A/N:
I apologize for this story taking so long! Both my beta and I were extremely busy! Now as AP classes have kicked into gear, things are getting much more difficult! Although there is some bad news, the good news is that the latest chap is up! I hope you all enjoy it! Thanks for taking the time to wait! And now….I present you chapter 3!
Disclaimer: I do not own K-ON! it belongs to Kakifly and KyoAni.
Chapter 3: Meant to Live
"At this point we have launched an investigation on the crime committed. As of now, no arrests have been made, but when we return following the break, we bring news on the two famous, yet infamous heroes, Captain and Private."
Ritsu lay on the cold wooden floor of her living room while she waited for her breakfast to be ready. She ignored the noises emitted by the commercials on the TV as she stared at the ceiling. She wasn't really paying much attention to what was being said on the broadcast due to her mind drifting to thoughts of the previous day. Ritsu couldn't help but notice that her airheaded partner had been acting stranger than usual ever since they met Azusa.
Could it be? Is Yui smitten with her?
Ritsu squinted up her amber eyes in thought and tried to recall the previous day. Sure, Yui seemed clingier than usual, but Yui was naturally a touchy person.
Nah she can't be.
A smirk appeared on Ritsu's face as she closed her eyes and laughed rather loudly.
"What's so funny?"
The foreign voice penetrating the silence startled her, causing Ritsu to panic before she quickly sat up. She balled up her fists and brought them up defensively before noticing the familiar sight of raven hair.
"M-Mio, When did y-you get here?"
Ritsu watched the grey-eyed girl frown. Then before she could react, she felt the girl's fist collide with her head.
"It hurts. It hurts. Why'd you do that, Mio?" the drummer gasped as she held her head to try to suppress the excruciating pain.
Geez, Mio's violent this early in the morning? I'm in for a long day…
"Idiot, I've been here for the past ten minutes, but you seemed too dazed... so I didn't want to bother you."
Mio's gentle tone made the shorter girl feel a pang of guilt shoot through her. Ritsu scratched her cheek and weakly laughed. She crossed her legs and placed her hands on her thighs so she could think.
Shoot...if she's been here as long as she says she has then she'll ask questions.
Her amber eyes searched the room for an excuse to leave the room. They brightened up when she realized that she had food waiting for her.
"Oh! Breakfast has to be ready by now!" Ritsu quickly half-shouted as she quickly stood up and ran into the kitchen.
I know that Mio's confused, but I really have to get my act together before I go back out there!
When she returned to the dining area, she saw Mio staring intently at the television. Her stomach tingled slightly as she observed the bassist's eyes while they scrutinized the screen. A sensation of longing overtook her while she approached her friend.
Ack gotta keep these feels in check!
"Ne, you can turn up the volume silly ~ "
Ritsu grinned as she plopped down next to her friend. Mio nodded before turning up the volume while Ritsu began to play with the chopsticks as if they were drumsticks. The next words that were emitted from the TV made her blood run cold.
"...In other news, it seems that one of the heroes of the Captain-Private duo has been acting solo. Taken just yesterday night, we managed to obtain footage from a store's security camera of what appears to be a brawl; in it, it looks like the famed hero known as Private is aiding the fight instead of doing something to prevent it."
A sudden silence engulfed the room while the footage was being prepared. The noise made by the landing of Ritsu's chopsticks on the table caused the drummer to flinch. Mio gave her friend a confused look, but she froze when she noticed the horrified expression on Ritsu's face. The bassist moved as if to speak, but the shorter girl quickly pressed her finger to onto Mio's lips.
I-I must have misheard it, right? They must be talking about…something else?
Amber eyes stared intently at the clip being presented. The image was slightly blurry, but was clear enough to show a group of people fighting. It seemed that it was a gang of thugs fighting against a group of others wearing black hooded jackets and what seemed to be masks. There, right in the middle of that group, sitting on a ledge, was the small figure that Ritsu had hoped not to see.
The longer Ritsu observed "Private", the more obvious it became that something was off about the hero and his actions since he seemed to be nonchalantly tossing weapons to the fighters with what seemed to be an amused smirk on his face. When he leaned down to pick up the next object, Ritsu felt her stomach cringe upon seeing the similar insignia on his chest.
N-no, no, this is not happening.
Ritsu stared at the television with a blank expression; she couldn't help her jaw dropping when she saw that as the fight continued, the hero even yawned at the sight of what was happening.
It really can't be her! There's no way that Yui would do this!
Ritsu knew that Mio was watching her, but the shock that came from the revelation of this video froze the drummer to her spot. At the end of the clip, Ritsu almost fainted when she saw Private walk toward the camera, stare at it slightly, give a cold smile, and then flash a peace sign before the image was lost.
