As soon as we had finished exams our freshman year in college, my parents took Ui and I to travel through some of the countries that they have been to. For some reason, I couldn't contact anyone back at home with my phone, but I figured it would be fine if I didn't talk to them for a while. They would all still be there when I returned home. Ui and I enjoyed everything we could find on what I had dubbed 'Yui and Ui's Awesome Adventure.' As we continued through Paris, I made a mental note of places Azusa would find interesting. I was sure that someday I could take her traveling with us. Half way through our vacation, my heart felt heavy and I had a feeling something bad had happened. I asked Ui about it, but she just told me I was probably imagining it. I pushed the feeling to the back of my mind and went back to enjoying the last of the sites before returning home for my second year of college.
Upon returning home, the first thing I did was change clothes after throwing my luggage in my room and sprinted out the door. I had to see Azusa. Despite pushing the bad feeling to the back of my mind, I still couldn't help but worry. As I rounded the corner to Azusa's street, I ran headlong into someone walking my way.
"Sorry, sorry! I didn't see- Ah Ricchan!" I tackle hugged her as soon as I recognized her. I enjoyed spending time with my parents, but I still missed my friends.
"Yui! Comrade! How I've missed you!" She hugged me back before grinning. "So where are you running to? You just got back, didn't you?"
"Ehehehe~ I did, but I wanted to see Azunyan." Her grin faltered for a split second before she patted my shoulder.
"I just came from her house, actually. She isn't feeling too great right now, so how about we let her rest up. I'm actually about to go meet Mugi and Mio at a café if you want to come with." I shot a worried glance towards Azusa's house before agreeing to go with. If Azusa isn't feeling well, I wouldn't want to bother her. I followed Ritsu down the street and around the corner to a small café on the corner of the street. I'm guessing she had been here before since I didn't even know this place was here. Upon seeing our entrance, Mugi and Mio flagged us down; the two of them surprised to see me there. I smiled at them as I sat down.
"Yui-chan, when did you get back?" Mugi asked as she slid her slice of cake towards me. I accepted it and thanked her before answering.
"We just got back today. I ran into Ricchan and she told me she was meeting you guys here, so I decided to come with." I took a bite out of the cake as Mugi nodded before looking over at Mio. She was looking at Ritsu with a worried look, but when she caught me staring, she smiled and immediately went to distract me.
"So where did you go? Last thing we heard from you was that you were leaving with your parents. We didn't think you'd be gone all of summer break." Ritsu nodded in agreement before grinning at me.
"Yeah yeah! We tried having practice sessions and everything. Tell me comrade, what have you seen?" I set the fork down and saluted her with a not-so-serious expression, causing the others to laugh before I told them about my vacation. I told them everything from the places we visited to the food we ate. They laughed again when I told them about all the delicious cake and sweets I had. The one thing I didn't tell them though was the bad feeling I had.
"...And I also called our trip 'Yui and Ui's Awesome Adventure!'" I finished before starting on the cake again.
"That's pretty awesome, Yui." Ritsu said, nodding. I smiled and pointed my fork at her.
"You're only saying that 'cause you can't think of a better name." She grinned and rubbed the back of her head. I waved my fork around at the other two.
"So what did I miss while I was gone? I couldn't call anyone while I was out there." When I looked down, I noticed they all looked at each other before Mugi spoke up.
"Well as Ricchan said, we tried to get together for practice, but we decided to hold it until you came back." Mio nodded and opened her mouth to add something, but was interrupted when her phone went off. After reading over the message, she pocketed her phone and stood up.
"Looks like my parents are staying at my aunt's house tonight, so I have to go pick up something dinner. Ritsu, do you want to stay over tonight?" Ritsu leapt up out of her chair as I finished the last bite, standing as well.
"I wanna go shopping too! Maybe I can bring something home for Ui~"
"I would like to go shopping as well!" Mugi stood next to me and we both pouted at Mio, causing her to roll her eyes.
"Alright, let's go already."
xxxx
Upon reaching the shopping center, my eyes were immediately drawn to a cute kitten plush that reminded me of Azusa. I decided then that I should get it and give it to her as a get well soon present. After making my purchase, I hugged it close as I followed everyone, lost in thought.
