Yo! I'm very sorry for the LATE UPDATE! X(

Gosh! I'm just so busy… coz, I want to graduate so badly! T,T even if it means leaving on a hiatus in FF.

I'm just notifying you guys... just in case… :)

BTW, Time Spirit is on going :)

Thank you for supporting my stories though~! :D

On with the story! :))

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters aside from the story.

Chapter 11: Daunted

"R-Ritsu?" Mio called.

"Hmm… What is it Mio?" Ritsu turned around and face Mio with a smile on her face.

"U-Uhmm…" Mio diverted her gaze and constantly fidgeting and scratching her hands in nervousness.

"Are you okay?" Ritsu touched her forehead which made Mio burst in red.

"I-I'm okay~!" She stammered. Mio took a step backward to be able to breath.

"What are you going to say then?"

"P-Please don't get mad!"

"Why would I? Well, don't worry." Ritsu gave a reassuring smile. After seeing Mio relaxed, she asked her again. "So, what are you going to say then?"

"R-Ritsu… I really want to say this to you for so long, yet I don't have any chance." Mio's voice croaked, tears are starting to escape from her delicate stormy grey eyes. She took a deep breath and a lot of courage to look straight into Ritsu's amber ones.

Ritsu looked back directly into Mio's eyes as well.

"I…I…I"

"You…?"

"I…I LOVE YOU RITSU~!" Mio exclaimed. She squinted her eyes while confessing, tears slipped out.

Hearing silence, Mio wiped away her tears and finds Ritsu staring at her with no emotions.

"R-Ritsu?" she tried reaching for Ritsu but her hand was slapped away.

"You're disgusting Mio…" Ritsu took a step backward before turning around and started to walk away, but before she leave, "…Don't come near me... I'm having Goosebumps seeing you." She then continued to walk away and disappeared out of sight.

'NO~! What have I done…?' Mio's heart shattered into pieces. She could hear it slowly breaking inside. Tears can't stop spilling out from her eyes.

"Mio!"

Mio shot her head up and kept her head turned looking for the source.

"Mio!"

She still kept searching, yet she can't find the owner of the voice.

"MIO!"

Mio shot her eyes wide open, it was just only dream. Now she's currently staring at the owner of the voice who just called her.

"Thank God you're awake." Ritsu sighed.

Mio sat up, she then felt herself covered in sweat. 'Thank God, it was just a nightmare.' She wiped some sweat away.

"You're having a nightmare. I'm so worried of you, you know that?" Ritsu smiled.

"…I'm…s-sorry~"

"Why are you apologizing?" Ritsu patted her head, "Come on, and get up. You're soaking in sweat." She lightly chuckled. "What are you dreaming anyway?" Ritsu asked while wiping some sweats away from Mio's face.

"…Y-You left me" Mio bowed her head again to avoid any eye contact.

"That's silly…" Ritsu chuckled, "I won't leave you~! And I am sure of that!" she then gave a grin.

Ritsu was then taken aback by Mio's sudden actions. Her eyes went wide as Mio crushed her lips to Ritsu's. As Mio pulled away, it's clear in her point of view of what Ritsu's reaction was.

"What was that…?" Ritsu asked, still entranced by the event that happened.

"I-I-I'm sorry~!" she looked away out of embarrassment.

Suddenly, Mio was then yanked towards the latter and felt again the lips that she just took a moment ago.

'What is happening…?! She just kissed me back!' she blushed deeply and froze.

As Ritsu pulled away, Mio is staring onto space.

"Oy, Mio?" Ritsu shook Mio's body, "Oy… Mattaku~ Mio…?!"

"Mio!"

'I can hear Ritsu yelling my name… but I'm so overwhelmed of what she just did.' Mio drifted away from her thoughts, blushing like mad. More likely like a drunken Mio.

"Mio!"

"…I can't believe you did that Ritsu." Still blushing and has a daze look.

"…Did what?" Ritsu cocked an eyebrow and stared curiously at Mio.

Mio shot herself up, eyes wide open and panicked like a freak.

'Oh no~!' the sweats rolling on her pale appearance went into a race. 'That was just a dream?'

"Are you okay?"

Mio didn't speak, instead she just nodded furiously.

"O…kay? Ya sure?" Ritsu furrowed her brows, still not sure whether the latter is alright.

"I'm fine Ritsu." Mio sighed heavily. 'What a dream.'

Ritsu glanced, "Alright, well… get—" Ritsu's words faded and stared at Mio's chest. Her face immediately went inflamed and looked away.

"What are you—" Mio followed Ritsu's gaze, "BAKA!"

"Ow~! Sorry Mio." While aiding her head, she then hurriedly stood up, "You better get change. We're going to be late." Ritsu managed to say before closing the door.

