And finally, the chapter I have been looking forward to writing ever since I started this fic.

Your reviews and encouraging messages really make my day and motivate me to tidy up my writing!

Enjoy chapter 6!

Ritsu stared at the board in disbelief. There it was, her name with the word 'Juliet' written next to in in the tidy strokes of Nodoka's handwriting. The neatness of the words mocked her to her face. Ritsu wanted to object, she wished with every fibre of her being to throw her hand up again and yell it at the top of her lungs, but Nodoka would not even spare her a second glance.

Damn your class prez airs, Nodoka!

The class was abuzz with ideas and suggestions flying back and forth. In stark contrast to the earlier silence and slow start, the girls of 3-2 were steadily putting themselves forward as volunteers for the various roles in the play. The drummer could only silently glower at them.

Traitors! Of course you'd all be willing now, these roles are cakewalk compared to mine!

Sawa-chan had already excused herself, leaving the class to spend the remainder of last period to plan in peace while offering an encouraging cheer to do their best. At least it seemed encouraging, but Ritsu knew better. Their trickster of a teacher had all but strutted out of the room with a shit-eating grin plastered on her face. The excited, anticipatory whispers by the class about the costumes a teacher could make just widened the already gaping pit in her gut.

Ritsu slumped on her desk, too tired to even care about the rest of the discussion going on around her. Taking a risk, she glanced back at Mio.

Her seat was empty.

We are so bloody screwed.

"Ton-chan, Ton-chan, I want to be you…"

"How long has Mio-senpai been like that?"

"About 15 minutes Azu-nyan." Yui answered helpfully, eyes focused forward while holding her T-pose.

Or is it a tree-pose?

Azusa bit her lip. She had not expected to be greeted with the scene of the bassist kneeling before the tank in mock prayer. Mio was usually cool and confident on stage, so it made sense for her to take the lead role of a play. If anything, the guitarist was sure that she had enough of a stage presence to carry the princely character well. And even if she was the star, it wasn't like she would be the only character people would pay attention to, right? Gathering her best encouraging tone, Azusa hoped that the bassist could see the potential that was in her. Perhaps if she knew how good she was, maybe it would boost her confidence.

Nonetheless her encouragements fell on deaf ears, and Azusa could only provide commentary as she saw her usually collected senior being reduced to tears while spouting increasingly delusional excuses. It was a sight to behold.

"Sorry, I am actually moving away. I'm following Daddy to Irkutsk.."

"Daddy?" And what the heck, Siberia of all places?

"Oh? Wow, I just woke from a terrible dream where I was cast as Romeo!"

"She's denying reality even more now…" Have to admit, it's not as creative as claiming twin sister…

Ritsu let out an aggravated huff. She felt for Mio, she really did. This whole fiasco was also making her uncomfortable. The drummer was confident in herself, and liked the way she was. But she knew that she was not a girly girl in every sense of the word. Ritsu wasn't like Yui or Azusa, whose demeanours radiated cuteness and made one's heart feel fluffy. Nor was she like Mio or Mugi, both of whom carried themselves with a demure and gentle grace. Ritsu was… Ritsu. A girl at heart no doubt, but one who hated pink frills and being soft-spoken. The drummer preferred to radiate energy and power, not unlike her drum kicks and cymbals. She was a woman of action, and would take life by the balls whenever she could.

Sure, her mother and Mio would chew her out for her crude speech, but she would say things as they were damn it!

But somehow, just because she was Mio's partner, she was roped in to play the very antithesis of everything she believed herself to be. In front of the whole school no less. Ritsu felt a chill run down her spine as she pictured herself having to faint onto a pink cushioned chair while dressed in a frilly, flowy pink costume.

And that's if Sawa-chan and Mugi decide to spare us. Ritsu shuddered even more.

But fate was fate, and despite the growing knot in her stomach Ritsu resigned herself to the role. It would be rude to tell the class no after all that excitement. Now all she had to do was make sure Mio didn't turn tail and leave her behind. Yanking her by the collar, the drummer dragged the bassist out of the clubroom.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

"Shut up! Sheesh."

Ritsu shut the door, leaving the two guitarists behind.

Sighing, the drummer released Mio's collar as she reached the stairs. Without the support, Mio sank onto the top step, burying her head in her palms. Both girls had fallen silent, an uneasy air hanging between them as the reality of the situation began to sink in.