B-but…Yui, y-you promised…there's just no way…
"R-Ritsu are you al-" Mio asked shakily when she noticed that Ritsu was trembling.
Ritsu's amber eyes stared down at the ground in shock. She kept her fists clenched tightly in order to prevent herself from shaking too much.
N-no, I refuse to believe it…THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL THAT YUI WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS…right?
"N-No! This can't be right! It can't— be!" Ritsu's voice cracked before she jumped up and quickly ran to find her bag.
Two feet before she reached it, she tripped on the carpet and face planted onto the floor. Ignoring Mio's gasp, Ritsu continued making her way over to the motionless bag.
"R-Ritsu what's wrong?"
"Not now, Mio!" Ritsu nearly snarled at her while thoughts ran through her head.
No, Yui wouldn't patrol without me. She also wouldn't help out with gang fights...what is happening?
Ring. Come on, come onnnn.
Ring. Yui, if you're not involved I swear I will treat you to any ice cream.
Ring. Pick up the phone damn it!
Ritsu could feel her heart poundingin her ears as she anxiously waited for the rings to stop and the airhead to pick up. When it stopped, she pressed her phone harder against her ear and waited a few seconds until a voice spoke.
"Hello...?"
Ritsu's heart jumped with relief as she heard the familiar voice.
"Y-Yui! Geez, I just had the biggest panic attack! Listen, I need to talk to you! Have you seen the new-"
"Hehe, you probably thought that I picked up, ne? Sorry, but I don't have my phone on me right now! Leave a message after the beep! …Beeep!"
BEEP.
Ritsu stared blankly at her phone before ending the call. Out of all the times that she could have reached Yui's voicemail, this was one of the worst. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she nearly flinched, but seeing that it was Mio, she gave her a weak smile.
Heh, leave it to Yui to have such a joke of a voicemail.
"Let's go to school, Mio."
Ritsu dejectedly said before she saw grey eyes examine her. She weakly smiled at the taller girl before Mio nodded and picked up her stuff. She knew that Mio understood that something horrible had happened, but the tawny-haired made it seem that she was intent on putting on her blazer to give anything away.
Ritsu looked down at her phone quietly for a few seconds before opening it back up to send a text message. If something was up with Yui, she had to make sure that Mugi knew just in case something important came up.
Amber eyes stared blankly at the screen for a few seconds as she read over her typed message:
Not sure if u've seen news, Yui might b in trouble. Talk during 4th the usual spot.
"Ritsu, are we going yet?"
The tawny-haired girl looked up from the phone and up at her best friend. There was a worried gleam in Mio's eyes, but Ritsu had to make sure that the worry didn't cut through and make her spill what was on her mind. Putting on her bravest face, Ritsu grabbed her school bag and ran toward the door.
"Mhm, let's go, Mio!"
~K-ON! ~
"Did you hear the news?"
"I know! Oh my, Private can't be turning bad! We're going to get married!"
"No he's gonna marry me! Ugh, I bet after meeting Nakano he went bad."
Azusa rubbed her temples as she tried to ignore her babbling classmates. Ever since she had arrived at school, there was non-stop chatter around her about how something had come up in the news where Private was behaving rather badly.
She narrowed her garnet eyes and irritably thought: I really don't see the logic as to how Private would turn bad after meeting me… If he was bad, he would start out as bad, wouldn't he?
"Oi, quiet all of you, Private wouldn't give any of you a chance if he saw you act like this! So leave Azusa alone!" Jun nearly growled at the gossiping girls.
Each girl looked rather taken back before dispersing. The twin-tailed girl gave Jun a weak smile before placing her head on her arms.
All morning, classes seemed to be going by too slow for her liking. Even as she listened to the others, she remained in denial. There was no way that Private would ever help out in a fight; he had saved her from being assaulted. It just didn't make sense.
Even though Azusa constantly told her classmates that she didn't know anything, they constantly pestered her and asked if she had inside information. The more she told them that she had no idea what was happening, the fiercer their statements became and soon after they began to blame her for Private's sudden change.
I really don't understand how the minds of these people work…
Raising her head up a bit from the comfort of her arms, Azusa recalled a conversation that she had overheard between her fellow club members and Ui earlier in the day. Moving her garnet eyes to look at the younger Hirasawa, she couldn't help but worry at what she had heard. Ui seemed a lot better now than she had in the morning, back then, the younger Hirasawa was jumping around restlessly.
Ui must have called home since she isn't as anxious to leave. If Yui-Senpai isn't in school today…where could she be? Ui looked really worried earlier. I hope that everything is alright.
Even though her mind was preoccupied with her idol, the airhead would not stop invading her thoughts, especially since the incident from the previous day was burned into her mind.
