Author's Notes: This is dedicated to Ritsu's birthday. And yes, characters might seem a little OOC, but I really like this close friendship Mio&Ritsu share, especially when they're alone. :3
DISCLAIMER: K-ON!(!) belongs to Kakifly.

Chapter 1.

A tawny haired girl stopped walking. Just as predicted, the footsteps behind her abruptly halted. When she turned around, she realized she was the only one on the street.

Ritsu shivered, rubbing the goose bumps on her arms. She was sure of her hypothesis.

She was being followed.

Since morning, Ritsu had felt someone had been watching her every move.

At first, she had thought it was just her imagination, or maybe even a prank.

Ritsu resumed walking, trying to act as casual as possible. She could distinctively feel another presence loom nearby. A foreign but familiar pair of footsteps echoed after hers. Biting her lower lip nervously, she recalled how she had heard the same repeated footsteps since she left home.

Unnerved but inquisitive, Ritsu decided to end the chase. Firstly, however, she had to get out of their sight.

Ritsu ducked into a public restroom, briefly wondering if her stalker would follow her in. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate that it was empty, she couldn't decide.

The footsteps had paused. It seemed that the owner of them preferred to stay out of sight and wait for her outside instead.

Stroking her chin thoughtfully, Ritsu wondered what she should do. A bucket filled with dirty water up to its rim with a mop sticking out by the sink made a mischievous idea spark.

Grinning evilly, Ritsu looked up at the roofless ceiling. This restroom was new, and still under construction, thus missing the ceiling.

Perfect.

Scrambling into a cubicle, she recklessly climbed on the closed toilet seat cover and peeked over the wall.

A man in dark shades and an expensive looking suit was suspiciously loitering outside, at the corner of the small building, with his back against the wall. He seemed careful of his distance, and was tapping his foot impatiently, occasionally glancing at his watch and the entrance of the restroom.

Ritsu beamed happily. Grabbing the mop and the bucket, she dragged them into the furthest cubicle in the corner, estimating that the man should be exactly right over the wall.

Climbing on a different the toilet seat this time, she grunted as she lifted the heavy bucket. Positioning the bucket right over the man's head, she smirked mercilessly and tilted its contents.

The man yelped in surprise when he felt cold water splash upon him.

Ritsu leaped off the toilet bowl and sprinted out of the small building, with the dripping wet mop in hand.

When the man realized that she had noticed him, he tried to flee.

But his efforts were in vain as Ritsu had expected that and came prepared. Flinging the wet mop as hard a she could, javelin style, she aimed for the soaked man's retreating back.

She grinned victoriously when the mop hit her target, causing the man to lose his balance. He flailed his arms wildly before crashing down, face first.

Ouch. Ritsu winced a little at the fall. Grabbing the mop off the ground, she cautiously approached the man. Using the end of the mop, she rolled the groaning man over and poked his cheek.

"Oi, mister. Why are you following me?"

The man grimaced and rubbed his forehead. He didn't reply.

"Don't ignore me!" She started jabbing the man's chest with the mop.

The man finally responded. "Ugh... You sure are a daredevil, kid."

"Who are you?" Ritsu demanded.

The man fell silent again, as if thinking of what he should say. Finally deciding on a safe answer, he mumbled, "Keep this up, and you're going to be late to Sakuragaoka."

"Huh?"

"You heard me."

A distant bell chimed, as if to prove his point.

"Damnit!" Ritsu glanced at the direction of her school, and back at the man on the ground again. Deciding that he wasn't worth getting detention, she ran off but not before giving a warning.

She waggled her index finger. "Remember this, mister-whoever-you-are, you won't wanna mess with Tainaka Ritsu."

Arms crossed, a raven haired girl tapped her fingers impatiently. When a panting Ritsu finally came jogging into her view, she demanded, "What took you so long!"

Ritsu slowed to a halt as she reached Mio and hunched downwards, palms on her thighs as she tried to suck in as much oxygen as she could. "Something came up," she huffed.

"What did?"

Deciding that she had recovered from her little break, Ritsu grabbed her friend's hand, and dragged Mio forward. "Long story, come on!"

A sudden disturbing question almost made Ritsu trip while she was running.

How did the man know which school she goes to?

