This story will be very personal. As I am in the same position in Azusa.
I have no choice but to graduate a year later than all my friends due to a chronic condition.
Because of that, some of the characters may be OOC, so please kindly instruct me to fix that up if that does occur.
Also,
Please review nicely.
As this story is quite parallel to what is happening in my life right now.
Thank you.
Chapter I – Diagnosis
"It's hard to believe…but they really are leaving tomorrow…"
Azusa Nakano fingered the 'bu' charm sadly and felt an oppressive weight in her heart.
"I'll…be the only one left…huh."
Grudgingly, she picked up the case with her mustang guitar in it and made her way slowly up the steps.
For some strange reason, she felt really faint.
Was it loneliness?
…Or something else?
My head feels weird…
And my legs are moving stiffly as if they were made of lead…
What's… happening to me…?
"Ah! Azu-nyan!" Yui Hirasawa was on her before she even could make her way fully into the room.
"You're so late! We missed you!"
"Yeah…" Azusa dejectedly let her squeeze me tightly, not having the energy to push her off as she would usually do.
"We saved a cake for you." Tsumugi Kotobuki smiled warmly at her and lifted a plate with an elegantly decorated pastry sitting neatly at the centre.
"We thought you would like the banana one."
"Th-thanks…" Her voice was barely audible for some reason.
"Azusa, is something the matter?" Mio Akiyama sensed something was wrong and asked with concern.
"Wh-what? No! Nothing's wrong, I'm fine, really!" The flustered guitarist shook her head frantically, waving her long, ebony pigtails about.
The room…why is it spinning?
Did I overdo it in sport class today?
"Oh? Are you feeling lonely since we're going to be gone tomorrow?" Ritsu Tainaka leaned back into her seat, her arms stretched behind her, seemingly casual, though there was an unexplainable weight in her heart.
"N-No, not at all!" Azusa cried, now getting extremely flustered.
"Let's just practice, okay?"
"Are you sure? You look…really pale." Tsumugi said worriedly.
"I'm fine, really! Come on, let's make the last practice together coun…"
She made the grab her guitar.
But suddenly a weight of sick descended into her stomach.
Her ears were filled with a buzzing noise.
The guitar case became unnaturally heavy.
It slipped from her grasp.
The lights of the room danced before her eyes.
And…she collapsed.
A dull thud of her mustang falling…
And then last thing she saw was the Light Music Club's expressions of pure horror and shock.
"She'll wake up soon, right?" Yui asked the school nurse, with nothing short of pure anxiety on her features.
Azusa was lying in the school sick bay. Her features were unnaturally pale and her eyes were tightly closed, as if she were having a nightmare.
As if sensing the dragging gloom in the room, the rain outside fell heavier and the sky steadily darkened.
"Yes, we'll have to give a call to her parents and tell them." The nurse clasped her clipboard to her chest and sighed.
"We were warned when Miss Nakano entered this school that she was suffering from a chronic condition, but were asked to never bring it up…"
"Chronic illness?" Ritsu suddenly grew attentive.
"My brother has a chronic illness as well."
"Oh, is that why you have to go with him everywhere? Like that last time you took him to a movie?" Mio glanced at her best friend, surprised at seeing the responsible side of her for once.
"Yeah… Though his condition isn't that serious…are we allowed to know what Azusa's is?"
"Well, it's actually confidential…and…" The nurse was hesitant.
"But, we're her best friends!" Yui perked up.
"And more importantly! …The fact that Azu-nyan has an illness sounds really sucky." Yui pouted and stared with concern at the unconscious Azusa.
"It'll never go away…?" Tsumugi looked teary and her hold on Azusa's dropped guitar tightened.
"Well, the illness is dormant most of the time. Since Miss Nakano has never actually had a flare up until now." The nurse explained.
"How exactly do you get a flare up?" Yui knew perfectly well what a chronic illness was.
But since she never experienced it personally herself, she had no idea what it felt like to in Azusa's current position.
This deeply worried her as she didn't know how to act in front of her friend so that she wouldn't bring her any grief.
She had recently read in a magazine that some patients with illnesses were unexpectedly sensitive on certain topics and that doctors would have to avoid bringing them up when they speak to them.
"Well…" Ritsu sat herself down on one of the sick bay seats and crossed her arms, deep in thought.
"Whenever my bro had a flare up, it was due to him being extremely stressed and under pressure…"
"I see! That means that the reason why Azu-nyan is having a flare up now is because she's sad that we're all leaving her behind!" Yui pointed towards the ceiling, happy that she now understood the cause.
Mio blinked and looked downcast.
