Flutter

by Funakounasoul

Disclaimer: Azumanga Daioh and its characters are not mine, they're Kiyohiko Azuma's...but I do own some Azumanga Daioh merchandise...

Author's Notes: Well...All I have to say it's mostly about Tomo and Yomi, it MIGHT go into shoujo-ai territory in later chapters, other Azumanga Daioh characters will make appearances in later chapters, and...uh...I hope you like it!

CHAPTER ONE

The slow notes of the school's chime system sounded off with its usual song followed by twelve individual rings, signaling the start of lunch period. Students bustle about, heading towards their favorite eating spots. Throughout the building, one could hear the sounds of girls gossiping, boys commenting on some sports event the night before, and the occasional comparison of one's lunches. It was just part of another day of junior high.

Inside one of the many classrooms in the building, two girls were focusing their energy on something else rather than their food. Tomo Takino, a rowdy, hyperactive girl, and Koyomi Mizuhara, her smarter, more mature friend, were discussing the upcoming high school entrance exams.

"So Yomi," Tomo began, calling the other girl by her nickname, "Where are you heading off to-"

"I'm going to that one school. You know, the one that only accepts the best"

"What?! No way!"

"Yes way!" Yomi looked at her longtime friend, adjusting her glasses and taking a bite of her lunch before continuing, "It's the perfect school for me, that's all."

"Well, you know what? I'm going to try for that school, too!" Tomo declared rather loudly, attracting the attention of the few students having their lunch in the room. Yomi stared at Tomo, surprised by her declaration yet annoyed by it at the same time.

"What? You?" she huffed, "As if you'll ever make it."

"Are you mocking my intelligence?"

"In a way, yes."

"Ooh!" Tomo got out of her seat and stomped towards the classroom's exit, but then she stopped halfway across. She turned around, a huge smirk plastered across her face.

"Say," she slowly stated, "Why don't we have a bet? If you win, I'll shut up for the rest of the year-"

"A quiet you?" Yomi interrupted, "Like that will ever happen."

"Hey! I'm talking here! Anyway, if you win, I promise to shut up, but if I win..."

"If you win...?"

"If I win, we will eat outside on the school field during lunch the day after the results come in."

"Say what?" Yomi couldn't believe the simplicity of Tomo's part of the bet. Well, it was kind of easy, except the school's field was the last place one would go to eat. It was rarely used, and the large grass and weeds growing throughout the area showed it. Also, because they were in their last year, it would take a long time to make it out and have a decent lunch period. Because of this, most students found it inconvenient to eat there, whether it was the last-year time issues or if one hated getting their uniform really messy. It was, perhaps, the worst field out of all the city's schools.

"So, Koyomi," Tomo began in a mock-serious tone, "Will you accept my offer?"

"Fine," Yomi replied, irritated, "I'll accept it."

Tomo began to talk again, putting on a dreamlike expression, "I've always wanted to try eating there. Something about it just makes me want to go out there and eat under one of those big ol' trees. Maybe I was just too lazy to try it out the last two years, or maybe it's because you've always rejected my offers." Yomi could only look down in embarrassment from the latter while Tomo finished her little speech.

"Well, either way, I'm gonna eat there this time! Just you wait! I, the great Tomo Takino, will make it to that school! When I get those positive results, it shall be you who will praise me! Ha ha ha ha!" Yomi sighed and put her head on her desk, hoping that lunch time would end soon.

The following week, all the last year junior high students were preparing for their high school entrance exams. While waiting for the exam to begin, Yomi sat silently, still wondering if Tomo could really make it in. During the past week, she noticed how Tomo checked out many books, brought her textbooks home, and studied every single day like crazy. No matter where she saw her, Tomo would always have a textbook at hand, reading many passages and taking notes. Yomi couldn't help but smile at the short conversation she had with the other girl just a few hours ago.

"Tomo?" Yomi called out as she approached the other girl, "Today's the day-"

"Shhh!" Tomo silenced Yomi with her hand, eyes still glued to a small book, "I'm trying to stuff in a few last bits of info here! Talk to me later!"

"Ok-"

"Shhh!"

Yomi silently apologized to the short girl before leaving. After getting out of her sight, she proceeded to laugh. It was still hard for her to believe Tomo was going this far just to get into that school. Yomi couldn't help but blush a little.

"Maybe...," Yomi muttered, her thoughts back to the test book in front of her, "Maybe she just wants our friendship to last even longer..."

A few hours later, the test finally ended. Students left the area, tired and hungry. Tomo was back to her usual self, to Yomi's relief. The two walked out together, each giving their thoughts on the test.

"Phew! I'm glad that test is over!" Tomo said as she stretched, "I think did pretty good. Now, all we have to wait for is that acceptance letter!"

"I still doubt it." Yomi said nonchalantly, "They might look at our junior high records."

"What?! No way, Yomi! Schools don't look at that kind of stuff!" Tomo lightly punched her friend on the arm, "They just care about that exam!"

"Well, they might look into it!" The two girls then went off in a heated debate until they went their separate ways.

After waiting for days, both girls received a letter from the high school. Yomi, as predicted, was accepted. Tomo, however, was waiting for the perfect time to open her envelope. The suspense was quickly getting to Yomi, and she eventually began to pester Tomo.