"Ritsu… I really don't want to do it…" Mio mumbled, tears in the corner of her eyes.

The drummer sat next to her, teeth clenched. "Neither do I, but do we have a choice?" Mio winced at her reply. A single tear began to drip down her cheek. "I just can't do it Ritsu, it's too embarrassing!"

Immediately, Mio found her shoulders enveloped in a warm side-hug. "Hey come on, you'll be fine. I'm with you right?" Ritsu's voice had lost its edge. Mio leaned on the drummer's shoulder, trembling. Soon, she felt a hand slide down her back, leaving a trail of soothing warmth as it went in circles. The bassist leaned in further, and another hand found itself to her knee. "We'll do this together." She heard the drummer's soft voice murmur, as a familiar chin perched itself on her head.

"But I don't know if I can really do this…"

"Sure you can, you're Ro-Mio." Mio let out a nervous laugh. "Smart-ass."

"C'mon Mio. You're a cool and confident musician. We've all seen you sing on a stage and own it. What's a measly play compared to controlling an audience through song?" Ritsu's eyes sparkled, and though her logic made no sense, Mio could help but crack a small smile.

"Smooth talker." Ritsu felt her cheeks heat up at Mio's teasing tone, but returned it with a smile. It was painful, watching Mio struggle. The girl was cool and could definitely own her space on stage; her fan club was a testament to that. Yet, she allowed that confidence of hers to crumble at the first sign of having to do something different. Perhaps the adoration was quite stressful to live up to, but if anyone had the talent to pull this off it was her. Nonetheless, she shared the pain of essentially being forced by popular opinion to do something that made them uncomfortable.

"Look, how about I talk to Nodoka?" Ritsu offered, giving Mio a gentle shake.

Mio lifted her head. "You'd… you'd do that?" Ritsu felt that familiar warm tingle on her skin as she met the bassist's gaze. The muffled voices of Azusa and Yui could be heard on the other side of the door, and the air droned with the distant noise of afterschool activities. The stairwell echoed with the sounds of footsteps. The girls were hardly alone. Yet, the air somehow stilled itself, their silence becoming a veil of intimate privacy. The brunette found herself drawn into the other girl's hopeful gaze. Her eyes were moist from her tears, but shone with an innocent fragility that stirred up something deep and fierce in Ritsu.

"Hey leave her alone!" Ritsu squared her shoulders and drew herself up, glowering with barely contained fury. Tainaka Ritsu cut an intimidating figure, being a head taller than most boys her age and with a loud voice to match. The offending 10-year old boy certainly felt it, eyes momentarily widening in shock at her challenge.

"Back off Tainaka, quit sticking your nose in our boss's business!" Perhaps Ritsu's intimidation had a limited range, as another boy – the offender's lackey no doubt – hollered from behind his "boss". Though, judging by how said lackey remained firmly behind his boss as he issued his own challenge, it made more sense that he was just pretending.

Nonetheless, the answering challenge reminded the "boss" that he had his backup, and his features returned to form a sneer as his confidence renewed.

"That's right! This here's our patch, you know the rules!" The offender gestured at the faded hopscotch patch. Wednesday lunch periods meant that the boys of class 4-3 were out, and that meant that the hottest thing in play-area would be monopolized by them. Last week, it had been the jungle gym and slide; any kid who was not a boy and was not from their class weren't even allowed close. This week, it was the hopscotch patch. Ritsu, a fellow frequenter of the play-area knew the rules well, and despised them. Only her great distaste for speaking with these boys that made up the rules kept her from breaking them.

It finally seemed like her days of playing along have come to an end; a day that Ritsu welcomed with savage glee. And fittingly too, since it would be done in protection of another.

Said protected person was currently cowering behind her, tears already staining her round face. Only her long, flowing hair kept the tears from being too obvious. It had been her first time choosing to spend lunch not reading a book, and Ritsu was glad to show her the world of lunch period fun that she had been missing out on. But of course, their teacher had to hold her back and by the time she made it to the play-area the worst had already happened.

"Real manly, all of you. You must be real stupid to need 5 of you to yell at a single person." Ritsu mocked, voice laced with acidic hatred. Immediately the boys flinched, and Ritsu stifled a victorious grin. Boys were too easy.

