Mio x Ritsu
'Mio and Juritsu
A/N; It might seem I'm posting this pretty late, but I'm working on a few things for Valentine's Day, so it's just been a matter of how busy I've been. I do apologise for random time gaps between chapters, but they will always at the latest be under 2 weeks long.
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My lonely girl My lonely girl
My lovely girl My lovely girl
I don't mind a little something extra
(no no)
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Chapter 3 – Melt Your Heart
"I just can't imagine someone trying a mugging in this town, there's never much crime here." Azusa mumbled into the receiver, looking around the houses as she headed back to Mio's house. She had left to collect some more clean clothes and other items for her stay at Mio's. She had decided to help the raven-haired girl out with looking after Ritsu until the wounds didn't look as bad, and Mio could handle it.
"There is some crime you know." Ui answered hesitantly, Azusa bit her lip, feeling a bit paranoid now.
"What crime? I've never heard anyone talk about any crime." She lowered her voice, feeling anyone could hear her.
"But my onee-chan says she heard some boys talking while she was out at the candy store about looking for a dark haired girl."
"What? There's a lot of dark haired girls – maybe they're just looking for a date." Azusa deadpanned.
"I don't know, they said a dark haired girl –as if they were looking for someone particular, right?"
"Well when you put it like that..."
Suddenly her phone let off a few awkward beeping noises, and fell silent. For a few moments she felt stupidly paranoid – that was the few moments before she pulled the cell phone away from her ear and realised that the battery had just went flat.
She walked up to the Akiyama household's front door with a heavy sigh.
AaAaAaAa
She heard no noise when she entered the house, and flicked on the light for the kitchen, glancing around cautiously. She noticed a note on the kitchen table, and walked over slowly, dropping her bags next to the staircase.
"Dearest Daughter, we're so sorry to have to leave you on such short notice, but the past two days you have been so caught up in looking after your friend that we just couldn't interrupt you and make you feel more under pressure. We're away on a twelve week business trip to Los Angeles, America. We've left money that should get you by for our time gone in the usual place, and have stocked back up on food for you, please take care. We love you."
Azusa felt a pang of guilt for looking at Mio's letter, but shoved the letter into her jeans pocket, making a mental note to tell Mio about it when she got the opportunity. Things were pretty hectic when you were looking after a damaged Ritsu.
As she walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs, she slowly put her hand on Mio's bedroom door. She couldn't hear anyone noise, so figured Ritsu was sleeping and Mio was either sleeping too, or studying. She pushed the door open.
"Sen...pai...?" She found herself staring at the pair. Mio was sprawled in an awkward position, her head on Ritsu's chest, and the brunette had her un-damaged hand on the raven haired girl's head. They were both fast asleep. Ritsu still looked so different with her hair down – eyepatch on her left eye, her limp right arm with a bandage wrapped around it – covered in cuts and bruises and plasters. She looked so much more masculine...Azusa flushed a little. She wasn't meant to think that.
"Maybe I should go prepare some tea for when they wake up..." She mumbled to herself under her breath, distracting any odd thoughts that came into her mind. She turned, and headed back down the stairs again, completely unsure of what to think about it. They were friends but...Something about Mio's face seemed so content with that position.
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So, don't hide so timidly
I don't mind you being casual
(no yes)
I kept watching out for you
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"Nnnn..." Ritsu mewled as she awoke, slowly opening her right eye as her brain came to terms that it couldn't do the same with the left. She felt slightly dazed and confused, her head pounded and she could feel a heavy weight on her chest. She blinked, tilting her head down to have a look. A black clump of hair met her view, and a nervous smile tugged at her lips. One of those smiles of embarrassment that you can't help but spread across your face with flushed cheeks.
"Will you go with me?" Mio had asked, her cheeks ablaze with a beet-red colour that in any other circumstance Ritsu would of made fun of and taunted the bassist. But under this circumstance, all she could do was stare in shock.
