Hello guys,

I've been busy at work and at school lately, so pardon me if the updates are too slow. T_T

I'll try my best to update as soon as I can during my vacant times.

Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own, or claim ownership to the series K-On!, or any other things that I might refer to in this chapter.

Chapter 14

Shou sighed as he leaned on the rooftop's railings. The sky was beginning to get dark on that windy friday afternoon, this was the same weather the city has been having for the past few days. But this day, of all days, is far from normal. This day was special.

"Leonid?" Shou stared at Keima in wonder as the bassist drank his cup of tea.

"Yeah. Apparently, there's a meteor shower this friday night." He said as clicked on his laptop to play a movie for the two friends to watch.

"Meteor shower, huh? What does that have to do with anything?"

Keima then raised his arms over his head as he turned up the volume of the laptop.

"I'm planning something.. romantic." He said as he glanced at Shou. The boy stared blankly at his friend upon for a few seconds as he digested carefully what Keima just said.

"I don't roll that way, man. Though, I'll still accept you as a friend even if you're gay." Shou's words were met with a cardboard box to the face.

"I didn't mean that, idiot." Keima said as he paused the video playing on the laptop to talk about his so-called plan.

"I'm planning something for Mio." Keima said as he pointed to a map of the hills near the city. "I'm going to find the best spot to view the shower. Meteor showers don't happen everyday, you know."

"This Friday's gonna be special." Keima said.

Shou looked at his watch. It was already a few minutes before six. With a sigh, he shook his head and began to walk towards the door. Waiting for someone was quite the hassle, and what made it more of a waste of time was because the one he was waiting for never came.

As he reached for the door, the knob turned slowly, making him stop in his tracks. Shou stepped back and glanced at a familiar face as the door creaked open.

"I knew you would be here." Mugi said as she flashed her usual smile at the boy.

"Oh, you're the girl from the train." Shou said as he took his time to remember the girl's name.

"..Mugi, right?"

The girl nodded as she closed the door behind her. She gave Shou a long stare and noticed his annoyed expression.

"Anything wrong?" She said.

"You're weird." Shou said blankly as he made his way towards the door. Mugi stepped aside as Shou reached the doorknob. "..anyhow, I have to get home. Change of plans for a Friday night, I just finished torrenting Black Ops this morning, so if you'd excuse me.."

"She didn't come didn't she?"

Shou stopped midway. A soft sigh came out of the boy as he turned to face the pianist.

"Have you been stalking me around lately? Its getting creepy you know."

"Not really." Mugi laughed. "I just have... sources everywhere."

The shadows began to lengthen as the sun began to set on the rooftop as the two stood silent.

Keima kicked open his door as he arrived home. Within moments, he was out of his school uniform and into the bathroom. It took him long enough to get home, being suddenly sidetracked by one of his teachers about his nearly-flunking grades in chemistry. He shouted expletives in his mind – of all the days to be late, it had to be this one. This one, special day.

Within moments, the boy as out of the bathroom and in front of his closet. As he tore open the sliding doors, his enthusiasm was met with an avalanche of clothing. He clawed his way to a pair of jeans and a short sleeved shirt, which he seemed to be reserving for that day. For shoes, he picked up a pair of chuck taylors that he rarely uses. As he saw that his battlegear was complete, he whisked a bit of perfume in front of him before charging through the mist.

Seeing that all was set, he made his way out of the house and into the streets.

"I'm not even gonna ask how you got keys to this room." Shou said as he shook his head. The two were inside the Music room, even though it was way past the school curfew time. Shou slouched on his chair as Mugi poured tea for her and her guest.

"I duplicated the keys to this room when our adviser left the keys to me." She said cheerfully in an almost innocent tone.

"Isn't that... illegal?" The boy said in a blank tone as he wrapped his hand around the cup of tea.

Mugi laughed as she heard the boy's words. "Illegal? No! Of course not!"

"Though it could get us both expelled if we're caught." She continued with a smile.

Shou stared at her for a few moments before taking hold of his cup.

"I take it back. You're not weird..." He said as he pulled the cup to his mouth.

"..You're crazy."

Shou gagged as he took a sip from his cup. "Too hot for you?" Mugi said as Shou glared at her while in pain.

"..pretty much like Azusa, am I right?"

Shou paused as he watched Mugi place down the teakettle on one side of the table. Seeing how she already knew too much about him and Azusa, he might as well give up the veil of secrecy.

"This was supposed to be a special day, you know." Shou said in a frustrating tone as he scratched his head. "I asked her out, and she agreed!"

"Of all the days to not come, it had to be this day. And I don't even know why!" Mugi watched Shou let out a few gestrures of frustration at the air.

"Probably because she has her eyes fixed on someone else. Eh?" Mugi raised her eyebrow at Shou as the boy froze.

"Yeah. Most probably." The boy let out a sigh. "...what a bother."

