Disclaimer: I do not own Love Live!
Ah, graduation day, that time when you get out of high school, a day unforgettable for many, the day in which all of your hard work from over 3 years shows off. A day filled with a mix of emotions, happiness, sadness, sorrow, joy. A day full of promises. A day with a lot of goodbyes.
Watanabe You, a girl with short ash gray hair and ocean-blue eyes, woke up filled with energy that day, the last day of high school, the day where she'd finally get her title and start with a new phase of her life, in many ways actually, she had decided she'd study in order to be a naval pilot in pursuit of her dream of becoming a sailor. But, she had also been thinking about her feelings towards her friend Riko, she had known her since 2nd year and with all the things they had gone through, it was inevitable that feelings for her auburn-haired friend would start to form.
She actually had confessed to her once, it was during the last day of their 2nd year of high school, the thing was that 'suki' could be interpreted as 'like' in Japanese, and this single misunderstanding had been the great mistake she had committed. She regretted using that word, but what was done, was done, but since then, she didn't have many other occasions when she could confess her actual feelings for Riko. But that was about to change, she decided she would confess on this big day, she had to.
She had high hopes that Riko would feel the same way. Since that time she confessed to the auburn-haired girl, she said that she liked her too even though she had laughed after it. She had also noticed that Riko would be more nervous around her, sometimes, that'd do the situation a bit awkward whenever they were alone but thankfully, Chika, You and Riko's best friend, would mostly be with them.
After having a shower and preparing herself mentally for the day, You went downstairs, had something for breakfast and got out of her house with the school as her next destination. Her parents had already left the house since they had to go to work, but they assured You that they wouldn't miss their little daughter's graduation for anything in the world, a comment that obviously made You blush a little.
After a not so long walk, You finally arrived at school, the high school that accepted all of the Uranohoshi High School girls after it had to close down, she remembered the times when she and the others would try to get the necessary applicants for the school, but failed at it after not meeting the quote they needed. With that, the school was going to close down, there was no way of stopping it. It was sad, after all the effort they had put just to avoid the closure, they couldn't do it. So the school closed its doors after the 3rd years of that promotion graduated, and so, the students from other years would all be transferred to another school. You was very thankful at the people from this school for having accepted them.
Having entered the school she went straight to the classroom, since she was a bit late, but it didn't really matter since it was the last day anyways. In the classroom she saw both Chika and Riko, the girl she only had eyes for, the one that captivated her. Come to think about it, why was it that You fell in love with Riko, she couldn't really tell why, she just knew it, whenever she saw the auburn-haired girl, her heart would start to race, her respiration became agitated, and she started to feel butterflies in her stomach, at first she thought she was sick or something, but after investigating a bit, she reached a conclusion, she had a huge crush on Sakurauchi Riko.
-Oh, You-chan! You arrived.- Chika cheerfully said.- Where were you? We were worried that you wouldn't come, after all you're the one that lives closer to school.
-Hello Chika-chan.- You greeted her.- Sorry for worrying you, it's just that I forgot about the time since I was thinking about all the things we have gone through to get here.- she apologized.
-Well, I guess that's inevitable. Good morning You-chan.- Riko saluted her.- It's okay to think and remember, but don't stay like that for the rest of the day, ok?
-Hey Riko-chan!- You waved at her, her heart starting to race after she saw that smile, that damned smile.- Yeah, I'll try not to be so thinkative, we gotta make this last day memorable!- she said energetically.
After this, the teacher entered and everyone took their seats. The hours passed and the moment had come. Everyone went to the gymnasium where the ceremony would take place. The director stood up and gave a few words later passing the microphone to the Student Council President, Kurosawa Ruby, the sister of the last Student Council President at Uranohoshi, Kurosawa Dia, who would've thought that the shy little red-haired girl would get such a high charge, most people wouldn't have believed it but she did a pretty good job at it and helped a lot of the school gaining the trust of all the student body, of course, she didn't do it alone, she had her friends Kunikida Hanamaru and Tsushima Yoshiko helping her at the Student Council, and together they achieved a lot.
-Good morning everyone!- Ruby saluted.- We're all gathered here to celebrate the graduation of yet another promotion. It feels like it was only yesterday when all the Uranohoshi girls arrived here to start another year of education. It's been a year full of events and surprises mostly for the 3rd years, they have been giving it their all, some of them because they're going to college, some of them because they're going to start working, but above all, to create memories, memories and experiences that are going to last for the rest of their lives. Thanks to the school, we were able to meet each other and strengthen our bonds with each other. We owe so much to the school, that has given us a lot of great moments, yeah it may be hard on us when tests and other evaluations are coming, but there's so much more that happens in it or thanks to it. I wanna thank the 3rd years on behalf of all the student body that's going to remain in the school for at least another year. Thank you for teaching us and showing us a lot of things, for being so understanding with us and for everything, we will all miss you, but this is just how it goes, we wish you the best on whatever you may try to do in the future and remember that there's always gonna be a place for you here in this school. Congratulations on graduating from high school!- Ruby said with some tears on her face bowing so nobody could see her, even though it was in vain since everyone could feel the mix of emotions in her voice.
