DISCLAIMER: I claim no rights to K-on!

WARNING: Rated T for safety though I doubt there will be little to no explicit content.

Golden Encounter

A heavy sigh reverberated against the large walls of the silent hallways, giving the hoarse voice a tone that would instill fear amongst the kneeling men who returned home agonizing on the stinging sensation that pulsated achingly to every restrained pitch that denoted his repressed rage, thus, sending his gloomy visage boiling with blood and utter disappointment.

Clenched fist pounded harshly on top of the small table, making the most loyal of men to cringe nervously on the man who ruled over the land ever since he was deemed the rightful successor of an esteemed household.

His stare held no particular interest to the excuses of his men. He was completely maddened by the fact that he couldn't see even a glimpse of his daughter's shadow striding in the corridor.

"We apologize for returning home without your daughter, milord." One man casted his gaze below, firmly placing his head on the floor while his palms refused to slacken, directing even the miniscule of his strength to his tensed fingertips.

"We will resume our search by dawn" another subordinate of his interjected, "please, allow us to redeem ourselves and we will make sure that Mariya-sama will be brought back here safely."

Palms, thickened as a consequence of yielding the heavy weight of the blade, were brought adjacently to his temples, giving it a simple rub to ease the thought of his daughter spending the night in the forest feared by the locals.

He was certainly worried about Mariya. After all, no sane father would sleep soundly when the sole bearer of his name was not in his own stronghold. He feared no witch and other creatures of myth that may lure the eleven-year old lady to her own misery. He simply detested the idea of losing his crowned jewel over something that should never happen within his power. His wife gave up living in exchange of allowing her daughter to experience the gift of life. Sacrifices made by his other half should never be in vain; he chuckled softly as he asymmetrically carved a faint smile to his face.

"Should anything ill may occur to milady" The appointed leader of the operation made his presence known by making his voice audible and firm, "I will take full responsibility, milord."

"Very well" He rose from his seat, turning his broad back to his followers. He gazed upwards before fixing his vision to the only photograph that was allowed to lie on top of the golden altar. "Mark your words, my men. This family has no use for people who take their words rather lightly."

He waved his hand clockwise. Upon seeing this gesture, his men were able to resume breathing normally once again, relaxing their diaphragms after holding their breath several times whenever the headmaster would raise his voice in a very rough manner. That motion was meant to signify that the discussion has already adjourned.

For one last time, altogether, they bowed sincerely, expressing their gratitude for sparing them from their punishment. Even if Souichiro was strict in nature, he was a kindhearted man who never forsakes his underlings even in times of danger. Being one of the few survivors of the tenth-generation Akiyamas in power, he considered the strayed individuals he gathered as his own family.

…

In the very depths of the mansion, a light hailing from a melting candle continuously flickered in reaction to the artificial wind produced from incessantly flipping the pages as if trying to skim some random information that had piqued his curiosity ever since. He brought the tip of his finger to the withering pages of an unnamed book, his eyes rolling in a uniform direction to look for any words pertaining to the sought subject. There was no mention of what he was currently searching for and he slumped back to his seat in defeat. He propped his head above his arms and just watched the cobwebs invading the corners of the crumbling ceiling.

He faked a smile, laughing sarcastically like mad. It was impossible. It really was, he thought. No existing record held the information he needed and it was, indeed, just pure hearsays from the locals.

He rolled his eyes to observe how old the abandoned structure was. There were a number of disjointed shelves and its respective documents left to rot away for years. He took a thick bundle of papers, in hopes that he could hit the jackpot, but, sadly, he was coughing non-stop from the plume of dust generated from attempting to skim over some clues.

Giving up being not part in his option, he continued digging anything that may be a potential source for reliable information.

Not long after, shrilled cries took over the silence the young lad has secretly enjoying. Black wings reigned over the sky painted in orange, their violent flapping sounded almost similar to someone grating a hard animal flesh. It rocked his short tranquility instantly, cowering in the floor with his hands on his ears.