"You're the stupid one!" Real classy too. "And her too! You girls are the stupid ones! Don't you know it's rude to barge in on what belongs to us?" Another lackey hollered, accompanied by a cacophony of agreeing yells and grunts. Behind her, the black-haired girl shrank further, letting out a terrified whimper. The tears were flowing freshly now, and she struggled to hold back her sobs.

The fire in Ritsu's belly roared.

"She was here first you moron! And who's the rude one, making up rules and saying that these things belong to you?!" Her voice boomed across the play-area, startling even those inside the building. An uneasy crowd began to form around them, watching in equal parts fear and awe at the spectacle unfolding before them. It was the first time any girl had stood up to the 4-3 boys.

The offending boss seethed. "Do you know who my father is?" he threatened; voice low but losing none of its arrogance. Loyally, his lackeys parroted him. "Yeah, do you know who you're dealing with? His father's-"

"The discipline master, yeah yeah. Anyone with half a brain knows." Ritsu rolled her eyes, waving her hands dismissively. The look of shock she received almost made her laugh. They certainly did not expect to have their go-to threat fail spectacularly.

"So tell me, oh-great-son of the discipline master." Ritsu drawled scathingly. "When your father gets here, whose ass is he gonna kick? Us 2 girls, or the 5 idiots who are ganging up on us and clearly making her cry?" A look of horror dawned on the boys' faces. Ritsu powered on, hamming it up as she gestured to the watching crowd. "Tell us, daddy's boy! Tell us, if your father would believe you, or everyone else here!"

The boss face turned downright murderous; his ears reddening and shaking fingers curling into tight fists. Ritsu stood her ground, chest puffed while matching his livid stare with one of her own. She could hear her heart thumping in her head and feel her blood pulsing in her veins. But all of those paled in comparison to the roiling anger that burned hotly in her gut. It was high time for these assholes to shut their mouths. After what seemed like forever, the boy let loose a loud huff and stormed off, white-faced lackeys in tow.

"It's not over Tainaka!" "Don't think you've won!" came their retreating cries, but Ritsu barely cared. With the danger averted, she grabbed the trembling girl's hand and pulled her away. The crowd cheered and whooped, relieved by the karmic comeuppance and release of tension, but she was in no mood to celebrate. Marching into the building, the brunette led her friend to an empty stairwell and sat them both down. Despite her victory going more smoothly than she could have dreamed, Ritsu still found herself jittery and her mood foul as the adrenaline continued to roar through her system.

"Here you go, Mio." She muttered as her arm darted towards the girl's still shaking frame. She should have passed her handkerchief more gently, but her nerves were shot. The raven-haired girl accepted her offering silently nonetheless. As Mio wiped the tears from her face, Ritsu rubbed her neck in annoyance. She hated watching Mio cry like this. She hated those who made her cry even more.

And she hated that she didn't know what to say to her to make it stop. So she did the only thing she could do: sit and fidget.

After what seemed like hours, Mio stopped shaking and her sobs died down. Almost timidly, she handed the handkerchief back to Ritsu with both hands. "Thank you, Ritsu-chan." Ritsu gave her a thin smile. She did not like how formal Mio still was with her, even after an incident like this. But her heart was still racing and her nerves were still shot, so her brain was not quite capable of forming coherent sentences regarding names and honorifics.

"Listen, if you still want to play tomorrow, just yell for me."

Mio's eyes widened curiously. "Really?"

"Just yell as loud as you can. I'll hear ya, and I'll come running. If anyone bothers you, I'll kick their asses." Ritsu struck her best impression of a super sentai pose – the same sentai show they both watched – as she made her promise. She'd come running for sure, and she'll show those boys that no one gets away with messing with her friend. It was like those heroes in the fairy tales, who came riding in on horseback to save the day. What were they called again..?

She must have done her pose weirdly, given the laughter that was bubbling out of Mio. The laughter came in short unflattering bursts, sounding nasal and punctuated by sniffles. But for the brunette, it was melodic music to her ears, soothing the fire in her gut. The accompanying hopeful shine in the grey orbs stirred a different excitement in the brunette, and she found herself giggling together with her.

And then it clicked. A knight.

She had the perfect idea of what they could play tomorrow.

Ritsu's thoughts returned to the present, and she returned the bassist's hopeful gaze with renewed vigour. Ever since then, if there was anything Mio needed help for from herself, anything she needed support to confront, Ritsu had sworn to come running.

