Hello everyone! This is my first Love Live story, so the characters might be a little OOC. English isn't my first language, so please excuse some small grammar mistakes you'll probably find. The biggest part of the story is about Maki from the eyes of a random character, she's not important though.

Constructive criticism is encouraged, flames will be ignored!

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS

"What are you going to do?" Mary could hear Maki's sigh clearly, without raising her eye from her microscope.

"I don't know," She answered and pushed her own microscope away.

"I think you should play the piano," She simply said. The girl stayed silent.

Maki had transferred from Japan for her final year of high school before going for a well-known private medical school. Everyone knew as much from her self-introduction. During break of the first day, almost the whole class had surrounded her, trying to strike conversation and get to know her. She was really beautiful, especially considering her Asian characteristics that were rare in their area. But the redhead girl had mostly ignored them, answering with as little words as possible.

It didn't take long for people to grow tired and stop their attempts at conversation. Mary hadn't tried to speak to her at all, but something about that girl was captivating. She would catch herself observing her as she looked longingly out of the window. That's when she had decided to get close to her, to understand why she so hotly pursued to be alone when it was clear she felt lonely.

The opportunity to talk came out of nowhere. Their biology teacher hadn't allowed them to choose their partners for the lab activities, but had put them together himself in alphabetical order.

"Nielsen Mary and Nishikino Maki," Maki had looked around, still not familiar with the names of her classmates, so Mary had raised her hand. Their eyes had met and the girl started walking towards her. For a moment, Mary had thought Maki would take a sit next to her without even exchanging a greeting, but she stopped in front of her and extended a hand.

"Hello, I am Maki. Nice to meet you," She spoke the words with little to no accent Japanese people usually have.

"Nice to meet you as well, I'm Mary," She took her hand and they both sat.

The first lesson had been awkward for the girl. She didn't know what to say to break the ice, so they worked in silence as their teacher started the class and had them inspect some things she couldn't remember five seconds later, through the microscope. When class was over, they gathered their things and walked back to class. On their way there, they passed by the music room and Maki stopped at the sound of the piano. Mary looked back at her and was surprised by the longing that was plastered all over her face.

"Do you like the piano?" That was the first time she actually talked to Maki if you exclude their greeting an hour ago. Maki jumped at the words, probably having forgotten she wasn't alone, before reverting into her emotionless mask.

"It doesn't matter if I do," Her voice faltered a little at the end "I am going to be a doctor; I don't have time to play anymore".

Following that day, the two of them had started a sort of friendship. They were nowhere near as close as she was with her other friends, but considering it was Maki, who ignored everyone, it could be called that. They didn't talk much, but Mary had learned a few things about the girl. For example, she didn't really want to be a doctor, but her father would have none of it.

Mary had also realized Maki not only liked, but actually loved the piano. Every time they passed the music room on their way to class from the lab, there were people inside practicing. Most of those times it was the piano and Maki would slow her pace and try to catch a glimpse of the instrument. She had probably stopped playing due to her father wanting no distractions from her studies. But there was also something else; Maki would avoid anything that had to do with music in general. In their music class, she had refused to sing, even when the teacher had threatened her with a low grade.

"I am not singing," She had declared and her eyes were watery, as if she was about to cry. It was something Mary would never had thought the girl would do. Not only was she always obeying the teachers, she was almost always cool and composed.

Ms. Wagner the teacher had been targeting her ever since. She was still new on the job and mistook Maki's declaration as a way for the girl to question her authority. She must have thought Maki didn't have a voice for singing because she convinced the principal to pass a regulation that every third year had to either play an instrument or sing for the school celebration that was coming up in December.

That day was coming up soon and Maki had to choose. Mary had tried speaking to her father, who held a position in the school, but he ignored her, saying it was probably to help the girl.

"That's probably the best option," Maki's late answer snapped Mary out of her thoughts and she realized she had been staring (what was that thing she was seeing again?) at her microscope for almost a whole minute.

"It's only for an hour or two," Mary removed the thing in the glass from her microscope and placed it on the case in front of her.