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it…right? I would love to stay behind and take care of her but…"
"Yes there is! All we have to do is not go to university! We can just hang about this school and…!"
"No. I'm pretty sure that Azusa, being the level headed person she is, will be more frustrated and worried about us if we ruined our futures just to stay with her." The bassist pointed out.
"Oh…Yeah…" Ritsu sighed and flopped down beside Yui.
"What are going to do then?"
"I suggest we wait for her to wake up…and… have you guys heard of a GAP year?"
"GAP?" Mio looked up and furrowed her brow in concern.
"How on earth are we going to do a GAP? Though I'm not clear on the details…"
"It…well, I hear the Americans and Australians have them." Tsumugi said with a smile on her face.
The members of the club all grew attentive to the blonde girl at once, knowing that although she looked laid back, Tsumugi was very wise when it came to foreign affairs.
"A GAP year is what high school students take straight after their final year in high school." She said, reaching inside her skirt pocket and retrieving a pamphlet detailing it.
She flipped it open and fingered the pages.
"It says here that students spend their GAP years preparing or resting for their time in university. So they have the opportunities to do volunteering work, travel, and further broaden their resumes so that the chances of doing well in university are better."
"We do need to sort out what each one of us is doing, since it was pretty rushed when we handed in our application forms to Miss Sawako."
"Yeah, good point." Ritsu grew very excited and her eyes gleamed.
"A GAP year sounds perfect, since then we'll have plenty of time to have fun and…"
Mio shot her a glare.
"…take care of Azusa! That's what I was going to say!" Ritsu shielded her forehead from a flick as Mio leaned towards her in annoyance.
"So… does that mean all four of us will be taking a GAP year?" Tsumugi asked, putting the pamphlet down and her cheeks flushing to a light pink all of a sudden.
"It's always been my dream to have a GAP year with all my close friends."
"You have so many wonderful dreams, Mugi-chan!" Yui sighed happily and looked up to the ceiling.
"Well, I'll have to ask Ui what she thinks…since we've never even heard of this before."
"Yeah, and I'll have to make sure with my parents that it's alright. I'm betting thay have different plans."
"Same here."
The room was suddenly silent.
"W-Well, I'll go and call Miss Nakano's parents." Feeling very awkward and excluded in the conversation, the nurse briskly walked out of the room and to her office.
The club members all bowed to her respectfully and then returned to thinking about this development.
The room was completely silent for several heartbeats, save Azusa's uneven breathing and the sound of someone shifting their feet into a more comfortable position since there were only two seats next to the sick bay beds.
"What are the chances that we will be able to all do this?" Mio asked, her doubts getting the better of her.
"Er…I actually really don't know." Yui said and looked down at Azusa once more.
"But… it does sound interesting! And I'm sure Ui will want me to help Azu-nyan anyway I can as well!" She glanced up at the group determinedly.
Tsumugi nodded.
"My family should be quite fine with me doing this, however… I'm not actually sure if they have this in Japan... I've only heard from my friends in Australia that they have it, so…"
"We should still give it a try, no matter how bad the odds look!" Ritsu stood up with an air of confidence.
"Now all we have to do is wait for our parents to approve and then the plan to cheer up Azusa is in motion!' She grabbed Mio by the arm and pulled her up with her.
"H-Hey! Don't go deciding things for me!" Mio stammered and blushed slightly as she nearly tripped on her own two feet.
"What, you aren't worried about poor Azusa?" Ritsu said teasingly as she felt the need to lighten up this gloomy demeanour that had been cast into the room like grey storm clouds.
"No, that' s not what I meant!" The bassist exclaimed.
"I'll try my best to convince my family, so don't worry about that!"
She avoided her friend's eyes uncomfortably, suddenly feeling very awkward.
What if this disrupts my plans for the future?
I've already to pull several strings with my family just to go to the same university with them…
Since my parents wanted me to go to a different university…
"Then it's settled!" Ritsu interrupted her thoughts.
"We'll definitely do whatever we can to help out our friend whenever she needs us! Even if we don't all get to do this GAP year thing!" Ritsu raised up a hand with joy, which was followed enthusiastically by Yui and Tsumugi.
Mio hesitantly raised up her hand and then brought a finger to her lips.
"Quiet, you guys! You don't want to wake up Azusa before she's ready to hear this!"
"R-Right, sorry about that." Ritsu sat down again and grew solemn.
Yui knelt next to her sleeping friend and clutched her hand.
"Don't worry, Azu-nyan. No matter what, the Light Music Club will always be with you."
She whispered gently.
"Always."