Chapter 11
A.N.: I was so excited to finish this chapter! But it might feel like a roller coaster to some people, I don't know…
Enjoy!
As she unlocked the door to her apartment Mio wondered if her best friend was already awake.
It was past 9 AM. Her parents had taken her to the station as they left for work.
It's a wonder how they can be so supportive of this… she smiled to herself, silently making her way into the house.
She's still asleep… the bassist concluded, noticing how silent the place was. "I'll make her some breakfast," she whispered to herself.
(…)
Ritsu was awakened by something gently caressing her bangs away from her face. She looked up sluggishly to find Mio observing her with a warm smile gracing her lips.
"Were you planning on waking anytime soon? We should be heading to Mugi's in a bit."
The brunette blinked in puzzlement, sitting up and rubbing the sleep off her eyes.
"Why did you need so many pillows?" the lefty chuckled.
An uncharacteristic blush spread over the drummer's cheeks. "They kept me company…"
Mio looked down in shame, her smile disappearing. "Sorry…"
"It's fine," Ritsu frowned.
"No…" the bassist looked up again into her friend's eyes, shaking her head lightly.
They stared at each other, feeling the awkward atmosphere.
Mio sighed. "Get ready, will you? I made you breakfast," she said, retreating from the bedroom.
"Okay…" the drummer said to herself, getting up.
As it seemed, Mio was going to let her down gently.
(…)
As the bassist entered the living room to place Ritsu's breakfast on the kotatsu she saw her friend leaving the bedroom.
The drummer wore her bangs loose, and looked around the place, troubled about something.
"What are you looking for?"
"My yellow headband… I don't remember where I left it." She surveyed the living room.
"Oh… I found it on the floor, beside the TV stand." The lefty went to pick the object from one of the shelves of the bookcase over the end of the room.
"Here." She handed the headband to the drummer, who looked a bit embarrassed.
"I wonder how it ended up there…" said the brunette nonchalantly, putting on the headband and kneeling down to start on her meal.
The bassist chuckled a little, and retreated from the room. "I'll be at the kitchen."
Ritsu rolled her eyes. Does she really have to keep on avoiding me?
(…)
Ritsu found her friend leaning on the kitchen counter when she entered the room to place the used dishes on the sink. Mio looked very anxious. The brunette rolled her eyes again.
"Are you ready to go?" the bassist asked, overly eager.
The drummer stared at her friend for a moment, before sighing. "Mio, look-"
"Wait," the lefty pleaded quietly.
"What?" The brunette was startled by her friend's quick change of humor.
"Later. After practice, ok?" She looked at the shorter girl, pleadingly. I won't be able to go through practice otherwise. I'm freaked out enough as it is…
Ritsu wanted to ask why, but she kept quiet, just nodding in response. If things got any more awkward, they wouldn't be able to practice properly. And the others might start asking what was wrong.
"Let's go, then!" the brunette exclaimed.
(…)
Mio was all fidgety during their walk towards Tsumugi's apartment. It was very annoying.
Does she think I'm going to attack her, or something? the drummer thought resentfully. She tried to think about something they could chat about.
"So, were you able to finish the lyrics you started working on, yesterday?" the brunette asked casually.
"Huh?" The lefty jumped, making her friend stare exasperatedly. "Oh, that… Hmm. I-it's finished…"
"You brought it, right?"
"Yeah, it's here in Elizabeth's case…"
"Then lemme see!"
"Hmm… I really want to show you, but… Can you wait 'till after practice?" the bassist pleaded.
"Okay…" the drummer answered, bewildered.
A silent walk and a while later, and they were inside the elevator of the fancy building where Mugi lived.
Ritsu now avoided looking her friend's way, because seeing the lefty fumbling with her hands and fidgeting all the time began to bother the brunette.
The girls arrived at the blonde's apartment to be greeted warmly by their host, Azusa and Sawa-chan.
They all proceeded to wait for Yui, while catching up with their former teacher. Sawako kept complaining of how much she missed Mugi-chan's cakes.
