Author's Notes: I do not write Kotori/Umi stuff well. I'm not sure if it's just having the two characters in one place, or I just can't write either of them regardless, but I don't feel like my writing about them is very strong. Maybe I need to read some other writings about them to get a better look. We're going right back to angst after this and you can't stop me.

Also, to Camay: No spoilers, but I think Eli might be really feeling that spiritual power B)

Arrow after arrow hit their mark, that tiny little bullseye in the middle of the target. There was no expression of satisfaction on Umi's face, however: this was a normal occurrence, after all. She would not celebrate the obvious.

While she waited for the return of her arrows, Umi spared a glance towards the taupe-haired girl sitting on a nearby bench with a warm smile on her face. Now that was a reason to express satisfaction. It seemed that nowadays, whenever she was practicing her archery, Kotori would be there watching. Of course, wherever she was, it seemed that her dog would always follow. Umi felt little annoyance for Pan nowadays, though. She could be way too eager sometimes, but she seemed to be a good compliment for Kotori and, secretly, she was grateful that she no longer had to go retrieve her own shots. Pan was more than happy to do that for her.

Today was different than the previous days, however: Kotori had brought a friend. A rather timid first year named Koizumi Hanayo. The two of them were doing a project together, and today they had decided to meet and discuss it while watching Umi. She tried not to let it distract her, though.

Interestingly enough, Hanayo also had a pet, an orange tabby, who had been wandering around for a little bit until her owner corralled her back to the bench. It was okay at first to let her pad around, but when she started to try and snatch Umi's arrows out of the air, then it had become a problem. First a dog, then a cat, plus the alpaca pen a short distance away, she could've sworn they were starting a zoo in the area.

It was nice to see Kotori talking so easily with another student. While she would never dare pry into the personal lives of others, Umi sometimes wondered if there was anyone else Kotori wanted to hang out with. After all, though she wasn't around her friend at all hours of the day, they sure did spend a lot of time together lately. She wouldn't pry, but she hoped that Kotori wouldn't become too dependent on her. It wasn't healthy.

She imagined that her thoughts on this were born from a place of selflessness. Kotori was her only friend, truth be told, and while many might consider that a life of loneliness, Umi thought it more as a life of focus and reflection. She didn't allow herself to become distracted by fleeting events and trivial emotions, yet Kotori had become her one exception, her one distraction. Admittedly, it felt good to have someone watching her, to sit there and enjoy what she was doing beyond the means of competition. Still, she was a person of great determination, and she couldn't let herself get completely off track from her goals, and that was why she was happy to see Kotori and Hanayo hanging out together.

She could never be a good enough friend for someone as innocent as Kotori.

Kotori was smiling patiently as she jotted down some notes on Hanayo's fascination with idols. It had taken some time to get the shy girl to start opening up, but now their conversations seemed to flow much more easily, and Kotori was happy to have another person to talk to. Plus, it made their project go smoother. She was writing a couple notes about some idol Hanayo met when she suddenly changed course.

"K-Kotori-chan?"

"Mm?"

"H-How did you get Sonoda-senpai to talk to you?" Kotori thought on it for a moment, remembering the slightly embarrassing but still nice memory of the first time she and Umi had spoken.

"Well, I was watching her practice, but I couldn't get myself to talk to her. Pan sort of... pushed me into doing it, ehehe." Kotori rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment, watching as an understanding look appeared on Hanayo's face.

"Onigiri did the same for me when I spoke to Kira-san." What a coincidence. Kotori looked down at Onigiri, whose eyes were shining with interest now that she was being talked about, and then over towards Pan, who was doing her best imitation of Umi drawing back her bow.

"I guess both of our pets are really looking out for us." Both Kotori and Hanayo smiled at this, laughing when Onigiri tried to paw at both of their faces. That was one thing they both had in common: their lives had definitely changed when Pan and Onigiri came into their lives. For the better.

