"Bye bye, have a good night!" Riko closed the door and let out a long overdue sigh, knowing that that was the last of them. Even though it was Halloween night, You and Riko decided to stay in, but with this decision came the beauty and blight of the holiday: trick-or-treaters. They expected some kids to come by but they were not prepared for the onslaught that actually occurred. Initially, You and Riko alternating getting up from the couch to answer the door but by the end, Riko just stayed by the door, the walk wasn't worth the effort anymore. Wearily, she stretched, walked back over to the couch, and landed with a thump on the cushion, laying so that her head was resting on You's lap. "I know we aren't that old, but I wish we still had that sort of energy..." You paused the movie that they'd been watching and looked down at the head in her lap, gently running a hand through the long red hair. Riko turned over and snugged her head into You's stomach, making it almost look as if she was about to fall asleep. You let out a little giggle and continued her preening. "Ya… those were the days… Say, do you remember our first Halloween together? You know, that party at Chika's?" Though You couldn't see it, Riko began blushing, as she most definitely remembered the night. "I… Of course…"
The night in question happened during their second year. The group had been working extremely hard for a while and, finally, got a bit of a reprieve. During their last practice before break, You, Riko, and Chika were sitting around, cooling off before they headed home. "Uuuugh, today's practice was so hard…" Chika groaned as she splayed herself out across roof. "You did very well Chika-chan, your form is looking great." "Ya, you did awesome!" Riko parked herself near Chika's head while You stood next to Riko. Out of seemingly nowhere, You suddenly had a confused look on her face. "Say, Chika-chan, Riko-chan, what are you guys doing for Halloween?" "That's right, it is that time of year… What do you usua-" "I'VE GOT IT!" Riko could barely stop talking and get out of the way before Chika suddenly jumped up, suddenly full of energy. "Woah, Chika-chan, what's wrong?" The orange haired girl turned around and looked at them, a fire burning in her eyes. "We'll have an Aquors Halloween party! We can do it at my house, oh it'll be awesome! I'm going to go tell everyone else!" "Wait Chika-" But it was too late, she was already off spreading her idea to everyone else. In tandem, the left behind pair sighed and looked at one another, both still marveling Chika's enthusiasm in everything.
"She's certainly eager for this isn't she…" Riko chimed, merely saying what they were both thinking. "She's always been like this, but I think this might be special for her..." At this, Riko looked puzzled, and You began to look a little embarrassed. "Ehehe… Halloween's always been my favorite holiday, with all the costumes and everything, and I've always wanted to have a big party with all my friends, but I've never had people who would do it…" So Chika-chan's really doing it because she cares about You-chan, that's really sweet. Noting that You's face seemed to be getting sadder, Riko quickly tried to brighten the mood. "Ah, You-chan, I think that the party will be wonderful! Um… how about you design a costume for me, that way you can make it even more like your dream!" The girl's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really?! You'd let me?!" Riko smiled, happy to have back the usual You. "Of course, I trust that you'll make it great!" Obviously excited, and probably already conjuring ideas, the other girl gave a salute. "Leave it to me! It'll be awesome, I promise! Yousoro!"
Over the next week, You seemed to me much more tired than usual. She was consistently asking Riko a multitude of questions, ranging from interests to her favorite animal. The week also included a very… interesting session where in You had to get Riko's measurements. Riko kept insisting that she could just get them herself, but apparently, she needed more than just the basic ones, so they decided to go over to You's house after school. To get there, they decided to hop on You's normal bus, it was just the easiest way. When the appointed day came, they walked out from school together and made their way to the bus, taking up a spot in the back. Even more so than before, You had seemed incredibly dead that day and while they carried on small talk for a short bit, Riko eventually looked over and saw that her companion was no longer awake. She's really been working hard… It kind of makes me happy knowing that some of it's for me…What brought a bit of amusement to Riko was the fact that You was most definitely not a pretty sleeper. When she fell asleep, her head had gone straight back, and now her mouth was hanging open a bit; truly, it was an elegant sight. However, a few minutes into her nap, the bus took a turn and You suddenly started sliding in her seat, right towards the wall of the bus. By complete chance (it was not chance at all), Riko saw the slide as it began and quickly grabbed the girl's uniform, doing her best to stop the slide but not wake her. To her relief, she managed to do both of those things, but she now needed some way to make sure it didn't happen again. At the insistence of a sneaky thought from her head, she, gently, took the girl's head and laid it across her lap.
