Hey, even if you don't like the song, hopefully you can replace the repetitive notes with images of Mitsu. I listen to 90s R&B mostly, but I feel like it'd be kinder to write songfics where most people knew the song or could identify with it. Um, the spacing of punctuation may bother you, but I don't know how to format any other way...
Again, devastatingly AU and ooC to fit the song. Ages are manipulated, and characters you love may be trashed. Mio POV, which I should never do. I can't write true first-person.
Disclaimer: K-On would be told in Mugi's H-mind if I had executive power, and I'll let Taylor Swift and her producers have their song. Really, I don't want it.
=YOU BELONG WITH ME=
Ritsu Tainaka was one of the big players at our all-girls private school. Oddly, Ritsu didn't even possess a superlative to be most sought after female among females. She wasn't the most athletic, most wealthy, most talented, most eloquent, most masculine, most rebellious, most beautiful, tallest, nor smartest. However, Ritsu was singular in our school of 744 girls for being the only one in a band, a rock band (I was in the school band, a very different sort). Not lead vocals, not mad-skilled solo guitarist, but just off-beat drummer. Ritsu used to bring her sticks everywhere, but the teachers would always confiscate them. She resorted to vandalizing desks with tapping pens that burst into a mess that managed to look like…art.
Ritsu could be the essence of art. There was nothing objective about her. She gained anything from confused to awed stares. She was open to interpretation, but she happened to be very well-received among her patrons. Or should they be called matrons?—her mightily-numbered fangirls. She never buttoned her blazer, claiming that it was "too hot to be locked." With the way she was constantly drumming writing utensils and coordinating her right foot, I couldn't really argue her. She wouldn't humour me anyway, because she had the attention span of a goldfish. So childish, gah! Why did everyone have to adore her? Because her stupid yellow headband clashed with her badass attitude? Because when she smiled, only part of her mouth moved, making it much more an infuriating grin? Because when she looked at people, it was either right through them or directly at their soul?
Somehow, I, Mio Akiyama, queen of those wretched superlatives, most studious, most shy, most unnoticed by the student populace—I was Ritsu Tainaka's chosen best friend. But not her girlfriend.
You're on the phone
With your girlfriend
She's upset
She's going off about
Something that you said
'Cause she doesn't get your humour
Like I do
We're in Ritsu's room, and she's/we're getting an earful from her girlfriend, Sawako Yamanaka. I would already be able to hear Sawako's bossy voice through the headset, but Ritsu put her cell on speaker. It was supposed to be our night, just us two friends, to hang out, so Ritsu didn't want to leave me out of the conversation? Ritsu…never left me out. I wouldn't mind so much at the moment, as I pondered at whether the whole neighborhood could hear echoes of this girl's shrieking. It was amazing how easy-going Ritsu's family was.
"YOU WERE SAYING THAT I LOOKED FUGLY WITHOUT MAKE-UP! !" Sawako shouted.
"No, you misunderstood me. I think you look fine without make-up," Ritsu made this exasperated eye-roll at me. I knew that it wasn't out of insincerity of her words, but rather an annoyance of the conversation topic. I smiled weakly back at her, really wishing that she did find the flashy Sawako as ugly as I did. Of course, Sawako grew mysteriously hideous after Ritsu started dating her…
"LIKE, YOU DIDN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE ME! !"
"That's because you put on so much normally. Such a big change. I understand stage make-up, hell, I do that sometimes myself. But like, your life isn't a stage, Sawa," Ritsu looked pretty serious.
I had to stifle both a snicker AND a hiked eyebrow from Ritsu, because this was too ridiculous. Everyone knew Sawako Yamanaka was a two-faced demon. Of course everything was an act to her, because manipulating people could not be done passively. It also helped that she had a pornstar personality AND body.
"LIKE IF I DIDN'T WEAR MAKE-UP, PEOPLE WOULDN'T NOTICE ME, DUHHHH! !"
"What…we're 'dooooooooo-ne?' Oh…khhhhhh…fzzzzzt…crap, Sawa, I think…haaaaaaa…my phone is messed u—" Ritsu made the funniest faces as she badly attempted a dying call. Hopefully a sign of a dying relationship?
"DON'T YOU DAR—." Ritsu powered off her cell and threw it in a pile of her free t-shirt collection. She winked at me, and it felt like the sun taking over a frigid hailstorm. I shivered despite that.
