Mio heard no noise coming from beyond the door to the light music club, no shouting or giggling or arguing, so when she opened the door and walked inside, it did not surprise her to find no one but her angel. She had no idea when the thought of calling Mugi an angel crept into her head, but by now she was too fond of the idea to stop.
It made her smile to see Mugi all alone in there, absentmindedly sipping her tea, staring at nothing, not even realizing that Mio was there. Sunlight swam across the windows to bathe her in tones of gold, and for a moment, she almost seemed to shine.
Goodness, Mio thought to herself, closing the door as delicately as she could so as to not disturb Mugi, I think the most foolish things when I'm looking at her. She couldn't even put those thoughts into words: she wanted to, she truly did, but her tongue always shied away from uttering them, always twisting around itself.
"Mugi," Mio called her attention with a quick wave. She answered with a "hello" and a tiny smile as she turned her face to Mio. The sun hit her from behind, leaving her clad in a veil of yellow that she wore with grace, but it was her smile that was the prettiest thing. Her lips were small and soft (Mio could attest to that in a way that no one else could), but their slightest movements said so much. Right now they said "welcome".
Mio smiled back. "I'm glad to be with you," her smile said the words she couldn't say herself. Mugi always understood her smiles (and her frowns), and for that, above all else, Mio loved her dearly.
She took her place by the table, sitting right next to Mugi. How many times had she taken her seat here? Almost three years now, this one soon to be gone, and soon to be the last. As graduation inexorably stepped closer to reality, it filled the room with a quiet melancholy that no one ever dared speak about, in hopes of making it go away, yet it was always there, ever-defiant.
Mio never said it, but that prospect filled her with dread.
Ritsu, Yui and Azusa hadn't come today. They each had a different reason, but the result was the same. She was alone in the light music club with the girl she loved.
"More cake for us today," she said awkwardly.
"It seems so," Mugi's voice was cheerful today. She didn't seem nearly as bothered by the emptiness of the room as Mio was. "Let me get you a slice."
She reached out for the small pink box in the middle of the table, and for a knife. Mio watched her fingers, enthralled by the way they moved so gently and deliberately, without a hint of hesitation as the the blade sunk into the soft body of the cake. With two swift motions she made two cuts perfectly aligned with the chocolate trims. She then placed the slice (an almost perfect triangle) atop a round porcelain plate. Finally, she slid it carefully towards Mio.
"Thanks," she said, still staring at Mugi's hands. Their every movement was so precise, as fitting of a pianist, Mio reflected.
"You're welcome," Mugi said, but not with words, only a quick kiss on Mio's cheek. She was proud not to blush anymore when Mugi did that. They were girlfriends now, Mio had no business acting like a flustered little girl.
They ate side by side, sharing some small talk. Mugi was in love with the notion of travelling the world, taking Mio with her. Mio found it very fun to imagine, but she knew it could not happen. As soon as they graduated, it would be time to get ready for university. The two of them had plans for their future that they could not delay. Life, after all, never waits for anyone. Proof of that was the calendar that she had nailed to the wall, counting the days until graduation, until they would all be apart, until they would not see each other every day, but once a week, and then once a week became once a month, and then only during birthdays and special occasions, and after that… And after that all they would have would be memories painted grey by melancholy and longing.
"Are you okay, Mio?" Of course she noticed. She always notices it when I'm sad.
"No," Mio never lied to Mugi. "I'm worried," Mugi's eyes never left her, urging her on. "About my future. Our future. Soon we won't be together anymore."
"I have no intention of breaking up with you just because we'll graduate and study at different places, my sweet," she said, speaking softly, almost whispering.
"No, no, that's not it," Mio said, though in truth she did, sometimes, fear that she might. "Me, you, Ritsu, Yui and Azusa… We won't be together soon."
"I know," Mugi said, her face unchanged, but Mio could tell it from her eyes that it made her sad as well. Now she felt guilty for reminding her of that. Maybe she was trying to forget, just like I should be doing. "C'est la vie. That's what people say, isn't it? That is life."
"Yeah," it was a small comfort. "I wish it wasn't like this, though. It's childish of me, but-" No, she thought as she was speaking. It is not childish to love your friends. "It's foolish of me to think it could be different."
"Well," Mugi said, smiling, "we are seventeen. We are still fools. Love-struck fools."
Suddenly her fingers were touching Mio's, asking for a way in so that they could coil together. Mio promptly obeyed, feeling Mugi's hand on hers. It was such a small thing, to hold hands, but it always made Mio feel full of joy.