"Hey is Azunyan just sick? I was hoping to see her when I got home..." Mio stumbled and reached for Ritsu to regain her balance, only to drag her down as well. Mugi managed to sidestep the whole fiasco and reached to help Mio up as I grabbed Ritsu's hand.
"Is everyone alright?" Mugi asked, looking them both over.
"Yeah we're okay." Ritsu threw her arm around my shoulder and grinned. "Don't worry about Azunyan. She just has a cold and should be fine in no time! Just stay away from her. We don't need you to get sick again, right?"
"Eheheh." I rubbed the back of my head. She was right; I didn't need to get sick. But I was still worried about Azusa. Everyone was edgy and they weren't telling me something. I decided I should sneak off to her house to check on her anyway. It wouldn't hurt, besides I have to give her the plush kitten.
"Eheheh well I should probably get going. I ran off without saying anything so Ui's probably worried. Besides, maybe she made dinner already." I bid goodbye to everyone before turning to leave the shopping center. As soon as I turned the corner, I broke into a run. I still had a bad feeling and the fact that no one was telling me anything was only making me worry more. I slipped on a piece of paper and stumbled a bit, but continued running. I slowed down a bit as I turned the corner onto Azusa's street before slowing to a walk. Upon reaching her house, I gave myself a moment to catch my breath before knocking on the door. A woman opened the door, which was safe assume she was Azusa's mother.
"Hello I'm a close friend of Azusa's. I was wondering if it's okay to see her." Her mother stared at me for a moment before giving me a weak smile.
"I'm sorry, I don't think she wants to see anyone right now. Maybe you should come back later." She moved to close the door, but I stopped her.
"Can you tell me what's going on? No one is telling me anything at all..." She regarded me again before opening the door a little and sighing.
"I don't quite know myself, since Azusa refuses to speak to anyone. But from what I can see, she was in a fight with someone and it got physical." My eyes widened with shock. Azusa? In a fight? It just doesn't seem right in my mind.
"Ah one more thing. Can you please give this to Azusa-chan when you get a chance? Thank you very much." I handed her the plush and bowed before heading home.
xxxx
I sat on my couch staring at the TV, though not really watching it. Ui was scrambling around, making sure she had everything prepared for the next day. Tomorrow is the day that Ui, Azusa and Jun all go to see if they got into the same college. The rest of us are apparently going with them as moral support, along with taking them to lunch if they get in. I have no doubts that they got in, I just wanted to see Azusa. Which reminds me...
"Hey Ui~"
"Hm?" She looked up from what she was working on and came over to me immediately. "What do you need, Onee-chan?"
"Ah I was just wondering... Did you and Azunyan have any problems when we left?"
"Problems?" I nodded before adding, "Yeah at the school. Anything out of the ordinary at all?" She thought my question over for a moment and I took a sip from the cup she placed in front of me not too long ago. "Nothing really happened to me, but if I'm not mistaken, I think there were quite a few people picking on Azusa-chan. Though I don't know why."
"Eh? Why would anyone want to pick on Azunyan?"
"I don't know but she didn't bring it up again, so I thought it stopped. Did something happen?" I shook my head before smiling and changing the subject.
"So are you excited to be attending to the same college as us?" I bounced in my seat ask she chuckled and refilled my cup.
"Well I don't know if we got in yet..."
"Aw come on, Ui. I'm sure you got in! Me and Ricchan got in!"
"W-well... That is true..." I smiled and told her how awesome college was. How the teachers didn't care what you did, as long as you didn't disrupt the class or waste their times. I talked until I noticed her yawn before abruptly ending my sentence without finishing.
"It's almost midnight. I think we should head to bed." After bidding each other goodnight, I went to my room and crawled under the covers, not even bothering to change into my pajamas. I sighed before rolling to stare at the ceiling. None of this sat right with me. Who would ever want to pick on Azusa? She isn't the type of person to antagonize anyone; she's the exact opposite. So why...? Another sigh escaped my lips before I curled up under my blanket. I slowly drifted off, the question of why echoing in my mind.
xxxx
Strangely enough, Ui and I were the first to arrive at the college. After a few phone calls, it was determined that everyone was on their way. Jun was apparently walking with Azusa and just got off the bus. The anticipation killed me as I waited for my kouhai, babbling to Ui about different types of cakes. I was in the middle of telling her how the strawberry was the important part of the cake when I saw Jun and Azusa over her shoulder. Jun was staring at Azusa, a worried expression on her face. I then looked to examine Azusa. The clothes she was wearing were a little baggy and she was wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled up.
