A/N: Like I promised... here is a chapter before the month ends! University starts in a week...Oh gods!
Anywho, Happy birthday to one of my loyal readers, Yukina Tenma! ^_^
I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I won't say much here c: ...though you might be shocked. xP I know I was.
Bolding means talking through the phone or emphasis on a word.
Italic means thoughts or flashbacks.
Disclaimer: I do not own K-ON! it belongs to Kakifly and KyoAni.
I do not own You're Going Down, it belongs to Sick Puppies.
It's been a long time coming
And the table's turned around
'Cause one of us is going
One of us is going down.
Chapter 9: You're Going Down
"In less than a week, it'll be Ritsu's birthday."
Mio stepped out of her rolling chair and began to pace her room. She continued to do so until Mugi's voice filtered through her phone.
"Well, what are you planning on doing?"
Mio collapsed onto her bed and pressed the phone tightly against her hear. She narrowed her grey eyes as she thought.
I don't know...with all that's been happening I almost forgot.
"I'll figure something out. I've known Ritsu for years so it shouldn't be hard for me to pick something out," Mio muttered into the phone.
"Ah, I've had my present for my Ricchan picked out for the past two months already."
That bitter feeling that only engulfed her whenever Mugi was doing something only between her and Ritsu sparked up again.
"Oh...well, you know this situation's been affecting me for a while...and with Yui constantly talking to me every day and needing attention, it was a bit hard to remember," Mio tried to justify the statement as an excuse, but then felt bad for it.
The raven-haired girl closed her eyes and softly sighed.
It's not Yui's fault that she needs extra help. Though I don't know why it has to be me that's the one helping.
"Well, Yui-chan is in that fragile state. It's been a week since she came back to school...we should be surprised that she's here at all."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Mio said.
Her grey eyes opened once more as she stared at the ceiling. A guilty sort of feeling seemed to gnaw at her whenever she was with Yui. She honestly tried her hardest to focus on the injured girl, but with Mugi taking the time to talk more with Ritsu, an unwelcome jealousy consumed her.
It's as if Mugi is using this time to take Ritsu from me...Mugi wouldn't do that though, would she?
''Oh, I almost forgot!"
Mio blinked twice as she snapped herself out of thoughts.
"Hm?"
"Yui-chan's guitar is being dropped off at school tomorrow. So that's something we can look forward to."
"Yeah, you're right," Mio softly said.
That could also be a possible distraction...
A small smile made its way onto Mio's face as she sat up on her bed. The sudden vibration of the phone against her ear led her to pull it away and check it's screen.
[The Great Ritsu-Sama Calling]
Mio felt a nerve twitch on her forehead when she saw that her friend had changed her name on her phone.
"Mugi, I'll call you back, I've got another call," Mio said.
"No problem at all, Mio-chan! It was nice talking to you. It's time for me to get ready for bed anyway. Good night!"
The raven-haired girl watched as the call dropped before catching a glimpse at the time.
7pm? Boy, she sleeps early.
Mio placed her phone down on her desk and allowed herself to stretch. She braced herself for her childhood friend to call back and basked in the few moments of silence that she had left.
Her grey eyes immediately darted to her phone when it began to ring. Without checking who it was, she smile before answering.
"Do you need help with your homework again? I'm surprised you didn't just come over."
"Mou, how did you know! I didn't even say a word!"
Mio smiled at the drummer's exasperated tone. Of course, she knew the girl well enough to know that she needed help because that's just how Ritsu was.
"I promise to repay you, Mio-sama. I have a lot of sweets and I promise a lifetime of no barnacles attacking you, I swear!"
A short pause began until the other girl spoke again.
"...Well, as long as you're not near the ocean that is..."
Mío tensed up before glaring at her phone as if she could send the death stare to her friend.
"If you're asking for help, don't promise impossible things, idiot," Mio chided.
"Hai, hai, can you come over? Pleaseeee? I sort of...fell asleep in class."
Of course I know you fell asleep, dummy. When I glanced over to see if you were paying attention, you were slumped over your desk.
"Fine, fine, but dont let it happen again, got it?" Mio bluntly stated.
"Got it, jeez dangerous queen..."
"What was that?" Mio hissed.
"N-nothing. I love Mio-sama! I'll see you soon!"
Immediately after the other girl hung up, Mio dropped her phone. Luckily for her, she wasnt too far from her desk and it landed on it.
The tall girl's heart seemed to beat rapidly once she recalled Ritsu's last words. She collapsed back onto her bed before blushing.