Riko, although slightly embarrassed by it, was extremely content with her present situation: pretty day, (pretty) friend resting on her lap, it was such a lovely scene. That is, until something occurred to Riko. I have no idea where You's house is. Never having been there, she suddenly became worried that they would miss their stop. Do I wake her, or would she get mad at me for that? Would she be angry if we passed by it and I didn't warn her? With nothing better to do, Riko spent the next few minutes going over every awful possibility in her head, just hoping that somehow, things might work out. Thankfully, her salvation came soon, as her lap resident decided to return to the land of the living. You sat up, groggily rubbed her eyes and stretched, before coming to the slow realization of what had just happened; her face turned bright red. "A-Ah, I'm so sorry Riko-chan! I'm the worst, having you come with me and then falling asleep, I'm sorry…" Riko couldn't help but giggle at the girl's reaction. "Hehe, it's ok You-chan, I was just worried that we'd miss your stop, but you're up now, so we're ok." Hearing the comment about missing their stop, You began to look around and developed a concerned look on her face, finally looking back at Riko. "Um… ehehe… so we may have actually gone a few stops past…"
After a frantic rush to stop the bus and a long jog, they finally made it to You's house, albeit much more out of breath than they had intended to be. After they got inside, and said a brief hello to You's parents, they headed upstairs to You's room. Much to Riko's surprise, it was incredibly clean, she'd have thought stuff would be scattered everywhere, just as how the girl had seemed this week. "Ah, you stay here, I'll go make us some tea!" And with that, Riko was left in an unfamiliar room; what else would anyone do but explore? A quick scan of the room revealed a little desk in the corner, with You's bed on the opposite side, a little bin at the base of the bed, and a closet on the lonely side of the room. Not wanting to infringe terribly much into You's life, she was just going to sit on the bed, but her attention was caught by some pictures at the desk. Moving over there, she could see a collection of pictures set up on a little board. Most of them were pictures of her as a kid, be they with her family or with a tiny Chika, but the ones at the top were more recent, from around when Aquors had started. Venturing her gaze down a bit, she saw the main desk, which was incredibly clear as well, and noticed a pair of framed photos. The one on the left was another shot of her and her family, but the other was face down. With her curiosity piqued, Riko flipped it up and saw… A picture of me? A while ago, You had asked Riko for a picture to use as a contact photo in her phone, but apparently she'd also used it for something else. It was a picture that one of her friends had taken down by the beach, she had a big smile on her face. Knowing that, presumably, You had that picture constantly on her desk, Riko could feel her face turning red. However, she heard footsteps coming up the staircase and didn't have time to think of the implications. Gently placing the picture back in its resting position, she would have gotten away with the perfect crime had the wind knocked over a piece of paper that had been tucked away at the desk.
On instinct, RIko picked up the paper, and in the same moment, You walked back into the room. "Sorry about the wait, had to start from scratch. Whatca got th-" When she saw the piece of paper, her face turned red because she knew, without quick explanation, Riko would be very confused by what she saw. What Riko did see on the paper was her name, written a multitude of times and with varying amounts of fanciness to them; as expected, there was a great deal of confusion, and a bit of embarrassment, considering the picture she'd just seen. "A-ah, th-there is a reason for that, I promise!" You rushed over and took the paper, quickly placing it back on desk and moving Riko away from it. "I-I wanted to have your name embroidered somewhere on the costume, so I tried out a bunch of ways to write your name…" You ducked her head a bit as she said that, prompting the other girl to step in. "I haven't seen it, but I know this costume's going to be wonderful You-chan. Truly, thank you so much for making it." Mentioning the outfit apparently brought back to mind the real reason for their visit, so, after a moment of enjoying the tea, You had Riko stand in the middle of the room while she grabbed a tape measure. "Ok, just stand there and hold your arms out, I'll do my best to make this quick." Though Riko was certainly embarrassed with You being very close to… certain parts of her, it wasn't until the measuring of her hips that things got bad. Ever since she was little, her sides had been ticklish, she never knew why, but thankfully, no one else really knew about her weakness.
