Chapter I

"BRRRRTTTT. BRRRRRTTTT."

Honoka threw herself around the sheets, as if her drowsy flailing would silence this foreign noise. The noise was that of her alarm.

"BRRRRTTT! BRRRRTTTT! BRRRTTTT!"

As Honoka slowly drifted towards consciousness, the alarm seemed to be getting louder. As it went from a dull pressure against her head to a piercing shriek, the girl noticed that it, in fact, wasn't even her alarm. It was a foreign noise. The alarm she had woken up to most of her life was infinitely nicer, and this certainly wasn't it. As Honoka turned over the prospect in her mind, she realized she had begun to possess at least some consciousness. And with some consciousness, came a departure from sleep entirely. There was no point in trying to stay in bed now.

"BRRRRTTTTT! BRRRRRTTTTTT! BRRRRRTTTT!""

Especially not with the alarm blaring. With a yawn and a resigned sigh, she ceased to tumble around the bed, opening her eyes. Her eyelids were heavy. She knew she was still really, really tired. But, she also knew it was a very, very good idea to get up. She couldn't put her finger on it. As her vision focused, she looked around. Not only was her alarm foreign, but so was the room she was in. One bed, which she was tucked into, a rather small television mounted on the wall, a desk… a mini fridge. If anything jogged Honoka's hazy morning memory, it was that. She was in a hotel. She remembered Nico being appalled by the price of those stupid nuts they put in the fridge "complementarity."

Oh, right, Nico. She was in the other room. The other room! Right! As Honoka pulled herself up onto her lithe elbows, the memories returned. Nico was in 514 with Maki, Honoka was in 513 with Umi and Kotori, Rin and Hanayo were in 512, and Nozomi and Eli were in 511. The whole gang. Muse. Why were they up so late…? Honoka tried to remember. They had all gathered in Honoka's room. To talk about something. The concert!

The gears in Honoka's mind were turning. It was only a matter of time before she remembered everything and would be ready to attack the day with her usual vigor.

"Honoka! Wake up! We're going to be late." A voice almost as shrill as her alarm broke her from her natural albeit slow process of awakening.

"Umi-chan, please don't yell at Honoka like that. I don't think she wants to wake up to that." Another voice, sweeter, gentler, quieter, responded for Honoka. She couldn't have said it better herself.

"Okay, fine, Kotori. You need to hurry up and get dressed too." Honoka's fluttering eyes saw Umi's shadow pass the bed. Umi was on her way to the bathroom the trio shared for the weekend.

"Heeeeeeey! Honoka-chan! Wake up, please. We have to leave for the parade soon." Kotori's voice was stretched. The girl was probably trying to be forceful but her manner of speaking just didn't lend itself to that. "It's impo-"

"PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHH!"

Kotori was cut off by the roar of a hairdryer in the bathroom. If Honoka wasn't awake then, she was now.

Honoka raised her own voice, yelling over the dryer. "Umi-chan! Turn that off! I'm up, I'm up." She giggled as Umi came out, hairdryer in hand.

"I'm sorry Kotori, but the ends always justify the means I trust you and Honoka and all, but Honoka could sleep through a nuclear blast," said the dark haired girl.

Kotori gave Umi a warm smile and shook her head. "It's okay. I wasn't going to get her up on my own at that rate anyway."

Honoka scoffed, stirring on the bed between them. Hey! She was right there! "I'm awake, I'm awake! Leave me alone!"

The three friends giggled and Umi went back into the bathroom, returning to the hair dryer. She had it on a lower setting at least. Kotori set about searching for her pants. She seemed to be missing the bottom half of her uniform for the concert.

All three were wearing military fatigues- or, at least they were supposed to be. They weren't so much costumes as actual uniforms; the concert was sponsored by the SDF itself, in order to raise moral. Things were looking grim, and the hot new girl group from Otonokizaka had become a symbol of what the Japanese way of life meant and what was at stake. Honoka had a vague understanding of what Muse meant to the world, now, but that was only after Maki and Umi explained it to her. Honoka wasn't stupid, but she had to admit geopolitics and ways of life and really just the whole last few months had gone really over her head.

The way she understood it, though, she was just trying to brighten the mood. And that was what she had always done! Today wasn't any different. Well, maybe the stakes were a little higher, but it wasn't a departure from the orange haired girl's normal policy. Her goal was to make others happy and a huge concert to benefit the SDF was a great platform!

With her daily pep talk and her brain working at full capacity, Honoka pulled herself out of the bed, but not before sliding over the slight dimple in the sheets where Kotori had slept. Honoka couldn't help but smile. It was shaped just like her: small, cute, soft. Honoka slipped out of bed, going over to where her suitcase was. On her way over, she saw where Umi had slept. The couch. She thought three girls sharing a bed would be lewd and had opted to let two girls share a bed while she slept safely on the couch. It wasn't easy keeping her from doing weird things and sometimes Honoka had to make concessions.