"Why are you asking me, Mio-chuan~?" She asked with a fake teasing voice, she found herself thinking in too deep about Mio's question.
"Well, we both don't have anyone to go with – and we've been best friends for so long, I think it would be nice, right?" Mio smiled, her blush seeming to lessen as she asked. Ritsu mentally sighed with relief – there was enough going in her life, those kind of thoughts and feelings would confuse her even more.
When Ritsu had found herself agreeing, they talked about nothing in particular, just small conversation – Ritsu wanted to talk to her about Nawakara, she had even tried to – but she realised then that it was the complete wrong time. She couldn't ruin their last moments of having fun as a school just because of him, so she had dropped the subject, and Mio was acting as if she was trying to forget. But Ritsu noticed her glancing with curious eyes at the brunette everytime there was a pause in the conversation.
Nothing different had occurred the two days after Mio asked her– Ritsu considered they both must off just fallen asleep after the exhaustion of the day.
She glanced over to the clock on her bedside table, scowling at it. It was 3:10am. So she hadn't managed to sleep again.
As she pondered her options – because she knew in her current state it would be both frustrating and agonising trying to shift Mio without a struggle – said girl shuffled on top of her, causing Ritsu to moan in pain.
"Ritsu?" She heard the girl's weak call, as Mio sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. Ritsu flushed a little, looking at Mio with prying eyes, curious to the explanation she would be given.
Mio blushed in response, noticing the curiosity immediately, "I must of dozed off..I...I'm sorry." This was the second time since Ritsu's injuries Mio had fallen asleep in her uniform, Ritsu hadn't the energy to make it to class, but the other's still had to go.
Ritsu grinned in her usual boyish way, shuffling up a little in the bed so she could rest her back on the wall, "So prom is in a few days, huh?" She teased, Mio caught on to her playing, her blush deepening.
"Wasn't there something you wanted to talk to me about before I asked?" There was a small smile on her lips, Ritsu found herself thinking it was slightly adorable the way Mio looked after she had just woken up – her hair messy and tangled, eyes half shut...She felt her cheeks heating up and wondered why she was putting so much thought into it.
"O-Oh! It's nothing, I just wanted to tell you not to worry yourself about me, and that I have an idea already about what to do for the performance." She had been thinking about it in tiny segments throughout two days after the incident – hoping that if she managed to get the opportunity she would ask Satoshi to fill in for her. She knew that Nawakara meant damage.
"Satoshi knows almost everything I know about drumming, and he could fill in for me," Her cheeks stopped burning when she felt the small sense of pride from giving her brother a talent, "Besides, he needs the social status that comes with it." She now laughed calmly – the shaking made her ribs ache a little, but she held down the splutter.
Mio smiled, looking relieved for some reason, "That would be great." She shuffled off the bed, glancing around the room.
"Do you think Azusa is back?"
"I haven't heard anyone come in since I woke up- she could be downstairs watching TV though, I guess." Ritsu shrugged casually, curiosity making her want to see if she was well enough to stand. She hated anything involving staying still for too long.
"Do you want me to get you some tea?" Mio smiled, unbuttoning and slipping off her blazer as she spoke – Ritsu then realised that Mio MUST of dozed off, because the raven-haired girl was too much of a cleanliness freak to willingly to go to sleep still clothed. For some reason she felt a little disappointed.
"I guess." She grinned against the disappointment, and as Mio left, she glanced around the room.
Ritsu sighed and looked around, slowly sliding her legs off the bed, she stood up. The world twisted in a haze of pain and lack of balance, her head ached, but she could stand. She couldn't feel any pain on her legs, but guessed it was because they only had minor cuts. Her eye was what hurt the most, as well as her head. She also noticed that her right wrist had completely numbed out.
She noticed a sling sitting on Mio's bedside table the second time she glanced at the clock, and decided to pull it over her shoulder with her left arm, slipping her right one in it – she felt more comfortable. Mio must off been intending to give her it when she fussed over her getting down the stairs.
