Disclaimer: The author of the fanfiction (babbler) does not, in any way, profit from the story and that all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator.
Whispering in the Dark
Yui happily bounced up the stairs to the music room. She swore she could smell cake but unless Mugi had actually baked the cake in the music room, which she hadn't, it couldn't be possible. She stopped a second to think about it.
Mmm chocolate hazelnut cake with rum syrup and nutella filling. She could see the cake quite clearly in her mind in all its sugary goodness.
She hurriedly ran up the stairs and found an empty chair completely ignoring the other girls sitting around the table. In the middle of the table was a glorious chocolate cake with hazelnuts sprinkles, oozing rum syrup, and a creamy nutella layer visible from the already cut cake. Mugi served her a piece and then took her spot at the table.
"Cake-sense."
The others girls looked at each other and then the glassy eyed Yui, whom was inhaling cake.
"Yui-sempai, did you just say 'cake senses'?" Azusa questioned her older band mate, but Yui didn't answer and just stared back with cheeks bulging like a chipmunk.
"Anyway, where is Mio-sempai?"
"Her class is doing a play. She said that she would be late,"
"Mio-sempai is going to be acting?" Azusa nearly bounced out of her chair.
"I could hear her knees knocking the last time she was on stage. She's probably working on sets or something," Ritsu sighed. "Though last time things turned out great."
A collective image of Mio crouching in the corner holding her face passed through their minds. Splinters and cut fingers didn't go well with Mio.
"Maybe costumes?" Mugi suggested.
Again, they all could see Mio was cowering in her corner of woe. Poked and bleeding fingers did not go well with Mio either.
"Maybe she really is acting. Come to think of it, I remember her reading something during lunch that looked like a script."
"Damn them!" Ritsu bellowed. "Taking advantage of our moe!" Ritsu slumped back into her chair, worn out from even that small show of energy. "They must have blackmailed her."
"Blackmailed her?"
"That's what I would do."
Yui straightened her back. "Maybe she has a crush on someone."
"Yui-sempai, this is an all girls school. " Azusa said, but Yui just stared back glassy eyed, having quickly turned her attention back to her cake.
"Why are you such an air-head today?"
"Cake..." Ritsu pounced on Yui causing her to fall off her chair.
"Stop being such a dimwit!" Ritsu rubbed her fist against Yui head.
"Ricchan, you've upset the tea kettle on Mio's amp."
"Ahhh! Yui, go get a mop! Azusa, go get more paper towels." Ritsu, began drying up the huge mess with her tiny napkin. Tears were forming in her eyes.
Yui bounded out the door, stopping for a second to look forlornly back at her cake, and then continued running.
Ritsu gently wiped the amplifier. "I'm sorry for scalding you Amp-sama. Please forgive me."
"Mio's going to kill you," Azusa said, handing Ritsu a roll of paper towels.
Ritsu carefully cleaned the amp but no mop appeared. After waiting for several minutes, Azusa convinced the others to warm up while they were waiting for Yui and whenever Mio would show up.
It was odd playing without their vocalist and lead guitar. Ritsu was also constantly increasing the pace as they played. By the end of the song it was almost impossible to tell what she was playing. She was absolutely petrified that Mio was going to kill her.
Yui opened the door and instantly collapsed on the floor; there was no more cake.
"Yui! Where were you?"
"I couldn't find a mop and then Mio freaked out about a pigeon coming in through the window and me and Nadoka chased it back outside," she said breathlessly.
"You found Mio! What's she doing with the play?"
"I don't know. After I opened the classroom door the pigeon attacked her."
"Nadoka was there? What were they doing? Where they prancing around in costumes? Was Nadoka talking to a skull?"
"They were kissing."
Dead silence. Mugi began swaying back and forth, her eyes tightly shut, humming all the while. Asuza and Ritsu couldn't quite get theirs jaws off of the floor.
"Nadoka said they were practicing for the play and that's why they were in the empty classroom by themselves. She said they weren't kissing, they just had their faces close together."
"That's the worse excuse I've ever heard!" Ritsu pulled out a camera...from somewhere, and raced out the door.
"Yui...Yui-sempai, do...do you think they were really kissing?"
"Nadoka's never lied to me. She's kinda brutally honest."
"So why did you tell Ritsu that they were kissing?"
"Hehe."
"If they don't show up soon I'm leaving. It'll be supper time when I get home," Yui giggled, fantasizing about Ui's cooking.
"You just about ate the table and the cake as well and now you want supper? You're going to get fat if you keep eating like this."
"I can eat anything without gaining weight."
Azusa expected a death glare from Mugi, but she was completely oblivious. Her humming continued has she bounced around the room cleaning as she went.
"Yui," Ritsu sauntered into the classroom and put a heavy arm around Yui shoulders, "they have a part in the play where they have to pretend their whispering. Why did you say they were kissing?"
"!" Yui would have added her rebuttal but Ritsu wasn't choking her from behind.
Nadoka poked her head into the open music room door, "Are you ready to go home Yui?"
