Warning for suggestions of/attempted sexual assault.

Eli's brow furrowed in concern as she watched Nozomi getting dressed. It was obvious that she was going out, though Eli had no idea where she could be going so early in the morning. She had woken to find Nozomi trying to sneak out of bed though of course her girlfriend hadn't managed to be quiet about it.

"Where are you going?" She finally asked, startling Nozomi into spinning around, her hand flying to her chest.

Nozomi hadn't even noticed that Eli was awake, too intent on getting out of the apartment as quickly as she could. "Ah, j-just out! I'll be back soon, don't worry. I thought I would go shopping and restock. You girls are practically living here now so…"

Eli blushed, unable to keep herself from thinking about what it would be like to live with Nozomi permanently. Her cheeks flushed slightly but she quickly realized something and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "It's six in the morning, Nozomi."

Nozomi laughed nervously. "Better to get it done early then I can come home to you after, hmm?" She crawled onto the bed and straddled Eli's lap, her arms going around her neck. "You won't go home until I get back, right?"

Eli shook her head, distracted by Nozomi's closeness. "Of course not. I-I wasn't planning on going home tonight. With my mom…" She nervously bit her lip. Maybe she had outstayed her welcome. The other girls, aside from Kotori, hadn't been sleeping there. It would explain Nozomi's distance over the past few days. "I can stay with Honoka maybe…"

"No!" Nozomi's grip on Eli tightened just a bit at the suggestion. "I want you here with me, Elichi. That's why I want to get everything done early, so I can come back home and spend the rest of the week with you!"

Eli knew that Nozomi probably didn't mean it that way but the mention of her coming home to her had her heart speeding up a bit. One day she could mean that she was coming back to the home they shared. She felt her face heat up as her thoughts shifted to rings, commitment, a life together. "F-Fine. At least give me a kiss before you go."

Nozomi laughed gently and leaned in, brushing her lips gently against Eli's. "I think Elichi is acting spoiled." Deciding not tease further, she kissed Eli properly this time, pressing close to her. She smiled against soft lips when she felt arms circle her waist to hold her in place. Despite her best efforts, she melted into the kiss, getting lost in the movement of soft lips and the occasional brush of Eli's tongue.

She forgot about what she was supposed to be doing until she felt hands tugging her shirt up. She pulled back and laughed as she gently pushed Eli's hands away. "I just got dressed, Elichi. What are you doing taking my clothes off now?" She watched as Eli pouted. She couldn't resist the urge to lean in and kiss the pout away. "There's time for that later, okay? I'll be back soon."

Eli huffed and leaned back against the pillows behind her but she didn't keep Nozomi from leaving.

Nozomi left the room and tiptoed past Kotori who was sleeping in the living room. She slid her shoes on and left quickly, shutting the door behind her. As she did, she dug her phone from her pocket and looked down at the screen, her expression darkening.

"You're really trying to get yourself killed, aren't you, Senpai? Idiot…" She tucked her phone into her pocket and took off down the hallway.

"Let me help, Nico-chan!" Honoka whined, trying to reach past Nico to grab the ladle she was using to stir whatever she was making. Honoka wasn't sure what it was, but she knew that it smelled good. "It's only stirring."

"You'll find a way to screw it up." Nico scowled, her free hand on Honoka's shoulder to keep her at a safe distance.

Honoka looked offended, her eyes widening at Nico's assumption. "Eh?! I can cook fine, my family owns a sweet shop, remember?"

"So you can make chocolate, what does that have to do with making real food?!" Nico's patience was wearing thin. "Get the hell out of the kitchen before I throw you out, Honoka! I'm not kidding."

"EH?!"

Kotori and Umi, who were sitting close together at the table watched Honoka's antics with soft smiles on their faces. Both of them were glad that Honoka wasn't acting differently than usual.

It had been four days since that night at the Sonoda estate and they were all still staying with Nozomi in some way, at least they always seemed to end up there until they had to go home for the night. Umi, unable to go back home for obvious reasons, was staying with Honoka. Kotori wished she could do the same though now that she knew there was something going on between the two she supposed it would be a bit awkward. Staying with her mom though, now knowing what she had once been a part of, was difficult, so on a couple of occasions she'd fallen asleep at Nozomi's apartment. Those nights had come as a relief if she was honest. Staying with Nozomi was so much easier than going home and facing her mother. It was hard to look at her now, and the older woman was noticing that something was amiss with her daughter.

Caught up in her thoughts, Kotori didn't notice that Nico had successfully shooed Honoka out of the kitchen until the girl was standing right next to her. It wasn't Kotori Honoka was focused on though, it was Umi. She looped her arms carelessly around their best friend's neck, bending down slightly to do so.

"Umi-chan, tell Nico-chan to let me help." Honoka whined quietly, her face turned toward Umi's rapidly reddening ears. Unable to help herself, she brushed her lips against her girlfriend's cheek and grinned faintly at the heat beneath her lips.

"Honoka…" Umi grumbled in embarrassment though she didn't move to push Honoka away. She didn't want to, even if being so close to someone was shameless and embarrassing.

Kotori averted her eyes, finding it hard to watch them due to the jealousy bubbling up within her. The two were obviously much closer than they had been before, much closer than either of them were to her. She wasn't sure what to think, recalling what Future Honoka had said about the two of them being together in the future.

Hearing a gentle giggle from Umi, she chanced a look back at her best friends and found Honoka whispering something to Umi. It was surprising, to see Umi looking so content. It was a stark contrast to that morning.

"I'm going for a walk." She announced, standing up smoothly.