"Crows?" He said with a hint of confusion in his voice, "Ah yes, crows."

Lame. He cursed inwardly. He felt foolish for overreacting from just the mere squawks of these black-feathered birds. He should get used to it. After all, the crow is the family's emblem. The house was nested by these birds since time immemorial, they've always believed.

It was rather unusual to make them as a family symbol. These birds, with eyes resembling a moonless midnight sky, were treated, traditionally, as an ill omen. He remembered asking the headmaster regarding this matter, and the latter replied with his signature chuckle followed by an answer.

"Apart from the remarkable intelligence these corvids possessed" the bearded man paused momentarily, "crows never forget faces. Friends or foes." He gave the poor boy a hard pat on his back, "You best remember that."

Even up to this point, the appointed successor felt a mysterious air surrounding the family's origin. Among the few respected names who took over the household, he was one of those who showed extreme interests to their genealogy.

In his research, he found traces of evidences suggesting that the Akiyamas, since the sixteenth century, wielded sufficient power to influence the political body. They were described as a formidable group of people who excelled in military tactics and that they had their distinct trait of dressing elaborately to demonstrate their philosophy that elegance is part of the art of war. This belief was allegedly reinforced by the former head who was responsible for making the family rose into prominence and was bestowed with the title of 'the Crow' for possessing attributes similar to the aforementioned bird - silver-like eyes and lustrous ebony hair that flutter like black feathers while in midair, an unsurpassed level of intelligence in the field of warfare as well as the exceptional ability of perfect memory.

The legacy of the first leader is best reflected to the affluence reveled by the succeeding generations though the next rulers in line did not even had a fraction of the First's charisma in terms of leadership skills. The Crow was able to unify the people in a small place in war-torn Japan despite declaring no interest to usurp power to become the leader of the nation. And though the First's reign may be short-lived after sustaining a grave injury following a combat, it was, nevertheless, one of the relatively calm days during the peak of political turmoil.

…

It was almost dark as shadows began to eat the remaining light available that provided color visibility to the environment. The young boy settled the last document on top of the other bundled papers placed next to his pelvis. He had to postpone his secret hobby in order to eat dinner with the other members of the household.

When he managed to stood by his knees, there was a violent tingling sensation that prevented him to move freely on his own will. Sitting still for minutes without considering changing leg positions gave him quite a shock after receiving proper blood circulation in his lower extremities.

As a result, he grabbed one nearest thing for support when his feet couldn't bear the numbness anymore. Exerting force to the old shelf, that barely had enough sturdiness to withhold such, was, indeed, a bad idea. It crumbled down together with the other documents, which led to a series of smashing sounds that threatened his ears to go temporarily deaf from the loudness. This, in turn, paved way to the creation of a depression on the wooden floors upon impact.

Because of this, he ran towards the spot to where the newly-created hole was. He considered making an improvised covering out from the broken pieces of wood and conceal the hole for fear that the headmaster might see this when he take tours on his house. When he was about to cover it with wood, he noticed an urn, covered with filth, down below.

Out of curiosity, he leaned forward and stretched his arm to open the lid while the other one was used to cover his nostrils from the thick dust or presumed poison-filled powder that may greet him should he pursue his intentions recklessly.

Slowly lifting the lid in an attempt to keep the powder inside the urn undisturbed, he was surprised to see some scrolls secured with a red knot. He grabbed one and slipped the small piece of fabric out from the smooth surface before completely unfurling the scroll. He did not bother checking the whole content because he wanted to see whether or not this item was something of considerable worth.

He was not disappointed. His eyes went wide when he fixated his gaze on a specific part that contained the name of the responsible person who authored this lost fragment of history.

-M. Akiyama. First Headmaster.