"!"
"When you're done with Ritsu I'll be waiting by the shoe racks."
"She's turning blue."
"Not blue enough!"
Azusa tugged on her arm and Ritsu finally released her hold. Yui dizzily swayed around the classroom and picked up her guitar, and with a wobbly wave good bye, raced off in search of her friend.
Yui was nearly to the entrance before she would walk in a straight line. Nodoka didn't look like she was in a very good mood. She was standing side on to her and glaring at her out of the corner of her eye. When she saw that Yui had her shoes nearly on she began walking.
"Nodoka-chan!"
Nodoka narrowed her eyes but then smiled and waited for her friend to catch up with her.
"Why did you tell Ritsu that I was kissing Mio when I even showed you the part in the play we were doing."
"I was messing with you," Yui said with a straight face wondering what kind of reaction Nodoka would have.
"We weren't kissing!" Nodoka yelled, throwing her hands in the air.
"What? Nodoka-chan, I said 'messing' not kissing."
"Oh, I see but," she tried to smile. "It's not nice to start rumours about people."
"I'm sorry." Yui hugged her companion. "Was she any good?"
"I'll treat you to something yummy if you'll never speak of this again. Ui probably has supper ready for you, so it'll have to be later. How does that sound?"
"Hmm, to be or not to be bribed by sweets. Deal!" Yui waved to her friend and ran off in the direction of her house. "I don't like sour things!"
Nodoka watched her friend run off. I wonder if she was trying to get me to bribe her? It was hard, even after knowing her so long, to understand her thought processes. There had always been a sharp needle of shrewdness amongst all the fluff floating around in her head, but it didn't express itself very often.
"Yui, I hope you don't eat like that in public." Ui gently wiped her sister's face.
Yui was eating quickly and staring off into the distance, not altogether uncommon for her, but distracting when sitting across from her. Ui couldn't help but notice that Yui was a little further out there than normal. Somewhere around Neptune when she was usually no further than Mars.
Yui's phone had begun to ring, although, she didn't seem to be mentally processing it.
"Sis...Sis!" Ui sighed and picked up the phone," Hello?"
"Ui?" Nodoka sounded confused, "Sorry I dialled your number by mistake."
"This is her phone. Let me take the message and I'll tell her right away."
"Just tell her I'll be there to pick her up at 8:00. Thanks Ui."
A date? It wasn't totally surprising to Ui that Yui would be interested in girls...but it did catch her a little off guard. After all, Yui did decide to go to an all girls school and has never showed any interest in boys. Some of her friends from her old school, and in her new class as well, were constantly going on dates. She had never thought about it like that before.
What would Azusa think? Also, why did that question enter my mind?
"Yui it's almost 6:00 so you have about two hours before your date."
"Date?"
"With Nodoka. Don't tell me you forgot! She said she pick you up at 8:00."
Yui's eyes glazed over for a second as if she were in great thought, "This isn't a date. Nodoka is bribing me 'cause she kissed Mio-chan."
There was a surprise. Ui couldn't help feeling a little flustered about all the machinations going on behind everyone's backs. Yui been known to get things wrong and it is Nodoka we're talking about. "Are you sure they were kissing?"
"They were blushing and leaned in really close to each other. Nodoka was holding Mio's face..." Yui blushed, wishing someone would hold her face like that.
"...and you're going out on what looks like a date with Nodoka? Yui, you're asking for trouble."
"Nodoka buys me things all the time. Can't two people platonically go out somewhere and eat sweets and gaze lovingly into each others eyes without it being a date?"
Ui mind stopped for a second. She couldn't help but stare at her blushing sister who all of a sudden seemed even more soft and huggable than before. "Did you just say 'platonically'?"
"What?"
"Run along now and I'll help you get ready for your date after I've cleared the table."
Yui started running up the stairs, "I have a date?"
After some consideration, Nadoka had chosen to eat at a higher end family restaurant. The prices weren't too bad and the food was great, however, it was now filled with young couples. Across from them was a couple she judged to be in their early twenties. They were flirting and she could help but notice the girl's foot rubbing against the guy's leg. Nodoka glowered at her companion seated across from her. Yui was happily eating an ice cream sundae and totally oblivious, at the moment, to anything and everything but said sundae.
"Nodoka? Why are you blushing?" Yui managed to say between mouthfuls.
"Don't you feel a little out of place here?"
Yui looked around, a vacant look in her eyes. "No. That couple over there came in here for a dessert and didn't have a meal. Just like us."
"BUT we aren't a couple. Everyone in here is a couple except us."
"I'm sorry Nadoka. Do you think the Westermarck effect has something to do with that?"
"The what?" Yui didn't answer so Nodoka poked her with her foot.
"What flavour ice cream did you get? I love mint!"
Nodoka rubbed her temples; it wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last. "Yui, do you remember why I took you out tonight?"
"On this date?"
"Yes...no, but yes that's what I mean."
"You're bribing me not to tell anyone about kissing Mio. OW!" Nodoka kicked her under the table.