Ritsu sighed, exhausted. Her day had started really strangely, which caused Mio and her to miss the bell and late for school. Her attempt to sneak into class unnoticed had failed miserably when Yui unintentionally gave them away.

Then the day got weirder when she felt multiple presences watching her.

Hopefully it was just her imagination, she's probably just paranoid from the first encounter.

Twisting the knob of the front door of her house as she kicked off her shoes, she called out, "I'm... Back?"

Her auburn eyes widened at the chaotic scene in front of her.

"Lies!" her mother raged, her back facing Ritsu. "Get out of my sight!"

"...Mom?" she asked uncertainly, wondering if she was at the right house.

"Ritsu!" Her flustered mother whirled around, her hands waving around agitatedly. "You're back! How long have you been standing there..?" Her words trailed off nervously.

Her confused auburn eyes glanced at her father, who was pacing around in endless circles, hands clasped behind his back.

Ritsu recognized that action immediately. That was one of the traits she had inherited from her father, and would do the same when stressed.

"What's up, mom?"

When she finally realised that her parents weren't alone, Ritsu's jaw dropped. "You-!"

It was the same man from this morning.

Except he was dry this time. Ritsu smiled to herself, feeling accomplished.

He nodded curtly. "I didn't introduce myself last time. I'm the lawyer of the Wakaoujis. I've been asked to send you home."

"I won't allow that." Her mother stated firmly, hands on her hips. "Wait, you two have met before?"

"Ah yeah, he-" When their words finally sank in, she instantly lost interest in explaining how she had met him and demanded instead, "Wait, send me home..? But I am home."

The lawyer shook his head. "I'm afraid you have no choice, madam, but to comply-"

"I don't have to comply anything."

"But she doesn't belong here-"

"You have no proof."

Ritsu watched the heated argument continue, frustrated that both sides refused to answer her.

"But I do, madam. In fact, I have the documents right here-"

"Documents smocuments. I'm not going to let you take her because of some puny paper."

The man sighed irritably, clearly exasperated from being interrupted every mid sentence.

"You understand that what happened was an accident, madam. She's not supposed to-"

"I've raised her since she was born!"

"What the hell is going on?" Ritsu exploded impatiently, hoping to finally get some answers.

Everyone cringed at the sound of her voice; and an awkward silence followed.

The man opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again when Ritsu's mother shot a deadly glare at him.

Ritsu turned to her mother impatiently. "Mom?"

Her mother twitched uncomfortably at Ritsu's attention. The poor lady looked quite at a loss of words herself, and just stared at her toes.

"Dad?" Pleadingly, this time.

He stopped pacing, and smiled sadly at his daughter while shaking his head.

Ritsu nodded mutely, at a loss.

The lawyer frowned sympathetically, ignoring the mother shooting looks that could kill and tried to hint Ritsu of the situation.

"Kid, I'm afraid you've been with the wrong family all this time."

"What?" Ritsu felt an incoming headache coming on.

"You keep your lies to yourself," Ritsu's mother spat.

Ritsu finally understood why her mother was so vicious. Since young, she had learnt that her mother would easily become defensive and refuse to accept the truth she doesn't want to hear.

"Listen lady, your daughter deserves to know the truth-"

"I don't have to listen to any of your crap," she hissed. "And my daughter deserves a family who loves her."

The man flinched a little, and tried to hide his discomfort by straightening his black tie. "Madam, it's not my place to-"

"Get your documents and your ass out of my house."

Ritsu watched as her mother literally pushed the man out their front door. Never has she seen her mother so hostile in all the sixteen years of her life.

The front door slammed shut, and she could hear her mother yelling at the man to never come back.

Chaos. Her thoughts were racing so fast, yet her mind was blank at the same time, refusing to take any information in. She just wanted to get away.

The first person that came to her mind:

Mio.

Ritsu ran up the stairs, and into her room, stuffing extra clothes into her school bag. She slammed her door shut and sped past her mother, who was standing next to the front door. Yelling out in a falsely cheerful voice, "GonnagoseeMioI'llbebackseeyoulaterbye!"

"Wait, Ritsu!"

But tawny haired girl didn't want to stick around. Yanking the front door open, Ritsu came face to face with the man, who refused to leave.

Instinctively, she ducked under his outstretched hand that was about to knock on the door and sprinted away madly.

She didn't look back.

The lawyer broke into a chase after her.

"Don't you dare touch her."