"Wait here, okay?" Ui nodded as she watched them approach, concerned as well. I walked to meet Jun and Azusa, all of us stopping. Not taking my eyes off Azusa, I addressed Jun.
"Can you go on ahead and take Ui with you? I'll take Azunyan." She looked between us before nodding and running to Ui. I took a deep breath before stepping closer.
"Azunyan?" She didn't move when I called her name. Sighing, I reached out to cup her cheek and turn her face towards me. She flinched when I touched her, but didn't do anything as I examined her face. There was a scratch across her cheek that was almost healed. She had a bruise across the side of her neck that looked like it had been worse. I felt the anger building in my chest as I continued examining her. Why would anyone do this? Finally I glanced at her eyes.
They were empty. As if someone ripped out her soul. I could feel my heart fall to pieces as I stood there.
"Azusa." Her eyes sort of focused me, causing me to sigh again. I don't know why I was so incredibly calm. I pulled her into my arms and hugged her as tight as I could without hurting her.
"I'm sorry. I should have been there to protect you." I held her there for a moment before letting go, only to grab her hand. After I examined her face one last time, I led her on to the college grounds.
Ritsu, Mugi, and Mio had already met up with Ui and Jun when we arrived. The three of them shot worried glances at my unusually blank expression as I led Azusa past them. It kind of irked me that they hadn't said anything to me, even though they knew I would have found out sooner or later. But they were my friends and I couldn't stay mad at them forever.
It seemed we had arrived earlier than I thought, as there weren't a lot of people here yet. Pulling Azusa with me, I lead her to the result board as the others talked quietly behind me, their eyes watching me. My eyes scanned the board as I searched for Azusa's name, smiling once I found it.
"Look Azunyan, you made it. Just like I knew you would." I squeezed her hand before turning to the others and smiling. After it was determined that Ui and Jun got in as well, we all went to the Max Burger conveniently placed at the end of the street. I wasn't particularly hungry, so I just ordered a soda and listened to the others converse while keeping Azusa's hand in mine. As I suspected, she didn't get anything to eat either, worrying me a little. I conversed with the others while keeping an eye on Azusa. She just sat there, staring at the table and not moving. Deciding we had been there long enough, I stood up, pulling Azusa with me.
"We should walk everyone home." Ritsu agreed with me while Mugi and Mio nodded. Once we stepped outside, I looked over at Ui.
"Jun and I can walk home together while you guys take Azusa-chan home." She grabbed Jun's arm and dragged her away while waving goodbye to us. I mentally thanked Ui before heading to Azusa's house, keeping her hand in mine. The walk was quiet aside of a few whispers behind me as the other three conversed amongst themselves. I allowed myself to space out, occasionally glancing at Azusa to make sure she was alright. Her expression was still blank as she allowed me to pull her along. It was almost as if her mother knew we were coming, as she opened the door right as we reached it. She ushered Azusa in before looking at me. I told her Azusa made it into the same college as us and she thanked me before shutting the door. I was calm when I turned to face them. Mugi was fidgeting and playing with hem of her shirt. Mio looked like she wanted to cry while Ritsu watched my every move. I sighed before asking them what was on my mind.
"So what happened to her?" I kept my features blank as I awaited my answer. They obviously knew from the way they were acting. Finally after a moment of silence, Ritsu cleared her throat and stepped forward.
"It's uh... Actually a long story, so how about we walk and talk, okay?" She glanced at Azusa's house before patting my shoulder and leading the way towards our houses. Once we were around the corner, she started her explanation.
"Seems like over the years, you've gained quite a fan club, Yui." I shot her a confused look.
"I have a fan club? But how...?" Mugi sped up to walk next to me and smiled at me before explaining.
"Just over the last few years between the school concerts and our very few live performances, people have taken a liking to you." Ritsu nodded in agreement before continuing.
