Kimagure Princesses (Chapter 4, August 17th)

[rokun]

Kimagure Princesses


- Prologue -


August 19, 2009

“’What generation are you?’ Ano… Kusumi Koharu is 7th gen! Isn’t that funny? I am 7th gen. 7th gen is me. There is no one else! I wonder if that should make me feel a bit lonely?”

“…”

“Hey! Stop laughing at me!”

Koharu… Typical of her, isn’t it? Seeming amazed at things she’s discovered. She’s perhaps the most random person I’ve ever known, and I’ve known some characters.

“’What age were you when you joined Morning Musume?’ At that time, I remember well, I was twelve. Twelve… That’s young! And I’m seventeen now. That means… I’ve been in Morning Musume for five years now. Wow. Twelve seems so young. So much has happened since then…”

“You’re still young, Koharu-chan,” I say to the tiny video playing on my cell phone with a smirk. “You have your whole life ahead of you…”

Since it was the middle of the week, we were all at work of course. However, this particular week was a bit chaotic since we each had to take our turn to head over to Harajuku for an Ameba Studio broadcast in promotion of Nanchatte Ren’ai, Morning Musume’s fortieth single.

I refuse to say our fortieth single because most of us have actually barely done half that, although it’s still amazing to me to say we’ve been a part of Morning Musume for that much of its nearly dozen years of existence. It’s us that are setting records for longevity here, and yet it’s the other ones who are household names throughout the country. Sure, most of the younger generation at least still knew our names, but it wasn’t the same. We’re mostly just a joke anymore.

Sighing, I try to pay attention again to the tinny sound coming from my phone. Oh wait, that was just Koharu’s voice. I had to be aware though – my break would be over soon and the others would be here to get me. Eri and JunJun are also over in Harajuku, probably hiding in the back rooms of the studio having crappy Harajuku crepes and doing their best to dodge the wota, so it’s really kind of a half-assed day here at the main studios. That seems to be the way the whole week is going to go.

The three of them actually get the day off except for their time in Harajuku, while we’re still here stuck at work, but that’s okay, because yesterday it was the same for me and the others who broadcasted then. However, this all results in it being a somewhat unproductive week, mostly consisting of whatever preparation can be mustered for the onslaught of promotion planned for this single, and generally solo dance and vocal refinement.

Finally…

You think they would have realized before their fortieth time doing it that we needed focus like this if we were ever going to become popular again. However, I know it’s too late. Things have been stale around here for years. The visibility we do get has been slowly trickling away, until the most exciting thing happening is doing stupid midday internet broadcasts. Stale, as well as all the other cover-ups around here that have brought us to what I think is just about the breaking point...

Now feeling sour, I start to get up and flip my phone shut, but my eyes are drawn again to the girl chattering away on the screen. It might just be me, but Koharu has seemed more airheaded than usual since her beloved Kirari went into retirement, and she’s kind of seemed without direction.

Nobody was really sure what to tell her, since she can’t sing and it seems just too hard to reconcile her now from her audience of children to the adult talent world that the rest of us are trying to fit into. At least, not unless she could just skip ten years until her fans got to an age where it’d matter.

This led to the rest of us feeling a bit distant from her, which wasn’t really anything new. With Kirari, she was the member around the least to begin with the past couple years or so, and now that she actually was around more, nobody was able to really relate too well to her. She hadn’t established the deep friendships, and occasionally more, that some of us had. Coming in by herself in seventh gen like she had just pondered on the broadcast only exacerbated the problem, since she had nobody to naturally relate to either. I pondered myself. I decided there was only one girl that might actually really be her friend. She’d of course been close with another too, but that relationship was different…

Still, despite the distance between her and the rest of us, there was certainly no antagonism, at least that I recognized. But it got me thinking… Would it be impossible? The past two years has seemed fairly steady to anyone from the outside, despite the turmoil always present below the surface. It was tension that was destined to explode anytime though, so why not try and have a say in it? It’s not like it’s something I’ve never done before.

I feel myself break into an ironic smirk at that last thought, and though someone would have undoubtedly been by soon to fetch me, I finally get to my feet, though keep my phone open as I begin to walk, my smile widening as I watch the girl in a studio a ward away seeming to amuse herself greatly asking herself pointless, silly questions as if she had not a care in the world.

…

December 6, 2009, 18:00

“KOHA-RU! KOHA-RU! KOHA-RU!”

The fans were already chanting as nine girls took the stage for the last time as a complete unit. Some already had tears in their eyes, but banished them quickly with smiles as they jumped into the energetic opening song they’d first performed on foreign soil, followed by a much more patriotic yet no less energetic number.