"What?" Honoka barely glanced up at Kotori. "Oh, sure. Be careful, Kotori-chan."

Kotori felt her chest tighten as Honoka looked away from her, her undivided attention turning back to Umi. She opened and closed her mouth helplessly, uncertain as to what to say. She hadn't wanted Honoka to go with her, but after what had happened she had at least expected her friend to offer.

"Kotori…" Umi watched in concern, noticing the tightness of Kotori's jaw and the slight shine to her eyes.

"I won't be long." Kotori turned hurriedly on her heel and made her way quickly from the room, in need of some air.

"Honoka!" Umi berated, reaching up to gently swat Honoka's arm when Kotori disappeared from view.

"Huh?!" Honoka flinched slightly in surprise. "What? What did I do?"

"I could've handled that guy." Future Honoka muttered as she gingerly held her side. She could feel blood seeping through her shirt. She groaned a little as she allowed Nozomi to keep her steady.

She watched Nozomi with concern as they made their way down the crisp white hall of the Mokuzai building. She turned her back slightly, cringing at all the guards she'd had to kill or severely injure to get to the elevators.

Once they made it safely into one she pulled herself away from Nozomi and carefully eased her hand away from the gash on her side. "Damn."

"Fucking idiot, are you crazy?! What would've happened if I actually didn't come?! " Nozomi growled as she turned her attention to the older woman. She let her eyes travel to the injury and grimaced at the sight of all of the blood. There was no doubt that it was deep.

"I suppose I would've died." Honoka said carelessly as she shifted her weight. She took out her phone with the blueprints and notes she'd managed to get her hands on and pushed the button for basement. "I could do with the peace and quiet if I'm honest."

Nozomi gritted her teeth together. She had known that Future Honoka was going to get herself into a dangerous situation as soon as she had seen those notes on her wall. "You may not care if you live or die but I do! I don't care what you say I'm going to keep you alive."

"You're cute when you're angry." Future Honoka teased, leaning heavily against the elevator doors. Her body felt suddenly heavy but she knew she had to press on. "Has my past self ever told you that? Probably a good thing if she hasn't seen you angry. We wouldn't…want her falling for someone else…"

"Shut up, I'm being serious!" Nozomi barked, irritated by Honoka's blasé attitude. Her cheeks flushed, both from anger and embarrassment. "You're going to die, don't you get that?"

"I think we've gathered that I don't care." The elevator chimed as they reached the basement floor and Honoka leaned away from the doors to keep from falling through them. "Come on, we've gotta be stealthy."

"What?!"

"Shhh!" Future Honoka grabbed Nozomi's hand and dragged her out of the elevator. "Get a lab coat, I'm sure you'll pass as being in your twenties."

"I'm seventeen!" Nozomi exclaimed in a whisper yell. "And you're bleeding all over the floor, how stealthy do you think we can be?!"

"Seventeen? Your boobs say otherwise." Future Honoka didn't even try to hide the fact that she was staring at Nozomi's chest.

"Senpai!" Nozomi covered herself, her cheeks flushed crimson. She was sure Honoka must be delirious from the pain she was feeling or something. Nevertheless she allowed Honoka to drag her into a storage closet and soon found herself dressed in a lab coat. Future Honoka threw one on too, to hide the fact that she was bleeding.

"Almost…" Future Honoke tugged Nozomi's hair ties from her hair and deposited them into her pocket before assessing the girl in front of her. "Much better. You look more mature like this. A braid suits you better but we don't really have time…"

"Senpai, focus!" Nozomi exclaimed sharply as Future Honoka trailed off, her gaze distant.

"Huh? Oh right, let's go." Honoka ducked out of the room with Nozomi hot on her heels and together the two of them started the walk down the hall.

Nozomi felt her heart hammering against her chest as she walked but glancing at Future Honoka she found the older woman seemed to be quite composed. She wondered if Honoka did this kind of thing a lot in her time. It didn't seem like the first time she'd done it.

"Maybe you should have looked for a first aid kit while we were in there." Nozomi pointed out, concern audible in her hushed voice as she noticed that Honoka was unsteady on her feet.

"Stop fussing, you're pissing me off."

Nozomi raised an eyebrow. "You're moody now? I think I preferred when you were hitting on me."

"Oh yeah?" Honoka's voice was almost flat, save for the twinge of amusement Nozomi could hear. "You like it when I hit on you? I'd do it more often but you know, Eli is my best friend in the future…oh, wait here."

"What?" Nozomi tried to grab Honoka's hand but she was already striding toward a woman a little way down the hall. Honoka tapped the woman on the shoulder, causing her to turn around and they exchanged a few words. Nozomi frowned and moved closer to hear.

"Ah…you caught me, I'm sort of new here. Today is my first day so I don't really know where I'm going and…" Honoka trailed off, laughing sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. "I thought you might be able to point me in the right direction, if you don't mind. You look like you know what you're doing around here."

Nozomi narrowed her eyes irritably while the woman looked unsure.

"I'm sorry, I'm bothering you!" Future Honoka sounded genuinely guilty. "I-I just couldn't help but notice you over here. You're just…wow, you're beautiful. And I figured 'this girl must have been sent to help me', you know? It's stupid, I know."

Nozomi rolled her eyes as the woman in front of Honoka flushed and began to stutter. What really caught her attention was the way Honoka dipped her hand into the woman's pocket, taking something from it. There was no hesitation in the swift movement, no sign of a shake in her fingers. It was practiced almost, like she'd done it a hundred times.