So, her next words came naturally with a warm smile. "Of course. I'll let Nodoka know and let's see if she can't find another Romeo for us." Clasping Mio's hands in hers, she lifted the both of them up and began the trek to the classroom.

The smile of grateful relief that followed sent her heart fluttering with every step.

Still, I hope you'd be willing to try. For me.

"No more… please…"

Drummer and bassist were both slumped over on their desks. Not even the promise of tea and cakes seemed to rouse them from their stupor. The remaining senior club members looked on in worry. If the 2 stars of their play were in such bad shape, then the play was in serious danger.

Yui pondered hard. Ever since homeroom she had been excited for the play. Even better, the friends she shared so much of her high school life with were all involved. This was their final year, and she was more than ready to make the play the best thing ever. But with Ricchan and Mio-chan out for the count and according to Mugi, totally uncomfortable with their roles, it left the guitarist with a sinking sensation.

How can they be more comfortable? Ricchan needs to be like a princess and Mio-chan needs to be like a prince…

And in a flash of inspiration, Yui shot her hand up. "I got it!" 2 pairs of eyes turned to her expectantly, while the other 2 remained trained to the table-top.

"Ricchan can try acting more like a girl, while Mio-chan can try behaving more like a guy as practice!"

Understanding dawned on the younger guitarist's features, and Azusa nodded affirmatively. "Wow, that actually is a good idea. I like it!"

Mugi chimed in. "In that case, Ricchan cannot speak like a guy anymore."

"The hell, seriously?!"

"Strike one!" Yui chirped almost gleefully.

The brunette let out an irritated huff. Just because she chose to speak more directly didn't mean she wasn't ladylike! And that disrespectful little junior of hers, saying that she wasn't suited to be playing Juliet? She was so stealing her share of the cake later. What had started as an uncomfortable evaluation of her femininity was slowly turning into a full-blown roasting session. Grabbing her tea cup, she tried to down the warm liquid to soothe her stinging pride.

Yui remained unrelenting. "Hold your cup gracefully with both hands!"

"Huh? Why?"

"Now stick your pinky out!"

"Like I said, why?!"

"Oh and you need to tuck your shirt in." Don't just ignore my question!

Growling, Ritsu rose from her seat and began shoving her shirt behind the hem of her skirt. If this was what it would take, then she would show them that she had the guts to do so. No one got away with insulting Tainaka Ritsu, even if it was regarding her less than orthodox understanding of feminine ideals. Which she certainly did not care much about.

Hell, I'll even button up my blazer, then we'll see who isn't suitable!

But as she finished with the final button of her own blazer that she had worn for 3 years, she could not help but feel completely alien in her own skin.

"It just feels weird…" Azusa hummed as she took in the look of her club president.

"Mio's done too!" Ritsu turned to look, and nearly choked on her breath.

Mio had her hair tied in a signature high ponytail, leaving her porcelain neck exposed. Her shirt was had its top buttons undone and the bottom untucked, the blue ribbon loosed and her blazer left hanging open. It was boyish, rumpled, rebellious; a look that did not suit her personality in the least. And yet, it was downright criminal. It accentuated everything in all the right places. With her jacket unbuttoned and hanging over her chest, what had been kept wrapped up was now more obvious to the eye. Ritsu had more than an eyeful of the bassist's precious collarbones and generous assets. Her well-fitted shirt underneath just made the temptation to stare all the harder to resist. It was a perfect combination of colours, textures and layers that made every shape and line of her figure that much more visible. Her shy expression was just icing on the sinful cake. Ritsu felt herself shiver.

She's hot. She's beautiful. You can't deny that anymore.

Her mind blankly registered that she should somehow be bothered. Bothered by the train of thought that her mind was on, bothered by the nonchalant insults being hurled her way, bothered by everything! But she could barely summon any strength to formulate a thought. She gave up and latched onto the easiest thing.

"Let's just practice."

The walk home was plagued with uneasy silence. Mio continuously fiddled with the edges of her blazer, while Ritsu was trying her best not to rip her buttons off. The remaining trio of the band had more or less enforced their "persona training regimen" with ruthless efficacy. Well, at least Mugi and Yui had. Azusa could potentially be let off the hook since she did restrain her comments. Filching the girl's share of cake had proven effective at getting the point across. The remaining 2 on the other hand, were merciless with their enforcement. Mugi in particular, whose occasional teasing outburst reached new levels on the walk from school to her station. With every comment received, Ritsu felt her headache and irritation grow. Mio's plea to bail out on the whole thing only served to solidify her frustration into determination.

