Author's Notes: Yes, I do realize that I have other stories that I need to update, but I could not help myself. This one has been sitting in my pc for almost 3 months and I feel like sharing this with the community. Don't worry, I'll still update UFNO and WtD. Their newest chapters will follow soon. Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to Kei and Yuu, my friends over Anime Talkzone dot com. Long live Ricchan! lol
One-second Interlude
Chapter 1.
The cool April wind blew in through the opened window, making the girl sitting beside it closed her eyes to avoid random things flying in. Amber eyes opened as its owner's gaze wandered down at the wide school courtyard, currently empty with the students inside their classes. It's time like these that made the brunette love tranquility so much. The rare calmness that enveloped the place gave her a sense of peace that she wouldn't get at home or anywhere else. She could let her mind wander freely and for a moment, forget about everything and just be at peace with the whole world.
Pity that it didn't last long.
Tainaka Ritsu let out a sigh as the shrill ringing of the bell signaled the beginning of the lunch break. Scrapping of chairs and wooden desks could be heard as people scrambled to eat their lunch, laughing and chattering with each other. The bored-looking brunette made no indication of wanting to move from her position, currently at peace sitting on her chair, head leaning against a propped arm and gazing down at the now busy courtyard. Her left hand fiddled absently with her opened blazer, feeling the soft shirt underneath that she refused to tuck in to her teachers' dismay.
She let out a yawn as her eyes caught sight of a group of girls, carrying with them pink lunchboxes wrapped snuggly in colorful handkerchief. Annoyance flashed through the once bored amber eyes. Ritsu hated everything girly and pink and wondered who in their right mind would brought lunchboxes to school that looked like it was owned by a first grader.
Her stomach took that moment to rumble quite loudly and reminded her that she didn't bring lunch to school today. Her mind debated between her leaving the comfy zone to get lunch or just bear for another 2 hours and get a large lunch later. This inner monologue, however, was disturbed by a commotion somewhere on her right.
"Ricchan! "
It was her three best friends, currently grouped around a slightly scared looking girl that Ritsu remembered was called Miyamoto Akio, the class' biggest nerd. The brunette's amber eyes immediately noticed that Miyamoto's dark-blue framed glasses was currently being tossed around by her friends, keeping it out of its owner's reach.
A grin came upon her face.
The pigtailed Wakaouji Ichigo caught the flying glasses effortlessly and once she saw Miyamoto heading towards her, Ichigo threw the glasses to her right without a second thought.
Ritsu saw the glasses sailed towards her direction and with lightning reflexes; snatched it out of the air. A smug look appeared on her once calm face as she saw the look of dismay on Miyamoto's face.
"What's this, Miyamoto-san? How come you're not wearing your glasses?"
Her words were almost drowned by Taki Eri and Satou Akane's hysterical laughter, as the two of them clutched their sides. Ritsu gave them a look of amusement, before turning back to the braided bookish girl who was close to tears.
She just love seeing those helpless expression on people "is this your glasses?" the brunette asked mockingly as she tried on the thick glasses before taking it off immediately once it made her head spin. Ichigo gave an amused snort as she sat on Ritsu's desk, watching the brunette taking the attention of the suddenly silent classroom.
""T-Tainaka-san- my glasses- I need-" Miyamoto choked on her own tears and Ritsu could feel pity in her for the poor girl. She was having too much fun though, to let this one pass.
She had to stifle a laugh as she saw Miyamoto subtly rubbed her sides, the girl had bumped against the wooden desks blindly to get to the brunette's desk. Licking her own lips, Ritsu moved to sit down on the window sill by her desk, elevating herself on a higher position than Miyamoto to intimidate the girl even more.
"You look better without the glasses, Miyamoto-san," Ritsu teased as she twirled the glasses recklessly, her smiled widened when she saw fear on Miyamoto's eyes when the girl realized how Ritsu stretched her arm out the window with the glasses dangling on the tips of her fingers "you don't need them to be pretty, right?"
"Totally." Ichigo deadpanned as she twirled one of her pigtails around, to Eri and Akane's snorts of amusements.
Ritsu nodded at Ichigo for the encouragement "see? Even the Hime agrees with you. What say? Glasses off?" the brunette let the glasses slip from her grasp for a second, only to catch it again before it fell further.
Miyamoto was crying freely now, stretching her arm desperately towards Ritsu as Eri and Akane grab hold of her arms. The class was silent, eyes on the group but none were moving, too frightened of the group of girls who was harassing Miyamoto.
Tainaka Ritsu, Wakaouji Ichigo, Taki Eri and Satou Akane were well known throughout the school as the 'Four Fiends', and they held much power over the students due to Taki Eri being the niece of one of the school's chairmen board. They were the girls all love to hate, but dare you make them angry, even the teachers couldn't lend a hand help you. Miyamoto's classmates could only pray for the girl, for none of them dare to step in to avoid the wrath of the four.
Ritsu let out a sigh, torn between boredom at Miyamoto's lack of effort of getting her glasses back and annoyance at the class who could only stare silently and won't lend a hand. What two faced bastards, the brunette thought as she felt her jaw clenched.
With a nudge from Ichigo, Ritsu raised her arm high, aiming for a spot down at the courtyard where she would send the glasses flying. Eri and Akane let out squeals of anticipation which turned into annoyed booing when a short haired girl came out of nowhere and snatched the glasses out of Ritsu's hand.
The brunette was not pleased "hey!"
