Best Friends Forever

"Mayu? Mayu? MAYU!"

I gasped, feeling my breath hitch, and jumped at the sound of someone calling my name. I felt the covers of my warm bed being ripped off of my body and I shrieked.

"Hey!"

I sat up to grab them back, but felt hands grab my shoulders. I shook myself awake and looked around. The sun was shining brightly through the shades of my bedroom windows, and my clock read 9:15. Aki and Sakura were standing by my bed. Well, Aki was holding my shoulders, and Sakura was sitting on the other side of my bed. I had to blink a few times.

"What the-?" I looked at Aki. "I thought you were in Tokyo."

"I flew into town today," she told me calmly. "Sakura called last night and said that there was something wrong with you."

I glared at my friend. "Gee, thanks."

"Oh, don't look at me like that!" Sakura said, glaring right back. "You're the one who hasn't been in school for three days. And you're not even sick!"

I rolled my eyes and felt my stomach fall after remembering what had happened a few days ago. "I feel sick."

"Want to tell us what's really been bothering you?" Aki asked, letting go of my shoulders, then taking a seat next to Sakura. "Please?"

I sighed. "No... not really. I'll go back to work tomorrow, I promise."

"Hey, I didn't call for a best friend's reunion for nothing," Sakura snapped. She was such a sweet girl, but when she was angry or frustrated, she could have a sharp tongue.

"If it's a reunion, then where's Kana?" I asked. Saying her name didn't feel right. It made me feel sick to my stomach.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I heard someone call. My head whipped around to look at the doorway. There she stood, wedding ring on her finger and all. She smiled at me, a plate of newly made muffins in her hand. "I was making breakfast." She was always so pretty when she smiled.

I felt my heart sinking. "No... that's fine..."

"So will you tell us what's wrong?" Sakura said as Kana took a seat, setting the muffins down on the bed. All of my friends looked at me, and I instantly felt overwhelmed.

"Why did you guys do this for me?" I asked quietly.

"Because we're your friends," Aki replied first. "We promised each other in High School that we would always be there for each other."

"No matter how far apart we grew," Kana added.

"Or how annoying we got," Sakura chirpped. "So I called these two girls, took the day off from work, and drove here."

"Yeah, and she's not the only one who took the day off," Aki added in. "Sakura, Kana, and I all took at least two days off of work this week to come visit you."

"Because we didn't think that we could have a reunion in just one day," Kana explained. "It's not possible for us."

I felt the tears come to my eyes, and I coughed. "Guys..." I tried to wipe some away. "... Thank you."

"AH!" Kana jumped up and practically tackled me with a hug. "Mayu, why are you crying?"

"Easy, Kana!" Sakura said, picking up the muffins and gently setting them aside. THEN she jumped at me. "Group hug!"

I laughed, feeling the tears fall on my cheek. Aki just shrugged and scooted closer to me, taking my hand in hers. We spent a long time like that. I just sat there, crying for everything that had happened (good and bad), as Sakura held onto my arm, Kana hugged my stomach and set her head on my shoulder, and Aki let me grip her hand. When I finally appologized for my strange actions, the three girls just shrugged, and they told me that this was what friends do.

"No matter how many buggers are in the process," Aki said, winking at me.


I wasn't ready to talk about Hatori just yet, so we just popped in a couple of our favorite movies, junked out, and told funny stories. I don't think I have ever felt so grateful for my friends in my entire life.

It became around midnight, and we had finished watching all the movies we could stand. I sighed, lying down on my bed, and felt my friends pick a random spot on the matress to sit. I felt a little sick, but I knew it was time. Basically, it was the whole now-or-never deal.

"Mayu?" Aki asked calmly, speaking for everyone. "... Are you alright?"

I shook my head and sighed heavily. "... No." They waited patiently for me to continue. I glanced at Kana, swallowed hard, but slowly sat up, rested my back against the headboard, and inhaled. "I know it sounds... pathetic, but... there's this guy..."

