A/N: this is actually another work that's fully posted up on my AO3 (also Woofemus) and tumblr (at floopers). This AU is based off of ideas that someone else thought up that I unfortunately can't link it here, but you should be able to fully enjoy the story without needing to know all the exact details. With that said, there's only three parts to this and I'll update this again in a week or when I remember so if you'd like to read it all at once, you can check out either my AO3 or tumblr (where there will also be a link to the AU ideas.)

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

Hanayo knew she was different.

She was born to the Koizumi, one of the ninja clans residing in the village of Otonokizaka. And not even just a clan, but the Koizumi. The tales about the feats that the ninjas of Koizumi performed back in the day were almost legends passed down in the village. Hanayo had always heard stories from her mother telling her about all the amazing things their ancestors had done, all kept and recorded in the scrolls passed down through the family. Hanayo had always been fascinated, wanted to be a part of that legacy, knew she was going to be. It was clear from the start that her path was already set in stone.

Unfortunately, Hanayo had inherited none of those legendary skills.

Everyone in her family seemed to be so much better than her, the heir born to the main family. She was slow and clumsy, wasn't very accurate when she threw her projectiles, got so scared around real weapons that were sharp and pointy that she closed her eyes in fear, and she always seemed to hesitate at all the wrong times. It was all completely unbecoming for one meant to be a ninja, much less a future leader of her clan. Even at her age of ten years, she knew she wasn't meant for the great things people were going to expect from her.

Rin had always assured her she had other skills that were definitely useful. "Like making the best riceballs!" she liked to exclaim. Even if it wasn't exactly what Hanayo wanted to hear, it still made her happy. She took very great pride in her rice, after all.

But, it wasn't as if it was a very good ability, especially for a ninja.

Hanayo didn't know what to do, didn't know how to get better, especially when it seemed as if training didn't seem to improve much for her. She wanted to do better but what could she do? What else was there for her to do that she hadn't already done? She trained every single day, even with Nico, who she admired greatly, and Rin, who was so full of boundless energy that she always felt so exhausted afterward. Sometimes Umi would come around and offer advice on how their throwing techniques. But no matter how much Hanayo tried... no matter how much she did... she couldn't-

-and she yelped as she fell face down onto the ground, her foot caught on a root. Hanayo whimpered, pushing herself off the ground to check herself. Other than her face hurting, it seemed fine. It would have been terrible if something happened to her and she couldn't train.

Hanayo looked all around, wondering where she was. She had gotten so lost in her thoughts that she wandered off away from the village-ah! She knew where she was now, as her eyes roamed over the familiar landscape of trees and foliage.

The village used the woods near the village as training grounds all the time so even someone like Hanayo knew how to navigate her way around. Even now, she knew exactly where she was, as she glanced all around and found the familiar trees where they all leaped around on. If she continued going west, she'd reach the path and that would be the village-

A strange sound made her blink. She slowly stood up, realizing the sound was still continuing. Hanayo carefully followed the sound to its source, too curious to stop now. As she got closer, she was starting to realize what it sounded like now. It sounded like... like someone... singing? Hanayo continued to creep closer until she realized the sound was coming from the middle of a clearing.

There... there was someone standing in the middle, someone small... maybe one of the other kids of the village? But why were they all the way out here, and by themselves? Hanayo sneaked closer, trying to get a glimpse of the mysterious singer. When she finally got close enough, her eyes widened and she gasped in surprise.

"O-oh!"

"Who's there?!"

Hanayo immediately ducked behind the tree she was luckily next to and held her breath. Tense seconds went by before finally, she heard something.

"Huh... no one there? O-of course there isn't!"

Several more seconds passed but the singing started up again. Hanayo let out her breath and waited just to be safe before sneaking around the tree, peeking into the clearing.

Ah! Hanayo could feel her eyes widening once more. With a feeling of anxiousness and trepidation, she finally realized that she could recognize who was singing.

There, on top of a stump, stood Maki Nishikino, the tiny heir to the Nishikino family, singing with the widest smile on her face. Hanayo didn't know what she was more in awe of, the fact that Nishikino was singing so wonderfully, or the fact that the usually grumpy-faced Maki had such a bright smile on. It seemed as if she was a completely different person.

Hanayo couldn't help but stare. completely entranced by the sight. She knew if she were caught, it would be all over but even still, Hanayo couldn't help it. Maki's voice was amazing, and the way she looked as if she was having so much fun singing... even Hanayo could feel the happiness rolling off of her. It made Hanayo smile too as she closed her eyes to better listen to her, humming softly under her breath.

