Note: The central character of this story is the girl who initially appeared as Azusa's friend in ep8 of season1 but just never appeared again. I've seen some few fanarts of her around the net but I can't seem to find her name, so I made up one using her possible voice actresses. I call her semi-OC because I only have very little of her few screen time to work with.
Disclaimer: K-on belongs to Kakifly and KyoAni
~The Kitten and the Sparrow~
Year 1: Leaving the Nest
"Iyaaaaaaa!"
Hazel green eyes blinked curiously at the two fellow freshmen running towards the gym and shutting the door behind them. The cause for their alarm tried to chase after them but quickly collapsed on the ground with a tired whine.
...was that supposed to be a chicken outfit?
She blinked again, her curiosity piqued because this was by far the weirdest club-advertising campaign she had seen all day. Was the person from a cosplay, animal-lover or theatrical club?
"What the heck is that…?" Her friend's unimpressed tone spoke more than enough for her sentiment.
"Beats me…"
Suddenly, a piece of paper entered her line of vision. When they both looked up to see who was holding it, they were startled to see another person wearing a rather scary horse costume. The plastic eyes stared down at them like a predator, though the girl inside sounded pleasant.
"We're the light music club. If you're interested, pleased come to the music room on the third floor after school."
Her friend clearly looked uncomfortable but she politely accepted the simple-looking ad anyway.
"What is this…?" The pigtailed girl muttered as they turned around to see two more joining the fallen Chicken's side. The Dog and the Cat exchanged a few lines in what sounded like friendly tones, laughing and chuckling.
Even then, this light music club left a creepy first impression on Kikuchi Asuka and Nakano Azusa.
"Azusa, let's go," she said quietly, unnerved.
"Ah, right…"
Asuka couldn't help but glance at the four strangers one more time. Why would members of a music club dress up like that? And if they were trying to get the freshmen to join, they should just wear the school uniforms instead of scaring unwitting passersby away…
"They look sketchy."
She smiled at the pigtailed-girl's ever-blunt tone. While Azusa was respectful and polite, she was also forward and practical. The illogical sight must have puzzled her a great deal. Asuka idly brushed through her short brown hair and re-fixed it with her pink clip as they walked towards the building for their first class.
"I know. I hope the jazz club isn't like this too."
"Yeah, I hope not. I really want to join a club this year, Kotori."
Azusa only ever called her by her nickname whenever she felt uncertain. Feeling the need to reassure her friend, Asuka nodded cheerfully, "We definitely will join one this year, don't worry!"
Neither of them participated in any extracurricular activities during middle school, so they promised each other that they will seek out a club that they would feel comfortable with, preferably something related to music.
Asuka glanced at her long time friend and softened her gaze. They happened to meet each other back when they were still elementary schoolers. Their parents had worked together a few times, being jazz musicians. Because of their frequent meetings and kindred appreciation for music, they became fast friends. The pigtailed girl was a dedicated child back then, always eager to learn and improve herself especially in playing the guitar. Asuka was pulled by her friend's enthusiasm and tried to keep up with her trumpet practice too.
Unlike Azusa, the brunette was not as influenced by her parents and preferred the classics instead, especially orchestral music. Another thing was that she always placed schoolwork before anything else because of her average grades, but the pigtailed girl managed to balance it out. Hardworking and diligent, Azusa easily passed the entrance exam for Sakuragaoka. Asuka had to struggle a little, but she managed to enter the same high school as her longtime friend. After years of knowing each other, they were happy that they will finally able to spend more time together.
"At least these seniors look normal, and they have better-presented posters," the pigtailed girl commented in a neutral tone as they walked down the hallway, but she was obviously interested in the variety of clubs from the way her eyes shone almost childishly.
The brunette sighed in fondness as she observed her friend's subtle yet keen glances at the posters. As mature as Azusa was, she could be quite the curious, innocent kitten when she encountered new and unusual things. As the older one of the pair, Asuka couldn't help but want to watch over the shorter girl.
"I wonder if high school is way harder than middle school."
"Maybe, but I'm sure we'll gradually get used to the workload," Azusa said confidently, which eased the brunette's feelings as usual.
They half-eagerly and half-anxiously filed into the classroom and took their assigned seats in slight disappointment. Asuka got a seat near the window while the pigtailed girl was practically in the center of the rows. The latte did not seem too happy about it, because while she was adequately sociable, she still preferred to have her personal space. The brunette, on the other hand, loved her window seat so she could keep looking out into the yard or just stare at the clouds, which was what she ended up doing when the teachers were going through the syllabi.
The first day of class was okay, she decided. Everyone was friendly and that was enough for her. The real challenge would come when schoolwork intensified and exams arrived. She sighed quietly as she packed up her belongings, but she paused when she noticed her friend observing two girls near the front of the classroom. So what had piqued the kitten's interest?
