Battle Royale AU.
:::
This story is supposed to take place in the universe Takami Koushun creates for Battle Royale.
A word of caution: Expect the girls to be out of character. This is supposed to be a harsher world than the one K-on! is set in.
Disclaimer: K-On! belongs to Kakifly, and the Battle Royale universe belongs to Takami Koushun.
:::
"Listen!"
[We chose the same dream; that is the power that drives us for tomorrow]
:::
Arc One: Tsubasa wo Kudasai.
Chapter One.
.
.
.
"Blonde," commented an amber-eyed girl to her friend.
Ritsu stood leaning against the frame of a door, her arms folded across her chest. She sent a meaningful look to her best friend, inclining her head slightly in the direction of the person of interest. It was not like Mio could have missed it, anyway; blondes, and especially natural blondes, were a rare sight in the Republic of Greater East Asia.
Mio didn't catch her friend's look. Her grey eyes, alight with questions, were fixed on the stranger. Like Ritsu had pointed out, there was a fair-haired young lady found across the road. She obviously did not belong to this neighbourhood. Even if it wasn't for her attention-grabbing hair, the stranger's jumpiness and choice of wardrobe definitely set her apart from the locals in the area. The stranger wore a summer dress, cardigan and flats – definitely too dressy for the likes of the people around here.
"I thought their sort weren't allowed here anymore?"
That was true. For as long as the two teens remembered, the Republic of Greater East Asia has condemned the influence of the external world. It was drilled into them from a tender age that the Western culture was barbaric and vulgar; a sentiment that had only grown following the disappearance of two students from the Battle Royale a couple of years earlier. The boy had been a rock guitarist who indulged in music from the external world. Obviously it had corrupted him. Their disappearing act had also tightened the regulations on music as well – something that Ritsu definitely did not appreciate.
"They aren't, generally," Mio responded haltingly, still in thought, "but I think there are still some of them around. Despite what they claim, I don't think the Republic can afford to sever all ties from the external world. We don't have enough land to sustain our food supply by ourselves, if you think about it."
Ritsu could only nod in agreement; leave it to Mio to figure it out.
The tawny-haired girl would be the first to admit that she had a very limited attention span and she was not going to waste more of it in lessons of little practicality. Mio, on the other hand, was very conscious about her academic performance. It had become a norm for Ritsu to come crawling on all fours to Mio, begging the latter to help her cram the night before an examination. Mio often called her a leech but Ritsu would only shrug it off; she couldn't deny what was the truth. She probably wouldn't be starting her second year of high school in a couple of weeks if it weren't for Mio's help.
She kept her gaze on the blonde, amber eyes squinted slightly in concentration. Though Ritsu's face was apathetic, her eyes were alert – calculating. Mio need only spare the briefest of glances in Ritsu's direction to read her rambunctious friend's mind. She knew that look and what it meant. She didn't approve of the intention behind Ritsu's stare.
"Don't," warned Mio firmly. "Don't even think about it, Ritsu."
Ritsu merely raised her eyebrows at Mio.
"Then get inside," she said, nodding towards the other side of the door from which they had appeared not too long ago. "You can't help what you aren't aware of."
Through gritted teeth, Mio said: "It doesn't work that way, Ritsu. Just because I can't see you at it don't mean that I don't know what you're doing."
Mio caught Ritsu's gaze and held it, trying wordlessly to discourage the other girl from going through with her plans. Mio actually looked pretty intimidating when she glared, an effect that was only amplified by her tall stature. Had she been anyone else, Ritsu might have seriously considered heeding the advice of the 'Dangerous Queen' but, alas, she wasn't. Ritsu has been on the receiving end of that glower for many years now, and the novelty of the scowl was lost after a couple of years. And, if nothing else, Ritsu was stubborn; if she had her mind made, there was no dissuading the girl.
To her credit, Mio attempted to hold the look for just a bit longer before she gave in. With a sigh of exasperation, she turned on her heel and entered the building.
"Fine," she called to Ritsu, "but I hope it eats away at your conscience at night."
Ritsu didn't even bother with a response. She merely flipped her black hoodie up and went in for the kill.
.
.
.
Mugi had been waiting for her chauffeur to turn up when she was accosted by a hooded figure.
Little by little, as the Kotobuki heiress approached the age of majority, her father had been easing his hold on the reigns and delegating responsibilities to the girl. She had just settled her negotiations with some of the branch stores in the area on her father's behalf and called for a ride. A couple minutes in, she received news that her ride was caught in bad traffic and would arrive only after an undetermined amount of time.
