Author's Note: I'm really sorry for taking so long with this one…There was a part that I had to keep redoing because…of well, you'll find out. I haven't had much time to work on this due to school, but I'll try to use my muse when I have free time! Hopefully you guys enjoy this! Hehe, I'll stop blabbering and get on with the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own K-ON! it belongs to Kakifly and KyoAni.
Chapter 6: Imagining
"Damn it."
Ritsu squeezed her fist in frustration and slammed it onto the ground.
She hissed in pain, but immediately dismissed it due to her growing frustration.
She had remained still while the imposter spoke with Yui, but that was only because she had been pinned down.
If those two hadn't pinned me down…I would have ended this once and for all!
The tawny haired girl closed her eyes in irritation before inhaling and stretching the fingers that ached from the punch. She had managed to relax for a few seconds when the imposter's words once again reentered her mind.
"If you two return to your normal lives, you might be spared…We have much in store for this city, but your interfering has caused trouble…"
A surge of anger overcame the small girl as she sat up.
So this…this…fake basically said that Satoshi's death was meaningless? That is was HIS fault for being in the plaza with me that day?! He did NOTHING wrong!
Ritsu rubbed her arms and glanced over at where the imposter had been before she walked over to where Yui was.
"You okay, Yui? Heh, we really messed up didn't we?" Ritsu's voice was shaky and weak.
Yui nodded slowly and closed her eyes. Ritsu glanced away from her face and walked over to the edge of the roof. She glanced down at the quiet plaza and noticed that the blue and red lights were still flashing, but that everything seemed to have quieted down.
Her amber eyes narrowed as she watched the remaining police officers fight off the last of the masked figures.
Red…and blue…and black cloaks… This place hasn't changed much since a month ago…huh?
Tears welled up into Ritsu's eyes as she pushed up her goggles and wiped them before they made their way down her cheeks. The sudden wail of a child crying and an ambulance in the distance threatened crumbled the wall that she had tried to keep up.
N-no, now isn't the time...I have to stay strong for Yui!
The closer the ambulance got to the scene, the more unwanted memories seemed to return as Ritsu continued glancing down at the panic that was still occurring down below. A news van was on its way and people were now starting to gossip and share their takes on the events.
Grgg-damnit!
Ritsu took in the scene of dying panic before shakily inhaling and closing her eyes.
~"Onee-chan, hurry up or we're going to be late!"
"Calm down, Satoshi, we have plenty of time until that damn party." Ritsu groaned before placing her hands behind her head.
Her younger brother shook his head at her and frowned. His dark brown hair seemed to emphasize the disappointment in his amber eyes.
"But onee-chan, mom said that this is important!" He grumbled before folding his arms.
"Ah, fine, but have fun getting through this large crowd," Ritsu stated while gesturing at the vast number of people in the plaza.
It was the time of the day where most people got out of work; a majority of them were in a hurry to go home. Out of the corner of her eye, Ritsu saw that a small group of people were standing on a platform. Upon further inspection, she saw that one was shouting into a loudspeaker.
"Oi, Satoshi wanna check that out?" Ritsu curiously asked her brother.
"Ehh, but onee-chan, we really need to go!" Her brother whined.
Ignoring her brother's response, Ritsu made her way toward the crowd of people and used her height to her advantage to weave her way through to reach the front.
In the center, Ritsu saw three masked figures and a girl with long black hair holding up flyers. Her amber eyes did not leave the man with the loudspeaker as he spoke into it.
"Are you all going to listen to what the mayor has to say? He hasn't done anything but fill his pockets with YOUR money!"
"What's he saying? The mayor's done pretty decent things for us…"
Ritsu turned to face her brother who seemed to have followed her into the crowd. She weakly smiled at him before glancing back at the man. Even though he seemed sketchy, she couldn't help but agree with him.
"Are you all going to stand back and watch as he exploits your family and friends for his own benefit?"
The crowd around them roared no. Ritsu glanced around and saw the angry spark in their eyes and quickly grabbed onto her brother's hand.
"Onee-chan, what's h-happening?" Satoshi nervously stammered while glancing around at the agitated people.
"And the members of the city council haven't done anything and just watched. Do we want people like that controlling our city?!"
"NO!" The crowd of people roared again.
