Hello all, Thegoh here again.
Firstly, apologies for the massive slowdown in updates. There's been a lot going on, and life is cruelly catching up. I'm having a fair bit of writer's block right now as well, so please forgive me if there is anything wrong with the quality of my writing.
Next, this is the second chapter to Let's Be Friends, which was intended to be a one-shot originally. I hope you all enjoy this second part to it, it will still be Mitsu-centric but I will add a dash of YuiAzu to it as well. Also, this one is slightly shorter than the first.
Lastly, please leave a review and thank you for reading! ^^
Cold… was all Ritsu could properly focus on as she groggily locked the door behind her. Her blazer did help to stave off most of the chilly air, but it was another matter entirely when the wind picked up. This kind of spring weather was the kind that Ritsu did not like; it was not cold enough to freeze water, yet it was still frigid enough to make one squirm a little.
Standing at the doorstep, she stared blankly at the door, giving her mind enough time to reboot and break out of its sleepy state. She then dropped her gaze to her abdomen, which was protected from the elements by means of a single layer of white fabric that was her blouse; the edges of her blazer flanking it. It's cold… but whatever. Buttoning up is too troublesome. Once the hazy fog in her head lifted, she began her morning routine as she made her way to school.
"Top of the mornin' Mio!" Ritsu chirped as she rounded the last bend and saw an all-too-familiar looking frame leaning against the concrete wall. Said subject had her arms folded and a less than amused look in her eyes.
"You're kinda late you know…" grey eyes darted up and locked with amber ones, accompanied by a loud groan as Mio ran her hand through her hair exasperatedly.
"Not late enough to get us in trouble, so why are you worried hmm? Ohoho… were you feeling lonely and thought you'd be stood up? Or did you miss me that much, my princess?"
Mio let her fist do the talking.
The pair began to make their way to school, via the same path they took almost every single day. Glancing over, Ritsu snickered at the bassist's still red cheeks and less than subtle scowl but held her tongue; deciding to spare the taller girl for now… or at least until the top of her head stopped throbbing. Really, she needs to know her own strength! The drummer sighed, it was probably a miracle that most of her intelligence – she is the Great Tainaka Ritsu after all – remained intact despite all the abuse her head has taken. Then again, it wasn't so much of abuse, but more of "asking for it" since Mio only hit that hard when thoroughly overwhelmed. Which, thanks to Ritsu's addiction to teasing, happened almost every day.
While Ritsu nursed her aching skull, Mio continued on in huffed silence, arms crossed over her chest and face locked in a frown; wanting more than ever to forget what Ritsu had said. Try as she might, but she just could not make the blush go away; the blood in her body was determined to remain pooled in her head and turn her into a walking joke for her friend. The more she scowled in irritation, the more blood rushed to her face as her mind turned into a broken record.
Or did you miss me that much, my princess?
It was a new year, a new school year. It was her first day as a third year in high school, and now she was a senior in the school. As a senior and an 18 year old, she should be acting as an adult and be focused on the year ahead, determined to take it down. Yet, she shuddered at the thought of the future. I can't be the little girl I was last year… I am an adult now! But… how does one be an adult? What should Houkago Tea Time do this year? Then there's college entrance exams… And… The grey eyes once again darted towards the pair of amber ones, which were currently staring at the spring sky, unfocused and unaware.
The image of amber, infused with a feverish glaze flashed through Mio's mind. Brittle, hushed voices echoed in her ears, and the feeling of trembles and warmth danced across the skin of her hands and back. She felt the softness of invisible bedding on her knees, the weight of an invisible pair of arms over her shoulders; all while keenly aware of the chilled breeze across her weightless palm. A tingling itch spread across her still flushed cheeks, and her stomach began to coil slightly as bottled emotions roiled around her head.
Her heart ached. Her body ached. She longed for a certain person's special touch.
Why can't I just… forget?
It had been an unconscious move, Mio reasoned; an action taken in the heat of the moment. She was just trying to ease her friend was she not? That's right, she was merely trying to show her concern and help her. That's what friends do. It was nothing, it should be nothing. That was how it should be.
And yet, it wasn't.
For a small part of Mio kept telling her otherwise; and that her body wanted more of it. It terrified her to her core.
"Hey Mio, did you watch the news last night? They say it's gonna be a very windy spring this time." The tempest in the bassist's head paused to process the sudden input.
"Well, it isn't going to be that bad right? Then again, you don't do well with cold winds."
The drummer shook her head. "After that winter? Hell no. Spring should be about warmth and sunshine; cold drafts have no place here!"
