Now I'd done it. My biggest secret had finally been exposed. I had hoped that once I'd told someone, I wouldn't be so stressed. But although the burden of the secret had been lifted, it was replaced by something heavier; somehow, the only person I'd ended up telling was my enemy, and that knowledge made me feel worse than I already had.

I suddenly felt like I was going to cry again—this was not what I had wanted to happen. The two words that had revealed what I'd been hiding for most of my life hung in the air between the two of us. The only thing that broke the deafening silence was the light dripping of one of the sinks across from us; I closed my eyes and focused on that to keep myself from bursting into tears again. I also focused my attention on Nagihiko's gentle hand, still resting on my back, though part of me knew that it shouldn't be there to begin with.

Though I didn't like the silence, I didn't want it to end. I wasn't about to say anything—if I led him to believe that I wanted to talk, he would start asking questions. Most likely questions that I did not, under any circumstances, want to answer.

The lack of sound made it easier to think, and I wondered what my chances were of running out of the bathroom and off of the school campus before me caught up to me. I had to admit, they weren't good. I wasn't what anyone would call a fast runner, due to my short legs, and I figured that the odds of even getting out of the bathroom were not in my favor.

Taking a different approach, I wondered if he might just get up and leave. The way things were going right now, I decided that I had a betted chance at running away.

"Rima-chan..." I'd known that since I hadn't broken the silence, he was going to. But I'd been hoping for a little more time. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" His voice was hesitant, as if he thought that asking the question might cause me to start sobbing—again.

I ignored the question for what seemed like forever, but he didn't pry, as I'd expected him to. I'd heard that talking about these kinds of things made them better, but I wasn't a fool. There was no way that making myself look like an idiot was going to help with this particular situation. I knew this, yet I was just so desperate to remove the weight from my chest that I couldn't help but wonder if, just this once, I could try to talk.

I didn't have an answer as to why I hadn't told anyone. I wasn't scared, I wasn't embarrassed. I'd simply decided to put up with my problems on my own. Since I didn't have any logical reasoning, I muttered, "Next..."

There was a moment of silence before his soft voice inquired, "How long?"

I wasn't sure how to answer, so I whispered, "Long enough." I then decided that this was too broad for an answer. "About a year, maybe..."

Nagihiko didn't ask another question, so there was another long period where neither of us spoke. A few moments later, he asked "Why?" This time, it was the question instead of the answer that was too vague. It was a question that even I didn't have the answer to, and a question that I'd grown tired of after asking myself the same thing for so long.

This question-and-answer session was going nowhere fast, so I decided that I would answer his "why" question after all. Although there was no clear answer that I could give, I knew that enough could be explained by just telling him my story.

"When I was small, I always made people laugh. My parents and I were happy, and I was glad that I was able to make them smile. But I was young and naïve. Sometimes things happen that change your life, and no matter how hard you try, you can't change it back. I wanted so badly to change it back... To go back to the way things were before that day."

Nagihiko listened to me, though I was positive that I wasn't making much sense. So I took a deep breath before beginning my explanation. "I was almost kidnapped when I was little. It didn't turn out badly in the end—I was found quickly. But instead of being happy that their daughter was safe, my parents ignored my completely... They blamed each other for what happened, and it wasn't long before the smallest disagreements were able to spark the worst fights."

I didn't want to continue—it was like reliving the entire ordeal, scene by painful scene, in a slow motion that I couldn't fast-forward. But now that I'd started, I couldn't leave the rest untold, no matter now much it hurt to go on.

"All I wanted was to go back to the way things used to be. I tried so hard to make them smile again, but it was like they'd forgotten I was there. The only thing left was their hatred for each other. The fights continued, and I was lucky to see a day that one didn't break out. When I was small, I was scared to do anything—I hated the way they fought, but I couldn't stop it. And as I got older, the severity of the fighting escalated."

I took another deep breath before continuing. Telling the story like this was so painful, and it was difficult not to cry. "The yelling and name-calling turned to physical abuse. Things were knocked off of shelves and broken, and sometimes objects were thrown around purposely. I always hid in my room, crying while they shouted at each other and hurt each other. I didn't understand why they couldn't just be happy..."

By now, it was getting hard to talk. The lump in my throat was impossible to swallow, and tears were collecting in my eyes. "I couldn't stand it anymore... I was angry at them for ruining the happy family we had been. I tried to stop the fighting—I would shout too, and when they ignored me, I tried to push them away from each other. That was when they started hurting me, too. They cared about nothing but their hatred for each other. Not even their own daughter..."

I couldn't hold it in anymore. Hot tears slid down my cheeks and my shoulders started to shake violently as I cried. Telling all this had broken down the barrier I'd used to protect myself from the hurtful memories, and the pain was hitting me full-force.

Suddenly, a pair of gentle arms wrapped around me and the hand that had been on my back started to comfortingly stroke and caress my hair. Inside, I knew that this was wrong—this boy and I were rivals. I didn't like him, and most times, I couldn't stand to be around him. But the way I was feeling at this moment, I needed someone; and he, of all people, happened to be there.

Against my better judgment, I let myself be hugged and petted like a frightened kitten. I let myself be rocked back and forth like a small child. I let everything go; everything I'd been holding in for so long came tumbling out as the tears that cascaded down my cheeks. I didn't like crying like this, especially in front of someone—but he didn't seem to mind. Nagihiko just hugged me gently and continued petting my hair while I rid myself of the tears that had been bottled up for so long. And I let him.

Even when, at last, the trembling of my shoulders ceased and the tears slowed, he didn't let me go. I didn't have the strength to move, as I'd exhausted myself with the sudden outburst of emotion. I focused on taking deep breaths while leaning limply against his chest.

There was one thing that, strangely enough, I found funny, although I didn't have the energy needed to laugh. How ironic it was that, of all the people that could've found me crying in the restroom, it had to be him? Why was it that, if Yaya, Tadase, or even Amu had been the one to find me, I would have lied? I knew myself well enough to realize that I wouldn't have told anyone what I had just told this boy, who just so happened to be my enemy. In a twisted way, it was funny that he was the only one that could've made me tell. And even though I couldn't laugh, I found the strength to smile.

Nagihiko looked down at me, and I looked back up at him. There was a short silence, and in that time I was able to sort out my thoughts. I did not want anyone to know about my problem—Nagihiko knowing was one person too many, though I did not necessarily regret telling him. I didn't even want Amu knowing, though there were usually no secrets between us.

There was also something else, and this was what I voiced to the boy that was still hugging me like a stuffed toy. Looking up at him, I erased all traces of anything but seriousness from my voice. "No one, and I mean no one, hears of this. Got it?" I said, indicating the way I was laying against him, with his arms around me.

Nagihiko nodded, and let out a small chuckle. Then his eyes grew serious again. "Rima-chan," he made sure I was looking at him before continuing. "Everything's going to be okay..."

And the way he said it, at that moment, I started to feel just a little hope. I started to think that, just maybe, everything would be.