Just realized it's been another week since I've updated-I swear I don't do this on purpose xP It's just that the weekends are the only time I have to slow down and look at things :P

Long, mushy bonding chapter is long. And mushy. But not as mushy as kitty innards o.O

Ah, the glamorous life of a vet tech student...

ANYWAY, I hope you guys enjoy it, and please leave me a review! :)


Even the Stars Grown Older

Eight: Building Bridges, Paving Roads


Sakurako huffed as the station wagon flew over another bump, and cried out in pain as her head made contact with the window. Hard.

"Owww! Damnit, stupid booby monster!" she exclaimed without thinking, her hand flying out to her right only to come into contact with something warm and hard. Frowning, she turned to find Akari hunched over beside her, and her eyes widened as she realized what she'd done. "Oh…sorry, Akari-chan," she said, sheepishly. Now that they'd grown up, Akari was not only…smaller…than Himawari, but shorter than her as well, meaning that Sakurako's aim, which would have been perfect had it been the bluenette sitting beside her, had caught the shorter girl in the chin.

"Ah…it's alright, Sakurako-chan," Akari replied, kindly, though she was tearing at the corners of her eyes as she rubbed her chin. Her gaze rested on the dirty-blonde, watching as Sakurako's apologetic expression quickly morphed back into the blank gaze it had been for the past half hour or so. "Um…" She paused, not wanting to upset her friend, but worried about her. "Are…are you sure you wouldn't rather be with Himawari?"

Sakurako huffed loudly. "Why would I want to be with that stupid, clingy booby monster?" she replied, looking at the redhead as though she were crazy to have even suggested such a thing.

"Um…clingy?" Akari's kind features morphed into a small frown. As far as she could tell, the two girls had been just as much at odds as ever this morning. And unless she was very mistaken, the lump that had adorned Sakurako's crown earlier had looked very much like Himawari's handiwork. "Did…did something happen between you two?"

The change in atmosphere was instant. Sakurako, who'd been wearing a look of annoyance, instantly flushed crimson, tightening her arms around herself and fixing her gaze steadfastly out the window. "Nothing," she muttered. "Just stupid Himawari being an idiot as usual."

Akari smiled weakly, mentally sweat-dropping. As much as she loved all of her friends, she was fairly sure there was some slight hypocrisy in that particular statement. "Did you two get in a fight?" she asked, tentatively. It was always shaky ground any of them walked on when asking either Himawari or Sakurako about the other.

The blonde huffed, though her face was still slightly red. The silence was punctuated at odd intervals by Kyouko, who was being…Kyouko…and Yui, who was being harassed by Kyouko.

Sexually, if their dialogue was anything to go by.

"Kyouko! Don't put your hand there!"

"Hmmm~? While you're driving, you mean?"

"At all!"

After a long moment, Sakurako spoke. "No…," she mumbled. "I just…when I woke up, she was...you know…she had her arms…she was cuddling me." Her face flushed a brilliant crimson, and she refused to meet Akari's gaze. "And I got kind of freaked out," forgetting to mention the appreciative journey her eyes had made over the bluenette's body, "and might have…shoved her off the bed."

Akari blinked. Well, that certainly explained the lump. And Himawari's behavior, if Sakurako was to be believed, wasn't too horribly out of character, considering how groggy the bluenette tended to be in the morning. Himawari was also considered to be more aware of her own feelings in general, so the fact that she may have unconsciously acted according to those feelings wasn't exactly shocking. What was a little bit shocking was how oblivious Sakurako still was to her own feelings, even now that they were all in their late teens.

"Oh…" Akari said, not knowing how to reply. Sakurako was fidgeting, and Akari got the distinct impression that there was more the girl wanted to say.

"Not there, Kyouko!"

"Ha-ha-ha, tickle was supereffective~"

"What the hell does that even mean?"

"Promise you won't tell Himawari?"

Akari frowned. "Tell her what?"

"Just promise!" Sakurako insisted, her gaze finding Akari's, and the redhead was surprised to find confusion and desperation in her expression. She nodded. "It…it might…," Sakurako began, her cheeks turning even darker. "Itmightnothavebeencompletelyterrible."

