Chapter 4: Reffrain
A/N: *huff*huff* yeah, I finally finished this chapter. Although it's school holiday, I can't seem to pick up the pace T.T Well blame my classmates for inviting me to joyful and precious outings ^^. Oh yeah, I also want to add that if the names used here resemble anyone out there, it's a pure coincidence. No offense intended. And so, the disclaimer... please enjoy.
Disclaimer : I own neither K-On! nor K-On! nor Persona series
"Norimi! Here we are." Sawako ran at her friend, Mugi and Yui trailing behind her.
"Hm? What happened with the rest? I thought the band had five?" Norimi glanced at her before picking up another phone call. "Hm? Yeah, yeah, I got the words already. Relax. Yeah, yeah. Call me if you get another progress, okay?"
"Sorry about that, Sawako. The front line's pretty busy these days."
"Yeah, yeah. Now, these girls are anxious about your confidential information. Could you make it fast? We have a surgery to attend to at 12."
"Surgery?"
"Oh, for God's sake. I'll fill you in later. Now tell us what you know."
"That's right *pant pant*, Norimi-san! *pant pant*" Mugi tried to catch her breath. Yui was right behind her, sitting on the ground. She was close to hyperventilating, but she took a deep breath and managed to calm herself down.
"Okay, I don't have much time myself, so I'll only tell you girls once. Listen carefully." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm sure you're pretty aware of the disaster, right? My men scanned the whole area, no survivors."
"We've known that already, Norimi-san." Mugi stooped her head, still panting from her run. "We've known about what happened." Yui stared at the busy soldiers, running back and forth, carrying various utilities.
"Yeah, but what you don't know is who. Who is behind this incident, right?" Norimi sipped her coffee before continuing. "We already have suspects, and one might be familiar for you."
"…Mio." Sawako mumbled. Mugi had a sudden interest in her shoes while Yui wept silently, hiding her head between her knees.
"Indeed. This girl was last seen four days ago near your school. She's now nowhere to be found. But one of our men from the northern base, who was assaulted yesterday, gave us some descriptions about the attacker, and it fits her figure. But make sure none of the words leak out." Norimi continued carefully.
"Is that all?" Sawako put her glasses off. "If that's all, we would like to have some rest now. Thanks for the information, though." She gestured her students to follow her into the car. While they were walking, Norimi picked up another call.
"Huh? Are you sure? Okay. Okay. Local hospital. Tomorrow? 1 p.m.? Okay. Yeah." She seemed more excited when she gave chase to the girls.
"What's up, Norimi?" Sawako looked weary, but she did turn around.
"Listen up. I've got an update from the R&D team. They found out that the siege force was… inhuman."
"Inhuman? Now what kind of nonsense this is?" Sawako looked pretty serious. She might blew the air out of her friend's lungs had Norimi told her that she was simply joking around. But Norimi seemed also serious about it.
"I'm serious. They're sending a pro from China right now. He would arrive here at around 10 a.m. tomorrow. I've arranged him to meet you at the hospital at 1.p.m. tomorrow. Make sure you're there." She waved her hand and jogged back to her camp. Sawako then gestured her students to get into the car.
"I'll take you girls back to the hospital. We'll tell Azusa first. Ritsu will be told after the surgery. She'll need to calm down before the surgery." Sawako told the girls. Mugi nodded while Yui was staring out of the side window.
"Yui? You hear me? Any words leaked out from you, I can't tell you the consequences, not just for you, but for her as well." Sawako pointed out while heating up her car. The brunette still spaced out. She came back when Mugi poked her left hand.
"Yui-chan? Are you okay?"
"Huh? Ah, sorry! Ehehehhe~~~" Yui grinned. Mugi and Sawako smiled, both shaking their head. Her innocent smile made people unable to scold her. Mugi kindly repeated what their teacher said. Yui nodded in agreement.
Ritsu slowly opened her eyes. A beam of sunlight sneaked through the curtains. She moaned when the light met her eyes, and slowly moved herself out of the beam's range. She gritted her teeth to endure the pain. She glanced at the clock. It's already ten in the morning. Just two more hours before surgery, eh? I've never been there before. I wonder… Her line of thoughts was cut by a loud snore beside her. Yui? When did she… Oh, right. She must came here after I fell asleep last night. She didn't seem annoyed by the noise, but Azusa yawned as her eyelids slowly opened.
