Chapter 3! Thanks for the positive feedback! I hope you like this chappie too!

Mild swearing, but I think we can handle that.

ENJOY!

"This is all your fault!"

"Mine? I wasn't the one who started hurling food at the other for no reason!"

"Oh I had a reason alright, Akiyama. Your constant abuse has triggered something in my nerves! My body just went on automatic self-defense mode!"

"Self-defense? I haven't even hit you yet! But if you continue spewing nonsense I just might let my arm twitch."

"Haven't hit me yet? So you call that falcon punch an angel's touch?"

"It's your fault for provoking me! And you're the one who started the food fight!"

"But I wasn't the one who drew all the attention by screaming! See, you need to do these things with finesse. The guy didn't even notice me. As for you..."

"Urgh!" And unsurprisingly they were bickering again. Few minutes later it began to rain. It cooled them down a little...or maybe a lot. Ritsu had a jacket to protect her but Mio was dressed more lightly and her body started to shiver.

Even after they went into the small station's waiting room (it's a small wonder there even was one) the damage has already been done and the soaked Mio trembled like a leaf. Ritsu tried to ignore it, she really did. But Mio had this ability to look utterly vulnerable, and it was a look that could make one weak in the knees. Perhaps that's why Ritsu teased her relentlessly. She just sought to draw that expression out of the bassist.

Even now, resistance was futile. So she took pity on the other girl and with a fluid movement draped her jacket over the unsuspecting Mio, who jumped a little at the sudden act and warmth. It was now Ritsu's turn to fight against the cold, as she only had a T-shirt under the jacket. The drummer tried to put up a tough front but failed miserably. Mio was a bit stumped by the kind gesture, especially since it was a disadvantage to the drummer, who was now obviously freezing (but with a proud face).

"I..um, you shouldn't have done that. You must be cold."

"Hahh this? This is nothing. I am a drummer! All the excess energy will warm me up."

The bassist had to smile. Even in the short time of knowing her, Ritsu was Ritsu, unmistakably so. She fit in well with the rest of them. Each member had their own unique personalities.

"You have goose bumps." Mio pointed out.

"What are you talking about?"

Mio ran her finger up Ritsu's arm to prove it. "See?"

"Uhh yeah ok." Luckily Ritsu's arm was already overloaded with goose bumps, otherwise the bassist's touch would've ignited a dozen more.

Ritsu's arm muscles were tense from the cold (and maybe something else too), and Mio couldn't pull her eyes away from them as they lay taut underneath the skin. Her arms seemed strong and yet they retained a delicacy that was unmistakably feminine.

The bassist shook her head a little to snap out of it. She had to focus on the issue at hand.

"Listen, neither of us should freeze to death. How about we share it?" She illustrated her point by draping one side over Ritsu's shoulders. The drummer was about to protest but after feeling the warmth of the jacket the words died in her throat.

"Eh..um, thanks."

"It's your jacket silly. I should be the one thanking you."

"Right. Bow, peasant!"

Mio's arm twitched for a second. "You're going too far."

"We should check some information about the next train."

"But it's raining. Let's wait a little, hopefully it'll stop soon."

And so they waited. Surprisingly the time passed on in silence, the atmosphere calm and comfortable. At this moment Mio was unable to comprehend how they have fought so much. She felt incredibly at peace with her body surrounded by warmth, the chill cooling her face and the drummer's unique scent seeping into her nose lazily, clouding her mind like a drug. She felt herself inhale deeply. Ritsu looked at her with a raised eyebrow to which Mio blushed, embarrassed by being caught. To her surprise, the other girl did not act on the opportunity to tease her and instead turned her nonchalant gaze back to the rainclouds as if trying to will them to go away.

