dead.

Don't just stand there. Move on with your life.

Rima turned around rapidly. Who said that? The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it. Frantically, Rima looked around, but she didn't see anyone.

You cannot see me. I am inside of you.

"I guess my problems really got the best of me…I'm hearing things." Rima muttered out loud, sighing. She started walking towards Amu's house.

You are not imagining me.

"Oh really? So, you're real, a voice inside my head?" Rima wondered. Some people gave her weird stares.

Precisely.

Rima rolled her eyes. She finally arrived at Amu's house.

Rima, I am more than just a voice in your head. I will be in a visible form soon.

Soon. Rima hated that word. That was the last word Nagihiko included in his short note, and now this voice in her head. Why did everything have to be soon, and not now?

Sighing, Rima knocked on Amu's door. The voice in Rima's head went silent. She waited for Amu to open the door. Amu greeted her with a smile, leading her inside and to Amu's room.

"Did you get what you needed in that suitcase?" Amu asked.

"Yeah…" Rima replied.

"Great!" Amu smiled. She seemed more upbeat than she was at the hospital. How could Amu be so happy, when one of her best friends just left and wouldn't be back for months? "You know, the sleepover I had with you last time was my second sleepover ever. This will be my third."

"Who was your first?" Rima wondered.

"Nadeshiko." Amu replied, not helping Rima's mood. "Well, I know the secret now, but that was before I knew. It was fun! I danced with Nadeshiko…Heh, she was so much better than me."

"Amu, why does he devote himself to dancing?" Rima wondered. "Why does he try so hard to be the best dancer, when he has to make so many sacrifices…like us?"

"I don't know…" Amu admitted. "I don't think it's his fault though. I know his mother has a huge impact."

"I wish he actually told us more about him. He always was very secretive. Ugh…Why did he leave Amu? Why…" Tears ran down Rima's face. "I wish I still hated him. I wish I could stay in front of him and be mean. I wish…I wasn't in love with him…" Amu only watched as Rima started to sob. There was nothing Amu could do to comfort her. Rima curled into a ball.

You will encounter Nagihiko shortly.

"Who the hell are you?!" Rima shrieked angrily. Amu looked up, confused.

Relax. You just need to relax.

"Relax?! How dare you tell me to relax! My mother died, my father hit me and ended up in jail, my best friend is gone, and my boyfriend is in another country! I think I have a right not to relax!" Rima screamed.

"Rima…who are you talking to?" Amu wondered.

That's where you are wrong, Rima. You have not lost everything you think you did.

"Then what do I have?" Rima wondered angrily.

Me.

"I don't even know who or what you are!" Rima whined.

Oh yes you do. Deep in your heart, you know exactly what I am. I can read it.

Rima was getting annoyed now. The voice was pissing her off immensely. She didn't even bother to address Amu's confusion.

Alright, I will tell you. By the way, you and Nagihiko make an adorable couple. It was sweet watching you two.

Blushing slightly, Rima watched as a small egg appeared floating in front of her face. Rima knew that egg. She would always know that egg. A crack formed in it, as it opened up, revealing one thing Rima had thought she would never see again.

"Hello Rima! Long time no see, hm?" A huge smile formed on Rima's face.

"...Kusu-Kusu?!"

Two days ago

Regret. That was the one emotion that filled Nagihiko's mind, as he frantically threw clothes, pictures, and other materials into a suitcase. He regretted everything. He wished he had gotten closer to the guardians, and trusted them with his secrets a lot sooner. Most of all, he regretted leaving. He did not want to leave. There were very few things less in the world he wanted to do. Both of his charas watched in despair as Nagihiko packed his suitcase. Hot tears escaped his eyes.

"What if I…simply didn't leave?" Nagihiko wondered.

"Your mother would be furious." Temari informed Nagihiko. "You have to go Nagi; dancing is your passion. You have to make sacrifices to achieve what you love."

"But…I love my friends." Nagihiko murmured. He held a picture in his hand of the original guardians; the one Rima had noticed when she slept over. "Temari, I do love to dance, but can't it just be a hobby, something I do casually? I don't want to go to a dancing school…"

"Then don't go!" Rhythm suggested. Nagihiko looked at the ground. He put the picture in his suitcase, and zipped it up. He dragged the suitcase out of his room, and walked towards his mother.

"Are you ready to go?" Nagihiko's mother wondered. Baaya was standing there as well. Nagihiko couldn't look at either of them. He always said yes, every time they went to Europe. Every time, he willingly said yes, agreeing with a limited second thought. However, things were different.

"No." Nagihiko muttered. His mother stared at him, astonished.

"What do you mean? Your suitcase is all set up and…"

"Mother, I have no interest in leaving. I want to stay here." Each time Nagihiko spoke, he felt even more nervous. He took a deep breath. "I do not want to pursue dancing. I have no interest in it, and staying here is much more essential to me." Neither his mother nor Baaya said anything for a while. Nagihiko tried to keep a stoic face.

"Very well then. Leave." Nagihiko looked up at his mother, stunned.

"Wait, mother…"

"I said, leave."

"Natsumi, are you being rational?" Baaya wondered.

"Fujisaki Nagihiko, get out of this house immediately." Nagihiko gripped the handle of his suitcase, and exited his house, unsure of what just happened.

Woohoo, cliffhangers on both characters! I'm just giving a heads up that the next chapter or the one after will be the final chapter. I've been having new ideas, and I need to publish them! Anyway, please review/favorite/alert for a quicker update!