"Jeez, Yui-senpai, keep your voice down…" She whispered to the brunette. "You might wake Ritsu-senpai…" She turned her heads and surprised to see the drummer grinning at her.
"Ah, R-Ritsu-senpai! Sorry to make such a fuss! Y-you can go back to sleep, you know. I'll make sure Yui-senpai won't bother you anymore!" She flustered, but then recollected herself. She moved to her senior's side and gestured her to go back to sleep, but the latter just shook her head.
"No, no, no, you don't wake me up. I woke up just before Yui snored."
"Oh, I see. Good morning to you, then." Azusa drew her chair near the Ritsu's bed and opened the curtain.
"Yeah, good morning to you, too." Ritsu tried to move both of her lower arms. They did move a bit, but she twisted in pain.
"Ritsu-senpai! What are you doing!" Azusa exasperated. She cared about her, but it seemed that the brunette didn't care about herself. "Jeez, could you refrain from hurting yourself?"
"Hey, the pain subsided. It was quite quick, you know."
"Well, Dr. Arthur came in last night and replaced the IV with a new one. He told me that he mixed a new medicine that would help you recover faster." She answered, looking at the yellow IV. The previous color was transparent. "That aside, did you have a nice dream?"
The question made Ritsu surprised. It only hit her mind at that time, that she didn't dream last night. The first time in a couple of days.
"Heh, I didn't dream last night." She answered happily. Azusa also smiled, relieved.
"That's great. You'll be able to rest properly now." Their chat was interrupted when a nurse came into the room.
"Excuse me, Ms. Tainaka. The surgery will be pulled to 11.15. Please come with me now. We'll prepare for the surgery."
"Oh, I see. Okay then…" She made an attempt to get off her bed, but the nurse gestured her to lie back.
"Just lie down. The bed has wheels, so we can carry the bed with you." The nurse began to push the drummer's bed to the surgery room. "Well, if you'll excuse us." She nodded to Azusa, but seemed to be struggling with the IV stand. Azusa grabbed the situation and offered her help.
"Huahhhh… Azunyan… It's still one o'clock…" Yui mumbled when Azusa shrugged her, telling her to wake up.
"Yeah, exactly. 01.00 p.m. That's why you need to get up." She flipped her phone open, texting her parents again. I've sent them ten emails since yesterday, but they didn't answer any of them. What happened?
"Huamm…" Yui slowly opened her eyes only to see her friend's bed gone."WHERE'S RICCHAN? RICCHAN! RICCHAN!" She flustered, looking around. Azusa only shook her head and stopped her senior just when she started to run out the room.
"Ritsu-senpai's surgery was rescheduled to be at 11.15. That's why she's already at the prep room." She calmly answered while slipping her phone back to her blazer's pocket. "Mugi-senpai was talking with Sawako-sensei again. They told me that we should head to the backyard after you wake up."
Yui's eyes widened as she heard that. She stooped deeply. "O-oh, yeah, sure. Let's go there, shall we?"
Azusa stared at her senior. Curious about what she's hiding. But nonetheless, both of them strolled to the destined location. As they arrived there, Sawako began telling her about the news. Azusa only stared in disbelief
"No. No. No. You have to be lying, right? It can't be right. This isn't funny sensei. If it's a joke, I suggest you cut it off right now…" She stared right into Sawako's eyes. But Sawako only nodded. Azusa felt strength left her body. Her knees buckled. She nearly collapsed flat in the ground, but Mugi caught her in time.
"I've told you that we should talk about in inside the hospital." Sawako raised her shoulders.
"What if Azunyan went screaming out wild? It would surely bother other patients…" Yui pointed out. Mugi frowned, looking uncomfortable with her fainted friend.
"Um… any better time for jokes? She's rather heavy despite her looks."
"Ah, sorry, sorry. Let's lie her down inside, okay?" Sawako glanced at her watch. "C'mon, I need to meet up with the person from China."
They lied the rhythm guitarist at a couch near the room instead, because the bed was taken with Ritsu earlier. Mugi went to the registration area to talk about payments, while Yui waited patiently beside Azusa. Sawako walked back and forth in front of the hospital, when suddenly a man ran towards her.
"Ah, ni hao! Wo de mingzi shi Theodore Caesar, Julius Caesar de zengsun!".
"…"
"Hahahaha. Sorry, sorry. My name's Theodore Caesar, you can call me Theo."
