"Isn't that funny Hiiragi?!" The brown-haired girl asked through her laughter, but when she looked over at Kagami, she wasn't even paying attention to her. She was having a conversation with Konata and couldn't care less about what Misao had to say. It was like that all day. She had invited Misao to hang out with Konata and her, but they spent the whole time ignoring her. Misao couldn't say she didn't see that coming. She never thought the day would go well, but for Kagami's sake, she agreed. "Whatever, it wasn't that funny anyway." She mumbled, before letting out a deep sigh.

"Hey Hiiragi, I'm gonna go, I don't wanna be late for dinner." She stated, not bothering to hide her disappointment, but that too went unnoticed by her friend.

"Hmm? Yeah ok, I'll see you later." Kagami said without turning around.

There was no set dinner time at her house, and she wasn't hungry, but getting away from those two filled Misao with a sense of relief. She loved spending time with Kagami more than anything, but she couldn't deny the fact that Konata's presence never failed to make her invisible to the twin-tailed girl. Misao stormed home and marched up to her room. She threw her bag against the wall and collapsed on the bed. 'Why the hell did I even agree to come? I knew this was going to happen. That little midget always fucks everything up, I wish she would just die. Then me and Hiiragi could be happy together.' She thought in anger, but suddenly sat up. She appeared to have calmed down, her face now one of deep thought. She stared off for a moment, thinking about something, before walking over to the phone in her room. She stared at it for a few seconds, and after a deep breath, dialed Kagami's cell phone.

"Hello?" answered Kagami's voice.

"Hey Hiiragi, sorry I stormed off earlier. Why don't you and the mi-… um, Konata come over for dinner tonight?" Misao suggested.

"Um… sure." Kagami replied, surprised that Misao was suddenly so eager to spend time with Konata.

"Great, come on over." Misao said, and hung up. She walked over to her desk and pulled out a plastic baggie. "Thanks Ayano." She muttered to herself. She then walked out into the hallway and over to her parents room, coming up to the small drawer near the bed and opening the bottom section. She removed some loose socks, before pulling something out from the very back. Placing the socks back the way they were, she closed the drawer and stood up. As she began to walk out of the room, she noticed the picture of her father in his police officer uniform. She turned away to not meet his imaginary gaze, as if it would allow him to know what she was thinking. She let out a deep sigh before finally exiting the room.

15 minutes later, her doorbell rang. Misao rushed down stairs to greeted Kagami and Konata. With a warm smile, she opened the door and invited them in.

"My parents aren't home yet, they'll be back in like half an hour and we'll eat." Misao stated, walking into the kitchen as the two girls followed. "Here, I made you guys some lemonade."

"Hey, lemonade! Thanks!" Konata said, grabbing the cup out of Misao hand like a child. Misao became instantly annoyed again, and was barely able to fight the urge to punch her in the face.

'She's so obnoxious.' The short-haired girl thought with disgust, but realized the hateful expression she was making and quickly changed back to her cheerful demeanor.

"You have some too Hiiragi, you had a long walk here." Misao said, starting to sweat. She found it becoming harder and harder to hide how nervous she was, and decided it best to leave. "I have to go to the bathroom." She announced, as she hurried out of the kitchen and into the bathroom as calmly as she could. She quickly closed the door behind her and leaned with her back up against it. Closing her eyes, the nervous girl tried to steady her racing heart rate.

"Hey Kagami, I feel a little…"

Misao heard a thump, followed shortly by another.

"Wake up, Hiiragi…" A warm voice whispered. Kagami felt a pair of lips press tightly against her own, as a tongue slowly passed through them, gently massaging hers. She moaned and kissed back, but after a short while pulled away.

"Not yet, Konata. I just woke up." Kagami said with a smile, her eyes still closed.

"I knew it." Misao said with a scowl. Kagami opened her eyes and saw Misao standing over her. She was lying on her right arm, with her back up against a wooden crate. When she tried to sit up, she realized her hands were tied behind her back, and her feet were bound as well.

