Author's Note: I don't own Azumanga Daioh. I kind of created the boys, but if I say I own Sho/ryu/ken, I'll probably get sued.

Read and review, because I am powered by reviews. I'd draw a diagram, but I don't actually have motor skills of any sort to speak of, so you'll instead have to imagine me as some kind of magical typing sofa. Stick reviews in one end and stories come out the other, hopefully.

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The sky above Japan was a pleasant, placid blue that day. There are very many blue things in the world, but none of these blue things could even think of perhaps wanting to maybe approach being as calm as the sky was that morning. It was the sort of sky that you could simply stare up into and get lost in, an infinitely deep blue that brings peace to mind and spirit.

Chiyo Mihama stared up at the sky, reveling in the simple pleasure that comes from enjoying the gifts of nature.

I feel as if I could simply stand here and watch the sky for... forever.

The prodigy continued to gaze into the sky, and the sky darkened, grew eyes, and gazed back. Chiyo recoiled in horror.

"Waugh!"

"Sorry... I didn't mean to scare you." answered the shade.

The shade was not an ephermal, otherworldly being of darkness sent to reluctantly cloud the skies and frighten young girls. The shade was simply Chiyo's rather taller-than-average friend Sakaki.

"Ah! Sorry, Sakaki, I didn't mean to react in such a fashion. You just startled me, that's all."

"So, shall we walk to school then?"

"Yes... let's go."

The two girls walked along, and a few wispy white clouds began to play amidst the peaceful sky.

"Did you hear, Sakaki? There's a new photo book coming out today!"

"Really? What of?"

"I don't know. It's supposed to be a surprise, but it's also supposed to be really cute!"

"Ah."

"Would you like to come with me to the store after school today?"

"Yeah, sure."

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Chiyo and Sakaki entered the school as they had done many, many times over the past two years. The taller girl changed her shoes quickly and headed to her seat, long legs resulting in longer strides. Chiyo looked after her somewhat jealously, mourning a stature that was not a of just her age. Chiyo was short, even for a twelve year old.. Before doing anything else, the prodigy scanned the room, looking for her friends.

Osaka and Kagura were sitting around, chatting with each other. Tomo and Yomi were doing likewise a short distance away, albeit anything containing Tomo was likely to be quite a bit more spastic than normal. Sakaki, something of a lone wolf, had taken her post by the window and gazed off into the distance. Chiyo sighed, more to herself than to anyone else.

Everyone's here already! Was I really staring at the sky for that long?

Being a prodigy, Chiyo thought a lot. A hell of a lot. Chiyo thought for more hours than there were in the day, and so it's no surprise that she thought to herself as she changed her shoes and got ready for class.

It's... the same. It's always the same. I guess... I guess that's not bad, really.

Chiyo turned around and noticed that the scene had changed somewhat. Osaka and a boy whose name Chiyo couldn't quite remember were talking to each other. A short distance away, Kagura and the boy who looked like Kurosawa-sensei were pretending to talk, but it was apparent that they were more interested in what Osaka and the other boy were talking about than anything else. A tall, brown haired boy was talking to Yomi, and Tomo was busy being Tomo, which in this case meant eavesdropping on Yomi's conversation. Another boy was talking to Tomo, but it was clear to Chiyo that he wasn't going to have much success at all.

Now that I think about it, I don't really know the names of any of the boys in this class, do I? Well, there's that guy with the glasses, Masa... er... Ooy... hmm...

This was a particularly depressing train of thought for a person who was used to simply knowing most things, so Chiyo went back to focusing on her friends. Sakaki was still staring out the window, but another boy was busy trying to talk to her.

Hey, what's with all these boys anyway?

Chiyo walked over towards Sakaki and the boy, and her shorter stature let her see what the taller boy could not: A cloud that looked rather a lot like a pair of kittens mashed together in a way that could be considered adorable by those with innocent minds. What a not-so-innocent-mind would make of the cloud is best left unsaid.

The poor boy doesn't have a chance.

"Sakaki! My sweet Sakaki! If a name" he started.

Wha? What's this?

"Dearer and purer were, it should be thine
Mountains and seas divide us, but I claim"

Mountains and seas? Wait... is this..?

