Hi, readers! I present to you the next chapter of this fic. Enjoy the read!

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

A Wish Upon A Shooting Star

Chapter 7

Syaro crawled over to the other side of the bed and slipped under the covers. A contented smile spread across her face. Rize sat on the edge of the bed and smirked.

"You seem pretty happy."

Syaro giggled. "I am. This bed is so cozy."

"I'm glad you like it."

"These pyjamas are soft too."

"That's nice to hear."

A soft smile tugged at Rize's lips. She was glad Syaro seemed so happy. And she was very glad that everyone had brought that bag of clothes in the evening. She would have been in trouble now if they hadn't.

Rize furrowed her eyebrows as a sudden thought occurred to her. "Hey, Syaro?"

"Yes?"

"Those clothes you were wearing all day. Where did you get them from? Did your clothes shrink when you shrank or something?"

Syaro shook her head. "They didn't shrink. I was wearing Chiya's old clothes."

Rize blinked. "Chiya's old clothes?"

"Yes. When I went to Ama Usa, I was wearing my own clothes. My teenage self's clothes. So they were way too big for me. So Chiya found me some of her old clothes and made me wear them."

"Oh. So that's what happened."

"Then Chiya made lunch for us and after that she took me to... To... Uh... That place where you work."

"Rabbit House?"

Syaro crinkled her nose. "Yes. Rabbit House."

Rize stifled a laugh. "You really don't like rabbits, do you?"

"They're bad. All rabbits are bad."

Rize sweatdropped. Oh, well. There was no point in trying to get Syaro to change how she felt about rabbits. There was nothing she could say that would work.

Rize cleared her throat. "Okay then, Syaro. I'll turn off the light now so you can sleep."

Syaro's eyes widened as Rize tried to get up. "Wait!"

Rize frowned. "What's wrong? Do you need anything else?"

"Um..." Syaro looked away with a blush. "Actually, Mama always tells me a bedtime story. So..."

Rize gulped. A bedtime story? Oh, dear.

Rize bit her lip. "So you want me to tell you a story?"

Syaro nodded. "That would be nice. But if it's too much trouble, then..."

Rize took one look at Syaro's pleading eyes and let out a long sigh. As if she could say no to that face. "No, it's okay, Syaro. I'll tell you a story."

Syaro instantly perked up. "Really?"

A nervous laugh escaped Rize's lips. "S-Sure. Why not?"

Syaro stared up at Rize, expectation evident in her eyes. Rize slowly climbed onto the bed and sat on it Indian style, facing Syaro. So she had to tell a story... But how?

"Uh... You probably don't want to hear a story about the military, do you?"

Syaro frowned. "That's scary. But I think you like the military, don't you, Rize-san?"

"Y-Yeah. I do. How'd you figure it out?"

"Well, you said you named my rabbit Wild Geese because he looked like a soldier. So..."

"Oh." Rize averted her eyes. She was stupid for thinking she'd be able to hide her love for all things military. It was impossible.

"Rize-san?"

Rize squeezed her eyes shut. "Do you think I'm weird, Syaro? For liking the military even though I'm a girl?"

As Syaro giggled, Rize's head snapped in her direction. Syaro was laughing at her? Now Rize seriously wanted to cry.

"You're so silly, Rize-san."

"Huh?" Rize creased her eyebrows. "Silly?"

Syaro beamed at her. "Yes. Why would I think you're weird because of what you like? Just because I think the military is scary doesn't mean you shouldn't like it."

A strange feeling welled up in Rize's chest as a huge smile formed on her face. "So you don't think I'm weird?"

"Of course not."

It took everything Rize had to not gather Syaro in her arms and hug her as tight as she could. Rize really wanted to but hugging Syaro meant that the poor thing wouldn't be able to sleep. She was obviously tired and Rize didn't want to be selfish.

Rize ruffled Syaro's hair. "Thanks, Syaro."

"Why are you thanking me?"

Rize chuckled. "I guess you're too small to understand right now."

"So I'll understand when I grow up? When I'm back to normal?"

"I suppose so." Rize bent down so she was a bit closer to Syaro. "Now tell me. What sort of story do you want to hear? I'll make something up for you."

"You'll make up a story for me?"