"The world will always have women, but how long will there be you, Mio-chan?" Ritsu looked smilingly, not grinningly, at me, and I had to look away to hide my blush. What did that even mean? ! Was Sawako just another "woman" to Ritsu, but I was something more? Did Ritsu just not know how to word sentences correctly? Was she projecting my mortality? Wow…I had an imbecilic thinking process…
With no verbal response from me, Ritsu continued, "I mean, I know we're supposed to be watching video concerts, and I love this time." But does Ritsu love me the way I love— "Sawa…she's a little much." Oh don't be so easy Ritsu, easy on her, just because this Sa-wacko was some hot chick! "I…I'm sorry," Ritsu bowed to me, something she usually did to appease my protective mother. I did not enjoy feeling like a different generation than Ritsu.
I wanted to say, "Then why are you still with her?" But I chickened out, no surprise, and instead asked in my blasted shyness, "What did you say to her originally?"
"Oh. That. Haha," Ritsu rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. Oh yes, I could tangibly feel something funny coming up. Ritsu, Ricchan, never failed to make me laugh. Or peeved. Both. "Well I walked right by her today in the hallways, because yeah dude, I didn't recognize her. So she got my attention finally, and I said, 'Whoa!—you're not wearing make-up! Didn't see ya there for a sec…you look kind of plain.' But then the tardy bell rang, and I had to cut it to fifth period. I'm not gonna risk probation with my d-hall counts senior year…"
What did I say? I had a strong reading for Ritsu's random humour, and this time had me bowled over, holding my stomach in loud laughter. Hey, the neighborhood was already awake from Sawako's howling.
"'Plain,' Ritsu, plain! ? I'm not an expert on things to say to girls, but that's probably one of the worst things you can say! Plain. Aha. You're so tactless, always saying the first thing that comes to your silly head. Ha ha, ahahahahhhaahaaa! !"
Ritsu regarded me with her smile, never laughing at the same time as me. She liked to laugh at me or make me laugh. During the latter, she would just watch me with a very pleased air. This happened for a while, until Ritsu's face scrunched up a little,
"Wait, what's wrong with plain? And there's nothing wrong with speaking what I think! You should try it some time, Mio," Ritsu teased at my reserved nature, but I was still too gone to care. "Plain is so much better than glam. I hate glam. It's fake. Too much. Plain is real, simple, easy…pretty even. To me, Plain Jane is kind of pretty."
I simmered down gradually, and I regarded Ritsu with a guarded eye. She was being serious again. It was so uncharacteristic, or rather, something Ritsu was gaining with maturation.
"Ricchan," I murmured, grabbing her attention. No, don't say it fickle tongue, don't betray me, "—do you think I'm plain then?" My eyes immediately dropped to find my big, ugly feet. I couldn't stand that for very long, so my eyes just screwed shut. Tell me I'm pretty too. I would be so easy for you to claim, Ricchan. Everything else is complex, but I believe you and me are real. I'm right here. It's hard for me, but I'm simple-minded in my hope that—
Ritsu looked at me in surprise and then her eyebrows crinkled in thought. She had a dubious look to her face, and she reached up to graze my cheek. Only when the graze became a full touch, did I make eye-contact with her light-coloured eyes.
"Mio-chan. God no."
Suddenly, her touch felt like a sting.
I'm in the room
It's a typical Tuesday night
I'm listening to the kind of music
She doesn't like
She'll never know your story
Like I do
Did she know her favorite band? It would take only a minute to listen to one of Ritsu's earbuds to decipher that question, but Sa-wacko wouldn't waste effort on something like that. Not the way I did. Because I was listening to "The Who" right now and not concentrating on my midterms. How could I focus when Ritsu occupied my mind 24/7? Wait, maybe only 22/7, because I was pretty sure the other two hours were spent on butchering Sa-wacko. Did that mean that I also wanted Sa-wacko in some subconscious way?
No, because even though I didn't like "The Who" at first, I gave it a chance. How else was I supposed to be but accept the music of my drummer best friend? What does Sa-wacko do for anyone but herself? What does Sa-wacko do for Ritsu? Ritsu exhaled life like a breeze, but there was so much more to her than that. Even I couldn't know it all, but damnit, I am better!…right?
Just like her favorite music, I didn't like Ritsu at first. We met in primary school, and she persisted in bothering me. She made a loud, big deal about my grades and work, she touched my hair, she stared at me…I didn't want attention back then. I still don't. But hers would be tolerable. Manageable. Desirable. Unimaginable.
