Chapter 7
A Friend in Need
"Hey, hey!" Yukino says one morning to Akane. "All of us are going to the karaoke tonight. Want to come along?"
Akane looks up from her desk and gives her a sad smile. "No, thanks. I wish I could, but I got . . . some things to take care of."
Yukino frowns. "Again? Akane-chan, it's been like a week and a half since you two never spoke to each other! When are you gonna snap out of it?"
"Until I can find a way to get Tomoko to understand my feelings for her and that I'm really sorry about all this."
Kanade steps in and looks at her classmate. "You two have to make up somehow. It can't just be that, you know."
"Yes, but look at her," Akane says, looking at the poor shy girl diagonally from her.
The twins look over to see Tomoko just sitting there, not even looking up.
"I hurt her feelings because of what I did to her," Akane says. "And I'm sorry if I had kept it from you guys as well. But . . . what I really want is for her to forgive me."
"Then, why don't you two talk it over?" Kanade suggests. "It would probably be better if she had heard everything from you."
"I already tried that, but she wouldn't listen to me," Akane says.
Yukino looks at her friend in worry. "I'm so sorry, Akane-chan. Tomoko-chan must be taking this pretty hard."
"Yes, because she had loved me and I broke her heart," Akane says. "Now, I don't know if things will ever be the same between us anymore. It's over."
Yukino frowns at her. "Don't say that! You two have been friends for a long time and you know you care about her a lot, right? You've been helpful, kind and even been by her side for the longest time since she failed to make any new friends at middle school. And even though you were popular back then, that never stopped you from caring for her. I'm sure Tomoko-chan will get over it once you try to reason with her."
Kanade nods in agreement. "You're her best friend, Akane. And no one like it when best friends fight or hate each other."
Akane glances over at Tomoko who is getting ready to leave.
"I'll . . . think about it. I'm not gonna do it right now, but . . . I need some time."
Yukino smiles and hugs her friend. "Good luck, Akane-chan. Kana-chan and I know you can do it."
"Let us know if you two make up, okay?" Kanade says.
"I will." Akane says.
As everyone begins to leave, Akane stares at her pink haired friend as she leaves the room. Tomoko, she thinks to herself. Will I ever have a chance to be forgiven?
During afternoon classes, Tomoko is still thinking about what she will do if she faces Akane. It is still too hard for her to even talk to her, even though she had a talk with Yukino about letting Akane apologize. The incident still plays in her head as she begins to wonder if she'll ever trust Akane again. What should I do? she thinks to herself. I mean, I want to forgive Akane-chan, but . . . why is it that I'm feeling that I should lay it off? Could it be that I still can't trust her after what she's done? One tear drops onto her paper. I do love her. I love Akane-chan. But . . . after what had happened, I just can't bear to face her right now, seeing that I had loved a liar. Is she . . . really going to let go of Akari-chan for her own sake? For her, Tomoko doesn't even have the answer for herself. The problem continues to grow and grow, leaving the shy girl more indecisive on whether to forgive Akane or not.
As soon as class ends, Tomoko stands up and leaves the room immediately. She walks alone in the halls when she looks up to notice Akane walking by with the Sakurai twins. They were too busy to even notice Tomoko walking by and the shy girl didn't even care. She just wanted to be alone for a bit longer. And so she keeps on walking until she gets to her next class. And even though she tried to pay attention to the lectures, she couldn't help but think about Akane.
"Hey, what's going on with her?" Shizuru asks as she notices Tomoko looking depressed when the bell is just about to ring in a few minutes.
"She's just heartbroken," Kanade replies. "She was in love with Akane this whole time without Akane even realizing it. And then Tomoko came to find out about Akane's long kept secret when she was starting to get over her love for her sister. And now Tomoko is thinking that she was being used and never spoke to Akane since."
"That sounds terrible," Natsuki says. "I hope they can try to talk things over."
"I hope so, too," Yukino says while resting her head on her hands. "But it's been like a week and a half since the two never spoke to each other. And that makes me very worried."
Shizuru and Natsuki exchange looks and sigh. They still don't know what to do to cheer up either of them, considering that they are keeping their distance from each other for a long time.
"Well, I don't know what to say," Shizuru says, sadly. "It seems like Akane-san and Tomoko-san are never gonna make up any time soon."
Yukino frowns. "Hey, don't say that! How is that gonna help the situation?"