Oh, they were the ones who ran away from the Chicken this morning!
Another girl, Suzuki Jun she believed, walked up to them and talked about wanting to check out the light music club. One of them quickly excused herself while the other one, a girl with a short ponytail named Hirasawa Ui, seemed happy at the prospect of having someone to go visit the club with her.
Interesting, they weren't put off by those strange animal costumes?
Azusa was still staring in them intently, apparently deep in thoughts.
Smiling in affection, Asuka walked to her friend. "The jazz club is giving a demonstration on the second floor, Azusa. We should hurry."
The shorter girl snapped out of her trance and hastily followed her out of the classroom. They spent some time briefly checking out the clubs they passed by, and finally they arrived at the floor where the jazz club was said to be.
"Let's see, I remember it's two doors next to the Occult club-"
Suddenly, a bespectacled woman sprinted down the stairs past them, holding a frilly maid uniform and dragging a second-year with long black hair…?
Confused, the two friends looked up at the direction those strangers came from and stared in bemusement.
"Isn't the room above-?"
"I think it's the music room…"
Asuka recalled the light music club and hoped, for that second year's sake, she would be alright from whatever that woman planned. "Um... okay... let's pretend we didn't see anything..."
"Yeah…"
However, the jazz club proved to be disappointing because it didn't seem like anything they were used to from their parents. They politely told the members they would think about it and promptly excused themselves.
The brunette glanced at her friend worriedly, knowing that she must be disheartened even though she looked neutral. As Asuka struggled to find something to say to cheer her up, she paused by the stairways and looked up.
Torn between wanting to encourage her and preventing further disappointment, the brunette asked hesitantly. "Are you sure you're going? They're the ones in the animal suits right…?"
"I'm only checking them for a bit," Azusa said reassuringly. Seeing that she couldn't change her friend's mind once it was made up, they walked up and looked through the window to see what was happening in the music room.
The second-years in there appeared normal enough, except they were all wearing gym uniforms for some reason. Hirasawa Ui had a very conflicted expression on her face as she stood by Suzuki Jun's side and watched the older girls banter.
"She seemed troubled…"
"Maybe this isn't a serious club," Azusa sounded both exasperated and disappointed, like she was originally hoping for something else.
"Well, don't worry, we still have many clubs we haven't visited yet," Asuka suggested hopefully, "We got so many pamphlets, I'm sure we can decide on something."
"Right…" the pigtailed girl glanced longingly through the window one more time before following the brunette down the stairs.
"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"
"I'm sorry, Kotori, but I really don't think the Wind Ensemble club is right for me…"
Asuka chuckled and waved her hand casually at the pigtailed girl. "It's okay, I won't force you. But... what are you going to do now?"
"I don't know…I guess I'll meet up with you later then."
Though worried, the brunette could only nod at her friend's decision. After talking on the phone with each other last night, they checked out non-music clubs this morning but either the activities would greatly effect studying time or they really did not interest them. In the end, Azusa encouraged the taller girl to go see the Wind Ensemble club by herself, reassuring her that she will be fine on her own.
Asuka felt apprehensive about leaving her friend by herself though. While Azusa was more than capable of being by herself, she really wanted to make sure the pigtailed girl would be in the right company. Even the most independent of kittens could get influenced by the world around them, right?
Just as she was still deciding what to do, she noticed Azusa glancing at Hirasawa Ui again, who noticed her curious gaze and tentatively invited her to go watch the freshmen orientation with her. Apparently, there were a few presentations going on to welcome the newest members of Sakuragaoka.
Based on what Asuka knew of the ponytailed girl, she decided that Azusa should be fine with this classmate. Perhaps the performances can help take her mind off their club-searching?
"I'll meet you later then, Azusa!"
"Ah, okay, see you later."
The brunette smiled at her friend and conversed with Hirasawa-san briefly before they had to part ways in the hallway. Azusa and the ponytailed classmate walked down the other way towards the auditorium while Asuka headed down the corridor to find the Wind Ensemble clubroom.
"I wonder if the light music club has a concert in the orientation too," she mumbled to herself and shook her head dismissively. Everything she knew of that club made her feel suspicious already, let alone to someone as practical as Azusa.
Unless the music was unique or truly impressive, the pigtailed girl would not be interested in joining it.
It was up to her to decide of course, but a part of Asuka really hoped that it would be the one, just so her kitten-like friend would have a place to go to.
She'll just have to wait and find out later.
Note: The characters making up the name 'Asuka' literally means 'flying bird', hence Azusa's nickname for her. 'Kotori' means little bird or just 'bird-chan', for the affectionate tone.
From all the fanarts I've checked and her few screen times, the color of this girl's eyes is really hazel green.