Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara.
Rima sighed in her nonchalance. She was sitting on the school roof with one of the most attractive boys in the city. Any girl would be ecstatic under those circumstances, but Rima was a far cry from being any girl. "One question", she said softly. The long haired boy turned towards her and nodded. "Why the roof?"
He chuckled. "Because if I took you any further you would have called the police and said I kidnapped you. You hate me right?" Usually she would have laughed. But of course, she just seemed to have a dramatic back story on everything too.
"That's not funny", she said icily. "What if you said that to someone who actually got kidnapped?"
His face dropped. "Were you…?"
"That's none of your damn business", she said while hiding behind a mass of curly blonde hair. "All you people are the same. You have no boundaries."
"Oh yea, you never got around to telling me exactly what my people and I have done to make you dislike us all so much."
"Hate," she corrected. "Dislike is a weak word. Anyway, it's because all you people have the power to do something, to change something but instead you just indulge yourselves and look down on everything."
"And how to you come to that conclusion?" Nagihiko questioned.
"Just look at you! You're all either stupidly athletic or artistic or both. You're all good looking and rich and talented. But then there's Amu – so much potential but she puts none of it to use. She's so stupid, but everybody likes her I like her and I don't like anything. Do you know what a person with that kind of charisma can do? She could gather armies for change in the world. But does she do it? No, she'd rather sit at home and scribble Tsukiyomi Amu in a notebook."
"So you're mad because we're not turning the world upside down."
"It's already upside down! I just think that if everyone wasn't so self centered we could turn it right side up again", she said in a small voice.
"I wish I had all this power you imagine me with", Nagi admitted. "The world is something much bigger than Seiyo High. Everyone suffers, money doesn't make you an exception – if anything you suffer more when you have money."
Rima raised a condescending eyebrow. "The great Fujisaki Nagihiko suffers?" she asked. "What is it – can't decide between becoming a pro athlete and taking over the family business?" she asked in disdain.
He shrugged. "When you give up your secrets, I'll give up mine. Just eat you parfait, I still have something to show you?" For once, Rima did as she was told and dug into the creamy dessert.
"Fujisaki, how did you get this stuff up here anyway?" she asked. He couldn't have been that confident that he would find her on the first day.
"I know a guy," he explained. Rima finished the confection and then stood up to be bothered by the fact that she wasn't that much taller than Nagihiko sitting down.
"Okay, what did you want to show me? I don't have all day you know", she said impatiently.
"Of course your majesty", Nagihiko joked. He led her down the stairs and into the legendary 'popular section' of the school parking lot. In his usual parking space was a shiny black motorcycle.
"T-that's yours?" the tiny girl stammered. Horrible flashbacks tore at her mind. She saw blood, tears, the color black and a tombstone. The name of her first love was inscribed on it. Tears welled up in the girl's golden eyes but she pushed the back the way she always did. She would not break down and cry in front of the likes of him, but at the same token she wasn't getting on that thing for all the money in the world.
"That thing is a death trap. I'm not getting on that thing and neither should you, if you enjoy being alive." It would be sad for such a good looking creature to end up with his head embedded in the pavement.
"Aww my Rima-chan is worried about me. How cute. You're not a demon spawn after all", he mused.
"It's Mashiro-san to you and I'm not your anything and-" a thought occurred to her mid-rant. "But…since we have no ride I'll be going back to class now", she said.
"Nice try", Nagihiko said as he took out a set of car keys. "But I anticipated that." He opened the door to the car next to him and held the door open. Rima stared at him quizzically, but got in all the same.
"Isn't this Ikuto's car?" she asked as the cruised down the highway.
"Yea."
"So why are we-"
"He picked my lock for Amu, so I stole is key for you. It's only fair", the boy explained.
"I suppose so", Rima quipped. "Where are you dragging me anyway?"
"Cirque du soleil," he said. Rima's eyes lit up. She'd been trying to get tickets for that since the show came to Japan.
"How'd you-"
"You said I couldn't ask Amu who you are, but after I found out I did ask her what you like. Comedy huh – cute."
"Okay but how'd you-"
"Get the tickets? I know a guy," he explained.
"Of course you do", she said with bemusement. This was her warm welcome to the world of the rich and almost famous.
When school was over, Utau went to the studio to record her latest single. Work had piled up for her last week because she'd been planning Nadeshiko's party. "Ah, the toils of being an amazing best friend", the pop star mused.
"Somebody loves herself a little too much," a voice said from behind the glass window.
"Leave me along Kukai," she said, automatically knowing who it was.
"But it's true though. You're an amazing friend," he said, entering the booth.
"Oh really? Is that why you've been neglecting me lately?" she asked.
"What?"
"Don't act surprised. You only seem to care about that Yoyo girl lately."
"Yaya," he corrected.
"Whatever!" Utau corrected. "She's all you seem to care about lately so don't waste your precious time on me now."
Kukai shook his head. "Jeez, you women are crazy. But as I was saying, the reason I'm here is that since you've been such a good friend lately I think someone should be good to you too," he said. Utau's eyes brimmed with happiness. That changed everything.
