DISCLAIMER: I claim no rights to K-on!
WARNING: Rated T for safety though I doubt there will be little to no explicit content.
Steel met Amber
"Yo! Can you pass me that ball over there?" were the first words that marked the beginning of the steel-eyed girl's journey of unknown origin - a flag event triggered when she held the ball in her hands.
She looked at the ball then shifted her gaze to the mysterious speaker, "Sure…" she replied, "please wait for a moment." Her politeness was the very trademark of the Akiyama bloodline.
The amber-eyed girl grinned, her hair overshadowed her vision; she stared at the raven-haired girl who was crawling her way towards a pair of steel, trying her very best to reach her crutches and deliver the ball to the unknown figure hanging atop on the oak tree's branch.
"Yo!" she cleared her throat before calling out to Mio, "would you like me to go pick up the ball instead?"
"N-no… it's…" she haven't finished her sentence when she saw the girl jumping off the branch, on to the high walls then off to the ground. Without a flinch, she stood there as if the impact was nothing like a feline who doesn't give a damn to the difference of height between the starting and the landing point. For the girl, it was just natural much to the raven-haired girl's surprise.
Mio was dumbfounded; she stared at the girl briefly before she snapped back to reality when the girl started to walk towards her direction. From a fair distance, she looked like someone who walked nonchalantly on the crowd, all eyes on her enigmatic aura emitting on her slender body; her hair was even glorified when the setting sun shone the remainder of its light to the figure before it turned to dusk. The cold breeze sent shivers to the newly-created atmosphere, swaying her hair westward and revealing her enchanting amber orbs.
For a moment, Mio was mesmerized with the figure before her. 'She looked like a knight rescuing a damsel in distress' she giggled mentally but that thought was shattered when the branch fell off, tumbling down the walls and went to the direction of the amber-eyed girl.
"L-look out!" she shrieked, trying to warn the girl of the impending danger. The girl looked behind her back and dove to the ground, almost got crushed by the object where she stood earlier. The commotion caught her grandmother's attention, rushing to the scene only to be relieved that nothing bad happened to her granddaughter.
"M-Mio-chan!" the old woman gasped for air, breathing heavily while holding her left knee in panic, "What happened? What's the fuss all about?"
"Obaachan" Mio stared at her relative, her eyes widened when her grandmother was covered in blood while holding a butcher's knife in her right. She could be falsely accused of a coldblooded killer who had just mutilated her victim and had just escaped from the scene of the crime while accidentally bearing a witness who saw her in that form.
"Kyaaa!" she screamed; she tried to cover her eyes with her arms, not wanting to see the image of blood spilled over the old woman's clothes.
Confused, the old woman looked below her and saw her apron drenched in crimson. She quickly took off the little cloth that hung around her neck and waist. She approached the frightened girl then wrapped her on her arms; calming her, "Yosh… yosh…" her voice was soothing enough to bring the girl back to peace.
"What happened here?" she reiterated her words before Mio succumbed to her usual behavior when fear struck the poor girl, blocking rationality in the process.
The girl clutched her grandmother's clothes, her voice was shaking while trying to respond to the bewildered woman, "A branch fell…" she said, "A girl was caught in it."
"W-what?" her grandmother went to the area where the debris landed, the Bermuda grass hugging the broken log; she searched traces of human being yet to no avail, "Mio-chan, there's no girl in here…"
Mio went pale, her vellus hair started to rise out of fear. 'No' she tried to deny the idea, 'don't tell me it was really a ghost?' If she could just move her legs freely without difficulty, she could just run out of the scene and slam her room's door shut but the accident had rendered her useless in the midst of escape.
Her grandmother let out a chuckle, smiling at her granddaughter who was happy to see Mio back to her usual self. Her long stay in the hospital made the raven-haired girl gradually lose the remnants of herself only to be taken aback by the oak tree's branch… and by her blood-soaked apron.
