I'm sorry it took a while for this chapter to be posted. You see, I went on vacation, and I wasn't working on my stories. I own nothing, as usual, except the plot. I don't even own the song that this was originally based off of, but doesn't have much to do with anymore… Warning: A lot of cursing.
"I've had a crush on you for this whole entire time."
Rima was breathing slowly. She had only said that one sentence and it already seemed like time froze. That was clearly the hardest part to tell him. What was he going to say, or do? Rima wanted to look at him, to see his reaction, but she was too nervous. Her heart was beating 100 miles per hour, at minimum. She was sweating madly. The color of her face was that of an apple. However, she knew she had to continue. She closed her eyes, and breathed heavily. After exhaling, Rima opened her eyes. She forced a look at Nagihiko, who like her, was trying not to make eye contact. He was flustered as well, but not quite as much as Rima.
"W-Well, um, so…" Rima stopped, unsure how to keep going. It came out so much easier when she was telling Utau, Amu, and Yaya. "I-It started wh-when I…" Rima breathed again. "K-K-Kissed you…" Her stutter was annoying her. "…To be perfectly honest, it was a dare from Amu and Yaya. Yet, I listened… because of what I said before…" Nagihiko nodded slowly, stiffly. "After that day, everything changed…"
"Rima-Chan… N-Not to interrupt, but how does liking me cause you…trouble?" Nagihiko wondered. Rima hesitated.
"Since my parents got so much worse, I guess I didn't…I don't… Believe romance works out ever." Rima said. Was that it; the only reason Nagihiko was such a pain? Did Rima actually have a reason? Why did she just ignore his existence? He only tried to help… Tears formed in Rima's eyes, and she tried her best to keep it hidden, but she couldn't. To her surprise, Nagihiko took her hand. She stiffened, turned red again. Her tears seemed to melt. "W-Well anyway… My parents began to fight over every little thing. They barely even remembered my existence. They never noticed I ever sometimes snuck out of my house. They only fought and fought. One day, a few days ago, I snuck out to the park, and I found Ikuto. He, however, didn't notice…" Suddenly something sparked in Rima's mind. How could she have not noticed? It wasn't just a coincidence she was listening to him play and then he asks her out!
"Well, anyway… He actually must have noticed me since the next day he asked me out. I accepted, the guardians boring me. We went to the nearby diner, and then by 'coincidence,' an X-Egg was attacking me, and he saved me, destroying it. I ended up kissing him, for some reason. The next day, was when he announced he was going out with me… you probably remember that. I skipped the guardians after school, and helped out by creating X-Eggs, those being able to be purified. The next day, I quit the guardians, and, well, you know what happened." Nagihiko nodded, as Rima breathed again. "So… I went on home after, to find my parents waiting for me, yelling at me for leaving them. I yelled at them, and then left my house. I met up with Utau, and I'm currently staying at Sanjou-San's house, as you know. The rest… has much to do with you…"
"I never realized you were going through so much…" Nagihiko whispered. Rima wanted to explode with tears, but she didn't. She also realized that they were still holding hands. She slid her hand out of his, and sat down, out of breath from telling Nagihiko everything. Nagihiko knelt beside her. "I know it was hard, but thanks for telling me everything." He whispered.
"I'm sorry…" She muttered.
"Sorry? How come?" Nagihiko wondered. "I should be saying sorry to you, if anything…"
"I've been extremely rude to you, when all you've done was try to make me better. I've never been nice to you ever… Even before all of this…"
"Really, you're going back to before?" Nagihiko laughed slightly. "Honestly Rima-Chan, that never bothered me. I actually found your insults entertaining. Even when you were rude to me these past two days… I just happened to be there when you didn't want me. It's okay." Why was he so forgiving?
"No, when I yelled at you 'I hate you,' I'm the one who found you." Rima muttered.
"I was prying though." Nagihiko countered. Wait, was this seriously happening? They were arguing about whether Rima was being mean or not. Rima smiled softly.
"Whatever." Rima muttered. There was silence for a minute.
"I should let you know, that… I like you too." Rima looked up, completely surprised. That was one thing she never expecting coming out of Nagihiko's mouth.
"W-What?" Rima exclaimed, turning red for the third time in a row.
"Really, you're that surprised? I thought it was sort of obvious…" Nagihiko whispered.
