Chapter 3
"Amazing!" Yui's eyes were wide and she couldn't keep her feet from dancing excitedly on the snow covered pavement. The girls stood before a massive two-story log cabin. Mio was surprised that it was actually made out of logs, but she figured it was mostly to emphasize a homely image. Despite that, the house seemed modern and hopefully up to date in terms of heating devices.
As they picked up their luggage and marched to the front door, Mio struggled to clear her mind. She didn't want to think about the achingly awkward train ride. And she most certainly didn't want to think about the tension between her and her best friend. And her bold, bright smile… audacious, amber eyes…
It was wrong.
She shook her head in shame and irritation as she stepped through the threshold. She drew in a sharp intake of air when she saw the inside of the cabin. The door opened to a large living room area complete with two couches, a recliner, a flat screen TV, and a bear skin rug. Over head was a massive, intricate chandelier that basked the room in a warm glow. To their left was a wide staircase that curved slightly on its way up, leading to rooms most likely as gorgeous and comfortable as the living space before them. Past the TV, the marble counter to the kitchen was visible, complete with a basket of fresh fruit sitting on top.
"Oi, you gonna stand and stare at the place all day or are you gonna let me come in before I freeze to death out here?" Ritsu grumbled from behind. Mio squeaked and moved aside, she was blocking everyone from getting in.
"There are two bedrooms upstairs," Mugi pointed to the staircase. Yui grabbed Azusa without a word and bolted to the second floor, the wind from her speed ruffling the remaining band members' hair, accompanied by a yelp from the young victim. Mugi chuckled lightly and Mio rolled her eyes. Feeling uneasy, the dark-haired girl glanced behind her. Ritsu was still standing by the door, her head slightly bowed as if she was deep in thought. Normally, she would be right behind Yui, racing through the house and exploring every nook and cranny. Mio cocked her head to the side.
"Ritsu?" She called warily. The drummer's head snapped up and she glanced every which way, as if she didn't know where she was. Mio rubbed her nose awkwardly. "Er, did you want to find a room?"
The brunette grinned. "Yeah, yeah Mio-chan! Let's go!" Mio suddenly found herself being pulled up the stairs just like poor Azu-nyan.
She was probably just tired from the trip. She'd just woken up, after all.
"Whoa," Mio heard her companion whisper breathlessly as she flung open the door. The bedroom was huge, but what caught Mio's attention was the bed, which was at least king-sized. Her heart sank.
They would have to share it.
Any day before this, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but for some reason she just didn't feel comfortable around Ritsu anymore. She considered asking Mugi to switch rooms with her but that would definitely hurt Ritsu. She could feel her face heating up in embarrassment as she glanced at the brunette, who was currently jumping up and down on the bed like a chimpanzee. Mio couldn't stifle a giggle despite herself.
"I am King Kong! None shall trespass on my territory! Muwahahaha!" the rambunctious teen beat her chest and pointed at Mio. "You dare to challenge me!?"
Mio rolled her eyes for the second time within the past five minutes. But, she felt a little bit of the burden lift from her shoulders. Maybe they were alright after all.
It's all in my head. Just relax an enjoy this vacat- I mean… training camp.
The bassist chuckled and pointed right back. "What if I do?"
Ritsu's eyes widened in shock for a split second, but then the wide Cheshire grin reappeared. Mio didn't blame her though. It was rare that she join Ritsu's silly games, much less willingly. Mio laughed again and hopped on the bed.
"Godzilla!? My arch nemesis…" Ritsu growled, hunching over as if she was about to pounce. Mio raised an eyebrow, but then smirked.
"Yes, 'tis I." Mio crossed her arms, trying to come off arrogant and cocky. "And I have returned to claim my territory!" She gestured to the bed beneath them.
"Foolish lizard… I shall teach you a lesson." The fiery girl retaliated.
"Hm, bring it on, ya big baboon." Mio stuck out her tongue.
Ritsu growled once more before tackling the taller girl onto the soft cushions. Mio felt a pair of arms encircle her arms and waist, and fingers begin to tickle her relentlessly. Mio twisted her body in attempt to get out of the strong hold, but it was difficult because she was laughing so hard. They rolled several times before Mio landed on top, pinning Ritsu's hands over her head.
"I win… Mr. Kong," Mio panted, towering above a bewildered and blushing Ritsu. Mio struggled to catch her breath before she realized their position.
Oh, crap.
