Prologue:
'EH?!" the tsundere voice cried out in surprise as her tiny blue haired friend raised an acceptance letter up in her face.
"Y- you got into a university?" It wasn't the fact that her friend has actually managed to get into a university; it was more how quickly she got in. Konata was the first of the four to receive her letter of acceptance.
"Hehe" the blue imp chuckled. "I got accepted before the great Kagami or Miyuki! Wait until hears this, she'll explode" she was definitely enjoying herself; it was very rare for Konata to get anything before Kagami in the educational sense, accept perhaps detention.
The taller girl face slowly changed from shock to a cheerful smile.
"Well, at least you'll perhaps take your work more seriously, as I won't be there to help you this time!" she exclaimed with one hand placed firmly on her hip while the other wagged a finger down at Konata.
"EH!" She exclaimed in sense of realization. "But, but! You'll keep in touch right! You are MY Kagami after all." She sat in place and stretched her arms out as if Kagami was hard to reach, when in truth she was only a few steps away.
"Eh?" It was the purple haired woman who was now confused again as she raised an eyebrow. "Why would I not keep in contact with you shrimp? We are friends after all." She rested her head on her fist and smiled softly as Konata's face seem to light up in excitement.
"Yo-you really mean that Kagami." Konata's eye widen large she had thought possible for her.
"Well, I wouldn't go as far as Best friends, I think Miyuki or Miaso might win that award." She gave a harsh yet playful chuckle as Konata slammed her head hard onto the table.
"That was meeeean Kagami!" She pretended to sob as the other girl laughed.
"You've earned it!" she blushed for a second as she out stretched her hand and placed it atop Konata's, causing the smaller girl to stop her crocodile tears and perk up. "But whatever happens, I will ALWAYS be here for you Konata."
"Kagami…" The two smiled softly at one another, until the sound of the door opening caused Kagami to let go and scramble to make it appear she was working.
"I've got the ice tea, huh? Did I intrude on anything?" the younger Hiiragi sister said as she looked around the room.
-Four years later-
The warm ray of lights from the early afternoon sky hit the floors of Ryōō High school, cooking the floor as the cold air swept through the empty corridors and drowns each classroom.
In a very familiar class room the rhythmic beat of a pencil on a desk escapes through the door and into the halls only to be consumed by the sound of approaching feet and the inventible swoosh and slam of a class room door.
"YAHOO! GOOD AFTERNOON HIIRAGI!" The Loud brunette shouted into the empty classroom as if it was an all-powerful roar. Startled the purple haired girl almost dropped her pencil and dropped from her chair, if she had not clung to the edge of her desk.
" !" she hissed as she gave a rage filled stare towards the brunette just managing to calm her fearful heart. She flicked her singular ponytail back behind her and straightens her trousers. "IF YOU DO NOT 'MIND' I AM TRYING TO TEACH My class.." Her anger died down as she looked out and soon realised that her class room was completely empty and void of life.
"Caught up in your studies 'AGAIN' Hiiragi? Eh~ If you would of pulled your nose out of that smelly old book you would of seen that it's quitten time." The pointed tooth women chuckled. Kagami sighed and looked up at her fellow teacher, I guess things really had not changed. Despite getting a job, Misao, or should she say was the laziest teacher in the building, even more so than . But then again, Misao 'WAS' a gym teacher Kagami thought as she chuckled to herself.
"Don't pick on Kagami" Ayano had just decided to step into the room; Kagami wondered how long she was standing outside in the hall. Another great example how things hadn't really changed, these two were still 'ALWAYS' near each other, Kagami suspected that the only reason Misao became a gym teacher, was because Ayano became a teacher too.
The only REAl thing that had changed between them was that Ayano had recently dumped Misao's older brother, if Kagami remembered correctly from Patty, Miaso had not just stuck up for Ayano but also got in a fight with her brother over it.
Her thoughts continued to spiral on as the faint sound of Miaso could be heard calling out to her…"Kagami~ Kaaaagami~"
"EH! Oh, sorry, I was just letting my thoughts spiral, what did you want?" she had a gentle flush over face from embarrassment.
