Lunch started off with what most would describe as a hell of a bang. Mio didn't even know what happened, it happened so quick she didn't even see it coming before the entire event had unfolded. She had arrived early to lunch with Mugi, Ritsu was obviously off doing something else, maybe getting a bit of food from the cafeteria or checking up with a teacher, so the two ate.
They had some casual conversation, Mio steered clear of even thinking about Ritsu, though she knew that Mugi could tell something was up. She had no idea what was going on behind the scenes with the golden haired girl, but she couldn't forget the phone call she had made on Saturday. And she was more than sure Mugi hadn't, she seemed different to Mio, slightly more happy than usual.
That phone call had been tough for Mio, but without that, she didn't think she would be where she was now. Definitely not willing open to tell Nodoka what she had told her, and she probably wouldn't have had the confidence to do a lot of things. Giving Ritsu that hug, or sitting next to her in philosophy... all of those took a lot of guts, but she was just following the advice that both Mugi and Nodoka had been giving her all along.
It wasn't awkward; conversation flowed between the two of them, Mio was actually happy to be spending a little time with Tsumugi, something she hadn't had a chance to do... ever. Mugi was as intelligent as she remembered, if not a little ditsy when it came to street smarts, but as smart as a whip. Mio was grateful to her, but she had no way of saying so without making the situation between them incredibly awkward. But, that wasn't something Mio wanted to deal with; it was already awkward enough between her and Ritsu. She didn't want more drama than she had already created, it would give her a migraine!
So the two girls ate their lunch, in happiness and flooded the from with a casual flow of conversation. It amazed both of them that they were able to talk so easily to the other, especially since they were both thinking about something else entirely. Maybe it was because they were thinking about the same thing... how well Mio was coming along. Mio wasn't exactly thinking about that, she was thinking about how much stuff had happened... but it was the same general principle.
Maybe it was just a little mind melding, but it was deep enough to direct their focus away from Ritsu coming into the room. Ritsu had been stopped momentarily at the end of second hour to discuss her grade in class, and how the teacher didn't want to see her fail, but she had finally caught up with the two of them. But she was in a rush, she didn't have but around twenty minutes left of her lunch period. So she hurried over to the table... but haste has its costs.
She hit the chair, but somewhere along the line she forgot to sit down. Instead, she careened over it, her leg hitting the edge of it and tripping her up, sending her over it. She dropped her paper bag lunch, but that was the least of her problems.
Mio had only seen the first half of this out of the corner of her eye, and it all happened so quickly, Ritsu was on top of her before she had even turned her head the whole way. Ritsu didn't hit lightly either, it wasn't a playful pounce, it was a full blown unintentional tackle.
Mio's chair fell with her, with Ritsu tightly holding on to both of them. Mio let out a small yelp, turning her body slightly to get away from her attacker, though there was little chance that would happen. Mio twisted her body, trying to at least get away from the chair and into a standing position, but that yielded little result. The chair got out of the way, but Ritsu was still ramming Mio closer and closer to the ground. What's more, now she was stumbling on her feet slightly, and was losing balance fast.
Ritsu was airborne the whole time she was in contact with Mio, the whole thing happening in but a split second, but both girls had time to think during their fall. Ritsu's arms braced around Mio in preparation for contact, and Mio stiffened up like a board as her body got ready to hit the floor. But, adrenaline kicked in, and both of them had time to fit one thought in.
Mio had a little time to think about how much of a hug this felt like, and how nice it felt being this close to Ritsu once again. Despite the situation at hand. She was bright red already. Ritsu had a little time to think about how this might interfere with her plan to get with Mio, if this might scare her off... but both girls were only thinking one thing as they hit the ground. "Ouch."
Mio landed first, hitting the ground at a curve to reduce the impact slightly, her body rigid with anticipation. Ritsu's hands had been placed in just the right spot to reduce pain in her shoulder blades, but her fingers dug in. It still knocked the wind out of her, hitting the ground after being tackled wasn't ever a fun experience. Having Ritsu land on top of her almost right afterwards didn't help with the pain of it either.
When Ritsu hit the ground, she didn't really. Her knees scrapped against the floor, which hurt slightly, and her foot kicked the chair, but aside from that she had Mio to break her fall. Not very sensitive to say, but it was true all the same. She didn't get the wind knocked out of her, nor did she have another girl land on top of her. But, this wasn't over. The tackle only became a catalyst for yet another event.
Ritsu realized that her head was tucked into the crook of Mio's neck, and her arms were still tightly wrapped around the slightly taller girl. She pulled her head up slightly to look at Mio, to see if she was unconscious, and she wasn't. She was staring right back, wondering the exact same thing.
