Hello, everybody! It's been a while since I last updated this fic. But here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy the read.

Disclaimer: I do not own GochiUsa. It belongs to Koi.

A Wish Upon A Shooting Star

Chapter 6

Rize ate her dinner in silence, Syaro watching her from the chair next to her. Her father had already left a while ago, having finished his own dinner. For some reason, there was a weird smile on his face when he left. Did he find the fact that she was feeding Syaro amusing?

Rize took another bite of the rice and curry on her plate. Tasty as usual. It was strange eating alone but it was okay. She didn't mind feeding Syaro first.

"Rize-san?"

"Hmm?"

"Is your food cold?"

Rize turned her head to look at Syaro. "A little. Why?"

Syaro frowned. "So I ruined your dinner."

"What?" Rize chuckled. "You're way too worried about everything, Syaro. You didn't ruin my dinner. So what if my food's a little cold? It really doesn't matter."

"But you could have eaten earlier if I knew how to eat myself." Syaro pouted. "I need to learn faster."

Rize ruffled Syaro's hair with a smirk. "You're just a kid. You don't have to rush anything. I'll feed you every day and I promise that I won't mind one bit."

Syaro averted her eyes, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "Okay..."

Rize bit her lip as she pulled her hand away. Her heartbeat quickened as she wondered if Syaro would remember all of this when she was back to normal. Just how many embarrassing things had Rize said or done today?

If Syaro really did remember everything when she was back to her normal age, Rize would probably have to avoid her for at least a month. Otherwise, the embarrassment would be way too much for her to handle.

But if she didn't see Syaro at all for a month... The mere thought made her heart clench painfully. A month without Syaro was way too long...

Rize's eyes widened and she felt her cheeks heat up. What was she thinking? And why? What was wrong with her today?

"Rize-san, are you all right? Your face is red."

Rize cleared her throat. "Y-Yeah, Syaro. I'm fine."

Rize quickly finished the rest of her food, gulped down some water and hastily stood up. "Let's go back upstairs, Syaro."

Syaro nodded. Rize picked her up and made her way out of the dining room and toward the stairs. Much to Rize's chagrin, her heart was pounding again.

Rize wanted to spend time with Syaro. She really did. But how long was she going to last like this? Couldn't her heart give her a break?

As she reached the top of the stairs, she stopped and looked to her left. Should she try to look for those puzzles again? Or should they go back to her room?

Syaro let out a yawn. Rize turned her head to find Syaro's eyes drooping. She looked pretty tired. A soft smile made its way to Rize's face. "We'll look for the puzzles tomorrow. Let's get you in bed right now."

In an instant, Syaro's eyes were wide open. "But I'm not sleepy. I can still play."

Rize let out a laugh as she headed toward her room. "No, Syaro. You need to sleep. Let's go."

Syaro pouted. "Okay..."

Rize entered her room and sat Syaro down on the couch. "You need to sleep. So first you need to brush your teeth. And... You don't have a toothbrush." Rize pursed her lips. "I should've thought of that before."

"Don't worry, Rize-san." Syaro grabbed the bag next to her and held it up. "Chiya brought a toothbrush for me."

"Really?"

Syaro shuffled through the contents of the bag. She pulled out a yellow toothbrush and a proud smile tugged at her lips.

Rize smirked. "Smart."

Syaro jumped off the couch and looked around. "So where's the bathroom?"

"My room doesn't have an attached bathroom." Rize took Syaro's hand and led her out of the room. "But it's close. It's just down the hall."

As they entered the bathroom, Syaro's jaw dropped. "Whoa. It's so big. There's even a bathtub!" Syaro ran toward the bathtub and stared at it in awe.

"Oi, don't run in here. You could get hurt."

Syaro continued to look around the room. Rize giggled. Did Syaro even hear her? It didn't seem like it.

"Come over here, Syaro. You need to brush your teeth and go to sleep."

With a nod, Syaro walked over to the sink and stared up at it. She tilted her head. "How am I supposed to reach up there?"

Rize bit her lip. How, indeed? She should have thought about that before. What was wrong with her brain today? She felt like an idiot.

Rize scratched her head. "Uh... Just wait a minute."

Rize swiftly exited the bathroom. A few minutes later, she came back with a chair. She set it in front of the sink, picked up Syaro and stood her on the chair.

"There you go, Syaro. Problem solved."

Syaro beamed at Rize. "Thank you."

"No problem. Now hurry up and brush your teeth." Rize creased her eyebrows. "You can do that yourself, right? Or do you need help?"

Syaro's smile turned into a smug grin. "I don't need any help."

Rize stifled a laugh at how proud Syaro looked. "Good girl."

Syaro wasn't lying. She really could brush her teeth on her own. Rize was grateful for it. She wasn't exactly sure how to go about helping a child brush her teeth.

Once Syaro was done, Rize picked her up and carried her to her room. "Okay, then. Let's get you in bed, Syaro."

Rize put Syaro down on the couch. "Wait here for a bit. I'll ask the maids to prepare a room for you."

Syaro blinked. "What? Why would you do that?"

"What do you mean? You'll need a room to sleep in, right?"

Syaro paled. "I have to sleep in a room alone?"

