Words from the author: Yeah, this is my first fanfic that I've posted on here (believe me, I've written a lot of them that didn't make the cut) so just sit back and read it through. As stated in the summary, this takes place three years after the familiar fourth year crowd has graduated (5 years since the anime left off) and everyone has distanced themselves it seems, or at least that's how I thought of it. Thought of this story while staring out the window at the snow falling while driving on the highway up to Oregon. There might be some OOC from Nagisa but you have to remember how much time has past, and what she's been through which will be revealed later in the story, so stick around till I finish this completely. It's gonna be short: probably no more than 5 chapters if even that, so it should go pretty quickly. Anyway, please enjoy and put a review in case I missed something!

Disclaimer: I do not own Strawberry Panic or any of the characters mention, because if I did, I would have listened to the voters that read it when it was still in the magazine and made Tamao and Nagisa a couple. =3

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The soft snow fell in spirals all over the city as winter had begun in Japan. People crowded the sidewalks and shops, doing some Christmas shopping before everything was bought while automobiles were at a stop and go pace all along the roads. A bus filled with passengers was no exception to this, and continued its daily route of letting people off and on throughout the city. Sitting at a window seat near the back of the bus was a young woman of twenty, staring vacantly out the glass as she watched the urban society scroll by leisurely. Her long blue hair fell down her back, as the days of tying it up were long past, and her amethyst eyes had a blank look to them as she watched the swirling snowflakes drift onto the city's streets. Suzumi Tamao, having graduated from St. Miator Academy for Girls was now a part time writer working and living on her own at her apartment, which happened to be her next destination at that moment.

She continued to blankly stare out the window, not really seeing or caring what passed by when something suddenly caught her eye: something, or rather someone she hadn't expected to see ever again. She quickly sat up and pulled on the rope above her, signaling the driver to stop and let her off the bus. Descending the stairs to the ground, she hurried back to where she thought she saw a quick flash of familiar red hair.

"So it was you…" she murmured as she stopped in front of a woman the same age, sitting upon a suitcase on the sidewalk with a downward stare. The reddish vermilion hair of Aoi Nagisa was dusted with powdery snow as was her jacket that looked as though it was only draped over her shoulders. Her normally bright and cheerful auburn eyes had an empty and distant look to them, and her somber expression was in high contrast to her normal personality. Her shoulders shivered from the cold slightly, causing the loose snow to fall to the ground, making Tamao wonder how long she had been sitting there.

"Nagisa-chan?" She spoke hesitantly as the other girl started at the sound of her name. Jerking her head upward, Nagisa's face was a mix of surprise and confusion as she saw Tamao looking down at her from where she sat on the sidewalk. Tamao was slightly unsure how to act as she looked down at her friend from her school days whom she hadn't seen since graduation, and was uncertain what she should say in the current situation, except for the obvious that popped into her mind at that moment. "What are you doing out here?" She walked over and brushed the snow off of Nagisa who began to stand up but brought her hand to her forehead as she was suddenly overcome by dizziness. "Hey, are you okay?" Tamao asked worryingly as she noticed the gesture.

"Yeah I'm fine, Tamao-chan. I've just been sitting down for too long and stood up too quickly," Nagisa replied in a shaky voice, trying her best to put on a smile for her friend. Tamao, however, wasn't fooled by the façade and made sure that Nagisa knew it.

"Nagisa, I may not have seen you in three years, but I can still tell when you're lying," she lectured the red head and grabbed the abandoned suitcase which still sat on the ground. "Come on, I'll take you back to my place to warm up." Suitcase in one hand and Nagisa's arm in the other, she hailed a taxi to take them back to her apartment. After putting the suitcase in the trunk, Tamao ushered Nagisa into the cab and sat next to her, closing the door behind her.

"Where to, Miss?" the driver asked, turning to Tamao while slinging an arm in the window gap separating the back seats from the front.

"699 Tsukimi Way, please," she answered quickly glancing at Nagisa in her peripheral vision. The red head didn't look very well, which made Tamao worry if she got a fever from sitting out in the cold. The car lurched forward as the driver stepped on the accelerator and pulled into the main road for the traffic-filled drive. Tamao draped an arm over Nagisa's shoulders and pulled her closer, trying to keep her warm. "I'll make you some tea when we get to my house, okay Nagisa?"

"Yeah. Thank you Tamao-chan…" she mumbled as she rested her head against Tamao's shoulder, drifting off into a light sleep from exhaustion. Tamao sighed slightly with a troubled frown on her face, and stroked the other girl's hair softly as she laid back in the seat, continuing her staring out the window.

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A/N: So that's the beginning of my story and I've hope that you're still around reading this. Otherwise, this was a complete waste of time and I'm sorry for taking up space on the ever expanding Internet. The next chapter should be up in maybe a week if I haven't died from playing Guitar Hero too much. Oh, and if you reviewed, then that would be much appreciated =D