After nearly four months (it probably is four months, depending on the time zone) since Oblivious was published, here is the second part. It took a while to write since I slipped off into another fandom, then came back to this one, then went into reality for a bit to finish up my high school life. It's a bit hard to believe I'm older than the third years of Muse now. (I still think of myself as a fourteen year old for some reason XP). But it's not about me, it's about Eri and Nozomi now. So without further ado, here is part 2 of Oblivious. I hope you like it. (Sorry if this is a bit awkward, it's been a while since I've done Love Live intros)

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Live.

At any other point of time, Nozomi would have felt like this was the perfect setup for something bad to happen. A lone girl sitting under her blanket in a darkened room with only the light from her phone shining in her face; it sounded like a horror scene or something.

"I know you read my message." She muttered, staring at the screen. She perked up a bit when the three dots that indicated a response being typed showed up but deflated a bit when the dots disappeared again. It wasn't like her to be waiting so desperately for a reply, it wasn't like her at all. The phone rang in her hand, playing the ringtone she had specially assigned for Eri. Their duet song rang in her ears like the truth of their situation. Why is our love so painful? She asked herself, before realizing that she had let the phone ring without answering after the ringtone had silenced itself. The phone now recorded one missed call from Eri, and she bit her lower lip. She didn't know if she wanted to call back, if she wanted to hear Eri's voice at all. Why couldn't you just text me back?

Eri stared at her phone in silence as the dial tone pulsed from the speaker. She had wanted to give Nozomi a direct answer by call rather than message as a text would be much less personal. But she hadn't expected no answer from the other side. Maybe she's just taking a bath, or she's busy. Eri thought, trying to reassure herself. She didn't know what she felt for Nozomi at the moment. There was a lot of irritation and a bit of resentment from being ignored the whole day, and at being left alone to cry by herself.

"I'm sorry." Those two words made her feel a lot better and worse at the same time. Better, that Nozomi was acknowledging what she did and apologizing, but worse, as the other girl rarely apologized for anything. Usually, Nozomi's movements and actions were so thought out that she was practically predicting the future. For her to apologize for something would be like her admitting that she hadn't known the outcome for once, and it worried Eri. She admired Nozomi's confident and sort-of carefree nature, and didn't want any damage to come to it. She took a deep breath and lightly tapped the redial button on her phone. Please, pick up.

The phone was ringing in her hand again. Against her better judgement, she tapped the answer phone button and brought it up to her ear.

"Hello?" Nozomi almost laughed at how stable her voice sounded in her ears when she was such a mess on the inside.

"Nozomi, are you okay?" Eri almost slammed her hand on the desk before in her surprise at Nozomi's greeting.

"I'm fine." Her voice sounded stable enough in Eri's ear and she relaxed a bit. Maybe she had been too wound up by the day's happenings to think logically. Of course Nozomi would be fine. She was not the type to get shaken up. Eri sometimes thought that Nozomi would even be able to face the strangest supernatural creatures created from the minds of movie directors and still provide support for everyone.

"That's good." Eri's mid drew a blank as she tried to map out the rest of the conversation in her head. Now that she had gotten over her concern for Nozomi, she had to decide whether she wanted to address what made her so irritated or try and smooth things over between the two of them.

"How about you?" Nozomi asked cordially, wanting to direct the conversation away from her. She didn't want to make a scene over the phone. That was why she had wanted to have a conversation over texting rather than a call.

"I'm okay. Just a bit...miffed." Eri said. She didn't want to completely put the blame on Nozomi-though it was totally her fault-because she didn't know how her best friend would react. If they were still best friends, that is. She glanced at the clock, noticing that it was almost dinner time. Except that she was at home by herself as both parents were doing over time and Arisa was off at Yukiho's again. I could ask her out to dinner. That way, I don't have to eat alone and we can talk in person. If I ask her to yakiniku, I'm sure she won't refuse. "Hey, Nozomi. Want to go out and eat with me?" There was a muffled thud as something fell on the other end of the phone.

"Nozomi? Are you still there? Nozomi?" Eri's voice squeaked out from the speaker of the phone as it lay innocently on the floor. Nozomi had dropped it by accident. Eri-chi's asking me out now? Even though we had a fight? Okay, it really wasn't a fight but still… "Noozoooommiiiii…" She had almost forgotten about her phone. She grabbed it from the floor and held it next to her ear again.

"Sorry, I dropped my phone by accident." She said, rather breathlessly. "And..um….I'll go." The last bit was in a whisper.

