Hey there!
I know the title's pretty lame but I can't think of any other atm _ If you have any suggestions, feel free to tell me :D
Not sure if I'll continue Trance since it seems like I have more notes for this fanfic about Mio and Ritsu.
I hope you enjoy this!
Reviews are welcome~
P.S. Time frame is Winter of their 2nd year.
Slice of Life
Chapter 1: Walk
Just like always, Ritsu waited outside Mio's house on her way to school. They always walked together to Sakuragaoka; neither Ritsu nor Mio have any memory of not ever going to school together.
"Mioooooooooooooooooooo-chan!" Ritsu shouted at the top of her lungs. She was getting impatient at Mio's lateness.
A voice above yelled.
"Urusai!" Mio started walking downstairs to meet Ritsu. When Mio opened the front door, she found a rather annoyed-looking Ritsu standing.
"You're unusually late," Ritsu grumpily said as both girls started walking down the road.
"I was fixing myself," Mio said, a streak of red visible over her porcelain face. The statement prompted Ritsu to look at Mio's direction. Ritsu scanned the latter's body with scrutinizing eyes. Mio's school uniform was ironed out, her street shoes clean, and her long flowing black hair nicely combed. To top it all, her best friend smelled really nice, like vanilla.
"I don't see anything that needs fixing," Ritsu bluntly said. Mio sighed.
Of course… I already 'fixed' myself.
Ritsu scanned her friend once more; Mio felt really uneasy. This time, Ritsu noticed something different of Mio's appearance. Spotting the change, she jumped back, her index finger pointing at Mio, accusingly.
"No way! You tied your hair up!" Ritsu loudly said.
"You just barely noticed…" Mio muttered. "And stop talking so loudly!" Mio was unable to restrain herself.
"You're talking loudly yourself," Ritsu pointed out. "Yelling, in fact," she added. Mio decided not to retort back; she knew full well that the conversation would only turn more trivial than it is now.
After a few more minutes of silent walking, Mio decided to break the silence.
"You don't like it?" Mio asked, her finger uneasily twiddling with the ends of her blue scarf. Mio did not need to finish her sentence: Ritsu and herself have been friends for such a long time that they could almost tell what the other was thinking.
Ritsu kindly smiled at her friend and replied, "Actually, you look pretty either way. Its just that I'm used to your hair down. And I think I like it down better."
"Oh," Mio said. An awkward silence followed.
"So, tell me. Why did you tie up your hair? Is it a boy?" Ritsu teasingly asked, poking Mio's slightly warm cheek with her ungloved fingers.
A nerve was now visible on Mio's forehead. "No," Mio finally answered.
"Now that I think about it, you've never had a boyfriend have you?"
Another nerve had joined the first. Ritsu smirked at the slight change in Mio's features.
"Do you want me to have one?" Mio said as she turned to face Ritsu, her left eyebrow raised.
Ritsu was caught off guard by the question. What are you supposed to answer your friend when she asks you a question like that? She didn't exactly know what to answer. She simply placed her now cold hands deep into her skirt's pockets and shrugged.
Mio looked at Ritsu in amusement and annoyance. As how she judged it, her best friend didn't really care.
The two walked in silence some more until Sakuragaoka's highest point was in view.
"Hey," Ritsu said.
"Hn?"
"Its been ten years since we first met each other," Ritsu said. She remembered. Mio's face lit up and Ritsu slung her arm around Mio's neck. "So, how about you help me with Math homework to commemorate this event?" She just had to ruin it… Mio thought.
"No," Mio sternly said, removing Ritsu's arm from her neck and increasing her pace.
"Aww, come on! What better way to celebrate the tenth anniversary of being with your best friend than helping her with her homework?" Ritsu almost ran to catch up to Mio.
"If I keep helping you with your homework, how will you survive without me in college?" Mio said. "I'm doing this for your sake," she added.
"But we're going to the same college," Ritsu stated. "Whatever college you'll apply to, I'll apply there too! If you end up in another college as I, I'll fail and become a beggar on the streets…" Ritsu dramatically addressed. This was the only way she could think of to persuade Mio to help her with her homework.
Mio didn't want Ritsu to end up like that, of course. But how would Ritsu ever learn? It's not like she's stupid… She's just really lazy. Mio pressed her hand against her face at this thought. "How do you know you'll pass to the same college as I?"
"Because you'll help me," Ritsu said. "You won't let me roam the streets, right?"
"No," Mio said. She wouldn't let Ritsu roam the streets. She cared too much.
Ritsu grinned at Mio. She knew it. She was sure of it.
"Just kidding. I already copied from Mugi so I don't need your help," Ritsu smiled at Mio.
The thought of Ritsu going to Mugi for help instead, made Mio feel lonely.
"What's wrong?" Ritsu concernedly asked. She didn't fail to see the hint of sadness in Mio's face. By this time, they were on Sakuragaoka's grounds.
"It's nothing," she assured her friend. If she told Ritsu why, the brunette would only tease her.
Ritsu didn't let it pass. "Say, want to skip club activities today and come with me to the cake shop in front of the station?" Ritsu asked. "My treat," she added.
Mio smiled a genuine smile and nodded.
They reached the front door of class 2-1 and Mio was about to open the door when Ritsu pulled her around and hugged her for the shortest time. It was only very short but that was enough to make Mio's face turn as red as tomatoes.
"For our tenth year," Ritsu grinned. She turned around, and ran up the stairs to her classroom. Mio looked at the staircase, frozen on the spot.
Mio was pulled out of her frozen state when a familiar air headed friend bumped into her.
"Ah! Mio-chan! Gomen! I was thinking of what sweets we will have today and I didn't notice where I was going," Yui apologized, her hand rubbing the back of her head whilst doing so.
"That's okay," the taller girl smiled. "By the way, Ritsu and I won't be able to attend practice today," Mio added.
"Oh… I'll tell Mugi-chan and Azu-nyan then," Yui said. She waved bye to Mio and continued walking to her classroom.
Before going into her classroom, Mio pulled off the ribbon that was holding her hair up and placed it in her left pocket.
A couple of the scenes in this fanfic were taken out of events in my life. Some of them happened between me and my best friend like the one when Mio asked Ritsu about the having boyfriend thing, instead my best friend asked me if I wanted her to kiss her boyfriend then. Haha. And yes, I'm speaking through Ritsu. I was more the happy go lucky one :P Hopefully, I'll be updating faster on this fanfic than my previous ones…