A/N: Hi Everyone! I'm back. I'm really sorry for being away for more than a month… I think. It's just that, if I had time to update, I'd read or watch or rewatch a lot of anime manga and fanfics. I really couldn't manage my time lately also with school ending and stuff, finals, recognitions.. etc. I'm guessing that I'll update now instead of the weekend because I KNOW I won't be able to. Since it's kinda like my Birhtday… hehe. Anyway, summer heat sucks so… Here's the update. Again sorry for being absent for quite some time. OH! And yes, I also ship HonoMaki.

~Shintori Khazumi

Chapter 9: Song Writing?

The remaining members of µ's were currently in Maki's house, specifically in her kitchen. They were busy writing the song for Honoka… or at least, some of them were. These members being Maki, Kotori and Umi. Eli and Nozomi would pitch in their ideas every once in a while, but Nozomi's teasing getting to Eli, Rin and Hanayo's grumbling stomachs and Nico cooking lunch, didn't let them progress very much. Currently, they had only written about five bars into the song. Umi was having a slump arranging all the ideas and changing them into lyrics. Maki, who had an idea of a melody, always had to change the tune matching with the lyrics. Basically, It was tough. They had not expected it to turn out like this. Truthfully, this had been their eighth attempt to get together and write a song, the previous ones not being successful.

"OI! You three better give it a rest and have some lunch." Nico said, gesturing to the others who were already eating.

"But we haven't done much yet." Umi replied.

"I don't care… If you don't eat, you might as well faint from hunger. We haven't eaten since breakfast." Nico said. All of them had slept over at Maki's house and hadn't eaten trying to spare more time for their song writing.

"Nico's right guys." Eli said. "If you don't eat, you won't be able to get ideas all the more." she told them.

"Fine… " Maki said, grabbing a plate. "Kotori? Aren't you going to eat?" Everyone turned to Kotori still bent over the notebook they were using for lyrics. Umi and Maki had already helped themselves to some of the food, yet Kotori remained unmoving.

"Kotori…" Umi said concerned. Before she could do anything, Nozomi stood up with a plate of food heading to Kotori. Sitting beside her, she held up her chopsticks to Kotori's mouth.

"Kotori-chan! Here… Ahhhh…. Come on." Nozomi said trying to feed her friend.

"Nozomi-chan…" Kotori looked up. "Thanks. Itadakimasu." She said taking the food being offered to her.

"Good girl. Here chopsticks, or would you rather have me feeding you?" Nozomi offered, the younger girl blushing in response.

"No thanks… I think I can feed myself now." Kotori said taking the utensils from Nozomi's hand.

"Kay…" Nozomi went back to the table, reclaiming her seat next to Eli who was looking at her food like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Oh? Does Elichi want me to feed her too?" Nozomi asked grinning from ear to ear.

"N-no… not that I'd hate it, but no! I-I just…" Eri stuttered out, Nozomi taking the chopsticks from her hands.

"Here Elichi… Ahhhh…." Eli pouted. Nozomi had used her chopsticks to feed Kotori at first before giving Kotori new ones. "Hmmm?" Nozomi cocked her head to the side. "Oh!" She grabbed her own chopsticks and repeated the gesture. "Now Elichi… say Ahh!" Eli slowly took the offer smiling gleefully afterwards. "Mmmmm… N-nozomi….?"

"Yes?"

"Again?" Eli asked cutely.

"Of course! Hehe." Nozomi continued feeding Eli, soon Eli doing the same for her.

Kotori watched the scene. 'The two of them are so sweet.' She thought. 'If only…' Kotori shook her head. When Honoka would wake up, she would be sure to tell her. Now being more determined, she ate her food and got back to work.

Soon, everyone was done. The dishes washed, dried and kept. The table cleared. Everyone sat back down to continue writing.

"Ahhh! Now that Rin is full, she can think of ideas-nya!" Rin said referring to herself in third person as usual.

"Yeah… I Think we got a good rest. We should be able to think well." Hanayo said.

"Are you saying, you couldn't write anything because you were hungry?" Eli asked with a laugh.

"Anyway, let's get started." Maki said, everyone nodding their heads in agreement.

They worked together for about two hours, mixing up ideas and lyrics. Finally it was almost 4. The usual time they would go to visit Honoka after they started this writing thing.

"Got everything you need?" Eli asked everyone. By "everything you need" Eli meant the rain of gifts they had prepared again.

"Yes." All of them replied.

"I bet Honoka-chan is going to be surprised once she wakes up, seeing the avalanche of presents she gets, not only from us, but also from all her fans and classmates." Nozomi said smiling.

Everyone tried to imagine what that would be like and laughed.

"True… I can really see that happening." Nico said.

"Yeah! It is Honoka-chan. She'd look so funny-nya!" Rin purred.

"Well, let's get going then." Eli said leading the gang. All of them talked the whole way to the hospital, taking their usual routes and arriving at the hospital, greeting everyone. They had already been considered regular visitors. Almost all the hospital staff knew them personally. After a short chat at the entrance desk, they rode the elevator to the floor where Honoka's room was situated.

Knocking on the door, Umi called out. "Excuse us." The door opened to show the girls a very infamiliar face.

"Who are you girls?" A middle aged woman asked them.

"Ummm… we're here to visit Honoka?" Umi replied.

"Honoka? Who's that?" The lady said. Before Umi could reply, the lady they were talking with at the desk came running after them.

"I'm sorry girls… I'll tell you in a moment." She told them, ushering them to the lobby. "Ma'am sorry to have disturbed your busy day." She bowed and followed the girls to the lobby.

Once everyone was seated, she explained. "I'm really sorry girls. I was so careless that I forgot to tell you this." She said making everyone worry instantly. "Umm… as of today, Kousaka-san was transferred to another hospital for better treatment. She will be there for a week." Before any of the girls could ask a question, she continued. "I'm sorry… we don't know where she was moved. Only the higher positions and her doctors know where she is now." The girls were very shocked by this.

"What do you mean better treatment, by the way?" Maki asked.

The woman swallowed thickly. "Her condition seemed to worsen… especially her… mental state." Everyone was silent. "I'm very sorry…" She said before going back to her work.

The members of µ's were perplexed… "Ummm… what did she mean worsened?" Everyone turned to see Kotori, eyes wide and on the verge of crying. "Honoka's going to be alright, right? After all… we'll always be together… right?" She said releasing her pent up emotions to cry freely into Nozomi's chest.

"Kotori…" Just as they began comforting Kotori, a voice rang.

"Maki?" They all turned to see a woman in a lab coat, who very much resembled Maki, only much more mature looking.

"Mama?"

"Maki, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"We were going to visit Honoka."

"Kousaka-san? Didn't you know? She's at our hospital." She said, jumping in surprise as Maki ran to hug her waist.

"Thank you so much Mama!" All the girls looked relieved.

"What just happened?" Mrs. Nishikino asked.

A/N: And that's it for now! I wanted to make it longer, but… I'm too distracted… hehe… our house is getting painted so a lot is going on too. I've been listening to Love Live songs a lot too. Currently the one that is playing is one of Honoka's. Forgot the title. My favorite songs currently is… Snow Halation, Aishiteru Banzai, Ai wa taiyou Ja nai, Kimi no Kuse ni, also… Soldier game and Loneliest baby. These are just added to my already favorites except the first two that have always been my favorites… hehe.

Anyway, til next time…

~Shintori Khazumi