Sometime later, after their lead guitarist had arrived, they enjoyed a very well-cooked meal, courtesy of Mugi, and chatted some more.
Yui tried to procrastinate a bit longer as they enjoyed the dessert, but her partner in crime — a.k.a. Ritsu — wasn't in the mood to help her with that, so they began practicing right after everyone was done eating.
Their playing sounded a bit rusty and off-tempo at the beginning, after so long without practicing, but after a few songs and tips from Sawa-chan, they found their synchrony again.
(…)
After playing their entire repertoire and repeating a few songs, they decided it was enough practice for the day, when the afternoon was turning to evening. Sawako had left after the tea break, a couple hours before.
Mio was feeling super anxious.
As Azusa, Mugi and Yui retreated to the dining room of the keyboardist's spacious apartment, and Ritsu lagged on the drum stool to dry the sweat off her face with a small hand towel, the bassist approached the brunette behind the drum set.
The lefty held out a neatly folded piece of paper, and waited until her friend acknowledged her presence.
The drummer was slightly startled by Mio's appearance right beside her, and looked up in confusion at the taller girl. "What?"
"Here… The, hmm…" she gulped. "Well, the thing I wrote yesterday," the lefty flushed pink, thrusting the paper in front of Ritsu's face.
"Okay-" the brunette blinked in surprise. The moment she took the paper from Mio's hand, the girl took off from the room in a hurry, almost tripping over the threshold. "What the…"
Ritsu stood up from behind the drums and followed after her friend. She then leaned on the studio's door frame, from where she could see the rest of the band sitting at the table on the dining room. Mugi was already serving some more tea and snacks, and the two guitarists were saying something about Ton-chan.
Mio sat rigidly, staring intently at her hands clasped tightly on the table. Her deep blush was visible from a distance.
Ritsu frowned, unfolding the paper her friend had given her. What's so urgent about these lyrics? she wondered, and began reading.
.
As we walk around in the park
And the wind ruffles your chestnut colored hair
I wish I could run my hands through it
Is it as soft as it looks?
Softer than silk, I wonder…
.
As you eat your strawberry ice-cream
And it melts in your cherry red lips
I wish I could taste them
Are they as sweet as they seem?
Sweeter than chocolate, I wonder…
.
As the day becomes night
And we look up at the starry night sky
I wish I could drown in your golden eyes
Are they as deep as I think?
Deeper than the hole in my chest,
When you say goodbye…
.
And I hope…
.
As I get ready to sleep
And you sing a lullaby to me
I wish I could hear you say "I love you"
It would be wonderful, I'm sure
Better than in my dreams.
.
The drummer re-read the text over and over. Her heart was beating so wildly she would bet the others could hear it.
She stared at the paper, her hands shaking. Was it really possible? Were those words directed at her?
She looked up at Mio's face, and the emotion showing in her friend's eyes answered all her doubts.
Mugi's voice brought her out of her stupor. "Ricchan, did you listen?"
"Huh, what?" she asked, thoroughly dazed.
"I asked if you and Mio-chan wouldn't stay and spend the night with us, as Azusa-chan and Yui-chan already decided to sleep over. We want to practice some more tomorrow. And we can have a pajama party!" the blonde explained excitedly.
Ritsu looked over her friends' expectant faces. Mio looked a bit sick from all the anticipation, as she stared with wide eyes at the brunette.
The drummer tore her gaze from the bassist's eyes, again with some difficulty, and turned to Tsumugi.
"Sorry, Mugi. Mio and I have some problems to solve. But we'll be here tomorrow," she apologized, marching over to the table and grabbing one of Mio's hands, as she pulled the lefty up. The shy girl squeaked a little.
"Oh, such a pity. Be sure to come over for lunch, then!" the polite keyboardist said.
"Yeah, Ricchan! We'll have okonomiyaki!" exclaimed Yui, and then she got back to stuffing her face with cake.