"No tears, but tenderness to answer mine:
Go where I will, to me thou art the same--"

A loved regret which I would not resign.
There yet are two things in my destiny
A world to roam through, and a home with thee,

"Is that... Epistle to Augusta?" asked the little genius.

"Yeah, it is."

"Why were you reciting Lord Byron's poetry?"

"Ah, er... you see... it's like this... ahm..."

"STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING! CLASS STARTS NOW!" shouted Yukari, quashing Chiyo's little investigation. Chiyo looked over at Sakaki, who hadn't even noticed the two talking.

Poor boy.

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Yukari's class went by in an entirely normal fashion for Yukari's class, which is in most respects entirely abnormal. Still, humans are remarkably good at falling into patterns of habit, and Chiyo was no exception. She sat quietly in class, watching as Yukari taught. Normal. She went off on a tangent that was almost entirely unrelated to the subject at hand. Average. Tomo stood up and commented on the quick change in subject, not having paid attention to the original lecture at all. Standard. Yukari caught her on that. Expected.

Then a boy stood up to defend Tomo.

Just as usua-... wait, what?

Chiyo could've sworn that the chalk projectile burst into a cloud of dust as it collided with the boy's forehead.

Ow.

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P.E. was remarkably relaxed that day. Miss Kurosawa had simply told the children to enjoy themselves in a way that wouldn't burn them out, as the sun was being mercilessly hot today. For most high school students, this meant sitting down in the shade, perhaps with a drink or two, and simply talking with their friends. The students of Kiyohiko High were, of course, no exception.

Chiyo, always thinking, decided to voice one of her thoughts. "Have you guys ever thought that our lives could be... utterly average? Normal... maybe even boring?"

Yomi, the friend best able to actually talk to Chiyo on the same level, replied with, "Average? What do you mean, Chiyo?

"I mean... we've been at this for nearly two years, right? What's changed about us? Is anything ever really going to change? What if we just stay the same the whole way through?"

"I... I don't think I'm quite following you." Kagura inserted.

"Day in, day out, we're the same. Some people have a problem with change, yes, but... it's necessary, isn't it? For progress, I mean. I find myself worrying, sometimes, that nothing about my life really changes. That some years down the line I'll look back and realize that there were only one hundred and thirty, or maybe even only twenty six truly interesting things that happened to me. I worry that three years will pass by in the blink of an eye, and I'll only really have a few truly noteworthy things to look back on."

"You don't have to worry about that." reassured Yomi. "Life's not static. We're not static, even though it may seem that way. Look over there. Osaka and her boyfriend are talking to Tomo. Yesterday, we didn't even know his name."

"I still don't know his name." replied Chiyo.

I kind of wish it wasn't Osaka, though. Osaka's the one who really plays with me. She may not always be entirely there, but... She's the only one who I can simply be a kid with. It's Osaka who made it easier for me to get over not seeing Michiru and Yuka every day.

Chiyo frowned, feeling guilty.

Why should it upset me that Osaka's found a new friend?

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The thought managed to upset Chiyo for the rest of P.E., and her bad mood had carried over into her lunch break. She'd walked by Osaka and her new friend (whose name Chiyo still didn't know), smiled pleasantly at them, and kept walking. Chiyo passed by a lot of people, in fact, but she didn't really pay any attention to them.

A mournful bell rang out as Chiyo walked on.

That's depressingly fitting for my mood, isn't it? I shouldn't be mad that Osaka's found a new friend. I shouldn't. And... and this is what I wanted, isn't it? I wanted something to change.

Did I really want change?

Well, they say that the younger generations are more accepting of change simply because they aren't rigidly stuck in the ways of the past. It would be normal of me to want change.

No, that's not right.

Change shouldn't bother me, but this change most definitely does bother me. If this change bothers me, then I don't fit in with the younger generation. Am I normal, then?

Am I old before my years?

Wait, I'm getting off the subject. Why am I upset because Osaka's got a new friend? Furthermore, why do I get upset because I'm upset? Does that create an infinite loop, then? Am I doomed to be angst-ridden forev-

Another bell tone cut her thoughts short, and Chiyo realized that she had walked down a good distance of the main hallway without really going anywhere.

