AN: This takes place in season 1, between episodes 5 and 6.
Ruby fidgeted nervously as she anxiously awaited the arrival of Uranohoshi's self-proclaimed fallen angel. This was it. This was the day she would finally let spill the secret that had weighed on her mind ever since the first day of high school.
She'd thought about it, long and hard, wondering when was the right time to make the reveal. There was literally no time to say anything during class introductions, and telling her before she returned to school of her own volition would likely have driven her deeper into her shell. And anytime before her officially joining Aqours would seem... self-interested. All this, Ruby was certain of. She only hoped Yoshiko would see it that way.
The sound of approaching footsteps drew Ruby out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Yoshiko stepping around the corner of Uranohoshi's gymnasium.
Ruby gulped, but pressed onward. "Thank you for meeting me here, Yoshiko-chan."
"Sure," nodded the blunette, "You said you had something important to tell me?"
"Yes... yes I do. Will you hear me out?"
Yoshiko looked mildly uncomfortable, nervous at what this possible revelation could be. Given that this was a stereotypical setting for a confession of love, Ruby couldn't blame her. "Alright. What is it?"
Ruby closed her eyes and breathed deeply to stave off her nervous jitters. When they opened, they were filled with determination.
"Fallen angel Yohane-sama," declared the redhead, "My name is Ruby Kurosawa, and I am Your Littlest Demon!"
2 Years Ago...
"O-Onee-chan!"
"I don't want to see those anymore, Ruby. Put them away in your room." With those last few stern words, Dia closed the door with a slam as she cloistered herself in her bedroom.
Ruby sighed dejectedly, but dutifully gathered up all the school idol magazines she had spread out across the living room table and carried them away. How strange it was that only a week ago her sister had been just as excited as her to learn about the latest in school idols, yet now the elder Kurosawa sibling had practically banned such things.
Ruby could understand why, of course. Perhaps the redhead didn't understand the feelings coursing through Dia's veins, but she recognized the gravity weighing on her sister's shoulders. More than that, she recognized that her sister was hurting. Before, Ruby and Dia would retreat into the world of school idols during times of sadness or duress, retreat into their shared sanctuary from reality. But right now, school idols only caused Dia pain.
Ruby loved idols, but she also loved her sister. So for Dia's sake, she complied.
If Ruby couldn't connect to her sister with the allure of school idols, then she resolved to find a new interest for them to share.
.
Ruby tried. Oh did she try. But ever since Mari left and Kanan dropped out of school, Dia had become... colder. Distant. Stricter. Not that she was ever mean to Ruby, nor did she scold her unnecessarily, but they were never as close as when they would spend hours watching and re-watching their favorite Lives and interviews with the idols they adored. Though it saddened Ruby to contemplate, it was also, in hindsight, the push she needed to step outside her comfort zone.
And of course, it all started with fashion.
The first thing Ruby had attempted to use to reignite her bond with Dia was fashion. Women's fashion, of course; Neither sister held any fascination with men's fashions. Really, if it weren't for her father, Ruby would have thought men were just an urban myth or some sort of creature right out of a fairy tale.
Initially, Ruby had bombarded her sister's attention with dresses, uniforms, casual outfits, swimwear, and all other manner of apparel, every style from chic to post-modern to Victorian. Perhaps Dia simply needed more time to come to terms with everything, but the ravenette was not impressed. She indulged Ruby, but nothing more.
The redhead remained stubborn however, and continued diving into the massive world of fashion, unearthing and assimilating countless pieces of knowledge in her quest. Such was how she discovered gothic lolita.
Gothic lolita was something Dia disapproved of on principle, but Ruby found herself drawn to it. It wasn't quite the aesthetic she would choose to display herself, but there was something fascinating about it, something Ruby couldn't quite put a name to. She researched more and more, wondering what made it so impressive, until the day she found her answer.
This answer came in the form of a dark-haired middle-school chuuni's Neko Neko Douga stream.
.
When she first laid eyes on the self-proclaimed fallen angel Yohane, Ruby was entranced. If the clothes made the person, then Yohane's dress definitely made the fallen angel. This was what Ruby tried to define. It was a power; it was a strength; it was a declaration of independence, a way to show to the world that she was a unique individual without fear or timidity. 'This is who I am,' it seemed to say.