Everyone started clapping and cheering at the great speech the little Student Council President had given. At this, Ruby thanked the reception she had and sat down. After this, every 3rd year started to get up when their names were called in order to receive their title and shake hands with the director. When the ceremony was over, everyone went outside, every graduating student accompanied by their parents congratulating them for graduating. After a bit, Riko, Chika and You went to congratulate Ruby for her speech, and as they were reaching her, they saw 3 familiar figures talking to her, it was undeniable, it was them. Their previous upperclassmen, friends, and partners in Aqours, their past idol group.
Matsuura Kanan, Kurosawa Dia and Ohara Mari, their seniors were there, all of Aqours was there, they had been reunited again.
-Hello!- Mari greeted the newly graduates as she approached them to embrace them.- Congratulations!
-Mari-chan!- The 3rd year trio said at the same time as the all decided to go with Mari's embrace.
-And Kanan-chan and Dia-san too!- Riko pointed out.
-Hello girls.- Kanan said.- Congrats on graduating from high school.
-Thanks!- The 3rd years chanted.
Meanwhile Dia was talking excitedly to Ruby, apparently she still was very attached to Ruby after all this time that she left for college, even though she came home at least once every two months. When they went near Dia and the 2nd years Ruby, Hanamaru and Yoshiko, was that she finally noticed them, separating from Ruby to congratulate the others.
-Hello Dia-chan! It's nice seeing you before I expected.- Chika had been a lot closer to Dia after all that they had gone through and even after Dia went to Tokyo to study, they had kept in contact and every time Dia came back to the town, they would spend some time together to talk about things and all sorts of stuff.- I thought you wouldn't come until next week.
-Chika-chan, hello, congrats on graduating, oh of course, congratulations for both of you too.- Dia said then directing those last words to You and Riko.- Yeah, but it seems that I finished a lot of the work I had to focus on so I got here and decided to keep it a secret from all of you. I really I'm proud of what you all have accomplished so far. I hope you keep going like that.- She stated.
They all kept on talking for a while now until they noticed a missing auburn-haired girl, the latter had gone for a nostalgic walk through the school grounds but they never noticed when she left them.
-I'll go look for her!- You cheerfully stated with her usual smile in her face.- I'll come in a while.
-Ok, we'll wait for you- Kanan responded.
With this, You started running in search of the girl she had fallen for. This was actually pretty convenient for You, since she wanted to have some alone time with Riko just so she could confess what had been on her mind and her heart for more than a year now. The thing was, well, she couldn't find her. She had been looking for her for more than 10 minutes now, she looked through the gym, the courts, the pool, some of the classrooms, and even the club room.
-Where could she be?- You wondered. For a moment she wanted to facepalm herself just because she hadn't thought of going to the most obvious place first.- The Music Room!
The blue-eyed girl stormed through the school to find her mistress in distress, luckily there wasn't much people around the school building because she may have bumped into someone thanks to the speed she was going at.
As she approached the music room, You could hear some sobs, someone was crying or had been crying, she carefully tiptoed towards the window of the room and saw a beautiful, slender figure with auburn hair, it was her, it was Riko, she was looking through the window, her amber eyes had tears on them, but why? Was what You wondered,
so she started to listen closely at what she was saying.
-What am I gonna do? If I don't act now, I may never have a chance with her.- Riko sobbed.- This may be the last time I can spend some time with her, but how can I stand a chance against someone else? I'm scared, what if she doesn't feel like that? What if she isn't into this type of stuff and starts hating me, I couldn't face her anymore.- With this Riko started crying harder.
You couldn't bear to keep watching, she opened the door slowly and approached the sobbing girl. At the sound of the door closing again, Riko turned around looking at the person who was in front of her, she was trembling, she started hyperventilating, her heart beating faster.
-You-chan.-she said shyly.- What are you doing here?- Riko asked trying to hide the fact that she had been crying, but it was too late and too obvious, You had seen her.
-I was looking for you.- She answered.- Why did you go?
-S… sorry, I wanted some time alone to think about things.- she stuttered.
-Heh, that's ironic, since you were the one that told me to not be so thinkative because it's our last day here, that we should enjoy it.- You gave Riko her trademark smile after saying this.- Say, why were you crying?- She went straight to the point, it may have been a bit insensitive, but she wanted to know in order to help her.
-It's just that, I've been feeling a bit nostalgic, you know, everyone's probably going to follow their own paths and things like that, that this memories will become just that, memories, that I won't be able to create more of them along with all of you, with you, You-chan. I don't want all of this to end.- Riko said, sincerity in her words, and with them, more tears came.