For these past few months, she became socially awkward; not knowing what will be the topic of their conversation between her friends. Maybe she was caught up by the fact that she will repeat a year while Mugi and Yui will be sophomores by the time she resumed her studies. She didn't want the idea to be left behind. No, she hated it. A popular icon in the school who possessed an innate beauty and good marks, to top it all - a living manifestation of perfection itself only to be entangled on an unfortunate accident.
Her dazzling presence what made Sakuragaoka a school worthy to take note of, even the mass media never failed to notice her astounding beauty. Why would they miss such a thing when Akiyama Mio was one of the renowned young models across Japan? She was the sole daughter of the owners of Japan's famous clothing line - Autumn and at the same time had walked towards the aisle to promote the said clothing. That explains why she had lots of admirers, prostrating theirselves before the angelic figure while almost licking the sole of her foot much to her disgust.
Somehow she regretted the fact that she was born into the stardom because attention was never part in her vocabulary. If only she didn't love her parents that much, she could just throw away the wealth and indulged herself in other activities. But no, she didn't want to disappoint her parents especially her father whom she shared a close bond with. She's what you call a 'Papa's girl', being Akiyama Akihiro's subject of overprotection. Mio could just hook any random guy, members of the Mio occult or not, but her father would always bellow and cry in front if he heard rumors about her daughter going out with someone else - a man besides himself.
Ridiculous it may seem, but that's what Akihiro was. Despite being overprotective, he never failed to teach his daughter the importance of love even though the irony that he, himself, was the one who made that subject a taboo especially if it involves Mio. He thought that his daughter was too young for that and he never wanted to see his daughter in tears if a guy broke the fragile heart of the raven-haired girl.
He will definitely seek the guy responsible for her daughter's state and invite him in a public brawl. He will never hesitate to pull punches for the sake of Mio and his wife. 'Nobody touches my girls' he said which the steel-eyed girl rolled her eyes out whenever her father made such cheesy closing remarks after beating the guy into bloody pulp even though that man was also a victim of rumors.
'Mio had a boyfriend' is a topic that should ever be avoided, if not forever banned in the conversations if someone values their life to such extent otherwise a certain man would go on a hunt and killing spree though he had never killed anyone in his entire life. Regrettably, many of the people used his weakness whenever they want to take someone down even though they didn't have a single idea that the one who executes the punishment was Akihiro himself, not his underlings - a man worthy to be praised of not by his obsession to her daughter…. but by his sheer display of fatherly stupidity.
Good thing that Akiyama Mayu, her wife, was a composed woman; her husband's knack for getting into trouble could be used as a reason for divorce yet knowing her husband, he would kneel in public and beg for forgiveness which she tried to avoid at all cost. Mayu was the raven-haired girl's exact replica only that her hair and eye color will be used as a basis to distinguish them apart. Mio inherited her mother's rosy cheeks and lusciously soft lips - almost every man in the world will attempt to steal a kiss to the brunette if not once again, to a rabid raven-haired man. Her calm and shy demeanor was also her trademark… and also Mio being a scaredy-cat was attributed from her mother.
It was still a mystery how the likes of Akihiro won the heart of Mayu. Some say that he used some cheap tricks while others believed that Mio's father was really a good man with good sense of humor. Perhaps this is how he managed to receive a leaning 'yes' when he proposed in the middle of their brand's promotion, serenading her with songs despite being tone-deaf much to his wife's laughter… as well as embarrassment.
But now, Mio's heart will be forever etched with the memory of pain brought by her parents' deaths. No longer would she smile from her father's foolishness and upbeat personality nor laugh when her mother jokingly whacked her father's head whenever he succumbs to his obsession. This normal routine will no longer prolong, she had to walk the path without her parents' guidance but with the old woman who shared the same scar as hers.
"Mio-chan" her grandmother looked at the pallid face of her granddaughter, "I think it was just your imagination. There's not a single trace of a girl here."
