A/N: Sorry for the late update! It's finals weeks for me, and my internet's dying, so yeah. Anyways, the thanks for this chapter goes to RPPuzzle, my new beta-reader! She's fixed my eyesores of a grammar, so make sure you thank her, kay? She's also gonna be beta-ing my other fics from now on, so stay tune! Hehe, enough babbling, onwards!
One-second Interlude
Chapter 4.
The rest of the week was probably one of the worst in the history of Ritsu's life. After being found out that she sneaked off on her dinner date, her mother had given her so much hell that she almost had her crying in frustration. Even her father was scared shitless when her mother had begun screaming. The brunette was nervous and was more than pissed to be dragged into something she knew was fishy, but she doubted her mother had heard her reasoning amidst all that screaming.
Anyway, her mother had screamed her ear off for the last 2 days, and Ritsu now found both of her ears ringing and she suspected that she might be deaf if that screaming went one minute longer than it did.
Ritsu was currently waiting outside of the teacher's lounge, which Ichigo was called into moments before regarding a test. The pigtailed girl had dragged her along for the trip, even though she knew how much Ritsu hated that place. The short-haired brunette was almost allergic to it, and instead of waiting by the lounge's door, Ritsu stood a little to the left, right nearby the school information board. Hands buried deep in her blazer pocket, she moved around, bounced on her heels, and flapped her untucked shirt in boredom, occasionally sending death glares at staring passing students.
Her amber eyes suddenly lit up at a familiar sight, and the brunette licked her lips in anticipation.
"Good afternoon, Akiyama-sensei," she called out to the Math teacher, who snapped out of her daydream and turned her attention towards the brunette immediately. Ritsu was surprised to see the usually calm face looked severely pissed off and wondered who was the poor soul that had made the woman this angry.
"Afternoon, Tainaka-san," the teacher replied as she walked closer to her student before frowning "what are you doing out of class?"
Ignoring the question, Ritsu jumped into another topic immediately "You look very pissed. Did something happen?"
A deep scowl was her reply and Ritsu felt her heart go out to her teacher. She was feeling rotten as hell too!
"Bad day."
"Misery loves company, eh?" Mio looked up at the pissed off tone that the brunette let out; a scowl take the place of the cheeky grin she had 2 minutes ago.
"It sure does."
Amber eyes met obsidian eyes and they both broke out into smiles.
"Anyway, you should tuck in your shirt before Yamanaka-sensei sees it."
Ritsu's smile disappeared immediately and was replaced by a frown. Way to kill the mood, teach.
"Tucking in my shirt makes me feel suffocated."
"That's the rule. Now, tuck it in!"
The brunette hated this topic so she resorted to her last tactic. It's time to flirt!
"Fine. But won't you do it for me, since you insisted so much?" Ritsu walked into the Math teacher's personal space and brought her face close to the older woman's until she could feel the latter's soft breathing on her face.
The teacher's flittering eyes made the wrong decision to meet Ritsu's amber orbs then and there. Both eyes seemed to immediately click together in place like long lost pieces of a puzzle.
In all honesty, Ritsu had never seen such beautiful eyes before. The round obsidian orbs, swirling with numerous emotions that she could spend her time finding out. They were also genuinely clear and expressive, and for the first time in her life, Ritsu finally knew the meaning of that cliché saying about how 'the eyes are the windows of the soul'. She could feel her breathing slow down in awe of the beauty in front of her and the brunette mentally cursed her height, for it was really tiring to stare up into someone's eyes, especially when it's going to take time. But the painful crick in her neck was soon forgotten as she lost herself drowning in the deep obsidian sea of the taller woman's eyes. The faint smell of vanilla came from the older companion, and the intensity of it made Ritsu's head spin.
The moment was perfect, the two of them off in their own world, totally ignoring their surroundings.
But there was something off that bothered the brunette… and it hit her. Hand reaching forward gently, amber eyes could see the subtle flinch that travelled up her teacher's body and she felt a distinct pleasure in being the one who made this usually calm woman nervous. The brunette's hand then gently pulled off the teacher's thick rimmed glasses and was met with clearer view of the woman's eyes. The sight of it made her middle feel funny, something that she'd never felt before.
"You don't need these," Ritsu whispered, eyes not moving from the teacher's gaze. She couldn't believe how gorgeous her teacher was behind the dorky glasses. Without them, Ritsu could clearly see Akiyama Mio's real face, which was bright red and held an expression that was torn between panic and faint disbelief. Their faces inched towards each other unconsciously and their hearts raced in anticipation, until a loud snap of a door jerked the two out of their trances and they quickly moved away.
"Ritsu?" Ichigo's voice came as the girl made her appearance, frowning at her girlfriend and Math teacher, who were both rather red in the face and standing a foot away from each other. The long haired teacher chose that moment to leave after snatching back her glasses from the brown haired delinquent, who seemed to be in a state of comatose.