"W-Well it's down the hall and to the left then you just have to swipe in…" The woman said nervously, her voice quivering slightly. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't get your name…"

"I didn't give one." Honoka smiled cheekily and covered the name written on her lab coat swiftly, feigning that she was leaving her name a mystery rather than covering up the fact that the name on the lab coat wasn't hers. "Thank you, Nanami-san. I look forward to seeing you again. Maybe next time I'll introduce myself properly and take you out to dinner. To celebrate."

"C-Celebrate?"

"Celebrate meeting you of course." Honoka replied smoothly with a wink. Nozomi huffed in annoyance. "I'll be going then. I'll see you later. I hope."

"M-Me too."

Honoka turned on her heel and grinned at Nozomi.

"You look happy with yourself." Nozomi pointed out snarkily.

"Is Nozomi-chan jealous?" Honoka teased, the smile not dropping from her lips. "Relax, you're the only woman in a lab coat I have eyes for."

"Senpai, would you…" Nozomi resisted the urge to yell at Honoka and took a deep breath instead, trying to calm herself. "Stop hitting on me."

"But you just said you want me to hit on you?"

"I did not!" Nozomi exclaimed, maybe a bit louder than she had intended. "Besides, you flirt with everyone. It doesn't mean anything when you flirt with me and Elichi."

"So you want it to mean something when I flirt with you?" Honoka raised a teasing eyebrow as she continued on down the hallway with Nozomi, having noticed the woman wander away. "It does, honestly. I flirt with you two because you're special to me. I would never flirt with Maki-chan or Rin-chan like this. And before you ask, I tease Maki-chan sometimes but that's only because she's one of my best friends in the future. But nobody is Eli-senpai and Nozomi-chan. And…nobody is Kotori-chan especially."

"G-Geeze, you talk about us like you're in love with us or something…"

"Maybe I am." Honoka said seriously. She couldn't hold the neutral expression for long though and finally ended up laughing. "I'm just kidding. Come on, let's use this quickly."

Nozomi felt her cheeks flush crimson once again and she cursed under her breath. How was it that she was being out-teased, by Honoka of all people? She didn't notice Honoka use the key card she'd stolen on the door until she was being pulled into the room.

As soon as they stepped foot inside though, alarms started going off around them.

"Shit!" Honoka muttered, drawing Nozomi close to her. It seemed that the building was more secure than she'd thought. She hurriedly tugged Nozomi over to a computer, determined to get something from the mission. It couldn't just be a failure. "A PASSWORD? Really?!"

Nozomi glanced around anxiously as Honoka slammed her hands down onto the desk in front of them. She could hear footsteps in the hallway. "You need to get us out of here. You need to teleport us out. Honoka-chan!" She watched as Honoka started to type, obviously trying to get the password. "HONOKA! Please, we need to go. They're coming. If you stay here you'll die. I know you want the information but it's not worth your life! Please. If not for yourself, then for me."

Honoka watched as the screen in front of her eyes blurred, then she was on her knees on the floor. She heard her name being called then Nozomi was in front of her, her hands on her shoulders.

"I can't…I don't have the energy to teleport us both. Maybe….if I could transport you by yourself…" She had never tried it, and wasn't sure it would work. But she could try.

"No!" Nozomi exclaimed frantically. "No, we're not doing that. I don't want you to die, okay?! You can't just decide to stay here. You have to try. For me. I-I'll help…" She pressed her hands against Honoka's wound and focused intently, taking the pain away from her. It hit her suddenly and she gasped loudly. She didn't know how Honoka had managed to walk around when she was hurting so much.

She heard guards barge into the room, opening fire but a second later she was surrounded by warmth as Honoka wrapped her arms tightly around her. The telltale tugging sensation of teleportation followed and then she was outside, on her back. She realized suddenly, now that her mind wasn't clouded with pain, that Honoka had thrown herself on top of her when the shooting had started.

"Senpai?!" Nozomi's hands roamed over Honoka's body, expecting to find some kind of bullet wound. "Did they hit you? Were you shot?!"

Future Honoka shook her head. The pain in her side had returned, probably because Nozomi had been distracted, but she preferred it that way. It was her pain to keep. "You're worried about me, huh? You must really like me if you want to keep me alive this much."

"Idiot!" Nozomi's voice was suddenly thick with emotion, her arms going around Honoka tightly. "Idiot, idiot, idiot! Why are you such a damn idiot?"

Future Honoka gave a throaty chuckle, well aware of the reason behind Nozomi's sudden outburst. "Yeah…I love you too, Nozomi-chan."

"Idiot." Nozomi muttered again, shaking her head. "I told you to stop hitting on me. Come on, get up. I'm taking you home. Or to a hospital."

"To my hotel room." Honoka elected. Feeling Nozomi's grip loosen, she pushed herself to her feet. "No hospitals."

"Of course not. You're too stubborn for one." She quipped as she watched the older woman give her a goofy grin.

"Damn straight, little lady!"

Kotori leaned back against the wall behind her and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. It was hard to watch her two best friends now that she had been pushed to the sidelines.

"Hey." Kotori looked up at the sound of the familiar voice, just in time to see Nozomi walking toward her, hands clasped behind her back. "What are you doing?"

Kotori straightened up slightly and tried to suppress the feeling of jealousy and sadness that filled her. She was glad when Nozomi didn't seem to notice. "Just getting some air. It was getting a bit loud inside."

"Oh." Nozomi flashed Kotori a smile and moved closer to her, leaning her shoulder against the wall. "Well you know how some of them can be."

