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ryqoshay · 2 years

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Putting on Hairs - Post Production: Saigo

Primary Pairing: N/A Focal Characters: Yukiho, and to a lesser degree Honoka Words: ~1.6k Rating: T AU: Theater, Monster, Cryptid, Eldritch Horror Parent Fic: Putting on Hairs - Post Production Time Frame: Sometime before the main story Event: Fantastic Departure 2022 Event Source: Idol Fanfic Heaven channel on Discord Content Warning: Major Character Death (?) and some descriptions of Eldritch Horror stuff

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Author’s Note: Entry 10 for the prompt-agraph event

Summary: Honoka saves Yukiho from being Isekai'ed... but at what cost?

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She had to make the call. The number was already punched into the phone, ready for her to dial. Yet already, the guilt threatened to drown her out before she could begin to explain how sorry she was, before she could explain what went wrong and how it all was her fault despite being able to do nothing at all. If she had only just listened, would she still be here?

With a heavy heart, Yukiho finally pressed Send and held her phone up to her ear.

After an agonizing number of rings, though probably only about three or four, her mother picked up.

“Hello? Yukiho?”

“Mama…” Yukiho choked back a sob.

“Oh dear, are you alright?” Of course she would catch that.

“I’m fine.” Yukiho quickly assured. “It’s Onee-chan… she… I…” Her mind jumbled through everything she wanted to say. “It’s all my fault. If I had just listened when she said… I’m…”

“Where are you? Your father or I will come to you.” Mrs. Kousaka suddenly sounded strangely calm.

“The hospital…”

“Nishikino?”

“Yes.”

“ER?”

“Yes.”

“Very well. We will be there shortly.”

“But Mama, I…”

“Just sit tight. Your father will take care of things while you and I can head home to talk.”

Home? That was the last place Yukiho wanted to be! Not while her big sister, who had just saved her from the car running against the light, was in critical condition, or worse.

“I love you, Yukiho. We’ll see you soon.”

And with that the call ended.

Yukiho collapsed into the chair behind her, staring at the wall across the hall in shock.

How could her mother be so calm? Honoka, her daughter, was in the hospital, undergoing surgery right now! And what did she mean by saying her father would take care of things? What was he going to do? Assist with the surgery?

And why did she need to go home?

Yukiho dropped her head into her hands and resisted the urge to cry.

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“Here we are, home sweet home.” Mrs. Kousaka said, opening the door for her daughter.

Numbly, Yukiko stepped into the family sweet shop before moving toward the doorway that would lead her to the residence area.

After giving a brief explanation of events to her parents, Yukiho hadn’t said a word since, which made for an awkward ride home. And yet, both of her parents continued to be unnervingly calm.

“Oh, your father and sister will be here shortly.” Mrs. Kousaka said, checking a notification on her phone.

“Wha?” That got Yukiho’s attention. “Onee-chan is… coming home?”

How was that possible? Yukiho had seen the broken body of her sister on the pavement. Even through tear blurred eyes, she knew the seriousness of the injuries. The miraculous surgeries that would need to be performed. The months, if not years, of recovery. And that was all assuming she had survived to make to the hospital. Honoka was a fighter, no doubt, but Yukiho had watched the readouts of the devices in the ambulance and recognized the tense, urgent expressions and mannerisms of the paramedics.

How could Honoka possibly be coming home already?

“And once they get here, we’ll all head downstairs to sort everything out.”

Eh?

Downstairs?

Had Yukiho heard that correctly? She’d lived here all her life and had no idea there was a downstairs.

Before Yukiho had a chance to give voice to her confusion, the sound of the front door opening could be heard. A moment later, her father and…

That wasn’t Honoka… was it?

“O… Onee-chan?” Yukiho heard herself utter as she stared at the lifeless mannequin next to her father.

Near dead eyes turned ever so slightly toward her. Something within the husk of a girl had somehow managed to respond.

“Alright, let’s head down.” Mrs. Kousaka said, moving toward the closet.

Or at least Yukiho had always known that door to lead to a closet. However, when her mother slid aside the panel, what lay beyond was a dark set of stone steps. A moment later, Mr. and Mrs. Kousaka, with Honoka in tow, began to descend.

“Are you coming, Yukiho?” her mother’s voice echoed eerily against the cave-like walls.

Slowly, hesitantly, Yukiho stepped down the spiraling stairway, ready to bolt back up at a moment’s notice. How far down below the shop, she descended, Yukiho could not track, but it felt like she had been walking for over fifteen minutes before she finally stepped out into a dimly lit cavern.

“Ah, it is good to be home again.” Mrs. Kousaka’s voice caught Yukiho’s attention.

She turned and…

Oh…

Gods…

What. Was. That.

The rest of Yukiho’s family stood near a giant… starfish? Except that was just its head. Maybe? Below was a barrel-like body, out of which sprouted numerous tentacles as well as a sizable pair of wings.

And one of the tentacles was moving toward Honoka.

“Onee-chan!” Yukiho called, unable to make her feet move, neither toward her sister to help, nor up the stairs to retreat.

It was no use. Mr. Kousaka stepped away from Honoka and the tentacle quickly wrapped around the girl, who offered no resistance. With a sickening squelching sound, the coils tightened, before drawing up under one of the starfish arms. And Honoka was gone.

“Come, Yukiho.” Mrs. Kousaka motioned for her daughter to join her parents. “Witness your sister’s rebirth.”

What.

With that said, the starfish arm began to pulse. The area where it was attached to the rest of the creature began to narrow and eventually, the entire thing sloughed off.

Mr. Kousaka moved forward, brandishing a blanket. He knelt beside the detached arm and rolled it over before prying it open along the ambulacral groove.

Despite not being able to move from her position, Yukiho couldn’t help craning her neck to get a better view.

Gently, Mr. Kousaka lifted Honoka from the starfish arm like a baby from a cradle. He wrapped the blanket around her form, stood and began to walk toward Yukiho. However, he barely seemed to acknowledge her presence as he stepped past her and up the stairs.

“So, once again, you have been shown the truth about us.” Mrs. Kousaka stated solemnly. “Yukiho, will you accept this time?”

“What do you mean?” Yukiho found her voice. “I don’t understand what is going on. What just happened to Onee-chan?”

“As I said, she was reborn.” Her mother responded. “Your sister, your father, you and I, we are all but temporary spawn of Saigo.” She placed a hand on the side of the monstrosity beside her. “We are its way of experiencing a world in which it can no longer live. It remains here, while we go out and return with knowledge and experience. And when one of us is killed or injured to the point where recovery is impossible, we return physically to Saigo, so it may remake us.”

Yukiho’s mind bucked as it tried to process what she had just been told. “So, are we like, immortal or something?” Was all she could think to ask.

“Heavens no.” Her mother shook her head. “We age, or at least appear to, like normal humans of this world. And Saigo creates a new generation of spawn to replace us every so often. Wouldn’t want anyone getting too suspicious of unageing folks in their area, right?”

“And what about the hospital? What did Papa do there?”

“Oh, the Nishikinos have their own secrets to keep. They’ve no more desire to reveal ours than their own. They helped your father get Honoka into a condition that would not raise too much suspicion while traveling back here.”

Yukiho’s mind settled on a detail mentioned earlier. “You said I’ve been shown the truth again? Why don’t I remember ever being down here?”

Mrs. Kousaka laughed strangely. “You and your sister have had some… troubles accepting your true nature. Though like mother, like daughters, I suppose. You’ll come to accept things eventually, but until then, Saigo has altered your memories to ensure its secrets remain unexposed.”

Yukiho had seen enough. Her legs finally began to obey her command. She turned to head up the stairs when…

A tentacle wrapped around her waist.

“Oh dear, it seems you’re still not ready…” Mrs. Kousaka’s voice seemed to speak in stereo with another, more otherworldly one. “Perhaps next time…”

“No…” was all the more Yukiho was able to get out before the tentacle coiled around her head and her world went dark.

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“G’mornin’…” Honoka groaned as she reached the foot of the stairs and shambled toward the kitchen.

Yukiho couldn’t blame her older sister for being tired. Somehow the two of them had worn themselves out yesterday with their sisters outing. But it had been worth it. Yukiho didn’t spend nearly as much time with Honoka these days, so it was nice to do so every so often.

“Police are still looking for the driver of the car that hit a young woman in Akihabara.” The reporter on their father’s laptop screen was saying.

“Akihabara?” Honoka blinked. “Ne, Yukiho, that’s where we were yesterday, visiting Kotori-chan.”

Yukiho nodded. “Yeah, I’m surprised we didn’t hear about the incident while we were there.”

“Guess we will have to be more careful when crossing the street next time, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“The name of the victim has not yet been released.” The reporter continued. “However, we have been assured that a full recovery is expected.”

“Honoka!” A voice called from the shop area.

“Shoot! I’m late!” Honoka cried in realization. “Umi-chan is gonna be mad…” She turned on her heel and ran toward the door. “Coming!”

Yukiho chuckled at her older sister’s antics before returning her attention to her breakfast.

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Author’s Note Continued: I was originally started writing this about the Kazuno sisters before I remembered I wanted to make them some sort of monster/cryptid/whatever with a snow theme, to go with their Saint Snow group thing, despite SS not existing in this world. Then I remembered I still hadn't assigned Honoka, and by extension Yukiho, a monster type.

And I already have one high energy and adorable eldritch being in the mix with Setsu and her Cthughan ancestry, so why not another? And yeah, sure, the Elder Things on which I based this creature reproduce with spores, so I've just taken some artistic license with the whole clone/spawn thing because I know starfish in real life can regrow a new starfish from a severed arm. But I've already taken some fun liberties with Setsu being affected by certain things she eats - see Hiccuping Light or Festival Night in the Promptober collection for those - so why not play with things again for Honoka and Yukiho?

I wonder what uses Kotori, Yohane or Rina might find for starfish parts...

Oh, and no, the Nishikino hospital is not owned and operated by Maki or her parents in this AU, rather some extended family, like maybe Maki's uncle or aunt or something.

