A/N: Hello, it's me.
Back again with another fic. Ahhh, this time I started a 52 week challenge to keep me motivated. Surprisingly this one
didn't take long to write. Though I had to stop halfway so it became longer than originally intended. Anyways, hope you like it!
The set is gonna have different pairings. YuiAzu and Mitsu being the primary focus, but I'll see along the way if I throw anything else in
like Mugitsu or something.
Week 1: A New Beginning
Ritsu stared at the empty apartment.
She had been the first one to rush upstairs and let herself in. She had sprung away from her friends and told them it was to make it easier.
That and she would be back quickly and go back to get her stuff, but she had ulterior motives for the trip.
The amber-eyed girl sauntered over to the tiny living area and dragged her fingertips over the edge of the larger of the two couches. A shiver ran up her spine as a smile crept onto her lips.
This was real.
After five arduous years of University, she and her four best friends had all finally graduated. They'd lived separately for a year because Azusa had a year left when they were done, but now they were sharing an apartment together.
A single tear slid down Ritsu's cheek, another reminder as to why she had wanted to come up alone.
Ritsu quickly wiped it away and sniffled. She let her hand drop from the couch before she decided to lay down on it.
With Mugi's help, they had managed to obtain a duplex apartment comfortable enough to fit the five of them. There were only three bedrooms, but with prior agreements to split them up, it wasn't an issue.
Well, it all depends on whether or not Azusa is alright with sharing a room with Yui. Ritsu thought to herself.
She closed her eyes and let her mind wander.
Their band, HTT, had managed to book more solid gigs, and their dreams which had seemed so distant were now more tangible. With Sawako's, their old manager, high school classmate helping them, they were once again on the road to Budokan.
Ritsu smiled to herself. The thought of the five of them up on that stage together brought a light feeling in her gut. As the group's leader, she didn't want them to see her as anything but strong-willed.
Not like this light and fluffy goof who couldn't stop smiling to herself on the couch.
Ritsu sighed contently and opened her eyes to stare up at the ceiling. She already had huge plans. She would hang all her posters beside her bed and then move her drum set into the room until they had access to their practice room.
Yui, Mio, and Azusa had already left their instruments in the room. Since theirs were easier to carry, they'd dropped them off the day before.
Ritsu chuckled upon recalling the memory of Azusa scolding the elder guitarist about forgetting to care for her instrument again. The two guitarists had their fair share of drama now and then.
On second thought, maybe I should share with Yui after all. If they sleep in the same room, Azusa might throttle her in her sleep.
The silent ambient of the room that Ritsu had been thoroughly enjoying was shattered by a familiar shrill voice shouting.
"Yui-senpai, I told you not to drag that suitcase across the floor! It has wheels for a reason!"
"Speak of the devil," Ritsu deadpanned.
"But Azunyaan, the handle's stuck!"
"Didn't I tell you yesterday to clean it after you dropped ice cream on it? No wonder it won't budge, it's all sticky."
Ritsu felt a sweat drop slide down the side of her head and blankly smiled.
Yeah, I really hope Mio's fine sharing a room with Azusa. The kitten and Yui have NOT sorted out their issues yet.
"Hellooo?" Mugi's voice echoed through the room.
"It's me!" Ritsu called out and sat up from her place on the couch.
The blonde's head poked through the doorway, her head facing the wrong way momentarily before turning. Mugi smiled warmly and stepped back out.
"Yes this was the room, Mio-chan! It looks like our apartment wasn't broken into, Ricchan just rushed up to use the toilet!"
Ritsu would have fallen off of the couch and hit her head had she not managed to put an arm out in time. Leave it to Mugi to innocently make the situation more awkward than it needed to be.
A lightbulb flashed in Ritsu's head at the other girl's statement.
Wait, they thought that the apartment had been broken into? That means Mio should be-
Ritsu pushed herself into a standing position and sprinted out the door. She slid out just in time to spot a girl huddled in a corner. Mugi was standing beside her and petting her head.