Come to think of it, Ritsu always seemed completely at ease. Even in a situation like this, what with them being stuck in the middle of nowhere, it seemed as if Ritsu was still completely in control of everything. In fact, the only time Mio has seen Ritsu lose her cool was when the bassist decided to put her in place...or in other words, to retaliate to her teasing when she went overboard. Did that mean that only she was able to elicit that response from Ritsu? Did that make her...different? Dare she say, special? Was Mio overanalyzing everything now, unused to the sudden change of pace between them?

'I think I'm going to have a headache...'

Ritsu was the one to speak first."The rain has stopped. Let's go check the railway guide."

Mio was deep in her thoughts so she jumped a little from the sudden break in silence. "Alright."

The jumble of information on the board was written in tiny letters and numbers. Also, thanks to the weather's constant beating and the local hooligans, about half of the board was unreadable. Luckily the details of their train weren't hidden. But they had to wait one hour for it's arrival.

They sauntered back to the waiting room because at least in there they were protected from the harsh wind. After about five minutes of waiting, entertainment arrived in the form of a man. With a gigantic afro. He seemed out of place in the small deserted station.

Ritsu leaned over to Mio with a mischievous smile."Hey, do you still have some snacks left? We could try throwing them into his afro. Bet he wouldn't notice."

Mio tried to look disapproving but it was only half-hearted, as she too found the idea amusing. "You're so irresponsible. Besides, there's no way I'd have some left, I wasted all of them on you."

"You're hopeless." Ritsu said with a deep sigh.

"I won't listen to that coming from you especially since I'm sure you're also out of snacks."

"Maybe. Guess we'll have to improvise!" She dug out a tissue from her pocket.

"Please don't tell me you're planning to go through with that."

"Fine, I won't tell you. Just watch this." Ritsu walked to the window across them. The window stood inbetween the two HTT members and the afro guy who had his back turned to the girls. The drummer opened the window, and even though the guy did not react to that, she stated loudly for good measure "It's sooo stuffy in here! I need some fresh air!"

'With a declaration like that he's bound to be unsuspicious.' Mio thought sarcastically. Ritsu sat next to her, draping her half of the jacket back onto her shoulder. She tore the tissue to small pieces and shaped mini-projectiles out of them.

"So, are you sure you don't wanna join in?"

"Wouldn't dream of spoiling your fun."

Ritsu shrugged. "Alright, it's your choice." And with a quick flick of her wrist she launched the first white missile. It landed right in the middle of his bushy hair. He didn't seem to notice anything at all. Ritsu was grinning openly now. Mio tried to hold back her smile.

The drummer continued flicking tissue pieces at the man. Her aim was good enough, she had practiced it a lot in class. But suddenly the bassist bumped into her with a sneeze. Instead of landing in his hair, the projectile changed course and grazed an ear. The guy did feel that, and he looked around, trying to spot the source. His gaze landed on the two girls in the waiting room. The drummer met his stare head on with a completely innocent expression. The other was on the verge of laughing and tried to stifle it by burying her face into the collar of the jacket. Afroman looked even more ridiculous in frontal view, white tissue décor and all.

The man raised an eyebrow. Ritsu mirrored him.

"What? Never seen someone laugh after a good joke?" Ritsu draped an arm around Mio's shoulders like good friends do. "Let it all out, Mio. It's not healthy to keep it in!" She did not have to tell her twice. The bassist burst out laughing, no longer hiding behind the collar.

Ritsu patted Mio on her head. "Good girl."

The guy turned away from them. Mio eventually calmed down. She whispered to the drummer, mindful of the still open window and the subject of their conversation standing not so far from them. "I'm just surprised you could keep a straight face while looking at...at.. that." Mio giggled.

"Yeah well, I had to keep our cover ne,dear best friend?" With her arm still around the bassist, she gave the other girl's shoulder an affectionate squeeze.

'Ritsu and me? Best friends?' That train of thought sparked another round of laughter from Mio.

Ritsu was grinning like an idiot."What's the problem? Can't picture it?" She asked in a mock hurt voice.

