He had hoped staying still would make him invisible to the scary little blond, Rima, and concentrated hard for as long as he could to be a living statue. Of course, he would tend to his needs when she wasn't around, like jumping up on his hind legs to hit the kitchen sink with his front legs and balance on the small flat surface where the sink and the counter met. He would then proceed to turn the triangular knob that had "cold" written on it with his teeth and drink from the faucet. For food and bathroom breaks, he would just wait until she left at 6:00 AM to go to work. The brilliant plan that was going so well backfired though when she randomly asked him what his name should be. His concentration snapped and from then on, he focused on giving her hints to the name he wanted. Looking back on his actions now, as he organizes a shelf of books, he realizes that offering his real name might not have been the best idea he ever had. Oh well, it was all in the past. Still, the mistakes of the past will most likely come back to haunt him sooner than he'd like.
The door to the small shop opens, and Amu's voice floats through the store in a cold greeting. "Hello, Rima."
There's no response, but he still stiffens at the sound of her name knowing how... unhappy the little blond would be upon finding out the little arrangement he and Amu had done behind her back. No, screw unhappy, Rima was going to be downright furious. Gulping, the man decides to get the whole predicament over with sooner rather than later and moves to the front. Almost reaching the two women, he prepares himself for an earful and perhaps even another tackle. He does not, however, prepare himself to see the small blond stiffen and wince before clutching her head in her hands and slowly double over.
Amu was already by her side with worry etched on her beautiful face before her friend hit the ground.
She dreams of the forest.
All around her it was dying.
The trees were bare with twisted branches and were slowly withering away. The moon was full again, and its bright beams did nothing to help the slow decay, but instead showed her just how sick the forest was. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she did a 360. Everything fought to live despite the odds and yet, a sense of hopelessness still surrounded her. It was like the forest knew it wouldn't make it through to the end; like it had been through this experience before. An urgency crept into her heart to save the forest. No matter the cost, she had to help. "How?" she asked out loud, "How can I help you?" She meant it to be a rhetorical question, but soon the trees began to murmur; bending and swaying as if blown by an invisible wind. Together, they played Telephone with each other until they reached her and whispered to her pleadingly, "Please, please help us. Help us by saving him..."
"Save him? How can I save you by saving someone I don't even know?"
The trees only repeated the same words over like a mantra, and she grew fearful for the forest as their whispered plea grew weaker with each passing second. "Please, please help us. Help us by saving him..."
Rima wakes with the forest's words echoing in her head and a killer headache. Someone offers her a glass of water and aspirin as she massages her pounding temple and Rima accepts it gratefully. Downing the pills with the liquid, the blond looks over to her right and freezes. It was the man she had tackled earlier. What's he doing here, with her, sitting in the high backed wooden chair with a sad excuse for a cushion underneath his butt? Where's Amu? That's her chair, not his! Well, technically, Rima tells herself as she surveys the familiar guest room in Amu's house, it's not hers as in her favorite chair that she reserves for herself only, but that was beside the point. "What are you doing here, Eggplant Head?" she says with a frown, eyes narrowing in suspicion. The man's eyes widen in surprise at the random nickname and does a quick search of the small room. "Yeah, it's you I'm talking to, Purple Head."
He smiles good-naturedly and sticks his hand out. "Fujisaki Nagihiko, or Nagihiko Fujisaki." He introduces politely. "Sorry, I was in Japan for a while visiting family."
She rudely waves him off. "Either way of introduction is fine, Newcomer. There's quite a few Japanese here as well. You still didn't answer my question."
"Oh, right! I'm here to watch over you until Amu gets back with refreshments. She even closed the shop-"
"What?!" Rima screeches. Slamming the empty glass on top of the small rectangular nightstand next to the bed, she flings off the sheets and makes a break for the door.
"Ah, w-wait!" He yells as he hooks an arm around her waist. Rima stretches out desperately for the door, fingertips just brushing the shiny brass knob. "Amu gave me strict orders to keep you in bed, and I can't disobey my boss's orders!"
They both freeze. Slowly turning around, Rima looks over her shoulder at Nagihiko causing shivers of fear to slide down his spine. He hadn't prepared enough for this moment, and now he was going to pay the price for not knowing just what he was going up against. "What. Did. You. Just. Say?" Her voice is sickly sweet, and Nagihiko starts to review all the possible options this small blond could be correctly categorized as: Human? No. Nobody could be this scary. Persephone, maybe? Pretty, blond, pale, wife of the god Hades. She isn't married, though, nor is she tall or slender. Demeter? The goddess did almost kill the whole human race by starvation. She didn't have a daughter, though. Please, don't let her have one, prays the man as he realizes the chance that she actually could. Angels are out of the question. That only leaves..."You will answer me!" She booms. The devil.
"I said Amu's my boss!" He squeaks out.
The door opens, and Nagi nearly drops Rima in relief. He never wanted to be alone in the same room with the blond ever again. "Hello, Amu," greets the blond cooly despite how ridiculous they both looked with Rima hanging in a limp upside down 'L' on his arm while he struggled to hold both of them up with his shaking legs.
"Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" Amu drops the grocery bags and yanks the woman from his arm into her own. He quickly sits down in the chair. "I'm so sorry for what I said before, Rima. It's because you're so wary of others that you keep me from making naïve decisions that I'd later regret."
"It's fine," Rima assures, wrapping her arms around Amu's middle. Nagi is taken aback by how fast her mood changes. "Just don't close the shop like that again." She pulls away to look the pinkette in the eyes, concern drawing her eyebrows together. "You know how risky that is with July 20th coming soon. We only just managed to scrape by this year and if you aren't careful, you could lose your store that you worked so hard for. Promise me."
Amu shakes her head. "You come first, not the store."
"Your job comes first. How else will you make a living?"
"I'll manage," sighs Amu.
"I won't allow that. You will put your shop first because your friend here is obviously fine. Now, let's get back to work." Rima marches out the door with her chin held high. Walking down the stairs, she calls back to them as they pick up the dropped groceries. "And don't forget to fire the Newcomer!"
"Rima!" Came Amu's indignant response to her friend. Turning back to Nagihiko, she says, "She's a good person, really, she just has to get to know you better is all."
He smiles and nods knowing that getting to know her isn't going to be the only challenge. Socializing and making new friends is a department he excels in. Getting past someone's defenses is not. Especially when the walls are as high and guarded as Rima's.