Yet just like her favorite music, if exposed to enough, I could only fall helplessly. The conflict I faced in the beginning with "The Who" and Ritsu, miraculously evolved into a reinforcement of affection with every time I interacted with them. So even if I couldn't be with Ritsu, I could listen to this music forever. It was such a shame that the music only served to remind me of the drummer.
A weekday night, and I was trying to read these chapters. Multi-tasking was impossible when my other resources were spent on blocking out images of them. Ritsu may have been...pleasing…Sa-wacko senseless. A droplet fell onto my page.
I turned up the volume dial to her music, and my forehead followed after that tear.
But she wears short skirts
I wear t-shirts
She's cheer captain
And I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming about the day
When you wake up and find
That what you're looking for
Has been here the whole time
"Hey Mio-chan, you're wearing my shirt! ?" Ritsu waved goofily at me from the field, her eyebrows worming around. I only waved back before fingering the buttons on my bass clarinet. Usually I would do more to acknowledge her (but not shout in front of other people, heavens no), but she happened to be holding hands with a certain cheerleader on break.
Today our school celebrated our homecoming game with Jersey Day, as in, sport the jersey number of your friend at the game. Now one can't forget that I attend an all-girls private school, so our most popular sport was Lacrosse. A newly forming tradition at the school was that the significant other of a player would actually wear their sweetheart's away-game jersey. This was slowly leaking out to the younger teachers at our school, but the stodgy, aging cabinet in the Board of Trustees was entirely in the unaware.
Please don't remind me, I was not donning Ritsu's other jersey. She had always been good at athletics, but she wasn't really the star of the team. Didn't stop most girls from wanting her jersey anyway. Ritsu was much too small to shove around with the meatier girls, but she was fast and wiry. She had the sliver of a chance at being the captain, but she didn't attend practices enough to be reliable to the team's gung-ho coach. It didn't really matter to me…she was adorable in her uniform. The other players were definitely more curvy in their skirted sports attire, but Ritsu always managed to look good in her lanky, boyish frame. The sleeveless top really showed off how toned and strong her arms were all over…
But wait, Sa-wacko wasn't wearing Ritsu's away-game jersey either. Crazy witch was just clad in her normal cheerleading outfit, which she totally made the skirt shorter to! She just had to tailor all her school clothes to whore. Did that mean Ricchan didn't give Sa-wacko her jersey to wear? I had had the fortune of wearing Ricchan's jersey every year before, because she hadn't started dating her next floozy of the academic year. Homecoming games were really early on in the season. She tended to start dating after warming up at school for a few months, and then by the end of the year she would taper off to almost nothing. Summer was for me, "just for fun" she would say. I never understand how Ritsu picked them, except that there were many and all short-lived. These vamps openly hated or ignored me, and it was bad enough that loud noises alone frightened me. Perhaps it was a good thing that I didn't get to wear Ritsu's jersey this year…I'd like to come out senior year unscathed. I was tired of girls always pulling down my pants in gym. I was destined to never be a bride!
Too bad most of them could identify that I was wearing her band tee. Not just the one that all of them could purchase before the show, but one of the tees that she used to perform in. When her band first started in late middle school, the band made print tees for all the members. With some slight filling out over the years, she had given me her old tee. She didn't like the feeling of tight t-shirts, so I wore it occasionally as a fitted one. It sure beat wearing my normal band uniform! That thing is hideous and embarrassing, and a bunch of my mates didn't have popular significant others or cared about sports so they were wearing it painfully…oh, but not Tsumugi Kotobuki next to me on her (not bass) clarinet. She was wearing a…full-out formal kimono? !
"Um…Mugi-san…"
"Hm, ah yes Mio-san?"
"Why are you in a…um…"
Mugi sighed to no one in general before replying, "I had to greet many of my father's business partners."
"Oh…I see…that's really quite admirable!" I bowed to her.
"No, I just didn't have any time you see…"
When I arrived home past midnight, exhausted beyond belief, I collapsed onto my bed. Our team won, yay, I guess. It didn't affect me much, because Ritsu had been on the bench during the decisive goal. Take a gander at where my eyes were. Feeling an unfamiliar article on my bed, I shot up to find Ritsu's once badly-folded away-game jersey in my hands. I felt my mouth agape and couldn't stop my eyes from watering over. I buried my face in the smooth nylon fabric and rubbed and basked in the pleasant mixture of her laundry detergent and natural scent.
