K-ON!/けいおん！ 1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: **I claim no rights to K-on!

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

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** Prologue**

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**+Mio's P.O.V+**

Cold steel surged faintly through my bloody hand as I tried to grasp anything within my reach. I wasn't sure how I ended up in this state, helpless and vulnerable. I tried to open my mouth yet no voice came out; it seems that my body denied my capability to mince words in this very time. My only communication was my tears flowing through my bruised cheeks, throbbing painfully as I grimaced.

Glancing at both sides, I could see strangers mumbling something to me yet their words never reach my ears. Perhaps my hearing dulled because of the increasing intensity of the pain that radiated almost my entire body. My vision started to blur, I can no longer tell the person in front of me was human or not. Everything felt distorted - - - like I'm in a sort of a twisted fairytale that was beyond my understanding. Suddenly, my eyes felt heavy; ready to shut any moment from now until everything went pitch black - - - that was the time I lost contact to reality.

* * *

I never knew what happened next after I closed my eyes, the only thing I remembered was I'm forever trapped in this endless dream - - - a dream where I saw myself standing in the spotlight, trying to chase something inexistent. It was very painful that I cried my heart out yet still, no voice came straight into my mouth. _Did I just lose my voice that even my dreams will deny me of such privilege?_ No. It was like someone or something forbade me to utter those very words.

Then I saw flashes of orbs coated in golden hue dancing freely around me; I tried to reach one yet before I extend my arms, it was gone for good. I tried to reach all the orbs, like a kid chasing the bubbles to pop them, until I was left with none.

I fell in my knees, despairing. _What was I in despair for? _I really don't know, even I could no longer fathom my feelings that were going haywire. I knew all along that this was just a parade of illusions created by my mind but the pain felt so genuine as if I received a fatal blow straight to my aching heart. I cried and cried until I weltered on my own tears, lying on the groundless base waiting for someone to rescue me in this wakeless dream.

I felt darkness crawling in, eating away the remaining light until I'm forever buried in the shadows. Then came an orb, hovering in front of my face; its light exuded warmth and kindness, trying to pull me from the darkness that was about to swallow me in whole. I tried to reach it; this time, it's not fading like the previous orbs. Its light was as warm as a touch of human hand though I doubt that this was just my exaggeration. It glowed vibrantly increasing its intensity as seconds went by, erasing the darkness that attempted to enshroud me; then before I realized, I woke up from my dream while raising my hand, touching the orb that was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

"Mio? Mio-chan?" said a familiar voice trying to call me, her palms in my hands while rubbing it gently. I glanced at the figure that's occupying my field of vision then I realized it was my grandmother, my father's mother.

I asked the old woman, "Where am I?" then she replied that I'm in a hospital, ran by her former colleague. I shot another question, asking where my parents are yet she gave me a silent look, tears forming in her puffy eyes. By that look alone, I could surmise something bad happened. I shook my head, ready to embrace the revelation. Her shaking lips mumbled something, "They did not make it."

I laid there in shock upon hearing my parents' demise. My grandmother paused halfway when she was about to describe the detail of their deaths. I felt something disturbing creeping into my chest and not long after, I screamed on top of my lungs that reached even the farthest hallways of the hospital.

I struggled in my bed, pulling anything that was inserted beneath my skin. Blood was oozing out as I forcefully severed the IVs inserted in my bulging veins then my grandmother rushed to my side, hugging me tightly, hindering me to further advance my actions. I tried to move my legs to jump out my bed yet it didn't respond to my command. I slapped it repeatedly to urge it to move but nothing happened.

"No way" my eyes widened in disbelief when I'm about to embrace another harsh revelation that was yet to unveil, "my legs… won't move." I looked to my grandmother, waiting for her to utter those words I least wanted to hear. She held me before she said, "Your lower half body is paralyzed."

_This was too much. _I felt I wanted to sleep for eternity than live in this warped reality that doesn't make any sense at all. I clenched my teeth when I dwell on the thoughts that the gods have forsaken me and my family.

"Why?" I asked, my voice trembling while forcing a question, "why is the world so cruel?"

* * *

Long before I know, nurses and other medical men went into my room, bringing with them their charts and other instruments. What brought them to my plain-looking room that doesn't give off a pleasant vibe was my screaming. They held me in check, grabbing my wrists while the doctor pulled a syringe that was prepared beforehand on the tray. Drops of liquid oozed out on its tip before he injected it to my protruding vein. After a few minutes, I felt lethargic; seeing people in doubles then my eyelids felt heavy all over again. The jarring noises surrounding me lulled me to sleep.

**+END of Mio's P.O.V+**

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"Madaam, why didn't you informed the nurses' station that your granddaughter finally regained her consciousness?" asked the man in white while his stethoscope was hanging freely in his neck.

"I'm sorry, doctor" she replied, her wrinkles were overlapping each other as she twitched her eyebrows, "it's just that I was carried away after she went into comatose for two months."

"I see…" he raised his glasses up and down, "but next time, you should inform the nurses otherwise we'll be held responsible to whatever happens to your granddaughter. You know it's not a good thing to put someone's licenses at stake."

"I'm really sorry." The old woman bowed before the doctor, expressing her sincerest apology.

The healthworkers exited the door after successfully injecting Mio with a sedative and reattaching her severed IVs. Everything went back to normal but the patient's grandmother knew that she had a lot of explaining to do when Mio will regain her consciousness.

She took a good look to the raven-haired girl's face, stroking her hair gently while humming Mio's favorite lullaby back when her son was still alive. She sung until she fell asleep from all those exhaustion - - - starting from the death of Mio's parents until from her granddaughter's comatose.

_Today and from now on, the two of us will face the world's cruelty without looking back._

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**A/N: **Hi, IQzero here. This is my first fanfic and I don't know what came into my mind when writing this one. Maybe this is the so-called unwanted effects of excessive intake of caffeine (O_o*). Probably inspired from the other authors though I know I need lots of practice especially in improving my English because it's not my native language. Lots of crying in the first chapter and I felt my eyes tearing up due to lack of creativity and choice of words. I might consider getting someone to betaread the future chapters. Reviews are highly appreciated. Thanks for reading.

By the way, the second chapter is up. So if you want to read it, feel free to do so. :)


	2. Chapter 2: When two worlds collide

**DISCLAIMER: **I claim no rights to K-on!

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

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**When two worlds collide**

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The tension earlier was impossible to discern in the raven-haired girl's face, sleeping like a princess in a certain fairytale - - - accursed to slumber for eternity. Her creamy skin and long black hair that hung freely in the side of her face will draw more suitors to serenade her with songs to capture her elusive heart.

A growing number of competition; yes, that is what she is unconsciously capable of… being the subject of men's affection and of women's disgusting nature - - -jealousy. She never wanted to be the center of attention but her innate beauty was undeniably hard not be exalted for: she's an angel who descended from the heavens, walking alongside the mortals.

Life was harder even from the start: she had to deal with multitude of men flocking on her way to school or at home. She also had to read all the letters that were flooding her locker, inbox and even their mailbox - - - all from her admirers… as well as her haters. She could just grab all of it and burn it in the incinerator yet her soft spot kept reminding her that these letters were the fruit of one's determination, courage and hardwork. With that alone, she had to endure this in the daily life basis!

If she could just wish away her beauty, she could have atleast a normal life of typical Japanese highschoolers which she knew will always be forever in her dreams. Perhaps this trait should be blamed to the Akiyama bloodline, producing fine men and women in the line. Her late father was no exception; girls will still fawn on him despite he always shoved them away, declaring "I'm already married!" to which no one will ever dare to believe not unless he had to pull his wife close to his lips and kissed her in public much to their daughter's embarrassment.

Despite her enormous popularity and influence, becoming a living icon of fashion to all girls following her footsteps; this could even made worse by her current condition. People will come to love her more now that she could no longer walk in twos let alone she had to rely on someone else to help her throughout her life.

It wouldn't be surprising if some people will storm at her house, raising the diamond ring hidden in his pocket, proposing to 'marry him and he'll be her legs forever till death does them apart. ' Yet knowing Mio, she would hardly ask for anyone's help even in this unfortunate state. It's already a given that she will try her utmost best not to become a burden in someone's eyes and this determination will be more evident when she's out of the confines of the hospital.

* * *

The effects of the sedative subsided; the girl gradually opened her eyes while twitching her fingers that were resting peacefully at her side. Her vision was adjusting: zooming in and out as she tried to identify the figure before her. It was her grandmother, leaning close to her face with a worried look accompanied by the overlapping wrinkles that were prominently showing in her forehead, revealing her true age.

"How do you feel Mio-chan?" the old woman asked, her hand on Mio's hair, stroking it gently like a pampered puppy.

The girl remained still while looking at her relative with a blank expression. Steel met steel. Even the light was easily dispersed upon contact, it's like the dark hue was held a unanimous victor by absorbing the entire luster that enveloped their surroundings. A war waged between two contrasting colors through the Akiyama eyes.

For a moment, she glanced at her hand, seeing the IVs reattached prompted her to wobble violently on her bed. Alarmed, the old woman rushed to Mio's side whilst holding her thin wrists to stop her attempts, "Mio-chan, stop it." Her voice was shaky, stifling a cry while pleading, "Please stop."

Her grandmother never wanted to take the doctor's suggestion to tie her up if she continued her actions that could cause bodily harm. She held the girl tightly, her eyes already filled with tears that were forming alongside the corner of her eyelids.

Mio stopped. She slowly loosened her fists when she was struggling out from the old woman's clutch, laying it carefully on the ruffled sheets. She realized that she's adding salt to the fresh wounds her grandmother had sustained at the same time hurting herself which will bear nothing but a _prelude towards living life in complete despair._

'Dad used to tell me to live a happy life, but how am I supposed to be happy when the ones I held dear were taken away from me?' She lowered her head, clutching her gown, crying. This time, she didn't make a wailing sound; she just let her tears spoke for her, flowing freely in her rosy cheeks that her classmates had always admired. All her feelings were channeled on her tears: sorrow, pain, regret of being alive and her shattered dreams to walk in twos while performing on stage together with her bandmates.

She looked up above; the fluorescent lights were hurting her eyes than her tears. Taking a few deep breaths, she finally settled down.

Seeing the opportunity, the old woman tucked Mio's hair on her ear then whispered something comforting, "Mio-chan…. I'll be right back" she smiled, "I'll just inform the nurses that you're already awake."

The patient nodded without further protest. The old woman walked towards the door, wearing a faint smile in her face, still clinging on the last remainder of hope that the two of them could get through this ordeal that besmirched their happy life.

With a soft click, gone was her grandmother. Mio laid on her bed, uncertain what to do in life when her legs couldn't function anymore like it used to be. Her right hand atop her forehead, providing a temporary shade from the ever luminous fluorescent lights; she sighed, "How I wish the lights weren't as bright as these when the room is not worthy to receive a praise. The bland texture of the walls and dull atmosphere weren't of help to promote a sense of wellbeing."

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**+Mio's P.O.V+**

Someone knocked on the door; I bet it was my grandma returning to the room with the healthworkers alongside her almost seemingly-frail body that will break anytime soon if she collided with a much harder surface. Yet the knock persisted, like a child playing pranks to their friend's house.

"Ahmmm… excuse me, we're coming in" said the voice behind the door, her tone sounded too childish.

I sighed, I knew who's behind the other end of the wall; it was none other than my airhead bandmate - - - Hirasawa Yui. Though we're not officially considered as a club yet because we lack a member; still, we're using the music clubroom for practice with the teacher's permission of course… and with the help of Mugi's bribes.

"Come in" I said nonchalantly that gave an opposite effect when Yui opened the door widely while her face clearly said, 'I can't believe it.' Mugi dropped the basket full of variety of fresh fruits; maybe they weren't expecting me to respond after all I spent my time on a wakeless state.

Yui ran towards my direction, ready to pounce on the bed and rub her face over mine but the bespectacled woman grabbed her collar to impede her attempts. She hissed, "Yui-chan, how many times should I have to tell you that you need to restrain yourself otherwise you'll further aggravate Mio-chan's injuries."

My brunette friend chortled, her right arm rubbing her nape, "Gomen, Sawa-chan…" she apologized childishly, "I was just carried away."

The guests shifted their gaze towards me, implying 'how am I doing?' but they never coated it in words not until Yui broke the growing tension with her question, "Mio-chan, when are you coming back to school?"

Her blunt question earned a facepalm on Sawako's face while Mugi was laughing nervously, unsure on how she should rephrase Yui's question to appear less insensitive.

The lead guitarist was oblivious to it. I gave her a reply while curving my lips slightly, "I don't know… maybe I won't return a year or two."

"No way" she frowned, disheartened after hearing my reply, "we were looking forward to play with you again. If Mio-chan's not in the clubroom, no one's gonna scold Sawa-chan for slacking off from work."

Her answer almost triggered Sawako-sensei's suppressed side, trying to restrain it at all cost while wearing an obvious fake smile, "Oh… I'm not that lazy, Yui-chan" she continued while tightening her hold to Yui's shoulder, "I just want a breather after a long day work." She turned around to our keyboardist, begging for a backup, "Right, Mugi-chan?"

"Yes, Sawako-sensei" my blonde friend replied while wearing her usual oujo-sama smile that rendered her impeccable in the face of arguments, "Sensei needs to unwind from all the stress besides we have lots of sweets and teas stored in the clubroom's cupboard."

Yui pouted, she felt that she's on complete defeat when Mugi started to give a verdict. This time, she's on sensei's side, "I knew that Mugi-chan will always be on Sawa-chan's side no matter what" her crocodile tears forming on her lids trying to win Mugi over with sympathy.

* * *

Our short conversation was interrupted when another group of people showed up in my room: my grandmother together with the health professionals.

A man, who previously injected me with a sedative, approached the bedside, greeting me with a warm smile, "How are you feeling today, Akiyama Mio-san?"

"I'm fine" I instinctively replied, "I'm sorry for causing you great trouble."

The doctor shook his head, trying to say that it's not my fault because it's a natural response of human beings who had just found out the untimely demise of their loved ones after sleeping for two months.

Later, he ordered the nurses to obtain my vital signs and give me an appropriate nursing care by checking the level of fluid remained in the IVs then changed my beddings to new ones while carefully moving me on the side rails.

He said that he wanted to take an x-ray particularly on my lower half body to further assess the severity of my injuries. They exited afterwards when they already got what they wanted; then later on, Sawako-sensei and my friends bid goodbye despite Yui's protest.

"We're still coming back tomorrow, Yui-chan."

"But, Sawa-chan… I want to talk more with Mio-chan."

Mugi stepped in, convincing Yui much to her dismay, "Yui-chan… Mio-chan needs to rest. We can still visit her by tomorrow, okay?"

Defeated, Yui agreed to Mugi's suggestion then they left by thanking us for allowing them to visit me to which I politely declined, thanking them for their continuous visit despite I wasn't able to entertain them with the best of my abilities.

**+END of Mio's P.O.V+**

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Months had passed; Mio was able to break free from hospital life. She is now residing with her grandmother in their ancestral house somewhere in the remote places of Japan. The virgin forest was the most noticeable selling point when you stroll around the area, emanating a scent of living life in Ancient Japan.

Their neighbors were far from each other, atleast a half kilometer before you could take sight on another household.

'The place was dull' Mio thought as she sat on the wooden floors, her feet on the ground, facing the fish pond filled with kois and high walls that surrounded the house. It was similar to the feeling of staying in the hospital, only that she could now wander around with the assistance of her crutches or her wheel chair which she rarely used because it promoted dependence.

She asked her grandmother who was busy preparing their dinner in the kitchen, "Obaachan, is the shrine still there?"

"Which shrine?" the old woman asked; the question seemed vague to be given an appropriate answer.

"The small shrine in the woods which father used to visit."

"Aah… That shrine in the woods?" she reiterated, "To me, it was no shrine. It was just a pile of rocks which your father believed was the house of this village's deity, Great Gisei-kamisama." She asked, perplexed to her granddaughter's random question, "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing" she shrugged while sitting gracefully, "I just felt paying it a visit some other time after eight long years."

The old woman never bothered to answer back. Perhaps Mio just wanted to see for herself the small shrine which her father used to frequent during his childhood days, thanking the god for all the blessings he had received and offering something like his favorite shirt, socks and toys.

* * *

Mio watched the sky turned orange, signifying that day is about to end and the moon will rise up to illuminate the place during the night. She used to love this scenery together with her parents, taking walks in the boulevard to witness the beautiful sunset.

She smiled faintly, remembering the times when her parents were still alive until the ball rolled over her foot, coming into a halt when it hit her toes. She glanced at the ball, wondering where it came from when she and her grandmother were the only occupants of this old house.

'Perhaps it's a ghost' she shivered on the thought because she disliked things that would induce fear and pain. She trembled as she tried to crawl out from her current position when suddenly a figure appeared on top of the oak tree outside the high walls.

"Kyaaaa!"

"Yo! Can you pass me that ball over there?" a voice of an unknown figure said, hanging on the tough branch in twos while looking at the direction of Mio's.

Mio held the ball in question, her soft hands sullied by its filth. She glanced at the figure which revealed a young girl, probably two to three years older than her. Her hair was light brown in color which was given a much better contrast when the sun reached the portion of her wild unkempt hair. Her bangs were covering most of her eyes which were later exposed when the cold breeze blew away her hair, swaying it at the opposite direction with a glittery effect. The leaves rustled, its luster foliage coated with orange because of the sunset.

Somehow, Mio felt an overwhelming sensation that was surging all throughout her body as she held the ball in her hands. She knew that this ball will be the 'beginning of everything' and the end of what she called 'nothing' - a fated journey _**when two worlds collide**__._

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**A/N: **Hi, IQzero here. Before anything else, I would like to thank the following people: kuro baka aki, guest and Gia B87 for their reviews.

-**Kuro baka aki**: Sorry, I couldn't think of a good title. If I could think one, then I might change the title of the story in the near future. For now, I'll stick with this not unless you want to suggest one, I'll be glad to welcome your proposal. :) Thank you very much.

-**Guest**: Thank you for the review. Sorry if it took me days to update, here's the second chapter.

-**Gia B87**: Thanks. :) I'm not much confident with my ability to tell a story but I'll try my best. Sorry for the late update, got into lots of trouble these days. :)

-**To the other readers out there**: thank you for reading this story.

Anyways, sorry if I changed the 'fully paralyzed' to 'paralyzed'. I felt bad when Mio will be forever helpless without a chance for recovery, which will make her a dependent one. I skimmed my books, and then I read a portion about _paraplegia_ (paralysis of the lower body). Complete paraplegia means that the client will lose the ability to move her legs and she could no longer sense if her bladder's full because of her lack of control to her abdominal muscles. That would be too harsh, I never wanted to make Mio wet her panties all throughout the course of the story.

So if you're wondering why the grandma's eyes were the same as Mio's; well, in Japan, marrying your cousin is not an unusual happening though it has declined over the years. (Oh what am I saying, this is completely irrelevant!)

Mio got out from the hospital after a few months, completing her rehabilitation and showing good progress on her condition though she still had difficulty walking or standing up without the help of her crutches. She got into an accident during her first year in Sakuragaoka and now she temporarily left the school but she's going back next school year though regrettably, she had to repeat her first year while Mugi and Yui will be incoming sophomores in April.

Okay that's all; sorry if the A/N's a sore in the eyes because of its length. Thank you very much for reading. For the next update, maybe it will take some time because of school stuff and I was planning to get a betareader to help me in the construction and flow of the story.

Ahmm.. Chapter 3 is now available.


	3. Chapter 3: Steel met Amber

**DISCLAIMER: **I claim no rights to K-on!

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

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** Steel met Amber**

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"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. :)


	4. Chapter 4: Underneath the Starry Sky

**DISCLAIMER: **I claim no rights to K-on!

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

* * *

** Underneath the Starry Sky**

* * *

Leaves rustled; swaying back and forth, dancing, as the raven-haired girl sung a song. Her voice, an enthralling melody, captured the hearts of many even those who dwelt in a different worldly realm. Human or not, all fell prey to Mio's gentle singing - a mixture of pure innocence as well as a speck of melancholy as she lamented the fate that had befallen to her family.

Right now, she was singing for herself while basking under the shafts of light created by the sun. She poured all her emotions to a particular song - a song about a young girl hidden in the pretense of Akiyama Mio, a figure known to possess utmost perfection yet deep inside her crumbling heart, she only wanted someone who will look her not the fallacious image bestowed by the people around her but as a person who yearned for normalcy: the pleasure of falling in love with the person who made her heart skip a beat; the feeling of being rescued by someone in the midst of loneliness and the anticipation to pull her real self to the surface when she wore her heart on her sleeve, while her hands intertwined to the person responsible for opening a path towards salvation.

* * *

_"Please, call out to the girl with a soft and gently voice_

_You may not be able to see her, but she is my true self_

_It's me, call me…"_

* * *

Trying to chase the elusive silhouettes; a young girl forever ensnared by the grasp of society, her cries unheard. She wanted to break free but not in the form of tragedy. The people around her knew nothing of her real feelings with the exception of her bandmates but what she desired the most was someone who will lend a hand to her: offering it to the crying girl sulking on a corner, gently calling out her name, a voice filled with warmth and kindness - a sun in the figure of a human.

* * *

_"Who will be the one to give her a strong push forward?_

_As it becomes later into night, she becomes unable to move out of fear_

_It's me, guide me…"_

* * *

Cowering in fear as night approached, the little girl wanted to hold someone's hands; together they will face uncertainty brought by darkness without falter. Her newly found courage was the fruit of believing… to whom? Even in this present age, she was still clinging on the hope of finding the person who will be her backbone; to be her legs to walk forward and to enjoy the beauty of being alive - a luxury reveled only to those who understood the concept of life in a higher perspective.

* * *

_"…When my fragile heart is decorated with frills, it squeals in delight_

_It dreams of a love sweeter than chocolate coming to visit her someday_

_Realize that small voice saying 'I'm here!' is that small girl."_

* * *

She concluded her song with a mysterious feel, unable to discern whether it was fluff or bittersweet. All she knew was this is how she felt and through her songs, may reach the person she dreamt of. There, the raven-haired girl sat on the same spot where she met the amber-eyed waiting for her arrival.

A soft tune hummed with the gentle wind, blowing the girl's delicate raven strands. She recognized the tune because it was the same as the one she sung earlier. Glancing at different directions, frantically looking for the owner, she saw a figure bathed in sunlight, smiling at the same time taunting her for singing such an honest song.

She cringed at her position, clutching the hem of her shirt out of embarrassment. 'How much has she heard?' she thought while not attempting to raise her head to greet her guest.

"You're thinking how much I've heard, aren't you?" she grinned, her smile resembled a hungry wolf staring at her dispirited prey.

Mio didn't dare to look up. The girl shrugged upon Mio's initial response; she tucked her hands on her black pants with chains that act as its belt, "Well… To tell you the truth, I didn't hear much."

"Lies" Ritsu's eyes widened when the steel-eyed girl rejected her claims, "I know you heard me singing that song right from the start."

"When my fragile heart is decorated with frills, it squeals in delight" she grinned as she faced the younger girl, her eyes coming close to slit, "It dreams of a love sweeter than chocolate coming to visit her someday…"

Mio mentally screamed; this was the first time someone heard her sing a song about herself let alone a stranger whom she met yesterday was the first person who witnessed the side she tried to suppress the most.

The brunette chuckled, smiling at the girl who blushed furiously from her teasing, "So… where's the woman who was with you yesterday?"

"You mean… my grandmother?"

Ritsu nodded while she kept her hands tucked, waiting for Mio's answer, "She's not here" the latter answered, "she left earlier this morning to settle things in my hometown."

