This took a lot longer than I was hoping it would- despite the fact that it's almost one-third the length of practically every other chapter. This chapter is pretty much filler, but it was necessary. I'm getting worried that I won't complete my goal of finishing the first part of this story by the day I leave considering that date is rapidly approaching, but I'll do my best! I'll try to have the next chapter up ASAP!
Amu gazed at the large meadow below her, her pink hair tousling in the gentle breeze. She watched the enormity of trees and grassland, the vastness astounding her. Her eyes studied the large extent of foliage, searching aimlessly for an end in sight.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Amu turned slightly as the little girl walked beside her. Amu smiled lightly, nodding slowly. "I know I can always take solace in the beautiful sites. I wouldn't trade this view for anything."
"It really is breathtaking," Amu agreed. "It's always so hard to find beauty anymore, don't you think?" Arisa cocked her head to the side, though there was a slight dark glint in her eyes.
"What do you mean, Amu-Chan?" Arisa wondered.
"When I'm not with you, everything is just terrible. I-I mean, I acknowledge that none of that matters and it's all so insignificant compared to this, but I just…I just wish it wasn't so awful."
"You know I'm always with you," Arisa reassured. "No matter what happens, this mansion and I will be with you whenever you need us." Amu smiled brightly.
"I know, and I really appreciate it. I guess I'm just over-exaggerating; I mean, I'm absolutely happy now. Everything is amazing here."
"Amu-Chan, you will be able to find the beauty in the other world, I promise."
"How?"
"It may not exist now, but I know you have the power to synthesize it."
"Eh? What are you talking about, Arisa-Chan?" Arisa smiled cutely.
"It doesn't matter. Let's get inside, Amu-Chan. It's getting much windier, don't you agree?" Amu nodded slowly. "I have some pretty dresses you can try on!"
"That's sounds like so much fun!" Amu agreed, following the little girl inside.
Slowly, Amu opened her eyes. Upon seeing the yellow walls of her bedroom, she couldn't help but to grimace. She was back here; no longer was she beside Arisa. Amu couldn't help but to think about what Arisa said though. The power to synthesize beauty? What did that mean? Amu shrugged it off; she trusted Arisa immensely and knew that Arisa would explain everything later.
"Amu-Chan! Tadase-Kun called before, but you were still asleep," Ran told her. Amu turned to her chara, only half-listening. "The four of us picked up, though it was super hard. The touch screen wouldn't let us swipe! Fortunately, Miki and Su worked together and were able to fully unlock the phone and then—"
"Tadase-Kun is arranging a meeting at the Royal Garden today," Miki interjected, narrowing her eyes at Ran. "He says that something really urgent came up and involves a lot of explaining. I bet it has to do with Easter…"
"Tadase-Kun said the meeting was starting at 11, so you should get up, Amu-Chan," Su suggested. Amu's eyes fixated on the floor. The Royal Garden, Tadase, Easter… none of that mattered. They were all just words, just words that held no meaning to her any longer.
"I don't want to," Amu bluntly replied. The four charas exchanged nervous glances.
"Amu-Chan, you can't just not go to the Royal Garden!" Su cried. "You're a guardian; you have to—"
"No. I'm not anymore," Amu retorted. "I don't give a crap about them. I just want Arisa…"
"Not this Arisa again," Miki mumbled. She looked at Dia concernedly.
"Arisa is the person that makes me whole," Amu explained, prompting the four charas to turn to her. "I need Arisa to function; Arisa is all that matters. And I just want to go back to her, not be here." Tears welled up in the pinkette's eyes. Was there really a way to make this world so much better, to bring beauty? Only Arisa could bring beauty. Could she bring Arisa to this world and have Arisa by her side at all times? Is that the beauty Amu could synthesize?
"Amu-Chan, this girl, Arisa… she doesn't exist," Dia prodded carefully.
"That's not true!" Amu cried, turning to Dia sharply. "Arisa is real; Arisa is the only damn thing that matters!" Tears began falling down her cheeks rapidly.
"She's only a dream!" Ran tried to argue. "Amu-Chan, you have to distinguish between dreams and reality. This is real; this is what matters. The guardians, Ami-Chan, your parents, Tadase-Kun, Ikuto-Kun… they're what matters!"
"No, you're wrong," Amu spat. "These are trivial concerns. This matters nothing to me. Arisa is my new purpose, my sole guidance in life."
