Oh, well I'm sick again! Which is so weird because I never get sick. My immune system is usually a frickin' brick wall. _
No worries though, I stayed home from school today and finished this chapter.
Enjoy! :)
Chapter 4
Ritsu awoke to coldness. She shivered and threw off the covers, noting that Mio was no longer in the bed next to her. Hearing the clanking of silverware on plates and excited murmurs downstairs, she wasted no time padding quickly down the steps and into the kitchen.
"Good morning, Ricchan," Mugi greeted the drowsy girl at the threshold. She was wearing an apron and a sweet smile, a plate of bacon and eggs in her hands. "Did you sleep well?"
The question threw Ritsu off guard for some reason. She ran a hand through her messy hair, trying to shrug off the drowsiness that clouded her mind. She remembered closing her eyes… and opening them a few minutes later, but it didn't feel like she slept at all. Ritsu played off her pause with a wide yawn.
"Yeah, slept great!" She took a seat at the table, carefully avoiding eye contact with a certain raven-haired girl who was sitting on the opposite end. Mugi placed the plate she was holding in front of the drummer, who thanked her before digging in. Everyone else seemed to be already finished eating, or almost in Yui's case, who was probably on her second or third helping anyway.
In between gulps Ritsu would discretely glance up at Mio. The bassist was slouched in her chair with her head slightly bowed, fiddling absentmindedly with some crumbs leftover on her plate. Ritsu let her gaze linger. The dark-haired girl's grey eyes seemed more so at that moment. They seemed like rain clouds, a sign of a storm to come.
Mio looked so sad.
Ritsu frowned down at her unfinished breakfast, her appetite suddenly gone. She couldn't help but feel like it was her fault. She gulped before standing up. "Alright, what are we waiting for? Let's get to the slopes!"
The girls cheered along with there leader, even Mio gave a noble effort. After the table was cleared they rushed upstairs.
xXx
Ritsu's teeth chattered from the biting wind that whipped around her face. She readjusted her scarf before grinning up at the ski lift, lifting her spirits in the process. This would hopefully take her mind off of things for a while.
"Ricchan," Yui squeaked, snaking an arm around the drummer's. "Didn't you say you've never been skiing?"
Ritsu nodded, and glanced behind her at the rest of the crew. "Oh yeah, which one of you wants to be my teacher for the day?"
Mio immediately averted her eyes, trying to make herself seem as invisible as possible. Ritsu deflated at the sight. Yui volunteered Azusa, considering she was the most experienced of the five. But Azusa huffed, saying it would be weird if she tried to teach her senpai anything. Ritsu had to agree, and she shifted her amber gaze onto a certain blonde-haired keyboardist.
Mugi smiled awkwardly. "Ano… I think we should all help Ricchan. It's not too difficult, and I'm sure she could pick it up easily."
"Good idea, Mugi-chan!" Yui released Ritsu from her grip and hustled forward towards the ski lift. "Azu-nyan!" She reached out to the other guitarist urgently as an empty two-seater approached the dock. Azusa sighed and allowed the energetic brunette drag her onto it, and blushed when she fell victim to a powerful death grip as Yui squealed when they lifted off the ground.
Ritsu decided to go it alone and hopped on the next one by herself. "Hi-ho silver!" She exclaimed as the snow beneath her skis slowly shrunk away. She didn't want to sit next to Mio for fear of making her even more upset. Even though her gut was telling her she shouldn't, she wanted to give their friendship some space before it snapped.
Guh, Ritsu. Don't worry about this now! Now is the time for fun, not fretting over Mio… which isn't even like you in the first place!
The drummer preoccupied herself by tapping her skis against each other in such a way that would drive anybody insane. Then came the time to get off the ski lift. The top of the mountain was fast approaching, and Ritsu gulped. This was going to be interesting. Steeling herself, she slowly slid off the edge of the seat. She closed her eyes as the skis hit the soft snow, and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized she didn't fall. She wiped some imaginary sweat from her brow.
"Ritsu!"