"Misao? What's…" She looked around a saw that she was in what appeared to be the inside of a warehouse. There were crates stacked high, and of the dozens of lamps hanging from the ceiling, only a handful weren't out. Through a distant window she could see that it was already dark outside. The walls were covered in rust and the inadequate light provided an eerie feeling to the room. As she tried to comprehend what was going on through the dizzy and disoriented feeling of having just woken up, she saw something that made her heart stop.

"Konata!" She screamed. Konata was unconscious, lying on the floor against a crate opposite from her. Her hands and feet were tied up just like her, but unlike her, she was covered in bruises and cuts, as if someone had been hitting her face repeatedly. Misao smiled as she remembered how good it felt. The blue-haired girl began to stir after hearing Kagami's voice.

"Kagami?" She asked weakly, barely lifting her head up enough to get a better look at where she was.

"Wake up you midget!" Misao yelled, swinging her foot and kicking her in the ribs as hard as she could, and Kagami could hear her ribs break. Konata cried out in pain as she instinctively brought her knees up to her body in a vain attempt to protect herself.

"Misao! What are you doing?!" Kagami pleaded, as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"What am I doing?!" Misao repeated, as if the answer was obvious. She paused, not knowing how to answer such a blatant question. "Do you remember last week, when you, Ayano and I were eating together?!"

"Uh..." Kagami struggled to remember, her tear filled eyes fixed on the balled up Konata. "Y-Yeah... Yeah I remember... Misao, what's going-"

"What happened?!" Misao demanded sternly.

"I... I-I don't know..." Kagami trailed off. She couldn't hold her tears any longer, too confused and scared by what was happening, and began to cry. The anger left Misao's face, replaced by a look of compassion, and she began to approach her friend. As she did, Kagami tried to slide back away from her, but was met by a wooden crate. Misao got down on one knee in front of Kagami and gently placed a hand on her face. Kagami flinched away, turning her head as far away as she could, but Misao kept her hand firmly on Kagami's cheek.

"Hiiragi..." She whispered in a soft voice, a sharp contrast to the one she had used moments ago. For a split second, Kagami looked into her eyes, and forgot where she was. She forgot that she was tied up in a warehouse, with Konata in pain across from her. Misao's gaze was so deep, it was almost hypnotizing. Then, as fast as she had gone, she came back to reality.

"I don't know! I don't know!" Kagami cried in fear, not knowing what to say or what Misao would do to her. Misao's patience was wearing thin, but her hand remained gentle as she softly caressed Kagami's cheek with her fingers.

"Think hard..." She spoke slowly and deliberately, not taking her piercing eyes from Kagami's. Kagami closed her eyes and tried to put herself far away, to the place she was moments ago in Misao's eyes. She shut her eyes and thought.

Ayano, Kagami and Misao were sitting in a fast food restaurant. They were laughing about something Kagami couldn't remember. Misao dropped a piece of food on her shirt, which fell to the floor. As she bent down to pick it up, Ayano stopped her, telling her not to eat from the floor. She wiped the stain from her shirt with a napkin the way a mother would to a small child. Kagami didn't think anything of it back then, but now she remembered that Ayano blushed when she did it. As they began to talk and eat again, Kagami's phone rang.

'Hello?' She answered. The two girls could only hear a weak noise as Konata spoke. 'Sure Konata, I'll be right over.' She hung up her phone and placed it back in her pocket.

'Sorry guys, I gotta go.'

'But Hiiragi, I thought we were going to-'

'I said I have go.' Kagami snapped, before getting up and walking away without looking back.

Kagami's eyes opened, she understood all too well now what this was about. She looked over to the suffering Konata, who was still curled up, and her breathing was becoming labored. Misao was still watching her, and when Kagami looked up at her, a hopeful smile form on Misao's lips.

"Hiiragi... I lo-" She began to whisper, but was cut off by Konata.

"Misao..." She said weakly, having trouble talking and breathing in the same time. She began to cough heavily and a small amount of blood dripped down onto the floor from her lips. "We-we didn't mean to... I swear, we-" As Konata spoke, Kagami could see Misao face cringe into one of pure hatred.