As much as she tried to brace herself for it, when You's hands brushed her sides, Riko let out a small yelp. "A-ah, sorry! Are you alright?" She took a deep breath and tried to steel herself as much as possible. "I'm ok, it's just… that area is a bit ticklish for me…" You's face took on a mischievous look at the newly acquired news, and it was then that Riko knew, she'd messed up. She quickly tried to bring her arms in to prevent the assault, but it was too late; You began to ferociously tickle Riko until she began laughing so hard she almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, her attacker was willing to be her savior, and You managed to catch Riko before anything bad happened, steadying her for a moment as she caught her breath. When Riko finally recovered, she shot a horribly dirty glare at her assailant, something which made the other girl put on a dumb smile and let out a chuckle. Knowing that she couldn't, even if she wanted to, stay mad at You, she just let out a sign and got back into her previous position. "Just… just don't do it again, please…" From behind her, the girl beamed and got back to work. "Haaaaiiiiii!" The rest of the measuring went by without any more incidents, and by the end, Riko's arms, and herself, were terribly tired. Noting the sliding door to a little patio, Riko stepped out and laid her arms across the railing, taking in the relaxing moment and the beautiful scenery.
After she'd put away the measurement sheet, You went out and joined her friend, taking up a similar positon next to her. For a while, neither of them said anything, the gentle breeze and lull of the ocean were enough to make the silence bearable. That is, until You popped a random and in no way loaded question. "Say, um, Riko-chan…" The red haired girl perked up a bit and looked at her companion who was, in turn, looking away. "Do you… do you have anyone you like? You know… like like…" The question came from seemingly nowhere and it took Riko a moment to process it. "Um, no, not particularly right now… but I suppose my heart is still open…" You laid her head down on her arms, still hiding her face, but Riko almost swore she saw a slight grin on that face. "Why… do you ask?" With all traces of her former quietness gone, You suddenly jumped up, startling Riko, and gave a salute. "Don't worry about it! Here, let's go downstairs and have a snack!" Without waiting for a reply, she rushed off the patio and back inside, leaving the other girl dazed and confused by what she'd just experienced. Why would You-chan ask me that? Did… did my response make her that excited? Does she maybe… LIKE ME? The thought got Riko a little riled up and she had to take a minute to actually think about things so she didn't draw any crazy conclusions. The idea that You had had a personal motive behind the question seemed low but she still couldn't help herself from considering the possibility. She wasn't necessarily opposed to You liking her, in fact, the thought actually made her a bit happy, but she didn't really know how to deal with these feelings. She knew she'd have ample time to think about that later, so she just put it aside for now and proceeded downstairs, presuming that to be where You went.
Upon arriving, You seemed as carefree as ever, as if nothing awkward had happened on the patio. Riko was slightly glad for the girl's ambivalence, and just went along with it, passing by some time in snacks and conversation. However, it was getting dark and Riko needed to be getting home soon, she still had some leftover schoolwork. Kindly, You offered to walk her part of the way there, an offer which Riko accepted, preferring an accompanied walk to a lonely one. The sun was just beginning to set across the bay and reflected off the sea to give everything an orange hue. The pair were predominantly walking in silence, but Riko could almost sense that You wanted to say something, she seemed drawn into herself and hesitant. "I know it's probably a bad time to ask, but do you need anything else from me?" They stopped and You looked at her with a blank look for a moment, before shaking her head and coming back to reality. "Oh, no, no you're all good, don't worry." "You-chan, is something wrong? You seem distant…" Crossing her arm across her chest, the girl looked down. "I… I'm just worried that, since I've been wanting this party for so long, something's going to go wrong… I don't want to feel disappointed, but I feel like I'm going to mess it up for myself…" She started shaking a bit, and Riko felt her heart sink, she hated seeing her so distraught. Knowing no other way to comfort her, Riko stepped over and took You in a gentle hug. "Don't worry You-chan, we'll make this party great. You're even making my costume, what could go wrong?" Stepping back, but keeping her arms on You's shoulders, the distraught girl raised her head, eyes almost on the verge of tears. "What were some of the things you dreamed about doing? Tell me and I'll do everything I can to make sure they do!"