"Yeah sure! Like you coming over to my house at least once a week?" Now Ritsu was laughing too.

"Hanging out every weekend!" Ritsu added.

"Comforting each other? Sharing our deepest secrets!"

"You helping me with study sessions!"

"Watching live concerts on DVDs!"

"Hey I wanted to say that one! Then, then how about this? You visiting me when I'm sick!"

"And...and me staying there and holding your hand till you fall asleep!"

"Aahahaha good one! That's just so ridiculous!"

"Getting jealous over each other's new friends?"

"Nah, I'm not that clingy." Ritsu denied.

The man was starting to fear the girls. Were they mad? They've been laughing like crazy. Maybe they were on drugs or something. 'Kids these days...' He made sure to scoot over to the far end of the small station.

"Hey Ritsu," Mio began timidly "I have to admit you're not as bad as I thought. ...Looks like even you can behave normally sometimes." She said with a small smile.

"Right back at you, Mio-chuan. So, does that mean we'll start doing all the things we mentioned before?" She asked with a cheeky grin. Mio playfully slapped her on the shoulder.

"Moving a bit fast, aren't you?"

"Am I? Then, at least we could try the 'you helping me study' part. That sounds quite interesting to me."

"Don't push your luck."

"Yes, ma'am! Hey, there are supposedly 10 minutes left till the arrival of our train!"

"Oh, that's good!" Suddenly something clicked in Mio's head. "Wait a minute, you have a car don't you? Why use the train?"

"The car is my mom's, I just borrow it every once in a while."

"I see."

Ritsu yawned, then promptly rested her head on Mio's shoulder. The bassist reacted amazingly fast.

"What do you think you're doing?" She did not forget to add a vibrant blush too.

"Geez, you're so shy."

"...That's not true!" But her protest did not ring strong.

"Oh, really? Then, how about I hug you right now?"

Mio yelped.

"I refuse!"

"Hehe I'll give you one anyway!" And Ritsu attacked. The bassist defended valiantly but the drummer was very persistent. Eventually Mio handled the energetic Ritsu with a good hit. It never failed to work. She waited for the drummer's outburst, ready to take her on. The girl did seem to open her mouth to yell, but halfway she decided that she was too tired to start another round of bickering between them, and closed her mouth with a snap. Instead she emitted cute whiny noises, clutching the bump on her forehead.

Mio was surpised that Ritsu backed down. The other girl made another brave effort to lay her head on Mio's shoulder, and the bassist thought that if Ritsu could restrain herself from yelling then so could she, and let the drummer do as she pleased.

Much to their pleasure, the train arrived on time and before they knew it, they were heading back home.

Meanwhile, the other three members were having a get together at Yui's place. Azusa was glad that finally she could have a refreshing conversation with Ui, whom she deemed as a 'normal' person. Yui, of course, did not belong into that category. As for Mugi...well she was a very kind and cute person, but sometimes she would catch the blonde staring at Yui and her in a way that creeped her out. At first, she thought it was just a trick of her eyes, but as time passed by she found herself being the target of Tsumugi's look more often than not. Azusa was not a stupid girl, so she could immediately draw the conclusion that Mugi was just not 'normal'. Something was up with her.

Something.

"Azusa-chan, are you alright?" Ui asked with a concerned expression.

"Yeah sorry, I just spaced out a little."

"Perhaps your tea wasn't sweet enough?"

"No, Mugi-senpai, there is nothing wrong with the tea. It's delicious." Azusa smiled at Mugi, who beamed.

"By the way, why isn't Ritsu-senpai here?"

"Ricchan couldn't come because she said she had to visit her aunt. She's living in a village by the sea."

"Didn't Mio-san also go to the beach today?" Asked Ui, knowing that the reason for their break was that the bassist needed some alone time to write a new song.

"Well yes, but there's no way they'd meet up. Chances for that are too slim." Azusa said confidently.

