DISCLAIMER: K-ON! and its characters do not belong to me. :)


CHAPTER 7: Prelude

Something big comes this way.


"Dang, I should have worn that stupid, overly-girly, frilly pink dress." Ritsu said as she was evaluating her recent string of bad choices. If she had chosen to wear that dress, she could have avoided this fiasco—Eri was crying; Yui was passed out on the couch; and the rest of her band mates were bickering with each other.

Oh, how she wished she had a do-over button. Or better yet, a magical remote control that could turn back time or fast forward time would have been nice. Ritsu would have gone back 24 hours ago so that she could skip school and escape all of this. But alas, she did not have any of her dream gadgets.

Her only option was to suck it up and get through this with all the patience and knowledge that she possessed. Hopefully, Ritsu will emerge unscathed by the end of this glorious Tuesday night.


THIS MORNING

Ritsu's day started out so perfectly that she couldn't have asked for more. When she woke up, she still felt ill so she decided to skip her first class. It turned out that they had a major quiz that day. And when she got to Kyodai, she realized that her wallet and cellphone were missing. To top it all off, she and Mio were not in good terms. Last night, Mio got mad at her. Their petty quarrel turned into a shouting death match, things went from bad to worse in just a matter of minutes. Yeah, hands down the best day EVER in Ritsu's life.

"Why is this happening to meee…" The hazel haired girl was sulking in her seat, the banging of her head on her desk made a steady 2-count beat. Her stomach was rumbling—she had missed breakfast and now, during her lunch break the cafeteria was closed. She could have eaten out, but three things hindered her 1) It was raining; 2) She had no umbrella; and 3) She had lost her wallet. The drummer was stuck in her classroom, hungry, cold, and pissed off. She decided to rant to release the stress that was building up.

"Three tests in a row can't be a coincidence. I wasn't even prepared for those tests! Geez, the professors must be ganging up on me. But what have I ever done to them? I am a good girl, aren't I? Of course I am!.. Uhmm.. Maybe?.. A little?.. A tiny bit?.. Argh! Or maybe the government is somehow involved in this? Or maybe I'm being Punk'd? Yeah, that must be it…" The girl continued to rant, her head face down on her desk. She then heard a chair being pulled next to her. Ritsu, being herself, was too lazy to check who it was.

"Rough day?" The other person asked.

"No, everything's fine; couldn't be happier." Her stomach grumbled again, this time louder than before. "Peachy. Just. Peachy." Ritsu said as she grabbed her stomach. The other person, a girl, giggled and something was placed on top of the desk. "Here you go." The other girl said.

Amber ayes took a peek at the desk—on top were a cellphone, a wallet, and a box of what looked like Ritsu's favorite snack item. 'Could it be?' Ritsu asked herself as her hands grabbed the box. She read the label and waved it in the air. "Yes! Kinoko no Yama! Thanks Eri-sama!" The amber eyed girl's spirit was quickly lifted, a huge smile was on her face as she opened the box.

So how was Eri in the same room as her? Simple—Eri was Ritsu's block mate. Ritsu discovered such fact a week ago, when she had mistaken Eri as a stalker. The auburn haired girl laughed at Ritsu when the latter confronted her. The vocalist also took up Sociology for the same reasons as Ritsu, but the hazel haired girl thought that Sociology didn't suit the other girl; she would've been better off with a degree in what she exceled at, like the Performing Arts, or gambling. Whichever was fine.

"Wow, you're like a starved animal. Anywayyy, do you mind telling me what your problem is?" Eri said as she leaned back on her chair, her head was tilted to the left. She had an amused look on her face.

"What if I refuse to tell you?" The drummer said as she stuffed five biscuits in her mouth. Eri was really amused at this; she thought that Ritsu had the jaw of a snake and that it was very cool. The vocalist also imagined what the girl would look like if she were a snake. Eri snapped out of her daydream and she waved a box of goodies in front of her.

"Then you say bye-bye to Kinoko-kun." Eri said with a smile on her face. She had just finished her sentence when the box was grabbed from her hand. "Fine, I'll tell you.." Ritsu then narrated her misfortune: about her wallet, the rain, the tests, and everything else. But when it came to the part where Mio and she fought, Ritsu didn't elaborate much. Her heart ached whenever she recalled the memory. The drummer also managed to thank the girl for returning her stuff and for feeding her.