Once Mugi caught sight of her, the blonde's blue eyes flashed with realization as Ritsu knelt down in front of the raven-haired girl. "Ricchan, don't-"
"What, Mio? Didja think that a thief was waiting to steal your panties or something?" She snickered.
A pair of watery grey eyes peered through a curtain of bangs, the sight sent a pang through Ritsu's stomach. The smirk slipped from her face, a wistful smile replaced it instead.
"Don't worry, I was making sure that everything was alright for all of us," she stated. Mio sniffled and wiped away at her cheeks.
Ritsu reached over and placed a hand on her cheek. She smiled as reassuringly as possible, the bassist gave her a watery smile in return.
"Don't worry, Mio. With the five of us there, nothing will happen to you," she told her.
Mio wiped at her face again, she bitterly chuckled. "You'd think that I'd be over it by now, but once I saw that door open, I-"
Ritsu peered at Mio worriedly, her friend went oddly quiet before she looked up. Once their eyes met again, Ritsu saw a fresh wave of confidence in them that threw her off guard.
"You know what? It's ridiculous. New home, new Mio. It'll be my new beginning," Mio stated confidently.
Ritsu stared at her in awe. The sudden flip brought a warm feeling to her cheeks, she swallowed the lump in her throat, and blinked quickly to try to dispel the (not super uncomfortable) itchy feeling in her stomach.
Knowing that the dark-haired bassist might someday conquer her fears filled her with determination.
Well, if Mio's gonna start over, then I am too!
Ritsu took Mio's hand and pulled her to a standing position.
"I can stand by myself Ritsu," Mio told her as she tugged her hand away.
Ritsu shrugged the action off, though her stomach did a somersault when she noted the dusting of pink coloring her childhood friend's cheeks.
"Ready to go in Mugi?" She asked the blonde who had silently been watching the encounter the entire time.
Mugi nodded, the dazed look in her eyes alerted Ritsu to the fact that they'd probably fueled her fantasies.
"Alrighty then," she said and walked back toward the door.
"Ritsu, are you going to get your stuff or are you going to make us carry it again?" Mio called out.
Ritsu paused, she turned back and laughed nervously. "Hehe, right. Who wouldn't forget about that stuff? You guys go on without me."
The drummer maneuvered around the two girls and walked toward the elevator where her stuff was. She tugged up the handle of the suitcase and slung her backpack over her shoulder.
"I can feel it in my bones that this is gonna be a great beginning," she murmured to herself.
She rounded the corner that led back to the room's hallway. As she neared the open doorway, an earsplitting shriek sounded through the hall and possibly the entire building. Ritsu let go of her suitcase and ran in.
"What happened? What's wrong with Mio?" She asked.
Her question was soon answered as she spotted her roommates huddled around the kitchen-living room area. Ritsu suppressed a chortle of laughter and took out her phone to snap a picture.
Mio was sitting cross-legged on the countertop and crying while Mugi seemed to be reassuring her into getting off. Meanwhile, Yui was prancing around the larger couch with Azusa on the other side. The younger girl seemingly trying to grab her, but failing due to the brunette's speediness.
Ritsu walked over to Mugi and Mio, she smirked at the two.
"So what happened to the new you, Mio-chuaaan?" She teased.
Mio covered her ears and further bent her head down. Mugi gave her a light pat on her knee and looked back at Ritsu.
"Her resolve immediately crumbled once she saw the-" Mugi started to speak, but Yui crying out and the following thud diverted their attention.
Azusa had managed to pin Yui against the floor. The twin-tailed girl rubbed at her head as the brunette flailed her arms about.
"Azunyan that hurt!" Yui whined.
Azusa frowned before sighing. She gave Yui a light pat on the head, the elder guitarist seemed to relax at that.