"Unlike Mio's fan club, which is still growing strong, yours isn't too nice." We stopped at the intersection where Mugi usually leaves us. She smiled apologetically before waving and taking her leave. We continued walking as I asked another question.
"So are they the ones who..."
"In a sense, yes they are. From what we gathered, they had said something about you, which caused Azusa-chan to retaliate." Mio answered from my left. We walked in silence as I thought that over. So she got in a fight over me? That still can't be right. Even with a little fight, she wouldn't look so completely broken. What aren't they telling me...? We arrived at Mio's house and after saying our goodbyes, Ritsu and I continued walking. We made it as far as the small park between their houses before Ritsu grabbed my shoulder to stop me.
"That... Wasn't everything, Yui. There's more..." I nodded and waited patiently for her to continue.
"I was walking by when I found her. They were so vicious too. I managed to scare them away before attending to Azusa. But... She was like that when I found her. I didn't know what to do, so I took her to her house. She's been like that ever since." She watched my face for a moment before putting her hand on my shoulder again.
"Listen Yui, the girls aren't the only vicious ones in your little fan club." She squeezed my shoulder before turning and walking to her house, leaving me to stand there.
"So there are guys as well..." I felt myself getting angry as I pieced two and two together. This just wasn't right! Why would anyone want to hurt Azusa in any way, shape, or form? I looked up at the sky as a few raindrops landed on my head. I sighed once again, allowing the anger to leave me, before turning and making my way home.
xxxx
I was lying on my bed and staring at my ceiling, listening as the rain pattered against my window. After arriving home, I informed Ui as to what happened before climbing into bed and passing out, mentally exhausted. Second year of college didn't start for a couple days, but that was least of my worries. I sat up and made my way downstairs to the living room. Ui was busy doing something in the kitchen, so I made myself comfortable on the couch. Using the TV as background noise, I allowed my mind to wander.
Since waking up, I had been trying to decide what to do with Azusa. Really, there was not much I could do. But I would have given anything to see her smile again. Seeing her broken like this hurt so much. I was jerked from my thoughts by someone knocking on the front door.
"I'll get it~" I leapt over the couch and made my way to the door. Who in their right mind would be out in the pouring rain? I pulled open the door and to my surprise, my kouhai was standing there. Azusa was drenched from head to toe as she clutched the cat plush I had given her for dear life. I grabbed her arm and pulled her inside before shutting the door. I informed Ui that Azusa arrived as I dragged my kouhai up the stairs and to the restroom. For now, I needed to get her out of the wet clothes and could ask questions later. I ran to my room to grab some clothes for her before running back, grabbing a towel on the way. I examined her face for a moment. There was some life back in her eyes, but she still looked completely broken. I waited patiently outside the door for her to finish changing. When the sound of movement stopped, I let myself in and grabbed her hand to drag her to my room. I would deal with her clothes later; I had to take care of her first.
I sat her down on my bed and started drying her hair. I sighed before deciding to speak.
"Azusa..." I started slowly. She flinched at the sudden sound. I lifted the edge of the towel to look at her face. "Can you tell me what happened?" She stared at the floor as tears started to form. I sighed and put the wet towel down.
"I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong." She shook her head slightly, causing me to sigh once again. I brushed her bangs out of her face and kissed her forehead before telling her she could use my bed if she was tired. As I left the room, I turned to face a very worried Ui. I led her downstairs before asking a favor.
"Do you think you can call Azusa's house? Maybe we can find out what happened from them, since she still doesn't want to talk." When Ui nodded, I turned to head back upstairs. "I'll take care of her wet clothes." I returned downstairs a moment later with Azusa's wet clothes in hand and made my way to the dryer. After depositing the clothes and switching the machine on, I turned to find my sister standing in the door way, looking upset. I gave myself a moment to breathe before asking,"...so what happened?" Ui gave me a worried look before sighing.
"Azusa-chan... Well... She told her parents what happened." I nodded and beckoned for her to continue. "And well... Long story short, they didn't believe her and kicked her out..." My expression blanked out as my anger rose. How could they not believe their own daughter? What kind of parent accuses their daughter of lying after she's been- I took a deep breath and allowed myself to calm down enough to smile a Ui.
"Thanks for your help, Ui. I'll go up and comfort her." I turned and made my way up to my room.