"But Amu-Chan, you have your own goals and pursuits!" Su exclaimed. "You wanted to be athletic and artistic and a good hostess and more confident in yourself; those are your dreams! You can't devote yourself to one person—a person that doesn't even exist nonetheless. You need to be true to yourself, Amu-Chan."
"Why?" Amu shook her head slowly. "I've changed now, Su. These aren't my priorities any longer. I'm sorry, but I'm no longer the girl you met seven years ago; Arisa has changed me for the better, enlightened me to the things that really matter."
"What about us, Amu-Chan?! Do we still matter at all?" Miki cried desperately. "We represent your dreams and your pursuits; if you don't believe in any of that anymore, then we will vanish!"
"Then I suppose you'll vanish," Amu bluntly replied. The four of them gasped, their eyes widening. Amu stood up suddenly and exited the room, leaving the four charas among themselves.
"We can't…we can't dwell on her words," Dia whispered. "I'm going to go see the guardians later."
"We'll come too," Ran persisted.
"No, stay with Amu-Chan. She may not think she does, but she needs us more than ever. Despite what she says, we're still here, aren't we? Whatever is going on, Amu-Chan is still in there somewhere, believing in finding herself." Dia forced a smile. "Don't lose hope, girls. We have to be especially strong, for Amu-Chan's sake."
"…And that's really it. It seems pretty futile at this point, but I guess I can't go back in time now. What's done is done." Kairi stared at the petite blonde in front of him, his eyes widened.
"You…You merely aligned with Easter in order to protect for Amu?" Kairi began, shock evident in his voice.
"Yep, and it did nothing," Rima mumbled, letting out a sigh. "Saira's going to go on indoctrinating her and suddenly, their evil plans are in motion. Everything I did these past few months has been a waste."
"Rima, that is entirely inaccurate. My father had initially projected that Amu would be entirely indoctrinated a month and a half ago. You have done an impeccable job delaying his plans. Perhaps now that the guardians know, they will be able to strike powerfully, putting an end to this."
"Saira is powering independently from the X-Powers at this point," Rima pointed out. "What's even the point of delaying the inevitable? Easter's going to win, aren't they?"
"Not necessarily. The guardians are strong; even without Amu's strength, I theorize that they can successfully launch a massive attack. Rima, what you have done is unfathomable; I cannot process how courageous you were and—"
"I have to go; apparently I have a guardian meeting to go to in ten minutes." Rima interjected. "It's going to be weird going to the Royal Garden aside from planting an X-Power."
"Let me know how it is." Kairi's eyes drifted to the ground. "I have come to dearly miss that place."
"I will," Rima promised. "And obviously, you know that no one else can know about me."
"Of course." Kairi pushed up his glasses. "I am honored to be your confidant."
"Thank you, Kairi."
"Just be careful, Rima. If my father or Deidre learns of your true loyalties…"
"They won't, not any time soon," Rima reassured him. "I'll see you later." Kairi nodded slowly, as Rima exited the room.
"Hey Rima, I couldn't sense Musashi at all," Kusu-Kusu pointed out. Rima hesitated for a moment, turning back around. Kairi had also left the room and was exiting through the other hallway.
"I was wondering where Musashi was too," Rima agreed. "I'll have to ask him about that." She turned to her chara. "To the Royal Garden?" Kusu-Kusu giggled excitedly. A small smile formed on Rima's face, her heart beating rapidly within her chest.
The sound of the fountain filled the silence of the Royal Garden. Nagihiko stared absentmindedly at the water in the fountain, watching as it continued to flow downward. The familiarity of the sound was not new, yet it still managed to capture his gaze. For a brief moment, it took his mind off of his scrambled thoughts; he could solely focus on the sound of the water flowing down.
"Are Ikuto-Tan and Utau-Chi coming today?" Yaya suddenly wondered, breaking the silence.
"Ikuto-NiiSan told me that they're coming a little late today," Tadase explained. "I think they need to go to the mall quickly for something."
"The mall? Huh, that's weird. Utau didn't mention that to me." Kukai thought for a moment.
"Tadase, did you hear anything from Amu-Chan?" Nagihiko wondered, glancing up at him.
"I called her this morning, but her charas picked up instead. They said they'd wake her up and let her know," Tadase explained, letting out a sigh.
