Author's Note: Thought or Emphasis; Flashback; Thought or Emphasis in Flashback
I don't own K-ON!. I don't even own the names used here. A certain picture on YouTube I came across by accident just couldn't leave my mind, though, so boom, here I am. Hopefully, someone takes that concept featured here and creates something with a little development.
Read and review.
K-ON!: Punching Bag!
A One-Shot
Sakuragaoka High School. At three floors high and a hundred years old, this place of learning was named for the beautiful blossoms that decorated the trees spread about the campus.
Still, it was strange for such a flowery name to label an all-boys school...
Especially one with the trouble a certain student was facing this afternoon.
"WAH!"
A good shove forced him to hit the wall; luckily, the bass guitar at his side was unaffected.
Mikio Akiyama was not a proud young man; he just did his best. He was diligent in his studies and in music (or at least, tried to be when it came to the latter; Temujin's cakes didn't help), and his hard work paid off. Ever since their first concert at the school festival, Afterschool Tea Time had gained a following in the neighborhood, and that was all there was to it...
Or so he believed.
"What's your problem, Wakaouji-san?"
Ichigo Wakaouji stood with the same face as he always did: brown eyes half-lidded, lips still and pursed, overall looking uninterested... except for the mildest of frowns in his brow, all framed by short and curly dark-brown hair.
"I'd say it's you, Princess."
The "Princess" moniker stemmed from his appearance: long, smooth dark hair tied into a ponytail by a thin ribbon; a toned, tall body concealed by a clean blue jacket and gray pants, the school uniform; a soft, almost feminine face; and eyes a unique steel-gray. Those looks, combined with his musical talent, attracted the eyes and hearts of many a girl in town (and of a few guys at school).
He was, according to a not-so-secret Mikio Akiyama fan club, the unspoken prince of the school.
Certain elements, like the one standing over him, didn't like that—and unfortunately for the young monarch, none of those in his fan club were here to defend him.
"You see, Kiyo-"
"It's Mikio."
"Whatever." Ichigo waved his hand in dismissal. "Ya see, Kiyo, guys like you make things harder for guys like me. Pretty boys like you are always taking the spotlight, taking the girls, taking the respect—and you act like you don't even care."
"Wha...?" An eyebrow rose for a moment, before it and its twin angrily turned down. "I'm not trying to 'take' anything! And besides..." The raven shuddered from the response to one performance, especially after tripping over that pant leg on the way off stage... "Girls are animals!"
"There it is again—that stupid aloof image of yours." Wakaouji's voice was unchanged, his face was the same as always, but a closer look would reveal a vein pulsing over his brow. "It really ticks me off."
"THERE'S NO IMAGE!"
He didn't hear that. "Well, I'm gonna break that image... and your girly-looking face..." Clenched fist met open palm as he stepped nearer. "Hey, maybe even that guitar of yours too."
The bassist clutched Elizabeth to his form.
Of all the times to go to the clubroom without-
"YOOOO, Ki-YOOOO!"
The would-be bully turned around to a sight that made his arms go slack.
"Tainaka."
His clothes were slightly unkempt, jacket unbuttoned, sleeves rolled back, and shirt hanging out; his hair was tawny and spiky, held down by a dark-yellow headband; and he sported a seemingly happy grin, as if he hadn't seen either boy in ages.
"Riku?" Thank the gods. Then, "How'd you find me?"
"You didn't know?" The drummer gasped in mock surprise. "I thought you felt the same way I have all these years?" He put his fist to his heart, head bowed. "Our bond is so strong, I'll find you wherever you are..." He rose his head, smiling dramatically and winking... "Kiyo-chan." If this were an anime, one might hear a ping! as his teeth shined, the nearby cherry blossoms making an almost romantic background.
"Kiyo-chan's" entire face went red; only his mother used that name for him—until middle school. "It's Mikio-cha—er, I mean, Mikio!"
The curly-haired brunet didn't like to be ignored. "You the Princess' attack dog?"
Chuckling, Riku turned his attention to the other teen. "Oh, almost forgot about you! How ya been, Strawberry? Last time we talked like this was, what, eighth grade?" His eyes shut to make room for his smile to get even bigger, if that were possible.
That vein over Ichigo's brow pulsed again; he hated that tired joke. "My name means, 'one who protects'!"
"Oh, right, like the Bleach guy! Totally forgot. Still..." His grin began to fade. "Don't see ya doing much protecting over here, though."
He began to walk closer to his classmate.
"It looks to me..."
Step, step, step. His shut eyed smile was now an open-eyed grimace.
"...like you're doing..."
Step, step, step. They seemed to echo, now, in the berry boy's head.
"...something else."
Riku was four steps away, his smile vanished, but Ichigo felt his presence as if he were breathing in his face.
He gulped. "I-i-it's none of your business."