"What do you have in mind?" she asked placidly.
"Ultimate Ramen eating contest?" he offered.
"I'll take it", she said. "But the loser has to pay." Kukai shrugged.
"I was going to treat, but if that's the way you want if pop star", he said, starting to walk away.
"Wait a minute! Kukai! I take it back", she said running after him. The idol smiled despite of herself. The perfect best friendship was developing full speed ahead into something more and nothing could do anything to stop it. Not Nade, Yaya, or Kukai himself. This was going to happen if it was the last thing she did.
Tadase walked down the halls carrying a stack of flyers even bigger than him. What malicious force had possessed him to run for a position on student council? It could have been the drive to make a difference. Or perhaps the wistful feelings for the old guardian days where he didn't have to hide himself from the one he lived. Back when she didn't notice him? No he wouldn't go back to that for anything in the world. Worthy reasoning or not, with a stack of papers that huge it was impossible for him not to bump into something sooner or later. Unfortunately, it happened sooner. He heard a feminine gasp and a thud before the flyers went flying in all directions. He prayed with everything in him that it wasn't Nadeshiko he knocked over.
"Can you believe what he just did to the lady?" A passerby asked.
"I know! He's way to clumsy to be a representative, there's no way I'll vote for him now."
"Blonde bastard", one guy commented.
"Fujisaki-sama are you alright?" The fan boys were surrounding them by this point. Nadeshiko's eyes welled up with tears.
"OW! Ow, no I think my ankle is broken. Can you all go call the nurse for me?" she asked in a soft, pained voice. Tadase's ghost left his body. There was no hope for him after this.
"Fujisaki-san, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there. Are you badly injured", he stammered. He could not have her hate him under any circumstances. After the fan boys were out of sight Nadeshiko stood up.
"What are you apologizing for?" she asked. Now he was confused.
"D-didn't you get hurt?"
"Of course not! I just wanted the fan boys to go away. Now come on before they come back", she said. Nadeshiko picked up an armful of flyers and started running, dragging the confused princely blonde behind her.
"VOTE FOR HOTORI-KUN!" she shouted, throwing the flyers in every direction. "HOTORI-KUN FOR STUDENT COUNCIL!"
"F-Fujisaki-san what are you doing?" he asked as they continued to run around the school, dodging fan boys as they went.
"Multitasking", she said. Dark purple hairs started to come out of her neat high ponytail giving her a more dynamic affect. "We're running from psychopaths and advertising."
"Oh," he said simply. Nadeshiko's dragging sessions were something similar to Kukai's high speed dashes. After a few years it took some readjusting.
"HOTORI TADASE FOR STUDENT COUNCIL-" she paused and turned back to him. "Nee, Hotori-kun what position are you running for anyway?" she asked.
"Something entry level I guess since I'm not too well known. Then maybe I could work my way up from within and-"
"Uh huh", Nadeshiko said. He could tell that she was no longer listening. "HOTORI-KUN FOR STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT! YOU BETTER VOTE FOR HIM PEOPLE!" His ruby colored eyes seemed to bulge out of his head.
"President?" he asked. She stopped and turned to face him completely.
"Yes president. If you're gonna do something do it all the way", she said and giggled enjoying an inside joke with herself about a past experience. Tadase laughed nervously – was she on to him already? "But seriously, you're a born leader, and unlike everyone else you have the school's best interest at heart. You'll win. Just stop hesitating and don't doubt yourself so much."
"Thanks Fujisaki-san, but you know these things are all a popularity contest", he said.
"All the more reason," she argued. "You're much cuter than the other candidates. And besides that, I do recall a certain king's chair that had legions of fan girls lined up to give him chocolates on Valentine's Day," Nade mused. Tadase shuttered at the memory. He couldn't stand to even look at a piece of chocolate after that year.
"I don't know...that was a long time ago after all. That stuff hardly matters anymore", he said sullenly. He of all people would know.
"What did I just tell you about hesitating?" the purple haired girl asked. "You still don't listen I see. Just keep being your kind, gentle self. Good things always happen to people like that," she said, giving him a wink before taking off in another direction.
"Fujisaki-san wait!" he called. If he was going to tell her it might as well be now.
She turned around. "Nani?"
He changed his mind. There was no way he could tell her. She was just saying that stuff to be nice. She couldn't possibly be interested in plain old him. "Um, aren't you going the wrong way? The dance annex is on the west wing," he said.
"Oh, no I'm going to vocals", she explained. "If I want to make it big, I'll have to be able to sing. I don't plan on being someone's background dancer for my whole life." So much had changed since elementary school.
"Fujisaki-san, good luck!" he said.
"Hai, you too!" she called before going about her business.
A/N: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter but the good news is that I'm about to be on break from school so I'll be updating like crazy again. I can assure that there will be drama in the next few chapters and you'll probably get upset at a few characters...feel free to guess who. Read and Review please.