…

+Mariya's P.O.V+

"Stupid old man!" my screeching voice caused a disturbance in the forest, making the birds snuggling in peace to flee immediately from the area. Their panicking caused a deafening unsynchronized chirps and violent shakes on the trees' leaves. I couldn't help but smile derisorily in delight to see them reacting so overly.

Wrapping my arms around my legs for warmth, I stared at the flame dancing rhythmically above the burning wood. I was just watching the material consumed deliberately by fire until what is left will be nothing but ashes on the ground.

It's been three days since I left home with just my knife serving as my only companion. I unsheathed it not more than half from its scabbard, adequately enough to see my own reflection scowling in anger from my father's sudden announcement of my engagement to some sore loser.

I don't want to return yet. I had no intention to reconcile with him. I want my freedom and I have every right in the world to make one's life a living hell should they involve themselves to this ludicrous idea of taking me down to become someone else's wife!

I refuse to acknowledge such fate to befall to individuals with bright future like me. I am Mariya, sole daughter of the head of the Akiyama household, and I was born to lead the house and make our family known even in the other side of the hemisphere!

Tch!

I buried my face in my arms upon realizing that it would require a tremendous amount of effort for such grand ambitions to become a reality. How I wish there would be someone who could understand strong-willed people like me.

… As if there would be one! I quickly countered my humble request to ask for people who will share the same sentiments as mine. My reaction coincide with the wood losing its battle against the fire as it never sustained its position from the top and settled way below the level of its same kind. I watched it roll pitifully on the ground, still burning. The one which majestically received support from the other woods turned out to be the one who incurred the gravest extent of insult among the all. Sooner or later, it will die down after serving its purpose and, inevitably, become one with the earth while the rest would follow not long after.

I continued mumbling while staring blankly on space. I do a lot of self-talk and I find this habit so frustrating. Most of the time, I do it verbally but because I don't want others to misconstrue me as a deranged lady, I kept these thoughts to myself.

I wonder how life would be if she was still alive? Would there be a noticeable difference? Or would it still be the same? Will it be more fun? I keep wondering ever since I learned the ability to think more abstractly.

I grabbed anything nearest to me, throwing small stones aimlessly beyond the fire. What I'm trying to do was beyond my comprehension. It felt like I just wanted something to work on even though it will require less of my abilities.

I'm bored…

Picking up the last stone, I sighed heavily and assumed a battle stance in a blink of an eye. I threw the material specifically to my north with greater force while my eyes dared not to lose the direction it's currently heading.

Souichiro's men? Bandits? I took one step backward, burying the sole of my sandal in the ground, creating a small crease in the soil.

"Who's there?!" I yelled while facing the big bush situated just twenty meters away from me. I was waiting for an answer yet I got nothing in response to my question. I took the bucket, which contained fresh water I fetched from a nearby river a few hours ago, to extinguish the light and let darkness conquer the area.

This would pose no significant advantage to my part but, probably, this would prove beneficial to make my escape here or face these uninvited guests head on.

There was no moon to aid me because it was completely covered by clouds so I have to rely to my hearing. I made no delay so I took the initiative to run as fast as I can without minding where my feet would take me. I heard the bush rustling and I took it as a sign that whoever was behind that stunted tree will follow me.

Before I recognized where I'm heading, I found myself clenching my teeth. It was quite confusing because I was sure that my chest was swirling in fear yet my face was telling the otherwise. I was grinning maybe because I never had this kind of thrill in my entire life. Running away from home was not a bad idea, I said while I was sweating profusely from nervousness.

For minutes, I ran without a specific direction until I'm already out of breath. I made a decision to stop despite there was no guarantee that they weren't following me anymore. I held my knees that were shaking badly from exhaustion, my clothes got torn by the rogue bushes that seemed like they were planted there for a reason to impede the individuals travelling at night time.

Blood was oozing out everywhere especially the large cut I sustained, from a sharp twig, in my forehead. I made a huge mistake on swerving immediately to the right so I had to press the wound for a while to stop it from bleeding.