Oh my, lost in thought again. I'm becoming an old biddy, a-

"Aiee! Yomi's snapped!" Tomo screeched, dodging deftly around the carrot-haired genius and moving quite a bit faster than Chiyo had ever seen her go.

Yomi raced past Chiyo as well, not sparing her a second glance. "I'm going to have you hung, drawn, and quartered, Tomo Takino! Then I'm going to take the pieces and light them on fire, and then I will douse your ashes. I will take the water filled with your ashen remains and freeze it, and then I will hit it with a hammer! After that, I will take all the little pieces and jump on them!"

Chiyo barely had time to absorb the entirety of Yomi's statement when Kagura and Sakaki ran after past her as well, gaining ground on Yomi, but not fast enough.

Chiyo chased after them, but it seemed a futile effort. She fell further and further behind, although she could keep Kagura and Sakaki in sight. Suddenly, they turned a corner and vanished.

Chiyo followed them, noting that they'd taken the stairs to the roof.

Tomo, you fool! This is a dead end!

Chiyo trudged up the stairs, tired little legs refusing to give out, and opened the door to the roof, only to see... Kagura and Sakaki. Kagura clamped her hand over the prodigy's eyes and picked her up, taking her back down the stairs.

"Er, Chiyo," started Sakaki.

"This is something that you shouldn't see at your age." finished Kagura.

Chiyo struggled valiantly against the older girl, but she quickly realized the futility of her efforts. She sagged, defeated.

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Kimura's class passed with little incident. None of the girls acted up in the class lest they arouse Kimura's attention (amongst other things) and all the boys in the class seemed to have a sort of hero-worship thing for Kimura.

Maybe that's just his way of keeping everyone in line.

The class bell rang, and the students filed out. The girls in particular seemed to be in a rush to get away.

Chiyo caught up to Sakaki, and grinned at her. "Do you mind if we wait for the others? They might want to come along too."

Yomi walked up to the pair, smiling. She didn't say anything. It was just that. Routine. Kagura ran up shortly afterwards, turning them into a quartet. Tomo caught up to the girls shortly afterwards. Osaka drifted into the group again, and Chiyo grinned.

Well... old biddy or not, I really do like things the way they are.

Tomo looked up at Osaka, grinned, and then dashed off.

What was that all about?

Several seconds later, Tomo returned. She smiled at her friends, then glanced over her shoulder and flashed a grin at someone who Chiyo didn't turn around to see.

Just because they have other friends doesn't mean that they can't be friends with me too.

Chiyo walked off with her friends, basking in their presence. It filled Chiyo with an immense peace of mind and soul, and...

I feel as though I could simply be like this... forever.

The blue sky tried its best to distract the prodigy, but she'd found something far more calming.

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Author's Notes: Yeah, it's a Chiyo-chan chapter. I felt... kind of bad about leaving her out of all of the action, what with her being pedobear bait. I felt really bad, really, and then I realized something. Chiyo's the spectator! She's not distracted by boys chasing her down and reciting Byron poems at her or any of the other ridiculous stuff that the boys may or may not have planned, so instead she can present a viewpoint that's somewhat detatched from the entire thing. I'm debating doing this for the other girls as well, as I'm worried that their chapters will be far too similar to the chapter of the boy wooing them, especially, say, Osaka, who spends most of her day with Sho. If I do make chapters for the girls, I may wind up simply picking and choosing (for example, Kagura talked to Marion a lot, so I might not go with her, but Sakaki barely paid attention to Ryu's poems, so she would be a good choice) or just simply combine the two girl's days into a single chapter in order to get the desired amount of material, as I'm loathe to do small chapters.

Yes, it changed a little bit. No major changes, though, just a few typo fixes.

And the final comment! While Chiyo isn't my favorite Azu girl by any stretch, she's kind of fun to write about. I see her as still being childish enough to do something, well, childish, but being intelligent enough to realize that it's a bad move and perhaps even feel a bit down about it. She's got these two conflicting natures, and... uh... yeah, whenever that happens, you can usually find something to poke fun at or draw out into a story.