I Do Not Own Shugo Chara!

Akiko's computer chirps, alerting her of an email. She runs to it, clicking the new message.

bFrom: Kawamata Eito/b

iHi. My name is Kawamata Eito. I'm 16 years old, and a sophomore at Seiyo Academy High School. I have only one older sister, but she's in college and doesn't live with me and my parents anymore. When I was 6, we moved to Tokyo. I don't remember the name of the town we lived in before that. At that school, everyone thought I was the coolest kid. The girls thought I was 'Oh So Dreamy'. But they didn't know how troublesome it was at home for me. At that point, my parents were apart. Not divorced, but apart. My mom was in Taiwan, and my dad was who-knows-where. My sister and I lived with our grandma. It was terrible, because I only heard from either of my parents every other month. My mom told me she was divorcing my dad. That was when I was 10. My grades started slipping. First, from As and Bs to Cs. Eventually, I was getting a D or F on almost every paper. I just didn't care. When I was 13, my parents got back together. We moved as a family to Seiyo. Because of problems at school in Tokyo, my parents decided to home school me. Finally, my parents thought I'd be good to go back to public school. I met tons of people, and a special girl named Kawakami Akiko. She was so nice. Then I got a girlfriend, Minami. Now Akiko won't talk to me. It's really upsetting./i

Akiko's jaw drops at this email. Eito had pretty much just told her his life story. The Ace grabbed her phone, texting Eito that she had gotten her email.

iWill you be my friend again?

Meet me at the ramen shop. We'll talk./i

Akiko got a nervous gut feeling as she slipped her feet into flip-flops and left her house. She knew what she was going to say, and she knew she wanted to say it in person. Akiko sees her energetic friend in front of the small shop.

"So? Will you be my friend again?"

Akiko bites her lower lip, tears springing to her eyes.

"No," she chokes out, turning to walk away. She strolls away, wiping tears that have fallen down her cheeks.

"You made me come all the way out here, just for 'NO'?!" Eito yells.

Akiko doesn't reply; She just keeps walking. At home, she dials Nagi's number.

"Hello?"

"So… Eito sent me this email with his life story. Then he asked me to be his friend again."

"Right."

"So I told him to meet me at that little ramen shop down on Sakura Drive, right? Well…. He asked me in person, and I said no."

"What?! Why?!"

"Well…. He knows about the dream. He knows what's gonna happen. He knows why I'm angry."

"Why exactly are you angry that he's dating someone?"

"I have a crush on him, okay?!"

"Aha, there it is."

"Nagihiko, be serious!"

"Fine, fine."

Akiko takes a deep breath, her breathing wavering slightly from crying.

"So…. What should I do?"

"My advice? Well, tell him how you feel."

"Alright."

"And…. If he doesn't do anything, then you know he's no good."

"Thanks. I'm gonna."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Akiko hangs up, racing to her computer.

bTo: Kawamata Eito/b

iHi. My name is Kawakami Akiko. I'm 15 years old and a sophomore at Seiyo Academy High School. I have one older sister, a senior, and one little brother, an 8th grader. My family and I all lived in Tokyo for a while. About a year after my brother was born, we moved to a small town. Then, after 3 years, we moved to Seiyo. My first grade year was in Seiyo. My mom kept my home schooled until 3rd grade. Then, she sent me to public school. I've had a-lot of friends, and crushes, etc. Nagihiko was my best friend. We'd been friends since 1st grade. Then, my sophomore year, a mysterious boy showed up. His name was Kawamata Eito. We became almost best friends. We had a dream that was exactly alike. I was beginning to think that we'd be friends forever. But then, he got a girlfriend. Minami. It sent everything off, and he had been keeping secrets from me and lying. I got so angry, that I completely ignored him. Then, he tried to reach out to me and I just pushed him away. Now I'm angry at myself./i

Akiko clicks send, and the message disappears. A text a few moments later.

iSorry, Akiko. But my answer is No./i

Akiko's heart, in the process of mending, shattered into a million pieces. She grabs her phone, texting back.

iHow am I supposed to mend my broken heart when you keep shattering it?/i