"But it would be funny, no? What do you think, Mugi-chan?" While Azusa believed that those two together equaled an apocalypse, Yui had different thoughts. Travelling together is alway better than travelling alone, so Yui did not regard it as a bad thing.

Mugi was busy envisioning Mio and Ritsu together with a gleeful face. It would definitely be interesting, those two had a strange dynamic between them, and the ever so sensitive Mugi-chan picked up on this immediately.

Jolted from her thoughts by Yui's query, she tried to speak but her first try wasn't quite successful. Embarrassed, Mui tried to bring back her voice by clearing her throat politely. Thankfully, it worked.

"Um, it's true that it is not likely that they'll meet, but that does not mean it's impossible. I personally think it would be nice to have some company on long trips."

"Right? That's what I thought!" Yui was pleased to have Mugi-chan on her side.

Ui, the ever responsible little sister never forgot any tasks. Checking her watch, she saw that it was time for yet another 'household chore', but one that she liked to do.

"Onee-chan, it's time for your walk!"

Upon hearing that Yui skipped around happily. Azusa blanked out. 'What is she, a dog?' And Tsumugi, who's imagination knew no bounds, immediately associated the word 'leash' upon hearing Ui's proclamation.

But Ui also remembered that she had not made dinner yet. What a shame! And right when their dear friends were visiting!

"Onee-chan, I'm sorry but I just realised I have to make dinner too. I can't leave now." Ui's broken expression was heartbreaking. Failing her sister always caused her extreme displeasure.

"But Ui-chaaaan!" Especially when Yui started to whine so cutely. Ah, the harshness of life!

Tears began to collect at the corners of Ui's eyes. She looked to the side, avoiding her sister's gaze."I...I can't."

Azusa failed to grasp the importance of it. 'They're so dramatic.'

"So," she started "what's with this...walk?"

"Onee-chan needs to get out of the house sometimes, it's not healthy for her if she...relaxes a lot at home. So we go for a short walk."

'Relaxes? More like rolls around on the floor or something.' Azusa thought doubtfully. Still, she did not see what the big deal was.

"I could take- I mean, go with Yui-senpai for a walk and you could cook the dinner in the meantime."

Yui's eyes bightened. "Azunyan!" A hug was in order. Or tackle. Same thing.

Ui felt relieved too. "That would be great, Azusa-chan! Thank you!"

"Are you coming, Mugi-chan?"

Mugi saw the silver lining in anything...or anyone. Especially if they were of the female species. So either way was fine with her. She believed Ui needed the help more, whereas Azusa would be fine handling Yui.

"I think it would be best if I stayed here and helped Ui-chan with dinner."

Ui beamed. "That would be wonderful!"

Ritsu yawned. Train rides were so boring. Normally, she'd pester Mio, but the bassist was fast asleep. With her head on Ritsu's shoulder.

'Heh, what a hypocrite.'

The train had inner heating, so the drummer's jacket was now draped over their laps. Ritsu struggled to find something to do, but with Mio using her shoulder as a pillow, mobility was quite limited. Eventually, a lady and her child sat down in front of the two HTT members. The little boy looked to be about eight years old. Desperate, Ritsu tried making faces at him when his mother wasn't looking and to her delight the boy responded, proving to be a tough opponent in the battle of grimaces.

Mio murmured something in her sleep and buried her face into Ritsu's neck, unconsciously seeking more of that interesting scent. And if that wasn't enough, she also fell into her habit of clutching anything nearby in her slumber. The drummer being the nearest source of warmth, Mio's arm draped over Ritsu's tummy as she clutched onto her new, sweet smelling teddy-substitute.

Ritsu went beet red. The boy was grinning mockingly at her, to which she let loose a small growl of warning.

"Shush." Said the bassist, still asleep but apparently aware of her surroundings. Ritsu stopped immediately, and looked to the side with an even stronger blush if possible. The little kid was guwaffing now, and the mother turned to him to see what was going on.

