Oh my gosh, I am so happy I am finally updating this, given I've been working on this chapter for ages it seems. My original copy got deleted, but I believe this one came out better. Alright, before I proceed to the story, I owe you all an immense apology. I know it's taken me months to update and I feel so guilty. There was one reason, and that was school. Junior year is horrifying. I swear. I'm in 4 APs and I'm an overachiever, so I've been devoting myself to doing well, and stress and anxiety have become my sole comfort. And then, in early October, Super Smash Bros for the 3DS came out and that took over the limited amount of free time I had. Finally, I managed to update, and I chose this story to do, given I had the most ideas. I promise, updates may be slow, but I will never give up on this story. Well, my rants are meaningless. I gave you an extra long chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it! I recommend rereading the two previous chapters, given it has been ages since I've updated. Wow, it feels so good to update after four months!

"Gentle," Nagihiko's mother commanded, watching intently as her son posed as a woman, portraying the role accurately at the age of six. Nagihiko twirled the fan in his hand, accompanying the action with a small twirl. His mother let out a sigh. As the routine reached a close, he curtsied gently, awaiting his mother's criticisms.

"You are not delicate enough," She proceeded to critique, prompting Nagihiko's eyes to darken. "Remember, you are dancing on ice. Any wrong move, any wrong step could crack the ice and cause the routine to break." Nagihiko bowed his head.

"I apologize Mother," He whispered. "I promise to improve for the next rehearsal."

"An apology will not cause improvement. Repeat the routine."

"Natsumi-San, do you not believe that the Young Master has practiced enough-"

"She is not sufficient enough," Nagihiko's mother argued. "She will be presenting herself in front of my entire family. She must not make a fool of herself." The doorbell suddenly rang, prompting Baaya to rise.

"Shall I proceed?" Nagihiko asked gently. His mother nodded, watching keenly as he repeated the routine, each step precise and exact. He was concentrating hard, working effectively to perfect each and every move.

"Natsumi-San, for you." Both Nagihiko and his mother turned, facing a man. He had cold azure eyes, maintaining no emotion. He wore a dark blue vest and denim jeans. Nagihiko's mother's eyes widened as she gazed at the man. Nagihiko studied the man, not recognizing him. The man turned to face Nagihiko, emotion penetrating his cold eyes. He looked guilty.

"Why…"

"We should talk in private." The man's voice was thick, void of emotion. His mother nodded, following him into another room.

"Baaya-San, who is that?"

"It is none of your concern, Nagihiko-San," Baaya told him. "Your mother will want you to keep practicing your routine." He nodded, proceeding to start over from the very beginning.

Present Day

"There are no Fujisaki twins… It's just me, Nagihiko Fujisaki. Just a mistake."

His words slipped into the wind, drifting into the atmosphere. His breathing became ragged like a steep mountain, impossible to scale. Every muscle in his body, every individual cell seemed immobilized, anxiety running through his veins. He always thought that confessing his biggest secret would put a huge weight off his shoulders, not double the amount of weight.

"B-But…" Amu's voice broke the silence, shattering its purity into minuscule pieces.

"I lied to you, Amu." His eyes drifted upward, locking onto hers. He immediately regretted it. Her eyes were fixated on the ground, tears glistening the edges of her eyes, beckoning to glide down her cheeks. Her expression was a flurry of emotions, though the dominant one was betrayal. Nagihiko gulped, proceeding to continue.

"When I first met you, all those years ago as Nadeshiko, I lied to you. I tried to be your closest friend, getting you to trust me and confide in me. And yet, I displayed none of that in return." Nagihiko did everything in his power to repress his tears.

"Our sleepover…" Amu began.

"It was still me," He began softly.

"I told you…everything." Amu sniffled. "I told you my biggest secrets: my crushes, my fears, my struggles. I told you things I would only tell…a girl. A girl that I could trust."