#Kousaka Yukiho #Kousaka Honoka #Fantastic Departure 2022 #Putting on Hairs #Love Live #fanfic

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idolaxhxpe · 5 years

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Yukiho Hagiwara~muse

★~ Name: 萩原雪歩 (Hagiwara Yukiho)

Tagged~ kawaiichanyukiho ★~ Age: 17

★~ 155 cm ★~ Weight:42 kg ★~ Birthday:December 24th ★~ Blood type:A ★~ Three sizes:81-56-81 ★~ Handedness:Right ★~ Hobbies:Writing Poetry, Tea, Blogs ★~ Horoscope:Capricorn ★~ Hometown:Tokyo

Interesting facts

★~ During the development stages of Yukiho’s character, she was named “Megumi” (恵), and had a character setting of immediately fainting when stressed, instead of digging a hole. During the field testing of the arcade version of the game, Yukiho was the most popular character chosen to be produced.

★~ No one, not even Producer knows where her father works or what he does for a living, and Yukiho herself will not share this information. It is hinted in-game that her father has many subordinates who work under him, and THE iDOLM@STER 2 shows her father working with a construction company

★~ When stressed, Yukiho often says she’s going to dig a hole and bury herself

★~ Yukiho sees Takane Shijou as having a very strong will, and idolizes her as a role model,

★~ Yukiho and Makoto Kikuchi are best friends.

★~Believe it or not, Yukiho still believes in Santa.

★~ Yukiho’s favorite food is grilled meat.

★~ Yukiho is from the Adachi-ku (足立区) area of Tokyo.

★~ Yukiho is also known to be “Yukipo” by her fans for unstated reasons.

★~ yukiho has a phobia of men. |unless she gets to really know them.|

Character Introduction:

“U-Um, ah, good morning! Hagiwara Yukiho, 17 years old. I-I really don’t have any self-confidence, so I probably bother everyone around me. B-But, to change that part of myself, I’m aiming to be an idol! I think it’s kind of absurd for a person like me to want to be an idol. “

“But I’ll show you that no matter how hard or painful it becomes, I’ll keep going! I-I’m looking forward to working with you!”

About:

A timid and shy girl, Yukiho Hagiwara, 17 years old (16 in 1st Vision), comes from a very strict traditional Japanese household. She is easily frightened, especially by boys and dogs. During most hardships or problems she usually just starts to cry without first looking for a solution, and because of this she is very popular among the boys at her school.

Despite her not really having what it takes to be an idol, she was able to successfully win both auditions at 765 Production because one of her friends submitted a resumé about her without permission. However, she built up enough courage to pass the second portion of the audition herself.

Yukiho’s family consists of herself, her father and mother, though there are also many of her father’s disciples living at the mansion. Her father is against the idea of his daughter being an idol, sometimes even bad-mouthing the producer out of jealousy.

Yukiho loves to drink and make Japanese tea, and also likes to write and read poems, though she never has the courage to share them with others.

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idolacorxx · 5 years

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Yukiho Hagiwara~muse

★~ Name: 萩原雪歩 (Hagiwara Yukiho)

Tagged~ kawaiichanyukiho ★~ Age: 17

Interesting facts

★~ During the development stages of Yukiho's character, she was named "Megumi" (恵), and had a character setting of immediately fainting when stressed, instead of digging a hole. During the field testing of the arcade version of the game, Yukiho was the most popular character chosen to be produced.

★~ When stressed, Yukiho often says she's going to dig a hole and bury herself

★~ Yukiho sees Takane Shijou as having a very strong will, and idolizes her as a role model,

★~ Yukiho and Makoto Kikuchi are best friends.

★~Believe it or not, Yukiho still believes in Santa.

★~ Yukiho's favorite food is grilled meat.

★~ Yukiho is from the Adachi-ku (足立区) area of Tokyo.

★~ Yukiho is also known to be "Yukipo" by her fans for unstated reasons.

★~ yukiho has a phobia of men. |unless she gets to really know them.|

Character Introduction:

“U-Um, ah, good morning! Hagiwara Yukiho, 17 years old. I-I really don't have any self-confidence, so I probably bother everyone around me. B-But, to change that part of myself, I'm aiming to be an idol! I think it's kind of absurd for a person like me to want to be an idol. “

“But I'll show you that no matter how hard or painful it becomes, I'll keep going! I-I'm looking forward to working with you!”

About:

Yukiho's family consists of herself, her father and mother, though there are also many of her father's disciples living at the mansion. Her father is against the idea of his daughter being an idol, sometimes even bad-mouthing the producer out of jealousy.

Yukiho loves to drink and make Japanese tea, and also likes to write and read poems, though she never has the courage to share them with others.

#Kawaiichanyukiho-muse #yukiho~about #long post

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1e-9des · 6 years

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dylan give me a soft and sensitive kin 💞

ahh okie i gochu!! how about another imas girl? :p

now ur Yukiho Hagiwara!

Yukiho is a bit of an odd case for an idol, since she really has little to no self confidence. You could say that she’s “soft and sensitive” because whenever any conflict arises or people start shouting she generally just starts to break down and cry first thing. She comes from a very strict and repressed household, and she’s just a shy, quiet girl who loves tea and reading and writing poetry (though she’d never let anyone read her poetry), but she rarely has any confidence in her ability to solve a problem on her own. Despite this, she’s determined to change this aspect of herself by building up the courage to succeed as an idol, and to steal people’s hearts.

#milkyypaws #yukiho hagiwara #ask #kin #imas

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tsxndxre · 6 years

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💏 From Honoka to Maki?

Aha.............. Maki’s a single ship friendo so welp platonic kisses hoooooooyyyy

6. …on a falling tear.

Their final live.

Filled with all of the songs they loved and all the people they loved. Maki filled the setlist with everything they had. So that nobody, including herself, would have no regrets. Maki couldn’t have any especially when she saw her boyfriend in the crowd, cheering her on.

But just as they finished the last song, transforming flower costumes draping over each of them. The bunch of them remained there, kneeling down, hands clasped together as they realized it was all over.

Slowly each girl stood up, their legs feeling weak from dancing and emotions that overtook them. But not a single tear exchanged between them. It was Maki’s turn to get up, being placed next to Honoka, before helping their leader up. But something anchored them to the floor. She looked over at Honoka. Her eyes widening as she realized that Honoka had began silently crying.

Why hadn’t any of them noticed?

“H-Huh...?” Honoka finally said as if she had just realized that tears will rolling down her cheeks. “Eh? Huh? That’s weird... We all said that we wouldn’t cry today. It’s a happy day! We said we wouldn’t cry because we have no regrets!”

Maki could hear the other girls sniffling or crying around her. It was over... Maki was relieved in some ways but even she could feel... tears burning her eyes.

Maki being the closest to the girl, quickly wrapped arms around her. How long had she been holding this in? Was she holding it in because of some stupid promise they all made? She rubbed her back as she shook her head softly. A small platonic kiss placed on her cheek were a tear had just rolled down. “It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s over but we did it... We can break that promise too and cry our eyes out.”

And it was those very words that unleashed something in Honoka, their usual energetic leader leaning more into Maki’s embrace and beginning to wail even louder. Mics were cut off, the crowd couldn’t hear them. But Maki could and she felt it from her bones that were shaken, as the girl leaned into her and sobbed, to the deepest part of her soul. Maki could cry in Taki’s arms later... But right now she needed to... no she wanted to be strong for the girl who kept them together for the past year.

“We did it... Honoka. The school is saved. So... Good work out there... You did so well. We’re all extremely proud of you.” She rubbed her back just as some of their so-called VIPs walked back stage. Just as Yukiho had walked into the crying fest that Honoka had started. Two siblings looked over at each other and now the leader was reaching over to her younger sister and clinging to her.

Maki smiled as she looked at the younger girl mouth a word of thanks before she untangled herself from Honoka and stood up at last. She walked Her eyes meeting with Taki’s. She felt a tug in her own heart strings as she felt her legs finally fail her. She felt arms immediately around her. As Maki too had her own sobs to deal with. It was over and she was relieved but... she also felt lonely all of a sudden..

Even though the title of their live would be µ'sic Forever she could feel the end of it all... as she felt Taki’s arms around her and heard the other girls cry like the children they were.

#{ ic: Maki #woo that was a ride to write #mctlimuse-haven

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animefankotaro · 2 years

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Trans Honoka Kosaka

8year old Honoka Kosaka and her sister Yukiho were playing dress up and doing each others make up. Despite being a few years younger than Honoka Yukiho was much better. Honoko liked it because she pretended she was a girl. Yukiho liked it because she got to pretend to have a sister. Honoko was actually a boy; or so everyone thought. Honoko wanted to be a girl for as long as she could remember. But everyone saw her as a boy. She told Yukiho her real name was Honoko and they were sisters now but it was their little secret.

"I love it when you get to be my sister, Honoka! I like you better as a girl because we can do sister things."

"Me too. I want to be your sister all the time."

"Why can't you be my sister?" Yukiho asked. Honoko looked sad.

"I don't think mommy and daddy will let me. They think I'm a boy. I think they will be mad if I tell them I'm a girl." Her parents have caught them playing dress up a few times before and were forced to stop after that. Now they can only do it when they know they're alone. Honoko looked down and started to cry. She hated how Yukiho was the only one who saw her for herself. Yukiho frowned at this and gave her a hug.

"You're my sister no matter what. I don't care what mommy and daddy say. "Honoko looked at her sister surprised. She cried again but this time it was from happiness and hugged her sister back. A few weeks later Honokos mother tried to take her to get her hair cut.

"I won't wanna go!" Honoko protested.

"But sweetie you need to. The school doesn't really like it when your hair is long like that. They want all the boys hair to be nice and short.

"No!" Honoko cried. Her mother sighed and eventually gave up. Eventually Honoko told her friends Kotori and Umi.

"You think you're a girl?" Kotori asked.

"IAM a girl. Just nobody knows yet except Yukiho and you two."

And you want your name to be Honoko now?" Umi replied. Honoko nodded her head. Kotari and Umi looked each other and also nodded.

"Allright" They said in unison. Honoko looked surprised.

"You mean you're all right with it?"

"Of course." Kotaro said." Besides now you can talk about girl things with us now." Honoko smiled at this. Things were going well for awhile. One day Kotari asked Honoko if she could stay the night so Honoko asked her mom.

"Of course not!" Her mom said. "Boys don't sleep over at girls houses."

"But mom Kotari and Umi are my best friends!" Honoko protested.

"I'm sorry but the answer is no. You just can't be with them all the time. You should start acting more like a boy." With this tears started forming in Honokos eyes and she ran to her room crying.

"Matoto!" Honoko's mom called. She stood there for a moment before she saw her husband.