"How did her charas manage to pick up?" Yaya wondered. "Yaya means, it must be difficult for all four of them to successfully answer a phone." Tadase shrugged.
"Oh, I got it!" All three of them turned to Kukai.
"I'm sure they just coordinated a way to slide—"
"Not the cell phone. I know why Utau and Ikuto are at the mall!" The other guardians watched Kukai inquisitively. "You know what's in two days?"
"Your birthday!" Yaya exclaimed. "Yaya almost forgot!"
"I hope you guys got me awesome stuff." Kukai grinned.
"No worries! Yaya has had your gift for months! Right, Nagi-Tan?" Nagihiko nodded.
"It's all ready to go," Nagihiko told her.
"You guys got something together?" Kukai wondered.
"Yep! It's super-duper awesome!" Nagihiko chuckled lightly, nodding slowly.
"Now you've guys got me excited! How about you, Tadase? You got me anything good?" Tadase looked at Kukai, a slight smile on his face.
"Depends on your interpretation of 'good,'" Tadase pointed out. "I mean, I think it's a pretty good gift, but maybe you won't like it." As Kukai opened up his mouth, the door of the Royal Garden suddenly opened.
"Sorry I'm late." All four of them turned to the source of the voice. Rima wore a white-and-black sleeveless dress that extended just below her knees. She wore her signature black headband and white sandals. Nagihiko watched her, his eyes widening slightly. He could not process that she was standing there; he had spent over a month sulking over her betrayal, and yet, she had simply joined Easter to protect their mutual best friend. She stood at the entrance, her eyes scanning the entirety of the glass garden. Her eyes fixed on the X-Power in the back of the Royal Garden for a moment, before hastily turning away from it.
"Um, you can sit down, if you want," Tadase began. Rima nodded slowly, walking over to the vacant seat in the middle of Nagihiko and Yaya. She slowly sat down, her eyes remaining fixed on the table. Silence filled the Royal Garden once again, the quiet breaths of the guardians filling up the room. The charas all glanced at each other nervously. Kusu-Kusu floated close to Rima, watching the other charas with apprehension. Rhythm grinned at her, and Pepe waved giddily, prompting Kusu-Kusu to grin back and float over to her.
"Well, I suppose we ought to…" Tadase coughed. "We should discuss the matters at hand. There's, um, a lot of stuff going on, and we should, you know…" Kukai stifled laughter, prompting Tadase to shoot him a glare.
"What have you guys been planning?" Rima wondered cautiously, her eyes remaining fixed on the table.
"Well…" Tadase hesitated. "We haven't really had an established plan. We've been discussing ways to stop Easter, but it was difficult to really get anything done without knowing what was happening for real. Though now that we're caught up, we should be able to help out a lot more."
"Yeah…" Rima sighed. "So…"
"So Easter. How is Easter?" Kukai wondered. Nagihiko raised an eyebrow at his friend while Tadase pressed his hand to his face, sighing dejectedly.
"Easter's good, I guess…"
"Well, that's good!" Kukai paused for a moment. "Or bad, really. Actually, that's really bad. That's why we're here, since Easter's doing so well. Huh." Rima frowned slightly, her eyes remaining fixed on the table. Silence ensued once again, the sounds of quiet breaths being the only audible sound. Tadase glanced up for a moment, his eyes scanning the room. He turned his head, seeing Kiseki standing in front of the other charas outside of the Royal Garden, discussing something.
The doors of the Royal Garden opened once more, prompting the guardians to glance up. Ikuto and Utau strolled into the Royal Garden, moving over to the table. Tadase rose to his feet immediately, retrieving two extra seats for them. Both of them sat down around the table. Ikuto glanced over at Rima, offering her a rare small smile to which she returned. Nagihiko watched their exchange with puzzlement.
"Took you two long enough," Kukai teased.
"We were preoccupied," Utau replied.
"I wonder what you were doing." Kukai smirked.
"You're right. Ikuto needed a gift for you, and he figured that I'd know what to get you," Utau explained. "I got you a gift in London."
"Way to throw me under the bus," Ikuto mumbled.
"Well, I'm sure you both got me awesome gifts! Utau's surprisingly good with presents, so I trust her judgment." Kukai snaked an arm around the elder blonde's shoulders.
"Surprisingly good?" Utau wondered, an eyebrow raised.