Wait...what was it that she called me? Azu...nyan?
The phantom feeling of Yui's arms wrapping around her caused the petite girl's face to heat up as she buried it in her arms to hide her blush. The nickname was extremely embarrassing, yet at the same time it made her slightly giddy inside.
Well, worrying about Yui-senpai won't do anything to help find her… I wonder if Mugi-senpai and Ritsu-senpai are up at the roof again…Well, checking is better than nothing!
After the bell rang to signify the end of third period, Azusa quickly took the path down the hall that would lead her to the roof once again. After making the long trek up the stairs, she smiled when she saw that the door at the top of the stairs was slightly ajar; however, the frantic voices on the other end troubled her.
"I know, I know. I shouldn't jump to conclusions, but you can't deny it Mugi. If she's involved, then we hafta go help her!"
Azusa listened intently and guessed the frantic voice to be Ritsu's.
"Don't be rash, Ricchan. We should think this out thoroughly before doing anything. If Yui-chan is indeed in trouble, then getting involved could make it worse."
A soft voice that could only belong to Mugi clarified that the rash speaker from before was indeed Ritsu. When Azusa heard Yui's name being mentioned and the possibility that something was wrong, she felt more worried than she had been before.
"Ugh, to top it off, I think that Mio's getting suspicious again. I wish it was simple...like the earlier days. Yui hasn't been the same for the past week, but the last time I tried to actually talk her she wouldn't even tell me anything!" Ritsu half-whined, but the broken tone in her voice led to a guilty feeling in Azusa's stomach for listening in to the conversation.
"Well, if Mio-chan finds out, let her. If it is inevitable, let it happen. You've been hiding your feelings for way too long, Ricchan... We should stop this conversation now; I feel that we might have a guest coming."
The blonde's voice had a slight ring to it which slowly led Azusa's body to automatically open the door completely.
H-how does she do that?
"Morning Azusa-chan, I hope that your classes have been well so far."
The blonde gave her a dazzling smile when she joined them on the rooftop. Ritsu's face momentarily held a look of shock before she looked away and scratched her cheek. The younger girl looked down at her feet before deciding to apologize to her senpais.
"S-sorry, I had a feeling that you would be here…. Um, is everything okay with Yui-Senpai?"
While Mugi prepared to answer, Azusa noticed Ritsu's eyes slightly harden before taking on an emotionless look.
"Well, the most that we know is that you were the last person to speak to her. When Ui-chan went to check in on her this morning, she said that she was deeply asleep. Was anything wrong with her when you left?"
Mugi's statement was caught Azusa slightly off guard since the recollection of what happened the day before flooded her mind.
"S-she seemed fine. I mean she gave me a silly nickname, but she seemed happy."
The younger girl felt the blood rush to her face as she looked down to hide it. Azusa watched in slight confusion as the blonde took in her blush and her blue eyes began to shine as if she was imagining something pleasant.
Why is she looking at me like that?
"Ahh...I see. So we should hope that Ui-chan has contacted her then, knowing Yui-chan, she is probably asleep." Mugi's tone as she affectionately spoke about the airhead which brought a smile to Azusa's face.
Ritsu, who had been quiet the entire time, folded her arms and began to head for the door.
"Well Mugi, I better go find Mio. See ya later, Nakano."
Ritsu messed up Azusa's hair with one hand, grinned, and then walked through the open door. Azusa watched the tawny-haired girl's hair disappear into the darkness of the stairwell and then glanced at the blonde. Mugi had a frown on her face and her blue eyes showed an emotion that took Azusa a few seconds to register.
This is confusing…why does it seem that both Mio-senpai and Mugi-senpai stare at Ritsu-senpai in that same way? It's like…they're both disappointed whenever she goes away.
Ritsu walked down the stairs as quickly as possible. When she was at the third step from the bottom, she jumped off before bending her knees slightly and feeling her feet hit the ground.
No one could really see it, but knowing that Yui was missing made the sick feeling return. It reminded her of memories that she wished she could forget.
First Satoshi...and now Yui...Damn, she better hope that I don't find her.
The tawny haired girl ran her hand through her hair in frustration before reentering the hallway. For now, Yui was missing, but she would keep a close watch on Mio to make sure that she nothing was wrong.
Why do I feel like something bad is going to happen?
As she walked down the hallway, she caught a glimpse of three girls standing around a poster of the Captain-Private duo that was taped onto a wall. Noting that a girl with short black hair stood with the two, Ritsu felt slightly puzzled.
Eh? Could it be that even the mayor's daughter likes us too?
Shaking her head to clear any more thoughts, Ritsu grinned.
Heh, it'd be better if she did like us though…it would make things easier.
