Flutter

By Funakounasoul

Disclaimer: Azumanga Daioh and its characters belong to Kiyohiko Azuma.

Author's Notes: This part of the story is actually a two-parter. Chapter 12 will cover the first part and 13 will cover part two, obviously. This will cause both chapters to be shorter than the average "Flutter" chapter, but if they were one instead of two, they'd be huge. I understand that a reasonable chapter must be short, but not too short, yet not too long either. Yeah, I could cut stuff out of the two...but I have my reasons for why it's two parts instead of one. You'll just have to bear with me and simply wait for part two's arrival to read what happens next.

Is that okay? Okay. On with the story!

CHAPTER TWELVE

Tomo ran down the street, trying to escape the storm that suddenly hit. She had previously been at Yomi's house, having another homework copying session, when the radio announced the approaching storm. Tomo decided to head back -- she had to take care of her house while her parents were out. Bidding the brunette goodbye, she opened the window to leave, only to have rain splash onto her face. It had already begun.

By the time she reached her house, the storm had escalated. The rain was pouring constantly now, and Tomo was growing irritated by each footstep. Finally reaching the door, she took out the keys and hastily unlocked it. As she began opening the door, however, she fell, having slipped on a small puddle by the entrance. Her head hit both the door and the wooden floor harshly, leaving her stunned.

Colors swirled all around her, eventually leading to a sudden decrease in vision. An incoherent curse barely escaped her mouth as she finally lost consciousness.

"...You..."

"Hey there! Wait...are you gonna to tell me to bug off, just like everybody else?"

"No, no...I...I admire you! You always have your head up even when others...don't like you."

"...Hey, you're that one girl! I never would've thought you, of all people, would look up to me!"

"Well, I may be quiet, but I've always wanted to be..."

"Louder? You wanna be able to talk more, right?"

"Y-yes! I've always wanted to be like you..."

"Well, stick with me, and you can become a great kid like me! Ha ha ha ha!"

"Really? You'll be...my friend?"

"Yep! I have a feeling we'll be stuck for a long time..."

"Um...that's because we're...in the same class..."

"Really? Oh, wow! Why didn't I notice this before? Okay, so we're already gonna be together for a while...Anyway, I'm Takino! Tomo Takino!"

"Why are you...introducing yourself?"

"What? Can't I say my name if I want to? Besides, I don't even know your name...heheh."

"Uh...My name is Koyomi Mizuhara."

"Ko...Ko-yomi? Let's call you 'Yomi' instead! It's easier, and it goes with the fact that you're always reading!"

"Eh? But..."

"Not another word, Yomi-chan! You and me...we're best buddies now!"

"...Yeah! We're best friends...Tomo-chan..."

Tomo's eyes fluttered open, slowly realizing that she was now in her room and lying on her bed. She had no idea how long she had been out, but it seemed like a few hours. By now, the rain had died down to mere sprinkles. Sitting up, a dull pain pulsated from the area where her head smacked into the doorknob. She lightly rubbed it, wishing she had never slipped in the first place. After the pain subsided for a while, Tomo finally noticed she was not alone -- right there in her room sat a familiar spiky-haired girl, reading one of the magazines that were sprawled all over the floor.

"Kagura?!" she yelled while grabbing her pillow. "What the heck are you doing here?!"

"Well, I see you're back to your usual self..." Ignoring the pillow thrown at her, she replied, "You asked me to come over tonight for something, remember? When I arrived, I saw you on the floor. What happened, anyway?"

"Um, nothing too horrible...Don't worry about it."

"So, what did you need me for anyway?"

"I need help." Making sure she could walk, she led Kagura to the dining room, where she finished her statement. "It's about Yomi and me..."

"Oh, I see. Go on."

"Well, something finally hit us...hard. We realized we could separate after graduation and...it's kind of creeping us out."

Kagura frowned. "But doesn't distance make the bond between lovers stronger? You guys should be thinking about the positives here."

"Ah, yes, that saying. There's a simple explanation -- Yomi and I have been together so long, we're practically one person! If we knew each other since the beginning of high school, yeah, we might eventually get used to living far apart...probably move on... It's just that, we're kind of scared of a future without the other. We might do bad in college! We might become failures! We might not see each other ever again! We might go crazy! No matter what, separation is not an option!"

"Woah, take it easy, Tomo! You're not Tomo if you're thinking that negative!" Kagura knew the girl was exaggerating, but she did not want to take any risks. "What would Yomi say if she saw you like this?"

Despite her previous outburst, Tomo chuckled. "Funny you should bring her up...You see, it was Yomi who first realized this. She was actually more of a nervous wreck than I was just now. She told me some things...especially how she's worried about us separating. I felt really bad right there. I really couldn't do anything other than cheer her up as she continued crying. To tell you the truth...it was kind of scary. I've never seen Yomi so hysterical."