"What do you find so funny, Kazuya-chan?"

"That lady is so funny." He said, pointing to the drummer. "She is soooo lashed!"

"I think you mean 'whipped', dear. And don't point at strangers, it's rude."

Little Kazuya nodded compliantly.

"Can I have a biscuit?" He asked hopefully.

"Sure, here you go. You definitely deserve it, you were very quiet today." What the mother didn't realise was that the boy probably didn't talk because he had been too busy making faces at Ritsu.

Eventually the boy got bold enough to start talking to Ritsu, and the drummer, having nothing better to do, entertained him as best she could.

Two hours later the ride was more than halfway over. Mio awoke to find Ritsu grinning at her slyly and suggestively wiggling her eyebrows.

"Don't look at me like that!"

"Aw Mio-chuan, your dozing face was so cu-OW! What the hell!" Ritsu clutched her head.

"You've earned it."

"You're so aggressive. I mean, you can't be so violent here! There are young children watching! What kind of example are you setting, ojou-sama?"

The young child in question was laughing at the new turn of events. Luckily his mom had gone to the toilet and was not there to witness the action. Mio felt embarrassed, even though the kid was clearly enjoying all the drama.

"I..I'm sorry." The bassist said softly, lowering her thick lashes and not looking into the other girl's eyes.

'Oh no! It's that vulnerable face again!'

"No problem! My head is thicker than it looks!" Ritsu lightly rapped on her head with her knuckles to prove her point.

Mio raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, it looks thick enough to me."

"Aww how mean! And it was me who helped you sleep well too!"

Mio blushed. "Your shoulder was too hard anyway." 'Probably from all the drumming.'

The train stopped. The little boy and his mother got ready to leave, but the child suddenly turned and raced to them, tugging on Ritsu's sleeve to get her attention.

"I wish I had a sis like you!" And ran back to his mother. Mio looked questioningly at Ritsu, who shrugged.

"Don't ask. If only my little brother would think like that." Ritsu looked off to the side, but spotted something from the corner of her eyes that made her grimace sourly. 'No. Not here. Please.'

She quickly tried to drape the jacket over herself but it prooved to be too late, as a mocking voice reached her ears.

"Aww is little Ritsu still playing hide and seek? How adorable." The sickeningly sweet voice belonged to a girl who looked to be their age and was quite pretty, but something in her eyes set Mio off. Her instincts were telling her to keep away from this person. The bassist looked questioningly at Ritsu, who has since taken the jacket off her head only to reveal –to Mio's surprise-a defeated expression. The drummer was avoiding her gaze, and instead stared dully at the floor. Mio, now worried, tried to reach her with her voice.

"Who is she, Ritsu?" Her tone took a softer ring, trying to coax Ritsu out of her stupor. The drummer remained silent, but the new girl answered instead in a snide tone.

"Tsu-chan, I'm disappointed. You've already found a new ass to lick. Never thought someone would fall for such a pathetic little creature, but I guess I was wrong. She's probably using you...but then again that's the only thing you're good fo-"

"SHUT UP! HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH THINGS TO RITSU!" Both the girl and Ritsu snapped their heads up at the normally shy bassist's outburst. Mio had no idea who this person was, but she sure wasn't going to let her badmouth her bandmate. She then collected herself, and her burning rage cooled to a frosty glare that was even scarier than the former. Her adversary snapped out of her momentary surprise, and regarded Mio with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, you're defending her? Well, it's not exactly 'defending' is it? After all, bitches like you only know how to bark-"

*SLAP*

Mio's eyes went wide. Her hand was raised in a position to strike, but she never actually followed through with her slap. Instead, it was Ritsu who came to her senses thanks to Mio's outburst, and decided to take action.

