To all who read these lines, my thanks. To all who enjoy these lines, my happiness.

Chapter 10 - Convergent Lines

Comiket Day 2

Maki and Ayako began walking around the convention area and observing many of the shops, stalls, and tables scattered throughout the enormous hall. In a crowd like this it would be easy to get lost and, if you so chose, to lose others. Knowing this, Maki made an effort to move them as far away from her fellow club members as possible.

I need to be alone, to make her think only about me. I have to get her to trust me as fast as possible and to tell me everything about that doujinshi of hers.

"So," Ayako broke up Maki's line of thinking, "what kind of doujinshi are you into? I know you liked mine, and thanks again by the way, but what does your personal collection include?"

There were two ways to go about this for Maki. First, she could tell the truth; be completely honest with all of her likes, dislikes, personal history, everything. Then, all she'd have to do is insert her 'aspiring artist' schtick to make inroads into Ayako's personal and professional world. On the other hand, she could try to paint herself as someone that Ayako would want to know; having similar but not exactly the same interests, for example.

I'm a terrible liar, though. Probably safer to just be myself and try for one small lie rather than the whole shebang.

"Well, to be honest I didn't read much manga or doujinshi until a few years ago." Maki was perusing a booth and trying to be a bit mysterious to the older girl who seemed to be interested in her. "A friend of mine gave me my first manga when I was a second year high schooler and I really got into it after that. Doujinshi came along later when I entered university last year."

"So… I guess my preferences are still developing. In our club we mostly read romance and drama and angst-filled-romantic-dramas… and…" Maki was turning a faint shade of pink "...we mostly read yuri. I think I like that most, to be honest."

Ayako couldn't help but stare at the younger girl pretending to look at a doujinshi she just found and trying to hide her blushing cheeks and keep her eyes averted from Ayako's.

So. Freaking. Cute.

"Well, I guess we share similar tastes. Though, I can only stand so much angst and drama. After that I need some comedy or just straight up lewdness in my life." Ayako was completely unashamed of her taste in manga and doujinshi. She knew she was kind of weird and that didn't bother her. Not to mention, putting it all out there like that allowed her to figure out if the person she was talking to really wanted to be her friend in the first place.

"Lewd, eh?" Maki was sporting an only slightly judgmental face.

"A girl can be lonely and single, can't she?" Ayako grabbed Maki by the hand and started leading her towards a different aisle. "Come on, we're going to get you something funny, something lewd, and something hilariously lewd."

Maki tried to object. "I-I don't have much money so I don't know now if I should really…" Even as her sentence faded she knew what was about to happen.

"Don't worry, as of today I do have some money. And I like introducing people to new feelings and ideas, so think of this as a gift from a teacher to a student." Ayako looked down at their entwined hands. "Actually, that's kind of hot." She winked at Maki and began searching for the booth she wanted.

After an hour of walking, talking, buying, laughing, and generally having a good time, Maki was unfortunately not much closer to her goal. She had enjoyed her time spent with Ayako immensely, but every time the topic of Ayako's personal life came up there would be a few bits of information exchanged and then the conversation would veer elsewhere.

But there was good news: Ayako did confirm some key information that led Maki to believe that the characters in Ayako's story were totally and undeniably Honoka, Yukiho, and Arisa. She found out that the characters were real and that their personalities and appearances were similar to the real people; that their relationship as a group of three was true; and that these mystery people had arrived in her hometown at the same time Honoka disappeared.

But broaching the topic of personal information was something else entirely. It was something that, if done the wrong way, would only push the girl farther away and raises suspicions as to why she was asking.

But I can't let this opportunity get away. How do I do this? God, I'm not going to break into her room and I can't…

"Maaaaan I'm tired!" Ayako stretched and gave a big yawn. "That onsen is going to feel sooooo good tonight! Are you are your lady friends still planning to bring some… 'Tea' into the bath with you tonight?" Ayako had a mischievous grin on her face.

…That's it.

"I-I think so. I was planning on doing it myself anyway." She gave a small lie. "You know, we could all bring something and pass it around and have a really good time."

Ayako smiled and clapped her hands three times. "Yes! That's a great idea! Bring your favorite beverage and share with the group! Can you organize that with the club?"

"Sure, but let's make sure we meet up at a later hour so the other hotel guests are asleep and not reporting us for that breach of etiquette."