"Yui-senpai, I'm sorry that I tripped over your leg and fell on you," she apologized. Yui giggled and was about to speak up before Azusa shot her a death glare. "But why did you have a fake mouse with you?!"
Yui blanched, her chocolate brown eyes roaming the room to meet Ritsu's own.
What's she looking at me for?
"It wasn't on purpose, Azunyan!" Yui said as she adjusted her head to look at the girl on her back. "You see, Ricchan was supposed to plant the mouse in Mio-chan's underwear drawer, but she didn't want to put it in her stuff in case they were sharing a room!"
Ritsu paled.
"PRIVATE HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THAT?" She shouted.
"I'M SORRY CAPTAIN, AZUNYAN PROBABLY WON'T LET ME RECHARGE IF I LIED."
Ritsu sighed and brought her hand up to her face. She saw some movement to her right and watched as Mugi neared the doorway.
"Ricchan, I'll just… go get your stuff," she mumbled.
"Oh, alright thanks Mugi!" Ritsu grinned, though she found it a bit odd that the blonde wasn't basking in the scene. "That's nice of y-"
Ritsu paused. She felt a shiver run up her spine and took a slow breath. The tension in the room had seemed to grow thicker, so thick she could probably cut it with a well-placed karate chop through the air.
Why is that I wonder? She thought to herself.
"Riiiiitsuuuu."
The drummer felt her body seize up.
Oh, right.
Ritsu turned to face the bassist, Mio was shooting her an icy cold glare.
"You see, Mio. It was to build you up for the challenges of the world! Nothing crazy!" Ritsu nervously laughed.
Mio remained silent, the anger in her grey eyes felt like it was piercing through her.
"Don't do anything rash, Mio! New you doesn't have to be a murderer!" Ritsu said while she taking a step back from the kitchenette.
"RITSUUUUU!" Mio yelled as she leapt off the counter.
Ritsu yelped and ran toward Yui who had managed to finally stand up after her fall with their junior. She grabbed the brunette and used her a shield between her and the furious bassist.
"Ricchan, I don't wanna die too!" Yui cried out while fending off Mio's quickly moving arms.
"If I go down, I'm taking you with me, Private! It's the rule of betrayal!" Ritsu shouted as an explanation.
Ritsu peered over Yui's shoulder and watched Mugi walk into the room with in her suitcase in tow.
"Mugi, help us!" She shouted, but watched in horror as Azusa walked toward her and began nudging her toward the door.
"What's going on, Azusa-chan? Is everything okay now?"
"Yes, Mugi-senpai, do you wanna go buy pizza? Pizza sounds like a great idea right about now," Azusa said as she whisked the confused blonde out of the room.
Yui turned back to mirror her own shocked expression. "Ricchaaan, Azunyan betrayed us too!"
Ritsu gave her a stony look and met Mio's annoyed eyes. "It seems that we have lost the war, Private. Fetch my katana from my room, I shall not dishonor my family."
"But Captain!" Yui cried, the brunette turned away from Mio and placed her hands on her shoulders. "I'll never let go, Jitsu. I'll never let go!"
Ritsu snickered. "Jitsu?"
"You know, like Jack-kun from that American movie with the ship and the iceberg!" Yui said matter-of-factly.
"Yui, that's Titanic."
"You two are giving me a titanic headache. Why can't you just apologize like normal human beings?" Mio groaned, the raven-haired girl walked over to the counter and leaned down.
Ritsu and Yui glanced at each other. They shrugged and walked over to her.
"I'm ridiculous too though, I can't believe I fell for this," Mio grumbled and picked up the plastic rat by its tail.
Ritsu stared at the gray animal and scratched the back of her head. When she'd bought the boxed set she'd hoped to plant them in Azusa's and Mugi's drawers too! It would have been hilarious to see their reactions to the rust-colored rodents.
"Wait," Ritsu said and looked over at Yui. "Did you open the box I gave you?"