And Ruby loved it.
Every day after school she would rush home to catch the fallen angel's hour-long streams, doing her homework to the accompaniment of Yohane's shameless monologing. The words that washed over her were calming, peaceful even, yet strangely empowering. They kept her spirits high and her confidence filled. The redhead didn't notice it at first, but she eventually stopped asking Dia for regular tutoring. She didn't need it.
When weekend evenings rolled around, Ruby focused all of her attention on her computer screen, engrossed in whatever harebrained ritual Yohane had concocted. She followed along as best she could with her penlights, the hype sticks set to emit a fine and glimmering gray. Ruby was glad she found a use for them.
But as time went along, Ruby found that while her life was looking up, her fallen angel's life... wasn't.
Despite how enthralled the redhead was, she wasn't blind to Yohane's flaws. The blunette often talked in circles, repeating and spontaneously rehashing her imagined events and contrived ideas liberally as she recounted her daily life, and the internal consistency of her narrative was a joke. Her weekend rituals were hastily thrown together, often using whatever she found in her fridge as props. And every now and then, when the weekday streams ran a little too long, the girl's mother would call her for dinner, going so far as to barge into the room and ruin the atmosphere.
Ruby never complained about any of this, but other viewers most certainly did, and they did so with far less restraint and consideration than Ruby would have exercised.
fallen angels arent real ya stupid chuuni
OMG cringiest stream ever
git gud scrub LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!
ur trying to entertain ppl? get ur act together
this content is crap and so r u
Cut the chuuni bull crap and do something with your life
These were but a few of the comments directed against Yohane, a scant few among many. But Ruby could see they were taking their toll.
The streams progressively got shorter, shrinking in length until they only clocked in at half an hour. The rituals became less elaborate, to the point where Ruby considered putting away her penlights and just watching normally. But perhaps most sad to Ruby was how Yohane would break character, often arguing vehemently with someone in chat for several seconds before she regained her focus as Yohane.
It hurt Ruby to see her idol in such a position, so as soon as her birthday rolled around, she used the money she was gifted to create a premium account to subscribe and tip. And because she wanted to do more, she messaged Yohane, thanking her for all she did for Ruby.
Yohane was touched, and friendship blossomed.
.
Greetings Fallen Angel Yohane-sama!
I've been watching your streams for months now, and I really enjoy them! I do my best to catch every stream, even the really late night ones when my sister says I should be sleeping. Um, but I can tell that you're kinda having a hard time right now, so I wanted to offer some words of encouragement.
You've really made a difference in my life! Before I found your streams, I was a really meek, anti-social, and shy middle-school girl whose only friend was her older sister. And I guess I still am. But you make me feel better about all that. You make me feel better about myself.
When I watch you, I see someone who's unafraid to be herself. Someone who's unafraid to be different. And that makes me feel okay to be who I am, despite my flaws and defects. In a way, you've become my idol. And I have the penlights to prove it! Um, I hope that wasn't too weird...
So thank you, Fallen Angel Yohane-sama, for all that you've given me. I'll watch as many of your streams as I can, and I'll always be here supporting you from the sidelines!
Ganbaruby~!
-Your Littlest Demon
.
A reply came not a day later.
.
A Hellish Missive to Yohane's Littlest Demon,
Your earnest words of appreciation have been heard and recognized by the great Fallen Angel Yohane, and she welcomes you into her growing legion of darkness with open arms. Surely our mortal shells have both been cursed with such terrible bad luck to be so alone during these modern times, but rest assured that the great Fallen Angel Yohane shall be ever watchful over those that shelter under her accursed aegis.
The great Fallen Angel Yohane is very satisfied in knowing her lamentations have been helpful to one such as yourself, and strives to perfect her sinful arts in hopes of enacting further dark wonderment. Your heartfelt enthusiasm and understanding is most gratifying, and this success shall drive the great Fallen Angel Yohane forward despite all the naysayers and those that would stand against the rise of the legion of darkness!
Thank you, My Littlest Demon.
-Fallen Angel Yohane
.
Ruby was absolutely overjoyed. How could she not be? This was the first time any of her idols had returned her fan mail. This was the first time any of her idols had acknowledged her. This was the first time anyone outside her family had made her feel... special.