When Ritsu finished telling her story, she felt her chest loosen a bit. She thought that shouldering everything was the only solution; she didn't want to be a bother to others. But after the talk with Eri, she realized that it actually felt nice to confide in others, Eri might be super talkative at times, but she was also a good listener. It was nice to know that Ritsu had a new friend whom she can depend on from time to time.

The vocalist gazed out the window as she processed what Ritsu had told her. 'Mio.. Mio Akiyama huh? They're still together. I might as well play dumb to avoid suspicion.' She then spoke to Ritsu.

"You sure have a lot on your plate! Good thing I came to your aid huh? You now owe me. Hahaha! Oh, by the way, is Mio your.. girlfriend? What did you fight about?" Eri asked in a casual tone. Her poker face was very convincing—she had the usual bright smile and warm aura.

"Owe you? We had no such agreement! Spare me Oh Great One! Uhh, yeah she is! Haven't I told you before? Come to think of it, you two should totally hangout." Ritsu avoided answering the last question. Pieces of chocolate were stuck to her front teeth; seemingly the word 'etiquette' was non-existent in her vocabulary whenever the girl was eating snacks.

'Hangout? Why should I?' Eri said to herself, but different words came out of her mouth. "Yeah, I would love to! We could exchange notes regarding disciplining you. Hmm." Eri pretended to think about the drummer's offer. The amber eyed girl shuddered, and she attempted to change the topic. "Ahahaha. I guess someone who's single has it easy, no? You sure are lucky!"

"I have a boyfriend, silly." Eri said non-chalantly, as if it were written in stone. The other girl stopped eating at the mention of this.

"YOU WHAT?!" Ritsu and the other people in class—mostly boys—collectively shouted. Their classmates were eavesdropping on their 'private' conversation. Both of them were the famous ones in their class, heck in the entire school even.

"Why are you so shocked? Being this amazing, it is but normal for a boy to come begging on his knees for my attention. Ohohoho!" Eri said as she laughed like an ojousama, minus the grace and proper mannerism of one. Ritsu deadpanned; the vocalist could be so egoistic at times. But who could blame her? She was really close to being perfect.

"So much for humility…" Ritsu said. She then felt chills running down her spine, the auburn haired girl was giving her a creepy smile—the kind of smile that you would see before you meet a fatal 'accident'. "Uhh I mean, you truly are humble Eri-sama! Any guy would be lucky to even get a glare from you, right?" Ritsu nervously turned to the crowd; she was hoping that they would agree with her. Fortunately they all did for they know the consequence if they did not. They were one smart group of students.

"Here, look at me and Ken-kun. Aren't we just adorable?" Eri gave her cellphone to Ritsu. A boy with short black hair had his arms around Eri. She in turn had her arms wrapped on the boy's waist. Both of them were smiling brightly. The boy was very attractive, he had a muscular build and he was slightly taller than the girl. The drummer thought that if the boy tried to, he would have succeeded in turning Ritsu straight. The couple looked very happy; Ritsu felt a pang of jealousy but she chose to ignore it.

"You look good… together." The amber eyed girl finally said, she sounded like she was trying to convince herself. She reluctantly gave a small smile to Eri.

Before the other girl could answer, the bell rang. She remembered that she had Track and Field practice next. Eri excused herself and was about to run off, but Ritsu stopped her. The drummer said that their practice was cancelled. How does she know? Eri didn't even tell her about the practice in the first place.

"Are you psychic?" The vocalist asked.

"No. Haha! Your teammate sent you a mail. See?" Ritsu held out Eri's phone. True enough, their practice was cancelled due to the bad weather. Due to the commotion, the garnet eyed girl forgot that her cellphone was still in the other girl's possession. She then got a bad feeling in her gut.

Ritsu handed over the cellphone to its owner then said "By the way, the green bikini suits you best." An impish grin was plastered on the drummer's face. Eri's worst fear had come true; Ritsu had found the photo album full of pictures of her in different bikinis. The vocalist wanted to slap the other girl hard, most of all she wanted to kick herself. It was so embarrassing!