"You shut up! Just shut the fuck up you stupid midget! No one was talking to you!" Misao screamed madly, as she pulled out the handgun she retrieved from her father's drawer earlier. She awkwardly fumbled with the safety and pointed it at Konata. "You did this to me! If it wasn't for you, Hiiragi and I- we could've... I hate you!" She screamed, with the gun still pointed at her. She didn't want Konata's suffering to be over quickly, so she aimed the sights at her thigh and fired. Konata screamed at the top of her lungs, as her body twitched in pain. Kagami screamed as well, in disbelief at what was happening, as tears once again began to flow from her eyes.

"Why wasn't I good enough for you Hiiragi?!" She yelled as she turned around to face a terrified Kagami. "What did I do to deserve this?! Why was I always second to her?! No matter what I ever did it wasn't good enough!"

"Misao! Please stop this! You don't need to do this, we can fix everything!" Kagami pleaded, barely able to speak through her fear and heavy sobbing.

"There IS no fixing this!" Misao continued, ignoring Konata's screams as if they were non-existent. As though the only people in the warehouse were her and Kagami. "Not while she's around! With her out of the way we can be happy! Don't you see Hiiragi? That's all I've ever wanted..." She turns around to see Konata trying to crawl away, but her injuries combined with the fact that her wrists and ankles were tied, made her so-called escape little more than flailing in place.

"With you out of the way, me and Hiiragi can be happy together." She repeated quietly, practically to herself. She slowly walked up to Konata and stepped on her back, pushing her broken ribs against the floor. Konata screamed, filling Misao with a renewed sense of satisfaction. She pointed the gun at the back of Konata's head. Her hands were shaking heavily and her eyes widened with anticipation.

"Misao please!" Kagami screamed, but it was hopeless. Kagami closed her eyes and cried out as Misao emptied the remaining 9 rounds into Konata's head. One by one, the spent casings ejected from the chamber, the distinctive ding they made as the hit the floor drowned out by the deafening gunfire. Eventually, the gun shots stopped, replaced by light metallic clicks. Misao pulled the trigger a few more times, praying for one more shot, not wanting it to be over. Kagami's frantic cries became audible again as echoes died down. Misao thought that she would be relieved when it was over, but she just felt empty. She felt that she had been too eager, that it was over too soon. Then again, she wasn't sure if she could have ever caused her enough pain to completely satisfy herself. She dismissed the thoughts to the back of her head, as she once again turned toward Kagami. Kagami tried to slide back away from her, but was stopped once again by the crate. Her sobs turned to pathetic whimpers as Misao approached her.

"It's over, Hiiragi. You don't have to be scared anymore." Misao said softly, as she knelt down beside her. She gently grabbed the collar of Kagami's shirt with both hands and pulled her in for a kiss, but the horrified Kagami desperately flailed her head left to right to avoid Misao's lips.

"Hiiragi, please..." Misao pleaded. She tried to kiss her again, but received the same result, until her anger got the best of her. "Hiiragi!" She yelled. She raised her hand and slapped Kagami across the face. Her sobbing stopped as she let out a yelp, and looked at Misao in shock and fear. Misao realized what she had done and regretted it instantly. She gently placed her hand on Kagami's cheek where she hit her.

"I'm so sorry Kagami, I didn't mean to hurt you!" Misao promised. "I'm so sorry!" Kagami just looked at her, too terrified to speak, and Misao took her momentary lapse in defense to lean in and kiss her. For a moment Kagami tried to pull back, but found herself entranced. Misao's tongue pushed against her resisting lips, begging to get inside, and Kagami gave in. As horrified as she was, she couldn't help but realize that this was far more passionate than anything she ever shared with Konata. Instantly, she snapped back to reality, remembering where she was and what has happened. She raised her legs to her body, and kicked Misao away with all her might.

"Get away from me, you monster!" She cried as Misao stumbled back. She fell back on her butt and looked at the purple-haired girl in confusion. It was as if the whole time, she didn't even consider the possibility that Kagami may not fall in love with her after Konata was gone. She couldn't think of a more perfect way to prove her love for her than to kill Konata, and didn't understand what was wrong.

