And I'm back! This update is a little earlier than planned, but I wanted to update fairly quickly because my two reviewers motivated me.
So thank you, Hazey Rine and shugocharafan1234. :D
That's pretty much it. This one's only a little longer than the last one, but I hope you'll enjoy anyway.
Rima focused on an indent in the shabby wall as she twirled, executing flawless pirouettes with ease. Her hair was up in a neat ponytail, shoes a discarded heap in the corner of the room next to her bag.
Ever since she had discovered this place, she'd made a habit of coming a few days every week, whether it was in the morning, during lunch, or after school. Her mom had taken her out of dance classes ages ago, after the incident, but she had found ways to keep up with the sport despite that. She was sorely out of practice, and her foot still ached if she pushed herself too hard, but she could feel herself improving each time she decided to come to this room.
Rima lost her balance on one spin and would have fallen if not for the wall behind her. Stopping right now would be best, she thought, heavy breaths passing through her lips. She took a step toward her backpack a few feet away, but a sharp pain in her foot jolted her.
She slid to the floor with a sharp intake of air, face contorting in pain.
She whimpered, clutching the limb lightly, eyes closed as she told herself that it would feel better by the end of the day and that she had no reason to worry. Her foot was fine and no one needed to know about the incessant pain it caused her, especially not the doctor.
The bell rang moments later and she forced herself to stand, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. She slipped her dainty feet into her shoes, took her hair out of the ponytail, and opened the door.
The last thing she expected to find waiting for her was a critical pair of amber eyes locked on her own.
.~*~.
After Rima had all but stormed out of the classroom, Amu and Nagihiko had gone to the cafeteria together.
It was nice, sitting with everyone again. He hadn't talked with any of them - Tadase, Kukai, or Yaya - in years. They all bombarded him with questions about his time studying abroad, and he answered the same way he had been answering all morning. 'It was good', 'I learned a lot', 'the people were really nice', and so on and so forth. It was starting to get tedious, but he put on his most polite face and smiled through it.
Toward the end of lunch, he'd made up an excuse about having to go to the restroom and left the cafeteria, partially because he wanted time alone to himself and partially because he was curious about where Rima had gone. She wasn't anywhere in the cafeteria, nor was she outside, and he highly doubted that she was already in class. It just wasn't like her.
With a defeated sigh, he retreated to his locker and withdrew the books he needed, packing them into his bag in an organized manner. He gripped it daintily and headed for his classroom on the second floor. Being a little early never hurt anyone, right?
He headed up the elegant spiral staircase, taking light steps and letting the fingers of his free hand trail along the banister. He couldn't help but be impressed with the handiwork of it.
Right. But stopping to admire it would be strange.
Nagihiko trudged on down the empty hall, but something captured his attention. A figure in the window.
His eyes widened as he realized who the dancer really was; her form was one thing about her that he'd always been able to recognize. But she still... she still danced? Even after everything that happened? How could she even put that much weight on her foot without falling over?
But she's gotten so much better from when we first met. It's like she's a completely different person, he thought, taking absentminded steps toward the small window. She was just doing pirouettes, but they couldn't have been more perfect. So fiercely determined, yet at the same time, calm and retained.
It was admirable.
And then, moments later, she fell. A stab of guilt shot through him, and it took all he had not to fling open the door and rush to her side. It's what any friend would do. It's what Nadeshiko would've done.
But how would Rima react when she realized that he had been watching her for... well... a while? This place was obviously a little more private to her, and he already felt like he was intruding on her personal space just by standing outside and watching her practice.
His brain barely registered the tolling of the bell, the noise distant in comparison to his noisy thoughts.
Which was why he couldn't feign an air of calmness when Rima opened the door, almost right into his face.
He met her surprised gaze, amber eyes slowly trailing down to her foot that he had witnessed her clutching just moments before. Was she really going to pretend that she was okay?
"Your foot," Nagihiko mumbled moments later.
"You were watching?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"No, not necessarily watching. I just happened to be passing by."