Idiot, I know you like me...so when are you going to make your move?
A sigh escaped Mio's lips as her phone buzzed again. She quickly stood up and went to read the message.
["Are you out yet? Stop fantasizing about my bod and get over here."]
Mio squeezed her phone as an angry nerve twitched in her forehead again.
Ritsu, if I didn't know you for so long, I swear you'd be dead by now.
~K-ON!~
Azusa scrambled around her room in search for money. The pigtailed girl smiled proudly when she finally found her piggy bank hidden underneath her bed.
It's almost Ritsu-senpai's birthday…and I have to go get her a gift. I'll do that tomorrow…
The raven-haired girl placed her piggy bank on her bed before allowing herself to collapse onto it. She breathed out a sigh before blankly staring up at the ceiling.
Her birthday was coming up next in November on the 11th and the one after that would be… Azusa tensed up and bit her lip.
Yui-senpai's birthday is on the 27th of November…
The younger girl pouted at the thought of how that would go. If Yui didn't regain her memories by then…it would be two extremely awkward parties.
I wonder if she's gone shopping for Ritsu-senpai's gift yet…maybe she'll want to come along.
Azusa bit her lip before smiling. Maybe it could be a bonding moment for the two of them and it would remind the girl of their previous relationship.
Though she was trying not to admit to the others around her, now that Yui clung to Mio and not her, she was starting to get excruciatingly lonely. It still did not help that now Jun pretended that she didn't exist. Azusa still had no idea how she would try to approach her friend, but she figured that she'd get to it when the time was right.
Hesitantly, Azusa reached over to grab her phone. She immediately flipped it open and sharply inhaled as she looked at the cracked screen.
…I should really change the background…
Azusa sadly looked at her background picture before longingly touching the cracked screen with her fingertips. Yui's bright and happy as smile as she had her arms hooked around HER and not Mio.
How did she feel about that anyway? Well, it wasn't like she didn't mind being able to walk freely without fear of an attack hug, but the thought that those moments that seemed to happen so often were suddenly gone made her heart ache.
The way that Yui was gazing at her in the picture was similar to the way that Yui gazed at Mio now, except that Yui's eyes weren't as happy now.
It almost feels a bit …forced, but I could just be imagining it.
The raven-haired girl sighed before pulling up her contacts list. It seemed to her that she always felt sad now. Life just wasn't completely okay and she had no way of changing it. Azusa glanced at Yui's name for a few seconds. Her thumb hovered over the green send button momentarily before she quickly pressed it and placed the phone against her ear.
The ringing seemed slow and never-ending as she waited for the other girl to pick up. Just when she felt like the call would drop and go to voice mail, she heard a click before a soft voice called out.
"Hello?"
Azusa felt her heart leap with joy before quickly replying,
"G-good evening, Yui-senpai."
There was a slight pause before Yui laughed.
"Ah, Azusa-Chan! I didn't know it was you, hehe. I got a new phone."
The younger girl tensed up at the news.
Right...it would make sense her to get a new phone...there were too many pictures on the old one.
Since Azusa remained silent for a while, she had almost forgotten that she was on the phone.
"Um, Azusa-chan are you still there?"
"O-oh, yeah! Sorry," Azusa nervously replied.
"Did you need something? Is everything okay?"
The raven-haired girl sadly smiled down at her lap. Of course Yui would ask her that, even though "they didn't know each other" Yui still had some sort of intuition when it came to her.
"I was just wondering if you got any for Ritsu-senpai since her birthday is in 4 days. I need to go shopping...so I wanted to know if you wanted to go with me..." Azusa softly said.
"Oh...right I need to buy a gift too, hehe, oops. Thanks for reminding me, Azusa-chan! Sure, i'll go with you! When were you planning on going?"
The raven-haired girl's eyes widened in surprise slightly as she glanced at her phone. A wave of happiness seemed to swallow her body.
"O-oh, I was going to go tomorrow after practice, actually," Azusa stated as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
The garnet-eyed girl could feel her cheeks heat up at the thought of spending quality time with the older girl alone.
"Haha okay! It's a date then, Azunyan!"
The garnet-eyed girl almost dropped her phone. Had she just said...date?
"Haha, uhmm, I mean sure! I don't know why I said that..."
Azusa bit her lip before realizing something. While she listened to Yui talk to someone in the background, she figured it most likely her parents, she replayed what Yui had said in her mind.
"It's a date, Azunyan!"
Date...
Date...
