Utilizing her rarely used vacations, Umi was resting on her bed for the umpteenth time. She's been on a constant cycle for the past three days, which consisted of eating store-bought food out of laziness, sleeping, and worrying about Kotori's safety.

Ever since Honoka's concert, she has been alone in her apartment that she shared with her girlfriend. The way she acted that time gave reason as to why Kotori did not come back to the apartment, but she was still concerned about her. She was given a small message from her girlfriend which said that she was staying at her mother's house, which gave Umi a small breath of relief.

Her state of mind was a mess ever since the concert, but she could only think of one thing that caused her mind to be so out of control: Honoka.

She was only mad at Kotori because Honoka made her girlfriend keep her presence a secret. It was Honoka's fault that she couldn't enjoy her last year of high school. Honoka's selfish action made all of her friends suffer. It felt like they lost a part of their family, but it felt wrong for Honoka to just suddenly be in their life again.

She wanted to love her friend as she always did. But this…it felt like they were too far apart. She didn't feel like considering Honoka as a friend anymore.

Not after this.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Umi was getting up from her third nap of the day when she heard the sounds at her door. She wasn't dressed up to confront the person at the door since she was only in her underwear. Instead of trying to look decent, she just decided to put on one of Kotori's larger shirts to cover up. She walked groggily to the door and opened it.

And seeing the person in the door made her tired self feel much more alive. And angry.

"Umi-"

SLAM!

Not wanting to hear the excuses, Umi quickly slammed the door in her former friend's face. Fuming, she began to stomp away to let off some steam. However, she received a text message. Hoping it was Kotori saying something after the days of nothing, she felt even worse when she saw a new number that she hadn't seen before.

XXX:
Would it be bad if I got some attention?
A famous person is standing outside your door

Umi gritted her teeth at thesnarky comment and stomped back to the door. She opened it to see the smug face of Honoka.

"Hi, Umi- Woah!"

Umi grabbed the woman's arm and forcibly pulled her into the apartment, with Honoka landing with a thud onto the hardwood floor.

"Ow!" Honoka groaned in pain.

"What do you want?" Umi quickly and angrily said.

"I…just want to talk," Honoka plainly said.

"Oh yeah. Talking 'as friends,' I guess? Do you still see us like that after all of this?" Umi hissed.

"I…I do…"

"Of course you do. Your optimistic mind really does things to you, huh?" Umi's mind was struggling to keep up her cold demeanor, since she felt worse and worse after everything she was saying to her (former) friend. It was amplified as she saw how Honoka was just taking the verbal spats without much resistance. But, she had to keep her emotions in check. Despite wanting to be kind to Honoka, Umi could only remember the bad things that involved the orange-haired woman. "Fine," Umi sighed. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Hmm," Honoka innocently hummed, as if she wasn't being talked down to. "Just about what everyone's done for the past couple of years."

Umi raised her eyebrow at that. "So, I'll get to know what the hell happened during our third-"

"Not yet," Honoka said, interrupting Umi.

Umi's glare sharpened. "Why not? Don't I get to know-"

"Please?" Honoka mercifully said. Umi's bitter tone lessened when she saw the pain on Honoka's face and the tears beginning to flow. It was something that Honoka didn't want to deal with yet, and Umi made peace with that.

"Alright then." Umi motioned Honoka over to sit at the dining table. "Let me just get some refreshments and we'll talk. But…I'll get to know why you left, right?"

Honoka put up a small smile. "Promise."

As Honoka hummed quietly to herself, Umi started to prepare the refreshments. She had some melon bread from yesterday that was still packaged, so she placed some on the tray. She also had the coffee brewing, which was just about finished.

"How do you take coffee?" Umi asked.

"Black, please," Honoka responded.

Umi looked at Honoka questioningly. "I don't know if this is the Honoka I know."

"Aren't you going to spit in the coffee or something?" Honoka said. "You hate me, right? With…everything that's happened?"

Of course she was affected by the way I treated her. Umi thought to herself regrettably. Honoka wasn't wrong, but Umi's feelings knew that she couldn't cast away her long-time friend just like that. "No, I won't. Yeah, I don't feel great about you being here. But…there's the other half of me that knows I can't outright hate you. We've been friends for so long, and I can't forget that."

