This chapter is dedicated to: thatcrazyfallenangelchic15 for being the first reviewer to this story.

It had been a three days since Rima saw the boy with purple hair. She had practically counted the minutes they were apart.

What was his name? How old was he? What school did he go to? Where did he live?

Question after question floated through her head but Rima couldn't write them down fast enough.

What was his favorite food? Did he have any hobbies? Did...did he like me?

That must have been the most asked question. Rima felt queasy and her face got hot every time she thought it. She didn't have enough courage to write it down though. She would bring down her pencil and create a '|' but when she tried to make another curved line to form 'D' her hand would shake so violently she would have to pull it off the page.

One night Rima had been reading a picture book by herself when the shouts of her mother and father came from downstairs. Rima tried to ignore it, but she could hear her name being said over and over again. She started feeling anxious and her heart began to race.

This wasn't that happy nervous feeling. This was shear dread and panic.

'Am I having a panic attack?' Rima thought. She grabbed her chest and tried to breath slowly but her breath just became thinner. She was panting like a marathon runner. Heavy, strained, painful puffs of air.

Rima held her head in her hands and rocked back and forth. Straining to normalize her breathing but it made Rima feel even more suffocated. She wheezed and gasped.

'It...hurts...' She thought. Rima moved her hands from her head to her neck. The silent screams of 'Mama!' and 'Papa!' didn't make it to the door. Her parents would never hear her over their own spoiled shouts. If they cared for her they would watch over her more carefully.

At first there was no worry that this would hurt Rima, she was sure it would pass as quickly as it came. But there was nothing but pained noises as Rima inhaled and exhaled. In and out of her small frail, fragile, body.

I want lungs so big I could suck up all of the Earth's oxygen in one breath.

"Ta...su...ke...te..." Rima gasped, her gentle voice raspy. She tried to stand but not enough oxygen had gotten to her head and her legs wobbled. Rima fell and tried to lay on her back to steady her breathing. It didn't work so she rolled on her stomach and tried to crawl to the door. She inched toward it but soon her vision got blurry. She clawed the carpet trying to escape the nightmare she had been caught in.

Then a savior came from seemingly nowhere. A pair of warm gentle hands rubbed on Rima's back.

"There there, calm down." A relaxing voice coaxed. It sounded high like a girl, but it wasn't a familiar voice to Rima. The blonde girl took long deep breaths and finally calmed down. Rima had relaxed but her body was tense when she turned to see who was in the room with her. The anxious expression soon dissolved into a smile. It was the boy with purple hair.

"It's you!" Rima's eyes sparkled. She sat on her feet and smiled at the boy. His legs were criss-crossed, Rima had heard that's the way children sat in America. Was he foreign? Rima straightened up as she remembered.

The paper! She needed the paper with all her questions. Rima got on her stomach and dug around under her bed. 'It has to be here! I know I hid it here so Mama and Papa couldn't find it. So where is it?'

The boy watched curiously as the top-half of Rima's body disappeared under the bed. He laughed inwardly watching her cute little socked feet kick back and forth. His eyes wandered to her short pleated skirt. Just for a second he caught a glimpse of her little pink panties. A blush formed on his cheeks and he looked away abruptly.

'Ah! There it is!' Rima snatched the paper from under a teddy bear and scooted from under the bed. Her hair was tangled and messy but only the boy knew that.

She put on a serious face even though her cheeks were a slight magenta color. As she spoke her words sounded almost like a confession.

"W-w-w...WHAT'S YOUR NAME?" She blurted. The boy replied with a sweet smile as he tilted his head slightly.

"Na-gi-hi-ko." He said.

"Nagi...hiko?" Rima repeated.

"My friends call me Nagi. Or Naddy."

"Why would they call you that?"

"What?"

"Naddy." Rima asked. She looked up at him with soft brown eyes. He couldn't lie to eyes like those. So young and trusting, so innocent. So he chose his next words carefully.

"Some people...know me as Nadeshiko. Nade-shiko. Naddy."

"Nadeshiko? But that's a girl's name!" Rima exclaimed. She giggled, to Rima a boy having a girl's name was fascinating and unreal. It was more real then she would know for a very long time. Years in fact, but that's getting ahead of the story.

