Chapter 1

"Maki-chan!" Rin called to her friend, "Let's all go home together!"

"E-eh?"

The day had passed like any other. Eli and Umi leading their dance lessons, while the others did their best to follow along with the new dance steps. Then Maki lead the group in vocal exercises; the crimson-haired girl, in her usual flair of annoyance, ended up having to snap at Honoka, Nico, and Rin to focus more than once.

They had all just finished changing out of their practice clothes and had begun to leave the school gates when Rin made her request; just as Maki had been preparing to turn the corner to start her way home.

"Why?"

"Because!" Rin dragged it out in a whine. "We don't ever go out together as the whole group! We need to have fun too!"

"But I need to study," Maki grumbled, twisting her hair nervously as she always did upon feeling uncertain.

"As do I…" Umi admitted, choosing to ignore the half-hearted glare Honoka shot in her direction.

"You guys could go…" Maki suggested to the remaining seven members, though Honoka and Rin were having none of it.

"You just have to come!" whined Honoka loudly.

"It won't be the same!" Rin agreed, just as obnoxiously.

Despite Maki and Umi both being two-thirds of the stricter members of μ's - the other third being Eli - neither could refuse the two energetic girls. They may have been lazy and childish, but they were persistent when they wanted something. Both Umi and Maki each reluctantly agreed to spend the day with their group members, much to the others' excitement.

The girls of μ's chatted together as they made their way around town, stopping at all sorts of shops along the way. Honoka and Nico refused to pass the arcade without playing for an hour at the very least, much to the frustration of Maki and Umi - neither of them were good at video games.

Maki's face was red with anger and shame as the plush fell from the claw for the third time in a row. She huffed and turned from it, upset, as she fumed silently.

The machine held tons of plushes that she couldn't achieve. It's paint was beginning to chip away and the cold metal showed faint signs of rust. One plush stood out against the others and she wanted nothing more in that moment than to take the large leopard home.

"Here," a voice said suddenly, next to her. "I'll win it for you."

Maki looked down and saw Nico slipping money into the machine and starting the game up, tacky neon lights blinking animatedly.

"Wha-what are you t-talking about?" she stuttered, embarrassed. Maki figured none of her friends had been around to see her failures as she had assumed they would all be busy with their mini DDR tournament she decided to walk away from.

"I saw you trying to win the leopard," her upperclassman stated, pointing to the larger plush that she had dropped repeatedly. "So I'm going to get it for you."

"I-it's not like I really want it or anything!" the taller girl sputtered defensively, her cheeks flushing a pretty pink.

"Sure. I'm still getting it for you," Nico replied nonchalantly, a small smile on her face. She's too cute for her own good, she thought to herself, skilled hands working at the buttons of the machine. She was used to getting the prizes from these things for her siblings.

Sure enough, the large leopard dropped in the prize claim and Nico watched as Maki looked over with wide, glowing eyes. Nico placed the stuffed animal in her arms and saw as her awestruck expression shifted to something warm and enchanting. The redhead was smiling bright and wide, nuzzling the plush to her chest.

"Thank you, Nico-chan!"

"A-ah…" the older girl could hardly think straight, drinking in the sight before her. "N-no problem…"

They walked over to the others together just as Rin and Nozomi were wrapping up their match. Rin was obviously winning and Nozomi was definitely out of breath, but she still smiled and laughed along with the rest of the school idols.

"There they are," Eli said, noticing Maki and Nico. "We're about to… leave?" She seemed to have noticed Maki's new plush as well, as she smiled and glanced at Nico knowingly. Maki's expression was still warm and light-hearted. The other members of μ's looked over at Eli's words and all of them couldn't help but admire the rare scene of Maki's warmth. They were all so used to the girl being shut off and cold. Nico couldn't help but feel a bit of pride, knowing that she was the one who had brought this side of Maki out this time around. "I see you have a new friend, Maki."

"Mmhmm…" Maki said, hugging the cat closer to her. "Nico-chan won him for me."

Nico hadn't been expecting the praise - well that was as close to praising anyone as Maki usually got. She couldn't help the blush from gracing her features. "O-of course! Super Idol Nico-nii is amazing after all!"

Maki actually nodded, surprising everyone. "You're really good at the claw machine. I never really got to do this kind of stuff as a kid…"

"Maki-chan…" Honoka couldn't help but express sympathy. Maki was very wealthy, so she didn't have a horrible childhood in the slightest. However, the girl was not exposed to many things regular children knew and grew up with. She was an exceptionally sheltered child and was probably never allowed into places such as the arcade.

"C-can we do something like this again?" Maki requested softly, burying her face in the plush's fur.

"Of course!" Eli reassured her.

"Duh, we're friends aren't we?" Nico snipped playfully, "We're going to do tons of stuff like this. Next time I'll win you a panda!"

"A panda?"

"Yeah! Your leopard's gonna need a pal, isn't he?"

Maki blushed. "Yeah… Toru will definitely want company while I'm at school."

"Toru…?" Rin questioned, "The leopard?"

"I like it!" Kotori cooed from Maki's side.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

They all walked back to the train station together. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, casting rays of orange and red light across the sky. The air grew crisp and chilled as the day shifted quickly to evening. The girls chatted happily, making the most of the time they had before having to part with everyone for the day.

The group was crossing the street until Maki accidentally dropped Toru onto the pavement. Crying out, she went over to get him. The others noticed and stopped on the other side of the road to wait for her, wondering how she had managed to drop the plush so far away. Nozomi heard the faint sound of an engine, and suddenly felt a strange sensation of dread creep into her psyche.

"Maki-chan."

"Nozomi?" Eli questioned her friend's serious tone.

The spiritual girl's eyes widened as she saw headlights rapidly turning the corner of the street, faster than the oldest member of μ's could register.

Maki spun around and froze like a deer in headlights. The other μ's members could only watch, horrified as blood splattered on the ground and several sickening cracks rang out. The car kept going without any sort of hesitancy.

Eli was already calling the hospital, hyperventilating and finding it very difficult to breathe, as Honoka and the others raced to their friend.

It was unnerving and surreal to everyone. Maki was such a strong person; beautiful, graceful, flawless. To see such a person bloodied and completely broken in the middle of the street destroyed them all.

"MAKI!"

When the ambulance took her away, they all phoned their families, telling them there was an accident and they couldn't go home until later. The hospital μ's arrived in was, incidentally, the hospital that Maki's own family owned. Her mother and father, upon seeing their daughter, dropped what they were doing and immediately had Maki rushed into a room.

Maki's mother had the rest of the girls wait in a private room to wait for news of their friend. The hospital was so white and sterile, it nearly made Nico's mind blur over. Everything seemed hazy and dreamlike; nothing seemed real. After what felt like a few hours, Maki's father exited the surgical room. The girls all jumped up, looking expectantly at their friend's father.

"H-how does it look...?" Honoka asked fearfully.

"She... her recovery is going to take quite some time. She won't be attending classes for at least a month. There are too many fractures in her hips, legs, and ribs... too much blood loss..."

"Y-you'll send us word when she recovers, won't you?" Hanayo nearly begged. Her voice quivered and her cheeks were stained from tears she had shed while waiting for the news. Rin wiped her eyes gently, though her own eyes shone with unshed tears.

The man sighed. "I'll make sure you find out when it happens. You girls should get home and get some rest for now. There is a car out front ready to take each of you home. Goodnight, ladies…" he trailed off, exhaustion creeping into his voice.

They left the hospital with heavy hearts.