It took Akari a moment to process the hurried statement. It had come out like one particularly long word, but after breaking the word up in her mind, comprehension dawned in her magenta eyes. "Oh!" Noting Sakurako's obvious embarrassment, Akari forced herself to bite down her own shock—shock that came not so much from the realization that Sakurako had liked cuddling with Himawari, but from Sakurako actually admitting such. "I mean, isn't it normal?" she asked, meaning to reassure the other girl. "I feel that way with Chinatsu whenever we hug or—"

She cut herself off. Bad example, Akari-chan! But her words seemed to reassure the ever oblivious Sakurako, who brightened, normal color returning to her face.

"Really?"

"Um…" Akari suddenly had the distinct feeling that by consoling the girl, she'd allowed Sakurako to take several steps backwards in the process of recognizing her feelings for what they were. "Well…" She couldn't think of a way to push Sakurako in the right direction (toward the long-suffering Himawari) without revealing her own feelings, and Sakurako wasn't exactly known for her ability to keep her mouth shut.

Sighing and mentally apologizing to Himawari on the inside, on the outside, Akari smiled at Sakurako. "Yes, really. All the time."

It's not a lie, at least.


The tension in the backseat of the little purple Bug was stifling. Thankfully, Chitose was keeping Ayano preoccupied enough, seemingly aware of the situation in the backseat, but that was small comfort to the two girls dreading the conversation that was about to occur. Even Chinatsu, who usually had no qualms with confrontation, was unwilling to begin this particular altercation. She and Himawari were best friends, after all—on a different level than she and Akari were, but that was…special. While Chinatsu had no problem taking on strangers or other students in a proper tongue-lashing, she treasured the friends she had.

Still, as pissed as Himawari was at her, she was just as annoyed with the bluenette, who she felt had been needlessly oblivious when it came to Chinatsu's annoyance over her closeness with Akari. As much as she loathed to admit it, she knew (knew) that Himawari was perfectly aware of the reason behind Chinatsu's (unfounded or otherwise) aggravation with her. The bluenette was too smart and, moreover, too perceptive not to have figured out as much. And that's what got Chinatsu.

She knew, and yet…

"You seem to be annoyed with me recently, Yoshikawa-san," Himawari noted, interrupting her thoughts. Chinatsu tensed, eyeing the bluenette through narrowed blue eyes. Himawari had reverted to formalities—that much was unsurprising, given the circumstances. What was surprising—no, what was annoying—was that she was still playing dumb. Chinatsu didn't trust the calm, clueless attitude. "May I ask why?"

"I think you know why," Chinatsu replied shortly. She wasn't going to have this conversation if Himawari was going to drag her around in circles the whole time. "May I ask why you're playing dumb when both of us know you better than that?"

The bluenette sighed, rubbing her temples. "I don't want to argue with you, Chinatsu-chan," she said, dropping her formal demeanor. "I realize that you're upset with me and I think I know why. What I don't understand is why you're suddenly so possessive of Akari-chan. Care to explain?" Her eyes found the pinkette's and held them as she raised one eyebrow.

Chinatsu huffed, wanting desperately to turn her gaze out the window and sulk, but unwilling to let Himawari win this little staring war. She stared back defiantly. "I don't think it's that weird to be a little…protective…of my relationship with my best friend," she stated dryly. "How would you feel if it were me with my grubby hands all over Sakurako?"

At this, Himawari rolled her eyes so far back they almost disappeared into her head. She broke the stare, but now Chinatsu didn't want to look away. She wanted to hear Himawari's answer. "As much as I hate to admit it, you and I both know that Sakurako and myself are a poor example for you to use in defense of your behavior." She flushed slightly, folding her arms beneath her chest, unwittingly emphasizing her chest as she stared down at her lap.

Chinatsu's head jerked back reflexively and she flushed as she realized the implications of what she'd said. She recovered quickly, however, and instead stared at the blue-haired girl to her left. Himawari was still staring down at her lap, refusing to meet her gaze, and Chinatsu felt a sudden twinge of sympathy for her. If it wasn't apparent before, it was crystal clear now that Himawari was very much aware of her feelings for Sakurako, and on top of that was aware that everyone else was aware as well. It was Sakurako—stupid, thick-headed Sakurako—who was completely unaware of how she felt, and Chinatsu could only imagine how that obliviousness hurt the more mature bluenette.