"You," In her anger, her voice lowered to a husky growl. "you have no right to treat my friend like that. I will not let you. Hitting girls is against my morals, but after all these years you've proved to be nothing but a snake. If you don't scamper away this instant, I won't hesitate to beat you to a pulp. And I wouldn't worry about Mio's 'bark' either, because I'm sure her bite is just as vicious. And she looks eager to prove that, heh?"

Their opponent realised that she was overpowered. She decided to throw in one last insult at the bandmates, making the drummer lunge at her, intent on punishing her. The bassist was holding Ritsu back, however- only to rush forward a second later and give a good slap to that nasty girl herself. The girl in question ran out of their carriage with a red handprint on her face and a split lip leaking blood.

As soon as she disappeared from view, it was as if someone had taken the batteries out of Ritsu. She slumped back in her seat with the same defeated look from before, and seemed drained. Mio has never seen the drummer in such a state before.

"Are you alright?" Mio knew it was a stupid question, but she had to break the silence somehow.

Ritsu drew in a shaky breath, but pushed her sadness back and tried to force out a smile. Seeing that broken, shy little grin made Mio respect Ritsu better than anything the drummer could've done. After all, it was then that the bassist realised that Ritsu's cheery persona must've been forced quite a few times, for her friends' sake.

Even at the station,when she thought, apalled, that Ritsu seemed unaffected by their situation. Her nonchalant gaze, proud stance with a slightly lifted chin oozed confidence. Eventually, even Mio calmed down as she felt Ritsu's mood alleviate her panic.

But even then, probably the drummer was just as worried as she was. In any kind of crisis she remained her energetic, cheerful self and managed to pass on the same enthusiasm to all of them. Managed to make Mio feel more secure when they were in deep trouble. And that sounded like such a tiring task. Always forcing yourself to be a pillar others could lean on.

Now too. But that shy little grin was on the verge of breaking, and Ritsu's amber eyes were moist, though she let no tears break through. For the bassist to see all of this meant that this incident must've shaken Ritsu up terribly.

That stupid witch! It must've been something from the past, an old wound reopened, but what?

Mio tried to go over their dialogue again in her head, and tried to force back her bubbling anger at those snide comments.

Wait a minute...

No, it couldn't be. But the thought wouldn't get out of her head.

Ritsu and that girl, were they a-

That would make Ritsu a...

"...are you a lesbian?" Mio did not mean for it to come out so bluntly, but she couldn't help herself. She covered her mouth with both her hands after the words left her,feeling ashamed.

The drummer looked up at Mio with wide eyes, then looked down, trying to collect herself but failing miserably. Ritsu's confident self evaporated away, leaving behind an insecure girl who feared what the bassist would think of her after this incident.

'Well, I can't run away now, can I? Might as well get over with this.' Her body was shaking.

She still refused to meet those grey eyes, and replied with an obviously fake cheerfulness. "Well yeah, I don't exactly fancy penises, you know?"

'Damn it.' She thought, as a tear escaped her eyes and trailed down her face, leaving a moist line. Still staring down, she did not see Mio's incoming hug and got startled when sudden warmth enveloped her. Welcoming the comfort, she hugged back fiercely as Mio slowly drew soothing circles on the other's back with her hand.

It felt strange to Mio, who never would've thought she'd be in this kind of situation, especially not with Ritsu, whom she detested just hours ago. And she did not feel as bothered as she thought she would after hearing Ritsu's ...unique confirmation. Ritsu was Ritsu, and she belonged to them, to the band. Nothing would ever change that. And the way that bitch treated Ritsu was just cruel.

"There, there." Mio whispered softly.

"I.. I'm just sorry you had to witness that."

"You're the one being sorry? Heck Ritsu, you're the one who's always there for us and always supportive in your own way. In the short time that you've been with us, it's as if you were the leader of the band. Like a club president or something." Mio smiled. "Your teasing annoyed me to hell, and many times I thought of strangling you, but I'd always follow your drumming, and we'd always follow you when you'd initiate something for the band. But," Mio playfully poked Ritsu on her forehead. "you're still an idiot. And God knows you go overboard many times."

