Sana was seven when she declared to herself Hirai Momo was her mortal enemy.

 

It started when Momo stole her pink crayon.

 

"Momo-chan, give me back my pink crayon!" Sana cried and reached out to try and grab said crayon from Momo's hand.

 

"No! I need it to finish coloring in my picture! Pink is the only color for Barbie!" Momo whined and pushed Sana away by the face.

 

"You didn't ask! Give it back!"

 

"No!" Sana retaliated by biting Momo's hand. Momo retracted her hand instantly, tears beginning to come out from her eyes. "OW! SENSEI! SANA-CHAN BIT ME REALLY HARD AND IT HURTS!"

 

"ONLY BECAUSE YOU WON'T GIVE ME BACK MY CRAYON!" Sana protested while also starting to cry.

 

In a matter of seconds, they were wrestling and pulling at each other's hair, rolling around on the classroom's carpeted floor while their classmates silently watched the scene unfold. Their sensei hurriedly stood up from her desk and separated the two, having a firm grip on both girls by their arms.

 

"Momo-chan! Sana-chan! This is no way to behave in the classroom!" their sensei scolded.

 

"But--" Sana tried to speak up but she was swiftly silenced.

 

"I do not want to hear it because both of you were loud enough for me to hear what was going on. Momo-chan, it wasn't right of you to take Sana-chan's crayon without asking and refusing to return it to Sana-chan, but Sana-chan, you didn't say 'please' when asking Momo-chan to return your crayon. It was wrong of you to bite Momo-chan’s hand. Now, both of you apologize to each other."

 

Sana grumbled to herself when their sensei made them face each other. She was glad to see that Momo wasn't too keen on this either.

 

"I'm sorry for biting you Momo-chan," Sana mumbled.

 

"I'm sorry for taking your crayon without asking," Momo pouted.

 

Pleased with their apologies, their sensei dismissed them back to their coloring books.

 

But Sana never forgave Momo because Momo never returned her pink crayon.

 

~~~

 

Throughout their primary school years, Momo was the bane of Sana's existence. They had mutual friends but hated each other, and yet sometimes had no choice but play games together on the playground. Sana always hated playing any game involving running with Momo because the latter was far more athletic than she was. Momo was the fastest girl in their year, even faster than some boys, and always caught Sana whenever they played tag or any variation of tag.

 

In other activities, they would try and sabotage each other. Momo would knock down Sana's sand castle or Sana would squirt too much glue on Momo's popsicle stick creation during arts and crafts. Momo would take Sana's jump rope and hide it, and Sana would take Momo's favorite Barbie doll and throw it into the boy's restroom. It was a constant war between them, and their rivalry was famous on the playground, though no one really sided with either of them, even among their friends.

 

When it was their final year of primary school, Sana was glad to discover she was going to a different junior high than Momo. She would never have to lay eyes on that raccoon-looking girl again.

 

Sana finished her first year of junior high with no difficulties whatsoever. She discovered she had a love for acting and joined the drama club, meeting new people and making new friends. She discovered literature was her best subject in her second year of junior high. She also received her first confession from a boy named Yuta Nakamoto but politely rejected him because although he was very kind and funny, she didn't feel the same way. In Sana's final year of junior high, it was very stressful due to studying for exams to get into the high school she wanted to attend and overall, was a very uneventful year. At some point, Sana felt that her junior high life was somewhat boring without conflict since she got along with her classmates and clubmates, but at the end of the day she was happy so it didn't matter.

 

Sana cheered and jumped for joy when the results of her exams returned, and she was accepted into the high school she desired. Her parents bought her a laptop for school and her grandma cooked all her favorite dishes and desserts. She felt like she was on top of the world.

 

What Sana wasn't expecting on her first day of senior high was to see Hirai Momo in her homeroom class and to be assigned the seat right beside her.

 

Momo looked just as surprised as Sana was, blinking multiple times as if she needed to convince herself she wasn't dreaming. "Minatozaki Sana?"

 

"Momo-chan…?" Sana said slowly, not believing this reality herself.

 

Their homeroom cleared his throat when he noticed they were engaged in a silent staring contest. "Ladies, we'll be doing introductions in a moment," he interrupted. "Minatozaki-san, please have a seat beside Hirai-san."

 

"Yes, sir…"

 

Sana held the back of her skirt to her legs then sat down, the wind still knocked out of her. This was the first time she has seen Momo in three years, and the last time they saw each other they weren't on the best terms.

 

Her first instinct was to be wary of any antics Momo had planned for her, even wondering what she would do back in retaliation. But to Sana's surprise, homeroom went very smoothly. Momo diligently took notes throughout the entire lecture and hardly paid any attention to Sana. The only time they spoke was when Momo asked if she could have a piece of lead for her mechanical pencil. Their time together on the first day of school was surprisingly… normal. And non-hostile. Sana actually felt silly for feeling tense around Momo.

 

When class was over, Momo packed up her belongings in her school bag and smiled at Sana. "See you in PE. I'm going on ahead." Momo left ahead before Sana could say anything.

 

"Yeah… See you," Sana muttered to herself.

 