When Nozomi came home - well, Nico's home - from her duties as a shrine maiden, she was met with a curious sight: a worried-looking Nico. It wasn't that she thought that Nico was never worried: she had just never seen that expression on her face. As soon as she closed the door, Nico went straight for her, looking like she had been waiting for awhile.

"Nozomi, are there, like, therapy veterinarians?"

"What?" That was not the question she was expecting. Well, she didn't actually have any idea what to expect, but this certainly wasn't it.

"Like a therapist for animals, you know?"

"I've never heard of one."

"Damn." Nico turned and began to pace the room, but quickly stopped and slammed her first into her palm. "Oh! I once heard about this 'dog whisperer' guy! Do you think there's one of those for cats?"

"Nicocchi, that's a TV show." Making her way over to Nico, Nozomi placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "What's going on? Is something wrong with Princess?" The look that Nico gave her confirmed it without any words.

"She's been so... I dunno, distant lately. Like, I try to pet her, but she's completely unresponsive, and she barely eats any of the food I give her. Maybe it's not good. I can't afford any of that high class snooty stuff, though." While Nico continued to talk, Nozomi's mind drifted to the one person who would know what was going on: Eli. She was the only one who knew that Eli and Maki were guardians and not just simple cats, but she had a feeling that Eli wouldn't be so eager to give up any information. After all, there would be trouble if they were revealed... again.

Still, even she had noticed Maki's anti-social behavior, and her curiosity would eventually lead her to asking Eli about it. What could she do with that information, though? If she told Nico, she would have to explain how she knew, and she couldn't let Nico know: she had promised to keep silent. That was so frustrating, though. She hated that she could potentially find out how to quell Nico's worries, yet couldn't do anything about it. 'This must be how Elicchi feels.'

"Maybe you should try talking to her, Nicocchi."

"I've tried tha- I mean no. I don't talk to animals, Nozomi. I'm not weird like you." Nozomi giggled softly, patting Nico's shoulder. Such a stubborn one, she was.

"There's a first time for everything." Nico just grumbled in response.

Umi wasn't sure if she had ever been nervous before. Maybe a little before competitions, but she'd always been so self-assured that it didn't bother her. This, though? Yes, this was definitely her nerves acting up. She knew this wasn't a good idea, but she had no obligations keeping her from saying no. On top of that, she didn't want to say no anyway. The thought gave her a strangely positive feeling, one that had made her feel warm all day. Now the sun was just about to set, and she was standing there trying to push aside the anxiety that was not a normal thing for her, these feelings that made her hesitate of all things before knocking on the door. With the moment already here, she was still trying to prepare herself to sleep over at Kotori's house.

This was a new experience for her. Her first time at Kotori's, and it was for something as bonding as a sleep over. She knew that good friends did things like this, but it wasn't something she had put much stock in. After all, she already knew and accepted the fact that she could not be a good enough friend for Kotori, so why was she now being invited to something that was reserved specifically for good friends? The door opened before she could further contemplate on this.

"Ah, you must be Umi." The smiling face of Kotori's mother, Principal Minami, greeted her, stepping aside to allow Umi passage inside the house.

"Good evening, Principal Minami." She bowed respectfully, coming back up to find her grinning.

"This is going to happen a lot, isn't it?" She gave off a forlorn look, then brightened up in a flash. "Please, just call me Mrs. Minami. I'm not your principal outside the school grounds."

"Ah, my apologies, Mrs. Minami." Umi bowed once more, and this time upon getting back up she saw Kotori almost racing down the stairs, stopping in front of them with a hint of red on her cheeks.

"Mom, I told you I got it!"

"Sorry dear, but I wanted to meet your new friend." Mrs. Minami then leaned down and whispered something to her daughter. While Umi couldn't hear what was said - and it wasn't polite to eavesdrop anyway - whatever it was caused Kotori's face to go completely red.

