A/N: So today's prompt was "Unrequited Love", so I was expecting this to be really painful. And this one-shot is angsty, but it's also hopeful? I thought it turned out well. So without further ado, it's time for femslash!

Day 5: We're the same

"She loves me, she loves me not. She loves me, she love me not."

Tenko continued to pick the petals off the flower she was holding, a despondent look on her face.

"She love me not- oh." Tenko picked the last petal, and that was her result. Well, it's not like Tenko should have been surprised. But a part of Tenko was still stubbornly holding on…

"Tenko?"

Tenko looked up to see Maki looking at her- and Maki seemed to have a concerned expression on her face. "Is something wrong?" Maki asked.

"No, it's nothing!" When that was answered with a glare from Maki, Tenko knew there was no point in hiding anything from her.

"Well, this is something I haven't told anyone, but I held special feelings in my heart for Himiko," Tenko explained.

"Oh, is that what this is about? Maybe we shouldn't be talking about this outside, then." Maki began walking, gesturing Tenko to follow her.

They ended up inside of Maki's room- there were no real decorations to speak of, except for a small orb sitting on her nightstand.

Maki sat down on her bed, and Tenko decided to take a chair that was also in the room. Once they were both seated, Maki said, "I'm probably not going to be very good at comforting you, but I'll at least listen."

"It means a lot to me that Maki is willing to try!" Tenko took a deep breath, and continued her story. "For a long time, I wanted to tell Himiko how I feel, but I could never find the words."

"Yesterday, I decided to go ahead and finally confess to Himiko! And Himiko… told Tenko that she didn't feel the same way." Tears started to form in Tenko's eyes. "We're still friends, of course, and Tenko is glad for it! But it still hurts…"

"So that's all that it was?" When Tenko's expression became hurt Maki quickly said, "Sorry, that came out wrong. What I meant is… you're emotionally strong, Tenko."

"You really think I'm strong, Maki? I'm a total mess right now," Tenko said, wiping her eyes.

"Maybe you are. Still, you took a chance, and you expressed how you felt. That must have been difficult," Maki said. "There are people… that wouldn't be able to do that."

Something in Maki's words rang strange, but Tenko decided not to pry. "I want to respect Himiko's feelings to stay friends. I'm just finding it really hard, and I feel guilty that I can't let this go!"

"Tenko, relax." For a moment, Maki reached out, then stopped, her expression uncertain. Then Maki lay one of her hands on one of Tenko's hands. "No one's expecting you to 'get over it' in a day. In fact, a lot of us were worried about you."

Tenko could imagine Kaede and Shuichi being worried about her. This made Tenko wonder… "Were you worried about me too, Maki?"

"Of course I was," Maki said, pouting. "You're my friend too."

Now Tenko found herself feeling really touched. "Thank you, Maki!" Tenko said, smiling. "I think I'm actually starting to feel better now."

"That's more like you. I'm glad," Maki said, a small smile appearing on her own face. "There was another reason I decided to bring you to my room. Hang on a second…"

Letting go of Tenko's hand, Maki got up and turned off the lights in the room. Next, Maki made her way to the white orb on her nightstand, before pushing a button on it.

The white orb suddenly began letting out light, projecting stars onto the ceiling of the room. "Wow, this is absolutely gorgeous!" Tenko exclaimed in wonderment.

"I wasn't sure how well I'd do at making you feel better. And watching this… always makes me feel better. So I thought it might help you too," Maki said, watching the stars as well.

"You've already helped me, Maki!" There it was again- a wavering undercurrent in Maki's voice. This time, Tenko couldn't ignore it. "And since we're friends, Tenko won't hesitate to help Maki if she needs it!"

For a moment, Maki didn't say anything. Still watching the stars, Maki said, "You can be annoying sometimes, Tenko, but you can also be encouraging. Like I said, there are people that don't have the bravery that you do. Watching you get back up from this… will be enough for me."

Finally Tenko put her finger on what Maki's tone sounded like. "Maki… are you saying that you- ?"

"I'm not very good at a lot of things," Mak cut in. "There are things that you can do that I can't."

"That's not true! You can do anything I can, Maki!" Tenko exclaimed. "And there's probably lots of stuff you can do that I can't."

"I thought you would say that. That's just how you are, throwing your heart into everything," Maki said, her smile now bittersweet. "All I need is for you to keep being you. Until I can learn how to get back up too."

"If that's what you need, then I'll be here for you, Maki!" This time, Tenko was the one to reach forward and grasp Maki's hand. "I'll be here for you as long as you need!"

"...Thank you, Tenko."

There seemed to be no more need for words. Maki lay back on her bed, continuing to watch the stars shining forth from Hope Planet on her night stand.

It didn't seem right to just keep sitting on the chair. So Tenko lay down on the bed next to Maki, and the two of them watched the stars, letting it wash away their shared pain.

A/N: Tomorrow's prompt will definitely stretch my creative muscles! I will write something bombastic and exciting, so look forward to it! Until then, this has been Orion Fowl and thank you for visiting my Corner of Romance!