~~~

 

"GO HIRAI-SAN!!!!"

 

"EEEEEEEEEK YOU'RE SO COOL, HIRAI-SAN!"

 

"BEAT THOSE BOYS!!!"

 

The incessant screaming from girls startled Sana, stunned and puzzled by Momo's popularity. She recalled how fast Momo was when they were children but she was still faster than all of the guys in their class, much like before.

 

Sana turned to her friend, Hitomi Honda, her only friend from junior high that got into the same high school as she did. "Do you know why Momo-chan is so popular?"

 

"Momo-chan?" Hitomi repeated, confused by the honorifics used. "Do you know her, Sana-chan?"

 

"We went to the same elementary school together. I haven't seen her since," Sana explained.

 

Hitomi nodded. "From what I've heard, she was the ace of her track and field team in junior high. Hirai-san is a highly anticipated member for the track and field team here because she's always breaking school and personal records. As you can see--" Hitomi paused and motioned to all the girls still screaming for Momo. "She has quite the following of fangirls. Definitely going to be the girl crush of our year."

 

"Huh…" Sana mused. She watched as Momo finished her laps first, jumping and cheering happily, which only made her fans scream even more while the boys who lost to Momo grumbled among themselves.

 

I guess she's changed a lot in the three years we haven't seen each other.

 

~~~

 

Sana's first month passed in a blink of an eye. Much like in junior high, Sana joined the drama and theater club to pursue her passion in acting, eager to join the next club play (she heard it was going to be a Shakespearean play but there's no decision on which play).  Meanwhile, like everyone predicted, Momo joined the track and field club and became the coach's favorite, hoping to get her into nationals by her second year with her potential.

 

In terms of their relationship, everything was civil between them. Momo spoke to her kindly and Sana did the same. Sana often thought to herself that she couldn't believe this Momo was the same Momo that stole her crayon (which was a very trivial matter in retrospect but they were children at the time) and tugged at her hair and shoved her around. If Momo recalled their childhood quarrels, she never made them apparent to Sana. Momo really matured, in other areas as well.

 

Sana never admitted it aloud but Momo was the definition of a cool beauty. A defined jawline, healthy and silky hair that shone in the sunlight and smelled like peaches, and the fit body of an athlete. Undoubtedly, she was much cooler than the boys also much kinder, humble even despite her natural athletic ability. No wonder so many girls were infatuated with Momo. Some boys even admired and openly admitted to liking Momo. It was honestly hard not to think Momo was attractive in every way.

 

Quite honestly, Sana didn't really know how to act around Momo. They spent the majority of their school day together, being seatmates and all, but if there was any sort of words exchanged between them, it was Momo who usually initiates it. Momo would ask her simple questions like if she had a spare eraser or what page in the textbook the teacher was on because she was distracted jotting down notes. If Sana was the first to speak in any form, it was because she was apologizing for bumping into Momo, even if it's only the slightest brush of the skin. All in all, there was hardly any substance to their conversations, and Sana was okay with that.

 

Sort of.

 

Sana didn't know why but she wished she wasn't so nervous being around Momo all the time.

 

