Maki Nishikino had been in love with Nico Yazawa since she saw her by UTX when Maki was finishing middle school. She had been overwhelmed with an urge to hug her. She was cuter than a baby rabbit like Maki still had as a stuffed toy on her canopy bed.
When Nico had patiently sat listening, day after day, to Maki playing the piano, Maki had felt like it was worthwhile to be at Otonokizaka Academy.
But they were both girls, and Nico was absorbed completely in "idols" which were candy for the less educated, less dedicated Japanese masses. Maki was allowed to excel in piano because that was part of the cultured image of a doctor in training. So Maki dutifully never, ever gave even a hint that she was dreaming about Nico at night and daydreaming about her by day.
Now, Maki had graduated, and won a mini-war with her parents. Her medical career was on hold until she'd tried out a music career, however short-term it might end up being. The facts and figures didn't lie, and if Maki took off, even for a while, it would more than make up for any income lost by not getting her physician's license early.
She and Nico were still good friends from being in Mu's together. The group tended to pair off towards the end of their year together, and NicoMaki was one of the pairs. But everything was platonic - girl friends, good girl friends to be sure, but not girlfriends.
Nico was two years ahead of her at the performing arts school. She was there on a full scholarship, and quite busy. But they were looking forward to spending time together. Maki was still at sea over how she'd confess to Nico - after all, she really hadn't given any hints even in what was now four years of knowing each other. It was sad and frustrating.
The weather was on the verge of being a typhoon when they travelled to the ferry to Sado Island, and Nico was doing some white-knuckled driving. There was a loud crashing noise and a big bump.
Maki passed out for a minute or so. When she came to, she saw Nico. She'd taken off a shawl and was in her angel costume for a couple of songs she'd be practising. The wings even fluttered realistically in the wind and the rain.
Nico knelt down, then sat next to Maki. Without a word, she shocked Maki with a gentle kiss.
"I love you," Nico said, in a quiet and rather dreamy voice Maki'd never heard before. "I've loved you a long time. You are the only one I've ever loved that wasn't my family. You are so loved, and so worthy."
In another surprising action, Nico began to sing one of the "angel" songs. Maki had played it on piano and she was a good memorizer. It became a kind of duet. Maki let her medical instincts go for a minute. The bump couldn't have been too bad if she could sing with Nico, after all.
She'd never heard Nico sing so beautifully. Strike that, she'd never heard anyone sing so beautifully. She only thought she'd loved Nico as much as she could. They were in a new world, a world of just the two of them. She didn't see the car Nico had been driving, but they were in an alcove with the open side opposite where the wind and rain would have been pouring in.
She also didn't know, and couldn't say, how long they'd been there. She did know that Nico quietly and beautifully sang every song she'd have performed at the auditorium of the arts school if they hadn't stopped for some reason - Maki getting bumped in the head, probably.
Maki heard footsteps, but when she turned to alert Nico, she had moved away for some reason. It turned out that rescue workers had been looking for her - perhaps Nico had decided she was injured worse than she thought, and called them. But she wished Nico had hung around to explain that to her. She fought getting placed in the ambulance until she was assured they'd do all they could to make sure Nico knew where she was and could meet them at the hospital.
Maki had been sedated at the hospital. She came awake rather frantically, because she didn't see Nico. Or her parents, for that matter, but Nico was the primary concern right now. But when she asked the nurse, she just looked unhappy for some reason and told Maki it wasn't her place to say, which made no sense. It felt to Maki like she saw pity in her eyes. Was I hurt that badly? Is something bad happening?
The nurse cast around then picked up a small white object from the stand next to Maki's hospital bed.
"You were holding this when the ambulance crew got you, Ms Nishikino." It was a somewhat plump, pearly-looking white feather. It was almost unnaturally perfect, in fact. And when the nurse handed it to her, as Maki stared at it dumbly, she suddenly shuddered. She didn't know why, but she was suddenly afraid.
"You are so loved," she heard. Nico was even quieter, for some reason. Maki bolted upright and looked around the room, frantically.
"NICO!" she yelled., But Nico didn't appear. "Nico?" she said, quieter. More tentatively.
For some reason, the nurse was crying now, and Maki felt what could be tears on her own cheeks. She felt her fingers tighten on the feather, and then released them. For some reason, she thought preserving the feather might be very important. For a long time. For a long, long time.