"Maybe I should talk to him." He told her. She shook her head.

"Let me. He talks to me more. She went into Honoko's room and saw hercrying on her bed.

"Matoto."She spoke softly.

"Don't call me that!" Honoko spat.

"What? But that's your name."

"I don't want it to be my name. It's a boys name!"

"But you are a-"

"No I'm not! I'm a girl. My name is Honoko.

"You-you think you're a girl? Honoko?" Honoko nodded her head.

"Yukiho helped me with it. She knows I'm her sister. Kotari and Umi know I'm a girl too." Honoko sniffed.

"Why didn't you tell me or your dad?"

"I was scared you would be mad at me. I thought daddy would hit me."

"That would never happen. I'm surprised to say the least but not mad. Your father won't be either. I'll admit he might be a little disappointed and heartbroken at first learning his only son is really his daughter but he'll come around. I'm going to talk to him about this. After that we'll see where things go." She talked to her husband about it. He was a little heartbroken over hearing it but agreed he wanted Honoko to be happy. They decided to let Honoko be the girl she felt she was. It went really well with Honoko being truly happy. The hardest thing was letting the school agree to let her be a girl. It was hard work but they got them to agree. When Honoko was 11 she begged her parents for blockers.

"I don't want my voice to drop or get facial hair. You can't let that happen." Honoko begged. Her parents were able to get the blockers for her and hormones a little bit later. They also had one other surprise.

"Honoko. Your father and I have want to tell you something." Her mom said.

"What is it?"

"Well. We know how Kotari and Umi are going to Otonokizaka Academy and how badly you want to go." Honoko eyes began to lit up. "It's an all-girls school so we talked to Kotaris mother and she had allowed you to go to the school as a girl.

"Really?" Honoko cried.

"Mmm-hmm" Her mom smiled. "Honoko jumped up and hugged her mom.

"Thankyou. Thank you for being with me all the way. You, dad, and Yukiho"

"Of course." Her mom replied.

#love live school idol project #honoka kosaka #yukiho kosaka #anime #transgender #trans #transgirl #ftm trans #Headcanon #one shot #pre canon #u's

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wotzup · 7 years

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Meeting her once again

"Kotori, did you want to tell us something?" Umi asked, walking along into the bedroom with one of her childhood best friends Honoka behind her munching on some strawberry bread. Kotori, Umi's other childhood best friend was in the room, her back facing them. "Umi chan... Honoka chan..." Kotori turned to them teary eyed.

Alarmed, Umi and Honoka rushed to Kotori's side and gave her a hug. Kotori began to sob. The two, still clueless, comforted her. Umi's mind rushed as it tried to figure out the reason behind Kotori crying like this. Whoever did this to her would pay, but before that she would need to calm Kotori down with the help of Honoka. "Thanks..." Kotori sniffed as she leaned onto Umi's broad shoulders. "Who made you cry?" Umi asked with a soft look but Umi was boiling on the inside. No one will hurt her best friend. If they do they would pay. "Yeah Kotori chan, tell us. We'll beat them up." Honoka added making a fist.

"No one made me cry." Kotori said happy she had such amazing friends who were ready to stand up for her but this made her feel worse. "I got into a collage for fashion in France." she smiled.

"Ah that's amazing Kotori chan!! Honoka tackled Kotori. "Ah Honoka chan!" "Kotori I'm glad for you." Umi smiled genuinely happy for her friend though she felt her heart was going to break again. She wasn't ready for Kotori to leave her but this was her dream. Umi was not going to stop her. She had stopped her once and she wasn't going to do that again.

"I don't want to leave you two!" Kotori began to tear up again. "I almost left you both before and I don't want to leave you again!" Umi wiped off the tears from her face, rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her down.

"Kotori chan becoming a fashion designer is your passion right?" Honoka asked. Kotori shook her head. "Then fight on!" Honoka encouraged, "You have gotten your chance to do what you've always wanted. Do it Kotori chan. As much as I don't want you to leave, do it. It's your passion after all." Kotori looked at her with disbelief. Just an year ago Honoka had stopped her and now she was asking her to go and pursue her dreams. "Kotori, I agree with Honoka. You should fulfill your dreams." Umi said with an encouraging smile, "There is technology. We can talk to each other as much as we want. Even if that's not there we will always be connected. Our friendship will never break."

Kotori gave the two a hug, "I was wondering what you two would say."

"Now I can go back to eating my bread." Honoka took out the bread she was eating from the back pocket where she stuffed it in when she saw Kotori crying. "Honoka!" Umi snatched the piece of bread, "You've been eating to much bread. You will get fat!" "Umi chan I've only been eating it since I stepped out of home. And that's a limited edition flavour." Honoka whined. "Umi chan give it to her." Kotori said. "But Honoka will-" "Umi chan..." "Fine, here is the bread." Umi handed the bread while muttering how unfair Kotori was under her breath. "My bread!" she petted her precious bread, "Kotori chan teach me the magic you use on Umi chan." Kotori laughed while Umi glared at Honoka.

"Honoka!" Umi growled. "Yikes! Umi chan's scary." Honoka clung onto Kotori. Umi looked at Kotori. Kotori looked happy and content. "Umi chan don't scare her," Kotori chided, "but your still cute anyway."

"Kotori!?" Umi stumbled back flustered. Why did Kotori do this to her? "See you're so cute!" Kotori smiled. Umi looked away, "You're so unfair Kotori..."

A few weeks later, Kotori was at the airport about to leave for France. Everyone in μ's had come. Nozomi had encouraged her by telling her that good fortune awaited her, Nico had given her the gift, a 'learn French in 30 days' book, Eli gave her some encouraging words and gave her some tips on managing money. The first years did the same by telling she will do her best and beat up the others with her fashion. Honoka ended up crying, due to which Kotori ended up crying too. Umi felt like crying herself but she wasn't. She was going to strong in front of her. "Fight on okay." Honoka sniffed as she walked back to the rest of μ's.

It was now Umi's turn to talk to her. She approached Kotori one of her hands behind her holding Kotori's present. "Umi chan." Kotori smiled though still hadn't wiped her tears. Umi used her hand to who the tears off her face. Umi then gave Kotori a tight hug. "Don't cry, you are strong. I know you are going to do well over there. If you need anything call, I'll be right there as soon as I can." Umi whispered. "I have something for you." Umi released Kotori and showed her a flower. A blue anemone.

"I'll put it on for you." Umi said. "No it's alright Umi chan-" "No I insist." Umi said stubbornly. She tucked Kotori's hair behind her ear and placed the flower there. "You look beautiful." Umi complimented. It was unlike her to say something like that so smoothly so Kotori blushed. "A blue anemone protects you from all bad things." Umi explained, "It will protect you no matter where you are."

"Umi chan it's beautiful... thanks." Kotori hugged Umi. Umi who wasn't expecting the hug returned it after standing still for a moment. Who knew when she was going to hug Kotori again.

An announcement was made, telling all passengers, for the plane Kotori was going on, that it was the last call for them to board the plane. Kotori broke the hug and gave a kiss on Umi's cheek making blood rush up to Umi's cheeks. She kept her hand on the tingling area to which Kotori giggled. Kotori moved past her and hugged the other members who stood behind a dazed Umi.

"I'll see you all later." Kotori smiled though her voice was breaking. Everyone was wishing her a safe journey and good luck. And soon Kotori was gone, off to France. Umi felt sad. She could feel a prickling sensation on her nose. Tears threatened to fall but she wasn't going to cry. For some reason she could still feel the place Kotori kissed her to tingle.

"Seems like someone is in love." Nozomi approached Umi who was still dazed by the kiss. Umi yelped and moved back a few paces before saying, "No! I am not into such shameless things!"

"Love is not shameless Umi chan, in fact it's beautiful. It can heal you or break you." Nozomi said, making gestures with her hands. "I didn't mean that. I meant what you do afterwards." Umi clarified. "Oh so you are in love." Nozomi said, her lips curving into a smirk. "No its not like that!"

"Nozomi leave her alone." Eli intervened. "Ma ma~ Elichi I was just helping her that's all."

Eli sighed in defeat. "Don't tease her too much." she said, then going to console a sobbing Honoka along with Hanayo and Rin, passing by the quarreling couple, also known as Nico and Maki.

Nozomi spoke once again once it was a empty, excluding Nico and Maki who were too busy fighting or in their language (or more precisely Nozomi's language) flirting. "You know Umi chan, the sooner you accept your feelings the better. You just might lose her." "I'm not in love." Umi said, "As long as she's happy I'm happy."

"You're so stubborn." Nozomi shook her head. "You remind me of someone I know." Nozomi said looking up at the ceiling smiling, then turned back to her, "Anyway I'm just trying to help you. My cards told me the sooner you tell her the better." "Huh?" "Trust me it will be easier for you. I hid my feelings from Elichi for two years and it hurt me. The longer you keep it in, there are more chances you may hurt yourself in the process." Nozomi explained. "I'm not in love Nozomi, but thank you for the advise." Umi walked away annoyed. She wasn't in love with her childhood friend. They were childhood friends nothing more than that. "Umi chan you are so dense." Nozomi muttered before following Umi.

It was necessary for her to calm her nerves. She was practicing archery after all. Her hands shook as she pulled the string of the bow. Usually it would calm her but it didn't. Her heart still pounded in her chest like it did a few moments ago before she practiced. 'Calm down. Your going to shoot an arrow through that bullseye. Love arrow shoot!' she thought as she left the string releasing the arrow.

Wham. It had completely missed the target. Umi sighed in disappointment as she sat down, placing her bow beside her. She had no clue what was wrong with her. She was never this nervous unless she was going to perform on stage. And that was five years ago.

She buried her head in her hands. 'What are these feelings? Am I in love?' These thoughts swirled in her brain like a whirlpool amidst the huge blue ocean. It all started the previous day when μ's had planned to meet up after a very long time. Since their popularity had decreased substantially they could go out as normal people but yes, they do have a small fan base left since the Love Live competition always shows the previous winner before announcing the new one, or so Hanayo told them when they met.

They had planned to meet at Honoka's house. "Yukiho can you get my tea?" Honoka asked Yukiho who had entered the room to greet Umi. Yukiho rolled her eyes before telling her elder sister to get her act together. Umi shook her head disappointed after Yukiho left the room. "Seems like you haven't changed one bit Honoka." "Eh? Is that supposed to be a compliment?" "Take it both ways." Honoka grumbled in response. "I thought you would say something nice to me..." Honoka pouted. "Straighten up your act first." "Ah, not you too Umi chan." Honoka whined.