"H-How long have you liked me for?" Rima wondered. She was now extremely curious, and didn't hide her curiosity. Nagihiko opened his mouth to speak, when Yaya came dashing over to them.
"LET'S GET CANDY!" Yaya yelled. She was twirling uncontrollably. Rima blinked at Yaya.
"Um, why are you spinning?" Rima wondered. "Do you have a logical reason?"
"YAYA WANTS CANDY!" Yaya moaned. Kukai walked over to them. Amu followed shortly after, with Tadase leaning on her.
"Hotori-San, are you okay?" Nagihiko asked, standing up.
"I-I'm okay…" Tadase reassured. He was scratched, from Ikuto's claws. The spots from where he was scratched were red, and blood was coming down his face. Amu helped him down.
"Does anyone have a tissue?" Nagihiko wondered. "We can put pressure on the spots in which Hotori-San's bleeding." If Rima had a tissue, she would've used it to prevent her from crying. No one said anything.
"I'm fine, really…" Tadase reassured, standing up. He rubbed some blood off his face, and smiled softly.
"CANDY!" Yaya moaned.
"One minute!" Amu snapped at Yaya, her cool and spicy mode kicking in. Yaya quieted down, looking sad.
"What happened to Utau?" Rima wondered quietly.
"She's following Ikuto." Kukai said, his voice shaking. "Hopefully she's being careful…" Rima rolled her eyes, Kukai's feelings for Utau making her nauseous. Amu was also being overprotective over Tadase. Is that what romance was like? Rima was never protective of Nagihiko. She looked at him. He was busy helping Tadase. She hoped that if she ever was in pain, he wouldn't obsess over her.
"I think he's fine…" Amu whispered. "Let's head back to the Royal Garden." Every nodded, and Kukai helped Tadase. Amu walked beside them, asking Tadase whether he was okay every two seconds.
"IS IT CANDY TIME?" Yaya exclaimed. "Yaya wants candy!" Yaya was moaning, and Rima sighed.
"Nope. It probably will never be." Rima said, mostly to spite Yaya. Yaya's eyes widened. "Yaya, I was kidding. I'm sure it will happen. Just don't remind everyone every two seconds…"
"Reminding everyone every two seconds? OKAY!" Yaya ran off.
"No Yaya, I said… Ugh!" Rima muttered. Now Yaya was going to not shut up about wanting candy. Rima stayed to the back of the group, trying to ignore Yaya. She thought about everything that happened today. She wondered what her parents were doing. Were they concerned about her? Was there police searching for her? Were they… still fighting? Rima already knew that they had to be still fighting. She was curious however.
"Rima, what are you thinking about?" Kusu-Kusu asked.
"Kusu-Kusu… I'm going to pay my family a little visit." Rima whispered. "Tell the guardians that I'll meet them in a few minutes."
"But Rima isn't it… a little risky?" Kusu-Kusu asked. "I mean, they might force you to come back."
"I'm only going to come back if they don't fight." Rima whispered a small smile on her face. "Meet me there." Kusu-Kusu looked at Rima, and floated the opposite direction. Rima watched her chara go, and made her way to her house. Was her house still considered "her house?" She arrived in front of the door, and hesitated. However, the door opened, revealing her mother.
"Where were you?" Her mother asked, a dark edge to her voice.
"…I'm staying at a friend's house." Rima whispered.
"Well, you aren't to see that friend anymore!" Her mother snapped. Tears came to Rima's eyes. She was going to yell back; tell her mom that she didn't listen to her anymore. Yet, no words could come out.
"She should stay with her friend who has a better mother than you!" Rima heard her father yell. Realization came to Rima. Nothing changed…
"Excuse me? I was never a negative impact on Rima's life! It was you who screwed up her life!" Screwed up her life… A shadow crossed Rima's face. It's true… even her parents say so. Rima suddenly felt like a little kid again, and wanted her mother to hold her; tell her everything would be okay. She wanted her mother and father to give her advice about the whole Ikuto and Nagihiko stuff. Yet, she didn't even have them to talk to.
"It was you!" Her father screamed. Suddenly, her father did what Rima didn't expect. He lifted a flower vase, and threw it across the house. Rima screamed impulsively, covering her mouth.