The pig tailed girl laid a hand on the brunette's cheek, effectively bringing the latter's attention to her.
"Your face is a bit warm."
Ritsu gave her a small distracted grin "I might be catching a cold?"
The brown eyes of the Hime seemed to flash at the insincere grin and the next thing Ritsu knew, she was dragged painfully along the empty corridors by her usually calm girlfriend. The grip Ichigo had on her arm was almost painful, but the brunette couldn't help but notice that the hand holding her was also shaking.
They stopped outside a door, and Ichigo wrenched it open, the loud creak the door made echoed down the silent hallway.
"Wha-oi!" Ritsu was shoved into the empty classroom, and when she turned around towards companion, she was met by a pair of lips crushing onto hers.
Amber eyes widened when the quick, frantic kisses continued feverishly. Her companion took total control of the making out session and pushed the slightly taller girl back until she felt the back of her thighs touch the cool metal legs of a desk.
Ritsu blinked, and she briefly caught sight of long, rectangular wooden tables with metal legs and shelves full of tidily sorted jumbles of files.
They were in the student council room.
Strong hands pushed the two apart, and the brunette looked at her girlfriend, who was flushing red and strangely evading her eyes. This was not normal for the usually calm Ichigo. Steady fingers tipped the smaller girl's face towards hers until finally her brown eyes met her amber ones and Ritsu was surprised to see the girl looking almost fiercely back at her.
"What's wrong?" the brunette whispered, keeping her voice from being heard from the outside of the room "you're acting…strange."
"I hate the way you look at that teacher." Ichigo answered bluntly, her eyes staring at Ritsu's searchingly, and the brunette felt a grip on her upper arms tighten painfully, possessively "you're not…interested in her, are you?"
A flash of deep obsidian orbs and the faint smell of vanilla invaded the brunette's senses for a moment, and she suddenly felt ashamed of herself. She wrapped her arms around Ichigo's waist and pulled her close, crushing their lips together almost painfully.
"Of course not," the brunette whispered back "I love you," the traces of vanilla were replaced by a strong waft of strawberry body wash and Ritsu willed her mind to forget about her teacher's long raven hair, mesmerizing obsidian eyes, and the intoxicating smell of sweet vanilla as she pushed Ichigo onto the table and started unbuttoning the dark blazer followed by the shirt underneath. The blue ribbon on the collar came off last and fell gently towards the wooden floor.
Her mouth descended upon Ichigo's slender neck, sucking its way towards the pulse point, feeling the muscles beneath it tense as it found its target. Hands travelled on uncovered skin, caressing, fondling, feeling little hairs stand up at even the softest touch. Their breath hitched as soft moans filled the thick air, occasionally replaced by sudden gasps. The brunette pinned the smaller girl's hands above her head and let her other hand trail up the girl's thighs teasingly, enjoying the pleas that escaped the normally collected girl's mouth.
The air around them seemed to freeze as the hand found its target and felt the whole body go taut. A jerk, gasping of breath, painful grips on brunette hair and finally the release along with a scream that was muffled by a pair of lips.
The two took a moment to recollect themselves, both panting hard and leaning against each other.
Ritsu's eyes turned to meet Ichigo's hazy brown orbs. The brunette noticed the absence of fluttering in her middle when she looked at her companion's flushed face beneath her… and she idly wondered why.
~888~
The long haired blonde snuggled comfortably against the white couch, her eyes focused on the low-volume television across from her as she waited for the owner of the place to arrive. Blue eyes gazed down at her nails, frowned at them, then continued filing while humming happily all the while. The lights were off, but her blue eyes were sharp enough to inspect her handiwork through it.
She was happy, that was obvious.
After spending a day out of town, she was finally back home. Thanks to her work, she had to cut off personal business for a while, and Mugi was a more than curious to know about a certain someone's dinner date. She hadn't met Mio since before the dinner date and was really looking forward to meeting the raven haired girl and getting her to spill some beans for this old friend's sake.
Sharp ears caught the sound of a lock opening and Mugi turned off the television immediately. Tip toeing towards the front door, she waited with a wide Cheshire grin like a cat waiting for its prey. The lock clicked open and a tall form entered the porch before closing the door behind her with a snap. Mio took off her heels and looked up in time to see a blonde blur pounce at her.
"UWAAH!"
The two fell against the cold tiled floor in a heap and Mio could feel her behind protest under her friend's weight. Even so, she couldn't help the grin that appeared on her face as she saw who her attacker was.
"Mugi! When did you get here?"
"Just an hour ago, " the cheerful blonde answered as she helped her friend up and led the way towards the living room after turning on the lights "I was going to Sawa-chan's, but she said she had a meeting tonight and sooo…"
"I feel honored," Mio said teasingly as she went to her tall refrigerator in the kitchen "drink?"