Ritsu looked into Mio's eyes carefully, casting a soft, warm glance towards the other girl. Mio was already blushing slightly from both her thought earlier and the weight of having Ritsu on top of her, but that blush got just a touch brighter as she looked into Ritsu's eyes. Her gaze wasn't nearly as smooth; it looked scared and confused, though almost hopeful in a way.
Mugi saw the entire thing, and she couldn't have been more in heaven had she tried. Her imagination had run wild, though it didn't have much work to do to make the situation as graphic and risqué as she wanted. But her imagination didn't block her real vision, and she saw their eyes lock, the tension between them palpable from even her distance away from them. She went from vividly imagining the scene over and over in her mind back to a teenaged girl.
From her distance, it seriously looked like they were about to kiss, and her imagination took over. Their lips moved closer, Ritsu wrapped her hand around Mio's head, and Mio helped her move closer. Their lips moved closer, and their eyes closed slightly, less than an inch away from kissing...
But Mugi was brought back to reality. Just before the long awaited moment, a sharp smack heard through the room, almost leaving an echo. It took her a second to register what could have caused the sound, but it didn't take long.
No, there had been no kiss, just a strong look between the two girls, an almost understanding look for a split second... but Mio wasn't comfortable with it. Despite liking Ritsu's touch, she wasn't quite ready to have the girl lying on top of her, with her head buried in her neck. Mugi watched, disheartened, as Mio got to her feet and faced away from Ritsu. The brunette was holding her head, crouched on the floor, whimpering slightly. She had forgotten how hard Mio hit when the spirit hit her, and this wasn't just a play hit.
Mugi took a deep breath before exhaling slightly, if only everything in her head could come true. It would sure make her job a lot easier; she wouldn't have to do all this planning. But alas, it wasn't the case... but Mugi did know from that brief exchange of glances between the two that there was even more hope for Ritsu now. Mio was back to her scared stage again, but that was for the best. It meant progress, because now Mio wasn't afraid to touch her because she MIGHT like Ritsu. Now she was afraid to touch her because she DID like Mio.
"Owie..." Ritsu muttered, her ears ringing from the contact.
"Baka..." Mio said, her hands crossed over her chest and her head held high, probably trying to drain the blood from her face.
"I tripped..." Ritsu said honestly, getting to her feet, walking towards Mio. "I couldn't stop in time... it was an accident! I was running, I hit the chair, and I couldn't stop!"
"Why were you running in the first place?!" Mio replied hastily, content that her blush had nearly vanished from her face.
"I didn't wanted time to eat my lunch in peace, why didn't you move out of the way?!" Mugi smiled a little as she watched Ritsu and Mio turn from best friends –with special interests- to an old married couple. It was kind of ironic, but that was exactly how she envisioned them. Ritsu trying to flip-flop the argument in her favor, but Mio clearly with the stronger points and the upper hand.
Their argument ended with Ritsu shrugging and walking away, her way of admitting defeat, and eating her lunch. They had little time left before their fourth hour started, and Ritsu had to get some food in her. Mugi even poured her a little tea; caffeine would help with the headache Mio had given her, and took her seat. Mio sat next to Ritsu, after picking up and fixing her chair of course.
Despite only having a few minutes for conversation, the incident between the two had quickly been forgotten, as many of their arguments tended to do. Only major disagreements or incidents between Mio and Ritsu ever stuck. Even for a little while, grudges were hard to hold when they cared about each other as much as they did. Mio dismissed it as an accident, despite Ritsu's stupidity to have been running in the Music room.
They didn't talk about anything much, though Mugi did notice that Mio was being more quiet than she had been before Ritsu got there, once again a good sign. They were getting closer to their ultimate goal. As soon as Mio showed a real sign of how she felt, though Mugi could already pretty much tell, Ritsu could make her move. They just needed to break down Mio's inhibitions once again, and they would be set to go.
Though, that was a lot easier said than done. This would be Mugi's biggest challenge yet, and there wasn't much that she could do. She couldn't interfere with Mio's emotions, or Mio might think something was up, and there definitely was. Yet, Ritsu couldn't just back off, Mio didn't have the courage to chase after her if Ritsu stopped paying as much attention as she was. This was the fine line, and although most of it was on Mio's shoulders to get the courage to accomplish what was needed, Mugi and Ritsu still had their part.
(*SCENE BREAK*)
Placid faced, Mio entered the Biology classroom. She was with the three other Keion girls, by nature at this point, but they were all fairly out of it. Ritsu was grumbling about a head-ache, one that she damn well earned, Mugi was deep in though, and Yui looked in an almost blissful... and slightly confused state. They all seemed out of it, but Mio was still in the moment, trying not to over think things.