"You can still trust me. I'm still the same person, I-"

"How can I trust someone who can't even tell me his own gender?!" Amu snapped coldly. A sob escaped her mouth. "I-I don't trust you; I can't trust you. You lied to me, lied about…well, everything. How can I trust you?!"

"I didn't want to lie," He pleaded, desperation lining his every word. "I had to. In my family tradition, the Fujisaki males-"

"Bullshit." She slapped him across the cheek. Tadase and Kukai gasped.

"Nagi!" Rima cried, immediately placing a hand on his now-reddened cheek.

"I don't want to hear your justifications." She turned around, concealing her view. "There's nothing you can say, nothing you can do to make it right. You lied to me, concealed who you really were, for five years. I've waited for my best friend to return from Europe for four years now, only to find out she never really existed. It was a lie. All of it." Several sobs escaped her mouth, as she walked away at a rapid pace, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Amu-Chan," Tadase started, starting to step toward her.

"Don't," Kukai warned, placing a hand on Tadase's shoulder. Rima caressed Nagihiko's cheek gingerly. He stared at the vacant spot that once contained Amu.

"Where's Amu-Chi going?" Yaya wondered, jogging toward everyone. Kairi and Utau followed suit, seeming equally puzzled.

"Give her space," Kukai explained, turning to Yaya. "She…she knows now."

"Knows what?" Utau wondered.

"Nagihiko's true identity," Kairi realized, focusing on Nagihiko's stunned facial expression. All eyes focused on the violet-haired teenager. Becoming alert to the attention, he blinked for a moment, composing a normal facial expression. He gently squeezed Rima's fingers, gently moving her hand off of his face, but remained interlocked with her fingers.

"She'll come around," Nagihiko promised, a small smile present upon his face. "She didn't take it super well, which is expected, but she just needs time to comprehend it. That's okay."

"Liar," Rima muttered under her breath. Nagihiko bit his lip, pretending not to hear her.

"Nagihiko…" Tadase began.

"I'm fine." He turned to his friend, a soft smile present. Its fakeness pained him, but he ignored that. "I've been anticipating her reaction for years now. This wasn't the worst case scenario I could think of." He thought back to the dream he had woken from that morning. That had been the worst case scenario, but he knew this blew it exponentially.

"We should probably head back," Kukai suggested. "It's getting kind of late as well."

"Yukari and Yuu seem to have already left," Utau pointed out.

After having a quick dinner at the buffet, everyone made their way back to their rooms. As they arrived outside the joining suites. Nagihiko glanced at the two doors, letting out a sigh.

"Stay with us," Rima commanded, dragging his arm. He glanced at her, surprised.

"But everyone knows now," Nagihiko pointed out. "And Amu-Chan…she won't want-"

"If she's so pissed, she can sleep in the living room," Rima pointed out. "Your stuff is already unpacked in the girls' room, so it would be an inconvenience to change it." Once Utau inserted the card key, it opened. Nagihiko followed the girls into their room, smiling slightly as Kukai waved to him.

"The numbers aren't even though," Nagihiko pointed out, sitting on his supposed bed. "There are four guys and four girls; it doesn't really make sense for me to be here."

"For someone who is supposedly a genius, you clearly don't get it." He turned to Utau, who had a slightly amused expression. Nagihiko raised an eyebrow.

"Yaya doesn't get it either," Yaya pointed out, leaning onto her bed.

"Rima just wants to sh-"

"Oh Utau, since Amu's not staying here probably, you can take the bed with Yaya," Rima interrupted, her cheeks bright red. Nagihiko turned to her, definitely aware of her sudden fluster.

"That's the last thing I want to do." Yaya pouted. "No offense." Utau sighed. "I'm going to take a shower. Catch you guys later." Utau entered the bathroom, closing the door behind.

"Well, she'll take a while," Yaya murmured. "Kukai says that she takes years in the shower."

"Speaking of Kukai, you should talk to him," Rima suggested. Yaya cocked her head to the side. Nagihiko watched Rima, realizing her intent.

"Why?"