I had no intention to faint here from blood loss. Hell no, there's no way I would not make it out alive! But, seriously, I am definitely in danger and I'm hoping that these imbeciles tailing me are Souichiro's men.

…

A sweet scent lingered to where I was currently resting. And my eyes that were on the verge of shutting off, restored the necessary energy to keep it open. This scent, if I'm not mistaken, smelled like… incense?

I unsheathed the dagger out from its scabbard and whispered to it softly, "I guess I need your service again, buddy."

Pointing the tip of the knife in front of no one, I warned dangerously despite my voice was growing weak to every drop of blood escaping from the surface of my skin. I can feel my body has reached its limits but I refuse to acknowledge my impending defeat.

I cannot face them in this state, I wasted my precious energy from running aimlessly. How stupid I was, I regretted the fact that I put too much value to my ego.

I guess regrets do come in the end? Well, I hope, next time, they came in ahead of time so everybody will not have to cry from making wrong decisions!

I wiped off the beads pooling in the corner of my eyes, threatening to flow and mixed itself with the thick scarlet fluid that had flown earlier. I had enough display of cowardice already and I stiffened my hold to my little blade.

"Show yourself, you cowards!" I tried to taunt to whoever was hiding beneath the shadows. It was still dark but I could smell the scent going stronger every passing second.

I placed my free hand firmly onto my chest as if I was making a grand introduction of myself to compel these cretins to reveal theirselves in respect, "I am Mariya, sole daughter of the headmaster Akiyama Souchiro. I ask you to show yourselves and let your names be heard!"

If they knew honor, they would not hesitate to come out and make theirselves known. If they were just heartless bandits with no regards to honor, I will prepare myself to lunge forward and stab anyone who's in my way.

A minute of silence, and I saw a figure looming out from darkness. His worn out footwear made quite a noise as he inched forward. He was slender in build and his face was obscured by dim.

I squinted my eyes when the moon successfully escaped from the confinement of the clouds. The cold light provided illumination to his entirety, revealing everything about his physical appearance. His hair was similar to a lion's mane coated in golden hue yet his eyes remained a mystery as it was covered entirely by his long locks.

"I…"

A gentle breeze started blowing, lifting his locks away from his face and showed candid eyes that reflected a spark of melancholy in his amber irises as if fate weaved its way to make this encounter something I would definitely remember.

He smiled with overtly brimming confidence and stared at me like I was no important person holding a significant position in the society.

"…I am Ritsu. I rescue damsels in distress."

+End of Mariya's P.O.V+

A/N: Oh, hi. Probably you're thinking what kind of f^cked up plot is this. *sighs* Maybe you had an idea already to where this story is heading and this was the original idea I had all along. Forgive me for spanning ten chapters with nothing but vague hints. Maybe this will have more chapters but I cannot write anything after this. Things will get very busy from now on and I almost lost my will to write. I also have a wife and children to support. xD

Well, moving on. I will just thank these people shortly if you don't mind…

rundownSabEr: Sniffs, thank you for waiting. I don't have the right words to express my sincerest gratitude for continuing on reading this crap of a title. Thank you very much. TT_TT

Benvolio: Thank you very much, good sir. I was smiling when I read your review. Your kind words aided me to write despite I'm losing my will already. I have to agree with you and I admit that the story was so vague and that some chapters seemed like fillers when it should be not. Anyway, I appreciate the fact that you spent even a small amount of your time in writing that review. Thank you. TT^TT

Kpoplover: Hi, thank you very much for the reviews. I have nothing else to say but thank you. :]

Oneechantsu: W-wait a second, you're calling me your orange shiba inu? _! And I never remember any instances of allowing you to call me your sensei when I'm not. Setting aside, thank you very much for the review. Write sooner, okay?

To those who added this crap title to their lists and to those readers out there: Thank you very much.