Honoka smiled again. "Yeah…I get it. I'm glad to hear that I could still be a friend."

Umi smiled back. "I guess I do too. Sorry for looking like…" Umi motioned around her body, "…this. I didn't expect any company."

"It's alright. I've seen worse," Honoka politely said.

Umi smiled. "So, who'd you want to start with first?"

Honoka took a bit before she began to speak. "I already have a general idea about what everyone is doing…How about Eli-chan and Nozomi-chan? They're doing something with dance, right?"

Umi took a sip of her coffee as she nodded. "I guess you could say that. Eli and Nozomi opened up a ballet school. Once they opened the place, there were a ton of applicants because of our past fame." Umi chuckled. "I remember when I came to the place the first time. Nearly all of them were dead tired while Eli had her strict mode on."

Honoka laughed along. "That does sound like something Eli-chan would do. What was Nozomi-chan doing?"

"She was essentially the girls' second mother. I know, what a surprise," Umi said as the two lightly laughed. "She would have to control Eli so she didn't go overboard with her teaching. She'd pull aside the ones who were struggling and helped them out. And when they had competitions, she was the one who handled that congratulatory party. Those two were made to compliment each other."

Honoka nodded. "They're married, right?"

"Engaged," Umi corrected her. Honoka's eyes widened. "I know, right? Eli was just too worried about risking their friendship. Once I, Maki, and Nico talked some sense into her, she finally proposed this year. That girl…"

"You're not one to talk, Umi-chan. Do you still blush when kiss-"

"So, who do you want to know about next?" Umi said, obvious blush not going away.

Honoka laughed at how flustered Umi was. It was so long since she's seen that side of her…acquaintance. Yeah…just someone I know…

"Is something wrong?" Umi asked with some concern. "You quickly became sad after you laughed."

"Ah, sorry," Honoka said. She had a feeling that her expression changed, so it was concerning to know Umi saw it as well. "I was just thinking about who to talk about next. Maybe Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan."

Umi smiled. "Those two are just so…precious. Hanayo applied for an internship after she finished high school for an entertainment show. After a year, she was given a paid position and quickly became a host of an idol talk show. With her money, she proposed to Rin who is still working her way through college to become a teacher."

"That's right!" Honoka said. "It was a nice story to hear from them. I know that Nico-chan was on Hanayo-chan's show before. So, Nico-chan had her dream come true then?"

"Yeah, it did," Umi said as she took another sip of the coffee. "You and Nico had…similar paths, if I were to say. Both of you got big when you left, I guess. After Nico's first year of college, she was picked up by an idol agency. She quickly got into her work and focused her time on studying and being an idol. And she was successful as she could be, which was very."

Honoka nodded with a small smile. "Yeah, I congratulated Nico for having such a successful career. But, didn't she stop or something?"

Umi's neutral expression changed into a bitter looking one, which Honoka picked up on quickly. "Yeah…retired after four years of doing it, even with everything looking even bigger for her. Happy that she's been given jobs because of Hanayo's line of work, but still…"

"That must suck," Honoka said. "Why did she quit?" The bitter look turned even more sour on Umi's face, which was worrying Honoka.

"Maki's still in university, and she's doing very well."

"Maki-chan? What about Nico-"

"She's got a position in her parent's hospital when she finishes medical school. Right now, she's just staying with Nico."

"Okay, but-"

"I always had to see her suffer."

Honoka went back to retort but stopped when she heard those words. Her irritation quickly dissipated and changed to an uncomfortable interest.

"When your girlfriend is both in school and in a hectic job, you don't get much time to hang out. Because of Nico's job, if they did hang out they could be ambushed by paparazzi at anytime. I made sure to go to their apartment everyday to help Maki. And when I did, she always had the same lonely look. The same tired and longing eyes.

"Nico saw it too. She never wanted to feel like she neglected her girlfriend. But seeing Maki, she knew. She announced her retirement on a talk show. When Maki and I saw that…I saw the bittersweet look in her eyes. In both of their eyes. They settled in Nico's apartment after her final show, and they've been happy ever since."