I shut my door behind me with a click as I examined Azusa's face. She was staring blankly at the floor, though I could tell she had been crying since I left. With holding a sigh, I crawled on my bed. Once I made myself comfortable, I pulled Azusa close until her back rested against my chest and I held her there in silence. Other than a sniffle every now and then, she remained quiet.
"Azusa..." She jumped at the sudden sound, so I pulled her closer and rested my chin on her shoulder. "You don't have to tell me what happened but I want you to know that I'm here for you if you ever need me. You're also welcome to stay as long as you need to, okay?" I smiled when I felt her nod and I squeezed her before letting go and moving to set up a place for her to sleep when I felt a tug on my sleeve. I smiled when I turned to face her. There were tears in her eyes and she was looking at the floor again, but I could see she was blushing. Changing my mind, I crawled back in bed and wriggled under my blanket after shutting off the light. I scooted over a little bit before lifting the blanket and patting the spot next to me. Wordlessly, Azusa crawled in my bed and snuggled close to me, causing me to smile. After making sure she was tucked in and warm, I hugged her close and we both fell into a dreamless sleep.
xxxx
I slowly opened my eyes and looked around my room before deciding it was still too early to get out of bed and curling close to Azusa. It's been four days since she showed up on my doorstep and she hasn't left my side since. Ui and I made arrangements for her to live here for as long as she wanted. She was getting better, but she still refused to talk. I sighed inwardly as I brushed stray hair out of Azusa's face and softly traced her jaw. Just as I pulled my hand away, there was a light knock on the door before Ui let herself in.
"Onee-chan, we have our orientation in an hour." She told me quietly as she gestured to herself and Azusa.
"Ah that's right. You go ahead and get ready. I'll wake her up."I looked back to Azusa as Ui excused herself. The sudden noise caused her to stir and I thought we woke her up, but she just snuggled closer to me. I smiled before deciding it was time for her to wake up.
"Azunyan~ It's time to wake up~" She mumbled something that sounded vaguely like five more minutes before nuzzling against my neck and going back to sleep. I hummed for a second before running my fingers through her hair, content with waiting those five minutes. When those five minutes ended, I tried to wake her up once again.
"Azusa~ I think you should wake up now~" She nuzzled against my neck again, but this time looked up at me. We stared at each other for a moment before I leaned forward, only to change my mind at the last second and kiss her forehead instead before smiling at her.
"It's time to get up, okay?" I watched in amusement as she blinked at me a couple times before nodding. I hugged her tight before crawling out of bed, not giving her the chance to fall back to sleep. I padded over to my closet and pulled out something to wear and told Azusa to get ready for her orientation before excusing myself to the restroom to change. Now that I thought about it, I had no idea where my classes were, since I had been fretting over Azusa the entire time. Making note of the time, I looked at Azusa to make sure she was getting up before making my way to the restroom to change. On my way back to my room, I ran into Ui who offered me toast before wandering back downstairs. Azusa was sitting on the edge of my bed munching on her toast while watching me pack my school bag. When I finished, I beckoned her to follow me and we made our way downstairs to leave for the university. As soon as we were out the door, Azusa slipped her hand in mine and held it tight. I squeezed her hand and smiled at her before leading her and Ui to the bus stop. I engaged my sister in idle conversation as we got on the bus, tired of the silence. We had both agreed to only asking Azusa yes or no questions, since she didn't want to speak. I really missed her voice...
"Onee-chan, let's go." I snapped out of my thoughts as Azusa tugged on my hand, signaling we reached the university.
"Ehehehe I guess I spaced out." I rubbed the back of my head as I followed them off the bus and out to the courtyard. As soon as we rounded the corner, I saw Mugi and Mio sitting under a tree and Ritsu flailing her arms around. Smiling at the sight of my friends, I pulled Azusa along and walked up to them.
"Captain! Yui reporting for duty, sir!" I saluted Ritsu with a goofy smile on my face as Mio, Mugi and Ui giggled.
"Comrade! Where have you been? I've been dealing with a tsundere all morning without backup!" Ritsu tackled me and pouted, pointing at Mio.
"Hey don't start that again. It's not my fault you didn't want to get out of bed this morning." Mio and Ritsu bickered with each other while Mugi giggled at their usual antics. It felt like everything was slowly going back to normal. I squeezed Azusa's hand and smiled before getting everyone's attention.