"They just have to figure it out for themselves," Natsuki points out. "That's why I don't think either of us are gonna help out."
"She's right," Kanade says.
Yukino pouts her lips. "Aw, man! And I thought I was doing a great job giving Tomoko-chan advice!"
Her younger twin just pats her on the back. "You tried your best, Yuki-chan. But now, the rest is up to her."
"And Akane-san," Shizuru adds. "Besides, where is she anyway?"
"She's just on cleaning duty," Kanade replies. "She'll be back soon."
"Are we gonna still invite them to our karaoke night?" Yukino asks.
"I don't think they are going," Kanade says. "Remember Akane told us that she had some things to take care of?"
"Then, what about Tomoko-chan?"
"I'm thinking she's not gonna go either," Kanade says. "She's been depressed for a while now, so I think asking her wouldn't be such a good idea."
"Aw, man!"
There is silence for a while until the bell rings for dismissal. Everyone gets up to leave, including Shizuru and Natsuki who waves good-bye to the Sakurai twins. When everyone leaves, Kanade and Yukino decide to stay a bit longer and wait for Akane to come back. Tomoko, on the other hand, had already left to go home. The twins look at each other in worry, hoping that the shy girl would be alright walking home by herself.
A couple minutes after Tomoko left, Akane comes in the room to grab her bag when she notices that the twins are still in the classroom.
"Huh?" she tilts her head in confusion. "Why are you two still here?"
"We just decided to hang out with you for a bit before doing anything else," Kanade replies.
"Besides, we're starting to worry about the both of you," Yukino adds. "You two shouldn't be that distant from each other for that long."
Akane sighs. "I'll think about it."
Kanade and Yukino exchange looks and smile at each other. At least they can repair some of the damage, but what about Tomoko? Since she's already gone, there's no way they can convince her to forgive Akane now.
Meanwhile, instead of going home, Tomoko is at the streets, just walking around for a bit. She had texted her little sister that she's gonna be a little late coming home, in which she got a reply of "OK". The streets were sort of busy in this part of town, which makes Tomoko a little uncomfortable, but goes with it for now. She stops by a stop light and waits for a bit while looking at her watch. It's about 4:30 pm and the sun is about to set. Looking up at the sky, her mind fills up with memories of Akane. She mostly remembers the time where they had officially first met and spoke to each other.
**Flashback**
Back in middle school, Tomoko was alone with no one to talk to. There was no way she was able to talk to Akane if there are other people talking to her. She was too shy to talk to Akane during that time, for she knew she was in love with her the moment she first saw her. So, she just sat on the steps in the front of the school, waiting for her parents to pick her up when someone familiar approached her.
"Hey," she said gently. "Are you okay?"
Tomoko looked up to notice Akane standing in front of her with a soft smile on her face. "Oh! Y-yes! I'm fine! I'm just waiting for my parents to pick me up!"
"I see. Well, do you mind if I sit next to you? I'm actually doing the same thing."
Tomoko blushed at her offer. "O-of course! Go ahead!" She couldn't believe that Akane had asked her to sit with her! It was like a dream come true!
Once Akane let herself sit next to Tomoko, there was silence for a bit. Tomoko was fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, trying to find something to talk about, but found nothing. She felt like an idiot for not speaking to the most popular girl in the school just because she was so shy about it. Then again, this was the first time she had ever come in direct contact with Akane, so it was a little surprising for her.
But before Tomoko started to speak, Akane beat her to it.
"You know, I always wanted to talk to you since the moment I saw you," she said.
Tomoko gasped. "You did?"
Akane giggled. "Yes, but you kept on running away from me when I tried to approach you. I guess you couldn't find the right time to talk to me, isn't it?"
The pink haired girl blushed again. "I-I guess."
Akane looked up at the beautiful sky. "Well . . . I may be the most popular girl in school, but to be honest, I can get pretty tired of it once in a while."
Tomoko raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought you liked the popularity."
"True, but sometimes, these teens can be pretty annoying, like sending me a bunch of love letters, or a lot of people talking about me all the time. Sometimes, I just want to be alone for a while."
"Oh, I didn't know this was actually hard for you." Tomoko started to feel sorry for the girl. Popularity can be pretty amazing, but considering that she's so popular, it had started to get pretty crazy for Akane. It's like a pop star or amazing actor shows up in school and people would just gather around that person whenever he/she shows up.