She said date... Wait...
Azunyan?
The garnet-eyed girl's eyes were wide in shock. Had she called her by her nickname or had she imagined it? Could it be.?
"Well, I have to get ready to sleep. My mom says I shouldn't be on the phone for too long!"
"Good night, Yui-senpai," Azusa murmured.
She heard Yui's soft giggle before the older girl replied.
"Good night! See you tomorrow, Azusa-chan!"
[Click.]
There it was again. Azusa-chan, not Azunyan...so she HAD imagined it.
Azusa sighed before lying down on her bed. Well, she could still look forward to bonding with Yui tomorrow.
~K-ON!~
"Oi, Azusa-chan, over here!"
The raven-haired girl turned around from the shelf that she had been looking at and glanced at Yui.
The brunette was grinning as she held up some weird doll.
"Do you think Ricchan would like this?" Yui asked.
Before Azusa got to reply, the tall girl next to Yui chimed in.
"Yui, you know Ritsu by now, she's lazy and enjoys reading manga. Maybe you should buy her some so she doesn't keep taking yours," Mio said.
Azusa glanced over at the bassist and bit her lip. When they had gone to leave practice and head over to the shopping district, Yui had told her that Mio needed to go shopping too.
"She didn't buy a gift for Ricchan either!" She had said before Mio had put a hand over her mouth because Ritsu was near them.
Ever since then, the three of them had gone to the district and Yui hadn't really left Mio's side. Not only that but the moment that she was reunited with Gitah, it had taken even longer for the three of them to set off from the school. The twin-tailed girl tried to hide her disappointment by continuously shopping, but knew that Mio had noticed. Why else would she be giving her apologetic glances?
The garnet-eyed girl turned away from the others and frowned. She examined something furry sticking out of the shelf before trying to pull it out. She almost stumbled and fell when she did, but she felt a pair of warm arms stop her from landing on her butt.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a looming guitar case and gulped.
"Be careful, Azunyan," Yui softly said as she helped her stand up normally.
"Sorry," Azusa replied before glancing at the kitty ears in her hand.
The moment that Yui noticed them, a light seemed to appear in her eyes. A smile dawned on Yui's face before she met her eyes.
"C-can I see those for a second, Azusa-chan?" Yui asked.
Azusa handed them over and felt her fingers brush Yui's palm. She shuddered momentarily before letting go of them.
Yui stared at her momentarily before carefully placing them on her head.
"Hm...cute," Yui softly said before warmly smiling at her.
Azusa felt her cheeks heat up before she watched Yui remove them. The older girl reached over to pat her head. She then adjusted the guitar strap on her shoulder and beamed.
"Azusa-chan would make a cute kitty," Yui said.
Azusa remained flabbergasted as she watched Yui turn around and walk over to Mio. She then observed as Yui plopped the ears on Mio's head and gasped.
"Mio-chan, so cute," Yui squealed before hugging the taller girl.
"A-ah, Yui, please don't do this in public," Mio said in a manner that reminded Azusa of when she used to say it.
"Azusa-chan, doesn't Mio-chan look cute?" Yui asked.
"Uhm, yes, Mio-senpai looks…cute," Azusa muttered before meeting her senpai's eyes.
In Mio's eyes, the younger girl could see that apologetic look again. As if she didn't want the attention, but received it nonetheless. Azusa shrugged and glanced away, if it couldn't helped, then it couldn't be helped.
"Ooh, Mio-chan let's go look at that store over there!" Yui playfully said as she dragged Mio along.
"Oh, we'll be back soon, then, Azusa," Mio laughed before telling Yui to slow down.
The raven-haired girl narrowed her eyes and glanced back at the shelves. She clenched her fists in order to hide her frustration before slowly inhaling and then exhaling.
There was no point in getting frustrated, she had no way of controlling the situation. Azusa glanced out the shop's window and gasped when she saw a tawny-haired figure sneaking around.
If it IS who I think it is, then she's up to no good.
~K-ON!~
"Goddamn it, just move a little to the right, lady."
"Ritsu-senpai?"
The tawny-haired girl who was wearing her school uniform turned to meet her before jumping back in shock.
"A-Azusa, what're you doing here?!" Ritsu gasped.
Azusa's eyes widened before she quickly glanced around.
"Uhm, I was...grocery shopping?" She said. The girl narrowed her eyes before asking back, "Why are YOU here?"