Rize knelt down on her knee so she could look Syaro in the eye. "Well, I can ask a maid to stay with you in the room if you want."

Syaro pouted and folded her arms across her chest. Rize lifted an eyebrow. What was wrong all of a sudden?

Syaro looked away. "You're mean, Rize-san."

"Eh?" Rize frowned. "Why? What did I do?"

Rize flinched as Syaro threw a glare at her. Whoa. She looked surprisingly mad for someone so small.

Rize let out a nervous laugh. "What's wrong? Tell me, sweetie."

As embarrassing as it was, Rize hoped that calling Syaro 'sweetie' would defuse the situation a bit. It worked, it seemed, as Syaro's expression mellowed a little.

Syaro crinkled her nose. "You're trying to kick me out of this room."

"...What?"

"I want to sleep in this room. But you're trying to get rid of me!"

"Ohhh. So that's why you're mad." Rize scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry, Syaro. But you're misunderstanding. I'm not trying to get rid of you. I just thought you'd want some time to yourself."

"Why would I want that?"

"Uh... Well, you don't remember who I am so..." Rize swallowed thickly as she looked away. "I thought you might be getting tired of me."

"No way! I really like you, Rize-san."

Rize bit her lip as she turned to look at Syaro. Syaro smiled brightly and Rize smiled back at her. "Thanks, Syaro. I really like you too."

"So I can stay in this room, right?"

"Sure thing. Why not?" Rize looked over her shoulder. "I guess I'll just lay out a futon over here. You can take the bed." Rize turned back to look at Syaro. "You're not going to fall off the bed, are you?"

Syaro looked away, a sullen expression on her face. "Do you hate me, Rize-san?"

"What?" Rize felt her heart clench painfully. "Why would you even say that? I could never hate you, Syaro." Rize's eyes dropped to the floor. "You have no idea how important you are to me."

"Do you really mean that?"

Rize looked up to find Syaro intently staring at her. With a sigh, Rize took Syaro's tiny hands in her own. "I do, Syaro. I really do. If you remembered who I am, if you remembered all the time we've spent together, then you'd never ask that. You'd know I'm telling the truth."

A small smile formed on Syaro's face. "You don't look like you're lying so I'm going to trust you."

Rize gave Syaro a weak smile. "That's good to hear. But... What did I say this time? Why are you mad again?"

Syaro pointed an accusing finger at Rize. "Because you won't sleep in the bed."

"Uh... So... You want to take the futon?"

"No!" Syaro shook her head, the expression on her face one of pure exasperation. "You might be my senpai but you're really hopeless, you know?"

Rize sweatdropped. She remembered Syaro calling her helpless a few times before but now she was being called hopeless. And by a four-year-old, no less.

"I give up, Syaro. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. So just tell me what you want."

Syaro grinned. "I want to sleep in the bed with you. Together."

Rize felt her cheeks heat up. "What?"

"It'll be fun."

Rize coughed. "Fun?"

Syaro gave her an enthusiastic nod. "Your bed is pretty big and I'm small so it shouldn't be a problem."

Rize's mouth became dry. She didn't have much of an excuse to say no, did she? But sleeping in the same bed with Syaro was a bit...

Sure, they had a bunch of sleepovers with all of their friends before. And they even shared a room during their trip to the city. But even then, they had separate beds. Sleeping in the same bed felt a bit... Intimate.

Rize stood up and cleared her throat. She seriously wouldn't mind sleeping in the same bed with Cocoa or Chino. But when it came to Syaro...

Rize ran a hand through her hair. Why did everything feel so complicated when it came to Syaro? Syaro was her friend, just like everyone else. And yet the way she felt around Syaro was so... So... Different.

"Rize-san? Is anything wrong?"

Rize closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she slowly let it out, she opened her eyes and forced a smile. "No, Syaro. Nothing's wrong. We'll both take the bed. Happy?"

Syaro broke into a wide smile. Rize bit her lip. Why was Syaro so happy? Syaro didn't even remember her and yet...

Syaro grabbed the bag lying on the couch and pulled out a pair of yellow pyjamas. "I'll wear this."

Rize smiled despite herself. "Sure. All those teddy bears will surely make you look cute."

Syaro jumped off the couch. She tried to take off her top but failed. With a pout, Syaro tried again but she couldn't figure out how to take it off.

Rize looked away, pretty sure a blush was forming on her cheeks. To think she'd live to see the day when she had to help Syaro get dressed. Honestly, today was just demanding way too much from her.

How much more was her heart supposed to take?

Rize tried to ignore the pounding in her chest as she knelt down before Syaro. "Let me help you."

Syaro didn't protest. Rize carefully took Syaro's top off and helped her into her pyjamas. Fortunately, Syaro didn't need any help with her pants.

Syaro twirled around. "These pyjamas are great, aren't they, Rize-san?"

Rize nodded, a small smile forming on her face. "Yes, they are." She picked Syaro up and took her to the bed. Carefully putting her on the bed, Rize patted Syaro on the head. "Now go and lie down, Syaro. It's really late."

I'm imagining tiny Syaro in those pyjamas and I think she must look pretty cute. If only I knew how to draw…

Read and review, folks! I'm always open to feedback and constructive criticism.