Frustration

Amu still wasn't picking up her phone.

Dread sank in Rima's stomach like a heavy stone. Her best friend hadn't shown up at school that day after she broke up with Tadase (who had been very distant and blank-faced all day) and now wasn't answering her cell phone. And, although she was very worried for her friend's safety and current emotional problems, the blonde girl desperately needed guidance, the kind she couldn't get from Nagihiko and definitely not his mother. She needed someone to talk to; to help her make sense of her feelings.

But, she decided, it would just have to wait. Amu was obviously going through something, and Rima's first concern was her friend. Her own difficulties could wait. She hoped.

"Rima-chan," Nagi said nervously as he opened his back door and stepped out onto the patio where his fiancee was sitting. "Dinner's almost ready."

Something about the boy's presence severely agitated Rima. "I'm not hungry," she said, as she had every night at dinner time since she had come to live with him, even though it wasn't always true. It wasn't tonight, but for some reason she didn't want to sit at a table with Nagihiko and his mother.

The other teen wasn't buying it tonight though. "Rima-chan," he said firmly. "You haven't eaten dinner for three nights now. You need to eat."

"I said–," she began to reply through gritted teeth.

"And maybe I would believe you if I couldn't hear your stomach growling." Nagi crossed his arms over his chest as the sound came from his girlfriend's abdomen.

Angry that her own body had betrayed her, Rima snorted and stood, walking past the purple-haired boy and into the house. After all, she had promised herself that she would do anything for her baby, and if she was underfed, the baby would be too. So, she forced herself to eat the (rather delicious) meal that Ms. Fujisaki had cooked, smile kindly at the woman, and thank her for the food. She didn't look at Nagi once though. That wasn't part of the deal.

"Rima," Ms. Fujisaki halted the girl as she stood to leave for her room. "I've been meaning to ask, do you have a doctor yet?"

The blonde bit her lip, embarrassed that she hadn't thought of getting one. "N-no," she murmured. "But I was planning on going to the hospital soon," she added.

"The sooner the better." The woman gave a small smile. "How, um, far are you now?"

"Two months I think," Nagi answered for her. "Is that right, Rima-chan?"

Rima nodded, but kept her eyes on the boy's mother. "About."

"Well then, we'll need to hurry with the wedding plans," Ms. Fujisaki continued, turning toward her son. "It can't be a big wedding, because of the, erm, time restrictions."

Nagi nodded in agreement, looking down and placing his finger on his chin thoughtfully as a concentrated look crossed his face. "Yes, I was hoping for summer vacation," he said. "Perhaps June?"

Ms. Fujisaki nodded and said something in reply, but Rima didn't quite catch it. She wasn't listening any more. She felt… degraded, somehow, because they were speaking about the wedding as if she had nothing to do with it. She had everything to do with it! It was her wedding too, right? Then why was it the nobody had asked her opinion on it so far?

Suddenly, the young woman became very angry, her eyes narrowing as her small fists began to tremble at her sides. She couldn't take standing there in that dining room– that house– another minute longer while she heard her future planned for her. So she turned and began to run.

"Rima-chan!" Nagi exclaimed, interrupted mid-sentence. "Where–?" he started to ask as he stood abruptly, extending a hand as if to grab a hold of the blonde.

Rima stopped in her tracks, at the doorway between the dining room and the living room. The front door was only a few strides away.

The young woman looked over her shoulder at the purple-haired boy, her eyes narrowed in anger. "Don't follow me," she almost hissed.

Brown eyes widening in shock at the serious and wrathful tone in his fiancee's voice, Nagi swallowed hard. "R-Rima-chan…," he murmured.

"I mean it, Nagihiko," Rima spat. "Don't follow me."

And with that, she ran out the door, leaving Nagi and his mother very confused and, on Nagihiko's part, hurt.

Ms. Mashiro was sitting at her small dining room table, all alone, staring out the window of her apartment. It always felt so empty, now that her daughter had gone to live with the father of her child. They were now engaged, she remembered, blank-faced. She wondered if she would even get an invitation to the wedding. She doubted it.