"As with everything else in life," The pianist stared at the ceiling as she leaned back on her chair. "...the harder the struggle, the sweeter the victory."

"All I can see is struggle." Shou replied, sounding pessimistic.

"There there." Mugi smiled as she patted his head.

Without warning, the knob of the music room's door turned and swung the door open. The two glanced at the door to see Azusa, who was catching her breath.

"You.." Shou said as his face slowly brightened up. Maybe she did remember after all.

His joy was short-lived, though. The next words that came out her mouth wiped the smile off his face.

"Have you seen Keima-kun?" She said in a rushed voice.

Shou kept quiet and turned away, leaving Mugi to answer Azusa.

"No, we haven't seen him all day." The pianist cheerfully replied in her usual tone.

Azusa gave the two a long look before she replied. The two were having tea in private, all alone. It didn't take long enough before she made a realization.

"Are you two having a date?" She said in a flat tone.

"No." Shou replied as bluntly as possible, keeping his face away from Azusa.

The guitarist went towards Shou as she was clueless to Shou's sudden behavior.

"Are you hiding something from me?" She went beside Shou, who was still ignoring her.

"None of your business." Mugi kept silent as she was anticipating something big from the conversation.

"You suck. Keima doesn't keep secrets from me." She said in a teasing tone.

That was the final straw. Shou's face changed into a more serious tone as he faced Azusa.

"I'm not Keima." His eyes were obscured by his hair. "If you like Keima so much, then why don't you bother him instead?" He said in a low tone, as if he wasn't the usual Shou.

"Hey! I'm just kidding, no need to-" Azusa caught of his sudden change, and knew that she might have pushed the boy too far.

"What's wrong with you? Getting my hopes up again and again, only to let me down in the end... I..."

Shou glared at Azusa as he stood up. He tried his best to calm himself down, but he was losing control.

"I HATE PEOPLE LIKE YOU!"

Shou breathed heavily as he realized what he just did. Azusa froze as she was shocked with Shou's reaction. Forcing a weak smile, she replied.

"I..I'm sorry.."

Shou's eyes widened as he watched Azusa trembling before him. There was a part of him that was glad that was off his chest, but another part of him thought that he went too far as well.

"No, Azusa that was.." He was at a loss of words.

"I never knew you hated me that much..." Azusa began to shift in her place. Her teary eyes met Shou as she did her best to remain composed.

"I'm sorry.."

"Huh?"

Keima glanced back at Mio as they both stood on the view deck of a hill overlooking the city. There was something wrong with her, which was obvious in her actions. Mio avoided looking at him, as though she was hiding something.

"Hey, are you alright? You're acting strange..."

"I think we should stop." The boy froze as he heard those words. The most unexpected of the unexpected has happened.

Keima laughed. "Stop? What do you mean?" Keima kept his smile, hoping that she was kidding. She had to be kidding.

"I think we should stop seeing each other." She kept her face down as the tension in her voice was very much evident in her way of speaking.

Keima's face grew pale. Did something happen that morning? Was it something he did? He desperately searched for an explanation for the girl's actions, but to no avail.

"What? Why?" Keima blurted out. He had to do something. Anything. He wouldn't go down without a fight.

Mio shook her head and kept her distance from Keima. Keima clenched his teeth as he took a step towards Mio.

"Get away!" The bassist screamed as she neared the stairs.

"I will not!" Keima replied. "Not until I find out why we shouldn't see each other anymore!"

"You don't need to know it.." Mio said weakly as she hurriedly began to descend the stairs.

"Hey! Wait!" Keima said as he rushed to catch up with Mio. In his haste, he lost his footing as he went down the flight of stairs, making him stumble down. The view deck was quite muddy, as it just rained the morning earlier.

Mio was already halway to the road when she heard Keima as he fell down. Shouting out a few expletives, he fell down to the ground as soon as he tried to stand up.

"Dammit!" He screamed as he struggled to just stand up.

"Just forget about me, alright?" Mio said as she stood a few meters away from the injured boy.

"I... I can't do that." Keima said as he leaned onto the stairs' railing. "I'd rather walk home with this foot than do that."

Mio took a deep breath as he prepared to speak.

"This is goodbye, Hagane-san."

Keima kept silent. All he could do then was to slowly sit down on the stairs as he dwelled on those words that Mio just said. Seeing that Keima was beginning to understand and accept what she wanted to say, she quickly turned and made her way towards the road.

A few meters into the road, Mio stopped and began to sob. It seems that her words hurt her more than it hurt Keima. She raised her crying face to the sky, and glanced at the first few shooting stars of the meteor shower streak across the sky. Back at the view deck, Keima stared blankly into the same night sky.

In the next chapter:

What happened between Mio and Azusa that morning? Also, Keima and Shou do some damage control along with an unexpected new friend.