I know I put this in the description, but, just in case, this story does contain self-harm. So, yeah. You've been warned. Again.

Ritsu jumped out of the taxi and raced across the street to the airport. Bursting through the doors, the girl looked around frantically, searching for her friend. "C'mon, c'mon. Where are you?" she mumbled to herself.

The girl ran, scanning the crowd, until she saw her. Her long black hair cascaded down to her hips and she carried her precious bass guitar on her back. Next to her walked three girls whose names Ritsu didn't know. They all chatted and laughed together, unaware of Ritsu's presence.

All four girls rolled large suitcases behind them.

A whirlwind of emotion built up inside Ritsu at the sight of them. Taking a deep breath, she shouted, "MIOOOO!"

"Are you sure, Ritsu?"

"Of course! Now, c'mon, it'll be fun!"

Mio stood in the doorway of her home as Ritsu tried to coax her outside. It was the first day of elementary school, and Ritsu couldn't wait to get started. Mio, on the other hand, was hesitant.

"But what if we're not in the same class? What if I don't know anyone? What if…"

Mio started to tear up. Until her friend put an arm around her shoulder.

"Don't worry," reassured Ritsu. "We'll be together. We'll always be together." Proudly raising a fist in the air, Ritsu proclaimed, "Not even the universe could tear us apart!"

Mio looked up to her energetic friend. "You promise? We'll always be together?"

Ritsu smiled at Mio. "I promise."

Mio stared at Ritsu, then, wiping away tears, smiled and said, "Then I promise, too. We'll be best friends forever."

Mio stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Mio!" Ritsu called again. "You can't go! You promised!"

Mio remained still. Her friends, or rather, her new bandmates, who had walked a little farther before noticing Mio had stopped, turned to face her. They said something to Mio that Ritsu couldn't hear, and Mio simply shook her head.

Those girls. Ritsu couldn't stand those girls. They were the ones who took Mio away from HTT, away from her. But they weren't important right now. All that mattered was Mio.

"You can't!" pleaded Ritsu. "You promised we'd always be together! Remember!?"

Mio looked over her shoulder, opened her mouth, then shut it again. Her eyes were misty, but she didn't shed a tear. Then, slowly, she turned and started to walk away.

Ritsu fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "Mio, please! Don't go! What about Houkago Tea Time? What about Azusa and Mugi? What about Yui? What about me!?"

Mio continued her slow march through the airport, following slightly behind her bandmates.

"Mio, you promised! You promised me! Please don't leave me!"

Mio's pace slowed once more, and a glimmer of hope arose in Ritsu's heart. "Mio, please! I need you! I need you here, with me! Please…stay…"

Mio stopped. Her back was towards Ritsu, but it was obvious she was crying. Ritsu prayed her plea got through, that she would be getting her friend back.

But soon, Mio gave her reply. It was quiet, hard to make out in the busy airport, but to Ritsu, it was clear as day.

"I'm sorry."

Mio raced forward to catch up with her new band, leaving Ritsu alone and abandoned, unable to do anything but watch her best friend walk away.

The crowd cheered as Mio walked off stage, filling her with a strange mix of feelings. Though it hurt her deeply to leave her friends, she did what she had to do to further her musical career. HTT was fun, but it was never as serious as Mio hoped it would one day be. So, during her time in college, she went in search of a new band.

And she found one.

They gained a large following quickly, becoming well-known throughout Japan. Soon, they gained an international audience and the band was given an opportunity to move to America, which they quickly accepted. The offer tore at Mio's heart, knowing she'd be leaving her friends, leaving Ritsu, but it had to be done.

The memory of Ritsu plea at the airport, however, was still burned freshly into her memory, and it pained her to think about it.

Suddenly, she felt her phone vibrate. Pulling it out of her pocket, she saw two messages from Ritsu. Mio paused for a moment, unsure of what was to come. She opened her phone…

And was immediately brought to her knees.

The messages that had appeared on her phone could only mean the worst possible thing: she had destroyed the one person she cared about the most. Mio had thought they could handle it, that their friendship might survive, even if they were apart. But it seemed that, while Mio had barely succeeded in mustering the strength to move forward, Ritsu had not.

A few stray teardrops fell to the floor as Mio's world turned dark. Her chest tightened, she couldn't breathe, and it felt as if her very soul was torn to pieces.

Life, it seemed, had suddenly lost all meaning.

The first message was an image. A hand with a slit wrist holding a bloodied knife. Blood flowed endlessly out of the gaping wound, yet, somehow, Mio couldn't look away. She couldn't move her eyes from the tragedy she had caused.

But it was the second message that caused Mio to scream.

Out of terror. Out of sadness. Out of guilt.

She apologized. She begged for forgiveness. She cried that it wasn't worth it, that she'd take it all back.

And she burst into tears.

The second message was a single word.

"LIAR"