A/N: Hello :D

I got this idea recently when I was in one of my school lectures. I was learning about Plate Tectonics and about Volcanoes - how they're formed and the effects of it and for one of our assignments, I had to research on Mt. Vesuvius. I found out that in 79 AD, the volcanic eruption was so devastating that the whole town/city of Pompeii and Herculaneum was destroyed and buried. And hence, the birth of my idea for this fanfic.

I had another story plot in mind for UmiXKotori but this idea was constantly bugging my mind so i just had to write it down. I have no idea how well this would go so bear with me :)

If there's any grammatical errors and whatnot, I sincerely apologise.

Also, I don't own Love Live! so yea :)

Prologue – Italy, Pompeii, 79 AD

"Hey, Honoka. Don't you wish this moment would never end?" a blue-haired girl said softly as she leaned against the shoulder of a ginger-haired boy.

"Me too. I'd love to spend this moment forever with you," Honoka smiled as he leaned in and kissed the girl's cheeks.

The girl blushed cutely and squeezed his hand tightly.

The both of them were contented for now.

Spending time like this was all they ever wanted. They could also temporary forget about family obligations and the conflict between the two powerful families in the town.

As the couple sat side by side on the meadow fields, they watched the sun set. The sky had started to darken slightly, the pink and orange streaks in the sky disappearing slowly to the other side of the Earth.

"I love you, Honoka," the girl smiled lovingly as she snuggled against the ginger-haired boy.

"I love you too, Umi-chan," the boy smiled back warmly.

1 – Present day, Modern Japan.

She was running.

Honoka.

The thought of him kept her running.

Please let him be safe, she thought fervently as she pushed through the throngs of people. It was a miracle that a girl like her was able to shove through the mass of people who were also pushing and shoving around, running for their lives.

Suddenly, the whole earth shook violently. Losing her balance, she stumbled and fell onto the ground clumsily. The buildings surrounding her began fall apart due to the sheer force of the shaking of the ground.

A loud rumble could be heard from a distance and she gritted her teeth, scrambling up from the unstable ground.

I have to find Honoka.

She was deathly worried about him. She had no idea where he was but if she has to guess, there's a possibility that he might be at the field near the King's Castle.

Taking a deep breath, she continued running. Unfortunately, another loud rumbling echoed throughout the town and the buildings beside her started to crumble mercilessly. Before she could even react, a shadow loomed over her.

She looked up and her eyes widened, just in time to see a huge piece of debris falling straight for her.

Sonoda Umi woke up gasping for breath, her heartbeat racing quickly as she tried to calm herself down.

"It was just a dream...just a dream..." She tried to console herself as she shivered slightly.

"I wonder how many times I've had this dream already..." The bluenette muttered to herself.

Ever since she'd formed μ's with her two childhood friends, Kousaka Honoka and Minami Kotori, Umi had constantly had this dream every night. The first few weeks, she'd woken up screaming, covered in sweat.

It was getting less and less scary now but it still unsettled her whenever the dreams came back. She had no idea why she kept having this same dream. Neither did she know why she referred her childhood friend, Honoka as a "he".

The bluenete sighed as she rubbed her palm against her throbbing forehead. Looking at the time, she realized it was only 5am in the morning.

It was still too early for usual morning practice near the shrine where her senior, Tojo Nozomi helped out at. She sighed again. It's not like I could go back to sleep now.

She decided to take a quick shower first before slowly making her way to the usual shrine where they practiced their dance moves and go about their daily run up and down the stairs.

By the time she reached the shrine, she could already spot Nozomi gracefully sweeping the fallen leaves outside the shrine into a pile.

"Good Morning, Nozomi!" Umi greeted the purple-haired girl tiredly.

"'Mornin'! ...Wait…Umi-chan?" Nozomi looked at the bluenete in surprise. "Why are you here so early?"

Umi grimaced, preferring not to say anything. Nozomi, taking the hint, smiled and said, "Anyway, I don't think the rest of the girls would come here so early, given that it's only 6am in the morning."

"It's okay," Umi said, "I'll just sit here for a while."

Umi proceeded to the steps of the stairs leading up to the shrine and leaned against the railing. Unconsciously, she started to doze off.

Seeing the tired look on the bluenete's face, Nozomi couldn't help but worry about her second year junior. She wondered what happened but didn't had the heart to ask after seeing the grim and defeated look on her friend's face just now.

Nonetheless, Umi had fallen asleep and that made the purple head wonder if the younger girl had trouble sleeping.

An hour later, Nozomi had finally finished her duty and was putting her broom away when two members of μ's arrived together. They were about to call out to Nozomi but Nozomi immediately put her index finger on her lips and shushed them, pointing at the still sleeping Umi.

Honoka immediately covered her mouth, nodding slightly while Kotori just smiled at the sleeping girl.

Both girls walked towards Umi quietly.

She's so cute. Kotori thought as she quietly observed her childhood friend who didn't seem to be waking anytime soon. She looks so beautiful too…If only I could press my lips onto hers… Kotori's thoughts trailed off and she immediately blushed.

Seeing her friend's face reddened, Honoka asked, "What's wrong, Kotori-chan?"

"N-Nothing." Kotori denied quickly, inwardly cursing herself. Ugh. I shouldn't be thinking such stuff. I can't let anyone find out that I have such feelings for my best friend, especially so since she's a girl.

Shaking her head mentally, Kotori turned to look at the ginger-haired girl who was also quietly observing Umi. She'd never seen such a tender and soft look on Honoka's face before. Her eyes seemed to soften a little when Umi mumbled something inaudible in her sleep. The look that Honoka was giving Umi was caring and compassionate that it was almost loving.

It was then a realisation dawned upon her. That realisation made her heart lurch and a dull ache had settled in her chest.

Honoka was in love with Umi too.

Wohoo. There goes the first chapter :) (even though it's pretty short)

I was debating between Herculaneum and Pompeii but chose Pompeii in the end since the name is shorter and it is more prominent...I think.

Anyways, if there's anyone reading this, look forward to the next chapter!