"Jeez, Yomi! You're acting like me! Wait...That's not good."

"Well then," Yomi continued to plead, "Will you open it now so I can stop? Please? Please? Please? I've got to know!!"

"You're really acting weird." Tomo thought for a moment. Should she open it now and get it over with, or will she wait and be tortured by Yomi's un-Yomi-ness? Shivering at the thought of Yomi acting like an energetic schoolgirl, it didn't take her long to pick the earlier choice.

"Okay," she said as she took out the envelope, "You win. Let's see what this baby says!"

Time seemed to slow down at that moment. The air around them stiffened. Tomo's hand slowly approached the envelope. As Tomo began to open the envelope, Yomi's breathing slowed down, almost coming to a complete stop. Finally, Tomo reached into the envelope and pulled the piece of paper out. Tomo then commenced to unfold the paper, reading it aloud slowly.

"Dear Miss Tomo Takino," she began, "We are proud to announce that you have been acc-" That's was all Tomo said before she began to jump up and down excitedly, screaming the rest of the letter in front of Yomi and the rest of their class. Yomi's jaw dropped-Tomo had actually made it. As Tomo continued to jump, Yomi fell to the ground. She had just fainted, all her emotions and the sudden revelation of Tomo's acceptance finally getting to her.

"Yomi? Can you hear me?"

Yomi slowly opened her eyes, though it didn't help much when all she could see was a huge peach and raven-colored blur in front of her face. The blur reached over some other blur and grabbed something, putting it on Yomi's face carefully. As she adjusted it, Yomi could finally see that it was Tomo who was in front of her and she was in the nurse's office.

"Tomo? What am I doing here?"

"You don't remember?" Tomo then proceeded to explain to Yomi what had happened a few moments ago, in her own special way. Tomo exaggerated some parts, like Yomi's expression upon hearing Tomo's acceptance and the way she fainted, which Tomo didn't even see herself, in fact. Yomi saw through most of it, though; having practically grown up with the girl had its advantages, like knowing when Tomo was telling a tall tale.

"...And that's what happened." Tomo said as she finished her story, "We had to call the nurse to bring you here. I just came in when you began to wake up. School's actually over now." Tomo's faced then changed into one with concern. "Are you okay now?" She said quietly, as if she didn't want the room to know she had a caring side.

"Yes, I'm fine now." Yomi then sat up, showing her friend that she was feeling better, "Though I still can't believe you actually made it."

"Well, believe it, Yomi! I made it, and to celebrate, we're going to eat outside tomorrow!"

"You still remember?!"

"Of course! I always remember the important stuff!" Tomo finished her exclamation with laughter. As Tomo laughed, Yomi fell back onto the cot. She hated it when Tomo won their many bets, though she usually won a few. Yomi groaned, wishing she never accepted that bet.

That night, Tomo decided to pay a visit to Yomi's house, or rather her room. As Yomi was preparing for bed, Tomo knocked on her window. Sighing, Yomi opened the window for Tomo reluctantly.

"Good evening!" Tomo said as she climbed into the room, "How's my little loser doing?"

"Shut up." Yomi ignored the hyperactive girl and proceeded to get into bed, hoping that Tomo would get the message. Apparently, Tomo wasn't paying attention and was sitting on the edge of the taller girl's bed.

The clock on Yomi's nightstand was the only thing making a sound, ticking away the seconds as Yomi tried to fall asleep. Tomo was preoccupied with something, however. Her head was facing the opposite of Yomi's view as she tried to word her next sentence correctly. An "Oh!" was heard from Tomo's lips after deciding on the right words, getting Yomi's attention. As she sat up, Tomo faced her and began her planned sentence.

"You know... after we have that lunch out on the school's field," Tomo began, playing with her jacket's sleeve, "there's this place I wanna show you. It's really cool."

"Oh, really?" Yomi asked, oblivious to Tomo's anxiety.

"Y-yeah, really."

Tomo began to move towards the window, getting ready to head back home. As she opened the window, she looked upward. A long sigh escaped her mouth, causing Yomi to look in her direction.

"Say, Yomi," Tomo said in her usual tone, "Have you ever looked at the stars during a clear night?"

"I've tried," Yomi replied, "but it's really hard to seem them here most of the time. There are just way too many lights here. Why?"

"Oh, no particular reason. At least you'll get to see them better tomorrow." With that said, Tomo said goodnight to Yomi then proceeded into giving her a goodnight hug. Tomo then left, going home, and Yomi watched her leave the neighborhood, continuing to prepare for bed as she did.

As the two got ready for bed, they looked to the stars, though, as Yomi stated, it was hard to see any due to the lighting in the area. Sighing, they both went to sleep. As they slept, they each wondered what would happen on that upcoming day. Nevertheless, they both shared a similar thought that night-something special was going to happen tomorrow. The question was, how special was it going to be?

TO BE CONTINUED

Okay, chapter one is over! Um...please review. I'd like it if you did. CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is accepted, too! Help me write better! I need all the help and support I can since my stories usually end up in the "unfinished" section of my computer.