Maki Gamou was sitting behind the steering wheel of her car, a cracked open tea can in her cupholder, waiting for her friends to step out of the concert venue. Parked on the other side of the road, the woman with the orange hair and eyes had been waiting for about ten minutes now, tunes of the band they went to see that day resonating throughout the car. Tapping her fingers against the wheel, she let her mind wander a tad, considering what kind of music she'd like to write, if ever given the chance. She spent a good while like this, just humming a tune, until a crowd forming in front of the building caught her attention.

Most of the people that had pushed and prodded her toward the entrance hall about half an hour earlier, were now themselves forced to leave the venue, apparently spurred by the security detail of the place. Scanning the crowd for familiar faces, she failed to recognize either of her friends in the mass of people. Confused and somewhat worried, she picked her phone from it's holder stuck to the windshield and pulled up their LINE chat.

Yo, you guys okay? Where are you at? - Gamo

Gamo went to take a sip from her tea, only to almost drop the entire thing, spilling it over the whole damn seat.

We got a problem. Senpai-kun is here. HE is the singer of the band! - Sakura

Gamo's stomach sank, a deep seated feeling of panic rising up within her. This was the worst thing that could have possibly happened tonight. A horrible sense of dread spread throughout her entire body as her shaking hand reached for the key lazily sitting in the cars ignition. Gamo stepped out of the car, her legs barely keeping her stable, and walked across the road to re-enter the venue. She could see Sakura, standing a little ways away from the entrance, near a door that clearly led deeper into the building. Nagatoro was nowhere to be seen, probably already in the back, tracking down Paisen. This was horrible.

Gamo knew why Paisen had left. She had been the only one Nagatoro confined into about what had occurred that day. Gamo knew how terribly her best friend had messed up that day, how irreconcilable her actions had been. Honestly, Gamo didn't blame Paisen for ditching them.

She almost, just almost, dropped Nagatoro herself after having heard about the situation, absolutely disgusted by the mere idea that someone she was so close to was capable of such actions. Especially considering all of the girls within the group, including Gamo herself, had gotten rather fond of Naoto and now they were all cut out of his life due to Nagatoro's actions.

Yet seeing the usually stoic and unflinching girl absolutely devastated, her face a mess of tears and snot, her eyes deader than what she imagined those of a real corpse to be, broke Gamo. There was no way she could leave her to her own devices, absolutely terrified of the ideas that might have been occurring to her at that very moment. For a brief, terrifying moment, Gamo imagined Nagatoro left alone with her thoughts, a razor or noose by her side. There was no way she would leave her, so she spent the whole day and night, holding onto the smaller girl and taking care of her to the best of her abilities.

Knowing how badly Nagatoro was struggling to cope with her past actions and how she would possibly never get over Paisen, the idea that she had just run into him without any mental preparations could only mean trouble. Composing herself just enough to get her ass into gear, Gamo sprinted to Sakura's side.

"Where are they?" the orange haired girl asked, ragged breaths escaping her.

Sakura took note of her sudden shabby appearance, concern clearly showing on her face. "Nagatoro and Yoshi followed the band into the back to see Senpai-kun. I waited, in case you wanted to join."

Gamo nodded, trying to make herself look far more stable than she actually was. Her shaking legs were still giving her away, but she tried to not let it bother her. Sakura pursed her lips, deep worry setting in, but she didn't ask any questions. She simply guided Gamo over to the door the others had disappeared behind and the two stepped through.

The door led to a slimmer corridor, multiple black doors located on either side of it. Sakura explained to Gamo that the other guitarist, Tony, had given her vague directions to find the room that they band were occupying. The two of them walked in silence, a blanket of concern threatening to smother them. Gamo knew that Sakura was good at reading people and the situations she was in, hence why it was unbelievably easy for her to wrap most guys around her finger, without even trying. And even though people who had no idea of who she really was, would end up considering Sakura a carefree bimbo, she was anything but. The girl had clearly picked up on the terror that had Gamo wrapped in white.

After a two minute walk, leading deeper into the building than either of the two expected, they spotted the figures of Nagatoro and Yoshi in the hallway, in front of a closed door. Nagatoro was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall and her entire body shaking with the emotions that were overwhelming her. Yoshi, absolutely flooded with panic, tried her best to comfort her friend, but the pale face and shaking extremities related her lack of qualification for the job. Sakura covered her mouth with her hands, tears of empathy shooting into her eyes.