~K-ON! ~
-
The music room was empty and devoid of any sound after school. The squeak of the door opening echoed throughout the room as the girl entered and placed her guitar on the floor.
"No one's here yet."
The whisper seemed to echo in the room causing her to frown before lying down on the couch. The silence was so comforting and the emptiness of the room began to lull her to sleep. Her eyes slowly closed as she lay in the quiet. All thoughts fading as she entered a world of dreams and happiness.
The door creaked open slowly as the newcomer took in the sight of what was in front of her.
"It can't be. I must be imagining it."
The newcomer mumbled as she approached the couch. She knelt down next to the sleeping girl and hesitated before pinching her cheek. The girl stirred at the action and sleepily opened her chocolate brown eyes. After rubbing them, the sleepy girl gave the newcomer a warm smile.
"Afternoon, Azunyan. I guess I must have fallen asleep, hehe."
Yui giggled as she sat up and stretched. Azusa watched her senpai with wonder.
How did she manage to get into the school without anyone knowing?
While she stood deep in thought, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her.
"Y-Yui-senpai let go!" The cat-like guitarist struggled in the girl's grip to get away.
"Nooooo~ I don't have energy since I haven't eaten any sweets! So Azunyan energy will have to do~"
The older girl pouted as she rubbed her cheek against Azusa's. The door opened a third time before three people entered.
"Yui-chan!" Mugi laughed.
"Yui!" Ritsu and Mio shouted simultaneously.
The auburn-haired girl looked at her band mates before smiling at them. Azusa observed as Ritsu's amber eyes scrutinized before she let out a sigh of relief.
"Y-Yui you really shouldn't be here right now. Ui is worried sick about you."
The bassist folder her arm, even though she was acting worried, a relieved smile on her face showed that she was happy that Yui was safe. Azusa felt the arms wrapped around her tighten before the airhead answered. Yui's soft voice sent chills down the younger's spine since the older girl was so close.
"I know. I spoke to her before I came here."
Yui gave them a silly smile to ease their distress.
"What happened to you, Yui-chan?"
Mugi's voice and her eyes were filled with concern. The four girls looked intently at Yui hoping to hear a serious answer. The airhead let go of Azusa and backed away slightly. She cleared her throat before putting on a serious face, and flashing a peace sign.
"I over slept because I stayed up too late watching cartoons!"
The four girls looked at Yui and then sweat dropped. Azusa slightly smiled at her senpai since she was glad that she was okay.
This seems typical of Yui-senpai.
The two raven-haired girls immediately accepted Yui's response, but the latter questioned it. As Mio and Azusa led Yui back to the table, they failed to see the look that was shared by the keyboardist and drummer.
While the five club members sat around the table, they discussed what type of cake was the best, as the clubroom door opened up, Azusa watched as Yui tried to hide under the table, but noted that it was too late for the girl to escape the newcomer's attention. The woman strode in graciously, her long dark brown hair flowing behind her.
"Good afternoon girls! How was playing hooky, Yui-chan?"
The woman adjusted her glasses as she smirked at the girl that was trying to crawl away. Yui jumped up and scratched her head as their advisor approached.
"Hehe, afternoon Sawa-chan, what a lovely dinner we're having. I need to clean my plant and water my house."
The airhead laughed nervously as she tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately for Yui, Sawako was fast and stopped her.
"Nice try, kid. For ditching today, you'll owe me a favor in the future."
With evil glint in her eyes, Sawako gave Yui a devilish smirk. The girls sitting at the table watched with sweat drops as they saw the airhead give in to their teacher's request. The bespectacled woman then turned to Azusa, a slightly confused look on her face.
"Sawako-Sensei, this is Nakano Azusa. She is the newest member of the light music club," Mio introduced the pigtailed girl and then pointed to the teacher as she continued, "Azusa, this is the club's advisor."
T-this is THE Sawako-Sensei? The one that is adored by all the students?
"Oho, so you're the prodigy that I've heard about," the brown haired woman stroked her chin and stared at her thoughtfully.
W-wow, Sawako-Sensei is really beautiful. She seems like a great teacher.
Azusa stared back at the woman. If she could read the teacher's thoughts she would have seen that the woman was wondering how she would look with cat ears and a maid costume.
S-she's still staring at me...wait what if she wants me to play something? I mean she is the club advisor; What if this whole playful atmosphere is a test to see whether I will take the initiative? Oh kami, I must look so unmotivated right now!
Azusa walked over to her guitar as the bespectacled woman simultaneously walked over to the table. Placing her pick between her lips, she proceeded to stretch her fingers. Okay, here I go.
Her fingers swiftly moved through the frets as she warmed up and played a Diatonic C scale. As she moved to play it in reverse, she suddenly saw the brown haired woman in front of her face.
