So, it's the next chapter! I think this chapter came out really good! I own nothing, and enjoy!
"Hey, you dropped your shoe."
Rima turned suddenly, recognizing that voice. She would know that voice from anywhere in the world. Even if it was far away, Rima would always hear that voice from anywhere…
"What do you want?" Rima snapped at him, taking the shoe, and putting it on her foot quickly.
"I came to give you your shoe." He whispered an innocent smile on his face. Rima narrowed her eyes. He smiled, and walked beside her, placing his elbows on the edge of the balcony. "I figured you might want some company, that's all."
"Well, I don't." Rima snapped. The anger in her voice was gone. She was close to tears. She didn't want to cry, not with him right there. She felt his eyes on her, and she knew he saw her tears.
"I know you'd rather be alone, especially without me." Nagihiko said. "However, I don't have much more to do. Amu and Tadase are dancing. Yaya's with the dessert table. So, you're really all I've got right now…" Rima sighed.
"I wish I could make a wish on a shooting star…" Rima whispered, watching the sky. "I wish I could just grant one wish. One wish to make everything return to normal…" She was talking more to herself than Nagihiko. "I wish I could undo the past somehow. Maybe this situation has taught me well… Maybe it let me realize that making wishes is pointless. That whatever I wish for, whether it's a shooting star or throwing coins into fountains, won't come true." Tears were falling down her face. "All I have wished… It only becomes worse!" Nagihiko was silent for a few minutes.
"Perhaps… your wish isn't what your truly want." Rima looked at him.
"My parents loving each other again is all I want!" Rima snapped. "You don't understand a thing about me!"
"I agree, at one point I didn't understand you. I can usually read people like a book, however, you were different. I couldn't understand you. However, you are actually easy to figure out. Where do you think Kusu-Kusu came from? Oh wait, your wish to make people laugh." Rima thought for a moment.
"…That was…different." Rima muttered.
"No, not really. You only want people to smile. That's what you want your parents to do, right? So, your dream is coming true, in a distant way." Nagihiko smiled. "I know it's hard with your parents, but… if they get a divorce, it will be easier." Rima's eyes flashed. Her parents getting a divorce? That was the opposite of what she wanted! She was mad at him. He understood her? That was crap!
"I don't want them to get divorced!" Rima snapped, angrily. "That's what I don't want to happen! You don't understand me!"
"Rima-Chan. If your parents get separated, you can still survive with one, and not deal with their fighting. You can get time alone with each of them separately. You can make them both smile separately." Rima paused. He was right, as usual. Each could love her, and they don't have to fight. They could find true love… with someone else…
"I don't want to forgive my father." Rima whispered, remembering as he hit her. She looked at the sky again. "Why me?" Nagihiko didn't say anything. Rima sighed.
"Relax a little. Why don't we go back inside? Would you like to dance, with me?" Nagihiko asked. Rima could sense a slight hesitation in his voice that made her smile slightly. He wasn't like everyone else. All of her fan-boys were obsessing over her dress. Nagihiko didn't even make a remark about how beautiful she looked, though she assumed he thought that. She didn't like dancing, but maybe he was right; she should relax.
"…Fine." Rima grumbled. Nagihiko had a small smile on his face. Temari looked even more excited than him. They walked downstairs, and went to the dance floor. Rima felt the eyes of her fan-boys on her and Nagihiko. Nagihiko took her hand, and began to dance. Rima had no idea how to dance, so she let Nagihiko control her. She was blushing madly.
"Awwww, they're so cute!" Rima heard Yaya exclaim. Rima kept a mental note to kill her later. However, that didn't matter right now. She was dancing with Nagihiko. It was extremely lucky that he was an expert dancer and had been doing it his whole life. The music was a gently melody, that Rima didn't recognize. She wasn't so sure she liked dancing; besides the feeling of awkwardness and embarrassment with Nagihiko, it was just…different. Out of the corner of her eye, Rima saw Amu and Tadase dancing. They were sweet, considering neither knew how to dance. Rima wondered how her and Nagihiko looked. Not only that one was dancing and the other wasn't, but Nagihiko was really tall, and Rima? Not so much…
"Well, how do you like dancing?" Nagihiko whispered. Rima didn't know what to say.