"I see, so you're home alone now…" the brunette tilted her head before curving her lips into a sinister smile, "so… would you mind _playing _with me the entire day?"

"W-what?" Mio left agape; the amber-eyed girl's words were too suggestive enough to be taken as an innuendo, being vague with her proposal at the same time had Mio hysterically search for the right answer - deducing whether the girl meant to spend the day doing things like strolling on the area or the other way around.

Ritsu minimized the distance between her and the raven-haired girl. Their lips almost met each other. The former stared on Mio's face before the younger girl closed her eyes. The poor girl felt her emotions going haywire; this is the first time someone had their face as close as hers, only just inches away before she'll get her first kiss in her fifteen years!

Her heartbeat went wild, her breathing became uneven. Cold sweat started dripping on her cheeks; she's on the verge of blocking rationality at this point of time.

The brunette cupped her hand on Mio's face, her tantalizing amber orbs added to the growing tension. "You got chocolate near your lips" wiping the remnants of the food much to the raven-haired girl's embarrassment.

"B-baka!" She hit her tormentor on the head, earning a loud yelp from Ritsu, "You could have just told me, I can wipe it on my own."

Ritsu held her head for a while before she switched into a predatory grin, "Heh… Acting tough, huh? I bet there's a moment when you thought I'm going to brush my lips against yours?"

_This girl!_

"Okay, okay… I'll stop fooling around" the brunette shrugged, not wanting to get another free hit in her aching head, "So, I'm going to repeat this once again… would you like to play with me?" her tone sounded gentle as if she wanted Mio to accompany her in her little adventure around the tranquil place.

"Well… if you're fine with me while I'm walking in crutches, then I don't mind."

Tilting her head while her face showing hints of confusion, "You don't have to walk. I'll carry you on my back instead."

The raven-haired girl was surprised with the brunette's blunt suggestion, she refused without delay, "N-no. I can manage on my own."

"No need to be shy, Ms. Pretty face." She smiled, "Your Ritsu-senpai's gonna carry you. After all, I am the one who insisted with this idea."

Still keeping a stubborn act, Mio gave up when Ritsu knelt on her knees while her hands clasped each other, trying to look as pitiful as possible to win her approval, "I give up… Do as you please."

After the steel-eyed girl's submission, Ritsu happily stood from her knees while pumping her fists in the air. She was really happy... undeniably happy. Vexed with the older girl's stunts, Mio can't help but to think that Ritsu's not acting upon her age. She's the childish one between the two of them yet she admired how the girl was too honest in herself - her actions devoid of any superficiality.

"So… you ready, Mio?"

The girl snapped back from her little musing, picking up the remaining dignity left when in just a short span of time, the brunette succeeded to render Mio off-guard. That's not all, this was the first time Ritsu called her by her name without honorifics; it felt like she was friends with her for years but no, she had to shake that fictitious belief that was building up on her mind.

Right before her eyes, Ritsu's back was facing her, inviting her to accept her offer. She reluctantly accepted her invitation, slowly slipping her creamy legs onto Ritsu's arms then let out a squeak when the brunette stood up from her position while carrying Mio on her back. The raven-haired girl gently wrapped her arms around Ritsu's neck to which she felt blood rushing down her face, at the same time saw a huge scar surrounding the brunette's posterior neck. Judging by appearance alone, the wound must somehow be a major one with a clean-cut look extending from her common carotid artery until to the other lateral aspect of her neck.

Mio, drawn with the perfection of the scar, subconsciously traced its length starting from the distal then to the proximal side using her left index finger. "How did you get this scar?"

Pure silence enveloped the area; the brunette hadn't moved an inch when the raven-haired girl suddenly asked such an unexpected query. Perhaps that subject should never be brought up but Ritsu answered Mio's question without a hint of anger; instead, she said it in a much ridiculous way that even grownup kids will never buy such petty excuse.

"I rescued a princess from danger" she giggled, "then when I strutted my way towards the main area, my neck got slit by the tiger's claws."

'A princess? A tiger?' All Ritsu's words were nonsensical in every way - a messed up fairytale about the knight's comical adventure to rescue the damsel in distress. She could be more creative or make the story believable if she just said something like she got it from an accident.

Ritsu resumed her pace; right now, they were walking on a path surrounded by high trees, vines wrapping around its sturdy trunks. A speck of light escaped the trees' thick leaves, illuminating a portion of the forest. Mio wandered her eyes for a bit, watching the beautiful scenery while the birds chirruped as they continued to make their way with no known destination.

"Hey, I want to ask something" the amber-eyed asked, "what's the name of that song you sung earlier in your house?"

Here they go again; the brunette was really good in making Mio pissed. Only a certain amount of force was enough to choke Ritsu with Mio's frail-like arms but the latter didn't attempt to commit such barbaric move.

The younger girl cleared her throat, responding to the brunette's question with a low voice, "...Hello…"

"Hello?"

"Hello little girl" then she buried her face on the brunette's back, expecting to laugh at her for the childishness of the song's name. She was blushing furiously; anytime by now, she could really burst into tears.

Yet Ritsu didn't laugh instead she complimented it, "I see… the title fits the song." Somehow, it is still a mystery on how the mind of the older girl works. She could be sweet during unexpected times but most of the time, wears her signature grin that could be interpreted as the one who spent life inflicting malice to her poor victims.

* * *

They continued their conversation, not knowing that it was past noon already. It felt like minutes when actually they've been walking for two hours already without halt. The brunette, energetic as always, never showed signs of exhaustion; it seems that she's really used to it while Mio felt guilty for making the girl do all the hardwork.

Not wanting to admit that she got immersed to their conversation, she found Ritsu's company peculiar… and relaxing. They're different ingredients in a concoction yet when mashed together has proven to have a synergistic effect. However, she has yet to ascertain the older girl's true nature especially…. when she felt a series of familiar sensations whenever it has something to do with the latter.

"Here we are, Ojou-sama."

Mio found herself astonished on the scenery before her. Currently, they're on top of the hill while they took shade under the leaves of the maple tree. The entirety of the remote place could be seen in the spot where they are now standing. On her west lies a small village, their ancestral house could be easily spotted: a two-storey house with a grey roof, surrounded with lots of trees and high walls that created a barrier between the rich and the middleclass.

She sighed mentally, and then shifted her focus to her right, revealing the industrious part of the far-flung place. Tall buildings crowded around the small area yet compared to the busy streets of Tokyo, the latter was second to none.

It's a shame that it tries its best to keep up with the world's shift towards modernization when almost all the people went to test their luck to the well-known places in Japan. 'It's really a ghost town' she shuddered in fear when came across the word she tried not to mention in the very least but she couldn't find an accurate description to describe the place. On her middle what separates the peaceful to the aspirants, was a lake; its water almost crystal clear, reflecting the clouds and birds that passed by.

The hill where they set foot could be used as part of encouraging tourism in the area yet regrettably, no one had notice such beauty in this remote place, disregarding it when compared to the top prefectures.

"I'm going to pick some fruits. Probably, you're hungry by now" said the older girl while letting Mio enjoy every piece her vision could capture. She carefully bent her knees while allowing the steel-eyed girl to find a comfortable spot to sit on. She leaned on the trunk, resting her back on the maple tree's smooth surface.

Ritsu smiled before she waved goodbye to the girl to proceed on her task to pick some fruits. The latter nodded then she watched the older girl's back until her shadow's gone for good.

All of a sudden, Mio felt her eyes getting heavy. Maybe the long walk and talk with Ritsu has drained more energy than what she had expected. The gentle breeze and the birds humming together lulled her to sleep.

* * *

**+FLASHBACK+**

"Otosan… Are we going to see the stars today?"

"Gomen ne, Mio. The heavy rain wouldn't allow us to see the stars on sky… Maybe next time" he patted the head of her little daughter who was on the verge of crying.

The man sighed; he never wanted a sight where his precious Mio's disheartened. He suggested something to uplift her spirits, "Mio, let's make a _teru teru bozu_ to wish the rain away. Maybe we could still see the stars."

Delighted, she agreed on her father's proposal. They hung white dolls with a smiley-face on their windows hoping that the rain would subside yet it never did.

Supposedly, there's a meteor shower that will occur on that night but because of the heavy pouring, they were not able to witness such rare event. Mio was looking forward to it, wanting to wish something to the stars but it never happened again. The rain stole her happiness on that very day.

Tears started to flow on her cheeks, overwhelmed by the pain brought by breaking a promise. Then long before she knew, a taste of salt reached her lips… it was her tears that woke her up on her dream.

**+END of FLASHBACK+**

* * *

She opened her eyes, only to be surprised to see Ritsu above her face and it was already late too! The moon had already replaced the sun on the skies, her light shone magnificently on the entire place. She tried to raise a question to the girl who never moved an inch since her awakening, "What do you think you're doing?" their breaths felt each other.

The brunette smirked, as if she was certain enough to assume what the raven-haired girl was thinking at this very moment. "Well, you look beautiful awake or asleep" she paused before her smile widened than ever before, "but you really look more beautiful when you're bathed with the moon's light."

That remark almost made Mio to lose her composure until the brunette gradually slipped away from her field of vision. Ritsu stood up and walked a few meters away from the younger girl's position, "Great timing!"

Confused, Mio tilted her head while twitching her eyebrows, implying to further elaborate what the older girl meant with her exclamation.

"Well you see… there's a meteor shower tonight! It's been all over the news and this is the spot where you could enjoy every last bit of it!"

She couldn't believe it, she had just dreamt about the broken promise a while ago and then by the time she woke up, her past crawled back today except that her father would no longer watch the stars with her but with a certain peculiar lady.

"It's already time. Never blink an eye, Mio" she grinned before she turned around to face the night sky filled with bright stars, "Don't forget to make a wish!"

A series of lights appeared in the sky, glowing vibrantly as it entered the earth's atmosphere before it disappeared. The raven-haired girl closed her eyes, making a wish under the bright-lit sky then she opened her eyes to watch the remaining lights continue their way towards the earth until it came to an end.

"Woah, that's too short for an event!" a girl yelled, disappointed on the duration of the meteor shower. She glanced at the younger girl, "So… did you like my surprise? You see… it's my little way of saying thanks for taking care of my wounds yesterday" embarrassed that it was just as simple as that, scratching the back of her head while waiting for Mio's verdict.

"Thank you" Mio smiled for the first time, genuinely expressing her gratitude to the brunette who went throughout the trouble just to repay the kindness she had shown to her when treating her wounds.

"I see… Glad that it catered to your taste" she handed the younger girl an apple, "eat your fill while I'll carry you back home."

* * *

Along the way with just the moon as their source of illumination, Ritsu carried Mio on her back. The latter should be scared knowing that she couldn't stand being exposed in darkness while the eerie chirps of the insects should left her unconscious in this very moment. Miraculously, she didn't shivered in fear maybe because she felt secured whenever she's with Ritsu - a feeling she had earlier when their bodies met for the first time.

"Say…" the amber-eyed tried to break the deafening silence, "what did you wish during the meteor shower?"

Mio curved her lips slightly while smiling teasingly, "Not telling."

The older girl felt a little disappointed but she laughed when she declared her wish loudly, "Well, I asked the stars to grant me the capability to save a damsel in distress once again!"

Stifling a laugh, Mio couldn't believe on the level of ridiculousness of the amber-eyed girl. She was really certain that she really got loose screws on her head. She watched the moon above before she buried her face onto Ritsu's back, whiffing her sweet scent that brought her little euphoria.

_I asked the stars to grant me the wish to look for the person who will love me as I am and not the Akiyama Mio whom the society had created out from the course of pretension._

* * *

**A/N: **Hi, IQzero here. So… I lied when I said that the fourth chapter will take time. Actually, this should be posted next week but luckily, I got a spare time to kill so I have decided to write it before things get more complicated.

So, I'm going to thank the following people:

**-Guest**: Hi, there. Thank you very much. Yes, I made Ritsu the older one so Mio could build a trusting relationship knowing that older girls should be more reliable but I doubt Ritsu's exhibiting that kind of quality but she does unexpectedly.

**-Raine1o1**: Hahaha, yes. I know you have lots of ideas up your sleeve so a little help wouldn't hurt because newcomers should rely to their senpais. Kidding aside, thank you for giving the third chapter a review although I have to admit that the fluff was a little bit forced because I ran out of any ideas.

**-Gia B87**: Thanks, you made my day too by giving reviews. Hope you'll be looking forward for the next chapter.

**-Keeper Aki**: Thank you for adding this story to your list as well as for dropping a review. Hahaha, you got the same reaction with my fellow reviewer here. But nevertheless, thank you very much.

-**To you readers out there**: Thank you very much for reading this story.

Well in this chapter, Ritsu thanked Mio by letting her witness the meteor shower which should happen at that very day. This is her way of saying thanks when the younger girl treated her wounds. Granny went to the city to settle things especially that she had to take care of their family business, Autumn, knowing that the previous owners died from an accident.

The song Mio sung was entitled, "Hello little girl." It's her character song but I don't know if it fits the situation. I just searched the web for the translation while listening to that song. So… thanks for reading, reviews are appreciated. This time, I'm going to say this for sure: the next update will take time. Please bear with me.

well... uhmm.. five's available.


	5. Chapter 5: Servant of Love

**DISCLAIMER: **I claim no rights to K-on!

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

* * *

** Servant of Love**

* * *

Under the bright-lit sky, Mio found herself on a small hut, almost on the verge of collapsing. Supposedly, she was about to go home when Ritsu decided to spend the night for fear that they would fell victims under the wolves' claws.

"I thought you'll carry me back home" a certain black-haired girl complained, sitting on top of the sheets that were laid on the humble wooden floors of the miniscule manger that stood proudly in the depths of the forest.

"No sane human will venture out in the middle of the night only to become food for the hungry predators" the amber-eyed retorted while resting on the same sheet she shared with the raven-haired, her arms tucked behind her head to serve as a cushion, "not unless you want to see Great Ritsu in action?"

Mio almost succumb to the temptation to hit the girl for her clever remark but she held back when the brunette shifted her gaze to her, examining her entirety: starting from her head, down to her thin legs then back to her angelic face while grinning wildly.

"What do you think you're doing?" Mio tried to cover her chest even though she wore a decent clothe that didn't gave a slight stimulation to those people who spent the rest of their lives marveling on the beauty of the human body.

"Nothing" she sported a grin that could be easily interpreted as the one who engaged on conspiracy, ready to overthrow anyone who dared to cross swords against the extremists.

"I just saw something devious behind that grin of yours" she glared at the one whom she accused of sexual harassment by mere inspection, "and those eyes flickered remains of malice" she said while remaining vigilant, "clearly divulge your true intentions."

There was a loud burst of laughter that echoed throughout the woods, even the birds responded in panic as it flew away from its slumber brought about by Ritsu's uncontrolled laughter.

"I can't believe you had such wild imagination!" she held her abdomen while laughing loudly before she wiped the beads that formed around the corner of her eyelids.

Blood boiled down on Mio's face as Ritsu made her a laughingstock when she tried to voice out her opinion about the older girl's earlier actions. She grabbed a pillow then shoved it over Ritsu's face with the hopes of silencing the idiot... or by glorious amount of divine luck, silences her for eternity.

"Hmpph!" a smothered whimper escaped from the brunette's lips as the majestic raven-haired beauty had successfully bestowed punishment to the one who opposed Japan's iconic figure of revolutionary fashion.

Ritsu pulled the pillow away then gasped for air. For a brief moment, she felt she could join the afterlife and left her body to rot in this pitiful place unsuitable to be her final resting place. "Gosh" she sat lazily, still fazed on Mio's intent to… kill? "I thought I'm going elsewhere" she looked at the grey-orbed whose face was flushed while not attempting to stare back at the older girl.

"That's for poking fun on me" she shot a dangerous glare to Ritsu who somehow fidgeted on the fact that the beauty was capable of such stunt. She laughed nervously, wondering how such atmosphere turned into hostility with just her simple prank of teasing the steel-eyed girl with a suggestive stare. Of course, who wouldn't respond to such when every woman in the world will yield to a much drastic means to give the harasser a fate more cruel than reality itself?

Looking in different directions with just her eyes doing all the work; the amber-eyed was in desperate need to lessen the building tension between her and the younger girl. She looked at the window only to spot a glass of water beside it; the color was churning enough to invite nausea. An idea flickered in the mind of the sly girl, curving her lips into a menacing one. She foresaw her victory and now she's waiting to pull her trump card to turn the tables.

"Mio…" she tried to catch the angry girl's attention who still kept an unyielding façade, "Do you know the story… " she cleared her throat to shift her tone into a more sinister one, "of the raindrops child?"

The younger girl bit the brunette's trap; she will inevitably face the consequence brought about her sheer susceptibility to curiosity. All people fell victims when there's a slight hint of oddity on the subject and not long after, they found themselves unable to escape.

"…raindrops child?" she reiterated while her face was apparently begging for more emphasis on the subject, her steel orbs showing glints of curiosity.

Ritsu rejoiced mentally. Finally, her victim fell on the snare she prepared. All she had to do was to sew all the crap she's perfectly good at and mixed them together to create a clumsy piece of horror bullshit. 'This is it', she breathed heavily before her amber eyes turned serious than ever before.

"The raindrops child is an entity that lurks in the starless night after a heavy rainfall" she grinned while she enjoyed the sight of the poor girl cowering in fear, squeezing her creamy legs with her arms while her palms over her ears to block any words the brunette has yet to spit. "The child knocks on someone's door, his coat drenched in dirt and moss while begging you to deliver the object in his grasp to your daughter. One look and you know he's not human when his hands were covered with… "

"…with?"

"Curious?" the brunette leaned closer to the younger girl's steel eyes, examining fear and anticipation swirling in her irises. Mio, stiffened by Ritsu's playful advance, nodded in response.

For the umpteenth time, Ritsu cleared her throat while massaging the area where her voicebox was located. Her raspy voice earned a loud shriek when she yelled, "his hands were covered with barnacles!"

"Kyaaaaaa!"

**THUMP!**

The last thing she knew, the brunette fell on her rear, cupping her throbbing cheek where Mio gave her a good slap on the face, "Ite!" she cried in anguish while trying to recompose herself, cursing Mio under her breath, "What was that for?"

"That's for adding barnacles to your crappy storytelling" she rubbed her palms repeatedly, refusing to help the brunette who rolled over towards the abandoned supplies. Mio had always hated barnacles ever since she could remember and those organisms that plagued the waters should have never existed in the first place, how she wished.

She and her mother, Mayu, were completely alike that even Akihiro himself will never dare to bring up that subject to their conversations for fear that this might incur the wrath of the ladies he adored the most and ended up on a severe state as far as his imagination could conjure.

"Scary as always" Ritsu muttered while creeping her way towards the sheet to resume her position. She grabbed the pillow and tucked it between her legs while Mio watched the brunette, still on-guard, waiting for another round of swat if Ritsu insisted to play pranks on her.

Caught up with the older girl's whines, her curiosity shot up once again. Her pursed lips opened, asking "What do you mean by 'scary as always'?" her steel orbs refused to look away to the brunette whose back was facing against her. The thought of familiarity played on rewind as Mio came into an assumption that she met the brunette before and that would be a plausible explanation why there were instances that she had these vague sensations whenever Ritsu's involved, "Have we met before?"

"No way… I mean, we just met yesterday" she refused to look to Mio, her left arm her only cushion on the wrinkled sheets.

Mio, skeptical as always, leaned closer to the older girl's face - her amber eyes her only means of finding the truth behind Ritsu's words. She knew she could decipher something by looking at the part that emanated honesty in the most direct manner of all as it spoke the truth before Ritsu could coat it in words.

The raven-haired beauty moved her knees, little by little; she headed to Ritsu's position. "I am not buying that excuse of yours not until I see your eyes" she tried to sweep the stray locks hanging on the older girl's face to see the object of her intention.

Ritsu quickly raised her arms to serve as a cover to her amber orbs. She desperately resisted Mio's attempts to uncover the truth. They were playing tug-of-war only that no rope was involved but Ritsu's thin arms trying to shake off Mio's.

"Hey, what's the matter with you? Pouncing at me like that, are you that totally enthralled to my god-given handsomeness? " she blurted behind her arms, still not giving up to Mio's persistence. A wave of uneasiness could be seen on Ritsu's actions; it's really clear that she was _hiding _something and Mio wanted her to spit it out to clear all her suspicions.

By divine stroke of good… bad luck perhaps, Mio's foot was caught between the sheets by her constant wobbling. She fell straight to the brunette's lean body, her proud chest against Ritsu's. There was a minute of silence; no one initiated an excuse to defend themselves. They were just there, on that position that could inevitably escalate to a higher form of happiness if and only if, Ritsu was among the people who knew what rare opportunity was but she never responded to that stimulus. She covered her eyes with her arms until she broke the awkward silence, "Hey, how long are you gonna stay on top of me? I… I can't breathe…"

Mio quickly retrieved her body away from the older girl, fidgeting as she moved her legs out "S-sorry" she stuttered while a hint of crimson crept from her neck then upwards, blushing when she realized she stayed on top of Ritsu for a while, figuring out how everything felt mysterious yet familiar… nostalgic but was uncertain how all these oddities came into existence with just, once again, with Ritsu's presence.

"Let's sleep, Mio" the older girl said in a muffled tone, the pillow tucked previously on her legs was now on the back of her head while her face buried on the sheets, "we'll return home once the sun has risen."

The younger girl obliged to the brunette's request. She grabbed her pillow and stuffed it beneath her head as she tried to suit herself. She watched the brunette's back before she uttered the usual thing to do before going to sleep, "Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi."

* * *

Morning came; the sun's light peeked on the hut's glassless window that awoke the raven-haired beauty. She sat up while rubbing her eyes to clear out the cloudy vision she got from a good night sleep. She glanced at the girl who's sleeping peacefully, vulnerable yet charming. She drew closer to Ritsu's position, commencing the interrupted plan from last night. She gently brushed off the older girl's strands to take a good look to Ritsu's face. She glided her soft palm until it met a slight lump on the corner of the brunette's right brow -another scar besides her neck.

_Why does she have scars every time I did something out of my curiosity?_

Her little musing got disrupted when the brunette smiled lopsidedly, "I see… curious as always, Ms. Dangerous Queen" then a loud thump followed after. Ritsu, again, fell on her rear. She complained, "What's with this morning greeting?"

Out of impulse, Mio gave Ritsu an early swat for a greeting, for surprising her while got lost on her thoughts. She doesn't know why her instincts and reflexes were functioning well when all she used to ward off her admirers were her overutilized excuses.

She apologized then repeatedly bowed her head to ask for forgiveness but Ritsu just laughed it off like how they first met in their house. The brunette stood from her rear and pulled something out from her pocket.

"Here, have something before we head home."

She threw a red fruit and a bottle of water to Mio and the latter had just caught it in time. The steel-orbed stared at the apple, watching her reflection shown in the fruit's skin. She thanked the girl but instead of eating the fruit, she hid the apple by tying a knot on the hem of her shirt, exposing her navel on the process. She tied her hair into a long ponytail, leaving the other strands beneath her face untied. She was, for a moment, looked even more stunning when her neck was exposed and the proof was Ritsu's immediate reaction: frozen… while drooling.

Mio never overlooked such abhorrent reaction; being turned on just because she tied her hair similar to a practitioner of bushido arts. She gave Ritsu an accusing look to which she automatically came up an excuse, "You got it all wrong, Mio" she scratched her head out of habit, "I… I got this from my sleep!"

Nervous, she jumped towards the doorstep then whiffed the fresh air of the tranquil forest. She turned around before she offered her hand to the younger girl, "Let's go." She crooked a smile that prompted Mio to smile in return; this time, she wasn't that reluctant anymore. With barely two days, their friendship has blossomed to this point - a friendship between two different individuals with different circumstances and clashing personalities.