"He's like your brother, isn't he?" A smile danced its way onto Rima's face. "After all, we never got dessert. I'm not going out and Nagi's certainly not, so you may have a shot of getting some with him."

"Ooh, you're right Rima-Tan!" Yaya looked extremely excited.

"I don't mind-" Rima covered Nagihiko's mouth. Nagihiko's cheeks reddened as the tenderness of her fingers touched his face for the second time that day.

"You should go," Rima urged. "He might get tired early on. Better hurry!" Yaya nodded eagerly, exiting into the living room. Rima removed her hand from Nagihiko's mouth, and stood up to close the door. She turned around, facing him. Her hazel eyes fixated onto him, and an aura of skepticism followed her.

"Touché," Nagihiko murmured, watching her keenly. She sat beside him on the bed, their legs touching. He took a deep breath, her presence becoming increasingly alert to him.

"What happened on the beach?" Rima inquired, suspicion lining her words. Nagihiko turned to face her directly, their legs still touching.

"Well, I'm fairly sure you know, Rima-Chan," He teased lightly, a fake smile forming upon his face. "I mean, I did just confess a secret to Amu that I've been keeping for over four years. "

"You're an idiot." She moved closer to him, sitting practically atop his lap. He blushed, trying to avert eye contact. She reached out for his cheek, forcing him to look at her in the eyes. "After everything that happened with Amu, I would think that you would understand the…repercussions of lying, of keeping secrets."

"Why are you so insistent that I lied?" Nagihiko wondered, his heart beating practically out of his chest.

"Who was that man who spoke to you?" Rima wondered, disregarding his question.

"It was…"

"Nagi, you were crying," Rima urged, her legs bumping against his. "Stop lying, okay?! Why can't you just tell me the truth?! You seemed really upset and-"

"He was my father," Nagihiko snapped, a melancholic sigh escaping his mouth. Rima's frustration vanished, her eyes filling with solemnity.

"Your… father?" Nagihiko nodded glumly. He could feel tears beckon to escape his eyes, but he resisted the urge to cry. He couldn't cry, not in front of a person who was already pitying him too much. He already regretted expressing so much emotion in front of any person, let alone his crush.

"He…He just sort of came," He explained. "I don't know how or why he was there, but he had my eyes and…"

"What did he say?" Rima wondered, her voice uncharacteristically benign.

"He told me I was just a mistake," Nagihiko explained, shifting his gaze to the bed. "That he and my mother were drunk and that I wasn't supposed to exist." He swallowed hard, and before he knew it, tears were rushing down his cheeks like fast-flowing creeks.

"You know that can't be true…" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw petrification in her eyes. He knew she must be surprised. He seldom conveyed any true emotions he felt in front of anyone; he made it his duty to never cry in front of his friends, and yet he failed.

"Of course it is," Nagihiko whispered, sniffling. He reached up and rubbed his eyes, only reddening them more. "It all makes sense, why my mother imposed those traditions on me and regarded me as nothing short of shit. She didn't want me. I wasn't wanted; I'm completely worthless."

"Nagi, you're not-" His vision grew blurred as more and more tears danced down his cheeks. The shocked expression from Rima's face was replaced by sympathy. She hugged him gently. He rested his head on her shoulder, and sobbed softly. He found console in the way her hands gingerly massaged his long hair and the way his head was massive compared with her tiny shoulder.

"Thank you…" He whispered into her shoulder, his tears finally managing to slow down. She tousled his hair gently.

"I'll always be there for you," She promised, surprising him. He glanced up at her, his watery eyes gazing into her gentle hazel eyes. A soft smile crossed his face.

"That means a lot to me… God, I must look so stupid." He murmured, chuckling lightly.

"Everyone cries," She pointed out.

"I'm a complete wreck…"

"So is everyone once in a while." She smiled gently. "It's not healthy to keep so many secrets and emotions, and not tell anyone. You may be the smartest person I've ever met and you can handle a ton, but sometimes you need a friend. Or more."

"I don't like burdening people…" He whispered.