Akane shook her head and smiled at the girl. "No, it's fine. Besides, it's nice to have a break once in a while, right?"
Tomoko nodded as she blushd again. "Um, A-Akaza-san, since we're here, I wanted to ask you something . . ."
Akane put out her hand. "I know. You want to be friends with me, right? I don't mind."
"Oh! Y-yes! I want to be friends with you indeed!" She gently took Akane's hand. "Um, my name is Tomoko Yoshikawa! Call me Tomoko!"
"It's very nice to meet you, Tomoko-san," Akane said. "My name is Akane Akaza. Call me Akane."
"Akane-chan!" For the first time in her life, she had made a real friend. And it's with the most popular girl in school. She had felt confident in herself now that she was able to talk to Akane. It was the best moment of her life.
"Hey," Akane said as she let go of Tomoko's hand. "Maybe some time, the two of us can hang out together. How about this weekend?"
Tomoko gasped at the offer. "Y-yes! I would love to!" Her face is deep red from saying this.
Akane giggled. "Okay, then it's settled. Here, let's exchange numbers so that we can call each other." She took out her notebook, tore a page off, folded it in half and wrote down her house and cell phone number. "Call me anytime, okay?" she said as she handed the paper to Tomoko.
"S-sure. Here, I'll give you mine!" She did the same thing as Akane did and hands it to her.
"Thank you," Akane said. "I hope we can be great friends this year."
"I hope so, too," Tomoko said with a smile. Maybe even more than friends, she thought to herself.
**End of Flashback**
Tomoko could never forget that day, ever. Since they had done that, they had hung out together almost every day. They got to know each other, play together, and even talk to each other during breaks at school. Akane had even invited her to sit by her during lunch. Tomoko was very happy that she had made a great friend. However, she had kept her love for Akane to herself for a long time, just in case if someone were to find out. She sighs as she notices the light changing.
"Akane-chan," she whispers.
As she walks across the street, she doesn't notice a couple of guys in gray clothing and wearing hoods on their heads. They were secretly watching her from a distance and her appearance had caught their interest. So, they begin to secretly follow her around.
"Shall we go?" Akane says. "We practically did everything we could to study for our next test."
"Sure," Kanade says. "We've been here for an hour, right?" She looks out the window to notice that the sun is setting. "Wow, what a beautiful sunset."
"Yes," Akane says. "It sure is."
"Why can't it always be like this sometimes?" Yukino asks as she stares at the sunset as well.
"Weather perhaps," Kanade says.
"Well, despite all that, the sunset looks really beautiful out there," Akane says. "Which reminds me of a time when Tomoko and I watched a sunset like this at a park that one time."
"Oh, when was that?" Yukino asks.
"I guess during middle school," Akane replies. "It was a few weeks after we first met and introduced each other. Tomoko had called me and decided for us to hang out at the park that weekend. So we did and even had a picnic together. We had a really fun time together."
"That sounds really nice," Kanade says with a smile.
"Now why can't you have fun with Tomoko like this?" Yukino says, pouting her lips. "You two should've made up by now!"
"Yuki-chan, we've discussed this before," Kanade sighs. "We don't need to go back there again."
"Oh, right. Sorry about that! Ahahaha!" Yukino laughs nervously.
"Well, let's get going before it gets any later," Akane says.
"Oh! I want to buy something for Shi-chan before we head home!" Yukino says. "She wanted some twinkies from that little shop in town. Maybe I'll buy some for myself, too."
"Okay," Akane says. "I don't mind going."
"Sure," Kanade says. "But don't buy too much. We're just making this quick, okay?"
"Alright!" Yukino says. "Let's go!" She pumps up a fist in the air, making Akane and Kanade sweat drop.
Meanwhile, Tomoko is on her way home, stopping by the last light. Once it changes, she looks both ways and proceeds to cross the street. However, she takes a glance at some hooded figures who are staring at her. This makes her feel very frighted by those two figures and begins to walk a little faster. But the hooded figures follow her, making their way closer and closer to her. Tomoko is really frightened by this and makes a run for it.
"Hey, wait baby, come on!" one hooded figure begs.
Tomoko keeps on running and turns around a corner, only to find a dead end. Oh, no! she thinks to herself This is bad! She swiftly turns around as the hooded figures approach her as the shy and frightened girl backs away until she bumps into the wall.
"There's nowhere to run, babe," a man's voice coming from one of the hooded figures says.
