When Two People Find Each Other

I looked at Tomo-chan. She was being an idiot, as usual. Fighting with Kagura-san, arguing about whom Lupin would pick if forced to choose.

It was pretty obvious that Tomo-chan has a crush on Lupin. I found that very stupid. Why couldn't she have been more like Sakaki-san, or Chiyo-chan, or even me?

All Tomo-chan ever did was live in that void, that nothingness we had come to appreciate. But we were to graduate soon, and Tomo-chan was still no closer to figuring it out.

Chiyo-chan was going to the United States, and all of us had been accepted at a college – even the blithe Osaka-san. But Tomo-chan was acting no different.

We had to move on. So that's why, on that fateful morning, as I was listening to Kagura-san and Tomo-chan arguing and working on the last of my old homework, I was thinking about the sudden emotion that had surrounded me.

I don't know how I didn't realize that I was in love with Tomo-chan until that day. It was when she tapped me on the shoulder.

"Yomi-san, who would Lupin pick, me or Kagura-chan?" Tomo-chan asked me.

"He's a fictional character. Besides, he'd pick Fujiko," I countered coldly. I was always no nonsense with Tomo-chan. But as Tomo-chan continued to argue with Kagura-san, it hit me so hard that my glasses almost slid down my nose.

Tomo-chan. Why did I call her Tomo-chan if I didn't really like her?

My stomach felt ready to explode, and my face became a bit red.

This can't be happening, I thought. I can't like Tomo-chan!

The bell rang, thankfully. But even as Yukari-sensei entered, the queasiness inside my stomach didn't disperse. My face was growing warm and sickly-looking.

"Mizuhara," I heard Yukari-sensei say bluntly. "Koyomi… Yomi? What's wrong?"

I could barely see the desk before me, even though my glasses were on. I tried to take them off. My hand barely skimmed the frame and I grabbed them in a half-drunken stupor. I took them off gently. I couldn't see at all now. And it was making my head throb.

"Yomi-san?" Osaka asked. Her voice had grown closer, so I could tell that she was coming closer to my desk. Something red moved closer to me too.

"Miss Mizuhara?" the cute voice of Chiyo-chan inquired. I could tell that most of my friends surrounded me, which was not good, because I was blacking out and I was about to throw up.

At least I blacked out before that.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Tomo-chan sitting on the edge of my bed, moving her feet back and forth, staring at the ceiling. When she saw that I was groping for my glasses, she grabbed them off the counter and handed them to me. I put them on and sat up, rustling the white sheets.

"Here," Tomo-chan smiled. "You had us all really scared."

"What… what happened?"

"You just blacked out," Tomo-chan explained. "It was so weird, because you were fine just a few seconds before…"

Fine? She thought I was fine. I knew I wasn't fine, because when I looked at Tomo-chan, I saw someone different. The Tomo that anyone hardly ever sees; the Tomo that sits by calmly, waiting for you to say something. Of course, Tomo-chan wasn't saying anything at the moment.

Tomo-chan opened her mouth, but then closed it. I looked at Tomo-chan in interest. Tomo-chan looked in my eyes, and then sighed.

"Actually, there's something… something I need to tell you," Tomo-chan murmured. I leaned forward in my bed, curious, and Tomo lowered her head.

"You know… we're graduating soon, Yomi-chan… and we're going to different colleges…" Tomo-chan choked back something that suspiciously resembled a tear.

I didn't know this Tomo. She seemed very different, and I knew that whatever this was that Tomo-chan was trying to tell me, it was important.

"Fine… I… Yomi-chan… I… I love you," Tomo-chan finally spluttered, her face bright red and her eyes glassy – almost like when Kaorin was talking about Sakaki-san.

The news didn't come as a shock to me, for whatever reason. I just smiled and said, "I love you too, Tomo-chan…"

"Maybe we should ditch the –chan thing," Tomo offered, still sitting on the edge of the hospital bed.

"Maybe," I responded. Tomo stood up, kneeled on the ground above me, and hugged me happily.

I hugged her back. Maybe we were meant to be. I just didn't care too much at the moment.

I was just happy that everything was going slowly… the exact opposite of beloved Tomo.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Azumanga Daioh.

A/N: Yep. I'm going to get a flame on this one, I know it. Go ahead! As long as you don't cuss, I'm fine. (I might do a sequel to this… but not Kaorin/Sakaki! I hate that coupling! I like Sakaki/Oyama much better!)