* * *

Cold mist enshrouded the area, reducing their vision to obscurity. The older girl had to rely to her instincts as they walked upon the road full of uncertainties, not knowing what danger lies ahead when they miss a step.

"Hey, do you by any chance, know the shrine by the woods?"

"Shrine? Was there even one?" she arched an eyebrow as the brunette carried the steel-eyed on her back, kicking the dried leaves away, entangled on the base of her wooden slippers.

"Yes" Mio asserted while she took a peek on the direction Ritsu's going, squeezing her chest on the brunette's modest back, "the shrine of the village's Gisei-kamisama."

"That weak of a god? Was _he _even worshipped these days?"

"I don't know" Mio responded, dejected though she hoped that the brunette knew something about the deity but it seems that Ritsu took no interest with regards to the topic. Not even close from quitting, she came up with another question, "Then do you perhaps know a pile of stones fashioned in a way similar to a cradle?"

Ritsu burst out of laughter, the idea of a cradle as a shrine was too ridiculous. Her strength gradually slipped, almost losing her balance while all the while Mio was in danger of grazing her knees because of Ritsu's action.

Good thing Ritsu finally settled down after her unladylike outburst, she apologized but her tone wasn't convincing - there's still a hint of mockery in her apology. "I'm sorry" she restrained herself from laughing because she knew she'll be awarded with a new lump on her vulnerable head, "it's just that I find the description of a cradle as a shrine too funny. But I know the place where you could find the cradle shrine you're looking for."

With her reassurance, Mio felt slightly happy that she could finally visit the place her father used to frequent during his pesky days before he matured into a fine man but his childish qualities were still retained.

"Wanna see that cradle?" the older girl said, implying that she could take the raven-haired if she desired it.

Instinctively, she replied to the brunette with faint enthusiasm despite Ritsu knew deep inside Mio's heart that she wanted to see the shrine badly.

"What brings you to visit those rocks?" Ritsu asked curiously, trying to elicit an answer from Mio who has yet to reveal her true intentions.

"It's for my father's sake. I just wanted to see for myself why he was really inclined to that god. Maybe, I could find something vital in relation with his unfaltering belief towards Gisei-kamisama."

"I see… so if you don't mind at all, wanna go on detour? I know a shortcut that will lead us straight to the other end of the woods" she smiled widely as the older girl could sniff a good adventure up ahead. With her foolhardiness, she's what you call the _eccentric among eccentrics _and the _fool among fools_; because danger, no matter how desperately human tries to avoid such occurrence, was nonexistent in Ritsu's lexicon.

For her, what mattered most was a good source of entertainment and a decent amount to ease her boredom. Risk was an efficient criterion to evaluate the degree of susceptibility towards injury. She held firm on the belief: No pain, No gain. And this was something alarming, because she took the saying by heart… and by heart, she meant it literally.

"We just need a little rowing till we get to the other side. You saw that lake when we're on top of the hill right?"

"I suppose you meant that _one _with crystal-clear water?"

"Yup, that one" she nodded to agree with the younger girl's assumption, "there's a small boat over there and it's not currently in use. We'll use that to reach the other side of the forest."

Because every second meant a lot for her, Ritsu didn't further waste any time. She quickened her pace: long footsteps and a little bit of hopping. Despite her protest, Mio tightened her wrap around Ritsu's neck as her legs and bust pressed on the brunette's body. The grey-orbed felt that this was just part of the amber-eyed girl's scheme: fanservice in the form of innocent piggyback riding. Never in her life did she experience some sort of playful advances from the same individual for Mio, an elusive beauty, shunned the boys around her and she knew quite well if girls were taking advantage of her status. She had no real friends to begin with until she joined the light music club which consisted of unique individuals whose goal was to have good time with tea and snacks. But what her heart needed the most was not the sugary stuff but a bestfriend or a lover whom she could strip her pretentious façade that she had worn ever since her introduction to stardom.

The mention of a lover sent blood to accumulate on her rosy cheeks and she squealed mentally when she realized she had these thoughts along. What's the point of wishing underneath the stars if she never wished of such? There's a truth in the belief that women are affectionate beings and it wouldn't be surprising if they are more emotionally-inclined than logic. Because women, by nature, are loving individuals and their maternal instincts what separate them from men.

* * *

Not long after, they reached their destination with Mio who was completely enticed by the image before her: cotton candy clouds up above while the birds glided over to catch their prey on the crystal-clear water, leaving the victims to face the cruelty in the name of survival; the willow tree rustled as the gentle November wind blew its leaves. Peace has taken its form in this place and what was left to do was to cross these waters and reach the other end where the shrine stood humbly.

'Beautiful' she thought while her raven strands swayed westward in response to the wind.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

She was taken aback by the brunette's words who seemed to know what the steel-orbed was thinking.

_How could she figure out what's on my mind?_

"It's because you're easy to read" she scoffed, her amber eyes flashed smugly.

"What are you? A mind reader or something?"

"Not even close to that" she smiled confidently as she declared the reason behind her fearsome ability, "it's because I can feel your heartbeat pounding excitedly every time you see something stunning" she continued, "Behold! The Great Ritsu is the only being on earth who could read someone's heart even in a thicker stratum of adipose tissue!"

Mio felt insulted by Ritsu's bogus ability… and by describing her chest as layers of fat compressed in two bountiful mounds. Tactless as she might be, the brunette was torn between bringer of good news and mislead. She, an eighteen year old with boyish tendencies, was undeniably Mio's newly found chopping board of choice as she earned another prize on her head to which the members of the Mio occult will never hesitate to throw their lives in the line even just for a second… for this benediction bestowed by none other than their goddess herself.

"Ite!" she almost cried from the impact, "what's wrong with you?"

"That's for insulting my chest."

"But I never did!"

"Yes you have" Mio insisted, "I suppose that's because of woman's jealousy taking part on this petty argument, am I right?"

"No way" Ritsu tried to sway Mio with the best of her abilities, "I have a decent bust too if I'll take these binders off. No way would I desire something bigger when all those layers of fat will sag when we hit the elderly population!"

Three.

Two.

One.

A jet crash landed on the poor girl's lumpy head, creating a fissure between the just newly-created slopes. The Dangerous Queen was a being to be feared that not even the sliest of all will win from her divine weapon - her fist.

"N-no more!" she wailed for mercy, "I surrender!"

Mio loosened her fist, unclenching it as the amber-eyed had already waved the white flag of defeat but her other fist was set to launch whenever the brunette will attempt to tease her or make any uncivilized comments with regards to Mio's physical gifts.

"L-look!" Ritsu blurted out, "there's a boy in the middle of the lake!"

"Was there?" her steel orbs failed to believe.

"Y-yes!" sweat dropped into the brunette's forehead down to her neck, "He's drowning, gotta save him before it's too late!"

Mio saw nothing not until she heard a rumbling splash of water and then she saw a hand, waving on the surface, begging for help.

She gasped under her breath; the image of imminent death took over her mind if no one will attempt to save the boy. Panicking, she unknowingly commanded the amber-eyed despite she had never called her by her name, "H-help him!"

Without falter, Ritsu carefully settled Mio down on the shades of the willow tree before she leapt to the waters then swam her way towards the drowning boy. She increased her speed with the hopes that she could reach him before it's too late.

His waving came into halt when the boy finally lost the struggle; he sank gradually before his hand could no longer be seen in the surface. Immediately, Ritsu dove down and for a moment, gone were the two in Mio's eyes. The raven-haired prayed, trembling in fear, 'No' she thought, 'I don't want to see people dying again!'

The trauma from the accident haunted Mio and right before her eyes, another tragedy was about to be welcomed by her feeble heart. 'What's taking Ritsu so long?' she cringed as her palms unconsciously held her head while she was looking on her shirt dampened by her tears. 'They should have resurfaced by now!'

Mio almost lost herself but was taken aback when her faintest hope flickered upon the sound of gurgling bubbles. She looked attentively on the waters, waiting for the two to reemerge again.

"Uwaaah!" Ritsu gasped for air, pulling the boy to the surface. She held the boy by wrapping her left arm on his chest while her other hand do the maneuvering. She hastily swam towards Mio's direction before she settled the boy on the ground.

The steel-eyed wanted to help but she froze on the sight of the seemingly lifeless body before her. She also had issues with regards to boys because her entire life was spent with boys who brought nothing but difficulties. They were the beings least trusted by the younger girl that's why she decided to pursue her highschool in Sakuragaoka - to evade the people who kotowed on their family's influence and to relieve herself from those pestiferous confessions and advances that disturbed her tranquility.

The older girl attempted to resuscitate the boy. She repeatedly compressed the boy's chest before she propped her mouth against his, attempting to revive him by her constant exchange of air. With her vigorous display of effort, the amber-eyed succeeded and the boy spat out the fluid that had entered his lungs.

Ritsu leaned back while her fists help up high in the air, "Yosha!" she bellowed upon the exhibition of her bravery "Glad that I made it in time before everything goes wrong!"

A sense of relief escaped from Mio's lips as she saw the two already far from being candidates towards the next life.

"Hey, kid!" Ritsu called out the recipient of her valiancy, "what were you doing in the middle of the lake? Kids should not play without their parent's supervision."

The boy exchanged glares before his gaze turned soft upon the realization that his savior had asked for his reason, "Thank you for saving me but I wasn't playing in the waters, mind you."

Ritsu raised an eyebrow then she tucked her arms to continue her question, "If that's the case then, why did you risk yourself on that lake?"

There was a decent minute of silence before he uttered, "I was trying to get something that was submerged in the waters" he blushed before he continued; "it's supposed to be a present for Aika-chan."

A wide smile etched in the brunette's visage as the thought of puppy love had entered her playful mind. "Uhuh… a present for your girlfriend, huh? Youngsters these days…" she rubbed her nares similar to an old geezer who reminisce his perverted days, "so how far did the _two_ of you go?"

One swoop followed after Ritsu's malicious inquiry, her face met the ground when Mio gave her a good lecture by her fist, "That's not a nice way to phrase a question, idiot."

"I was meaning to ask the boy if they held hands" she raised her head, her face covered in filth, "Don't tell me, you meant it _that _way, Mio?"

Sly as always, Ritsu never gave up though her question could be taken somewhat inappropriate and something deceiving. She really wanted to hear the boy's answer no matter what because she, the Great Ritsu, proudly acclaimed herself to the title as Aphrodite's **_servant of love_**.

"Spit it out, kid" she nudged him by her elbow, "Oneechan wants to help you and Aika-chan get closer than ever before." She stood with a proud gait with imaginary sun rays flashing behind her back, "For I, your Ritsu-oneechan, will not overlook the matter when it comes to love regardless of age!"

The boy took a moment to study the girls in front of him, trying to find something worthy of his trust after all, a stranger who offered help was way too suspicious… like he was bound to suffer from deceit if he gave his approval but what struck him to cede to Ritsu's charisma was the brunette's eyes - eyes that glowed reliability despite her flashiness.

Mio sighed that she should partake on the older girl's quest to become the female version of Cupid. Her knack on going to all sorts of trouble was a trademark of the amber-eyed and that reminded Mio of the similarity between Ritsu and her late father.

_She and Otosan…_

"Oy, Mio" a hand waved continuously in front of her face as the new messenger of love tried to catch her attention, being once again lost in the vast sea of thoughts - a bad habit of hers. "You, okay? Wanna cool first?"

"No, I'm fine" she gave a reassuring smile, "I was just thinking about something."

"Oh, I see…" Ritsu titled her head to observe the girl for a while before she squealed out of excitement, "Hey, this boy admitted that he loves Aika-chan!" then she leaned closer to Mio's ear to whisper something, "_and what's more, he told me that the two of you looked alike each other. Beau-ti-ful, he said._"

Steam escaped on Mio's face, vaporizing as it reached the level beyond control. The word 'beautiful' appeared trite - its meaning has lost its essence when she usurped that very definition but the way Ritsu delivered it made her heart skip a beat, worthy to be compared to a man whose expertise was solely on utter seduction.

"Got carried away, huh?" she continued her teasing to the now-blushing Mio who was averting her gaze from the two. 'Baka' she thought.

"Oh yeah… got a name, kid?" Ritsu asked the lad who was busy drying his clothes. Looking closer, Mio realized that the boy was wearing a brown jumper, two belts clasped past his clavicles before it intersected on his vertebra. He wore boots while he left the laces untied. What's more surprising was he looked someone familiar… someone who loves pastries more than anything else… someone like Hirasawa Yui.

_Yui?_

The way he fashioned his hair was similar to her airhead friend and those round chocolate eyes almost got her to assume that the guitarist was playing pranks on her but she knew it was impossible when Yui was on her second semester on her freshman days together with Mugi.

"My name is Takumi" he bowed in respect, "nice to meet you, Ritsu-oneechan" then he shifted his gaze to the beauty hidden in the shades, "…Mio-oneechan."

She froze upon hearing the word 'Oneechan.' Mio least expected something so intimate when all she was addressed by the people around her only consisted honorifics that defined her social status.

"Nice to meet you too" she nervously replied until Ritsu interrupted the exchange of pleasantries with her impatience.

"Okay, Takkun" the brunette gave the lad a nickname without his permission, "so what's with that gift of yours?"

Takumi explained that the gift was a pocketwatch he co-created with his late father, a clockmaker and a famous artisan before he died from tuberculosis. He said that he lost it when the storm hit the area unexpectedly when he travelled by a small raft, unsuccessful to deliver it to the girl before her birthday.

"I am now curious to what Aika-chan looks like apart from she shared the same face as Mio's" Ritsu rubbed her lower jaw while looking at the boy with piercing amber eyes. "Got any like a picture?"

"N-" he wasn't able to finish his sentence when the older girl snatched something out from his pocket. "Aha, a locket!" she blurted as she raised the object up, the sun made it glow as it hit its rays. She opened the locket only to see a girl in twin-tails while her eyes clearly expressed the innocence and sheer joy as she held a clover.

"Woah, a spitting image of Mio!" her eyes widened in disbelief. Curious, the raven-haired took a peek on the picture when the amber-eyed gave her a chance to see the photo in her own steel eyes. The younger girl almost agreed only that the girl on the photo was too petite for her size.

The boy tried to retrieve the locket out from Ritsu's hand, embarrassed that the subject of his affection was seen by these very girls. "S-stop! Give it back to me!" beads almost took its form on his lids.

"Oh, here" she carefully settled the object to the boy's palms, "sorry for borrowing it."

'No, you almost stole it' Mio mentally disagreed with the brunette's definition of borrowing. The older girl took a few noble steps close to the edge before she turned around with a wide smile and amber orbs that beamed fervently, "Mio, watch me as I'll retrieve the object and become a servant of passionate love and justice."

* * *

**A/N: **First and foremost, I would like to extend my gratitude to the following people:

**-Gia B87:** Hahaha... :) Thank you very much. Well, I should agree that there's a story behind all scars and uhhmm... well regarding the identity of the other damsel, it will be revealed in the future chapter(s). The meteor shower scene shouldn't be as it is, the idea has arisen from the fact that the supposedly original scenario came into conflict with the timeline and that's why, out of desperate need to thank Mio, I decided to go with stargazing. No, I should be the one thanking you for reading this story right from the start, it was impossible if not because of you readers.

**-Raine1o1:** Thanks. :) I really am thankful for adding this story to your list. Thank you for pointing out my mistakes too, I really appreciate it. I was frantically looking for that 'in' and thank heavens, I saw it when Ritsu was going to offer Mio a piggyback. No, you're great on your own. I love that C.C of yours. So even here, I'm gonna nudge you to write the continuation. :)

**-P3uke: **Thank you. I'm still on the process of learning from writing especially when I had just started out. Hopefully, you'll find the succeeding chapters.. uhmm.. okay or.. maybe not. :)

**-Zirracat:** Thanks. I am still quite unsure with my writing style because I had a serious case of using run-on sentences. So I would like to apologize if you'll encounter grammar mistakes and punctuation errors along the way. With regards to the granny, there will be a chapter dedicated just between the two of them with little flashbacks, I think.

**-maye-chan:** Hi, thank you very much. I don't know what to say but I want to thank you for dropping a review as well as adding this to your list. I already have the ending on hand. This is supposedly fifteen chapters or less, I believe (*gasp, that's still a long way to go).

**-megaspaceout:** Yes, you! :) Thank you very much for adding this to your list as well as for your words of encouragement. Hope you'll still read the succeeding chapters. :)

**-TunaFish1997: **Thank you following this story. :)

**-To you readers out there:** Thank you very much for reading this overly-clichéd title. :)

I would like to apologize for the sluggish update because school got me a handful of torturous paperwork. So to compensate for it, I made this chapter a little bit longer and well… I don't know if you'll call this a cliffhanger or plain stupid but this was just one of Ritsu and Mio's adventures in an unnamed place somewhere within the boundaries of Japan.

Another one worth apologizing… update will take much longer than usual because… well… uhmm… I have to study for prelims otherwise my allowance will be greatly reduced with due respect to my performance.

Oh, this chapter. Well… Mio was very suspicious of Ritsu's motives and the fact that she felt she knew the latter but was pretty unsure about it; so the questionable closeness or advances may be attributed to that hypothesis. Friends in just two days with that much closeness? Oh crap, I can't make something like that when in reality; it took me months or years to befriend people around me. (*uses the power of fiction as an excuse, cough cough.)

Thank you very much for reading. Reviews are greatly appreciated and rants are welcome too.

Uhmm.. well, sixth is up. :)


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: **I claim no rights to K-on!

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

* * *

**The Pocketwatch, the Oars and the Mysterious Voice**

* * *

"Mio, watch me as I'll retrieve the object and become a servant of passionate love and justice." The brunette said while the sun's rays shone a portion of its light as it escaped from the clouds' thin layer of visible mass, making her eyes glowed in excitement.

The servant in question was apparently eager to help the boy in his quest to retrieve the pocketwatch and give it to the one he loves. She gladly entertained the idea that she was the bringer of good news to the ones she lends a hand to because Ritsu, no matter how foolish she was, considered her deeds as her own medals.

Hiding from the sun, Mio rubbed her temples in response to Ritsu's absurd statement to clearly emphasize that she was indeed a being born to be of help to others but the way she said it was comparable to typical kid's shows about people who worked for love and justice - the kind of image that was ultra-unfitting to an eighteen year old girl. She was far more suitable to play as a villain than a dignified heroine free from deceit.

"Are you sure, Ritsu-oneechan?" the boy asked, worried with the girl's resolve to help him, "The Lake's so deep that not even I can reach the bottom."

"Easy… easy, Takkun" she playfully patted the boy's shoulder to reassure him that she could perfectly do the job without fail, "your oneechan is one of the island's best swimmers… dipping on the waters is not a problem let alone I can breathe for a minute without resurfacing."

Those words emitted conceit but nonetheless the boy nodded and took the sly girl's quaint service without objection but the other girl was quite skeptical, she wanted to verify Ritsu's claims otherwise this mission will forever be in naught. She couldn't stand the fact that her reputation will be sullied by the brunette's silly demeanors to play heroes.

"How can we trust your words, if I may ask?" Mio darted her question to the girl who arched an eyebrow, flustered on the younger girl's pessimistic view with regards to her abilities.

"Fear not, Ms. Skeptical" she said teasingly, crossing her arms while flashing a pose of brimming confidence, "the Great Ritsu will fulfill her duty to serve the others especially those in dire need. I choose no clients regardless of status and age but I was chosen to cast light upon them!"

"Then prove it to us. Specifically, prove it to me that you have what it takes to bring the pocketwatch back."

"No problem" the amber-eyed said in an expressionless face to imply her seriousness regarding the matter, "then how about I'll prove it to you _this _instant?"

_This instant? Is she going to the waters in this very moment?_

Ritsu nonchalantly walked towards Mio while smiling smugly. She leaned closer to Mio's face, her hands on her knees, "How about you check if I'm going to breathe less than a minute? If I did, I'll quit right away."

A blush crept on Mio's cheeks as Ritsu brought her face close to hers. They looked like they're about to kiss! She almost shoved the brunette away when she spotted the boy in the corner of her steel eyes stood in shock, his jaw slackened upon Ritsu's blatant display of commendable advances.

_This idiot!_

But she never did; she was there, frozen in her spot. She looked at the amber orbs that shone candid at its best while the brunette crooked a smile, still not breathing. More than a minute passed, they stared straight to each other without a word until the brunette fell from her knees, panting "Whew! I barely made it!" she held victorious against the one who issued a challenge to her abilities.

"See that kid?" the amber-eyed turned around to face the boy while she flashed a V-sign, "I'm more than enough to retrieve your gift."

She shifted her gaze back to Mio, whose black locks completely served the purpose to hide her blushing face. The younger girl sat still until Ritsu cleared her throat to catch the former's attention, "Yo! It's not really a big deal if you lose to such a small challenge like this" she sported a grin to raise Mio's spirits up, "it's just that you chose a wrong opponent this time because… I am invincible and that is all to it!"

Her words never had a chance to cheer the grey-orbed up but it had just gave her the reason why Ritsu should be added in the 'People I would like to hit' list. The amber-eyed may sound blunt as far as Mio is concerned but what's more surprising is that Mio never made an enemy out of her instead she felt Ritsu was the type whom she could be herself without worries.

'A friend?' The younger girl shook her head in disagreement. She was a little bit unprepared to entertain that thought even though she made good yet quite odd friends in her school. Now that a mention of 'odd' had Mio pondered for a while that she was indeed like a _magnet _which attracts people with quirky personalities.

First, she had a brunette friend with chocolate eyes whose existing taste buds was none other than the sweet receptors itself - despising anything when it comes to sour and bitter delicacies. Her love for sweets was as much as she loves her sister, Hirasawa Ui, albeit she would cry in despair when she is bound to choose between the two: confections or her lovable and reliable imouto?

Then she had another weird friend in her circle of friends by the name of Kotobuki Tsumugi, heiress to Japan's top leading corporations partly responsible for the country's excellent economy. She is what you call the _Oujo-sama among the oujo-samas. _She may be suspected of a European descent because of her blonde hair, sapphire eyes and those unique eyebrows that were made as the Kotobuki emblem; that in this very era, an eyebrow has the ability to define one's status, causing social stratification much to the blonde's dismay.

Despite men of different lineage and of distinguished family were unsuccessful to win the blonde's heart, as their joyous woos turned into cries of woes. They have given up on the hope that Tsumugi would look at them the same eyes the men had in her. She and her _yuri goggles_ was partially responsible for breaking up the poor men's hearts where the hopeless went to the raven-haired girl as their remaining pilgrimage to return to - to keep them sane from the cruelty that such an oujo-sama would _never _appreciate heterosexuality.

To make things worse, a freeloader by the figure of a bespectacled woman happened to join the three in their merriment, a group with no particular purpose but to enjoy life to the fullest with confections. The trio has yet to be recognized as officially part of the school's list of clubs but they lack a member to fill the position.

As far as Mio could remember, that _one _spot was devoid of human ever since she became part of the light music club; _that_ very spot that's supposed to act as the band's raw energy, waiting to be unleashed by the ever-agile beating of the drums. But to her dismay, that instrument was left untouched not unless the airhead felt playing the cymbals to ease her growing boredom.

* * *

"Geez, Mio… you're spacing out too much."

She snapped back when the sly brunette blew the strayed raven strands hanging atop Mio's face, revealing her steel eyes that were once again lost in the sea of thoughts.

"If you keep doing that then you'll never witness my acts of valiancy firsthand" Ritsu tried to look cuter to appease the raven-haired who remained idle on her position.

Squatting, Ritsu stood from her knees and went back to the boy to talk about the location of the pocketwatch with much accuracy.

Left behind the shades, the younger girl raised her voice that caught the two's attention who were busy untying the ropes that kept the boat on shore for atleast more than half a century.