Unwelcome thoughts were easy to ignore even when they ran off stage for the opening video sequence, until after jumping back in for the debut performance that after a full tour was no longer so new, they set for their own introductions and some chanting began again while a sea of red glowsticks glared up at them.

“To everyone gathered here at the Welfare Pension Hall of Tokyo… Good evening! We’re Morning Musume!”

Subleader Risa Niigaki finished her greeting with a flourish, and the crowd and all the other members echoed her with a loud “YAY!”

“Is everyone excited for a fun evening with us?!” Eri Kamei cried as she stepped forward, and was responded with more shouts of “Yay!”

“Ano ne,” she said, looking over to Risa. “Subleader… Today is the last performance!” She gave a silly excited grin as she tossed it back over to the other girl.

“Hai!” Risa responded, glancing at Eri before looking back into the audience. “Morning Musume, 2009 fall tour Nine Smile, comes to an end tonight!” There was more cheering, but this time some of it sounded sad as well at the recognition of the last concert performance of the tour.

“By now I’m sure you all know…” Morning Musume leader Ai Takahashi chips in from next to her subleader, drawing attention right away despite a quieter voice. The crowd suddenly seems to become more restless, and there’s more movement among the sea of red. “But tonight – last stage of our Nine Smile tour – will also be the last stage for our seventh generation member, Kusumi Koharu.” The crowd livens up strongly at this, and chants of “Koha-ru!” can be heard once again.

Ai stays silent a moment to let the cheering die down before continuing, “As we begin the concert, Kusumi-san has a few words she wants to say to you all.” The leader’s voice stays quiet, and tears can be easily seen in her eyes, as well as those of many of the other girls on stage.

“Good evening everyone!” Koharu Kusumi says, stepping up, keeping up her smile perhaps in order to halt tears of her own. “How are you all?!” Everyone responds with “YAY!” and the “Koha-ru!” chants begin again in earnest. She looks helplessly and amazedly at her companions before glancing back to the audience and gesturing for them to quiet down.

“It’s come to be that I, Kusumi Koharu, will graduate tonight from Morning Musume, and further from Hello! Project.” Fans still cheer, but this time seemingly just helpless from not knowing what else to do. “Upon graduation I’ll be trying out various activities, so please continue to support me, as well as Morning Musume!”

…

September 14, 2009

Ai Takahashi, now well-established leader of Morning Musume, stood in front of a nervous-looking group of seven girls seated in a half-circle of chairs before her. She glanced anxiously herself to Risa, who stood next to her in front of their charges. Her subleader clutched at her hand in a supporting and familiar touch, even if it didn’t quite hold the warmth it might have in days long past. Still, she was grateful for it at this moment, one that was shaping up as perhaps the hardest in her well over two years of leadership of Japan’s most reknowned female pop group.

The others looked up at the two of them eagerly, wondering what they might have to tell them in this meeting they called on Monday afternoon, the week before their fall concert tour, after spending the whole morning in closed-door meetings with company management. There was fear in some of their faces, and most of them felt like they already knew what was to come. 

Suddenly Eri stood up, clenching her fists at her sides as she stared hard at her two senpai. “You’re graduating, aren’t you!?” She whined, voicing the thought that was touching the edges of the minds of every girl there. She didn’t even seem to know which of her senpai’s eyes to meet as she began what looked like might soon devolve into a nervous breakdown.

Ai’s and Risa’s hands tightened involuntarily upon each other’s, and the sixth gen member cried again, “But I’m not ready to be leader! Look at me! I’m freaking out already! I never know what to say! I’m… I’m incapable of comforting anyone!”

“And that would be a change?” one of the other girls murmured, and in their nervousness those sitting around her giggled, if a bit hysterically.

“You know me, Reina!” Eri exclaimed, spinning to face her younger sixth gen companion. “I’m so flaky! We would fall apart just like that… Unless…” She stared around, looking slightly wild-eyed, until her gaze fixed on the eldest seated girl. “Unless… JunJun! You could be leader! You’re older… more experienced… calmer… if with perhaps an abnormal fixation on bananas…”

The eyes of one of the two Chinese members of the group widened, and she was about to respond before Risa broke in from before them. “Alright, enough you guys!” she said. “Eririn, sit down.” Amazingly, the girl obeyed her, turning her doe-like eyes up to her radio co-host. “First of all, neither of us is graduating.”

The mood of the room changed visibly and completely at that. Girls relaxed in their chairs, some even smiling to each other in encouragement. Sayumi, the third sixth gen seated next to Reina, even started batting her eyes at their leader again, who coughed uncomfortably as she noticed the girl next to her suddenly release her hand.