"Uh, what was that last bit? Sorry, I couldn't hear you." Nozomi could feel the heat rising in her face. She hadn't wanted to talk to Eri, because it made her feel weird on the inside. She didn't know whether to repeat herself or not, but supposed that she should since Eri was still on the line.

"I said I'd go." She repeated.

"Okay. I'll come and pick you up. See you later, Nozomi." Eri ended the call. She glanced at her outfit, deciding that wearing a school uniform would be appropriate enough for the situation. She nodded and headed for the front door, making sure to turn off any lights that she saw were on, and locked the door as she exited.

Nozomi stared at her phone for a bit longer. Wait, now I have to change! She had changed out of her uniform as soon as she had gotten home, but knew full well she couldn't exactly go out in her pajamas. Ah...what should I wear? After much deliberating and choosing, Nozomi ended up wearing her school uniform again. She looked at herself in the mirror, but had no more time to choose another outfit as the doorbell rang, loudly.

"Nozomi!" Eri called out, taking her hand off the buzzer to knock on the apartment door. A thought crossed her mind and she patted her jacket pocket quickly to make sure she had her wallet. It did occur to her that the whole problem might have been her fault, so she figured that she might as well pay for their meal rather than let Nozomi pay.

"C-Coming! Hang on a sec!" Nozomi grabbed her phone and her wallet from her nightstand as she hurried to the door. She slipped on the wooden floor, hitting her head against the table. "Ow…" She whimpered, gingerly touching the point of impact with her fingers. Oh good, I can hide it with my bangs. She brushed her bangs down over the injury with her hand before continuing to the door at a slower pace than before. As she exited the apartment, Eri was still patting her jacket, unable to feel her wallet through the cloth. Nozomi hid her smile at the sight of Eri's confused pout as she continued to search for her wallet without putting her hands in the pockets.

"So, Eri-chi." She spoke up, getting the blonde's attention. "Where are we going?"

"It's a secret." Eri said, putting a finger up to her lips to indicate secrecy. Then the quarter Russian shoved her hands into the jacket pockets to see if she had her wallet. She heaved a sigh of relief when she finally felt the smooth leather under her palm. "Let's go, Nozomi." Eri held her hand out for the other third year to take. Nozomi stared at the proffered hand for a few seconds before hesitantly reaching to take it. Eri's stomach reminded her that she was hungry so she just finished Nozomi's action for her, taking a hold of the purple-haired girl's hand and pulling her closer.

"W-Wa-Wait!" Nozomi's cry fell on deaf ears. Eri barely looked back at her as she wove through the crowds of people. They would have gotten separated if not for the fact that the blonde kept a tight grip on her hand, tugging her along at a swift pace. "E-Eri-chi!" She panted, trying to make her legs move at a faster speed to keep up with Eri's swift walking while avoiding all the people around them.

"We're here!" Eri announced, having been completely oblivious to Nozomi's plight the entire way from the apartment to the restaurant. Nozomi gasped for breath at her side, clutching Eri's hand tightly for support. Eri looked at Nozomi, finally becoming aware of her best friend's status. Her face is so red…it's cute…

"I-I'm fine…" Nozomi turned her face away from Eri, feeling embarrassed of the blonde's stare. She looked up at the restaurant and her face broke into a huge smile.

Eri sipped her cup of water quietly, content just to watch as Nozomi continued to eat eagerly. The amount of yakuniku disappearing down the idol's throat was a bit more than Eri would have anticipated and she had to check her wallet a few times just to make sure that she would have enough to cover for Nozomi. Her gaze traveled up from her friend's chewing mouth to her emerald eyes, partially hidden by her low hanging bangs.

"Huh, Nozomi?" Nozomi glanced up, swallowing a big bite as she did so. She was glad she had swallowed at that moment because Eri placed her hand on her forehead to lift up her bangs. She would have choked from the sudden contact if not for the fact that there was nothing in her mouth. "When did this happen?" Nozomi had to think a bit about what Eri was asking her. Oh, right. I hit my head earlier.

"It's nothing." Eri frowned as Nozomi pushed her hand away to continue eating. It's always like that. She gets hurt but then doesn't tell anyone. Ever. She set her cup down on the table, still staring at Nozomi.