The brunette snapped her head around at the sound of her name to find Mugi and Mio barreling towards her, still seated on their lift and arms waving for her to get out of the way. Ritsu scrambled to move, but she crossed her skis and tripped over herself, landing in a heap and still in the path of the floating bench. Desperate, the drummer flailed her arms through the snow in attempt to somehow swim away from the impending danger.
But to no avail.
"Aghh!"
-30 seconds later-
Ritsu grumbled as the four girls standing around her laughed at her expense. She was busy trying to get snow out of impossible places to defend herself from their chuckles.
Suddenly, a mitten covered hand reached out to her and she tilted up her head. Mio was smiling down at her, a genuine smile, which Ritsu returned wholeheartedly as she took the hand and allowed herself to be pulled up. The bassist giggled some more as she wiped the drummer's jacket free of snow. Before she knew it, Ritsu found herself in a suffocating, bone-crunching hug from the dark-haired girl. The brunette jumped, slightly surprised at the change of mood, but slowly wrapped her arms around Mio and grinned into her shoulder.
"Well, at least we know how skilled I am at the skis," Ritsu chuckled as she pulled away from her friend. Another round of laughter filled the air.
The slopes were not that crowded today, so there was plenty of room for practice.
"Ok, so first things first," Mio started, standing in front of Ritsu in order to demonstrate. "You have to relax and bend your knees… but not too much or you'll lose your balance."
Ritsu mirrored the bassist, a look of concentration gracing her features complete with tongue sticking out.
"Then, just make sure you don't let your skis make a 'V' or you'll end up doing the splits!" Yui nodded her head and crossed her arms. Ritsu snickered. Yui must have had first-hand experience with that one based on her expression.
"And don't cross them, either! You've already seen what happens when you do that…" Azusa pointed out. The grin fell from Ritsu's face.
"Then, just push off with your sticks and lean left and right to maneuver down the mountain." Mio finished. "We can start off on the bunny slopes if you want."
"Let's do it, I'm ready!" Ritsu declared confidently. Mio rolled her eyes.
The first to go was Yui, which was somewhat accidental. She'd been glued to Azusa's arm, as usual, and the younger guitarist sneezed, throwing Yui off balance and down the slopes… backwards. Azusa, overcome with guilt and panic, raced after her. Mugi raced after them next with a determined expression. Then Ritsu felt a nudge of encouragement from the raven-haired girl standing next to her.
"C'mon, I'll be right beside you," she reassured.
Ritsu smirked. "Sure, if you can catch me!" With that, the brunette pushed off with her ski poles and rushed downhill, leaving an indignant Mio behind.
Ok, now lean…alright good. Now the other way… got it, got it. Geez, this isn't ha-
"Oof!" Ok, this time Ritsu had no idea how she ended up in the snow. It wasn't a second later before she heard laughter behind her. It wasn't good-hearted chuckle, either. It was a "that's what you get" cackle. Loud and victorious. Ritsu's face turned flush from embarrassment as Mio struggled to stay standing from the pain of laughing so hard.
It was time to play the sympathy card.
"Ow…" Ritsu whimpered in her most vulnerable voice, rubbing her head tenderly and forcing her eyes to tear up. "Mio…"
"Hey…are you ok?" Mio switched to mother-mode. Ritsu did an imaginary fist pump, she was almost in the clear.
"I… yeah, think so…" Ritsu mumbled, trying to hide her smirk. Mio sighed and reached out her hand for the second time, and Ritsu took it without question. Ritsu was halfway off the ground before Mio let go of her hand and sent her toppling back into the snow. Ritsu sputtered and spat the icy substance from her mouth and scowled at the girl standing above her. It was Mio's turn to smirk as she crossed her arms and returned Ritsu's stare. Her face seemed to say, 'What now, punk?'
The brunette growled and struggled to her feet on her own. "Touché, Mio-chan… touché."
"I was gonna help you… but since you've made it perfectly clear that you are the master at everything I guess I'll just meet you at the bottom," Mio said in a sing-song voice. She didn't even wait for Ritsu to reply before racing off, leaving the drummer mid-huff.
Ritsu growled again before following in Mio's wake.