"BE QUIET!" The woman startled her as she roared into her face.
Azusa stumbled back slightly; she didn't expect to be yelled at for playing music.
"Sawa-chan you idiot!" Ritsu scolded the teacher.
"B-but I can't enjoy my tea and snacks without silence," Sawako whined.
"Sawako-Sensei, would you like to try this new herbal blend of tea?" Mugi asked brightly as she held the packet up.
"Ah! Of course! As teacher I should get first sample!" Sawako smiled as she returned to her carefree demeanor.
Azusa watched in shock, she was terrified of what she had just seen. Still holding her Mustang, she stood there trembling until the bassist walked over.
"Sorry about that, Azusa. I hope she didn't scare you. Sawako-sense is a bit strange," Mio calmly said as she held her hand out toward the trembling girl.
Azusa looked down; her fear had morphed into the same frustration that she had the previous day.
This is the light music club not the let's-eat-snacks-everyday club. I can't believe that I let them make me approve of this.
"Azusa?" Mio whispered hesitantly.
Unable to hold her emotions in any longer, Azusa pointed at the table, anger illuminating her face.
"What is this? This is supposed to be the music room right? So why are we eating sweets?" Azusa snapped before pointing at the teacher and continuing, "And you, you're supposed to be our advisor, yet you're going along with it?"
The three girls and Sawako looked at Azusa, each of their faces held a look of fear. Once she noticed that she caused that, she took a step away from them.
Oh no, now they must hate me. Azusa looked down, her cheeks a bright shade of red as she closed her eyes in shame. It felt good to yell though...in a weird way.
The younger girl felt warm as a pair of arms wrapped around her.
"Sh, Sh, calm down Azunyan, It's okay," Yui whispered in her calm, comforting voice.
The soft huskiness of the girl's voice seemed to ease the anger away. As the girl caressed the top of her head, Azusa couldn't help but relax like a kitty being tenderly pet by its owner.
"There, all better!" Yui giggled as she let go just as Azusa was getting comfortable and then walked over to the table.
Azusa sighed slightly before following the girl.
Soon enough, all six of them were seated at the table drinking tea. Azusa closed her eyes in frustration and looked around at her band mates.
The light music club...when do we actually play music? Even our advisor is a disappointment.
She glanced at the teacher who was chatting lively with Mio. Then she went to glance at the airhead next to her, but she was surprised to see that she was missing again.
How does she do that?
After taking a good look around the room, she also saw that Mugi and Ritsu were missing.
Maybe they want to talk to her about whatever trouble she's in?
"Haha, things are becoming interesting in this club, aren't they?"
Sawako laughed triumphantly which confused the girls since there was nothing to laugh about.
"Sensei...you drove them away with your silliness."
The bassist's voice held a slightly irritated tone. Sawako turned toward Mio and wrapped her arms around the girl before whispering into the girl's ear.
"Would you like me to bother you instead?"
Mio froze up and tried to get away. The bespectacled woman smirked as she wrapped her arms around the girl.
"N-no! I take it back let me go please!"
The older woman held a teary-eyed Mio as the poor girl struggled to escape the woman's grip. The pig-tailed girl watched the interaction with slight amusement before she decided to place her head on the table. Her quiet laughter ceased when a loud thump was heard outside of the room.
"What was that?"
~K-ON! ~
-
Shortly after Sawako had seated herself with the girls, Yui had received a strange look from Ritsu. When the girl motioned for both her and Mugi to follow, Yui couldn't help but feel worried. What could Ricchan want with her and Mugi?
The drummer's eyes seemed blank and it was making the airhead feel uneasy. The three girls silently slipped away into the hallway and closed the door to the music room. As soon as the door was shut, Yui faced Ritsu and saw that the girl was trembling.
"Ricchan? What's wro-"
Yui had started to question the girl, but was cut off as Ritsu vehemently pushed her against the wall. Mugi couldn't prevent a slight blush from forming on her cheeks as she watched the scene in front of her.
"Yui...why did you betray me?"
The tawny-haired girl's voice came out in a strangled whisper. Confused by what she meant, Yui looked strangely at her friend. Amber eyes bore into brown as if searching for something. The shorter girl continued in that same broken voice.
"You promised that we would help save people, right? That we would always fight the bad guys and keep our loved ones safe?"
"Ne, Ricchan what's happening? Y-you're scaring me."
Yui whimpered as she looked at Ritsu. The drummer half-yelled while she pressed Yui harder onto the wall, "You promised right?!"
Sensing that a fight would take place if she did not stop the violence that was occurring, Mugi placed her hand on Ritsu's shoulder.
"Ricchan...think about what you're doing."