The two friends talked catching up on each other's lives, waiting for the others to come. Soon everyone was there except for Nozomi and Eli. "What's with those two nya? I want to get this party started nya!" Rin said excited jumping up and down in the room. "Rin chan calm down, they'll be here any moment." Hanayo said, effectively calming Rin down. Rin almost immediately sat be Hanayo, rested her head onto Hanayo's shoulder, purring.

"You mean whenever they finish fu-" Maki clamped Nico's mouth. "There are kids here." Maki glanced at Hanayo and Rin. "Why didn't they come with you? You live with them right?" Maki asked after a moment. "Nico gave a muffled answer before shoving Maki's hand from her mouth. "They had gone out before I even left. You've got a problem with that?" "What's your problem?"

They had begun to fight like any other day. It reminded Umi of practice. The two would always fight and then Nozomi would tease them or if things got out of hand Nozomi would threaten them with a washi washi max the most horrible punishment other than Umi's infamous wrath.

The rest just levitated away from those two and began to talk about their lives. "Kayo chin is a journalist nya." Rin said proudly, laying down on Hanayo's lap. "Rin chan..." Hanayo said embarrassed while Umi and Honoka congratulated her. "What kind of articles do you write?" Honoka asked jumping up and down in her place with enthusiasm. "I write articles about school idols since I used to be one." Hanayo's mood had changed from shy to excited, "I have to go and interview the newest winners of Love Live in a few days." Hanayo began to fangirl over a band called... Aqours? Umi guessed they were the ones who won or else... Hanayo stalked them(Umi hoped it wasn't the second option cause that would be shameless).

"I like this side of Kayo chin nya!" Rin said getting up, hugging Hanayo then again going back to the same position. Hanayo blushed. "I am a coach nya! I teach at a school nya." Rin said. "Fight on you two." Honoka said cheerfully. "What about you Honoka chan?" "I'm still looking for a job. For now I'm helping out in the shop." Honoka chuckled sheepishly while rubbing the back of her head. "What about you Umi chan?" Hanayo asked. "I'm taking over the dojo in a few months." "Wow..." "As expected of Umi chan nya! " Hanayo and Rin said amazed.

"We're here! Did anyone miss us?" a voice chimed in. "Ah Nozomi chan," Nozomi entered the room followed by a blonde, "Eli chan! You came!" Honoka rushed to the two and gave them a hug. Rin followed behind joining in. After the hug Nozomi went to control the NicoMaki situation before they began anything else. "Now everyone's here," Umi said but then remembered a certain member wasn't here. How she missed her. Though they talked frequently she missed to see her, face to face. "except for Kotori." she said sadly.

"We have a little surprise for you all." Eli winked in her direction. Umi had no clue if she were to believe that. When they all met when the first years were graduating from high school, Eli had a surprise and that happened to be her huge stash of chocolate for everyone in μ's. She had claimed she had a bigger one at home. This time it wasn't chocolate, but something better.

"Kotori!" "Kotori chan!" "Hi." Kotori waved shyly. Honoka moved from Nozomi and Eli and gave Kotori a bear hug. Kotori who wasn't prepared for it stood surprised for a second before returning the bone crushing hug. "I missed you Kotori chan!" Honoka sobbed as she left Kotori, but still holding hands. "I missed you too Honoka chan." Kotori said teary eyed.

Meanwhile Umi's heart was fluttering. She was happy to see her friend back after five long years. Umi observed as she was talking to Honoka. How her face lit up as Honoka talked to how she giggled ever so cutely to how the little tuft of her hair bounced as she shook her head to the way she dressed up. It revealed a bit of skin but at that moment Umi didn't care if it was shameless or not because Umi was stuck up on something. 'Why does she look so hot!?' Umi got up from her place and stood in front of Kotori. 'Why am I thinking of shameless things!? Stay calm Umi. You are as cool as the ocean.'

For some reason she felt nervous. Umi embraced the shorter girl. "Kotori..." she mumbled as she rubbed the back of Kotori's head as Kotori hugged her back. Umi hoped Kotori wouldn't hear her heart pound in her chest. "I missed you..." Umi said, moving her hand to Kotori's cheek. "I missed you too Umi chan..."

Umi's eyes drifted to Kotori's ear. She couldn't help but feel elated as she saw a blue anemone in her hair, resting on top of her ear, just as she had done to her when she was going to leave. "With the anemone I feel safe. It's like you are around." Kotori explained. "How do you know what I was thinking of?" "You were staring Umi chan." Kotori smiled innocently as Umi turned red as Maki's hair. "You're still cute... and hot." the statement made Umi blush even more. Was even possible to blush more than that?

They were interrupted by a cough from behind. "Stop flirting it's making me sick." Nico said. This time Umi hid herself behind her hands and Kotori began to blush."Nicocchi you're such a killjoy." Nozomi said lowering her camera.

Meanwhile Umi could feel herself over heat. She started to feel dizzy. 'Shameless...' she thought as she collapsed on the floor due to over heating (and shameless thoughts) and the world went black. So much for trying to play cool.

She only got up when every thing was about to end yet she had a great time with everyone. "Umi chan do you mind if I stay at your place tonight?" Kotori tugged at Umi's sleeve while making a cute expression. Umi was trying to make a sentence; at that moment she was succumbing to Kotori's cuteness. "Umi chan onegai!" Umi became a gay puddle with Kotori's gay-o-ray. "S-sure... if your mother allows." she managed to say. "Thanks Umi chan!" Kotori hugged Umi tightly before taking her phone from her stylish clutch to call her mother.

Coming to the present, Umi was in a dilemma. Kotori had been teasing her and like usual was just unfair. She was become a cute problem for her heart. As she thought about it, she noticed that she felt this way even before Kotori left. Umi knew Nozomi was right, even though Umi wouldn't go and tell her that.

It had been sometime since Kotori had left Umi alone. Kotori had received a phone call from a close colleague of her's. It had been fifteen minutes since Kotori left and there was still no sign of her.

Umi was worried. Was that person threatening her? Was that person in a relationship with her? If that was the case Kotori never mentioned it. Even if she did mention it to the rest of μ's she would tell Umi later once Umi returned to normal.

Umi got up and headed to the backyard which was the best place to talk to anyone on the phone. Kotori knew that very well. Her guess was absolutely correct. Kotori was standing there near the door pacing around as she spoke rapidly in French. 'She learnt French fast.' Umi hid behind the door trying to find out why there was a slight blush on the girl's face. If only she knew French. Was the person she was talking to her boyfriend? Or maybe a person she had a crush on? Or...

"Umi chan I found you." Kotori chimed as she entered the room smiling brightly as she entered, finishing the phone call. Umi felt like she was melting back into a gay puddle again. Her smile was too powerful to handle. "Kotori how did you know-" "I saw you enter Umi chan." Umi was at a loss of words and felt guilty for eavesdropping. "Please forgive me Kotori for my mistake." she bowed, "I will be ready to do anything to fix this mistake."

Kotori raised a brow. "Anything Umi chan?" "Yes, anything."

A devilish smirk grew on Kotori's lips. "Umi chan kiss me." Kotori said ever so innocently but it was obvious what her not so innocent intentions were. "Ehh? But Kotori-" "Umi chan you said that you would do anything." Kotori said. Umi knew she lost the battle. She knew her weak point- a Sonoda never backs away from any challenge or word they make, and that meant this as well, even if it was... shameless.

Umi gulped. Umi took Kotori's face in her hands. She kept on chanting not to faint. She was going to kiss her. She was going to do it. The world slowly reduced to only them as Umi hesitantly moved her head towards Kotori. "Umi chan..." Kotori mumbled as she began to close the distance between them, her eyes fluttering shut in the process. And soon their lips met sending a electrifying feeling through Umi that she had never felt ever before. It was all so different yet... amazing. She felt like a high Pikachu. All thoughts went right out of her mind as it ceased to function. She could feel Kotori's slender arms wrap around her neck, deepening the kiss.

It was not long from then when they broke the kiss panting. The hugged each other right not wanting the other the go away. Kotori had looked away from Umi, embarrassed. Umi felt pleased and embarrassed of her actions. "Kotori I need to tell you something." Umi said lifting her chin up making Kotori to look at her making another cute expression. 'Argh this is Kotori's fault.' Umi felt herself over heat again. The cute face, the kiss were getting to her. She collapsed on the ground again her vision fading to black as she could hear Kotori say, "Umi chan don't die!"

Umi woke up the next day when the sun was rising. She had been unconscious for such a long time! Umi sighed disappointed in herself. She had not been a good host, after all she did faint in hand a of her guest. She might as well make up for it by being a good host today, like helping her mother make breakfast for them.

Umi groggily tried to sit up on the bed but was stopped by a pair of arms slithering across her toned stomach. She turned her head so fast that her neck almost cracked, wondering where the arms came from. Umi immediately blushed and sank in the sheets. 'Why is Kotori here!?' she felt blood rush to her cheeks as she sank into the sheets.

She didn't know why she such feelings for a friend. Her heart had been shot by the biggest love arrow that one could find, by a little bird that nuzzled into her neck for warmth. Yes, the strict studious, heir to the dojo her parents owned was in love, head over heels for her child hood friend.

"Umi chan..." she heard the ashen haired girl murmur as she slept. Umi's focus was on her. "I... love... you..."

Umi grinned as she heard the words. Her feeling may be reciprocated back to her. Umi hugged the girl, smiling like a dork as she rubbed the back of of the head of the sleeping girl.

"Kotori I love you too..."

Omake:

"Umi chan!" Kotori hugged Umi from behind as she was cleaning the dishes after breakfast. "Ah Kotori what is it?" Umi continued to clean the dishes but a smile had grown on her face. "You know I wasn't asleep when you said that you loved me." Kotori said smiling ever so innocently. Umi gave a screech absolutely terrified her friend found out. "Don't worry Umi chan I like you in that way too." Kotori forced the blushing Umi to look at her directly for a second before pecking her lips and added, "When I asked you to kiss me yesterday I meant my cheek not my lips but that was fine too."

Umi who was just too gay and embarrassed happened to faint again.

#love live school idol project #love live school idol festival #kotoumi #nozoeli #nicomaki #umi is very gay #kotori the sly birb #its in the future

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dimensiontripperhibiki · 7 years

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A Name In The Wind (29/?)