"You're not burdening me," She insisted.

"But it's my problem, not yours. I don't want you to worry about me."

"But I care about you."

"Rima…" To his surprise, she moved closer to him, her breath on his lips. He could practically feel his heart vibrating as he moved closer to her, proceeding to have his first kiss.

"Kukai's a jerk!" They immediately separated before they kissed, both blushing. Yaya entered the room, oblivious to their previous intimacy, steaming. "He refused to get Yaya candy because he was lazy!"

"No one cares," Rima replied, reverting back to her normal coldness.

"But Yaya wants her candy!" Yaya whined. "Even Kairi declined!"

"Boohoo, cry me a river," Rima muttered monotonously. She glanced over at the bathroom. "Where's Utau? Wasn't she just showering?"

"She finished like ten minutes ago," Yaya pointed out. "You didn't notice?"

"Nope."

"Well, Utau said that you two were hugging or something, so that would make sense." Rima hugged her legs close to her chest, concealing her blush. Nagihiko glanced at the ground.

"I'm going to wash up," Nagihiko announced suddenly, heading to the bathroom.

After he finished, he sat on the bed, as Rima went to the bathroom to get ready for the night. He glanced up, seeing Utau.

"Hey Utau, do you know if…" Utau raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to proceed. He sighed. "If Amu-Chan ever got back?"

"Yeah, she's sleeping in the guest room," Utau explained. "She didn't want to sleep here anyway."

"How is she?"

"You probably don't want me to answer that question." Nagihiko glanced at the ground. "For what it's worth, I knew the whole time."

"I kind of figured," Nagihiko murmured. "Did Kukai tell you?"

"By mistake," She admitted. "He was rambling about, whatever the hell that kid rambles about, and it just sort of came out."

"It's fine." He leaned against the head of the bed. Rima exited the bathroom, wearing her nightgown as she sat down Nagihiko. Yaya was already sound asleep on her bed.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't hate you," Utau confirmed.

"Thanks." Nagihiko let out a sigh.

As Utau turned off the lights, Nagihiko laid under the covers, staring at the dark ceiling. The words his father spoke echoed in his mind, haunting him like a ghost. A ghost from his past.

"Nagi." He turned, facing the source of the quiet whisper. He could barely see her golden curls within the concealing darkness.

"I'm okay," He whispered. She inched closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. A small smile crept upon his face, as he shyly held her in his arms, resting his head atop of hers.

"Good night." She whispered, cuddling up to him.

"Sleep well, Rima-Chan," He replied.

For the next few days, Nagihiko maintained that the most prominent issue was the fact that Amu was entirely ignoring him. Only Rima knew the full truth, and Nagihiko made it his mission to avoid her for the majority of the days. It was only at night when he allowed her to come close to him, snuggling up to her in the darkness of the night.

"Damn, it's our last day!" Kukai whined, sitting with his bare feet in the pool. Nagihiko sat beside his friend, his knees touching the pavement near the edge of the pool. Yaya was swimming around in the pool, doggy-paddling her way around the perimeter. Utau and Amu were in the pool with her, chatting amiably in a corner. Amu had a distant expression on her face, though she laughed somewhat as she conversed with Utau.

"It's been a long trip," Tadase pointed out, his arms resting behind his head.

"Can't argue with that," Nagihiko murmured.

"Long, but fun! When we get back we're back to our old boring home." Kukai groaned. "And then I have to worry about college and shit."

"I can't get over the fact you're starting college." Tadase smiled. "You're not even eighteen yet. You're seventeen, like Nagihiko and me." Kukai playfully shoved him.

"Hey, I'll be eighteen in a month!" He whined. "Besides, Nagi only turned seventeen like two weeks ago!"

"Well, I've been seventeen for four months, and Rima has been for five months." Nagihiko tuned them out, gazing at his reflection in the pool. He ran his fingers through his silky purple hair, letting out a sigh as his fingers reached the middle of his back. He lifted some of his hair back, clenching his fist around it.