"It's not as simple as that Mary," Mary was about to respond, but her reply was muffled by the sound of the bell. They gathered their stuff and headed back to class, as they always did. This time though, Mary had an idea.

An idea that could backfire and throw Maki into a rage.

"What a nice song! Let's go in," Taking the redhead's hand, Mary pushed the door to the music room open and pulled her inside.

"No Mary, don't!" Maki hissed, but it was already too late. The student playing the piano abruptly stopped and, along with the rest of the group, turned to stare at the duo.

"May I help you?" He asked in confusion. Mary didn't look at Maki; she was already feeling her glare on her back.

"Maki here would like to use the piano if you don't mind," The teen looked at her and then at Maki and raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"She doesn't look like she wants to," The rest of the group laughed lightly. Fortunately, none of them seemed to do so in a mocking way "Are you sure it's not you who wants to play?"

"Yeah, don't worry!" She led Maki towards the piano and forced her to sit "You can do it Maki! Forget about your father and medical school and everything that keeps you from doing what you love. Just play!" Maki seemed unsure, but placed her hands on the keyboard nevertheless. She seemed reluctant for a moment as she tried some keys.

"Are you sure you can play the piece on the book? It's quite a hard one," The boy that was playing before the two girls intruded asked smugly. Mary grew worried, expecting Maki to back down at his words. But it seems she didn't know the girl as well as she thought.

"I don't really find Chopin's 'Waltz No 10 in B Minor Op 69 No 2' hard," The smugness left his face. Mary looked at the sheet and realized that the name of the song wasn't there. That means Maki either realized it by the chords or by the little sound she heard on the hallway "No, I am not playing that. If I have to play the piano, I can at least play something with meaning,"

She started playing a song Mary had never heard before. She wasn't familiar with music though, so no surprise there. One thing was sure though; she was a genius when it came to piano. Her fingers were flying across the keyboard with such grace, but also a sense of power she had never seen before. She had heard that music held power, but she never expected to feel that power herself.

"This is amazing," She turned and was surprised by the look on the previously smug boy's face "She's playing such a song without chords!" It must have been a really big deal, judging by the nods of the rest of the group. She took a few steps back and looked at Maki's profile, as she moved along with the music.

She looked more beautiful than ever.

Then the music's tempo slowed, but it was clear the song wasn't over yet. It kept like this for almost half a minute before it increased again and Mary could tell it had reached the final part. It would soon be over… and she felt sad. She didn't know why, but she didn't want it to end. She wanted it to go on, if only for a while longer, but there was nothing she could do.

The song ended.

No one said anything for a moment, but the silence Mary expected to hear didn't happen. It was broken by the small, yet easily distinguishable sound of sobs. She rushed to Maki's side and took her in a one armed hug. And then, almost five whole seconds later, the room was filled with applause. Mary turned around in shock and instead of seeing the group of five people that were there when Maki started playing, there were now at least ten more people. Ms Wagner among them.

Maki hastily wiped the tears and looked at the small audience she had attracted. She seemed really shocked, forgetting to stand up from the stool, let alone bow. Ms. Wagner rushed forward with a big smile on her face, still clapping. She reached them and grabbed Maki on the shoulders.

"Maki, that was amazing!" Her smile became even wider if that was even possible. The boy from before appeared next to her nodding his head in excitement "Why didn't you join the music club is a complete mystery to me".

"That's my line!" The boy grinned and waved at a dumbstruck Maki "I've never heard that song before. It's probably Japanese, right? What's it called?"

"Start Dash," Maki answered automatically, still in a daze "I composed it," Mary looked at the teacher and the boy, their eyes growing out of their sockets.

"You kidding me right?! And you still haven't gone pro?" Mary didn't know why, but it had struck a nerve in Maki, by the way her face darkened.

"That's right! I should call some friends I have, they will flip out, just you wait!" Ms. Wagner pulled out her phone and was about to call someone when Maki abruptly stood up.