Honoka pulled off her shorts and her sleep shirt, kneeling in front of her suitcase. Uniform, uniform. Where was it? Eventually, the girl found it. She pulled on the pants, and then the undershirt she had packed, and then the jacket. Luckily, the whole outfit was designed to be put on in a hurry anyway. As Honoka had wormed into her clothes, Kotori had found her pants. This left just Umi unready. Honoka and Kotori had showered and everything last night, but Umi had insisted on waking up early to shower while they were sleeping. It wasn't really anything of note, just another weird thing Umi had decided to do.

Honoka went to the bathroom and stood beside Umi, putting in her signature hair tie. She looked at Umi's reflection in the mirror.

"You look nice, even with no makeup on, Umi-chan." She commented.

"...thanks, H-Honoka." Umi was flustered by the compliment.

Honoka giggled; that was most of the fun anyway.

Umi finished drying her hair and switched to brushing it. Umi spoke this time."I really appreciate it, Honoka-chan. You always look radiant no matter what you're doing. It's amazing." She was a deep red.

Honoka was flattered, her cheeks turning a gentle red of her own. She wasn't nearly as red as the girl she shared a mirror with but it was still a really abrupt and genuine compliment.

"Thanks, Umi." Honoka finished fixing her hair for the day and exited the bathroom. Knowing Umi, she would have just ended up more embarrassed if Honoka reacted any more.

Honoka flopped back onto the bed. She'd put her boots on when Umi was done.

"KNOCK KNOCK!"

The sound of a fist on the wood of the door forced Honoka back up as soon as she had sit down. She rushed to the door but quickly glanced back at Kotori before opening it. Kotori gave her a thumbs up, confirming she had found her pants, and Honoka swiftly undid the lock, swinging it open.

"Hi, hi, hi! Nico is here to wake you up!" The small, boisterous girl stated. It wasn't an offer or a request. It was a statement. Unfortunately for Nico, though, Honoka and her friends were already awake. "Oh." Nico deflated. She didn't really think her plan through but accepting defeat had become her modus operandi anyway, "Good morning, then." She shrugged and slid her way past Honoka into the room.

Standing behind her in the doorway was Maki, stoic as ever. She was a few inches taller than her roommate despite being two years younger, but whatever height she had on Nico, Nico made up for with her flamboyant pigtails. She slinked past Honoka, following Nico and offering the second year a quiet, "She spent 5 minutes rehearsing." For Honoka, it was apology enough.

Umi exited the bathroom, and all five girls filed deeper into the room, pulling themselves onto the edges of the single bed. Honoka sat on her knees in the center. She supposed everyone expected some words of encouragement before they met up with the other four girls in the lobby. Honoka didn't usually know what she wanted to say before she said it, so she let herself think out loud.

"When we started Muse, we wanted to save our school. We had a clear goal. Something to strive for! But, that didn't last. When we realized we loved making people smile, we decided we wanted to make people smile! Now, it's not just our school we're saving. Now, it's not just smiles we're inspiring." She paused, looking around the assembled faces. "It's hope. Nine girls doing what they can to make things better, all on their own. That's us. We inspire others, as much as we've failed over and over again for every little success. It's not a matter of if we'll succeed. We'll fail and fail, and trip and fall and stumble- but we'll always get up! Nothing can keep us down!"

Honoka didn't think she had a way with words. She knew it was corny. She knew it was shallow. She knew that the world wouldn't end if they screwed up- in fact, Honoka didn't really care if they did great or not! She wanted to make everyone smile, and that was what she would do! It was that energy, that burning desire she and all her friends had, that was what they appreciated. It was what was left unsaid. And Honoka knew her fans probably thought the same thing! Muse wasn't the best idol group, or even the best school idol group. It was Muse's raw, genuine love for life that people came to love in and of itself.

After that shared moment of pensive quiet, Maki concluded the group's thoughts.

"Well said, Honoka." She nodded approvingly. Maki wasn't jubilant, but what Honoka had meant to imply had gotten to her and the older girl hoped- and, maybe, knew- that Maki was at least a little bit pleased with her second year friend. After letting her appraisal linger, Maki gave the petite girl seated to her right a tap on the shoulder and hopped off the bed. "Come on, Nico-chan. If we're the last ones in the van, they'll make us sit in the back." She flipped a strand of errant, sanguine hair over her shoulder and started for the door.

Nico leaped backwards off the bed, quickly shaking herself out of her own thought and trying to follow her friend. As Maki exited, Nico caught up to her in the doorway. She took a quick look down the hall, ostensibly to see if Maki could hear her, and pouted sympathetically towards Honoka. "Maki-chan woke up hugging me again. She told me she had a bad dream and not to tell anyon-" Nico yelped in surprise as she was pulled from the doorway, unable to finish her sentence.

"Nico-chan apologizes for wasting your time. Please gather Kotori and Umi and come to the lobby," instructed Maki's stern voice, echoing down the hall. And with that, the now empty doorway accepted the door with a gentle thump as its wood bumped against the metal of the frame.

