Disclaimer: I do not own Love Live School Idol Project nor do I profit from the writing of this story.

Author's Note: Many thanks to all those who took the time to read the first chapter of this story. It was received far better than I expected to be honest. Anyway with that in mind here is the second chapter. Enjoy.

Honoka was irritated.

She did not know why she bothered to come to this tea shop in the middle of Akihabara. It had been a year since she went outside her house and she felt like unseen eyes were scrutinizing her. She swallowed a lump that formed in her throat and tried to shake off her incoming fright.

The irony was not lost on Honoka.

There was a time when she could perform in front of gigantic crowds with no hesitation. Her voice would carry itself keen and clear through the rabble of the crowd so that they would be subdued and then awed at the spectacle of her passion and joy.

It was an awesome power that she had once wielded and with it she could inspire the hearts of all those who chose to listen to her.

Now she was a hollow shell of her former self, a waste of space that now cowered at the face of adversity.

She also had decayed physically.

At one time she had weighed roughly one hundred and ten pounds and most of that in lean muscle from the harsh training she endured as an Idol. Now she was down to a paltry ninety pounds. Her strength and muscles wasted away leaving a dilapidated frame that looked like it was falling apart.

Her hair was long, matted and smelly from weeks of not washing and her eyes possessed the dark side of Saturn's rings.

Honoka wondered if anybody within the crowd were making fun of her right now. She felt like a zoo animal.

She then thought about Umi and what she had done with her life.

Umi had always been astute in her school work and never faltered in her obligations to both herself and family. She was the model student and proved it by becoming the school president on their final year in high school.

Since they graduated they had lost contact with one another.

Honoka was sure that Umi had become a success like Kotori. She suddenly felt an extreme jealousy towards both Kotori and Umi. Why did they get to be so pretty, smart and successful? Why were Nico and the others allowed to follow their dreams and aspirations?

She was like a bull stuck in a pit of mud. Filthy, disgusting, and unwanted.

Honoka looked at her cell phone and checked the time. It was a quarter to eight and the sky was already beginning to darken.

When was the last time she had stayed out in public this long? Honoka couldn't remember but all she wanted was out. The crowd hid it well but she knew they were whispering horrid things about her.

The bell to the tea shop rang as a new customer entered. Honoka looked up instinctively and her heart skipped a beat.

It was Umi!

Whatever wicked feelings Honoka harbored toward Umi disappeared as she felt genuine joy of seeing her best friend again after five years. She stood up and waved Umi down.

The blunette caught sight of Honoka and made her way to her.

Honoka nearly dashed toward Umi and hugged her desperately. Umi pressed Honoka to her breast as she started to glide her hand through her hair.

At this proximity Umi knew that something was very wrong with Honoka. For one she reeked of body odor and her hair felt like a matted mop against Umi's fingers.

She felt Honoka's hot breath as she sobbed softly onto her breast. It was like a sewer draught.

However what concerned Umi the most was how thin Honoka felt against her own body. Umi could feel her scapula protrude like a grotesque pair of bony wings.

Umi continued to descend eventually getting to Honoka's waist. Here she gently prodded and was dismayed to feel Honoka's ribs jab sharply against her fingers.

What's happened to you Honoka?

Umi guided Honoka back to her seat before taking her own.

Umi waved down a waitress to take their order of green tea before focusing her attention back to Honoka. Her friend was still crying.

"I was hoping that you would be happy to see me. I didn't mean to make you cry Honoka." said Umi sadly.

Honoka shook her head.

"I told myself that I would scream at you the moment I saw you. Yet here you are and I can't help but start crying. Why am I so happy to see you when you have abandoned me all these years? I don't understand it!"

Umi frowned when she heard this.

"Why do you say that Honoka? Are you angry at me?"

"Honestly Umi you go without talking to me for five years and then you have the audacity to ask why I would be upset with you?" muttered Honoka darkly.

This statement hit Umi like a truck. She immediately started to scramble and refute Honoka's outrageous claim that they hadn't spoken to one another for five years. Yet no matter what Umi did she could not remember one time she had interacted with Honoka after she had quit Muse.