"That was given to me by my mother before she died… HOW DARE YOU!" Her mother screamed. She grabbed the ring given to her by Rima's dad, and threw it to the ground, stepping on it. Suddenly, she lunged for Rima's dad, punching him. Rima was horrified. She didn't know what to do, or how to act. She was frozen in spot.
"Do you honestly think you can hurt me! You're just a worthless woman!" Rima's father screamed.
"How dare you! Women are better than men, you fucking bastard son of a bitch!" Her mother screamed. She threw a clock at Rima's father.
"That was given to me by my brother…" Rima's father whispered angrily. He faced Rima suddenly, and walked to her. "Poor child, raised by such a terrible woman…" He hit Rima in the face really hard. Rima fell to the ground, surprised. "You have your mother's eyes… You're going to turn into a fucking bitch just like her!" Rima's eyes watered, as she began crying hysterically. Her father kicked her out of the house, and slammed the door. Rima fell down the steps leading to the house, and fell to the ground. She was in lots of pain, and she was crying uncontrollably. It was a mistake… She shouldn't have come back!
"R-RIMA!" She heard Kusu-Kusu exclaim. "Rima, what happened?" Rima was crying too hard to said any comprehendible words. "Rima…" Rima stood up slowly, her leg hurting. She breathed, and explained what happened, and then started crying again. Kusu-Kusu stared at Rima in astonishment.
"W-W-We should go…" Rima whispered. She started walking away from the house, limping.
"Rima, your leg…" Kusu-Kusu whispered.
"It's fine…" She whispered. However, nothing was fine. Rima was done. Her parents hate each other enough that they are throwing things at each other. Her mother even destroyed the wedding ring. Her father had hit her and threw her down the steps. It was over… Rima was through with life. She passed the Royal Garden, and saw everyone talking. Yaya's mouth was opening a lot. Rima did care about them. She knew they would be sad if she killed herself. For god's sake, Nagihiko loved her! That pained Rima, but she was done. After watching them for a few more minutes, Rima walked away, unsure of how to end her life.
"Wait Rima, where are you going?" Kusu-Kusu wondered. When Rima didn't answer, Kusu-Kusu floated in front of her. "Rima, don't even think about…"
"It's over." Rima whispered. "I'm done."
"No you aren't! There are great things in your life coming! Don't let one bad event bring you down." Kusu-Kusu said.
"One bad event? Kusu-Kusu, my life is a chain of bad events!" Rima said. She sighed. "It's better for everyone if I'm gone."
"No it's not! Everyone would be upset! The guardians love you. Especially…"
"Don't bring him up." Rima muttered. "We were never going to be anything anyway…" Rima found a kitchen knife lying on the ground. She picked it up. She gripped it tightly, and pulled it closer to her chest. Tears were pouring out of her eyes, but she ignored them. She closed her eyes and…
"RIMA-TAN NOOOOO!~" Rima opened her eyes, and felt Yaya hug her so hard, that it tackled her. Rima dropped the knife in surprised, falling to the ground.
"Yaya!" Rima exclaimed, surprised. The knife fell to the ground. Amu picked up the knife, and dropped it in the nearby lake.
"Too bad for whoever that knife belonged to." Amu muttered. Rima looked up at the sky, and saw Nagihiko, Tadase, and Kukai as well.
"RIMA-TAN I LOVE YOU! I NEED YOU!" Yaya moaned. "DON'T GO!" Yaya was crying, and hugged Rima tighter.
"If you don't want me to die, please don't squeeze me." Rima muttered. Yaya loosened, but still hugged her. Rima smiled softly, and patted her back.
"Rima…" Amu whispered. "Do you want to tell us what happened?" Rima shook her head. She knew she would have to later but not now… She was done explaining for a day. Yaya let go of her. Rima stood up, but she was still crying. Nagihiko hugged her, making her freeze. Everyone stared at them, in complete shock.
"Well something must have happened." Kukai muttered. Rima let go of Nagihiko, blushing. She was happy that Yaya had saved her. If she had killed herself, Kusu-Kusu would've been gone as well. It wouldn't have been fair to Kusu-Kusu. Maybe Rima still had a chance…
"S-Sorry…" Rima muttered, rubbing her eyes.
"Sorry? Why are you sorry?" Yaya wondered. Rima opened her mouth, and quickly closed it. Why was she sorry?
"Mashiro-San, we know you're going through a lot." Tadase comforted.