"I think we should take Ui and Azunyan to the auditorium now. I have to go look for my classes before they start anyway. I forgot where they were." I smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of my head again while Mio rolled her eyes and Ritsu gave me a thumbs up. I chatted with everyone as we walked towards our destination. I apparently had classes with Mio, Ritsu and Mugi all up to the last two. I was by myself then, which I didn't mind at all. On our way, we ran into Jun who apparently got herself lost. I turned to face Azusa when we got to the auditorium while the others kept walking to the entrance.
"Are you going to be okay without me?" I played with her bangs as I watched her eyes. I could see she was determined, but I could also see she was scared. I smiled at her before pulling her into my arms.
"You'll be okay. Ui and Jun will be with you. And if they can't help you, come and find me, okay?" I felt her nod and I squeezed her before kissing her forehead and letting go. Smiling at her blush, I led her to the others before we had to depart. I know she would be fine, but I still couldn't help but worry.
xxxx
I rubbed my eyes as I left my last class for the day and yawned. Even though I had a full night of sleep, I still managed to fall asleep mid-lecture. I yawned again as I headed towards Azusa's class to pick her up. As I got closer though, I heard loud voices and slowed down to listen.
"...think you are?"
"Yeah we saw you walking in the courtyard this morning with Hirasawa-sempai. You were even holding her hand!"
"What makes you think we'll let you get away with this?" I felt my anger rise again as I walked faster.
"Listen, I'm sure we could resolve this peacefully..." When I rounded the corner, I found Azusa hiding behind Ui, who looked like she was trying to fend off the angry people. They were surrounded by seven girls and three guys, all who I'm guessing were in that fan club of mine that Ritsu told me about.
"You're Hirasawa-sempai's sister right? We just want Nakano, so step aside."
"That won't be necessary." All eyes turned to me as I blanked out my expression and stepped forward. The guys looked surprised while the girls looked speechless. Ignoring them, I walked up to Ui and Azusa and stood in front of them, turning to face the fan club. As soon as I turned, I felt small hands grip the back of my jacket and Ui move to stand beside me.
"H-Hirasawa-sempai! T-This is a surprise!" I looked the girl over before smiling at her.
"I'm assuming you all are in the fan club of mine I've heard so much about?" They all nodded in unison and I turned to face them.
"Since you are all in my fan club, are you all willing to listen to what I have to say?" Again they all nodded in unison.
"Listen. I've heard of everything you have done to Azusa. Everything." I stared each of them down before continuing. "Now I'm usually a carefree fun loving kind of person, but if you ever go near Azusa again, there will be hell to pay. Do you understand me?" Each of them looked shell shocked as they nodded. I heard the others coming up behind me, so I left them to deal with the fan club and turned my attention to Azusa.
"Azunyan, are you okay." I hugged her tightly when the tears started to fall and held her there. I tightened my arms around her and rested my chin on top of her head when she started to shake. As I held her there, I listened as Ritsu and Jun, who just arrived after hearing what had happened, made sure the fan club understood I was serious and made sure they left. When I felt her calm down enough, I pulled back enough to wipe the remaining tears off her face and smile at her.
"Feeling better now?" She sniffled as she nodded. "Would you like to go home?" When she nodded again, I patted her head and turned my attention to the others. They were conversing amongst themselves, waiting for me to finish comforting Azusa.
"Hey guys, I'm going to take Azusa home, okay?"
"Aww but we were going to visit that one cake shop again! Comrade, how could you abandon your commanding officer?"
"Ritsu calm down." We all giggled when Mio hit Ritsu. I then turned to Ui.
"Ui~ Are you coming with us?"
"Sorry Onee-chan. I have to go to the market to buy a couple things for dinner. But I'll be home as soon as possible." I pouted before waving goodbye to everyone and taking Azusa back to my house.
The ride home was silent as usual. I had become used to the silence and had decided to wait until Azusa came completely out of her shell. I wasn't going to force her to speak, since I knew she would say something when she was ready. Before I knew it, I was unlocking the front door and ushering Azusa up the stairs so she could take a bath first. After deciding I didn't feel like lazing around the house, I picked up Giitah and sat on my bed before playing along to our various songs. I was in the middle of Samidare 20 Love when Azusa walking in, clutching a towel. Smiling, I set Giitah back on his stand before taking the towel and drying her hair.
