Whoops! I forgot to remove the previous note here. For those of you who may have read it, I hope it didn't cause you any confusion.

Disclaimer: I own neither K-ON! nor Ranma ½.

Ritsu

"Whoa!"

I woke up with a jolt. Someone had splash cold water on me.

"KYA-A!"

"Mio?"

"Mio-san, what happened?"

"Satoshi?"

I rubbed my eyes and then looked around me again. I was in the bathroom with Satoshi at the door, and Mio cowering in the corner. Wait, I was in the bathroom with Satoshi AND Mio? Naked?

…

…

…

And so after the worst of the storm had passed, we were all situated nicely in my room, having a pleasant conversation…

"Mio, ho-how could you take advantage of me while I was unconscious? Oh, the shame…"

"I'll say it a million times if I have to: I WAS JUST CLEANING YOU UP!"

"Ohoho! So you had to clean me up while I was a boy, huh?"

"I only splashed you with cold water when I was done! I remembered then that hot water wasn't good for fresh bruises. Plus I needed Satoshi's help to put some clothes on you!"

"So you're the type who likes dressing boys, eh?"

WHACK!

Marking the end of our pleasant conversation.

"Hmph! I can't believe I was so worried about you…" said Mio with her back to me.

"Aah…So-sorry…"

Nothing, I repeat, NOTHING can ever spare me from the wrath of the Dangerous Queen, Akiyama Mio…

"Ehehehe…it sure is a relief to see you two so lively again," said Satoshi with a smile. I'm sure it was forced though.

"Dearest little brother, you sure have the most twisted perception of the word 'lively'," I said as I patted his head.

"You said something?" said Mio as she faced us suddenly, a glint in her eye.

"Uh, I was just thanking him for doing such a good job on me! Good job, Satoshi!" I said quickly while flashing him a thumbs-up.

"Sure thing, nii-chan…" he said, playing along. Then he added, "But it was mostly Mio-san who did the work. You'd better thank her properly."

Oh. Riiight. I hadn't thanked Mio properly yet. I really don't know how to do it without the awkwardness. I was just teasing her to hide my embarrassment for being cleaned up by her and all…

The three of us were on my bed, with Satoshi sitting closer to me. Mio moved a little farther away after hitting me, and she had her back to me again. I moved to her timidly then tapped her shoulder.

"What do you want?" she said, still facing away from me.

"I-I want to say something. Can you turn this way for a moment?" I said. I could feel myself blushing. Slowly, she turned to face me. Wait, was she blushing too?

"Um, t-thank you f-for…everything. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble," I said shyly, and then I ended it with a bow. Actually, I just wanted to hide my face. It was red! Gah! She was probably giggling to herself by now. I felt so vulnerable.

"Your forehead…Now!" she commanded. I gulped. What's she gonna do now? I slowly offered her my forehead. Oh yeah, did I mention that I was in boy mode? And in boy mode, I always have my bangs down. Hair bands don't suit me very well as a boy. Anyway, Mio parted my bangs to reveal my forehead. I braced myself for the worst. Here it comes!

Soft, full lips were pressed gently on my forehead. I felt my body stiffen at the contact. D-did Mio just…?

"Ritsu…you idiot," she whispered.

WAAAAAAAAAAH! I thought I was going to overheat. Although I know it was given as a friend, somehow, the kiss felt different as a boy. I stared at Mio in disbelief. She looked anywhere but in my direction. She seemed to be overheating already.

"I-I think I'll get us something to eat…"

Satoshi, you traitor!

What was I supposed to do? One minute passed and neither of us moved nor spoke. Another full minute, then…

"So…guess that was the first kiss you gave a boy, huh? Well, at least half a boy."

Giggle. Giggle giggle. Mio was giggling!

"Huuuh?" I said with a raised eyebrow. I didn't really get it, but her laugh was contagious, so pretty soon I was laughing too.

"Yes, and to give it to you of all people," Mio said between giggles.

"Haha – hey! What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"Never mind. It doesn't matter," she said as she finished giggling.

"Does too. I'm gorgeous as a girl, but I've been told that I'm even more striking as a boy," I bragged.

"Who told you? Your mom?"

Bull's eye.

Mio smirked.

"N-no, it was a really talented, kind, and attractive girl who was actually an heiress to a large fortune. A princess! We met her in China," I lied.

"Yeah, right. When pigs fly."

"You can fly?"

WHACK!

"Mio-chan, are you ever going to stop hitting me?" I asked with teary eyes.

"As soon as you stop being an idiot," she said.

"Hitting me, then kissing me, then going back to hitting me again," I muttered. I think she understood me, but she pretended not to. Red again, she was.