There was a brief silence that consisted of Rima glaring at him while he thought of something to say.
"Your dancing... it's gotten better," he managed after a few moments. "I thought you might want to know."
He couldn't decipher the myriad of emotions in her eyes. She looked somewhat conflicted, still angry, but a little flattered.
And then the harsh expression was back.
"You're in my way, and people are starting to stare. Could you please move so that I can get to class?" she asked, arms crossed.
"But," he frowned, "your foot-"
"-is perfectly fine and wants none of your concern. Let me leave, Nade-cha - I mean, Fujisaki-san." As Nagihiko raised an eyebrow in surprise, a flustered Rima pushed past him and out into the hall.
He adjusted his bag on his shoulder before starting toward his classroom, a faint smile on his face. I guess old habits die hard.
.~*~.
The rest of the day went by quickly. Rima sighed with relief as the last bell rang, dismissing them from school, and collected her things before heading for the front gate. She waited for Amu there every day.
The familiar pinkette came into view, bringing a smile to her petite features, but then she realized who was walking out after her.
It just had to be Nadeshiko, didn't it?
It wasn't that Rima hated her- she didn't particularly hate anyone - but she didn't think she could find it in herself to try being friends again just yet. So she was attempting to ignore her for the time being.
Though things hadn't been going as planned so far.
She saw me dancing, Rima thought, back turned as she took slow steps away from the school. No one's seen me dancing since I quit at the studio. Even worse, she knows where I go when I'm upset, and she's always been the comforting type... she sighed. I thought that she'd be gone from my life for forever-
"Rima?" Amu asked, causing the blonde to turn around. "Are you...ready to go yet?"
"Of course," Rima nodded, disregarding Nadeshiko as she started down the familiar street that led to Amu's house, her house, and eventually...
"I hope you don't mind Nadeshiko tagging along. She lives right down the street from you, actually, if you can believe it."
"Oh, I can believe it," she mumbled to herself, straightening up moments later with a forced smile. "Now we have someone else to walk home with. How nice."
"I know what you mean," Amu grinned, elbowing Nadeshiko playfully. "So, Nadeshiko, how was your first day back? It was nice seeing everyone again, right?"
"It was good. The classes weren't too boring, and I enjoyed seeing all of my old friends," she said, glancing at Rima before she looked back to Amu and smiled. "And it was nice meeting some new ones, too."
Amu beamed, as if that was exactly what she had wanted to hear. "You know, I'm glad that you two are getting along. At first, I was afraid that you wouldn't, but I guess I had nothing to worry about."
Nadeshiko smiled bashfully, a nervous laugh escaping her. "Yeah. Rima-chan and I are getting along well. Thanks for introducing us."
"No problem. My two best friends needed to meet sooner or later."
The two of them nodded, not meeting each other's gaze.
Amu sighed softly minutes later, looking around and coming to an abrupt stop. "Well, guys, this is my stop. I'll see you both tomorrow, okay?"
Rima turned, smiling faintly. "Bye, Amu."
"See you tomorrow," Nadeshiko nodded in her direction.
With a final wave, Amu let herself into her house and closed the door behind her, leaving Rima and Nadeshiko alone and suffering from an awkward silence.
"How's your foot?" Nadeshiko asked moments later, eyes curiously flitting over to Rima's stiff form. "Does it feel better?"
Rima shrugged, not looking up. "A little better, I guess. It won't hurt in the morning."
"Good. I'm glad," she said, smiling genuinely for once. "You know, I was worr-"
"Since when have you cared?" she asked, finally looking over at Nadeshiko. There was a hint of anger in her voice, but for the most part, she just seemed curious.
"I've always cared," she murmured, suddenly taking an interest in the ground.
Rima rolled her eyes, thankful that they were standing in front of her house. "Really?" she asked, ascending the front steps and opening the door. She stood for a moment, staring down at her old friend from the porch, before shaking her head. "You sure have a funny way of showing it."
And she slammed the door, leaving a guilty Nadeshiko standing behind in the cool afternoon breeze.
Hope you enjoyed. 3