I decided to revive this fanfic. Just.. bear with me.
Chapter 28 - A RecapThis chapter is a 'short' recap of the key things that happened in the chapters 1-27. I decided to make one, because the last update is over 1 year old. You don't have to read this, if you still know what's going or just recently read the previous chapters. Don't be sad, there's a new chapter right after this one, simply scroll down and enjoy.
The fic is set a few years in the future, but not too far away. Despite the short time ahead, many things went out of control because of one major incident that left one of the members, Mitsui Aika dead. The How? and Why? of this haven't been answered yet, but it was pointed out that other girls in the group might have had something to do with it. Eventually it led to the break-up of the group and a huge image-loss for the brand "H!P" in general.
As mentioned, this has been a few years in the past now. The story of this fic started with quite an angry Yossie and her rage during a futsal game. In that chapter we find out that she's still having contact with Miki on a friendly base. Miki on her side is in a serious relationship with Aya, but things haven't been going smooth for a long time. On Miki's side there are more than just doubts about their future together and she seems to seek more than just friendship with her good friend Yossie, something she yet has to really realize herself. Yossie herself isn't aware of anything and completely focusing on her career as pro-futsal player. She's about to leave Tokyo for a training camp in the next few days, giving Miki a hard time to figure out her own feelings soon enough. In one scene we also learn that Yossie is still in good relationship with Aichan as well. Things also became more complicated when Miki's old love Shouji came back into her life, but right now Miki is too confused to get a clear mind to make any decisions. The alcohol and the occasional smoke from time to time clearly show how messed up her life really is.
Sayu continued her career as a mere idol and talento. However, recently she started to lack motivation for her job, much to the disadvantage of her manager who wants to milk her as much as he can. This ended up in a mysterious meeting with a job offer Sayu didn't seem to be too happy about. Before that she started to remember the old days in the group and her good friend Eri while staring at an old picture.
Reina also surprisingly went for a career without much singing, though it's unclear whether she had any other choice. Unlike Sayu's, her pictures are a lot more teasing and aims for a little bit more different audience. The intentions of both their managers are the same, but Reina's a much stronger girl than Sayu could ever be. No matter how much he pressures or how often her tries to molest her, Reina won't let her guard down and simply continue with what's written in her contract. In one scene she helps out Sayu in an ally, but they both didn't recognize each other at that time.
And so we come to the only one who seems to have established a great career after the incident, Aichan. While her career is blooming and she became one of the top-selling solo artists in Japan, one part of her heart is lying in shatters. She's surrounded by friendly people, from her stylist to her personal driver, but there's still a huge cloud of unhappiness that she's bearing on her shoulders. Throughout the story we find out that this sorrow is connected to her formerly best friend Risa who appears to hold a big anger towards Aichan. She's constantly blocking Aichan's attempts to apologize and is living a more or less normal life with her family.
Yuko is also involved in this story. She's the one who's now managing what's left of H!P. In a bar she comes across Miki, but neither of them realized who was sitting right next to them. Anyway, she has a hard time managing the remaining groups that still include °C-ute, some girls of Berryz Koubou, at least until recently; and the former-Morning Musume Chinese girls JunJun. It's not sure whether LinLin is also still pursuing a career within H!P. One day she gets a phone call from her good-old friend Nacchi who came back from Europe together with Eri. They aren't working together in Europe, but they happened to have met in the plane to Tokyo. However, both of them more-or-less had successful careers in countries like France and Germany, emphasizing on 'had' since there aren't too much infos about how they are doing right now.
Even Yasuda Kei gets some spotlight in this fiction, but she got the least attention so far. All we know that she's still as funny and strange as in the past and currently struggling for a decent job. She's doing both, acting and performing in theaters.
In a latter chapter Koharu also makes an appearance who happens to come across Aichan on a street. She's working as a voice actress right now and rather successful with her job.
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The story then comes across its first peak when Sayu suddenly gets a job that allows her to work together with her old friend Aichan. That alone wouldn't make it a peak even, it's the unforeseen turn of events that make it an important part of the chapters to follow. A fire suddenly broke and trapped Aichan in her dressing room. Sayu somehow managed to get her out of there, but they aren't able to get away before the fire reaches gas tanks that have been placed in a storage room not far from her dressing room. Luckily they both make it out alive with the help of a stranger who shielded them from the explosion. That stranger is lucky himself as well and makes it out in one piece despite risking his life to save the two girls. The story has yet to focus on him more in the future chapters, but he already happened to have a friendly talk with Kei and Eri at the hospital.
Speaking of which, most of the girls mentioned above rushed to the hospital as soon as they heard the news about the explosion. It's not necessary to explain that it has been a very touching moment for them all to unite, even under such circumstances. There is only one girl who has been missing in this reunion, Risa. Her mother tried to keep the news away from her as long as possible, but it was impossible to keep her from finding it out herself and so she rushed to the hospital despite the typhoon that was currently hitting the city. She doesn't pay attention for a moment and gets run over by a car whose driver attempted a hit and run. Eventually she gets found and brought to the same hospital as Aichan and Sayu where Miki is the first to find out about her accident.
Sayu and Aichan both don't know about Risa either and while Aichan has to stay in her bed to get some sleep, Sayu can already walk around and meet with the other girls. She only has a minor smoke intoxication and will be able to leave the next morning. To see her best friend Eri after such a long time must have been the best medicine for her in that situation as well.
Yossie happens to find out about Risa when she searched for Miki. At the same time Yuko goes to check on Aichan alone so that they won't cause her too much stress. There she accidentally reveals her desire to bring back everyone of Morning Musume into one group, but Aichan doesn't seem to be troubled about it at all. Later Yossie informs Yuko about Risa's accident before she has to leave for the training camp. Miki doesn't try stop her, a mistake?