"S-Satoshi, keep close, okay… I'm gonna get us out of here," Ritsu tugged at her brother's hand and backed up before bumping into someone.
A tall man wearing a business suit blankly stared at her for a few second before recognition dawned on his face.
"Wait a minute, those amber eyes… You're Tainaka-san's kids aren't you?!" The man shouted.
Ritsu tensed up and pulled her brother behind her while looking around at the people who had all directed their gazes toward them.
"N-no, sir, m-my name is…Y-Yui H-Hirasawa and this is…R-rikku," Ritsu stuttered out.
"Hirasawa, no way!"
"Only Tainaka-san has eyes like those! Those are her kids!"
People yelled out different comments causing Ritsu to shrink back. When she backed up against a wall, she swallowed and glanced up again. The man with the loud speaker seemed to be talking to the other two masked figures.
"This is our chance! Get revenge for what they've done!"
"W-wait, there must be some sort of misunderstanding!" Satoshi yelled out.
"Get them!"
"But they're just kids! Leave them alone!"
Ritsu watched in horror as the people began to fight amongst each other. Some were fighting to try to get to her and her brother and those who realized that it was morally wrong, fought to keep them safe.
"Onee-chan, run!" Satoshi yelled as he took the lead and dragged his sister away from the wall.
Both siblings weaved their way through the brawls that had begun. It was terrifying to see how in mere moments a whole square of people seemed to have turned against each other.
Ritsu's amber eyes glanced around, the fight had spread out throughout the entire square and now even innocent bystanders had gotten involved. It had now become a matter of self-defense in order not to get hurt.
"T-this is horrible," Ritsu whispered in shock.
"Onee-chan, watch out"! Satoshi yelled and Ritsu turned around just in time to see the masked man who had started the riot holding up a gun.
"THE REVOLUTION BEGINS NOW!" He shouted.
Ritsu didn't have time to react as the piercing crack of a gunshot sliced the silence. She closed her eyes and waited for the bullet to hit, but instead of feeling pain, she felt small hands push her away.
The screaming in the area seemed to intensify following the firing of the gun and Ritsu turned around only to see Satoshi kneeling down on the ground clutching his side.
"S-Satoshi, w-what the hell?" Ritsu cried out in disbelief.
Her eyes filled up with tears as she glared up at the figure with the gun. She didn't hesitate as she ran over to elbow him in the stomach while he was frozen. She scowled down at the man before kicking him hard in the groin. In the process, she watched as his mask slipped off and revealed his young face.
She glared down at him with pure disgust as she kicked his mask away. Unable to control herself because this man had caused her brother pain and endangered her life, Ritsu began to punch him.
After a few moments, Ritsu realized what she had done and quickly backed away in horror. The man was covered in what was sure to become dark bruises and it had been her fault.
Remembering that her brother had been injured, Ritsu ran over to her him; out of the corner of her eye, she saw the girl with long-black hair from the rally run over to the collapsed man. Ritsu chose to ignore her though and tended to her brother.
"S-Satoshi, a-are you okay?" Ritsu softly whispered.
The tears in her eyes were threatening to slide down her cheeks as she took in the sight of her innocent younger brother covered in blood. After a few moments of hearing no response, Ritsu gently shook him once again.
"…Toshi?" She weakly whispered, her voice was hoarse and the tears had broken through her barrier.
Holding her brother's still body, Ritsu sniffled and glanced around. It sounded as if less people were fighting and the sound of gunshots pierced the air as the distant sirens indicated that the police and paramedics were on their way.
"I-It'll be okay, Satoshi. I-I just gotta m-move you off to the side," Ritsu cried while moving her brother's limp body against a wall.
After she had carefully placed him against the wall, she placed her hand against his cheek. His skin felt a lot cooler and looked a lot paler than it had a few moments ago. Just as she was about to let herself cry once again, Ritsu heard her brother speak.
"O-onee-chan, b-be careful," he weakly whispered.
"Hm, what do you mean Satoshi?" Ritsu softly replied.
"I-I mean look out behind you…t-that man… is going to… miss!"
His amber eyes widened in horror as he used his remaining strength to push her away. The piercing sound of a gunshot along with the gasp of pain from her brother led Ritsu to see that he had sacrificed himself once again.
"S-Satoshi…?" Her voice cracked as the tears returned.
"G-go, o-onee-chan…its d-dangerous o-out he-"he weakly spat.