"Anything's fine," Mugi said distractedly, eyes scrutinizing the shelves of impressive wine collections. She'd been in Mio's apartment a couple of times, but she still couldn't believe that her calm and serious friend was an avid fan of alcoholic drinks. It just didn't suit her image.
Mio walked out of the kitchen area with two glasses of cold ice tea and caught the tall form of her friend standing near her wine collection. The raven haired girl let out a smile as she set the drinks upon the glass table, as though she knew what went through her companion's mind.
"I don't drink them," Mugi was jerked out of her musing and turned to the owner of the place, who was now seated on the couch "I just collect them. You know, my pa—dad—got several of them as presents and he isn't the type to collect things…so he just gave them to me. Next thing I knew, I began collecting them like one possessed woman."
The blonde smiled at the wording as she joined her friend on the couch, blue eyes gazed questioningly as she tried to put her questions into one sentence.
"How was the dinner date?"
Mio froze, stopping the glass she had upon her lips.
"I got stood up."
The blonde almost choked on her drink, spluttering softly until she could get a napkin.
"Excuse me?"
Mio let a smile as she saw the revolted look upon her friend's face. It's not every day the calm, graceful Kotobuki Tsumugi-sama looked as though she would like to maul somebody's head in. But to be honest, she shared the blonde's sentiment whole heartedly.
"I can't believe this!" Mugi snapped angrily "and we went all out for that one date! Did your date call to tell you if he wasn't coming or anything?" her friend's head shook side to side in response, which made her even angrier "that- that fiend!" she slumped back into her seat in silent rage, pouting and glaring at the floor.
Mio set down her glass on the table before speaking "it's not so bad though. His little brother came at the last minute, paid for my meal, and even drove me home afterwards. He's a really nice kid."
"Little brother?" understanding seemed to dawn upon the once raging blue eyes, and the math teacher saw her friend suddenly sit up straighter "ne, Mio-chan, where was the date again?"
"Um…Niwa no Hana?"
Blonde eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
"Did you catch the little brother's name?"
"Ah, it's um…Satoshi, I think."
The eyebrows furrowed deeper, and Mio was alarmed at the fierce look she was getting from her companion.
"Last name?"
"He didn't say."
Mugi nodded to herself, still frowning, but with a small understanding smile on her face. The raven haired girl was almost scared to ask what caused the slightly scary smile.
"And you said, your parents told you about this…dinner date?" the blonde asked again and Mio had to blink as she thought back quickly "yes. My dad, I think. My mom was only helping him break the news to me."
And with that, Mugi's smile widened almost maniacally as though she had solved all the puzzles. Blue eyes sparkled with confidence as the girl stood up proudly, raising her right hand and pointing her index finger in triumph.
"And the culprit is…you!" the long haired blonde declared accusingly at the potted plant sitting quietly at the corner of the living room.
Silence.
"Sorry, I've always wanted to try that once." Mugi said with a sheepish grin as her friend broke into hysterical laughter. That girl might look like a high and mighty rich princess, but inside her mind she was anything else but.
The two stopped laughing after a while, but let out the occasional giggle. It was good to let loose every now and then, especially after a long, tiring day of teaching. That word seemed to bring out an unwanted memory, and when Mio caught sight of the light brownish liquid in her glass, she immediately remembered what it was.
Sparkling amber eyes.
And the teacher could feel her face burn while she remembered the close proximity she had between her and the student.
Mugi grinned when her friend's face suddenly reddened. A new development in the love department, perhaps?
"So, you met someone, Mio-chan?" to which her friend immediately jerked her head towards her and shook it quickly. The blonde let out a giggle which she covered with a hand "then what's with the blush?"
"I just remembered something embarrassing. And no, I'm not telling you." Mugi pouted, at which her friend smiled. They both drank their tea quietly, basking in the tranquil silence that would occasionally be interrupted by the passing sounds of the traffic.
Silence was sometimes bad for Mio because it usually meant her mind would wander, and more often than not, it would wander to unwanted places. The topic of 'dating' and 'finding someone new' reminded her of painful memories of the past.
The violent kisses, the rough touches, the painful beatings of her heart as she saw large hands coming at her. The maniacal smile that always accompanied it never failed to make her tremble in fear, even now. Her hands curled into fists as her eyes scrunched shut to get rid of the memories. Her breathing quivered as she remembered the overpowering fear.
She had taken off those suffocating chains years ago.
She was free now…right?
Mio flinched hard when she felt arms around her and turned to see her blonde friend enveloping her in a tight embrace, which she returned. Warmth immediately flooded her senses, the chilling cold hands that gripped her heart loosened. The memories faded into nothingness and she felt her once clammy hands return to normal.
"I'm sorry," Mugi said softly, not letting her friend go "I made you remember unwanted things."
Mio shook her head as a small understanding smile came to her face "it's fine. It's in the past anyway. I'm alright now."
'I'm…alright.'
The scar on her abdomen throbbed dully.
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