Here is #10. RR as always! I do not own Azumanga Daioh.
Chapter 10, "The Final Athletic Festival".
"It's time for your final Athletic Festival! I'm sure we're gonna win this year, aren't we?" Yukari shouted. "Of course we are! Especially since we have two great athletes in here!" Chiyo cheered. "That's right; me and Miss Sakaki!" Tomo interjected proudly. "Hey! Don't you mean Sakaki and ME?" Kagura retorted. "No, because you're the one who got beaten by her before!" Tomo countered. "Yeah? Well, you couldn't beat her!" Kagura defended. "Alright, that's enough! We're all gonna win!" Yukari finished, and proceeded to run out the door, going on her unseen errands. The class took this as an opportunity to go on break, and did so. The group communed on Chiyo's desk, Osaka in her respective place beside her. "Alright! We've gotta win this year! With Miss Sakaki and Miss Kagura we're sure to do it!" Chiyo assured. She was surprised when Osaka took hold of her hand tightly. "We're all gonna do it together! You're gonna participate too, aren't ya?" she asked enthusiastically. Chiyo didn't really participate in the festivals; she usually cheered them on and did her part in the events, and helped in the class relay. Osaka in particular had noticed this, and wanted her girlfriend to get the most out of it. "I…I…well, it's…I'm not sure." Chiyo reluctantly answered, to the dismay of her friends. "Why not, Chiyo-chan? We could really use your help!" Tomo prodded, hoping she could get a laugh or two when they convinced her to join in. "I just…well, I'll think about it…" Chiyo finished. She didn't particularly want to, but she didn't want to disappoint Osaka either.
That night, everyone was preparing for the big day tomorrow. Especially Kagura. She jogged and exercised twice as much as usual. 'I'm gonna win this myself, and finally shut Tomo up about it. Which reminds me…she still has to hook me up! I'll remind her in the morning…' she thought as she decided to turn in for the night. Tomo herself did nothing to prepare for the day's events. "They've got nothing on me! I'm going to win for once, and that'll prove that I'm so much better than Kagura!" she plotted, although she knew it was thanks to Kagura's needs that led to their talk, which led to her relationship with Yomi. Osaka lightly stretched to ready herself, but nothing more. "I'm gonna get Chiyo to do it with us if it's the last thing I do!" she planned. She wanted Chiyo to get the most out of everything before the school year ended and they left Japan. And she knew just the way to do it. Unfortunately, she couldn't get to sleep that night, and would ultimately be too tired to participate. Chiyo had no intention of doing anything exceptional during the festival, but walked about her neighborhood to train her tiny muscles anyway. "I wonder…if I did join in…if I could help? But if I messed up, then…Osaka wouldn't have confidence in me, would she?" she pondered worriedly as she finished her rounds and returned home.
The morning saw a determined mass of students around the school. Outside, Yukari met up with Nyamo. "So, what do you think you can do against us now?" Yukari challenged. "What are you getting at, Yukari? Are you going to cheat or something?" Nyamo accused. "Get real! I'm talking about the fact of my class having two star athletes in our ranks!" Yukari defended, cringing at the 'Wildcat' screaming at her from somewhere. "You may have Kagura and Sakaki, but that doesn't mean you have any…distinct…advantage…" Nyamo trailed off, completely aware of her predicament. "Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that. Well, I've got a bunch of kids to marshal, so I'll see ya on the battlefield!" Yukari finished before starting off. "Battlefield? Anyway, stop right there!" Nyamo ordered. Yukari did so, but turned on her with a threatening look in her eyes. "I have a proposition. If you win, I'll get you…anything you want." Nyamo lured Yukari into the bet, and her friend/rival's eyes glazed over at the thought. "Go on, Nyamo. I'm listening." Yukari answered, taking her bait. "However, if I win, you have to make whatever arrangements you can to get me over to America with you!" Nyamo finished, her plan working so far; she'd get over there with her friend, one way or another. "…Deal! You're going to have a list when today's over…" Yukari elaborated malevolently.