In a euphoric bout of motivation, Ruby returned to the keyboard and continued writing to her fallen angel, unwittingly igniting the spark of friendship.
Their correspondence continued for the rest of the year, all the way until both girls entered their final year of middle school. But then something happened. Something so important, something so darn near unthinkable that it completely shook up the entire relationship between them.
Ruby met Hanamaru.
For Yoshiko, this online relationship with an unknown stranger who actively sought her out every time she stood in front of a webcam was nothing short of a godsend. A small, rational part of her brain cautioned her against online strangers, but the rest of her was so relieved to have someone who fully accepted her interests and tendencies that she didn't really care. She felt wanted.
The blunette had always been an unlucky girl, but maybe, just maybe... things were looking up.
After that first hesitant exchange of messages, coupled with the awkward getting-to-know-you phase, the pair had fallen into a comfortable routine. Every day after school, Yohane would stream, being her usual fallen angel self as she added yet another chapter to the chronicles of her life story as her littlest demon took in every word. They would break for dinner, and Yoshiko would rush off into the kitchen to clear her plate. Then they would both return to their computers and chat, talking about anything and everything under the sun until the responsibilities of life separated them.
It was the happiest Yoshiko had been in years.
And that was why the blunette was so devastated when her littlest demon typed out those fateful words:
I made a friend.
For several minutes, all Yoshiko could do was stare at her screen in absolute silence.
Then she stoically typed out her obligatory response:
I'm happy for you.
...why? Why would the fates curse her with this? She had finally found someone she could open herself up to, someone she could truly cherish and call a friend, but now...
Well, of course Yoshiko knew her littlest demon wouldn't just cut her out of her life overnight; she was far too kind for that. But Yoshiko knew what would happen. Their messaging would become more infrequent, more haphazard as her littlest demon slowly sidelined the fallen angel in favor of actual human companionship. The process might take weeks, perhaps months if Yoshiko was lucky (As if!), but the end result would be the same. Her littlest demon would move on with her life, leaving Yoshiko behind in the cold loneliness of her delusions.
When Yoshiko went to bed that night, she made two resolutions. The first was to let go. Her littlest demon was precious to her, and if it ever felt like she was pulling away, Yoshiko would let her. She might send an inquiry or two, just to see if the spark was still there, but she would not be clingy. How did the adage go? If you love something then you let it go, and if it loves you then it will return. She didn't want to say goodbye, but all good things came to an end. So the fallen angel would end it on a good note, no matter how bittersweet her tears would be.
As for her second resolution, Yoshiko resolved to become more normal.
Realistically, she knew she couldn't keep up the fallen angel persona forever. Eventually her mother would run out of patience, or her classmates' bullying would escalate beyond shunning, or the constant social isolation would just drive her insane. Essentially, she was a lone pseudo-delusional girl against the world, and the odds were not in her favor.
So yes, eventually, Yohane would cease to be. And Yoshiko resolved to make this happen sooner rather than later. Better for it to be on her own terms than on the world's.
Over the next year, the relationship between these two lonely souls waned, though not to the point of nothingness.
While Ruby certainly devoted a lot of time to her new friend, and Yoshiko devoted a lot of time to trying to change herself, there was also a lot more pressure on both of them to think about high schools. Academics were more important than ever, and certain things just... fell to the wayside. Yoshiko's streaming schedule contracted as well, the blunette having cited a desire to focus on quality over quantity, which meant there was less time spent online for both of them.
The days when they could sit in front of their computers exchanging instant messages after dinner were over, their communication having transitioned into emails filled with large blocks of text received only once or twice a week.
Such was the norm for their friendship.
But then came the first day of high school.
"Ruby-chan! You look so cute in that uniform!" gushed Hanamaru with sparkles in her eyes.
Blushing at the compliment, the redhead looked down bashfully. "I think Hanamaru-chan looks cuter," she replied.
The brunette giggled but didn't refute the point. Not because she believed she was cuter than Ruby, but because she knew that an argument over which of them was cuter would get them nowhere. "Are you packed and ready, zura?" she asked.
"Almost," said Ruby. "I just need to take care of one last thing."
