Kazuki Sendo opened his front door and stepped out onto the landing.
"I need to go and grab some groceries from the store, but you guys can just make yourselves at home!" Sendo closed the door, leaving his guests alone.
Eimi Ohba and Yuu Inagawa stood awkwardly in the lounge/bedroom of Sendo's apartment. Inagawa was the first to speak up.
"So, Eimi Oh-bad, what brings ya here? Shouldn't ya be out botherin' your 'fans'?" Inagawa crossed her arms as she smirked, but her voice seemed to lack her usual enthusiasm. The difference was not lost on Ohba, but she decided against commenting on it for now, choosing instead to go back with her own remark.
"Hah, I doubt a hot spring panda like you would even know what it's like to have your own fans! Besides, as the Queen of Doujinshi, I can come and go as I want to!" Ohba gave her hair a swish for emphasis. "What's a big stupid panda like you doing here anyway?" Inagawa seemed to recoil at the question more than the insult.
"I wanted t' speak with Kazuki about my last doujin…" Inagawa looked down as she spoke, her tone reserved.
"Aw, did the panda not sell as many copies as Eimi again?" Ohba mocked.
"Sales ain't the only things that matters, y'know! Ah, why am I botherin' explainin' to ya, like you'd understand. Just leave me alone." Inagawa walked over to the desk set against the wall, removing her large framed glasses and setting them down.
"Oh, I see! The nasty otaku at Comic Party said mean things about your super lame doujinshi!" Ohba mocked. Inagawa placed her hands on the desk, leaning on it as she lowered her head.
"Yeah…"
"Huh?" Ohba was taken aback by the resignation in Inagawa's voice.
"I tried my best, poured everythin' I had into that doujinshi...an' they tore it apart. Half of the people that bought it told me they were disappointed in me right t' my face. The other half told me by letter a couple o' days later." Inagawa's eyes began to water. "It shouldn't sting this much, I should be used to it by now an' just move on. But I can't, Eimi, it hurts so much…" Tears were falling from Inagawa's eyes as she hung her head. "I tried so hard…"
Ohba could feel her own eyes watering as she watched Inagawa sob. She walked up beside her, raising a hand to place on her shoulder, before pulling back. "Yuu, come on, don't cry." Ohba tried to reassure the distraught girl.
"But you were right Eimi...my doujin-"
"Was super awesome! Eimi read it and loved it! You always said that the artists passion and love for the characters were the most important things when making doujinshi, and I totally got that when I read your doujin!" Ohba raised her hand again, placing it gently on Inagawa's shoulder to reassure her. "You always give it your all, even when your manga don't sell as well as mine! Even then, you never stop doing your best for your fans. Whenever I read your doujinshi, I think; 'Wow, Yuu's got so much passion for manga, I can totally feel it in every panel!', and it inspires me!" Inagawa turned towards Ohba, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.
"You mean it, Eimi? You liked my last doujinshi?" Inagawa asked hopefully, moving closer to the other girl.
"Of course Eimi liked it! She loves all your manga! Anyone who doesn't is super lame!" Ohba said. She gave a genuine smile, which Inagawa returned.
"Thank you Eimi, I never thought you could be so kind to me."
"Of course! We aren't just rivals, after all; we're friends!" The two girls were very close together by now. Their smiles faded slightly as tension began to build. Inagawa was the first to speak.
"Eimi, I've been meanin' t' say this t' ya for a while…" A blush crept it's way onto Inagawa's cheeks.
"If you're saying what Eimi thinks you're saying, then can we…" Inagawa nodded. Both girls leaned in. "I never told you," Ohba whispered, the two girls' lips mere inches apart. "You have such beautiful eyes, Yuu." With that, the girl met in a soft kiss. They both wrapped their arms around each other, deepening their embrace. After a few moments, they parted lips, but kept their arms tightly around one another. They leaned their foreheads together, breathing the same air. The two remained still for several moments, content simply to be close with each other.
"Hey guys, I'm home! I was quicker than I expected to be, but I got what I needed." Sendo announced as he opened the front door and walked inside, carrying a plastic bag full of assorted groceries. Only once he moved into the lounge/bedroom did he fully take note of his friends proximity. "Oh, did something happen while was out?" Sendo asked cluelessly.
"Hot spring panda." Ohba said quietly with a faint smirk.
"I'm your hot spring panda, Eimi Oh-bad." Inagawa responded with a smirk of her own.
The two brought their lips together once again, all but oblivious to their friend not five feet away. At the very least, Sendo had plenty of material for his next manga.
(A/N: Well, that turned out better than I expected. I've had this idea in my head for a few days now and really wanted to write it down, and I'm rather happy with the result. If you are wondering, however, why I chose to use surnames outside of dialogue; I felt it might further emphasise the difference between the characters using nicknames and real names. I hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading.)