"I'm coming with you" she said sternly while her fragile palms clasped each other, "I want to make sure everything's going fine not unless _someone _will pull a stunt to put herself and the others in jeopardy."

"Hey, hey… Are you talking about me?" Ritsu raised an eyebrow upon Mio's not-so obvious reference to the brunette's brashness, "I'm pretty sure that the operation will be a success… you just need to relax and wait for our return."

The younger girl never said a word but it was clear that she wanted to go along no matter what. Ritsu shrugged and in the end, she agreed half-heartily to Mio's persistence, "Okay, okay… You win" she rolled her eyes while arching both of her shoulders, "Just this time, Mio."

The younger girl sighed in relief. What was she in relief for? Because she managed to persuade the older girl to bring her along? No. She had this inexplicable feeling that was plaguing her the moment the amber-eyed decided to retrieve the pocketwatch. She was uncertain why she had this kind of feeling; perhaps this is what they call an ability to perceive danger up ahead?

Without notice, the sly girl carried Mio like a princess. She slipped her thin arms onto Mio's back and onto the back of her knees. One swoop and they were like the prince and princess in a children's fairytale.

"W-wait!" Mio stuttered, unable to recover from the brunette's sudden action. The feeling of being carried like what every woman desires had just triggered her hidden side: her love for fantasy. Her mind was swirling, too ineffective enough to make logical interpretations.

Right now, she was relishing this rarity of a moment, looking at the older girl who smiled at her while the latter's hair and eyes reflected golden. For a moment, Ritsu looked like the sun itself not because how her radiance stood out when exposed under sunlight but because of her ability to bring smiles and hope to the desperate - a knight in shining armor only that her only piece of protection was nothing but a cotton shirt weaved with much intricacy.

She watched steadily on her knight while the older girl's locks swayed gracefully as if she was following a rhythm that was non-existent in the first place. Her soft footsteps, her hair and the way she glanced at different directions synchronized with one another. It seems like she was singing a hymn - an unheard melody that will forever remained as it was, maybe because the amber-eyed has a reason to keep it herself.

Mio came into her senses when Ritsu carefully descended her on a small space of the old boat where ladies are always placed while the other passenger will do the rowing. She was definitely enjoying her privilege and she found it quite hard to believe that she did not hated it despite she was the one who perfectly rejected such acts whenever the boys will treat her with such.

That enigmatic feeling has once again brought Mio into question that she had definitely encountered this peculiar girl and that she has yet to discover the real identity of the one who introduced her to a different perspective that the world is such a nice place to thrive in.

"Hop on the boat, kid" the brunette slowly pushed the vessel away, her pants and the hem of her shirt soaked wet.

The boy obliged; he raised his boots one by one until he found himself sitting in the part where the navigator will always assume to act as the one who will give directions to the oarsman.

Later, Ritsu joined the two then grabbed the oars to start propelling on the middle of the lake with enormous speed.

By speed alone, the brunette had Mio's clothes drenched wet by her violent rowing, revealing the steel-eyed girl's voluptuous curves and… highly stimulating black brassiere that supported her healthy mounds to keep it from sagging.

Whether or not she had done it in purpose, Mio knew for sure that Ritsu deserves a good bash on the head to keep her craziness in check. She gave the girl a swift strike much to the older girl's agony then turned her gaze to Takumi to check if the boy saw a portion of her sacred body.

The boy fidgeted, refusing to look to the aggravated victim of fanservice out of fear. Fear what? The Dangerous Queen saw the most crucial evidence to include the boy in her bestowal of divine punishment: drips of crimson trickled on the lad's hand as it tries to cover the gushing blood on his nose… out of excitement, perhaps?

"N-no, wait! I can explain!" he defended; cold sweat started to fall on his pale cheeks, his voice muffled by his desperate covering.

The cracking of the fists signified his inevitable fate. He, like Ritsu, will share the same fortune for summoning Mio's alternate identity - the Dangerous Queen.

**KA-POW!**

A fallen soldier by the name of Takumi joined the raft of corpses in the battlefield. The sly never made it to the end; she was also caught dead by the Queen's fist.

_These two were definitely alike! Had Yui met this idiot, I think my head's going to explode!_

"What do you think you're doing?" a girl stifled a cry, oars still on her rough palms, "How can we get to our destination if you keep hitting us with your fist?"

"Pardon me for my untoward reaction" she politely said, "it is one of my countermeasures against people with perverted desires" the raven-haired said nonchalantly, feeling less guilty about the outcome but nevertheless was surprised to see herself pulling such a move when she hadn't had a chance to do in her life as a celebrity maybe because she was certain that there were no hidden cameras and paparazzi on the loose to catch a glimpse of her unbecoming.

"Oh come on, Mio." Ritsu defensively stated, "You know how serious I was when I said I'm getting the job done before we head home, do you?"

"I know that and I'm perfectly sure that doesn't include wetting up my clothes."

Ritsu cringed when the younger girl gave her a grave look straight into her amber yes. For the meantime, the former halted her crafty advances out of concern that she might not able to see daylight.

This time, she rowed properly while the boy was in charge of the navigation, trying to win Mio over and make her forget his previous reaction upon seeing the steel-orbed girl's body by accident.

* * *

"W-were here!" the chocolate-eyed exclaimed when they reached the point where the pocketwatch was buried by the sands underwater.

"Oh-hoh…" amber eyes gleamed excitingly, dropping the oars inside the vessel, "guess I need to work now."

"Please wait." Mio interrupted Ritsu's brief exhilaration that skyrocketed beyond the earth's atmosphere, "We have to take measures to ensure your safety."

"Aaw… That's no fun at all" she pouted, dejected on the fact that the raven-haired was so stern about the idea of implementing safety measures to keep everything in accordance.

"I was eager to show you my move aside from getting the pocketwatch."

"Move? You're going to show one?" the boy listened to the older girl intently, waiting to find out her stunt.

"Yup, your Ritsu-oneechan knows some tricks…"

Mio had had just enough of Ritsu's silly antics. Instead of reprimanding the girl for her display of foolishness, she grabbed a rope then threw it to the amber-eyed.

"So how are we supposed to use this, Ms. No-fun-at-all?"

"Well… this should be enough to keep you safe whenever things don't go according to plan."

Ritsu gave Mio a quizzical look, still unable to fathom the meaning behind the latter's action. She played the object in her hand, spinning it round and round until it created a centrifugal force enough to keep the rope in loop.

"So you're telling me to hook myself with this? That would make me look like a fish!"

"It's better than you drown yourself…"

"And not long after, turned into barnacles." Ritsu continued where Mio left but it wasn't what the raven-haired was about to say.

That abominable word earned Ritsu a swat straight into her right cheek then unknowingly, she found herself out from the vessel's premises. She was already in the waters, her hair doused wet which made her locks crammed around her amber eyes.

The older girl ran her fingers on her hair to clear her face from the wandering locks, revealing those tantalizing orbs and a scar that marred the brunette's handsome face.

Mio took the moment to examine at the older girl whose new look had been the subject of her musings. She thought Ritsu suits this image more than her locks down because she looked livelier and full of energy this way. She wondered why the brunette preferred to hide her eyes… was it because of its innate candidness? Or did she have an existing reason to do so?

"Gosh, I think I'm gonna die first with your fist instead of drowning in this very lake." She unwillingly attached the rope to the chains that act as her only buckle to her loose black pants. She ended up tying it skillfully to appease the girl who was watching her carefully, trying to check if the brunette had done it properly.

"I assume that this is fine in your eyes not unless you're too particular with perfection?"

"I think you did fine" the raven-haired commended the older girl's effort though she could be much more generous by giving her more credit but she knew the older girl will succumb to her conceitedness that's why she chose words that will not cause further elation.

Slightly frustrated, the brunette gave the younger girl one last smile before she plunged down to the depths of the lake to retrieve the object, "Mio, I trust you to watch my back in behalf."

The raven-haired beauty watched Ritsu sunk deeper. A whirl of uneasiness plagued her mind. She held the rope in her hands - her only attachment to the amber-eyed who had just traversed the line between life and death.

"Mio-oneechan" the boy looked at her with a worried expression in his face, "Is Ritsu-oneechan going to be alright?"

Her shaking fingers came into halt when the chocolate-eyed asked whether the amber-eyed will make it through the end. Mio gave him a reassuring smile, "Yes, she'll do fine" her steel orbs glistened with unwavering trust, "because the idiot said she's invincible… and I am in-charge of watching her back in behalf."

The worried look turned into a genuine smile as the boy curved his lips while his half-lidded eyes synchronized in response. He was undeniably like Yui when he makes that kind of expression - unmarred with the thrusts of their stressors.

Surprised of the resemblance, the girl graced a smile on her beautiful face - a rarity when she never smiled to the opposite sex with the exception of her father.

* * *

'Gah! What a letdown for a good experience!' the amber-eyed continued to swim deeper despite the growing frustration, 'I wasn't able to show my move because of her!'

Reaching the sands, she lazily settled her feet while looking for any traces of the object, 'Not here, huh?'

An idea flickered on Ritsu's mind when she saw something to use against Mio. She grabbed the object and shook the rope repeatedly to pull her up. Mio, perceiving it as the brunette's success, responded to her action and immediately pulled the rope up with her average strength.

"That was quick, you found the watch?"

"No, I found something interesting…" she smiled wryly before she showed the object to Mio.

"Kyaaaa!" the raven-haired squealed when she saw the barnacles covering the entire object on Ritsu's hand. She grabbed the oar and whammed it straight to Ritsu's head.

"Itteeeeeee!" the brunette almost got drowned from the impact, she kept afloat while evading Mio's fierce bashes with the use of the wooden propeller.

"You idiot! How dare you show me such hideous entity?!"

"Come on… that was just a joke, Mio" she continued to evade all the strikes, moving to her left and right while she wore a satisfied expression when she had successfully enraged the raven-haired.

"Go and retrieve that object, you idiot!" she said angrily, not knowing what will become of her if Ritsu doesn't' stop her pranks, maybe she could definitely kill the girl with a justified reason - for scaring the shit out of her.

"Alright, calm down already. I'm gonna swim down and get that watch." The amber-eyed plunged deeper once again until she continued where she left, particularly to the spot where she picked the barnacled object.

She continued her search until she found something that was sparkling in golden. She slowly moved her legs, tiptoeing on the soft mass engraved by her footprints.

_Woah? A sunken boat in here? Interesting…_

She swam towards the wrecked vessel and picked the object up before she rubbed it in her palms to clear it from the small greenish particles that enveloped the object.

'Good going, Ritsu' she mentally praised herself much to her vanity, 'I see that your skills did not rust, huh?'

**_Ritsu?_**

The girl looked frantically for the owner of the voice, her amber-eyes widened in disbelief when she deemed it familiar.

She held her neck when a number of bubbles escaped from her mouth. 'Damn!' she cursed under her breath, 'I took a long time underwater. I guess I have to return now before I run out of oxygen.'

The brunette slid the item on her pocket before she struck a pose to swim towards the surface.

**_Ritsu?!_**

The voice became louder than before, sending tremors to the girl who was stunned when she realized the owner of the voice that was screaming on the back of her mind.

_Mi-_

Just before she had to resurface, the amber-eyed found herself unable to do so when she vied against death - her body started to suffer from inadequate oxygen.

_Shit! I was late…_

More bubbles escaped in the depths before her body lost the ability to move. Ritsu's consciousness started to fade, her amber eyes reflected somberness when she saw she couldn't make it.

_I guess this is the end?_

* * *

**A/N: **Hi, IQzero here. Like the usual, I want to thank these people:

-**Keeper Aki: **Thank you very much though I had to admit that it felt OOC. Sorry. *cowers in the corner while drinking iced coffee* I hope you're fine with it otherwise feel free to complain.

-**P3uke: **Thank you. I know that chapter wasn't that satisfactory because it was too long and nothing happened much. Feel free to complain, my dear.

**-Kylhie15: **Thank you for following this story. *smiles

-**Namikaze Nara: **Hi, thank you for keeping me company for a while and by adding this story to your list. Hope we could talk soon. Hahaha..

-**To you readers out there: **Thank you for reading this story. *smiles

Well… to tell you the truth I'm almost done with the seventh chapter (87.3%, I think?). But then I decided to post it next 1-2 weeks because I had so much things to do and I think the next chapter is quite longer and that will serve as a conclusion to the "Servant of Love" arc. Wait; was this an arc in the first place? Reviews are much appreciated, let me know if you think I need something to work onto with regards to my punctuations, grammar and the likes and if there's a betareader out there who's willing to lend a hand to this thing, I will gladly accept your help with open arms. Once again, thank you very much for reading. I'm off to drink another cup of iced coffee.


	7. Chapter 7: Love transcends Time

**DISCLAIMER: **I claim no rights to K-on!

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

* * *

**Love transcends Time**

* * *

It's past three minutes and Ritsu has not reemerged from the waters. Worried, Mio twitched her fingers out of anxiousness, anticipating that she will be greeted by the brunette's goofy smile once she made it to the surface.

'What's taking her so long?' she tried to quell the negative thoughts that were about to metastasize 'Is this one of her pranks again?'

The girl shook the rope, sending the brunette a signal but she got nothing in return. Nervous, she shook it again; still, Ritsu did not respond.

Thoughts about death filled her mind in gibber - screaming incessantly that she has yet to lose someone.

A stranger? No.

An acquaintance? No.

Someone precious? She stopped at the mention of the word that depicts the older girl's value.

Since when did she felt this way to a person whom she barely knew let alone she mysteriously appeared right before when Mio was in the middle of casting her emotions into oblivion?

"Oneechan!" Takumi yelled, "Ritsu-oneechan's in danger!"

Mio hastily pulled the rope up in her hands, grazing her soft palms due to friction. The boat's rocking like hell until the boy decided to jump off the boat to keep it still, trying to use his weight on the opposite side to maintain equilibrium.

Her hands were throbbing in pain as she tried to pull Ritsu to the surface. She did not falter, she continued until she saw Ritsu, her body appeared motionless.

Due to the adrenaline rush playing a significant part on Mio's added strength, she managed to grab the brunette by her arms and lift her up to the vessel while Takumi was doing a good job to keep the boat in balance, clinging on the old piece of wood that comprised its structure.

"Ritsu!" she yelled, tears flowing straight to her steel eyes who once emanated indifference before she met the amber-eyed. "Ritsu, stop joking around you idiot!"

She repeatedly slapped the older girl to arouse her but her efforts bore nothing.

The amber-eyed remained still, her complexion started to become pallid, her warmth gradually fading.

Out of desperation, Mio prayed, her voice shaking, "K-Kami-sama, if you're there… P-please help her!"

Cold wind blew the raven strands, whispering to her ear, "**_It's alright, she's not going anywhere. She said she was invincible, right?_**" a warm yet mysterious voice continued, "**_Just give her a kiss and she'll do fine._**"

Gone was the voice that helped Mio like a wind that randomly picks a place to share its breeze. Taking a few deep breaths, Mio made her resolve. She propped her soft lips onto Ritsu's, exchanging air while simultaneously compressing the brunette's chest whenever she pulled her mouth away, still trying to resuscitate her while gasping for air.

"Ritsu!" she cried loudly, calling the brunette's name again and again wishing that she would open up her eyes or resume breathing, whichever comes first did not matter to the worried girl.

Still not giving up, Mio attempted to resuscitate the unconscious girl for the second time. By god's will, Ritsu spewed water out from her mouth while looking at the face of a girl who was never new as an eye- witness to Death which she had seen in her very own eyes.

Ritsu coughed vigorously, trying to get rid of the water that had entered her lungs. "Why are you crying?" wiping the tears on Mio's eyes with her thumb, her left eye remained shut.

The crying girl held Ritsu's hand, still shaking "You made me worried sick, you idiot!"

A droplet fell to the brunette's face, staring at the girl whose steel orbs were clouded with concern and undeniable affection.

"I'm sorry for making you worry" she coughed before she resumed, "I will not do that again" she flashed a grin to cheer the girl up.

Relieved, Mio smiled then assisted the older girl to sit before she mocked her for her foolishness. "I suppose even the servant of Aphrodite is vulnerable in the face of danger, do you agree?"

Ritsu snickered to Mio's attempt of mockery though she was glad that the latter did not blow a fuse to escalate the argument in a level beyond repair. "Well... it just happens that I fell asleep on the waters that's why I ended up in that kind of state."

Making up an excuse, Ritsu failed to persuade Mio because of her honest amber eyes. It was clearly obvious that the former doesn't want to divulge the truth regarding the matter instead she was spouting make-believe stories to keep the mood light.

Ritsu spotted on the corner of her eyes Takumi smiling in relief, "Ritsu-oneechan, glad that you're alive and kicking!"

"Woah? Who do you think am I, kiddo?"

"Just a _certain _someone who claimed invincibility yet has almost pranced her way to Death's doorstep."

Surprisingly enough, Mio knew how to make sarcastic remarks. Perhaps she has learned this unwanted specialty from the brunette and this was her form of revenge for making fun out of her?

"Gosh, how long will you keep on mocking me, Ms. Crybaby?"

Mio unclenched her fist, resembling a dull knife which was about to be whacked on the newly-resuscitated girl.

Anticipating for the impact, Ritsu closed her eyes while holding her breath. The raven-haired gave Ritsu a soft thump in her cranium, inadequate enough to induce pain, "Not unless you get rid of your foolhardiness… Baka" she said.

The older girl lopsidedly smiled to Mio's actions. Hints of _tsundere _was inevitably expressed despite the latter was unaware about it.

"Oy, kid." Ritsu pulled the pocketwatch out of her pocket before she tossed it to him, "I got your present. Now it's time for you to give this to Aika-chan."

"Thank you, Ritsu-oneechan" he said before his smile dropped, catching the object by his bare hands "but I can't give it by myself."

"Don't tell me… you're a _shy _type?" The amber-eyed twitched her brow to the unmanly display of Takumi with regards to giving the present to his subject of affection, "Fine, we'll help you. Where's her house, by the way?"

Takumi pointed his index finger to the direction on the other side of the forest.

"There, huh?" Ritsu chuckled, "We got the same destination… hop back on the boat, kid." She pulled the boy out from the waters before Takumi resumed his position as the navigator.

"Off we go then!"

* * *

Walking down the woods, the lad did the leading of the pack, marching like a soldier who led a non-existing battalion but just a brunette and a raven-haired comprising the cluster.

Much older trees greeted them along their way, the roots protruding out from the soils that exuded greater maturity - bearing witness to the events that occurred to mark history.

Carrying Mio by her back, Ritsu asked Takumi a question out of curiosity or to be more precise, out of boredom "Hey, Takkun. I notice something odd about that watch…" she continued, "why is there something like a keyhole on its side?"

"Ah… that's because it's a pocketwatch at the same time, a musicbox" he said enthusiastically, his hands tucked beneath his dark brown hair while marching nonchalantly.

The younger girl joined their conversation, "If that's the case, where's the key then?"

"It's with Aika-chan's possession. I gave her the key and I told her to use it when she receives her present."

"Quite a romanticist, huh?" Ritsu smiled widely. She found Takumi's action as utterly endearing and breathtaking, "I commend thee for such straightforward display of affection!"

The three laughed heartily until they spotted an old house, almost covered in moss and wild vines that crept on its previously white walls. The once blue roof turned indigo, losing the vibrant color it held in its glorious days.

"She lives here?"

He nodded in response to Ritsu's question. He was definitely nervous and he lacks the courage to bring his self to admit his feelings to the girl in the locket.

"Ow, come on. Don't tell me you don't have the balls to confess?"

He nodded again while hiding behind Ritsu's back, handing the gift to the latter's left hand. "Guess Oneechan's gonna play Cupid once again."

Ritsu asked Mio a favor to knock on the old wooden door in her behalf. The door was covered in dust and cobwebs. She ceded over to the brunette's request, knocking the door with utmost gentle and respect, "Excuse me, is anybody inside? We have something for Aika-chan."

Nobody responded to Mio's knocking. Not giving up, she knocked again until a figure peeked beneath the old piece of wood that served as the boundary.

"Aika-chan, we have something for you. You see… Takumi…"

The twin-tailed girl with innocent garnet eyes looked at them in confusion, unsure of what they're talking about.

"Takumi…" They looked at the boy who never responded at the sight of her crush. Eyes widened in disbelief when his body turned transient: gold glitters engulfed the remainder of his body, smiling to the girls who offered assistance to a random stranger like him.

"Thank you, Ritsu-oneechan… Mio-oneechan…" He uttered in a manly yet gentle voice, smiling for one last time similar to Yui's before he completely disappeared like thin air, leaving the two at loss for words.

A woman appeared beside the twin-tailed girl, her dark hair swaying freely on her hips. She shared the same garnet eyes as the child who greeted them on the doorstep, probing at the two strangers who never minced a word since her appearance.

"How may I help you?" The woman asked while remaining cautious.

"Uhmm… Are you, Aika-san?" the brunette tried to keep her composure, still fazed on the fact that the boy was an entity not part of this worldly realm.

"Uhmm… no. I'm Aimi, her granddaughter." Her eyes still probing on the two who remained still on their position.

Ritsu showed the woman the golden pocketwatch, "Well you see… this pocketwatch... It's a gift from the boy named Takumi. Supposedly, he wanted to give this to Aika-san."

The woman smiled upon the mention of the boy's name. She invited the two inside her humble home, offering them an early dinner she cooked just oddly enough for the four of them.

"Please come in, it's rare to have guests these days" she gestured to the two to come by the entrance. Mio and Ritsu exchanged glances before they came up with the conclusion to accept the woman's invitation because they want to find out more about the pocketwatch and about the boy whom they've met earlier by the lake.

They went inside and followed the woman from behind. Mio grabbed the opportunity to study the lady as she watched her hair dancing freely side to side while her hips swayed on the opposite.

"Mio" Ritsu whispered lowly, making the curious girl the only recipient of her musings, "Don't you agree to a certain point that you will look like her when you grow old?"

The raven-haired swiftly gave Ritsu a hack on the head which earned a restrained yelp from the short-haired girl.

"Why are you so violent?" She shook her head to distract herself from the newly-inflicted pain brought by Mio's fist, "Face it, we're bound to grow old sooner or later"

The grey-orbed wasn't ignorant of the predicament every human being has yet to accept. She knew about the harsh reality of growing up - she feared not of losing her god-given beauty but the fact that she will wither like the rest who failed to seek one of the essences of life: falling in love.

She was completely oblivious to love because she found it directly proportional to lust. She knew love by theory - from the words that were far more inaccurate when you had to deal it personally. There is no absolute description of love because it varies from person to person.

Before her time expires, the raven-haired wanted to experience that kind of feeling by gradual means. She doesn't want to hasten it and by virtue of her father's words, she fully adhered to Akihiro's advice:

_Mio, love is something that couldn't be achieved by forceful means nor_

_It is not something we get by doing nothing. True love is when you feel like you_

_Want to grow old with that person, to spend the rest of your life amidst the idea of separation._

_There is no such thing as absolute because all of us are bound to wither. _

_Even if that person's gone forever, your memories what keeps him alive while giving him _

_A non-existent body that is purely functional in your very mind. _

_After all, true love defies logic that even death holds no power to the feelings that could transcend time._

* * *

"Please have your seats, I'll go prepare the plates" Mio finally broke out from her thoughts, not knowing that they reached the dining table already. She looked around the interiors. To her surprise, she found the place full of clocks, musicboxes, paintings of a four-leaf clover hanged around the old walls. There were lamps that illuminated the dark place, allowing the house to remain in possession of any remaining color that struggled to keep its vibrancy for years.

"Mio, where do you like to sit?" asked Ritsu who was waiting for the raven-haired beauty's reply, "… or do you want to sit by my lap?"