"Satoshi…? SATOSHI?!" Ritsu wailed and shook her brother.
Satoshi gave her a weak smile before a gurgling noise came from his throat and blood dripped out from the side of his mouth. Ritsu tensed up as her brother's body stiffened.
She then continuously shook his body as the tears slid down her cheeks.
"...Toshi, wake up, please! I-If you wake up...I'll let you read all my manga!" She pleaded while hugging him close.
"I-I won't tease you a-anymore and let you u-use my drums without yelling at you!" Ritsu placed her hand on his cool cheek again before continuing, "P-please d-don't leave me...S-satoshi..."
Ritsu wailed before burying her head in her brother's shoulder and letting her emotions consume her. She stayed like that, holding her dead brother close, for what seemed to be forever until a voice called out to her.
"Hey, miss, are you okay?"
Approaching footsteps seemed to quicken after the statement.
"Oh shit, that's Tainaka-san's kids! Get the EMTs here ASAP!"
Ritsu glanced up and watched in horror as the police officers ripped her brother out of her grasp and brought him over to the ambulance that had arrived. It was then that she glanced around and finally took in the sight around her.
What had once been a happy and lively square, had turned into a blood-filled riot in mere seconds.
Instead of everyone being happy and thinking that they were going home to see their families, a majority were all now lying face down in their own pools of blood and others seemed injured to the point where there was no way that they could liv-
"RICCHAN!"
Ritsu's amber eyes widened when she realized that she had spaced out.
"Uh…sorry, I spaced out…did you say something?" Ritsu weakly whispered while turning to look back at Yui.
"I was saying that…that person knew our names."
Ritsu looked down at the ground for a few seconds and felt her stomach churn uncomfortably when she realized that the brunette was right.
"I-I'm scared Ricchan. What do we do?" Yui whimpered as she reached out toward the drummer.
Ritsu grabbed onto her hand and pulled her up from the ground. She refused to meet the girl's eyes as she glanced away.
"...There is only one thing that we can do," she whispered hoarsely.
If what I remember is right…then the Revolution is related to what's happening today…that means…I should let Yui and Mugi know…
"We take that training camp seriously. A-and don't worry about the imposter knowing out names. I'll tell Mugi ASAP and then we can figure this out. It'll be o-okay, so don't cry," Ritsu weakly continued as she tried to smile.
Yui slowly nodded as she looked down.
Does this new revelation put Ui and Yui in more danger? And…isn't Azusa's mom in the town's council too? ...that also means they might be coming after me again soon too...
Ritsu picked up her fallen grappling hook and nonchalantly aimed it at the building.
"Let's go, Yui…I have something important to tell you when we get back…" She weakly whispered.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yui give her a worried frown and then nod.
I promise I'll get revenge Satoshi… I'll get Nodoka back and make sure no one else gets hurt… I won't let allow anyone to die because of The Revolution again.
-
K-ON!
-
"Things worked out much better than expected didn't they boss?"
Himeko freed her hair from her ponytail after speaking.
The imposter smirked at her before sitting down on a chair.
"Yes, yes much better than I had hoped. Now that they're both startled we can introduce the next phase."
The girl removed her wig and showed the others her short black hair. She looked at the brown mess in her hands before throwing it down onto the ground.
From what I saw, those two were equally terrified.
A cold grin formed on her face as she laughed to herself.
"Ne, boss, can Hime-chan and I go home now? Our parents will most likely worry if we don't rush," the girl with curly pigtails blankly asked.
"Yes, yes Ichigo you can go soon. Besides I don't want you to be here when I work on our...guest."
The black-haired girl looked over at a figure that had previously gone unnoticed. She stood up while she placed a mask on her face and walked over to the girl. The brunette was covered in bruises and scratches.
"Ah, Manabe-San, how unfortunate for you that I found you... Also, that I knew your connection to the city's wonderful council. Your father's involvement is the main reason that you are here with us today!"
The bound girl looked up at her in fear.
The girl's glasses lay on the ground and since she had been tortured, the little movements that she made caused her to squirm in pain. The imposter reached over the girl to wipe the blood on her brow. She smiled when she saw the latter flinch.
"Haha, how interesting... You'll find out soon enough how easily connections can drag you down."