Gamo, having expected this sort of outcome, walked over and crouched down next to Nagatoro. The smaller woman's eyes were bloodshot, tears flowing freely as if they were aiming to drown her. Her mouth was agape, a heart wrenching howling escaping from the depths of her soul. Nagatoro's tanned shoulders were slumped, her entire body hunched over as if she was about to roll up into herself and vanish. It had been three years, but just as Gamo had feared, the pain was still just as severe as it had been the night of.

Placing her hand on Nagatoro's shoulder, Gamo tilted her head toward Yoshi, who's knees were still shaking in panic. "What happened?"

Nagatoro and Yoshi were following Tony down a tight corridor that did nothing to ease Nagatoro's feeling of being crushed by the weight of the situation. She fooled herself into believing the walls were closing in on her, the white walls displaying the night she had ruined her life. Biting down on her lower lip, the tanned woman tried her best to breathe as calmly as she could, begging and praying that the anxiety and fear would blow over. But she knew that she was just kidding herself. The man of her dreams, figuratively and literally, was only a short walk away. Naoto had basically turned tail and ran upon spotting her, but that could be understood. Last time they had seen each other there had been a lot of tension, raw emotions and misunderstandings.

Nagatoro knew she could clear everything up, apologize for her actions and behavior toward her Senpai and hopefully, if god was willing, restart their relationship, which meant the world to her. All she had to do was get the chance to talk to him, one on one and make him understand how much she cared and how deeply she regretted everything she had done wrong. Not a day passed without her agonizing over the missteps she had taken, which lead her down this road of loneliness.

Tony halted in front of a door with a logo of a messed up bat stuck to it. With a sly grin, he indicated for the women to stay quiet as he knocked on the door. "Yo, Naoto, Tadano, you two in there?"

"Yeah," the answer came quickly from the voice that Nagatoro recognized as the one Tony called Tadano. "Get in here."

Tony opened the door, a goofy grin on his face as he stepped into the small prep room. A few chairs were on the furthest side of the room, mirrors on one wall of the room, with a small mini fridge next to the chairs. It wasn't the most glamorous room, but it was enough for them group to just relax.

"What kind of rock star just walks away from his adoring fans?" Tony prodded, the grin never vanishing from his face.

Naoto, sitting in one of the chairs across the door, averted his gaze, letting it linger on the the floor below him. His hands were folded in his lap, his back hunched forward in an arc. He looked miserable. But Tony simply assumed that his fellow band member had gotten flustered about seeing a previous crush or a friend he wasn't ready for meeting and with him being such a good friend, he would make sure that he'd get a chance to make up for his awkward exit.

"Well no worries man," he chuckled, turning to point at the door. "I brought your friends with me."

Nagatoro, who assumed this was supposed to be a cue of sorts, stepped into the room, staring at Naoto with bated breath. Naoto on the other hand, lifted his head hesitantly, hoping that Tony was simply joking. The moment he spotted Nagatoro, his pupils narrowed and one of his hand reached to clutch his chest as his heart started racing in panic. Sweat began pouring out of every pore of his being, his breath got caught in his throat and he felt like he was going to choke on his fears.

Tadano immediately caught wind of Naoto's reaction and got up from his own seat to confront Tony. "What are you doing!?"

Tony, thrown off by the sudden heat coming at him from his friend, took a step back, his eyes widening in shock.

"What's wrong man?" he asked, not used to Tadano even having a pushy side to himself. His eyes fell on Naoto, who was now looking as if he was about to hyperventilate.

"S-Senpai?"

Nagatoro had taken a step toward Naoto, her eyes filled to the brim with tears that were about to flood over. The fact that her mere presence caused her Senpai such distress made her throat close up and her heart began panging with pain. More images of the horrifying events that led to their separation began filling her mind, slowly wearing her down until she began shaking with silent sobs, which she was struggling to keep inside.

"P-Please N-Naoto, c-c-can we jus-just talk?"

Nagatoro despised how her voice was trembling with sorrow and fear of rejection, fear of opening herself up in front of total strangers, but she was completely unable to stop her emotions breaking through her walls. There was absolutely nothing she could do to resist the ever tightening grip of her depression, clutching at her insides, threatening to tear her apart. She had hoped that in the time since that night, that horribly disturbing night, her Senpai may have pushed past his visceral reaction to being around her, but it seemed to have only gotten worse. Naoto's entire body was shaking, his fear of her very existence ripping through him like a knife.

Before Nagatoro could take another step forward, Tadano had gotten between her and Naoto, looking at her with a stern gaze. "I am sorry, but I think you should leave."