"Ya sure? If you're messing with him..." The drummer pointed to the one leaned up against the wall. "I'd say it is."
"Well, I-"
POW.
Ichigo lost the words to explain; the fist meeting his face cut him off, and the subsequent dizziness didn't help resolve the matter.
"RIKU!" Sure, the tables had turned, but the bassist didn't want that to happen.
"No worries, Kiyo-"
"Mikio."
"-I'm not gonna kill him. It was just a warning. He's not going to bother you anymore." Heated amber burned into flustered brown. "Right?"
The welt on Ichigo's cheek started to resemble his sort-of namesake, and he rubbed it absentmindedly. "...yeah."
"Great!" Riku's countenance brightened all over again. "Now get goin'!"
The unlucky soul obliged, a shoe to his rump spurring him off campus... he wouldn't be telling his boys about this one.
"And spread the word!" The drummer raised his fist and voice to all comers. "YOU SPLIT A HAIR ON MIKIO AKIYAMA'S HEAD, AND YOU HEAR FROM ME!"
The bassist felt his palm and face meet.
Geez... Riku...
He sighed.
"Thanks, Riku." He rubbed his slightly sore arm. "But what was that back there? Why did you have to be so dramatic?"
"Well, Kiyo... you're no princess," He giggled—he might have to hold on to that name, "but you are important to me."
Mikio's train of thought halted, if only for a second.
"Uhh..."
The bassist may have been taller, but under those eyes that now stared into his, he had never felt smaller in his life—strange, considering what happened minutes ago.
Is Riku being... serious?
"Out of all the others... not Yuu, not Asuma..."
And when did he get so close?
The wall at his back, he had no defense, his body too surprised to use Elizabeth to protect him from... whatever Riku was going to do next...
Too late. An arm was already looped over his shoulders.
W-w-what is he doing?
The alarm sounded ever louder as Riku's face inched just a
Little.
Bit.
Closer.
"No one else can be what you are to me..."
Mikio screwed his eyes shut.
"MY PERSONAL PUNCHING BAG!"
Silence.
His eyes slowly reopened...
"...what?"
"Or is it more like, my plaything?"
Now they were wide open.
"WHAT?"
"Nah, I'm gonna go with 'punching bag'. It sounds more manly." With a nod to himself, the drummer made his declaration. "Point is, I'm the only one allowed to mess with you."
He leaned in close once more, the arm draped over the raven's shoulders nearly choking him.
"Got it?"
Mikio turned away from the sly smile, feeling his face heat...
"Riku..."
He honestly didn't know how to feel about that.
"Has anyone told you you're fricking insane?"
"Counting you... and only you?" The brunet's free hand stroked a non-existent beard. "I'd say three times this month."
And with that, things were back to normal. "So few, huh?"
"HA HA! You know me so well!" He slapped Mikio's back out of alignment. "Now let's go. Nakano said he's got some new ideas. Hopefully for those lyrics of yours." He chuckled. "I mean, Fuwa Fuwa Time? What kinda man feels 'light and fluffy' about some girl?"
He hadn't noticed the anger volcano stirring nearby.
"It's been a whole year now, but I'm still itching all-"
POW.
Twin gray clouds stormed, a smoking fist still clenched. "Don't disrespect our music!"
"...ow..." Riku readjusted his headband, knocked out of place from the force. "Where was all that power of yours a few minutes back?"
"I tend to restrain myself, unlike you." Mikio was already steps ahead, a frown dusting his soft-angled face. "Well? Weren't we meeting the guys? Hurry up!"
"Fine, fine, oh dangerous king, you lead the way..." He may have been behind a few feet, but his smile stretched for miles. "Just wait till they hear about this!"
"And I'm sure we'll get to practice sometime after that..."
Today's club meeting would feature a very entertaining storyteller, arms flailing as he recounted his battle against a dozen burly delinquents to save his best friend's life.
Mikio let him talk. After all, he did deserve it.
Riku saved him from a future of pain...
Even if only to keep him all to himself.
"Ugh."
The bassist sipped his tea, a calming blend...
He had a feeling he'd need it.
"Stupid Riku."
END
Didn't realize how easy this would be, considering I've read VERY few gender-bending fics, and years ago at that (never completed). I wrote this in only a week!
It's also surprising how easy it was to imagine Ritsu as a boy. It must be the hair...
Anyway, if you want something that's a little different from the usual universe, you're in luck. I'm currently developing another K-ON! fiction that will be a LOT longer than this; I'm already at 18 pages. Now... if only I could figure out this fight scene...
That's right, a fight scene.
You go ahead and stew on that one for a while.
Crossing my fingers that this project works out! I'll see you then, readers. Look out for the tentative title, "Hunters!"
And of course, folks new to my writing can check out my already complete K-ON! story, "Howl!" on Fanfiction and deviantart dot com.