"I suppose…" Kotori mumbled uncertainly, assuming that Nozomi was referring to Nico and Maki. It wasn't the two of them who'd driven her out though, seeing Umi and Honoka together had. She couldn't make sense of how lonely she felt when she watched the two of them together. They were so close now, closer than she felt she could be to either of them. She clenched her shirt in her hand over her chest, her eyes prickling. She was horrible, for envying Umi despite what was happening with her best friend.

"You look upset." Nozomi remarked, watching Kotori's expression change. She reached out, placing her hand on Kotori's arm. "What's wrong?"

Kotori shrugged and looked down at where Nozomi was gently rubbing her bare arm. "It's nothing. It's…" Her eyes darted left and right before flicking back up to Nozomi. "I should be happy for them both. They're my best friends and Umi-chan is going through something awful and she needs Honoka-chan. I know that. I do. But…what about me, Nozomi-chan? What's going to happen to me now that they're together?" Her bottom lip trembled slightly. She was being so selfish. "It's not supposed to be like this."

"Hmm?" Nozomi seemed to be listening intently, still keeping up the soothing movements of her fingers. "What do you mean?"

"I'm supposed to be with Honoka-chan in the future!" Kotori couldn't hold the frustrated exclamation back. She wasn't sure how this had happened. Was it because she had ignored her Honoka too much, focusing only on Future Honoka? "I love her too!"

A smile twitched at Nozomi's lips.

"She doesn't even see me." Kotori whispered, bowing her head slightly. Honoka had barely glanced at her earlier, but even then it had been like she was looking right through her. "Not anymore."

"Then she's an idiot." Nozomi said bluntly, reaching out to gently touch Kotori's face with her free hand. Puzzled eyes slowly lifted to focus on her own. "I see you. Anyone with half a brain would take notice of you. You're too pretty to just ignore."

Kotori's brow furrowed in confusion at Nozomi's intently whispered words. It almost felt like the purple haired girl was flirting with her. It was unthinkable. Everyone knew that Nozomi only had eyes for Eli.

Uncomfortable, Kotori cleared her throat. "Where have you been? You've been gone for a while. Eli-chan was waiting for you earlier."

"Let's not talk about Elichi right now." Nozomi said with a soft chuckle at Kotori's attempt to change the subject. "I only want to talk about you."

Kotori only grew more confused by Nozomi's brushing off of Eli. "I-I uh…we should probably get back inside. It's getting chilly out here."

Kotori watched Nozomi pout, but after a moment the older girl grabbed her hand and began to guide her back to her apartment. Kotori felt a cool shiver go down her spine, but it wasn't one she usually got when she was near Honoka or her friend's Future self. She felt uncomfortable. Something wasn't right, but she couldn't pinpoint what. At times like these she wished she possessed Maki's telepathy. "Um, Nozomi-chan, I don't need you to treat me like a child. I know where your apartment is."

Nozomi didn't say a word as she let go of Kotori's hand. Kotori positioned herself in front of the senior and made her way up the steps. She glanced at Nozomi out of the corner of her eye, watching as she looked around in interest. After a moment, she cleared her throat, desperate to break the silence. "S-So how was your walk?"

Usually Nozomi was the easiest of the girls to talk to, but now she didn't know what to say.

"It was pleasant. Though it could've been nicer if I'd had company." Nozomi drawled, shooting Kotori a suggestive look. She patted herself down as they stopped in front of the door. "Ah, I forgot my key…"

"I left it open! Don't worry. The others are in there as well so even if anyone tried to get in they would have to fight…" Kotori said with a force smile. She let her gaze drop to the floor before pushing the door open and stepping into the small entrance hall, Nozomi close behind. Kotori didn't have time to think before she felt someone push her against the door.

"Ahh, what the..?" Kotori began but was cut off by a pair of lips pressing against her own. Her eyes widened in alarm. For Nozomi, someone she had always seen as a somewhat parental figure to be touching her in such a way was shocking. So shocking that she froze in place, unable to even push her away.

"Stop! Stop, STOP! "

Kotori finally came to her senses and pressed her hands to Nozomi's shoulders. She hurriedly pushed the slightly taller girl off of her. "Stop! What are you doing!?"

She looked up and caught sight of cold emerald eyes, so different from the usual warm gaze she was used to seeing from Nozomi.

"Why? You're obviously lonely. I could feel it with my ability, Kotori-chan." Nozomi smirked before she leaned in again, her lips finding Kotori's once more. She felt hands move to her shoulders, trying to push her away again but easily grabbed them, pinning them to the door above Kotori's head. She pressed closer still, pushing her torso flush against Kotori's and in turn pushing the ashen haired girl harder against the door.

Kotori whimpered against Nozomi's lips and tried to move her head back only to find that she was stopped by the door she was being pressed against. She couldn't move away to break her lips away from Nozomi's. Every time she tried to struggle, Nozomi's grip on her wrists somehow tightened further, causing her to wince.

Nozomi, growing tired of Kotori trying to pull away, reached down with one hand and gripped Kotori's chin to keep her in place. She took the younger girl's lower lip between her own and sucked for a moment before biting down hard. The taste of blood was satisfying.

Kotori gasped and Nozomi took the opportunity to kiss her deeper this time, her tongue slipping past soft lips. She chuckled under her breath at the startled sound Kotori made.

Panicked, Kotori accidentally activated her invisibility. She tried to flex her fingers but they were growing numb because of the tightness of Nozomi's grip. She struggled harder, her eyes burning with tears that slowly slipped down her cheeks. She had never been kissed like this, had never kissed anyone but Future Honoka in fact and that was so much different. Even the second time they had kissed, Honoka had been desperate and a little bit forceful but she'd been gentle too. Nozomi was anything but gentle.