Next chapter of ANITW, I hope you guys enjoy! Warning(s): Violence, sexual scenes, angst, SELF-INJURY, swearing and…hetero romance? Leading off of that, just a note to mention that there are some het scenes in here (not sex, NEVER sex) but like intense making out etc so if you want to skip those, that’s fine. Just skip the Hanayo scenes and the Nico scenes. Again, skip the Hanayo scenes and Nico scenes if you want to skip the het stuff. Nico was relieved to find Raven sitting in the living room, alone. She had been trying to get a moment alone with him for most of the day but with Cocoa and Cocoro being over again she hadn’t managed to get a minute. “Can I talk to you?” Nico asked warily as she moved over to him. Cocoro and Cotaro were sleeping in her bedroom, Hanayo watching over them while she studied. “Sure, what about?” Raven glanced up at her, setting aside his phone. “You okay?” “Yeah, um…” Nico hesitated as she stopped in front of him. “I-I was just thinking that maybe it would be better if we just stayed friends. I mean um...I know I’m attracted to you, it’s just after what happened...you know, the um...sex. Which was good so don’t worry but um...I just think Hanayo is pushing this thing too hard, don’t you?” Raven breathed a sigh of relief. “You read my mind…” “Really?” Nico’s eyes widened in relief. “Good, I’m not the only one thinking this way.”

Raven offered a weak smile in response. “I spoke to Cocoro some more earlier. She reminds me of you a lot…”