Mio, as always, shook her head to recompose herself, "I'm sorry Obaachan…" she said while her black locks overshadowed her eyes, "I think I was just seeing something. I'm sorry for disturbing you while you're preparing dinner."
The old woman walked towards Mio, embracing her while reassuring her that she doesn't think badly of her after the commotion. She left the scene to resume cooking their dinner which made Mio slightly curved her lips, smiling faintly as her grandmother proceeded towards the kitchen.
"Whew! That was close!" a figure appeared behind Mio's back, wiping the sweat in her forehead which automatically earned Mio's shriek while hitting the figure in full force - a fight-or-flight response of normal human beings.
"Ite!" she knelt while holding her head, small tears forming on the corner of her eyelids, "What was that for?"
Recognizing the figure before her, she quickly apologized, bowing her head repeatedly as much as she could to express her sincerity, "Gomen" her voice revealed a slight hint of guilt, "I was just surprised."
The girl stared at Mio's eyes as if she was captured by her exquisite appearance. She just stared there without a word not until the steel-eyed girl broke the silence when she saw the girl covered with filth, bruises… and wounds.
She gasped, almost came close to fainting when she saw blood oozing out on the brunette's elbows and knees. Paying more attention to her appearance, the girl reminded her of someone who lived the rest of their lives out from the city's influence. The brunette wore a short-sleeved white yukata, adorned with prints of sun and stars, extending to her thighs with a binder underneath, squeezing her chest while giving her a wild handsome look not commonly seen in a lady. A small piece of red cloth wrapped around her waist with a ragged black trouser underneath her clothes. Her straw slippers were on the verge of giving up; showing how it endured accompanying the girl around the place - a proof of its invaluableness that not even money can buy.
"Are you alright?" Mio extended her arms to offer the girl a lift while sitting on the wooden floors graciously. She tried to avert her eyes on the sight of the brunette's wounds but nevertheless mustered her courage to face the mysterious person head on.
"Yeah… just a few scratches but I'm fine" she smiled, ignoring the throbbing pain while accepting Mio's offer wholeheartedly.
For a brief moment, the feeling of holding the girl's hand felt familiar but she brushed it off knowing that this might be a product of her imagination which sprung out whenever a fairytale kind of thought plagued her feeble mind when it comes to fantasy.
"Oy, you okay?" she tilted her head in a quizzical manner, waiting for the raven-haired girl's reply.
"Ah yes… I was just…"
"I'm Ritsu" she interrupted, not allowing Mio to finish her sentence, "and I'm eighteen years old."
Confused with her abrupt introduction and sudden revelation of her age to which no sane woman would dare to divulge such sensitive information, Mio introduced herself as a sign of respect especially if it was considered rude in the Japanese tradition to refuse the exchange of pleasantries, "I'm Akiyama Mio… fifteen years of age" she said shyly while trying to focus on the girl's enigmatic amber orbs which gave a unique glow whenever the brunette expresses something - it's like her eyes spoke first before her words.
"Ah… you're younger than me, I see… Well, Mio's a good name! Your parents have good taste, huh? Your name really fits your image."
Excuse me?
Heat slowly crept to the steel-orbed girl's cheeks, blushing wildly as she heard Ritsu's sudden outburst, "T-thank you…" she stuttered, looking away to the speaker.
The amber-eyed girl laughed, holding her head upon Mio's cute reaction, "So you're the shy and easily embarrassed type, huh? That's really cute."
Mio bit her lower lip, almost wanting to bury herself from shame until she saw the girl picked the ball and was about to exit her way on the house. "Wait… what about your wounds?"
"Ah… these?" she flexed her elbows while twitching her eyebrows, "Don't worry, it will heal in no time."
"But we need to get it treated before infection sets in."
"It's fine, really. Just a single lick will do the job."
What is she thinking, a cat or a dog something? Or something between those lines?