The drummer would show them. She would show them that she was capable of portraying a Juliet that would put their comments to shame. She would put on a performance so convincing, so lady-like that she'd give everyone a run for their money. If she had to play an ultra-feminine Juliet from the sheer force of anger alone, she would make it happen.

At least that was how she felt on the way home.

Now that she was slumped over on the bed with Mio alongside her, that determination seemed much harder to reach for. Reciting the corny lines over and over had been physically painful, and the utter strangeness of the required delivery had sucked all the fight out of the drummer. Ritsu cracked open an eye, observing the bassist. She was completely winded, though Ritsu suspected it had more to do with the amount of laughing she had done in the past half hour alone.

Ritsu felt her mattress tremble, and the embarrassment came back in full force.

"Laughing again eh? Your Romeo is no better! Which girl in their right mind would follow an uncertain guy like that?" Raising herself up, she shoved the bassist off her bed for emphasis.

The laughing stopped. "I can't help it, I really am that uncertain."

Ritsu ran her hand through her hair in irritation. "We've seriously been miscast. You should have been Juliet. Think about it." Standing up, she drew her elbows to herself and brought her knees together. Tilting her hips slightly, she delivered her lines wistfully, imagining herself to be Mio staring wistfully into the distance.

Mio felt insulted. "I do not sound like that! And please, you totally should be playing Romeo." Mirroring the drummer Mio stood up and squared her shoulders, puffing her chest as she recited her lines with bravado, drawing from her many memories of Ritsu.

Their minds click.

"Hey-"

"Wait a minute-"

"That was…"

"Actually good!"

The 2 girls whoop for joy as a weight lifts off their shoulders.

Satisfied, Ritsu flopped back onto the bed. With a sure-fire method in the bag, the play no longer felt as daunting as it did. Mio herself visibly relaxed, and had returned to burying her nose into the pages. The brunette snickered as Mio began gesticulating as she whispered her lines, in an attempt to project the drummer with her movements and tone. Leaving Mio to her practicing, Ritsu gazed at the ceiling.

And the sinking feeling that had started during last period of school returned as the implications sunk in.

Am I... really not feminine enough? Am I weird?

The brunette faced Mio again. The bassist was still gesturing, this time in a different pose. Hand on hip, chin out and one arm extended to the sky as though she was in search of something. It was clichéd, but it worked. Mio was moving and shifting between poses with a dancer's grace, accentuated by her dark locks swinging behind her. Those locks would be completely at home with a flowing gown. Ritsu would try the same poses, but she already knew that she couldn't do them with the same fluidity and flair.

Mio definitely is. No one denies that she would be an awesome Juliet.

Her mind jumps to Satoshi, who had squirted soda out of his nose and all over the controller the moment he heard who she was playing. His howls of laughter during their practice just now helped even less.

Even Satoshi thinks I'm not cut out for this.

Ritsu felt her heart sink further. She knew who she was, and everyone seemed alright with the way she carried herself. So why did it suddenly feel so damn wrong for her to be the way she was? Was not conforming to traditional femininity that strange?

"Ritsu?"

She knew how to do make-up; she knew how to style herself when it counted. She would have no qualms about putting herself in a dress if the occasion really required her to do so. So, it wasn't like she was completely unfeminine. And maybe her preferred colour palette wasn't traditionally girly, but it couldn't be that far off either could it?

"Ritsu?"

The drummer felt her frustration grow. It never mattered before, so why is this really bothering me now? She pictured herself next to Mio. Her hair was long, straight and felt like silk. Hers was short, frizzy and tangled easily. Mio was tall, and walked with proper posture. Ritsu was nowhere near her height, and slouched wherever she walked. Mio laughed with an almost melodic tone, while her own laughter was brash, throaty and echoed down hallways.

"Ritsu!" the drummer leapt out of bed. "Hell! Mio you scared me!"

"Says you! I've called you twice now and all you did was give me a creepy blank stare!"

"Ah? Sorry about that." Mio's brows furrowed and Ritsu felt herself breaking into a slight sweat. That was Mio's trademark interrogation face. "What's going on Ritsu?" she asked.