Having heard the door open and close a few minutes ago, Eli strode into the small entranceway, intending to greet whoever had returned - as Nozomi's girlfriend, she figured it was her responsibility to do so when Nozomi wasn't there to do it herself. She stopped short, her heart seizing as she watched Kotori flicker between visibility and invisibility.

"W-What the hell is going on!?"

Kotori turned her head, finally managing to tear her lips from Nozomi's thanks to the third year's distraction. Her eyes met steel blue. "E-Eli-chan…"

"N-Nozomi. Kotori." Eli whispered, noticing the flush on Kotori's face. Having seen their position before, it wasn't hard to put two and two together. She didn't notice Maki run in with Nico behind her, the former having heard Kotori's thoughts from a moment ago.

Maki's gaze found Kotori, noticing how shaken she looked. Quickly, she went to catch her as she slumped down against the door. Kotori's thoughts were so loud and frantic that she couldn't hear anything else, nor could she even attempt to block them out. Arms went around her neck tightly as Kotori pressed close to her. Maki was perplexed by the way Kotori trembled against her, tears soaking her neck. "What the hell…"

"Kotori-chan and I were just having some fun." Nozomi said, oblivious to the tears that clouded Eli's eyes. It seemed that the blonde couldn't even speak. "Isn't that right, Kotori-chan?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Maki's head was truly starting to ache, but that didn't keep her from berating Nozomi. She lifted her arms, protectively wrapping them around the girl clinging to her. "She didn't want that, you…you forced it on her!" She glared at the senior, bearing her teeth as she drew Kotori closer to her body.

"N-Nozomi…" Eli could barely get her words out as she stared at her girlfriend. She couldn't comprehend the reasoning behind Nozomi's actions though what Maki has said struck a chord with her. She couldn't imagine Nozomi ever forcing herself on anyone.

Honoka and Umi walked into the room, their attention caught by the commotion. Inevitably their gazes found Kotori, both of them stopping short in shock at the sight of how upset their friend was.

"Kotori?" Umi glanced questioningly between the group of girls for some kind of explanation as to what was going on. She wasn't offered one but Kotori did break away from Maki and hurry over to them, intentionally keeping her distance from Nozomi as she did so. She ducked behind the two of them, pressing close to Honoka's back. The hand that Umi lay upon her shoulder was more reassuring than words could ever be.

"It's not true, is it?" Eli couldn't help but ask, desperate for Nozomi to say something to defend herself in some way. "Y-You wouldn't…"

Nozomi huffed out a sigh at Eli's attempts to speak. "Wouldn't what, Elichi? Want to kiss anyone but you? You're so full of yourself, you know that? My life doesn't revolve around you!"

Eli wasn't sure what to say to that. Nozomi had never snapped at her in that way before. She swallowed thickly. "Is this because you're angry with me? You want to get back at me for kissing Hono…the future version of Honoka? I thought you were fine with that!"

"What?" Honoka's eyes widened in surprise as did Umi's. Even Kotori, who was still shaken by her encounter with Nozomi looked stunned.

Surprise briefly flitted across Nozomi's face before she schooled her features back to the emotionless look from a moment ago. "You think I would have told you if I was bothered by it? God, you really are selfish. All you care about is if you think you have a reason to feel guilty about what you did. You don't care about how I would feel at all, do you?"

"W-What?" Eli shook her head vehemently, her stomach sinking at Nozomi's words. "No, that's not true! Of course I care about how you feel, Nozomi. What are you saying? I love you!"

"Well I don't love you." Nozomi's blunt retort had Eli stumbling back slightly, her features slowly crumbling. "I don't think I ever did, really. I wanted to. More than anything I wanted to think that you could be what I need, but you're not. You were just something I used to try to fill a hole in my life. First a friend, then a lover…but I don't love you in that way."

"Y-You don't mean that. You can't mean that!" Eli couldn't see Nozomi through her tears. She couldn't think, she could barely even breathe. "You do love me, you've told me. You've told me hundreds of times that you love me. You wouldn't just lie!"

Nozomi shrugged her shoulders, unfazed by Eli's tears. "I was in denial, I wasn't lying. It just took me a while to figure out what I want. And what I don't. If it makes you feel any better, you were decent in bed. But that's the only reason I've stayed with you for so long, and even that's getting boring now."

Eli clapped her hand over her mouth, a startled sob escaping her before she could stop it. Her knees buckled and she felt herself begin to stumble before someone caught her quickly, keeping her on her feet.

Nico stumbled slightly herself under Eli's weight but managed to stay on her feet. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" She exclaimed furiously, glaring over at Nozomi. She was all for honesty but everything Nozomi had said to Eli was taking it too far. She couldn't believe Nozomi even felt that way about the blonde. Everyone who watched the two of them together could see that the two adored each other. The look on Nozomi's face now showed no sign of that though. The look on her face was that of indifference, something Nico had never seen Nozomi direct toward Eli. "Why are you saying all of that crap to her?"

"I'm just telling the truth, Nico-chan. What's wrong with that?" Nozomi asked, turning her gaze toward Nico. "What else am I supposed to do? Just keep leading her on like I have been?"

"You're LYING!" Nico's voice rose as she slowly let go of Eli and took a step toward Nozomi, her hands curled into fists at her sides. "Anyone who knows you knows that you love Eli. What the hell are you doing? Pushing her away because you're scared of what might happen in the future? Or you're hurt because of what she did with Honoka?"

"Honoka-chan can have her, I'm not interested." Nozomi cast a look toward Eli. The blonde was clearly beside herself, her hands covering her face. "You were right about what you said back when we got together, you know?" She waited a moment until teary eyes slowly lifted to meet her own. "You are too boring for me."