"Yui-senpai, don't eat so fast, it's not healthy! And you shouldn't affirm things like that when you're not in your house," chastised Azusa.
"Bye, guys! See ya tomorrow!" said the drummer quickly, dragging her black-haired friend.
"Bye!" she heard the others bidding, as she left with the bassist, only pausing at the entrance to snatch their purses from the hanger.
(…)
Mio looked ready to spontaneously combust, so red she was. But she didn't let go of Ritsu's hand.
The brunette patted her foot impatiently, waiting for the traffic light to give passage to the pedestrians.
She bit hard on her bottom lip, to keep from smiling. With the way Mio was acting, she thought it was best to try and keep serious.
"Oh, come on!" the drummer huffed.
"Will you calm down? It's really freaking me out!" the bassist exclaimed in a constricted voice.
"Sorry!" Ritsu said, a bit disoriented, turning to her friend with her eyes wide.
Mio breathed deeply, with her eyes closed, trying to calm herself down. The brunette just waited for her friend's relaxing process to end.
Then the lefty chortled. "You made me forget Elizabeth."
The drummer sweat dropped. "You'd have to bring it tomorrow anyway…"
"Oh, well…"
"Why are you so nervous?" asked Ritsu, with a teasing grin.
"Because…" the bassist mumbled, not looking her friend in the eyes.
"Come on! Seriously…?" the brunette's smile turned gentle.
Mio sighed, and finally met Ritsu's eyes. "I don't know…"
They stared at each other intently for a while.
"I'm sorry," the lefty said softly.
"What for?" the drummer chuckled.
"For making you wait."
Ritsu grew serious, matching the look on her friend's face. "You're here now," she said softly, thinking that her words were overly cliché.
Mio blushed lightly, and pulled her friend in for a tight hug.
"H-hey!" the shorter girl cried in surprise, but quickly melted into her friend's arms, returning the hug.
"Huh. The light's red again…" the brunette mumbled into the other girl's shoulder, who just giggled.
(…)
"Ricchan said there was a problem… Do you think it's something serious?" wondered a concerned Tsumugi.
"Mio-chan was acting funny," stated Yui, propping her chin on her index finger, as if in deep thought. That fact had been so obvious that even the air-headed guitarist had noticed.
"Do you think we should ask tomorrow? If it was something urgent, they would have told us, surely?" worried their youngest band member.
"Hmm… I think they'll tell us if they want to. Let's just be ready to be of support if they need," smiled Mugi.
"Huh… Being together like that must have its ups and downs… It sounds like a grown-up's issue!" giggled Yui, talking as if to herself.
"Together like that?" The other two sweatdropped, Mugi with an awkward smile and Azusa with her eyes wide.
"Yeah," blinked Yui, slightly confused. "Living together, and sharing everything, and stuff, right?" she stated her logic.
"Ohh~, right…" The blonde and the kouhai sighed.
(…)
Mio felt a light sense of déjà vu as Ritsu fumbled with the keys to unlock their door and she clutched the back of the brunette's shirt.
But the heavy anticipation didn't let her think about anything else but the fact that in a moment they would be alone, together, in the privacy of their apartment. After having "confessed".
Oh, god… Oh, god… The lefty sensed what should logically come next. Their first- No, no, no! I'm going to ruin it! I don't know what to do! She started hyperventilating, when the drummer pulled them inside, closed the door and proceeded to remove her shoes.
She observed her friend's movements, rooted to the spot. Her throat worked as she gulped repeatedly.
The bassist started when the brunette slowly straightened up. She tore off her shoes, dropped her purse on the ground, and marched towards the kitchen.
"Hey! What are you doing?" questioned the perplexed drummer, seeing her friend stumbling through the corridor.
"I-I need some water! D-d-do you want something?" the bassist exclaimed, wide eyed.
Ritsu's eyes narrowed. "You're running away from me, aren't you?"
"Yes," breathed Mio, turning to the kitchen.
The brunette sweatdropped, staring in disbelief. Then she sighed, calling to the kitchen "Water is fine!"