Nico winced. “I never want her to be like me. I want her to be a kid, not take my mantle.” Raven nodded in understanding. “I told her you were dating Hanayo and that her and I and you and I were just friends.” “What?” Nico looked up sharply, her eyes wide. “I-I’m so sorry, I…” “It’s fine. Something about you two together..” Raven trailed off, thinking to himself. “I don’t know, both of you act more natural together. When I saw you with your other sister, Cocoa and Hanayo...you two really did act like a mom and dad. Or a mom and mom. Plus, Hanayo loves the kid because she’s like you.” Nico nodded, a slight smile tugging at her lips. “Those two love to copy me too much.” “Well the younger ones always follow the big ones. It was the same with me and Hisa and I guess me and Itsuki.” Raven said softly. “If it makes you feel better I think it’s one of the things Hanayo loves about you, that you…” He trailed off, his breath catching in his throat as he noticed tears in Nico’s eyes. “Nico?” “Shit, I-I don’t deserve her.” Nico growled, her hands closing into fists. Neither she nor Raven noticed Hanayo walk out of the bedroom only to pause just outside of the doorway. “I just..I don’t want to be alone anymore. I’ve been alone since I was twelve. And I know this is just a fucking sob story. I thought it ended when Honoka found me, but then that was RIPPED APART. I had Rin and Hanayo yet I kept pushing them, going for my career..If I had another choice I would have fucking dropped everything. But my family...Cocoro, Cotaro and Cocoa always came before my happiness. I’m so fucking tired. I don’t want be alone!” She took a shuddering breath, tears sliding down her cheeks relentlessly. “I want to be with Hanayo. I want to marry her. I want to have children with her. I just want to be loved.” Raven stared at her in shock. He got to his feet but he didn’t know what to do. All he could do was stand there as Nico seemed to break in front of him, her hands clutching her chest as she dissolved into sobs. “Nee-chan!” Hanayo felt herself jolt forward as Cocoa and Cocoro rushed past her. They reached Nico at the same time, throwing their arms around her neck. “Nee-chan, don’t cry!” Cocoa exclaimed, close to tears herself. It only caused Nico to cry harder. “O-Onee chan, please don’t cry.” Cocoro pleaded, at a loss for what to do. Hanayo was frozen in place. Nico was crying as hard as she had when Muse disbanded, even as hard as she had after Honoka’s funeral. Raven’s hands shook at his sides, his chest tight as he watched her. He stepped forward, resting his hand atop her head. She looked up at him, her eyes blurred with tears. “It’s okay.” Raven said softly, noticing the pain in her eyes. “You’re gonna be okay, Nico.” Nico took a shuddering breath, struggling to comprehend his words. “B-But…” “You two really are made for each other.” Raven said quietly. “You’re right, this isn’t working.” Without another word he turned and walked away only to pause at the sight of Hanayo standing there with tears in her eyes. “Go on. Go to her. I’m going out.” “Nii-san.” Itsuki appeared suddenly at his side, clutching his hand to keep him from going anywhere. “I-I’ll go with you!” “It’s okay, Itsuki. I’ll be back.” Raven said without looking toward her. “Stay with Yukiho please.” “B-But you’re…” Itsuki felt tears well in her own eyes at seeing Raven so upset. “I’m okay.” Raven pulled away and left the apartment quickly. Hanayo stared at Nico, pained to see her girlfriend so upset. This was her fault. She had been selfish and now she’d hurt both Nico and Raven. On shaky legs she went to the three siblings and crouched down next to them, wrapping her arms tightly around all three. Drawing back after a moment, she pressed her forehead to Nico’s. “I promise you everything will be better. I believe, like Nozomi-chan. Chika-chan can fix our future. She can bring Honoka-chan back, Nico-chan. I know how you feel. She touched everyone, including you. You don’t have to keep it inside, just let it out. Stop hiding your feelings. I’m here.” Nico let out a heartbreaking sob, similar to the one she had let out when Muse had disbanded. Hearing it, Hanayo felt her heart break and she clutched Nico tighter, hearing the kids break into their own sobs. ---- Hanayo paused on her way to the kitchen as she noticed a silhouette of someone sitting in the dark. Nico was asleep in the bedroom, thankfully. She made out the person as Raven and felt her heart plummet. She was about to say something when he lifted his illuminated phone to his ear. Raven listened to the dial tone, his heart thumping frantically against his chest. “Ugh, you better have a good reason for calling me at two in the damn morning!” Hisa’s voice sounded grouchy as she answered the phone. Raven found himself lost for words for a moment, a lump forming in his throat. “Raven?” “Y-Yeah, I’m here.” Raven leaned forward and rested his elbow against his knee, his head falling to his hands. “Sorry, I just wanted to talk to you about...about things.” “About things? You shouldn’t be calling me to talk to me about things at two in the morning, I was sleeping!” Raven let out a laugh, clogged with emotion. “Y-Yeah, I guess.” “Hey, are you...are you crying?!” “No!” Raven exclaimed hurriedly. He quickly wiped his damp eyes. “Jeez, Onee-chan.” “Liar.” Hisa accused, her tone softening. “Is Itsuki okay? Nothing’s happened to her, right?!” “Y-Yeah, she’s fine. Um...it’s not about that.” Raven answered. He sniffled and sat up straighter, trying to pull himself together. “You remember how you said this thing with Hanayo wouldn’t work out?” “Yeah…” “It...it didn’t work out.” Raven’s voice cracked despite his best efforts and he cursed himself. “Can I stay with you for a while?” “I’ll come and get you tomorrow.” Hisa answered without hesitation. “Or...now? I can be there in six hours.” “Don’t speed at night for me. I’m still a cop.” Raven leaned back against the back of the couch, feeling a little more at ease. “And you don’t have to…” “I’ll be there in the morning. I’ll leave now.” Hisa interrupted bluntly. “No speeding, I promise.” Raven heard the sound of rustling followed by Hisa’s voice. “So what broke it up?” “Nico. The realization that she may love Hanayo more than we both thought. It was a mess from the beginning.” Raven said honestly. “But we wanted to make her happy. We tried so hard but it just didn’t feel right.” Hisa growled low in her throat. “I’m gonna knock Hanayo’s damn…” “Please don’t.” Raven interrupted, hearing the jingle of keys on the other side of the phone. “I don’t want that. I knew from the beginning of our relationship that she was in love with someone else. I just never thought it was a group member. But...go easy on them. Please.” “Why the hell should I?!” “Because they already went through hell losing their leader and friend…” “Fine, fine.” Hisa sighed loudly. “Get your stuff together. And Itsuki’s.” “Right. Try not to drive like a crazy person.” Hisa gave a short laugh. “No promises.” Raven heard the sound of a car door being shut. “See you soon, Onee-chan…” “Yeah, see you soon…” Raven hung up, letting the phone fall to his side. Unseen, Hanayo slipped back into the bedroom and leaned back against the door, pressing her hand to her mouth as tears slid down her cheeks. ---- Nico stared numbly at the omelette she was rolling in the frying pan in front of her, chopsticks held loosely in her hand. She was dressed for work but she wasn’t sure how she was going to motivate herself to leave the apartment. Hanayo was nearby, making coffee while Raven stood leaning against the counter, reading the newspaper. Cocoa looked up from her food, preparing to speak but Cocoro shook her head from where she was sitting opposite her. “Finish your food.” “But Nee-chan is still sad…” “Cocoa.” Cocoro warned seriously. “Sorry…” Yukiho bit her lip, lightly rubbing Itsuki’s back. It had been a rough night for the girl. She’d ended up with Itsuki crying in her arms. It had reminded her of Eli and Arisa and how they’d done the same on so many occasions. She was used to being a comfort for people. A knock sounded at the door and Yukiho, who was closest went to answer it. After a few minutes she returned with a redhead behind her. Hisa growled at the sight of Hanayo. “YOU. You little…” She paused, noticing the children at the table. “You’re so lucky they’re here.” Hanayo nodded, bowing her head. “Onee-chan!” Itsuki darted to Hisa’s side, hugging her tightly. Hisa returned the embrace, glaring between Hanayo and Nico before she turned to Raven. “Do you have everything, Raven? Itsuki…?” “Mmhm!” Itsuki answered while Raven nodded his head in silence. Hisa paced over to him, leaning up to hug him. “You okay?” She asked, lowering her voice. Raven shook his head in response, hugging her back. Nico turned away, feeling sick with guilt. She’d done this. It was her fault. Her eyes prickled with tears and she tried to wipe them away only for Cocoro to get up and hug her. Feeling a little left out and noticing Hanayo’s discomfort, Cocoa moved to the older girl’s side, hugging her around the waist. Hisa drew away from Raven and noticing the pained look on his face, patted his shoulder. “Get your things.” She turned to Hanayo, gritting her teeth. If it was up to her she wouldn’t be holding back her anger. “Stop glaring at Hana-chan!” Cocoa exclaimed, gripping Hanayo tighter. “It’s okay, Cocoa.” Hanayo said softly, placing her hand atop Cocoa’s head. Hisa raised an eyebrow. “Whose kid is that?” “She’s my sister. She’s nine.” Nico glared at Hisa in annoyance. “Jeez, how old was your mom when she had you?” “That’s none of your business!” Nico snapped angrily. She watching Hisa roll her eyes and began to stop forward only to be stopped by Cocoro pulling her back. “Cocoro, Cocoa, go back to Yukiho’s room.” “Onee-cha-” “Now.” The two young girls nodded and went to the room, closing the door behind them. “Oh?” Hisa raised an eyebrow as Nico glared at her. “Do you really want to start something with me, Nico-chan?” “No, I just don’t want my sisters to see me get punched. Though I deserve it.” Nico answered with a shrug of her shoulders. “Nico-chan!” Hanayo’s eyes widened while Yukiho stepped forward, warily. “Hisa.” Raven said softly, not looking at either Nico or Hanayo. “Leave them alone. You promised.” “Are you stupid?!” Nico blurted out angrily. “I stole your damn girlfriend.” Hisa shot forward, intending to hit the girl but she was stopped by Raven stepping in front of her. “Come on, are you kidding?!” “I don’t want anyone to fight. Or get hurt.” Nico growled low in her throat. “Why do you have to be so damn nice?! Just let her do what she wants.” “Yeah, just let me do what I want.” Hisa growled back, her hands clenched at her sides. “Hurting you isn’t going to fix any of this.” Raven answered without turning to look at Nico. “You need to work on your anger, Onee-chan. Help me with my bags.” “Why do you need help with your bags?” Hisa scowled, itching to be left alone with the two. “Because I do.” Raven pressed a bag into her hand. Yukiho looked to Nico and Hanayo and nodded at them. “Um...Raven?” She stepped forward, her heart in her throat as he turned to look at her. “C-Can I come with you?” Raven blinked at her in shock while everyone else froze. “Um...why?” “I-I know it’s rude to ask. We’ve only known each other for a week. But I don’t want to be a burden to Nico-san.” Yukiho exclaimed hopefully. After what she’d seen last night she knew that Nico didn’t need any more pressure. “Please! I won’t be any trouble and I’ll pay rent and…” “You won’t pay rent. It’s against the rules.” Raven sighed, looking toward Hisa. She shrugged her shoulders. “Alright. What about your stuff?” “Um...I’ll get it later.” Yukiho answered hesitantly. “Most of my stuff is still at my own apartment anyway so I’ll pick some up from there.” “Okay. Um…” Raven cleared his throat. “Bye Hanayo. Nico.” Yukiho shot the two a regretful look. “I’m sorry. Thank you for all of your help. It meant a lot to me.” Nico couldn’t say anything. As he left her knees gave out and she slid to the floor. “I-I feel sick, I’m going to tell Kei I just can’t today. I’ll take my sisters to school…” “No, go to bed. I’ll do it.” Hanayo said softly, crouching down next to Nico. She placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You need to relax.” “I need a coffin…” Hanayo’s eyes went wide with shock before her expression changed to anger and fear. “Don’t you fucking joke about that, Nico-chan.” “Sorry, I just...I-I just can’t do this. We just destroyed a guy’s life and…” Nico shook her head, unable to comprehend it. “What the hell is wrong with me?! What...what would Honoka think of me right now?” Tears slid down her face and her breathing quickened. She leaned down, burying her head in her arms. Hanayo’s eyes widened as she recognized the signs of a panic attack. Umi used to have those frequently in her last year of high school. “Nico-chan, calm down. Breath. Breathe with me. Your sisters are in the other room. Don’t pass out. Take deep breaths. Breaths, Nico-chan.” She stood up, looking around until she spotted a paper bag. She hesitated before reaching into her pocket, quickly calling Maki. “Maki-chan!” She exclaimed when Maki answer. “N-Nico-chan is having a panic attack, what do I do?! I-I have a paper bag and...” “Don’t give that to her.” Maki interrupted firmly. “You could cause hypoxia. Shit, is she breathing okay? Just try to calm her down. I’ll be there. Kotori, where is my med stuff? Ah crap, I’ll have to go through Eli. Shit!” “Eli-chan...she’ll kill me.” Hanayo mumbled, her hand hovering just above Nico. “Yeah, I know. You just caused one of her closest friends to have a panic attack, good job!” Maki snapped irritably. “You better hope Nico’s okay or…” “Just get over here!” Hanayo exclaimed desperately. “I-I don’t know what to do! She’s...Nico-chan, what are you doing?! W-Where are you going…?” “Hanayo-chan, what’s