“But…” Risa began, but Ai held her now-free hand up, causing her subleader to fall into silence. A soft chill ran through their audience again, though it wasn’t quite as frosty as before.

“As leader of Morning Musume,” Ai announced, the formality causing some of the girls to straighten more in their seats and Sayumi’s eyelashes to still. “It’s my responsibility…” She couldn’t seem to find the right words. “It’s my duty… to inform you that Tsunku-san has decided to graduate…” All air seemed to leave the room suddenly, as the assembled members took a collective breath, “At the end of our fall tour, seventh generation member…” She didn’t even finish before squeals started emanating from those in front of her, “Kusumi Koharu-chan.”

The squealing lasted only a second before the room fell into silence again, as a girl who up until now had been quiet now drew the eyes of everyone around her. The girl herself just stared at her leader – soon to be former leader? – her mind drifting off into berryz fields, or perhaps to that special place that only she knew about.

“Koha…chan?” Sayumi asked, her usually pouty mouth hanging open, framing her glossy red lips. “My Koha…pinku?”

“I knew it,” Aika Mitsui, the youngest and first eighth generation member along with the two Chinese girls. “I’ve not had to go through a graduation yet… I knew it would be coming soon…” Her eyes began to water as JunJun reached a comforting arm around her shoulders.

“Why?” Reina said, her face shaped in one of her famous yankii scowls. “Why didn’t Tsunku tell us this himself? Is he not even man enough anymore to do that?!”

“The nine of us have been so tight for the past two and a half years,” Ai replied in a meek voice, “He felt it would be better if we told you. He thinks we’ve come to be a family here through everything that’s happened, and that he’s become less and less relevant, and so wanted to keep it a family matter.”

“…Even though he’s tearing that family apart?!” Reina growled back, and stood quickly. “If that’s all you have to tell us, I’m leaving,” she said firmly, and without waiting for a response, she gave a regretful look toward a still-braindead Koharu before stalking from the room.

“Reina!” Eri called, standing again herself. With a glance toward Ai and Risa, who stared back helpless, she ran after the upset Fukuokan.

Next, Sayu stood, but she gave a firmer, heated glance to their leaders. “What did you think everyone would do in response to that?” she asked in a voice dripping venom. Ai blinked. She didn’t think she’d ever seen the girl look at her in such an… unflattering way. At a quick glance toward a narrow-eyed Risa at her side though, she quickly closed her mouth again.

As for Sayu, she took Koharu’s hand, which she was able to lift and shake as if it was made of jello. “Come on Koha-chan. Wake up!” When the catatonic girl didn’t respond, she continued, “I’ll treat you to some ice cream~”

Apparently that finally got the girl’s attention, and she looked up, letting herself be raised to her feet. Before she left though, she looked toward Ai, who was now beginning to feel guilt gnawing its way from the pit of her stomach. Somehow, she knew this was all her fault.

“What will I do?” Koharu asked with a flighty, faint pitch before Sayu dragged her from the room. Ai traded a look with Risa, who was now looking not at all suspicious. JunJun and LinLin stirred to pick up a now sobbing Aika and lead her from the room, leaving the two of them alone.

“Well I think they took that well, don’t you?” Risa asked, apparently trying to lighten the mood with a joke.

Ai just stared at the empty chairs. That guilty feeling was there, and her mind was already in its rounds trying to discern how she could have handled that better, but there was another part of her that wanted to just follow the rest out and then discreetly make her way out of the building too and then back to her condo by herself.

Leader? Hah, that voice told her. What is that to you? It’s not going to make any difference. You’ll still sing. Now you just won’t have that annoying brat around. Her eyebrows scrunched, and she suddenly burst out into a short cough of laughter.

Becoming self-conscious again she turned to Risa, who was arching an eyebrow at her. “Ai-chan, honestly, I’ve known you for years now, but I still don’t get you sometimes.” And with that, she turned and strode from the room herself, leaving Ai now alone there. At her newfound situation, Ai walked slowly over to a chair and sat down, digging into her jacket pockets for the electronic device she always carried around. Firing up her PSP, she focused in on it, the concerns of the rest of the world becoming mute as she’d trained herself to do so well. Being left alone was something she was quite fine with.

…

After completely tiring themselves out with another high-tension performance of Resonant Blue, the girls ran off to the cheering before an encore shout of “Koha-ru! Koha-ru!” started. Even though they’d done this concert dozens of times before throughout the fall, they knew from here on out this time was going to be different.

As they ran back on stage, the “Koha-ru!” chants didn’t cease, and every single audience member waved their red glowsticks even though the girl they were calling for hadn’t yet come back out.