Miaso let out a small chuckle. "The great Miaso, that's me and Ayano." She wrapped her arm around Ayano pulling her close, "Would like to honourably invite you out for SAKE, RAMEN AND GOODTIMES! Want to come?"
There was a long pause from Kagami as she tried to take in everything that had just been said from her spike tooth, she raised her hand and shook it the two.
"I'm sorry guys, it's Friday and I've got to help my sister at her bakery, it's the only time I really get to see her, you know?" She shrugged with a happy smile on her face.
Ayano darted her eyes about as she tried to choose her next words carefully, but she came to terms there was no easy way of saying it. "Do you think, Konata will be there this time?"
The room went silent, only the echo of the wind through the corridor could be heard as everyone waited for someone to shatter the silence, it was eventually Konata.
"EH! Who cares, Miyuki extended her an invite, but if she doesn't show it's her own fault. I'm just there to see my sister." Her words were so angry, but she couldn't help but clutch her chest slightly as it seemed someone had stabbed her with a knife and yet there was no blade.
Miaso let out a large guffle of laughter and pattered Ayano heavily on the back. "That's right, good radiance to her I say! Good radiance, all she ever did was waste your time-AH!" Miaso quickly stopped as Ayano grabbed her friend's wrist tightly and pilled her from the room like a disobedient child.
Kagami sighed as she could hear the two bicker down the hall. She cleared away her things and slowly holstered her bag and made for the door, it was not long before she had made her way to the parking lot of the school grounds.
Kagami was rustling through her bag as her heels clacked against the tarmac on the way to her car, she searched through the bottomless pit to find her keys, but to her surprise she instead pulled out something she had long forgot about. She held it in plain sight as she stopped at the window to her car.
Her fingers etched their ways over the engravings of "Kagami and Konata forever." As the sound of train screaming into the station ripped through her mind.
It's now three years ago, she is eighteen years old, and she is standing at the train station. This was the last day she saw her. Back
"Call me when you need help, GOT THAT! H-E-L-P, not answers, I won't even be taking the same classes as you, so even if you begged, I can't help you all that much." Kagami had just finished lecturing Konata on as to when she was to call her, she watched as her friend nodded in approval, but looked back with a mischievous grin and she leaned and curled herself around the taller girl.
"But what am I to do if Kagami gets lonely~ I don't want my Kagami to be lonely" Kagami could not push Konata off of her any sooner as her face lit up a bright shade of red.
"Cu-CUT THAT OUT!" she flustered "Now get going your train is here!" She pointed mix of anger and confusion, only Konata could get her heart racing like this and they both knew why, or at least, Kagami Thought she knew.
"OH! Before you go" Konata reached into her pocket and held up a hand carved wooden charm. "Here, for you Kagami, it will help keep us together." Konata held up another identical charm.
Kagami traced her fingers on it and slowly looked up at Konata. "Konata I…" she was cut off as the train silenced all with its mighty whistle.
The small girl jumped and started running towards the train. "See you at Christmas!"
"See you on Christmas!"
But that Christmas…
Konata didn't show, not even at her own house, or the next Christmas after. It seems like the only person who had seen her, was Miyuki. Reality slowly clawed its way into Kagami's skin dragging her back despite how hard to stay in a memory. She clutched her fingers around the trinket and hurled it in the air, tossing it a good distance.
"KONATA!" She cried out as she let tears stream down her face. "Why didn't you show, why, WHY! why did you break our promise Konata." She dropped to her knees and wept. It was a good few minutes, after the tears had dried and the trembling has stopped before Kagami could stand up, she raced over to the charm picking it up and nestling it upon her chest, rocking her body slowly from side to side slowly. "Konata…"
The next few minutes were a blur for her, she remembered climbing into her car and then the next thing she knew she was at her house.
Her house was not that far from her parents, but what would you expect when they were the ones who bought it? It was a small two-story house. One main bedroom and one guest room, one toilet, one bathroom and with the dining room, kitchen and living room all crammed together into one. It was not bad; it felt very homey, very lived in. Even if it was empty.
