A Life With or Without You

Chapter 1: The Loneliness I Feel

By: KawaiiLeena

Summary: Dagger is a sad girl with a tragic past, masked by a cheerful smile. Her friends love her and adore her, but they don't know anything about her, Her family, her sadness and her loneliness. And then, a new boy from America, Zidane, appears. What will happen then?

Chapter 1: The Loneliness I Feel

Here stands Odaiba High, a school with a normal status, great students, peaceful sessions and lectures, fine teachers, open fields, great games, cheerful fellows and a sad girl.

Dagger hugs her knees as she leans her back on a Sakura tree, her gaze to the sky blue sky. Her long midnight black hair that was up to her shoulders (the one where Dagger cuts her hair in the game!), carried by the soft breeze. Her chocolate brown eyes filled with unknown emotions and her innocent personality touched everyone else.

A beautiful girl she is, as they say. Everyday, she goes to school with a very happy face that seems to make everyone brighten their day, Her cheerful smile that softens everyone else's heart. Her clueless personalities that make everyone laugh. Her kindness that makes everyone adores her even more.

Yet, looks can be sometimes deceiving.

Behind that happy face lies a lonely and sad girl with a tragic past that she never forget, a past she doesn't want to tell anybody or express them to, a past she doesn't want to experience again.

The beautiful girl sighs again as she gazes the clouds that seem to be forming to a dragon. She makes a small smile. When she was a child, she loves dragons. She always wanted to have one as a pet, but she knew she was dreaming impossible things. But hey, it's not a crime to dream, isn't it?

She hugs her knees tighter, not even noticing her friend, Eiko, is near and is searching for her. She is on her world again, thinking of impossible things to happen. Like, for example, being with her family again. No… too impossible.

Unknown to her, a mysterious shadow is coming near her, her full light purple hair, her mischievous grin plastered to her cute face. She walks on, planning to scare the girl she is searching.

Dagger continues to wander off, still dazed to her own world. She sighs… until…

"BOO!"

"GAH!" Dagger cries, almost falling her face to the emerald grass. Realizing her friend, Eiko, laughing her head off, she pouts angrily and says, "Mou! You are so mean!"

Eiko stops laughing and gives a goofy grin. "C'mon, Dagger! It's not that bad, ne? Just a scare!"

"JUST!" Dagger retorts, though she was faking it. Eiko arches an eyebrow. "Ok, I'm not that angry, but that was pretty mean."

Eiko shrugs, her green eyes beaming. "Like I said, just a scare. C'mon, let's go home together. We live on the same street, right? Mine just 3 blocks away from you."

Dagger giggles. "Yeah, 'same street'."

Eiko pouts and sticks out her tongue, hands on the hips, her green backpack behind her straight back. "But it's close enough!" she snaps back. Dagger giggles, noticing she can't hold it longer, Eiko giggles also.

Eiko and Dagger are best friends since God knows when. They almost did everything together; even copy their homework in the 1st grade! Yet, their bond of friendship is very strong that nothing can ever make them apart.

A few walks and gossips and giggles together, they finally reaches Dagger's beautiful yellow house, with a strong and yellow bar gate, peony and lotus flowers in the gardens, fine emerald green grass and the beautifully decorated house.

"Well, this is my stop, Eiko," Dagger says, bowing. "I must go inside now. Ja ne."

Suddenly, Eiko pulls back Dagger's wrist. Dagger turns around, quite confused. "Is there anything else you want, Eiko?" Dagger asks quite politely, smiling. Eiko shakes her head. "Huh?"

Eiko lets go and grins. "Can I go inside, too?"

Dagger pauses and after a while, replies, "W-why? I mean… your house is not far away! Like you said, three blocks away, r-right?"

"Dagger, are you alright or something?" Eiko asks, concerned and arching an eyebrow. "I'll just go inside for 30 minutes. Besides, when was the last time I visit your house? Since two years ago?"

Dagger pauses again and realizes she was right. Ever since the tragic happened, she never let anyone in. But, Eiko is her best friend. Of course she can come in, right?

"Fine…" Dagger replies stiffly as she opens the gate and invites Eiko in. Eiko smiles and willingly walks in, as Dagger unlocks the door with a key. As they open it, they went inside quickly. "Nothing much changed."

"Are you crazy?" Eiko exclaims, looking around. "Your house seems to changed! Much more beautiful than before."