“Hai…” Ai said, taking the mic as the others looked on and she tried her best to avoid the constant gaze of her subleader. No matter what had happened the rest of the concert, this was something she was going to do herself.

“As we said at the beginning of the show, tonight we will graduate Koharu Kusumi from Morning Musume, and further from Hello! Project.” The crowd was almost getting frenetic in their show of support for the seventh gen member.

Ai looked toward her girls, meeting the eyes of each and realizing that Risa’s seemed to be the only ones not sparkling with tears. She smiled at Aika. How would their youngest member react to the first time she experienced someone leaving the group? Especially the one that was even her closest contemporary. In contrast, Ai thought she might have even lost track of how many graduations she’d been present for herself, although they never seemed to get easier.

Her smile continued as it followed down the line organized by seniority to Reina. She nearly completely lost it in the graduations she’d experienced before. Now that she was twenty and a full-fledged adult, would that maturity show through? Sayu and Eri also had wet eyes, though they were carefully controlled. Sayu even almost looked… resigned. Risa only stared strongly back at her. She smiled again. Despite everything that had happened, she thought she had at least one of them she could count on.

Chants for the graduate gained in strength again through the girls’ silence, but when Ai looked back to them, they quieted down to a dull roar. “All right! Here she is… Everyone call her! Koha~chan!” The other girls, as well as the audience, joined in for the call.

With respect to the character she’s shown throughout her time in Morning Musume, instead of striding gracefully onto the stage as previous graduates had, Koharu runs onto the stage yelling “HAI!!!” in a form-fitting top and a pleated skirt below it, but with plenty of lace draped around her slim body otherwise.

Once out, she turned to the crowd with her biggest smile on her face, causing the others to smile also even through their tears, and waited for the crowd to calm down, although they didn’t appear they would ever do so. Finally she just gave up, and apparently knowing her shrill voice could overwhelm any frenetic crowd, screamed into her microphone, “Mina-san… Arigato gozaimasu!!!” The crowd only screamed louder.

As with nearly every graduation prior to this, eventually all the girls lined up, and every member gave a farewell message to the departing youth. JunJun eventually fell into blubbering in Chinese which no one could understand, while LinLin mostly kept it together. Aika, despite her usual cheery disposition, nearly lost it when she walked up to who might have been her closest friend. The Rokkies definitely showed signs of maturity, with Reina seeming to almost have a conversation with both Koharu and the audience even, despite glistening eyes. Ai and Risa of course composed themselves the best they could as examples for the others.

After Koharu gave a message too, asking for the fans’ continued support again as well as continued support of Morning Musume, yet still not completely specifying what she’ll be doing from now on, the music for Aruiteru started up, and Koharu led the crying girls in a soulful rendition of the inspirational song. Afterward, they finished out their regular concert, and after running off the stage with their goodbyes following Love Machine, where Koharu even performed Kaori’s famous opening “line”, Koharu ran back on to calls for her and continued waving.

“Arigato!!!” she repeated over and over. And finally, taking center stage, “Minna… Daisuki!!!!” as she blew kisses out toward the audience.

In the wings, the other remaining eight members looked on, hugging and holding onto each other for support as they watched their comrade say her farewells to her fans. Something else was going through their minds at the same time as well, something that had only just hit most of them with the events of the night actually happening.

They’d grown quite comfortable with the consistency in Morning Musume for the past two and a half years since JunJun and LinLin completed their number at nine. Now it felt like their lives were getting turned upside-down. It’s not like that hadn’t happened to each one of them in some way already during that period, but it had never been so public. This was public. Many of them were starting to be afraid that from now on, anything could happen.

[Estrea]

Yay a change from usual type of stories!

What's with us going away from our plot heavy story-telling styles to focus on character relationships indepth at around the same time?

I rather like what's going on so far. You portrayed Ai-chan very well, I'm happy.

Leader? Hah, that voice told her. What is that to you? It’s not going to make any difference. You’ll still sing. Now you just won’t have that annoying brat around. Her eyebrows scrunched, and she suddenly burst out into a short cough of laughter.

This reminds me of the part on Music Fighter when Ai was announcing Koharu's graduation. As I recall, she also tripped over her seemingly nothing while talking (for once, she didn't slur her words) and interrupting herself with a short bark of laughter while in the middle of the message. It always struck me as discordant somehow, and this came across here as well. She sure is a strange one.

I wonder what's behind the scenes. Koharu's graduation certainly is the public face, but you were hinting in the last paragraph that there was more. I can't wait to see what else.