Ritsu balked. She really should answer Mio; the last time she didn't ended up rather badly for her. Mio was trustworthy, she wouldn't just brush her off or laugh at what she was thinking about. And Mio was reaching out to her, giving her the chance to air her thoughts. She should be taking that offer, because it would be the polite thing to do and because Mio in interrogation mode would not let her weasel her way out of a conversation so easily. But these were all old thoughts, old ghosts of her past worries that she wanted to put behind her. Comparing herself to Mio, calling herself inadequate, having yet another thing prove that she just could not compare to the people around her.

Wouldn't it just be repetitive to admit these things? Wouldn't she be testing Mio's patience by being a broken record? And with more pressing matters at hand, wouldn't she be slowing down their practice by worrying about unrelated things?

It would be far less complicated to latch on to the easiest thing right?

The drummer reached for her script in reflex, and the words tumble out of her mouth before she can stop herself.

"Nothing really. Look, we should continue our practicing-" Mio snatches the book before she even reached it. Her grey eyes turn steely as her frown deepened.

"Don't try this with me again Ritsu. I know something's bothering you." Sighing, Mio draws herself to sit beside the drummer. And in a twist that throws the drummer off, her voice suddenly falters. "You… don't want to talk to me about it?"

The brunette felt a jolt of panic rise in her. "No, no, no. That's not it." I'm NOT making that mistake again. The frown softens, but remained laced with worry.

"It's just today in general okay? Everyone's been pointing out how un-lady like I am and it just got to me."

A deep breath, and she continues. "And I was looking at you and thinking, you'd really make a much better Juliet than I ever would. You're prettier, way more graceful and I'm-"'

"Stop." A finger placed itself firmly on the drummer's lips as grey met amber. "No more of such talk. You're awesome and you know it." The certainty in her voice was refreshing to hear. Mio moved herself closer to look Ritsu in the eye, looming over her prone form on the bed. She was going to make sure her words reached the brunette loud and clear.

"Don't ever tell yourself you're not good enough. You're beautiful Ritsu. You're every bit a lady as I am, as anyone is. Don't ever listen to those lies in your head." Her voice was firm, carrying the weight of years of personal knowledge of the drummer. Ritsu's tongue felt stiff; she was left speechless and floored by the certainty and dominance in the words. Even if the voices in her head howled in disbelief, condemning her over and over, she would not hear them. With such authority in those words, how could she not believe them? Vaguely, her brain notes a distinct feeling of déjà vu regarding the conversation.

We've been here before, haven't we?

Warm breath tickles her lips, and the brunette suddenly registers the closeness of their faces. The blood rushes to her head faster than anticipated, and she is left reeling from the effects. She remembers the Mio with a high ponytail just hours ago, she remembers the urges that plagued her in her second year.

And she recalls the light warmth on her cheek that had lulled her to sleep all those months ago and started this whole weirdness.

Mio's hair flanks both sides of her shoulders, and the ends pools into dark silky masses on her mattress. The scent of lavender wafts into her nose, and Ritsu inhaled in reflex. The tension in her shoulders and head dissolve as the smell fills her lungs. Mio's gaze remained firm and fixed on her amber eyes. A blink later, and the piercing look quickly dissipates as Mio registers the position she was in. A flash of uncertainty streaks across her expression, but before she can even move, Ritsu's hand latches onto her arm and holds her in place.

"Don't go." The drummer whispered, almost a plea. Mio obeys.

Slowly, the hand on her arm slides upwards, leaving familiar trails of fire in their wake before coming to cup her cheek. The bassist shivers, recalling a distant dream she had nearly a year ago. Of her and the drummer, in a position and place similar to where they were now. Strangely, ever since their confrontation after Ritsu's declaration of being sick of her drums, the dreams haven't bothered her as much. Ever since Ritsu had said she did not mind, Mio had allowed herself to just be. She just did what she felt was right for the moment, leaving the question of what exactly this thing was unanswered. Things had gone back to a comfortable pace, their interactions guided by their years of habit. Every now and then, an intimate moment would arise and the 2 girls would tap into the new, unnamed thing to reach out to one another. It was comforting, it was stimulating. It felt good, and so they let it be. Why question something when it wasn't broken or breaking?