Nagatoro swallowed hard, her hands trembling and sweating like crazy. She just wanted a chance to explain herself. One moment, just between the two of them, to regain her beloved Senpai's trust. If he would just let her attempt to communicate herself properly, they would be able to get past this situation. A bitter part of her started nagging at the back of her mind, wishing that the other two guys would just get lost. They weren't needed, they were getting in the way. But before the fire in the stomach could burn away her inhibitions and allow her to cause any more issues, she could feel a gentle touch on her shoulder. Looking over her shoulder, she could see Yoshi staring at her with wide and saddened eyes.

Nagatoro looked back at Tadano in front of her, his stance and expression being stern enough, yet never losing that kind edge to him. Knowing that she currently had no way of changing their minds or reaching her Senpai, she nodded shakily and turned to leave the room with Yoshi. Once she stepped through the door back into the corridor, Yoshi followed and closed the door behind herself.

Nagatoro cracked the moment she perceived the barrier between herself and Naoto and broke into inconsolable sobbing. Falling against the wall behind her, she just let herself slide down, her knees pressed up against her chest.

There were flashes of white, blinding him to the point his eyes began to boil.

Laughter. Devious, uncaring laughter.

He could feel her breath on his body, the way her hands trembled as she continued caressing him, despite his protests.

He wanted to scream. Scream so loud that his voice would tear down the walls around them.

Breathe.

Breathe.

But he couldn't.

He couldn't fight her, he couldn't defend himself.

He was raised to be polite after all and had taught himself to avoid all confrontation, let them point and laugh, endure the suffering and then move on with his life.

This was no different.

This was the same.

Please stop.

Someone stop her.

More names. She calls him vile and disgusting.

Pervert. He's always been that to her.

This is something he desired. She knew this is what he wanted.

Memories of his painted canvases. They weren't beautiful, but they were his. Then they were torn.

Ruined.

His mind could not longer perceive the colors.

She ruined the colors of his world.

Help me.

Gamo held Nagatoro tight in her embrace, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. This was exactly the kind of situation she had feared. Overwhelmed by the emotions the two had been keeping at bay, nothing came out of this meeting except for intense pain and suffering. It had taken Nagatoro almost a year after everything happened just to return to her usually cheerful personality and even then, Gamo was sure a lot of it was simply a façade she put up to satisfy her friends and halt any worrying. Gamo only knew how deep the pain ran because she had been let in on the events of the night, but Yoshi and Sakura were still in the dark, probably shocked to see how badly both sides of the situation were taking it.

Hence it wasn't all that surprising to Gamo, when Yoshi started speaking up, "What was all that about?"

Gamo shut her eyes, bracing herself for whatever was going to happen next.

"I knew Sense got upset with us and took off, but this seems too much."

Sakura exchanged glances with Yoshi, both of them looking at the pair of girls on the ground with mixed emotions rising in their gut. They never bothered Nagatoro about it, never pushed for more information, always respected her desire to just keep silent about what had happened between them and keep it to herself. But it was clear now, that whatever had occurred, was enough to leave their Senpai with an insane amount of fear and panic at the mere sight of Nagatoro. That didn't add up to them. Nagatoro's usual teasing toward the boy could go a bit to far for comfort, but it had never ended up causing him to become a shivering mess of hysteria.

Nagatoro, still trapped in her own mind, the never ending tears streaming down her face, had not even heard her friends. The memories were flooding her mind, pushing her head below the ocean of sorrow she had tried so desperately to escape from.

"We need to take her back to the hotel," Gamo declared, pulling Nagatoro up by her arm. The shorter woman did nothing to help her, simply presenting herself as a cement brick. Yoshi assisted, taking the other side of Nagatoro, allowing the woman to stand reasonably straight.

As they approached the door leading back to the entrance hall, Gamo motioned for Sakura to take her spot.

"What's up?" Sakura asked, as she took over for Gamo, holding Nagatoro up by her arm.

Gamo just shook her head gently, indicating she would rather not speak of her plans out loud in front of her friend and then turned to walk back toward the band's room.

The young woman's heart was pounding against the inside of her chest as she took a deep breath and hesitantly knocked on the door with the bat on it.

"Who's there?" Tony's voice came from within the room.

"H-hey," Gamo responded weakly, much to her own dismay. "Paisen, it's me. Gamo. I am alone. Could we talk? Please?"

There was a mortifying silence, during which Gamo didn't dare to so much as breathe in case a single exhale could ruin everything. Luckily, she didn't need to starve herself for oxygen for long.

"Come in."

Gamo took a deep breath, trying to mentally steel herself for what she was about to see.