"Has it really been five years since we last talked to one another?"

"I can understand why Nico hated me when I quit Muse. I can understand why Maki, Rin and Hanayo avoided me, for Kotori leaving for fashion design and Eli going back to Russia along with Nozomi. Yet the one person I couldn't understand was you Umi."

The waitress came back with their drinks. Each girl took their tea and sipped in morose silence. Every word Honoka spoke about echoed into Umi's head like the void within the Marabar.

"I stopped talking to you because I knew that you weren't being true to yourself. At least that was what I thought. I wholeheartedly believed that you were going to come around and get over your self-pity and join Muse once again. But you never did."

A geyser of fury erupted from Honoka as she slammed both her hands down on the table rattling the cups and utensils.

"Oh so did I disappoint you then Umi? You probably thought back then that I was simply going to shape up and find some sort of 'inner strength' and overcome the situation with Kotori. Well guess what Umi? I wasn't as strong as you thought I was. I didn't have the strength in me to go back to Muse."

It was then that Honoka began to tear up again. She clenched her tea cup so hard that Umi was afraid that Honoka was going to break it into pieces.

"And now I don't have the strength for anything."

It was Umi's turn to get upset as she rose up from her chair and stared icily toward Honoka.

"What do you want me to do about it then Honoka? I know I messed up by leaving you behind. But you know what? It is YOU who is responsible for your own misery. I don't know what has happened the past five years but the Honoka I used to know wouldn't have let herself become so pathetic."

Honoka felt a hammer cave her chest in as her eyes. She felt like a fish gasping desperately for air. Her knees turned to jelly as she slumped back onto her seat.

"You're right Umi. I am pathetic. Always have and always will be. You always did a great job of reminding me of my inferiority even when we were in high school. I'm sorry I can't keep up with your intelligence or that I can't match Kotori's artistic talent. Even as a school idol I was nothing more than an amateur, a false idol like those statues that we pray to. If you wanted to hurt me then you did a fantastic job Umi. Congratulations. Can I go now? Or do you want to keep inflating your swollen ego at my expense?"

Umi hung her head down low as she realized that she had gone too far.

"It was never my intention to hurt you Honoka." said Umi regretfully.

"And it was never my intention to become a failure."

With that Honoka rose up from her chair, dug into her pockets and drew some crumpled yen bills to leave on the table for her drink, and left the tea shop.

Umi sat there without trying to stop Honoka. She felt guilty and powerless.

What am I supposed to do? Is this how our friendship is going to end?

It was then that a memory flashed before Umi's eyes. It was of when she, Honoka and Kotori had gone to a shrine to pray for success for their first ever Idol concert.

The memory was so vivid that Umi could even remember that Venus had shone brightly that night, as if the Goddess of Love was giving them her blessing. They had held hands with one another as they realized that they were on a journey to make their dreams come true.

Umi realized that she had never felt more hopeful and happy than that day.

Now she worked as a salary woman for Nakamoto Corporation, putting in at least sixty hours a week with mandatory overtime. She was making a great salary and was living in a company dorm which was elegantly furnished and paid for. Umi had over two years worth of salary in her savings. In fact she was doing so well at her company that her boss, Yamamoto Ishiguro, recommended her for management at their Los Angeles branch in the United States.

By society's standards Umi was a wonderful success, a living example of how hard work and dedication pays off.

However Umi was miserable.

It was all a monotonous grind. Her life literally consisted of waking up before dawn to get to work and then working until well into the night. She was lucky if she got four hours of sleep.

Where was the optimism and joy she had once felt waking up every morning? Back in high school every day felt like an adventure but now, as a working class adult, she felt like a slave.

With each passing moment Umi felt a growing sense of dread. Her instincts were screaming at her to get back to Honoka before it was too late.

But what could she say to Honoka to bring her friend back from the brink?