"Admiring your look?" Nagihiko turned around rapidly, nearly falling into the pool. His eyes widened, as he gazed up at the fairly thin man, his honey-golden eyes looking much more sinister than Nagihiko's.

"Uh, who's that?" Kukai wondered, giving Nagihiko a questioning look. Tadase looked equally puzzled. He glanced over at the man and then Nagihiko, his eyes widening slightly. Nagihiko bit his lip, ignoring Tadase and Kukai's skeptical glances.

"What do you want?" Nagihiko wondered, crossing his arms.

"I've been looking for you. I've been wanting to chat with my-"

"Let's go somewhere else," Nagihiko interjected abruptly, walking forward. Kukai and Tadase watched, quite puzzled. He followed, walking behind Nagihiko as Nagihiko led them somewhere far away. As he walked by, he passed Rima and Kairi sitting on the reclining chairs. Both of them were reading books. He quickly glanced at the ground, hoping Rima did not notice. However, he knew that was likely not the case.

"Here's good." Nagihiko leaned against a tree, his arms crossed.

"You don't seem too pleased to see me." His father feigned a pout. "After so long, I thought you would want to see your old man."

"What makes you think you're so entitled that you can just suddenly appear back in my life in a blink of an eye?" Nagihiko snapped, a coldness to his voice he seldom had. "You were gone for seventeen years, and now, now you've suddenly come back? Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He barked laughter. "I've come to see my beloved son."

"Bullshit," He muttered, the words coming naturally as they did to Amu when she said that to him. He looked at his supposed father in the eyes, his fists clenched. "If you truly wanted to see me, you would have all those years ago, when I actually needed you. I don't need you now."

"Don't you want to know the truth?" He stepped closer, prompting Nagihiko to inhale.

"I thought you already told me, told me that I'm merely a mistake?" He laughed.

"Oh Nagihiko, don't you want to know everything? Don't you want to know how your mother spent days crying about how she was going to have a child? How she drank and drank to alleviate the misery? How even more devastated she was when she found out that she was having a boy?"

"Stop…" Nagihiko whispered, his voice cracking. His father smirked.

"You know, she tried to have an abortion. She went as far as going to the clinic and making an appointment. In fact, she would have intended said appointment if she had not gotten sick and never rescheduled. You should not have lived. She wanted you dead, wanted you to just be a distant memory of her mistakes." Tears crawled down his cheeks. He didn't want to hear anymore.

"Why are you telling me this?" Nagihiko whispered, his voice wavering.

"You know, she cried and cried for days after you were born. Most mothers love their child and pamper him or her. But your mother never loved you. She resented you. If it weren't for your housekeeper, she would have given you up for adoption." Nagihiko felt as if his tears were endless. He leaned against the tree, his eyes fixating on the ground. Those words…they had to be true. His mother never showed him affection like other mothers, like Amu's did or Tadase's or Kukai's. She always expected him to play the role of Nadeshiko; to fulfill a part he wasn't. He couldn't remember a time when she told him that she loved him. He was never good enough, and now he knew he never would be.

"Go away," Nagihiko whispered, his voice wavering tremendously.

"Hm?"

"I said, go away." Nagihiko looked up at his father, malice in his words.

"Aw, my poor son, so upset. You know tears are futile. The world sucks, and it's time you learn that. You were not supposed to exist, and no matter what you hear, don't forget who you really are. You're a bastard. You're not the heir of some family treasury or a remarkable dancer; you're a, for lack of a better word, boy who is unloved by everyone. You were never supposed to exist, and quite frankly, you shouldn't." Just like that, his father turned around and walked away without another word. Nagihiko sank to his knees, wishing desperately to cease his tears. However, despite all of his efforts, it seemed impossible.

To his surprise, a hand was present on his shoulder. He jumped, turning around rapidly. He mustered a weak smile, seeing the source of the hand. She knelt down beside him, brushing some of her hair out of her eyes.

