Chapter 21

Okay... I've read the previous chappie and I've gotta admit, I wasn't really satisfied with the Rimahiko in the previous chapter... *sigh*

Anyway, I'll try to make it up on this one! On with the story!

~~~~~~~~Rima's POV~~~~~~~~

I leaned against a sakura tree, depressed and frustrated though I didn't know why. Why? It's not like I was expecting him to love me more than a friend, right! What's wrong with me...? What should I do...?

As If on cue, a little cherry blossom fell to my lap. I picked it up to get a better view of it. It was magenta with a pretty shade of pink. Unconsciously, I started plucking the first petal out. "He loves me...?" Those words unexpectedly escaped my lips. What am I doing!? It's so unlike me to believe in stuff like this! But then, as if there's something else I could do...

"He loves me not..." I frowned. Why in the world am I continuing? I guess it's because I have a feeling something interesting is going to happen if I go on; no one is looking so why not go on?

"He loves me..." A slight smile formed my lips. I remembered all those times he would protect me from x- eggs, ?- eggs and other stuff... Like Tanaka...

Maybe I am falling in love with him...

"He loves me not..." My smile turned upside down as I repeated the last sentence that came to my mind. 'Maybe I am falling in love with him' was it? But no matter how in-love I can be, there's no way he may return those feelings. He only thinks of me as a friend and nothing else. How can he like a girl like me- someone who pulls him down and once though so uselessly of him...

"He loves me" Then I somehow remembered 'meet'. Ki said it was real. So if it was real, does that mean him truly loves me? He did, after all, tell me he loves me so many times during the dream

"He loves me not" I remembered the time I very much wanted to laugh due to Amu's continuous fall in the holes he has dug up. Nagihiko placed his hand on my shoulder yet I slapped it away without any second thoughts. It had hurt both of us...

Now tell me. How can he like a girl like me!?

"He loves me?" I remembered the time I offered him to take me to a parfait after school (Ehem... Rima, when you said 'offered', you actually 'demanded' a date from him. If you people are wondering, this was episode 7 of S.C. Party!!! Sorry for the author notes!)

He seemed really glad to bring me there and I've got to admit... I've had a pretty good time myself...

"He loves me not" I sighed. I remember him teasing me. I would also treat him like dust and I was also pretty afraid of him because he could tell from my 'act'...

He was also different from the other guys whom I would treat like servants. I try to get him to do something for me like a master would to her servant but he flatly rejects it! The fact that I wasn't in control of him irritated me.

"He loves me"

Only one thing popped into my mind...it was a traumatizing sight indeed... I was stuck to the ground, a dark energy hurling towards me and would kill me any second. I closed my eyes, getting ready for the agonizing pain yet it never came. I only slightly and painlessly fell on my bum. I slightly opened my eyes then I screamed in pure terror. "NAGIHIKO!!!!" He had me pinned to the ground, absorbing the pain and death that was supposed to be mine. "Are you...okay...?" He trembled. His voice was horrid and it did not sound healthy! He was dying for goodness sake so how can those be his last words! His supposed to be last words were for me?! He was the one getting hurt! When the pain in him had ended, he closed his eyes then fell limp onto my chest. He would've died for me! It was because of that our adventure had started...

Tears welled up at the memory of his injurious sight.

I touched a petal then realized it was the last one. I then let a lone tear fall down my cheek, followed by another. I secretly wiped it with my sleeve just in case someone was watching.

I then let my hand fall limp to my side, not bothering to pick the last petal out. There was no use to plucking it. I already knew the result.

"He doesn't love me..." I sobbed.

"Rima-chan..."

My head snapped open. It was his voice! Only it was of a child's. I slowly turned my head to his. There, I saw him standing tall and proud while he held a red rose on his right hand.

"Here" He handed me the rose. I eyed him. "What am I supposed to do with this?" I wondered. He smiled tenderly. "Continue" He replied. Instead of screaming at him and losing my cool, my cheeks went a slight pink then I turned to the cheery blossom. I pulled out the last petal. "He loves me not..." I sighed. I threw the petal-less cherry blossom then proceeded to plucking out the rose's petals.

"He loves me..."

"He loves me not..."

"He loves me..."

"He loves me not..."

"He loves me..."

"He loves me not..."

"He lo..." I trailed of when I realized I was holding onto the last petal. I heard a giggle behind me then I abruptly turned to look at him.

"I guess he loves you" He smirked. The tint of pink turned into crimson red. "Do you even know who he is!?" I panicked. He shrugged. "It's Kirishima isn't it" He said. All hope in my face seemed to totally disappear. In fact, it shattered me into many pieces! It felt as if I was being cut through- like cheese- and it was painful... I swear I was on the verge of tears!

His eyes narrowed.

"No. I knew it wasn't him. Your reaction shows it" He sat beside me. Hope seemed to rush back to me. The colors of my eyes that were gone for a split second was back and it was glowing. If not Kirishima, then who else?! "W-who..." I stuttered. He looked at me with seriousness taking a big part of his face.

"Is it me?" He asked, obviously positive with what he had just said.

I looked down and was totally aware of the redness of my face.

...

...

...

"Yes..."