"She told me she was scared. Even though she has this grown up air around her, she admitted she'd be all depressed if I wasn't around her...and proved that I would have a similar experience if she weren't around. She did have a point; most of my bigmouthed comments and pranks are related to Yomi, or I do them while she's around. She proved we're both 'safety nets' for one another, you know? She proved all these years of being together had such a great impact on our lives."

Throughout the explanation, Kagura could not help but shed a tear. This really was a difficult situation, she thought. She knew she had to help them. "You want to help her, right? Is that why you asked me to come help you?"

"You could say that..." Tomo paused, remembering the night at Chiyo's summer home. "See, later that night, when Yomi finally calmed down and fell asleep, I promised her we'd be together. I'm going to make sure this comes true, and I'm going to do whatever it takes! I kind of already have this feeling everything will turn out good in the end, but I just have to make sure..."

"Ah, so you believe in destiny and all that, huh?"

"Kind of. Not really, but...kind of. I mean, how else can you explain us being in the same schools and classes for over 10 years? It is kind of like some sort of predestined...thing, huh?"

Kagura simply nodded in agreement. There was no way for two, or more, people to be in those circumstances that often. Then again, she remembered both Yomi and Tomo explain how Tomo managed to enter their high school by simply studying hard before the entrance exam. Nevertheless, someone as lazy as Tomo cramming only a few times before an entrance exam -- and passing -- was a rare sight in its own.

The two took some time off to eat. Tomo needed to focus, so Kagura suggested the break. During the time they spent eating, the athlete thought of some post-graduation outcomes and possible solutions. The majority of her ideas had slim chances. Others were just simply outrageous. She was not going to give up, however. In spite of having admittedly low test scores, she was going to make sure her mind came up with a good answer.

Her brainstorming soon paid off. After coming up with many pros and cons, some great ideas emerged. They were simplistic despite such heavy thought, as well as being slightly obvious, but she knew the results would be optimistic. Finishing her snack, she looked across her seat, checking to see if Tomo had done any contemplation of her own.

Many thoughts swirled around Tomo's mind. She knew her gut feeling was simply that, and the real world always got in the way. Still, she was thinking of letting destiny take over and lead them to their future. Tomo shook her head, clutching it with one of her hands. She was confusing herself. She had to come up with a realistic solution, though. She did not want to see Yomi as weak and helpless she was during summer break. She hoped Kagura could come up with something first. That way, her brain could get a break for the remainder of the day.

Both girls returned to Tomo's room moments later. Kagura took over the brainstorming session this time. She noticed a lack of participation from the one who was part of the dilemma and immediately knew her place in this discussion. The teen paced the slightly messy room back and forth for a few minutes, much to the annoyance of Tomo.

After pacing for some time, she finally spoke. "While we were eating, I was coming up with some ideas. Graduation's a time of separation...but if you play your cards right, I think it's possible for you two to stay together. There's one thing helping you two right now...It's an advantage, if you ask me."

"There are quite a few colleges in the area -- public colleges, private colleges, medical colleges...almost all kinds of colleges are in this very city. You actually have a 60 percent chance of success! As long as Yomi doesn't apply for out-of-city colleges, or get accepted into any of them, all is good!"

"60 percent, huh? Those are my kind of chances! No wait...I'm more into the impossible odds, but what the heck? Good thing we live in Tokyo!"

"Glad you like that part of my idea! Well, you'll be grinning like crazy when you hear the next part!" The smile on Kagura's face became brighter upon seeing Tomo's anticipation. A feeling of accomplishment filled her mind. Her duties as a "love guardian" were useful after all. "If you really set your mind to it, there are a few ways you can actually work this out!"

For the next half hour, Kagura revealed her plan to the eager Tomo. Changes were made, though the original idea remained in the end. Notes were also written into a notebook. Even though she rarely touched her school supplies, Tomo needed to keep this information if she wanted to succeed. She wrote down every single strategy in mind. Kagura also warned her that obstacles would pop up -- she needed to prepare herself for anything anyone threw at her.

"So in the end," muttered an excited Tomo, "there are only three steps. Just three...Well, one of them's pretty easy, so that's more like 2 steps."

Kagura nodded. "Who knew we could squeeze everything into a couple of simple steps?"

"I swear I'm beginning to think luck is always on my side! Thanks Kagura! You're a lifesaver!"

"...It's nothing, really." Looking at a clock, Kagura queried, "So, when are you going to start?"

Looking back at her notebook, Tomo closed her eyes and snickered. "That's easy, Kagura. 'Very soon' is the key phrase. I just need some special advice from a certain person..."

A few hours later, the piercing rings of a telephone broke the silence of a darkened home. The sole, sleepless member of the household frowned -- the phone had interrupted the climax in the book they were reading. Then again, they knew interruptions always occurred in situations like these. Nevertheless, the call could be an important one, and the person reluctantly got out of their bed in order to stop the phone's shrilling.

"Do you have any idea what time it --"

"Woah! Take it easy! Is that any way to speak to ultra-cute me?"

"Oh! It's you..."

"Say, do you think we can set up some sort of date sometime soon? Call it 'catching up,' if you will..."

TO BE CONTINUED