CRACK!
Oh look. Another pencil, snapped in two, by Ritsu's hands. Funny, how that's happened three times now. She picked up another pencil. Why would she want to do that? It wasn't like she was stuck on her math homework, just as a big math test was coming that could sink her grade was coming along, and she just flunked the last big math test. Oh, wait, that's exactly what it was! But it's not like that could lead to her having any frustration at all at the fact that she's an idiot who can't do anything and is going to wind up in a low paying meaningless job while Mio becomes famous and Azusa cures cancer and Mugi makes world peace and Sawa becomes a rock star and Yui wises up and finds the right girl and everybody leaves her and…
CRACK!
Huh. Four times now. How could that have happened? She reached for another pencil, but instead found one already handed to her. "Huh. Thanks, Yui."
"No problem, Commander," her lieutenant replied briskly with a short nod. Ritsu wrote on her paper in blissful silence, until her mind caught up with her and she leaped back with a shout. "Yui! When did you get here!?" Yui tilted her head in that stupidly cute way she tilted her head that made Ritsu want to roll her eyes and then tilt Yui's little head until their eyes aligned and then lift that head up until their lips touched, which was something so cheesy that she could never, evertell Yui.
"I came to visit my Ricchan! Satoshi let me in, he said there was a thunderstorm in the house. I had to rescue my commander!" she declared bravely. Ritsu blushed faintly, as she remembered that Satoshi could hear her cracking pencils. He probably let Yui in to cheer her up. That considerate brat.
"That was sarcasm, Yui," Ritsu explained.
"A sarcastic thunderstorm! Even worse!" Yui exclaimed, just as serious as before. Ritsu pinched her nose.
"No, Yui, not the thunderstorm, the thunderstorm doesn't exist, Satoshi was being sarcastic because I was breaking…" Ritsu stopped, and looked at Yui. "…Are you messing with me?"
Yui shook her head fervently. "Messing with my beloved Commander Ricchan, ma'am? Never! That would be insubordination!" Ritsu examined her even closer, and would swear she found a mischievous twinkle in Yui's eyes. Probably. Maybe. Yui was way too good at making you wonder whether she was just playing dumb or was actually being dumb. Really, it didn't matter. Even the possibility of insubordination had to be punished in Ritsu's army. She kept a tight ship. And besides, it was so much fun to punish Yui. Ritsu nodded, and acted as if she was slinking away, and then… she struck, leaping onto Yui and quickly tickling her sides.
"Ah, Ricchan, stop!" Yui shrieked.
"Alas, I cannot," Ritsu gravely answered. "If I do not make an example of you here, others will follow in your footsteps! My army will rise against me! In order to keep discipline, I must enforce this brutal punishment upon you! Forgive me!"
"I-I understand," Yui said with dignity, or as much dignity as one can have while being viciously tickled. "Do-do what you must, commander!" With tears in her eyes from being forced to do such a thing(granted, tears of laughter, but tears nonetheless!), Ritsu punished her dear lieutenant for about a minute more, until both collapsed from the emotional drain. Or from laughter, same diff.
"Heh," Ritsu chuckled, as she gathered her breath. "That's… why you don't mess with me, Yui!"
"Being tickled by Ricchan is something everyone would like, I think!" Yui shot back.
"Oh?" Ritsu began, putting on a devilish grin. "Then would you like a round two?" she dramatically intoned, twirling her fingers as Yui shrieked. Laughing, Ritsu laid back down, and sighed contently. "…How do you do that, Yui? Somehow, whenever I'm feeling sucky… you're there, and you make everything better." Yui looked at her, and smiled.
"…Ricchan? Would you believe me, if I said that I just… feel it? That when my Ricchan is sad, or mad, or just feeling bad, no matter where I am, I just get a funny feeling in my chest, and I just need to make her feel better?" Ritsu looked into those earnest brown eyes, and that perfect loving smile, and smiled gently back.
"…From you? …Yeah. I totally believe it."
"Oh. Well, actually, Satoshi just called me because he said you were feeling frustrated." The response Yui got was a thrown pillow to the face.
"You butt!" she laughed.
"Ricchan," she mumbled, pillow on her face, "I am flattered but we both know you like me for more than just that-" Ritsu leaped over and pressed the pillow down. Yui flailed exaggeratedly until Ritsu let go with a sigh. She smiled amusedly at Yui.
"I kinda really love you, you know that?" Yui threw off the pillow, crawled over to Ritsu, and hugged her.
"I love you too, Ricchan. And homework is dumb, and you don't need to be good at it to be really, really cool and great and the perfect Ricchan I love, okay? We can work on it together even though I suck at it too, or we could call the others to help and kiss till they get here, and then when we grow up we can write a rock ballad that inspires the world to outlaw homework forever. Is that good, Ricchan?" Ritsu nuzzled into Yui's arms, looked back at her, and smirked.
"You always know what to say. Except for one thing." Yui looked at her quizzically. "Only until they get here? I say we give them a show." They grinned.