"Yes, yes…"
"And it makes it so hard to sleep at night… it's all dark and quiet and suddenly the window pane starts banging…"
Mio felt her knees begin to tremble and weaken. Her mind found itself in a shadowy, abandoned room. The walls were yellowed, unidentifiable stains smearing themselves over the old, pale wallpaper. Termite infested planks board up the murky holes found on the wall. Her heels scrape across the rickety flooring, and it creaked ominously under her weight; dark, unknown patches and splatters dotted the corners of the room. A small pressure began to build in her chest as she heard the tiny sound of scuttling rodents.
The wooden door was moth eaten, a rusting padlock holding it shut. Her whole body shivered, her heart pounded in her ears; deafening in the stretched silence. The pressure pressed against the bottom of her throat. She craned her neck, her grey, widened eyes settling on a small window at the far end of the wall. Erie shafts of silver shine through the dusty glass, showing nothing but a blanket of illuminated nothingness outside.
The glass began to rattle. Her breath hitches, and her eyes widened as she felt her throat pushing up to her mouth. The rattling got louder, and her heart raced even faster as a shadow began to materialize beyond the glass. The pounding in her ears intensifies. The shadow twists and turns like black smog; smashing itself on the dulled glass, red eyes glowing and hungry to enter in.
"Nononononono… there's nothing there, it's nothing, it's nothing…" Mio slammed her eyes shut, clamping her hands over her ears and tears forming at the corner of her eyes as she tries to push back the imagery. Her feet were now glued to the pavement, and her knees were buckling in fear as the pressure in her chest became unbearable. Her entire torso shivered and trembled as the formless terror outside the glass begins to seep through, swirling towards her…
A snort.
The black smog suddenly jerks away, flinging itself upwards and sideways. Huh? The stained, musty walls start to buckle.
She hears chortling. The walls give way and dissolve rapidly, and the mouldy floor fades away, a grey cement pavement replacing it. The smog recedes even more, and the darkness is swallowed up by a clear spring sky. Chirping and traffic replaces the thunderous rush in her ears, and when Mio finally cracked open her eyes, they fell on an auburn haired girl who was currently bent over, gasping for air as she body shook violently with silent bouts of laughter. The wave of terror had subsided completely as her mind re-oriented itself, and a different, boiling pressure began to build up rapidly.
"WHAT THE HELL RITSU!" and Mio gladly let her instinct take over once again, bringing down the almighty wrath of her fist on to the head of her idiot friend for the second time that morning. Around them, students and workmen alike continued with their morning commute and small talk, giving the pair of Sakura High students nothing more than just a nonchalant, if not irritated glance.
"Te-te-te… damn… that one really hurt…" The drummer clutched her head; it felt like it was splitting. Mio crossed her arms and stormed ahead of her victim, too frustrated to even say anything to Ritsu. That idiot, what does she take me for?! The taller girl growled through gritted teeth. She absolutely hated it whenever Ritsu would exploit her fears just for kicks; especially since Ritsu is aware of how vivid her imagination could be. Her temper flared hotly as she recalls all those times where Ritsu had tried to help her "get over her fears" but only served to make her feel even more scared, and more often than not only gave Ritsu a good laugh out of the whole thing, much to Mio's chagrin.
Irrational or not, fear was fear. It would always be a terrible experience; who in their right mind would enjoy the idea of feeling vulnerable and scared all the time? Simply trying to tell Mio that she did it was because her reactions were 'cute' merely painted Ritsu as a sadist in Mio's eyes. An apologetic, but unrepentant sadist. Mio's eyebrows knitted into a scowl as she stormed on, wondering why on earth she was stuck with a friend like Ritsu, or why she bothered to worry about her all the time.
Her raging temper was brought to a temporary halt when a small, calm voice rang through her mind. But I always forgive her. Mio's frown eased a little, and the grip on the strap of her bass casing loosened slightly. It's not like I would completely lose my sleep because of her words… I can cope with my fears anyway… Her footsteps began to lose their power, and her strides became smaller. Besides, she doesn't have any malicious intent… She sighed, and the tension in her muscles faded. Any normal person would have just stopped talking to her… but I always still do. Her scowl disappeared. Yet, the pressure in her chest only intensified as she was confronted by the next line of thought.
Why? Mio comes to a complete stop, her eyes fixed on the ground as the question bounced around her head. Why had she continued to keep Ritsu near her and as a close part of her life despite her rather aggravating hobby? An unwanted answer slammed itself into her thoughts, sending her mind into a frenzied panic. She could barely just hear the sound of approaching footsteps.