Mio sighed again, still the fine red lines on her face hasn't yet decreased.

"That was a heart pounding moment. She just looked at my..." she looked down onto her opened button and instantly covers it with her arm.

"Better take a bath."

As she went down the stairs, Mio noticed that there are foreigners waiting by the door who're wearing a black suit and a pair of sunglasses.

"Oy, Mio? Come on!"

She then hurried climbed down the stairs and pulled Ritsu in the living room.

"Why there are bodyguards here Ritsu?" Mio whispered.

A big sighed came out from the latter, "Well, Mugi wants me to be treated like her… it's kinda tiring having them around." She shrugged.

"Why don't you tell that to Mugi?"

"I tried… but she's so stubborn."

Before Mio could ask, one guard approached.

"Master, Akiyama-san you both are about to be late."

Ritsu and Mio looked at each other, before following the guard.

At school, Ritsu is in deep thought thinking how to confess to Mio without the guards ogling at them.

'Tsk… such a nuisance…' she mentally deadpanned.

Taking her seat, she then noticed Mugi is coming towards her direction.

"Ricchan~ I'm glad to see you." Mugi gave a sweet smile before hugging her. Ritsu's eyebrow twitched after she noticed some silent glares like dagger hitting at them. Mugi then pulled away.

"Ahh…" What a dry response.

"Okay everyone~! Take your seat, we're about to start."

While the class is still on going, Ritsu kept passing notes to Mio. Glad Mugi sat at the next coulomb and doesn't have to worry about passing it onto her.

~Mio! Do you have any errands after our class this afternoon?~

Ritsu impatiently tap her pen on her notebook waiting for the reply. Moments later, she felt a poke on her back. Glancing at the poker, she then noticed that a note is passed onto her. She then read it.

~No, why?~

She hurriedly replied, ~Ah… Great! Mind coming with me to the city? I'm buying something.~

~sure~

Ritsu mentally rejoice, 'Yes! I'll confess to her later when we'll be taking our dinner at a restaurant.' But then her thoughts were interrupted when she felt another poke on her back. After glancing, she then took the note her classmate is holding.

~Will you please listen to the teacher? And stop spacing out, will you?! …or else, I'll throw this notebook of mine straight to your head! T,T

After reading the note, her sweat stopped rolling down onto her face.

'Better follow instructions…'

After school, the light club music has done practicing and is about to head home.

Mugi kissed Ritsu on the cheeks before letting her go, "Bye Ricchan! Mio-chan! Take care." She smiled and waved at them before taking the opposite road.

Upon turning their back at the latter, Ritsu hurriedly wiped off some lip gloss mark that is left on her cheeks.

'Eehh… She doesn't need to do that.'

Mio on the other hand is also busy with her own contemplations.

'Does she really need to kiss Ritsu?' her brows twitched, 'Well, I know they're together… and it's just on the cheeks but…' She then burst inwardly.

"Oy, Mio? Are you listening?" Ritsu called, making her snapped back to reality.

"Ah—huh? Sorry, what are you saying again?"

"Geez… I said, after buying the thing that I need I'll treat you for dinner."

"Ahh, is that so? ... Are you asking me out on a date?"

A moment of silence passed by, Mio just realized what she had said. Her eyes widen, sweats are now on a race down to her neck and she then had another uncomfortable moment.

'Oh my God? What did I just say?!'

Right now, she wants to run ahead and hide at some dark alley. She doesn't care anymore of how dark it is, as long as she'll be hidden from Ritsu.

She then tried breaking the awkwardness in the air that is in between them, "Ah… I'm just—"

"That a good idea!"

Surprised at what Ritsu had just said, she turns her gaze sideways and met a familiar grin. "Excuse me?"

"Well, I said it's a good idea since it's really like a date." Ritsu chuckled, "No harm Mio. Relax." She then gave a cheeky smile.

Mio on the other hand is bewildered by Ritsu's sudden alteration of brashness.

'Am I hearing things right?'

While Mio is in deep thought, Ritsu has her own world as well.

'God, that was close!' she breathed rapidly to replace all the loss oxygen from her overworked brain. 'I know that was just a joke… but it did make me happy, even just for a sec.' Ritsu then smiled secretly.

Both of them are in an abyssal thinking. Still, they continued to their destination.

"So, what have you bought?" Mio asked while looking at the streets waiting for Ritsu to answer.

"Ahh… Here!"

As Mio glanced, her sweat dropped after seeing the object the latter is holding.

"A hair band? …again?"

"Yeah!" she grinned and scratched the back of her head.

As they started to walk, Ritsu kept glancing at their back. 'Ughh… They're still following!'

"So, where are we going next? Do you still have something to buy?"