But that brought along a very stubborn and blatant realization, and she realized as she entered the classroom that today was going to be her least favorite day of the entire year. The thick, musky, sour smell of formaldehyde could signal nothing more, a smell that Mio caught a whiff of in the hall, and sure enough, as she walked into the classroom... there they were. On every table, to be shared between two girls, a bull frog. She almost lost it, she couldn't even bring herself through the doorway into that dreaded room, she couldn't stand dead things.
So she stood there, her arms trembling slightly. She was definitely the squeamish type, and this dissection was NOT going to be a forte of hers. The other three girls had entered the class, Mugi and Yui engaged in a casual conversation as they moved towards their shared desk... but Ritsu had stopped.
She looked back behind her, the short distance, and saw the look of dread and despair on Mio's face. This was worse than if she had seen a ghost, because ghosts couldn't touch you and they couldn't hurt you. What Mio was seeing was real, dead things... things that she had to touch. And Ritsu could appreciate that. A silly mask or a toy spider was one thing... but even she was a little nervous to be cutting up the corpse of a frog. She wouldn't have trouble with it, but the idea of literally defiling a body was still extremely macabre.
But, she couldn't do it without Mio, and she wouldn't let Mio just stand in the doorway the whole time, about ready to pass out. She calmly walked back towards Mio, and calmly and slowly spoke. "Mio."
She new better than to put a comforting hand on Mio's shoulder or anything of that sort. When Mio got like this, a dust bunny would send her into the fetal position if it brushed against her. First, Ritsu had to break Mio's hypnotic state. "Mio, can you hear me?" Ritsu asked again, gaining no acknowledgement on the first go.
Mio shook her head a little bit, taking a small, harsh breath in. She looked at Ritsu, blushing slightly. Truth was, she hated being so afraid of things like this, she would have died to trade places with Ritsu. She couldn't even stand a cut finger or the sight of blood... how the heck was she supposed to dissect a frog? It wasn't just a tool for science as many people saw the frog corpses... to her they were little dead froggies with pins through their hands and feet. "Sorry..." Mio said, taking another shallow breath in.
"You gonna be ok?" Ritsu asked calmly, raising her eye brows as she looked at Mio. "You don't have to touch it you know, I can do it. Hell, I want to do that!" She said enthusiastically, hardly even lying. Though it was gross, it was also extremely interesting, almost like a right of passage. If she could do this, what couldn't she do?
Mio perked up slightly as she heard that. Not very much, and not visibly by any means, but Ritsu could tell it had helped. Mio nodded... but didn't move towards her desk. So once again, as she had done days prior, she reached out and grabbed Mio's hand.
Mio blushed at the gently touch of Ritsu's grab, slightly surprised by it... but it quickly became her safety. Ritsu would take care of this for her, she wouldn't have to defile the poor little creature in the dissection pan. Ritsu could take care of that for her... Ritsu would take care of it for her. She would protect her. Mio began the trek towards their desk with a few feeble steps.
Ritsu let go of her hand, it was an act of comfort, not an act of escort. Mio wasn't a child, despite how she acted when she got like this, and Ritsu wanted to preserve her pride. If she had to hold her hand all the way to their desk, the other students would take notice, and rumors would start to spread.
Ritsu sat down in her usual spot, hearing Mio's footsteps close behind her, not worrying about her at the moment. Looking down at the untouched frog in the dissection tray... it was enticing. To think she would actually cut it open, look at what made it work... to her, this was by far the best day in Biology yet. Screw cells, Mitosis, diffusion, or microbiology... all the stuff that Mio was great at. This was the kind of stuff Ritsu had waited for all year.
However, she quickly lost interest in the frog as she felt a hand wrap around hers, closing in a tight grip. It took a second, but she realized that Mio had grabbed it the moment she got a good look at the frog. Mio needed her safety back, and although it was Mugi in many cases, Mugi was at the other table... all the way at the other table. Ritsu's hand was enough.
It took a few seconds, but eventually Mio's grip on Ritsu's hand loosened, and then relaxed entire as Mio pulled away. She just needed a few seconds of safety to compose herself before she could move on. She didn't look at the frog; she looked at the board where their teacher was for the bell to ring.
Ritsu was actually glad when Mio finally let go... that girl had a strong grip! Probably from playing bass, but Ritsu didn't have a chance to prepare herself at all before her bones were being crushed into each other by Mio's devastating finger and hand strength.