"M-Mio?" Ritsu asked hesitantly. She had spent the last several minutes trailing behind the silently fuming bassist; her attempts to apologise or even just get her attention falling on deaf ears. Ah man, I think I may have taken it a little too far… But she usually doesn't get this mad… The taller girl turned around and stared at the drummer; the rage had more or less subsided thanks to her new train of thought, but her glare was still rife with unspoken irritation.
"Look Mio, um, I'm sorry ok? I'm sorry, I went a little overboard."
Mio sighed another time and raised her hand; tired from having to process the amount of things appearing in her head. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to simply just let things return to normal, just so she would have one less thing to have to ponder about. "Just forget it, alright?"
"… Are you feeling alright?" Mio's mind raced a little; Ritsu did not need to know this right now.
"Yeah, just tired. Bad sleep." Mio lied, but still gave Ritsu a small smile as she pushed her thoughts back to her mental shelf. I'll just enjoy the morning walk; think about this later. The drummer held Mio's gaze for a while, before deciding to return with a smile of her own. The pair began to fall in stride once again as they continued the walk to school, easing off the tension through more casual conversation. Mio gladly let Ritsu's nonsensical comments occupy her mind; a welcome relief and sense of familiarity as she strolled past the cherry blossom trees. For now, her world was back to normal; it was just her best friend and her.
Of course, it was only normal for Mio. For Ritsu, everything for the past few months was odd. For Mio was a terrible liar.
Mio rarely kept in contact, or even avoided contact with her throughout winter break. She was no longer very willing to be near her; she could not even put her arm around Mio's shoulders properly in the photo they took in front of their newly chosen band name. She would flinch slightly if Ritsu decided to push her teases just a little further, and began to hit a lot harder in retaliation. It just seemed that she was slowly becoming more engrossed in her thoughts and becoming increasingly sensitive as the days went by; Mio just felt so out of sync.
Ritsu drove her hands into her pockets, trying to make sense of it all. She sifted through her memory of the past few months to try and find an answer. Did she say something to anger her friend? No, she would have told me by now… Maybe she lost something of Mio's? That would not warrant this… awkwardness. Nothing quite made sense.
The drummer groaned, running her hands through her hair in frustration. Just what was making things so weird between them? And it all seemed to start just after her little period of illness last year… And nothing out of the ordinary really happened back then. We just talked and hugged a little! It was completely normal! Ritsu's footsteps began to slow down as the gears in her head began to turn.
Right?
A distance away, a petite, pig-tailed girl locked the doors to her home as well. She patted her pockets and schoolbag to check that her essential items were all in their right places. Raising her hands to her head, she smoothed down whatever stray locks of hair she had, letting out an annoyed groan at the few stubborn strands that refused to conform to gravity. Hefting her guitar onto her right shoulder, she set off for Sakura High.
For the girl, it was her first day of school as a second year student. Now, she was a year older and had one more year of experience under her belt; it was time to grow up. A mild bubbling was building up in her chest as she treaded her usual path to school, and she felt a small excitement rise to her head. A new year meant a clean slate, and she was determined to start it right; firstly by bringing back her old, more disciplined self.
The past year had been fun and rich with experiences, that was something Azusa could not deny. She had managed to meet and be a part of a group of very interesting – but lazy – seniors. She was able to be part of a – somewhat – proper band, something she was not quite expecting to do in high school. Yet, despite all the enjoyment last year, Azusa still could not quite get over the fact that her seniors still weren't as serious as they should be. Simply put, their attitude towards music still left a lot to be desired.
However, what truly irked her was the fact that of all people, she too was beginning to follow in their footsteps.
For her, the guitar started out as a hobby; her initial interest sparked by her parents' heavy involvement in music. Through the years of learning and making mistakes, she developed a deep seated love and respect for the guitar and music; she warmly recalls the many late nights spent being mesmerized by the alluring sound of strings plucked to a jazz beat. She also reveled in playing around with distortions, though she never really liked them too heavy; feeling that too much distortion interfered with the purity of the note far more than she would have liked.
It was because of the amazing properties of music, that she would take practice so seriously. And now, watching herself back-slide and unable to make any visible progress with her skills thanks to her increasingly laidback attitude really irked her to no end.