Ritsu picked up her friend's discarded purse from the ground, shaking her head to herself.
She entered the living room and placed their purses beside the kotatsu, sitting down on one of the flat cushions and leaning over the wooden surface, resting her head over crossed arms.
The drummer waited, staring at the entrance to the room, from where Mio took a while to appear, with the glasses of water in hand. She looked recomposed.
The brunette refrained from smirking, as she lifted up her head.
Mio placed their drinks on the kotatsu and sat across from the shorter girl, who rolled her eyes in impatience and lifted herself up, just to drop back down at the unmoving bassist's right side.
The lefty sipped the water slowly, holding her glass with both hands and keeping a very rigid and straight posture. Ritsu downed hers quickly, and proceeded to rummage through her purse.
The taller girl watched from the corner of her eyes as her friend picked a slightly crumpled piece of paper from her bag and read it, a huge smile blooming on her face.
"So, can I keep this?" the brunette asked, expectantly.
Mio blinked and turned to her friend, taken off guard. "Of course… I wrote it for you," she mumbled, blushing brightly.
Wow. That was direct. The drummer stared in awe.
Ritsu inched closer, slowly. "Yeah, I reckoned you wouldn't want to turn those into lyrics…" she chuckled.
Mio placed her half full glass on the kotatsu and turned to the brunette, propping her right arm on the tatami. The motion brought the girls' faces on the same level.
"Don't even dream about it! It's too personal… And embarrassing…" she mumbled, looking down.
"Why is it embarrassing?" laughed the drummer, boldly covering her friend's hand on the floor with her own.
"It's absurdly cheesy!" explained the lefty, lifting her eyes back to the drummer's face.
"I loved it," whispered Ritsu, closing the rest of the distance and resting their foreheads together.
Mio released a shaky sigh, closing her eyes.
The drummer followed suit, and their noses lightly brushed as she turned her head a little, to find the right angle.
Just as their lips were grazing, the moment was completely ruined as Ritsu's cell phone started to ring loudly inside her purse.
Thoroughly startled, Mio retreated from her friend, turning to the opposite side and hiding her face in her hands.
Ritsu let her forehead pound onto the kotatsu, exclaiming through gritted teeth "I'll kill whoever the hell-"
"Just answer it, already!" told the lefty, standing up and picking their glasses from the short table, while the brunette's phone kept on blasting.
"Where are you going?" demanded the drummer.
"I'll take these to the kitchen. Answer your phone." The bassist practically bolted from the room.
Ritsu groaned, snatching her phone from inside the bag and answering it. "What!"
"Hey, Nee-chan! Wait… What's with the bad mood?" she heard her younger brother's voice on the other side.
"You were the one who ruined the mood!" she yelled.
"Eh! What?"
"Just say what you want, Satoshi!" the drummer lowered her voice, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Hmm… Well, I was just wondering if you didn't take one of the mangas you had borrowed to your new place… I was looking for them today, and couldn't find a few titles."
"I didn't bring any of your stuff. Couldn't you have lent them to a friend or something?" she asked dryly.
"Oh… Maybe… I'll check that then. Sorry." Satoshi sounded embarrassed.
The brunette just ended the call, without answering.
"That wasn't very nice to your brother." Mio returned to the room, fumbling with her hands.
"It's his own fault for having such lousy timing…" she rolled her eyes.
The lefty chuckled, heading to the bathroom.
"What now?" The brunette shot her a pointed look.
"I'll just take a quick bath…" The bassist avoided her friend's eyes, entering the other room and closing the door after her.
"Great…" Ritsu huffed, going towards the TV stand and picking up the remote.
Mio's baths were never quick.
(…)
Ritsu sweatdropped as the bassist dashed from the bathroom towards their bedroom, clad only in a towel, and quickly shut the door.
"I'm not going to pull your towel, you know?" the drummer said loudly, rolling her eyes.
"Baka!" was the muffled reply that came from the bedroom.
The brunette snickered and turned off the TV. She then picked up her phone from the kotatsu's top — she felt guilty for taking her frustration out on her brother.