It took a few trial runs, but soon Ritsu got the hang of it and she was able to keep up with the rest of the group. Even Mio was surprised at her progress. She was still a little wobbly, and stumbled ever now and again, but definitely a huge step from a few hours ago.
Plus, it was always a good laugh when she wiped out, which was not that uncommon. Luckily, Ritsu knew how to laugh at herself, which made the experience much more enjoyable for everyone. Secretly, Ritsu tripped herself up on purpose on occasion just to see Mio laugh. It made her glow with pride knowing she'd caused that wonderful sound to grace the air. Mio's laugh was music in itself. She was sure it would sell millions of albums.
However, the sun was setting and Mio suggested the pack it up and head back to the cabin for practice, causing Ritsu and Yui to groan as if asked to clean their rooms. Azusa agreed with Mio, her face lighting up at the thought of practice.
Still, Ritsu couldn't frown knowing she helped Mio have a great day. It shown in those grey eyes, that true joy that she hadn't seen since their snowball fight a few days ago.
xXx
"One, two, three, four!" Ritsu started Fuwa Fuwa Time, mustering up as much energy as she could. This was the last song of the night and she was read for a well-deserved rest.
As the song faded out into silence, Ritsu clapped her hands together and yawned at the same time.
"Well, what a great two hours of practice. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to relax like I'd planned to do in the first place! Yui, you with me?" Ritsu glanced pointedly at her friend/accomplice, who saluted before dropping like a dead weight onto the couch beside her. The drummer followed suit.
"Mmmm, so warm," Yui mumbled, her voice muffled by the cushions. The rest of the girls made their way to the other couches in the studio, which was formally just a storage area in the basement. Mugi's parents had it redone a few years ago when they realized her musical talent.
It was around eleven o' clock when the girls slowly filed to their respective bedrooms, completely exhausted. Mio and Ritsu decided to take showers in the morning rather than wait for the others to get out. After the their usual pre-bed rituals, they got into bed, the atmosphere a lot more relaxed than the previous night. Ritsu silently thanked the heavens for that.
Minutes passed, which turned into hours. Despite her exhaustion, Ritsu, for the life of her, could not fall asleep. She tossed and turned, counted sheep, tried to clear her mind, but nothing worked. She blinked into the darkness as silence prevailed. Suddenly, she heard rustling beside her as Mio carefully got out of bed and crept out of the room.
"…Mio?" Ritsu whispered into the darkness, but the raven-haired girl was already gone. Curiosity peaked, Ritsu silently followed her companion down the stairs. She'd just caught a glimpse of the bassist grabbing her coat and scarf and quietly going out the front door after glancing behind her warily.
Ritsu wasted no time rustling through the pile of coats lying on the floor before pulling hers over her body and wrapping a scarf, she wasn't sure who's it was, snuggly around her neck. Next, she grabbed a pair of boots and slipped them on. She threw open the door and thrust herself out into the cold.
"Mio?" she called into the wind night. No reply. "Oi, Mio! Are you ok? What are you doing out here?" The only movement she saw was her own breath billowing out from her face like clouds. Surely Mio didn't just disappear like a ghost, she was sure she'd seen her go out here.
Am I dreaming again?
Ritsu drove on through the snow, shielding her face from the wind that seemed to move faster with each step she took. It was snowing again. The wind seemed hell-bent on pushing her back the way she came, but she refused to be driven back. There was something wrong with Mio.
The drummer squinted against the whiteness. There she was, black hair and teal-colored coat standing out like a sore thumb against the never-ending ocean of white surrounding them. Mio was huddled against a small boulder, gazing up at the sky, her dark locks whipping around her face.
Ritsu sprinted to her side. She placed a hand on her shoulder, effectively jerking Mio from her reverie. "Mio, what… what happened? You ok?" Concern filled the brunette's amber eyes. "It's really cold out here… let's go back inside, ok?"