"You…" Nagihiko began. "You heard everything, didn't you?" Rima nodded slowly, her expression indecipherable.

"He was wrong, you know," Rima whispered. "I know you've been avoiding me, trying to evade any conversations that are about you. I know you've been concealing your sorrow and masking it with happiness just so others wouldn't find out what I know. That's stupid, and you know it. You know that I was going to get to you one way or another. Do you know why?"

"I'm sorry…" He croaked, his voice broken due to his sobs. "I didn't-"

"He was wrong." Rima looked at him in the eyes. "Even if your mother mistreated you, even if your father abandoned you and was a total bastard, he was wrong when he said that you were unloved by everyone." Nagihiko looked at her, his eyes watery. She took a deep breath, and smiled weakly. "Because I love you." Before he could react, she leaned closer to him, and pressed her lips against his. Shock was a vast understatement for the summation of emotions present within him. After a few seconds, she separated from him, a blush present on her cheeks. Nagihiko stared at her, his reddened eyes widened.

"You can't be that surprised," Rima muttered, rising to her feet. "Most of our conversations involve some form of flirting and it's been extremely obvious we've had chemistry since-"

"Hey guys, ready for dinner?" They turned, facing Kukai who grinned.

"Yeah, I'm pretty hungry." Nagihiko stood up, forcing a smile. "Let's go." Rima watched him, trying to read his expression. Nagihiko faced Kukai, feigning a smile. "We should enjoy our last meal here."

"Oh yeah, definitely!" Kukai laughed. "I'm going to miss buffet-style dinners every night!" Nagihiko forced a laugh, ignoring Rima's continued skeptical stare and the blush that was present on his cheeks.

Paris, France

"Ugh, I'm bored! Staring at a stupid book won't do anything! Can't we run around and-"

"Shut up, Yoru," Ikuto murmured, flicking his cat chara gently. Yoru cried out, falling slightly back. Ikuto took a sip of his coffee, as he gazed down at a brown book. Its words were faded, written on crumpled, wet paper. The surrounding noise of the cafe seemed irrelevant to Ikuto, as he focused on the book in front of him. He squinted, trying to decipher its contents.

"There aren't even words here!" Yoru whined, pointing to the pencil marks apparent. "Those are scribbles!"

"He probably wrote this years ago," Ikuto pointed out. "It isn't going to remain at brand new quality, especially given he was…is a sailor." Yoru groaned, floating down on Ikuto's shoulder. "I should be able to find answers here. Why he left…where he went…"

"Or… you can just give up and get some sleep! Drinking coffee won't compensate for that, Ikuto!" He sighed, resting his chin on his fist.

"I'm getting close, Yoru. I'm going to find him. All of the sources I've read indicate that he's been here, in Paris, numerous times." Ikuto flipped through several pages, sighing.

"But…"

"I promised Utau. I need to find answers for the both of us."

"Well, even she would want you to chill out! You need to get some sleep!"

"I'm almost-" Ikuto froze, staring at the words upon the page.

"What?" Yoru floated up, watching his chara-bearer curiously. Ikuto stared at the text multiple times, allowing the words to process in his mind.

"That's…impossible…" Ikuto shook his head slowly. "He…he couldn't have."

"Ikuto?" He gestured toward the words on the page. He fumbled through his pockets, taking out his cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Yoru inquired, looking back up at Ikuto. Ikuto unlocked his phone and scrolled through his contacts, eventually reaching the letter "N".

"Nagihiko…" Ikuto began, proceeding to call someone he seldom spoke to.

Now, many people probably think it's odd that I made them kiss, given I said that their romance was a major problem in the past versions of this story, given it was too rushed. It's different in this story though; certain events are going to occur that will justify why their romance seems "rushed". Anyway, please review! I promise; I will try to update sooner! I'm taking the SAT in December, and hopefully I'll get the score I want and I'll be done, meaning I can have some more time to update! Winter Break is fairly soon too, so I'll probably be able to update then. Please review! It would mean a ton to me, given I worked so hard for this! :D