wrong with Nicocchi?!” Nozomi’s voice sounded suddenly on the other end of the line. “Is she okay?!” “I-I…” Hanayo stood up as Nico pulled the front door open. “W-Wait, where are you going!?” “Is she running?!” Nozomi asked knowingly. “You need to catch her, Hanayo-chan. HURRY!” Hanayo rushed after Nico, leaving the door unlocked and rushed down the flight of stairs. She saw Nico run out of the apartment block door and took off after her as quickly as she could. “Nico-chan, wait…” She gasped as Nico tried to cross the street, not seeing the car approaching her. “NICO-CHAN!” The phone fell from Hanayo’s hand as the car ran right into Nico, sending her flying forward a few feet. Hanayo screamed, her hands going to her mouth. ----- “What the hell did you do?!” Nozomi growled, struggling against the tight grip Eli and Umi had on her arms. “What happened to her? Did you say something? Nicocchi wouldn’t just run out like that unless you did something to upset her!” Hanayo stared numbly at Nozomi. She looked emotionless now but it was clear that she had been crying earlier. “ANSWER ME!” “Nozomi, stop it!” Eli exclaimed, moving in front of Nozomi. She gripped her by the shoulders. “Stop it, you’re scaring the kids!” Nozomi glanced to the left where Rin was sitting with Cocoro and Cocoa. Cocoro was clearly panicking, sobbing into Rin’s shoulder while Cocoa just looked confused and worried. She was sitting in Rin’s lap, her head resting on the girl’s chest while Rin held tightly to Emily’s hand. Raven sat in the seat behind them with Hisa, Yukiho and Arisa. He looked stoic but his leg was shaking anxiously. Kotori and Maki were nowhere in sight. Rin gritted her teeth as she watched Eli tried to reason with them. She felt furious but she didn’t know who exactly she was angry with. Maybe all of them. She couldn’t say anything though, not while she was looking after Nico’s siblings. “Where the hell is Maki…?” Nozomi fumed though Eli’s words had seemed to have calmed her. “Smoking like a chimney.” Hanayo muttering, remembering Maki saying that she was leaving to smoke. Kotori had left with her. Nozomi glared at Hanayo. “You have to be able to tell us something. What did the paramedics say? Was it bad? Was there a lot of blood?” “She hurt her leg, it was...bleeding a lot.” Hanayo mumbled, not even looking at Nozomi. “Um...her head was too. Bleeding…” Nozomi was about to press Hanayo for more answers when she heard a commotion from the doors. She turned to see Nico’s mom and another woman walk into the hospital, Cotaro on the back of the woman Nozomi didn’t recognize. Aki spotted th group and stormed over to them, her expression frantic. “Where is my baby?! Where is she?!” “Mama!” Cocoro bolted from her seat and into her mom’s arm, Cocoa following her a second later. Eli turned toward Nico’s mom, surprisingly calm given the situation. “Nico’s in surgery right now.” Aki held her children close to her, shaking her head. “Surgery? How, I can’t...I can’t afford this kind of care.” “Nishikino-sensei.” Eli answered quietly. “Maki’s dad is taking care of it. Maki called him earlier.” “I-Is she okay?” Aki asked, her eyes flooded with tears. “What happened? How bad is it?” “I-I don’t know…” “Aki-chan!” The sound of another voice echoed around the room and the group looked up to see Maki’s mom and Kotori’s mom walking toward them. Rei, who had spoken, reached Aki first but Yume was right behind her. “Rei-chan!” Aki exclaimed, gripping Rei’s arms. “W-Will she be able to move? What’s wrong with her?!” “She’s going to need physical therapy.” Rei explained, trying to keep her voice calm. Aki looked nothing short of hysterical. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Hikaru and Yusuke walk into the hospital. They looked around for a moment before spotting the small group and walking over. “She’s going to be okay.” Kei bit her lip. “I’m going to put her on a hiatus. She will get paid, I’ll make sure of it.” “M-Mom!” Yukiho shot up from her seat, her eyes wide. Hikaru froze for a moment before slowly turning to Yukiho. “Y-Yukiho…” “Mom…” Yukiho bolted toward her mother, throwing her arms around her. It was too much. Being in the hospital again, another member of Muse hurt. She cried into her mom’s shoulder, her shoulders shaking with sobs. Hikaru stood motionless for a moment before she hugged Yukiho back as tightly as she could, feeling her husband’s arms go around both of them after a moment. Eli stared at the three of them for a long moment before she went to sit down in the back row, next to Raven. Hisa frowned as she took everything in. “Well at least it wasn’t me who ran over her.” “Damn it, Onee-chan.” Raven mumbled, rolling his eyes. “Read the mood.” “I don’t think I’ll get anything out of Hanayo.” Eli said, looking at Raven. “So can you please tell me what happened?” Raven grimly shook his head. “It’s too complicated. I don’t want to get into it.” Eli huffed out a sigh and turned to face forward. “I knew this would happen somehow.” Rin growled angrily, focusing on Hanayo. “I told you! This is ALL your fault, Hanayo.” Emily’s eyes widened. Rin hadn’t used any nicknames or quirks when she spoke to Hanayo.”Uh-oh.” “Shut up, Rin.” Rin looked up sharply, surprised to find Raven staring back at her. “What?!” “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Raven said, his voice soft but firm. “If you want to blame anyone, blame me for getting in the way. Hanayo didn’t do anything.” “Are you kidding me?!” Rin retorted in disbelief, switching to English. “How the hell did you get in the way?” “Rin, children…” Emily mumbled. “They don’t know English!” Rin snapped irritably before she turned back to Raven. “Well?!” Raven sighed and shook his head. “Just leave her alone.” Rin got up and threaded her fingers into her hair, accidentally knocking her ponytail ascue. She hardly cared. “I’m sick and tired of leaving everything alone. FUCK. What the hell is wrong with you all? I’m the ONLY one out of everyone to keep my promise. Nobody ever thinks about how this all affected me!” “Now you want to talk about Honoka?” Nozomi asked dryly. “NOW?!” “She was my damn role model!” Rin snapped, clearly seething. “My senpai, my hero. And unlike any of you I KEPT my promise. I’m the only one who wanted her to see my happiness. I hate not understanding any of you! Do you think she would want to see you smoking, drinking and fighting? Do you think she’d want to see YOU with your damn anger?!” She pointed to Nozomi who stared back at her. “You’re all supposed to be my damn friends. And now another of my best friends is fighting for her life right now! How the fuck did this happen again?!” She kicked her chair in a fit of rage and stormed away in tears to begin pacing the waiting room. Nozomi noticed Kotori and Maki walk back into the waiting room. Both looked like hell but Maki looked like she could burst into tears at any given moment. “Rin was right, this is my fault.” Hanayo whispered, looking up. She glanced toward Raven. “I should have never started a relationship while I was still in love with someone else. I’m sorry I dragged you into this mess.” Raven silently shook his head. “You were trying to move on. That’s normal.” Hanayo sighed and sank down to the floor, leaning back against the wall behind her. “I didn’t want to move on. I knew we’d find each other again. Raven, I-I kissed her first. I flirted with her, I’m the one who drew her back in. And then I caused her to get all those rumors in the tabloids…” Raven didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what he was meant to say to that. He’d already known of course. He felt a hand on his arm and looked to his right to see Hisa glaring daggers at Hanayo. “Don’t, it’s fine.” Hisa scowled but nodded her head. “I smoke too.” Hanayo reached into her pockets, taking out her cigarettes. “It’s been a secret between me and Nico since I was sixteen.” “Right.” Raven mumbled. “Anything else you want to add or are you done?!” Hisa growled angrily. Hanayo ignored Raven’s sister. “I hid a lot from you and I’m sorry. But I did tell you some things I wouldn’t tell other people I dated.” Raven took a deep breath. “I’m not angry with you for choosing Nico over me. But did you have to do this here?” “Right. Guess I screwed that up too.” Raven cleared his throat and got to his feet. “I’m going to get some coffee. I won’t be long.” Nozomi rolled her eyes at the two of them. “Like now is the time to talk about that anyway…” She muttered under her breath before she turned back to Umi. She hugged her tightly, feeling the girl trembling against her. A few minutes passed before a doctor walked into the waiting area. “Yazawa Nico’s family?” He asked carefully. At once, Nico’s family and Muse turned their attention to him. Hanayo scrambled to her feet. “Um...okay. She’s in critical condition at the moment. Due to a punctured lung she stopped breathing during surgery but we got her back. We believe she’ll be in this condition overnight but we do think she’ll stay stable. Her leg was shattered in two places so we’ve had to place screws. She’s going to need physical therapy afterwards too.” Kotori grimaced at that, clutching Maki’s hand tighter. Hanayo stumbled back, her hands going to her mouth. It was her fault. All of it was her fault. “Can I see her?” Nico’s mom finally asked, her voice trembling as she spoke. The doctor nodded in response. “I’ll take you to her room. Follow me.” “I’ll go with you.” Hikaru volunteered, gently moving away from Yukiho. The girl sank into her father’s arms instead. Hanayo watched them turn to go, her eyes brimming with tears. As much as she wanted to see Nico she knew Nico’s mom needed to see her first. “Hanayo.” Aki turned to Hanayo, meeting her eyes. “Come with us. You should see her too.” “W-What?” Hanayo stuttered, her eyes widening. “Why me?” “Because Nico loves you.” Aki answered simply, holding out her hand. “Please. She’d want you to be there.” Hanayo hesitantly walked over to take Aki’s hand, letting her tug her down the hallway. Kotori glanced at her mother. “Mom?” She waited until her mom looked up before she spoke again. “I’m bisexual and I’m dating Maki-chan.” Yume’s eyes widened and the rest of Muse turned toward Kotori in shock. “I just wanted you to know that.” Kotori said hesitantly. “Sorry, um...I know it’s not the best time.” “Understatement.” Nozomi muttered. “I-I need to...process that.” Yume stuttered, shaking her head. “Not right now.” Kotori nodded and felt Maki squeeze her hand. She leaned into her girlfriend, resting her head lightly on Maki’s shoulder with a soft sigh. Nozomi glanced at Eli who was sitting in silence next to Hisa. “How the hell are you calm?” Eli’s eyes darted up to Nozomi’s. “Her leg is shaking, lay off her.” Hisa growled, earning herself surprised looks from both Nozomi and Eli. “Um…” Eli blinked at Hisa. “I’m sorry, um...who are you exactly?” Hisa let out a laugh at the question but quickly smothered it. “Raven’s older sister. I’m just here for him, don’t worry. And you are...hot stuff?” “Don’t flirt with me.” Eli said in a flat tone of voice. “Ayase Eli.” “Oh, I’ve heard about you.” Hisa said thoughtfully, placing her hand to her cheek. “You’re the heartbreaker.” Eli stared at the redhead. “I don’t do relationships.” “Neither do I.” “I don’t do that either.” Hisa looked Eli up and down. “You look like you need it. You’re so tightly wound.” “My best friend is in the hospital, how should I be?” Eli asked defensively. She groaned in exasperation and leaned back in her seat. “I’m not interested.” “I’m just teasing you, hot stu-” “Don’t call me that.” Hisa smirked, amused by how unreceptive Eli was. “Fine. Eli-chan. I’m just teasing you. You don’t need to worry about me.” Eli twitched at the honorific. “No you’re annoying me.” “Sorry, I’ll shut up if you get coffee with me.” Hisa proposed, turning toward Eli. “As friends. And not this shitty hospital coffee. Come on, I promise I won’t hit on you. Much. You don’t seem interested in that anyway.” “I’m not.” Eli bit her lip. “Fine. Gotta start somewhere.” “Good. Hospitals are great places to meet people.” Hisa said with a smile. “You’re twisted.” “Damn straight, I am.” Eli rolled her eyes and sank back into her chair, deciding to go back to ignoring the odd redhead. Nozomi glanced between the two with a frown. She hoped Eli knew what she was doing. It was clear the blonde wasn’t ready to move on, if she ever even would be ready. It seemed unlikely. ----- Hanayo absentmindedly trailed her fingers up and down Nico’s arm. Her thoughts has drifted a long while ago, not long after she had joined Nico in the bed. She kept going over and over the last two years in her head, analysing every mistake she’d made. She should have fought for Nico, she shouldn’t have moved on when she wasn’t ready. “Hanayo…” A tired, raspy voice echoed around the otherwise silent room. Everyone else had come and gone already but Hanayo had refused. She needed to stay with Nico. She bolted upright, her eyes widening when she noticed Nico’s eyes were open. “You stupid idiot...BAKA! BAKA!” Nico stared up at Hanayo through tired eyes. Her hair was down, not in a stylish way like it would usually be. Just straight. She had a bandage on her right temple, various cuts and bruises scattered over her face, arms and most likely the rest of her. She still had an IV attached but Hanayo was relieved that the oxygen mask was gone. It had to mean that Nico was managing to breath on her own again, otherwise the doctor wouldn’t have taken it off. “I love you.” Nico rasped, desperately grasping for Hanayo’s hand. She calmed slightly when she finally held it in her own. “I-I saw Honoka.” Hanayo flinched in surprise, fixing Nico with a wide eyed stare. “W-What…?” Nico cleared her throat. “I saw her. Honoka. When I was unconscious, I guess. She called me an idiot too. Like she can talk…” Nico lifted her hand to her head, fingers brushing against her bandages. She supposed