I too had been in a bit of a rush like Mugi-san earlier…I had come home to quickly throw on my planned t-shirt top and jeans. I had assumed Ritsu would have given her jersey to her girlfriend, so I was none the wiser. I not once looked over at my bed during my pitstop. I really was her best friend. I sighed happily as I dashed off to take a quick shower. My decided PJs for the night would be some old shorts and Ritsu's jersey…
I awoke at 10 or so in the morning to find Ritsu perched at the side of my bed, gazing at me with big, mocking eyes. I gave a yelp and backed into the wall with a bit of an oomph, making my assailant burst into laughter.
"So you didn't wear it last night, but you wear it to bed? You're one weird girl, Mio…"
I come out of my sheets to look back at her with guilty eyes. I was about to cry again (it wasn't hard to get me started), and Ritsu looked amused with it all! "I'm so, so, so sorry Ritsu! ! I just ran into my room yesterday, I didn't see it, and I thought you'd give it to Sa-wac—"
Her hand reaches for my arm to steady my shaking. I hold my breath. "Hey, it's cool. I know you meant well," she grinned at me radiantly.
"Yo-you're not mad?" I choked out.
"Pfffft…do I ever get mad at you? Talk about role-reversal…" Ritsu sauced at me.
Relief swept over me quickly followed by realization, "What is THAT supposed to mean! ?" I bonked her in the head. "And what are you doing in my room at this time of day! ?" Ritsu vainly attempted to dodge my attacks.
"You'll become a pig if you sleep that much!"
"WHAT did you say! ?"
"A cute piggy I mean! !"
Walking the streets
With you and your worn out jeans
I can't help thinking
This is how it ought to be
Laughing on a park bench
Thinking to myself
Hey, isn't this easy?
Tonight was the Homecoming Dance, and Ritsu wasn't taking Sawako to it. It was so obvious that Ritsu was going to break another girl…it was almost cruel. But only cruel to the girls who actually had true feelings for her. Surely mine were the greatest, but no, it would be impossible to call your heart's apple, cruel. Heart's apple? No wonder Ritsu said I should never write musical lyrics…
Ritsu wanted to spend today, instead of dolling up and preparing for the dance like most girls, scaring children in the park. I was loathe to admit that it was a common activity of hers that eventually became ours. In my defense, anything was better than her spending that evil plotting on me. And it was a guilty pleasure of mine too, because it was really funny! !
We would just sit on one of the park benches, having a normal conversation. I mean, it wasn't a pretense, we would actually hold a conversation as we would always. Only, if Ritsu spotted a child or group of children without adult supervision, she would POUNCE. And scream at them. As if she was the terrified one. Chaos would ensue. These kids would do anything from scream and run, bawl on spot, pee themselves, scream "rape!"…yeah, a lot of the times we'd have to immediately remove ourselves from the scene, cackling madly down the neighborhood streets.
At the moment we were heatedly (and very ironically) discussing whether having only one child was beneficial or detrimental to development. Suddenly, Ritsu stopped prattling about "the more the merrier!" She had never let her previous prey distract her so openly, because this was too obvious, even for a child. Ritsu's cheeks grew pink, eyes still locked on target. I had to get a look at this kid, and I found myself staring at a delicate, pale looking child, her own eyes panicked by Ritsu's besotted stare. Ritsu rocketed out of her seat,
"WUUAAAAHHH ! ! ! !"
The small thing shrieked and cried waterworks immediately. She attempted to turn tail and run, but the poor thing tripped over her own…feet. Her flowered dress skirt flew up with her, and her SAILOR MOON℠ underwear was on display for all witnesses.
Rather than running away like we always did, Ritsu was by the girl's side in a second, pulling the girl's skirt over her exposed bottom. She unceremoniously picked the girl up high into the air, apologizing profusely with little head bows as the screaming girl swatted and kicked at this stranger. I ran over before the situation became stickier.
"Ritsu, geez, put the girl down."
Ritsu nodded her head at me as she gingerly placed the girl upright on her feet. The girl was too started and possibly stark-scared to move, lest we clobber her. I bent down to her level, "It's okay sweetie, that crazy lady meant no harm. You can carry on with whatever you were doi—"
"NO!" Ritsu squeaked. Her head was down, and her face was dark from a rare moment of guilt and something else… "I-I'll buy her some ice cream!"
The child chose to spoke for the first time, "…but I don't like ice cream…"
"What! ? What kind of kid doesn't like ice cream! ? Your parents beat you or something! ? 'Cause I'll rip them to pieces if the—"
"U-um, what would you rather have instead then?" I asked to the trembling child. I gave a look at Ritsu too, wondering why she was getting so worked up over the situation…
"I-I like…ah…no…ah…it's okay. I c-ca-can just go!" the little girl tried to get away again, but—
"NO!" Ritsu pointed a sharp finger at the child, freezing the poor thing on the spot. "You. Crepes! ?"
