Disclaimer: I do NOT own K-ON!(!)
A/N: I hope you find my own little K-ON! message hidden in the text. It's overdone, but it sure is nifty. Yes, nifty.
Once again, nothing was going on in Sakuragaoka High School in the early hours of night. Without any senior members present, clubs have said their well-practiced "goodbyes" and "congratulations", departing the school, waiting for the next day to creep its ugly head up. Of course, it was no different for Sakuragaoka's very own Light Music Club. Five members, one advisor, six seats. Five of the blue-chairs were empty, yearning for their labeled master to sit in the exact same spot once more, deepening their signature on the cushion. The only chair that got its wish was Azusa's.
The stillness, the silence, it was becoming all too familiar to the young guitarist. The only thing that kept her sane was the occasional sound of water dripping from the sparkling sink the club only used for dish-washing. Ton-chan was fast asleep in her large tank, failing to smooth Azusa's soul once more. Spotless. The entire room was sparkling, the final deed of her four favored senpais. She didn't dislike it, but it just made the void in her insides feel even deeper. Even the sight of Yui and Ritsu's abandoned junk would make her crack a smile. Alas, even they overdid the cleaning job. It looked as if nobody had ever stepped foot in here. The trash bin had a faint smell of fresh honey waffles, and the whiteboard was left completely blank. Even so, Azusa could still visualize the words that used to be on the large doodling tool.
GOAL: BUDOKAN!
Azusa truly wished to see those words written once more with that black, draw-erase marker. An unimaginable dream dreamt by a group of whimsical high school girls. They definitely yearned it, but … they didn't need it. That much they knew. As long as the aroma of cake and tea was in the air, the entire club was satisfied. Azusa nearly ripped off a fraction of her skirt and didn't even notice.
The large wooden doors of the music room creaked open.
The senior guitarist has shown her face. Yui had a determined look on her face once she locked eyes with her kouhai. The deceitful scarlet eyes melted into the all-knowing chestnut ones. Three seconds was all it took for Yui to tackle-hug Azusa with all her love. "Azu-nyan! Did everybody else go home already?"
Struggling to stop her guitar partner's attempted murder, Azusa breathed out. "Already? It's already nine, you know!"
Release. Deep breaths.
"N - Nine? ! Ah! I forgot to buy new tights! Uu ~ It's going to be a horror movie in the Hirasawa house tonight …" Yui skipped over to the clear windows and clasped her hands together. "May she have mercy on me."
Ignoring the "What the - -" expression on Azusa's face, Yui pranced over to her beloved Gitah, who has been labeled as Yui's boyfriend by various classmates. She slung him/it over her back and petted Azusa on the head. Thus resulting in another tiny blow-up from Azusa.
"Azu-nyan, I'll see you later, `kay?" Yui said after Mt. Nakano went dormant.
I don't want to hear that, senpai.
The older guitarist proceeded to walk on towards the exit for a good few seconds. But then, something clicked. Where was her 'See you, Yui-senpai'? Is something wrong with Azu-nyan? Did she do something wrong to her little kouhai? What if … what if … she's mad at her?
Yui shot her head in the opposite direction so fast her spine barely had anytime to react. Her sight was a mysterious one. The twin-tailed guitarist had a blank expression on her face. Disguise destroyed, Yui wasn't that air headed, no matter how many times people say she is. She could clearly see that her beloved friend was denying her feelings once more.
The philosophical side of Yui was put into motion. Azu-nyan can see me … but why isn't she … seeing me? The airhead's thoughts were quickly dismissed once she saw that her cuddle-toy's eyes seemed … different. They weren't sparkling, but they weren't watery either. Private-Eye-In-Training Yui who was trained in the office of Detective Mugi deducted that something was wrong with Azu-nyan. Yui also majored in redundancy. Anyways, her masterful plan would be to stay and watch until the cat-like girl comes back to her senses.
Energetic girl … Scaredy-cat girl … High-class girl … … Warm and fuzzy girl. The founding members … my senpais. You're moving onto college, aren't you? What am I supposed to do? What am I …
"Azu-nyan," The little kouhai's rash and paranoid thoughts were broken. She couldn't even remember if she was still sitting in her chair, or standing straight up. But Azusa knew the only relevant information was that two all-familiar arms were once again wrapped against her. The strict, responsible, worrisome Azusa Nakano everybody knew ceased to exist. Everything else just sank back into the ebony-haired girl's throat.
Yui continued. "You're thinking about something. Something sad."
Muttan's defenseless owner just nodded. "... Just thoughts I've been putting off." Yui just laughed.
"I do that too! Er, a lot, actually." Azusa just gave her a cold, "I noticed" look.
Yui continued, still refusing to release her tiny kitten out into the cold breezes going on in the clubroom. "Is it about the graduation?"
Click. Silence.
"Un," Yui was taken aback and felt remorse when she saw that Azusa's vermilion eyes were starting to water. It shocked her, actually. Yui was definitely unprepared, regarding that it's been a year since she's seen the thought-to-be-extinct feeling arise once more in her little partner's eyes.
But at the end of the day, if it involved taming the fierce "Azu" in YuiAzu, Yui was just the girl for the job.
The junior started to rub her face into Yui's chest. She was crying, she knew it. She's kissed her tear ducts goodbye long ago, but the rebellion they threw at her was too overwhelming. As if they took all her happiness and set them on a cruise ship bound for the Bermuda Triangle.
