Her lips were warm and soft, akin to a small fire, consuming all of the senses at every touch. The fingers she'd tangled so messily in her hair only nestled further with their next sudden kiss. As they separated for a split second, she gently moved forward to pin her to the sheets. Though she falls easily, with a burst of rare strength Ruby presses her hand to Yohane's chest just within a hairsbreadth and stops her. Breaking their kiss, Yohane pulled away and let her eyes go wide in surprise. Ruby's gaze brimmed with reluctance, apprehension locking her in place as her frown quivered.

"Yoshiko we shouldn't...do that yet."

She feebly crossed her arms over her chest, then began twiddling her fingers together. Yohane sat up completely, still straddling Ruby's waist while her hands slid to her sides. She pouted, tilting her head and knitting her brow. Nervousness creeped into her voice, now uncharacteristically soft as it nearly dipped into a whine.

"Why not?"

"We're still in school."

"Ruby this is my room."

For a good pause Ruby giggled to the sight of Yohane's sad puppy dog expression and clueless musing. A girl who valued the moment, it made her smile.

"No, Ruby means we are still high school students. Ruby...Ruby doesn't feel ready. B-but she loves Yoshiko! More than every idol magazine she's collected!"

The little squeak at the end of her words made her voice crack, and Ruby covered her mouth, wincing as she stared up into Yohane's enlightened eyes. Her lips forming an 'O', she suddenly fixated on the gloomy navy blue wall above her neatly kept bed. She lifted herself off, instead moving to sit quietly at the edge of the mattress. Resting her chin in her palm, she focused on her plush black rug, wiggling her bare toes as Ruby leaned against her shoulder. Resting her own chin there, Ruby maintained their awkward silence until Yohane dared to speak first.

"So you want to wait until after? Till, college?"

"Y-Yeah. And...when we're married."

Yohane's eyes bulged in their sockets as she whipped her face around, not taking her sights off Ruby's blushing face as she felt herself go slack jawed. Burying behind the safety of Yohane's back, Ruby clung to her arm, timidity once again wrestling for control.

"Ruby wants to be Yoshiko's bride, and, and it's another selfish thing but she wants Yoshiko to be her's too!"

The sheer effort of her declaration that overflowed with conviction shook her tiny body in the wake of its power. Immediately Yohane wrapped her arms around her and drew her into an embrace. Resting her chin now atop the girl's scalp, Yohane stroked her back, eyes still like saucers. She saw the white shiromuku, the black montsuki, their three sips of rice wine before the priest-

"Ruby was...probably too forward. Ruby shouldn't have said this so soon, it has only been some months...Ruby is sorry."

"I will marry you!"

"Huh?"

Hugging the girl by her waist she pulled back to meet eye to eye. Excitement burned red hot as it poured from her heart like an erupting volcano and made her tingle from head to toe, even her tongue. She spoke at a million miles a minute, the youthful enthusiasm others had already begun to allow so passively to fade away kicking itself to life.

"We'll get married young and live together and have lots and lots of babies! Ruby will be my wife and I'll gladly be her's. I'll spend the rest of my time with my little demon."

Ruby squealed as Yohane grabbed her hands and squeezed them tenderly. A beaming smile from ear to ear mirrored on both their faces, Ruby stunned to silence for a beat. Trailing right behind Yohane's bold statement she could feel the blood rush through her faster than she could control, her heart pounding as she fumbled for a response.

"Y-Yes! Yes Ruby will do that with Yoshiko. She'd do it forever and ever if she could."

Over and over she wanted to add, feeling the phrase dance it's temptation across her tongue, she twisted it fearing it'd make her no better than a parrot.

"For now lets just do the little things together. Like wearing our future Second Year uniforms for the first time on the same day. And passing finals and going to parfait shops plus anywhere else we'd like!"

Yohane's words flew right on the coat tails of one another, her body beginning to lightly bounce to an uppity rhythm.

"Father told me parfaits are always the best food for couples to get after school and we haven't gone yet so, lets do it. Ok Ruby?"

"Ok!"

They'd sprung from the bed to their feet, practically leaping out their skins at the rush. Sweat glistened on their pores under the bright room lights, making their clothes stick like a second skin. In unison they gasped and pointed at each other, then blushed in embarrassment.

"I'll go run the bath."