"I'll try my best."

"Then I want a story about a princess!"

Rize giggled. "A princess, huh? So like you?"

Syaro blinked. "What do you mean? I'm not a princess."

"Well, you're super elegant so..." Rize tickled Syaro through the covers and Syaro burst out laughing. "You're my little princess!"

As Rize pulled her hands away, Syaro's laughter died down. Syaro smiled at Rize. "I like that. Being your princess sounds fun."

Rize chuckled, her cheeks warming up in a blush. What was wrong with her? What was she even saying? My princess? Couldn't she go an hour without saying something insanely embarrassing?

Rize shook her head. She had to think of a story, right? She might as well get to it.

"Okay... Um... Once upon a time, there was a princess."

The way Syaro's eyes started sparkling made Rize nervous. She'd better come up with a good story.

"Uh... The princess was very... Elegant and charming. Everyone in the kingdom looked up to her."

Syaro didn't say a word. Rize took that as a sign that she was on the right track.

"The princess was very kind. She always worried about all of the peasants. She helped them out however she could. She was one of the most hard-working people the kingdom had ever seen."

Rize smirked. "The princess was amazing. The only problem was that she was afraid of rabbits."

Syaro's eyes widened. "So the princess was like me?"

"Yep." Rize giggled. "Just like you."

"So does this story have a prince?"

"Of course. There was a prince in the neighboring kingdom. He was a very skilled soldier and led his kingdom's army to victory many times."

"So he was a cool prince?"

"Yes. He was cool. At least, everyone thought he was cool."

Syaro creased her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"The prince didn't think he was that cool. He was awkward around people and didn't really fit in. He was smart and a really good soldier but he wasn't exactly princely. The way he talked was rough and tough and he wasn't particularly charming or elegant."

"But was he a good person?"

"Yes, he was. But he was upset that he couldn't fit in well."

"So what happened next?"

"Well, the prince had to go to the neighboring kingdom for some official business. And there he met the princess."

Syaro smiled. "Did the prince become friends with the princess?"

Rize nodded and smiled. "The prince saved the princess from a rabbit and then he became really good friends with the princess. He had to stay there for a while and in that time, he learned to be a bit more elegant from her and talking to her made him open up a lot. He became a lot more honest about his feelings and most importantly, the princess never judged him for his awkwardness. She respected the prince and always made him feel really worthy. He didn't feel so out-of-place when he was with her."

Syaro giggled. "That's nice."

"Yeah. Even after the prince left, they exchanged letters and remained good friends."

"Only friends?"

"What do you mean?"

"They didn't get married?"

Rize looked away, her cheeks heating up in an instant. Marriage, huh? She had modelled the prince after herself so that would mean...

Rize shook her head. It was just a story. She was getting worked up for nothing.

Rize forced a smile as she looked at Syaro. "A few years later, the prince and the princess realized they loved each other. So they got married and lived happily ever after. The end."

"A happy ending." Syaro yawned. "That's great."

Rize ran a hand across Syaro's forehead and through her hair. "Go to sleep now, Syaro."

"Okay." Syaro let out another yawn. "Good night, Rije-saaan..."

Rize stifled a laugh as Syaro fell asleep. She really was tired, wasn't she? It was amazing that she had stayed awake for so long.

Rize bit her lip. There was something she wanted to do but she didn't know if she should actually do it. She wasn't sure exactly why she wanted to do it all of a sudden but she really did want to...

Oh, well. Syaro was asleep. She would never know.

Rize slowly bent over and brushed aside Syaro's hair. Leaning forward, Rize kissed her on the forehead. "Good night, Syaro. Sweet dreams."

Rize took a look at the clock and closed her book with a sigh. It was past midnight. She had to go to sleep now.

Rize slowly got up from the couch and turned to look at the bed. Syaro was fast asleep. She'd been sleeping without a care in the world for a couple of hours now.

Rize swallowed thickly. If only she could be so carefree. After Syaro fell asleep, Rize had turned off the lights near the bed and spent the next few hours trying to study on the couch. She was glad the light was too far away to disturb Syaro.

But what about how disturbed she was? Rize was so distracted that she managed to study only a bit. The thought of having to get into the same bed as Syaro was driving her nuts.