Opening the door, her eyes first fell on Tony, sitting by a rack of clothes, eyeing the woman suspiciously. The drummer was sitting on the ground next to Naoto, somewhat mirroring the way Nagatoro and her had been a few minutes earlier.

Gamo grimaced in pain when she saw Naoto's face. He looked absolutely dreadful, every part of his well kempt persona on stage having been torn away by the visions of Hayase. He didn't even look up at her, not realizing she had gotten close until her shoes popped up in his view.

"Hey Paisen," Gamo greeted with a quiet, kind tone that he had never really heard from her.

Naoto was even more shocked when she added, "Is it okay if I sit with you?"

Nagatoro and her friends had never really asked him for permission for any of their invasions of his life, let alone personal space. It was definitely a welcome change, if far too late.

"Y-y-yea," Naoto stammered, his friend Tadano getting up to make space for Gamo.

The redhead sat down next to him, one of her knees stretched out, the other used to rest her head on. "You don't look so great."

There was no sarcasm or bite to her statement, she had zero desire to poke fun at him at this moment and Naoto knew this.

"I-I don't really f-f-feel great either..." he responded, his gaze still aimed at the floor between his legs. He wanted to keep his responses brief and stoic, knowing that if he opened up too much, the floodgates wouldn't be able to close back down.

Gamo didn't know how best to approach the situation or even what she truly hoped to achieve by coming here by herself. Truth be told, she simply wanted to see her Paisen and try to help him.

Naoto was her friend, whether he believed it or not. And she cared for him. She had always secretly rooted for him and Nagatoro to get together, even trying to cause some commotion here and there that would fuel the fire between the two. Needless to say, when Nagatoro screwed it all up, she was more than devastated as a shipper on deck.

There were no high hopes in her mind for a proper reconciliation followed by the sound of wedding bells in the afternoon.

"Listen Paisen," she began talking. "If I make you uncomfortable at any point, please let me know and I'll stop. Just... just hear me out. Please?"

Naoto didn't look up, but he nodded slightly.

"Uh, let's start small I guess," Gamo continued, a slight blush on her face. "I missed you. I know that the shit we pulled in high school was, on the best of days, awful of us. I ain't making any apologies for that. We hurt you and that's just a fact we've come to deal with. But, and this is very important Paisen, we DO like you. Always have. We wouldn't have spent all that time with you if we hadn't. So uh... Man."

Gamo shifted uncomfortable in her position, fully aware of the other two guys in the room, making her attempt at opening up incredibly awkward.

Tadano noticed the problem before she even had begun, but also wasn't confident it would be wise to leave the two of them alone. But hearing Gamo's words and seeing the sincerity within her made him make his decision. He tapped Tony on the shoulder and cocked his head toward the door, gesturing for them to leave together. Tony seemed confused as to why they would do so all of a sudden, but since he wasn't the most openly emotional guy, he didn't have any words to argue with and simply followed Tadano.

The moment the two had left the room, Gamo swallowed hard, shut her eyes and took one long, deep breath.

"Pais- Naoto."

Naoto flinched a little at the sound of his own name coming from Gamo who had only ever addressed him that way one other time.

"Hayase told me what happened between the two of you."

Naoto whipped his head to meet Gamo's gaze, his eyes a shocked and confused mess. "W-w-what?"

Gamo nodded, her own sad, half lidded eyes almost too embarrassed to be looked at by him, considering the knowledge she had.

"I kind of made her tell me," Gamo continued, a slight shaking in her voice. "When I saw her that night- Holy shit Naoto it was bad."

Her eyes quickly widened, realizing that it had started to sound as if she had taken Nagatoro's side and she waved her hand in front of her face. "B-but that's not for you to worry about! No, I know it wasn't your doing."

Naoto gnashed his teeth, the thought of Nagatoro scrambling his mind. Gamo could feel emotions tearing at him.

"Naoto, I know considering what happened, this might be really stupid and offensive of me to ask, but... Can I hug you?"

The broken and mentally beaten man looked into her eyes as if she was joking. Not due to, as she feared, being offended by the suggestion, but rather being unable to comprehend that Gamo would ever want to get near him. It didn't make sense considering everything he used to endure coming from them. It was just unbelievable. But he was too sad and too cold on the inside to deny his own desire to just be comforted. He nodded.

Gamo quickly looked up, not believing in what she was about to do, bit her lip and after giving herself a small encouragement, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. The moment she made contact with his body, Gamo couldn't help but feel her heart break at the fearful flinch it caused in Naoto. The man was still terrified of being touched, even in such a tender and comforting manner. For just this brief moment, she truly hated Hayase.