"Hey, Chiyo! Over here!" Osaka called. Chiyo had just arrived, and was maneuvering through the crowd to reach Osaka's voice. "I'm glad you're gonna be helpin' us out!" she greeted, hugging Chiyo tightly. Chiyo lightly blushed pink, and returned it. "The first event is the 400 m Dash, right!" Chiyo worried. "Don't worry, Chiyo-chan! We're gonna win regardless of how horrible you do!" Tomo cheered her, although it made Chiyo feel even worse. "Yeah, that's really going to help, Tomo. Why don't you go help Yomi?" Kagura suggested, and approached Chiyo. "She's wrong, Chiyo-chan. You're gonna do fine!" Kagura reassured her, and got ready to run. "What event am I going to do, then? Besides the Class Relay, I mean." Chiyo asked. "We can do the Three-Legged Race again this year!" Osaka told her. "Do you think we can do it this year?" Chiyo asked. "Of course we can! We're gonna win no matter what! I'm not gonna let us lose! And besides, Chiyo, it's not just winnin' that counts, it's that we have fun!" Osaka said to her confidently. "Then let's do it!" Chiyo agreed, and they got ready after the 400 m Dash was over. When they started, they fell flat on their faces. "Alright, let's start off slow, and then work up." Osaka instructed. They slowly began walking, then faster, until they were jogging. "Yeah! We're finally-"Chiyo began to celebrate before they fell again. The others finished, and they were the last as a result of numerous foul-ups. "…Ah, well, we tried, right?" Osaka asked, defeated. "…You're not…disappointed…are you?" Chiyo asked. "Chiyo…is that what it was? No! I'm not gonna be disappointed because we lost somethin'! Don't ever think that, alright?" Osaka comforted her. "I…I won't, Osaka!" Chiyo answered, relieved of her stress.
Having done their…err, part, Osaka and Chiyo retired from the field to cheer on their friends. They were forced to make a return for the Tug-of-War competition. "Come on! We can beat'em! We might have a better chance if we can get someone with more strength than Chiyo-chan!" Tomo grunted, much to Chiyo's dismay. "It's not her fault! Now just pull!" Yomi countered for her, and they continued to pull. "COME ON! We have to win, otherwise I've gotta break my back to get Nyamo stateside!" Yukari ordered. Nyamo herself smirked at the thought, as her class was slightly ahead of Yukari. It was a win/win situation if she beat Yukari; she'd get to America with her, and she'd avoid Yukari's 'List' which had undoubtedly been compiled overnight. 'Regardless of how she feels, I'm going to be there with her. But…what if she comes back and beats me? If she does, I'll lose everything!' she worried as she drove her students to beat Yukari. Nyamo's students slowly pulled the other team, and it filled her with hope, when a sudden snag came up; in the form of Chiyo, who was exerting all the force she had left in her, and was surprisingly making a difference. "That's it, Chiyo-chan! All of us follow that example!" Tomo yelled, and they did so. It didn't take long for them to pull Nyamo's students over the line and win. Nyamo slowly turned away to avoid Yukari's undeniable malevolent gaze. "ALRIGHT! This calls for a celebration!" Yukari announced. But Nyamo got a surge of confidence from somewhere, and approached Yukari. "Good job, Yukari! You might just beat us!" she congratulated. "You're right, Nyamo! We've got this one!" Yukari gloated. "Of course," Nyamo finished before leaving, "I said 'might'. You still have to beat us in the relay!" she walked away after that, leaving Yukari to stand and stare.
"Quick! Hand it off!" Chiyo called to Chihiro, who was currently nearing the smaller girl. After receiving it, Chiyo ran as fast as she could, which wasn't very fast, and she rapidly lagged behind the others. Next were Tomo, then Osaka, then Yomi, Kagura, and finally Sakaki. Kaorin may not have been in there class, but she decided to cheer them on from the sidelines. "Here it is, Tomo!" Chiyo called, finally coming up to her. "About time! Here, I'll win this for us!" Tomo told her before charging off. She made it to the tail end of the line and made it to Osaka after a minute or two. "Here ya go, bubblehead!" she handed it off, and Osaka ran more zealously than usual; mostly on account of wanting to impress Chiyo. Why, she wasn't sure, but it was the only thing on her mind. She passed into the ranks before passing it to Yomi. She gave it to her without a word, and fell back to join Chiyo. "So…how did I…do?" she asked Chiyo, panting. "You shouldn't have pushed yourself so hard, Osaka! Here, let me help you over to the stands." Chiyo offered, and Osaka gladly accepted her help. About that time, Yomi passed it off to Kagura. "This is it! We're nearing the win, so don't let up on them now!" Yukari hounded them, and they did so, although not from her commands. "Here it is, Sakaki! Win it for us!" Kagura passed it on to her. "Right!" Sakaki responded confidently, and quickly surpassed the rest of the runners to reach first. 'No! If she wins, then I'm screwed!' Nyamo screamed internally as she looked on. "Come on, Miss Sakaki! This is the final stretch! You can do it!" Kaorin cheered, earning glances from her own class. Sakaki pulled into the finish line, and received a victorious welcome from Yukari and her friends.