"I am busy to respond to your jokes" she answered angrily, "just let me sit over there."

"Ah, you're no fun at all!" the girl seemed dejected to Mio's lack of enthusiasm. She carefully settled Mio down the gothic-patterned chair; the metalworks showed a degree of godlike craftsmanship as the intricacy of the furniture was far more superior than the ones manufactured these days.

Ritsu on the other hand chose to sit across Mio to clearly observe the latter all throughout the course of discussion. She seemed the type who enjoys Mio's expressions the most despite she knew after this, she'll be rewarded a new lump in her head.

The youngest of all assisted the woman in preparing the tableware, carefully placing the fragile pieces on the table despite she was shaking badly.

"Oppps… Careful!" the amber-eyed reached out just in time before the glasses crashed down as shards. The younger girl caught a glimpse to Ritsu's eyes, mesmerized with the glow that swirled in her irises, "T-thank you" she stammered.

"Oh, no problem my princess" she smiled goofily, "would you like my help?"

"Ah… no…" the younger garnet-eyed rejected her offer politely; "Aiko-chan can do this on her own."

Mio looked at Ritsu with a mocking smile, "Perhaps you're unpopular to younger girls?"

"Oh, come on. That's impossible" the short-haired slumped on her seat, "she was just shy enough to accept the spectacular knight's help."

Their petty argument halted when the woman brought the food on the table. Steam swayed in the air, the aroma had the brunette licked her lips at the delicacy that was beyond irresistible.

Today, they had turkey as their early dinner and the raven-haired found it too extravagant for just the four of them.

"Please don't hesitate, eat to your heart's content" she smiled to her guests, sitting on their middle what seems like a Queen's chair.

"Thank you! Ittadakimasu!" Ritsu said without hesitation as she pulled the hind leg of the turkey without minding the heat. She tore the meat apart with her sharp canines.

Mio, shocked by Ritsu's lack of etiquette, scolded her companion while keeping it as courteous as possible. The latter gave her a confused look but the woman just let the brunette do as she pleased much to the raven-haired girl's protest.

Mio reluctantly ate her fill when the amber-eyed gave her a portion of the food because the latter knew that the raven-haired would not extend her arms and rip the meat apart. She was that hesitant and the brunette just provided her plate with the turkey's hind leg so Mio could eat because she hasn't ingested anything besides the apple she has eaten yesterday after the meteor shower.

After they finished their luxurious meal, the woman initiated their conversation with a question; her eyes gleamed with curiosity and excitement.

"Before anything else, what do you mean by _that _pocketwatch as a gift from Takumi?"

"Well… we happened to stumble upon this watch by the lake and there's a note beside it saying 'To: Aika-chan, From: Takumi' in a cute scribble" Ritsu forged yet another crappy lie hoping that the woman will buy her unrealistic claims, "then there's this very detailed map enclosed in it then we just followed it until we found ourselves in this place."

The exasperated girl nodded out of her will to support Ritsu's lies. "But the map was lost after a strong wind blew it until it was no longer in our grasp." She can't believe it; she had just lied for the sake of their reputation which had her mentally sulked and apologized to her parents 'I'm sorry. I have lied, Otosan… Okasan.'

Smiling, the woman just believed them while Mio never dared to look straight into the older garnet-eyed.

"Uhmm… if you don't mind" the amber-eyed surprisingly asked the woman with seriousness, "Do you know what's the relationship between Aika-san and Takumi and this pocketwatch?"

"I heard stories from my grandmother back when she was still alive that she met a boy in her early years. She said she used to love a boy by the name of Takumi who made her childhood an awesome experience. But he died before Obaachan's birthday when a storm hit the area unexpectedly."

* * *

**+FLASHBACK+**

"Aika-chan?" the boy looked at the girl with curiosity, his hands on his knees while probing to what the girl was frantically searching, "What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for a four-leaf clover because they said that it will bring the founder good luck."

"Good luck?" the chocolate-eyed rubbed his chin, "Why do you desire such?"

"Because I wanted to wish you good luck in your journey to Europe" she smiled brightly, earning an innocent blush to the boy's cheeks.

"Oh… but I'll be right back" he averted his gaze for a while, trying to hide his flushed face, "Father and I will just a pay a visit to fellow artisans."

"But I'll be lonely without you…" she said with honesty, "no one's going to play with me the entire day… and maybe you can't come to my birthday."

The brunette closed his eyes, sighing heavily before he gave the girl a warm smile, "I'll be back before your birthday, I promise. I'll give you something wonderful so please wait for my return."

"What are you going to give me?"

"You'll find it soon enough" Takumi chuckled; his round brown eyes glistened in excitement while looking at the girl with a soft look, patting her head like a pet cat.

The younger girl purred in response to the warm touch of the brunette, "Takkun, will you promise me that you'll return home before my birthday?"

"Yes, I will. And I'll bring a present."

Takumi watched the girl who was busy searching for the rare plant. He was just there, staring at her with eyes that reflected somberness. He tried to hide his sorrow, not wanting the girl to be perturbed by his feelings about the imminent death of his father who was battling the disease for years since the onset.

The once famous Artisan in the West was reduced to skin and bones. His craftsmanship greatly went into decline as the disease progresses. He can no longer create something good as the others. The disease is slowly eating up his body but he never faltered in the midst of his battle. Those dark brown eyes never lost its luster as he spent his remaining days as a father to an aspiring fellow artisan.

"I found one!" a girl yelled out of joy as she raised the plant with a smile that caught the boy off-guard. He smiled in return when the girl looked at him and gave him a shy grin. Takumi pulled something in his bag and captured the moment he deemed rarest. With an amateur shot, he was able to snap a photo of the young girl before he stood up and bid goodbye to his friend.

"Aika-chan…" he said in a sad tone, "I'm going now." He held the girl for a while. Aika buried her face onto the brunette's body, clutching the back of his shirt while muttering something in a muffled voice, "Come home quickly."

Takumi parted ways by planting a kiss in the twin-tailed girl's forehead which earned a blush from the two. He acted out of instinct and when he realized that he startled the girl with his act, he apologized instantly.

"Aika-chan, please wait for me in the usual place. I want you to be the first and last person I'll see before I leave."

The young girl handed the plant to the chocolate-eyed to serve as his goodluck charm to which the latter delightfully accepted and stored it in his empty locket. They bid goodbye one last time and the garnet-eyed was left in the hill that stood watch to the boy's departure together with his frail father.

* * *

Days went by as the scenery changes in every season. Trees and flowers that blossomed to its maximum will have to repeat the same cycle since time immemorial. The beauty that was the constant subject of praise gradually faded as they had to respond to the call of the nearing winter. The remaining leaf of the maple tree fell to the ground with majesty - stepping down on the throne while bearing the title of commendable endurance.

The garnet-eyed stood on top of the hill waiting for her friend that went overseas. Her dark navy blue hair took the liberty to dance with the wind while her eyes remained on focus to the spot where she expects Takumi.

She did not wait for despair as the sight of her friend appeared on the curve. She hurriedly went down the hill, filled with grasses that permeate its entirety, to greet the chocolate-eyed yet she found what she least expected: Takumi was alone. His face showed a hint of grievance while he overlapped it with his usual smile.

"Takumi, where's Oji-san?" were the first words she uttered to greet the lad.

He paused for a while but he gave her a neutral expression: uncertain whether he had really moved on or was he just faking it to keep the girl from worrying. "Otosan passed away two months after we've arrived at Europe."

A sudden ache swelled around the girl's chest. Out of instinct, she found herself running towards the brunette and embraced him with all the strength she could muster. She was crying contrary to the part that the ones who needs to cry this instant was none other than Takumi.

But knowing him, she knew the lad will shed tears in front of nobody and despite he was badly hurt, he'll masked it with his beguiling smile to hide the pain. At this young age, he already suffered much when his mother and sister died from an accident and now his father joined the two in afterlife. Takumi's everyday weapon was his smile that remained unshakable in the face of tragedy.

"Thank you, Aika-chan" he smiled authentically, "your warmth never failed to comfort me."

Blushed formed on the girl's face but she kept it hidden by burying her visage on the brunette's clothes, "W-welcome back" she stuttered.

The brunette pulled himself away from the girl gently, kneeling down as he drew something behind his back. "Aika-chan…" his eyes and lips curved in unison, "Happy birthday!" He handed a crystallized flower with an imperfect round yellowish color beneath the hole that serves as the source for nectar. In the middle and what seemingly like a stellar, supports its purple petals. It was a forget-me-not flower preserved to maintain its radiance after pulling it out from its cluster.

The girl almost forgot that it was her birthday that day because she was preoccupied with thoughts regarding Takumi's return. As far as she could remember, she spent her days on that same hill without knowing that time has already passed without her notice. She just sat there with her thin legs pressed against her chest during daylight and she'll knew when it was dusk when her stomach growled, begging for food.

She thanked the lad and held his hand, making their way towards her humble home. As they reached the doorstep, the girl yelled "Otosan! Okasan! Takkun's back!"

A door swung open and they were greeted by kind people: Aika's parents.

"Takumi, how long has it been?" A pat ruffled the boy's hair as the man with black hair and thick eyeglasses wiggled his hand like there's no tomorrow.

"It's been a while, Kazuhiro-ojisan."

The bespectacled man tackled the boy with his arms, "Ah! Enough with the formalities, kid!" he attempted to drown the boy in his body by brute strength, "Call me 'Pops' because you'll be my future son-in-law."

"Otosan!" the young girl slapped her father's butt out of embarrassment. She was blushing furiously from her father's bold remark.

"Welcome back, Takumi" a navy blue-haired woman greeted behind the man's back, her eyes shared the same color as Aika's.

"Aki-obasan" greeted Takumi in a smothered voice, trying to break free from the bespectacled man's hold, "How have you been?"

"I'm fine, thank you" she smiled, "please come in, we prepared a little for Aika-chan's birthday." The beautiful woman shifted her focus to the man who doesn't quit on his antics, "Dear… Stop it otherwise we'll lose a potential son-in-law."

"Okasan!"

The girl had had enough of her parents' chaffing and went past the three. Her footsteps banging loudly on the wooden floors as she went inside the house with puffy cheeks coated in crimson. Soon after, her mother followed her inside.

Loosening his hold, the boy succeeded to escape and gasp for air. "Takumi, how's your father?"

There was silence at first before the boy broke it with his faint smile and uttered in a monotone, "Otosan did not make it to the end. The doctors said it was too late and that he's on the terminal stage already. They could do nothing but give palliative care."

"I'm sorry to hear that" the man's smile dropped after hearing his good friend's death.

"No, it's fine. I have already moved on."

He slid his arm to the orphaned boy's neck, trying to comfort him. "Takumi, no matter what. You can still come to this house whenever you want" his tone sounded affectionate for a man before he reverted back to his cheerful self, "Let's go, Aika-chan's waiting for us."

Nodding, the chocolate-eyed agreed and went inside the house with Kazuhiro to celebrate the younger girl's birthday.

* * *

Everything felt surreal that after the death of Takumi's father, he is now wearing that same smile he had almost forgotten. He knew it wasn't the time to be frowning because he still had the girl he looked upon to when life has been a catastrophe.

The reason they stayed in the other side of the forest was to ease the gnawing pain from his mother and sister's death. They had to sell their house because the owner of the luxurious car who accidentally ran past the two was demanding a huge sum to compensate for the dents created by collision. They were powerless before the man because their earning wasn't sufficient enough to pay the damages.

Takumi had to bear it all and by his small shoulders, he had already shouldered a weight far greater than the children these days that did nothing but to complain about the unfairness of life without even realizing that there are the least fortunate who never questioned anything regarding the world's harshness.

"Happy birthday" he said in a sing-song though there's an existing lump in his throat but was able to force a song with such joy despite he had no one to sing for him in the day when he was brought into existence.

* * *

The celebration ended up well. All were happy to see that the day turned out more than what they had expected. What's more to beg when they already achieved their goal to make Aika the happiest girl in the world?

She wore the brightest smile that day but she had to deal the reality that Takumi's not staying any longer because he already decided to go to Europe to resume his new mission.

He returned to fulfill his promise. Now, he has to go on a journey once again to find a cure to help the people who suffered from Tuberculosis. He already made his resolve: to bring back the smiles that were once lost because of the disease and he wanted to show to everyone that Tuberculosis was not their end and the world is still a nice place to live in.

Before he left, he handed the girl a necklace which seemed to bear a key of some sort. He said, "Aika-chan, I'll return once again before your birthday. This time, I'll give you something that suits you best."

His shadow disappeared when he crossed the water by the boat. The garnet-eyed watched the back of the boy as he silently went with the flow. She stood at the same spot where she first witnessed his departure. But what's strikingly different was she gave no charm to bring along in his journey back to Europe.

* * *

Days went by like the river's flow, not knowing that it was almost a year since he left. Aika stood by the hill to watch the boy's arrival yet he never appeared. There was an unexpected storm that hit the area violently, their house almost torn by the strong gust of wind leaving only a shelter almost unrecognizable.

She hoped that nothing worst happened but her fear came into realization after days of waiting. Nothing could have prepared her when she heard the dreaded news that a young brunette died on his way when he tried to keep himself alive from the raging waters that disrupted his raft's buoyancy. A witness saw him trying to retrieve something beneath the water but he had never resurfaced again.

The once peaceful lake claimed the life of the one she deemed her only bestfriend… and the only one whom she loved with all her heart. No longer would she see the same smile etched on the brunette's gentle face nor would she blushed when someone makes sweet yet romantic way of innocent caressing.

Something inexplicable roamed around her chest, sending aches to her heart that was the least prepared among the all. A stinging sensation hurt her eyes, begging to be shed this instant.

Through her soft voice came a loud cry of yearning, regret, grief and despair.

**+END of FLASHBACK+**

* * *

The four found themselves on an old stone which housed Aika's body. The granddaughter showed them her grandmother's final resting place. It was located not far from the house and the setting sun joined them in their prayers for the woman who lost love in an early age.

"Obaachan, we have something for you" a beautiful garnet-eyed woman placed the pocketwatch in front of the tombstone, "this was supposedly the present that should be given to you on your birthday."

Mio watched the letters on the stone with the name of Nakazawa Aika craftily engraved with such precision.

Altogether, they greeted the deceased a "Happy birthday!"

Aimi turned around to thank the two for coming along to pay their respects for her grandmother and joined them in their celebration for the day of her coming into existence.

Before they left the grave, Ritsu suggested something much to their surprise, "Hey, can we hear the song that Takumi came up with?"

"You're asking for the impossible" Mio scolded the amber-eyed while clinging on her neck, supported by the brunette's humble back and arms. "You know it was submerged a long time ago and there's no guarantee that it will work like it previously had."

"Well… we'll never know if we don't believe" the brunette stood firm, her amber eyes glimmered faith. "Do you believe?" she pried her eyes to the granddaughter, waiting for an answer.

"I do" she smiled as she took the necklace out from her neck and picked up the pocketwatch to insert the key to its designated place before she carefully twist the key counterclockwise, waiting for the music to be played.

_It's pointless, I tell you… Baka…_

There was silence at first. I didn't work as expected. Aimi laid the object back to the grave. They were about to leave the place when a beautiful yet soothing song played in their back, humming together with rustling of the trees' leaves. Nature has sung in unison, bringing tears to the steel eyes who clearly felt the genuine love and underappreciated effort lent by the boy to create a piece for the girl he loved in his ephemeral life.

She can really visualize Takumi spending the night in his worktable under the guidance of the lamp, crafting the present with utmost perfection.

The song ended and never did it played again when Aimi tried to reinsert the key to make the gears work. "I guess the pocketwatch has served its purpose" she smiled satisfyingly.

Ritsu and Mio smiled before they bid goodbye to the owners of garnet eyes. When they almost reach a fair distance, a sudden gust of wind blew their hairs eastward whispering inaudibly what seems like a "_Thank you_."

Mio froze before she forced a stutter, "D-did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" puzzled to the raven-haired girl's question.

Embarrassed, she digressed and asked the older girl, "Hey, is the shrine near yet?"

"Yup. Look over there."

Steel eyes widened when she saw the altar her father used to frequent. It was still the same; the cradle never looked like it was affected over these past centuries.

Mio asked Ritsu if they could go near the stones and the amber-eyed just nodded and she allowed the girl to stand by her knees albeit she needs the brunette's assistance to remain still.

The raven-haired untied the knot on the hem of her shirt and offered something to the shrine. It was the apple which she spared earlier this morning.

"Kami-sama" she whispered lowly, palms against each other, "Here's the fruit father said you liked the most. I hope you're happy now."

'And thank you for saving Ritsu' she mentally added her thanks to the god she believed is currently listening to her prayers nearby.

The amber-eyed gave Mio a lopsided smile when the latter turned around, "Did you just thank Gisei for saving me?" she teased the girl who was striving to keep her balance.

"Baka!" she tried to hit the girl on her head but she lost her balance and fell straight to Ritsu's arms who caught her just in the nick of time like a princess who jumped out from the window only to be greeted by her prince's embrace.

A hint of crimson preyed on the raven-haired girl's cheeks before she apologized for her clumsiness, "S-sorry."

"You okay?" the brunette said in a gently voice, "Let's go home now, probably your grandmother will reprimand you if she finds out that we're playing more than a day during her absence."

The girl nodded in agreement, "Okay, let's head home."

* * *

Soon after, they managed to get on the vessel earlier than expected with Ritsu's crazy leaps. She carefully let Mio sat on the spot she assumed before while the amber-eyed grabbed the oars to start rowing.

Mio was watching Ritsu rowed properly contrary to her initial propelling. The amber-eyed grinned widely when she caught Mio staring on her amber eyes, "It seems that my gorgeous eyes unexpectedly came into your liking?"

"No, you idiot!" She came up with an excuse, "I was just watching you if you're going to pull another lousy move again."

The brunette was laughing loudly, oblivious to the peace that surrounded the two in their journey way back home. "Hey, do you know why this boat was left for more than half a century?"

"No, why was that?" she gave Ritsu a quizzical look, curious to the history behind the boat's desertion.

"I'll tell you if you call me by my name."

'What?!' she mentally protested.

"I see… stubborn as always."

Mio made an incoherent sound before she mustered her courage to call the amber-eyed by her name hesitantly, "R…R…Ri…Ritsu."

The girl grinned wildly, almost throwing the oars to the waters. Good thing her reflexes were quick enough to catch the wooden propellers just in time or else they'll have to row manually. And by manually, meaning Ritsu has to use her thin arms as a substitute for the oars.

"Okay, I'll tell you about this boat's history" she stared at Mio, still wearing that goofy smile, "You see…"

"Well what?"

"This boat is cursed!"

"What?!" Mio was stunned by the brunette's revelation. "Is this one of your silly jokes again?" her steel orbs filled with fiery, almost tempted to hit Ritsu on the head once again.

"N-no! I'm telling the truth!" Ritsu yelled, trying to convince the girl that she wasn't joking this time. "This boat was believed to be cursed. They said that long time ago, a boy used this very vessel to travel between the waters but died shortly after a storm hit the area."

Mio gulped but she tried to keep her composure to listen to the brunette's tale, "Then?"

"After that incident, never did anyone use this boat for transportation and it was left there in that place waiting for it to crumble into dust but it never did." She stared straight to the steel orbs before she uttered, "They said whoever rode this boat will be cursed to be separated from her lover for eternity."

"I guess that idea sprung from the death of Takumi?" Mio returned the gaze casted by Ritsu with utter seriousness, "But I guess we can't blame them if they feared the idea when you're going to lose the one you love. It's really not surprising if anyone will never attempt to use this boat."

"But you know…" Ritsu gave the raven-haired a faint smile, her eyebrows rested like she had seen nirvana already, "the idea of separation brings the couple closer than ever before. The farther the distance, the more you think about that person and the more you fueled your desire to spend your time around the one who made you realize that life was never complete without that person's presence."

For a moment, Mio gave nothing in reply. Still processing how on earth Ritsu came up with that kind of depth in understanding. Truth to be told, she never considered such kind of perspective because of the fact that she knew the feeling of being separated from her loved ones for eternity. She knew that her parents were gone in this world but she still held on the memories she considered invaluable.

"Oh, forget it. I was just trying to sound cool once in a while" the amber-eyed waved her hands frantically, oars now held by her thumbs.

"Thank you, Ritsu" the steel-orbed graced a smile that surprised the amber-eyed, "your words gave me another understanding of the meaning of separation. I'll make sure to keep that in mind."

Out of embarrassment, Ritsu tickled her cheek. She hesitated for a while before she replied back, "Oh, it was nothing really. I learned that from a **_certain _**someone."

"From a certain someone?"

"Yes… from someone **_precious._**" She laughed like the usual before she resumed her rowing that earned a confusion from the raven-haired who was clueless to whom Ritsu was referring to but decided not to pry anymore for details.

* * *

Before darkness sets in, the two were able to return home safe and sound. The grandmother has yet to arrive from her trip to Mio's hometown and Ritsu used the opportunity to sneak around and lay the steel-orbed carefully to the wooden floors of their house; crutches still on the same spot where they left it intact before they went to play outside.

"Mio" Ritsu said in a soft voice, "I'll come here to play again and I'll show you the places you haven't been yet."

The younger girl tilted her head out of confusion, her raven strands slowly shifting its weight to the other side, "S-sure… Thank you."

"And thank you for saving me" Ritsu again said softly, making it like it was out of her character to express such sincerest gratitude. She kneeled before the girl and kissed the back of her palm, gently pressing her lips to the smooth surface of the now-blushing steel-orbed. The sensation remained even if the amber-eyed pulled her lips away leaving nothing but a stunned Mio.

Ritsu waved goodbye before she left the house through the hole beneath the wall where she almost got crushed by the tree's branch. She crammed herself in until she was gone in Mio's sight.

Fazed, Mio quickly grabbed her crutches before she shakily stood up to march towards her room while the pair of steel created loud clanking sounds on the floor. She managed to reach the point of her destination and swung the door open before she buried her face on the ever-comfortable night furniture, still trying to process all the things that happened when they went out to play.

'D-did she just kiss my hand before she left?' She grabbed the nearest pillow and hugged it with all her might, pressing it against her chest as she rolled to her side, still wearing that blush she got from Ritsu's latest stunt.

Her constant cursing to the amber-eyed came into a halt when she heard a ringing sound smothered by something fluffy. The ring persisted until Mio was forced to answer the call with a slight hint of irritation.

"Hello, who might this be?"

"_Oh, Mio-chan!_" a childish voice answered, "_Finally, you pick up your phone. I was calling you the entire day yet you never answered. I was really worried!_"

Recognizing the owner of the voice, she quickly apologized, "Oh I'm sorry, Yui-chan." She asked, "What brings you to call me this night?"

"_You see… I want to talk to you about something… Please don't laugh._"

"Sure, I won't. I'll hear you out."

"_You see… I'm writing lyrics for our band's song and when I let Ui check it out, she said that it was really unrealistic. She said I should find someone if I wanted to write a song about love because theory alone won't clearly reach the audience's heart. So… I was wondering if I could find someone whom I'll.. uhmm... dedicate something like…_"

"Like a song?"

"_That's it, Mio-chan! You're really smart! That's what I'm about to say!_"

Mio took her time to massage her temples from the brunette's tendency to go airhead mode. "And you want to dedicate that song to someone?"

"_Yes! I don't know why but I get this kind of uneasy yet pleasurable feeling in my chest that had bothered me the entire day so I decided to phone you up. Sorry._"

"No, it's okay" Mio curved her lips when she remembered something similar to the brunette's case but the caller was oblivious to the faint enthusiasm Mio has expressed, "You'll definitely find someone whom you're willing to sing solely. I bet that luckiest person is somewhere near you, only that time was patiently waiting for your destined meeting."