"I'm home." Kagami cried out, again forgetting she was not living with her parents as she slid off her shoes and made her way to the kitchen,
The fridge door opened letting an icy chill wrap around Kagami's body as she examined the inside, despite having a nice house to herself, she did not have much to eat. Most of her dinners were packed up reheatable meals that Tsukasa made last time she was round or take always she ordered. She did not dare try to cook for herself.
She unwrapped some plain rice and chicken katsu as she made her way over to to the microwave, placing the meals in and letting them warm up.
Just then her phone started to shake with dull humming of the vibrate, she reached into her pocket and looked at the screen, to see that it was Miyuki calling, a smile crept over her lips as she pressed the answer button, placing the phone to her ears.
"Hello, this is Kagami Hiiragi." As she reached into the dinging microwave and pulled out her meal, hissing to herself as she carried the steaming hot food out and onto a plate.
"Hello Kagami, It's Miyuki~" She smiled radiated down the telephone line.
"I know Miyuki, I have caller ID." Kagami let out a small laugh as she set her dinner out on a plate, she could hear Miyuki becoming embarrassed as she realised her mistake.
"AH! I'm sorry Kagami, I'm using the land line at the hospital, I have just finished my shift actually and I'm happy to note, I HAVE got tomorrow off, unlike last time." She smiled happily with a little flushed cheeks, last time she was meant to be staffing so new recruits, but had completely forgotten, leaving them standing in the hospital waiting for her.
"Good thing you were able to convince them that it was all part of their training." Kagami gave a chuckle as she stared at her meal, almost ordering it to cool down quicker.
"Ah, I still feel bad for them, I shouldn't have to lie to them." She sighed heavily. "But at least I got to spend more time with you and Dear Tsukasa" she stated as she rubbed her cheek in a very pleased manner.
"Dear tsewkasa?" there was a confused pause from Miyuki before Kagami remembered to swallow her food before talking. "Sorry, I'm cooking dinner, Um, what did you mean by Dear Tsukasa?" She puzzled her smarter friend.
"OH! Ah, nothing, it's just we've become such close friends since she broke her leg, It's nothing really~"
Kagami didn't really buy it all that much, but she was quick to deem it harmless and continued eating. "Uh-huh, so How have-" She stopped mid sentence as she heard Miyuki talking to someone on the other end of the line, there was a surprised gasp from her before Kagami felt it safe to ask. "Is everything okay."
"Yes, yes, I just um, nearly left with my lab coat on again." Miyuki sighed as she heard Kagami roar with laughter down the other end of the phone.
"I-I I'm sorry Miyuki, but that's the third time you've done that this month~" she continued to laugh, and Miyuki decided to wait for her to stop before they continued their conversation.
Kagami let out a deep sigh of relief before continuing. "Aaah, I'm sorry Miyuki, but that was amazing." She whiped a tear from her eye as her breathing became normal.
"Want to continue this conversation in the morning? Miyuki asked in her naturally sweet voice.
"Getting embarrassed already?" Kagami couldn't help but snicker slightly.
"Actually… there is a line forming behind me" She sighed.
"I understand, I'll see you tomorrow." She hung up and finished the rest of meal, before sitting down and watched some TV, understand that her sis was probably watching it too and it's always nice to have something to talk about. She continued to watch TV even after the show had finished and slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.
Author Comments:
Hi everyone, long time no see? I'm sure you were expecting something else right? Maybe? Chapter five?
Well I'm sorry I have been gone so long, but I have been busy and I wanted to redo this for awhile, I hope you guys like the revised chapter of number one. BUT! I'd like to hold your horses for a second and tell you that, while I am back, it might take awhile for Chapter five to appear, for I plan to redo all previous chapters, which, with atop of Christmas, university and the start of my new web comic. Might take awhile.
OH!
And before I forget, a comment to a reviewer that has been nagging me for ages.
IT IS A LAB COAT, CHECK WIKIPEDIA, they are called white coats, laboratory coats, Or simply lab coats.
Hope to see you guys soon.