Ganbare~

[kuro808]

wow great story, that was quite a bunch to read 

i feel quite sentimental towards it, sort of that look forward and see what they might see through their eyes depite being less than a month away, I think all of them took it to heart that sometimes when you are the most strongest the bond breaks faster

Great rokun keep it up

[rndmnwierd]

Interesting. There's lot's I noticed and wanted to comment on.

The interaction between Ai and Risa. Something about it just doesn't seem right. It's like a little niggling in the back of your head, something that you feel you should be able to name and yet can't quite classify.

September 14, 2009

What a birthday present, huh Leader? I thought she handled the announcement quite well, but there's just no pleasing some people.

Interactions between Sayu and Ai and Reina and Ai also set off a few bells, also Leader's thoughts on the latter.

*Eri freak out*
“Unless… JunJun! You could be leader! You’re older… more experienced… calmer… if with perhaps an abnormal fixation on bananas…”

  So cute.

And finally, Ai herself. Your portrayal of her is very good, if a little detached in someplaces that contrast with her readings on the other members. Kind of 'outside looking in' type vibe, I got here. Is that how you think of her?

This was public. Many of them were starting to be afraid that from now on, anything could happen.

Shall we expect more?

[Sancho]

It's like I'm watching some live concert. Even though Koharu is kind of annoying, I or we are gonna miss her for sure. She got character and the group really needs one. Good work Rokun  . Is this a one shot story by the way? 

[rokun]

Hey, thanks for your comments so far guys. They're wonderful, and it seems I conveyed what I wanted to.

I didn't realize until a while after posting that since I kind of intentionally didn't write a note before the chapter like I usually do (partly cause I didn't want to reference my other fics lol >.>), and also I didn't really specify a "prologue" or "chapter 1" or anything, combined they might make people wonder if there was any more to come. Then again, if this was a one-shot I would have posted it in the appropriate forum (or Miss Moderator would have broken the whip out on me >.>) too. ^_^

In summary, this most definitely will continue! The first post was just the beginning. It just really isn't a "chapter 1", and didn't really have a Prologue feel to me either, though I suppose that's pretty much what it is. I should add that...

Anyway, keep reading, and keep commenting those who haven't yet (I see you lurkers out there)! Chapter 1 will be up (hopefully) soon. But... don't think you know what to expect after this prologue.

P.S. Hi Sancho! It's been a long time.

[rndmnwierd]

^OMG you changed your avvie! *dies from shock*

[rokun]

Had to in honor of Wonky Day

[LiLith]

It's a fic about Koha??  Love:X
It's such an awesome fic! I love Koha a lot so I always feel sad when thinking about her graduation. But when I read this fic I feel a little bit better. Excellent job! Please continue it 

[Kuji]

Now I get why you said what you did about this fic on MSN. I felt myself get a little emotional while reading this too. When I got to the end of this, I was actually wondering why this wasn't posted in the one-shot thread. Then I read that there's more. Yay, Rokun's going to mess with our emotions some more.

The last line of this is SO TRUE. I don't even want to think about some of the possibilities. In fact, I purposefully shy away from scary 'what do they have in store for Morning Musume' thoughts. :< Ergh, curse them for catching me off guard with Koharu. Come to think of it, your fic kind of caught me off guard too but in a more pleasant way.

[Swtme03]

Wow~! This was crazy good! 
It almost like I want it to happen this way 

[rokun]

Alright, thanks again for your comments on a new fic! I'm not sure exactly how this is gonna go where it's gonna end up, but hopefully it'll be entertaining enough lol. Thanks to my old readers, as well as to those I haven't seen before, or at least for a long time. Kurosawa, Sancho, Lilith, Swtme... Oh, and rndm, please keep up your wonderful, thoughtful ideas. ^__^ I know I'm not the only one inspired by what you have to say. Now, for chapter one we have... *spins roulette* Sayu! Hoping to give you a little peek into the mind of most everyone though so keep reading!


Chapter 1

“You really do miss her, don’t you?”

I heard the voice coming from across the room, but it was just noise at first while I continued staring out the window, a window which had the attribute of perhaps the best view from here of the DoCoMo building through the small forest of skyscrapers in between.

“Sayu?” the other said again, and a hand waved in front of my face, breaking my concentration after I’d just started trying once again to count the windows below the first terrace and support beams. “You better wake up. We have to be off to that meeting soon.”

I grabbed at the slim wrist in front of my face and caught the eyes of the girl it belonged to for just a moment before releasing her awkwardly. Reina just rubbed her wrist slowly while watching me carefully.

“Don’t you miss her?” I asked the girl, trying to compose my cuteness once again, and took a sip from the bottle of organic green tea I was still holding.