Eri managed to maintain her calm and collected exterior, she then replied. "Is that so? Do you want a copy?" The auburn haired girl put her hands on Ritsu's desk as she leaned forward, exposing the top part of her 'mountain range'. The impish grin on the hazel haired girl's face was wiped off; now her mouth was open and her face had a pinkish hue. 'You have a long way to go before you beat me, Ricchan.' The vocalist said in her mind as she grinned coyly.


'Hold on Yui. I'm coming!' Ritsu was running at full speed to her band's club room. Earlier she received a disturbing message from her guitarist friend. Yui was in danger. Ritsu was about to call her friend, then her cellphone died. So she searched the University grounds for her friend, but to no avail. The club room was the only place that she had not yet checked.

Finally, Ritsu was outside the room. The door violently swung open as she made her grand entrance "Yui! I'm here!—WHAT THE HELL?!" Yui was bound and gagged onto a chair while the other band members put makeup on her. The brunette was wearing a super girly, baby blue colored maid outfit/drag queen kind of dress. It sort of reminded Ritsu of the dress that she wore during HTT's first performance, but this dress was much more intolerable.

"I-is Sawa-chan here? Is she the threat that you spoke of?" Ritsu asked her friend as she scanned the room, hoping to see her former adviser sipping on a cup of tea while planning something devious. No one matched the description.

"Who's Sawa-chan? Well, do you like the outfit for tomorrow's gig?" Yuuki, the band leader, appeared in front of Ritsu. The drummer deduced that the other girl was admiring her handicraft. With that in mind, she chose her following words wisely. "Uhm, we have a gig tomorrow?" Ritsu dodged the topic about the dress.

Ritsu anxiously waited for the answer. She hoped that Yuuki wouldn't notice her dodging the subject, and her prayers were answered. The band leader was too engrossed in her admiration for her 'fashion creation'. Yuuki totally ignored Ritsu as the former approached the dress. Relief washed over Ritsu. She was ecstatic because they finally booked their first gig, but she was still feeling uneasy knowing that they were going to wear those hideous—no, lovely dresses. 'Hooray, I can't wait..' She mentally cheered.

"You, my friend, sure look enthusiastic." Eri was standing behind her, the auburn haired girl wore the same dress but it was in a shade of red. Strangely, Eri made the dress look good. The girl was like a clothes hanger; any piece of clothing suited her well. The drummer also noticed that Eri was holding another dress, this time it was pinkish in color. She was sure that the dress was for her because the letters R-I-T-S-U were written on the tag. She panicked.

Even though Ritsu was physically fit, she doubted that she could pull off wearing that dress. It was not her style, she rather wear pants over dresses. "How can I get out of this?" Ritsu asked Eri.

"We do need a place to practice…" The vocalist crossed her arms and tilted her head to the right. She was also slightly pouting. This was the pose that she made whenever she was 'making a deal' with someone.

"D-done! Let me call home first." Ritsu opened her phone, and then she froze. "Uhhm. Eri-chan. Can I..?" The drummer was holding her hand out in an embarrassed manner. Eri sighed, and then she gave Ritsu her phone. The hazel haired girl bowed and went out of the room to make a phone call.

"Wow, I can't believe your plan worked." Yuuki said to Eri, who just gave her a smile. The truth was they weren't going to wear those dresses; they just needed a studio to practice in. Since their houses had no such equipment, Eri devised a plan so that Ritsu will be forced to let them use her personal studio. Eri could have asked Ritsu directly, but where's the fun in that? The auburn haired girl decided to put a lively spin on things. All of the other band members were her accomplices, including Yui.

It would be a perfect opportunity for her to spend time with Ritsu, and hopefully gather more information about the drummer. Oh, and this was for the gig and for the band, which was also a plus. Eri was happy.


Now, let's go back to the present. It has been three hours since the girls arrived at Ritsu's not-so-humble abode. The Tainaka Family House was very expansive; the driveway alone easily covered an acre. Their real estate was truly jaw dropping. The girls should have been almost done with their practice; Ritsu's studio did have the newest equipment available which could make life easier for aspiring musicians. But in fact, they had not even started yet. Eri and the others brought food and drinks with them. This turned their practice session into a small acquaintance party. Ritsu should have been happy with the development yet she was not. The drummer would have been better off if they had used the time for practicing, and Ritsu isn't even the responsible-practice addict type.