The middle-aged woman stirred her tea slowly, which had gotten cold without her having even put her lips to the china once. The pot she had used to make the tea was still half full, sitting in the middle of the table. Without even realizing it, she had made enough for two people. Odd.

As a single tear made its way silently down her slightly lined face, the doorbell to the woman's apartment buzzed frantically.

Staring at the peeling white paint of the front door, she wondered, Who could that be? Who would visit me, especially at night? Pushing her tea aside, Ms. Mashiro stood and with slow, painstaking movements, walked to the door. As the buzzing continued, she twisted the golden handle and pulled the door open.

Her eyes widened when she saw her thoughts embodied in the night air in front of her. "Rima?" she whispered in disbelief.

Her face crumpled and teary, the young blonde said only one word, laced with relief.

"Mama."

The thousands of fans screaming were inviting, but not as much as the smiling redhead backstage.

So, Utau thanked the audience for coming and bid them goodnight, blowing them a kiss with a wink, and sauntered off the stage.

"That was great," Kukai congratulated her when she joined him behind the stage, out of breath but smiling. "I bet they want an encore." He laughed.

She did too. "I gave them two encores," she said, flopping down on the couch where Kukai had previously been sitting. "Any more and I'll lose my voice."

Kukai smiled and sat beside her. "Really though, that was amazing." He kissed her on the cheek.

Suddenly, the smile vanished from the blonde girl's face. "You said that already," she growled, annoyed at the repetitiveness of the boy. "Saying things over and over again makes them lose their authenticity." She stood, fists clenched, and said, "I'm going to my dressing room," before doing so.

A bit confused by the sudden mood swing, Kukai remained sitting, blinking in surprise as he heard the singer's heelsclip-clopping further backstage. "O-okay?" he mumbled to himself.

"Wonderful, Utau!" Yukari Sanjo praised the starlet as she entered the dressing room. "Japan is so happy to have you back!"

Utau rolled her eyes and passed the woman. She was really getting annoyed with everyone telling her how "great" she was. Whatever. She could tell by the audience's reactions if she was good or not, she didn't need everyone telling her. "What are you doing here, Yukari-san?" she asked with a sigh. She had stopped calling her Sanjo-san about the time she got married.

"I came to see the performance of course!" the redheaded woman said happily.

"You're not my manager anymore. You don't have to come. Why aren't you with your son?"

"I own the company that employs your manager," Yukari pointed out. "So, technically, I still am your manager on some level." She smiled. "Besides, Yuu is taking care of Yuki. I couldn't miss your first concert back in Japan."

"You could have." Utau narrowed her eyes at the woman. "Look, I just want to be alone right now," she said in a low voice. "Go home, Yukari-san."

The older woman frowned. "What's gotten into you, Utau?" she asked, noticing the blonde's mood. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," the singer replied in an exasperated tone, as if the answer were completely obvious. "Everyone seems to want to refuse me my right to be along." Her violet eyes flicked to the door, hinting at where Yukari should go.

Her frown deepened. "Alright, Utau," she said in a small voice, hurt. "Come visit sometime, though. Okay?" An she left, not expecting an answer from the girl.

As the door slammed behind her, she suddenly realized what was going on with Utau. Her blue eyes widened as she remembered the times when she still managed the young woman in America (before she'd had Yuki) and the extreme pressure the young singer had been under, traveling constantly and performing almost every night. The stress had taken quite a toll on Utau. She started having those… Yukari remembered grimly. But she had gotten a handle on it…

Hadn't she?

Yukari dearly hoped so.

Ooh, cliff-hanger. You'd better get used to those with me ;)

So what's up with Utau? Is our favorite little performer having issues? Well, then again, she seems to always have something going on, doesn't she?

And what about Rima and her mother? Will they finally get closure after years of fighting and emotional abuse? Or will this meeting be their last?

Stay tuned to find out! (wow that seemed like a Soap Opera preview, didn't it? Lol) Reviews, as always, are very welcome!