"_M…Mio-chan!_" the airhead yelled on the other line making the girl flinched to her side, "_T-thank you! I was never wrong to call you! Somehow that gave me the ease!_"

"It's alright" she replied gently, still smiling until she heard another voice in the line screaming the brunette's name over and over again.

"_Oh, Mio-chan. Ui's calling me for dinner. I better hang up now!_"

"Okay, Yui-chan…"

"_Thank you very much, Mio-chan! Take care!_"

"You-"

***BEEP***

Yui hung up before Mio could respond back. The raven-haired flipped her phone closed before she slumped back to her bed while looking at the crescent-shaped on her window that shone cold light in the nightsky, the stars shining alongside the moon in background.

_I guess there's a truth to the saying that true love defies logic that even death holds no power to the feelings that could transcend time._

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, here's another thank you portion from me to you readers out there.

First, I would like to thank **Oneechantsu **for keeping me company all day and I was really grateful that she entertained such random stranger like me who knew nothing but to disturb her in the midst of her writing. Thank you very much, **Oneechantsu **and you were really serious when you said that you'll include me in your A/N. I was a bit surprised.

Okay to the usual…

**-Guest:** Hahaha… Mio's a little bit skeptical to Ritsu's abilities and she's the one who prefers to bet on a degree of higher certainty than rely to gamble solely with questionable chances. Thank you very much for the review.

-**Keeper Aki:** Thank you very much for your review. I agree to an extent that nothing much happened in the last chapter and I hope this chapter will give justice to what the previous chapter lacks.

-**rundownSaber:** Hi, thank you. I should be the one thanking you. And don't worry, she's not going anywhere. She must learn from her foolhardiness otherwise she'll bring Mio closer to jeopardy.

-**Fujimoto-Chiaki-789:** Thank you for following and adding this story to your list. I can't express my gratitude enough. But still, thank you.

-**NatalyLo:** thank you for following this story.

-**homsar955:** Thank you for following this story too.

-**To you readers out there:** Thank you for reading this story up to this point. It really gives me the motivation to write but I'm still on my way of learning proper punctuation usage and grammar. Nonetheless, thank you.

Sorry if this chapter's a bit long and now you're probably wondering what kind of story you have just read. To tell you the truth, I am surprised as well. This idea transpired from a local movie in my country about a couple torn between time: the woman is from the 50s and the man is from the present. Their only connection was a telephone only that I borrowed the idea of 'love could transcend time' for this chapter. Probably some of you knew this movie especially those who lived near the Orient seas. And maybe I am totally confusing you for the plot of this story *apologizes severely. This will serve as a conclusion to the _Servant of Love _arc.

Another bonus. Screw me for adding such irrelevant information but I feel like sharing this when browsing for the meaning behind the names in a certain website.

-Takumi: means artisan

-Aika: means love song

Update is going to be slower than the usual (a month, maybe?). I have a case presentation up ahead and I am doomed if I failed my majors. Reviews are very much appreciated… Likes and follows are also appreciated. Complaints and rants are also welcome too. If anyone just want a random stranger to talk to, feel free to PM me. Thank you very much for reading this story. Once again, thank you.*drinks another cup of iced coffee


	8. Chapter 8: Winter and Warmth

**DISCLAIMER: **I claim no rights to K-on!

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

* * *

**Winter and Warmth**

* * *

Winter came. The once vibrant color turned asunder in the face of cold like a heavy quilt drowning everything within its weight. No one's in sight as the raging snow exuded dominance, houses and trees battled for survival against the frigid wind brought by the winter.

A girl rubbed her hands for warmth, her eyes on the violent swaying of the white mass. She was hiding half of her body in the kotatsu to keep her extremities from catching the chills. She was waiting for someone in the midst of the blizzard - a certain someone who usually comes to play when the elderly is away.

"M..mm..mio!" yelled the voice outside. There was a hint of shiver in her voice as she took her time to make coherent sounds before she uttered the name of the raven-haired.

The younger girl took the crutches that were laid peacefully on the green tatami. Her fingers quivered upon contact with the metal as she tried to reach it, sending chills all throughout her body. She stood from her wobbling knees brought not only by the drop in room temperature but she was still struggling to keep her balance whenever she walks with the assistance of her staffs.

"Please wait, I'll be there in a minute" she responded to her guest that was waiting outside the doorstep.

Clanking sounds filled the hallway when she walked towards the direction of the doorway. She shivered again as her left hand touched the steel which made her flinched backwards before she turned the knob to greet the girl who was shaking badly while keeping a tough façade.

"Y..y..yyy..oo, M..m..mmio" she grinned while her lips turned bluish, her hands hidden inside her thick layers of clothes wherein she used too much clothing to keep herself warm albeit no sane human will dare to venture out in the middle of a blizzard.

Ritsu appeared armless by her action. What's surprisingly enough was that she was drenched wet; the droplets fell on the spot where she's currently standing, sending the tiny drops of water to blend with the pile of snow as it hits the ground.

"What happened to you on your way here?" asked Mio who was perplexed to the event that transpired before the brunette's arrival.

"The snow has caught full of my eyes" she said shakily, "I did not know that the pond was one step away and when I stretched my leg forward; I fell straight to the freezing water."

Mio gestured Ritsu to come by the entrance. She led her to the area where the kotatsu was. While walking on the hallway, the raven-haired noticed on the corner of her steel eyes the amber-eyed kept glancing on both sides as if she was scrutinizing the interiors.

At one point, the older girl stopped midway. She was looking at the photo that stood atop the drawer. Her tough façade melted like snow. Even the sunniest of all would make that kind of expression; her face wore a glint of sorrow.

"M..m..io, are t-these people y-your parents?"

The steel-orbed turned around to face the girl with neutrality, "Yes, those two are my parents."

"Y-you really look l-like your f-father" she said in a monotone yet in a shaky voice, "b-but I am d-definitely s-surprised to see the infant i-in the middle w-was way c-cuter than the one I-I'm talking r-right now."

"Excuse me, are you trying to pick a fight?" her grey irises wield danger to the figure who was making fun out of her, making unnecessary comparisons to summon Mio's alternate identity - the Dangerous Queen.

"W-who said I was p-picking up a f-fight? I said t-that the y-you as an infant was c-cuter b-but you n-never let me finished my s-sentence f-first."

"W-what?"

"T-the Mio of today is the most b-beautiful being o-on earth" she said bluntly while crooking an awkward smile on her face, earning the recipient of the praise drowning in embarrassment.

Ritsu laughed loudly which made her voice echoed alongside the walls that stood opposite to each other. The reverberation made Mio raised her left crutch and swung it in full force to the brunette's head.

"Iteeeeeee!" a cry occupied the remaining space which extended up to the farthest end of the house. "W-where did I g-go wrong? I-I was j-just praising y-you but i-instead of a reward, I g-got a lump!" she protested while nursing her head.

"That's because I already have the idea that you intended to make me your laughingstock so I was just giving you the warning you needed."

"T-that's no w-w-warning at all! T-that's d-definitely an assault!"

The raven-haired sighed. She knew that their petty argument will remain endless if she responds back to the brunette's tantrum.

"Hey, Ritsu…" the amber-orbed stopped her yapping upon the mention of her name in a low vibrato. "I'll go prepare the bath not unless you want to catch a cold."

"Oh…" she responded back, her hand that was nursing her lump descended lazily to her side before she gave the younger girl a sincere smile, "t-thank you, M-Mio."

Taken aback with the sudden change of personality, she turned away and marched her way towards her room to prepare the bath while the brunette was following closely behind, watching the very of sight of Mio swaying her hips roughly while limping.

She whistled out of instinct which caught the raven-haired girl's attention. Mio gave Ritsu a dangerous look which sent the girl in shivers.

"What does it supposed to mean?"

"N-no! Y-you got it w-wrong, M-mio! I-it's just my b-bad habit w-whenever I feel c-cold! P-please believe me!" her shaking hands frantically waved to convince the girl with her lousiest explanation.

_She's really hopeless for an idiot._

Mio swung the door open and welcomed her visitor with the sight of frills, cute illustrations, decorations and other things pertaining to what typical teenagers really liked.

Her room was adorned with a pink wallpaper with brown mini-stars that permeated the lower half bottom. The lights had a mixture of pinkish color that gives luminance to the steel-orbed girl's room. It was like a dream for all girls who wanted this kind of interiors for their resting place but it was never one for the amber-eyed.

In fact, she was covering her vision ever since she set foot on this frilly-filled room like she was allergic to anything that is ladylike-related. The younger girl filled the tub with lukewarm water for Ritsu to dip in and while waiting, the brunette took off the other clothes until what was remaining was a single black tank top that fit snugly to her lean body.

"Ah, my eyes!" she yelled in agony when she couldn't take anymore what's in store of Mio's room, "it hurts!"

"W-what happen? Did your eyes catch a speck of dust?" she faced the girl who was covering her eyes with her arms.

"I..I…" she paused momentarily before she continued, "I think so…"

Mio drew closer to the amber-orbed and leaned closer to the latter's face while trying to pull Ritsu's arms so she could give a good blow to her eyes she believed was infiltrated by a foreign material.

"It's alright, let me blow it for you" the younger girl was about to initiate the action when she saw the brunette wearing a predatory grin and wrapped her by brute strength. The former tried to resist but Ritsu was strong enough to keep her in check. She loosened her grasp to the crutches which fell casually on the floors, creating a loud clanking sound due to the metal.

"R..R..Ritsu?" her mind was on the verge of losing rationality. The proximity made her heart raced wildly. Her respiration drastically went in an increase. She was forced to use her accessory muscles to compensate her body from the inadequate amount of oxygen or more likely, her brain was going short circuit because of another crazy stunt led by the short-haired.

"Mio… j-just for a while" Ritsu pressed their bodies more until their distance was greatly reduced. Mio could feel her body tensed up when Ritsu started stroking her hair gently, running her hands on those ever silky ebony.

To her surprise, she felt a droplet fell on her shoulder, making its way to her nicely-formed clavicle. She looked up and saw Ritsu in tears despite her expression was devoid of any traces of hurt. It felt like her tears escaped from her amber eyes the moment she hugged the baffled girl.

"Ritsu, what's wrong?"

"E-eh?!" the brunette suddenly pulled herself away from the raven-haired while wiping the beads that had flown without her permission. "What the heck?"

"Ritsu?" Mio was really worried. She knew that the older girl will shed no tears for no apparent reason but further inquiry will lead to pointless travesty. Knowing the amber-eyed, she will definitely make things up to keep Mio from delving up the details although her candid eyes will give everything away the short-haired has conjured up to this point.

"D-don't worry" she scratched the back of her head, "s-sorry if I startled you. But Mio, I w-want to tell you s-something…"

Finally, the brunette will reveal something about herself which she tried to avoid at all cost or either way, coated it with lies to make it silly to the listener. But Mio thought the possibility that probably there is truth in Ritsu's words only that she keeps it with ambiguity as if she's presenting two options before her: to believe or to dismiss it as deceit.

Mio gulped. She was waiting for this to happen. It's been a month since she and Ritsu became friends but what created the barrier between the two was the brunette's tendency to keep secrets.

One time, she asked her who she was and her answer will always be "I'm a hero whose goal was to serve everyone who needs my help" then she'll struck a silly pose on an elevated slope to show her supremacy while laughing boisterously.

"Mio, I know you're unaware of this but I think you need to know this…" the amber-eyed said firmly, "you see…"

This is it. The raven-haired was ready to embrace any revelation the brunette has yet to unveil. She was clenching and unclenching her dominant fist repeatedly, uneasy or more like, was eager to find out Ritsu's identity.

"You see… you smell like onions. What did you cook for dinner? Probably that made me sent into tears unwillingly."

Something whispered to Mio's ear, probably a devil on loose who urged her that the recipient of her malice should be disciplined badly. But Ritsu's right, indeed she smelled like onions when she pulled the collar of her shirt and whiffed her scent. There was really that strong scent that got stuck on her body.

But what made her mad was that Ritsu could atleast tell it in a more appropriate way rather than say it bluntly straight to her face. She was also undeniably expecting for the revelation to take place but got nothing, instead the amber-eyed accused her as the reason why she got teary-eyed.

As soon as the steel-orbed gathered what's left of her dignity, she let out a huge sigh and hit the amber-eyed directly on her cranium that sent Ritsu to crouch while fanning the steam that came out from the impact.

"You never learned your lesson, have you?" her now steel orbs turned into maelstrom, wrecking anything that comes into her contact.

"W-wait!" Ritsu now fell on her rear completely, raising her hand while begging before the figure to spare her for any further injuries. "I was just telling the truth. I thought we're friends, aren't we?"

"Friends don't hide things from each other."

Amber eyes went wide when Mio finally managed to voice out the concern regarding the status of their friendship. The former averted her eyes, her hand that was once pleading for mercy dropped at her side. Clenching her trembling fist, she uttered in a deep yet raspy voice, "I'm sorry."

"I'll wait until you have the guts to say it" she was stunned when the raven-haired showed a degree of consideration. No, it was like Mio was acting like what a real friend does. She offered her hand to the girl on the floor while wearing that compassionate smile on her cherubic face.

Ritsu reached out but hesitated for a bit until their palms came into contact which sent another nostalgic sensation to the younger girl's nerves.

_This feeling again..._

"Mio, I'll stand by my own otherwise we'll both fall" Ritsu said in a considerate tone, "I bet your knees don't have the sufficient strength to support the both of us."

"Ah, yes… thank you for the thought."

The brunette smiled happily so as her eyes which responded in unison, "Are you taking a bath too? Wanna dip together?"

"I… I refuse!" she responded with fury, "Who knows I might lose my womanhood the moment I'll take a bath with you?!" blushed made its way to her cheeks as she dwelt on the thoughts about the events that would transpire the moment she accepts her invitation.

Chuckling, she pranced her way towards the shower room while singing something like a mocking sing-song, "Don't peek while I'm taking a bath, M-i-o…"

"I would not!" the raven-haired threw the clothes she had prepared for Ritsu to wear while the brunette used her quick reflexes to evade the garments that were aimed straight to her face.

"Ah… l-lighten up, M-Mio. I was just j-joking" she gathered the garments on the floor and took it with her inside the shower room. She mumbled something in her lips inaudibly then the only thing Mio could decipher was the mention of her name at the end while the amber-eyed grinned predatorily. The raven-haired was taken aback when the door slid close.

_Did she say something?_

* * *

**+Mio's P.O.V+**

What sinks into my mind when I think about Ritsu was she's so cautious when I ask her anything in relation to her identity. It's like she was hiding something from me and that I could feel that she was carrying a huge burden in her shoulders which she doesn't want to share.

I took a peek at my crutches that lay nonchalantly on the floor as a result of that idiot's unexpected embrace. Her scent reminds me of something familiar… something I have known before.

Picking up the pair of steel, my knees were trembling badly. It wasn't that good enough to maintain my balance. I slid the staffs underneath my axillae and made my way towards my bed which consisted loads of frills and pink sheets with a cute kitten design which was a total eye-candy to all female spectators.

I rested my back on those comfortable sheets, rubbing its softness that brought a tingling yet addictive sensation to my nerves. I raised my left hand and laid it atop my forehead, 'How long do we have to keep this friendship marked with ambiguity?'

I dwelt on those thoughts for a while as I tried to keep myself distracted from Ritsu's nonsensical singing in the shower room. I don't have a single clue why she does it, perhaps she was just mimicking an old lady who has a bad habit of trying to impress anyone who listens to her lousy singing or was it she intended to aggravate me in the first place?

"La la la… I'm the village's w-o-n-d-e-r-ful knight in shining a-r-m-o-r."

I grabbed the nearest pillow and smothered my ears which were on the verge of going deaf from the lack of tone. I am partly sensitive when it comes to music and I would not forgive anyone who makes blasphemy to the recreation I deemed my other half.

I pressed the foam more to block anything coming from the voice behind that shower room not until I was mesmerized by the sudden shift of song. A soft and enchanting voice sang a melody that played a great part in my childhood years. That very song my grandmother and mother used to sing to lull me to sleep.

My eyes felt heavy as I battled all the somnolence that was about to put me into slumber. I was completely defeated as that lullaby was my only salvation from the harshness of reality and my only means to drift myself to the place only myself knows: my dreamland.

* * *

I opened my eyes only to see myself on the same groundless base enshrouded in total darkness. There, I stood on the same spot I once weltered in tears but this time, it was different. The spotlight shone a portion on a Victorian garden set with only two chairs alongside the small round table.

There was a figure occupying the other chair with metalworks embellished with hearts particularly dominant on the part that supports the spine.

I stared at her for a long time, her face obscured by the dim. It seems that the light was powerless before her; the things I could see were her white skin and her hand holding a seemingly expensive teacup.

She looked at my direction then graced a smile, "**_Why are you standing there? Come, have a seat._**"

The figure spoke and invited me for tea. Out of my own accord, I found my feet walking towards the garden set. I almost forgot that I'm capable of walking in twos without my crutches after all, this was just a dream.

I hesitantly pulled the vacant chair and carefully settled my sacrum on it. As my rear came into contact with the cold metal, the mysterious girl settled the teacup back to its plate.

"**_Are you scared?_**"

"Ahmm.. no." I instinctively replied while my eyes never lost its focus to the pinkish lips that curved menacingly as I gave my immediate answer.

"**_Perhaps you want tea?_**" she poured the contents of the white ceramic with a gold handle on my cup. Steam escaped, dispersing as it came into contact with air until what was left was a sweet aroma of the tea that lingered for a moment.

"Thank you" I raised the cup and brought it closer to my lips and took a sip on it. The flavor was different from all the teas I've tasted. There was this bitter taste at first but later on, there was this sweetness as an aftertaste.

"**_Is the tea to your liking?_**"

"…yes" I took the moment to relish the flavor before responding back, "this tea's delicious albeit there's a peculiar flavor in it." Then I gathered up my courage to ask the lady in front of me who was dressed in very extravagant clothing. She was wearing something like a red kimono adorned with pink flowers that occupied almost the entire space in her clothing, her black strands hanging freely on the side of her face.

"Pardon me for my rudeness but I can't help but wonder who might you be? Who are you?" I asked.

The girl curved her lips similar to Ritsu's, "**_S-e-c-r-e-t_**" she said while wearing that same smile I found irritating. "**_You don't have to know who I am because I am just someone who loves tea to its finest._**"

"If you don't mind, why did you call me?" I asked again but in a dangerous tone to force the girl to talk.

"**_It's because tea tastes better when you have a companion_**" she flashed another grin on her half-dimmed face, "**_And I want to talk to you about something._**"

"About something?"

"**_About Ritsu._**"

The mention of that name sent me to halt any further activities. My gaze shifted back to the unknown speaker who was sitting casually across me with just the white table separating the two of us.

_How did she know Ritsu?_

Bewildered, a question was about to escape my lips when she interrupted much to my surprise, "**_How do I know Ritsu was your question was it?_**"

I found this endless charade bothersome. It felt like I was the only one who doesn't know about a single thing and these two, who were undeniably alike, never failed to bombard me with questions that were always left unanswered.

"**_You see, I have known her for long. And haven't it cross to your mind that you wanted to know more about her especially that she keeps on remaining vague in her words particularly if it's about herself?_**"

"Of course, I have. It feels unfair that I know little about her except that she's an idiot who enjoys being beaten by my fist."

The figure in front me stifled a laugh until she could no longer restrain herself and laughed loudly which doesn't suit her very image as she exuded grace despite acting a little bit knavish throughout the discussion.

I sat there, waiting for her to settle down; my image of her crumbled instantly upon her unladylike outburst. "**_I'm sorry for such display of my unbecoming_**" she wiped the beads that were supposed to hail from her eyes, "**_I wasn't expecting something like that to come out from your very tongue._**"

I sighed before I gave her my reply, shrugging as I sip my tea again, "Probably because I unwillingly caught a part of her personality?"

"**_No_**" she curved her lips slightly, with brimming confidence enshrouding her entirety, which added confusion to my brain that was trying its best to keep up from this insanity, "**_it was innate._**"

_Innate? Is she telling me that I was rude from the very beginning?_

"**Now, where are we?**" she sipped her tea then twirled it around her fragile fingertips before carefully setting it down the table, "**_Oh, about Ritsu. Do you want to know her secrets? The truth behind that façade? I am willing to share information this instant if you agree to my terms._**"

"What are your terms?" I asked curiously, watching carefully at those lips that emanated deceit.

She crooked a smile and said, "**_I'll reveal her identity if and only if you promise me you'll never fall in love with her._**"

"F-f-fall in l-love w-with h-her?!" I stuttered endlessly until I managed to say it loudly, "I-Is this some kind of j-joke?!"

Her tone shifted into a more serious one. Gone was the cheerful voice like a flick of light that struggles to maintain its luminance. I could really sense that the figure before me meant her words well. She uttered in a newly sinister voice, "**_I really mean it. If you want information then I ask you not to fall in love with her_**" she continued, "**_After all, you might regret it in the end._**"

She extended her arm while stretching her left palm, waiting for an answer. I stretched mine, reaching the other hand. She smiled cunningly when she saw me sealing the deal but I cupped my palm on top of her hand, gently placing in on the table.

"I refuse" I said which made her smile dropped before she picked it up again.

"**_Are you sure?_**" she uttered with exasperation, "**_and may I know the reason behind your refusal?_**"

"This has nothing to do with falling in love with her or whatsoever but I believe I could learn something about her through constant interaction and maybe she will gradually open up to me. And I have decided beforehand to wait for her answer when she finally came into terms of revealing it herself. I want it to come from her and not from a random stranger like you."

I exerted a little force on her hand to show my unshakable resolve. She immediately retrieved her hand as she pulled something behind her back. I thought it was a knife so I braced myself for the appearance of the crimson liquid yet she threw something like a pink flower of some sort. It has a good contrast between light and dark. The darker one was prominent on the lower bottom of the petals while the lighter one comprised the remaining half.

I caught it just in time as my palms opened up by instinct like it was bound to receive the object without protest. I stared at the flower for a while before I looked back at her in confusion.

"**_Take it as a token of my appreciation. It's been a while since I last had tea with someone_**" she wore that familiar knavish smile once again before she disappeared in a blink of an eye; "…**_hold Ritsu's hand for me._**"

**+END of Mio's P.O.V+**

* * *

Mio gradually opened up her eyes. Just as she thought, it was really a dream but she had a weird conversation with a mysterious girl whom she failed to identify. When she got hold of her senses, she was surprised to see the brunette in front of her face, still wearing that goofy smile which was undeniably similar to the girl in her dream.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Nah… just the usual. I am fond of watching your calm face whenever you're asleep."

"How long was I asleep?"

"Three hours maybe?"

The raven-haired couldn't believe what the brunette has said. "T-three hours?" She arched an eyebrow as if she was not totally convinced because it felt like minutes when her consciousness drifted away towards her dreamland.

"Yup" she crossed her arms as she sat like an Indian. The bed was bouncing temporarily due to Ritsu's sudden shift in movement. "You were sleeping soundly and you should be thankful that I'm not in a mood to play pranks with you."

"Thank you" she moved to her left to give Ritsu more space, gliding over the soft sheets with stealth. "Did you eat already?"

Ritsu grinned like a child who had just received a toy from her parents, "Yup, you're cooking's great. I never knew you could cook, I thought you were a pampered kid."

Smiling at Ritsu who was surprised to see she had good culinary skills, she said "I'm not like the others. I prefer to be independent and I used to cook for my parents after a long day work" her smile dropped when she remembered the sole reason why she learned how to cook. It was for her parents especially for her father who praises her no matter what even though her first attempt turned out unsuccessful. Despite the inedibility, he would swallow it in one go and he would brag it to his friends that his daughter was the best daughter in the world much to Mio's chagrin.