"I know." He said. 'Boy do I know.' He ruffled Rima's soft hair. It surprised her and her quiet giggles stopped.

Her shyness returned and Rima's cheeks turned the pink color again.

"How old are you?" She asked the ground. Naghiko assumed the question was for him and answered.

"Nine." He said. Rima looked up again.

"Nine really!? You seem so mature! I'm only eight." Rima said sounding disappointed. Despite her tone she held up eight short, slender fingers. It made her feel self-conscious and she quickly put them down.

I wish my hands were so big I could press all the buttons on the T.V. with one finger.

"I only just turned nine a few days ago. So you and me aren't so far apart." Nagihiko reassured. Rima gasped excitedly.

"So then maybe we could be in the same class next year! What school do you go to?"

"Seiyo elementary." Nagihiko said.

"Oh..." Rima seemed to deflate and inflate like a plastic balloon being pumped with air and then let go. "I go to Shiro Elementary."

"We could be in the same middle school though." Nagi pointed out.

"Middle school?" Rima thought about that. "Yeah! Let me ask my parents!" Rima stood and went to get her parents.

"No!" Naghiko flew up and grabbed her arm. Rima slowly turned around.

"...why?" Rima asked hesitantly. Again she was disappointed but this time, just for a second, Nagihiko thought he saw a hint of betrayal in her eyes. Why were such innocent eyes capable of such an emotion?

"Ask them...when I'm not here. And don't mention me." He said. "I don't think they want me here." Slowly, Rima nodded. What he said was probably true.

"Yeah..." She responded. Nagihiko and Rima hadn't noticed, but Rima's parents had ceased their fight and Nagihiko's sudden outburst attracted their attention. The sound of Mother's heels clicking up the stairs could be heard through out the house.

"I have to go." Nagihiko said quickly. He turned to leave but this time Rima grabbed him. She flung her arms around his torso and planted her feet in the ground.

"Wait I-" Rima had to stop being serious for a moment.

"This is the second floor. How did you get up here without my parents noticing?"

"Rima-chan! Is there someone up there with you?"

"No Mama!"

Nagihiko wriggled free from Rima's grip and lightning fast dashed under her bed. Just as Rima's mother opened the door. Rima whipped around to face her mother. She put her hands behind her back and rubbed her foot back and forth on the ground.

"Honey?" Her mother was too tired and sad to add love to her voice. It was flat and depressing.

"Yes Mama?" Rima answered.

"It sounded like you were talking to someone." Her Mom said.

"I was just playing with my toys." She grabbed an elephant and a bunny off her bed.

"Would you like to come to my tea party?" Rima asked, shaking the elephant and making a congested voice.

"I would loooveee to!" The bunny replied in a high pitched voice.

"Oh, alright honey. Good night." Her Mother said in a flat attempt to sound kind. Then mother closed the door quietly as Rima continued the animal act. She continued the game until her mother's footsteps were no longer audible. Nagi popped his head out from under the bed. He and Rima sighed at the same time.

"Now I think I better get going." Nagihiko whispered.

"No! I have so many more questions to ask you." Rima whispered back. Then Rima got an idea that, at the time, seemed brilliant. "We can have a secret sleep-over!"

The the two children were only months apart but even Nagihiko knew this would be a bad idea. But how could he refuse Rima? It's impossible she was like one of those cute Lolita dolls at the store. With large eyes that could see right into your soul. Rima's eyes were warmer though, is that why every time he stared at her he felt choked up?

"I would love to. It's just that I don't have pajamas with me." Nagihiko shrugged.

Rima looked down at the ground and thought long and hard. Rima ran to her closet and dug through it until she found what she was looking for. With a flourish Rima spun around and presented her gift. Nagi tensed upon seeing it.

"You can wear this!"

Ohh! What's she gonna make him weearrr? Alright so in case that anyone is wondering I'm not trying to be all pervy with little Rima. Have you ever watched an anime, and realize the school uniforms they wear and the short skirts they wear would show off their underwear wayyy more then the anime let's you believe? That wasn't a question...was it? Anyway Thank you again to: thatcrazyfallenangelchic15
for being my first reviewer! Means a lot! Love, Moon, shine and hearts!