"R-Riko-chan…" A tear or two began to well up, but, when she realized it, You quickly rubbed her eyes and tried to hide it with a smile. "I… always thought it'd be fun to do a test of courage with everyone…" Riko's smile stuttered when she heard that; she was not a fan of unknown and scary things. "O-ok, a-anything else? Perhaps, more tame?" You laughed a bit, making Riko thankful that the old You was returning. "I always wanted to just see a whole bunch of people in costumes, it seems like it'd be so fun and…" Riko thought she could see You's face turn red, but it may have just been a trick of the light. "I… I always wanted to go to a party as a date with someone…" Suddenly, the conversation from earlier came back to Riko's mind. "D-do you h-have anyone in mind for t-that last one?" With a shaken head as a response, Riko considered her response options, but she knew there was only one. "I-if you'd like, I could take you to the party…" She got further flashbacks when You suddenly came out of her somber mood straight into extremely excited. "You would, really?!" Seeing her friend back to normal, Riko smiled and affirmed. "Of course. How about I come by your house about an hour before the party? Then, you can show me the costume!" You was beaming, her excitement was almost palpable. "Yay! Sounds like a plan!"
The followings days before the party, You seemed much more energetic than she had before, it make Riko happy to see her feeling better. Before they knew it, the week was over and the day of the party was upon them. Thankfully, the forecast was good, and the weather decided to comply, bringing in warm weather and clear skies. Riko passed the majority of the day just mulling about the house, taking care of chores and some schoolwork till it was finally time for her to go to You's. Though she was excited for the day, really excited, she couldn't shake the small knot in her stomach telling her she was nervous; though they were just going as friends, the pretext of being on a date with You made her heart flutter a bit. Her excited and nervous thoughts made her feet move with quite a rapid pace, and before she knew it, she was at her destination… an hour and a half early. She considered what she could do to pass time so she didn't barge in so early, but her thoughts were cut short by a voice from above. "Ooooiiii, Riko-chan! Come on in, my mom made some snacks!" She was surprised that You had been waiting, and that she was so prepared, but the familiarity of the night comforted her a bit. She made her way through the gate and, even though she'd just been upstairs on the patio, You managed to still be there to open the door.
They lingered downstairs for a bit until, finally, You took Riko up for the big reveal. The costume was… a witch's and, while not the most complex thing in the world, it was done absolutely beautifully. The length was maybe a bit shorter than Riko would have liked, but she could see the detail and heart You put into it: overlapping layers of black material outlined by gold accents and, across the heart, her name, embroidered in gold. "This… this is mine? You made all this?" The girl looked extremely proud and stood next to it. "Mhm! I'm real proud of this one! You want to try it on?" Riko stepped up and walked around the dress, looking at all the different sides and trying to wrap her mind around all the work You'd put into it. "S-sure…" She was about to start taking off her clothes until she realized that You was still in the room, expectant to see her costume in action. "Um, You-chan, c-could you maybe leave the room so I can put it on?" Realizing the awkward position she'd put Riko in, she got a bit embarrassed and turned to go into the hall. "A-ah, right, sorry!" The first thing that Riko noticed about the dress was how utterly comfortable it was, the fabric didn't even feel unnatural, it was more like wearing a warm blanket than regular clothes. "I'm d-" Before she could even finish her sentence, You was back in the room with a flash, circling Riko and checking how everything looked. All the attention made her nervous, so she closed her eyes until she could tell that You was done.