Honoka wanted to say something, but her mouth felt too dry to speak. She knew that Nico retired after a couple years of being an idol at a comfortable place in her entertainment career. But hearing this side of the story…

"I told you that you and Nico took similar paths. The difference is that Nico could see the pain she was bringing."

"U-Umi-chan…"

"Could you just leave? I…really don't want to deal with you right now," Umi said coldly.

"What?" Honoka said, surprised with how quickly the conversation changed. "Don't you want to hear why I left?"

"Probably won't make me feel better, so no."

"You aren't being fair, Umi-chan!" Honoka said.

"Do you think you were fair when you left, Honoka?!" Umi quietly yelled. "Just leaving without a notice? I felt like Maki when you left. Did you think I could manage without you here? Just barely! Kotori never had to feel like she didn't have her two best friends, but I did!" Umi wiped her tears as she choked back her sobs. "You didn't even think about how I felt before you left, did you?!"

Honoka's irritation bubbled back up and grew even more. "Of course I thought about you! All of you! You guys were the reason I left!"

Umi's eyes narrowed with skepticism. "Oh really? Fine, let's hear your reason, huh?"

"I left because I felt lonely."

Umi's body tensed up after hearing that. To hear such an excuse was insulting. "Funny. After I said all that, you have the nerve to give that excuse? Just like I thought, definitely didn't make me feel better."

Honoka sighed. Of course…she wouldn't believe me… She reached into her bag and pulled out the thing she knew she would need. Honoka threw it on the table before she began to walk to the door.

"Now you're going to leave," Umi said exasperatedly. "And you left a book? This isn't a dump."

Honoka sighed. "Right now, it feels like it. Just keep it."

"And what is 'it,' exactly?" Umi asked. "More garbage that you use an as excuse?"

"My diary."

Umi looked at the book again, with more of a curious eye this time. Picking it up hesitantly, she examined the outside of it. This book is familiar…

Honoka was getting ready to leave but decided that this was her last chance to show her feelings to the girl that she still considered as a best friend. "If you think that everything I said here was garbage, read that book."

"I…I can't…" Umi said.

"What? Finally fell off your high horse?" Honoka said. "Everything that I said was what I wrote down when I was in high school. I'm not afraid of someone reading my true feelings. That's all in the past. What I care about is trying to build my relationships back…even if everything is all messed up."

Umi gulped with nervousness. "So…I should…"

"Sit down and read," Honoka said sternly. "I'll mark the pages you read, and I'll show you that nothing I said was garbage."

Umi timidly nodded and took a seat at the dining table. Beside her, Honoka flipped through the pages of her diary and marked each page by making a fold in the sheet.

"Here," Honoka said after folding the last sheet. "Read it."

"Umi took the book and opened it to the first page that was creased. Right away, she skimmed through the page and took in the words. And it astonished her.

I…Was I really the first person Honoka fell for?

After the first page, she went to the next one. And the next one. Falling for Kotori…and Eli?

The next pages had entries about the others. And to her semi-surprise, nothing Honoka said was a lie. Talking about her loneliness because of being around everyone. How she was sick of being the only one not having someone to love. And what hit Umi most of all: how Honoka's heart was broken by all of her friends. Either through them not returning her love or the way that she couldn't feel the same amount of love any of the members had for each other.

"You get to cry from reading my diary?" Honoka said half-jokingly and bitterly.

Umi didn't realize her tears were falling, so she quickly wiped her eyes with her arm.

"There's a girl that misses you, and I know you miss her too. Just for now…let's put this aside and get to her."

Umi nodded as she felt herself be lifted from the chair and into her room.

"Change. And we'll see Kotori."

Pulling up to Kotori's old home, the air between Honoka and Umi was tense. The rush of emotions coming from the diary along with the strained relationship the three childhood friends was something that couldn't be ignored for so long.

"Honoka, just drive a bit further. Just so Kotori can't see us," Umi timidly asked. Honoka was going to oppose, but she saw how vulnerable her friend looked.

After going past the home and finding a place to park, Honoka turned off the engine and looked to her passenger.

"What's wrong, Umi?" Honoka asked, half-knowing what could be brought up and somewhat afraid of what could be suddenly said.