"M-Mom!" Suddenly, Umi found her hand being grabbed, and she was pulled away by a clearly flustered Kotori, having to start moving on her own lest she take a painful fall. She took a quick glance over her shoulder, seeing Mrs. Minami giving them a smile and a wave.

"What did she say-"

"Just wants us to have fun!" For someone who already had a high-pitched voice, Kotori now sounded like she was trying to imitate a dog whistle. Umi didn't press any further, allowing Kotori to drag her down the hall and into her room.

Pan was very happy to see Umi, bouncing over to greet her with a loud bark. Umi smiled and petted her gently, watching her tail wag rapidly in response. She then followed Kotori to the bed, where they sat next to each other. Umi's attention was suddenly captured by a plain-looking notebook half-covered by a pillow. "Kotori?" She pointed at the notebook. "If I may ask, what is that?"

Kotori was blushing a lot more than usual. Umi was somewhat confused and concerned about how her friend was feeling, watching as she tentatively grabbed the notebook and hugged it to her chest. "Oh, it's, uh... just some drawings. It's nothing, really."

"Oh?" Now Umi was curious. Curiosity tended to lead to only trouble, but for once, there wasn't any belief that something bad would happen. She didn't feel that bad things would happen when she was with Kotori. "I would love to see them, if you are comfortable with that."

There was hesitance in Kotori's eyes, and Umi thought that she was going to say no. However, instead she handed over the notebook, laying it on top of Umi's hands. "Th-They're not finished, so it's not good yet." It was like she was trying to temper Umi's expectations. Wondering what could be in the notebook, she opened it up to the first page.

Designs. Page after page of clothing designs, each piece drawn with intricate care. So Kotori was into fashion, then. She could believe that. "Wow, Kotori, these are incredible." Was the room growing hotter? Kotori seemed to be burning up. Maybe she should open the window.

"Th-They're not that great," she mumbled quietly, looking at her hands.

"Well I think they are." Umi closed the notebook and handed it back to Kotori, a smile on her face. "And if you enjoy doing it, then that is all that matters, right?" Kotori seemed stunned, but slowly a smile of her own broke out.

"Y-Yeah!"

Their very first argument was about sleeping arrangements. Kotori was adamant that Umi sleep in her bed while she slept on the floor, while Umi was equally adamant concerning the opposite. Neither of them seemed to want to budge on being chivalrous, so Pan padded over and pushed against Kotori's legs. Caught by surprise, Kotori squeaked as she fell onto the bed. Umi was about to ask if she was okay, but then Pan moved to her, and she found herself moving up onto her toes, and then she too fell onto the bed. How ungraceful.

They both stared at Pan, then Kotori giggled and ran her hand through the canine's fur. "I think Pan wants us to both take the bed."

"Wh-What?" Umi found her voice faltering, shocked at what Kotori was suggesting.

"Is that not okay?" Kotori frowned slightly, and Umi immediately felt guilty. No, Kotori would never suggest something so... so shameful deliberately. She was too innocent for that. How could she now deny a request based in purity?

"Of course it is! I mean, I see no reason why not to." Okay, so maybe that was a lie. It was a tiny little lie though, so she figured it was worth it to see Kotori smile again. That Pan, though... such a troublemaker.

Maybe she should have opened that window. Umi felt that heat all over her body, but she didn't dare remove the covers for fear of waking the girl next to her. Kotori seemed to have no problems sleeping, resting peacefully while Umi tried to purge her mind of any and all thoughts. It did not do any good. It was way too hot.

Author's Notes (2): No Umi, not you too. Everybody's so angsty, man. But it's cool, 'cause Umi is very confident in her beliefs. Except when she's at a sleepover? Come on, Umi, get it together. Mrs. Minami, what were you whispering? Was it about Umi? Please don't ship your daughter with her friends. Next time, I'm gonna shake off this fluff and dive right back into angst. Probably. It's like a drug. Don't do drugs.