A/N: Only the second update in an hour and we're going from one Ultimate Hope to another. Also, sorry if this is super long. (I'm terribly sorry I've taken several months updating! I promise, I will try to update more regularly from now on. Geez, I feel like a dickwad.)

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You sighed in frustration as you saw your best friend being all lovey with his girlfriend.

Makoto Naegi and you had been total strangers before high school. You were straight out of the heart of Tokyo, and he'd been off in his hometown. But that was before you'd both gotten cherry-picked as Ultimate students.

But as soon as you'd met, you'd instantly clicked and he became your best friend. You were really close, but then he began to notice another girl in your class, Sayaka Maizono. The two began dating halfway through the first semester, and you were nearly at your boiling point.

Sure, you were jealous, but that wasn't the point!

One day, you'd caught her kissing the Ultimate Baseball Star, Leon, and you had half a mind to tell Naegi what you'd seen. You were just minding your own business, coming to get Leon to tell him that Hagakure needed him for the project in homeroom, when you saw Sayaka kiss him.

As Sayaka walked away, Naegi was left alone.

"Now's my chance...!" You walked over and sat down next to him. "Sup, Makoto?"

"It's all good, (y/n)." He smiled at you. "Sayaka sure is great, isn't she?"

Here goes. You took a deep breath. "Actually, Naegi, there's something I need to tell you."

"Oh? What is it?" He caught on to your serious vibe and sat up straighter, turning towards you.

"The other day, I caught Sayaka kissing Leon in the baseball diamond." You explained the situation, and with each word, his face fell even more.

"Are you...are you serious?" he asked dejectedly. You nodded sadly and patted his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Makoto. But that's what I saw." You hated to see the despair in his eyes. "I really hate to break it to you, being your best friend and all...but I can't lie about this. Hagakure can back me up, if you don't believe me."

"No, no, I believe you...I just..." He sighed deeply. "I can't believe Sayaka would do this."

"It's the truth, Makoto." You stood up, brushing off your clothing. "Will you be okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I think I'll be okay." He gave you a small smile, one that didn't reach his eyes.

You hated seeing him so upset, but if it would help him see Sayaka's true nature, you were glad to do it.

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"(y/n), can we talk?" Naegi walked up to your lunch table with a serious look on his face. "It's important."

"Uh, sure! Sorry, guys. I'll be right back." You gave a small shrug and an apologetic smile to Ibuki and Sonia.

"No prob, (y/n)!" Ibuki gave you a grin and a thumbs-up, while Sonia politely smiled.

"It's perfectly fine, (y/n)." She said. "If it's urgent."

"Cool." You stood and followed him to a spot near the stairway. "So, what's-"

"Don't start." He interrupted you. You blinked in confusion.

"Why would you ever find it acceptable to lie to me?" He asked, voice deadly serious. "Especially about my girlfriend?"

"What are you talking about?" You protested. "I told the truth!"

"Oh yeah, like Sayaka would ever kiss another guy!" His voice rose until he was almost yelling. "I trusted you, (y/n). Sayaka was always crying when I confronted her. She asked me why anyone would ever accuse her of cheating on me. Sayaka loves me!"

"I saw her kiss Leon Kuwata in the dormitories! In the baseball diamond! In the gym!" You yelled at him. "Hagakure knows, I know, hell, I know that deep down, even you know!"

"Don't try to ruin my relationship because you're jealous!"

"I'm not jealous, Makoto. I'm telling you what I saw!" You threw your hands up in the air. "This has been going on for weeks now! How do you keep trusting her?"

"Probably because I never loved you!" His shout echoed around the stairwell, and it left you feeling like you'd just been sucker-punched in the gut. "I love her! And if you think that after this we'll still be best friends, you can forget it!"

There were a few moments of silence so his words could sink in. You felt tears begin to fog your vision, and you turned away.

"Fine then, Makoto." Your voice shook as you tried to speak clearly. "Fine. I quit. But the next time you find your precious girlfriend cheating on you, don't come crying to me."

You ran away from him, not even bothering to go back to the cafeteria. You ignored Ishimaru's shouts to stop running in the hallway and went right up to the roof.

You didn't even feel up to jumping. You just sat there and sobbed, even after the bell signified that lunch was over.

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The past few weeks had been miserable.

You didn't even bother going to class anymore. The days the teacher came and asked you to come, you just went through your day without talking to anyone. You mostly spent your time sharpening your talent, skipping most meals so you could push yourself to the limits.

The thing had gone from just being what you excelled at to a dangerous hobby, for you often trained so hard you'd pass out from exhaustion. Many times, one of your friends would come to check on you and end up having to carry you to the infirmary.

Each time, your friends would come and visit you, tell you all about what mischief had gone on in the classroom that day, and however much Ishimaru had yelled about something 'not being welcome in a school environment'. You hated to admit, but you were actually beginning to miss going to class; sadly, you didn't think you could kick this habit.

And every time you thought of going on your own accord, Naegi's angry face would pop up in your mind and you would decide to stay in either your room or the best place to practice your talent.

