Epilogue
When you're only trying hard for your own sake
You'll just get sick and tired of it
So hang on to someone's smile
And open up your future together!
"Hey, Hanayo. Do you know who wrote this song?" Maki murmured to her classmate after the members of lily white began practising the second track of their single in front of the other members of Muse.
It was another typical afternoon practice session on the rooftop, the music being played out from the radio placed next to all the remaining members who were watching attentively. It was mere weeks before their next live now, and they were struggling to perfect all their performances.
Hanayo frowned as she struggled to recall the relevant information she had only heard once in passing. "I think Rin-chan said it was Nozomi-chan and Umi-chan who wrote it together... Why?"
"I just can't help but feel that it was written for someone in particular... and if it's those two who wrote it, I guess we know who are the people they were thinking of."
"Seeing Maki-chan so concerned about the others... is kind of reassuring," the brunette let out a chuckle.
Maki immediately flushed red while she turned her gaze away. "No-Not really! I was just curious since music is my domain in the first place!"
"Oho, is Maki-chan being dishonest with her feelings again?" Nico interjected herself into the conversation. "What are you all whispering about anyway?"
"We were just talking about the song. We think Umi-chan wrote it for Honoka-chan and Nozomi-chan wrote it for Eli-chan but..."
"Ah... So you were talking about the last couple that just refuses to get together."
Hanayo felt a surge of blood to her face even though she herself was dating Rin. "I guess you could say that."
"I... I have nothing to do with this," Maki muttered as she turned her attention back to the practice.
"Don't worry about Maki-chan, Nico will bring her around sooner or later~ But what do you have in mind, Hanayo?"
"I don't know yet. But they've helped us so much, all of us..."
Turning their gazes, the two of them watched the rest of the team carefully. The song was going smoothly, and they could feel every ounce of emotion the members of lily white were putting into their singing. In the end as school idols, it was probably the best way they knew how to express themselves.
And throughout the song Eli's eyes never wavered from Nozomi, who also seemed to be glancing in her direction more often than she should be. A fact not lost on Hanayo and Nico.
Making up her mind, Hanayo continued where she had trailed off earlier.
"... I just think it would be nice to do something for them."
Hey you...
Don't you think you're doing it wrong?
You shouldn't be worrying about things all by yourself
There's no fun in being depressed
When you're only trying hard for your own sake
You'll just get sick and tired of it
So hang on to someone's smile
And open up your future together!
After practice Muse split into its usual groups and began heading home. This time, the first-years were the first to leave the building.
"Kayo-chin, you weren't watching me carefully earlier," Rin mumbled with a downcast face.
"Sorry Rin-chan!" Hanayo yelped as she squeezed her girlfriend's hand reassuringly. "We were just discussing something else..."
The catlike girl tilted her head questioningly. "What was it?"
"Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan really helped us out a lot that day... and they were also the ones who helped everyone else out. So Nico-chan and I were just discussing the possibility of helping them... get closer together."
"Closer? Is that really necessary?..." Rin only scratched at her head in confusion, but then shrugged. "Well, it sounds like fun."
"We have to help them, Rin-chan! It's only right after everything they've done for all of us, so we're all gonna do this together!" Hanayo declared with a fire in her eyes.
"Ah when Kayo-chin puts it that way, even Rin is starting to get excited... Alright, let's do this! Tension's rising up nya!"
"Eheh, but it's not like we really know what to do either... Plus we have that live coming up..." Even quicker than it had come, Hanayo felt the fight draining out of her.
"Rin's sure we'll come up with something nya!"
"There's not a lot we can contribute though... Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan are so much wiser than us so only Honoka-chan and Nico-chan can push them with their words... And Maki-chan and Umi-chan are much better suited to making songs, while Kotori-chan makes costumes..."
Hanayo saw the palm-chop split-seconds before it landed squarely on her forehead, causing her to squeal in pain. "Oww..."
"There you go again, Kayo-chin! You need to stop being so negative!"
"Sorry Rin-chan... it just feels like I'm just a supporting character all the time..."
The orange-haired girl grabbed her girlfriend squarely by the shoulders, staring deeply into her dark raspberry eyes with an unwavering look of devotion.
"You'll always be the main character of Rin's story, Kayo-chin."
Their lips met in a short kiss, chaste and pure, conveying all the emotions they had for each other.
"Now come on, you're coming over to Rin's place and staying the night so we can think of what we can do!" Rin giggled as she began dragging her girlfriend away once more. "Rin isn't gonna let you sleep tonight nya~"
Stumbling along slightly behind, Hanayo opened her mouth briefly, then reconsidered and closed it again with a contented smile.
There were some situations she didn't want to be saved from, after all.
Fin.
Author's Note: And there we have it, the conclusion of the HanaRin couple. Thanks once again to LLSIF Wiki for the song translations, and to everyone who reviewed/favourited/followed.
This was possibly the most painful writing experience I ever engaged on because I really wanted to do it well. Hanayo and Rin are the two most forgotten characters in the franchise; even if it's something natural it's not something I'm happy about. So I stuffed a ton of character development in, only to realise I layered on the despair way too thick, and the fluff only came on at the end. Oops. ^^"
(Also, writing a dawn-themed fic was a daunt-ing task- *shot* sorry I couldn't resist.)
If you liked this story, consider leaving a review/favourite to let me know. =) Your support is appreciated.
So until we meet again, hopefully in the next volume of this 'Songs of Muse; Songs for You' series.
Thank you for reading.
