Wrapped in a fluffy purple blanket, the two girls snuggled close together. The television flickered as the movie they were watching played on, though neither were paying much attention to it. It was one of those typical romances with a predictable plot you could see coming a mile away. Instead, the two let themselves take comfort in being near each other.
Maki sighed, trying to discreetly take a look at the calendar on the wall. The days were gradually being ticked off, counting towards that fated day in April where Maki has to go back to school. Back to school, and back without Nozomi.
"What's wrong, Maki?" Nozomi asked. Insightful as always, she couldn't help but notice the melancholy look that came over the other's face. Following the redheaded girl's gaze, she also noticed the calendar and the slowly dwindling days.
"I wish time would stop," Maki mumbled, "that you could stay with me forever."
"Maki's being surprisingly honest with her feelings!" Nozomi exclaimed with a giggle. Maki gave an annoyed look at the other, a bit irked at how easily the other can brush off a serious moment. "Forever is something for fairy tales."
And there it was, the words that Maki didn't want to hear. Thinking that the time they had together could disappear in a moment. The time spent riding bikes together, relaxing at each other's places, dancing and singing with the rest of μ's, that all of those precious moments could suddenly just become a memory that they could no longer relive. Is it a bit childish to wish that life was like a fairy tale? To wish for a happily ever after?
"Don't look so glum, Maki!" Nozomi's calm and soothing voice brought Maki out of her thoughts. Reaching out a hand to gently turn Maki's head to face her, Nozomi gave a soft and reassuring smile. "I'm not going very far."
"I know that! It's just, like…" Maki trailed off. She was blushing slightly, not quite wanting to say what exactly she had on mind.
"Human lives are like the cherry blossoms, fleeting and forever changing. But that's what makes them beautiful, right?" Nozomi laughed at the confused expression on Maki's face as well as at the pout that came shortly after. "It would certainly be nice being able to stay here forever with my cute little Maki, but there's a whole future ahead of us."
Maki, by this point, was completely bewildered at the other's words.
"Ugh, you always spout these 'spiritual' sorts of things."
"Life is like a story! We're simply entering a new chapter in our lives," Nozomi explained, a bit disappointed at Maki's slightly dismissive attitude.
Maki couldn't really argue with Nozomi's logic, but there was still something inside that kept turning and turning. Something building up deep in her chest. Perhaps it was the uncertainty of the future and the thoughts of not knowing what's ahead?
Unwrapping herself from the blanket, Nozomi got up and disappeared for a while into her room. She came back quickly, holding the camera she used to film μ's and a photo album tightly in her hands. Maki knew the camera was special to Nozomi. It was a memento from her father, and carried a lot of memories.
Nozomi put the camera down gently on the table and sat back down on the sofa, flipping through the pages of the photo album. Maki could see glimpses of old pictures, the sight of a young Nozomi by herself. Always by herself. Eventually Nozomi stopped flipping the pages, landing on a set of photographs featuring μ's.
There was the picture of the two alpaca, staring with their slightly dopey expression. There was a picture of a smiling Honoka, energetic and cheerful as always, grasping onto Eli's shoulders. Maki noticed Nico in the corner of another picture, doing her signature gesture along with an embarrassed and reluctant Umi imitating the gesture. Another had Kotori doing her classic photobomb. In the background, Honoka and Umi were smiling at the other's antics. The final one on the page was Maki and the other first years, Rin in the center flashing a peace sign at the camera.
"We all look so happy here!" Nozomi said, smiling gently at the pictures. Maki wanted to retort and say that Nozomi wasn't in any of them, but she held her tongue.
Nozomi turned the pages some more, before landing on a page consisting of entirely the two of them. Maki felt flustered, seeing so many pictures of her sleeping face, but also touched that Nozomi took them in the first place.
"You have the most adorable sleeping expression!" Nozomi gushed.
"Ugh, Nozomi!"
Nozomi smirked, finding a sadistic enjoyment out of teasing the younger girl. Maki shivered a bit in anticipation.
"Look here, you even have a bit of drool-"
Maki squealed, closing the photo album quickly. She felt her face burn in embarrassment, the giggles coming from her girlfriend not helping.
"See, these memories will never truly go away!" Nozomi grinned, putting the album aside to pull Maki into an embrace. "I'll continue to take photos forever and ever, and make sure these memories of ours are captured in my pure love lens!"
Maki was silent for a bit. As usual, Nozomi found a way to calm Maki's fears. The whirling inside her chest disappeared, replaced by a feeling of relief and serenity. That was the sort of effect Nozomi had on people. Maki thanked whatever god was watching over her for letting Nozomi into her life.
"I thought you said forever was for fairy tales," Maki mumbled softly.
"Silly Maki! A fairy tale is just another type of story!"
Remembering Nozomi's words from earlier, Maki couldn't help but smile.
AN: A gift to my beloved wifie for our 1 year anniversary~ My best girl's Nozomi, her's Maki, and this idea randomly popped in my head.
Basically, I wanted to try to delve into how relationships can change as life moves on, in this case, Nozomi's graduation. Japanese school years start in April it seems, and end in late March, but they also have pretty extensive breaks between terms too. So hm.
Anyway, this little piece is full of references to the SID. There's a full translation for almost all of them on the LL wikia!
First off, the mention of riding bikes together. Maki almost crashes into Nozomi on one! It is assumed that Maki doesn't know how to ride one yet, so I think that it would be cute if Maki and Nozomi learned together. As Natsume said, "You can't learn without someone pushing from behind."
Secondly, the whole human lives are like a cherry blossom references Konohanasakuya. Nozomi is imagining what the Muse members would be, and thinks Maki would be a tengu, but Maki'd get mad if she said that xD So Nozomi makes her Konohanasakuya instead.
Thirdly, photography. In the 5th chapter I believe, Nozomi talks about her Dad and how she always took photos when she was a kid, but stopped for a long time until getting it out again to capture Muse. The pictures described are the ones in her SID with the chibi illustrations.
Some more references involve Maki's love for fairy tales, and of course, "Pure Love Lens" being a reference to Junai Lens.
If things seem a bit OOC, well, I'd like to think that if Nozomi and Maki had a relationship, Maki'd be able to open up more. Show a more vulnerable side around Nozomi. If it's love, they should be able to relax and show their whole self to each other. Maki is stubborn, a bit childish at times, but she also has insecurities as well. In her SID you learn about her past and her family, and she really does need the support that Muse gives her.
Anyhow, I've been talking for a while. But basically, NozoMaki represents Sky and I. And so, I want to say that the future is uncertain, but for now we should enjoy the present. It's no use worrying over the future when we can make beautiful memories, right here, right now. With a snap of a screenshot, they're saved for eternity.