Someone had spiked the fruit punch with alcohol. Ritsu was the only one who was sober at the studio. Because of that, she was the designated nanny of her drunk band mates. That night, she learned the different types of drunk people. Ritsu narrowed it down to 7 types.

First was the 'Sleepy' Drunk. Thankfully, Yui belonged in this category. The brunette fell asleep on one of the studio's several couches. Ritsu had not expected that Yui would be so tame when intoxicated. Things would have been worse if she belonged to a more destructive type.

Next, there were the 'Happy', 'Sad', 'Reckless', 'Philosophical, and 'Sleazy' Drunks. The other band members, including Yuuki, belonged in those types. The girls were having a heated debate about which boy band was the hottest. Occasionally, Ritsu would hear band names such as '1D', or 'BTR'; or random sentences/phrases like 'I'm flying!' or 'Where's my pants?'. Nevertheless the drummer couldn't follow their discussions because those band names were unfamiliar to her, and she was certain that they were all using 'drunk lingo'. But one thing was certain—Ritsu was pretty sure that 'Justin Bieber' was not a boy band.

The last type of drunk is 'Emotional'. According to Ritsu, this type was the trickiest and most dangerous one. Eri dominated this category. The auburn haired girl had been having mood swings for the past hour—first she was all smiles, then she was talkative, then she was crying a river like there was no tomorrow. Currently, Eri was still crying.

Ritsu had been busy taking care of the others as Eri sobbed away in one corner of the room. The drummer finally decided to check on the girl. 'Here goes nothing.' Ritsu gulped as she made her way to the auburn haired girl, she proceeded with caution.

"Eri-chan. What's wrong?" Ritsu squatted next to the crying girl, a mere foot separated them.

"I-it's just that. . . Neko-chan. . . *sob*" The vocalist was holding a huge wad of tissues under her garnet eyes.

"Uhuh. What about dear Neko-chan?" The drummer held a box of tissues.

"S-she. . . she. . . lost against the Nya-Nyangolownians! *hic*" Eri let out a loud wail and she sobbed uncontrollably. The other girls were too drunk to notice her.

'EH?' Ritsu deadpanned. Eri lost her at 'neko-chan', the drummer was just going with the flow at this stage.

The drunk girl continued "N-n-now, Earth will be d-d-d-doomed! *sob* N-nya-nyaboron is n-n-no more, people will s-starve! *hic*"

"Calm down Eri-chan, I'm sure that Earth will be just fine…" Amber eyes reassured the girl, the one with garnet eyes believed her. And then Ritsu heard someone gag. It was Yui, she had woken up and looked like she was about to puke. Ritsu hurriedly grabbed a pail and rushed to her friend's side. It would be very troublesome if Yui's Mexican Lunch stained the studio's expensive carpet. Ritsu was really having a bad day.

*DING DONG*

Someone was at the front door. It must be the pizza delivery guy, he sure was late. Ritsu couldn't get it right now because she was busy so she asked her friends. "Hey, can anyone get that for me?" To her surprise, Eri stood up and volunteered. Ritsu wasn't sure if the girl was already sober or if she just had another mood swing. Regardless, Ritsu was relieved.


"Achoo!" Mio reached for a piece of Kleenex to wipe her nose. She was sick since this morning. After she and Ritsu had fought, Mio ran through the pouring rain all the way to their old family house. As soon as Mrs. Akiyama wrapped her arms around her daughter, the bassist broke down and cried nonstop. Her mother comforted her and advised her to stay the night. Mio obliged and she planned on leaving for Tokyo early that morning. But when she woke up, her body felt heavy, her nose was runny, and she had no voice.

Mio informed Mugi via mail, she also mailed her classmates-Hideaki and Kentaro-and asked them for copies of today's lectures. Mio didn't want to skip school, but she had no choice. She had to have bed rest in order for her to recover. While resting, the bassist had time to reflect on her fight with Ritsu.

"I shouldn't have lost my cool. Ritsu didn't even do anything wrong." Mio was feeling guilty because of her sudden outburst. She just blew off steam due to stress and her insecurities which worsened when she heard the drummer sleeptalk about Eri Yushouka. Unfortunately for Ritsu, she was her unwilling victim. They ended up shouting unflattering words at each other, and a year's worth of angst was released in a matter of minutes. Mio should apologize to the girl as soon as possible, it was all her fault; she started their quarrel.

