Also on Tumblr and Ao3 under Shiny_the_Strange. Enjoy!
"Oi, Riri! Come with me, Yohane has a surprise for you!"
Riko gulped. 'Surprise' and 'Yohane' in the same sentence never ended well. "Please tell me it isn't something scary, like that time you tried to summon a demon for me, or when you gave me that dog's skull…"
"Fear not. It's much better," said Yoshiko, looping her arms beneath Riko's armpits and over her shoulders. She placed her hands on Riko's eyes. "Don't peek until we get outside!"
Sucking a breath back, Riko momentarily shivered at the contact. Her heart began to beat faster. Yoshiko was close. Very close. So close that Riko could feel her breath on her ear. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
Chuckling, Yoshiko began to lead Riko out of the room. "You'll see, little demon. You're going to love it."
As she was directed outside, Riko reminded herself that even if it was something incredibly strange or frightening, Yoshiko had done it for her sake. Yoshiko had given Riko the dog skull to help her get over her fear of the living animal, and she attempted to summon a demon so that it might devour Riko's stage fright.
It was rather sweet, in an odd manner.
At this thought, Riko tried to concentrate on the feeling of Yoshiko moving against her. Her body warmth provided a sense of comfort, considering that whatever was coming next would likely be unpleasant. Despite Yoshiko's quirks, Riko often found herself wanting a closeness – physically and mentally – between the two of them. By now Riko knew Yoshiko enough to know that beneath her Yohane persona was a sensitive girl who just wanted companionship. Several times did she imagine them cuddling up on her bed and simply lying there together, sometimes after a little bit of mischief. It was a desire she'd harboured for quite some time now. The lengths Yoshiko would go to, just to try to make Riko happy, made her wonder if there existed any possibility of these feelings being requited…
Before long, a cool breeze tickled Riko's arms. Removing her hands from Riko's eyes, Yoshiko came to a stop. "Behold the new Yohanemobile. What do you think?"
Blinking, Riko did a double take.
A black motorcycle, decorated with painted flames, sat in front of her. Not only that, but if the Harley-Davidson symbol emblem on its side was any implication, it was an expensive motorcycle. Not that Riko had any expertise in motorcycles; she only recognized the brand and its prestige because she'd seen it in a comic she read once, where a girl had rescued her favourite idol from a mob of crazy male fans. Eventually the idol and her saviour developed a relationship and later moved to Canada to get married. Riko told herself that it was a silly, unrealistic thing to think about, but seeing the chopper in front of her made her want something similar to happen between herself and Yoshiko.
"Riri, it appears that your blood is trying to burst through your cheeks."
"I-Is it?" Riko touched her cheek; it was hot. Oh dear. Quick, change the subject! "A-Anyway, your bike, it…"
"Yes?" Yoshiko's eyes glimmered, making Riko's heart thump.
"It looks so you," said Riko. She chuckled. "So, what does this have to do with your surprise?"
"Well…" Yoshiko put her arms behind her back and stared at the ground. "I was thinking, if you liked it, maybe Yohane could take you on a ride?"
"A ride? You mean, with me on the back of it?" Didn't that mean Riko would have to hold onto Yoshiko if they were going at high speeds? Riko resisted the urge to cover her face.
"Y-Yeah." Glancing up at Riko, Yoshiko's cheeks were scarlet.
"O-Oh..." Somehow, Yoshiko seemed to genuinely want to take Riko out. "This isn't another attempt to get me to go to some dark ritual, is it?"
"I swear it's not!" said Yoshiko, waving her hands. "For once, we won't do that today. I was thinking of going through town or down by the beach or something. You know, something I think you'd enjoy more. T-These are not typical activities of a fallen angel, but no longer can I resist the unending passion I feel around you."
Something Riko enjoyed more? Unending passion? Did that mean…? No, surely she couldn't have meant something romantic. But then, what could she have possibly meant? Riko's lip trembled as she responded: "Y-Yocchan…what do you mean?"
"W-What I mean, Riri, is that I—"
"Found you!" suddenly came a voice.