"Come closer, will you? We need to do something about your face," she said, motioning me to move up to her. I obeyed and soon she was dabbing cotton on my face.

"Ow! That hurts! What's on that, poison?"

"How I wish it to be so…"

After applying poison on some cuts, Mio started to apply an ice pack on the bruises on my face. And man, did it hurt! I hope I don't become an eye sore. Pretty soon, there was a knock on the door and in came Satoshi. He really did bring some food with him.

"Yay! What took you? And here I thought you were planning to finish me off by starving me," I said happily.

"I think I liked you better when you were unconscious, nii-chan," mumbled Satoshi.

"You're not alone," added Mio with a sigh.

"Mio-o. Feed me! I'm too injured to move," I whined after making myself comfortable on my bed.

"Oh, all right. Just shut up already," said Mio. Hehe, Akiyama-chan was being very obedient to me today. I felt so satisfied!

"We should do this more often," I suggested with a mouthful of food.

"Then you'll have to be injured more often too," said Mio while frowning at me. Honestly though, I think she was enjoying it.

"Wow, you two kinda look like a couple," commented Satoshi.

"Please, don't doom me to such a fate," was Mio's reply.

"Mio-chan, saying that while blushing isn't very convincing, you know," I teased. My bad. She shoved a huge amount of food into my mouth afterwards.

"You two still have a lot of explaining to do. Why don't you begin now?" she said with total indifference to my predicament. I was frantically motioning Satoshi to give me water.

After saving my life, Satoshi began the story:

"It happened during our first week in China. Along with other tourists, we were trekking in an area in the Bayankala mountain range. Somewhere along the way, nee-chan spotted a panda and insisted that we should take its picture. When it saw us approaching, it quickly ran away. But before it did, it threw a bamboo shoot at nee-chan."

"Geez, Ritsu. Even pandas hate you," commented Mio.

"Hey! Whaddya mean by 'even'? Besides, I didn't do anything to it yet. "

"Yet? Well, I guess your appearance was enough reason for it to do so. Anyway, then what happened?"

Satoshi continued:

"Nee-chan kinda freaked out and wanted to hunt it down. She dragged me along to follow it. The panda was quite fast and, since we were in a forest, we got lost before we knew it."

"And that was when we were attacked by a group of rabid polar bears!"

"Gya!"

"M-Mio-san, there are no polar bears in China…"

"Actually, they were albino pandas!"

A pillow was smashed into my face the next second.

"Nii-chan, I suggest you keep quiet for your own survival."

"P-please continue then…"

Satoshi sighed before going on:

"Nee-chan took the lead in search of the trail we were on earlier, causing us to go deeper into the forest. Around three hours after we got separated from the group, we reached a huge clearing. Then a man dressed as a tour guide found us and offered us a tour around the area. Thinking that he was working with our tour guide, we accepted. He then led us to a huge bunch of hot springs. There seemed to be over a hundred of them! He said the place was called Jusenkyo, one of the 13 Cursed Wonders of China."

"S-Satoshi…nothing scary or p-painful happens next, r-right?" interrupted Mio. Just when I was about to answer, Satoshi shoved some more food into my mouth. People these days have absolutely no manners!

"No worries, Mio-san. No scary or painful stuff," assured Satoshi. After receiving a nod from Mio, he resumed his story.

"Nee-chan got really excited and wanted me to take her picture by the springs. The tour guide tried to warn her about them, saying that they were cursed. Nee-chan ignored him and got even closer to the springs. In panic, the tour guide tried to pull her away but then he tripped and ended up pushing her into one of them instead."

"Nanniichuan. Spring of the Drowned Man. That's what I fell into. Turns out you become whatever first drowned in each spring. That's the curse of Jusenkyo," I continued.

"Um, you sure nothing scary happens next?" asked Mio.

"Well, that's the worst part of it, I guess," said Satoshi.

"What about the cold water and hot water part?" she added.

"Hot water's the temporary cure. Cold water returns me to my cursed state," I explained.

"Wasn't there a spring where a girl drowned? Maybe you could return to normal if you take a dip there."

"If only it were that easy. There was one, but according to the tour guide, immersing oneself into another spring could mix the curses rather than switch them," said Satoshi.

"No way was I taking that risk! Besides, it's not that bad being a boy," I mumbled.

"Yes, it does suit you. Your outward appearance finally matches what you are inside," remarked Mio.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"I feel the same way…"

"You too, Satoshi? You're just ganging up on me…"

"But how did you get back?" Mio asked, completely ignoring me.