"W-what do you want from me?" Tomoko stammers.
"Oh, we only want you," another man says. "Besides, you're very cute when you stammer like that."
"So, let's take some time to get to know each other, shall we?" the one hooded man says.
"N-no," Tomoko says quietly. "I-I have to get home."
"Oh, it can wait," Hooded Man #1 says. He reaches a hand toward her and touches her cheek. "Right now, let's have some time together."
Hooded Man #2 reaches his hand toward Tomoko's small chest and rubs it a little. "Oh, feels really nice!"
"Ah!" Tomoko moans in pain. "S-stop it! Please! Eyah!"
Hooded Man #1 uses his other hand to slip onto Tomoko's legs and slides his hand gently across her long thigh high socks. "Oh, silky smooth. Like a little girl again."
Hooded Man #2 continues to rub Tomoko's chest. "Ah, yes. Those are real soft and warm."
"Hey, this girl's legs feel even better," Hooded Man #1 says as he looks up at her. "Now then, how about we kiss? You're such a cute young woman."
"Yeah, she's pretty cute indeed!" Hooded Man #2 says.
"What do you say" Hooded Man #1 asks as he starts to lean in towards her lips.
Tomoko furrows her eyebrows and shoves him away. "GET OFF ME!" She uses her purse as a weapon to whack one of them out of the way and kicks the other one in the guts and tries to use this chance to run away.
However, Hooded Man #1 grabs hold of her by the arm and throws her back against the wall. Hooded Man #2 pins her and kicks her in the guts for payback. Then, while Tomoko clutches her stomach in pain, the two hooded men pin her against the wall. Hooded Man #1 snatches out a knife and puts it real close to her neck.
"It seems like we need to teach you some manners," he says, slyly.
Tomoko trembles in fear as she stares at the man. Just then, she feels something rub under her skirt, which makes her moan in pain again.
"Now this feels a lot better," Hooded Man #2 says. "Shall we?"
"Yes," Hooded Man #1 replies as he proceeds to take his turn to rub Tomoko's small chest.
"N-no," Tomoko squeaks as she continues to feel the torture the two are putting on her. "Stop . . . NOOOOOOOO!"
"Did you hear that?" Yukino says as she swiftly turns around. "That sounded like Tomoko-chan!"
"It is," Kanade says. "I wonder what's going on."
"Well, let's find out," Akane says. "Come on!"
The three girls run off to find where the screaming is coming from. It gets louder and louder and Akane runs ahead of the twins to make out where the sound is coming from. Pretty soon, she turns to a corner and finds her poor friend being raped by two hooded men and this makes her furious.
"HEY!" she shouts at the top of her lungs. "LET HER GO, YOU CREEPS!"
The two hooded men look over and smile slyly at her.
"Oh, now what do we have here?" Hooded man #1 says.
"I guess we have a more beautiful woman, man," Hooded Man #2 replies.
Akane-chan . . . Tomoko thinks to herself.
Kanade and Yukino soon join Akane and glare at the two.
"You better let her go!" Yukino says. "Or we'll make you guys pay!"
"Oh, and how are you gonna do that?" Hooded Man #1 says. "You can't stop us."
"Not if I can help it," Akane says, coldly. She steps in toward them and points her finger at them. "You let her go right now."
Hooded Man #2 comes toward Akane while cracking his knuckle. "Try me." He takes a swing at her, in which she ducks and kicks him in the guts and delivers a roundhouse kick to the back, making him tumble to the ground.
He quickly recovers and smirks. "Heh, so you think you're so tough, huh? Well, bring it on, you witch!"
"Feel free," Akane says, coldly.
Hooded Man #2 charges at her again, which she dodges and shoves him against the wall and kicks and punches him from head to toe. He struggles to his feet, but Akane is too fast for him. Pretty soon, his face is starting to get covered in blood and bruises from Akane's intense kicking and quickly cowers away.
"Shoot!" Hooded Man #1 growls.
"Akane-chan!" Tomoko says.
Akane turns to take back her friend when Hooded Man #1 takes out a gun and pulls her away while holding it up against her head.
"One more step and she's done for," he says.
Tomoko is on the verge of tears as she looks over at her friend. "Akane-chan . . ."
Akane clenches her fist while gritting her teeth at the man. What choice does she have? Risk her own life for Tomoko, or let her poor friend get killed?
"Hey, just let her go already!" Kanade cries.
