Chapter 2

A.N.:Disclaimer is on Chapter 1.

Chapter 2 will be Ritsu centric.

And thanks for the reviews, that was quick (O_O'). I honestly wasn't expecting that! Hontou ni arigatou!

Also, the rating of this fic will change. So, for those of you who don't like M rated stuff, I have warned you: lemon yuri is on the way! It'll be a few chapters before that, though, and I'll also put a warning on the chapters with the M content.

Enjoy! ^^


"Finally, it's over," mumbled an exhausted Ritsu, letting herself fall onto her bed, and landing face first on the pillows. Or maybe, it's just starting… she smiled at the thought, while adjusting her position so she'd be able to breathe properly.

That day had been one of the worst in her life, honestly! Combined with the weeks leading to the present day, she had never felt so much stress, even when facing a crowd during the performances on Festivals… What a difficult test!

But all the effort would pay off! …Wouldn't it?

…Well, she had felt pretty confident during the whole exam, thanks to her friends, who helped her (and Yui) during the long cramming sessions they held at her place or Yui's, alternatively. She was particularly thankful to Mio, for keeping her in line and helping so much.

Mio… The brunette closed her eyes in thought.

Although Ritsu had managed to keep her mind focused mostly on studying during the past couple months, whenever she got time to be distracted her thoughts would wander back to the "boyfriend incident" that had happened before Christmas. And, of course, whenever that happened, she would think about the promise she had made to her bassist friend. A promise which was already broken when made…

Still, she kept wondering if she should tell her friend…

Well, now I have the time to think about that, don't I? the drummer thought bitterly, while turning to face the ceiling and putting an arm in front of her eyes. She had to make a decision on how to handle this problem she was facing.

In a few weeks the exam results would come out, and until then she would be looking for a part time job with Mio, because they have decided to rent and share a small apartment close to the University. Their parents said they'd help if they were accepted at the Uni, but they didn't say how, so the girls decided to look for jobs anyway.

Mugi said she would earn her own apartment if she was accepted, and Yui hadn't even said anything on the matter yet. That girl could be too airheaded sometimes…

Will I be able to live under the same roof as Mio, keeping this kind of secret from her? Ritsu wondered as she got up from her bed and went to her drawers, to retrieve some fresh clothes so she could take a warm and relaxing bath.

Even now it's hard to keep it… It's bound to get worse. Actually, it has been getting worse, the urge to tell. …And why am I so afraid of revealing that? It's Mio, damnit! My best friend of almost ten years! She stopped to take a look at the mirror before heading to the bathroom, while wondering why was it that she decided to keep it a secret from everyone for starters. She couldn't really remember. Was it an automatic reaction, generated by the fear of having found out such feelings? It made sense.

(…)

A few minutes later and Ritsu was contentedly settled in the bathtub's hot water, going through some memories in her head.

It had been at the start of first year at Sakuragaoka when she started to notice the difference in her feelings. Mio had been so clingy before we were accepted at the school, the drummer cracked a smile at that particular thought.

She knew that attitude had been provoked in her friend by her fear of not being able to attend the same school and see each other daily. It's so rare for us to be separated more than a couple days… It's always been like that, she sighed to herself, sinking lower in the tub, until the water reached her chin.

Ritsu remembered she had felt a bit off in the atmosphere of the all-girls school. And the fact that Mio had turned back to normal as soon as the classes started had also made something click in her mind. She had enjoyed the unusual closeness with her friend. I enjoyed it more than a friend should have… she mused, while getting out of the tub and retrieving her towel.

It was back then that it dawned on the drummer that she had never had any crushes on the boys she had met at the previous school, or at any other occasion. Well, not on girls either.

She had thought the whole thing through, to the point she hadn't been able deny it to herself any longer.

Ritsu had fallen for Mio. And it had been so natural that she didn't even notice it until the other girl slightly changed her behavior. Her best friend had been her first and only love so far. The girls-only ambient only served to open the brunette's eyes to that different kind of attraction.

She hadn't been foolish enough to think she could just overlook or forget that kind of feeling. Not once had she tried to fool herself into thinking that this was just a silly crush, or hormones' fault, or any other meaningless reason. Ritsu knew very well what her feelings were, once she started to sort through all her emotions, and she knew what they meant.

So why had she decided to hide them for starters?

It was Mio, after all. Her best friend. Surely she wouldn't react too badly, right?

That was exactly it. She couldn't be sure of that.

They never got even close to discussing this kind of subject. It wasn't on purpose, it just didn't come up…

Okay, now she was lying. Since her discovery, the drummer started to avoid the subject altogether. It wasn't a difficult task, since it still never came up. Maybe only that one time when Mio had thought Mugi had a thing for Sawa-chan. But of course it was soon forgotten.

That was it, then, wasn't it? I've been a real coward for all this time. I should have tried to find out how Mio thinks about all that. She's so shy and sensitive… maybe there's even hope after all… the brunette concluded, as she finished drying herself and putting on her clothes and headed back to her bedroom, to have some well deserved sleep after the tiring day.

"But let's not get ahead of ourselves and start imagining things!" she declared to her mirror, tying up her overgrown bangs.

So that was it! I'll find out Mio's thoughts on this matter! The drummer struck a confident pose before turning off the lights and lunging for her bed.

She dreamed of her and Mio talking in a café, near the University. They were holding hands and smiling the whole time.


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Edited by: Shima Harawa.