"It's…different." She whispered. "I've never done anything like it before…"
"Yeah, I suppose it is for someone who really has no experience." Nagihiko said. "Don't worry, you'll catch on as the night progresses."
"I'm not really too worried." Rima muttered. Her face was red. She let him guide her through the dance floor, controlling her movements. She felt a lot of eyes on them, but she ignored it. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion. Where did that come from? Rima didn't expect it at all. One minute, she was having a romantic dance with Nagihiko, and the next, there's an explosion. Many people screamed, and clutched their dates. Rima, however, did not grab Nagihiko.
"…What was that?" Amu wondered. Suddenly, there was a soft, gentle melody, and suddenly, X-Eggs were floating out of the other students, except for the guardians.
"Easter…" Tadase whispered, anger in his eyes. "Why now, why not later?"
"It makes perfect sense." Nagihiko whispered. "It's an ideal spot; having a bunch of kids in one spot."
"But they know we go to Seiyo Academy!" Rima pointed out. "Why would they make X-Eggs right in front of us?"
"Remember last time? They wanted us to purify them." Nagihiko reminded her. "I thought their plan changed, considering the anti-purify X-Eggs, but apparently…" Suddenly, there was a red beam being shot at them. The guardians dodged in time, but just barely.
"Why did that beam look familiar?" Amu exclaimed. "It looked a lot like…"
"Hello Amu." All five pairs of eyes looked up to see a familiar face. The X-Eggs floated up, surrounding her. She was transformed with Il and held her trident.
"U-Utau-Chi? What are you doing here?" Yaya exclaimed.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm with Easter." Utau said. No way… Utau's with Easter? Rima was shocked by that. Since Utau hated Easter so much after the prior experience, Rima would've never expected that a traitor would be her. Especially when Rima trusted her… Rima had told her everything about her life. Utau had allowed her to stay at her house. Rima didn't expect Utau to ever betray them. Rima, however, was not as close with Utau as Amu and Tadase were. Even Yaya had developed a close bond, considering they were both younger sister types.
"Utau…Why would you do this to us? I thought you were helping us wipe them out!" Amu exclaimed, tears in her eyes. "Why would you suddenly like the group that detests your father?"
"I've changed." Utau whispered coldly. Her face was stoic. "Nightmare Lorelei!" Utau held her triton, and shot it at them.
"My own heart, unlock!" Amu yelled. The rest of them joined in. They all transformed into their transformations. Rima realized she hadn't transformed with Kusu-Kusu in so long… She missed the feeling when she was Clown Drop. She began to juggle some pins.
"Juggling Party!" Rima said, throwing the juggling pins at Utau. It seemed useless, that some weak pins would be thrown at Utau, but Rima just wanted to try something. The last time she transformed had been with Yoru…
"Amu-Chan, purify the X-Eggs! The rest of us will focus on Utau-Chan!" Tadase instructed. Amu nodded, facing the X-Eggs.
"Nightmare Lorelei!" Utau shouted. It was aimed towards Amu.
"Amu-Chan!" Tadase shouted. "H-Holy Crown!" He yelled, protecting her. Amu smiled at Tadase. Utau scowled.
"Tadase, now!" Amu yelled. "Platinum heart!" They purified the X-Eggs together.
"Adorable." Rima muttered sarcastically. "Let's stop Utau now!"
"Utau-Chi… Please come back!" Yaya moaned. Utau didn't say anything. "Go! Go! Little Duckies!" Yaya shot ducks at Utau.
"Throwing ducks and pins at me? Not too threatening!" Utau muttered, blocking it with her trident.
"Hey guys, I sense X-Eggs, so I came to help!" They heard someone yell.
"Oh no, Kukai…" Nagihiko whispered. Rima didn't get it, when she realized who they were fighting…
"I'm here! Oh, hey Utau, you came to help as well! Yay, we can work together!" Kukai said, grinning. Everyone didn't know what to say.
"You always were a little slow." Utau whispered. Kukai looked confused. "Nightmare Lorelei!" She yelled, knocking him out. Utau looked slightly guilty, making Rima wonder if there was something more to her sudden betrayal.
"Souma-Kun!" Tadase cried. He looked at Utau. "Utau-Chan, what's gotten into to you? You love Souma-Kun! Why did you…knock him out?"