Mugi was scared. She had never been to such a run-down area of town before and was more than a little surprise that her father requested that she handled this dealing. Mugi guessed that was what she got for asking her father to allow her to be more independent…
Her heart picked up its pace when she received news that she would be stranded in the area for some time. Her instinct was to panic but she stiffened that upper lip and let that chauffeur know that she understood, and that she would be waiting by the store. He apologised once again before ending the call, but not before letting her know that he'll give her a call fifteen minutes before arriving. With all the composure expected of her, Mugi thanked the man and settled to wait for him.
"You're not from around here, are you?"
Mugi squeaked in surprise, jolting at the sudden voice coming from her side.
"Woah! Calm down!" the stranger cried, eyes wide in surprise, quickly flipping the hood of the black jacket down. It was a girl – no older than Mugi herself. The tawny-haired teenager, with her hands held in surrender, quickly added, "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
Mugi kept silent, too busy catching the breath she lost from the scare. She nodded her head to let the girl know that it was alright. The girl reached over to pat Mugi on the back.
"There, there."
"So…" the girl drawled, once Mugi appeared to have recovered, "what brings you around these parts? You're obviously not from around here."
Mugi tilted her head in question. Was it really that obvious that she wasn't familiar with the place? She sure hoped not; that would only make her an easy target for predators…
"Umm, yeah, it's pretty obvious," the girl said.
Mugi could feel the heat crawling up her cheeks, burning right up to the tips of her ears. Did she say that out loud?
"I'm Ritsu," the stranger announced.
The blonde hesitated for a moment. She knew that she shouldn't be giving her name to people that she met on the streets but surely it would be alright to let Ritsu know her name? Ritsu – the girl with the bright, sincere eyes and megawatt grin. Ritsu did initiate the greeting by introducing herself first, after all. It would be rude of Mugi if she didn't return the gesture.
"Kotobuki Tsumugi. Pleased to meet you," Mugi said with a bow. For a moment, she was worried about revealing her family name but Ritsu did not even bat an eyelash. The girl was obviously unfamiliar with it. Mugi very nearly sighed with relief; maybe Ritsu will treat her like an average girl this way. That would be lovely, wouldn't it?
They chatted for a bit. Ritsu was friendly and an easy conversationalist, albeit a little brash at times. She sounded independent – like a girl who could take care of herself. Her lack of use of feminine pronouns only added to that image. Yes, in her black hoodie jacket, white tee, yellow shorts and sneakers, Ritsu looked ready to hold her own. Despite having just met the girl, Mugi felt comfortable in Ritsu's presence – safe, even. Ritsu just has a very welcoming aura about her.
But eventually, the topics dwindled and gaps began to edge their way into the girls' conversation.
"Say, Mugi," Ritsu asked breezily, having discarded the formalities and choosing to use the blonde's nickname, "what's the time now?"
Ritsu looked up at the sky, which had started to take on a warmer tone. It was probably late in the afternoon, Mugi surmised, and the time shown on her cell phone only confirmed her deduction. It looks like it was almost tea time…
"Tea time, huh?" Ritsu chuckled. "That sounds good. When is your ride coming, anyway?"
Right on cue, as if Ritsu was a psychic, Mugi's phone rang. Her chauffeur was on the other side on the line, letting her know that he would be there in fifteen minutes or so.
Ritsu nodded in response, offering to stay with Mugi till she had a ride back home. When Mugi thanked her, Ritsu merely shrugged, saying that it wasn't exactly safe to leave a girl standing alone in an unfamiliar neighbourhood. Nothing serious happened on this side of the place, though, Ritsu assured – just petty crooks and con artists.
It wasn't long after that a familiar car pulled up at the curb, its driver running a flood of apologies to the young lady. Ritsu's eyebrow raised just a fraction, as if it had just dawned on the girl that Mugi's family had a bigger income than an average household's. She quickly shook her head and smiled at Mugi, however.
"It was nice meeting you, Mugi," Ritsu greeted over her shoulder. "You're fun to talk to."
And just like that, Ritsu sauntered away, a hand raised in farewell.
.
.
.
'Tea time, eh?'