The song ended, and there was nothing but silence. Hanayo opened her eyes and looked out, realizing Maki was done and she was preparing to leave. Hanayo slowly slipped away, being more than careful to hide her presence, especially now. If she was caught... she gulped, refusing to think about what would happened.

She hid herself in the grove of a tree trunk, waiting carefully. When she saw Maki speeding away from her, Hanayo let out a shaky breath of relief, glad she wasn't caught.

Hanayo was scared of how Maki would think of her, especially because their families... their families were...

Even so, Hanayo thought Maki's voice sounded lovelier than anything else.

-1-

It was something that had started with their great-grandfathers.

It was more of a running joke than anything, really, their great-grandfathers being nothing but great friends. Once it had gotten to their grandfathers though, it had become a full on rivalry, with their grandfathers clashing often enough that they had become notorious throughout the village. Hanayo used to hear from her mother that if it wasn't for the Chief Yazawa at the time, Nico's grandfather, interfering, even Hanayo's mother and Maki's mother would have almost been the same way. In some odd way, they ended up being friendly with each other despite their fathers opposing each other.

And now, it was the next generation, Hanayo and Maki.

Maki Nishikino was talented, in every sense of the word. She was quick on her feet (though not as quick as Rin but who was quicker than Rin really?), able to hide her presence within a matter of seconds, and she was confident in all her abilities. Hanayo had even heard rumors that even at her young age, she was already being given missions and assignments.

She was everything Hanayo wasn't, the perfect heir to her family.

… and, like their grandfathers, took their family rivalry very seriously.

Maki had always taken to calling Hanayo out at every turn, always trying to challenge her and prove how much better she was. Hanayo didn't mind, using the opportunities to try to better herself, to see what Maki was doing differently so she could try to adapt. It didn't really work though, not when Maki's level of skill almost completely outclassed her in every way. But Hanayo didn't want to seem like she was weak so she had always accepted Maki's challenges. Hanayo knew she was, but that didn't mean she wanted to be pitied for it.

And now, today, Umi had taken to overseeing their training. Of course, Maki had immediately taken to taunting Hanayo, boasting that she'd be able to get a perfect mark today. Hanayo only nodded mutely and prepared for the inevitable results she knew were coming.

"Hm... you've definitely improved since last month, haven't you? Still not all of them, but missing only one is pretty good too," Umi said, accessing Maki's dummy where all her training kunai were. "I don't have much to correct for you. On the other hand..." Umi trailed off, looking over at Hanayo's results. On her target, there were only five out of the twenty training kunai they were given, the others scattered somewhere in the field. Hanayo panted, her arm sore.

Umi smiled consolingly at her while Maki smirked, obviously proud that she had managed to beaten Hanayo once again. It wasn't really too hard, Hanayo couldn't help but think, sighing as she wiped the sweat off her brow.

"Kayo-chin, Kayo-chin!" Rin shouted as she ran over from where she was watching, also shouting her greeting to Umi as well. "Are you done? Let's take a break! Honoka-chan's making some fresh bread for us!"

"A-ah?" Hanayo let herself be helped up by Rin, perked up at the thought of food. "R-really?"

"Yep!" Rin nodded and turned to Umi. "Honoka-chan is making bread! She told me to tell you!"

"Is that so? Thank you." Umi nodded to them. "I'll help you out some more tomorrow, Hanayo. Make sure to get some rest, okay?" She smiled before reaching out, patting Hanayo on the shoulder. "You too, Maki!"

Rin made a face at the mention of Maki's name. Maki was near them, huffing as she stared at them.

"C'mon, Kayo-chin, let's leave," Rin quickly said, tugging on Hanayo.

"A-ah, wait." Hanayo turned to Maki, offering her a polite smile. "N-Nishikino-san, w-would you like to, um, come with us?"

Maki blinked at them, clearly caught unaware before she sneered at them. "W-what? Of course not! Who do you think I am? I'm not some kind of slacker like you, Koizumi." She crossed her arms, offended at the thought. "You should be training more! Not that it'll make much of a difference because you won't be able to catch up to me anyway."

Rin scowled at her, rushing forward. "Look-"

Hanayo tugged her back, shaking her head. "N-no, it's okay," she whispered. She looked up at Maki, who stepped back tensely, as if waiting for a retort. Hanayo offered a strained smile. "M-maybe next time then, g-good day." With those words, Hanayo bowed in dismissal before turning around, pulling on her friend.