"Things change, you know." Utau muttered. She fled the dance. Everyone looked at her direction, frightened.
"Oh no…" Amu whispered.
"Uh…Why is Souma-Sempai here, and unconscious?" A girl wondered. The guardians turned quickly, to notice the students awake.
"We're sorry to say, the dance is over." Tadase said, an innocent fake smile on his face. He looked at Nagihiko.
"We're having technical difficulty." Nagihiko lied. "You see, the music isn't working. The dance is going to end soon anyway, so we might as well end it early. I hope everyone enjoyed their time at the dance!"
"Why do I only remember some stuff…?" Someone muttered. "Whatever; time flies when you have fun!" The other students left.
"Wow." Amu whispered. "Why would Utau betray us like that…?"
"I don't know… She had to have a reason." Tadase whispered. "Didn't you see the look in her eyes when she knocked Souma-Kun out? She still cares for him."
"There's something suspicious about it…" Nagihiko whispered. "Maybe we should clean up, since this is Amakawa-San's house." He looked at Amu.
"Well… It saves time, doesn't it?" Amu looked at Su.
"Character change! Chips, syrup, whipped cream!" She said, twirling. Amu character changed, cleaning up the place in the matter of seconds.
"Um…Tadase-Tan?" Yaya wondered.
"Yes Yuiki-San?" Tadase wondered.
"Can Yaya have some brownies to keep?" Yaya wondered. Tadase nodded slowly. Yaya grinned, taking all of the brownies, plus the cookies, plus the chocolate. Rima sweat dropped. She didn't know what to do to help. Suddenly, they heard a car honking.
"I'll check who it is." Rima volunteered, going towards the car. She walked towards the car, to see Sanjou-San waiting in the car. The window was opened in the car.
"Rima, what happened here?" Sanjou-San wondered. Rima explained what happened with Utau. Sanjou-San's eyes widened.
"W-What? Utau… no way…" Sanjou-San whispered in disbelief. "W-Why would she do that?"
"I don't…" Rima's thought was interrupted by Amu making her way towards them. "Sanjou-San…" Sanjou-San looked sad.
"Hello Amu… Where did she go?" Sanjou-San asked.
"I don't know." Amu admitted. "I don't really know what to think. I just don't understand why she'd do it!"
"She had to have a reason…" Rima thought out loud. "People don't do things without a reason…" Rima thought for a moment, when suddenly, Ikuto came towards them. Amu crossed her arms.
"What do you want?" Amu wondered. "Can you just stop…"
"I need to say something quick." Ikuto hissed. "It's about my sister." Amu looked at him. "She doesn't…" A baseball bat struck Ikuto's head, forcing him to fall unconscious. Rima jumped back, not expecting it. She didn't make any effort to help Ikuto.
"Ikuto!" Amu cried. A hooded figure grabbed him, and ran off. "Hey, wait!" Amu called. "Where do you think you're going?" The hooded figure ignored her. Rima was almost positive the hooded figure was Utau.
"So…What now?" Rima wondered. It was an honest question. The dance was over. What were they going to do now? Were they going to try to find Ikuto or Utau? She looked at Amu.
"…I don't know what's up with Utau…" Sanjou-San whispered. "I hope she comes through, especially days before the wedding. Utau was supposed to be a bridesmaid…" Rima and Amu stared at Sanjou-San.
"Wedding?" They said together.
"Oh…yeah, Yuu and I forgot to mention, we're getting married this Sunday!" Rima and Amu gaped at her.
"That would've been important to mention!" Rima said.
"Well… it was a fast preparation, and it isn't a huge wedding. So, I hope you guys are available." Sanjou-San said. "You two, along with Yaya, can be bridesmaids!"
"Rima's right… that probably should've been mentioned before…" Amu said. "We don't have dresses ready!"
"Can't your chara make dresses?" Sanjou-San pointed out. Amu nodded. "Whatever. My wedding isn't relevant right now. I want Utau to go so badly…" Tears were in Sanjou-San's eyes.