Her voice held a worried tone while her baby blue eyes were wide in surprise.
"Yui! How could you help continue that brawl instead of stopping it..? Especially...especially since the mayor is already making us look like bad guys!"
The drummer continued talking with her voice slightly raised. With those words, Yui's face went uncharacteristically blank as she gave the drummer a half-smile.
"Ricchan...I don't have any idea what you're talking about."
Mugi stared at Yui and realized the girl honestly did not have any idea why Ritsu was angry, but it seemed that the impulsive girl that was pinning her into the wall didn't realize it yet.
"Ricchan...honestly, think carefully. Why would Yui-chan have any reason to help a fight? You know that she would do anything in her power to stop it...for all we know, it was an imposter."
Yui watched as the drummer looked down at the ground, her face was red and the girl's eyes were slowly filling up with tears. She felt Ritsu weaken the pin on her. Yui looked thoughtfully at the girl as she remembered something. Oh, maybe she is talking about the news that Private has been doing bad things?
"Ricchan…what you're talking about... Is it what I've been hearing all day? That I, as my hero self, went around town and created chaos?"
The brown-haired girl calmly whispered to her attacker, that half-smile remained on her face. Ritsu slowly nodded and looked down. The laugh that escaped from the airhead's mouth startled the drummer and caused her to look up suddenly.
"Ne, Ricchan, have you seen that imposter? I'm too clumsy to be that cool~"
Yui continued giggling as she watched the drummer's reaction. Realization finally seemed to dawn in the drummer's eyes. The hero that she had seen was tall and had no clumsy movements. The imposter had done a bad job impersonating the clumsy airhead. A grin formed on Ritsu's face that suddenly replaced all unhappy thoughts in Yui's mind.
"Hehe, you're right. Sorry that I doubted you, Private!"
Ritsu completely unpinned her as she grinned. Yui rubbed her shoulders before smiling at the tawny-haired girl in front of her.
"It's such a relief to see that everything has worked out."
Mugi spoke up as she tried to reinsert herself back into the conversation. Yui nodded before tackling both girls and wrapping her arms around them.
"Ack, Yui what are you- Oof!"
"Y-Yui-chan, be care-Ack!"
THUMP.
Mugi escaped the tangled mess of bodies and felt blood rush to her nose when she saw the scene in front of her.
"O-Oi, Y-Yui, gerroff me!"
Ritsu grumbled, but the airhead seemed to be dizzy and didn't want to move. The door to the club room opened and Mio's voice could be heard.
"What's wrong guys- W-what are you d-doing?"
The tall black-haired girl exclaimed before falling back onto the ground. Seeing Mio's gaze on her and Ritsu, Yui couldn't help but giggle. Ritsu on the other hand frantically began to push Yui off.
"Ah...so you two have THAT kind of relationship."
Sawako had a slight gleam in her eyes as she spoke.
"E-Eh?! N-No! Sawa-Chan instead of standing there like a perverted old woman, help me out here!"
When the amused look on Sawako's face phased into a dark one, Ritsu gulped. Yui looked at the drummer anxiously and weakly smiled.
W-wrong move, Ricchan.
"What was that you called me?" Sawako nearly hissed at the girl.
The teacher pushed Yui off vehemently before picking the drummer up by her collar.
"Yui-senpai!"
Azusa yelled in worry as the teacher threw the brunette to the side. The girl with clips in her hair slowly opened her eyes and weakly smiled at Azusa.
"W-what's wrong?"
Azusa's voice sounded worried as she examined her senpai. Yui continued her weak smile.
If I can do this right...I'll have more energy.
"A-Azunyan...Come closer."
Yui whispered as she slowly reached her hand out to the girl. Taking the bait, Azusa grabbed the girl's hand and leaned in slightly. As soon as she leaned in, Yui pulled the girl into a tight hug.
"Azunyan~ you always cheer me up."
Yui giggled into the girl's hair. The garnet-eyed girl shifted herself so she could face Yui and saw a look of pure content. She smiled slightly before realizing that she was tricked.
"E-Eh, Y-Yui-senpai, let go of me!"
The kohai whimpered as she pushed against the arms of her senpai.
"It really does seem like all that we do is goof off."
The girls all turned to face a solemn Mio who was trying to stop her laughter. In response, Mugi smiled at her, Yui tightened her hug on Azusa, and Sawako kept her headlock on Ritsu.
"S-Sawa-chan, you're making it hard to breathe."
Ritsu gasped as her face started to turn blue. Sawako immediately dropped the drummer, who then took a big gulp of air. As she lay on the ground trying to catch her breath, Ritsu smiled to herself and thought.
So it wasn't Yui, but if it's not her...then who's the imposter?