Rin didn't look too happy but she followed after Hanayo, sticking her tongue out at Maki as she left. Hanayo sneaked a glance behind her, finding a livid Maki who looked torn between wanting to stick her tongue out in a childish act but not wanting to seem immature. She settled for kicking at the dirt instead, glaring at the ground.

Hanayo couldn't help but feel a pang inside of her, thinking Maki looked lonelier than anyone else.

-2-

Every night, without fail, Maki would sneak out to the forests and sing to her heart's content. And every night, without fail, Hanayo would be hiding nearby, listening to her wonderful voice and song.

How long did this go on? Hanayo wasn't sure, only knew that if she could, she would listen to Maki's beautiful singing forever if she could. However much Maki treated her, Hanayo bore no grudge against her. Maki had something to prove, to show that she was the better of the heirs in their families, and if that was one use Hanayo had, then that was okay with her.

Until one night.

Hanayo hurried to her spot, later than usual tonight. Nico had offered to help train her and Rin, and Hanayo couldn't pass such an excellent opportunity to learn from one of the village chief's daughters. She should have realized that it would have taken longer than usual. After they finished, Hanayo rushed away, hurriedly thanking Nico for her help. She would need to properly thank her later, maybe with some snacks.

So rushed and focused on making her way to the clearing that it hit her then, as she stopped in her tracks.

The woods were silent.

Hanayo furrowed her brow in confusion, moving cautiously now. She wasn't sure if that meant Maki was still here or not, and she wasn't going to take any chances.

To her surprise, Maki still was, but she sat on the stump, slouched over as if she was tired. Was she already finished? But Hanayo hadn't been that late...

She watched as Maki suddenly whipped her head up, took a deep breath, and began to sing.

Hanayo brought her hands to her mouth in shock, eyes wide. Maki's song... it... it sounded sad and angry, with Maki's voice deeper than normal today. Hanayo shivered, unable to help the painful pang she felt in her chest. She wondered what had to be going through Maki's mind, to sing with such sadness today. Had something happened to her recently? Hanayo hadn't heard anything about the Nishikino so what could have-

A loud snap made Hanayo gasp loudly, too caught up in her thoughts to realize she was supposed to keep silent. She looked down, blinking at the snapped twig. It took her a moment to realize that this also meant-

"You!"

And Hanayo yelped when a face appeared in front of her. She drew back from fear, her back hitting the tree, at the sight of Maki's furious face. "You... you were listening to me," she said accusingly, narrowing her eyes. Hanayo could only stand there frozen like a statue, unable to move under Maki's dark stare. "Koizumi!"

"Y-y-y-yes?!" Hanayo shouted in a loud yelp. Maki winced but she shook her head, angry look returning.

"You were listening to me sing. You probably think I sound bad, don't you," she accused.

Hanayo felt nothing but confusion, finally looking at Maki with wide eyes. "H-huh?! What?! N-no, I don't-"

"Of course you do, what am I talking about," Maki cut in, looking away as she did so. Her face was red with anger as she continued to mutter to herself. "Who do they think they are? I know I have to become the heir and anything less than perfect is unacceptable but to even say something about my singing..." She clenched her hands into fists, growling.

"U-um, N-Nishikino-san, I-"

"What?!"

Hanayo flinched at the harsh tone but she tried to brave through her fear. "I... I, u-um, think your... your singing sounds... nice."

Maki paused, watching her suspiciously. "You're just saying that. And what you just heard was my absolute worst. Are you making fun of me now?"

Hanayo quickly shook her head and opened her mouth, about to tell her that she was wrong before she realized that would also reveal that she had been sneaking here to secretly listen to Maki sing for the past few weeks. With how Maki seemed to be on a short fuse today... Hanayo was sure Maki wouldn't take to hearing something like that very... nicely. Ah... what could she do...

"... hmph, whatever, how could I expect any different from Koizumi?" She sneered at Hanayo, reaching out to push her slightly. "I don't care what you think! I'm... I just have to be the perfect heir, that's it," she said, but Hanayo thought she sounded like she was trying to convince herself. Hanayo had heard the words so many times, echoed in her own mind, but there was something sad about the way Maki kept trying to repeat it to herself. Wasn't Maki already the perfect heir to her family? Why did she look as if she wasn't happy?

"Nishikino-san-"

And Hanayo blinked, realizing Maki was gone now. "Oh..."

Hanayo chanced sneaking back to the clearing the next night. As she half expected, Maki was no where to be found. The same happened for the night afterward as well, the clearing empty. She tried a third time but just as the previous times, there was nothing but silence in the emptiness. Hanayo couldn't help the sadness inside, feeling as if she had lost something by not being able to hear Maki's singing.