"Shut up!" the hooded man shouts. "This is just between me and her!" He looks up at Akane. "So, what's it gonna be?"
Akane glares at the man. "Let her go now, or pay the price!"
"Oh, you're the one who's gonna be paying the price if you take any step closer," he says as he puts the gun closer to Tomoko's head.
Tomoko continues to tremble as she fears of getting shot at any second. "Please, Akane-chan. Just go. You . . . you don't have to worry about me."
"No!" Akane shouts. "I'm not leaving without you! You're my most precious friend to me! No . . . it's more than a friend. I love you, Tomoko! I truly love you as my own girlfriend!"
Tomoko gasps at Akane's confession.
"Yes," Akane says, smiling at her friend. "I really love you. And I'm sorry for breaking you heart in the first place."
Tomoko's heart beat rapidly as more tears try to force their way out. Maybe she really does care after all, she thinks to herself. I feel . . . so happy.
"How touching," the hooded man says sarcastically. "But that doesn't stop me from trying to get rid of you and her!" He shoves Tomoko out of the way and points his gun at Akane. "Time to die, witch!"
"NOO!" Tomoko dives in to tackle the man out of the way to save Akane.
The red-haired girl gasps. "Tomoko!"
The hooded man quickly recovers and hits her in the face with his gun. "Stupid witch! Trying to interfere, huh?"
"Hey!" Akane shouts. "Don't you dare hurt my friend!" She charges at him and punches him in the face hard. Then, she tries to grab hold of the gun, in which the man struggles to point it at her.
Tomoko slowly recovers and sees Akane struggling to fight the man. "Akane-chan!"
Akane uses all of her strength to push the man and grab the gun out of his hands and throws it against the wall. She then grabs him and pins him against the wall and punches him in the face again. But before she could do it again, the hooded man punches her two times and kicks her to the ground.
"I'll make sure you stay down," he growls as he takes out his knife and pins Akane to the ground while trying to stab her to death.
"Not so fast!" Yukino tackles the man out of the way to save Akane this time. Akane recovers as Yukino kicks him about 3 times in the guts, grabs him and pins him against the wall while punching him hard in the face twice, making him tumble to the ground again. Kanade is already on her phone, calling the police and tells them their location. She then hangs up shortly after and notices Yukino putting her foot on the man's back while putting up a fist in the air. Apparently, she had tied the man's hands up while he was still on the ground, making him unable to move for a bit.
"Where did you get that rope, Yuki-chan?" Kanade asks.
"From our garage," Yukino replies with a wink. "I felt that it should be used for safety reasons in case we get into trouble and apparently, it has paid off, only at a crime scene."
Kanade giggles softly at this. "Well, good job, Yuki-chan."
Akane looks over to Tomoko and quickly runs toward her. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No, I'm fine," Tomoko says softly. She looks up at the red-haired girl with tears in her eyes. "A-Akane-chan . . . you . . ."
Akane quickly embraces her tightly. "It's okay. I'm right here. There's no need to afraid. You're safe now."
Then, Tomoko couldn't hold it in anymore and lets out her sobs while hugging Akane back. "Akane-chan! Akane-chan! Thank you! Thank you for saving me! I . . . I thought I was a goner until you guys showed up!"
Akane pulls away and smiles at her. "I couldn't let my friend get hurt, especially from some tough guys like them."
"Just like that one time," Tomoko says. "Where you had saved me from some bullies. That was really brave of you."
"Yep!" Yukino says with a wink. "She's one brave girl!"
Tomoko stares at the red-haired girl with tears still falling from her eyes. "So . . . is it really true this time? Do you really love me?"
"Of course," Akane says softly while caressing her cheek. "I'm not lying this time."
"B-but I thought you . . ."
"Yes, I had loved my sister for a long time. But it's over now. Akari had found someone she loves, so I have to move on. And I already did, by loving you instead."
"Akane-chan . . ."
"I love you, Tomoko. Will you promise to stay by my side from now on?"
The pink haired girl nods. "Yes. I promise."
Then, the two lean in and share a warm and passionate kiss. Kanade and Yukino exchange looks and smile at each other. This is the moment that no one is ever going to forget. And Tomoko is finally happy.
A/N: Only one more chapter left! I know, it's sad, but some stories have to end in some way. (giggles) And for this, I felt that this needs a little action, since I like a good fight in some shows. So, I decided to add a little fight scene for my climax to the story.
Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)