There was a menacing tone in the voice of Ritsu's father, even though the man himself was expressionless.

The man in the suit jerked to a stop, deciding that it probably wouldn't be the wisest move to chase after Ritsu.

"I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but..." His words trailed off. "Have a nice day." Ritsu's father bowed stiffly before retreating into the house and shutting the door softly after him.

Ritsu's mother glanced at her husband, anxiety etched on her face. "Shouldn't we go after her?"

Breaking into a half hearted smile, he tried to hide his worry and spoke as confidently as he could. "Give her some time. Besides, she's with Mio... She'll be alright."

Wrapping his arm around his wife's waist, he pulled her into a gentle embrace. "She'll be alright," he repeated, softer than before.

But this time, doubt had crept into his words.

Wheezing slightly, Ritsu slowed to a jog once she recognized Mio's street.

Ritsu didn't understand why she ran. She didn't know what triggered her to make her run off at the first place.

Mentally chiding herself for letting her impulses take over and over exaggerating, she convinced herself it was probably a misunderstanding.

Or was it?

Although it wasn't direct, the words that her mother had been trying to deny so badly... It wasn't hard to piece the hints together.

'She doesn't belong here...'

The flashback made her stop abruptly and clench her fists.

Since young, she had always wondered if she was adopted.

Ever since she could speak, little inquisitive Ritsu had constantly bombarded her parents with questions, such as why she was the only one in the family with tawny coloured hair.

They seemed unsure of where she got her traits too, as neither parents had the same hair colour. But in the end, both her parents had reassured her that she got the features from her grandparents.

Looking back now, her grandparents' hair colour seem a tone off from hers.

'I'm the lawyer of the Wakaoujis. I've been asked to send you home.'

Home? Then she couldn't possibly be an orphan.

'You understand that what happened was an accident, madam. She's not supposed to-'
'I raised her since she was born!'

An accident? Was she the accident? Ritsu felt sick to the stomach. Was that the reason why her mother had been so defensive?

Is she a product of a spontaneous one night stand?

Ritsu was disgusted. No, not at her mother. She would love her mother regardless.

No, Ritsu felt disgusted at herself.

'Kid, I'm afraid you've been with the wrong family all this time.'

The last sentence made Ritsu felt like the world around her had stopped.

Tainaka Ritsu had never felt so small.

No, she probably wasn't a Tainaka anymore. She smiled vacantly. She couldn't imagine herself with any other surname.

Ritsu shivered involuntarily, and looked down at her hands.

So all this time, she was never who she really was?

Who is she?

Aiming a kick at a small, crumpled empty can by her foot; she missed it and ended up kicking the cemented pathway instead. Wincing at the backlash of the kick and her throbbing toe, she mentally slapped herself. She had to get a grip. Besides, it was unnatural for her to delve in her thoughts too intensely. Forcing herself to take in a deep breath, she looked around and realised that she had overshot her destination by a whole street.

Feeling like an idiot, she grumbled under her breath and spun around. She sighed exhaustedly, deciding this must be the reason why she rarely thought deeply.

Mio's house soon came into sight.

Composing herself, she forced her usual grin to replace her troubled frown and rang the doorbell.

The door opened immediately, much to her surprise.

"Ah, Ritsu." Mio's mother greeted her warmly. "I thought I heard someone outside."

Ritsu smiled. She had visited the Akiyama household countless times, thus considered it her second home.

"Come on in," she stepped aside, inviting Ritsu to enter. "Make yourself at home, hon."

Ritsu playfully saluted her. "Yes madam!"

"Yes, yes." The older woman chuckled in amusement and ruffled Ritsu's hair. "Staying for dinner?"

"Hmm, probably. If it's okay?"

"Of course, sweetheart. We're having sukiyaki tonight."

"Ooh, can I help?"

"I'm sure you didn't come all the way here to help me prepare dinner," the older woman teased. "Mio's in her room," she informed, before shooing Ritsu up the stairs.

The tawny haired girl bounded up the stairs eagerly, two steps at a time.

"Miooooooo!" Slamming the door open, Ritsu dramatically burst into the room. "Tainaka Ritsu is home!" she announced smugly.

Mio sweat dropped, but didn't look up from the book she was reading. She seemed to have expected Ritsu barging into her room. "Can't you ever enter normally?"