~K-ON! ~
-
The sky was orange with a pink tint. After a quick practice, the girls had decided to go home. Carrying her case on her back, Yui walked home deep in thought.
I don't think that it was me who helped the fight. What if I have started sleep heroing and it was my doing? Then wouldn't I be lying to the others?
Yui stopped walking and let her head shift a bit to the side; steam was visibly leaving the top of her head. She quickly focused herself again and continued heading toward her house.
"I'm home!"
Unlike the previous day, the silence was interrupted by Ui's voice.
"Ah, welcome back Onee-chan! We have a visitor so please don't too startled."
Yui smiled at the sound of her sister's voice and then walked to the dining area. She would have nearly dropped her guitar and jumped the girl if Ui hadn't previously warned her. A girl with short dark brown hair and glasses was warmly smiling at her.
"Hey there stranger, I dropped by to make sure you two were doing well. Especially since you weren't at school today," Nodoka said with a slight laugh.
Yui plopped down next to her childhood friend and smiled.
"I am truly glad to see that you're both okay. With news of that hero probably gone bad, I didn't know what to expect," she continued.
Yui slightly frowned, but faked a smile to hide her uneasiness.
"Will you be staying for dinner, Nodoka-chan?"
Ui's voice held a warm and concerned tone. The bespectacled girl shook her head before responding.
"No, no. I wouldn't want to impose on you two. I just came around to check up on you two and give you the latest update on your parents."
With this statement, the Hirasawa sisters moved closer to their friend and listened intently.
"...I'm sorry to say that there is no news on them. It's as if they have disappeared without a trace," Nodoka said somberly as she flashed them a sympathetic look. She scratched her head before continuing, "I have gathered as much information as I can from my father, but even he has limited knowledge of what happens in the town's council."
I see…
Yui looked down and sadly smiled, she was getting used to these reports. On the other hand, Ui, who was especially fragile ever since her injury, began to sob. The elder sister wrapped her arm around the younger as she cried.
"It's okay, Ui. We still have each other," she reassuringly whispered.
Nodoka looked away at the scene, ever since Ui's injury, she brought the Hirasawa's news on their parents. Since her father was best friends with Yui and Ui's father and was on the city council, he gave her details to pass on to the siblings. Nodoka removed her glasses from her face and wiped them carefully on her shirt. Ui's sobs were the only noise in the house, but even then they eventually subsided. Yui continued smiling at her sister reassuringly, but her eyes remained blank.
It'll be okay, Ui. Onee-chan will take care of everything. Me and Ricchan will rid the city of evil soon enough! Even if it costs us our lives!
"Ahem…Well, it was nice seeing you two again, but I should be going now. Yui, don't be a stranger, if you have any problems come talk to me, okay?" her intuitive friend's offer was clear as she stood up and walked toward the door.
Yui sat up and saluted her. "Will do, Nodoka-chan!"
Nodoka stared at her friend's salute for a bit, for some odd reason she felt like she had seen it somewhere.
"Oh, before I forget! Please be careful as you go out. It seems that a new group has risen up," Nodoka stated as she slowly walked toward the door.
"Group? What do you mean, Nodoka-chan?" Yui asked thoughtfully.
If there's a new group, I should warn Ricchan.
"From the reports that I have heard my father give in, there's a group going around called 'The Revolution' that has been involved in crimes," Nodoka close her eyes as she thought before continuing, "Oh, they were the masked people involved in that clip from today with that hero…uh, Private."
At those words, Yui froze up and blankly looked at Nodoka.
"So you're saying that even the hero that everyone trusts might be bad? This is truly saddening," Ui frowned.
"Unfortunately, at the moment this seems to be the case, Ui," Nodoka frowned.
"Don't worry, Nodoka-chan! I'll keep Ui away from the bad guys!" Yui saluted again as she put on her bravest face.
Nodoka titled her head looked at her thoughtfully. Yui tensed up slightly before Nodoka shook her head and smiled at the sisters.
"Well, I'm off, goodbye you two!"
"Bye!" Yui called out to Nodoka's retreating back.
When Nodoka left, Yui stood facing the door for a bit. No words were exchanged between the sisters and the room remained in momentary silence.
"Don't worry, Ui. Soon enough you'll live in a safe world again. I won't let the bad guys hurt you!" Yui vowed as she turned to face her sister.
Ui stared at her sister with a surprised expression before giggling.
"And I'll do my best to keep you satisfied with sweets! We'll do it together, Onee-Chan!"
Both girls stared at each other before they burst into laughter.
To keep laughing like this and to never let it end...I would do anything for that, Ui. I'll keep you, Nodoka-chan, Azunyan, Ricchan, Mio-chan, Mugi-chan, and everyone else safe. As long as I bear the name of Private, I won't disappoint any of you!