"No... Just stay put. I'll just get the first aid kit" Mio insisted while shakily standing up with the assistance of her crutches, walking her way towards a drawer located in the hallway of their house to get the antiseptics and bandages to treat the girl's wounds.
Then she returned to her previous location where the brunette was eagerly waiting for her arrival. "Here… I brought the supplies" she laid her crutches on the floor while tending the brunette's wounds, "This might hurt a bit so please do your best to refrain yourself from moving."
Ritsu nodded despite showing no hints of fear as Mio started to pour alcohol on the cotton ball, held by a working forceps intertwined between her thumb and index finger. She gently rubbed the pledget before discarding it. Then she poured povidone-iodine on another cotton ball while disinfecting the wound in a circulating manner, starting from the inside then out before she placed clean gauze then a bandage wrapped around the affected part signifying the end of the treatment.
"Thanks" Ritsu looked to Mio, their eyes met which prompted the latter to look the other way around, breaking the established eye contact, "but you forgot something essential."
Perplexed on the amber-eyed girl's statement, Mio asked, "Have I?"
"Yup" she grinned, "a wound heals faster when you give it… a kiss."
What certain era does she belong? Kisses never heal the wounds… well atleast, a broken heart would. But that's utterly nonsensical in every way!
Blood swelled on Mio's cheeks, her face was burning from the brunette's bold answer. She's tempted to hit the girl a second time not until she stood from her seat, dusting the filth that clung to her clothes before bidding goodbye to the raven-haired girl.
"It's almost night time. Gotta go then" she smiled frivolously while waving her hand towards Mio, "Thanks for treating my wounds… I'll make sure to repay your kindness by tomorrow."
"No… it's alright" she waved her hand frantically, refusing the brunette's offer.
"No" the amber-eyed girl said firmly, her voice with hints of seriousness before she laughed it off to which Mio was really vexed whether to assume if she got loose screws on her head, "I don't want to owe anyone so let me pay you though this has nothing to do with money" she rubbed the back of her head, "But I'm sure you'll like it."
The brunette turned away and went to the wall where she got almost caught by the debris. There was a hole beneath it; she cramped herself in the hole before she disappeared from Mio's eyes.
Picking up her crutches that were laid casually on floor, her grandmother yelled, "Mio-chan! Dinner's ready!"
"Hai, Obaachan" she stood while she made her way towards the dining table, one step at a time, her crutches making a creaking sound as it made contact with the wooden floors of the hallways. She glanced at the picture frame atop the small drawer where she got the first aid kit, revealing a picture of Mio's parents with her as an infant in between the Akiyamas.
She smiled on the photo after she returned the supplies back to its place, "Otosan… Okasan… Today, I met someone when I sat on that wooden floor where you two used to sit; and to top it off, a rather peculiar one atleast."
A/N: Hi, IQzero here once again. Sorry for the late update, school's definitely a hindrance but I hope this chapter was enough to compensate for the slow updates.
And… I would like to thank the following people:
-Fujimoto-Chiaki-789: Thank you. Here's the third chapter.
-Gia B87: Sorry for confusing you with that kind of sentence. I'll revise it when I have time. Thank you very much for dropping reviews.
-Raine 1o1: Thanks. Well, yes. This should contain romance in the future though maybe I need something like your field of expertise regarding the matter?
-Megaspaceout: Thank you for adding this to your list.
-To you readers out there: Thank you very much for reading.
So I haven't managed to look for a betareader so I must apologize if you encountered grammar mistakes or misuse of punctuations along the way. Sorry if the chapter seemed…. kinda rushed because I need to finish this this instant before I need to resume working with school stuff. Other than that, the age difference between the two is two to three years. Well, I hope it is acceptable in your part otherwise rants are welcome. Also, this was a slight preview of Mio's parents but I will expound on it after a few more chapters. Reviews are appreciated. Once again, thank you very much. Next chapter will take time again.
Fourth chapter is available. :)