It was the look on Ritsu's face that made her breath hitch. Somehow, the yellow headband must have fallen off during their brief wrestling match, because the drummer's bangs were down, framing her wide amber eyes. Her mouth was slightly open and her cheeks were rosy. Slowly, Ritsu's face relaxed, and her eyes became soft. Mio remembered that expression from their snowball fight.
It was like she was the only person in the world that mattered.
Mio couldn't breathe. Her heart thumped madly in her chest as it pumped blood through her veins that felt like fire and ice at the same time. She could even feel her pulse tickle her fingertips with each wild heartbeat. But the blood seemed hell-bent on rushing to her face.
"…Mio?" A concerned voice sounded from beneath her. The raven-haired girl refocused her eyes and quickly released Ritsu's hands.
"S-Sorry… I- er…" she stumbled over her words as she moved to get off the brunette. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her arm before she could remove herself completely and pulled her back roughly. Mio found herself laying flat against her companion, their faces inches apart. She could feel Ritsu's warm breath against her lips as she whispered, "Don't apologize, Mio."
Panic filled Mio to the brim as her heart raced even faster than before. She couldn't even form a coherent thought. Her heart was screaming for her to close the small distance between them. But her logical mind was forcefully reminding her of the danger that would put their friendship into.
No, no, no! I can't! She won't want to be friends anymore and I know I won't be able to deal with that!
But, there was nothing but compassion in those amber pools. Ritsu would never hurt her. Just a little further…
Then again, what if this is just a fluke like before? There's no way they could go back. Get out now!
But, she's so warm. I want to be a part of that warmth.
Just do it then…
She felt a hand cup her cheek, and feathery fingers trace her jaw line, making her shiver. She watched Ritsu's eyes close slowly before she went lightheaded.
Extremely lightheaded.
"Hm!? …M-Mio!? Oi! Wake up, Mio!" The dark-haired girl had fainted on top of the drummer. Out cold.
xXx
"So… why did she faint?" Mio heard hushed voices as she slowly came to. She squinted in attempt to block out the bright light that pervaded her vision.
"She'll be ok, right?"
"Yeah, she's fine. There was a huge spider next to the light switch, and she accidentally touched it when she flipped the light on."
That voice.
"Oh… poor Mio-senpai…"
Mio opened her grey eyes all the way. She was still in the bedroom, lying on the bed. Ritsu, Mugi, Yui, and Azusa were sitting on the edge, obviously very worried. Ritsu was holding a glass of water and a small white towel. Was she taking care of me?
"Mio-chan!" Yui threw her hands up in a celebratory fashion and leapt onto the bassist with a bone-crushing hug. "You're alive!"
"…Er, yeah… I'm fine." She rubbed the back of her head, which was aching slightly. "Um… how long was I…?"
Azusa spoke up. "Not long, maybe fifteen minutes."
Mio's face turned red. "Oh, I'm sorry for worrying you all…" She really felt bad for causing such a scene, and she didn't really feel comfortable with all the attention she was receiving. She noticed Ritsu was slightly removed from the others, watching on wordlessly, patiently.
"Well, if you're sure you're all right, I'll go and whip up some food and we can all eat together!" Mugi smiled, leaning forward slightly in excitement. Mio chuckled. "I'm fine," the bassist knew how much Mugi liked to serve others, and how she grew tired of others serving her. "And kind of hungry!"
Mugi giggled, patted Mio on the head, and raced downstairs with Yui hot on her heels chanting, "Food, food, food, food."
Azusa sighed and glanced from Ritsu to Mio, who were currently avoiding each other's gazes in a less-than-subtle fashion. She cleared her throat in a weak attempt to break the awkward silence that saturated and hovered over the room like an stifling blanket. Mio snapped her eyes to the young kohai, who blinked in confusion.
"Er… do you guys want to...you know... go downstairs?"
"Hai!"
"Yes!"
xXx
After a wonderful meal thanks to their keyboardist, the girls settled in the living room to plan their next day.
"So, we're going skiing first thing in the morning, right?" Ritsu bounced up and down in anticipation.
"Yeah. But then we are coming back and practicing no matter what." Mio made sure to make that clear, especially to the two hyperactive troublemakers. Azusa nodded furiously next to her senpai.
"Sure, sure…" Ritsu sighed, waving her hand vaguely as if half-heartedly swatting a fly.