she must look a mess though what had happened was foggy at best. “How crazy was I?” “Hysterical.” Hanayo answered simply, trying not to think back to it. “Ah, I guess all that pent up emotion finally got the best of me.” Nico smiled though it was humorless and quickly slipped away. “It honestly felt like my world was shattering. I made the stupidest choices…” “Bullshit.” Hanayo argued bluntly. “If anything you and Rin-chan made all of the right choices. I was the one who made mistakes. I should have fought for you. I shouldn’t have tried to be with anyone else when I knew ultimately it wouldn’t work. “I told you to come with me to Paris.” Nico explained with a shake of her head. “I asked you to come with me to Paris but you were still in school. Graduating. That was stupid of me. You couldn’t have said yes even if you’d wanted to.” “I did want to.” Hanayo said softly. “I wanted to be with you but I was lying to myself. And you. I could have followed you like Umi-chan did with Nozomi-chan but I didn’t. I should have.” “Umi-chan didn’t have a choice, you had your life and family here.” Nico said stubbornly. “I’m sorry, Hanayo…” “Shut up!” “Huh?!” Nico felt herself being tugged up just as Hanayo leaned down. It hurt but she ignored it, finding her face pressing against Hanayo’s shoulder. “Nico-chan is irreplaceable.” Hanayo insisted firmly. “Like Kotori is to Maki and Umi is to Nozomi. And like Honoka is to Eli. If you’d died, I wouldn’t have moved on.” Nico swallowed thickly. “Eli is a terrible person to follow.” “I don’t care, I’d rather die before being with someone else.” Hanayo answered with a frown. She couldn’t imagine being with someone who wasn’t Nico. She had with Raven but now that she knew what it was like to be with Nico, she couldn’t imagine going back to him. “I need you. I want you, Nico-chan. I NEED you. Seeing you with Cocoa really made me realize I couldn’t see myself in a situation like that with Raven. I’m usually stingy with kids. Raven even told you I’m bad with kids because they make me nervous. But I can be with Cocoa and Cotaro and even Cocoro. They all have your eyes. Eyes that make me feel like...home.” “I feel like this is where you’re meant to propose to me or something.” Nico smirked. Hanayo fondly rolled her eyes. “You’ve been spending way too much time with Maki. You caught the proposal illness.” “Shut up.” Nico muttered with a shake of her head. “I’m not ready for that step yet.” Hanayo said, turning serious once more. “But...I don’t mind thinking about it...as long as you’re willing to think about it?” Nico bit her lip. “I want a family. But I need to be stable before even thinking about it. I’m still not at the right amount for that…” “You’re famous…” Hanayo pointed out. “Well in the fashion world, yes but I’m still not making it like those damn supermodels.” Nico frowned. “Plus my legs…they were my biggest asset.” “And your ass…” “Hanayo!” “All I’m saying is I’m gonna be cautious of that area.” Hanayo teased lightly. “As for your legs they’ll recover. Nishikino-sensei said that you just need time and physio. And you’ll be paid for the time you take off too so don’t worry about that. Kei-san said so.” Nico gave a slight smile. That was a relief. “That’s good.” ----- Eli hadn’t taken more than three steps into the coffee shop Hisa had directed her to when the redhead herself appeared in front of her, a bright smile on her face. “You came! Come on!” She grasped Eli’s hand, tugging her over to the coffee liquor bar to their far right. “Don’t worry, you ain’t drinking. This is for me. I already got the one up from Yukiho-san, Eli-chan.” Eli sat down hesitantly on a stool at the bar. “She’s still keeping tabs?” Hisa nodded in response. “Yep. Gotta tell her even if you just take a sip of mine. Which you will. And don’t worry, I won’t tell.” Eli frowned. “And have an indirect kiss with you? In your dreams.” Hisa smirked. “Wow, twenty and still so innocent.” Eli glared at her in annoyance. Hisa took a moment to look the blonde over. Eli looked good, wearing jeans and a striped black and white polo while Hisa had decided to go with a more casual look, opting for camo pants instead of jeans and a simple, tight black shirt. Eli glanced around for anything to change the subject, finally settling on the tattoo she’d noticed on Hisa’s wrist the previous day. “Why do you have an anchor tattoo? Does it mean anything?” “I’m in the navy.” Hisa answered with a nod of her head, turning her arm over to show the inside of her wrist. She traced the small tattoo. “You like tattoos, huh? You wanna see my oth-” “No.” Eli interrupted before Hisa could finish her sentence. “Killjoy.” Hisa chuckled before she turned away to order her drink. “You want anything, Eli-chan?” “I really wish you wouldn’t call me that.” Eli muttered under her breath. She looked to the person serving Hisa. “Just a coffee. No alcohol, please.” Hisa sat down in the seat next to Eli, turning toward her so that their knees brushed together. She noticed the blonde frown down at where they touched but didn’t move away. “She must have been something. A literal angel.” Hisa mused before she turned the conversation to something else. “So you’re Russian.” “A quarter, from my mother’s side.” Eli answered hesitantly. “What about you? You’re not...entirely Japanese, right?” “Canadian. My dad’s side.” Hisa answered casually. Eli looked up at Hisa. “Why isn’t you brother as tall as you…?” “He looks more like our mother. Aside from his hair, he gets that from our dad.” Hisa explained with a shrug. “I get mine from my mother and Itsuki gets hers from her dad. He’s not entirely Japanese either…” “Huh.” Eli mumbled thoughtfully. “So um...your parents…” “Bad subject.” Hisa interjected before Eli could really ask anything. “So what do you do? College? Work?” Eli shrugged her shoulders. “Neither. I moved back to Russia for a while and I only just moved back a few weeks ago. How long have you been in the navy?” “A couple of years. I went to college but it wasn’t for me.” Hisa rested her chin against her open hand. “Guess I was tired of studying and just wanted to get out there and do something?” “So you’ve always been...athletic?” Hisa smirked. “I think that was a thinly disguised compliment, Killjoy. I do work out if that’s what you’re asking.” “It wasn’t…” Eli frowned at the girl. “Do you hit on everyone you meet?” “Only the hot ones.” Hisa replied before she continued in a slightly more serious voice. “I really don’t. You just caught my attention, that’s all.” “Well you’re not going to get anywhere with me.” Eli’s attention was momentarily draw away from Hisa by the man behind the counter setting their drinks down. She thanked him before she addressed the redhead again. “I’m in love with someone else.” “Right, of course.” Hisa said, her smile slipping away for a moment. She picked up her coffee, taking a sip of the hot beverage and basked in the slight taste of alcohol. “You know you don’t have to lie to me, Eli-chan.” “I’m not lying. Let’s just talk about something else.” ---- “I don’t know why you wouldn’t just tell me where you live.” Eli scowled as she helped Hisa into Kotori’s apartment. The girl’s arm was around her shoulders, Eli practically carrying her along. “Protecting Yukiho.” Hisa mumbled. Eli scowled as she closed the door behind them. “Jeez, what do you think I’m going to do to her? She’s the one who came onto ME not the other way around.” She glanced around to make sure there was no sign of Maki but she didn’t see her anywhere. She was relieved at that. Maki would kill her if she found out Eli was letting someone else stay at the house. Or rather when she found out. Hisa drunkenly hiccuped. “Heartbreaker.” “Stop calling me that. Now that I think about it, stop calling me anything you’ve ever called me. It’s Eli. Just Eli.” Eli helped Hisa sit down on the couch. “Way too intimate. I was raised Japanese, not Canadian.” Hisa leaned forward to try to take her shoes off, given Eli hadn’t paused to let her earlier, only to almost fall off the couch. She would have had Eli not caught her by the shoulders. “Well I was raised Russian, I’d prefer just my damn name.” Eli snapped, pushing Hisa back against the back of the couch. “Eli-san.” Eli twitched as she knelt down to take Hisa’s shoes off for her. “Not that.” “Then what? I’m older than you, I’m hardly gonna call you senpai.” Hisa slurred, resting her head back against the couch. She didn’t notice Eli momentarily freeze. “I need a damn honorific. I only call my family without one. I’m in the damn navy, I don’t disrespect people.” Eli took a couple of deep breaths, trying not to think of Honoka. “Just be quiet.” She muttered as she finished taking Hisa’s shoes off for her. She set them aside. “You sound just like the old woman.” Hisa muttered as she watched Eli straighten up. “Ever since Dad died she changed. Guess death really changes people. Her, exhibit A. You, exhibit B. I’m sick of people destroying themselves because they’ve lost someone.” “You miss your dad.” Eli commented bluntly as she gently pushed Hisa to lie down on the couch. She sat down on the edge of it. “Shut up.” “Why?” Eli asked softly. Hisa curled her arms around a cushion. “I’m drunk and defenseless, don’t bring up such topics, killjoy.” ----- Rin stared down into the cup of coffee she was holding in her hand. Emily had taken her home a short while ago, saying that she shouldn’t stay in the hospital overnight. There was nothing she could really do, after all. Still, while Rin had agreed to go home she refused to sleep. She couldn’t. “You’ve got a big meet soon.” Emily commented as she took a seat next to Rin. “We should probably start training. I have a huge game too. Soccer season will be starting.” Rin shook her head. “Nico-chan is still hurt. We can’t go back.” Emily fornwed. “But our tickets…?” “Fuck.” Rin cursed loudly. She set her coffee down with a thud, sending it splashing over the side. “I don’t want to bring Honoka-chan back. We’ll only be messing with the spirit world.” Emily stared at Rin for a long moment before she nodded. “Okay. But we do need to go back.” “I know. I’m happy in America. Being here is too painful. I don’t even think I know these people anymore…” Rin sighed and leaned forward, her head falling into her hands. “I want to go back but I can’t just leave Nico-chan like this.” “Right.” Emily said softly, slightly at a loss. She bit her lip, looking left and right. “So where does that leave us?” “I don’t know.” Rin muttered. She couldn’t figure out what she should do. She needed to get away but she needed to see Nico do the same. “Damn it. I just want to get out of here. There’s no way I can keep my promise to Honoka like this.” Emily was silent. She knew not to push Rin when she was thinking. Unfortunately they were interrupted by the sound of Rin’s phone ringing. Rin sighed and fished it out of her pocket, quickly answering it. It was Hanayo. “What do you want?” “Nico-chan and I were talking…” Hanayo began warily. “She doesn’t want Maki-chan’s dad to pay for her.” Rin rolled her eyes. “Stubborn Nico-chan.” “She told me she can get better care in France.” Hanayo continued quietly. “She has a dual passport and already has residence so she can get their health insurance. Japan is too expensive.” “So you’re going then.” Rin said, her voice softening. “You and Nico-chan are just going to leave?” “Well yeah. If that’s what she wants.” Hanayo answered hesitantly. “Or needs.” “Me too.” Rin replied after a moment of silence. She met Emily’s concerned gaze. “I’m leaving too.” “Right. But what about…?” “I don’t know.” Rin interrupted, looking down at her lap. “The others are going to be pissed.” “I can’t do anything about that.” Rin said, closing her eyes. She felt irritation niggle at her. She didn’t especially want to be talking to Hanayo. “I have to go, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She hung up without saying goodbye and tossed the phone down onto the coffee table. “Are you okay?” Emily asked hesitantly. Rin shook her head. “No, I’m not.” Emily noticed tears in Rin’s eyes and leaned in to hug her from the side. “It hurts, nya. I don’t want to not bring Honoka back but I fucking hate Tokyo.” Rin growled tearfully, her head bowed. “You must think I’m awful.” Emily simply shook her head. “I think you need a break. You’re going to have an attack like Nico if you keep this behavior up.” Rin sniffled softly and nodded her head. “This isn’t what Honoka wants for me. She wanted me to be happy. This just...sucks. Life sucks.” “It does in general.” Emily agreed hesitantly. “Remember, I told you about my parents divorcing? Rin gave a slight smile. “Your mom is sweet when she visits.” Emily gave Rin a gentle squeeze. “I still want to punch my dad though. I’m glad she divorced him.” “Why do we have to have such terrible luck, nya?” Rin rested her head lightly on Emily’s shoulder. “Terrible luck?” Emily echoed in disbelief. “I just got the cutest girl in my university, who happens to be Japanese to go out with me.” Rin’s brow furrowed. “But I’m the first girl you ever dated.” “True, but I’m still, y’know…” “What?! REALLY, NYA?!” “Shhh!” “But everyone in the soccer team at least…” “I told you to keep your voice down, damn it!” Rin finally quietened down. “Wait, what about your boyfriend from NYC?” “Broke up with him over the semester.” Emily said with a shrug of her shoulders. “So we never really...did it even though he was kind of pressuring me.” “American men are terrible.” Rin muttered with a roll of her eyes. “So true. And dumb.” Emily smirked. She rested her cheek against Rin’s head. She was glad she had her now at least. “When are we due to go back?” Rin asked finally, her voice small. “The return date on the tickets is in three days.” Rin closed her eyes, a sickening feeling forming in her stomach. “We should start packing.” TBC.

#NozoUmi #Honoeli #KotoMaki #Nicopana #Chikanan

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