Hanayo didn't expect there to be dire consequences to being caught.

"I challenge you!"

Hanayo blinked up from where she stood, shocked at the sudden declaration. "H-huh? U-um, what?"

"That's right." And before she knew it, Maki had taken her arm, dragging her away.

"A-ah! N-Nishikino-san! Where—ah, um-" Sighing, Hanayo surrendered herself to her fate, quickly regaining her balance so she could properly use her feet to follow after the other girl.

They stopped outside of the woods. Maki gestured to it. "We'll have a race. First one to where the waterfall in the middle is the winner. Since we're both the heirs to the great clans, it should be no problem to us, right?"

Hanayo gulped. "N-N-Nishikino-san, u-um, I... I don't think-"

"What, you think you're too good for this!?"

Hanayo froze, nervously clutching her hands to her chest. There was... something strange with Maki today. She seemed even shorter tempered than normal, as if she was in a rush to... do... something. Was... was she still mad that Hanayo had caught her singing?

What she was asking for though... Hanayo looked at the woods, suddenly so intimidating. She was slow, completely unfitting someone who had the name of Koizumi, much less someone who was meant to be heir. She knew Maki could get through the woods no problem, maybe even being able to lap Hanayo twice if she really wanted to.

But, even Hanayo still had her own pride, even if it was minuscule compared to everyone else. She could still do this, just... not... up to everyone's expectations. But that was better than nothing! She wanted to believe she had gotten slightly better since the last time.

"U-um... okay, I guess," she agreed, unable to help the hesitant tone still. Maki nodded at her, a smirk on her face, one that told Hanayo she knew that the Koizumi heir was going to lose.

But that was normal.

And now, Hanayo was beginning to regret this rash decision, as she felt her body burning for air. They were even at the start, but now Hanayo's lack of stamina and endurance caught up and before long, she was struggling to breathe as she pushed herself to keep going. Maki was still in sight, which meant Hanayo wasn't doing that bad, but she was steadily pulling away. Hanayo landed on the branch of the tree, trying to ignore how her legs seemed too sore to even move, and kicked off, aiming for the next branch.

She landed—and her legs crumpled underneath her. Hanayo yelped as she felt herself sliding backward, feet in the air now. She closed her eyes and braced herself.

When she opened her eyes, the fall was less painful than she thought though her back still ached. She wasn't as high up as she thought, which was good, she guessed. Groaning with pain, she pushed herself up, looking around.

Maki was already way ahead of her, too focused on getting to the end to notice Hanayo had fallen. She couldn't help but think that if Maki had, she would stop to gloat because she knew Hanayo would never catch up anyway.

N-no! Hanayo was still okay. Though she knew she had lost, she didn't want to give up halfway. She would at least make it to the end, to prove that she was at least capable enough to do this. It was the least she could do, for her family. Pushing herself up, she slowly continued, trying not to wince at the throbbing of her back.

She wasn't sure how long it took but eventually, she could see the clearing Maki wanted them to meet at, where the cliffs were and the waterfall was at. Maki was already sitting there with an impatient scowl, arms crossed and finger tapping against it. The moment she saw Hanayo, she stood up, scowl worsening. Hanayo began to run, not wanting to keep Maki waiting any longer. With the goal finally in sight, Hanayo sprinted as fast as she could.

And her foot caught on the root of a tree.

She tripped, sliding painfully across the dirt. She whimpered, curling within herself as she glanced down at her legs. Her knees were scraped and there was blood dripping down her legs. It was gross and Hanayo didn't know what she wanted to cry more at, the pain or the terrible sight of her wounds. Her arms hurt as well but her legs hurt even more. She slowly pulled herself upright, tears slipping out of her eyes at the pain. Everything and everywhere hurt even more now.

A shadow looming over her made her look up. The sight of Maki staring at her made Hanayo feel a painful pang inside her chest. She knew Maki would never like her but she... she still... she still wanted to be seen as something maybe worthy enough to be a rival. Right now... the way Maki looked at her... there was nothing but pity and utter disappointment.

"Hmph, is this really the best the Koizumi can do?" Maki scoffed, crossing her arms. "It wasn't as if I was expecting a lot in the first place but this is pathetic, especially for someone of the Koizumi. What sort of heir are you supposed to be if you can't even do something as basic as this?"

Hanayo continued to stare at her, wrapping her mind around Maki's words. They stung, hurting even worse than the scrapes on her knees right now or the bruises on her back. But why they hurt so much...