"Well, you aren't really the mushy type," Kukai pointed out. "So I wouldn't have expected you to be the best with gifts." Utau rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. Her eyes fixed on Rima, watching as she continued to avoid eye contact with the guardians.
"Now that we're all here, I'm sure we have a lot to discuss," Utau began. She frowned. "Well, I guess not all of us. We still need Amu." Rima let out a sigh, and Ikuto clenched his fists.
"And Kairi-Kun," Yaya added suddenly. Rima turned to look at the pigtailed girl. She faced Rima as well, guilt filling her eyes. "Is…Is he okay?"
"He's doing the best he can," Rima explained. "He doesn't want to be with them. I know you're probably mad at him, but he didn't do anything wrong. Without knowing exactly what I was planning, he really helped me out. I wouldn't have been able to sabotage the X-Powers without him."
"Yaya never should have doubted him; Yaya should have never doubted you, Rima-Tan." Rima's eyes darkened.
"Yaya…"
"I called you a monster!" A sob escaped Yaya's throat. "I called you heartless; I thought you were cold and mean and a traitor. But how could I have…"
"I'm so sorry Yaya…." Rima finally glanced up at everyone. "I'm sorry, all of you. I'm sorry for—"
"Rima, don't you dare apologize." Kukai smiled at her. Rima turned to him, astonished. "What's there to apologize for? You went out of your way, sacrificing basically everything and risking yourself, to save Amu. Rima, that's…that's heroic; you're a freaking hero. Don't ever apologize for being a hero; you did what you had to do for the benefit of Amu, and we all know that."
"But I—"
"Kukai's right!" Yaya grinned. "Rima-Tan, we should have seen it before. We should have had faith in you; you clearly had faith in us." Out of nowhere, Yaya rose to her feet and hugged Rima tightly. Nagihiko watched them with a slightly amused expression.
"Yaya!" Rima exclaimed, quite startled. She hesitantly patted her back.
"Yaya is excited to have you working with us again instead of them. You're still a guardian; nothing will change that! And of course we're still besties!"
"It's not that simple…" Yaya let go of Rima, cocking her head to the side. "I mean, I'm aligned with you guys, but I'm still an Easter employee."
"You aren't cutting off ties with Easter?" Ikuto wondered, surprised. Rima shook her head.
"Tsukasa explained everything to you guys, well, the guardians anyway, but Deidre nor Seto still know of my loyalties to you," Rima explained. "As a member of Easter, I still can obtain information on what they're planning. No one in Easter—with the recent exception of Kairi—has any idea what I'm doing, and I'd like to keep it that way."
"So you're going to report your findings from Easter to us?" Tadase wondered. Rima nodded slowly.
"So, is there anyone who's nice in Easter?" Kukai wondered, preventing another silence from resurfacing.
"Not really, no. Besides Kairi, of course." Rima thought for a minute. "Well, there are people who act nice, but it's hard to call anyone who wants to possess someone just to create world disasters nice."
"How's the base?" Yaya wondered. Rima raised an eyebrow.
"It's fine?"
"Wait, what about the hooded person?" Tadase glanced over at Nagihiko. "Rima, do you know anything about a hooded person?"
"Hooded person?" Rima inquired.
"We were fighting X-Eggs just after Amu-Chan was in the hospital after passing out—which was evidently a direct result from Saira," Nagihiko proceeded to explain. He hesitated for a moment. It dawned on him that this was the first thing he had said to her in well over a month, and he could feel his heart begin to race. Fending off his initial shock, he continued, maintaining his composure. "After I purified the X-Eggs, a hooded figure appeared and mumbled something about darkness coming forever before suddenly proceeding to vanish."
"I have no idea what that means…" Rima wondered, pondering. "It could have been Saira since she has powers from the X-Energy, but I've never seen her flat out vanish or teleport away before."
"Who is Saira anyway? Why is she doing this whole thing?" Yaya asked.
"I don't know—"
"And what about Deidre? She's Kairi's cousin?"
"Yeah, hence why she's Assistant Director."
"I still can't believe all of this." Kukai started to laugh. "God, we were so naïve. We really believed that you would arbitrarily betray us. We really thought…but wow, damn. You…You're really freaking amazing, Rima. I can't believe you'd do all this." Rima grimaced slightly, tucking her legs into her chest.
"Rima-Tan is my inspiration!" Yaya chorused. "Wait, so Tsukasa just approached you and you agreed to sacrifice everything to save Amu? Oh my god!"