“I guess,” Reina replied. “She’d been kind of hard to live with lately though, don’t you think? More unpredictable.”

I smiled at that, thinking again of my first kouhai. “Nah,” I replied. “That’s just her.”

“Whatever you say…” Reina replied, still watching me closely. “I didn’t realize you two were that close.”

That took me off-guard a bit and I blinked up at her. “We weren’t,” I replied dumbly before looking down. “For a long time, at least. Lately, since she’s been around more, we started spending more time together again.” I smiled, remembering some of the times we’d gone out and the shoots that we did. “If anything, it’s my schedule that’s made it harder for me to do fun things. It was like I’d reunited with my little sister, at least until…” I felt my smile fade. “And now she’s graduated…”

“It’ll be okay, Sayu,” Reina said, and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and smiled reassuringly at my long-time friend, but then gazing into those eyes I got self-conscious and looked down again. Reina removed her hand a bit awkwardly as well, but without thinking I reached up to grab it in both of mine and look up into those wonky eyes.

“You’re not going anywhere, are you Rei-Rei?” It’d been a good while since I’d called her that, and the girl blushed lightly in surprise.

“Of course not,” Reina responded. “You know me – I’ll be around here until I can catch one of those hot Johnny’s boys.” She winked, and I giggled despite myself as well.

“I’d like to see that,” I teased her, knowing better, and poked her playfully on the arm. “Hey Rei-Rei, will you be my partner in cuteness from now on? You of all people must be used to the role of second-cutest. Of course, you’ll have to start wearing more pink…”

“More pink?” Reina asked, frowning, then leaned down to my face to bring us almost nose-to-nose. I felt myself flush deeply at that, and tried to suppress a little voice that tried to call out inside. “I’ll have to think about it,” she grinned. “Now come on, we’ll be late for the meeting!”

The meeting was a get-together of those of us remaining in Morning Musume, as well as our managers and any staff who worked with us often, to apparently gauge our reactions to the night before. If anything, the others were generally quiet, and I tried to do my best to not betray any of my own private feelings about it. I’d definitely miss my friend and little sister, but in a way it also made things… simpler.

I exchanged a glance with Reina, who sat to one side of me while Eririn was on the other. The yankii just flashed me a supportive, toothy smile, but then I got distracted when I felt something on my other shoulder, and turned to find Eririn had rested her head on it. My best friend usually didn’t really wake up until around lunchtime unless she’d had some coffee, and I figured after the late night we all just had she hadn’t had the chance to stop and get some on the way in.

“Wake me up when Ai-chan is being less boring…” she mumbled next to my ear, hugging my arm, though I noticed she still kept a lazy eye half-open on their subleader as she stood next to Ai-chan. I really should push her more to confess her feelings to Gaki-san, but for some reason she was always just too scared to say anything.

Ai-chan disrupted my thinking though – which was really very easy to do – when she continued, “So if anyone has any suggestions for the new 8nin Morning Musume, yoroshiku onegaishimasu!” She finished with a stiff bow, but that was disrupted when Gaki-san bumped her with a shoulder. Ai gave her a surprised frown, but thankfully they didn’t get to continue their angsty exchange as Aika popped up to apparently answer Leader’s request.

“I know!” Aika said as she jumped out of her chair. “We should try sub-groups again! I know we’re small now… but it evenly splits into two groups of four, which is a great number for a small group! One group could be Ai-chan, Gaki-san, JunJun and LinLin, and they could be like… Kokusai-gumi, where they sing songs in like Chinese and Korean and English all the time! And the rest of us… we could be—”

“Rokkies plus one-gumi?” Reina said, snickering. “You know you just want to feel like you belong somewhere, and you think your best chance is with us… ne Sayu?”

“Huh?” I asked, having zoned out, probably because of Eririn’s warmth on my shoulder. Before answering Reina, I glanced down to Eririn to see her completely dozed off, and with even a little trickle of drool seeping out… and almost onto my shoulder!

“Ewww!” I screamed, pushing her off me, which caused her to fall into the next chair that was currently unoccupied by Aika. Without finding anything to break her fall in her waking state, the girl grabbed out at anything she could… which in this case happened to be Aika’s waist, causing the younger girl to fall heavily into JunJun’s lap and LinLin to jump up and cry out in surprise.

While I brushed vigorously at my shoulder to make sure the girl hadn’t drooled on my favorite puffy blouse, I paid no attention to the commotion I’d caused until I looked up and saw Eri on the floor with two chairs fallen atop her, Aika held awkwardly in JunJun’s lap, and LinLin now doing her best to help both of them up.

“Well…” Reina cracked from my other side. “That’s a way for her to feel closer to others I suppose…” The girl obviously was trying her best not to break out into laughter.