"Nozomi-chan!" Honoka made to take a step forward but she was stopped short by both Umi and Kotori grabbing her and pulling her back to them. She cast a look at them, finding that they both looked shaken by Nozomi's rant. "But…"

She couldn't just stand by and do nothing while Nozomi was speaking to Eli in such a sickening way.

Umi gave a shake of her head, her lips set into a grim line. Between the way Nozomi was behaving and the way Nico looked there was no way she was going to let Honoka get between them.

Nico let out a low growl and surged forward, grabbing the lapels of Nozomi's jacket. She was sure that usually she wouldn't be strong enough to move the older girl but her anger fueled her and somehow they ended up stumbling back against the wall.

"You're going to take that back right now." Nico said in a low, angry voice. Behind her she could still hear Eli's muffled cries. "Look at what you're fucking doing to her. Is that really something you want to do to the person you love?!"

Nozomi's expression didn't change. "I don't love…"

"SHUT UP!" Nico punched the wall next to Nozomi's head, causing her to cringe slightly. "Don't say that again, Nozomi. I'm warning you. It's bullshit."

Maki tensed as Nico's fist came away from the wall bloody. The passive look on the third year's face let her know she hadn't felt it though. Her stomach twisted with anxiety at the thought. She hadn't approved of Nico taking the pills she'd quickly become addicted to but she knew that they were one of the only things that allowed her to feel something.

Nervousness flitted across Nozomi's face. Nico had quite the temper, and it didn't take a lot for her to snap. She opened her mouth to speak but she was interrupted by another voice.

"L-Let her go, Nico." Eli's voice trembled with emotion but it was much closer than before.

Nico looked up in surprise as a hand closed around her wrist. She found herself staring into watery blue eyes and frowned. "Why should I? Give me one reason I shouldn't punch her right now after what she said to you!"

"Because I can't let you." Eli whispered, her shoulders slumped. "You know I can't. Please, Nico. I know you're only trying to help me but you'll only be hurting me if you hurt her. Just let her go."

With an irritated growl, Nico wrenched her hand away from Nozomi's collar and stalked away from her, holding her hand which was rapidly regenerating her broken skin together.

"In case I wasn't clear, we're done." Nozomi said, her voice quiet and restrained as she looked at Eli. The blonde was looking anywhere but at her, clearly trembling and didn't offer an answer.

Silence followed the statement and Maki took a moment to glance at the others. Nico was seething and Umi and Honoka looked too surprised to do anything but her gaze paused when it reached Kotori. The ashen haired girl was rubbing her wrists. What caught Maki's attention was the blood streaking a line down to her chin from her lip. Like she had bitten down, though Maki knew that she wouldn't have bitten hard enough to draw so much blood.

She stepped closer until she caught sight of the reddening marks on Kotori's wrist. "Kotori, what…?" She watched as Kotori ashamedly hid her wrists from sight, though not before Umi too had caught sight of them.

Umi gripped Kotori's hands, keeping her from hiding them and stared at the marks - no, the fingerprints, on her wrists in shock. "K-Kotori…"

Honoka, who had been gaping at the marks suddenly swung around to face Nozomi. "Y-You did this to her?!" She couldn't believe it, though she wasn't thinking past the anger that was suddenly pounding through her veins. She felt angry tears blur her vision, unwanted images of Kotori being forced into things filling her mind. "H-How could…?" Her jaw clenched and she closed her eyes, focusing her power.

"Honoka-chan, no!" Kotori exclaimed, throwing herself forward. She wrapped her arms around Honoka tightly from behind though she knew it wouldn't do much good if Honoka chose to teleport like she obviously wanted to. "I don't want you to get hurt!"

"But she…" Honoka trembled, both with anger and fear of what was happening. The fact that it was Nozomi, of all people who'd hurt Kotori just made it worse. "I-I don't…"

Kotori felt Honoka's hands come up, gripping her own and allowed herself to relax, taking it to mean that her friend wasn't going anywhere. She noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and flinched. She relaxed when Umi moved in front of her. Concerned amber eyes met her own and gentle fingers wiped the blood from her mouth and chin.

The tender touch was both reassuring and grounding, yet relaxing had her thinking back to just a few minutes ago and her eyes flooded with tears.

"Kotori, I'm going to have to look at your wrists." Maki said in a stern but gentle voice as she stepped closer and reached out toward her embracing seniors.

Umi noticed Maki approaching first and quickly jerked away, not wanting to risk touching her. She crossed her arms in front of her chest when Maki glanced at her in concern. She cleared her throat and focused her gaze on Eli, trying to play the sudden movement off.

Maki looked back to Kotori, reaching out to gently grip her wrist. "Come on, Kotori." She gave a gentle tug but Kotori shook her head and buried her face into Honoka's shoulder. She sighed heavily, glancing to Umi for help. Unfortunately Umi seemed to be looking anywhere but at her.

With a determined pout, Maki tapped Kotori's shoulder. When the older girl finally seemed to make eye contact she gave her a small sad smile and whispered. "Please come with me. I want to help you…" She felt her cheeks turning red and glanced down at her feet. "…K-Koto-nee, just like you helped me when I was younger."

Kotori, who had been wearing a determined, if somewhat teary look, softened at the use of the old nickname. Hesitantly, she let go of Honoka and took Maki's outstretched hand. "O-Okay…"

"I'll be going then." Nozomi announced, brushing herself off. "You can all get out of my apartment before I get back. Though…you can stay if you want to, Kotori-chan. We can continue where we left off."