"Eh? But that'll be no fun." Ritsu pouted childishly.

"At least I can tell when you're coming."

"How?"

"There's no way you'll surprise anyone by the way you charge up the stairs."

"Spoilsport."

Ritsu plopped down on the bed, next to Mio, feeling at ease and troubles vanish just by having Mio's presence nearby.

Mio rolled her eyes, her attention still fixated on her book. "Says the person who fell up the stairs. "

Ritsu shuddered slightly from the memory. It wasn't exactly her definition of fun. "You gotta live a little!"

"Oh, I intend to. That was my plan from the start."

Realising that her words had backfired, Ritsu decided not to answer and stuck out her tongue.

"So, why'd you suddenly drop by?"

Ritsu paused, but shrugged. "Just bored, I guess."

Mio looked up from the manga and raised an eyebrow. "Really now?"

Ritsu immediately got defensive. "Don't I always come here when I'm bored?"

Mio raised her other eyebrow, and carefully slipped a bookmark in between pages before putting down the book. "And when you're troubled, upset or angry."

"What makes you think I'm any of those?"

"When you're bored, you usually come on short and impulsive visits. However," she nudged towards the bag in Ritsu's hand, "You even packed extra clothes, implying that you had planned to stay the night."

Ritsu just stared at Mio, mouth slightly ajar.

"What!" Mio asked, starting to look a little flustered; wondering if she had said too much.

Ritsu shook her head, smiling. "Nothing. Just thinking of how only you would be able to read me like that."

Mio shrugged nonchalantly. "You're easy to read, especially with your forehead."

"Is that an insult? Hey, don't drag my forehead into this!"

"It's hard not to, especially since it's so big."

Ritsu puffed proudly. "I know you're jealous~"

"Jealous of your forehead? Oh please."

Smirking cheerfully, Ritsu countered, "Oh yeah? At least I don't have gigantic hands."

Shooting the shorter girl a glare, Mio grabbed a pillow and smacked Ritsu on the arm.

"Oho, you should know better than to challenge me to a pillow fight, Mio~" Ritsu grinned impishly. "I always win."

"That's because I go easy on you."

"Hah! It's on, like King Kong playing Ping Pong!"

Mio shot her friend a questioningly glance.

Ritsu shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, it rhymed."

"You're weird."

"Being normal's boring."

Mio smacked Ritsu with the pillow again. "You aren't supposed to be proud of that!"

Ritsu lunged for the pillow. Mio has expected this, however, and sidestepped. Ritsu overshot her target, and bounced off the bed before landing on the floor with a grunt.

"You cheated," she accused.

"I didn't do anything!"

"You moved!"

"I have the right to move!"

Ritsu harrumphed and crossed her arms. Suddenly, her eyes widened. Pointing behind Mio's shoulder, Ritsu whispered, "Behind you..."

The dark haired girl froze rigidly at Ritsu's horrified expression. She looked torn between curiosity and fear, as if she couldn't decide if she wanted to see what was behind her.

Her curiosity got better of her, and she turned, ever so slowly.

"...Eh? There's nothing- Ack!"

Mio was tackled abruptly, and pushed facedown.

"I win," Ritsu declared, climbing back on the bed and claiming her throne by siting on Mio's back. Ritsu had balanced her weight onto her knees that were propped by Mio's sides, careful not to apply pressure and crush the girl below. "And I didn't even need a pillow."

Mio let out a groan, muffled by the bed sheets. "I can't believe I fell for that again."

"Too easy, Mio-chuan~"

Mio let out a defeated sigh and decided to just surrender and relaxed on the bed. "Ne, Ritsu."

"Hmm?"

"What happened?"

Pretending not to listen, Ritsu started playing with Mio's hair.

"Soft," she mused, and attempted to braid the dark tresses.

"Hey, don't try to change the subject."

"Mm," Ritsu murmured absentmindedly, absorbed in trying to remember the steps to braid.

"Oi." Mio rolled to the side, to get Ritsu off her back. Sitting up, she reached for a small mirror and delicately touched the slightly messy braid, but a braid nonetheless. "You're getting better."

Ritsu frowned, assessing the final result. "Not there yet, though."

"Last time, you ended up tying my hair in a knot."

"That's cause the instructions you gave me were confusing!"

"Are you trying to blame me now!"