I glanced up at our noble leaders to see Ai stricken with open mouth and a look of horror, while Gaki-san’s eyebrows were turned down in the beginnings of a very upset frown. I knew what was coming, and so I slipped out of my chair quickly to help a groggy turtle to her feet and support her as we walked out of the room.

“Hey!” Gaki-san said. “We’re not finished with the meeting yet! Go back to your seats!”

“Eririn needs come coffee,” I said matter-of-factly. “Plus she may be injured in who knows how many places, and needs care and an immediate inspection.”

“But you’re the cause!” the girl cut in.

Ignoring her, I continued, “We can continue this later. Unless someone else is going to graduate before the end of the day.”

Uh oh… I thought, almost tripping as I passed through the doorway. I didn’t intend to say that, and especially to make it sound so… spiteful. So much for keeping my cool. It did seem to have the intended effect of shutting the girl up though. Maybe it was just cause Eririn liked her and yet from what she said the other girl showed no interest at all, but she was getting to be pretty gosh-darned annoying lately!

I peeked back over my shoulder before going out of sight, but all I saw was a sauntering Reina reach Ai and pat her on the shoulder. “Well I’d say that was a successful meeting, Leader…”

…

A bit later I was lounging on the couch of my dressing room, reading a fashion magazine and glancing over from time to time to make sure Eririn kept holding the ice against the side of her head as she lay back against the arm, her legs stretched across my lap and supporting my magazine. She had to be watched closely when it came to these kinds of things.

“You’re mean…” she said for the hundredth time since we left the meeting.

“Yes, yes,” I replied bemusedly, turning a page in my magazine. “Just keep the ice on your head, and let me know if it melts too much.”

She grumbled something inaudible in reply, perhaps in her Erien tongue, but then she jumped, her feet almost kicking the magazine out of my hand, as It’s You began playing from my purse.

“Eri!” I scolded, tossing the magazine aside and forcing her legs back down. “It’s just my cell phone…

“Sorry,” the girl replied. “I thought it was…” But I didn’t hear what she thought as her voice fell into that low muttering again.

I didn’t pay her too much mind though as I reached in to dig for my cell phone. I love my sweet idiot, but at times like these it was best just to ignore her and let her just talk out those silly notions that got into her head. Upon finding my phone, I hurriedly pulled it out by its bunny straps and flipped it open.

“Moshi-Sayumi!” I said as I answered it. “Ah! Koharu-chan! Yes, yes, I’m all right. Just taking care of Eririn since she fell and hit her head again.”

“She threw me across the room and nearly killed me!” Eri cried out in despair as if the girl on the other end of the phone could miraculously appear and save her from her pink, fuzzy fate.

“Don’t pay attention to her,” I said into the phone, poking at Eri’s leg. “She’s delirious. You know how she gets…”

“Am not…” Eri whined, but quieted down, and I patted her knee approvingly.

“That’s right, nothing different here,” I continued. “We had a meeting this morning that erupted in chaos, and I thought Ai-chan was even going to pass out at the end, but you know, things are hard.”

“I’m so sorry…” said the newly-graduated girl on the other end of the line. “You know if I could, I’d still be there with you guys… I miss you so much!”

“Yes, I know. I miss you too! But anyway… how are you?! Enjoying the first of your days off?”

“Of course I’m not! It sucks. I’m bored already…”

“You’re looking for a job, aren’t you? Weren’t you going into TV Tokyo?”

“But it’s hard! I mean, I don’t know what to say to these people. I don’t know if I’m good at anything.”

“You’re good at a lot of things! Just show them your bubbly but not-as-cute-as-me personality, and they’ll hire you in no time. Plus, you always have Tsunku to talk to.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know how much I can rely on him. I mean, he didn’t even say anything to me when he graduated me. Just that I should try out whatever I’d like to do. But that’s the problem… I don’t know what I like to do! I’ve done Morning Musume so long, I don’t know what else there is to me….”

“Oh come on,” I scolded, “There’s much more to you. Look at me. There’s my cuteness!”

“The angel that hides the devil…” Eri murmured, and I glanced over to see her eyes closed as she held the ice bag to her head. I wondered if the girl might actually have fallen asleep.

“Yes, but that’s you!” Koharu replied, and I heard some sniffing from her end too. Was the girl crying?

“Are you crying?”

“N-no…” the girl said, but now it was obviously through some tears. “I just… I don’t know what to do…”

“Just… just hang in there…” I replied, though now I’m not sure I really knew what to say. What do you say in a situation like this? Suddenly torn away from all your friends… shoved into the harsh world alone… and at such a young age too. I wiped the back of my hand against my eyes, and Eri took the chance to pull her legs out of my lap and sit up. I can’t ruin my mascara…

“I can still call you, right? Send me mails every day!”