And so I can get you drunk out of your mind.

"Okay, sounds great! So how about we split up for now so you can collect your minions and then I'll catch you at the onsen at… midnight?"

Maki nodded and gave the most genuine smile she'd given all day. "It's a date! I'm really looking forward to drinking with you."

Really looking forward to it.

"Hey it's Maki! She's back!"

"Heeeey Maki-chan, where have you been? We got worried about you."

"Yeah, we were about to go to the lost children table and have them page you over the intercom. You left your phone!"

The bubbly club member handed Maki her phone and her lunch box she'd left on the floor earlier.

Maki stared at her club members and seemed to come to a decision.

"Girls. I need your help. I want to explain everything and I want to tell you something about my past that I've never told anyone. Will you listen to me? It might take a while and… I don't know… how well I might handle it." Maki slowly lowered her eyes and tried to keep herself steady.

The five girls exchanged concerned glances before the bubbly one stepped forward and wrapped herself around Maki.

"If my cute kouhai, the closet tsundere Maki-chan, is asking for help then it must be serious. I'll help you with anything."

"Me too!"

"Of course I will!"

"What do you need, senpai?"

Maki felt warm.

It's nice to have friends.

Gently breaking away from the hug, she crossed her arms and thought for a moment.

"What I need is three things: I need to tell you a story, I need you to do some acting, and I need you to help me get someone drunk."

Maki looked around at the convention center. "But we'd better do all of this at the hotel, I think."

Later that night

Maki's hotel room

"So that's pretty much it. Honoka went away and none of us have any idea where she went. Fast forward a few months and now here's this doujinshi. " Maki picked up Escape and waved it. "It's like I've been given one final chance and I can't afford to give that chance up. If not for me, then for the rest of Muse. She needs to know that we think about her, miss her, and want to just see her again, even if we're never friends again."

After listening to Maki tell the story of Honoka and Muse, the five girls in the room with Maki were in various states of composure. The two girls younger than Maki were both sobbing silently while her fellow second years were completely engrossed in the story. Her senpai was contemplative and distant, very different from her usual bubbly personality.

She was also the first to speak up. "You know, the worst part about this story is that everyone's actions are fairly reasonable. Like, I can't blame anyone for what they did. It just sucks all around."

"It's true. I think that's part of what has made it so painful for me. None of this was completely the work of any one person, so we all bore equal blame. And we deserved it." Maki laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

One of the younger girls ventured, "So, you said you wanted our help. How can we help with this?"

"I don't really have a plan past tonight, but the long and short of it is this: I need to know where Ayako lives and what she does. If I have a location and a job then I can… I can do… something. I'm not sure what yet. I had this idea that I could go to that place, wherever it is, and just start looking but… now I'm not sure."

"What if you just followed her home?" One of the other girls asked.

It was a fair question. It would really cut down on the necessary information gathering needed, but it was also pretty risky.

"But what if she lost track of the girl halfway there? Then she'd be stranded without any idea of how to find her again." Another girl made a great point.

"How about both?" The bubbly girl was deep in thought and talking at the floor. "What if we got enough info from her tonight, like her hometown and her place of business, then you followed her home tomorrow? That way in the worst case scenario you know where her final destination would be and you could focus on getting there without worrying about losing her."

Maki's eyes got wider and she sat up. "That… might be the answer. I've got a week left in summer vacation. I can spend that week looking around and if I can't find her after a week, then I come home and try again some time. As many times as it takes. But at least I'll finally know where to look."

Bubbly girl looked happy. "So now the easy part - get a girl drunk and chat her up! She's pretty cute in a geeky-older-sister kind of way anyway, so that shouldn't be a problem."

"And I swear on my life," Maki raised her right hand "that I will never speak of what happens in the onsen tonight. Your significant others will never know."

All of the girls also raised their hands. "We swear" rang around the room in various ways.

"Now we wait until midnight… ugh this is going to be a long four hours." Maki laid back down and covered her face with a pillow.

Later that night

Even though this was to be a night of inquisition, the girls in the book club were quite happy to be drinking and relaxing in the onsen. How easy of the job was this? Drink, make sure the other girl is drinking too, flirt a bit, and let Maki and their senpai ask the questions. They had decided that all of the girls being mercilessly interested in Ayako would be a bit too forward and might raise suspicions, so they left the dirty work to their senior and Maki.