Said idiot was staring at her, astonished, before breaking out into a full grin, one that reached her eyes too.

'No one has ever said such things to me.' "Well well well, I never would've thought you were one of those sappy people with the long, heartfelt speeches! I'm itching all over!" But the drummers bright expression spoke against that.

"I-Idiot! I'm not like that!" And a second later. "You just ruined the mood!"

Ritsu smiled. Then let loose a long yawn. What a crazy day.

"Hey Mio, aren't you tired?"

"Tired? No, why would I be?"

"True, I almost forgot that you've been sleeping on my shoulder for two hours."

"Can't we just forget that already?"

"Don't think I will. Anyway, it's my turn now."

"Your turn for what?"

"A nap." She took her jacket and put it on the armrest. Ritsu then lied down in what seemed like an extremely uncomfortable position and grimaced. Mio also grimaced. She sighed loudly, then motioned for the drummer to use her lap if she wanted. Ritsu sqealed, then got comfortable and fell asleep seconds later.

'It really seems like we're friends now.' The bassist chuckled.

Azusa remembered Yui always getting distracted by almost anything on the street, so she expected that this time wouldn't be any different either. She sighed. They bid goodbye to the other two and were off on their merry way.

Yui, of course, did not disappoint. Cats, dogs, strange gardens or houses all earned a small pause from Yui. Heck, she even chased off a group of pidgeons. Azusa sweatdropped.

"Yui-senpai, we can't stop every second." She searched for a good motive. "Dinner will get cold if we take too long."

"No way! Lets hurry then, Azunyan!" Yui grabbed the kouhai's hand and started to sprint back towards her house. But then she noticed something.

"A dog!"

"Not again!"

"But, but this one is different. It has something around it's mouth."

Azusa turned to look at the dog. She gasped.

"Yui-senpai, that's foam! It's a rabid dog!" Still holding Yui's hand, she grasped it more tightly and now it was her turn to make a mad dash back to Yui's residence, the sudden burst of fear giving her a good dose of adrenaline that enabled her to drag Yui without much effort.

Yui did not feel the same panic. "But, shouldn't we help the doggy then? Instead of abandoning it?"

"I'd rather abandon the dog than let you get infected." Azusa said in a serious, protective voice. An image of a rabid Yui sprang to her mind, with a foaming mouth, rolling around on the floor, mumbling incoherent things.

'Not that it would make a huge change from her usual behaviour...but still.' Still, she worried. Not to mention Ui-chan would kill her if something ever happened to Yui while under her care.

Azusa was so lost in her thoughts, that if it weren't for Yui yanking her back at the last minute, a car would've hit her as she ran to cross the road.

"Azunyan! Didn't your mommy tell you to look before crossing a road? You had me worried there for a second."

Azusa blushed, ashamed. Sometimes she really felt like the kouhai she was, juvenile compared to the others. But those occasions were extremely rare, especially with Yui and Ritsu in the band, who'd make a toddler feel mature in their presence.

OMAKE

The dog watched curiously as the two girls sprinted away in the opposite direction. He was tempted to chase after them, but he had played enough today with the youngest child of his owners and opted to relax for now. Besides, he did not get his dinner yet.

As if on cue, a middle-aged lady walked out to the porch with a bowl in her hand.

"Akamaru!" She called, and the dog obediently trotted up to her, wagging his tail eagerly. As he was getting closer, the lamplight of the porch illuminated his features. The woman drew in a sharp breath.

"Those kids! I told them not to give you milky before dinner!" She took out a tissue and wiped his white milk moustache off his muzzle. There. All better now.

AN.:

"Getting jealous over each other's new friends?"

"Nah, I'm not that clingy." Ritsu denied. ...Like hell she isn't! XD

Also, I'm not sure if the drama fit in here with all the light-hearted things going on, but I thought I'd give it a try anyway.(please) Let me know what you think!