"Sanjou-San, we know that Utau-Chan had a reason for doing this. She wouldn't betray us, especially Souma-Kun, like that." Amu and Rima looked up and saw Tadase walk over. "We just need to talk to her, that's all…"
"I love agreeing with you normally, but you're wrong." Kukai said, following. He was conscious now, but he didn't look so great. Nagihiko and Yaya were there as well. "Hello? She was working with Easter! She knocked me out cold! She…she…" Kukai put his hand on his head, and cringed in pain. "Sorry…head hurts."
"Kukai-Tan, what happened to your catchphrase 'think positively?" Yaya wondered. "C'mon Kukai-Tan! You always think positively! It's all going to be good! Utau-Chi just was out of it, that's all! Right guys?" Everyone was silent. "Come on, back me up here!"
"Yaya. Kukai's right… She is clearly evil." Rima muttered. "We can't trust her." Yaya opened her mouth, then closed it quickly. "She was probably never trustworthy in the first place. She's just an idiot. She is a traitor and cannot be trusted, just like her…"
"Mashiro-San!" Tadase warned. Rima paused, looking around. Kukai looked depressed and Yaya was holding his arm, close to tears. She crossed her arms, not apologizing. No one said anything, considering it was usually Yaya and Kukai who started talking during awkward situations. Instead, it was Nagihiko who broke the ice.
"…None the less, we can't just stand around. Shouldn't we head home, for now?" Nagihiko wondered.
"Wait…What about Ikuto?" Amu exclaimed, looking at Rima. "Sanjou-San, could we see if we could find him?" Sanjou-San nodded, opening her doors to let them in. Amu sat in the front seat, and the others squeezed in the back. Amu explained what happened with Ikuto and the person grabbing him. Sanjou-San started driving.
"Where did they go?" She wondered.
"It was that way!" Amu remembered, pointing. Sanjou-San nodded, and started driving. She was driving way above the speed limit. Rima wasn't too scared, considering she was used to her parents driving that fast. Her parents… Rima missed them… She missed when they were together, and not only that, but just them. She thought about what Nagihiko had said about how it might be easier if they got a divorce. Was he… right? All Rima had ever wanted was her parents to love each other, but is there really no hope?
"I don't see them." Sanjou-San muttered. "Why don't we search tomorrow? Let me drop you guys home." She dropped everyone at their houses, until it was just her and Rima. There was silence for a while. "…Well, before Utau came, how was the dance?" She wondered.
"…Fine…I guess…" Rima muttered.
"That's good." Sanjou-San said. They were silent until they arrived at the house. Rima followed Sanjou-San inside.
"How was the dance? I hope Ace realizes how sorry I am I couldn't make it…" Kairi said. Rima didn't say anything, leaving to change out of the dress. Kairi blinked after her, and Rima quietly heard Sanjou-San explain the situation with Utau. Rima went to her room.
"Besides the drama with Utau, it was so much fun!" Kusu-Kusu exclaimed, as she floated around. "You have to admit, you loved dancing with Nagi!~" Rima turned pink.
"Uh… No." Rima muttered. "I hated dancing." Kusu-Kusu raised an eyebrow, as Rima sighed, falling back onto her bed. "I wish life was so much simpler…"
"Well, wouldn't it be boring if it was simple?" Kusu-Kusu pointed out.
"Boring is better than terrible." Rima muttered. "I guess I can't go back now…" Rima didn't know if she meant back in time when things were good or back to her parents. "I could've been a kind girl. I could've been a girl who was like everyone else; into boys, willing to have fun…"
"It's better to be different, you know!" Kusu-Kusu said, smiling. "You don't want to be like everyone else, right?" Rima smiled. Rima loved smiling. She never realized it, until this moment, lying on her bed.
"Maybe…" A particular picture that Rima had just unpacked from her old house caught her attention. It was a picture of just the three girls; Amu, Yaya, and her. Rima was in the middle, having a small smile on her face. Yaya was leaning on her left shoulder, a mischievous grin on her face. Amu was on the other side, winking. Rima remembered that picture. Kukai had brought a camera, wanting to take pictures of his friends for a school project. He printed out enough copies so everyone could keep the pictures. Rima yawned. "I'm going to head to sleep," She whispered, despite the fact it was nine thirty. "Night."
"Good night Rima! Sleep tight!" Kusu-Kusu said.
I hope you liked it! I have a little announcement to make. I love this story...but it has to end soon. I'll say like five or so more chapters. I'll give you a heads up later to how many more exactly.