"How many times do I have to tell you I wasn't kissing Mio."
"But you're lips were touching and you were both blushing...if I had X-ray vision," Yui put her fingers against her temples and stared hard at Nodoka to simulate X-ray vision, "I could tell you if you were deep kissing."
"There aren't any bones in the tongue...We weren't kissing!"
"Then what were you doing?"
"We were...umm... whispering. Just like I told you a dozen times."
"Okay." Yui rubbed her belly and leaned back in the booth. "I have to practice guitar some more so want to go home now? Mmm, that sundae was so good."
Nodoka paid the bill and they began the walk home. Yui was yammering away on a sugar rush and Nodoka was answering in monosyllables just like always has they walked along the nearly deserted street.
"Are you going to come for our study group next week?" Yui asked.
"Only Mio and I ever do any work. All you and Ritsu do is goof off."
"That's not fair. Mugi does work too."
"Maybe I'll ask Mio and Mugi to form a study group and you two can work on your own."
"Do you honestly think Ritsu would let that happen?"
Nodoka thought for a minute and an image of Ritsu watching them through her window came to mind, "I guess you're right...but this time you're doing work! Lets make a deal. For every question you answer yourself I'll help you with one."
"Deal." Yui hooked her arm around Nodoka waist and pressed her lips against Nodoka's. Yui pulled away slowly, stared for a few second into the two gorgeous, slightly confused, gems and then kissed her again. "Thanks for tonight. It was fun."
Nodoka stood unable to move as she watched Yui skip to her front door. To be fair it wasn't the first time Yui had kissed her...it wasn't even the second time. She had always assumed it was 'playful kisses.' It was her mom's term for when two young kids kiss when they don't exactly know what they're doing. These had to be playful kisses too, didn't they?
"Yui? What would your parents think if they just saw that?"
Yui rubbed her chin for a second in thought and then stood very straight with a serious look on her face. "What are your intentions with my daughter?"
"What?"
"That's what dad would think. See you tomorrow." She walked into her house.
"Yui, why is Nodoka just standing there?" Ui asked as she folded laundry. She could see Nadoka through the window with a hand to her lips staring at their front door.
"Why are you asking me that? It's Nodoka that's just standing there."
Ui not-so-gently grabbed Yui cheek. "Did you say something ignorant to Nodoka again?"
"Nop thap I know op."
Yui was happily humming along as she went to school the next day. She couldn't wait until she could eat Mugi's sweets and pay her guitar. Though, she was thinking more of the sweets than Gitah. Nodoka, lost in thought, was following Yui several steps behind.
"Hi Yui." Ritsu put her arm around her band mate with a big smile.
"Why are you here?"
"Oh, I had to drop something off to someone who lives close by...why is Nodoka way back there?"
"She's really slow today. She keeps falling behind." She continued at a whisper, "I think it's that time of month."
"It is not!" Nodoka bellowed running to catch up to them.
"Then why are you so slow?" Yui poked her friend in the side.
"Just thinking about something."
"Hmm...I wonder what it could be about."
"I'm not thinking about that kiss! Or the…You promised to never speak of that again."
"What are you talking about?" Yui stopped and stared dumbly at her friend.
Ritsu's eyes popped open and she pointed at Nodoka with a shaking finger. "You did kiss her!"
"I did not!"
"Hehehe. It's so easy to get you two going," Yui giggled. "Yay! Nodoka finally woke up." It was useless for Nodoka to try anything subtle to get Yui attention. She seriously thought about something much less subtle like clocking her in the back of the head for what she'd just done but then Yui wouldn't know why she got punched and then she would have to explain it...and the loop would start over again.
"Yui, were you dropped on your head as a child," Nodoka sighed.
"Yes."
Nodoka stopped dead in her tracks, mouth agape, as she once again fell behind. "So you really do have brain damage?"
"Hai, Nodoka that's not nice!" Ritsu glared at her. Nodoka barely had time to think about why Ritsu would pick up for her when she mouthed the words, "we already knew that."
"Seriously! You were dropped on your head as a child and now your parents are never home...come to think of it, they were always gone on trips."
"Mom had me in her arms and when she kissed dad she... kinda forgot she was still holding me. I have a hard head so it's not that bad." Yui knocked herself lightly on the head for emphasis.
"How old were you?"
"Six..."
"I'm sure your noggin was granite by then."
"Months old."
This time, both Ritsu and Nadoka halted dead in their tracks with their mouths slightly agape. It would certainly explain a lot of Yui's strangeness. It also answered the question as to why Yui seemed shafted, when compared to her sister, in just about everyway.
"I think she's messing with us again. Lets steal her panties and make her go commando the rest of the day." Ritsu was staring straight ahead at Yui and clenching her hand manically.
"But...but it explains so much." Nodoka almost pleaded.
"Yui is retarded, but in the joking with your friends way and not the insulting exceptional way...you grab her and I'll do the dirty work." Ritsu began to creep up on the oblivious Yui.