The smallest gestures were the ones that carried greatest significance to Mio. Love's whispers, warm and passionate as they were, made her heart flutter, hostage to their allure, but it was Mugi's gentle smile that made Mio feel at ease, it was her tender care that made her always rest easy, and it was the caress of Mugi's fingers like silk, twined on Mio's rougher hands, never letting go… It was that caress that made her feel safe from her fears.
"I won't let us grow apart," Mio suddenly felt full of confidence. "We won't. We'll do our best, won't we?" Mugi nodded. "We'll all do our best, and we'll be friends forever."
"Forever, yes," Mugi tightened her grasp on Mio's hand. It made her feel so warm, even as the chilly winds blew through the window, unwanted intruders. "We will see the world together, won't we? You and me, I mean. We have it all planned. First the rest of Asia, then Europe, then maybe we can see some of Africa…"
"That's not the whole world," Mio said, holding back a giggle.
"I'm afraid I'll miss home!" She said, and Mio raised an eyebrow. "Don't give me that look, Mio! I love being with you but I know I'd miss my family dearly. So would you."
"Maybe," definitely.
They laughed again, a hearty laughter, filling the room with noise. Why am I laughing? We're not even funny! Yet she laughed all the same, unconcerned, and her body felt light.
"Will we really do those things?" She asked when she, at last, stopped cackling. "I don't want to be a burden on you, even though I know you can afford it. I don't want to be a parasite or anything. And besides, we won't have time."
"Yeah," she let go of Mio's hand to pick up her fork and finish the last piece of her cake. "We probably won't. Maybe we can go visit a country. Just one. But still… It's fun to imagine, isn't it?"
"It is," Mio had to agree. Sometimes their ideas seemed so real, so likely, so close to their grasp. Sometimes they sounded like a certain future even though they were made of wind. "To imagine our life together…"
"We don't have to imagine that, though," she said, putting a playful finger on Mio's lips. Mio wondered if Mugi even understood how much of a tease she could be. It would not surprise her if she didn't. "We are together. And we'll be together for a long time. We'll make it happen, won't we?"
"Yes," she said. "But…"
Mio didn't want to say it. She didn't want to feed the melancholy, but she knew she could not hide her words and feelings from Mugi. She didn't even really want to hide them. Mugi always listened to her feelings, just as she listened to Mugi's.
"I'm sorry, but…" She had to ask, she told herself. This is important. "Will it last? Two years ago, I thought graduation would never come. Now it's months ago. So I'm afraid. I… I can't deal with it. With things coming to an end. And I don't want us to end."
"Ah, Mio…" She blinked thoughtful eyes, as if she herself didn't know the answer. "We can't know that. But we can try our best. You said it yourself, didn't you?" Mio nodded. "So we'll try, and if it lasts, then it'll last. And if it ends, then it'll end. But before we can say it'll last, and before we can say it'll end… First we'll love. That's what we'll do. Because I know we love each other. When I think of that, I stop worrying."
"I stop worrying too," said Mio. I was a fool for ever worrying in the first place. "I feel strong when I'm with you. And safe. And… And very, very happy."
"Then we'll love," she said, punctuating her words with a kiss on Mio's lips. This time they lingered on the kiss, the way they only did when they were all alone. When they were done, she set her plate aside, and Mio realized she hadn't finished her cake yet. "You know, I think we could stay together forever, actually. Is that stupid of me? Do most people find true love at seventeen?"
"I don't know," that wasn't a question that Mio cared to know the answer for. "I know I don't want to love anyone else after you, and to me, that's all that matters. Maybe that's just an adolescent notion, and maybe it's just juvenile romanticism, but… Well, I am a silly little romantic."
"I know that," Mugi said. "I've read your lyrics."
"That's mean!" Mio puffed her cheeks and feigned offense. "My lyrics aren't silly, they're about the nature of love!"
"And I love them, you know I do," she spoke in complete seriousness. "Will you ever write one about me, I wonder?"
Mio lost; she blushed. She tried not to be embarrassed by Mugi's words, but now it was just too much. Her face became red and warm, and then warmer still when she felt Mugi's fingers.
She cupped Mio's cheek with a soft hand. It was so warm that Mio forgot that it was cold outside. She forgot everything but Mugi, who now rested her head on her shoulder, sighing softly, happily. For the longest time, they didn't say anything. Nothing needed to be said.