The briefest of smiles ghosted on the girl's lips before returning to her horrified expression, "O-okay!"
So the three of us walked in awkward silence to the crepe stand. I was acting as a buffer between the two, because Ritsu would just step towards the girl and she'd whimper. The girl used my thigh as a sort of crutch every now and then. It didn't help that Ritsu was wearing beaten up jeans with holes and rips. I really needed to cut some of the tension. "So…what's your name? This is my friend Ricchan, and you can call me Mio-chan."
"Ah…uh…m-my name is Azu-chan. It's nice to meet you!" Azu-chan bowed to me, "…Mio-chan." She eyed Ritsu warily. I let out a laugh.
We came up to the crepe stand, and Ritsu ordered three. She allowed Azu-chan the choice of any one first, and then Ritsu pretended to give one to me. Then she pulled back meanly and bit into the one she planned on giving to me. I pouted and crossed my arms, feeling quite left out of this…awkward situation…but soon after, Ritsu gave me the third one. It was my favorite flavor too, strawberry.
The three of us ate in peaceful silence, and I forgot that it was bizarre of us to be eating with this child we didn't know. It felt sort of…perfect. We eventually walked her over to the playground, and she explained to us that she could walk herself home. Ritsu insisted that obnoxious "NO!" again, but Azu-chan was adamant this time. Perhaps she didn't want us to know where she lived…
"Okay, confession time. What was that all about, Ritsu?" I poked her in the shoulder.
"Uh…ya know, she just looked sooo sad—"
"Didn't move you before."
"Her skirt flew up—"
"That one boy had diarrhea."
Ritsu bowed her head, and her shoulders were shaking. I could tell she would have some breakdown soon. A laughing fit. Giggles became laughs became guffaws. I had to laugh too, because that boy really had looked like a punk…
"So what was special about this kid? You blushed over her, you apologized, you bought her a crepe," I wouldn't let it go.
Ritsu sighed, looking really reticent. "She reminded me of someone…"
"Really—who? ! Almost everyone you interact with is outrageous and extraverted and rud—"
"You wound me!"
"It's true."
"She reminded me of you."
"Wh-wha-what! ?" I flushed. "How so? !" I didn't know if it was out of anger or embarrassment. Probably some sort of denial too.
"Oh come on, Mio! The hair? The Eastern doll look? The mannerisms! ? OH, the panti—"
"Shu-shut it!" I clamped my hands over my ears. "I will never be a bride, I will never be a bride, I will never be a bride…"
"She was really cute. Almost as cute as you were. You know you were my favorite girl growing up…"
I looked at her sideways, irked, "Because you could harass me to no end? Because I cry easily! ?"
"No, c'mon, Mio. It was more than that. I really liked you! That's all I knew as a kid, that I really liked you! !"
"…"
"Hey…Mio-chan. If I end up alone, because I can't find anybody…" Ritsu began. What on earth was she going on about? "—will you still be around?" Oh great, because if the earth were rid of all prospective women for Ritsu, she would finally accept me? ! "Because I hope you always will be. Will you help me raise a kid, um I mean, just visit sometimes, if I adopt one like Azu-chan?" Ritsu asked pathetically. Woo, I'm not even a possible match for her; I'm just a babysitter! And how could someone like her ever be alone? The world loves people like Ritsu.
"I thought you were opposed to only children," I snapped at her.
"Well you're an only child, Mio, and you came out—"
"Why do you always use me, Ritsu?" I looked at her straight-on, challengingly. I felt like such a tool to Ritsu. I would help her get by in school, I was the butt of her jokes, I was the loser best friend next to all of her girlfriends. It just wasn't fair.
"Because I can't do it by myself, Mio! ! I can't do anything by myself. You already know that, Mio-chan. I can't be alone. Looks like I'm getting closer to that. I'm gonna die before I'm 40."
I didn't know how to respond to that. I could only recall that she constantly reiterated as children, "I'll never date, marry or be with someone until I'm 40! !" I would ask her why, and she would explain that was when death struck people. She went on that she had already been given life's answer. I had never asked what that answer was, but I still wanted to know. Had she lost it just now?
-.-
Wow, this turned out longer than I had planned. So this will become a two-shot! Hopefully. Encourage me to finish? Thank you for reading!