"You don't even know half of it…" Rima grumbled.
"Actually, the others told me everything." Tadase told her. "So, I'm all caught up." Rima sighed. They all probably knew what happened with Nagihiko yesterday as well.
"Well…" Rima explained what had just happened a half an hour ago, as she broke down crying. Everyone stared at her, in surprise.
"W-What?" Nagihiko exclaimed. He held her hand, and squeezed it gently. Rima said nothing.
"What did you do?" Amu asked Rima.
"Just left." She answered, squeezing Nagihiko's hand back.
"Are you… hurt?" Kukai wondered.
"Nope." Rima lied. "I'm fine…" However, that was a lie. Rima was anything but fine. Not only that, she was in some pain. "I want to go back to Sanjou-San's place." She whispered.
"Of course, we'll help you." Nagihiko offered. Rima let go of his hand, and stood up. She faced him.
"I don't need your help." Rima muttered, and walked away. She was limping. Suddenly, her leg was hurting so much, that she couldn't walk anymore. She happened to be next to a bench, so she gripped it, panting.
"We were wondering how far you'd get." Rima turned, seeing the other guardians and Kukai walk over to her. Rima sighed in defeat.
"Don't be stubborn Rima-Chan." Amu reassured.
"You're one to talk." Rima muttered coldly. Amu character changed, and picked her up. She flew her back to Sanjou-San's house. Everyone arrived, and walked inside.
"What happened?" Yukari asked, seeing Rima in pain and Tadase with a lot of band-aids. Rima sat down on the couch.
"A lot…" Kukai said, sweat dropping. "Utau!" He jumped to his feet, and hugged her.
"You could give me slightly more warning…" Utau muttered.
"Sorry… Are you okay? What happened after you tracked down Ikuto?" Kukai asked. Ikuto's name didn't make Rima feel any better. Utau hesitated for a moment.
"N-Nothing really." Utau answered. Rima looked up, recognizing it as a lie. Rima knew lies very well, considering she has been doing a bunch of them recently.
"Is that all?" Nagihiko asked. Everyone turned to him, questioningly. Rima realized that he, too, understood lies very well.
"Yes. I wouldn't hide anything important from you guys." Utau said. Suddenly, there were footsteps, and Kairi came downstairs.
"It's been a while." He whispered to everyone.
"KAIRI-KUN!" Yaya exclaimed, hugging him. He seemed surprised, but happy as well. He hugged her back. Yukari cackled.
"Um, Yukari, what was that?" Nikaidou wondered.
"What? I was laughing! Shut up Yuu!" Yukari defended.
"Okay okay, geez!" Nikaidou muttered. Yukari glared at her fiancée. "Well, hello everyone! If you guys want, you can feel free to stay over the night! We have enough rooms for some of you to share."
"Correction. All of you except for Kukai can stay." Utau muttered. Kukai pouted. She smirked.
"Aw c'mon! You have to let me stay!" Kukai moaned. Utau frowned.
"Are you an idiot? It was a joke, you idiot!" Utau said.
"Oh…" Kukai smiled sheepishly.
"Honestly, you're the most worthless person ever." Utau said, going over to kiss him. They kissed, surprising everyone, including Kukai.
"Well, I'll show you guys to your rooms." Kairi said, pushing his glasses into place. Yaya, still grabbing his arm, followed him, along with everyone else. "Queen, you'll stay in the room you've been staying at." Rima nodded, but followed everyone else anyway.
"Rima-Chan, you should rest your leg." Nagihiko suggested. She nodded, and went to her room. She was happy to be alone, well with Kusu-Kusu anyway.
"Long day, huh?" Kusu-Kusu said. Rima nodded slowly. "Hey, lots of good stuff happened too! Nagi has a crush on you!" Rima nodded. "You had the world's best ice cream!"
"Not really, I gave it to Yaya." Rima reminded her.
"Well, you had some of it!" Kusu-Kusu reassured.
"Well, it was fine, besides what happened with my parents and my two attempts at suicide." Rima said. She felt bad for being mean to Kusu-Kusu's attempts at optimism. "Whatever, it was a…interesting day." Rima muttered. She fell onto her bed, and fell to sleep, despite the fact it was six o'clock.
Done! This chapter was originally going to be the most peaceful, simply a romance chapter. Well, whatever… Please rate and review! I really need reviews =D.