"Miochan, how are you doing?" Her mother checked on her, she brought soup and medicine. Mrs. Akiyama also checked Mio's temperature; her daughter's fever had significantly gone down but she was still in pretty bad condition.

"I'm okay Mom. I still can't breathe through my nose though." Mio blew her nose to prove a point. Her grey eyes looked very sleepy, or sad. Her mother was not sure which one.

"Your temperature went down, you should continue to rest. By the way, you have guests." A black haired boy and a blond girl entered the room. Mrs. Akiyama kissed Mio on the forehead and excused herself.

"Mugi? Okada-san? Why are you here?" Mio said as she sat up on her bed with difficulty.

"We came here to visit you…" the blond said, "And also to give you this," Kentaro Okada held out a basket of fruit topped with a thick envelope filled with envelopes. "These are our lecture notes.. and some healthy fruit full of vitamins!" The boy said as he placed the basket on top of Mio's bed side table.

"Thank you both, you shouldn't have. It's already late out." The bassist attempted to get out of bed so that she can thank her friends properly. As she was doing so, she was struggling and wobbling pretty badly. Mugi went to her side and stopped her from getting up. The pianist tucked her in bed and said "Mio-chan, it's okay. That's what friends are for, ne? Now you need to get some rest. Get well soon, okay?" Mio nodded like a child. She was moved by her friend's kindness, her eyes were tearing up.

The boy couldn't help but watch the two girls as they had their 'special moment'.

"We'll be going then, Good Night Mio-chan." The blond heiress said. "Good night Akiyama-san, hope to see you soon at Todai!" The boy cheerfully said.

"Mugi, Okada-san, please wait." Mugi and Kentaro were stopped by Mio. The bassist gestured for the blond to come near her. Mugi was by the girl's side, then Mio spoke "I have a favor to ask of you…" The heiress nodded and Mio whispered something in her ear.

Afterwards, the ojousama had a stern look on her face. "Are you sure about this?" Mugi asked her friend. Mio nodded fervently.

"Okay. Ken-kun, we need you." Mugi called for the boy. Once she was beside the girls, the blond told him the plan.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A black Porsche Carrera stopped in front of the main stairway of a gigantic mansion.

The passenger side's door opened, and a girl with long jet-black hair stepped out. It was freezing cold outside, the long coat that the girl wore failed to warm her up. Every breath that she exhaled turned into a white cloud in front of her, and her face was flushed.

"Mio-chan, do you want to go through with this?" Mugi said in a concerned tone. Clearly, her friend was still very sick. The heiress feared that the girl was pushing herself too hard; Mio's fever might worsen. "Kotobuki-san's right, you look still look awful. Your fever might escalate." Kentaro backed up Mugi. He didn't want to see Mio like this. He sighed in frustration.

The bassist was feeling extremely lightheaded, but she managed to nod in affirmation. "Don't worry Mugi, Okada-san, I'll be alright." She reassured her friends. With that, she turned to face the stairway. Mio had to go through with this, she was already here anyway.

That same night, Mio decided to confront Ritsu so that she could apologize for what she did. The guilt was just too much; it was as if it made her feel even worse. Mio had had enough of the pain and guilt; she can't let it drag on for too long. So she asked her friends to accompany her to Ritsu's place, but she also said that talking to Ritsu was something that she had to do alone.

Mio walked slowly up the stairs, towards the mansion's big oak doors. She went over her 'sorry' speech in her head. The black haired girl began to feel nauseous, her palms were sweating, and her heart was pounding intensely. Was it because of her fever? Or was it because she was nervous?

The bassist exhaled, and then she pressed the doorbell. After an agonizing 3 minutes of waiting and deciding whether to run away or not, Mio heard footsteps coming from inside the mansion. "Okay Mio, this is the moment of truth." She braced herself as the large wooden doors slowly creaked open.

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-To be continued-

*Kyodai- Kyoto University

Todai- University of Tokyo

Punk'd- American show wherein they prank celebrities. Just google it, 'kay? :)

Kinoko no Yama- famous Japanese snack. Mushroom shaped biscuit topped with chocolate. Yum!

Nyangolownians and Nyaboron- Haha! Guess what anime/LN. :3

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Thank you for the continued support!

I hope to hear more from you all.

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Stay awesome guys and gals!

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'Til next update! :)