You heard your doorbell ring, and that's when your body decided to protest yet again. You slumped to the floor, head knocking against the tile, blacking out immediately, the pain not registering as you went to sleep.

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Naegi was having a terrible day.

Sayaka's stinging words and the searing pain of the slap played again and again, like a broken record, in his brain. He had surely failed an exam, and Ishimaru had given him after-school detention for some violation of the rules.

"What's gotten into me lately...?" he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

Your words suddenly entered his mind, making him pause.

"Fine. I quit. But the next time you find your precious girlfriend cheating on you, don't come crying to me."

"(y/n)..." He sighed. Oh, how he missed you. He missed your laugh, your smile, the way your eyes seemed to light up whenever someone mentioned an anime you were into...

...and at the same time, he didn't.

The feeling of resentment was still there, even after Sayaka yelled at him that afternoon, even after she dumped him for Leon, even after...

...Even after everything else, he still felt that burning.

He could try to reason with himself. She was in no position to yell at me, right?

But I yelled at her first...

Well, she shouldn't have thrown away our best-friendship over Sayaka!

...But I ended it first.

He soon found his feet moving automatically, moving him towards your room. He stopped at your door, hesitated, rang the 'doorbell'.

He swore he heard a muffled 'thump' come from your room, but he wasn't quite sure.

"(y/n)? It's Naegi." He called. There was complete silence behind the door. "Look, I know you're still mad at me, but...I came to say I'm sorry!"

There was no sign he'd been heard.

With a sigh, he grasped the doorknob. "Okay, (y/n), if you're not coming out, I'm coming in."

He opened the door, a sudden uneasy feeling coming over his body.

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You groaned, a slight pain in the back of your skull lulling you from a hazy sleep.

"Ah, y-you're awake!" The Ultimate Nurse, Mikan, gasped and rushed over to you, her breasts in your face as she leaned in. "H-How are you feeling, (y/n)-chan?"

"What happened...?" You asked, your voice a bit scratchy.

"You were brought in because you passed out again." She looked at a chart and sighed. "(y/n)-chan, that's the tenth time this month! You shouldn't work yourself so hard!"

"Who brought me in this time?" You sighed quietly, making yourself more comfortable in the sterile bed. The bright white colors hurt your head, so you closed your eyes.

"Naegi-kun brought you in. H-He was really panicked!" Mikan replied quietly, making your eyes fly open. "He's been waiting to see you for hours now."

"Naegi brought me here?" You questioned.

She squeaked and flinched away. "Y-yes, he did...!"

You pondered this, giving a tense chuckle. "Ah...it's ironic."

"W-W-What?"

"Nothing, nothing." You waved it off, trying to sit up. You groaned again as the headache that previously lay dormant now made itself known, pain screaming in your head.

"No, no, no! Don't sit up! You have a slight head injury from blacking out." She gently pushed you back down, replacing the cool cloth that was on your forehead. "Lay down. I'll bring Naegi in."

She looked over you once more before turning and disappearing out the doorway, leaving you alone to ponder your thoughts.

Seeing Naegi again...how did you feel? A swirl of emotions went about in your heart. Anger, sadness...and relief?

If he was coming to see you, then wouldn't that mean Sayaka broke up with him? As much as you hated to admit, you were overjoyed at that prospect.

"The lying, two-faced...! She was never good enough for Naegi." You firmly decided. "She always acted so sweet, but I knew there was something off about her."

You had barely looked up when the door opened and you had that familiar cologne-smelling cloth in your face; You felt whatever it was that glomped you shaking.

You sat there, stunned for a moment, before hesitantly putting your hands on the person's back.

"(y/n)." Naegi's shuddering voice reached your ears, and you sighed. "Please. Don't do that again. I was so scared you'd...!"

"Calm down, Naegi. You can't get rid of me that easily." You scoffed. "I thought you had a little more faith in me."

There was a sense of bitterness to your tone, and he must've heard it too, for he let go and stared worriedly into your eyes.

"(y/n), I am so, so sorry." He said quietly. "The way I acted...I should never have yelled at you like that."

"Damn right, you shouldn't have." You commented snidely.

"Please, I'm trying to apologize to you here!" He looked exasperated at your remarks. "Will you at least consider being my friend again?"

You looked at him carefully. "While you did push me to exercise my talent so much that I nearly died because of it, and while you did technically throw our friendship down the crapper because of a girl..."

He looked so hopeful that you wanted to laugh in his face. Instead, you heaved a heavy sigh. "...I guess I'm kind of willing to give this friendship thing another try."

"Oh, thank you, (y/n)!" He nearly cried, hugging you again. "I promise, what happened will never happen again between us!"

"It better not." You remarked in a dangerous tone. "Because if it ever does, I don't care how sorry you'll be, I'll never give you another chance for as long as you live."

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A/N: Once again, I'm so sorry about the delay. I will definitely be updating today, so you have somethings to tide you over for a while!

ALSO! I need opinions. Should I enter this book for the Watty's? Please tell me asap! I'll be looking over any responses next Friday, so that gives you guys time. Stay awesome!