Dagger smiles sadly as she puts her backpack down. "Thanks…"

In the living room stands two single and one long pink, soft, sofas with a table in the middle, a group of lily flowers in the center. Below, are a fiery red carpet and a beautifully cemented floor with a rare pattern, like strings and circles dancing together, a large T.V. with DVD, VCD, VHS, and a Playstation2 is found in the living room with a chandelier on the ceiling. The kitchen was neat and clean and seems germ-free, seeing no mess around the kitchen sink and the wooden four-people table. A large refrigerator is found with a toaster beside it. A juice blender and an oven are found on the opposite side. The bathroom was clean and also germ-free, with a nice patterned floor. There was a bathtub, a shower, a toilet and a sink with a bin below it. It seems fragrant, too. There were three bedrooms all with a queen-sized soft and comfortable white fabric with soft materials bed, a full-length mirror, a cabinet, two bedrooms with a TV, and the other one with a radio. There were also two aircons in two rooms, and electric fans each. And each has a table of its own for its own personal uses.

Eiko sits down on the picnk single sofa looking around with an approving nod. "It's great to be here again!" she exclaims, smiling. Then she turns to Dagger who is in the kitchen, preparing two juices. "Hey, Dagger."

"Yeah?" Dagger answers back. "What is it, Eiko?"

"Where is your family?" Eiko asks innocently, but Dagger does not reply and stops whatever she was doing and looks kind of frozen. Her eyes go wide as her breathing fastened. "Are you alright? I'm sorry if I am interrupting anything… sorry."

Dagger goes back to her senses and shakes her head, coming back to the living room with a tray of two large glasses or mango juice with two chips.

"No, it's alright…" she says softly, putting the tray down to the wooden table and handing Eiko one glass. She sits down and sighs. "M-my family are out of town," she lies, picking up her own large glass and tries to sip some of it. "Visiting my grandmother, you know, tradition thing."

Eiko arches one eyebrow as she gets one chip and opens it, and then puts a mouthful. "Really… (Chomp)… how avout…(chomp)… youze…(chomp)… shoulzn't youze ve… (Chomp) … wiz them… (Chomp)…?"

Dagger thinks hard, trying to make up an excuse. She isn't ready to tell anyone yet, though she hates lying. Maybe she won't tell anyone about it forever, it will always be unrevealed to the world, like a chest that has no key.

"I didn't go with them," she replies stiffly, but not too convincing enough. "I have to work on my studies. You know how hard it is to be on your 3rd year of High School."

Eiko arches an eyebrow as she sips her juice. "Oh really? But, how about your big brother, Steiner? Isn't he a college student? Don't you think he should be on his studies, too?"

"He was given a month off," Dagger replies quickly, getting nervous suddenly. "You know the college students works hard for everything, and with that, all students was given a month off."

"I thought that Odaiba College don't give days offs?" Eiko asks, suspicious of her best friend's sudden nervousness and behavior. "And I'm sure I saw some Odaiba college students just a week ago and yesterday."

"WILL YOU STOP ASKING QUESTIONS?" Dagger yells, head lowered and eyebrows furrowed. Eiko seems surprise that she shuts up immediately. Dagger sighs as she looks up, her eyes sad, her face emotionless. "I'm sorry… I'm just a bit tense these days, and that… you know, studies…"

"I understand," Rikka apologizes as he sips her mango juice. "I'm sorry if I was annoying you with my questions. It's that I feel you are different from the different Dagger I once knew. I feel you are a bit distant. No offense, okay?"

Dagger sadly smiles; she knows what Rikka means… completely. She never acts like her cheerful self ever since two years ago. Her sadness was covered with a smile, but she never acted like herself completely. Yes, she is still the kind Dagger, but not totally herself. She never talks much ever since, but still, people love her the way she is, even though they notice the sudden change.

"I know," Dagger, says softly, her head down, her dark brown eyes sadder than it is, her voice a lonely whisper only to be heard by no one. "I know."

To be continued…

So, how do you like it? First chapter, not really that much drama or sad, just type the way I want it to be. Well, check out for more chapters, ok? (I'm going to delete my other FFIX fic because I don't know what I'm going to do with it. But if you want it, just tell me. The first chapter of it sucked, but the second chapter is way better than the first chapter of ONE DAY, WE'LL MEET AGAIN. Just tell me if you want me to continue or not!) I hope this new story gets your attention. I really hope so. I suck at writing sad ones, but I really wrote at my best, so please… read it and then review. I WOULD really appreciate it if you will.

REVIEW!!!!!