"Like hell she will!" Maki's voice rose in anger. "Don't ever touch her again. Stay the hell away from her or I'll hurt you!"

Nozomi scoffed and with one last glance at Eli, she left the apartment, leaving the blonde sniffling softly in her wake.

Maki hesitated for a moment but when she saw Nico make her way over to Eli, she turned her attention back to Kotori. "Come on." She murmured, tugging on her hand. She led her into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and guided Kotori to sit on the edge of the bathtub.

Kotori turned her gaze to her bruised wrists as Maki pattered around the bathroom, gathering some things to treat her injuries with.

"There's not much here I can work with." Maki said apologetically as she returned to Kotori's side with a damp towel. She knelt down in front of her but paused as she lifted the towel. "Are you okay?"

Kotori gave a shaky nod. "Nozomi-chan…" She shuddered slightly, both at the name and the memory of Nozomi's cold stare. "She's never looked at me like that before."

Maki frowned as she lifted the towel to dab at the bite mark on Kotori's lip. Nozomi had done a lot of things she had never done before. She'd never used force before, she had never spoken to Eli that way before. She'd certainly never claimed that she didn't love Eli.

Kotori was silent as Maki wiped away the remainder of the blood from her lips. Finally, when it seemed to be done she spoke up softly. "You called me Koto-nee earlier. L-like you used to. Maki-chan…can you say it again?"

Maki's gaze slid away, her cheeks flaming. "Koto-nee." Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Kotori smiling to herself. "This is embarrassing, Kotori."

Kotori shook her head in amusement. "You used to call me that all of the time when we were younger. Remember when you were six and you wanted to show me your progress with the piano? You wouldn't stop saying it until I went along with you."

"K-Koto-nee, you're being unfair!" Maki cringed as the childhood nickname for her friend passed her lips again. "Crap!"

Kotori lifted a hand to her mouth, though that didn't stop a gentle giggle from escaping. "Maki-chan is so cute."

Maki ducked her head in embarrassment. "I-I am not! Nico-chan is cuter…"

"Does Maki-chan have a crush?" Kotori teased gently, the heaviness that had settled in her chest starting to lighten. "Tell me all about it!"

"NO!" Maki bowed her head, her red hair concealing her equally red face. She listened to Kotori giggle again, a small smile tugging at her lips. It was almost worth the embarrassment to make her friend feel better. Silence soon settled between them and the next time Maki looked up the smile that had lingered briefly on Kotori's face was gone again.

"It's been a long time since we talked properly, huh Maki-chan?" Kotori asked softly, her gaze distant, as if she was remembering something from quite a long time ago. "I missed you a lot…when you stopped being friends with me."

Maki shifted uncomfortably. "I-I didn't, I…I just didn't want to embarrass you in front of your new friends. I didn't think you'd want someone younger than you following you around. And I guess I was maybe a bit jealous too. That you suddenly had new friends and you were leaving me behind."

Kotori's eyes widened in surprise at Maki's honesty. "You could never embarrass me! I was always talking about you when I was with Honoka-chan and Umi-chan. I wanted them to meet you because…Maki-chan was my most important person. I-I thought you were embarrassed by me. You changed so much, you got so cool and I just stayed the same."

Maki sighed and shifted position to sit with her back against the bathtub near Kotori's legs. "I suppose we both had it wrong. It wasn't the only reason anyway. My power was growing and I had to push everyone away. Even you…you know?" She looked up at Kotori, in search of understanding.

Kotori nodded somberly. "We'll be better friends now, right Maki-chan? Like before? Earlier…" Her voice quivered slightly at the memories of what had happened with Nozomi earlier. "It reminded me of when we were younger. I didn't know you would…"

"Of course I would." Maki interrupted sharply, irritation returning to her features. "And I will again if she comes near you."

Kotori bit her lip, a troubled expression on her face. "But it's Nozomi-chan."

"And you're Kotori. What's your point?" Maki tilted her head back a little bit so she could see Kotori, her bright hair a stark contrast to the pearly white bathtub it rested against. "None of us are going to let her hurt you again."

Kotori wasn't all that happy with the answer. She didn't want it to be that way, but she was sure of the fact that she didn't want to be around Nozomi. "Thank you, Maki-chan."

Maki nodded, instantly regretting the decision. "My head hurts, Koto-nee." She muttered, just barely loud enough for Kotori to hear. Almost unwittingly, she leaned her head to the right, resting it against Kotori's thigh. The whispered apology, combined with the gentle hand that came to rest upon her head had her lips turning up slightly despite her discomfort.

The corners of Kotori's lips twitched up into a small smile. Despite everything that happened she couldn't help but feel glad that her past friendship with Maki had finally seemed to be rekindled.

Nozomi strode casually down the hallway, whistling to herself as she walked away from the apartment.

"You can come out now, you know." She said, ducking into the stairwell just to be safe. She looked over the edge of the railing to make sure nobody was there. "Nobody's around."

The shadow behind Nozomi shifted, lifting up from the ground then materialized into a tall, fit young woman. The UTX uniform she was wearing suited her serious demeanour perfectly. She stretched slightly before turning sharp eyes toward Nozomi.

"You sure know how to make things dramatic, huh?"

"All part of my brilliant plan." Nozomi smirked back. "Let's just hope Tsubasa can do her part as flawlessly as I did mine."

Erena irritably narrowed her eyes. "You call what you did flawless? You assaulted the poor girl! I thought you were just going to manipulate her?!"