"And the winners, in a comeback, are the students of Yukari's Class 3 (A/N: I think that was the #)!" the director announced. Nyamo congratulated her own students, and decided to face Yukari. However painful it would be. She expected to be barraged with gloating, and a 'List'. She was shocked to receive the exact opposite. "That was pretty good out there, Minamo." Yukari said sincerely, almost warmly. "Y-Yukari? You…u-used my first name…" Nyamo stuttered. "Yeah, I did. I…don't have a list of things I want…and I'm gonna get you into America with us." Yukari elaborated. "What? W-why are you being so…n-nice?" Nyamo inquired, suspicious of her friend. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean? If you're going to say things like that, I may reconsider…" she joked. "NO! I m-mean…no…I was just a little confused, that's all." She replied, grateful for whatever had pushed Yukari to make this decision. "Well, anyway, come with me. I'm not gonna do that work alone." Yukari grumbled, and the two left together. The girls all formed up at Chiyo's after the day ended. "Hey, Tomo…come here, would you?" Kagura reluctantly asked her. "What for?" she asked. "You know what! Now…come here…" Kagura ordered once more. The others looked on in surprise and confusion. "Alright, fine! But you know what the price is…" Tomo finally gave in. She followed Kagura out of the room and into a hallway. "Now, try not to enjoy yourself too much!" Tomo whispered to her, making Kagura flush red. "Don't get any ideas. This is just for the plan…" Kagura reminded her. "So let's get it over with, then." Tomo finished, and they both returned to the room.
"What was that about?" Yomi asked accusingly. "Not this again, Yomi! It's nothing!" Tomo wailed, flailing about. "Well, I wouldn't say it's nothing…" Kagura interjected, according to their plan. "…What?" Sakaki's interest was caught at that statement. "Hey, Tomo, I need to talk to you again…" Kagura played out their idea in her head. "Yeah, what is-"Tomo managed to say before Kagura did the thing she would probably regret most in life; she grabbed Tomo and planted her lips on hers. At this, Yomi became enraged and Sakaki looked on in worry and…'Wait, I'm worrying? Over Kagura? But…that can't…at least not since that day when we…' Sakaki thought as she watched. "ACK! WHAT THE HELL!" Yomi yelled. Chiyo and Osaka wondered what they were seeing right now too. "W-w-what are you d-doing, Kagura?" Sakaki stuttered, standing up. "Huh? You don't mind, do you?" she asked plainly as she released Tomo, hoping Yomi wouldn't murder her before the plan was through. "Y-yes…I do!" Sakaki replied, hurt in her voice. "You do? What for?" Kagura asked. "B-because…I love you! But you…obviously feel…different…" Sakaki finished, sitting down. "Actually, I don't." Kagura blushed and smiled meekly at her. "Wait…what? What's going on, Tomo?" Yomi inquired, finally settling down a bit. "Hey, not me! It was her idea. I just agreed to help her." Tomo held her hands up in defense. "So…you mean that you feel the same way, Kagura?" Sakaki asked, hopeful. "I do! This was…just a paln to see how you felt, Sakaki." Kagura informed her. "You're not mad at me, are you? I wouldn't blame you…" Kagura asked. "N-no! I'm not! I'm just…not entirely sure what's going on…" Sakaki said, and moved over to her apparent new woman. "I may be tainted with Tomo now, but…well…" Kagura trailed off, and Sakaki knew what she was getting at. She closed the gap between them and sealed their relationship with a kiss. "Tainted?" Tomo asked, obviously offended, when Yomi dragged her away.