"Holy shit, like I know the story, but when you put it like that… God, Rima, you're so—"
"Guys, enough," Nagihiko hissed. Kukai and Yaya turned to him, puzzled. They turned to the petite blonde who was fully curled into a ball.
"Hey, Rima, I didn't mean—" Kukai stopped abruptly upon seeing a familiar yellow chara float in.
"Dia?" Tadase inquired. "We were just wondering if Amu-Chan would show up."
"I'm afraid that she won't be joining us. She is losing herself rapidly, and… Rima-Chan?!" Dia looked at the blonde, startled. Rima uncoiled herself, glancing at Dia.
"She's with us," Tadase explained. He turned to Rima hesitantly, prompting her to nod slowly. Tadase turned back to Dia, explaining everything that Tsukasa had previously explained.
"You did all of this for Amu-Chan?!" Dia exclaimed, her eyes widening. To everyone's surprise, a smile formed on Rima's face.
"I didn't have a choice. I was indebted to her. Amu was the first person after my kidnapping to really understand me." Nagihiko looked at Rima, surprised. "My outer character always repelled people, and that was my intention, but Amu didn't let that stop her. She persisted, determined to be my friend. She saw me for who I really was despite the fact I pushed her away, and for that, I am eternally grateful. Amu made me, well, me again, so I had to seize the opportunity to save her." Tadase and Ikuto's eyes widened, turning to Rima astonished. Nagihiko smiled warmly.
"Amu never felt like you owed her anything, you know. As someone with her own outer character, she saw through your outer character and recognized you as someone like her, someone scared to embrace their true self." Tears formed in Dia's eyes. "But on behalf of Amu-Chan, as well as Ran, Miki, and Su, I thank you immensely for everything you have risked for her. Thank you for playing the role of a guardian chara and looking after my bearer."
"I'm a guardian after all; isn't it my job to protect everyone? And Amu… Amu means the world to me; I just hope I did enough for her."
"You did enough—and more," Tadase reassured. "Because of you Rima-Chan, we have a good shot at saving her. The odds were stacked against us, but you made it plausible. You didn't just work to save Amu-Chan; you worked to save the entire world. You embodied exactly what a guardian should stand for." He gave Nagihiko a side glance, prompting the purple-haired teenager to nod slowly. "Not to be redundant, but you truly are a hero, Rima-Chan, and I am proud to call you a fellow guardian, and moreover, one of my best friends."
"I…" Rima sighed. "We still have so much to do. Amu isn't safe yet."
"We'll do it together from now on," Nagihiko told her, smiling softly. Rima turned to him, her eyes widening. "The six of us will save Amu-Chan; we have to." Rima's eyes lowered slowly, and she bit her lip, nodding slowly.
"Why did you come here, Dia?" Ikuto wondered. Dia frowned.
"I just came to express my concerns regarding Amu-Chan. Having Rima-Chan back is amazing, but every day, I fear I'm losing Amu-Chan more and more."
"What do you mean?" Kukai wondered.
"Every day recently, Amu-Chan is always waking up from these dreams, seeming upset. She is always talking about this little girl, Arisa, and describing her as if she is her entire world. Just this morning, Amu-Chan didn't care about the guardians or us; she just wanted to return to Arisa."
"It's something Saira is doing," Rima mumbled. "Saira has been indoctrinating her, penetrating Amu's mind. The dreams must be how she is connecting."
"But then who is Arisa?" Yaya asked, turning to Rima confusedly. The petite blonde shrugged her shoulders, her expression pensive.
"Saira never mentioned someone else involved," Rima mumbled. "I never really knew the specifics of how exactly she went about controlling Amu aside from the use of X-Energy, so I'm not really sure what this all means."
"Whatever Easter's doing, it hasn't taken full effect on Amu yet," Utau pointed out. "After all, all four of you are still fine." Dia nodded slowly.
"I wondered the same," Dia agreed. "Every day, Amu-Chan seems to be losing herself more and more, and I thought it was only a matter of time before the four of us went back into our eggs or turned into X-Charas. But I understand now why we're not fading, why Amu-Chan still has some of herself inside." The yellow chara smiled at Rima, prompting her to smile softly.
"I won't give up until she's safe," Rima promised. "I won't stop fighting Easter until they release Amu."
"And we will stand with you," Ikuto added. "We'll end Easter—for good this time."
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