Yohane's feet thudded against the floor and rugs as she darted through the door and out of sight. Left to herself, Ruby smiled softly in the wake of her departure, lacing her fingers behind her back. She followed right behind at a gingerly pace, and began to hum absentmindedly. As she strolled down the narrow hall with its cozy lights, her ears were soothed by the sound of running water. The trails of steam were already beginning to slip through the sides of the door, up, down, and around. They tickled playfully at her ankles and shins as she kept moving, a high point being strung in her tune. Peering further, she saw the door was in fact also slightly ajar, and so she pushed it open. Sweetly she called, searching for reply.

"Yoshiko?"

"Mm! It's ready and waiting for us."

Saying this, she lifted her shirt over her head, removing the rest of her clothes in suit until even her underwear had been casually tossed aside. Ruby shyly did the same, a beet red flush dyeing her face when Yohane turned around stark naked. Though the wisps of steam made their best effort, it did no good for she saw all. Slapping a hand over her mouth, the other stuck in the hem of her skirt, she quickly lowered her eyes to the tiled floor. A short squeak burst from her lips, continuing into a peep when Yohane moved to touch her arm.

"What's wrong? Is it a fever? Is there too much steam?"

Ruby wanted to mouth that there in fact wasn't enough but held her tongue. Squeezing her eyes shut, she yelped as she shoved down her skirt and went on with removing her socks. Shirt already gone, she fumbled with the clasp on her bra, head hung while Yohane's eyes widened.

"Uh, I'll make sure the water isn't too hot!"

She scurried away, dipping a finger into the bath and letting out a pleased sigh. When she started to back pedal, she crashed against a now bare Ruby, who sheepishly tried to cover herself. Instantly Yohane's eyes bulged at the slightest peek of Ruby's tiny cleavage that seemed to scream for her attention despite the girl's hands shielding the rest. For a split second their eyes made contact and held, before they both found the wall more interesting. Making the first move, Yohane strutted toward the raised stone cube beside the steaming tub. She glanced no where else, wholly focused as she reached for soap and movable shower head in tandem. Spraying herself as she fired a jet of warm water against her skin, her lips tensed when she saw Ruby rush to mimic her from the corner of an eye. They sat silent for a drawn pause, only the sounds of scrubbing and pressurized water mingling with the weight of all that was left unsaid and clinging to the air. At last, Yohane laid down her soap, rinsing her sud covered hand then running both through her thick hair, pushing it over her shoulders. Her fingers moved to dispatch of her bun, when they brushed suddenly against Ruby's own. It made her skin crawl with goosebumps, made her heart thud violently as the steam soon instead felt comparable to a cool breeze. Bewildered, she glanced over her shoulder.

"Ruby wanted to wash your hair, it's so much longer than Ruby's. You might need help."

There was no fear now, no instilled restraint. Ruby simply gave a little smile, relishing in the soft gratitude she instinctively read in Yohane's dumbstruck, almost puppy like gaze. Slowly the girl nodded her head, then turned to face forward.

"Sure. Thank you, Ruby. If you need me to do anything that you can't just ask."

"Of course."

Placing her hands in her bare lap, Yohane shuddered as the first cold and foreign drops of shampoo fell across her scalp. In a matter of seconds however, it dissipated, mixing and blending together under Ruby's carefully diligent massaging. She closed her eyes, listening as Ruby gradually began to hum once more, content. Her heart fluttered instead of pounding, grinding closer and closer to a gentle rhythm. Her love's fingers worked magic even into the nooks and crannies behind her ears before brushing inward again under a frothy blanket. Magic. Demons. Spells and Charms. None of that mattered, not in this moment. Here she was simply Yohane, no, Yoshiko. And here Ruby was not the mistake of a crooked family for her kindness, only Ruby the girl made of the same flesh and blood as the one faithfully by her side.

A/N: This was originally published to my personal Tumblr nozomijoestar but the longer I let it marinate in my mind, it eventually made me decide to post it here. It's been a long time since I've posted here period I think. About two years or so I believe I really don't remember. But anyhow, I hate a lot of my old material, it didn't showcase enough of my actual skill as a writer and most of it was generally excessive as I was in a worse place mentally than I am now. I'm not making any promises to be here all the time now like I used to, but I guess things here and there that really do come from the heart and sense wouldn't hurt. I still do role play so if you really like my writing you can look up atruejoestar on tumblr that's my Nozomi. I also still ship all the stuff I did two years ago, but now I don't look at it with as much of the dumb shit I used to write about, especially that tail business (you Strike Witches fans know)