Maki blinked at the sudden smile on Hanayo's face. "Y-yeah, you're... you're right," Hanayo whispered, closing her eyes with a sob. "I'm not fit... I'm not fit to be the heir. There's nothing special about me and I... I shouldn't..." She brought her hands to her face, crying into them. "I'm so useless and I'm no good and I can't do anything at all and... I'm... I shouldn't... I shouldn't even be allowed to be a ninja!" She sucked in a breath, trying to contain her sobs but the dam broke and Hanayo could do nothing but weep.

"H-huh?!" Maki stepped closer to her, panic in her eyes.

"K-Kayo-chin!" And suddenly, Rin was next to her, helping her up. Hanayo cried out at the sudden pain she felt from being moved. Rin snapped her head up, glaring at Maki. "What did you do to Kayo-chin!? Why do you keep picking on Kayo-chin all the time!? She doesn't even do anything to you and you're just always being a stupid bully to her!"

"R-Rin-chan," Hanayo gasped, tugging on her friend. "It-it's fine, it's okay-"

"No, it's not okay!" Rin snapped, letting out all of the frustration she felt at not being able to help her friend. "She just keeps picking on you all the time and you just take it and that's not right! Nishikino needs to know exactly how much she hurts you-"

"Hey! What's going on?" Everyone turned their heads to find Nico running toward them. Behind her was Nozomi, tilting her head at them. They glanced between Hanayo and Maki, and Nico was now beginning to understand what must have happened. "Nishikino, get out of here," Nico said with a scowl. "We don't need you around here making things worse."

Maki froze at Nico's words, her eyes wide. Nico and Rin both glared at her. Another moment passed before she scowled, huffing angrily to herself. "F-fine! Whatever, it's none of my concern then!" And just like that, she spun on her heels and left, without looking behind her.

"Kayo-chin, are you okay now?" Rin asked, her voice softer now. Nico bent down, sucking in a breath as she looked at Hanayo's knees.

"I'll go get Kotori, wait here." And just as quick as she came, Nico was gone. Nozomi took her place, making soothing sounds and patting Hanayo's back consolingly. Her eyes continued to dart between her and where Maki had taken off though.

"It's okay now, Kayo-chin," Rin said reassuringly, "Rin will make sure she'll never bother you again, don't you worry—ah?! Are you crying even more?!

Hanayo couldn't help the sobs, unable to push away the sinking feeling in her chest that she had made everything worse.

-3-

Hanayo spent the next few days resting up at home. Her mother fed her her favorite rice balls so it wasn't bad being cooped up but there was a restlessness to Hanayo that she couldn't contain. She kept thinking about everything that had happened. If Hanayo was a little stronger... if she was a little better... then that wouldn't have happened...

All she had done was proven herself to Maki exactly how weak she was, how far her uselessness ran. And now, Maki would hate her forever and think of Hanayo as nothing but weak. The thought crushed Hanayo.

Finally, after several days, Hanayo was allowed to move. It still hurt to walk but at least she didn't have to worry about her wounds opening up like they kept doing. The herbs from Minami helped much better than her mother thought but Hanayo could still feel their bitterness at the back of her throat days after taking the herbal tea.

Rin came to visit her everyday, helping Hanayo stave off complete boredom, telling her stories of what was going on with the village.

"-and then the alpacas started chewing on Nico-chan's hair, nya!" she finished with a snicker. Hanayo laughed, making a note to apologize to Nico later for not being able to take care of the alpacas as she normally did. Their laughter died down and Hanayo fidgeted, wondering if it was okay for her to ask.

"U-um, by the way, Rin-chan..." she started, gulping slightly when Rin tilted her head curiously. "Ni... Nishikino-san, how is she?"

Rin's face immediately darkened. "Why do you care about her so much, Kayo-chin? She hurt you! And Rin bets she won't even come around to apologize."

"R-Rin-chan! Please!" Hanayo pleaded, shaking her head. "It's... it's... um, complicated." Rin made a face but let out a huff.

"Rin heard she went missing for a few days and then when they found her, she had a broken arm, nya," she said plainly.

Hanayo's eyes widened. "H-huh?!" Rin shrugged.

"That's what Rin heard. Dunno if it's true or not but Rin doesn't care about Nishikino anyway." She stuck her tongue out. "Rin won't let her hurt you again!"

Hanayo could only nod, understanding her friend would never forgive Maki, but Hanayo... what Hanayo wanted...

Her chance came another few days later.

"A-ah! Mother, where are you going?" Hanayo asked, blinking at the sight of her mother preparing to go outside.

"Hanayo?" Her mother looked over at her. "I'm going to visit the Nishikinos, their daughter's hurt, you know. I thought I might be able to drop off the spare herbs Minami gave us."

