I'm back with another once-off. I wrote this and 'Nights Become Days' pretty much in conjunction with each other; as well as another thing, but more on that later. Thanks to UncleGrandpa14 for helping me revise this, the title for this one is actually original! Can you believe that? Anyway, enjoy.

Ritsu sat in a room lit with fluorescent lights. The slight tint, constant buzz and occasional flicker of the lights was one small thing that added to her nervousness. The blank white walls made of concrete brick surrounded the girl, furthering her anxiety. Ritsu was sitting in a folding chair at a table. There was another chair on the other side. The lone girl adjusted her arm slightly, causing her hands to slightly move. The chain of the handcuffs dragged on the wooden table. There was a camera in the left corner of the room, it's gaze striking through the girl. Ritsu looked down, she was getting more stressed. She'd been waiting for ten minutes… no, an hour, two hours? Six hours? However long it had been, it felt like time stopped all together for her. She kept waiting, anticipating and fearing. The sound of the door unlocking made Ritsu jump out of her skin. She took a deep breath and looked back down at the table. The door opened. Ritsu shut her eyes tight.

This can't be happening. This isn't happening.

The chair on the other side pulled out, causing a piercing screech as the metal feet slowly dragged across the concrete floor.
Go away go away go away go away…
 The chair slightly creaked along with the sound of fabric being displaced as someone sat down on the other side of the table. They exhaled. Ritsu was holding her breath, trying to disappear. Something was placed on the table. Ritsu could hear it, feel the displacement as it was placed on the other side. It was small and light; a packet or a folder. A tiny click echoed through her headspace from the outside as the paperclip attached made contact with the table. The other person exhaled, more displacement was felt throughout the room as they rested their elbows on the table and clasped their hands. Ritsu's eyes were still shut tight, but she knew they were looking right at her.

"Let's talk, Ritsu-chan," the male voice echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls. Ritsu could hear the voice several times after he spoke just from the echos, even though the sound of her speeding heart and her churning brain seemed to almost drown out the outside. Ritsu caught a wave of nausea, she had been holding her breath for far too long. In one violent, instinctual motion, Ritsu exhaled while opening her eyes and sharply inhaled. Several tears dripped out when she opened her eyes. Ritsu kept taking fast, deep breaths until she wasn't winded anymore. She kept looking down though, her fists clenched. Knuckles white, her fear and stress was consuming her fast. She wanted so badly to keep it together, she collected every fiber of her being just to not throw up and start crying simultaneously.

"Ritsu-chan, are you okay? You seem to be hyperventilating," said the anonymous man at the other side of the table. Ritsu felt genuinely sick to her stomach. She couldn't lose now.

"You're not in trouble, you know," said the man.

Bullshit, Ritsu thought to herself.

"What was that? Did you say something?" Ritsu had accidentally muttered that to herself. She was stuck, she had to keep it cool.

"Bullshit, you know what I did, it's right in that folder in front of you," Ritsu said.

"It's strange that you know I have a folder, since you haven't looked once the entire time I've been here. Ritsu-chan, tell me what happened. You won't be in trouble if you do that," said the man.

"You're not my friend," Ritsu said. She was losing her grip fast.

"What makes you think I'm not trying to help you? Akiyama Mio-san and Kotobuki Tsumugi-san claimed witness, you know. You know them, don't you?"

Ritsu's eyes widened. She didn't know what to do. It was all over if she looked up.

"I'm…" Ritsu's voice began to break, "I'm not a criminal."

"I know that, Ritsu-chan," said the man. He continued, "Well, based on what Akiyama-san has said according to this report I have here. We just need you to tell us your side of the story so we can confirm what happened."

Ritsu stayed quiet. She was calming down and she didn't like it.

"If you cooperate, you won't be in trouble," said the man. He leaned back in his chair, more creaks echoed through the room. Ritsu took a deep breath. It was all over.

"We should start heading home, it's getting late and I don't want my parents to get mad," said Mio. Mio often accompanied her on her expeditions downtown, probably more than anyone else.

"There's a convenience store with some pretty good snacks on the way. I just want to stop by and grab some goods for later. It's just a very slight detour; care to join me?" Ritsu asked, she added a wink to her cheeky grin to maximize her snarkiness. Mio rolled her eyes, looking displeased. She enjoyed that quality of Ritsu, but Mio would never give her the luxury of knowing that.

"Sure, dummy."

"Aww, what was that for?" Ritsu leaned towards Mio with puppy-dog eyes as she asked the rhetorical question, adding two sheepish blinks at the end. Mio raised her right arm, forming a fist. Ritsu retracted immediately and returned to her place next to Mio.

"Okay, okay," Mio let out a chuckle as they kept walking towards the convenience store that wasn't so far away now.

As they approached the convenience store, Mio talked about how her parents were becoming more strict with curfew, she said it was probably just paranoia stemming from stuff on the news and that she just had to comply until they calmed down again. In her opinion, Mio's parents paid too much attention to what was happening in other parts of the world; but whatever, she wasn't going to tell them to stop or anything. They approached the entrance. Ritsu ran ahead and opened the door for Mio.

"After you, m'lady," Ritsu said with her cheeky grin. Mio rolled her eyes once again and began to walk past her into the convenience store. As Mio passed her, Ritsu heard an abnormal sound coming from around the corner. It sounded both familiar and foreign, and just barely human. Ritsu turned her head back in Mio's direction as she kept walking, still oblivious to her new discovery.