But that night in the kitchen with Ritsu had jolted her out of her stupor, and with the finality of graduation looming over it was important to clarify this now more than ever. As she savoured the burning heat of Ritsu's palm on her cheek, her mind raced for her next move.

Ritsu beats her to it. "Romeo and Juliet... are lovers." Her voice was significantly lower at the final part of her otherwise matter-of-fact sentence.

"…Yes." The tremor in her own voice betrayed her, and the air becomes just that more brittle.

One breath. Two breaths. Ritsu's mind was in overdrive.

"Mugi wanted to write in a kiss scene you know." The brunette's voice tripped at the word. Mio gulped hard. She willed her voice not to shake.

I will not run.

"I know. Ichigo stopped her."

More minutes of deafening silence pass between them. Ritsu's hand remained on the bassist's cheek and Mio stayed looming over her. Neither girl dared to move. An ache creeps up the drummer's shoulder, but it is ignored. Mio feels her legs tremble from holding her position, but it is unheeded. A storm of non-verbal messages passed between them. Fear. Embarrassment. Uncertainty. Underneath it all: Want. Ritsu struggled to decide which to think about first. Mio reeled at which to be more terrified of.

Finally, Ritsu bridged the gap. "If it was in there…" No questions on what "it" was. Mio nodded dumbly, her heart thundering in her chest.

One final deep breath.

"Would you want to do it?"

There was no escaping now.

Mio squeezed her eyes shut as the question rolled about in her head. Logically, it was a simple yes or no question. So, she merely had to look at each option and decide from there, right?

She looked at no. Mio thought hard. She had never considered herself to be someone who liked girls. She did find some girls pretty, just like she found some guys to be handsome. Beauty could be found in both. But she was raised conservative, and so her world up till now had been a very typical "girl will meet a boy and fall in love" one.

Until this issue happened.

What's more, there was more than herself to think about. What if it affected the band, or her studies? Third year was crucial, and the stress would certainly run high very soon and very quickly. But perhaps what was most scary of all, was the final question in her mind: What if it failed, and she could not be friends with Ritsu anymore?

The drummer had been an integral part of her life. She could not imagine her life without the energetic girl by her side. If this messed up, there would be no telling what it would do to her.

But wouldn't that be a non-issue if you had a means to remain by her side?

She turns her mind to yes. And her heart fluttered. Ritsu was her anchor and her pillar. Her energy – infectious and steadfast – was her saving grace through the years. Ritsu had made her feel welcomed and needed. More than anything, it was the prankster drummer that had pushed her to be better, pushed her to go further than what she felt she could on her own. The shy, timid, cry-baby girl she was came out of her shell because of she wanted to keep pace. Through it all, Ritsu had never made her feel that there was anything wrong with her. Whatever steps forward she took, Mio took because she wanted to. And that had opened up a world of opportunity for her in the present.

So if Ritsu could bring out the best in her now, what more could she do in the future?

Her mother had once said that a relationship was never certain. The only thing that could hold it together was the determination of the people to keep their promises to one another.

Could she do so for Ritsu? Did she trust Ritsu to do so for her?

The answer was obvious.

Mio opened her eyes to meet Ritsu's again.

Bravery is the willingness to look at what you fear straight in the eye.

"Yes."

Ritsu all but yanks her down, and their lips crash into one another.

Subsequent practices for the play ran much smoother. Mio settled into her role as Romeo, projecting her inner Ritsu as she her read her lines with gusto. Ritsu channeled her inner Mio and delivered her lines with bashful grace. Their classmates shook their heads when hearing about the strategy, feeling it to be needlessly complicated. But they could not argue, as it seemed to really work. Mio and Ritsu were now showing a chemistry unlike any they've seen before. Their recent practice had managed to stun their friends into silence, while Mugi had to be sent to the nurse's office for sporting a sudden heavy nosebleed. And each time the girls held each other's gazes as necessitated by their scripts, one could swear they could see something pass between them. But that thing disappeared as soon as it emerged, and the play would proceed onward till its end.

The class had chalked it up to the partners finally finding their rhythm.

Mugi went to bed squealing over the next several nights.

The end of chapter 6! All that's left is the school festival, graduation trip and the actual graduation day, and this fic will finally come to an end. They may not be split into individual chapters, but these are the remaining events I am planning to write. I may or may not include an epilogue.

As usual, please rate and review, and let me know what you think! :D