Yet, she could not blame her seniors. Sure, she called them out on it numerous times, but she could not bring herself to outright blame them for their influence on her. Mostly because Azusa knew that some small part of her did enjoy the lax environment; that deep inside herself, she found their antics to be somewhat endearing. That same part of her also did not want these to ever end, despite being keenly aware of the other significance behind this new year.
"I'll be alone soon…" she muttered to herself. She felt her chest tense up and her stomach constrict slightly. Invasive images of a lone, petite girl sitting in an empty room with a single cup of tea burned through her head. It was crushing, suffocating; her hands instinctively rose to grip a heart she could not reach as she felt her lungs tighten. Alone. Gone. No more… No… She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, but to little effect.
She knew that she should not be like this; to let her thoughts take over to such an extent. Yet, her mind was a creature of habit. Azusa's hands began to clench into tight fists as she tried to ignore the gaping feelings of loneliness that still plagued her. She had to fight it, for only kids allowed their emotions to grip them like that. Only kids would hide in fear; but not her, not this time. She was going to face this like an adult, and manage it. Azusa inhaled slowly, taking longer and deeper breaths as she forced her body to calm down; her parents were right, it was never good for one to think too much.
"Azuuuusa!" Azusa nearly collapsed as she was thrown forward; an unknown weight smashing into her back. Her mind was jolted out of its rut.
"Ugh, Ritsu-sempai get off me…" the small girl groaned; she could trust her own senior to be so noisy in the morning.
"Aw, I'm just saying good morning. Why so mean little kitty?" the drummer gave a sly smile.
Azusa could only give her best cold stare in return. Ignoring her club president, she turned to Mio and gave a warm, proper greeting before continuing the walk to school together with them. Yet, as they passed through the streets, Azusa began to notice that something was a little off.
Her two seniors were conversing as per usual, but there was something different about the atmosphere between them. For one, Mio was not being provoked as often, and Ritsu's comments seemed a little more reserved. Furthermore, the two seemed to be standing a little further apart from one another and for a moment Azusa was sure that she saw Mio lean away from Ritsu when the latter tried to get closer.
Something wasn't quite right at all. Then again, Azusa mused, she was probably just thinking too much.
Arriving to see Yui of all people to be first in the music room, doing an admittedly ridiculous looking windmill strumming was certainly a pleasant surprise for Azusa. The younger girl was filled with a curious hope as she asked for the reason behind her early presence.
"Eheheh, I actually set my alarm an hour early by accident..." Yui answered sheepishly; all-too-aware that her reason was anything but valid and promising.
Completely expected… Azusa sighed as the final embers of her hope were extinguished. Still, she could not help but be amazed by Yui, even if it was somewhat begrudgingly so at times. When Azusa first met her, all she could say regarding Yui was that she was a grade-A airhead with a major in being an annoying cuddle-bug and had a penchant for tagging others – sentient or not – with embarrassing monikers. She seemed childish and a little flippant; someone whom Azusa respected only because she was a senior and was disappointingly unlike the serious musician she thought she witnessed on stage.
She just could not bring herself to acknowledge her as a proper musician; if you decided to pick up the guitar, the least you could do was to be serious about it and learn it thoroughly!
Yet, her rather condescending thoughts fell apart when she managed to properly observe her practice with the guitar for the first time; her parents always said that you could tell how a person was like by the way they handle their interests when no one was really looking. For someone who probably only learnt of the guitar's existence a year ago, she certainly showed a high level of skill; and what she lacked in theory she made up with a rate of learning that could only be described as otherworldly.
What was seemingly careless, child-like behaviour revealed itself to be a very warming and simple form of dedication. The airhead turned out to be a humble, carefree person who did her best to pursue the skill in her own, workaround way; a result of being keenly aware of her weakness in dealing with esoteric information like music theory. Furthermore, someone had to bring some good-old-fashioned cheer into their otherwise mostly empty home; Hirasawa Ui had more than enough to bear on her own and Yui understood that.
Perhaps I'm making my standards too high, being so quick to judge. That was all Azusa could conclude back then.
Now, her annoyance had transformed into an envious curiosity; she found in herself a strange desire to better know this unwitting prodigy that was her fellow guitarist. She did want to get to know the rest of her quirky seniors as well, but Yui much more so. There was something very interesting and influential about her; to the point that Azusa would find her thoughts and everyday judgments based around Yui, and that she would find it strangely off whenever she was not around.
Maybe it was that infectious determination of hers, or that sheepish smile whenever she knew she made a mistake. Perhaps it was her quiet dedication to the people around her, or that never-ending cheerfulness that she had no qualms sharing. Or it was that admittedly amusing and cute love for sweets. It could even be those annoying hugs that she allowed herself to secretly enjoy.