"Yui-senpai … Please, tell me … What am I supposed to feel?"
"Eh?"
"What am I supposed to do? The most interesting, fun, and awesome people I have ever met are going away … They're just marching on through the walkway of life, diploma in hand. What do I do? Yui-senpai …"
Yui's smile shone brighter, much to Azusa's bewilderment. She patted her on the head once more, the pressure was light, but the zeal ran deep through the girls.
"Cry. Cry like you've never done before, Azu-nyan."
"E - eh? Cry? But … I do - n't wan -t …." The images in the jazz child's eyes were flooding. The figure of Yui's face sent angry passion through her veins. Azusa knew she always lied to her heart, knowledge was power … right? The damn bittersweet words Yui effortlessly spoke sent billions of termites to the dam she has worked so hard to seal. She didn't want to cry. But just this once, just for her stability, she had to cry.
"There, there …" Yui didn't mind in the least bit that her uniform was being used as a tissue box. She liked it. Azusa's tears were burning, but finally free. In Yui's mind, tears were nothing but feelings. And to Yui, she has just confirmed that Azusa has the hottest feelings she had ever felt.
Witnessing Azusa cry once already, the mastermind's mind was left boggled. Last time, about a year ago, the tears she shed was just sadness. Not knowing why you stepped into the tea shop of a music room, unsure why smiles come in gallons by the time you sit on down with the mysterious band members, Yui knew the same feelings all too well. But this time, her cat friend's cries were heavier. She was hurting, and Yui was getting anxious.
Eyes puffy, face cringed, Azusa had forgotten how it felt to cry. In exchange she remembered why she never wants to ever again. Cheeks burning, the poor girl tried to cease her tears. Countless successes, but for Azusa, if it was one thing, there was always another thing. It pained her just to breathe the cold air to her scratchy, red, throat. The pain worsened even more after each hiccup, which was nearly every six seconds. The idea of just slapping herself silly so she'll stop appeared in her thoughts more than once. But the tight feel of her senpai's uniform on her fingertips and face was just bliss. It may not be that "thank you for all the hugs" thing Azusa always wanted to say, but it was pretty darn close.
Yui held her crying club mate for a good, long time. But at a point, her patience was long dead, and the elder guitarist just had a burning desire to cease Azusa's sobbing so she could ask one simple question. Unfortunately, Yui was never known to have a strong willpower.
"Azu-nyan," Yui gripped onto Cat-Girl's shoulders, she wanted this to literally be face-to-face.
"Azu-nyan," She repeated. "Don't you ever think … that we'll lose contact with you when we go to college. What kind of people do you take us for? Mio-chan, Ricchan, Mugi-chan … We all love you, Azu-nyan~!" The former high-schooler pulled her companion in for another embrace, but Azusa was having none of it.
Her tears had run dry, her expression was bubbly. "Yui-senpai, tights." Azusa finally said, after being interrupted by her bothersome hiccups thrice.
"Ah?" Yui spun around to gaze at the clock. "T - ten? ! ? Eek! I - I gotta go, Azu-nyan!" Yui sprung up like a wind-up toy and flew out of the room.
"Meet me at that place after graduation." Yui whispered before gliding down the hallway.
o.o.o.o
The last remaining member of the Light Music Club got up and dusted herself off. Her face hurt, and she was still hiccupping like nobody's business. The last time she had ever cried like today was when some jerk-face-wad-butt took her juice box in grade school.
Aside from her unintentional sobs, Azusa silently walked over to the shiniest windows she had ever seen in her life. Seriously, even the night frost refused to collapse onto the pieces of glass. Through the window, Azusa could clearly see her favorite senpai clumsily sprinting out onto the streets. Aside from almost getting flattened by a car, Yui sprinted on out of her sight. Azusa laughed. Though, was still very worried that the likelihood of her following Yui home so she'll be alive would be very possible.
The sound of her petite footsteps managed to successfully echo throughout the empty room. Certainly, Azusa wouldn't miss that sound. She picked her schoolbag up, latched Muttan over her back, and casually walked in the direction of the door, smiling.
It definitely wouldn't be her last time here, but it certainly would be her last "Houkago Tea Time". The forty-six kilogram guitarist looked back once while shutting the door behind her. The last sights she immediately saw truly amused her. The patched-up hole in the wall that occurred when one of Mio's punches went astray while she was beating the living daylight out of the easygoing drummer. The tiny tea stain on the couch that Mugi apologized and cried over for three days in a row. The foreign sticker which was appropriately, a bowl of rice on one of the legs of Mio's chair.
I guess … we've marked this territory well.
Azusa giggled.
Without a doubt, it would be a while until the music room would be bustling with life again. Even if eventually another group of impulsive girls decide to revive it, the five laughs of those five girls that pick and pull at everybody's heart would never resound through its walls again.
"All right! Who's ready for the best jam session ever? !
"Eh? Ar - - Arpeggio? What's that?
"For heaven's sake, stop messing around!
"We've gotta practice, come on!
"Let's have some tea, shall we?"
YOU!
Azusa shut the ancient door and bit her thumb.
"Ui, Jun, sorry. Senior year is going to suck."
The sound of light footsteps echoed through the halls.