Maki had decided she wouldn't drink and that every time some sake was poured into her glass she would insist on drinking with Ayako at the same time… and then conveniently miss her mouth. Clear liquid into the clear liquid bath - the perfect plan.

May the alcohol gods forgive me. But it's for the greater good.

The night was progressing well and everyone was drinking, relaxing, and generally having a darn good time. Everyone was chatting casually, everyone engaging each other in random conversation when Maki gave a subtle signal to the rest of the group.

They'd all agreed that at some point, when Ayako was well on the road to drunkenness, Maki would signal them and they'd slowly break into two groups - Ayako, Maki, and the club senior in one group and everyone else in the other group. The goal was to appear social but also let Ayako feel comfortable enough to share some personal information with just a small group.

It's now or never, so let's go for it.

One of the other girls got up to use the bathroom to the other three went with her, leaving the three older girls in the bath alone. "We'll be back in a little while. We're gonna grab some sports drinks while we're out so we don't feel like crap tomorrow!"

"Grab one for us while you're at it!" The bubbly senpai waved at the girls leaving the room.

"You've got a nice club, you know, I mean, they're nice to look at and stuff but they're really really nice girls too, ya know?" Ayako was clearly moving from tipsy to drunk with very little to stop her. It didn't help, of course, that Maki and her senpai were refilling the poor girl's cup at an alarming rate.

"Yeah, they're good girls. I wish my girlfriend was as nice as them… most of the time." Maki's senpai gave a wink and took another drink herself.

"Yeah well, at least you have a girlfriend. I'm all alone in my apartment every night, except when my friends come over… like all three of them, haha!" Ayako tossed back another swig of a rather delicious sake that she'd brought from her room.

"You should try to make more friends, Ayako. You're really likable and I'm sure there's plenty of girls you'd get along with in your hometown." Maki steered the conversation a bit.

"Nah, not a chance. I'm kind of otaku and I'd rather spend my weekend reading and drawing. Everyone in that damn town loves going out hiking and going to sports events and concerts and stuff. Though they do love drinking and that helps. Maybe I could find a nice sporty girl who's looking for a quirky housewife or something…"

Ayako leaned her head back against the wall of the bath. "I went on a blind date earlier this year around March. Ugh, that was awful. She was really nice and stuff, but we were nothing alike at all. She took me to some soccer game where she yelled her lung out and then we went out for a long bike ride along the Shinano River… the bike ride was fine but… I'm so out of shape!"

The Shinano River. Japan's longest river… so she lives in Nagano or Niigata prefecture! Hell yes, we're making progress!

"That's awful! I'm so sorry. What happened next as you were bicycling along the river?" trying to keep Ayako talking for as long as she could.

Let her dig her own grave.

Ayako took another sip of her sake. "It was so embarrassing to be on a bike for 15 kilometers and be sweaty and stinky and having to work had to keep up with the other girl. Although…" Ayako gained a faint blush. "... when we got to the beach she just stripped and dove right in. She said it was to clean herself off and invited me in, but I knew what it was for. It was dark and… well, we may not have gotten along on the date but afterwards was fun."

Beach. Mouth of the river so… god I should have paid attention in geography class…

Maki's senpai gave her the bottle of sake. "You should check out this sake, Maki. It's really good, don't you think? Perhaps we should remember the location of the brewery and take a trip there sometime." The bubbly girl was looking quite intensely between Maki and the bottle, hinting at something.

Maki read the bottle: Imayotsukasa brewery, Kagamigaoka, Chuo ward, Niigata city.

Niigata.

The city of Niigata.

YES, THAT'S WHERE THE SHINANO RIVER ENDS. Thank you for paying attention in social studies, senpai!

"I'll be sure to bring more of that stuff if we ever meet up again. I'm glad you girls like it, it's my favorite brewery." Ayako was leaning dangerously and looked like she may not have a lot more in the energy tank.

Crunch time. I need her job. Now.

"Ayako, I've gotta be honest. I'd love to do doujinshi but I need to be an adult too, ya know? I just don't think there are good options for jobs that can support me while I draw. And I wish I could go to school too…" Maki was trailing off, hoping Ayako would pick up where she left off.