Why was it bothering her so much anyway? If only she had a clue.

Rize looked over her shoulder. She could easily lay out a futon and go to sleep, couldn't she? How hard could it be?

Rize shook her head. No. That wouldn't work. What if Syaro woke up before her in the morning? She had promised Syaro they'd both share the bed. If Rize wasn't in the bed in the morning, Syaro would call her a liar. And then she'd hate Rize for sure.

Rize's features pulled into a deep frown. She wouldn't be able to stand it if Syaro hated her. She couldn't afford to take that risk.

Rize swiftly exited the room. There was no point in worrying anymore. She had no choice.

Rize headed to the bathroom, brushed her teeth and went back to her room. Changing into her pyjamas, she tried to calm herself down. Syaro was her friend. Sleeping with her in the same bed meant nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Rize turned off the lights and slowly approached the bed. Syaro seemed pretty comfortable, a small smile adorning her face. Rize gulped. Somehow she didn't feel like she'd be that comfortable tonight.

Rize carefully climbed into the bed, trying her best not to wake Syaro up. She slowly slipped under the covers and lay down. Turning her head to the side, she was relieved to see Syaro still fast asleep.

Rize felt her cheeks heat up at the sudden proximity, though. She quickly looked up at the ceiling, heart pounding in her chest. Honestly, what in the world was wrong with her?

She always enjoyed her sleepovers with her friends. As much as she protested against being Cocoa's 'little sister', Rize actually did consider all of her friends to be her sisters.

Except for Syaro.

Rize didn't know why but thinking of Syaro as her sister just seemed wrong to her. So wrong. The thought of Syaro calling her 'oneechan' made her cringe for some reason.

Rize closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Forget about it. If I keep on thinking about this then I'll never fall asleep.

Rize willed herself to calm down. She'd be able to sleep if she stopped thinking. That's all she needed to do. Stop thinking.

Rize managed to keep her mind blank for a while and smiled as she felt her heart slow down. But her relief was short-lived.

Rize bit her lip as the sound of Syaro's soft breathing reached her ears. Oh, great. Now how exactly was she supposed to ignore that?

Rize kept her eyes shut. She had to fall asleep. She just had to.

But why was she feeling so hot all of a sudden?

Her normally warm and cozy covers felt like a sauna right now. Was it because she was sharing the same covers with Syaro?

Rizs slowly breathed in and out. Calm down, Rize. Calm down. A soldier should always be calm and steady. No matter what. So calm the heck down!

Rize pursed her lips. This wasn't working. What was she supposed to do?

Maybe she could count rabbits. If she kept at it, she'd fall asleep eventually... Right?

Rize imagined a rabbit hopping by. One. Two. Three. Wait. Why was the next rabbit yellow? And the rabbit after that looked like a samurai for some reason.

Oh. Now she understood. The rabbits looked like the stuffed rabbit she made for Syaro.

Rize gritted her teeth. Why was she thinking about Syaro again?

Rize exhaled loudly. She had to try again.

A rabbit hopped by. A fluffy brown one. One. A cute white one. Two. A black one. Three.

Rize smiled. Good. All the rabbits were normal rabbits. Like the ones she saw around town.

Rize kept counting. And counting. And counting.

When Rize reached three hundred, she gave up. Nope. This wasn't working. It was just making her head hurt.

The feeling of a weight on her arm made Rize's eyes snap open. Was that...?

Rize slowly turned her head. She drew a sharp breath as she saw what, or rather who was the reason for the sudden weight. Syaro had rolled over and was now hugging her arm.

Rize looked up at the ceiling and took in a deep breath. Oh, great. This was just what she needed. A soft and warm Syaro snuggling against her.

It was official now. She wasn't going to get a wink of sleep tonight.

Rize glanced at Syaro. Could she gently push Syaro away without waking her up? Probably. But Syaro looked so cozy and happy. There was no way she could do that.

Rize smiled despite herself. Syaro looked absolutely adorable even in the dark. Rize closed her eyes, a sense of calm washing over her. This was nice. She didn't know why, but it was. It really was.

The smile on Rize's face widened as she finally drifted off to sleep.

It's great that Rize finally managed to fall asleep, isn't it? Sweet dreams, Rize.

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