"As I said, divide and conquer. You've read Tojo's file. She's the glue that holds the group together. There's nothing more important to her than her friends and her…'Elichi'. Imagine how it's going to destroy her to know that she broke Ayase's heart. That her precious friends are either terrified of her or hate her."

Erena shifted, uncomfortable with the entire situation. "I still think you went too far, Anju."

Nozomi laughed loudly. Her features shifted and suddenly the laughter sounded different. Much harsher. "Don't question my tactics, Erena. You're only an agent compared to me and Tsubasa. You're only in it to be with her anyway. I was trained, I know exactly what I'm doing while you have no idea. You're not to share your useless opinions with me again. Is that clear?"

Erena knew better than to argue. She swallowed thickly and gave a shaky nod.

Anju leaned back against the railings and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She had almost been hoping for some kind of argument but she had gotten nothing of the sort. It was typical. Erena was so spineless, it was laughable. "You're always such a downer. Just let me have my fun!"

Erena closed her eyes briefly, trying not to let irritation overwhelm her. "Let's just get back. You've done enough damage."

Anju almost argued, wanting to stick around and see exactly how much damage she had done but even she knew that was a bad idea. Instead she nodded and started on her way down the stairs. "My back is killing me, I don't know how Tojo lugs those boobs of hers around all day."

Erena gritted her teeth together as Anju laughed at her own joke. Sometimes she couldn't help but really hate the other girl.

Nozomi rubbed her shoulder as she made her way along the hallway to her apartment. Her 'mission' with Honoka had left her feeling tired and sore and all she wanted to do was slip into bed next to her girlfriend and go to sleep. Turning the corner, she paused at the sight of the group gathered in front of her apartment door. Kotori, Honoka, Umi and Maki were standing together, Kotori between Maki and Honoka while Umi was holding onto Honoka's hand. Nico was standing near Eli, her hand resting lightly on her lower back.

The first thing Nozomi really noticed besides their presence was the fact that Eli seemed to be upset about something. She could feel it from where she stood, even though she'd been trying to block everyone out. She could never block Eli out completely. As she stepped closer, the ache in her chest only intensified.

Hearing footsteps, Kotori looked up. At the sight of Nozomi, she flinched, positioning herself slightly behind Honoka.

Maki followed Kotori's gaze to Nozomi and narrowed her eyes. "We're just leaving."

Nozomi was surprised by the cold tone of Maki's voice as well as Kotori flinching away from her. It was an odd reaction. It wasn't as though Kotori had any reason to fear her. "What? Where are you going?"

Nico turned to scowl at Nozomi. "I'm not in the mood for your fucking mind games, Nozomi. And don't think I'm going to let you screw around with Eli's feelings or touch Kotori again either!"

"Kotori-chan? What are you talking about? What did I…?" Nozomi glanced helplessly at Eli, finding the girl was staring at the floor. "Elichi…"

"HEY!" Nico marched right up to Nozomi, her expression livid. "Don't talk to her. Don't even look at her."

For a moment, Nozomi could only blink at Nico, too stunned to speak. "N-Nicocchi…" Her gaze shifted around in search of answers and she flinched at the angry stares of her friends. Noticing Kotori rubbing her wrists she looked a bit closer, finding bruises circling them. "What happened?!"

She pushed Nico to the side and skirted around her, intending to check the bruises on Kotori's wrists. She was surprised when Maki visibly tensed up but what surprised her more was Eli moving quickly, putting herself between her and Kotori. "Elichi?"

"I won't let you touch her, Nozomi." Eli had somehow managed to compose herself before she had left the apartment but now, with Nozomi standing in front of her, she felt tears pricking at her eyes again. She clenched her jaw but that did nothing to keep her eyes from dampening. "Kotori is my friend. I don't care what you feel for her o-or how much you hate me, I won't let anything…"

Nozomi felt her stomach churn at the idea of 'hating' Eli. There wasn't anything about her that she hated. "Hate you?" She lifted a hand, intending to brush away a tear that was about to fall. As she did, she watched a pained expression cross Eli's face. "How could I ever hate you? You're my Elichi. I love you, you…"

Honoka growled low in her throat and reached out with her free hand, gripping Eli's wrist. She pulled her back to her side and stared Nozomi down. "Stay away from us. All of us. You've crossed a line, Nozomi. I'm not going to risk you hurting Kotori-chan again…and you're taking advantage of Eli-senpai. I-I won't allow it!"

"Stay away?" Nozomi echoed shakily, her heart pounding against her chest. Eli wasn't looking at her again but she supposed it was better than her looking at her the same way Honoka was. "But you're my friends. Elichi is my girlfriend."

"We're not. And Eli-senpai isn't your girlfriend anymore. You made that clear earlier with what you said." Deep down Honoka knew that she was only saying these things because she wanted to hurt Nozomi, the same way the third year had hurt Eli and to get back at her for hurting Kotori too, but she couldn't stop herself. "As the leader of μ's…I'm revoking your membership."

"Agreed." Nico's voice sounded sharply, though Nozomi only just barely heard it. "You're out."

Nozomi's chest tightened again but this time it wasn't Eli's pain she was feeling, it was her own. There was nothing more important to her than her friends and μ's. "Wh…Wha…?" She hadn't realized that her eyes had flooded with tears until she felt them slip free, spilling down her cheeks. "B-But…"

The group walked past her, Kotori being careful to keep her distance. Honoka on the other hand, purposely shouldered past, causing her to almost lose her footing. The subtle ache in her shoulder was enough to stub out the hope that this was all just a terrible nightmare. It was real, though Nozomi couldn't make sense of any of it. She'd lost Eli. She'd lost everyone.