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My breath is stuck even though I call your name (Oh)
You don't seem to be able to hear me anymore
I can't hold it in I need you in my life
Can you hug me so that these tears will stop
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"Azusa-chan." Mio smiled when she noticed the twin-tailed girl fussing over the dinner table – setting up plates and cups. Azusa turned and looked a little startled when Mio walked through the door way into the kitchen – but as always, the rhythm guitarist was quick to cover her little girly moments.
"Mio-senpai!" She smiled genuinely, "Yui-senpai and Ui are coming over to visit Ritsu-senpai. And Mugi-senpai is going to see if she can make it."
"Ah," Mio smiled back politely, "So we're all going to eat together?" She questioned, taking some of the cutlery out of Azusa's hands, helping her set the table.
"I thought it would be nice, and maybe it would make Ritsu-senpai feel better. The prom is in a couple of days too, so I guess we won't all be together again until then. Oh and senpai, your parents left you a letter saying that they're away on another business trip – it'll last 12 weeks, apparently."
"Ah, I see. Well at least that means there won't be a fuss for prom." She smiled – guiltily she admitted, this made things so much easier.
"That's true – you're one of the lucky ones-" Mio cut her off mid-sentence.
"Azusa. You know you're an asset to this club."
Azusa looked shocked, almost dropping one of the glasses that she placed on the table.
"Wh-why are you saying that all of a sudden senpai?" She was blushing a little, but seemed to radiate in the compliment.
Mio smiled and shook her head, "Just remember that we're all best friends."
Before Azusa could ask anything else, there was a knock at the door and the loud sound of Yui Hirasawa's voice shouting, "AZU-NYAN OPEN UP!"
xXx
Dinner had flown by faster than Mio expected, Ritsu gulped down ice cream like there was no tomorrow when it got to time for pudding. She had refused it – still watching her diet. Mio wished she had the confidence to look so content all the time like Ritsu did.
Ui and Mugi had fussed over the bandages and eye patch on Ritsu, but she had shrugged off the comments, telling them that it was no big deal – even though the few times Yui gave her comforting hugs Mio had noticed the drummer flinch visibly, and bite back what would probably be groans of pain.
Ritsu always over-worked, but when they had said goodbye to Ui, Yui, and Mugi, with no serious conversation at all over dinner – just jokes and random stories. Mio found herself trying to coax Ritsu into the bathroom.
"Ritsu! Will you just co-operate? We need to get you cleaned up and replace your bandages again. The doctor said you might still bleed for a few days." Mio growled, blocking the door-way to the bedroom so Ritsu couldn't seal herself in.
"I don't want to! It hurts all over!" Ritsu whined, making everything more dramatic than it needed to be – but on the other hand Mio allowed her to, she couldn't imagine what it felt like to be that sore all over.
"Senpai! Please just do it! We'll be careful." Azusa pleaded, blocking the door-way to the office so Ritsu couldn't seal herself in their either – The only two other rooms were the bathroom, and Mio's parents bedroom – she knew Ritsu wouldn't go in there, the drummer may not have many respects, but she knew not to go into an adult's room.
"Aghhh! Fine. Whatever. But if you guys make me cry I'm not even going to bother attending prom." She glowered, Mio felt a pang of nervousness when she said that – almost believing Ritsu wouldn't show. But somehow she knew she would. Everytime Mio was in front of a crowd – Ritsu would always be there.
Ritsu slowly walked into the bathroom, Mio followed her and entered, but Azusa stood at the door. "Mmm, I'll get all of the bandages set out for when you're done." She smiled lightly, obviously not feeling comfortable with the idea of washing the drummer.
Mio flushed – could she really handle being alone with a naked Ritsu?
"T-Thanks Azusa." She smiled, trying not to blush and give herself away, she closed the door behind her.