"Hey girl, you can do anything if you try!" Ayako nearly yelled the last few words and pointed - or tried to point in Maki's general direction. "There are prrenty of jobs out there that can support you while you do ewerything you want to do in life. I mean, I'm doing it now ya know."

With Ayako's speech slurring, Maki had to make a final push and quickly. "Yeah but like… I don't know… I just can't figure out any jobs that would help me in becoming a better artist." It was painful for Maki to lie like this and she promised herself she'd apologize profusely to Ayako one day, but it was necessary today.

"Oh come on Maki, you're smaaaart! Think about it… w-what are you trying to make? Doujrrinshi! So work where there's doujrrinshi! That's what I did, anyway. Work for an anime and manga store or something for a while. They're niiiice places."

Almost there. Just a little more.

"Oh? I usually go to Toranoana for my manga and doujinshi. Where would you recommend?"

Ayako waved a hand frantically. "Noooo no no no, Toranoana isn't where you wanna work or shopppp. I'm biased because I work for Animate. We're rivals, ya knowwww. I can't let a cute girl like you go work for the enemy!" She stuck out her tongue and giggled drunkenly.

There it is. Animate in Niigata. God, I'm so sorry for your hangover tomorrow, Ayako.

Maki and her senpai exchanged one more glance and the bubbly girl took the hint. "Wow, I feel kinda tipsy. We should probably get out and find those girls and their sports drinks. What do you say, Ayako? I'll help you to your hotel room."

"Aw, okay. But Maki could also go especially since she's single and you're not and I'm single and since two single people make a not single that would be great because I'm single and stuff." Ayako pouted as she unsteadily began to climb out of the bath.

"That's exactly why I'm going and she's not. Gotta look after my kouhais, ya know?" The older girl winked at Maki who was making her way out of the tub. She mouthed towards the redhead Good luck.

With a smile she was off, collecting her things and going to her hotel room to pack up and sleep.

I need to sleep for tomorrow so I can wake up before Ayako and follow her to the station. I'll pack everything and… god there's so much to carry.

When she got back to her room, she noticed that her two roommates were asleep and that they left a note for her. "Maki - don't worry about anything other than your clothes. We'll take care of everything else. Go wherever it is you're going, we'll be waiting for you when you get back."

She had the best friends in the world. With that off her mind, she slipped into bed and set an alarm to wake up at 7am, three hours before the checkout deadline. Just in case.

Ayako, I'm sorry that I'll be stalking you tomorrow. I'm sorry again for the hangover you're going to have in the morning. And most of all, I'm sorry for when you see my face at your front door. I swear, it wasn't you who broke your friends' trust.

It was me.

The next morning

Maki woke up at 7, took a quick shower, then got ready to leave. She was about to place a letter in one of her clubmates bags when she heard a gentle knock on the door. Making her way over to the door she opened it and saw her senpai standing there in her pajamas.

"Morning sleepyhead." Maki said in jest.

"Hey. I just wanted to make sure you were away and okay." The usually bubbly girl wiped her eyes. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Maki looked at the letter in her hand. She'd written it last night and was about to entrust it with her kouhais… however…

"Yeah, there is." Maki held out the letter. "This is a letter to my ex girlfriend. Don't worry, it's nothing sensitive and if you read it I wouldn't be upset. You know most of the backstory anyway. Her address is on the front, but I'd like someone to actually hand it to her since I can't. It would mean a lot to me if you would deliver it to her. She doesn't live terribly far from campus and if you need train fare I can-"

The girl grabbed the envelope and hugged Maki. "Of course I'll take it for you. Stop worrying about the small things. Friends do small things for free, okay?" She let go of Maki and moved away from the door.

"Honoka's not here; she's somewhere out there. So… what are you waiting for?"

Maki nodded and grabbed her bag. "I want to buy everyone dinner when I get back. At least let me do that?"

"Fine, but only if you come back with good news." The girl winked and waved at Maki to get going.

Maki made her way downstairs and went out the front door of the hotel. She found a cafe nearby the hotel with a good view of the front door, so she sat and ordered a coffee and waited for Ayako to wake up and leave.

After an hour and a half, around 9am, Ayako walked out of the hotel lobby with her suitcase in tow. For as much as she drank the night before she looked relatively good, though the sports drink in her right hand implied otherwise. Maki settled in about 50 meters behind the girl and followed her the kilometer from the hotel to Shibuya station.

