AN:This really is a little mushy and a bit static but i sudddenly had like a breakthrough as to how i could fill out this chapter and well i just wrote it.

I hope you enjoy it.

Arashi had made two friends during that year.

It started when she began school.

Being a maiden of the Ise Shrine gave Arashi instant popularity. However Arashi could not trust so easily.

One day, during her break, she had sat on the school grounds reading the scriptures as a wind picked up and carried the sheets of paper away and out of her grasp.

As she chased the papers, her hair ran into her face obscuring her vision and yet she still continued to chase the paper. As the wind stopped blowing, Arashi reached for the fallen sheets, seeing that they had fallen at the feet of another. She looked into the face of the child and saw a girl of similar age with hair as dark as the bark of a tree and skin as pure as the lilies that cause the surface of waters to tremble at their touch.

The girl began to giggle.

Arashi glared at her to which the girl only giggled further.

She pouted as Arashi refused to join in.

"Ooh whats wrong? A little smile didnt hurt anyone"

She thrust her hand out towards Arashi saying

"Watashi wa Yuri-san desu! Onamaewa?!"

Arashi mumbled her name in reply.

That was the day that Arashi made her first friend. They would play together or more accurately, Yuri would play with Arashi. Yuri would often get carried away in her jokes and laughter that she would forget what she was doing and hurt herself. Arashi, although stern and serious, always "nursed" Yuri.

Yuri would fall and begin to wail as she would stare at the scratch on her arm. Arashi would drop her books and rush to her aid with bandaids and creams. They were the closest of friends until Arashi accepted another into her heart.

She was called Yumi and she was much like Arashi. That was one of the things that had drawn them together. It was one day when Yuri had fallen ill and was being taken care of by her mother, that Arashi had decided to read in the library of the school.

Sitting at the hard oak table was Arashi, eyes flying across the pages and pages turning every few seconds. Since she had taken part in a friendship with Yuri, Arashi had missed a lot of the reading that she was meant to be doing in training for the apocalypse. Kaede was also unhappy with Arashi's lack of concentration during training and, although she wouldnt admit it to herself, Arashi's loss of dependance on Kaede's evening talks.

As she read, she failed to notice a girl sitting opposite of her watching her read.

"Sono hon wa totemo omoshiroi desune?"

Arashi looked up in surprise saying:

"H-hai...you have read this?"

"Mmm..its good, a little difficult for some but..i spend so much time here, ive read almost everything". The girl smiled.

"I'm Yumi by the way.."

"Oh. ....er Gomen..i'm Arashi"

This was the start of Arashi's second frienship. Her relationship with Yumi had caused her to strike a balance between work and play.

She would work in the library and finish her works with Yumi and then go out to play with Yuri until sunset.

This continued for months and made a very happy and content Arashi.

On the first of September, Arashi closed her books in the library with Yumi, and began to hurry out to play with Yuri.

"Wait! where are you going?" Called Yumi as Arashi began to fly down the stairs of the library.

Arashi, paused and looked up towards Yumi, thinking how rude she must have appeared to Yumi, always rushing away to see Yuri.

"Would you like to come with me? I'm going to see a friend. I'm sure you'll love her"

And together they went to meet Yuri by the swings in the courtyard of the school.

The three became inseperable and went to and from school together. Yuri and Yumi always led Arashi back to the temple before going home themselves.

Often, Harumi would see Kaede by the window of Arashi's room looking down to see Arashi, Yumi and Yuri frolicking in youthful joy around the base of the sakura tree.

Arashi had finally found herself. Being around people she could feel comfortable around allowed her to open up more. She found herself wishing things could stay the same forever and they did.

Until a month before Arashi's birthday.

Skipping out to meet Yumi in the library, Arashi entered to find Yuri and Yumi whispering in earnest. Arashi sat down with them and smiling, whispered:

"Whats all the whispering about?"

"Oh..its...well its nothing really. After we dropped you off at the temple i went to Yumi's house and we watched this film and it was sooooooo good and Yumi started crying when Toyo died. Well Toyo's th--" Yuri rambled until she was cut off by Arashi.

"Yumi? You invited her to your house? Why didnt you invite me?"

"Well..it was really a spur of the moment thing. She just came around after we left the temple. You dont mind do you?"

"O..ummm...no-ofcourse not. Why would i?" Arashi answered although she felt just as alone as she had arrived at the shrine.

Over the course of that month. Yuri's visits to Yumi's house becamemore frequent as did the whispered conversations in the library, in school and even inthe courtyard where they used to play.

On Arashi's birthday, she went to school once again to find the two whispering on the bench.

As Arashi walked up towards them, Yuri turned to look at her but actually looked right through her.

They were giggling by the time Arashi arrived and Arashi asked what the joke was.

"Oh..you wouldnt know. You just had to be there" Yumi responded and resumed her conversation with Yuri.

Arashi turned her back and began to walk away. Away from the school, past the courtyard and back towards the temple.

She refused to cry although she felt as though her heart was being torn apart and handed into the hands of others only to share in their mirth. She walked through the temple towards her room.Drawing the curtains and laying down on her bed, Arashi found her tears falling hard and fast.

She was all alone again. Nobody had even remembered her birhtday. As she stared at the ceiling, her vision blurred with her tears and emotions.

Curling up into the foetal position, Arashi found a package by her pillow. Sitting up and unwrapping it, she found a black fan with gold and red embelishment.

Opening the fan, a little note fluttered into her lap.

"I know i'm spoiling you Arashi chan with these gifts. But just remember-I'll always be there for you--Kaede san"
AN: A little weird iknow but i just decided i would write and so i did. It probably isnt everyone's cup of tea but i thought it was sweet.