"Stop being a jerk, Tainaka." Manabe Nodoka gave the group an unfriendly glare as she returned the glasses to Miyamoto, who scampered towards away towards her seat, wiping her eyes on her sleeve as she go.
Akane apparently shared Ritsu's annoyance as she eyed the newcomer with disdain "Don't act so high and mighty, class president!"
" Mind your own business, four eyes!"
Nodoka looked none too pleased with the wording, her gaze hardening with each second that passed between them. Seeing that the girl might blow any second, Ritsu raise a hand to quiet her friends down before turning her amber eyes towards the bespectacled girl calmly.
"Look. We were just having some fun. Live a little, Manabe." The brunette tried to keep her voice polite and neutral though she was feeling more than pissed having her fun disrupted.
"Your fun, is harassment for the others. Keep your hands off people's properties or you will find yourself in a bigger trouble." Nodoka glared at the girls one last time before heading towards Miyamoto, probably to cheer the girl up. Ritsu watch the retreating back with an intense gaze, her mind already working to plot some revenge. Her ears tuned in to her surroundings in time to hear Ichigo's words directed to her.
"I thought you were friends since grade-school."
Ritsu propped up one of her legs and leaned sideways on the windowsill before replying "We are. We just don't see eye to eye much." Her current position wasn't exactly the best to have when you're in a short skirt, but Ritsu paid no mind. She loved the feel of a breeze around her legs, but that didn't mean that she liked skirts, oh no.
The bell suddenly rang to signal the end of lunch break, breaking the heavy tension inside the room as the class broke into a frantic scramble. Ritsu's group didn't seem to heed the call as they kept chattering to themselves, still huddled around the back windows which were practically their territory.
Clacking of heels preceded the woman's entrance which took the brunette's attentions at once. She drank in the sight of the tall woman clad in a black suit and skirt that emphasize her curvy figure. It wasn't exactly an hourglass figure, but Ritsu knew many girls would die to have a body like that. Long raven hair tied back into a low ponytail, hiding creamy white neck underneath that plunges down into mouth watering alabaster skin that was uncovered by the white shirt that had its top button undone.
The raven haired woman set down the stack of papers she had with her down into the teacher's desk before she went to stand in front of the black board and saw the group of girls still huddling around the back.
Obsidian eyes flashed of displeasure underneath what Ritsu thought was a dorky-looking glasses. The brunette counted mentally until the incoming call towards her.
"Tainaka-san. Wakaouji-san. Taki-san. Satou-san," the slightly deep voice the woman has vibrated through the air and Ritsu felt her spine shiver slightly at the way her name escaped the woman's lips.
"Did you not hear the bell ring?"
"Are you implying that we're deaf?" Taki Eri snapped back immediately without a trace of respect from her cozy spot by the window.
Ritsu could practically see that the teacher bristled at the disrespect and she found herself currently not in the mood for an hour long lecture from this woman, sexy voice or not. She's been there before, and truthfully, she'd prefer her ears not bleeding when she get back from school.
"We'll sit down. Go." The brunette said dismissively to her friends as she slid off the windowsill she was sitting on and went to sit on her chair properly. The girls around her immediately went back to their seats, grumbling, and the whole class immediately averted their eyes when Ichigo bent down to crush her lips against Ritsu's .
All breath seemed to hitch at the intimate scene.
The kiss was kept purposely longer than usual, and Ritsu felt slightly vindicated when she saw the teacher shook in silent anger out of the corner of her eyes. The brunette let in some delicious tongue works for added fun before the teacher snapped, her temper getting the best of her.
"Wakaouji-san! Sit down!" the deep voice rose an octave in anger. Amber eyes saw the amused smirk on Ichigo's usually expressionless face and let the pigtailed girl gave her lips another lick before the latter returned to her seat, acting as though nothing had happened.
Licking her lips and smirking smugly, Ritsu savored her best win of the day and reminded herself to continue the session with Ichigo afterschool. The brunette's smile slightly widened when she felt those obsidian eyes still staring pointedly, burningly, at her. The heat intensified when Ritsu leaned back on her seat defiantly and turned her eyes towards the courtyard once more now that the excitement had died down and the Math session begun.
Time to time, the brunette could feel those obsidian eyes flicked towards repeatedly and she had to restrain herself not to look back. Ever since the raven haired woman came in 2 weeks ago, Ritsu had been feeling strangely towards her. At first it was annoyance, for that woman would be teaching Math in her class. Ritsu hated Math with a burning passion, along with everything associated with it. But then the brunette heard the teacher's voice and she felt her anger towards the woman dissipated as quickly as it came, and changed into curiosity.
Maybe it's because of the way the woman speaks, as though she was singing a tune that lulled its listener into fevered delusions. Or maybe it's the way the woman walk, a messy mixture between the small steps filled with shyness of having people's eyes at her and brisk strides as though she wanted to command attention of the room.
Whatever it was Ritsu didn't care, all she knew was that this woman was interesting to her and she would gladly spend any amounts of hours just by staring at her and be lulled by the beautiful voice. The brunette could feel her boredom disappeared and her spirits lifted as she made herself comfortable on her not comfortable wooden chair, ready to spend the next two hours listening to the woman at the front of the room droned on and on about something nonsensical called 'Trigonometry'. This was another form of peace she loved from this school.
A soft chuckle escaped Ritsu's lips when she saw the woman turned red and stammered on a sentence when attentive amber eyes met her gaze.
'Seems like today's a good day, after all.'