Azusa reasoned that it was because she had never met someone like Yui before; after all, humans are always interested in new things.
Not that she would ever let anyone know any of that.
"Hehehe… You haven't seemed to grow much at all Azusa-chan…" Ritsu teased slyly, lips curled into a grin as she inspected Azusa closely with a finger on her chin. Azusa's arms immediately flew to protect her dignity.
"You're the last person I want to hear that from!" she retorted, outrage clear on her face while she reflexively fought against Yui's cuddles; her mock frown the only mask to her own bubbling amusement as she noted the scent of strawberry jam and silently enjoyed that welcoming warmth around her shoulders. A warmth that she always felt was directed solely at her, a warmth that she had grown accustomed to in the short span of a year.
Yup, she definitely would not let anyone know that.
Azusa could feel her shoulders sagging as she read through the guidebook, line after line; letting out an aggravated sigh at the impulsiveness of her fellow guitarist.
Yesterday had begun rather normally, with the usual dilly-dallying before practice started. Then, upon discovering that their storeroom had turned into a room full of personal junk, practice was skipped over in favour of doing some proper cleaning. Azusa would have protested if not for the fact that there was truly a ridiculous amount of nonsense within that tiny space. Ritsu and Yui on the other hand, protested almost instantly. And thus, the five girls began the mundane task of cleaning and sorting.
No surprise that most of this stuff belongs to Yui-senpai… Azusa recalled herself thinking as she moved box after box of rather useless trinkets out of the storeroom for Mio to sort through. The bassist had her hair tied up in a rare ponytail as she ploughed through the mountain of items. Azusa could not help but stare a little; Mio did look rather cool. It seemed that no matter what state she was in she had the capacity to look good. Her motherly sighing at the things she sorted through only added to it.
Of course, the fact that a certain pair of friends were behaving a tad bit erratically did not go unnoticed by the younger girl or the smiling keyboardist.
Don't look at her, don't look at her, don't look… crap. Ritsu suppressed a frustrated groan as she had to look away for the umpteenth time within the span of an hour. She was irritated enough for having to clean; she hated cleaning far more than anything. Cooking? Fine. Laundry? Whatever. But cleaning? Hell no. Her rapidly deteriorating mood was also plagued by an additional issue: her whole body felt very uncomfortable thanks to her friend.
It wasn't a pleasant tingling or even a warm wave; it was an annoying, prickling sensation that spread from her back all the way to the tips of her fingers. It made her nerves jumpy, her muscles tense and her mind racing on edge for no discernible reason. She was surprised the items before her hadn't burst into flames from the intensity of her own stares as she tried to fix her eyes on them. What bothered her even more was the fact that her face felt slightly flushed, and heated ever so slightly each time she laid eyes on Mio. Her words became just a bit caustic and forced as she tried to cope and cover up that messed up feeling roiling in her chest.
It was that damned ponytail.
And that damned pout.
And those damned, gorgeous legs.
Ritsu wanted to scream. She wanted to curse out loud, pull her hair out and summon the weapons of the divine to destroy whatever that was inside of her that was making her react like this. I'd rather eat a hand grenade right now… DAMN IT! Bloody damn shi- She tuned out that part of her mind before her vocabulary got too colourful.
When it came to friends, this definitely was far from normal. And it all started thanks to Ritsu giving just a bit more thought to what had been going on between Mio and herself.
For surely no normal friend would so strongly desire for them both to be in physical contact; surely no normal friend would crave to see the other in certain appealing kinds of clothing. And surely no normal friend sought for such a deep, emotional connection from someone of the same gender.
They'd done many things together since they were kids; playing, sleeping, bathing and the like. Yet, she always never thought much of them, precisely because they had been doing these kinds of things together for so long. She had hugged Mio, slung an arm around her, hell even carried her on her back before countless times. She had made her dress up a lot – especially thanks to Sawako – since she was able to look really good in some of the things she wore.
These were all passed off as playful privileges that Ritsu was entitled to for being Mio's closest friend.
But to want to take these things further? To actively want – no, crave for more of them to happen? That was what had set off the alarms in Ritsu's head. And recalling what exactly had happened back then when she had fallen ill, now it made just a bit more sense.
"Hey Ritsu, isn't this yours?" Mio piped up, holding a small book in her hands. The cover was worn and slightly tattered, multiple pressure marks indicating that it had been subject to numerous repeated strikes. Ritsu immediately recognized it; it was one of the books that she often used as a snare drum when practicing at home.
