The only reason I like this chapter is because it's the first one I've written that's over 2,000 words. xD

Thanks again to my two reviewers. 3

Enjoy. :D

The next morning, Nagihiko stepped through the classroom door, eyes immediately searching for Amu and Rima. Although no one seemed to be paying them any mind, it looked like Amu was... pleading with the shorter girl? Why, though?

He raised a brow and walked over, greeting them with a pleasant smile."Good morning, guys."

"Good morning, Nadeshiko," Amu smiled, giving a casual wave.

"Morning, Fujisaki-san," Rima mumbled, not bothering to look up.

Nagihiko took his seat and set out his things, paying close attention to the conversation that had been resumed moments ago.

"Please, Rima? I don't understand why you're saying you can't do it anymore," Amu frowned, sitting on the desk in front of her friend.

"I just can't, Amu. I'm sorry. I'm sure there's someone else you can get to do it for you tomorrow. I've just been in a lot of pain lately, and I don't think I'll be up to it..."

"But you've been fine during practice. I don't think I've seen you mess up a single need you," she said, pretending to pout.

Rima's growing irritation was becoming evident. "Amu, I don't know how many different ways I can tell you that-"

"What's going on?" Nagihiko asked pleasantly, his high-pitched voice effectively cutting Rima's off.

"None of your business," the petite blonde grumbled.

Amu rolled her eyes," Rima's telling me that she can't do the routine anymore. She said that we need to find someone to take her place, or take her out of it completely."

Nagihiko found an unusual amount of anxiety building up in the pit of his stomach. Was it because of her foot...? "Why, Rima-chan?"

"Because you guys... don't need me. You're practically all they need, Fujisaki-san," Rima mumbled. She technically wasn't lying. It was a half-truth.

Nagihiko puzzled over this. He was about to open his mouth and say something, but Amu beat him to it.

"Why didn't you tell us you were feeling that way sooner? None of us knew you were feeling left out. We just thought you weren't saying anything because you were tired or something..." She rubbed the back of her neck somewhat awkwardly. "If that's all it is, then there's no reason to worry. We all want you to be a part of the routine, so don't let that get you down, okay?"

"But, Amu-"

The teacher walked in moments later, easily silencing the trio, and eventually, the rest of the class. Amu gave Rima a reassuring nod before taking her seat next to Nagihiko, painfully oblivious to the fact that one of her best friends wasn't telling her something important.

The shorter girl sighed and rested her head on her desk, golden curls fanning out in a veil around her.

Nagihiko found himself unable to focus on the teacher, one question lingering in the forefront of his mind.

What was Rima hiding?

.~*~.

The bell tolled later that afternoon, signalling the end of the school day.

For Amu, Rima, Nagihiko, and, Tadase, that meant that P.E. had just ended. They all said their goodbyes to Tadase, who headed off to the boy's locker room, while the remaining trio followed the female population to the girl's locker room.

Most of the girls were gone within five minutes of the bell ringing, Amu and Rima included. The former told Nagihiko that they would wait for him out front, and that he didn't need to hurry.

The blonde mumbled something that sounded like, 'Yes, take all the time you need.'

Nagihiko was, unfortunately for Rima, the last one out of the girl's locker room. He couldn't change with everyone else around, obviously, so he would bring his clothes to the bathroom stalls and change there.

Today had been their last chance to practice their routine before the next day, and they had all agreed that they were ready. Well, all of them except for Rima. She hadn't been saying much of anything all day. Any time he had tried to approach her with a question, she would brush him off like she always did and walk away.

Nagihiko stepped outside, spotting the familiar pinkette and running over to her. "Hi. Sorry I took so long."

"Don't worry about it, Nadeshiko," Amu said with a faint smile, picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

He looked around, frowning. "Where's Rima-chan?"

"She left early. Said she had a few things to do..." Amu sighed. "She's been acting a little strange lately. Ever since..." She cut off her sentence, looking warily over at Nagihiko.

"...Ever since I showed up, right? That's what you were going to say."

"Well... not exactly that," she said, worried that she had offended her friend.

"Don't worry, Amu-chan," she smiled. "It's the truth."

The two started to walk side by side, a gentle breeze keeping them cool.

"I just don't get it, you know? You haven't done anything to make her behave strangely. And I know she said she feels left out, but... that can't be the only thing..."

Nagihiko ran his fingers through his thick ponytail. To tell, or not to tell? He wanted to, but he knew that there was always the chance of Amu telling Rima that she knew all about it. About their past. And if Rima found out that he had gone against her word and told Amu... it would only make things between them worse.

So he settled for giving a vague answer. "Yeah... I don't quite know what it is, either. But... I'm sure that when she's ready to talk about whatever's on her mind, you'll be the first one she goes to. So I wouldn't worry about it."

Amu nodded as she stopped in front of her house, as if Nagihiko's words had given her new strength. "Thanks for the advice, Nadeshiko. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course, Amu-chan," he said, waving. "Make sure you're ready for the routine!"

"I will be," she grinned, stepping inside her house and closing the door.

Nagihiko continued down the street, pausing only once to look at Rima's house. She was in there somewhere, keeping all of her feelings bottled up inside because she didn't have anyone she could fully trust.

He couldn't help feeling that it was his fault.

Well, he thought, looking toward the sky. Tomorrow's a new day. I can only hope that things will be a little better then.

.~*~.