"Maybe~"

"I spent an hour trying to untie it," Mio mumbled grudgingly.

Ritsu scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Whoops?"

Mio sighed again.

"Ya know, you'll get a wrinkle every time you sigh."

"What! That doesn't even make sense. Where did you hear that from?"

"Can't remember."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Am I becoming too predictable?"

"You always were."

"Nuhh! Okay, what am I thinking of now?"

"Hmm," Mio mused thoughtfully. "Well, I know you're upset over something and trying to avoid bringing it up with me."

Ritsu twitched, before mumbling weakly, "Well, I was actually thinking of the colour grey..."

"Seriously, Ritsu. What's up?"

Attempting to joke to lighten up the situation, she meekly answered, "The ceiling?"

"Harhar."

Ritsu's shoulders dropped in defeat, knowing that her best friend wasn't going to let the matter go until she answered. She looked away, unable to meet the stormy grey eyes. In a distressed and quiet tone, she mumbled, "I don't know, Mio. I don't know."

The sight of her usually cheerful friend confused and pained made Mio regret asking. However, she knew how bottling up painful secrets and grieves were unhealthy. Deciding not to pry until she was ready to tell herself, Mio took Ritsu's hand into hers and squeezed it comfortingly.

Ritsu gave a small smile and squeezed back.

Without warning, Mio plucked Ritsu's headband off.

"Hey! What was that for?"

Mio inspected the headband in her hand. "Is this thing too tight?"

"Eh?"

Mio smiled in amusement. "Nothing." Walking over to her study desk, she grabbed a simple hair tie. "Come here," she ordered firmly, patting the chair.

Obediently, Ritsu did as told.

Seconds of silence was broken when Ritsu protested, "No way!" while staring at the tuft of hair sticking out above her forehead, like a horn.

Mio tilted her head sideways. "Really? I think it looks cute."

"I look like a unicorn!" Ritsu complained.

"You prefer looking like a pineapple?" Mio had already tugged the tie off and was effortlessly tying the usual little ponytail Ritsu preferred. "There."

"…Thanks."

Mio hummed softly. She knew that wasn't the only thing Ritsu was grateful for. "Whenever you're ready, remember: I'm here."

For the first time that day, Ritsu couldn't help but to grin genuinely.

Mio sighed in relief. "You finally smiled."

Ritsu's grin grew wider. "Yeah, you do that to me."

Mio smiled down at Ritsu, her expression vaguely pained. Ritsu had fallen asleep with her head on the bassist's lap, while Mio had continued reading. She still felt slightly hurt that her childhood friend had chosen not to confide at her troubles with her. Ever since they first met, Ritsu would always speak her mind without faltering. Ritsu's hesitation made Mio feel somewhat uncomfortable. This had to be a serious issue.

Maybe she's pregnant?

Mio shook her head frantically, embarrassed at her own thoughts. Deciding not to think too much, she closed her book shut. Gently, she eased Ritsu's head upwards before substituting her lap with a pillow. Ritsu let out a soft unhappy whine at the sudden movement, but didn't awake.

The dark haired girl smiled at the cute sight and watched Ritsu snuggle closer against the pillow. She walked over to the table and started tidying up stacks of books and magazines that the tawny haired girl had used to drum on. Mio knew that whenever her friend was upset or stressed, which rarely happened, Ritsu would unconsciously release steam by drumming to her heart's content. Correction: Ritsu would unconsciously bash up the drums until her arms were too tired to continue.

Mio frowned as she recalled Ritsu smashing the piles of books mercilessly with her drumsticks, with her eyebrows scrunched up in concentration. Her index finger lingered on the inwards dent in the centre of the topmost hardcover book. She sighed, too exhausted to go downstairs and drag the spare futon all the way back up.

Switching the light off, Mio carefully felt her way to the bed. The soft shimmering light of the full moon flowed through the open window, providing enough luminosity for her to distinct the shapes and shadows around her. When she reached the bed, she gently tugged Ritsu's hair tie off, releasing her tawny bangs to cascade over her forehead freely.

Ritsu had fallen asleep on the edge of the bed, so Mio had to crawl over the sleeping figure cautiously to get to the other side of the bed which was against the wall.

Once comfortable, Mio ensured that both were tucked warmly under the blanket before leaning over to Ritsu and ruffling her soft tawny locks affectionately.

"Sweet dreams."