"I am so sorry Naoto," she told him while gently rubbing his back, something that she realized she had never done for any other boy. "When she told me, I wanted to beat her black and blue, believe me. I know that's not a consolation for you, but I just- I don't know. I care about you. Yoshi and Sakura do too. We all miss you."

Naoto began silently weeping into Gamo's shoulder, unable to withstand the onslaught of sudden love and affection that he had needed so badly years ago, to lift him out of the self hatred he had experienced. Now, it simply hurt to be loved.

In her attempt to make him feel like part of their friend group, Gamo began informing Naoto of everything that had happened to Yoshi, Sakura and herself in the three years he had been absent from their lives, always making sure to withhold any information pertaining to Nagatoro. This wasn't about her. Gamo just wanted to make amends with her own friend.

Gamo recounted her exploits at the gym, how she had outperformed well known athletes and title holders, something she was incredibly proud of and hoped would bring more money to her family. When she told him about her aspirations to compete in tournaments as a kick boxer, Naoto actually laughed a little. Paisen was laughing at her!

"Ey, what's up with that chuckle?" Gamo asked, sniffling at the joy of hearing her friend laugh.

"N-n-nothing, I just, uh, I just think y-you'll do a-a-amazing Gamo-chan."

Gamo held him tighter, her own water works nearing the breaking point. With the tiniest, most strained voice she had ever produced in her life she responded, "You can't just say that man. You're gonna make me bawl."

The two of them shared a crying laugh, unable to truly make heads or tails out of their emotional states, but being comforted by it nonetheless.

"And look at you," Gamo continued after wiping tears off on her sleeves. "A freakin' rock star, ey? That's so cool Paisen, I am so proud of you."

"T-thanks G-Gamo-chan. I have T-T-Tadano to thank for t-that. He heard m-me sing at a k-karaoke bar and told m-me he wanted to s-start a b-b-band."

Gamo pulled away from him and gazed into his eyes. "Your stuttering was never that bad before Paisen."

"I-I am still t-trying to-to control my breathing," he explained. "The p-panic at-ttack is slowly subs-siding."

More pangs of guilt. Gamo considered all the things she could have done to help him, to protect him for the torment their group had brought upon and how she failed to do even a single thing to help. Unaware of her own actions, Gamo began gently running her hand through Naoto's hair. She just wanted him to be able to relax and be freed from the ugliness overtaking his mind. Unfortunately for her, Naoto did notice her hand on his head and he began shaking slightly at the intimate contact.

"G-G-G-Gamo..."

Gamo had realized her mistake and quickly retracted her hand. "I am so sorry Naoto! I didn't mean to-"

"I know," he responded, breathing slowly through his nose.

"Jeez," Gamo cried while crossing her hands behind her head, hoping to stave off the blush running up her face. "I don't know what's up with me right now. I am not good with boys, or anything like this honestly."

Naoto appreciated her attempts regardless. At least Gamo knew when to stop.

Gamo on her end, knew that the idea forming in her mind was a semi violation of girlfriend laws across the globe, but seeing what Hayase had done to the guy allowed her to ignore that nagging feeling.

"Naoto, if it's okay with you, and I promise I won't share it with anyone else, can I have your phone number?"

"Huh!?" Naoto looked at her incredulously. "W-why!?"

Gamo gave him a playful punch in the arm, her face fully flush now. "Because you're my friend and I'd like to keep in contact with you. If that's alright. I mean, I could always just keep track of where you guys are touring and meet ya when you're nearby."

"I feel like that'd be a form of s-stalking," Naoto laughed weakly. "But sure. Let me put it in your phone."

Less than a minute later, Gamo had Naoto's contact saved in her phone and she beamed at it. "Hell yeah. Thanks Paisen. I really did miss you."

Naoto lowered his head a little and, to his own shock, responded, "I missed you too..."

A few minutes later, Gamo walked across the road in front of the venue and joined the other girls in the car. Trying not to make it too obvious, she took peeks at the other three as she sat down behind the steering wheel. Yoshi was chewing on some snacks, if anything just to have something to do and take her mind off of the evening. Sakura tried to pretend that she was looking at herself in the mirror and adjusting her hair, but considering it looked exactly as it had when Gamo left, she doubted that was genuine.

Nagatoro sat by the door, essentially having shoved herself into a corner, her arms tightly wrapped around herself, having not even acknowledged Gamo's entrance.

Boy this was gonna be a long night.