Her voice had a silky, dangerous tone as she spoke. She pitied the girl in front of her, but at the same time she didn't because things happened when you were involved with the wrong people.
You were just at the wrong place, at the right time….Just like Tainaka's brother in the plaza that day… and...Maede, that idiot…
She wrinkled her nose in irritation at the memory of that day and continued.
"Oh, don't worry Manabe. You'll be free to roam again soon."
"W-what do you want with me? What do you want with Yui and Ritsu?" Nodoka whispered weakly, her voice growing more confident after each word.
The masked girl half-smiled at her question. The girl lying on the ground gave her a confused look.
"...Revenge for interfering with my plans. It'll all make sense soon. As soon as all of the pieces are set in their place," the girl coldly laughed.
The black haired girl picked Nodoka up and walked her over to a chair. After carefully strapping her to it, she placed a helmet on her head.
"W-what are you doing? W-who are you?" Nodoka called out in fear.
"Since you won't remember this for much longer, I might as well show you," she said with a slight smile as she removed her mask and turned on the machine.
Nodoka's eyes widened in horror as she gasped, "Wait a minute, you're Akir-arghhhh."
As the room was filled with Nodoka's pained yells, Akira walked over to a table. She rapped her fingers on it as she examined the billboard she had on the wall.
On it were pictures and newspaper clippings of the two heroes. Akira looked down at a list of names.
"Hm, Hm, Hm, ah Manabe, here he is," she coolly whispered before putting a check next the name.
Violet eyes looked over the list again, pulled out a pen to scribble notes on it and examined the names carefully.
City Representatives:
1) Manabe- Daughter in custody.
2) Hikaru Hirasawa- whereabouts unknown, daughters under surveillance
3) Hitomi Tainaka- home kept under surveillance, both daughter and own whereabouts known
4) Aoi Nakano- whereabouts known, home under watch
5) Tamaki Kotobuki- whereabouts currently unknown, main residence under watch
6) Yukiatsu Wada- whereabouts known, movements under constant surveillance.
How unfortunate that so many of my classmates are involved my father's corrupt work.
Akira sighed before recalling what her cohorts had told her about the light music club.
"A training camp, hm? It'll be the best time to bring you back, Manabe-San," she laughed.
Those two girls would not know what hit them. Her plans for revenge were working out much better than expected. The imposter brought a pouch filled with a white powder toward Nodoka's limp body.
With this drug that Maede…
The image of the man who had helped during the riot appeared in her head as she squeezed the small pouch in anger.
…With this damn drug that the dumb fool helped me import before he was incarcerated again, the tables are going to turn…
Akira placed a medical mask over her face and glanced down at the pouch in her hands. Even catching a whiff of this drug would put her under its control. She had to extremely careful whil handling it.
The black haired girl sighed and took out the tiniest grain of white powder that she could possibly get and added it into the IV mixture before she attached the needle into the squirming girl's arm.
Akira slightly narrowed her eyes as she whispered,
"From this day forth, you'll be working for me... whether you like it or not… Welcome to the Revolution. Let the games begin."
-
K-ON!
-
"I can't believe it! We're actually going to do something! I mean I thought we would never do anything as a club, but we're going on an actual trip!"
Azusa looked around the mall in wonder as she followed the older girls. When the drummer had told them that they were going on a trip, she couldn't help but feel excited.
"What's this trip for anyway? Are we buying materials for our instruments? Guitar picks? Strings…?" She excitedly rambled.
Not paying attention, she didn't notice that Yui had abruptly stopped, so she crashed into her. She heard the drummer and lead guitarist yell.
"We're here!"
Azusa looked up hoping to see a music store but she froze up at what she did see.
"We're here for bathing suits!" Ritsu said with a thumbs-up.
Azusa couldn't help but sweat-drop in disappointment.
"I know that you're disappointed Azusa, but the club needs outings like this to function," Mio stated to calm her.
Azusa watched in awe as Mugi nodded in agreement. Azusa couldn't help but sigh when she saw Ritsu drag Mio into the store.
The Light Music Club...all we're ever going to do is goof off, huh?
To prevent the others from seeing her frown, Azusa glanced away. A newspaper headline caught her attention while she looked around.
"Seeing Double, Private Vs. Private" Rise of The Revolution.
Yesterday night at the plaza between 44th and 45th street, cops were baffled when they spotted double.