~~~~~~~~Tanaka's POV~~~~~~~~

I narrowed at the lone child with dark hair and blood-shot red eyes. She wore a black sailor uniform and was swinging back and forth in the park's swing. "Enma Ai!" (I do not own) I screamed. She looked at me with no interest then walked away. "I am not shocked to see an inhumane creature like you" She said, her voice was emotionless. "If you are not going to take my requests, then I am going to use your past against them!" "That is for me to not get involved" She said before she had walked away.

Oh I loathe this child!

When she was out of sight, this little girl around the age of nine came to me. "Tanaka-dono, when will you change him back?" She asked: her aqua hair bounced as she said so. I sighed. What I was planning isn't very pleasant

"When the time is right" I replied. She simply tilted her head. "When is the time right?"

Little girls like Aika always get on my nerves! They keep asking don't they!

I'm so lucky to not have been sloppy like them. I am simply a well-mannered, murderous aristocrat who also happens to be fine-looking for an x-chara.

The child tugged onto my dress with those filthy hands. "Well?" She said. I simply rolled my eyes. "That is none of your business, Aika-bozu!" I said, obviously angered but trying not to lose sanity because that is just plain wrong. She crossed her arms then ran towards the direction of the mansion.

"I can't believe you took me in! You're not even treating me well!" She stopped to look at me. I simply rolled my eyes. "I took you in because I need you for a certain task. After that, I'm going to bring you back to the orphanage." I said with a high-pitched voice. She frowned. "I never did like you..." she muttered. "...no one did" She continued.

I scoffed at her.

"If you don't do as I say, then you are never going to belong to a family, brat" I smirked. She bowed her head then tears started pouring off her eyes. How disgusting. Humans are such sad creatures.

I flew towards the decent-looking bench then sat there. "Are you done blubbering?" I said with an obviously bored expression. She looked at me, and although she was quite a distance from me, I still saw the hatred in her eyes.