The bell rang, and Ritsu could tell that their teacher was just as excited as she was, if not more so, to get started with dissection. "Good afternoon class," Mr. Raika started, "We have a lot to get done today, so let's not doddle. Please head to the back table and get yourself dissection scissors, a probe, a scalpel, as well as a dissection guide. It'll tell what cuts to make, and what questions to answer."
Ritsu was in the zone the moment he gave them the go. She turned to Mio, "Could you get the supplies for me?" 'Nurse Mio...' Ritsu thought the last part, but it brought a smile to her face. It was a cute nickname, if she ever got to use it... and Mio would look simply amazing in one of those nurse uniforms. Maybe she could ask Sawako to make one, and force Mio into it.
Mio obliged. Sharp things weren't her favorite, especially not anything that was related to medicine or surgery like a scalpel was, but it was way better than staring at a dead animal. She practically ran to the back table, to get the supplies, but was slow making her way back. She didn't wanna trip and stab herself, and she didn't want to have to look at that thing again so soon.
As soon as Mio got back however, Ritsu started without hesitation. The first cut took a while, just because it wasn't exactly clear on where to start it, but Ritsu wasn't the timid type. She plunged the tip of the scalpel in, and began to cut down. The result was... unexpected.
Even Ritsu jumped as the scalpel cut into the abdominal cavity, which neither girl had had the nerve to poke at just yet. It was bulging outwards... until of course, the scalpel penetrated the skin and gave the pressurized fluid a means of escaping. The release wasn't drastic, it wasn't like a water balloon, but it was enough to spurt out a good few inches. Ritsu jumped as her fingers got prickled with the fluid.
But Mio... her hands got a sprayed with the musky smelling fluid, before she could even hope to move them. Her eyes had been held tightly shut ever since Ritsu had started the first cut. As if she would be expected to watch her best friend brutally abolish the corpse of a poor little frog. She had wanted to avoid the Biological abhorrence that was dissection, but the "excuse form" that students were expected to turn in was something her parents didn't sign for her. They found dissection to be too valuable a learning experience... and her dad thought it was just plain cool. Blame the testosterone, but Mio hadn't gotten the form signed. Not that her parents didn't care, they just wanted her to go through with it.
However, had they known this might happen; they may have changed their minds.
Mio yelped like a stuck pig as soon as she felt the fluid on her hands. She didn't wait to see what might have been the source, but she had an imagination. She had had her eyes shut tight, as well as her hands, so she didn't see the event exactly as it happened. In her mind, the frog wasn't dead yet, and it had spit something on her in spite. However, her rational mind kept her from completely losing it and running the heck out of the room. But, she didn't feel safe.
She needed her safety. But, Ritsu's hands were preoccupied at the moment; she had a scalpel in one hand, and a pin probe in the other. If Mio grabbed around one of those, she would need to get a tetanus shot, and probably a few stitches. Not her ideal Monday, plus the fact that the tools had the preservative on them, and that stuff could be toxic! But she needed a safety, so she settled for the next thing that came to her mind.
Her now damp hands grabbed Ritsu's shirt near her neck, and she buried her face in the back of Ritsu's shoulder. She wanted to keep her eyes away from the damned frog on the desk, as well as her face and neck. Ritsu proved a good shield, and it felt nice... and it was new. She actually forgot for a second about the frog on the table and fluid on her hands... and was absorbed in the feeling of warmth she was getting against her face. And of course, the smell of "blue raspberries" that Ritsu's perfume had.
She was still scared however, and was shaking enough for Ritsu to not only notice, but feel it against her body. Mio was shaking, literally, like a leaf. Ritsu however, was used to that. The strange feeling she had was suddenly having Mio so close to her, it was just like the hug. Except now, Mio's face was pressed against hers. She could feel every shaky breath Mio took. She could feel Mio's cheeks pressing against her shoulder, and her terrified hands clenching tightly onto her shirt. She could even feel the small wet spot on her back where Mio's eyes had watered.
For a split second, both girls forgot about the frog, and what had brought them to that position... and both girls thought about what had brought them to feel about that position the way they were. Mio knew she was scared, about something, but that terror was suppressed by the realization of how close she was to Ritsu. But, she didn't want to let go. She was still scared, the wet feeling on her hands being the only reminder of what had brought her here, but she was also comfortable. Her safety wasn't necessary any more, not to make her feel comfortable any ways.
Now, Ritsu was just there because she was so warm and comfortable. She was better than a snuggie, and Mio's mood began to dim as she realized that she wouldn't be able to cling on for much longer. She wasn't that scared after all, and she was terrible at faking being afraid of something. She couldn't shake if she was perfectly well.