Nodoka trudged out of the Hirasawa household in silence. She felt a bit better now that she had talked to the two sisters and found that they were okay.
It's good to see that they're handling the situation well. When my father first notified me that day…I rushed over and found them both in a state of sadness.
The bespectacled girl stopped walking and glanced up at the sky. Something about the way that Yui had saluted her seemed vaguely familiar. For some reason, she thought of that hero when she imagined it.
But there's no way Yui could have anything to do with it, Yui's been saluting ever since she and Ritsu met last year. Those two only appeared a few weeks ago.
Nodoka shook her head and continued walking home. The street seemed quieter than when she had first walked toward the Hirasawa household. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of red and yellow. She quickly moved her eyes so she could get a better look at whatever it was.
There, in the alley that she was about to cross, she saw a group of cloaked figures with their backs facing her.
I-it can't be…!
Nodoka watched in shock as the cloaked figures seemed to place posters on the wall that read "The Time for a Revolution is Nigh". She quickly ran away from the alley and behind a nearby bush.
P-please don't tell me that they noticed me; please tell me that they'll just walk away.
Frozen in her spot, the bespectacled girl observed as the group of people dissipated and walked around to place more posters on light poles. On the pole nearest to her, Nodoka leaned in slightly to read what the poster said.
"Join the Revolution?" She mumbled to herself. In the poster she could see a blank mask. She leaned in a bit more and squinter her eyes to read the smaller font. "What will…your…"
"…Mark be? Is that what you're trying to read?"
Nodoka jumped at the sound of the foreign voice and quickly around. Standing there with his arms folded stood a figure wearing red and yellow. The increase in the breeze caused his red cape to flutter in it.
"W-well, if it isn't our town's hero," Nodoka shakily said, she swallowed and took a deep breath before continuing, "What are you doing going around and helping this gang for?"
"Manabe Nodoka, only daughter of Hiroshi Manabe, member of the city's council. What is a councilman's daughter doing snooping around?" Private said with a flat tone.
H-how does he know so much about me? How does he even know who I am?
Nodoka backed up slightly only to bump into something hard. She turned and saw that two of the cloaked members were standing behind her. Since they were closer, she could see the details on their masks. One had a gleeful expression on it and the other one an open-mouthed frown, similar to the ones one would see on display outside the drama club*.
"Now, now, Manabe-san, you have come to search us out, have you not?" Private smirked before leaning down and taking Nodoka's face in his gloved hands.
"I'll have you know that if I go missing…my father will stop at nothing to get you," Nodoka hissed, the fear was rushing through her system quickly and she didn't mean for the words to come out the way that they did.
N-no, now he's going to get mad and I'll probably die on the spot!
All of a sudden, Private began to laugh and let go of her face. He stood up and turned around before raising his right hand.
"Waka and Tachi, grab onto Manabe-san, honestly I didn't think we would nab her this early on, but hey? When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade." Private snapped his fingers and immediately the two hooded figures tied Nodoka's arms together.
"Oh, you'll be useful, Nodoka Manabe, with your help, this might just turn the tables around," he laughed coldly walking toward the alley.
Nodoka tried struggling against the grip of her two kidnappers, but it was a useless attempt. The two were wearing gloves that seemed to clamp onto her arms.
"The more you struggle, the worse it will be Manabe-san," One of the figures, the one with the gleeful expression, perhaps Tachi, said.
The two dragged her toward the alley and placed her next to the back of a van. It was the type of van that one's parent's often warned to stay away from.
How ironic, I can't stay away from it if I'm being dragged toward it…
Nodoka took a deep breath as the two members placed her in the van's trunk. They tied a white cloth around her mouth and leaned her against wall of the car.
"Don't worry Manabe-san, let this teach a lesson to the mayor, when he messed with me and The Revolution, he's only playing with fire!" Private laughed and then walked over to the back door of the car.
The last thing that Nodoka saw before it went dark was the sadistic smile on his face before the door closed.
* When one sees the drama club, it's usually represented by two masks. One is happy and one that is unhappy and it usually always looks like this. So I guess when you envision the two masks, they would look similar to them. :)
A/N II: Hope you all enjoyed reading this even though it was extremely! I'd like to thank my beta reader Musican74 for all the help! Unfortunately I have to find a new beta for my new story, but I wish her luck and am extremely grateful that she decided to help me. If it takes too long, then I'll figure out what to do for the next chapter. Thanks for the support everyone! As you can see, the story's plot is proceeding! "Where it goes, nobody knows!" Haha Now onto the next installment which will come soon! Reviews, criticism, and comments are appreciated! :D
~imuffinator signing out. (- ^ -)ゞ