"O-oh? You're... you're going over to the Nishikino?" Hanayo asked, her voice quiet. She felt shy for some reason, trying to gather her courage to ask what she wanted. But... would Maki even...

Her mother smiled at her. "Hanayo, would you like to see Maki-chan as well?"

Hanayo widened her eyes before quickly nodding. "Y-yes! Ah, um, w-wait, l-let me go get..." and she ran off to where she previously was, the kitchen.

And now, Hanayo was at the Nishikino residence, standing outside in the courtyard, with her whole body trembling from apprehension. Her mother had stayed to talk to Maki's mother and Maki's mother had pointed to where Maki herself was, most likely where their garden was. Not wanting to bother and impose on her any longer, Hanayo hurried off to where she had pointed.

Hanayo stopped though, looking down at the bag in her hands, wondering if she was going to overstep her boundaries. Maybe she was. After all, Maki didn't have a high opinion of her anymore, not that she probably did in the first place.

Hanayo wanted to believe that there could come a day where they would be able to put aside their differences and become something... not rivals. Friends seemed too strong a connection but at least something where Maki didn't have to act like Hanayo was her enemy and ready to betray her. But Hanayo had ruined that chance and now Maki would never even want to be friends, much less acquainted, with someone as weak and useless as her. At the very least though, Maki was still hurt right now, and Hanayo wanted to do something to help her.

Before her courage left her, Hanayo took a step forward, walking around the corner of the house. And there sat Maki, staring outward as she swung her feet from where she sat at the edge of the deck. Just as Rin said, one of Maki's arm was in a cast. Hanayo watched her, wondering why there was some sort of off feeling to Maki. She wanted to continue watching the other girl but Hanayo knew she didn't have long before her mother would call her back, so she crept closer.

"H-hello," Hanayo greeted in a quiet voice once she was close enough. Maki shouted in surprise and whipped her head at her, gawking. Hanayo blinked rapidly at her response.

"W-when did you get there?! I mean, why are you here?!" Maki snapped out, looking away with a scowl. "Here to make fun of me, aren't you?"

"N-no," Hanayo said, shaking her head. Gathering all the courage she had, she finally shuffled her feet closer to where Maki was sitting, keeping her gaze trained on the floor.

"... what is it?" Maki asked with a huff, frowning at how Hanayo couldn't even look at her.

"U-um!" Hanayo glanced up at her before shooting her eyes down to the bag in her hands. She distracted herself by unwrapping it, revealing three rice balls inside. "I-I... um... made these and thought you... you might... like..." she trailed off, trembling as she looked down at her crudely made food. She thought it was a good idea at the time but now that she sat here, it was being clear how foolish her idea was. Maki surely had better food than hers, and why should Maki care about what Hanayo could give her?

"I!" Hanayo shook her head, quickly wrapping up her bag again. "I-I'm sorry, n-never mi-"

"Hey!"

The shout froze Hanayo, wondering if she had angered Maki again.

"... you made food for me, didn't you? I... I haven't eaten anything since the morning. I guess I can take one," Hanayo heard in a rushed mutter.

Hanayo took the chance to look up. Maki's face was turned away from her, looking down at her hands with a scowl. She had been staring for so long that Maki finally turned to her, impatient look on her face. "R-right, sorry!" she said, carefully taking a rice ball and holding it out for the other girl. Maki looked down at it with a huff before taking it with her good hand. She turned it all around, sniffing at it.

"... it's not poisoned, is it?" she asked with a raised brow. Hanayo quickly shook her head and cast her eyes downward, slightly hurt that Maki would think so. "... fine!" And she took a bite. Tense seconds went by. Hanayo heard her swallow. It was still silent even as Maki took another bite.

Hanayo let out a shaky breath. "I-I'll take the r-rest if y-you didn't like-"

"Mm!"

Hanayo paused again, glancing up. Maki gestured to her mouth, hiding it with her sleeve as she continued to chew. Hanayo waited for her to finish though it felt as if it took forever. She finally finished and gestured down to her other side. "Here. Leave them here."

"... h-huh?"

"I s-said leave them here! What's the point of y-you making something for me and then you taking it?" Maki scowled at her, as if it was Hanayo's fault that she had to explain something so easy.

"O-oh!" Following Maki's instructions, she did exactly that, unable to help feeling bewildered that Maki would want her food.

They continued to sit in silence, neither of them saying a word though Maki continued to eat her rice ball. Hanayo darted her eyes all around, wondering what excuse to give so she could leave this awkward situation. She had come to give Maki what she wanted but she felt like Maki would get mad if she just suddenly left so soon.