"Oh...okay, erm, I thought it was suspicious that Mio left early...so I sort of uhm...followed her here..." Ritsu sheepishly said. The amber-eyed girl then hissed before tugging her down. "Quick, duck before they spot us."
Well, I was with them too...but I guess she didn't see that part.
Azusa peeked over the rack and tried to see what the other girl had been talking about.
"They're by the bookshelf!"
Garnet eyes roamed the area until she spotted her targets. It wasn't that hard to spot Yui, her guitar case was a huge giveaway. It was then that Azusa saw that the brunette had her arm linked with Mio's and the two were looking down at a book and laughing.
"Going on a date before my birthday...I can't believe you, Yui," Ritsu said.
Azusa let her eyes remain on both girls before she felt her stomach clench up. They sort of did look like a couple. She then quickly shook her head to clear the incoming thoughts.
No, no, Mio-senpai and Yui-senpai are just FRIENDS. They have always been friends and will always be! Besides...it's wrong!
Azusa watched as Yui removed her spectacles and cleaned them. During that time, Mio began to examine the shelf behind her. In a few seconds, Yui quickly turned around and moved over to where Mio was.
"W-well, it's not like Yui-senpai knew you'd be here...what if they're not on a date...?" Azusa murmured, trying to convince the other girl that it wasn't true because it really wasn't.
"No, they are. I've seen the way Yui looks at her. It was only a matter of time before she snatched her up," Ritsu groaned before crawling away from the shelf.
Azusa crawled away after her, but felt childish and stood up. People were glancing at them.
"You know, somehow I doubt this is some sort of a conspiracy theory, senpai," Azusa sighed.
The tawny-haired girl suddenly smiled at her mischievously. Azusa observed the twinkle in the girl's eye before backing up nervously.
"I know how we can get revenge," Ritsu grinned.
"I don't want revenge," Azusa muttered before walking away.
"Azusa, I know that it bothers you just as much as it bothers me," Ritsu said while her smile began to falter.
"But I'm not jealous! I just-" Azusa began, but stopped as she glanced at Yui again.
The brunette had reattached herself to Mio. Even through her spectacles, Azusa could see the brightness of her eyes shining through them. The sight made her feel sick inside.
She suddenly felt a pair of hands tightly grasp her shoulders. Azusa turned to meet Ritsu, who had an angry look in her eyes.
"We could take them back, Azusa. You just have to work with me for a second," Ritsu said.
"Ritsu-senpai, I'm not jealous!" Azusa hissed as she took Ritsu's hands off of her shoulder.
The pigtailed girl turned around and began to stalk away. Ritsu remained silent for a few seconds before calling out.
"Azusa, wait, give me a second, please! Trust me!"
Azusa sighed before stopping and turning around. She didn't have time to think before Ritsu was upon her and had her hands on her shoulders again. All Azusa saw on Ritsu's face was a determined look.
"Ritsu-senpai, what're you doi-mmphm," Azusa began but was abruptly cut off.
Her garnet eyes widened in shock when she fully realized what was happening. The raven-haired girl remained frozen, a gnawing feeling began to eat away at her, and she felt her stomach clench uncomfortably.
A gasp came from her left and she moved her eyes to see who it was. She heard a soft thump before she located the source of the noise. Gitah had slightly slipped off of Yui's back and the bottom of the case had landed on the floor.
Yui and Mio were staring at her and Ritsu in shock. From where she was, Azusa could see tears gleaming in Mio's eyes and a momentary pained look on Yui's before it went blank. The girl's eyes bore into her, almost as if they wanted to pierce through her soul.
Azusa closed her eyes and felt a tear slide down her cheek. She hadn't wanted this to happen.
The feeling of Ritsu's lips pressing against hers lingered even after the girl finally pulled away.
Azusa gasped and glanced down at the ground.
She couldn't help but feel sick.
A/N: ...I have no words.
Honestly, the ending makes me feel sick too. I don't know I just feel weird now, haha. Hopefully you, uhm, enjoyed the chapter? :'D
Time for the review replies: ^_^;
Yukina Tenma: Yeah...I tried to give an update and here is another one. There are going to be a few more chapters, I sort of regained a clue as to where I was going to go with this in terms of the ending. xD Happy birthday once again ^_^
Yuzu-kun: I'm so sorry, man Dx
Animestorywriter: Woo, well hope you liked it! :D
On the Next Episode of Singing!:
It's time for the party, tension rises, mistakes are made, love is found (?).
Thanks for reading this update! :D Hope you have a nice week! ^_^
Ja ne, imuffinator. o 3o