"Oh, I'm sorry" Ritsu casts her gaze down the sheets. She was averting her eyes when she sensed Mio's sadness when she mentions something pertaining to her parents.

Mio shook her head repeatedly; trying to convince Ritsu she did nothing wrong and it's just that she was reminded of her parents.

Ritsu gave the raven-haired her usual grin then proceeded to ask the latter for permission if she could sleep beside her and promised that she won't do anything crazy to her.

The younger girl gave her approval without second thoughts which surprised Ritsu all the more. The amber-eyed grabbed the blanket on her foot part and gladly snuggled her head to the fluffy pillow.

Delighted to Ritsu's display of childishness, Mio sat and glided her hand towards the lamp which was situated near the bedside and with just a flick of her fingers, the main lights went off.

"C-cool!" Ritsu blurted out, "Hey, how do you switch it on?"

"You just have to clap-"

Mio was not given a chance to finish her sentence as Ritsu started playing with the lights. She clapped twice then snapped her fingers. She kept playing, sending the lights to flicker everytime it responds to her command.

"Stop playing, you idiot." A whack followed after the snap of the fingers.

After the impact, Ritsu never played again for fear that she might receive yet another fatal blow to her skull.

Mio turned to her side, her back facing Ritsu's. It was really awkward at first but Mio was able to conquer her worries that someone besides her was occupying her own bed which she hadn't had the chance to share with anyone else with the exception of her parents.

They discussed random topics ranging from Mio's school, her friends and a little bit of herself while Ritsu was bragging about her chivalric attempts in rescuing the distressed.

The two glanced at the window which showed the darkest of night and the rambling of the white mass going violently to where the freezing wind will carry them.

"Hey, what do you think of winter?" Ritsu posed a question, her amber orbs were staring at the blizzard outside the window.

"I think it is the saddest season among the all."

"How did you come up with that kind of conclusion?"

"Because everything is coated in white, the once radiance has lost its luster to a stack of cold."

"I see… that's a valid reason for an argument. But I think the otherwise."

"Then how about you? What do you think of winter?"

"I think it is the most underappreciated season among the all. White needs not to assume any color to become beautiful."

Mio twitched her eyebrows, it seems that the amber-eyed was spouting things she couldn't comprehend, "I believe I didn't get a single point with regards to your statement?"

"It's because you're not analyzing enough."

Shocked with the older girl's response, she demanded an explanation for the brunette's blunt remark.

Ritsu chuckled softly before her tone expressed with utter seriousness… and a hint of sorrow that plagued her raspy voice, "Hey, have you considered such possibility?"

"What possibility?"

"That the only season you've known warmth was winter?"

The raven-haired took a moment to synthesize anything her mind could conjure. She was totally astounded by the brunette's disposition to impart things to ponder during the unexpected times. Her playful demeanor might just be her cloak to instill deceit to all. Apparently, there's a possibility of a wise eighteen year old might be in work although nobody will believe of such because her face doesn't exude anything about it but a conjecture of a brash and foolhardy knight-wannabe.

Mio was about to respond to Ritsu's question when she saw the latter already asleep, her handsome face gradually showed her vulnerable side - the innocence which is rarely seen whenever she's awake while wearing that goofy grin of hers.

The steel-orbed carefully extended her right arm, not wanting to disrupt the brunette's peaceful sleep. She reached Ritsu's hand albeit she hesitated for a bit before her fingers made its way to the latter's cold palm. She intertwined her fingers around Ritsu's until she gave it a light squeeze for security.

_The only season you've known warmth, you say?_

* * *

**A/N: **I would like to thank all the people who read this story in their spare time. I'm really grateful and I know thanking you in this note isn't enough. But before anything else, I would like to extend my gratitude to the following people:

**-maye-chan: **Thank you very much for the review. Likewise, I still can't promise the outcome of the story because it is still prone to changes as the story progresses. I share the same sentiment as yours about tragedy and so I have decided to make the succeeding chapters lighter. But I won't stop you when you decided to drop this story because you have that basic right as a reader. :) Nevertheless, thank you very much. I have fun talking to you. Sorry if my replies are too lengthy... It's just that... it's a bad habit of mine. :)

**-megaspaceout: **Ah.. you! :) Thank you very much for the support and encouragement. You always cheer me up. :) Thank you for the review too. :) I still can't promise with the story's outcome because my mind is still trying to figure out how the succeeding chapters would turn out. Although I have the outline, it was disrupted by that arc. xD Thank you very much. I hope we could talk more. I have fun talking to you. :)

**-HarU06: **Thank you very much for adding this story to your list. I really appreciate it and thank you for replying. :)

**-Oneechantsu: **Thank you for following this story so I'll wait till you get into this chapter. Hahaha!

**-iBlockYourChi: **Thank you for following this story. :)

**-ScarletDragon522: **Thank you for following this story too. :)

**-Beyond You: **Dear author! Thank you very much for reading this story in your spare time albeit you're busy with your other stories. Thank you very much. I should properly repay you. D':

**-White7Fang: **Thank you for following this story too. :)

**-To you readers out there: **Thank you for reading this story. I might not know who you are, but still, thank you very much for reading this during your spare time. Thank you very much. :]

So… I lied when I said that the next chapter will take a month. I got a spare time to kill and I have decided to write the next chapter. But I was telling the truth that I have a case presentation, it's just that I was able to finish half of the requirements earlier than expected. But next time, it will surely take time. xD

Reviews are highly appreciated although it's just an option whether you feel like dropping one or not but it's a good source of motivation for us newbies in the fandom. Rants and complaints are welcome too. Likes and follows are also appreciated. Thank you for reading this story up to this point. -IQzero

Chapter 9 is now available.


	9. Chapter 9: Hints

**DISCLAIMER: **I claim no rights to K-on!

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

* * *

**Hints**

* * *

_They said your first dream in New Year will come true…_

_I wonder how long has it been since I last had a good dream?_

* * *

She was woken up not by the constant ringing of the alarm clock sitting atop the bedside drawer but by the gentle sun. Its warm light crept onto the pink curtains of the glass window. She curled to her side, stuffing the pillow on her head, keeping the sun from reaching her face yet it was very persistent to the point that it had the girl mumbling a soft protest.

"M-i-o!" an energetic voice disrupted the raven-haired girl's attempt to fall back to sleep, pulling the blanket that reveled on the luxury of hugging the girl's body all throughout the night, "Time to wake up!"

"Just a bit more…" she complained softly under a low-pitched voice while turning to her opposite side, exposing her creamy legs that could elicit a physiological response especially the perverted ones.

"Sleepy head as always" the owner of unrivaled energy crawled her way towards the bed's footpart and pulled the younger girl's thighs, sliding Mio's delicate body on the ever soft pink sheets whilst sporting a cunning smile that denote nothing but a sly way to awake the half-asleep girl.

Alarmed by the immediate pull without a warning, her reflexes kicked in; she gave a quick hack on Ritsu's skull as their distance closed in before they tumbled down on the floor altogether when the brunette did not set Mio's thighs free from her grasp.

"What do you think you're doing, you idiot?!" she yelled while her face was evident enough to show belligerence to Ritsu's prank.

The older girl held her head for a while, small beads forming on the corner of her lids as she was the one who received the greatest impact of all, not to mention, her head fell first before her body while serving as a human cushion for the raven-haired whose pelvis settled unwillingly to Ritsu's abdomen.

Mio shot a glare to the amber-eyed without realizing the awkwardness of their current position. She continued her nasty lectures that even children will cringe when they see the very image of the raven-haired beauty's face in scowl and grey eyes raging in fury as if she could choke anybody just by watching her steel orbs adding up her anger's intensity.

She was only taken aback when Ritsu had the nerve to talk back in the middle of her lecture, "I see you don't mind sitting on top of me, Mio." She curved her lips into a sinister grin while enjoying the sight of the younger girl's vulnerability - cleavage exposed accidentally when the button popped out from the stitches but what's strikingly appetite-inducing was that Mio looked like a lost little lamb cornered by a ferocious wolf and the stray raven locks cascading down her voluptuous curves, touching a portion of her ankle when she fold her legs in proximity with Ritsu's thighs - an image worthy to behold of.

"Hey, I don't mind playing-" Ritsu lost the opportunity to complete her sentence when the raven-haired pulled a swift bash on the amber-orbed girl's head which earned a restrained agonizing yelp from the former when she bit her tongue - her punishment for initiating a classic innuendo for a peaceful morning.

"I don't have time to listen to your jokes" the indignant girl rolled her eyes for a bit, not giving a single damn to the girl who acquired multiple injuries the moment she tried to pull a prank against the raven-haired, "What business do you have here, anyway?"

"I am not giving up not until you tell me what you dreamt first in the start of a new year."

"Why are you so persistent with knowing what my dream was all about?"

"Because who knows it might come true in this very year?" she straightened her back to face the possessor of grey orbs who refused to tell her even the faintest hint of the content of her dream.

"I'm afraid I couldn't divulge anything because I don't know what you have up in your sleeves." They exchanged glares, both of them not backing down until the older girl softened her stare.

Amber orbs now concealed by the golden brown locks while plastering her signature grin, "I guess your dream has something to do with… having me posing as your _boyfriend?_"

"B-boyfriend?! **YOU **as my boyfriend?!" Mio couldn't believe what she had just heard from the amber-eyed but that joke was far from what she could tolerate in this given time.

"Yup, that's why you don't want to reveal your dream because you're ashamed to admit that you hold some lovey-dovey feelings for me." She continued her nonsensical jest to force Mio to tell her the truth, "…not unless you tell me what your first dream for the New Year was with much honesty."

The raven-haired was certainly on her limits, she raised her left hand and was about to slap Ritsu on her cheek. Slender fingertips were about to land on Ritsu's face but the older girl caught it before it could create a loud smack, just an inch away before it could be considered a success but it was a total failure because her opponent possessed great reflexes for a young lady with boyish traits.

Owners of grey and amber orbs respectively waged war by exchanging glares. This was the first time something like this happened between the two of them - a prank gone wrong which escalated to an argument.

"Say, what if we'll settle this by playing a game?" she suggested, loosening her grip on Mio's wrist while the latter slowly retrieved it, laying it carefully on her lap.

"I guess we don't have a choice, do we?" the younger girl answered back as if she was left with no choice but to agree on Ritsu's proposal that a game should be able to settle things once and for all.

"So… what are you going to bet then?" Ritsu propped her head on her arms, her back resting against the edge of the foam.

"Bet?" Mio reiterated. She was not used to play a game to which she had to offer something as a form of compensation because she knew that she was always on the losing side not to mention that she had little to no luck at all when it comes to things like these.

"You afraid? Unlucky as always, I see…" the amber-orbed chortled, taunting the girl with the innate fate she had that she was the unfortunate recipient of poor luck.

She remembered back when she used to hang out with the club members in which she always lose to any game the girls could come up be it card games, board games or even spin the bottle. She was always on the receiving end of bad luck and Sawako would never fail to use this opportunity to have the raven-haired forced to wear any outfit that was surprisingly readily available every time the bespectacled woman pulled something beneath her skirt and shove it to the poor girl.

Despite her protest, she couldn't stand a chance against their club advisor who would not hesitate to pull any dirty tricks if Mio would dare not to oblige to her request. There came a time when she was very perplexed on the fact that her airhead friend, Yui, never lost any game even if she acts clumsy for her age.

The raven-haired cringed on her seat, fists held tighter than ever before, loosening it up as she faced the older girl with her new resolve, "I'm not… I'll take your challenge head on."

"Oh…" a lopsided smile etched on Ritsu's face as she witnessed the younger girl's attempt to show bravery in the midst of her disadvantage. She straightened her back once again like she was caught up with how things turned out to her favor, "Your bet, Ms. Unlucky?"

"If I win, you will stop pestering me about my dream and if I lose, I'll tell you every single detail of it."

"Okay, that's decent for a deal. Then I shall have mine too…" she tilted her head to her left while constantly relishing the sight of Mio wearing her serious expression, "If I win, you will have to listen to what I'll say after the game and if I lose, I will obey every single word you say."

Confused with the deal, the steel-orbed asked, "You're not going to ask what my dream was if you win?"

Ritsu laughed boisterously much to the younger girl's annoyance, "Of course, I was certain enough you'll lose so you'll have to tell me what your dream was all about and at the same time, you will have to listen to what I'll say after this. I'm not going to ask for a thing twice, should I?"

Ashamed, she averted her gaze while her raven locks definitely served its purpose to hide her face filled with red hue due to shame. "F-fine, then state the mechanics of your game."

Chuckling with blinding confidence, she brought her knee near her chest while the other one was left resting casually on the floor. Her head held high, sporting a devious grin as she pointed her thumb straight to her heart, "I, the Great Ritsu, propose a guessing game!"

"W-what?!" Mio's eyes flashed vexation intermittently as if that game would assure her instant defeat, "But that's unfair!"

Amber-orbed smiled mischievously when she saw the girl's reaction, "Hey, not so fast. I was about to explain the mechanics of the guessing game so hold your concerns or any violent reactions in check."

"Continue" she calmed down a bit while trying to listen intently to the older girl and was about to launch another fist whenever the amber-eyed will spout ridiculous things beyond her comprehension.

"First" the sly girl raised a finger to connote her ephemeral superiority, "I will be giving you hints along the way and these will be vital towards giving you a picture of what the real answer might be."

The younger girl nodded once in agreement. "Second, taking back an answer is not allowed once you have given it after I ascertain you that indeed it was your final answer."

Then Ritsu coughed vigorously to show to the girl that she had to pay attention to the last mechanic of the game, "Wear something in your best attire for this game."

"A-are you crazy? Why would I oblige to that kind of mechanic?" Frustration made its way to her angelic face, eyebrows knitted firmly when her pinkish lips curved slightly downward.

"Hey, no more objections please? I would also compel myself to that last mechanic so there's no sort of injustice in here or what."

Her mind was swirling violently to what she would wear for that game because of the stupidity of a certain girl who couldn't come up with a decent game.

"Then, I'll meet you after three hours. I will wait on the gates, okay?" The older girl slowly got up on her knees, bidding goodbye to the younger girl before she opened the window and jumped off much to the latter's surprise.

Mio instantly picked her crutches up that were hidden underneath her bed and made haste to check if the amber-eyed was fine. She looked below, her eyes constantly moving in different directions looking for Ritsu.

"Yo! I will be waiting, Mio." She flashed a grin, her fingertips pressed against each other, imitating a pyramid as she yelled loudly to catch the raven-haired girl's attention. "See you later!" then she left the ancestral house, leaving only a trace of footprints on the snow.

_Did she know already?_

* * *

**+Mio's P.O.V+**

My eyes stared blankly on the tracks she left; I was puzzled on why she was very enthusiastic about this so-called 'guessing game.' I admit I am not really good when it comes to things like these. I am always on the losing end when it comes to games but my academic performance was far from failure.

I sighed softly, my breath created a fog as heat forced a contact with cold air. I stared at it for a while before it was gone like thin air then I carefully stretched my leg forward, taking small steps before I rested my back on the foam.

"Will it come?" I heaved a sigh before I turned to my side, bringing my knees near my chest, hugging it with faint strength I could muster just to keep it close.

I was looking forward for this particular day to come. I am eager to discover the identity of that **_Phantom_**, unmasked him and decipher his single-worded message.

* * *

**+FLASHBACK+**

Men and women dressed elegantly, all of them had their distinct fashion to boast in this very moment. Flamboyant dresses designed with nonpareil intricacy matched with sparkling heavy jewelries, begging for exaltation to everyone who was present in a gathering of the exceptional.

This event should just be a supposed simple celebration yet no one sees it in that way. For them, this night should be an all-out competition and I am quite saddened with the fact that I am forced to deal with the adults for formality's sake even though I don't require much attention because I believe it's just an ordinary day and this is just part of growing up as a human being.

I was just there, sitting on the staircase with the red aisle occupying almost all the steps. I heed no attention to my dress, ruffled by my lack of interest to keep it neat as possible.

Gentlemen flocked their way towards my position; I see lots of hands crowding in front of my face, asking for a dance yet I declined politely, saying I was not in the mood for it. They knew they had no chance even if they'll try to convince me because I dislike being once again, the center of attention. I never liked this but I couldn't raise this concern to my kind parents. All I want is a simple celebration for my fifteenth birthday.

I need no expensive gifts and exaggerated praises to fill the void in my heart. I am tired of extravagance and I yearned for simplicity. How simple it was to ask only for a friend? Given with my family's wealth, I could garner and filter the people up but all I want was someone who wouldn't be swayed by worldly riches but who will see me as I am- not as an Akiyama but just me, Mio.

My friend, boredom, never failed to sit right next to me although it couldn't utter a single word yet its mere presence clearly denotes that a girl like me lacks the essence of what it feels to be truly alive.

It's been an hour since I sat on this staircase, and all the people passing by were just silhouettes in my own eyes. Their black suits were just a bad product of mass production. If they had nothing in common, perhaps it depends on the wearer's ability to appeal himself to the populace.

My black locks found its way to conceal my feelings, covering my eyes that were devoid of the needed luster for this celebration.

Those greetings from the same people never had the slightest sincerity from their words. And I know that I should not be complaining about it because from the very start, they only knew me as the only daughter of the Akiyamas. To put it bluntly, we're just strangers and our sole connection was the business world, nothing more nothing less.

But I never said that I totally despised my birthday. On the contrary, I was looking forward to it. I was expecting for the appearance of that 'Phantom' to cruise casually in this party. I never saw him personally but I caught a glimpse of his stature and what he certainly looks like despite he always disappeared in the middle of the crowd. My only evidence in his visits was that a golden strand was always left in the scene whenever I find myself searching for this mysterious guest.

I always asked the people present in that event if ever they saw that handsome man lurking around to catch a prey in the name of coquetry but to my dismay, I only received a shrug as an answer.

It was always like this, I couldn't catch that phantom red-handed by placing his gift in the pile of expensive presents I have received earlier from the other guests. His gifts were unique to the point I would immediately recognize it because of its sheer peculiarity. If all the gifts were wrapped mostly with a dull pattern, his gift was different in a way that it seems that it was intended as a present for a five-year old like he was mocking me that I am childish despite I was exhibiting maturity in the face of public.

I wouldn't deny that I love anything that is fairytale-like and I couldn't help but giggle mentally whenever he made his visits in my birthday party. While crowding myself in the sea of people, I caught an image of him and followed him discreetly.

His eyes were overshadowed by his black top hat and I only manage to see a portion of his gold irises staring at me in derision.

He pulled his hat off which revealed his golden hair that was bathing on the glory of the chandelier's light as it supplemented the atmosphere needed to enchant me with his alluring looks.

His hair was fashioned in a way that his unruly strands were blocking his vision. Like the rest, he wore a black suit with a crooked red necktie to accompany his white long-sleeved serving as his undershirt.

He curved his lips slyly; still, his golden orbs radiated extreme malicious satisfaction. "Finally, you caught up." He raised his right hand and fit his hat snugly on his head. "Until next time" a group of waiters blocked my view as they serve the guests their drinks and when I managed to catch a final glimpse of him, I saw him uttering my name in a playful manner, "…Mio."

The phantom disappeared without a trace. I sighed in defeat yet I have this kind of feeling that was shouting for joy. Finally, I saw him in my fifteenth birthday and towards the end of the party, I wore a smile that would send everybody in bewilderment because I was never one to smile in gratification and they knew it was a rarity of a kind.

Panicking, my father assumed that I fell in love with someone from the party and he started to run wild and threatened every man suspected dallying at me. My mother and the guards were forced to intervene and the party ended up in a mess but I don't blame my father for it. Maybe it's nice to see something uncommon in a party of elites - creating a ruckus out from a simple misconception.

After the lights went off with confetti spreading around every corner, my father and our bodyguards escorted us towards the basement. I brought none except for the phantom's gift. And when we reached the black sedan, one bodyguard opened the door for me and I gladly accepted his kind offer. I settled my hips on the grey seats and sat there with grace.

When I felt that the distractions were now minimal, I carefully unwrapped the gift, making sure that it would remain intact. There, I saw the contents of his present; it was still the same over his past seven visits, only that the note attached to a whorled pinnate dark purplish flower served as his means of communicating to me. I brought the flower close to my nares and whiffed its soothing scent that never failed to bring me the slight elation. That day, I received 'side' as his only message for this year.

**+END of FLASHBACK+**

**+END of Mio's P.O.V+ **

* * *

She rubbed her hands for warmth as the frigid wind blew her hair towards the east. She was waiting for someone in the midst of this cold yet it appears that that person was late for a trivial reason. She stood there, pulling her earphones up and plugged it on her ears. Scrolling down for some good songs in her ipod to kill some time while waiting for the brunette, she ended up listening something unbefitting to her image.

'I guess I'll give this song a shot' she pressed the play button and rested her back against the high walls of their house. The song's intro started with a male voice singing in a desperate tone, accompanied by the slow beats of the snare drums and the calm strums of the guitar.

She looked up above, only to see snow descending slowly from the grey skies before it reach the ground. She raised her plaid scarf in level of her jaw to keep her neck from experiencing the cold brought by a drop in temperature. She was wearing a grey coat with buckle enclosing her slim waist to match her raven hair cascading down her hips; her white blouse made of wool slightly exposed her bust while wearing a black pencil skirt with dark leggings extending up to her ankles. She wasn't in the mood to use her boots so she opted using her black wedge-heeled sandals as a substitute.

Unconsciously, she was humming the song especially during the chorus part. She was tapping her fingers on her crutches and decided to close her eyes to direct her focus to the song's message.

The song finally reached its conclusion and Mio gradually opened up her eyes, feeling the dramatic end by the prolonged wailing of the guitars. She saw a figure grinning in front of her face, eyes showing a hint of mockery for leaving herself vulnerable outside their gates.

"You know you could be kissed by anyone else if you leave yourself susceptible in the eyes of the perverts" a hooded figure declared, grabbing the raven-haired girl's wrist and pinned her against the concrete.

Eyes met and Mio never budged from her position; instead, she looked at the figure with passivity as if she was not threatened even a bit. "And who might this pervert be, trying to kiss a random girl he deemed an easy prey for his advances?" she pulled the hood off which revealed a golden brown hair falling lazily onto the figure's eyes. Amber orbs glimmering upon Mio's display of bravery.

"Tch! And I thought I could play a prank against you" she hissed.

"Sad to say that I developed an immunity to your jokes, Ritsu" Mio gave the assaulter one last glare before she shook her off out from her grasp.

"Nah, I'll think of a good way to scare the hell out of you" the older girl retorted, "like using bar-"

**SWISH!**

The amber-eyed found her face drowning from a heap of snow when she received a direct hit on her frontal lobe.

"Care to continue?" the younger girl said in a low voice, steel orbs not showing any form of mercy upon the bestowal of the brunette's punishment.

"N-no, I quit" she replied instantly while aiding her steaming head. She stood on her knees, surprised to see the girl in full view, "Woah… you do have good taste in fashion. You look very beautiful in that outfit, Mio."

The raven-haired felt blood creeping upwards. She averted her gaze to hide her blush, persistent enough to keep herself invulnerable towards Ritsu's flattery. "You look handsome in your own way too…" she countered and she only got an 'eh?' as a response.

"Do I?" she tickled her cheek. The handsome girl least expected to hear that compliment from Mio who's at par on her with regards on throwing sarcasms because of her lack of maturity despite being eighteen years of age.

In Mio's point of view, Ritsu looked like a handsome young man dressed to catch girls in one glimpse of her. She could be a potential weapon for warfare to disarm the girls and steal their hearts, leaving men to agonize on the cruel fate that someone is better than them and to top it off, a young girl to be exact.