"So, you were really just helping Kagura?" Yomi asked for the fifth time. "Yes! I could never feel the same way for Kagura that I do for you!" Tomo assured her. Yomi sighed, relieved. "Alright, I believe you." Yomi told her as they returned to the table. "…She ain't a bad kisser, though!" Tomo joked, and was subsequently nailed in the back of the head by Yomi's fist. "Jeez, I was just kidding! She actually isn't! I swear!" Tomo tried to defend herself from another swing. "Hey!" Kagura yelled at her, also preparing to go at her. "Alright, settle down everyone." Chiyo calmed them. "Well, what now? We have 3 couples here now." Osaka stated the obvious. "Yes, we do…are you getting at something?" Tomo asked evilly, whilst rubbing the back of her head. She stopped when Yomi gave her a blood-freezing glare. "It's late…hey, if we checked in, could we spend the night here?" Osaka asked. "Yes, it'd be fine!" Chiyo replied. "Sweet! Now I know Yomi won't kill me if I'm alone!" Tomo cackled, and proceeded to run and hide when Yomi started toward her. They were all allowed to stay at the estate, and decided how to split the rooms. "There's a guest room at the end of the hall that's already made up. I could fix another up for someone." Chiyo informed them. Tomo was already making a beeline for the ready one. "Come on, Yomi! Hurry up!" she coaxed, and Yomi flushed red as she followed her in. Chiyo fixed another for Sakaki and Kagura, and they took it up. "Uhhh…I…what are we…" Osaka searched for the words, trying to figure where she'd stay. "There's nowhere else to make a room at…so…I guess you c-could…" Chiyo blushed pink as the thought crossed her mind. "…Could what?" Osaka asked, totally clueless. "…Stay with…me?" Chiyo quickly suggested. It permeated Osaka's dense head, and she too blushed lightly at the thought of being in the same room. They retired to Chiyo's room, and Osaka spread out on one side of the bed. Chiyo slipped onto the other side. "Good n-night…Osaka." Chiyo said, and fell asleep before Osaka could say anything. 'I'm lucky to have her…I've gotta do somethin' to show her how happy and grateful I am…' Osaka thought as she too drifted to sleep.
"I'm still mad at you, you know?" Yomi informed Tomo, who had made several attempts to embrace her. "Aw! But I was joking! Stop being so mean to me!" Tomo whined. "You…you could have done that a different way! Or at least told me what you were doing!" Yomi said to her. "Hey, I…well, yeah, I suppose I should've. But still! Don't be mad!" Tomo began to fake-sob so that Yomi would lighten up on her. "W-wait! I'm not trying to make you cry!" Yomi apologized, completely falling for Tomo's ploy. 'How dense can she get? But…she said she was sorry, and she didn't do anything…' Tomo thought. "Yomi, I am sorry. It was just to help Kagura, I promise!" Tomo told her sincerely for once. "…Alright, then let's just drop it. I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep. Don't do anything troublesome." Yomi finished, and covered herself up. She expected Tomo to stay up late and watch t.v. And true to her suspicions, her girlfriend did just that. She did keep silent, though, which surprised Yomi, who couldn't sleep whether there was any noise or not. Instead, she propped herself up and lay next to Tomo, who gladly accepted her company. Yomi often forgot that Tomo could be rational and caring at times. Then again, Tomo was known for ruining 'The Moment'. "…I tricked you into apologizing." Tomo smirked even as she was hit in the back by the other girl. "Damnit, Tomo! I couldn't figure out why I apologized for doing nothing." Yomi told her. "Don't worry about it! I'm just that good!" Tomo responded, expecting to be hit. Instead, Yomi tackled her and lay next to her on the bed. "Just go to sleep." She groaned at Tomo, and they both fell silent for what seemed like an eternity before they did get to sleep. At 3 in the morning.
"…Uhhh…what now?" Kagura asked to Sakaki. "I'm not sure. Does this mean everything's going to be different?" she responded to Kagura. "Well, it shouldn't have to be. I mean…yeah, it doesn't have to be different! The only difference is that we're together now! Everything else can stay the same." Kagura reasoned. "Ah. I see. Well, I'm going to sleep. Good night, Kagura." Sakaki quickly said, and forced herself to suppress staying up all night talking to Kagura about things she probably had no interest in. "Alright. I'm gonna be up a little later, so, like, if you want to talk to me, or anything…I'll be up, alright?" Kagura told her, hoping that she could get her new girlfriend to talk with her. "Um…I…alright." Sakaki replied, the pillow she had her face buried in hiding her blush. She sat up, and looked to Kagura. "Do you…do you like animals?" Sakaki asked her seriously. "Huh? Well, yeah. I mean, I have a dog." Kagura told her. "You do? But you never mention it. You've never even told us." Sakaki responded. "Yeah, well, he's really old, but he's pretty smart. Faithful, too. He's a…'Great Pyrenees'?" Kagura told her. "Hey, that's the same kind of dog Chiyo has!" Sakaki remembered. "Really? I haven't actually met her dog; I've just seen him in pictures. Shouldn't he have been around the house somewhere?" Kagura asked. "That is strange. But then again, he usually-"Sakaki managed to say before Kagura threw herself around her. "W-what are you doing?" Sakaki asked. "It's only natural, isn't it?" Kagura replied. They stayed like that for a while, before Kagura finally yawned loudly. "Man, I'm tired. I'm going to sleep." She moved to release Sakaki, but the other girl held her close. Kagura was surprised for a moment, then realized and accepted the gesture. They lay like that, sleeping for hours. Until Tomo woke them up.