"Sawako here. Let's get down to business, shall we?" Sawako raised her eyebrows. Both of them waltzed back into the hospital, where the girls were waiting. Mugi and Yui rose up, both bowed respectfully. Theo raised his right hand and bowed as well in return.
"Mugi, how's it going with the payment?" Sawako worriedly asked the blonde. She might be a teacher, but her salaries wouldn't be enough for all of that. The latter just smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry. They said the cost will be reduced due to national disaster. I've paid half of it, and the rest of it when she checked out." She explained her conversation with the cashier. Hearing that, all of them sighed in relief.
"Alright, if you're done with your little chit-chat…" Theo cut their chatter bluntly. "I'd like to tell you a few things. But promise me, you won't tell anyone else. And also keep your voice down." He waved his hands, gesturing the girls to take a seat. "Do you believe me, if I tell you, a day is not forever 24 hours?"
"Huh?" All three of them gasped, surprised by the sudden remark. Yui took a lot of time to put that single information to her brain. Mugi tilted her head, considering broad possibilities to respond. But Sawako cut that awkward silence by standing up. She looked rather confused herself, but tried her best to keep her cool.
"Erm… would you care to elaborate?" She politely asked Theo, but the latter smiled mockingly.
"Oooh… We've three airheads right here. No matter, I'll explain it slowly." He drew a chair near the girls'. But the sharp sound of the chair being dragged across the floor attracted people's attention, and waking up Azusa. She sat up, rubbing her head. Mugi quickly sat beside her. She rubbed the rhythm guitarist's back, trying to soothe her. Sawako grabbed the situation and turned to Theo.
"Sorry, I think we have to talk about this personally. Let's head to the backyard, shall we? Give them some time to rest." They made their way to the backyard when Azusa started to weep again. Yui slowly sat beside her.
"Y-Yui-senpai…" She fought hard through her sobs. Yui and Mugi looked at each other, and both gave their junior warm smiles.
"Azunyan~~~" Yui tried to hold her tears back. "My house is a little too big for two, and I'm sure Ui won't mind two more…"
Azusa's constant sob subsided. Miniscule luster was restored in her scarlet eyes. Garnet orbs, wet with tears, met with sapphire blue as Mugi squatted in front of her.
"Listen, Azusa-chan." Her soft voice flooded Azusa's heart with warmth. "We're always here for you. Anytime you need anything, just let us know, okay?" Azusa nodded slightly, just when the operation room's door creaked open. Dr. Arthur and Dr. Joy waltzed out the room. Yui jumped out and rushed at the doctors.
"Doctor! How's the operation going?" But rather than answering right away, Dr. Arthur wiped sweats from his face with his handkerchief. His face seemed exhausted. Dr. Joy took a seat at a nearby chair. Her face showed no less fatigue than Dr. Arthur's.
"Ah, yes, the operation." He took a deep breath. The girls held their breath, anticipating for the worst news. But the doctor smiled proudly.
"Heh, walk in the park for me." Dr. Joy rose up and waved her hand towards him, gesturing him to go to the doctor's room. But she stopped and her face looked puzzled when she turned around.
"What did you inject her with? I've never seen that yellow liquid before." The man frowned, but his eyes suddenly widened as if he remembered something.
"Oh, yeah, that. New stuffs from the R&D. Helps her recovery." He then turned to the anxious girls. "Just relax. She'll be fine. The anesthesia was projected for at least one more hour, but considering her resistance, she'll be awake in around 10 minutes."
The doctors strolled back to their room and the girls rushed into the waiting room. The drummer was still comatose, but her face showed less pain than before. All of them sighed in relief. But Azusa still stooped her head, stifling pain echoed in her heart. She couldn't believe the news that reached her. But as she raised her head, she saw her injured senior. It suddenly struck her mind. She turned her head intently at Mugi, who looked puzzled but smiled gently at her.
"What it is, Azusa?"
"Erm… about the news…"
"…Yes? What's about it?"
"How about Ritsu-senpai?"
"…Of course." Mugi murmured. Yui rubbed Azusa's back again as the rhythm guitarist started to weep again.
"Don't worry, Azunyan, like I said earlier, Ui wouldn't mind two more…"
Meanwhile, Sawako and Theo were having a chat at the backyard.
"So, you're trying to imply that when the fog comes down, there'll be a specific hour where the dimension borders snarled and create distortion?"
"Yeah, whatever comes to your mind… My point is, the last siege couldn't be done with bare human hands. And, from what I can conclude from my previous researches, they did it with the help of Personas."
