Part2

"Yo! Mio!"

Ritsu grinned cheekily as she burst through the club room. She expected Mio to be set up, playing a nice warm-up on her bass, but the room was silent. The bassist in question was seated by the window, a dreamy expression painted on her face, her eyes closed. Her head rested in her arms propped up on the window sill. Ritsu swallowed hard, wanting to break the peace, but something about the picturesque scene just stopped her in her tracks. She couldn't help but notice the tranquility on the other girl's face, how beautiful she looked.

Without thinking, Ritsu moved silently towards the girl, trying to make her footsteps as inaudible as possible. She could feel her heart starting to pound hard against her chest, her breathing getting shallow. It was inexplicable, but had the urge to do something stupid.

Standing beside the still Mio, Ritsu leaned in, brushing her lips against the girl's ear as she whispered her name, "Mio..."

With a start, Mio's eyes snapped open and she sat up suddenly, slamming hard into Ritsu who stood behind her.

"Gah!" Ritsu stumbled backwards, clutching her nose gingerly as tears welled in her eyes.

"Ritsu! What are you doing here?" The bassist was a little flushed, her cheeks red and her hair slightly dishevelled. "You scared me half to death, you know!"

"Ahaha...my bad..." Ritsu laughed sheepishly, scratching her head as she looked down shamefully. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment, and she mentally chided herself for doing such strange things. She focused her eyes on the ground, not wanting to let Mio see the expression on her face. She sniffled, feeling something trickle from her nose. Ritsu swore under her breath, hoping that she wasn't crying or anything now. "I just thought you were asleep or something, since you didn't notice me coming in..."

"I-I kinda was...but that's no reason for you to-" Mio paused for a minute, her eyes widening slightly as Ritsu looked up. "B-b-b-blood! R-Ritsu!" She pointed with a trembling hand, the color draining from her face.

Bringing up a hand, Ritsu felt the sticky fluid dripping from her nose. "Oh." She stared at the dark red for a minute, slightly shocked as it flowed thickly through her fingers.

"Mou! Don't just stand there, you idiot!" Rummaging through her pockets, Mio fished out a blue and white stripped handkerchief, crossing the distance between them as she pressed the fabric to Ritsu's nose.

Looking away, Mio held the fabric there, leading Ritsu over to the couch as she sat the girl down. "Hold it there, o-okay? I-I'm going to go get some ice..." Mio stood, taking only a few steps before a hand shot out and stopped her in her tracks.

"I-It's okay! The bleeding'll stop soon, so just...stay here? There's no reason to get ice anyway...it's not like I'm gonna use it or anything..." Ritsu tried to laugh off her embarrassment, but it just seemed forced now, her cocky attitude gone.

Sitting down, Mio looked away from Ritsu, the sight of the blood making her queasy. "I-I'm sorry about hitting you so hard...You caught me off guard."

"Haha..iya, iya. Don't worry, Mio! It's not like I'm dying or anything." The drummer clamped a hand down on the bassist's shoulder, patting her on the back.

Looking over, Mio paled at the sight of Ritsu's bloodied fingers curled around her school blazer. "Y-you should go wash up! Your blood's going to get everywhere!" The girl winced, her voice raising an octave as she shied away from Ritsu.

"Aww. It's just a little blood, Mio-chan! It's not gonna hurt you. And I think the bleeding's already stopped now!" Alleviating the pressure on her nose, Ritsu took the handkerchief away, but fresh blood gushed forward, spilling out.

"Kyaaah!" Mio sprung up, bolting out of the room as she yelled back." I-I'm going to go get some more tissue!"

Her hands bloodied and sticky, Ritsu sat there, clutching the now red handkerchief to her face. The coppery stench filled the room and it made her head spin.

Mio sat stock still, not sure where to rest her hands.

"Mio...you look kinda uncomfortable there." Ritsu turned on her side, adjusting her head on Mio's lap as she looked up. Her nostrils were plugged up with tissue rolls, the blood starting to clot.

"W-why am I doing this again?" Mio was torn between anger and embarrassment. Even if it was Ritsu, this position was a bit too lovey-dovey. Every shoujo manga she read had this scene in it…

"Well, it was your fault that I'm bleeding to death here. And there are no pillows in the room, so your lap was the next best thing." Ritsu smiled to herself, grinning maniacally.

"I-I'm being n-nice to you just this once!" Mio's cheeks were bright red and her arms were starting to get numb, so she rested one on her lap and the other on Ritsu's stomach.

"Hehe...Mio's so nice...nice and soft!" Ritsu grinned widely, chuckling to herself.

"Mou, Ritsu..." The bassist pouted, turning away as her cheeks continued to burn brightly.

There was a long silence in the room as Ritsu lounged away on Mio's lap. The room was quiet save for the telltale chatter of conversation drifting in from the hallways. The drummer looked up at her human cushion, contemplating the spacey look Mio had on her face. It was rather rare to see the serious bassist daydreaming, since that was Yui's job. However, Ritsu had to admit that Mio looked much more dignified while spacing out. Her beautiful blue eyes seemed to glitter in the sunlight, capturing Ritsu's undivided attention.