"Wow! You two sure had a more eventful night than I did!" Tomo yelled, startling them awake. They heard Yomi yell at her from somewhere, probably the living room. "I-it wasn't like that! Stop making assumptions, you idiot!" Kagura retorted. "This, coming from the one who came to the 'Idiot' for help? You seem to forget that you probably wouldn't be with her if it wasn't for me!" Tomo finished, and Kagura said nothing after that. "Is that true, Kagura?" Sakaki asked. "Well…yes, it is. After that day when she pulled her stupid prank, it made me realize that I had these feelings for you. I guess it was there subconsciously when I always walked with you and…when I tried to impress you by competing with you…" Kagura confessed, and even Tomo thought it was interesting to say the least. Sakaki said nothing, but the blush on her face made it evident of how she felt. Yomi walked in on the three and stood in the doorway. "Anyway," she told them sternly, "keep it down. Chiyo and Osaka are still asleep." She informed. "Why are they asleep? It's so late in the morning!" Tomo complained. "…IT'S 7 A.M.!" Yomi said as quietly as she could without yelling. "It is?" Tomo asked, and looked to a clock in the room. "…I guess it is." Tomo repeated, and was hit in the head by Kagura as a result. "You woke us up at 7 in the morning for what, exactly!" Kagura asked her. "Oh well. Hey' let's go check in on the other two!" Tomo suggested energetically, and walked quickly up the stairs, followed by a protesting Yomi and Sakaki and Kagura. When she cracked the door open, she stepped back, evidently surprised. When Sakaki looked in on them next, she blushed, believing this was the cutest thing she'd ever seen; Chiyo lay in Osaka's embrace, the latter of whom sat upright against a large pillow. Both were asleep, but Sakaki wanted so badly to have a camera so she could capture the moment. "Enough gawking. Let's leave them alone." Yomi suggested, and they returned downstairs.
They convened on the kitchen and sat at the large table located there. "Man, I'm hungry, and Yomi's cooking sucks!" Tomo writhed with hunger, all the while receiving a glare from her girlfriend. "At least I know how to cook!" Yomi countered. "I don't need to! Wait…SHUT UP!" Tomo finished, looking away. "Besides, I guess I'm going to be cooking for you from now on…" Yomi presumed, figuring that Tomo would kill her with her cooking skills. "I should think so!" Tomo agreed evilly. "Which means that you'd have to get a job so you could provide me with materials." Yomi replied smugly. "What! But…I…well, I suppose I am more suited to do work, seeing as I'm more fit." Tomo pointed at Yomi's belly, and the aforementioned glared daggers at her. "I know how to cook." Sakaki volunteered. "Although," she continued, "I wouldn't want to raid Chiyo-chan's kitchen without her consent." She finished. As if on cue, Chiyo and Osaka entered the kitchen. "Good mornin'." Osaka greeted. "Oh, hey you two! We were just talking about breakfast!" Tomo replied. "Ah! I'll fix something." Chiyo offered, and Sakaki moved to help her. After breakfast, they decided to hang around in the living room. "Well, I'm stuffed. What should we do now?" Tomo inquired. "I believe we've stayed our welcome. We'll see you later, Chiyo-chan." Yomi prepared to leave, taking Tomo by the ear and ignoring the string of protests. "We should probably go too. See ya later, Chiyo-chan!" Kagura exited, Sakaki by her side. That left Chiyo and Osaka. "Uhhh…my parents won't be expectin' me home for a while, so would it be alright if I stayed a little longer?' Osaka asked. "O-of course!" Chiyo replied. They sat together and watched t.v., all the while Mr. Tadakichi entered the room and sat with them. They lay in each other's embrace, and remained like that for several hours. They talked off and on, but mostly kept silent, each enjoying the other's company. When the time came for Osaka to leave, she was reluctant to. "I guess I'll see ya tomorrow, Chiyo. Goodbye." She exchanged with her, and left the estate. Chiyo looked on, and was glad to be with her.
Sorry this took so long, but I was on Writer's Block, and this is obviously a long chapter. I will write the next up soon!