'Sorry 'bout that earlier. U caught me in a critical situation. xP ~Ritsu' she sent the message to Satoshi.
The reply arrived quickly 'No worries. What happened? ~Satoshi'
The drummer sighed. She would obviously not tell anything to her brother… She and Mio hadn't yet talked things through, and she didn't know how the bassist felt about sharing these matters with anyone.
'Long story. Good Night. ~Ritsu' she sent, preferring not to lie either.
'Ok. U tell me another time. 'Night. ~Satoshi.'
The brunette slid her phone shut, and looked around herself. Mio was taking too long.
She stood up and moved towards the bedroom door, knocking gently. "Are you decent in there?"
"Yeah, baka. Come in," was the annoyed reply.
Ritsu slid the door open. "As if I've never seen you naked before," she teased. And then halted on the threshold.
Mio was lying under the covers of her futon.
"You're not really thinking about going to sleep now, are you?" the brunette demanded.
"Do you have any better ideas?" the bassist asked innocently, covered up to her nose.
"As a matter of fact, I do, if you would just quit trying to avoid me!" Ritsu exclaimed.
The lefty tried to cover a snort. "I wasn't going to sleep. Seriously." She sat up, pushing the covers from herself. She wore a pink tank-top and white shorts.
The drummer narrowed her eyes, although she liked the view her friend provided.
"Go take your bath. And we'll talk afterwards," suggested the bassist.
Ritsu stared suspiciously at her friend, before grinning lopsidedly. "Are you sure you won't be faking sleep when I return?"
Mio shot her an angry look. "Ritsu, do you want me to kiss you, or to punch you?" she asked through gritted teeth, blushing.
"Oh, but you know the answer!" the drummer laughed, retreating from the bedroom and going towards the bathroom.
The bassist sighed in annoyance — at herself more than at the drummer. She lifted herself up from the futon and moved towards the living room, after a while.
She felt silly. They knew each other's feelings now, even if they hadn't exactly said them directly. They both wanted the same thing. What was the bassist so scared of?
It's not like she has any experience either. We'll be both learning together, she thought, pacing the living room.
Geez… I make it seem like we're already going to… Huh… The lefty blushed, gulping nervously.
I want this. She wants this. There's no mystery! she concluded, closing her eyes and breathing deeply a few times.
The lefty turned abruptly, when she heard the bathroom door opening and her friend stepping out, wrapped in a towel and with her long bangs tied above her head. Wow, she was quick.
The girls stared at each other for a brief moment, before Mio marched towards the brunette, who was taken by surprise as her friend pulled their bodies together and brought their faces dangerously close as their noses brushed.
But the bassist's courage ran out at the last moment, and she closed her eyes and waited for her friend to make the next move.
So cute… Ritsu smiled at the bassist's absurdly anxious expression, before capturing Mio's lips for the first time.
It started out very timidly, with their dry lips brushing tentatively. The lefty relaxed in her friend's embrace, as the brunette's arms encircled her neck.
Mio deepened the kiss, sweeping her tongue softly over the shorter girl's lips, and feeling Ritsu's clean scent permeate her senses. She snaked her arms around the drummer's waist, pressing the girl even closer against herself, when their tongues glided together.
Ritsu was overwhelmed by the softness and the warmth of her best friend's now moist lips. Her heart was beating so wildly, she thought it would burst through her chest. The minty taste enticed her, as she applied gentle suction to Mio's bottom lip, lightly caressing it with her tongue before ending the kiss.
The bassist nuzzled the other girl's neck, placing a soft peck under her earlobe. She sighed in contentment. Nothing ever felt so right.
This is so perfect, the drummer thought, with a huge smile plastered on her face. She felt the lefty's hands moving slowly over her back, through the rough fabric of the towel, and couldn't help teasing, "You're not being very subtle, if you're trying to get me naked."
The bassist sighed again against her friend's skin, this time in exasperation. "Yes, Ritsu. Ruin the mood."