"Can we just be so…civil? After what we just went through?" Umi said emotionlessly, albeit with tears running down her face. "All of this aching…just because no one could be honest."

Honoka took one of Umi's hands and squeezed it tight. "It's…hard, yeah. Neither of us felt strong, even though we looked like it. Both of us were prideful, and yet we didn't know the half of it.

"It took me a while, but I felt better after I did one thing."

Umi looked at her friend with hopeful eyes. "W-What?"

Honoka gave a warm smile. "I forgave everyone. No one knew I did, but they didn't have to. As long as I could understand that I had no ill will towards anyone, my mind was at peace. No one did anything wrong; maybe I was the one who wronged everyone else."

Umi squeezed Honoka's hand as well after hearing that. "Yeah," Umi said with a dry chuckle. "Maybe it is. But…everyone else came to terms with it. I just need to as well."

"You don't need to do it right away," Honoka said. Umi looked at her with a slightly confused face. "I saw that it hurt you the most. I get it. It may take some time to forgive. But…I can only hope that you will eventually.

"All I care about right now is you and Kotori being together again," Honoka said with a tired voice. "I hope you can do that, at least." She couldn't react quick enough when she felt a pair of arms around her neck.

"It'll take some time," Umi said. "But I think I can forgive you each day. I just feel…so happy that I get to see you again. And…not when we're at each other's throats."

Honoka returned that hug. "Yeah," she said happily.

After the heartfelt talk, Honoka drove the two of them closer to Kotori's place. With some reluctance from Umi and some encouragement from Honoka, the bluenette slowly walked to her girlfriend's old home.

Honoka watched form the window. Kotori opened the door with wide eyes. Umi said something. And Kotori jumped into her girlfriend's frame and cried her heart out.

And seeing this happy reunion, she drove back to her place.

Honoka was getting ready to sleep when Claire walked into her bedroom, making her presence known by knocking on the door.

"I heard that you did good," Claire said.

Honoka smiled. "It's nothing, really."

Claire chuckled. "I don't know, making up with your best friend who hated you for so long seems more than nothing." She went over and patted Honoka on the head. "How are you feeling?"

Honoka's smile broke into happy tears. "Even if it's small amounts of forgiveness…I feel…so happy!" Honoka said in a sad, but positive tone.

Claire cracked a smile. "I'm glad you feel that way."

A/N: I've got nothing to hide. It's been 8 long months of no motivation to write. School has got me worried, video games got me occupied, and writing was just something that would be homework. Anime didn't really impact my life as much now when it did those months ago, and Love Live was no exception.

I know that I still liked the Love Live series. It's just that I had no feeling when I wanted to write something. I have to admit that this may not be my best writing. The first line break is when I last wrote, and that was probably 8 months ago as well. I just finished this last few parts, and I feel like it could have been way better.

For now, I just need to get back into the swing of things. Maybe when the Sunshine movie comes out, I will have some more time and/or motivation to write. I've had some ideas of stories, but they have not been materialized. Hell, I don't think I can remember the ideas that may have popped up.

For now, this story will be considered complete. I've got all of the main plot points that I needed to address out of my system. Now, it's just on you guys. Maybe some of you were waiting for this for a while. Maybe some of you completely forgot that I existed. Either way, I want you to know that I thank everyone that reads this ending and for reading the entire story (if you have). If I get torn into in the comments for 'not uploading in forever' or 'having a shitty ending,' then fine. It's what you guys think. I don't think it is fair because to be blunt, you guys aren't me. You don't know how my feelings work, and I don't think it is right to be called horrible things because you guys didn't know about my feelings.

For me, burnout was something that was always in the back of my mind. And I got burnt out after a while. I hope to get back into writing, because just writing this mediocre ending was fun. But I'm not promising anything. If I do decide to write, no one will know when I will post. Not even me.

Personal feelings aside, please say something about this potential final chapter. If you liked it or hated it, say what you want. Just…don't be dicks and call me out for something that can affect someone. Everyone can face burnout; it's not fair to be super judgmental about it. Be critical of the writing, not of me.

You can leave favourites and follows if you want, but otherwise…Thanks for Reading!