"R-Ritsu?" Mio seemed dazed. She shivered, but shook her head. "N-No, I just couldn't sleep so I came out here to think. Sorry if I worried you…"
Unconvinced, Ritsu plopped down next to her friend. Mio was upset about something, something big. She could tell because Mio doesn't' usually react like this. She doesn't usually isolate herself from everyone, especially from Ritsu. And she especially doesn't go out into freezing weather just to think, when she could just as easily think in the warmth and safety of the living room. Mio had a thing with cold. She always had. For as long as Ritsu had known her, Mio hated to be even a little bit cold, and constantly needed warmth. It was one of those idiosyncrasies that made a person more lovable. So, this escapade into the snowy wilderness in the middle of the night by Mio had Ritsu extremely worried.
"Can I think with you then?"
Mio turned to look at the drummer, mouth slightly agape in confusion. She simply nodded, her cheeks turning rosy as she pulled her scarf tighter around her chin. For a few moments, the only sound was the wind whistling louder and louder through the freezing night air. The snow seemed to fall a little harder, a little thicker. Mio sighed before speaking, her voice low and shaky.
"I-I… Ritsu…" she started to say something, stopped, and mumbled her friend's name instead.
Ritsu blinked. "…Yeah?"
Mio whimpered, bowing her head and letting it rest on her knees. Her whole body stiffened in a shaky sob. Her shoulders trembled in attempt to quell her tears, but to no avail. Ritsu's breath caught in her throat.
"No, no… d-don't cry, Mio," she whispered urgently, an alarmed look on her face as she pulled the broken girl into her arms. The bassist melted in the drummer's warmth and cried into her shoulder, the tears almost freezing on her face. Ritsu ran a hand up and down the dark-haired girl's back in soothing strokes, whispering softly into her ear.
Suddenly, Mio stiffened again. Muscles tense as if she'd just realized something. She broke from Ritsu's hold and staggered backwards, a desperate, distraught expression on her pale face. Her grey eyes were wide and wild, glancing back and forth as if searching for a way to escape. Ritsu's heart jumped. The dark-haired girl scrambled to her feet and dashed off in a direction opposite the house, never looking back.
Ritsu struggled to her feet and raced after her. The wind seemed to encourage her forward now, whipping past her face so hard it stung. The snow seemed to come down in blankets and the temperature seemed to drop. The only thing on her mind was Mio, but she was quickly losing sight of the long raven locks. The snow was filling her vision. So thick she couldn't see her hand in front of her face.
Wait.
She couldn't see.
"Mio! Stop running!" she cried with every fiber of her being, her heart was thumping madly in her chest and she struggled to catch her breath. The storm was getting louder, thicker, colder. The wind blowing gusts of ice and snow in dozens of different directions at once. Ritsu wasn't even sure she was running in a straight line anymore. Snow seemed to jump up at her from the ground, wind hit her with such force it took her breath away, she felt trapped, suffocated. She couldn't see anything but white in all directions. Which way was up? Down? It didn't matter.
All that mattered was that she kept moving. Mio was still out there.
"It's a blizzard, Mio!" she shouted again, shielding her face from the violent gusts and squinting into the whiteness. She kept running. The blood rushing through her veins ran cold with fear and desperation. Answer me.
"I'm here!" she heard a muffled cry in the distance, barely a whisper, but she heard it. She rushed towards the voice, uncertain of the exact location it came from. The wind could have easily picked it up and sent it in another direction.
Ritsu took another step, but only felt air.
She seemed to fall in slow motion. As soon as she didn't feel solid ground beneath her foot, she knew there was no way to catch herself. She seemed to fall for an eternity before the earth came up to meet her. It wasn't snow as she expected. It was much harder than snow.
A rock?
She heard a strangled gasp. Then everything went black.
.
.
.
Oh no! Cliffhanger? So sorry, folks. ^_^;;
Okay, so hopefully you've picked up on the recurring theme of warmth and coldness... especially in Mio's POV. If you haven't it's ok, haha... maybe you'll see it now?
By the way, I just found a band called Passenger. Anyone heard of them? They're awesome, and a lot of there songs helped me write this chapter. Especially "Walk in the Rain" and "Wicked Man's Rest." Check them out if you want.
Review if you wanna see what happens next! ;)