Tsukiko Squad 6
"I can't believe it. I just can't." Maya Tsukiko couldn't meet her teammates' eyes. "After all the work we put in, after how well we did, we just… couldn't." She looked up at her best friends, tears licking the corners of her eyes. "How did this happen?"
Eri Asano sat next to her childhood friend and put a hand on her shoulder. "Maya, look at me." The redhead solemnly obliged. "I'm not sad. None of us are. We did our best, there was nothing more we could do. It's okay."
Maya sniffled out, "It's not okay. I let you guys down. I'm your captain, I'm supposed to be good for you guys."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kuni Ayugai said. "You didn't let us down, you never have! I wouldn't want anyone else to be my captain."
"Kuni's right," Shana Lee added. "Think of how far we've come! In the course of B Rank Wars alone, we've all gotten so much better. Kuni's been dedicating so much time to this, and got us the best info and strategy ever, all with a sense of humor! Eri here practically mastered on the fly shooting, she could totally give Nasu or Izumi a run for their money! I've gone from being the first person out to our "rock"! And you, Maya, you've been the best captain ever. You always keep us motivated, and with sick double sword skills, you're not too shabby in a fight either! So instead of thinking of all the bad you're feeling right now focus on the good!"
Maya gave her friends a sad smile. "You guys are totally right, and I know it. I just… I just don't want to accept that this is another year of nothing changing." She took a deep, shaky breath. "Things have been hard on me recently. I feel like I'm supposed to have everything figured out, I'm 18, but I just don't."
"We don't care what you think of yourself because we'll always think the best of you," Eri comforted. "We're your friends. It's what we do."
A knock came at the door to the Tsukiko Squad's operating room. Kuni opened it to find the lanky figure of Kaede, Maya's younger brother. She invited him in.
Kaede looked at his sister. "You okay? I know this is a rough loss but you guys fought great out there!"
Maya shook her head slightly, but said, "I'm fine."
"She's beating herself up about it, thinks it's her fault," Shana said, telling the full truth.
"Anything you want me to do for you?" he asked Maya.
She smiled genuinely and wrapped her brother in a hug. "I love you so much, you know that? You're the best."
Kaede smiled. "I know."
Hello again, everyone! So here it is, Volume 2 of my tale of the Tsukiko Squad! Hopefully, this will show off that I've grown as a writer since I last used these characters, and maybe show that they've grown with me, beyond just the year and a half time skip. Since I'll be updating in real time, if you have any suggestions or want to see your favorite characters or OCs show up, let me know! I hope you're ready to join me on another adventure because we've reached "The Next Road!"