-It won't end. Believe me, we will always be together, and more now that we have technology on our side.- She told her, having a valid point.- During all this time that I've known you, you've become a very special person for me Riko-chan. I want to create even more memories and experiences with you too.- The gray-haired girl said with a soothing tone in her voice and embracing Riko trying to calm the latter down and accomplishing it.
It was at this moment that Riko's heart started beating way faster than it already was, it was precisely because of this that she didn't want to let go of You, she didn't want to let go of the way the blue-eyed girl made her feel.
You's arms were really comfortable, and the embrace gave her a really warm feeling, Riko felt like time had stopped at that moment. It was only the two of them, both immersed in their own little world. Neither of them were talking but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, instead, it was as if all they wanted to say could be said without doing it.
Sadly for Riko the contact ended, as You stopped holding her in order to face the amber-eyed girl. The gray-haired girl had a nervous look in her eyes, it looked as if she had something to say, something that was about to change everything for them.
-I… I'm glad I was able to calm you.- You stuttered a bit before taking a huge breath and then releasing it.- The thing is… I've been meaning to tell you something actually.
-O… Oh really, what could it be?- Riko asked starting to get a little nervous.
-You know, it's something I should have said a while ago, but I guess that because of the situations, I wasn't able to.- You was decided now, she had to tell her, tell her how she had been feeling for more than a year. It didn't matter that her heart was going at 1000 miles per hour, she had to do this.
-Come on You, you got to tell her.- Was all You could say in her mind, she was clearly nervous and Riko just staring at her waiting for You to continue didn't help her with her ever-growing anxiety.
Finally, she took a breath, she counted to 3 and let it all out, after this she was prepared, as You confessed:
-I love you Sakurauchi Riko! Will you go out with me?- She asked as she bowed so Riko couldn't see her embarrassed face.
The auburn-haired girl, was going crazy in her mind. -She feels the same way.- She thought, her heart was about to go out outside as her pulse-rate had risen. She wanted to hug You and tell her that she loved her too, but, she was paralyzed, instead of that, tears came out of her eyes again.
Some time had passed so You lifted her head a bit and saw Riko crying. This obviously took her by surprise, she didn't know what to do now, she didn't get an answer either so she just let her motherly instinct take control and embraced for the second time now.
-Oh God, I'm sorry Riko-chan! I didn't think of how you would react, I'm so so..- Riko cut what You was about to say with small kiss on her lips.
The kiss was short, but full of emotions, they could feel each other's warmth as they were still embraced. They didn't say anything yet, instead, they leaned in for a second kiss, this one longer, but with even more emotions and sentiments put into it. They had to break the kiss due to the need of oxygen but kept staring at each other's eyes.
-Dumb You-chan, these aren't tears of sadness, they are tears of joy.- Riko told her softly still staring into her deep ocean-blue eyes.
-Do… Does that mean?
-Yes, I love you too You-chan! I'd love to be your girlfriend!- With this told, You felt that she could die of happiness right there, the girl she had been in love for so long, loved her back.
They slowly started leaning towards each other again, they could feel their breathing, the gap between their lips was reducing little by little, they were almost the…
Paff!- A loud sound was heard from outside the classroom, with this they quickly separated heavily blushing and decided to go outside to investigate.
As they opened the door they heard familiar voices discussing. It was the other girls of Aqours.
-See what you did Chika-chan, now they are…- Dia froze as she saw You with a flustered face.
-What were you doing?- You said with a sly smile forming in her face.
-Oh, You-chan and Riko-chan, we were just walking around when I fell, we clearly weren't eavesdropp…- Chika had snitched herself without knowing.- Hehe, I'm really sorry!- She said nervously bowing her head.
-How much did you see?- You asked plainly, Riko hiding behind her still very embarrassed.
-Well, we started to watch when You-chan said she had something to tell you. Again, I'm sorry.- Chika confessed.
Riko could feel her face burning with embarrassment, she felt she would just faint. You wasn't very well either, they had been found, they saw her confessing to Riko and even saw them kissing.
-Well, don't you two think you have an announcement to make?- Mari teased the two lovebirds when asking them.
-W...Well- You stuttered a bit before giving everyone the great news.- We are dating now!- Both You's and Riko's faces were even redder than Ruby's hair now, at this the rest of the girls clapped at them, congratulating and wishing them the best in their relationship.
It had been quite an eventful day for this pair, graduation being accompanied by a confession and a reunion, it may have been a bit embarrassing but they wouldn't have it any other way.
What does life have in store for this pairing now?
God, I'm finally done. I've been writing this since Tuesday xD, yeah I should have started earlier but I guess having writer's block doesn't help (._. ). But oh well, the important thing is that I finished :'D. This is actually my first ever FanFic, I've written before but never about other shows and stuff. I hope you liked what I wrote for the second day of the YouRiko Week 2018 using both Graduation and Confession as my themes for this FanFic. Well gotta go, I'm planning on doing another two One-Shots for this event. Not gonna say which themes though ;). Again, hope you liked it, any feedback is very much appreciated. See you next time! ^_^