They entered the station and Maki saw Ayako make her way through the entrance to the Toei Subway station at Shibuya. Down the stairs to the station platforms they went, Maki lagging behind safely. They boarded the next train for Ueno station and rode it with Maki just one train car behind Ayako.

Now came the really difficult part. Maki had to exit the Ueno subway station and enter the Ueno Japan Rail station. On top of that, she needed to buy a ticket for the same train that Ayako would leave on and it could be any of the next three trains. Too early and she's have to wait in Niigata station, which could cause any number of problems and would significantly increase her chances of being caught. Too late and Ayako would be lost for the day and Maki would have to try to find her at her workplace the next day - a very dangerous proposition. She needed to be able to corner Ayako at home.

Maki was straining to see screen of Ayako's ticket vending machine but was unable to see the two buttons at the bottom. Fortunately, she knew that train times were listed from the soonest at the bottom so she'd be able to make an educated guess about whatever Ayako chose.

Ayako made her way to the ticket machine and studied the schedule. She looked thoughtful for a moment before checking her phone for the time. With a shrug, she pushed a button.

It must be the next train or the train after because I didn't see the button she pushed…

Maki had intentionally decided to wait in line for a different machine near Ayako's and turned away as soon as she learned what she could. Ayako stepped away and a few moments later it was Maki's turn to buy tickets.

The next train or the one after… the next train would guarantee me seeing her, but it could be risky and I'd have a good chance of being caught. The later train is high risk high reward because I could miss her entirely or follow her perfectly.

Maki thought about Ayako and the little she knew about the girl.

She seems to takes things easy and not too seriously. She wouldn't want to be pressed to get on a train in 20 minutes when she could take the next one in 50 minutes…

With that, Maki chose the second train, leaving at 12:45pm, and hoped for the best.

Several hours later

Elsewhere in Tokyo

The doorbell rang.

There was nothing particularly odd about Eli's doorbell ringing as she occasionally had friends and classmates over for various reasons, but usually she would remember inviting someone over on a weekday.

I guess I have been a little out of sorts in the last month or two… ever since…

She got off the couch and put on a shawl to make herself slightly more presentable, then opened the front door.

Standing in front of her was an average height girl with an air of happiness about her. She stood there, her hands clasped in front of her holding a piece of paper of some sort.

"Can I help you?" Eli wasn't used to strangers at her front door, living in a part of town that was a little off the beaten path, so she was caught off guard a bit.

"Hello. I'm… well, that's not important really. I'm here to give you something. It was given to me by a friend and she told me to hand it to you and only you. She said you'd understand." The girl reached out with the letter in hand as she said all of this with a bubbly air to her voice.

Eli slowly reached out and took the letter, turning it over to see-

Maki's handwriting!

"Where did you-" Eli started, but the girl was already turning around to walk away. "Hey, I need to ask you about Maki! Wait a second!"

The girl took a few steps away from Eli before the stopped for a moment and turned around to face Eli. "I'm not Maki. I can't answer questions about her. Maybe she wants to answer your questions in due time; when she wants to answer them, not when you want the answers." She pointed to the letter. "That's more than you've had from her in a long time, if I'm not mistaken. Why don't you start with that? Maybe it'll answer some of your questions."

With that, the girl quickly turned and walked away from the house toward the main road. Eli could only stand and stare at the girl as she walked away.

"Thank you!" Eli finally yelled and bowed deeply, feeling genuinely appreciative of the girl delivering the letter. The other girl turned just enough to make eye contact and nod at Eli.

Eli made her way back into her apartment and sat down on the couch, her hands trembling with the letter held between both hands. She saw the front of the letter and reread it.

For Eli, from Maki

She took a deep breath and slowly opened the envelope. Pulling out the letter, she opened the two pages contained within and began to read.

Eli,

I'm sorry. When I left you I did so without any warning. Whether or not that was fair to you is something I didn't take into account. I ask your forgiveness for the way in which I handled the situation.

But I cannot apologize for the action itself. I know we've recently exchanged messages about that day from time to time, but you need to know that it isn't something I regret. My life has regained a feeling of positivity and self identity that I didn't have back then.

Actually, for those reasons I have to say thank you. Thank you for not endlessly searching for me and hounding me about it. Thank you for letting me live on my own and in my own way. Whether it was intentional or not, you gave me the space I needed to be able to love myself again. I respect and owe you for that.