The brunette snickered as her friend lifted her face to shoot her an annoyed glare. Which didn't last long, as a shy smile dominated her features soon enough.
"Oh, is Mio-chuan nervous?" the drummer asked, mischievously.
"Just keep on teasing…" challenged the lefty, pressing their foreheads together.
"Or what?" Ritsu whispered, already closing her eyes as she expected another kiss.
Mio suddenly let go of the brunette, taking a step backwards.
The shorter girl had no time to react, as her towel dropped to the ground and she felt the bassist encircling her now naked body again. She just stared, her mouth agape, as her friend sported the naughtiest smile she had ever seen on the lefty's face.
"Mio, you're starting to scare me…" she chuckled, still quite shocked.
"Oh, shut up…" the taller girl whispered, bringing her friend's face in for another kiss.
The lefty marveled at the smoothness of Ritsu's skin, as she caressed the brunette's back.
The drummer could barely contain the moan that escaped her throat, sensing the bassist taking the lead in their making out. She was abruptly reminded of her most intimate dreams.
"You should get dressed," said Mio breathily, interrupting their heated kiss.
"Whose fault is that?" laughed Ritsu, with a heavy blush covering her cheeks.
The bassist narrowed her eyes, and quickly knelt down, to retrieve the drummer's towel from the ground. The brunette became rigidly motionless with a sharp intake of breath, as Mio's face almost leveled with her private parts.
The taller girl slowly straightened up, her nose a mere inch from Ritsu's body on the way up.
She then proceeded to cover the drummer's body with the towel, facing her with slightly raised brows.
"D-don't do that again, p-please," begged the shorter girl, feeling dizzy.
"Oh, did that bother you?" The lefty's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and mild embarrassment. "It was payback for all of your teasing…" she averted her eyes.
The brunette's eyes widened. "I didn't provoke you!" she laughed a bit. "Actually… That just now was sexual harassment."
"You don't even know what you're talking about…" the bassist rolled her eyes, stepping away from her friend. "Go get dressed."
"And you'll wait here?" the drummer snorted in disbelief as her friend shrugged. "What's the point? You just ogled me all over!" She moved towards their bedroom, barely holding her towel in place.
Mio's face was aflame as she followed her friend inside the other room.
(…)
The bassist knelt in front of the window in their bedroom, observing the small park in the distance. With the curtains open, the artificial light coming from the street below provided enough illumination so their bedroom wouldn't be completely dark and they didn't have to turn on the lights.
Ritsu finished getting dressed — she wore a very loose yellow shirt, light blue shorts and her bangs down — and sat beside Mio, nudging her shoulder.
The lefty immediately turned red again, and avoided her friend's eyes.
"Oh, come on! Now you're getting shy? It's a bit late for that, huh?" she laughed softly.
Mio turned to the drummer, still feeling very embarrassed. "I don't know what possessed me…" she mumbled.
"Oh, no! Don't you dare apologize! I didn't mind it at all!" the brunette explained hurriedly. "It's actually very nice knowing that you have it in you to be so bold…" she chuckled.
The lefty hid her face in her hands, and shook her head profusely.
"Hey! Look at me." Ritsu gently pried her friend's hands away from her face. "We still haven't talked about this."
The bassist finally looked in her friend's eyes, holding the brunette's hands in her bigger ones.
Ritsu leaned tentatively towards the taller girl, who took the cue and closed the distance. The kiss was short and sweet, but had the effect the drummer wanted, eliciting a shy smile from her friend's lips. She took a moment afterwards to admire their interlaced fingers and gather her thoughts.
"It seems to me like you just found out about these feelings…" she murmured shyly, to which the bassist lightly shook her head, making Ritsu frown. "I mean… With the way you reacted on Thursday… I was honestly ready to take rejection," she chuckled humorlessly.
Mio sighed. "I was a real coward, Ritsu. You took me by surprise, and I didn't want to risk believing you weren't joking. I almost kissed you then and there, when you said it was the only thing left. But I was too scared. I'm still too scared…" she smiled ruefully.