"What do you want me to do!?" She screamed with a few droplets falling off her eyes. I summoned for her to come to me as I said, "Come here and let me tell you"

~~~~~~~~Rima's POV~~~~~~~~

Excluding the leaves of the trees that rustled, the passing birds chirping and the zooming of cars from outside, the entire place was an awkward silence.

Well, now that you think of it, why wouldn't it be!? I just blurted out a confession!

A CONFESSION!!!

What if he would reject me!? What if he would avoid me!? What if he would ha-

"Rima-chan"

"YES!?" I automatically responded with a salute going with it. He slightly chuckled then looked at me, straight in the eye.

"Love you, too" He winked at me. My stomach seemed to flip and blood seemed to rush to my face. All of a sudden, I pictured the child before me as a striking teenager whose attractive side I have failed to see for those past months. Then, an embarrassing thought came into me...

Isn't he going to kiss me or something?

After a confession, don't people kiss? It is exactly what happens in movies!

He held my hand

But why didn't he cup my face?!

He leaned his face closer to my ears

Though I wish he leaned it closer to my lips...

He then said

"I have never loved a girl as much as I loved you"

This is just as romantic as kissing- What he said, that is! He then sighed. "I wish I were taller..." I looked at him with curiosity. "W-why is t-that?!" Great...I am still too shocked over the whole confession thing...Amazing... I am stuttering and that is so unlike me...

"If I were taller, I could easily kiss you" He said, making me blush frantically. Then without thinking, I spit out some embarrassing words.

"KISS ME NOW!" I screamed. I covered my mouth with both hands, stunned at what I have just said.

That was totally out-of-character! He smirked. "You have to wait. I'd like our first kiss to happen when I am at least a little taller"

You know what, forget out-of-character...

I grabbed him by the shoulder then forced him closer to me. He seemed to be having a hard time pulling away since he was much too small compared to me yet I was also having a hard time getting in control since he was struggling so much. He just sighed then let me in control when he realized there was no way out but, unlike the little girl in the park, he had a smile forming his lips.

I smirked...

...then we both closed our eyes, readying ourselves for our lips to touch but just when our noses were only slightly apart, we heard a long whistle

"Whoa...Was I disturbing somethin'"

I gasped and so did Nagihiko. Our heads sharply looked at the direction of the sound then screeched. "Ikuto!"

"Yo!" He said while he had both arms behind his head. His eyes then narrowed. "Who knew it would be you two..." He wondered out loud. I panicked. "Y-you s-see...I simply t-tripped and...and...you see..."

"I was here when you said 'Kiss me now'" He slightly chuckled. Nagihiko ran past me like a gust of wind and before I knew it, he was pulling Ikuto down by the collar so they were in eye level. He said menacingly, "Do not tell"

Ikuto gulped then backed away. "Don't worry, shrimps" He said then turned his head back and forth as if looking for something or someone.

"By the way, now that you think of it, you two and Midori are the only ones I've seen for the entire day inside the mansion. I haven't seen Amu and the rest" He scratched his head.

He was right, I guess...

"Do you think they got lost in a forest somehow?" Nagi wondered. That's simply impossible. I furiously shook my head side to side. "That's impossible. We're in a beach area with malls like the city!" I said. Nagi nodded his head with agreement but Ikuto's eyes showed objection

"Kukai + Tadase + Utau + Amu = A dangerous spot..." Ikuto said continuously.

I agree with what he had just said but the forest is a little too impossible to get lost in. If they were to end up there somehow (Which I'm pretty sure they wouldn't), it would be a miracle because I doubt any forest could actually be nearby...Unless they took the wrong train... But I'm sure they wouldn't be stupid enough to actually make that mistake...

We all shrugged the topic off then headed back to the mansion.

Just before I was about to take a step in, I realized something. "Nagihiko! We didn't get to kiss!" I exclaimed when I was sure Ikuto was nowhere around. Nagihiko smirked. "Ya! I guess so. I guess you really have to just wait" He said then walked ahead of me.

He really means to irritate me doesn't he!

And he really does think this was our first kiss!?

"Nagi!" I called. He looked back at me, amused. "You just called me Nagi..." He said. I blushed at the realization but spit out anyway. "This isn't our first kiss!"

He eyed me shocked yet curious. "W-what...?"

And...a cliffhanger :)) Honto Gomen-nasai!!!

I just realized I had one more homework to do and if I continue this some other time, I might get a writer's block.

By the way, Rima's plucking out of the cherry blossom's petals sounds familiar. I wonder if I saw it somewhere else... but I forgot.

Anyway, let me end this chapter by saying "Rate and Review" and I hope I get enough free time to update soon :)