"Yamete!" She shouted, halting everyone in the process. Mary didn't know Japanese, but she could tell by the situation what it meant "Just stop," She repeated in English and with that she ran out of the door.

The following weeks, Mary felt like she was walking on a mine field every time she was with Maki. Word had spread about her being a genius piano player, but it only served to deepen her depression. Ms. Wagner had talked to her a dozen times, trying to make her play her song on the celebration. Every time, Maki would refuse and leave before she could push her further. The boy they had met at the music room had come as well, asking for the chords of the song. Mary was sure she would refuse, but was surprised when she actually agreed and gave them to him the next day.

The end of their last week before winter break was approaching fast and Maki's mood wasn't getting any better. She wasn't talking to anyone if she could avoid it and she snapped far too easily. One time, she even shouted at Mary for dropping her eraser on her foot. She had earned herself a detention for that.

The day before the celebration, Maki finally gave in and told Ms. Wagner she would play the song. Everyone that wasn't there when she played it was excited to get a chance to listen to it. Mary, while happy that she would hear the song again, didn't find it such good news. Maki wasn't emotionally stable at the moment. Maybe she should convince her to stay home, screw the consequences.

The day finally came and with it came a sense of dread for Mary. Every third year gathered at the auditorium and small group were formed around. Maki was at the piano and she looked surprisingly calm. Mary walked towards her, but stopped a couple of steps away.

"Don't worry Mary," She raised her head, smiling at her friend "I am ok now, thanks to a friend".

"I am glad," She smiled in response "You should be smiling, it suits you".

"Five minutes people, let's do this!" Ms Wagner shouted and chaos erupted. Mary rolled her eyes, while Maki took a deep breath. She placed her hands on the keyboard and started playing. But this time, she started singing as well.

"Aishiteru banzaai…" The chaos stopped and everyone stared at Maki as she performed. The lyrics had no meaning to Mary and everyone else, but it didn't matter. And her voice was beautiful, to the point Mary wondered if there was anything in Maki that wasn't. Again, Mary wondered what was the story behind her not wanting to play the piano and sing. "…futte hora mae muite"

It was over a lot faster than her previous one. Yet this time, Maki didn't cry. She simply turned and said "Shouldn't you be getting ready?" And the chaos started again, even more hectic.

Everything was in place just before the curtain was opened. It was the first time Mary was on stage on this auditorium. She usually sat on the slightly raised semicircle of seats. Everything was different from this point of view, but it didn't really matter to her. She was only a part of the chorus, thankfully having no solos to cover. The director was at the edge of the stage, giving a speech, while no one listened. Finally he finished, people half clapped and the celebration started.

Poems were recited, songs were sung and people clapped all the while. That's how the celebration went pretty much. Finally, it was time to close the ceremony with Maki's song. She took a deep breath and started playing.

"I say..." Suddenly a chorus of voices was heard from the speakers. Everyone looked around, but they couldn't see anyone. Mary was looking at Maki though, who had faltered on the keys for a moment looking around, before continuing. "Hey, hey, hey, START:DASH!" The voices were heard again, but this time Maki didn't stop.

And that was all Mary understood of the song. The rest was in Japanese, but she could also tell there were at least half a dozen people singing. Even Maki sang a solo and then at the refrain. It was a weird experience all together. When the song ended, the doors opened and a bunch of Asian girls ran inside.

Maki stood up so quickly the stool dropped on the ground. She didn't even waste time by walking to the stairs on the sides of the stage, but jumped on the open arms of two girls, a blonde and a purple haired one who caught her. All eight (or was it nine?) of them left the auditorium in a hurry, leaving behind a really confused audience.

Mary smiled though. She had finally gotten some answers.

"What are you doing here?" Maki wanted to regain her cool and not caring attitude, but she found it difficult to get rid of that stupid smile on her face.

"We came to cheer you up nya!" Rin grinned from ear to ear, looking more like a cat than ever. Or Maki hadn't seen her for far too long.

"That's right!" Honoka chipped in.