Hanamaru was about to ask what, but a half-empty plate of snacks caught her eye. "Ooh! Rice crackers! Ruby-chan, can I finish these if you don't want them, zura?"
"Go ahead."
Hanamaru cheered and began snacking happily on the remnants of Ruby's breakfast. In the meantime, Ruby quietly finished tapping out her message. Satisfied with the notice confirming that her message had been sent, Ruby stood and collected her bag.
"Okay Hanamaru-chan. I'm ready to go!"
As she stepped through the gates of Uranohoshi, Yoshiko couldn't help but feel that her bad luck had struck again, though in an entirely unexpected way. Somehow, despite all logical reason and rational expectation, the blunette had found herself arriving at school over an hour early.
Because of course that made sense.
Sighing at her misfortune, Yoshiko began walking the grounds, looking around for a way to pass the time. She found it in a beautiful, blossoming sakura tree. She wasn't sure if the boredom had gotten to her or if it was the high of having a brand new start, but Yoshiko soon found herself high in the tree's branches, taking in the beauty of nature and the fresh spring breeze.
Naturally, she dozed off.
She would have continued sleeping, safely nestled in the welcoming branches of an aged tree on the first day of school, were it not for the ear-piercing shriek of an overly shy girl reacting to unfamiliar human contact.
True to her nature, the fallen angel fell.
And the rest, of course, is history.
Present Day...
The two hugged tightly, arms wrapped around each other in a heartfelt embrace.
"So... does this mean you forgive me for not saying anything earlier?" asked Ruby nervously.
Yoshiko nodded. "Yeah. I'm just happy to meet you." She closed her eyes as a wistful smile crossed her face. "You know... there was a time when I thought we wouldn't be able to keep up our friendship. But now? Now we have the next three years together." The blunette released the hug as she went to gently cup Ruby's face in her hands. "And now I finally have a face to put to my precious littlest demon."
Ruby smiled bashfully and reached up to touch Yoshiko's forehead to her own. "I'm so happy we met."
"Me too," murmured Yoshiko with a smile.
The two stayed like that for a while, simply enjoying each other's presence as the sun began melting towards the horizon. Eventually, the silence was broken.
"Hey, Yoshiko-chan? Would you like to come over? I can show you the penlights I used to cheer for you during your streams."
The blunette nodded. "I'd love to."
And so they walked off into the sunset, hand in hand, linked by the red string of friendship, and one day, perhaps even the red string of love.
~END~
.
.
.
Epilogue:
Hanamaru was having a good day.
She'd won a raffle for a free loaf of bread, found another book series to read, and managed to use a computer to look up an idol video without destroying anything!
Oh, and her two childhood friends were getting along swimmingly.
Hanamaru blinked. Now that she thought about it, that was rather strange. Wasn't Yoshiko just telling her the other day how much of a social mess she was? And when did Ruby overcome her shyness? It had taken weeks for her to speak to Hanamaru without squealing.
The brunette observed her friends as they watched a clip from one of those comedic reality TV shows. While there was still a trace of lingering uncertainty, for the most part the pair were as thick as thieves.
As the video ended, Yoshiko scoffed. "Never would you ever find a great fallen angel such as myself caught in such an embarrassing situation," she declared.
"Oh? I recall a certain incident with a pumpkin that resulted in a lot of scolding from your mother," remarked Ruby teasingly.
"GAH!" recoiled the fallen angel. "I've gotten better!" she exclaimed indignantly. Ruby only giggled in response.
"Hmm... When did the two of you get so close zura?" Hanamaru wondered aloud.
Ruby and Yoshiko exchanged a look and a smile. Hanamaru knew that look; it was story time. Sure enough, they both came over and sat next to the brunette, Ruby to her left, Yoshiko to her right.
"Well, that's quite the tale," said Yoshiko. "It all started two years ago, with an amateur streamer and a really shy fashionista..."
AN: Remember in episode 5 when Ruby shows everyone Yohane's streams? I've always wondered how she knew about them, and this was the result. (This could also explain that adoring look Ruby gives her during class introductions back in episode 2, lol)
I love the idea that Yoshiko and Ruby could have been online friends during middle school. Like, wouldn't they be good for each other?