I don't hate you, Eli. In fact, I love you. I just don't know if I love you the way I used to.

I don't know if we should try again. I don't know if we should stay apart forever. I don't know if there's something in between. I don't know anything. That's why I want to reconnect with you sometime in the coming weeks. I want to see you, talk to you, and find out if what we had could be salvaged… or if we should each try again with someone else.

As Eli turned to the next page she could feel herself losing control. She wiped tears from both of her eyes before she continued to read.

With that in mind, I want you to start by reconnecting with all of the former Muse members. I know you chat with Umi and Kotori from time to time, but I want us all to come together and talk through the past so we can get over it and move on. We need to find those carefree, child like feelings we once had together.

As you read this I'm on a train out of Tokyo and I'll be gone for a while. I wanted to tell you what I'm doing and to not just disappear like Honoka did many months ago. I won't tell you where I'm going, but you deserve to know that I'm leaving. And I hope, if things go right, I can come back with a clear head and an open heart.

In the last few days I've learned a few things, but the most important thing is this: I think I know where Honoka, Yukiho, and Arisa are. And I'm going to find them.

I'm going partly for my own sake and partly for the sake of Muse. I want to know if Honoka is gone forever or if we can all come together again in the future. I want to know if Yukiho is following her sister in her journey or if she wants to start her own life. And I want to see Arisa. I want to find the sister you love and care for. I'm going to tell her you love her and that no matter how many times you argue and fight, that you will never stop loving her.

I'm going to find them and even if they don't come back, I want to make sure they are truly happy… because… I believe that's what's most important. If they're happy but we can never be friends again, I'll be content knowing at least they're happy.

I will come back. I promise. Wait for me. Hope for us.

With love,

Maki

Somewhere in the middle of the second page Eli stopped crying. Her heart felt a thousand feelings, most of which she didn't understand yet. But her love had spoken to her. Maki reached out and told Eli all that was on her mind. She comforted Eli, told her harsh truths, and didn't make any excuses.

And then that last part… so she found Honoka, huh… I don't know why, but if anyone could have done it it would have been Maki. I hope she's right.

Eli set down the letter and went to the kitchen to pour herself some tea. On her way there she saw her cell phone on the counter and stopped. She thought about Maki's letter and sighed. Maybe I should do what she tells me for once.

Picking up the phone she dialed a number.

"Hi, Umi. It's Eli."

The blue haired girl on the other end of the line sounded surprised. "Eli! You called me- I mean, I'm glad you called me. It's… it's really nice to hear you. I'm happy."

Eli leaned on the counter. "Yeah… I'm glad I'm calling people too. But hey, I have something important to talk with you about and I'd like it if we could gather as many of the Muse members as possible. Can you help me, please?"

A short pause was followed by "O-of course, Eli! I'm free tomorrow and I know Kotori is as well. We'll find a way to set something up, okay? Leave it to me."

Eli smiled for the first time in a while. "Thanks, Umi. You're the best."

Niigata

Two hours after Maki left Tokyo

Maki guessed wrong.

She went up to the platform ahead of time in order to watch out for Ayako. It was risky, but she made sure to put on some sunglasses and a sun hat in an attempt to appear unrecognizable but not too suspicious.

In the end, she watched helplessly as Ayako boarded the train immediately before hers.

Dammit.

Maki took out her cell phone and began to do research. She knew that Ayako worked at an Animate in Niigata, so she'd have to find out which one it was and go from there. Worst case, she could wait in front of a store tomorrow morning before it opens and then go from there.

Finally, Maki got lucky.

There's only one Animate in Niigata!

This came as an immense relief to the redhead. She wouldn't have to camp outside a host of stores over the course of a week to find the girl she was looking for. Just one store in one city. She could do this.

With a small smile she got up from the bench and walked to a convenience store to buy some snacks for the train journey that would begin shortly.

To the west coast we go.

Niigata Station

Three hours later

If this was indeed the place Honoka and the others had chosen to live, they chose a good city. Maki had never been a fan of summer and much preferred a cool fall afternoon. She tended to stay inside during the summer and read a lot, so being in a city a bit farther north made this mid-August afternoon tolerable; a fair 25 C, rather than the stifling 32 C in Tokyo.