"And here we were thinking neither of you would ever admit it," Chinatsu said, somewhat lightheartedly, aiming for a joke. All she got for her effort was a small twitch at the corner of Himawari's lips. She sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I was a bitch," she continued, switching back to the original topic. "I just…I mean, look at me. Friends don't come easily to me, especially friends like Akari, who's always just so nice and so understanding and so accepting no matter how I fuck up." She took a deep, steadying breath. "I guess I don't usually get put into situations where I feel like I'll lose her, or else I probably would've reacted just as badly."

Himawari, who had picked her head up and quelled most of her embarrassment by this point, watched her. "I understand…but, Chinatsu-chan…what if Akari finds someone? Someone who may do much more than put a hand on her back to comfort her, I mean," she prodded, watching the pinkette carefully. She meant to gauge Chinatsu's reaction, to try and pinpoint the other girl's feelings for Akari, at least a little bit. If Chinatsu was just being immature and possessive as a friend, Himawari could help to spare Akari's heart, maybe help her find someone else… But if Chinatsu wasn't just being selfish, if she wasn't just behaving like a spoilt child…

And it seemed as though perhaps she wasn't, because as soon as the words escaped her lips, an almost physical change had come over the pinkette. She was rigid, hands clenched into fists at her side, her body no longer slumped lazily against the car door. Her jaw was tight, her lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes…her eyes were what made Himawari think twice. There was annoyance, and anger, but mostly there was something else, something Himawari had seen enough times in the mirror to know wasn't just childish possessiveness of a friend.

She didn't push it when Chinatsu didn't reply right away. She doubted the girl had ever even considered seeing Akari as anything more than a friend, despite the fact that Himawari herself could tell that it was at the very least more than a normal friendship. Akari was always just so there, so willing to help, so loving that Chinatsu had never had to second-guess their relationship.

Still, no normal friend would have put up with Chinatsu's bitchiness and entertained obsessive tendencies toward a middle school crush. No normal friend would object so readily and vehemently to a simple touch on the back. It wouldn't surprise Himawari at all (in fact, she was now more than halfway convinced) if Chinatsu's feelings for Akari did extend at least a little bit past 'best-friend'. And as for Chinatsu's obliviousness to the possibility…well, Himawari wasn't exactly stunned. Besides an obvious schoolgirl crush on Yui, which was very apparently superficial, Chinatsu had never shown any indication of having feelings for anyone else. Frankly, it wouldn't surprise Himawari if the pinkette didn't even recognize any romantic feelings outside of the obsessive crush she'd harbored for their dark-haired senpai.

Storing this information for later, Himawari returned her attention to Chinatsu, who was visibly upset. The bluenette felt slightly guilty—she'd wanted to get a read on the pinkette, not upset her this badly. But right as she was about to change the topic and hopefully draw Chinatsu out of the half stupefied state she'd sunk into, the pinkette opened her mouth to speak.

"He better treat her right," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. Himawari raised an eyebrow. He? Of course, besides her increasingly obvious feelings for Chinatsu, Akari had never given any indication of being attracted to anyone, and heterosexuality was far and away the norm. Himawari realized this might be another reason the pinkette had never bothered to take a second to step back and really think about the relationship she had with the redhead. "If he doesn't, I swear to God…"

"It was just an example, Chinatsu-chan," Himawari consoled her. Her voice seemed to break Chinatsu out of her thoughts, and the pinkette blinked hard, as if to clear her head. "But…perhaps you should think about that. You have certain rights as Akari's best friend, but…you should be careful you don't overextend them. Maybe think about how Akari feels next time?"

Here, Chinatsu flushed deeply, humiliated. She hadn't even thought about that. What if Akari had been comforted by Himawari's touch? Something inside her twisted at the thought of it, but she forced herself to swallow it back, and it settled heavy in her chest, where she could ignore it, if only for the time being. "You're right," she finally said, leaning her head against the window. "Of course. Akari's just so…so…" Her brow furrowed, her perfectly straight, slightly upturned nose (that bore just the most trace sprinkling of pale freckles) wrinkling in thought.