Ritsu had practically melted at Mio's touch, feeling Mio's breath on her back, and the warmth from her face making the room temperature seem below zero. Her optimism came back to her, the tackling incident had really dampened that, but this new contact had renewed it completely. She didn't move the entire time Mio was holding her, afraid she might spook the girl away, and hugging wouldn't have helped at all. After all, she was still holding a sharp knife. So she just stayed still, and enjoyed the touch.
Mio only pulled away, still trembling slightly and trying to get every bit out of the experience that she could. But, a shrill voice brought both of them out of the moment. "Mugi-chan! What are you doing?!"
"Uh...?" A hypnotized voice said from the table behind Mio and Ritsu. Tsumugi had been watching the whole thing, entranced. She noticed everything Ritsu and Mio hadn't, like the obvious blush on Mio's face, and how tightly Mio was holding on. But, there is an important rule to remember.
When holding a sharp knife, pay attention to the sharp knife, not to a fantasy come true. The unaware blonde finally noticed what Yui was screaming about, and within moments knew why. A decent flow of blood was coming down her hand, where she had inadvertently ran the knife whilst paying attention to the show in front of her. It wasn't stopping either; the scalpel had penetrated a good centimeter into her skin and muscle tissue. Had she not been so absorbed in the scene in front of her, she would have noticed the stinging pain.
It was a pretty long cut too, from the base of her index finger to the end of her thumb. And there was blood there, something Mugi wasn't used to losing from her hand. She wiped it away with a paper towel, but more blood came. The longing blush on her face from watching Mio and Ritsu connect quickly flushed away, a look of terror coming on her face. It's a strange feeling when you realize that you're hurt a lot worse than you ever have been before, Mugi lead a fairly safe life. No broken bones, she wasn't a dare devil, the worst she had ever done was sprain her thumb. No major blood loss involved there.
Mugi began to panic slightly, looking around at Yui, Mio, and Ritsu for what to do. Mio had turned white, before pressing her face tightly back into Ritsu's back. Ritsu shrugged with her eyes wide. Yui finally shouted. "Mr. Raika! We need a band-aide!"
He arrived within a second, looking down at Mugi's hand which had blood running down either side. He shook his head, thinking of making an example out of Mugi's hand of "what not to do while holding a scalpel", but Mugi was one of his best students, and she already had tears in her eyes. He simply grabbed some paper towels and wrapped them around her hand, before helping her to her feet. To the nurse's office they went. He wasn't worried at all, calm and cool, just as a teacher should be. Besides, he knew from years of experience that Tsumugi would be fine.
Mugi was almost reluctant to leave, her endorphins kicking in as she saw that Mio had resumed her position, clung tightly to Ritsu. Apparently the sight of blood was enough to make her resume her grip. It was as adorable as it had been before, her more so considering Ritsu had put her tools down and had placed her hand over Mio's. Mio's hands were also further around Ritsu, and it was starting to look more and more like a hug.
Mugi cursed her luck as they left the classroom, blood starting to soak through the paper towel, and went towards the nurse's office.
The rest of the class passed without incident. Mio had detached herself from Ritsu after a couple minutes, giving Yui time to wipe up the blood that had dripped onto the table. There was little focus as the dissection continued, Yui didn't wanna touch another scalpel, if it had hurt Tsumugi like that... what would it have done to her? It wouldn't be the same scalpel, but still.
Mio went back to sitting down, her eyes closed, except this time with her hands under the table. As greedy as it was, she was having trouble worrying about Tsumugi. She was with a teacher, and the nurse, so she would be fine. Mio was instead thinking about how she could possibly get through rehearsal. She had never been so taken with someone as she was with Ritsu. A blush came and went from her face as she thought about how good it felt to have her face touch Ritsu's.
Ritsu's optimism had only tapered off slightly. Sadly, she couldn't worry about Mugi as well; she was instead trying to find some way to invoke Mio hugging into her again without making her mad. However, the bell rang before she came up with anything, and after a brief clean up, all the girls headed out to their fifth hour, except for Tsumugi, who was feeling a bit light headed and scared. The nurse had bandaged her up, but she was lying down for the moment. Best not to tempt fate.
Ritsu and Mio parted to go to their respective fifth hours with heavy hearts, neither of them wanting to part, but neither indicating it. Mio decided she would do her best to keep her admiration a secret, but that was probably going to be quite the task.
(*SCENE BREAK*)
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I really enjoyed writing it, and don't worry, Mugi is going to be fine. But, it's going to help with the plot, so her pain is the story's gain. At least for the time being. I have no plans for causing any real harm to our favorite characters. But, that injury has opened two doors.
I hope your still enjoying it! If you get a chance, leave a review! It really means a lot to know what my audience is thinking.