Making her way out of the station she checked the map on her phone and found the Animate. Being only a 10 minute walk from the station, she decided to go ahead and scout out the store before she got down to business tomorrow. Nobody in their right mind would be ambitious enough to go to work after sitting on a train for two hours and simultaneously suffering from a hangover, so Maki felt no fear in giving the store a quick look over.

She walked down a few backstreets just in case, turning twice before reaching the Animate store. She walked into the three story building and took the stairs up to the second floor. Losing herself for a moment, she started perusing the magazine rack and checking out this month's manga collections.

Finally coming to her senses, she started looking around the store and memorizing the layout. There were no stairs other than the ones she came up and there appeared to be no other entry to the staircase other than the door she came through. One way in and one way out. This would be a great help in cornering Ayako when she made her appearance.

Maki was walking back towards the entrance to walk down the stairs and check out the outside when she glanced at the checkout counter.

Honoka.

Maki immediately thrust herself behind a shelf and stared at the books in front of her. It didn't matter that they were. Nothing mattered because of what she just saw - who she just saw.

Honoka.

She was there. She also worked at this store? She and Ayako worked together! Which means that if they work together then Ayako definitely knows where Honoka lives and…

They might go to work together in the morning or walk home together at night. So I would never be able to see Ayako without also seeing Honoka too…

Panic began to grip Maki.

Oh god, what am I doing here…

Maki was feeling overcome from just seeing her fellow Muse member for the first time in half a year. Things were starting to come apart.

Why did she come here? What is the real purpose of seeing Honoka, or Yukiho, or Arisa? Will she actually be of any help to Muse or to Honoka? Will seeing Maki only bring back the worst memories of Honoka's life?

Maki needed to leave. Now.

She peeked around the corner and saw Honoka helping a customer check out. She waited until Honoka turned around to grab something and then suddenly, but without running, Maki made a break for the door.

She nearly ran down the stairs, then scampered through the front door and back out into the parking lot which occupied the first floor of the building. She walked out from under the building and onto the street sidewalk. She took a few deep breaths, unsuccessfully trying to calm herself down. In an effort to help this out she leaned up against the building, slumping down into a ball and wrapping her arms around her knees.

Tears were coming.

She was here. All this time, Honoka was here. This place… in some random city in Japan… living a life of her own…

I wasn't ready for this…

"Holy shit, Maki."

Maki knew that voice. It wasn't a voice she wanted to hear because with that voice, her entire poorly thought out plan completely vanished in an instant.

"Maki… what are you doing here?"

Maki looked up with tears in her eyes, desperately trying not to cry.

And failing.

"A-Ayako…. I… I-aaahhh… I'm here… I just… … oh… oh god… "

Impossible.

This whole situation was impossible. To speak her mind right now was impossible.

So she quit trying and cried. Sobbing into her knees, she let it go.

"Maki, sweetie you can't do this here. Come on." Ayako grabbed the redhead by her arms and forced her to her feet. "I live just a few buildings down from here. Let's go."

Not giving her any choice on the matter, Ayako grabbed Maki by the shoulder and walked her towards the apartment building. Maki, crying for most of the journey there, barely noticed where they were going and just let herself be guided.

They rode the elevator up to the 9th floor of the building and entered Ayako's apartment. Maki was led to the couch in the center of the living room where she was told to sit. Ayako sat next to her and then gently pulled Maki's head into her lap, letting the younger girl lay out on the couch.

Ayako gently stroked Maki's hair for a while until she completely calmed down. She didn't say anything until she was absolutely sure Maki had calmed down and could think clearly.

"Maki… I have to know the truth about why you're here. And… about you. I promise I won't get angry and judge you, but I need to know everything." Ayako sighed. "I don't know why I had a bad feeling about waking up this morning, but I guess… well, here we are."

Maki wiped her eyes and sat up. "I'm… sorry… for everything. I lied to you and… I used you and I shouldn't have. I just needed to know where you lived."

Ayako raised an eyebrow. "I'm flattered, but I didn't think you were that interested in me, to be honest."

Maki let out an ironic chuckle. "I'm not, actually. I mean, you're really pretty and I like you I… I like you as a person and that's why it hurt to lie to you. So… what I mean is, I was interested in you for what you knew. To be precise, who you knew. Who you still know."

Maki looked away for a moment before making a push. "You work with Honoka."