"Ne, Mio?" Ritsu looked at her as she began to remove the plain white tank top, lifting her injured arm slowly in the air, Mio felt her eyes changing gaze, looking at everything in the room, searching for a distraction...Anything but Ritsu.
"What is it?" She asked, focusing on reading some of her mother's shampoo bottles to ease her nerves.
"My mom kicked me out because I came home with a suit – I mean, I know as well as you do that she should of expected it, and she never normally reacts as bad as she did but...She tried to tell me that I was...I don't know if I caught it right but. She tried to tell me I was gay." Ritsu finally finished, Mio heard her bra unclasp.
"W-Why would she ask that?" She questioned, screwing her eyes up as she focused more on the bottle, finding it oh-so hard not to panic.
"I think she thinks we're...together." Ritsu's uncertainty was clear in her voice, the awkwardness mixed with the pang of guilt in the air – Mio felt as if it was her that was making Ritsu suffer all of these things – like somehow her unconscious mind was being read by everyone.
"She doesn't have a reason to think that." Mio answered coolly.
"That's what I was thinking – But that's not really it. When I was getting...mugged, they tried to say I was gay too." Mio heard clothes fall to the floor, and Ritsu popping one of the buttons on her shorts open, then another...
"Maybe it's just the way you act. You're a tom-boy, so I'm sure people are going to suspect you're gay if you don't change that as you get older. A few girls in our school...have a crush on you," Mio flushed, holding back the urge to duck her head in embarrassment, "because you can act so much like a boy but...Being a girl – you act as if you know exactly what they want in a boy."
She heard more material hit the floor.
"Do you think I should change, Mio?"
"No. I think you should stay the way you are...There's nothing wrong with gay people, Ritsu." Mio smiled, now staring at the ground in disgust with herself – was she trying to start convincing her?
"I'm ready now, Mio."
Mio blushed deeply, head snapping towards Ritsu's back, "W-What?"
"...For the shower, right?" She could hear the grin in Ritsu's words.
"O-Oh..." Mio mumbled dumbly, pushing herself up from her leaning position against the door, walking over to the shower as she switched it on, holding her hand over the sprinkling water until she felt it turn a decently warm temperature.
"You honestly have so much confidence." Mio sighed as Ritsu climbed into the bath tub – Mio still expertly avoiding looking at her best friend's naked body. Not that she hadn't seen it before but – She felt as if she would lose control if she saw it now.
"What do you mean?" Ritsu sat in the middle of the tub, legs tucked up to her chest so most of her body was covered, since Mio was facing her back. The raven-haired girl was still fully clothed, and had to lean over the side of the bath to reach her, so she pulled the shower head off the stand, giving it to Ritsu to hold while she rubbed shampoo into the drummer's scalp. Ritsu's eye patch was plastic, and she only had water-proof stitches on her forehead – so it was wasn't going to turn into a mess.
"You get mugged, you lose your ability to perform for prom – the only reason you were going to go – you get kicked out of your home, and you still act like nothing is bad in the world." Mio sighed at the end of her sentence.
"You know me Mio," Ritsu had a gleeful tone in her stride, "No matter what's happened I'm always there to protect you...To protect everyone. I can't think about things that will get me down because there's not enough time in the world to think about them. I'm going to prom because I've always been there for you when you're afraid of being in front of a crowd, and I'm going to make sure that you make the most out of the performance...I still think you're the most talented girl I've ever met."
Was that a hinted confession, or was she just being nice?
"Ritsu, you're..."
XxXxXEND
A/N; This chapter is just a little MioxRitsu banter, to fill in sometime between the Prom and Ritsu's healing – so we'll finally be seeing the prom part 1 next chapter! Please stay tuned for Chapter 4 will finally have that confession we've all been waiting for! If anything seems out of place it's because this chapter isn't anything serious, and my focus is on the next part- which may take me even longer to write – so I am sorry. I'm just so busy.
Songs:
Entrust – INFINITE (Korean)
MBLAQ – Cry (Korean)