Riko turned rapidly; Mari was standing right behind her. She'd been so caught up in Yoshiko's surprise that she completely forgot that Mari was still around. "M-Mari-san? You're still here?"
"Of course!" said Mari, in English. "We didn't say goodbye yet!"
"Couldn't you have picked a better time?" cried Yoshiko, becoming redder by the second.
Sticking her tongue out, Mari said, "Sorry!"
As they said goodbye, Riko could barely hear anything over the sound of her pounding heart. It was almost like— no, this was Mari here. She absolutely knew something. Something that Riko didn't know, something that perhaps only her other two subunit members knew. She didn't want to jump to conclusions, all things considered, but it was starting to seem possible that Yoshiko really did feel—
Her thoughts were cut short as she watched Mari climb atop the motorcycle. "M-Mari-san?"
Pulling some keys out of her pocket, Mari looked at Riko. "Yes?"
Wait a minute. Mari had hopped on like she'd done in many times before. She had the keys. The motorcycle was expensive.
The realization slapped Riko in the face. Suddenly things made more sense. But why would Yoshiko…? "Oh, never mind, it's nothing."
Mari nodded. "Alright then. Don't get into too much trouble without me. See you later!" she said, saying 'see you later' in English. She revved the motorcycle up and drove away.
As Mari rode off, Riko clenched her fists. A headache began to form. She shot a glare at Yoshiko. "Yocchan, why did you lie to me?"
Yoshiko's eyes widened. "H-Huh? I didn't lie!"
"What do you call that, then?" Riko thrust a finger in the direction Mari left.
"That's Mari-san going to hell!"
"Why did you pretend her motorcycle was yours?"
"What? No! I wasn't pretending anything about the motorcycle! I was talking about that!" said Yoshiko, pointing at the ground.
Riko moved her gaze to where Yoshiko pointed. A grey bike with little sharks and devils messily painted on lay on its side, a plush cat sitting in its basket. In addition to its regular seat was a brand-new looking passenger seat. The bike itself looked rather beat up with the dents in its sides, but still functional.
Unclenching her fists, the pain in Riko's head instantly melted away. That was Yoshiko's bike without a doubt. "Hold on. You mean to tell me that this entire time, you were talking about this bike?"
Yoshiko crossed her arms and looked away. "D-Do you not like it?"
Giggling, Riko couldn't help but grin. "You're so weird, Yocchan. I love it."
"Me being weird or the bike?"
"Both," said Riko, taking Yoshiko's hand. "Also, I'm sorry for thinking you lied."
Yoshiko pulled her closer. "It's okay. B-But Riri, I need to tell you something before I freak out and lose my nerve."
"Oh? What is it?" Riko held her breath.
Meeting Riko's gaze, tears began to form under Yoshiko's eyes. "I think…you…Yohane thinks…oh, screw Yohane! Riri, I like you! I like you a lot! Not as a friend, but as…!"
Some tears of Riko's own began to form. "D-Do you really feel that way about me?"
"Yes, really," said Yoshiko. "I-I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't. It's not that the great Yohane knows fear—"
Before Yoshiko could say another word, Riko pressed their lips together. Though Yoshiko's mouth froze at the contact, it didn't take long for her lips to start moving with Riko's. It was sloppy as hell, most likely due to the fact that neither of them had really kissed anyone before. Even so, Riko was completely in love with the kisses. Finally, after all this time, she could do what she'd wanted for so long. And, if the rapidly increasing vigour of Yoshiko's kisses was any indication, it was something both had anticipated for quite some time.
Though she wished it would never end, Riko pulled away first. She smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I should've let you finish what you were saying."
Yoshiko smirked. She snickered as she went over to her bike and set it upright. "The great Yohane forgives you for your sin. After all, I was first cast out of heaven for mortal sins much like the ones we have committed here today. Just promise me we'll do it again soon."
Kissing again? As if Riko would say no to that! "I think that can be arranged."
Sitting on her bike, Yoshiko patted the passenger seat. "S-So, do you want to come with me?"
Riko climbed onto the passenger seat and put her hands on Yoshiko's waist. "Yes, I'd love to."
With that, the bike made its departure.