Suddenly, a small voice punctuated the silence.

"Ne, Ritsu...do you believe in...love at first sight?" Still staring off into space, Mio sounded distant as she posed her question.

"What's with you all of a sudden? Are you in looooove with someone?" Sitting up, Ritsu taunted Mio with her singsong tone. However, deep inside, the drummer felt a strange tightness in her chest as she interrogated her friend.

Giving Ritsu a light jab on the shoulder, Mio shook her head as she sighed. "I'm being serious here, Ritsu. Do you think it's stupid t-to...like someone just because of how they look?" The bassist felt rather shallow as she voiced her concerns.

It was a rare occasion, but Ritsu took Mio's question seriously. She wracked her head for ideas on what to say, but for some reason, it was harder than usual to concentrate. The idea that Mio…her childhood friend, Mio, had a crush was…not sitting well with Ritsu.

Feeling an awkward tension arise, Mio felt stupid for bringing up such a weird question. "N-Never mind! Don't answer that. I don't know why I asked in the first place." She looked down, her cheeks reddening a little.

"Well."

Mio looked up.

"It's not a bad thing…it's pretty normal actually since physical attraction is important in a relationship." Ritsu furrowed her brows as she looked for the right wording.

The bassist blinked quizzically, surprised at the seriousness with which the other girl answered. There were no jokes, no puns, no teasing. 'Wow.' Mio thought. 'Ritsu can be serious sometimes too, hm?'

"A-Ahaha…T-That's just what I think though!" Noticing the weird silence in the room, Ritsu tried to laugh it off.

Wordlessly, Mio agreed, contemplating something.

"S-So! W-Why don't we get going now?" Ritsu grabbed her bag and her jacket.

"What? Why? Weren't we going to practice today?" Mio was confused, wondering if Ritsu was just looking for an excuse to be lazy again.

"Mugi and Yui and even Azusa are really busy today for some reason, so it's just the two of us." Ritsu looked away, fidgeting with her hair as she said this. She felt uncharacteristically on edge with Mio today.

"Oh…" Mio thought for a second before she started packing her bag. She had a contemplative look on her face as she thought hard. "Then what should we do today?"

Ritsu chuckled as she jumped up excitedly. "Then!" The drummer made an exaggerated gesture as she pointed grandiosely towards the door. "We have no other choice than to abandon practice!"

Mio sighed. She didn't want to admit it, but Ritsu was right. There was no point in practicing with just the two of them. "Well…okay…I guess we should get going, right? Has the bleeding stopped yet?" Mio gestured to Ritsu's nose, concern filled her voice.

Ritsu nodded. She just wanted to go home and sort out that uncomfortable pressure she felt in her chest. It was suffocating and painful. There wasn't any time to waste. Not even a nosebleed could stop her from going home. "Let's go!"Every second she was with her best friend, the more and more she felt that agitation.

"Okay. I did want to practice a little bit today but..." Mio paused. She was hesitantly packing her bags. "You know…there is this new cake shop I wanted to try out…" The girl trailed off, hoping that Ritsu would understand what she was implying.

Pausing for a second, Ritsu cocked en eyebrow in disbelief. Mio always headed straight home if there wasn't club. "You mean…you want to go today?"

Shyly, Mio shuffled her feet, looking at the floorboards. She had a small smile on her face as she thought about those cakes she saw in the window the other day. "Winter break is coming up soon…and they are having their opening special this week…"

Ritsu swallowed hard, feeling her breathing deepen as she couldn't stand how incredibly cute Mio could be. The Dangerous Queen was more dangerous than she knew. She was absolutely adorable today, her slightly flushed cheeks bringing out the brilliant blue in her eyes. "Uhhh…"

Mio looked up, pouting slightly as she pulled a puppy dog face on the drummer. "We can't…?"

"O-of course we can!" Ritsu instinctively blurted that out, her eye twitching slightly. She could never refuse that face no matter how hard she tried.

"Then it's settled!" Mio beamed as she pulled on her jacket and hefted her bag and her bass onto her shoulders. "You skipped practice last time, so you're buying, Ritsu!" The bassist was ecstatic as she pulled her unwilling friend out the door. Little did she know that the brunette was preoccupied with more than just the thought of the bill she had to pay.

"I heard you got the leading role in your class play." Mio commented offhandedly as she took a dainty bite out of her strawberry cheesecake. She slowly savoured the rich creamy cake, the sweetness of the strawberry compote sending her to a state of absolute bliss. She smiled to herself, scooping up another bite with her fork.

Sitting across from Mio, Ritsu absently pushed her piece of cake around on her plate, lacking an appetite for sweets at the moment

"Ritsu? Are you okay? You've been acting kinda weird today."

"Huh? Oh. Sorry, what were you saying? I wasn't paying attention." Ritsu scratched her head sheepishly. Was she being too obvious?