"Personas?"
"Yeah. There's no legitimate explanation to what're them, but from what I can tell, it varies depending on the user's personality, hence named Persona."
"Wow. You seemed to know a lot… Now, how to awaken a Persona? Because my instinct says that if we want to make our move, we better make it fast."
"Easy there, missy. From what I can tell, it's already within you. You just have to concentrate yourself, and chant some words to trigger the Persona. From there onwards, it's your own decision."
"Well… Where to start?"
"I ran some researches earlier with the data from your friend, Norimi, if I'm not mistaken. I've come with a conclusion that you contain a Persona from the Justice Arcana."
"Arcana? Now what's that?"
"Think of it as a class. There are around twenty different Arcanas, each with it's own powers and weaknesses."
"Great. Now what can I do?"
"Hm… First of all, your Persona seemed to be an Angel. But we'll have to check it out ourselves. I just ran a quick research, you know."
"Let's do it now, shall we?"
"No. Personas only awaken during the specific hour – I'll refer to it as Distorted Hour from now – to prevent casualties in real life. So yeah, we need to wait."
"Oh well. Can't help it. So, how do we know when the Distorted Hour will come?"
"Believe me, you'll get used to it. I'll tell you when it comes. For now, do you have some data regarding your students? I believe they're Persona users as well… I want to run another research first."
"I'll see if I can help you…"
The waiting room was silent. The only sounds heard were clock's arms ticking restlessly, and soft breaths from the girls. No one has spoken since Yui answered Azusa's concern. The former frequently sent emails to her sister at home. Azusa stooped her head deeply, trying her best to accept that reality's, indeed, cruel. Mugi leaned towards Ritsu's bed, waiting for the drummer to wake up. After ten minutes that felt like eternal, Ritsu's right hand twitched feebly. Mugi felt the movement, and lifted her head.
"Ricchan?" Her soft voice was full of hope. Hearing the keyboardist's call, both guitarists nearly jumped out of their respective seats. The drummer's eyebrows twitched, her eyelids fluttered.
"Nnggh…"
"Ricchan!" Yui jumped at her friend, only to find Azusa had grabbed her from behind. When she turned her head, she saw Azusa glared furiously at her.
"YUI-SENPAI. SIT DOWN."
"Y-yes…" The lead guitarist sat back at her chair while Mugi and Azusa worriedly looked at Ritsu. The latter finally opened her eyes. But she was forced to clench them tightly by beams of light piercing through her amber eyes. She opened them slowly after some excruciating moments, and through her blurry views, she spotted her friends calling her name from the side of her bed. She felt her left hand was connected with an IV, so with disorganized thoughts, she moved her right hand. She managed to find Mugi's hand. Mugi, Azusa, and Yui widened their eyes, noticing how the drummer moved her hand without grimacing a lot of pain like last time. Mugi gripped Ritsu's hand while the others stood around her.
"R-Ricchan? Y-you could move your hands?" She stammered, surprised by the sudden recovery. Ritsu stared at her own arm, and moved it again. It moved smoothly. She frowned, but the pain that struck her was far less than before. She tried to move her left one. It also moved freely, only to be stopped by the IV's hose.
"Hey, you're right!" She gradually sat up by the assistance of her friends' hands. She huffed hard. The anesthesia seemed to cost her most of her energy. The overexertion from just then sapped more. Despite the miraculous recovery, her voice was still raspy. Not to mention nausea that constantly struck her. But knowing to be able to move her hands lit her back up again.
"So, when will I be able to come back home?"
Mugi gulped hard when she heard the question. Azusa turned around to hide hear welling tears, while Yui was the only one who volunteered to do the job.
"Uh, we haven't asked them yet, Ricchan. But, don't worry, at this rate, you'll be out in no time!"
Outside the window, black clouds were hovering the entire city. Drops of rain started to fall. Drizzle. Then it turned to quite a heavy rain. Thunder roared in the distance.
"Oh, it's raining outside." Ritsu said as Azusa wheeled her bed back to her room. All nurses somehow found themselves occupied at that time, so Azusa voluntarily took her back.
"Yes, it seems like it won't stop for the time being… Why don't you have a rest, Ritsu-senpai?"
"Nah… Anyway, Yui and Azusa are in the doctor's room, right? Can't wait to get back home…"
Mugi gulped hard again before forced up a smile. "Y-yes.. Don't worry, senpai."