"I was scared out of my wits when I saw there was two. Then someone shot at the newly arrived one and we all panicked!" Officer Takagana said when asked about the incident.
A recent interview has confirmed that there are indeed two Privates. People are warned to look out for Captain so they know when to identify the fake. However, the problem that continues to bring up questions is the one regarding Private's interactions with The Revolution, a terrorist group that has vandalized many actions of Mayor Wada. A similar uprising took place in this very same plaza a bit more than a month ago and with similar circumstances. Not much is known about what happened then and what is happening now, but if anyone has any information, please contact us at...
"It's scary, Ne Azunyan?"
The unexpected sound of Yui's voice led Azusa to jump as she looked up from the paper she was reading. She hadn't expected Yui to wait for her to enter the store.
"Y-yes, I-I mean… w-what if I had met the imposter that day in the alley? It's r-really scary," Azusa admitted.
She looked at her senpai in shock as the newspaper was wrenched from her grasp. The airhead merely closed it back up and placed it on the counter. While she did this, Azusa noticed that the girl's eyes were hidden by her bangs and her carefree smile was nowhere to be seen.
"Of course the imposter would never find you, Azunyan... I would never let that happen," Yui seemed to almost hiss.
A small smile appeared on Azusa's face as she tugged at Yui's sleeve to regain her attention.
"I know you wouldn't, Yui-senpai. Let's go join the others," she softly said as she watched the girl's eyes appear from under her bangs.
Yui's eyes had an emotionless look for half a second before they regained their innocent happiness. The look made Azusa freeze up and squeezed her insides.
W-what was that?
"Let's go Azunyan!" Yui squealed as she dragged the pigtailed girl into the store.
That look on Yui-senpai's face...it should never be on her face. Someone as bright as her doesn't deserve such a blank and empty look.
The girl's shopping trip was uneventful, until Yui found a pair of cat ears and tried to get Azusa to wear them.
"W-why do they even have those in a bathing suit store?!" Azusa yelled as she pushed the girl away.
"Azunyan, just for a few seconds, pleaseee…?" Yui whimpered as she wrapped her arms tighter around her.
It's either sacrificing my pride or seeing that blank look in her eyes again...
"F-fine," she whispered as she blushed and looked down.
"But Azunyaa- wait you agree…? Ricchan she agreed!"
Azusa looked up when she heard the drummer's name being mentioned. Her eyes met a pair of devilish amber before the girl plopped something on her head.
"Aw, my Azunyan is so cute!" Yui squealed as she pressed her cheek against hers.
Azusa's face burned a brighter shade of red as she felt Yui's face against hers. She was so flustered by the airhead's closeness that she hadn't realized that Yui had called her my Azunyan.
"See, Azusa, sometimes if you can't beat them, you have to join them," Mio laughed softly as she appeared next to the snickering drummer.
A sudden flash caught Azusa's attention as she looked at Mugi. The blonde was holding up a camera as she also giggled.
"It's to remember this, Azusa-chan. It might not happen again," Mugi mused as she gazed at them lovingly.
Azusa sighed as she relaxed in her senpai's grip. Maybe going on the trip with them wouldn't be as bad as Mio-senpai said.
Maybe, just maybe, I'll find my place among them.
"Ooh, that's so cute!"
Azusa suddenly felt cold as Yui let go off her to look at bathing suits. She watched the girl that seemed to confound everyone with her actions and smiled. Maybe, just maybe, she would also unravel the secret that was Hirasawa Yui along the way.
A/N:
Well, I am really quite sorry this took a long time.
I ended up losing my muse and had to fight to get it back. I had to keep rewriting the Satoshi scene so many times in order to try to get the emotion right. I feel like I did a fairly decent job, but x-x It's really hard to depict something like that. Also, the whole Akira shocker….daaaangggg. Some of you were guessing and some of you were right! O: I wonder what's gonna happen next! Haha only time will tell!
Thanks for the support everyone! I hope you keep reading BAS! The next chapter is being worked on as you read this, heh!
Have a nice one! Reviews and Feedback are appreciated :D! Thanks again!
P.S. Not sure if you guys have noticed but I try to name the chapters after actual songs that help give me a muse. o u o This one is a classical piece called Imagining by Brian Crain.
Anywho, ja, ne imuffinator out! ~