"The tour guide showed us the way back. He was really nice. Anyway, when we got back, we told our parents everything. They didn't believe us at first, but it wasn't difficult to prove ourselves," said Satoshi.

"Well, how'd they react to your news?"

"Their initial reaction was shock, and they were quite upset about it too. But pretty soon they accepted it freely. They even started to buy clothes for nii-chan," said Satoshi with a smirk. The little brat!

"Don't tell anybody though. Apart from the tour guide, you're the only one outside our family who knows," I said seriously.

"Of course," said Mio with a reassuring smile.

"Mio-san, nii-chan, I'll be leaving now, if it's okay with you," said Satoshi as he got up.

"Go ahead, Satoshi. Thanks for the story and for your help," said Mio gratefully.

"I should be the one thanking you, Mio-san. Please continue to take care of nii-chan," he said with a bow.

"You could learn a lot from your brother, you know," Mio told me.

"Yeah, sure sure," I said while flipping my hand. Before he left, Satoshi gathered the dishes we used. As he reached for the one near my bed, I held his arm and smiled at him.

"Thanks a lot. Let your nii-chan know if you need anything, okay?"

"Sure!" said the kid with a grin. Can't find a brother better than this one!

When Satoshi left, Mio and I got ready for bed. There were still issues to resolve though…

"Wait, we're not sleeping on the same bed, are we?" said Mio.

"Anything wrong with that? We've done it several times before," I said.

"Well, you'd better change into a girl first if we are," she insisted.

"But that's too troublesome! I want to sleep now," I whined.

"Fine. I'll sleep on a futon then," she said stubbornly.

"Mio, don't be too fussy. I'm still the Ritsu you know. Besides, it's not like I'm gonna do anything indecent to you…" I reasoned.

"I-I know that!" snapped Mio. All red again.

"In that case we're sleeping together now," I said with a yawn. Mio still looked unsure about the whole thing, but at least she was considering it. I made space for her on the bed and gestured her to lie down. Finally, she consented.

"Can you turn the lights off first?"

"S-sure."

With Mio on the bed at last, I closed my eyes. Despite her earlier protests, it didn't take long for her to snuggle close to me. I was tired. So many things happened in one day. I could've lost Mio. So it was very comforting to have her next to me then.

"Ritsu…" she whimpered. I turned to face her. She was in tears.

"What's wrong, Mio?" I said quietly.

"I'm so-sorry. Because of me, you could've-"

"Don't say that. Please don't." I tried to sound firm but my voice was shaking. "If there's anyone who needs to be apologizing, it's me."

"But I was the one who put us both in danger! I was the one who got you nearly killed!"

"If I hadn't told you what I did, then none of those things would've happened! Besides, I'm willing to put my life on the line for you. I'd even give my life up for you. I would never forgive myself if the worst happened to you!"

Stupid Mio. Now I was crying too. And I hate being too emotional.

"Don't," she said firmly.

"Wha-?"

"Don't ever do that. Don't die for me. Don't leave me. What-what would I do without you?"

"Mio…"

"When you said you had a lover, I just couldn't take it. Three weeks was the longest time we've been apart without any contact. I missed you…so much. Then you come back without even telling me, and even refuse to let me know what you were hiding. I thought that you hated me. I thought that you were going to leave me. I actually thought that you were moving to China to be with your lover, never to be seen again!" Mio was already shouting, tears flowing freely.

"Ritsu, you idiot…" she finished softly. I sighed deeply before gently wiping her tears with my hand.

"I couldn't agree more. I'm the greatest idiot in the world!" I said sheepishly.

"And you're just the right kind I need," she said with a blush. Then she smiled at me. I smiled back.

"Mio, I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me?" I said without looking at her directly.

"You don't have a lover?" she asked all of a sudden. The question took me by surprise. I shook my head vigorously.

"No boyfriend?"

I shook my head again.

"How about…a girlfriend?"

"What?"

"You can turn into a boy now!" she explained quickly. "Well, do you?"

"Of course not!" I exclaimed.

"You're forgiven then," she said, seemingly satisfied with my answer.

"But Mio…you sure you're okay? Those jerks…" I said uncomfortably. I clenched my fist at the thought of them.

Instead of answering my question, she hugged me closely. I returned her hug. Then, she looked up at me and said,

"Sawako-sensei's done worse."

I wasn't able to prevent myself from grinning.

"Mio?"

"Yes?"

"Good night." I returned the kiss she gave me earlier on her forehead. She smiled while blushing deeply.

"That's another first for tonight, you know," she said softly.

"Really?"

"Yup. First kiss from a boy."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry it was from me," I said as I looked away. Mio turned away from me then said,

"Stupid. I'm glad it was from you. Good night."