"Y-Yui-sempai..." I paused, a smile already forming before I lifted the edge of the towel to look at Azusa.
"Yes Azusa?" She gripped the edge of my shirt as she looked everywhere but me. I could see the tears forming again, but something told me it was for something different. I removed the towel from her head and fixed her messy bangs while waiting for her to speak up again.
"I... I'm sorry..." She glanced up at my confused expression before starting again. "I-I'm sorry. For all the trouble I caused. A-and thank you. For everything you've done for me. You've done so much for me a-and I just-" I'm sure she would have kept rambling if I hadn't decided then to just kiss her. When we broke apart, I smiled at her while she stared at me with a dark blush spreading across her face. I wiped the remnants of her tears away with the back of my sleeve before pulling her in for a hug. I buried my nose in her wet hair before speaking.
"Azusa… I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you." I released her and cupped her cheek before leaning forward, pressing my forehead against hers and closing my eyes. I took a deep breath before continuing.
"I never want to see you like this again." I opened my eyes and stared into her garnet ones. "Azusa. I promise I will always be here to protect you, no matter what. I won't let something like that ever happen to you again." I brushed her tears away as they started to fall and smiled at her. "You are much too important to me. I don't know what I would do if I lost you." She covered her mouth to stifle a sob as the tears flowed freely down her cheeks. I smiled softly at her before pulling her into my arms again.
"I wasn't done with my confession silly. You're supposed to cry after." She choked a laugh out before pushing away slightly and smiling at me. It was the first smile I had seen since I came home and I couldn't be happier.
"I love you, Yui Hirasawa." I could only smile as I kissed her again.
And everything felt right in the world once again.
Omake
"…And so, we're together now." I held Azusa's hand tightly in mind as I waited for my friends to speak. I had no problem telling any of them, while Azusa was having second thoughts. It was quiet for a few seconds before Mugi turned away as she attempted to stop her nose from bleeding.
"Ah Mugi-chan! Here!" I handed her a few tissues that I had in my pocket before turning to Ritsu as she started laughing.
"Hey hey Mio! They're together now. How about you and I go out too!" I handed Mugi more tissues as Mio stood there and gaped.
"Come on, Mio! It's the same thing we have now, except we get to hug and kiss and have se-" Mio hit Ritsu pretty hard from the looks of it, since she crumbled to the ground.
"Um… Mugi-sempai… Should I call an ambulance? You're losing a lot of blood…" I squeezed Azusa's hand and smiled at her.
"Well… I think they took that well." Azusa sighed and looked around before smiling up at me. "I guess they did."
A/N: Yay~ It's done~ I have lots of explaining to do, so I'm going to start rambling.
This was a dream I had back in October. My subconscious needs to stop trying to kill characters off. First With You, and now this. But yeah, there was a lot more stuff to it than what I wrote. Like Azusa ended up getting pregnant, she tried killing herself, and Yui and Ritsu were teaching her how to defend herself. . But yeah. I cut it out because I thought it was too depressing.
The omake was added at the last second because I'm hyper and it was funny in my head. -face/palm- It's out of place, isn't it? T^T
I'm sorry if people don't like if I scene jump to a later part of the day. This whole thing was a dream I had to modify to make sense and read-able.
Also, sorry if I don't write as well as the other amazing people here on ffnet. I do try.
I did this beta-less until yesterday. My main beta/co-writer is off in air force land and can't look my stuff over. My second beta is forgetful and is just as lazy as I am. x.x
I can't think of anything else to say, so here you guys go. Tell me what you think, kay? mkay.
EDIT: Ah i know what I missed. Okay despite this being a dream I had, it was also semi based off real events with a friend i had once. A memory, if you will. Her friends all refused to tell me what happened because they knew I would go ballistic, hunt the person down, and tear them to shreds. I found out on my own several weeks later and life was hell after that. I of course was angry, but at that point, I couldn't do anything. So I did what I could for her. Of course in this story, Azusa gets a happy ending. And sometimes, I wish real life worked that way.
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