The color drained from Ayako's face. Comprehension slowly gathered in her mind as a million questions raced and fought against each other for an exit.

Maki tried to intervene. "I came here looking for her. I needed to find her and i'm sure you know why. But… now that I'm here… now that I accidentally saw her already - saw her happily working away in that store - I'm not sure I even want to see her any more."

That wasn't what Ayako expected. "Wait… are you part of the group that Honoka and the girls were running away from? The school idol group? You're a central part of Honoka's past life that she tried to get away from?"

"Yes." Maki decided to take responsibility.

Ayako pressed on. "And you're one of the ones that went through with that awful plan at the concert that basically tore Honoka to shreds emotionally."

"Yes." Maki was hurting again.

"And you figured out Honoka was here just by instinct from my doujinshi?"

"Yes." Maki was falling apart.

"And you went through all of that bullshit at Comiket and the hotel just to come and find and see Honoka?"

"...yes." Maki could only lower her eyes and remember to breathe.

Ayako suddenly grabbed the redhead by her chin and forced Maki's eyes to lock with her own.

With a force Maki didn't expect, Ayako raised her voice like a scolding mother. "And now that you're finally here - you went through all of that shit to get here just to see her or to apologize or to beg forgiveness or to say hello or SOMETHING… and now you're not sure if you even want to see her?"

Ayako cupped Maki's face with both hands. "Have you lost your damn mind?"

Wait… what… ?

What is she… saying… ?

Maki was scared. Not of Ayako, though her intensity would scare anyone in the same situation. Maki now realized just how scared she was of meeting Honoka again and finding out… anything. Maki was afraid of everything.

She was afraid of rejection...

...of hate...

...and of finality.

In this current purgatory between friendship and distrust she didn't have to risk the danger of knowing which way Honoka felt. She couldn't dare to desire the reward because she couldn't bear to suffer the emotional consequences.

"Why are you here?" Ayako continued staring at the girl in front of her, though her hands had left Maki's face and made their way to her shoulders.

"If you're here to ask forgiveness, okay. If you're here to say goodbye, okay. Your reasons for being here don't matter; it only matters that you actually know why you're here. You won't gain anything from anyone until you know that."

She was right and Maki knew it, too. Maki needed to figure it out and she needed to figure it out fast.

She put her hands on her face and leaned forward. "What should I do…"

Ayako looked up and then down again and sighed. "You should stay here."

"That… wasn't the answer I was expecting… or asking for." Maki looked inquisitively at the older, black haired girl.

"I know Honoka. I know how loving and loyal she is. If Honoka considered you a friend at any point, I don't think she chose wrong. She can make some bad decisions but from what I know about her I don't think she's ever chosen a bad friend. It's one of the reasons I work so hard to be loyal to her and those girls… to deserve that trust…"

Ayako stood up and paced slowly. "You know the Honoka of high school and her past life, but I know the Honoka of the last six months and her new life. And based on the Honoka I know, I think her loyalties to anyone would never waver unless someone was guilty of something truly despicable."

Maki sat back on the couch. "What we did was pretty awful. I wouldn't be surprised if she never wanted to see us again."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Scratching her head, Ayako considered this. "But that's not for you or I to decide. All we can do is show her is that the girl you are now is different from the girl you were then; just like she's trying so hard to be the new Honoka, you're a new Maki."

Maki looked puzzled. "What do you mean 'show her'?"

Ayako stopped pacing. "Stay here. Stay here for a day or two and let's figure this all out. I know where Honoka lives and, if you want, I'll lead you there."

"Actually," Ayako faced Maki with the look of a parent preparing to give an ultimatum, "I'll bring her here to my apartment. But ONLY if you figure out what you want from her. Otherwise, you'd only hurt the girls, yourself, and… you'd destroy my friendship with all three of them."

Maki thought for a moment. It was a serious proposition and one she couldn't take lightly. But at least in the meantime she'd have a friend to talk it all over with and a roof over her head for two days.

Ayako stared at Maki with a serious face but inside she was pleading with any spirit that would listen. Do it Maki… please do it for Honoka… neither of you deserve to feel like this any more…

"Alright. I'll stay."

A/N: Once again, thank you for every review you've left and PM you've sent. I appreciate every person who takes to time to chat with me and I'm thankful for your suggestions and corrections.

Next chapter will be long and intense. Thank you for your patience as I finish writing it.