Ten minutes went by as the two girls chattered. The rain kept pouring down on the outside, and the fog started to layered down again.
"Right. So, based on your information…" Theo lifted his head from his laptop. He and Sawako had been sitting in the waiting room for the last half an hour. "I've managed to make this list." He showed her the document in his laptop.
Yui = Fool Arcana, Orpheus Talos
Ritsu = Chariot Arcana, Futsunushi
Tsumugi = Priestess Arcana, Kikuri-hime
Azusa = Star Arcana, Neko Shogun
"But tell me, which one is this Yui kid? She possessed… unique power."
"Huh?" Sawako raised her eyebrows as she scrutinized the list again. Fool Arcana. Yeah, fits that airhead. "The brunette you saw earlier. She's Yui."
"She possessed the Number Zero. Empty, but can be filled by broad –if not infinite- possibilities." Theo shook her head, judging the situation. Sawako opened her mouth, but she stopped before she even began to speak when she saw Yui and Mugi approaching. Both of them bowed slightly as they made their way.
"So, what did he said?" Sawako rose up from her seat.
"Well… I don't really understand medical terms, but he said Ricchan could leave tomorrow!" Yui's high-pitched voice made Theo's eyebrows twitched. This girl? The Fool? Hell, never judge a book by it's cover…
"Tomorrow… huh? Yui, can I send those over now? I'm afraid I won't have much time by tomorrow morning…" Sawako dug her pocket, and pulled a key for her car. She gestured Mugi to come with her. She nodded, and Yui sent an email via her phone.
"Okay, I've told Ui you'll be coming soon. Err… I'll go to Ricchan, okay?" She waved her hand, making her way back to Ritsu's room.
Back in the room, Azusa and Ritsu were immersed in their talk that they barely noticed Yui had come back.
"Yahhooo~~~ Ricchan~~~ Azunyan~~~" Yui jumped straight and latched herself onto the poor junior.
"Yui-senpai, get off me!" Azusa shrugged her senior off. Ritsu laughed at the common scene.
"So, what did the doctor say?" The brunette asked after her laugh subsided. Azusa stared at the lead guitarist who was sipping the tea from her cup.
"O-oh, yeah, Ricchan, you're permitted to leave tomorrow after the final checkups!" She stammered, leaving the drummer in confusion. What's with her? Telling me that I'm going out tomorrow can't be that bad, can it?
"So…" Sawako put down two suitcases on the floor. "These suitcases, alongside with those, will be fine in this room?" She glanced at the two suitcases Mugi put down earlier. Ui was in front of them, carrying a pile of her clothes.
"Yes, sensei. I believe I can handle the rest…" Ui smiled towards the teacher, but the latter shook her head.
"No, no, we'll be happy if we can be of any help." Mugi added in. Ui chuckled, and climbed upstairs. Sawako and Mugi began unpacking the suitcases and put them in two separate closets.
She woke up at a familiar chamber. The one she saw in her previous dreams. She's there again, but this time, only the king was present. His hazel eyes were lit with anger. From his expression, certainly he's unfriendly at the moment. The girl, not as taken aback as last time, hid herself behind a pillar and observed the king. The king suddenly stretched his neck, his eyes looking for the clandestine in his residential. The girl's heart began to palpitate as the king began to waltz towards her. She thought hard but find no way out. Out of the blue, she felt shiver down her spine. As she turned around, she could see the king towering in front of her. "You…" His voice was low. "How did you get here?"
The girl staggered, and ran towards the huge double door. But the king had no intention to let go of his prey as he blinked in front of the girl and stabbed the sword at the girl. She evaded it by an inch, and ducked in time as the man swung the sword horizontally, cutting a part of her hair. She ran frantically, opening the door and rushed through the relatively empty hallway. But she saw nothing but darkness up ahead. As she found herself lost in the darkness, her run stopped. She raised her hand, only to feel the cold wall ahead of her. Suddenly, she felt a blunt object struck her head. The blow wasn't quite hard, but the girl collapsed flat to the ground. She moaned, but unable to even move her fingers. It's as if her soul was shattering and her energy was sapped away. She struggled for at least five seconds before finally giving in to the darkness.
Ritsu's eyes flipped open. Cold sweat flooded her hands, but she felt warmth hovering over them. Mugi was clutching her left hand, while Yui did the same thing with her right one. Ritsu let a weak smile left her lips as Azusa rubbed her garnet eyes as she was waking up.