~~~

 

"You've got to be kidding me!" Sana whined while staring out the entrance to see heavy rain pouring down on the earth. "The forecast said it was going to be sunny this afternoon!"

 

Hitomi laughed and patted Sana's shoulder sympathetically. "I think you checked the wrong day. It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow, not today."

 

"Hitomi-chan, what am I going to do? I don't have an umbrella!" Sana complained further, adding in an extra pout of the lips to express her absolute dismay.

 

"I'm sorry, Sana-chan. I really wish I could help you but I need to catch my bus. I have to get home to babysit my little brother," Hitomi answered honestly.

 

"I know… Go on. I'll see you tomorrow…"

 

Hitomi gave her another sympathetic look and popped open her umbrella. "Make sure you get out of your wet clothes as soon as you get home and hop into a hot bath!"

 

Sana waved Hitomi off as the other girl dashed to her bus stop then let out a weary sigh. What was she going to do now? She could wait for the rain to pass but judging from the clouds, it didn't seem like it was going to for a couple of hours. Her house was several blocks away so she always walked home. She could take a bus to minimize the amount of time she'd be in the rain, but regardless, she would be drenched by the rain due to its heavy downpour. Yup, taking the bus would be her best option.

 

Sana sighed, mentally and physically prepping herself to sprint out in the rain.

 

Here goes nothing…

 

"Minatozaki-san?"

 

Sana froze. She knew that voice and slowly, hesitantly turned around.

 

"Momo-chan…?" Her former arch-nemesis was clad in a tracksuit that was decorated with the school's colors.

 

Momo gave her a puzzling look. "What are you doing?"

 

"Er… About to run in the rain?"

 

"You're kidding. Where's your umbrella?" Sana's silence and empty hands with the exception of her school were sufficient answers for Momo. "Ah… I see."

 

"I'll be fine," Sana said, more to herself than to Momo. Feeling the awkwardness starting to creep back in, Sana was about to make a run for it when she felt Momo grab her arm and tugged her back. Sana could feel her cheeks heat up almost instantly at the skin contact.

 

"Are you crazy? You're going to catch a cold," Momo sighed exasperatedly and tugged Sana closer to her. "Here. We can share an umbrella. Where are you heading to? Bus stop or do you walk home?"

 

"Really, it's fine. You don't have to worry about me," Sana insisted, though her resolve was slowly cracking beneath Momo's gaze. "If I remember correctly, you live opposite of me. That's too far of a distance. It's an inconvenience."

 

"You forget you're talking to a member of the track and field," Momo replied, deadpanned. "And it's not an inconvenience because I'm offering. Seriously, Minatozaki-san. You can't be serious in telling me you'd rather drench yourself in the rain than share an umbrella with me, right?"

 

Sana stiffened. The way Momo worded it made it seem like she was being rude. But maybe Momo has a point. Sana was being ridiculous. She gazed at Momo and felt her stomach doing flips. Why did she have to look so good in that track suit? Her hair tied up in a ponytail. That defined jawline of hers. Those lips--

 

HOLD ON, MINATOZAKI SANA. YOU DID NOT JUST THINK THAT.

 

"Minatozaki-san…?" Momo said with her head tilted to one side, perplexed by the expressions Sana was making

 

"Oh. S-Sorry…" Sana inwardly sighed to herself and gave herself a mental slap in the face, swallowing her pride and her discomfort. "Thank you, Momo-chan. I'll walk with you."