"Huh… Oh~ No, nothing. I'm… I'm going to treat you for coming with me today." She then smiled coyly. "But before that…" Ritsu grabbed Mio's hand and started pulling her, gesturing to run. Mio was stunned, her cheeks were automatically accommodated with blushes because of the unexpected interaction, and was about to yank her hand away.

"What are you—"

"As one advertisement of a shampoo says, 'Tresmmé'… Get it?" Ritsu gave a humored grin before Mio gave in and followed her move.

They ran fast and turned to a corner. One of the guards then hurriedly followed; as the followers turned to the corner they are already gone.

The head guard pulled out his walkie talkie, "Master and Akiyama-san are out of my sight! Find them or else Ojou-sama will have our head!"

"Ritsu! Where are we exactly going?" Mio asked while still being pulled by Ritsu.

"I don't know…" Ritsu chuckled while scratching the back of her head.

"Baka~!" Mio yanked her hand away. As she snatched her hand back, she automatically felt her heart ache. "W-Why are we running anyway?" she then straightened herself up.

"Oh, I'm just kinda annoyed by those guards." Ritsu complied while wiping away some sweats on her face.

Mio on the other hand stared at her without noticing, 'Ritsu looked…' as Ritsu's head started to swing towards her, she directly diverts her gaze.

"So, come on?" Ritsu pulled her hand, facing the current direction. A smile covers her façade, reassuring the baffled latter.

'It's hard to tell her when she's this so kind.' She clenched her jaw in guilt. 'This is so hard~!' in either way, she still let herself get pulled by Ritsu. But she's somewhat happy with their little intimate contact.

"So, how was the food?" Ritsu asked with a big grin on her face.

Mio wiped her mouth with a napkin, "It's good…" giving a smile.

'Here's my chance! Oh God…' Ritsu inhaled deeply before giving a big sighed. 'Now I'm nervous~' cold sweats are starting to roll onto her face.

"Uhh… Mio?" calling Mio's attention who's currently distracted by the band playing mellow on stage. Being successful, she then cleared her throat to ease some of her nervousness.

"What is it?"

Ritsu is clenching and unclenching her hands, "U-Uh..." 'This is it! There's no turning back~'

"Are you okay Ritsu?" Mio then gave a worried look which makes Ritsu's nervousness grow bigger.

'NOOO~! Don't give me that face! It's such an energy drainer.' She gulped, "Okay… Uhmm…" Ritsu tried to make an eye contact, but barely.

Mio's stare makes it more difficult for Ritsu to confess.

"I'm just gonna say this quickly…" Ritsu started to blush, which is an odd sight since it's rare to see her getting flustered.

"What is it then?" 'Is Ritsu sick?' eying her bestfriend with curiosity.

"Mio, I~" "Master! Akiyama-san! We've been looking all over for you." The head guard called out from the diner's entrance which startled the other costumers and glanced at Ritsu and Mio with curiosity to know who their 'Master' is.

The latter face palm and curse under her breath, 'Tch! I hate this necklace~! Damn that old man…'

While the guards are slowly approaching, Mio asked Ritsu for what is she about to say.

"Huh—Oh? Nevermind… forget it…" she gave a cheeky grin and scratched the back of her head.

Mio arched an eyebrow and got bewildered; she looked at Ritsu who is exchanging words to the head guard. She just felt that Ritsu was about to say 'I love you.' Mio felt her cheeks getting hot, she automatically looked away to diminish her cursed blushes.

'That's impossible! Mio, stop assuming! Maybe that's about homework again.' She then bit her lip in the process.

"Oy, Mio? Did you hear what I just said?" Ritsu stop waving her hand when she caught Mio's attention.

"O-Oh! W-What are you saying again?" she thanked God that her blushes declined.

"Mattaku…" she sighed, "That's so not you, ya know?"

Mio blinked out of confusion, "Huh? What are you talking about?" raising an eyebrow.

Deadpanned, "Seriously?" she sighed again. "I just said that, we're going home since it's getting late."

"Oh…"

"Come on~"

Ritsu yanked Mio with too much force. Now, their faces are just an inch away from each other. Mio's blushes came back, but now it's much darker because of Ritsu's smile and stare. Her heart skipped a beat. But little does Mio know that beneath those calm and cool manners Ritsu presented, has a heart that is about to jumped out of her rib cage.

'Oh God! We're too close!' Ritsu and Mio thought of the same thing.

"Let's go…" Ritsu pulled Mio, 'That was close… I have almost done something stupid to Mio.'

Since Mio is already facing her back, Ritsu's sweat rolled out of her face. And so does Mio's.

'I'll make a plan.' Ritsu smirked with her own idea.

They then proceed getting inside the black limo.

...to be continued!

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God bless ü