"The Love Live Pro Tour would like thank all those watching the finals yesterday evening. The event generated record numbers in viewers and was far more successful than we could have imagined. As such we are already working on another Love Live Pro Tour event. We will be conducting prefecture competitions starting three months from now! Get out there and show us what you got!"

Umi's eyes widened as she saw the advert on cafe television. A crazy idea popped into her head one which she never even considered until just now. Umi suddenly dashed out of the restaurant to find Honoka.

She knew that her idea was ludicrous, maybe even impossible but that did not stop Umi from desperately seeking her best friend to share in her revelation.

Umi soon reached the subway where Honoka was sitting on a bench staring listlessly at the crowd of people around her. She placed herself before Honoka causing the young woman to snap out of her daze and glare angrily at her.

"What do you want Umi!"

"I know that what I'm about to say is going to be crazy but please just listen to me Honoka. The next Love Live Pro Tour begins in three months. We should enter and give it a shot."

Honoka took a sharp breath as she stared at Umi in disbelief. Her expression then morphed to anger as she shoved Umi roughly aside.

"No! No way! I'm NOT going to try to be an Idol again. It was a stupid idea, the stupidest one I have ever had."

"It wasn't stupid Honoka! We became Idols because we wanted to save our school from closing down. And guess what? We did! The school has so many applicants now that they are expanding it to accommodate the students entering. If it wasn't for you the school would be closed now."

"So what? We're not in high school anymore Umi so none of that matters to me now." replied Honoka hotly.

"Did you know that Otonokizaka Academy is one of the few schools in the Akiba area that offers financial aid to low income students? Not everybody here can afford to go to a school like UTX. Because of your idea to form a school idol group the academy has managed to stay open and offer high quality schooling to students who wouldn't otherwise afford it. You literally have given affordable schooling to thousands of students Honoka!"

"And don't even get me started on job retention. All those teachers and coaches would be out of work right now had you not saved the school Honoka! In today's recession it would have been very difficult for them to find work in other schools. Can you imagine how much they and their families would suffer had the school closed? So don't tell me that your idea didn't matter because it did!"

Honoka's body was trembling as she tears were streaming down her face. Umi's expression softened as she gingerly took Honoka in and hugged her.

"You're a wonderful person Honoka and to see you in a state of self-deprecation hurts me. I feel disgusted at myself for abandoning you when you needed me most! Please Honoka forgive me and give me another chance."

With that Umi bowed down low to Honoka.

"I-I forgive you Umi."

"Honoka…."

"I'm not the same person I used to be Umi. I'm defeated and broken. I take pills every day to get high. I have horrible bouts of anxiety and suffer from panic attacks. I have even cut myself. Are you still willing to be my friend again Umi despite all this?"

Umi looked into Honoka's eyes and saw just how defeated and lifeless they were and yet, deep within, there was still a small glint of the old Honoka.

"You're always going to be my friend Honoka no matter what."

"How ironic that you're the optimistic, naive one here. How the roles have reversed. You really have no idea what you're getting into Umi."

Umi responded by taking Honoka by the hand and holding it with her own. This caused Honoka to blush lightly as Umi pressed forward so that their faces were only inches from one another.

"You have always given me problems Honoka. It didn't stop me before it won't stop me now!"

With that Umi stood up. She reached her hand out and offered it to Honoka.

"I'm ready to make my dreams come true. I want to go back on that stage! I want to sing and dance like we used to and inspire others to chase their dreams. Do you want to join me Honoka?"

Honoka cast her head down solemnly as her body trembled.

"I-I want to do it Umi. I want to...with all my heart. I-I-I…."

It was then that Honoka rose from her prone position and placed her hands to her mouth as she shouted at the top of her lungs.

"I WANT TO BECOME AN IDOL!"

The crowd looked over at Honoka like she was crazy but she didn't care.

Honoka stood like a proud king. There was a confident grin on her face and her eyes, which had been listless before, now burned with renewed vigor. She turned to Umi who was smiling through her tears.

"When do we start practice?"

Author's Note: Oh snap Honoka is ready to put in some work now! Anyway let me know what you all think. Thank you for reading and hope you all enjoyed.