"It's not nothing. You need to take better care of yourself." Eri said, standing up. Nozomi followed her movement with wide green eyes as the blonde stepped over to her side. She searched her pockets, knowing that she should have some sort of first-aid on her. Or maybe it's in my bag… Then her fingers closed on a band-aid and she pulled it out, along with her handkerchief. She fussed over Nozomi's forehead, wiping it clean with the soft cloth before sticking the band-aid over the injury. She rested her forehead against the covered wound, wishing that she could transfer the injury from Nozomi onto herself. The sound of plastic falling made her pull away.

Nozomi had dropped her chopsticks onto the floor, her face a crimson red. Faster than Eri could track her, the purple-haired girl had abandoned her seat and fled for the exit.

"Nozomi!" She shouted after her friend. She needed to chase after Nozomi, but was slowed down by the bill presented to her. Eri grumbled under her breath as she counted out the bills required to pay for their meal. "Keep the change!" She called back, grabbing her jacket from the back of her chair and sped-walked to the door. She pulled her jacket on outside of the restaurat, glancing to the left and the right for a glimpse of purple hair.

She turned around at the corner of the block, leaning against the traffic light. Her face was still heated from the proximity of Eri's face; just remembering caused her internal heat to soar. Nozomi struggled against guilt in her heart. How can I explain this away to Eri-chi now? I ran away again… She looked around at her surroundings, her eyes managing to pick out only the pairs of couples.

"That's nice for them…" She muttered, reaching up to touch the band-aid on her forehead.

"Hey, miss!" Nozomi glanced around instinctively, even though she probably wasn't the one being called to. "Over here." Her gaze settled on two men that were gradually coming closer to her. Both were bigger than she was; she should have been paying attention, especially at night. Her heart pulsed in her chest from fear, which must have shown in her eyes as the meaner-looking of the men sneered. Eri-chi...Eri-chi...help… They were getting too close to her and her back was too the light. Even though she knew they couldn't do anything since they were on a public street, it wouldn't be too difficult for them to grab her and drag her where they wanted her to be.

"Nozomi!" Eri shouted, casting her voice out into the night. Nozomi couldn't have gotten far from the restaurant. "Noozooomiiii!" She called out again, pleading with her heart that Nozomi would answer her call.

"ERI-CHI!" She heard the scared cry in response. Eri ran towards the source, an incredible rage filling her that was directed at whatever was causing Nozomi to be afraid.

"NOZOMI!" Eri yelled, dashing right at the traffic light. She pushed the men out of her way, reaching Nozomi at last as the third year trembled on the sidewalk.

"What the he-" The man didn't get to finish his sentence as Eri grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and proceeded to sock him in the face with a clenched fist. She raised her arm again and he cowered, covering his face with his hands.

"Leave my friend alone." She spat, releasing the man as he nodded vigorously. The other man had already fled and the one she had punched followed suit. Eri's chest heaved from her anger getting the better of her and she forced herself to take a few deep breaths to calm down before turning to Nozomi. But a hug from behind told her that she didn't need to, as Nozomi pressed her face into Eri's back. "It's okay. I'm here. It's okay, Nozomi." She placed her hands on Nozomi's arms wrapped around her waist, feeling the tremors that still made their way through Nozomi's body. "I'm here." Nozomi nodded, hitting her head against Eri's back. "I'll take you home now." The blonde continued.

"No." Nozomi's voice was a bit muffled as she spoke into Eri's jacket. "I want to be with Eri-chi." Eri was a bit surprised at Nozomi's directness for the first time and smiled to herself.

"Okay." Eri said, changing the arrangement so that they could walk more easily, with her right arm around Nozomi's shoulders.

Due to the lack of foresight on both girls' part, Nozomi had to borrow a pair of Eri's pajamas for the night while their school uniforms spent a night being washed and dried.

"Eri-chi?"

"Hm...what is it, Nozomi?"

"You won't...you won't leave me alone by myself, would you?"

"Huh? Of course I won't."

"You'll always be by my side, right? Promise?"

"I promise, Nozomi."

Omake: The Very Next Day

"Eri-chi, let's go home together!" Nozomi said, crossing over to Eri's desk as soon as the bell rang. "There's no practice today."

"Sorry, Nozomi. Can you go ahead? I have to deal with this." Eri pulled a small letter from her desk, showing it to Nozomi. "The writer really wants me to meet with her." The blonde failed to notice Nozomi's increasing irritation as she continued to stare at the envelope.

"ERI-CHI, YOU IDIOT!"

"E-Eh?!"

And thus the conflict between Nozomi and Eri is resolved. Probably. Either way, they're not fighting anymore. I think. Um...yeah. So uh...bye?

Oh, almost forgot. Please review!