"Ah, good morning, Ritsu-senpai. Erm… having those bad dreams again?" The raven haired stared straight into the drummer's face. The latter was rather taken aback, and shook her head slowly.
"Can you read minds?"
"Anyone will notice if you keep wearing a frown in your face." It was obvious that the rhythm guitarist was a thorough one, but the brunette herself didn't notice her own expression, so the former must be scrutinize enough to realize that. She grinned and asked. "Better?"
Azusa curved her lips and let out a relieved sigh. "Much." She carefully dragged her chair near to Ritsu's bed. Specks of light from the sunray peeked into the room through the curtain. The door slid open and a nurse slowly stepped into the room.
"Excuse me, Ritsu-san, but we need to take you for the final checkup. You can go home after that." She smiled reassuringly. "Oh, yeah, the doctor also told me to let you try walking by your own feet. He said it's some kind of rehabilitation phase."
"Huh? Oh, sure, I also want to try it myself, but this cat won't let me.." Ritsu smiled teasingly at Azusa, who then frowned good-manneredly.
"Ritsu-senpai, it's for your own good. And no, I'M NOT A CAT." Her grumble produced quite a fuss in the morning, causing both Mugi and Yui to come back from dreamland. "Ah, you better leave now, Ritsu-senpai. Yui-senpai can make things harder, believe me." The junior gestured her to leave the room immediately. The nurse grinned, amused by the situation, and slowly walked outside. Ritsu tailed her despite the staggering, and managed to keep up with her. At that instance, Sawako was strolling into the room and met the two.
"Ah, good morning, . Taking our patient for a walk?" She respectfully asked. The nurse smiled and bowed slightly.
"No, just the final checkups. She can go home after that, but you need to deal with the check-out in the registration. Now, if you'll excuse us." She began to walk again. Sawako winked at the trailing drummer.
"Hang in there." The brunette meekly nodded. And with that, both of them continued their respective walk.
Sawako reached the room shortly after, when she saw another familiar scene. Mugi was observing dreamily as Yui hugged Azusa just like usual. She shook her head.
"Guys, we have a problem."
"So, how are you feeling? Better?" Dr. Arthur thoroughly scrutinize X-rays and graphs from Ritsu's injury. The latter was still panting from her walk earlier.
"Yeah, but what was that? I mean, do all surgeries give instant recovery?"
"Ohohoho, no, of course. Lucky you, our R&D found a new medicine. They finished the testing just a few days before you came here."
"I… see."
"Anyway, I don't see any further injuries… Just take these pills with you." He handed two bottles of pills to her. "Take a pill, three times a day. After breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It'll help your recovery."
Ritsu took them both and shoved them into her pocket. "Anything else?"
"Wow. Back to high spirits again? Well, good for you. Had you had any of those gloomy aura around you, I would send you to psychiatrist… But, yeah, you can go home now. Just don't forget to take those pills, okay?" Ritsu rose up and bowed respectfully.
"You have my sincere gratitude, doctor." Dr. Arthur also rose up and waved his hand while grinning.
"Oh, no need for such formalities. The bottom line is that you're recovering, and that's my job."
Ritsu smiled and waved her hand. "Once again, thank you very much." She also bowed and smiled at the nurse who opened the door for her. She waltzed back to her room, eager to get back to normal life. But she didn't know that life's not coming back to normal – the ride would get even bumpier.
"Ah, there she is." Those words were the first to greet the brunette as she stepped back to her room. They were blurted out of a certain teacher, none other by Sawako.
"Ricchan!" That high-pitched voice, and the hug just now, must be that lead guitarist, Yui. Behind her was a blonde staring peacefully, and her singsong voice soothed her soul. Yes, she's sure it's Mugi. And the twin-tailed rhythm guitarist was the one with the relieved sigh, went by the name of Azusa. The brunette only grinned widely.
"So… if you all excuse me, I'd like to go home for today… I'll come to school tomorrow, 'kay?"
"Erm… Ricchan, about that…" Mugi stuttered, making Ritsu turned around again.
"What?"
"Ah, we figured you might still be exhausted, so I offered them a ride, and they told us to take you too… Are you coming?" Sawako broke the awkward silence. Ritsu raised her eyebrows, surprised by the sudden generosity. She had always found various reason to avoid them riding in her car, but she offered them?
"Sure, why not?'