"Scared of what? Isn't it more than obvious now that I-" she gulped. "That I love you this way too?" the brunette asked in confusion, flushing brightly from the confession.
The lefty smiled openly at her friend's words, her eyes swimming with emotion. "I love you too, Ritsu. But you not feeling the same wasn't exactly my biggest fear, because I knew you'd always love me as a friend anyway." She let out a heavy breath as the drummer waited for further explanation. "I wasted a long time trying to deny these feelings. But they are so strong… I was scared of letting them dominate me, of wanting you so badly that I would end up changing our friendship somehow…"
Ritsu blinked in awe, taken off guard by how passionate the bassist seemed to be about her. "How long have you felt this way?" she asked in curious wonder.
"Counting the long time in denial? Since right after we graduated from Junior High…" the lefty mumbled shyly.
The drummer gaped. "Even before I- Wow! Really?" she grinned. "That's it, Mio. We're really meant to be."
The bassist laughed. She had to agree with that. "Since when do you… you know?"
"When we started the Light Music Club. Before Yui joined. I noticed it bothered me a lot when you stopped being all clingy. But now some things start making sense." The drummer shook her head in amusement.
"I know I don't really have the right to ask, but why didn't you say anything? Why did it take you so long to start showing some signs?"
"You have all the right to ask, Mio… My fears were just as irrational as yours, as it seems," Ritsu laughed softly. "I thought it would ruin everything. I didn't know how you thought about these matters. So, how could I be sure you wouldn't hate me for it?"
"I could never hate you," Mio said seriously.
"I know that now," the brunette smiled, tightening the hold on her friend's hands for a moment. "Why all the denial, though? Didn't you want to be…?" she left the rest of the question hanging, trusting her friend would understand.
"Lesbian?" the lefty completed, unblinking. Ritsu, on the other hand, flinched slightly. "No, that wasn't the problem. It was just the fear of losing you…" she frowned. "My parents were always telling me that true love is blind and endures everything, and it made sense in an important way."
The drummer stared in amazement, until she realized a detail. "Your parents know?"
Mio bit her lip. "Yes. Did you want to keep it a secret?"
"Mine know too," the brunette dismissed her friend's worry.
"Wow. This simplifies things, don't you think?" the lefty smiled.
"They're not actually pleased about it, you know?" Ritsu said in displeasure.
"They gave you trouble for it?" worried the taller girl.
"No, it's not that. They're not unsupportive, but I know they don't really like it," the shorter explained.
"Oh, well. You should try to understand where they come from with that, right? I know this doesn't exactly bring joy to my parents either, but they respect my happiness."
"Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't want them to be happy about it, when the support is enough," the brunette sighed.
Mio let go of one of Ritsu's hands to stifle a yawn.
"Sleepy already?" the drummer chuckled, pulling the bassist up from the ground as she stood up and proceeded to shut the curtains.
"It was a long day, don't you agree?" The lefty blushed lightly, as her best friend tugged her down to lay on the futon prepared on the floor. They snuggled very close, their faces inches apart.
"It was a great day," Ritsu whispered, closing the remaining distance.
They kissed softly a few times, until Mio felt the drummer's lips twisting into a smile.
"What?" she asked very softly.
"Would you do something for me?" The drummer sounded amused.
"Anything," was the serious answer.
"Don't hold yourself back anymore."
A.N: This chapter was so difficult to make x.X I wanted it to be perfect… But I liked the result. Now, I want to know the readers' opinions XD~~
I suck at poetry, period. That message to Ritsu was actually the first time I ever tried to make something resembling poetry x.X I just thought it was a good way to get into Mio's character…
I hope the end of the chapter wasn't boring to some people. I thought the girls really needed to talk.
BTW, I absolutely love your reviews XD~~ They're always amusing me and cheering me on. And giving good advice, too. Thanks for that!
R&R?
P.S.: It's not over yet…
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Edited by: Shima Harawa.