"Mio, stop," Mio and Ritsu noticed the seriousness in her tone at the same time. Mio backtracked out of the doorway as Ritsu let go of the handle.

"What's-"

"Come with me, I heard something," Ritsu quickly walked around the corner of the building, where a dumpster and a backdoor lay closed.

"Ritsu! What is-"

"Shh Mio, I heard something weird," Ritsu kept walking, she hesitated before rounding the corner to the back of the store, there was rusling and strange inaudible sounds coming from the back. Ritsu prepared herself for the worst, and rounded the corner.

It was worse than she ever could have imagined.

Ritsu didn't know how Mio was reacting. She wasn't hearing any shreaks from her, so she assumed Mio was either in shock or had run away. But it didn't matter, Ritsu was entirely focused on the scene in front of her.

Mugi was in front of her, looking right at her. Ritsu saw a kind of fear in the blond's eyes that she'd never seen in anyone ever before. Mugi's head was pinned against the brick wall of the building, a knife's blade pressed against her exposed neck. A very tall, slender man with a beard, easily in his 30's at least, was holding the knife. He looked intimidating and dirty, with jeans and a leather jacket. Ritsu couldn't really see his face, but she could only imagine how scary he looked. The man towered over Mugi, looking down at her. It was at this moment that Ritsu looked down and realized that Mugi's pants and panties were at her ankles. Ritsu's heart sank. Fear temporarily washed over the drummer, but she didn't allow it to consume her. Instead, a wave of anger poured into her thoughts. Ritsu approached the man, who could've easily overpowered her.

"What the fuck? Get out of here, bitch!" shouted the man. Mugi shoved the distracted man, off-balancing both her and him. Mugi's legs were restricted by her dropped undergarments and she fell onto the pavement. Ritsu threw her fist into the man's gut, he grunted violently.

"Fucking whore!" he said as he swung his knife towards Ritsu. The mad girl grabbed his wrist as it came down, but that didn't stop it completely. Ritsu felt a sharp pain as the knife sliced her shoulder, but that didn't divert her attention. With her right hand, Ritsu grabbed the base of the knife and twisted. The man's grip gave and Ritsu had the knife.

Thanks Ui, Ritsu thought to herself.
"Hey!-" said the man. He exhaled with a wheeze as Ritsu drove the knife into his gut. She twisted the knife, and felt the pressure of the man's internal organs move with the twist. The man inhaled and screamed in pain. Ritsu didn't hear it, she pulled the knife out and stabbed him again. She pulled the knife out again and the man tumbled down. She kneeled down and brought the knife up above her head. Blood dripped onto her hair, but she didn't notice. She drove the knife down in one violent motion. There was no change in velocity as the blade opened the man's flesh and pierced his insides, making way. Ritsu let the handle leave her hands and her arms returned to her sides. She came to, and she was being screamed at.

"Ritsu, stop it!" Mio was shaking her, hands clutching her shoulders.

"M-Mio?" Ritsu said, still confused. She looked back down, and saw the fresh corpse in front of her. Blood was pooling around it on the concrete. Ritsu stood up fast and backed away. She looked at Mio who was standing in front of the man, then to her left where Mugi was. She was standing up now and her pants were rightfully covering her.

"Mugi, are you okay?" Ritsu said, she began to move to her and she reached out, but she stopped. Ritsu saw that her hands were covered in blood.

"It's okay, Ritsu. I helped her," Mio said, "and she said that he didn't actually… do anything to her. We came at the right time."

"Thank you, Ricchan, for saving me from him," Mugi said, she bowed.

"No… problem. I-It's great to know that you're okay, Mugi."

"Also Ritsu," Mio started, "You should know that the police are on their way."

Ritsu was glee for a fraction of a second. Then she realized exactly what she had done, "wait, no. No no no no, I need to get out of here. I can't-"

"Stop, Ritsu. It's okay, you were protecting Mugi. There's a camera on the building anyway, so they'd find out anyway. It's better if you stay with us."

Mugi chimed in, "You didn't do anything wrong, you saved me Ricchan."

Ritsu could hear sirens in the distance. Mugi and Mio stood in front of the terrified girl each of them took one of Ritsu's hands in theirs. Despite her hands, clothes and face being sprayed with blood, they had reassuring looks, warm looks. Ritsu felt calmer, ready. It was going to be okay.

"Yep. It adds up," said the interrogator, "This story is both accurate to what Akiyama-san, Kotobuki-san said and what the cameras displayed. I'll be right back and we'll have you out in a few moments," the man stood up and walked out of the room, the door quietly closing behind him.

Ritsu was looking down at her handcuffed wrists, which seemed invisible now. She felt calm. She cooperated and everything worked out, hopefully. She'll get to see Mio and Mugi in no time and they can move on from there.

It'll be okay.

The door opened, another voice perked, "Tainaka-san, you're free to go. Just come with me and we'll get you sorted."

Ritsu stood up out of her chair and walked out of the room with petite steps, where her friends were waiting.

It'll be okay.

Hope you enjoyed this once-off, there won't be a continuation of this story. But now, we set our horizons even higher. I don't want to say too much, but just look out for more content on this account. See you later bros.