 

~~~

 

To Sana's surprise, it wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be.

 

The walk to her house from school took at least twenty minutes if she was fortunate enough to hit ever crosswalk when the sign was lit green. But with the rain and having to share an umbrella with Momo, it was taking longer than normal. However, Momo wasn't making the atmosphere awkward. If Momo noticed her discomfort she said nothing about it. They talked about casual topics ranging from their club activities to their favorite food, and favorite music. Things you would talk about with friends. But it was that very thought that was strange to Sana. Sana remembered how even hearing Momo's name made her grimace in disgust as a child. Yet here she was, a few years later, grateful to Momo for walking her home with her umbrella.

 

Without realizing when it happened, Sana no longer felt uncomfortable with Momo. In fact, it was the opposite. Sana couldn't stop smiling as they chatted and neither did Momo. They were having a lot of fun finding out the things and interests they had in common, and even if they had their differences, it was fun learning about Momo because when Sana thought about it, she never knew much about Momo, even as a child.

 

Momo liked her coffee with no cream and three sugars. Momo developed an allergy for dogs but that didn't stop her from owning three. Momo likes songs that she can dance to rather than ballads. Momo preferred dresses over skirts. Momo was better at sprinting than long-distance running because she needs to work on pacing herself.

 

It took them half an hour to arrive at Sana's house but it didn't seem like it at all. They stood underneath the small roof that hung above the door.

 

"I really appreciate that you walked me home. Thanks again," Sana said with a smile.

 

Momo smiled back and closed her umbrella, letting the water droplets slide down to the ground. "It's not a problem. No one likes to get sick so I wasn't about to let you do something as reckless and running home in the rain when it's this bad."

 

"Yeah, you're right," Sana agreed with a sheepish smile. "I don't know what I was thinking."

 

Silence fell between them and suddenly both of them were at loss for words. Sana stared down at her shoes while Momo looked upwards while rubbing the back of her neck.

 

"Well," Sana awkwardly began. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

 

"Yeah… See you tomorrow."

 

Sana nodded and turned around, taking out her house key, when Momo stopped her.

 

"Wait, Minatozaki-san."

 

Sana looked back at Momo and laughed a little. "You know you don't have to call me that, right?" The moment the words left she instantly regretted it. Although indirect, it was the first time either of them brought up their past and Sana wasn't sure how Momo was going to react.

 

Momo guessed what she was referring to and nodded. "Yeah but… We weren't exactly friends back then."

 

"I know. But you're not the same as you were back then. Neither am I," Sana admitted shyly but the acknowledgement made Momo relax. "I think we can both say we were incredibly immature as kids. But if today has told us anything, maybe things can be different moving forward, starting with you dropping the formalities."

 

Momo chuckled lightly. "Alright… Sana-chan." Hearing Momo call her that made Sana's cheeks warm and she hoped Momo didn't notice. "Still, I don't want to pretend what happened when we were little never happened."

 

Sana was puzzled when Momo took a step closer and inwardly began to panic when she stepped even closer. There was little distance between them that it felt like there was enough air for Sana to breathe in. Their faces were mere centimeters apart, so close, that all Sana could do was stare into Momo's chocolate brown eyes. Then Momo dug something out of the pocket of her jacket and placed it into Sana's hand.

 

It was the pink crayon Momo took from her all those years ago.

 

"I'm sorry for everything between us…" Momo mumbled quietly. "Can we start over?"

 

Sana swallowed, still staring down at the crayon in her palm then looked up with a nod. "Yeah… I'd like that."

 

Momo stepped back with a sigh of relief and grinned. "Great." Momo fidgeted in place then opened her umbrella again. "I should get going now."

 

"Be careful getting home," Sana said worriedly. Momo gave her a thumbs up and trudged back out into the pouring rain. She gave Sana one last wave before turning the corner, leaving Sana's line of sight.

 

Sana brought out her house key and unlocked the front door, stepping inside. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it with closed eyes. When she opened them again, Sana gazed down at the crayon once more.

 

Before, the crayon was connected to the memory of her first fight with Momo. Now, the memory connected to the crayon was the memory of Momo walking her home on a rainy day and the smell of peaches that wafted into her nose when Momo stood close to her.

 

Sana smiled and hugged the pink crayon to her chest.

 

~~~

 

A/N: For fun, try listening to the song while reading the part where Momo is walking Sana home :3 Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed! Look forward to the MiMo fic that will complete this trilogy :D

 

- Writer Wooper