"K-Koizumi."

Hanayo startled, shouting. "Y-yes!"

"... what's with you," Maki muttered, sighing. "Whatever. Your... um, rice balls... they..." her voice trailed off, too quiet for Hanayo to hear.

"H-huh? I couldn't hear you."

For some reason, Maki's face turned even more red and she looked as if she was about to explode. "I said, your rice balls were g-"

"Hanayo-chan!"

The both of them snapped their heads up. There, around the corner of the hallway, was Hanayo's mother, watching them with a smile. "We're going home now, are you done talking to Maki-chan?"

"A-ah, um, yeah!" Hanayo called back, quickly standing up, very glad for her mother appearing. But she turned around half way, glancing over at Maki. "O-oh! U-um, were you going to say something?"

Maki narrowed her eyes at her, looking as if she was about to snap a response out before she closed her mouth. She looked down at the rice balls and up at Hanayo before looking away, muttering. "T-thank you for the food."

Hanayo almost gaped at her if she hadn't remembered her mother was watching them. Instead, she awkwardly bowed, giving Maki a nervous smile. "Y-you're welcome," she returned, running away to her mother afterward.

It was the most nerve wracking thing Hanayo had ever least... at least she had managed, somehow. That was more than what could be said for her other things.

Hanayo didn't expect that for this to happen though.

Three days later, things changed.

"Koizumi!"

Hanayo looked up, almost freezing at that familiar voice. There was Maki down the road, still with her arm in a sling, staring at her as she marched closer. Immediately, Rin and Nico were at her side, eyes darting between Hanayo and Maki.

Nico's voice was a warning. "Nishikino-"

"I promise I'm not going to do anything," Maki immediately said, scowling. "I just, want to talk to Koizumi. I can do that, can't I? And seriously, what do you even think I can do with a broken arm?" She scoffed at them. "If you're so scared of me with a broken arm-"

"I-it's okay!" Hanayo quickly interrupted, realizing her friends were getting more and more tense with each word Maki was saying. She smiled reassuringly at them though she was sure it looked more like an awkward grimace instead. "U-um, it'll be fine, I can, um, handle it, really."

They looked unconvinced but sat back down hesitantly, still glancing between Hanayo and Maki. "If you need anything, just yell," Nico said, still looking uneasy. Maki rolled her eyes but said nothing, gesturing with her head for Hanayo to follow after her before spinning on her heels and taking off.

Hanayo did, her mind whirling. What could Maki want with her?

She wasn't sure where they went, too busy coming up with all sorts of terrible ideas on what Maki could even want to do with her. It wasn't until she bumped into Maki that she realized they stopped.

Maki let out a hiss of pain, quickly whirling around. "Watch where you're going!" she snapped. Hanayo yelped and nodded quickly.

She didn't expect Maki to widen her eyes at her. Maki looked away, growling under her breath. "I... I mean..." she glanced back at Hanayo. "... does it still..." Maki waved her hand vaguely over Hanayo's body, "uh, hurt?" Hanayo blinked at her, taking a moment to realize that Maki was now talking to her. Maki narrowed her eyes impatiently.

Hanayo glanced down at herself before answering. "Only a little but it's... it's better than before."

"... oh." Maki pushed her lips together, looking as if she wanted to say something but was being held back instead. She glanced up at Hanayo's eyes before looking away and then looked back. She repeated this several times. Hanayo waited patiently, completely unsure of what Maki was up to now.

"W-wait here," she suddenly said, pointing to the ground. "I'll, er, I'll be right back. Trust me, just, um, wait here." She walked backward slowly, eyes trained on Hanayo as if Hanayo would bolt the moment she took her eyes off. Hanayo only nodded slowly, completely confused as to what was going on now. After making sure Hanayo was still there even after she was some distance away, Maki turned around and took off in a run, awkwardly stumbling away.

Hanayo watched, eyes wide as she watched Maki trip several times, luckily managing to catch herself in time. Before long, Maki disappeared around a corner of a building. She turned her eyes outward instead, sighing softly as she looked over the fields that surrounded their village. The wind was blowing slightly today, offering a cool breeze. Winter would be coming soon, Hanayo thought absently. If Maki were still singing, would she still go out to the woods, even when there was nothing but snow and coldness? But it wasn't as if Hanayo would know now, not when-

Hanayo yelped when a hand thrust itself in front of her. She looked up fearfully until she realized Maki was back and holding... flowers? Hanayo gaped at them, eyes widening in surprise.