Yui shook her head and looked at her curiously. "No, why?"
Ritsu's eyes widened in shock, she grabbed onto the brunette's arm and dragged her back. Mio's grey eyes shifted between the two of them suspiciously.
"Ritsu… why are you backing away?"
"Mio…the fake rats I bought were brown."
The bassist looked at the two of them and then at the rat in her hand. She did a double take before all the blood drained from her face. The three of them shouted at the top of their lungs as they ran into the bathroom and locked themselves in.
It wasn't until an hour later when Mugi and Azusa had returned with food and they were munching on it in the living room (with the rat properly disposed of course) that they laughed it all off.
"Well, thish waff an evenful affernoon," Ritsu said through a mouthful of pizza.
"Swallow before you speak, Ritsu. You're going to choke otherwise," Mio scolded her.
"Hooffay to new begiffings!" Yui cheered as she grabbed her can of soda. The five of them lifted their own. They each took a sip and placed their cans down on the table.
The room was full of quiet munching and gulps. Ritsu picked at her slice contently. She was about to reach over for another one when she noticed that Yui had stopped eating and had gone deathly still.
The brunette met her eyes, she nodded stiffly and gave her a salute before dropping to the floor.
"YUI-SENPAI?!"
"YUI WHAT'S WRONG?"
The brunette pointed at her throat and rubbed the back of her head, that brightly innocent smile lighting up her face.
Only Yui would smile that while she was- Ritsu thought as she was pushed to the side.
"IF YOU WERE CHOKING YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING!" Azusa shouted and dropped down beside her to help her up.
Once the piece of food was dislodged from the guitarist's throat and they were both lectured for speaking with their mouths full, they ended their meal.
Ritsu plopped down onto the couch again. Azusa and Yui were in their room choosing how to split it. Mugi had decided she'd take the smaller room for herself, which left Mio and Ritsu sharing their own.
The bassist had told her she'd start unpacking, but Ritsu didn't feel like taking her stuff out yet so she was just sitting on the couch. She let out a yawn and stretched her arms out. A stray tear ran down her cheek, she was about to wipe it away, but felt something warm on her cheek instead.
She looked over and found Mio smiling down at her.
"Crying already? Do you miss home that much?" The tall girl smirked.
Ritsu stuck her tongue out at her and grinned. "Nah, I'm just wiped out."
As if there had been nonverbal dialogue between them, Ritsu slid over and Mio plopped down beside her. The drummer felt her breath hitch when Mio placed her head on her shoulder.
"Tired from what? Pigging out so much?"
"Nope! You put up quite a fight, guess that's why you're the dangerous queen," Ritsu said to her.
The two sat in silence, Ritsu fought back her surprise. She'd expected Mio to retaliate and hit her on the head for the comment.
"I'm glad we can all be like this… It's like a new beginning for all of us," Mio murmured.
Ritsu looked down at her, the sunlight filtering through the window was illuminating her grey eyes. She licked her lips nervously and fiddled with her fingers on her lap. "Y-Yeah, it sure is."
"I hope we can have more moments like this," Mio said in a soft voice.
Ritsu pressed her cheek against the top of Mio's head.
"Me too," Ritsu told her as she caught the smell of the other girl's perfume, her pulse quickened in the process.
"Strawberries…" she mumbled to herself.
"Are you smelling my hair?"
"What? NO!"
Mio laughed, the sound was so rich and melodic that Ritsu couldn't help but laugh along.
To new beginnings… for the band. She glanced toward the hallway where she could faintly hear the others talking and then back at the girl learning on her shoulder.
And for us.
A/N: Now that that's over with, I hope you enjoyed it! As you can see the first set was mainly hinting Mitsu. xD These are meant to be one-shots, but I may connect them with each other, though if they are directly connected then I'll make sure to make note of it.
Thanks again. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Reviews and any thoughts are appreciated.
With that, Mei is out. ~