"The same one as before?" Sakura blurted out.

"Whoa, you know about this?" Aki demanded.

"It's because I owed her for saving me from a teacher's meeting," I explained.

"Oh, you mean with Principal Schoch?" Kana asked, shivering. Everyone grew quiet, and I tried again.

"And... I haven't been this concerned about a guy since... well, basically forever," I said carefully. I gulped, the full realization of what was going on inside of me hitting me like a ton of bricks. "... I'm seriously in love with him."

We were all quiet for... well, quite some time. Kana was holding my hand, which made me feel like even more of a dirtbag. Sakura was silent because she had heard this before, but it was kind ofa big deal if I was in love with the guy. Aki didn't know quite what to do, but she gave me a sad smile, kind of expecting what was to come.

"Why is this a bad thing?" Kana did the honor of asking the dreaded question.

I swallowed hard, my throat feeling drier than a desert. I opened and closed it a few times, but finally managed to push out, "Because... he doesn't love me back." Before any of the protest could fly, I shushed my friends. "He really doesn't! Years ago, he was in love, and dating, one of my best friends."

"One of us?" Aki said, confused.

"No," I lied, answering quickly. "But she was a very good friend. She kind of had this disease..."

"Unstable mental capacity," Sakura finished the sentance for me.

"Eh?" Kana asked, concerned. "That's horrible!"

"I know," I said, too ashamed to look at her. This was getting out of hand. "So not only did they have to split up, but he had to move on. Whereas, she doesn't even remember his name, and has already married." I took a deep breath. "And you can't just do that to your friend! I mean... I can't 'make my move' on H-" I stopped myself. "... this guy because I've been his friend for four years. And even if he has moved on, what kind of friend does that make me to the girl with the unstable brain?" I the tears forming, and I wiped them away ahead of time. "So what do I do, guys? I can't. That's just it. I can't do anything. I'm just stuck here."

"You're not stuck here,"Sakura tried.

"Yes I am!" I wailed. "I'm stuck in this god damn hole that's too deep to climb out of, and too far away from civilization and understanding to call for help. I've hit the bottom, and I can't get any more pathetic." By now, the tears were flowing freely, and I had buried my head in my hands. "What kind of person am I? To want something so badly that used to be someone's world..." I looked up, right into Kana's eyes. "Kana... what if it were you?"

"Me?" she asked, shocked.

"Yeah!" I went on. "What if it were you're ex, whom you didn't remember, and you two had love so strong, it could take down the Great Wall!" I then turned. "Or what if it were you, Sakura! Or you, Aki! You'd never forgive me..."

I felt arms wrap around me, and knew by the scent of her clothing that it was Sakura. She always wore some kind of perfume. I then felt Kana retake my hand, and Aki was sitting right in front of. She gave me a confident smile, a spark in her eyes. I saw one tear drop, and felt guilty. I didn't deserve my friend's tears.

"Of course we'd forgive you," Kana said, squeezing my hand. "I would wish you the best of luck, and I know that you would make him happier than I ever could."

"And if it were me?" Sakura sniffed. "Well... you can have him because not only am I married, but he's probably a hottie whom you deserve anyway." We all chuckled at this.

"And I wouldn't remember him in the first place," Aki said. "So I could care less. No offense to you or him."

So all four of us sat on my bed, crying and wiping away each others tears. It was silent most of the time, with occassional comments here and there. But that was ok. The important thing was that we understood each other. And I knew then that not even my own selfishness could tear the bond we all shared. It gave me a new kind of confidence that I didn't know I could feel. When we finally pulled apart, and I thanked them, my friends all waved it away.

"You know what they say," Aki said with a sniffle. "When you hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up."

"And when you can't walk anymore, you crawl," Sakura went on to quote something else. "And when you can't crawl..."

"You find someone else to carry you," Kana finished softly.