"Eh! Yui is sick?" Nodoka exclaimed looking at the other K-On members.
"Yeah she's got a cold," Ritsu said, "it was apparently because she slept with a yutaka on."
"Why would she even have a yutaka in the first place?" Nodoka asked in complete surprise, though in retrospect she wasn't that surprised either that Yui would do something like this.
"Apparently she liked the idea of playing with our yutaka on, of course we all eventually thought it was a bad idea, but you know Yui…" Ritsu sighed.
"Well I'll visit her after school," Nodoka said, "I'm sure Ui would appreciate the help as well."
"You're really nice to her aren't you," Mio remarked making Nodoka slightly blush inside. Of course she was nice to Yui, she had known the Hirasawa sisters for as long as she had lived. It was unthinkable that she, their childhood friend, would not visit them when one of them was sick; though Nodoka often wondered why would their parents be off travelling the world and leaving their daughters unattended! It was unthinkable and Nodoka was sometimes angry at their parents for doing such a thing, however the Hirasawa sisters managed to get through their life alright albeit with a few hiccups.
The school ended and Nodoka quickly began walking towards the Hirasawa residence, she had brought Yui's favourite snack as well as a few things for dinner. She might as well cook them dinner while she was there, she had done it before and she always enjoyed cooking. She knocked on the door as Ui answered the door, "Hello Nodoka you're here to visit Yui?" she asked with a smile, an apron already on her.
"Hai, I heard that she caught a cold," Nodoka replied.
"That's right…she wore her yutaka to sleep yesterday and I didn't have the heart to tell he to change. She looked so cute in it~" Ui said hearts coming out from her.
"I-I see…" Nodoka said not very much surprised by the reaction, she always knew that Ui had feelings for her sister. She had talked to Nodoka about them often and as always Nodoka would coerce Ui not to act on those feelings lest Yui became too attached to Ui and that was disastrous in anyone's book. "Well would it be alright if I cook dinner and see how Yui's doing? I have homework for her as well."
"That's alright please come in," Ui said with a smile, Nodoka nodded and first went up to Yui's room and saw the girl lying on the bed. She smiled at the sight and giggled a little, Yui looked so cute sleeping right now, it was almost unbearable.
"You…always causing problems for everyone," Nodoka said teasingly walking into the room and placing the grocery down. She then knelt down next to Yui and brushed a few strands of hair away from her face, "I remember the first time you got sick you know…you got a cold just like now and you were shivering nonstop and coughing all the time. Obaa-chan tried her best to calm you down, but your sister wouldn't stop worrying and fretting over you, eventually I had to snuggle next to you. I can remember you hugging me and drawing me closer to you…you felt really hot and you were sweating a lot. I remember pressing my forehead onto yours and then you immediately calmed down…even though you were asleep you still searched for me…it made me feel happy." She closed her eyes and remembered her heart pounding from the excitement, the joy that she felt, she wanted to feel that joy again…to feel needed once more.
"The other K-On members are worried about you, you know," Nodoka added, "Ritsu still can't believe that you actually slept with your yutaka…I bet you looked cute in that…you always looked cute in anything," a brief smile came on her face as she felt her heart pound against her chest again. She licked her lips and her fingers were on Yui's cheek, tracing a line to her lips as she rubbed the barest of skin against it, the lips looked so sweet and pure…something that defined Yui's very soul and nature.
"Hey Yui…I…I want to tell you something, I don't know if you can hear me but…I thought you should know," Nodoka whispered her eyes locked onto Yui's face. "I…I know it's wrong of me considering that we're girls, but perhaps it isn't if it's you, I don't really know how to respond to something like this. But…" Nodoka's mouth opened and closed, trying to find the right words, the words that she wanted to say as the years went by…but finally, because of her logic and duty as a 'childhood friend' she closed it and simply said, "no it's nothing…don't worry about it."
Nodoka then moved to go make dinner standing up while her heart continued to ache, another chance lost and probably for good, but perhaps it was for the best. "N-Nodoka-chan…" Yui's sweet voice echoed as she turned to see Yui, in the grip of another feverish dream reaching her hand out looking for her.
"Yui…" Nodoka whispered before she took her hand before she was then suddenly pulled as an oblivious Yui tried to hug her, Nodoka chuckled and she then laid next to Yui as the girl hugged Nodoka closer to her. Her heart pounded even more and Nodoka knew that if she didn't take advantage of this situation now she would lose it forever. "Yui…I…I've always wanted to say this," as she looked at Yui's sleeping face, "I…I love you…but I know you could never reciprocate it," she admitted before she leaned forward and her lips touched hers.
It was a fact that Yui would never know love if it hit her on the face, perhaps in time she would find someone who would be able to love her and she loved him back. But Nodoka could never be that person, she cared too much for Yui for that to happen, so for now all she needed to do was become what she had always was: a childhood friend.