Rima rubbed her eyes the next morning, not wanting to get out of bed. She hadn't slept very well the night before, with the pain in her foot waking her up every half-hour or so, and making it hard to fall back asleep for at least another twenty minutes after the fact.

She slowly dragged herself out of bed, trying to put as little weight on her foot as possible as she maneuvered around the house. Her mom had left for work already; she always had a few days each week when she was called into work earlier than usual.

She couldn't skip school, and she didn't have a doctor's note to skip P.E. because her mother had never requested one (and even if she had, Rima wouldn't know where to find it). Which meant that she was stuck doing the routine today.

Joy.

Rima got dressed as quickly as she could, sitting down to a quick breakfast of toast before heading out the door. She was practically limping as she walked to school, her departure time later than usual. She was guessing that Amu and Nadeshiko were ahead of her by now, which was almost a blessing. She didn't think she could feign happiness and walk properly at the same time.

She made it to school a few minutes after the bell rang, much to her teacher's displeasure, and took her seat in the back of the room. She brushed off the worried looks she was receiving from Amu and Nadeshiko, instead trying to focus on her notes and not the pain in her foot.

Look on the bright side... After today's over, things will be easier. P.E. will once again consist of basically nothing, and I'll eventually get the surgery and my foot will be better.

Rima sighed. I just have to make it through today...

.~*~.

Everyone was whispering about the routines they were about to see, and those they were supposed to perform. Some were excited, others a little anxious.

Rima was getting nervous. Sure, the routine only had to last for about forty-five seconds, but those would be the most painful forty-five seconds of her life, she was sure.

The teacher had just finished taking roll, and they were going to go down the list in alphabetical order by last name. She was willing to bet that Nadeshiko's last name would put them at fifth or sixth, in terms of performing order.

The first few groups went; there were some mistakes here and there, and some routines were so simple that they showed how little effort the members of the team had put in. But they were fun to watch. Infinitely more fun to watch than they were to perform, Rima would've guessed.

Soon enough, the teacher called for Fujisaki and her group. They all stood, moving into their starting positions. A quiet "go" from Nadeshiko signalled their start, with both Amu and Tadase managing one in-sync cartwheel across the mat.

That was Rima's cue to execute a handstand. Nadeshiko ran forward, pushing off from Rima's feet with her hands and flipping in midair to land gracefully on her feet. Rima did her best not to crumple from the pain, choosing instead to fall back and stand. Despite the pain, she couldn't help the smile that came to her lips. She had missed the thrill of putting on a good performance.

As Nadeshiko took her position on the opposite end of the mat, Rima made sure she was standing in the right place and nodded at the girl. They both turned around so that their backs were facing one another before proceeding to execute a series of back handsprings.

One, Rima thought, wincing each time her feet came in contact with the floor and had to push off again. Two, and...

"Three," she heard Nadeshiko whisper from behind her, the two landing back to back. They were both breathing heavily as they finished, Amu and Tadase holding the handstand position on opposite corners of the mat.

The whole class was cheering for them as they took their seats, Rima resisting the urge to scream. The pain from that last landing... it was worse than it had ever been. She was starting to panic; she wanted to check her foot, but she knew that she'd have no opportunity to do so until she got home.

Please be okay, she thought to herself.

…

Class was dismissed about twenty minutes later; Rima hurriedly changed in the locker room, applying as little pressure as she could to her foot, but it wasn't helping. The pain was incessant, even worse when she moved it even the tiniest bit. She sat down on the bench, leaning against her locker. She didn't want to move just yet.

Amu had left early; she said that she had a few things to take care of at home, and that she wanted Rima to apologize to Nadeshiko for her.

Rima had told her that she didn't mind, and that she'd see her later.

Nadeshiko came out of the bathroom five minutes later, blinking at Rima curiously. "What are you still doing here?"

"Amu wanted me to apologize to you for her because she had to go home early. So I waited." She tried to stand, but winced and fell back against the lockers.

The purple-haired girl frowned, extending her hand. "Is your foot all right?"

"No," Rima mumbled, hesitantly taking it and standing up. She was tempted to hop all the way home on her left foot, but soon brushed it off as a bad idea when she realized that she would probably end up falling over and hurting herself even more. "I don't... I can't walk."

Nadeshiko looked down at Rima's foot, eyes widening slowly. "It's..."

There was a small red patch blossoming on her shoe, around her lower ankle. Blood.

"We need to get you to a hospital-" she said, rustling around in her bag for her cell phone. She was about to dial the emergency number when she caught Rima wobbling on her feet out of the corner of her eye. The petite girl fainted, Nadeshiko just barely managing to catch her before her head hit the floor.

Nadeshiko slipped the girl's shoe off, trying to be gentle amidst her worry. Most of her sock was stained with blood, and as she removed the sock...

Oh my God.

Little bones in Rima's foot were sticking out, blood pooling around some and dried around others.

Nadeshiko hurriedly punched three numbers into her phone, resting the device in the crook of her neck as she scooped Rima up gently and walked outside.

"Hello? I have an emergency here. My, um... my friend just fainted... She's losing blood in her foot. Yes... I'm standing outside of Seiyo High School... Okay, thank you. Good bye."

She looked down at the girl in her arms as she hung up, her panic threatening to overwhelm her.

RIma-chan, please... she thought worriedly. Please be okay.

Hopefully that wasn't too terrible?

I understand it's confusing because I sometimes refer to him as Nadeshiko, and other times, Nagihiko, but... bear with it, please. xD