"Ok, it's settled then." Yui stood up and hit her hand with her fist, eyes shining. "First we'll eat a huge breakfast, followed by a whole day of skiing, and we'll wrap it up with a few hours of band practice!" She wrapped an arm around Azusa's shoulders and dramatically wiped a nonexistent tear from her eye. "It's going to be a wonderful day."
Azusa sighed and blushed faintly. She was almost used to Yui's constant invasion of her personal space. Almost. Yui yawned, announced her departure to bed, and took Azusa with her like she was a teddy bear. Mugi was sleeping in the same room as them so she followed soon after. Mio grew incredibly anxious. She didn't want to be alone with Ritsu, she didn't want to sleep in the same bed as Ritsu. What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do? They'd almost kissed. Again. It was getting more and more difficult to brush it off as an accident or getting caught up in the moment when it keeps happening.
There's no way I even swing that way, it's an impossibility! I don't even know what my parents would think. Would they be angry and disown me? Plus, what about Mugi, Yui, and Azusa? I don't know how they feel about that kind of stuff... And Ritsu, what is going on!? You've been acting so strange lately and it's not helping with my little problem. I don't know why I've been feeling this way towards you, I mean... we're best friends. It's weird. It's wrong.
But, when you look at me like you did before... it doesn't... feel wrong at all...
Maybe I'm just imagining things.
When Mio looked up, Ritsu was no where to be found. The bassist decided she already went upstairs to avoid the awkwardness that was sure to ensue. Mio debated just sleeping downstairs and avoiding trouble altogether, but that might make things worse. First off, the others would worry and pry, asking if she was feeling well or if she and Ritsu were having a fight. Second, it would tell Ritsu that there is definitely a problem between them. It would be set in stone. Mio wasn't sure if she wanted to deal with that. She wanted to wait it out and see if it was just a strange phase.
I'll just try pretend like nothing happened. Maybe Ritsu has forgotten about it already.
Mio stepped carefully into the room, which was dark. Ritsu was already asleep. Mio breathed a sigh of relief. At least she was safe until the morning, and then they would go skiing and hopefully forget about this whole nightmare. The raven-haired girl quickly changed and carefully got into bed, staying as close to the edge as possible. She could only see Ritsu's back, which was good. It's a shame that it's even come to this, but it must be done. Mio sighed once more before succumbing to exhaustion.
Sometime during the night, she had a strange dream.
They were on the ski lift, that is, Ritsu and herself. It was cold, really cold. They were quite squished together, but she couldn't feel the warmth that usually radiated from the brunette like a flame. Ritsu was blabbing on about some brand new drumset that was recently released, waving her hands around animatedly. Mio wasn't really listening, though. She was too focused on the dark, ominous clouds that loomed overhead. She tried to speak, to warn Ritsu of the impending danger, but no words would come out. She began to panic. She shook the drummer's arm frantically, but her hands when right through the skin. She looked at her hands to find the were transparent. She patted her chest, shoulders, arms... anything to prove she existed. But no, nothing was solid... she was a ghost. Ritsu just kept on talking, not even realizing the person next to her did not exist. Mio screamed as a wall of snow, ice and wind barreled towards them. Ritsu was still unaware. Mio kept screaming and screaming, but nothing pervaded the air but silence. She waved her arms frantically, but Ritsu's eyes were still unseeing. The blizzard was upon them now. Yards away.
Feet.
Inches.
"Ritsu!"
Mio woke with a jolt. She clutched her chest as she struggled to catch her breath. She'd felt so helpless, worthless. She begged her heart to slow down.
"Hm, what is it... what I do..." she heard a languid, slightly raspy voice next to her. Crap...
"Oh, er... nothing. Just go back to sleep..." Mio whispered to her companion, who yawned, stretched, and rolled over. It was already morning, the sun's rays were peaking through the window, tickling Mio's pale skin. She was warm again. Deciding to avoid confrontation with Ritsu, she gracefully got out of bed and tiptoed downstairs. No one else seemed to be awake. She was not usually one for television, but she flipped it on anyway to keep her occupied until everyone else woke up.
It hasn't even been a full twenty-four hours. Why does it feel like we've been here for an eternity?
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Sorry, it's kind of been a while. I swear, school is stressing me out. I have to recite Hamlet's "To Be, Or Not To Be" speech on Wednesday, and I have to take the ACT on Tuesday! Just shoot me now? Kthnx.
About the chapter, I think Mio would be the one to overanalyze everything. Tell me what you think.
They go skiing next chapter! :)