Sorry I haven't updated in a few days. I got sick and had very little inspiration to write this chapter. But, here it is. :)
Rima eyed the purple-haired girl seated on the opposite couch with distaste. The girl responded to the expression with an innocent smile, and Rima sighed.
"So what are we supposed to do? You're 'babysitting' me until a little after seven, and I'm not sure that you just want to sit here and watch the T.V. all afternoon."
"Well, Rima-chan, technically, I'm supposed to be watching over you, so I'm just doing whatever you want to do. If you want to watch T.V. for the next few hours, we can. It's really up to you," Nadeshiko said pleasantly, smiling again.
"I don't really care," she mumbled, lying back. The remote dangled lazily from her hand, almost touching her crutches on the floor but not quite. She looked down at them with a small sigh, and eventually, at the cast on her foot, which she soon began to glare at. She was angry with the fact that she couldn't go back to dancing, and while she knew it was best to let the injury recover fully, she didn't know how long she'd be able to deal with it.
A moment of silence ensued before Rima decided to speak up about something that had been bothering her for a few days. "Hey, Nadeshiko-chan?"
"Yes?" Nadeshiko dragged her eyes away from the television as she responded, shifting so that her left leg was crossed over her right. "What is it, Rima-chan?"
"At the hospital, before I woke up, were you talking to me? About something important, maybe?" She frowned as she tried to remember. "I'm not exactly sure of what I heard, because not all of it makes a whole lot of sense... but still."
Rima noted that Nadeshiko faltered in her response, her nimble fingers anxiously working their way through her high ponytail as she shook her head. "No, I didn't say anything. You must have been dreaming."
The petite blonde frowned from where she lay down. "Are you sure? I could've sworn that I heard something. And it sounded a bit... apologetic." She slowly forced herself into a sitting position, eyes narrowing in slight suspicion.
"I mean... maybe I said a few things. But they probably weren't even important." Nadeshiko shrugged lightly, looking toward her lap. She almost wanted Rima to remember. It would make things so much easier for her, and she wouldn't have to say all those things a second time. "It was two days ago, so I... I don't really remember."
Rima's eyes narrowed further, her expression now something akin to a glare. "Why are you lying to me?"
"I'm not, Rima-chan."
She sighed. "Nadeshiko. I'm not stupid."
Nadeshiko finally looked over at Rima, their eyes meeting for a brief moment. "I know you're not. But I'm telling the truth, I promise you."
Rima frowned, getting frustrated. How could Nadeshiko lie to her face like that?
"I don't know if you remember that we used to be friends or not, but I do, and I know you. I can tell when you're lying, and I can tell when you're hiding something. You're doing both right now. I know that we're not close like we used to be, but you can still talk to me. I'm not a stranger, and I never have been. Not when you started ignoring me after you messed up my foot, and not even when you were in Europe. You could've contacted me any time you wanted to, and I would've listened. But you never jumped on that opportunity. And you don't seem to care for it now." She had dropped the remote and her fists were clenched at her sides.
Nadeshiko shook her head fiercely. "No, Rima-chan, I know that you've always been there for me, but I never wanted to bother you. And I didn't think you wanted to be near me after the whole incident with your foot. I pushed you away because I didn't want to hurt you again."
At those words, Rima picked up the closest pillow and hugged it to her chest. "...Didn't you realize that pushing me away hurt me more than the incident with my foot ever could? Maybe all I wanted after that was a friend."
"But I didn't think the friend you wanted was me." She sighed quietly. "I'm trying to make up for it now, but you're not giving me a chance."
"You blew your only chance a long time ago. Why do you think I'm so done with you now? You can't expect to come back after so many years and be welcomed with open arms by the girl whose trust you violated."
"Rima-chan, everyone makes mistakes, and I regret what I did so much. I think about it everyday. But I can't repair this friendship by myself! I'm trying so hard, every day, to make you forgive me. What are you going to do when one day, I just give up and decide that I'm the one who's done with you?" She rubbed her temples. "You have to remember that I'm not the only one to blame for the current state of our friendship."
Rima opened her mouth to retort, but she quickly closed it, frowning and looking away from Nadeshiko. The girl was right.
As the tension in the room subsided, silence settled over the two girls. The muted television no longer served its purpose of distracting, the two lost deeply in thought.
Nadeshiko's gentle voice eventually broke the silence. "...I don't want to hide things from you, but I'm not ready to tell you yet. Trust me, when I am, I'll come to you first, Rima-chan. That's a promise I intend to keep." She managed a somewhat genuine smile at the girl across the room.
Rima looked to be surprised. She tried desperately to hide the embarrassed blush that rose to her cheeks, nodding a little.
Though she may have seemed upset, Rima found it hard to fight the rush of satisfaction that washed over her as she thought about Nadeshiko's final comment.
.~*~.
The rest of their time together passed quickly. They took the food that Rima's mom had prepared before going to work and reheated it for dinner. After their conversation earlier, the air about them seemed to be much less disturbed, and they ended up having a good time.
Rima's mom returned as they finished eating, which was Nadeshiko's signal to call her mom and ask for a ride home.
The purple-haired girl left the Mashiro household, and when asked how things went, Rima couldn't think of anything bad to say.
.~*~.
The next day, school seemed to pass by quickly. They didn't test in any classes, and the classwork they were given was, for the most part, simple.
As Rima descended the school's front steps, looking up at the cloudy sky, she felt a raindrop land on her nose. As the rain started to pick up, the students around her pulled out their umbrellas or tried to shield their heads with their books and book bags.
She, Amu, and Nadeshiko had agreed that in the case of rain, they would head off separately instead of waiting for each other, so Rima wasted no time as she started toward her house. She didn't have her umbrella, and she knew it would upset her mom if she got her school things wet.
A few minutes after she started walking, two voices calling her name made her stop and turn around.
"Rima-chan!"
"Rima, wait up!"
Nadeshiko and Amu ran toward her, the former clutching an umbrella. Rima let them reach her and catch their breath, smiling a little. "Hey, guys. Liking this weather?"
"Hah, no," Amu grinned, shaking her head. "Aren't you cold? You don't have an umbrella or anything, right?"
Rima shook her head. "I don't. And I'm freezing, but my house isn't too far up ahead, so I should be fine."
"Here, guys," Nadeshiko said, holding out her umbrella to Amu and Rima. "You two can use it, because not all three of us will fit underneath."
The pinkette frowned. "Nadeshiko, we couldn't. I don't want you to get sick."
"I'm fine. I have a pretty strong immune system, so I don't think I will. Don't worry about me," Nadeshiko smiled.
"Are you sure?" Rima asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
The girl nodded.
"All right." Amu took hold of the umbrella, suspending it above their heads. She kept sneaking furtive glances at Nadeshiko, frowning as the girl steadily got soaked. "Are you sure you're okay?"
She waved off her concern. "Yes, Amu-chan."
The pouring rain created a comfortable, almost soothing silence that was quickly cut short as Amu handed the umbrella off to Rima and ascended her front steps. "I'll bring an umbrella the next time it rains, I promise!" she called out, before waving and stepping inside.
Rima handed it off to Nadeshiko. "There you go. It's always easier if the taller person holds the umbrella."
"Thank you, Rima-chan," Nadeshiko nodded. She sneezed moments later.
"...Hey, Nadeshiko?" Rima asked.
"Yeah?" the girl responded, sneezing again.
Rima frowned, arms crossed as she looked over at Nadeshiko. "When you said you didn't get sick easily...?"
Another sneeze. "Yeah. I lied."
Not much to say. Hope you enjoyed.