When she did open her eyes, You had an extremely satisfied look on her face, it had obviously turned out how she wanted. However, a look of realization came across her face and she rushed over to her closet, throwing open the door and frantically searching for something. Riko was very confused by what was going on, but was finally able to figure out why the room was so clean, as she was now dodging various items that had been hastily thrown in there. "Here it is!" You said finally, pulling herself out of the depths of junk and back into the room, and in her hand was a little black witch's hat. She rushed over and put it on Riko's head then pushed the girl to a mirror on the back of her door. Riko was still stunned by her costume, and the hat added a little touch that just felt right. "What do you think of it?" You looked so excited and expectant, Riko was more than happy to boost those feelings. "I love it You-chan, it's amazing! It feels fantastic too!" The response made her jump for joy and she looked like the happiest girl on Earth. Out of nowhere though, she opened the door and pushed Riko right through it, swiftly closing it behind her. Her idol skills had made Riko much more balanced, so she caught herself pretty effortlessly, but she only narrowly caught the hat before it went flying. She was a bit confused by the sudden move but assumed that there must have been some reason, so she waited patiently in the hall, taking the time to adjust the hat so that it wouldn't fall during the night.
Before long, You opened the door once again and came out wearing her costume and it was… interesting to say the least. In a contrast to Riko's black dress with golden highlights, You's was the opposite, with a predominantly gold theme outlined in black. What made it a unique costume was the cowl of sorts that she had and what looked like a pair of cat paw gloves tied at her waist. The cowl was made of a black fabric and its edges were lined with a white, fluffy material, but the main draw of it was the pair of cat ears protruding from the top. "Um, You-chan, what… I understand you're a cat, but what made you choose that?" Putting on the gloves, You came over and gave Riko a light bump on her shoulder. "I'm not just any cat, I'm a witch's cat! What kind of witch goes around without one?" Obviously excited, she linked her arm though Riko's and began to pull them downstairs. "C'mon, my mom wants a picture and we need to get going!" Riko almost protested, wanting a minute to ready herself for the night, but she stopped herself; You was having such a fun time, and this really was her night, so why should she make them stop?
The pictures went by in a flash, and although You's mom had offered to drive them, they opted to walk and began the journey over to Chika's. "Are you having a good night so far You-chan?" The question really didn't need to be asked, as You was just one level down from bouncing off the walls, but Riko wanted to start a conversation anyways. "Yeah!" After a brief pause, You seemed to tone down her excitement for a moment and stopped, looking Riko straight in the eyes. "Riko-chan…. Thank you for everything, it makes me really happy to have you here!" Riko put on her biggest smile and nodded, taking and squeezing the girl's hand. "I'm glad you wanted me to be here You-chan, it makes me very happy." They held hands the rest of the way to the party and, to an outward observer, they really did look like a couple out on a walk. Getting closer to Chika's house, they could see that the inn was decorated in the Halloween spirit: pumpkins lining the walkway, orange lights strewn across the roof, it definitely made everything feel festive. They happened to be the first ones to arrive, so Chika had them come inside and relax, not before she commented on how great the costumes looked.
The rest of the group filed in over the course of the next little while, and once Mari and Kanan arrived, the festivities could finally begin. They started off by playing a few cheesy party games Chika had set up (You and Riko only did alright, Mari somehow whopped everyone's butts), but once that was over, it came time for the infamous test of courage. You was surprised initially when she heard Chika mention it because she didn't think she liked them (Riko had told everyone what You had asked for, aside from the date of course), but she was excited when they began. Since, more than anyone, Riko was terrified of spooky things, she held onto You's hand the entire time, occasionally hugging her tightly when a stick broke near them. Thankfully, nothing bad happened in the woods behind Chika's house, so they got through the whole endeavor unscathed. Upon their arrival back to the house, they discovered that food had been made for them, so they set the big dinner table to eat at. Naturally, You and Riko sat next to each other. As she was about to eat, Riko realized that she couldn't, she was worried that something might happen to her costume. When You noticed this, she became a bit worried, she thought that something might have happened to Riko. "Are you ok Riko-chan? Why aren't you eating?" "Ah, I'm fine, I just don't want anything to damage the dress, it's too pretty…" A smile spread across You's face as she realized that Riko was being considerate of her, so she grabbed a piece of bread from the basket on the table. "Hehe, thanks Riko-chan! You need to eat something though, so take this, don't worry about what happens." You held the piece of bread towards Riko's mouth and, not knowing what else she could do, she opened her mouth and ate it; it tasted delicious.