And so, all of them went by Sawako's car. Inside was filled by unusual, deafening silence. Ritsu, sitting in the front, was too busy with her MP3 Player. Mugi, Azusa, and Yui were too nervous to even start up a conversation, all of them looking at each other stiflingly. Finally, Yui spoke up.
"Ne, ne, Ricchan, what are you listening to?"
"Huh?" She pulled her right headset. "Skillet. Comatose, it is."
"Is it a good song?" Mugi pitched in.
"Heh, perhaps. Just feels like listening to it today." As she was saying this, Sawako's car turned on a corner.
"Sawa-chan? My house is that way, you know." Ritsu pointed out. But Sawako simply shrugged.
"O-oh, yeah. We're going to Yui's house first, if that's fine with you."
"Hm? Fine then. No problem with me." The car proceeded smoothly through the rather empty streets. It took no longer than 10 minutes to reach the Hirasawa residence. But when they reached there, Yui didn't get off the car immediately. Instead, all of them looked at each other, helpless. Ritsu frowned at Yui.
"Yui, quick! I want to come home, too!"
With that sentence, everyone gulped hard. Azusa stooped deeply, while Sawako looked out through the window. Mugi and Yui looked at each other, and Yui nodded slightly.
"…home." Yui whispered softly.
"Huh? What's that?" Ritsu started to lose patience.
"It's … home." Still in the whispery voice.
"Um… I can't hear you?" Ritsu bemusedly asked.
"It's your home…" Tears began to trickle down Yui's cheek.
"What do you mean?" Ritsu cocked her head, trying to understand what she had been desperately trying to say.
"Ricchan…" Sawako said while still gazing away. "This is your home. Your house is gone. It was obliterated on the last siege. No survivors were found."
"W-wha…" Ritsu opened her mouth widely, unable to believe what she heard.
"We talked to Yui and she said she won't mind you and Azusa living with them." Mugi tried her best to hold her sobs.
"I-I…" Ritsu stammered, flummoxed by the situation.
"Sorry we didn't tell you earlier, Ricchan…" Yui smeared away some of her tears. Azusa hugged her knees and hid her head in between. Constant sobbing was heard from her, though.
"B-but, don't worry! Ui and I will take good care of you two!" Yui tried to cheer her up. But sobs were the only thing heard from the front seat. After a few minutes, the sound subsided. Sawako turned her head to check on her condition.
"Ricchan, are you – oh, great, she fainted."
"Let's bring her inside. We'll explain everything after she wakes up."
Thirty excruciating minutes went by. The only sound heard in the living room of Hirasawa residence was the clock ticking restlessly. Sawako was in the yard, talking to her friend via phone. Ritsu lied on a couch, still passing out. The rest of the girls were speechless, just sitting around. But suddenly they heard mumbles from the couch.
"Ricchan?" Mugi worriedly asked. The brunette sat up, then began to cry again. Azusa rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. Ui hurried to the kitchen and took a glass, filled it with water, and handed it over to Ritsu. After gulping the water, the cry stopped, leaving sobs and trails of tears in her face.
"Ritsu-senpai, I know how you feel. But we must look forward to the future." Azusa whispered softly. Ritsu nodded meekly.
"Sawa-chan said that her friend at the police army will contact her as soon as possible if they find your relatives. Both of you are put in top of priority list, she said." Mugi's singsong voice chimed in. Ritsu finally held her head back up. She sniffed a few times prior to a weak smile.
"T-thank you."
Yui jumped up all of the sudden and put on a wide grin. "Captain Ricchan, Private Yui right here, vow to take care of Captain and my kitty right here!" Ritsu, Mugi, and Ui couldn't help but chuckled. Giggles that turned to laughter as Azusa also jumped out and glared angrily at her.
Another disaster, another restoration. Life went back and forth, just like rowing a boat, right?
A/N: well... 4 chapters already and no action scenes yet? lol I promise that the fight will begin in the next chapter... and just for your information, those "words" they need to chant in order to trigger Persona, will be taken from the Yggdra Union, so I'll start including it in the disclaimer on the next chapter.
oh, by the way, the song Ritsu was listening, it was Skillet - Comatose. It's a great song, and part of the lyrics resembled her situation... guess by urself ^^. And the last line was inspired from Rie Fu - Life is Like a Boat. It's also a great song, an ending from the Bleach series... Make sure you hear 'em. Reviews please, and we shall meet in the next chapter...