"Does it not taste good?" Mio eyed the piece of cake being neglected and abused on Ritsu's plate; cream slathered all over it.

"Of course it tastes good! I just had a big lunch." Ritsu laughed it off, putting a bite in her mouth as if it prove that it wasn't the cake's fault. It wasn't like it didn't taste good, but her mind was focused on Mio's words from before. Ritsu couldn't stand the thought of Mio liking a guy. What if everything worked out? What if they started dating? Then…then…

"Okay…whatever you say…." Mio was still sceptical, but Ritsu obviously didn't want to talk about it. "So, as I was saying earlier…you got the main role in your class play? It's too bad we're not in the same class this year, but I don't want to be kept out of the loop."

Ritsu caught the question this time. "Yeah. I did. I'm Heathcliff and Mugi's playing Catherine."

"Oh. Wuthering Heights, right?" Mio was stunned for a moment, wondering why Ritsu was so willing to play the lead male role. She knew the drummer wasn't one for those tedious jobs. "I'm going to come see it for sure, so you better practice your lines." She smiled softly, knowing that Ritsu would need the support.

"Don't worry. I will." Ritsu put another forkful of sweet confectionery in her mouth as she replied; her head in the clouds and a certain question floating around in her mind.

A brief silence fell over the two and the air was full of chatter from the other customers, music from the radio and the clink of the two girls' forks against their plates.

"Ano-"

"Ne-"

The two looked up at the same time, pausing when they realized the other was about to speak.

Mio chuckled a bit to herself. "Sorry, you go first."

Ritsu bit her lip, wondering if she should ask. "Umm…"

"What is it?" Mio rarely saw Ritsu so nervous and she was sure that something was bothering the usually happy-go-lucky drummer.

Mio had her mouth wide open, her fork held up to her lips, a piece of cake sitting on it. She was just about to devour the morsel when Ritsu decided to ask her question.

"Do you have…someone you like?"

Creamy cheesecake met Mio's left cheek as the bassist completely missed her target. The remnants of the piece fell back onto her plate. Her face was starting to redden with embarrassment. "W-What do you mean?"

Ritsu was starting to feel a bit aggressive, getting a little angry at Mio's confusion. "Well, you were talking about love at first sight and stuff in the clubroom…" She went back to pushing her cake around while she stared down the bassist boldly.

"T-That was just something I was working on…more song lyrics." Mio look ashamed as she picked up her napkin, trying to clean the wasted cake off her cheek. She knew the others made fun of her girly lyrics, but if she wasn't going to come up with lyrics, who was?

Ritsu could feel her agitation building. She feigned playfulness as she forced a smile. "C'mon Mio-chan, you can tell me the truth. I'm your best friend, aren't I?"

Mio looked like she was about to die from embarrassment. She wasn't lying, but Ritsu was right. There was a little more to it. "N-No, no…it's nothing really. I-Ijust saw this really cool guy on the street the other day and I thought his hair was…cool." Mio twirled a lock of her ebony hair around her finger absently as she answered. Shyly, she looked over, meeting Ritsu's eyes. "That guy…actually reminded me of you, Ritsu."

Ritsu blinked, feeling strange. All that jealousy and anger became mixed with embarrassment and butterflies in her stomach. "Umm, I'm not sure whether I should feel insulted or not?" She laughed sheepishly, feeling her cheeks color a bright pink.

"Reminded me of when you don't wear your headband… " Mio paused, looking closely at Ritsu for a second. "You know, I haven't seen you with your hair down for a while. When was the last time?" Mio contemplated that as she twirled her fork around her fingers.

Ritsu remembered very clearly. "I think it was a couple of months ago when you came over to my house in the morning and I forgot we had school." An automatic smile spread across Ritsu's face as she remembered it as the day where she and Mio both completely missed homeroom.

Mio laughed as she recalled it in her own way, wincing at the memory of the day where she got more than enough of her daily exercise. "You came to the door in your pyjamas and your hair all over the place." She shook her head, a smile on her lips as she felt the imaginary ache in her legs. "Geez, I don't remember ever running that much in one day! You dragged me along so far. I thought I was going to pass out!"

"I know, ms. I-never-do-any-exercise." Ritsu smirked at the thought of Mio running, her skirt fluttering, her long legs exposed, her more than abundant chest boun- The drummer caught herself. She felt the heat go to her face as she realized she was thinking of Mio in such a way.

"Well, I am a little busy with school and practice and actually doing my homework." Mio rolled her eyes, finishing up her slice of cake.

"W-Whatever, Mio…" Ritsu stuck out her tongue playfully. "I'm just glad I didn't miss that math test I had first period."

Mio grinned. "I had to help you on the phone for hours for that day ."

"S-Stupid Mio!" Ritsu finished gobbling up her half-eaten piece of cake to hide her embarrassment.

The two continued to chat over their empty plates. The awkward atmosphere had dissipated and Ritsu had forgotten all about her jealousy for now.

A/N: Back temporarily from my hiatus. Here, have some useless filler :) Thanks to those who waited! Hope I won't disappoint too many of you.