The second year girls were alone again. Honoka couldn't help but giggle. Nico-chan and Maki-chan were always bickering like a married couple! Honoka knew how immature it was to pick favorites among her friends. That was so mean on a personal level! She knew, even more so, it was worse to pick favorites in terms of being the leader of Muse. She couldn't value one member of the group over another. But… Honoka loved Maki and Nico. Maki was her favorite first year, and Nico was her favorite of the third years. It had taken so long for them to become friends, that when her two psychological curiosities; the quiet, flustered intellectual, and the loud, flamboyant diva; when the two had become friends, it was one of the best times of her life. It was like she couldn't have played things out better in her head! They were meant to be friends! Nico and Maki had the same kind of bond that Honoka herself had with Kotori and Umi, and she treasured it beyond words. She couldn't help but be happy for them, and for herself for playing matchmaker to it all.

"They're always adorable," Honoka commented. Now she, too, got off the bed. "Umi-chan, Kotori-chan, are you ready to leave?"

"Just a minute, Honoka." Umi carefully dismounted the bed and strode to the corner of the room where she had parked three bulging backpacks. "Here we go. Food, water, changes of clothes- everything we need if we end up having to stay longer than we expect at the camp." Umi heaved two of the packs onto her shoulders, one each, and gestured to the two other girls. Honoka nodded and Kotori did the same. With a grunt, Umi tossed first Honoka's bag, and then Kotori's, with sizable strength. How impressive it was didn't set in on Honoka until the bag landing in her arms nearly knocked her over! It was seriously heavy!

"Wow! Umi-chan, you're so strong!" Honoka praised. She grunted in effort as she tried to place it on her back.

The dark haired girl let out a breathy chuckle. Honoka knew she was a little insecure about not being very girly, but a little praise didn't seem to hurt this time. "Thanks, Honoka. Good catch." Umi took a deep breath and whatever exertion it had taken to lift the bags and toss them seemed to have dissipated completely. She bent at the knees to grab the third bag and slung it haphazardly onto one shoulder. "I'm ready."

On the bed, Kotori had wiggled into her backpack. It was almost comically large on her and Honoka seriously considered helping her carry it; the frail girl looked dangerously off-balance with her payload clutched to her back by her small hands. Nonetheless, she crawled off the bed and found her balance on her feet. "I'm ready!" She declared.

Honoka had wormed her own way into the bag and had it secured firmly over her back. She blew out a long breath, getting used to the weight. "Alright!" She took a few eager steps towards the door and motioned to follow before continuing. "Let's go!"

She was a little afraid of performing in front of such a huge audience, but with Umi, Kotori, Maki, Nico, Rin, Hanayo, Nozomi, and Eli by her side, Honoka knew she could conquer anything.

Hi! So, here's my (second) fan-fic writing debut. This isn't the first fic I've written but it's the first I think is worth posting and not taking down. To clarify the schedule, review policy, and a few other things:

First, this story is finished. I have an end in mind- well, actually two endings. The whole story is outlined, and roughly drafted. I have written two endings, though, but how and why they diverge are completely secret and which one I use is essentially a matter of arbitration. Anyway, as it is mostly finished and essentially the only reason for staggering the release schedule for the fic like I'm going to be doing is because I'm rewriting each chapter as I go. It helps me keep my vision unified and pure, I think. As it stands now, a chapter will trickle out every so often. Expecting one per week at least should be the minimum investment.

Second, review policy. Please review this. As unaffected and terse as I might sound with this A/N, I am an absolutely whore for attention and love so please give me those two things. Tell me what you think! I'm an ambiguously published (RE: in magazines and collections of other works but nothing on my own because publishing is impossible) author and I'd like to know what people think of my ability to write, and more importantly, write as a character. I enjoy trying to write as a character, to tell a story from a very specific point of view, and I think this is a fun challenge. Think of this story as one of those trucks you see on the highway that has a big ugly bumper sticker that says, "How's my driving?" The review section is the number you're supposed to call on the sticker. Call it!

A few other things:

Where is this story going? Short answer: The summary isn't a joke, and this will get edgy and dark fast. Long answer: I'll explain next chapter more in depth, in the author's note. To try to put it in relative terms, I'm trying to tell a story about interpersonal drama ala Love Live but set to the backdrop of fecal matter and the fan colliding. It's a fun time, trust me.

How did you think of this idea? Short answer: "But what if like," Puff. "Evangelion, but no robots, only girls, the aliens are just Russians, and they sing?" Long answer: There's a series of drawings of the Love Live cast with guns that are supposed to suit their personalities and I woke up one day over Winter Break and said, "I'm writing that," and here we are in March with this.

That should answer a few questions! I'll talk more about the story after the next chapter I post. Be on the lookout. I hope you enjoy the story so far, Love, M.

P.S. Sorry for the anemic chapter, the next one will be more than just this tease. That should be coming soon, too.