"Hiiragi... " She whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief, her hand over her chest where the pain from the kick was. She got on her hands and knees, and began to cry. Tears began to fall to the floor below her, and one fell on her right hand. This brought her attention to her hand, which was still holding the gun. Her hand shook as she gripped it tighter. She stood up and looked at Kagami with tears in her eyes, her mouth hung open in an attempt to say something, but she didn't have the words. She lifted the gun and aimed it at her love.

"Why won't you love me Hiiragi?!" She yelled and pulled the trigger. Kagami screamed and closed her eyes, but only a click was heard. Misao had forgotten that moments ago she used up all the ammo on the nearly headless girl lying behind her in an expanding pool of blood. Kagami lifted her head and looked at her with shaking eyes. The two girls stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Misao panicked, and with a yell she threw the gun at Kagami. It hit the crate a few inches from her head, causing her to flinch. Misao staggered back, looking at Kagami in shame and confusion, before bursting into tears, and running away.

Misao ran out of the warehouse and into the dark streets, crying heavily as she did. She didn't understand, why didn't Kagami love her? She got rid of Konata, she even let Kagami watch her do it, as a sign of her love. What more could Kagami possibly want? Misao kept running until her body ached, but she kept going. She couldn't believe what had happened. Without Kagami, she didn't know how she would go on. The brown-haired girl ran into an old apartment complex, and crossed the deserted lobby. She was relieved that no one was in the elevator and got inside. Still in a state of shock, she pressed the highest number and watched the doors closed. As she leaned up against the back wall, the entire night flashed before her eyes. She collapsed to the floor in tears, sobbing heavily. She couldn't bare the sight of the red blood coating more of Konata's blue hair with every shot, she couldn't bare the violent twitching of her legs even after she was long dead, but most of all, she couldn't bear the thought that Kagami hated her. She tried to comprehend everything at once, but it was too much for the confused girl to handle.

With a light ding, the doors slowly slid open. Her legs felt numb, so Misao used the hand rails to help herself up, and exited the elevator. The short-haired girl began to walk the additional two flights up to the roof with great difficulty. Her adrenaline rush had begun to die down, and the fatigue from sprinting at full speed for so long was starting to catch up to her. As she finally reached the top and slowly opened the door, she was met by a warm beam of sunlight. She stepped outside and waited for her eyes to adjust to the morning light. Watching the sunrise, with her back to Misao and the wind in her hair, waiting for her just as she had promised, was Ayano. With the morning sun directly in front of her, she appeared to be shining, and Misao couldn't help but notice that she looked like an angel. When she heard the door open, she turned around to see a broken Misao looking back at her. Misao ran up to her and hugged her as tight as she possibly could.

"Misa-chan?…" The long-haired girl asked, but already knew the answer. Her friend looked up at her and shook her head, before burying it again in her chest, weeping harder than ever.

"I'm sorry…" Ayano whispered softly, closing her eyes and resting her head on Misao's.

"Please, don't try to talk me out of it, Ayano." Misao pleaded quietly.

"I won't, I promised you that, remember?" Ayano said, with tears welling in her eyes, but she repressed them for Misao's sake. She brushed Misao's hair out of the way and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"Thank you, Ayano. You're an amazing friend." She stated softly, and began to walk toward the edge. As she stepped onto the ledge, she could see the entire city. With the sun behind them, the buildings looked like nothing more than silhouettes.

"It's so beautiful." Misao whispered. As she looked out at the amazing sight, she felt a feeling of warmth wash over her. She felt peaceful, not only because of the beautiful cityscape in front of her, but because she knew her best friend in the world was behind her.

'There's only one thing I can do to try and save her.' Ayano thought sadly. 'I never pictured it coming out like this, but I have no choice.'

Misao turned around to face Ayano, with her back to the drop. She knew if she looked down she would never be able to jump. Instead, she took one last look at her best friend, and could not have asked for a more perfect sight in her final moments. As they both looked at each other, she took a deep breath, and slowly brought her right leg back…

"Misa-chan! I love you!" Ayano cried out suddenly.

"Ayano?!" Misao screamed in surprise, and frantically reached her hand out to her. 'No, I don't want this anymore! No!' She begged desperately, but it was too late. Her center of gravity was already over the ledge, and all she could do was watch Ayano reach out for her in vain, as she fell back.

"AYANO!"