"Ah thanks…" Ritsu instinctively reached over to grab the book from Mio, and in the process locked eyes with her as their fingertips brushed against one another. Ritsu froze. The prickling itch flared. Her cheeks began to feel like they were being seared. Hastily, she yanked the book from Mio's fingers.
"Uh… Yeah. T-Thanks."
Mio raised an eyebrow. But she did not dare to question Ritsu; not when her own mind was reeling in a panic. Oh great, it's back… ok, ok I have to calm down… Mio took her breaths slow and deep, eyes closed. Part of her was thankful that her voice did not crack when she asked Ritsu about the book; she just could not shake that cloud of awkwardness that still hung over her head.
Images flitted past her mind one after the other; snapshots of her dreams and fantasies from whenever her mind was idle. All involved herself being hot and flustered and a certain person in particular disarray. Seeing Ritsu, blazer discarded carelessly and sleeves folded up, with a slightly flushed look on her face and hair just a bit tousled; it fueled the images like propane to a wildfire. She wished more than ever that her imagination was never so vivid.
It registered vaguely in her mind that it was time to withdraw her hand. Blushing fiercely, she forced herself back to the task at hand, an uneasy scowl strewn across her features as she continued rummaging through the mess, heart thumping uncomfortably against her torso.
What's going on? Was all Azusa could remember thinking. Mugi's teasing smile did not help either. Surely it wasn't that she was thinking too much then?
The younger girl sighed as her thoughts returned to the present, where her brown-haired senior was kneeling before a tank, face squished against the cool glass as she observed the newest addition to their clubroom.
I swear this was just too impulsive… it's most probably going to be a burden on us… Azusa sighed as her eyes followed the tiny creature in the tank as it swam to and fro effortlessly. The little critter turned its head; its cute, beady eyes seemingly locking with hers. The younger guitarist smiled a bit, at least the turtle was cute somewhat.
It's a soft shelled pig-nosed turtle! She remembered Yui correcting her in excitement. The creature – named Ton-chan now – was a gift to Azusa from her seniors using the money from selling their teacher's old – but surprisingly valuable – guitar. It had been intended to keep Azusa company due to the absence of new juniors.
Azusa knew that the arrival of Ton-chan had the good intentions of her seniors – well mostly from Yui – riding on it; even though she did reckon it to be a rather unnecessary move. The turtle would never be able to play an instrument or even speak, and it required additional commitment and attention.
She could not deny the fact that without new juniors, she was setting herself up to become very lonely once her seniors graduated. And that gradually, her seniors would be less and less able to come for practice. She was too aware that she was digging herself into a trench.
And yet, for the sake of the present, she didn't care.
"Y'know Yui-senpai. You're going to have to care for it a lot, and the water temperature must always be regulated and the water itself changed regularly… And it will need to be fed every day…" Azusa said as she studied the guidebook in her hands with a small frown; it really required a fair bit to care for this turtle.
"Ah, I can bring food for it if we run out; I do keep a Chinese Pond Turtle, an Asian Yellow Pond Turtle and a Stinkpot at home. So no worries!" Mugi offered with a warm smile.
Ok, then maybe it won't be that much of a burden… Is Mugi-senpai an expert on everything? Azusa could only stare at the blonde in silent wonder. She made a mental note to talk to Mugi a little more when she had the chance. Well, I guess then Ton-chan won't be too hard to keep. Besides – the younger girl turned back to the tank as Yui continued her whispering to the reptile – it's the thought that counts right? The junior suppressed a grateful smile.
The peaceful air was soon shattered by a vehement cry.
"I'm sick of this!"
Four pairs of eyes turned to the source of the noise; Ritsu sat on the ground with tears in her eyes, watching the screen of the laptop before her.
"I'm sick of the drums!"
And there! The end to the second part. I've decided to cut it off here so that this chapter won't end up too long.
As I said before, the entire idea behind Let's Be Friends had been bouncing around in my head for quite awhile, and I must admit: rewatching the entire anime again to make my references to canon as accurate as possible has been very fun. Heheh.
But that itself also has contributed to why the updates are so slow.
If there are any mistakes regarding grammar, writing style or whatnot, I ask for your forgiveness once again: I do not have a beta reader. I have to - and have proofread all my stories on my own.
Please do leave a review to tell me what you think :D And to all the people who have shown me so much support, a big thank you to you! I'd hug you guys through my screen if I could.
Thegoh.