Before the final group event of the night, the scary movie, they decided to take a big group photo so they'd have something to remember the night by. Everyone gathered together and struck a pose, trying to make sure they could all be seen. Wanting to have the full effect of the costume, You donned her gloves and did a little kick pose while leaning on Riko, causing the latter to turn and look at the new weight on her shoulder. It was in that moment that the photo was taken, so forevermore, the red, confused face of Riko lives on in that photograph. They considered retaking it, but You insisted that they didn't, she enjoyed the current one too much. Once the mess that was the photo was done, everyone drifted into the living room, where a horror movie (Chika chose You's favorite) was ready, and sat down to enjoy one final group activity before going their separate ways for break. As expected, Riko was mildly terrified throughout the entire thing and she found herself grabbing onto You's dress and arm for the majority of the film; You just sat there smiling the whole time, she could watch that movie a million times. Riko could finally breathe a sigh of relief as the credits began to roll, and, after many hugs, the group dispersed to head back to their homes.
Since her clothes were still at You's house, and she wanted to make sure You had the best night she could, Riko decided she'd walk You all the way back to her house. They took the same route they had days prior, but instead of the sun casting a reflection across the water, the moon shone and cast everything in a bright, but warming, light. Surprisingly, the first bit of their walk went by in silence; Riko didn't want it to end that way. Grabbing at the back of You's dress, she stopped, wanting to have this little conversation at a standstill. "Has… has this night been everything you wanted You-chan? I know we didn't do that much…" You shook her head and smiled, looking off towards the water. "Ya, it's been amazing. Seeing everyone's costumes, going into the woods, it was all so fun…" She turned towards Riko. "Thank you again for doing everything with me Riko-chan, I know you didn't really want to…" It was Riko's turn to shake her head. "I had a lovely time too You-chan, I just wanted to make sure this night was perfect for you." The brief silence that followed was broken by Riko, overcoming the embarrassment and nerves she'd been feeling. "How… how was tonight as, you know… a date…" You's face turned a bit red and she began to rub her neck. "Oh, hehe, I almost forgot about that… I guess… it would have been pretty great, being with such an amazing girl through all that…"
Seizing that moment as a sort of affirmation of affection, Riko suddenly took You and cornered her into the wall, catching her by surprise. "R-Riko-chan?!" Her face turned a deep, deep red. "A date shouldn't end without… a kiss…" Riko took her free hand and placed it on You's chin, turning her head up towards hers. "Or, do you not want me to?" You's mind was going too fast for her to think of anything, so she just nodded, and with that, Riko drew her in close, locking their lips. In the moment of passion, You took her arms and wrapped them around Riko's head, bringing them even closer. Time stopped for the pair, and they stayed in that intimacy for a long time, breaking only when Riko stepped back a bit. Once again, there was silence, both of them beet red and staring into each other's eyes. "I love you You-chan." Riko's mouth almost unintentionally let that slip, but it felt right considering everything that happened. You smiled and pulled Riko back in for another kiss, providing a more than ample response to the affection. From that night forth, nothing had been able to separate the pair of lovebirds.
Stretching, You realized that she'd fallen asleep on the couch, the lights were still on and everything. Looking down, she could see that Riko was still nestled into her chest, her body curled up and her head in You's stomach. Being as delicate as she could, she got up and picked Riko up in her arms, quietly walking into their room and placing Riko in bed. After she went around and turned off everything in the house, You was about to get into bed until the moonlight drifting in from the window reflected on something, catching her eye. Walking over to her desk, she picked up the object in question: a picture frame. She smiled at the irony of the situation, she'd been so tired that she forgot this was here. On her desk, You always kept 3 pictures: the same two that she'd had back in high school, and the one she was holding, the group photo they'd taken that night. Seeing the goofy but adorable face under that hat, she looked over at her lover, who was now ungracefully sprawled across some of the sheets, and smiled, thinking about how lucky she was to have her. Placing the picture frame gently back in its resting place, You crawled under the covers of the bed. Snuggling up close to Riko, she placed a light kiss on the girl's cheek, eliciting an unconscious smile from the unconscious redhead, and pulled her into a gentle hug. Though they didn't know it, they both ended up dreaming about that Halloween night, both thinking about how happy they were that they'd been brave enough then so that they could be so happy now.