"H-here!" Maki growled, pushing the flowers into Hanayo. "H-hurry up and take them a-and stop s-staring at me!"

Unable to do anything but take the flowers shoved at her, Hanayo glanced down at them. "H-huh? W-why? Um... I... I don't... I don't understand..." Her eyes widened once more as she recognized them. "These flowers! They're the ones in the mountain! I... I only saw them once with my parents but they were so beautiful! They're in a really high place though and they only grow on the cliffs! How... how did you get them?"

"How else do you think," Maki immediately retorted, scoffing at her. "Why else do I have a broken arm-" and she froze, realizing what she had revealed.

Hanayo slowly turned to her, eyes still wide but surprised for a completely different reason now. "You... you went to the mountains by yourself to pick these flowers? For... for..." she couldn't finish the sentence, not wanting to get ahead of herself. Maki wrinkled her nose in displeasure.

"J-just shut up and t-take the flowers!" she angrily stammered out. "Y-you like these flowers, don't you? I-I overheard that f-friend of yours saying you did. So t-there! A-and... And! Your rice balls f-from the other day too! They... they were, um, g-good. Even b-better than our cook's." Maki's voice began to trail off the more she spoke. Hanayo's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting that at all.

"A-and, I'm... I-I'm sorry for... for the other day," Maki continued to mumble, staring down at the ground.

Hanayo felt as if she was in a dream now. There... there was no way this was happening. It was too much for her. Yes, it had to be a dream... a very nice dream but a dream nonetheless...

Maki looked up at her and gaped, waving her hand frantically.

"H-huh!? You're crying again!? Why!?"

"A-ah? A-am I?" Hanayo slowly raised her hand to her face, feeling wetness on it. She pinched her cheek afterward just for good measure. "Oh... I... I guess this isn't a dream..."

"H-huh?! What are you talking about?"

"I... I thought this was a dream b-because there's... there's... there isn't any reason for N-Nishikino-san to do this for me because y-you... you hate me, d-don't you." She couldn't stop the tiny sob that escaped and she tried to frantically rub at her eyes, not wanting to cry in front of Maki again, but she couldn't stop her hiccups.

Maki blinked at her, completely shocked. There was an uncomfortable feeling in her, something that made her chest feel tight. She pushed her lips together, hesitating for only a few more seconds before she reached into her pocket.

Hanayo nearly shouted when she felt something soft on her face. It took another moment for her to realize that it was Maki's handkerchief and the other girl was trying to awkwardly wipe her tears away. "N-Nishikino-san?!"

"W-what?" Maki's voice, usually gruff, was a little softer than normal. She took the handkerchief away, allowing Hanayo to get a look at her embarrassed face. "D-does it hurt?"

Hanayo shook her head, wondering what was even happening anymore. Maki let out a sigh of relief before holding out her handkerchief, darting her eyes away. "H-here, you can borrow it."

"Ah... thank you." Hanayo shyly took the cloth, wiping her eyes as she continued to sniffle.

"... i-it's fine." Maki stepped back, looking away from her. Neither of them said anything, with the awkward silence only being broken by Hanayo's occasional sniffles.

Finally, Hanayo took the chance to look up. Maki's eyes were turned toward the ground, staring so intently that Hanayo felt as if she was trying to burn a hole into the ground.

"N-Nishikino-san-" Maki immediately snapped her head up.

"What?"

Hanayo was taken aback by the immediate response that it took her a moment to remember what she wanted to say. She looked down at the flowers in her hands, her fingers gently brushing against their petals as she mumbled.

Maki frowned. "Did you say something? I didn't hear you."

Hanayo slowly looked up and even though her nose was runny and there were tears dripping down her face, she beamed at Maki. "Thank you, Nishikino-san."

Maki stared at her, wide-eyed. Hanayo wanted to laugh but she was sure Maki would get mad. But Maki continued to stare at her, a flush slowly creeping across her cheeks.

Maki swallowed, feeling inside of her that she didn't know whether was good or bad. All she knew was in that moment, seeing Hanayo smile at her, it felt... nice. But with the knowledge of everything she had done to Hanayo, and for Hanayo to still be able to smile at her like that...

Maki turned her eyes away, unable to withstand Hanayo's lovely smile any longer, her whole face entirely red. "Y-yeah, whatever, no problem." Hanayo let out a quiet sound of happiness, and Maki could feel her face heating up again.

Hanayo still continued to smile, feeling nothing but relief and joy at the thought that maybe things could change and they already were.

She was unaware of the storm of thoughts in Maki's mind.