Her white coat embedded with silver zippers was sewn with much precision, leaving no loose stitches to disgrace the brand. She unzipped it to reveal her untucked navy blue long sleeved-shirt extending up to her upper thighs. Her black pants was designed to fit her legs in a way that she wouldn't look thin just by wearing a dark-colored denim and a grey-colored sneakers with laces left dangling on the sides. Her plaid scarf was crooked as expected of the amber-eyed who couldn't care less on fixing the garment to make her a better eye-candy to all female spectators.

"Your scarf's crooked" the raven-haired sighed. She pulled Ritsu closer to fix the winter garment while not knowing that they were just inches from each other and undeniably, they could really feel each other's breath. She snuggled her slender fingertips onto the scarf, trying to fix it while staring at the perfect scar on Ritsu's neck. "There, much better."

"For a moment, we looked like a couple there" she smiled coyly and evaded Mio's attempt to silence her, "Oy, oy… that was just a joke, you know?"

"That's not funny for a joke" she complained under her scarf, producing a fog that would make a short appearance over her face as she exhaled.

"So… you ready for our game, Mio?" Ritsu asked, making a cute face while waiting for the younger girl's reply.

"Yes, I'm ready."

"Remember, you need to figure out the right answer from all of my hints otherwise you're going to spill everything about your dream and you will have to listen to what I'll say after this."

"Yes, yes… I got it."

"Shall we begin now?" Ritsu offered her hand to Mio. The latter knew that when the amber-eyed makes a gesture like this, a piggyback ride is an imminent choice for human transportation. Without further delay, she stretched her arm and reached for the game master's hand. She could feel the transition of the warmth passed down to hers the moment she settled her palm over the older girl's and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Let's go."

* * *

They were strolling down the thick pile of white mass down the road; her sneakers were buried deeply every time she launched her foot forward. Indeed she had a hard time keeping a tough façade but knowing Ritsu, she would definitely take it as a form of challenge to her self-acclaimed 'superhuman' endurance.

"Are you okay?" the raven-haired beauty whispered beneath the girl's ear, "Do you want to take a short break?"

"No need, the first hint is up ahead" she replied with eyes burning in excitement.

Mio was vexed; she saw nothing except for a young lady talking to someone while holding her phone.

"You don't mean… _that _girl is our first clue?"

"Yup, what's wrong with _that_ as our first clue?" the amber-eyed was even more vexed than the younger girl, arching an eyebrow as she saw nothing wrong with it. She doesn't feel a single guilt by spying on her who sat on an old bench with a leafless cherry blossom tree above her.

"It's totally wrong in every way, you idiot!" Mio hissed although she kept her voice low as much as possible so as not to alarm the girl whose privacy was currently breached.

"Eh? You should quit complaining now or else you'll miss the first hint" the brunette suggested in a childish tone, trying to convince the raven-haired that it was just part of the game.

Sighing in defeat, Mio observed the girl while trying to listen intently to the conversation with someone on the other line. She wanted to obey her conscience but she couldn't afford to lose because she waged something and who knows that in the end of the game, Ritsu will force her to do something humiliating, enough to break his reputation into smithereens.

_Otosan, Okasan… just for today, I don't want to lose in this game. Please forgive me._

* * *

**+CLUE # 1+**

"Hey, how long has it been since we last had a talk like this?" an energetic voice from the other line said.

"I think it's been a year" she curved her lips slightly when she heard the raspy voice of a young man constantly adjusting his tone to make his voice coherent.

"How're you doing there, Chihiro? Got a boyfriend to spend your bucks with?"

"I am not planning to date anyone within this time of year."

"Heh? Sad to hear that from you… You got good looks to begin with yet you haven't managed to hook any boys with your charms. What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me" she scoffed under her red scarf while her gaze on to the two birds perching on the electrical wires, still wearing that same smile she had earlier the moment she heard his voice.

"Gah, I'm tired with your excuses about 'studies first.' Seriously, a boyfriend could be used as a source for inspiration. It's not really that harmful, you know?"

"What if I get pregnant in the process?"

"E-excuse me?! It ain't gonna happen! I'm gonna find that bastard and kill him for it."

"Why would you kill him if you were the one who suggested to get a boyfriend in the first place?" she twirled her wavy brown hair in a seducing manner while waiting for his answer, trying to elicit something from him to make this phone call worthwhile.

"Damn it, because you got a good future up ahead and getting pregnant is out of the question. What if he was an irresponsible husband and a father, leaving you and your child while he's hooking up with the other girls? That would be horrible!"

"Well… why do you even care if that man would ditch me in the future?"

"Because…"

"Because?" she leaned back on the set of cold steels as she arched an eyebrow, waiting for a continuation to his sentence.

"Because I love you, damn it."

A wide smile formed on the girl's face, smiling as she heard what was due for this year, "So... you do love me, Kazuki?"

"Gah! You witch! How dare you had me saying something so embarrassing?!" she pulled the phone away from her ear as the voice was yelling indignantly when he realized that he had finally confessed his feelings to the master of trickery, "You're gonna pay for it!"

"It's your fault, dummy. I was just asking you yet you confess without knowing it yourself? How much dumber can you get? Perhaps your brain's rusting when you couldn't hear my voice for a year?"

"S-shut up! I was just fooling you."

"No way, you are always the unfortunate victim of my fooling."

"…"

"So, can I hear you say that again?"

"W-what?"

"That three words."

"Shit, I'm gonna get back at you for this…. I love you! Satisfied?"

"Nu-uh… who are you telling that to? Say it again."

"Damn you! You're one hell of a witch!"

She crooked a smile before she requested for a reiteration, "Say it properly this time."

"I love you, Chihiro."

"…"

"Hey, why aren't you saying anything? Laugh all you want now, witch!"

"I could be laughing right now for your idiocy, you know? Relax; I have something to say too…"

"What? You're going to say something nasty again?"

"I love you."

"…"

"Why aren't you saying something too, Kazuki?" she leaned forward, crossing her legs while expecting an answer after her bold confession.

"Since when?"

"Oh my, you're one hopeless case. Haven't you notice that I keep turning all the boys down? It was because I was waiting for you to make your move yet it seems that you're oblivious to it. I regret falling in love with a dumb guy like you."

"And I regret harboring these feelings for a girl with a razorblade tongue like you." A loud ringing of the bell could be heard on the other line, signifying that break time is almost over and all of them should resume working, "I guess this will be it, Chihiro."

"Yeah, I think so. It will take time again, will it?"

"Yeah… another year, maybe? But you see, I'm glad to hear your voice again. It was kind of refreshing after a long day of hardwork. I guess I really did miss you."

"You're not alone. You see… I'm willing to wait for you. Distance is not a hindrance, right? And **even though you're far away, I could always feel that you're just right next to me. **So, any last words?"

"Yes, I do. Wait for me and I'll properly ask you to be my girlfriend, got it? Don't you dare flirt to any guys out there, remember that!"

"Sure, and I'll ask the same thing for you. Never make someone pregnant before you come back here and beg for my forgiveness."

"Damn, I won't. You know I wouldn't." Someone interrupted Kazuki as if they had to go now otherwise they'll be reprimanded, "Chihiro, this will be for this year. I love you and I hope you'll be doing fine there."

"Yeah… thank you for making this day special as always, for your extra effort on making me happy every start of the New Year. I love you."

"See you, Chihiro."

"See you too."

***BEEP***

**+End of CLUE # 1+ **

* * *

"How's that, Mio?" Ritsu asked the girl who was blushing madly when she was forced to listen to the entire duration of the phone call. "Got something like a clue out of that girl's conversation?"

The raven-haired sunk her nails deeper onto Ritsu's back, creating multiple folds out from the latter's white coat, "I am still uncertain… shall we proceed to the next clue?"

"Ohoh… I should be praising you for your enthusiasm to this guessing game."

"Hurry up; I don't want to prolong this foolishness."

"Yes, yes… right away, miss."

It took them ten minutes to reach the playground with no one in sight. The slides, seesaws, swings and monkey bars were left untouched. In general, no one would dare to play casually during the winter season to avoid catching up a cold.

"What are we doing here?" Mio asked in curiosity, grey orbs examining the place, at the same time, looking for the next clue to appear on the scene.

"Shh… lower your voice. The next one's here."

* * *

**+CLUE # 2+**

"Hey, wait up!" a bespectacled man with spikey brown hair tried to chase the girl who was running away from him.

"Leave me alone!" she turned to her side to face the boy; eyes now pooling in tears, dropping silently on her cheeks before it dampened temporarily the mound of snow occupying the entirety of the playground.

"Why are you running away from me?" his auburn eyes reflected confusion. He was desperate enough to learn the cause of the girl's initial reaction.

"Why didn't you tell me that you're leaving by tomorrow?"

He couldn't answer the girl, or rather, he was afraid to speak the truth on why he chose to hide the fact that he was going abroad starting daylight, "Where did you hear that from?"

"I heard it accidentally when I was about to enter the faculty room to hand the worksheets not until I saw you talking with Nakajima-sensei while handing down your resignation papers."

"I'm sorry" he cast his gaze off the ground, refusing to stare at the girl eye to eye. "I was about to tell you about it but I found out that I was scared that I might not properly say my farewells because you'll be mad at me" he respired deeply to remain composed, "But before anything else, I want to say something to you."

She wiped her tears with the help of her wrists, trying to calm herself before she could brace the young man's revelation.

"You see… I really like you." He settled his hands on the girl's shoulders bilaterally, heaving a huge sigh before he continued, "And I want you to know my feelings before I'll leave."

"Why are you so cruel?" she was about to cry again, "Why are you saying something late in this crucial time?"

"I'm sorry for being such a coward but I want to convey my feelings before I'll lose the chance to say it in person." He seized the girl and dragged her towards a vacant seat that was supported by two chains suspended in midair.

"What are you doing?" she protested, forced to remain on seat on the freezing metal.

"**Let's make memories before we couldn't anymore**." He grabbed the lower portion of the seat and shove it will all his might. The girl swung high while holding the chains firmly on her hands to keep herself from falling, quivering as she felt the cold crawling towards her palms, "N-not so high!"

"You're one scaredy-cat as always ever since we were kids" he braced his self to receive the seat that was drawing closer to his position and shove it again with little force enough to keep the girl on air, enjoying the feeling of having butterflies swarming in the stomach.

Not long after, the frown from her face turned into a gentle smile, lingering on the moment that she could spend this time alone with her childhood friend without disruption. The noise coming from the rubbing of metals came into an end when the boy dragged the girl onto their next destination - the seesaw.

They grabbed their respective seats and the bespectacled man arched his back backwards while holding onto the T-shaped steel, trying to lift the girl on the other plane. A creak escaped as the plank ceded over to the difference in weight and had the girl left suspended above ground level, "P-put me down!"

"No way, use your own weight to put yourself down and lift me up. " He sported a grin, relishing the moment his friend was making a cute protest who couldn't even budge the boy from his seat even if she tried to wiggle with all she got.

Seeing her efforts went in vain, the boy loosened up and let the girl carefully descend her toes on the pile of snow. She tried to avenge herself but only succeeded in lifting him just a few feet from the ground. And there, they were now exchanging lifts and smiles deprived of fraud under the sunless skies.

They stood altogether on their seats and grabbed each other's hands. They knew where they are going last - the penguin slide. Tracks are increasing in number every time they ran around and play, like little children who lacked the ability to restrain their excitement.

He assisted the girl by her hips to allow her to climb towards the peak. He immediately stationed himself in front of the slide, arms wide open to catch the girl by his body.

"I'm going to slide now" she flexed her knees and positioned her legs on the smooth cement before straightening it up. She moved a few inches and granted gravity the permission to work towards her favor. Sliding down, the boy caught her instantly and altogether, they fell on the ground. They were laughing for their silliness, slowly moving their bodies until their backs laid comfortably on the snow while watching it fall from the heavens with bodies adjacent to each other.

"I think this will be the final memory we'll both have in common… watching the snow descending from the skies" the girl smiled before she face the boy who was staring at her the whole time.

"You think so?" he rose from his back and dusted the remnants of snow that were clinging on his hair and brown coat. He stood and shook his self like a dog, offering a hand to the girl. He pulled her and brought her in proximity to his body, wrapping his hands around her waist. "The falling snow will not be our final memory" he brushed his lips over hers which left her astounded.

Pulling away as he gasp for breath, "That will be our final memory for this day." He faced his back and started walking; his heavy steps plunged deeper on the cold mass. He knew what he had done was unforgivable; stealing her first kiss which she valued the most.

Unexpectedly, he felt a tug at the end of his coat's sleeve. He looked back and saw his childhood friend with head down low, her hair now covering her face. He tried to resume his pacing when someone pulled his collar and forced him to get on to the level of her lips. She returned the kiss, this time, with much passion. They shared one final kiss under the silent snow.

**+END of CLUE # 2+**

* * *

Someone giggled vehemently while hiding on the spot unnoticed by human eye. Amber orbs now in focus to the two childhood friends who had just shared a kiss, "How's that, Mio? Is it not a bad hint for this game, right?"

She received no reply because the raven-haired girl's thoughts were now in jumble. It wasn't her first time witnessing such passionate act because she saw her parents doing it in public but it was her first time seeing the same age as hers doing it. Nothing could have prepared her for it and she was blushing wildly while clinging onto Ritsu's back.

"Lighten up, Mio. We still have our third clue coming up." She tried to snap the girl back from reality. Ritsu walked deeper into the mini-forest not far from the playground, whistling lowly until they succeeded on finding the next hint for their guessing game.

* * *

**+CLUE # 3+**

"Back off!" an owner of fierce aquamarine orbs warned a group of rowdy ten-year olds who had them completely surrounded without the intention of letting them go unscathed.

"Yo, Oniichan" one boy stepped into the middle, head slightly hyperextended while wearing a smirk to connote his supremacy, "your sister never apologize when she stepped on my new shoe."

"Stop it, she already gave her apology!" he hugged his sister who was trembling in fear.

"Is that so? I never heard her saying something like she was sorry at all."

"Quit it, she couldn't talk!" he yelled louder, arms still on his sister's tiny shoulders.

"Ah… I see… your sister's mute. I bet your mommy regrets giving birth to a child who couldn't even talk" he crossed his arms around his chest, looking at them with disdain.

"You, dumbass!" he lunged forward and was about to strike a blow straight to the leader's face when he was grabbed by his shoulders and pinned his face down the ground.

"Boys, you know what to do next."

Five boys of different sizes crowded themselves to the older brother, exchanging fists and kicks until he was covered in bruises and wounds. He fought back, jumping forward and pinned one boy down. Tightening his fists, his punches became harder and harder in every release, sending his enemy in a broken nose and was gone out cold.

He shot a dangerous glare to his remaining opponents, spitting blood out from his mouth as he invited them for another round of brawl, "Scared? Come at me, you fools!"

Hesitation was evident in their eyes; no one made a move when they saw their ally's face beaten beyond recognition. How could they even fight back when they finally realized that their opponent was the infamous 'smasher' in their village?

Foot stepped backward, cringing in fear when he saw they have no chance of winning, "I'll be getting back on you, you mongrel!" the leader shouted before they left the scene and ran for their lives.

He fell on his back; the snow's his only cushion to receive him in a reduced impact. The girl rushed towards her brother, tears flowing silently as the salty liquid dropped onto his bruised face.

"Don't cry" he forced a smile despite moving a facial muscle took him a small tear forming on his lid. He raised his shaking arm and wiped his sister's tears "Oniichan's not going to die easily."

He tried to sit up, "Hey, let's go now. It's bad to stay longer in the woods because of the legend of the ugly witch playing pranks against the children who wandered off to the forest."

Holding his knees to increase the support to his aching body, he succeeded in straightening his back albeit he was groaning in pain. He held her tiny hand and started walking, limping while wearing a tough brother visage.

Stopping on their tracks, he looked back to check her sister who halted in the middle of their walk, blonde locks now covering her cherubic face.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

She nodded twice and approached her injured brother, thin arms wrapping his bloody jacket. She tightened her hug, implying something with her action.

Smiling, he placed his hand over her soft hair and stroked it gently, "Don't worry" he said, "**words are no longer needed to understand one's feelings.**"

**+END of CLUE # 3+**

* * *

Mio and Ritsu sat on a blue bench situated near the frozen small body of water. It was just only the two of them there while watching the snow overlapping the previous one that landed first on the ground.

The once green grasses were completely buried and it will took them days before they'll be fully rejuvenated and bring back the glory stolen by the winter season.

"So… have your figured out the answer?" Ritsu cocked an eyebrow, arms on the bench's apex while expecting for the younger girl's reply.

"I am still unsure but I need more clues" she rested her chin on her hand, mulling over the things she have witnessed to synthesize it all and reduce it to one single answer.

"Oh well… 'B' is the first letter of that answer and it has 'D' and 'R' as the consonants."

_Starts with 'B' and with consonants 'D' and 'R'?_

Mio was thinking deeply despite she was showing calmness in the face of oddity in winning this game. She tried to conjure an answer from a set of ambiguous hints. She raised her head when she finally found her answer, lips curving in brimming confidence which made the brunette squint her eyes and grin cunningly in unison.

"I bet you found the answer already? Let's hear it out."

"The first clue shows that even if someone's away, your feelings will reach each other even in the greatest distance."

Chuckling, the older girl crooked her smile even more, anticipating to Mio's next analysis on the other clues, "Good going, sharp as always. How about the next one?"

"The second one was about making memories out of the simplest things."

"So the kiss was just a simple thing?"

"S-shut up!" she blushed once again when she remembered that part when they were watching that scene in full details like a movie only that they were violating the rule of respecting one's privacy.

"The third one?"

"Protecting someone you cared and…"

"And?" she reiterated.

"Words are no longer needed to understand one's feelings" the raven-haired smiled faintly when her heart got struck when she saw the boy acting like a prince while protecting his loved one.

"Heh? Repeating his line, I see… So what's your final answer then? Taking it back is not allowed."

Mio took one deep breath and faced her with a genuine smile.

"The answer is **BOYFRIEND.**"

Amber orbs gleamed upon hearing the younger girl's answer. She stretched her arms and stood from her seat, clapping thrice before facing Mio within eye level.

"Congratulations, Mio." She said while watching her steel orbs dancing in victory, "You lose."

_Huh?_

"I bet you were greatly influenced to what you've saw in that moment… particularly those boys who act like a potential figure for a relationship." Ritsu placed her palms on her knees, "Hey, don't feel bad. You almost got the answer right." She tried to cheer the girl up who was dispirited the moment she learned she got her answer wrong.

"What's the answer then?" She raised her head slightly, pleading for the right answer from that given hints.

"Hey, do you remember when I said that when you lose, you're going to listen to what I'll tell you after this game?" She pulled her face away from Mio's vision and took a step backward. "Well before that, let's go back to the hints."

The younger girl nodded in agreement and she lent her ears to the possible explanation of why she got her assumption wrong.

"You were right when you first said that **feelings could travel even in the greatest distance. **You were also right when you said about **making memories out of the simplest things **and you were never wrong about **protecting your precious ones **and about **'words are not needed to understand one's feelings'.**" She paused for a bit before resuming, "All of your assumptions are correct but you just didn't see the vivid picture in a different perspective."

Loosening her scarf, she called the girl's attention while sporting a devious grin, "Mio, I know this was completely unexpected and I know you were waiting for this moment to come."

_E-eh? A confession?!_

"Mio" the amber-eyed said firmly in a rough voice before softening her gaze, "Happy Birthday!" She flashed the rarest smile of all that made Mio snapped out from her sea of thoughts going maelstrom. For a moment, her eyes remained astonished to the figure exuding radiance in the midst of cold.

"I wish to share those things with you" Ritsu extended her right arm, stretching out her palm as if waiting for Mio's left hand to accept her invitation, "Can you be my best friend?"

Tears trickled down her rosy cheeks when she couldn't believe what she just heard from the brunette's lips today. Raven strands concealed her grey orbs now pooling in tears. This was completely unexpected on her part, she didn't even reveal to the older girl about her birthday nor wasn't she really prepared that she will get something like a 'best friend' in this time of year. This was by far, too memorable for her sixteenth birthday.

"Oyoy, you don't have to cry." Ritsu wiped Mio's tears with her thumb, "It's okay if you don't want, I'll just pretend I never said that."

Without a word, Mio grabbed the brunette by her loose scarf and embraced her, burying her visage onto the white coat without minding her tears dampening the leather.

"Yosh… yosh…" the handsome girl cooed, stroking the raven strands with utmost care.

_The answer to the guessing game was best friend, huh?_

* * *

Before the sun sets, Mio returned home with a smile on her face while Ritsu on the other hand, rushed towards the woods and said that her master might kill her for not preparing dinner.

She took her crutches which she left near the gates and placed it beneath her armpits, taking one step at a time and reached the knob to swing the door open. She left her sandals and walked barefooted along the hallways.

"I'm home, Otosan… Okasan" she said as she greeted her deceased parents whose picture was left on display on top of the drawer "I just got a great present for my birthday today."

She kissed the picture before she proceeded to the staircase. It took her minutes to reach her room as she was struggling to climb upstairs but she managed to do it alone without other's assistance. She twisted the knob and switched the lights on, giving a good picture of her room exhibiting femininity in every aspect.

To her surprise, she saw the peculiar gift sitting atop her study table with the same pattern of the wrapper that was used all throughout the years whenever the phantom paid a visit to place his gift along with the elites'.

Pulling the chair to take her seat, she unwrapped the gift with care. She lifted the box's lid and saw the contents of the present. 'He sure is good at sneaking without getting caught' she thought while she graced a smile when she read the last note.

The raven-haired placed an adhesive on the back of the note and stuck it on her wooden desk together with the Phantom's earlier notes from her previous birthdays.

**I will always be by your side, Mio.**

* * *

**A/N: **I never knew I couldn't add an update for the month of August. I got bombarded with lots of school requirements, exams and thus, I would like to apologize for the delay and also I got a serious case of writer's block while writing this. We got no internet connection for days and I don't know how I succeeded to live with that kind of life with no internet. So… this chapter's an advanced birthday gift to our Dangerous Queen although I had to write something like this because it is needed to advance the plot. I was also planning to divide this chapter into two because of its length but I ended up compressing them all in one chapter.

Okay, here's the THANK YOU SECTION once again. First and foremost, I would like to thank **Oneechantsu **because this fellow author aided me to cure my growing boredom. I appreciate the fact that you're helping someone like me to keep my sanity, **Oneechantsu**. I'm going to thank you every now and then. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! And thank you for the review, all I have to say is that you'll need a tissue to wipe your tears once again while reading this chapter because of its length, even it pains my eyes just by seeing it.

**CaptainFirePower: **Thank you very much for your review. Don't worry; Ritsu's past will be revealed after a few more chapters and I hope it will give justice on why she was hiding something from Mio.

**maye-chan: **Thank you for the review and thank you for keeping me company during the times I wasn't writing the latest chapter. The conclusion's still far in my own opinion but I hope I could finish this story in less than twenty chapters but I'm not really sure if I could wrap all the things like that.

**sam: **Aw, thank you. Here's the latest chapter. Thank you for leaving a review, I appreciate it.

**Coloneli:** thank you for adding this to your list and for following this story. I appreciate it.

**ScarletDragon522:** Hey, thank you for keeping me company and for adding this to your list. I really appreciate it and the fact that your replies are longer too. I really enjoyed my time talking with you. Sorry if my replies are in irregular intervals because of lack of internet connection and such.

**sumiiko:** thank you for adding this to your list too and for following this story. :]

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**To you readers out there:** Thank you very much for reading this story in your spare time.

Updates will take longer than usual. I don't know if the next one will take a month or more but I hope I could add one before I might forget everything about how this story should progress. Likes, follows and reviews are much appreciated. Thank you very much.


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