"Niko said that you sounded distraught, so we decided to pay you a visit," Eli smiled.

"You do realize you traveled to the other end of the Earth, right?" Eli nodded, still smiling.

"Harasho!" Nozomi said from behind Maki, who moved quickly and barely avoided getting a taste of the purple haired girl's perverted habit "No fair Makichi! Don't run away from my love groping!" Maki ignored her.

"How did you even manage to come here so fast? I mean, I literally told Niko like a day ago!" She still couldn't believe her friends were there, walking together as if they hadn't been separated six months ago.

"I just called everyone and told them," Niko grabbed her arm and squeezed.

"I am pretty sure you can figure out how everything happened," Umi pointed subtly at Honoka with her head.

"The hurricane called Honoka-chan pulled us all into the airport where we took the first flight to USA and arrived right in the middle of your celebration.

"Hehe, I thought it would have been a good surprise," Honoka laughed her usual laugh and stuck her tongue in embarrassment.

"You didn't have to".

"That's true, but we wanted to," Hayano spoke softly.

"Don't you dare go tsundere on us 'It's not like I'm happy you're here' you hear?" That caused a round of laugher, though Maki lightly slapped Niko's head with her other hand.

"… I AM happy you're here," It wasn't that loud, but it was easily heard by everyone. They stopped walking and looked at her, all eight of them "I can't take it here. I want to come back to Japan, where we can go for karaoke, walk on the beach and goof around," She lowered her head and pressed her palm on her face to hide her watery eyes "I don't want to become a doctor, I want to compose music!"

"Then do just that," Maki could feel Niko's hands squeezing her arm "Speak to your father; tell him how you feel. And if he doesn't understand, you can always stay with one of us. We're here for you".

"She's right you know "Nozomi said, having dropped her carefree attitude in favor of the situation" μ's may have disbanded but we'll always be connected and ready to do everything we can for each other".

"Of course we will nya! Right Kayo-chin?"

"Yes we will!" Hanayo's voice was unusually strong "Maki is our precious friend after all!"

"My house will always be open for you Maki!" Honoka cheered loudly, getting the attention of some passerby's.

"I don't think anyone here would willingly live with you Honoka," Maki couldn't help but laugh as Umi and Honoka started bickering, with Kotori laughing nervously between them. She had really missed their antics.

"Winter break's almost here," Maki started, ending the bickering in the process "I will speak to him when I come back. So you better have a futon ready for me".

"You know we will," Honoka suddenly jumped and hugged her. Maki was surprised, although she shouldn't have been.

"No fair! Rin wants a hug too!" She hugged Hanayo and pulled her to Honoka and Maki.

"Ar…are we really doing this in front of all those people?" Umi asked in embarrassment.

"Just come here you," Eli and Nozomi hugged her from both sides and joined the others.

"Umi-chan, you're blushing," Kotori laughed as she joined her fellow friends.

Maki didn't know what awaited her in the future, but she was certain about one thing; they would deal with it together.

THE END

Before I wrap up everything, there's something I want to say/ask. The lack of male character in the franchise has caused more than 90% of the fics here to be about Yuri (girl x girl pairing for those that don't know the word). And that's about almost every character, from the μ's to A-Rise. I will say it here, but please humor me and don't stop reading; I am not a fan of Yuri. Before you go around calling me homophobic, let me tell you that I actually work with a real life yuri pair and they are both awesome people.

But that does not mean I like reading about it. Sure, I can read it just fine, but only if it's not the main focus of the story or it has EVERY freaking girl in that kind of a relationship. I don't think every girl in Love Live swings that way. Yes, I am almost 100% sure Maki and Niko are, just as much I am sure Honoka, Umi and Kotori aren't. There's a high chance Nozomi and Eli are, but I have no clue about Hanayo and Rin.

Anyway, I just wanted to ask about your opinion on this. Also, can you recommend any story that's about friendship and doesn't focus too much on romance (without Honoka, Umi and Kotori in any Yuri pairings)?

And of course, I'd love to hear your opinion on my story, so feel free to review!