“I will… You just take care of yourself, okay?”

“O-okay… bai bai…”

When I slowly flipped my phone shut, I saw that Eri was looking worriedly over at me. “That was Koha?” she asked. I nodded my head. Then she wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Come here…”

I didn’t want to at first, but soon I was sagging into her shoulder, hugging her tightly while still trying to keep myself from ruining my mascara, even though I knew it’d likely be ruined by dance rehearsal this afternoon anyway.

“She sounded so lonely, Eririn…”

As we held each other, I knew we were thinking the same thing. We felt so bad for how Koharu was feeling, but at the same time, we knew it could just as easily have been one of us. As for me… I don’t know what I’d do without those I love, no matter what we’ve been through over the years.

“Eririn…” I said, looking up into her face. “Let’s never change this… how we are. I want things always to remain the same. Change is… too painful…”

She hugged me tighter, but somehow I couldn’t stop myself from still feeling scared. Change has already happened. It’s just us left. I hated thinking of it, but somehow my pink beating heart knew that more would come soon.

[kuro808]

Eri seems to be jealous of Sayu/Koha or she is in love with sayu and can't help that she cares for Koha, well that was pretty good keep it up

I hope i get it right 

[ShikyoxYaiba]

Eeeeee~ Lovin' it~ Sorry I didn't review the first time, I haven't had much time on my hands lately. Mm, so Eri like Gaki-san? Wonder how that'll turn out...

Koharu-chan~ ;_;

[rndmnwierd]

Guess everyone is still mad at Ai? Just a little. The way Sayu talks, you'd make it seem like she dodged a bullet by chance. Like, Tsunku just threw a dart at their pictures to choose who would graduate.

[LiLith]

It seems to be a SayuEri fic?  I'm a fan of KohaSayu But it's OK, I love SayuEri pair, too
Poor Koharu... I feel so bad for her... She's so lonely...

[kRisZ]

Sayumi, the third sixth gen seated next to Reina, even started batting her eyes at their leader again

Cute 

“Wake me up when Ai-chan is being less boring…”

Damn 

One group could be Ai-chan, Gaki-san, JunJun and LinLin, and they could be like… Kokusai-gumi, where they sing songs in like Chinese and Korean and English all the time!

Great idea 

And the rest of us… we could be—”

“Rokkies plus one-gumi?” Reina said, snickering.

Brilliant 

I paid no attention to the commotion I’d caused until I looked up and saw Eri on the floor with two chairs fallen atop her

    

Ignoring her, I continued, “We can continue this later. Unless someone else is going to graduate before the end of the day.”

The venom’s unleashed 

“Well I’d say that was a successful meeting, Leader…”

Strike two 

but then she jumped, her feet almost kicking the magazine out of my hand, as It’s You began playing from my purse.

lol

Just taking care of Eririn since she fell and hit her head again.”

Ebil Bunneey 

“The angel that hides the devil…” Eri murmured

Good one 

[Estrea]

I find it interesting how unresolved tensions are basically all over the bloody place here in between the girls. Sayu and Reina in particular...did they go further than just flirting before? Because it sure looks like they have "history"...if you know what I mean. Reina also seems like a hidden seme right there...fun.

Not feeling the KameShige though. I get the feeling that they're good friends, but yeah, that's it. They're close, but not in that way. No electricity unlike the Sayu/Reina interaction.

I like your Sayu here. Her self-centered nature is there, but she's not completely self-absorbed, and she alternates between caring and just...not caring about others. Devil Sayu trigger? I'd believe it.

Oh and Ai is a total pushover. I love the girl, but she doesn't flex her authority when she can. She probably doesn't know how...well, that's what Gaki's for, I guess. Not that it worked this time though...

I feel sorry for Koharu. She's all tossed out into the harsh entertainment world and she's lost. Poor girl. :/

Definitely looking forward to seeing how you develop their relationships. I can't wait to see how many more skeletons are out there underneath the facades.

Ganbare~

[adventwriter]

I've been away for far too long....awesome new story - I just read both chapters. Interesting premise - definitely can't wait to see how events unfold.

[lil_hamz]

Gah, I'm late *whacks self with hammer*

Poor Eririn Got bullied by 2 chairs and one evil bunny

I can't quite tell the relationship between RenAi? But there seems to be something boiling beneath with the TakaGaki.

Finally, poor Koharu All alone in the big bad world. What was that song about a big big girl in a big big world?