The weight of the newly-acquired wallet in Ritsu pocket told her that she would be enjoying tea time today. Maybe she could get a little something for her mother and Satoshi… Oh, and Mio, too. She would really have to make it up to her friend for ignoring the advice given. Mio was known to be in a bad mood whenever her words of caution went unheeded by Ritsu. The tawny-haired girl was prepared to make a show of grovelling for forgiveness if need be, though Mio would probably end up giving her a scolding for being melodramatic.
She had barely made it down the block when a voice called out to her.
"Ricchan!" called Mugi's voice, accompanied by hurried footsteps. "Please wait!"
Ritsu paused, albeit warily. She was ready to run if the girl had caught on that Ritsu picked her pocket during their encounter. Though she was in position to bolt, Ritsu kept an easy-going smile on her face.
"What's wrong, Mugi?"
The Kotobuki heiress took a moment to catch her breath. Good. It meant that Ritsu could probably outrun the girl if she wanted to.
Mugi struggled between gasps, "Would you like to have tea with me?"
Ritsu's eyes widened. She had pictured the many ways that this scene could play out but an invitation to tea certainly wasn't amongst them. But she quickly ousted those irrelevant thoughts from her head. The longer she spent standing in Mugi's presence only meant that the risk of her actions being discovered was only mounting. So, she rubbed the back of her neck, putting on a show of hesitation. Man, was Ritsu a good actress or what?
"I'm sorry, Mugi, but the common folk like us don't really have much to go on by…"
"Please have tea with me," Mugi pleaded. "I'll treat you to it; don't worry about that."
'Huh… She would treat a random stranger to tea?' Ritsu wondered.
It was strange; what Mugi had offered to do was really uncommon where she grew up. Everyone only ever looked out for themselves (and maybe their families) in this place. It was about the survival of the fittest and all that jazz; people didn't have time for kindness – or righteousness, for that matter. But, ugh, Ritsu would hate herself is she bit the hand that fed her.
Ritsu sighed, "You won't be able to treat me to tea, Mugi, even if I agreed to it. And after what I'm about to reveal, you probably wouldn't want me around, either."
She reached into her pocket and fished out Mugi's wallet, ignoring Mugi's gasp of surprise. With a heavy heart, she held out her day's pickings back to its owner. Damn her moral fibre… She could have had such a treat with that money.
"I'm so sorry I betrayed your trust, Mugi."
"… Why?"
Mugi had asked the question in the smallest of voices. It was so delicate – so fragile. Geez, now Ritsu felt horrible about deceiving the girl. She should at least answer the question.
"Why did I take it? Well it's kind of the norm around here but that's no excuse for what I–"
"That's not it, Ricchan," Mugi said. "Why did you choose to return it when you could've left me none the wiser?"
Ritsu was tongue-tied; she hadn't been expecting such a question. She fidgeted slightly, bringing a hand up to scratch at her cheek while she tried to conjure up an answer. Ritsu was not one to blush but she could feel the heat inching its way towards her sheepish face.
"Well, I guess I just – it didn't feel right," Ritsu admitted, ending the sentence a little lamely.
And, to Ritsu's surprise, Mugi enveloped Ritsu in a hug – a hug that let the tawny-haired girl know that all was forgiven. To say that Ritsu was shocked was an understatement. She had tried to steal from the girl but was forgiven just like that? Was this how things were in the upper class society? Things definitely didn't fall in place so easily where RItsu came from. She didn't know if she should admire Mugi's forgiving nature or chastise the girl for being too sweet for her own good.
All Ritsu managed was to reciprocate the hug, albeit awkwardly. That was really saying something as Ritsu was one who had trouble respecting personal space. While she might grab the hands of people she had just met on impulse, she had reservations about pulling acquaintances into hugs. That sort of behaviour got people stabbed in her neighbourhood…
"You're not mad, Mugi?"
Mugi peeled herself away to reply: "Well, I am a little bit upset…"
Ritsu looked down towards her sneakers, scuffing the toes of them on the grainy sidewalk.
"… But, to do the right thing even when you could have gotten away with it: I don't think you're a bad person on the inside, Ricchan."
Ritsu looked up to find a gentle smile on Mugi's face and blue eyes warmer than the sea on a summer's day. She couldn't help but crack a smile herself.
"Why don't you wait here?" Ritsu offered. "I'll introduce you to my friend, Mio. She disapproves of my pickpocketing. Maybe that'll be some common ground for the two of you, eh? And maybe we can go grab something from the fast food place nearby?"
A smile.
"Okay."
:::