Special. But something was keeping her from saying the word aloud, something telling her to stop right there. She didn't understand it—what was wrong with calling her best friend special? Why did it feel like a secret?

"I know," Himawari said, sparing Chinatsu from spontaneous mental combustion from all the thoughts rocketing around her mind at once.

I know, but I doubt you do.


It was midday when they reached the hotel where they'd be staying for the duration of Comiket.

"Okay, so we'll drop our stuff off in our rooms and then head to Comiket so Kyouko can sign in and set up," Yui said, hoisting her bag, as well as Kyouko's, over her shoulder. The blonde had dropped said bag the second they'd entered through the revolving doors, and was currently flitting about the lobby, dragging a flustered (but not entirely reluctant) Ayano along by the wrist.

Akari glanced over at her friends as she walked in behind the other three girls. Ayano's party had arrived slightly beforehand, as Kyouko had gotten overexcited and chugged an entire bottle of soda and one thing led to another which led to three bathroom breaks for Yui's group. Sakurako, much like Kyouko, seemed to be very excited, and was tugging at Himawari's elbow in a manner reminiscent of a child, and a small smile crept onto Akari's lips. Despite all her bluster, Sakurako couldn't stand to be on truly bad terms with the bluenette-she'd been fidgeting for much of the car ride, and only now seemed to be returning to herself. As for Chinatsu...Akari's magenta eyes strayed to their true target, almost like paper clips to a magnet. She and Himawari seemed to have come to an agreement of some sort on the ride over. They were standing a few yards off, chatting amiably enough, the bluenette fairly easily resisting Sakurako's attempts to pull her away.

Akari felt a weight lift from her heart, which, combined with the now familiar swelling in her chest whenever she looked at her best friend, left her with an addicting, almost euphoric sensation. She was glad her friends had made up (though she had no idea what had them shooting each other nasty looks and making snarky comments to begin with). Being her usual, unobtrusive self, Akari was terrified of what would soon be coming-college, real life...separating from the group of girls she'd come to see as family... She felt lucky to be a part of this, even as Sakurako yanked an indignant Himawari toward the candy counter, and Yui smacked Kyouko upside the head for saying something that had made Ayano go roughly the same color as her hair. If not for them, she certainly would have been left alone and friendless, as insignificant as she was. She didn't know how she'd managed to be a part of it, and she was positive she wouldn't manage it again.

Somewhere deep inside her, she wished this summer would never end.

But it would, and they would go their separate ways (excepting perhaps for Himawari and Sakurako, as the universe had proven time and time again), and Akari would be alone, without Yui or Kyouko, or any of the rest.

Without Chinatsu.

She was positive Chinatsu would be popular. The pinkette would have no problem winning over the world just a couple short years from now, and then what would she need Akari for? What would she need a lovesick best friend for, when she could have her choice of any person in the world to replace her?

All at once, Akari came to her senses and shook her head, hard, just barely swallowing back the urge to hit herself. What was she doing, thinking like that? Since when did she mope over being invisible, or left out? She was Akari-bright, cheerful, helpful Akari. She couldn't let her worries weigh her down; her friends were sure to notice eventually, no matter how translucent she was.

Unbeknownst to her, one person had already noticed, and was currently watching her with confused ice-blue eyes, a look of intense concern etched into sharp, achingly pretty features.


Sorry, I know it's going slow :( If I'm not rushing things, I end up focusing on little, detailed scenes and it ends up taking me forever to reach the end Dx This fic isn't even close to being done...I'm just writing what feels right, like I usually do.

Anyway, thank you for all your awesome reviews- I appreciate them all :) I've said this a million times but it really does motivate me to continue :) It makes me feel like I've got at least ONE thing in my life I can do right—since apparently I'm no good at assisting in surgeries :P—to know that you guys enjoy reading this! :) That's part of the reason I like writing fanfiction—it's therapeutic :)