Aichan then eventually finds out about Risa before Yuko was even able to tell the other girls and walks over to her room. Everyone sure is surprised to find the empty room of Aichan, except for Sayu and Eri. The two of them already left the hospital due to a call of Sayu's manager who is then having that meeting that left Sayu in a really confusing state. Eri did her best to care for her and already seems to have a vague idea about what might have happened.
Back to Aichan and Risa. She wasn't yet able to enter Risa's room. She's too afraid and constantly blaming herself for everything that happened. Surprisingly it's Miki who is able to get a connection with her and helps her to finally make up with Risa. Yuko is surprised about this fact and there might be something Miki is hiding from the others. This thought gets even more strength when Miki is suddenly leaving the hospital and throwing her mobile phone away, all witnessed by a confused Kei. All the other girls already left the hospital before that event, judging that it would be the best to leave Aichan and Risa alone. Those two finally realized how stupid both of them have been and placed a stepping stone to rebuild their friendship, if there wasn't something odd Risa discovered on Aichan's forearm. Something that will most-likely get explored in some of the future chapters as well.
Meanwhile Sayu and Eri had a very enjoyable time together. They've been bathing together and came really close, though it's not necessarily a romantically connection that's keeping them both so close to each other. Eri is seriously worried about Sayu and troubled by the promise she had to make with her. She promised her to stay with her forever from now on, definitely something that sounds a lot easier than it actual is. Once Sayu fell asleep, Eri received a call and arranged a meeting with a certain someone. Who? Find out in the next chapters...
Yuko and Nacchi, later joined by Junjun also ended up discussion a possible reunion, but they eventually came to the conclusion that it is a stupid and impossible to realize, perhaps...
The storyline of Yossie and Miki doesn't seem to have ended either. Yossie meets up with Konkon at the trains station and departure for Morioka. A few moments later we can see Miki at the same station, also getting in a train with Morioka as destination. While this might just be a coincidence, it sure is already a nice setup for the things to come.
Chapter 29 - Fragmented Picture
> Hey, you think I'm putting in too many emotes? <
Aichan is still writing that message she wants to send to Konkon along with the picture she just made of Risa and her together. She's trying really hard to express her happiness with a decent amount of emotes, but she doesn't want to look too childish either. Though, she's not really letting Risa give her any advices. Her questions are rather rhetorical and pointed at herself. Anyway, right now it's questionable whether Risa is listening to Aichan. That instant, the two or three seconds when Aichan's arm came really close to her eyes won't go out of her head.
> Heart, heart, ..and another heart, just to be sure. <
~ Hey Aichan. ~ Risa tries to get her attention.
> Three hearts are too much, aren't they? < She keeps on speaking to herself.
~ Aichan. ~
> Stars! Stars would be better, but... where was it again? <
~ Aichan!! ~
Risa grabs Aichan's hand to stop her from using her mobile and looks at her with a very serious look, not only leaving her surprised, but also afraid for a moment.
~ Sorry... ~
> Y-Yes? <
~ Your... ~ Risa struggles with herself, should she really bring it up that directly?
> My.. what? <
Risa's struggling becomes worthless when she's able to see them a second time. Aichan's current position with her arms lying on the bed in order to write a message and Risa's rather forceful grab in order to get attention gave Risa an unexpected clear view on Aichan's forearm and the couple of scars on it. There are traces that she tried to cover them up with makeup, but she must have been careless when hugged Risa and got filled with happy feelings.
Aichan doesn't take long to realize where Risa is staring at and starts to panic. She stands up quick and holds her arms very close to her upper body in order to hide the scars, a late and useless attempt and she's aware of that.
~ Aichan, those are... does this... ? ~
> NO! < She suddenly gets loud. > I.. I JUST TRIPPED! <
~ Tripped? There's no way that... ~
> ANYWAY! I.. have to go to the bathroom! < She interrupts Risa and rushes out of the room.
~ Wait....! ~
She's wasting her breath. There's no way she would wait and like to talk about it. That's exactly why Risa was about to hold it back before she saw them for a second time. ~ I messed up.. ~ She says to herself. Right now she would love to run after her and say that everything is okay, but she can't get out of that bed. With her right hand she pulls something out from under the blanket, it's a picture, a picture that's torn apart into two pieces. Risa looks at it for a moment, but she gets interrupted by a knock at the door.
- Can I come in? -
It's Kei, she asked just to be polite, but actually she was already on her way in.
- Was that Aichan? What happened? -
~ N-Nothing... ~
- She seemed to be in a panic. Are you sure that nothing happened? -
~ Well... ~ Risa faces towards the window.
- Mmh? - Kei sees the picture in Risa's right hand without her noticing.
~ It's.. nothing. ~
- At least nothing you would like to talk about with a person like me, right? -
~ W-what? No, that's not what I mean.. ~
Risa's afraid that she could have just hurt another person, but when she turns around she sees a smile on Kei's face. Kei is well aware of that she's not close enough with the younger girls to be considered a person to tell your private problems to and she's in no way hurt by their sometimes distant behaviors. She's actually seeing herself as a spectator, a spectator that could still put on a jersey and come on the field anytime. Kei also likes to make fun about herself instead of letting things frustrate her. Now it's the first time that Risa might have realized this herself by looking into Kei's kind eyes.
- That.. - Kei points at the picture. - A picture of Mitsui? -
~ Yes... ~ She responds with a soft voice while looking at the two pieces in her right hand.
Topic: Fragmented Unity [Chapter 31] (Read 38927 times)