The day of the concert seemed to sneak up on Yoshiko, and before she knew it, the evening was upon her. She was positively thrilled about it. So hype in fact, she almost didn't notice the nervous feeling in her gut which screamed please for the love of all unholy, don't screw this up. Several hours alone with Riri at a live musical performance? It was almost too good to be true. She was determined to be on her best behavior that evening. When would life afford her an opportunity like this again? She couldn't be sure. As such, steadfast as a fallen angel could be, she declared that she and Riko would have the best (not a) date two (totally platonic) friends could have.

The train ride to the venue would quite a long one, after all, it's not like many bands were scrambling to perform in a tiny seaside boondocks town like Uchiura. It was a miracle that a group like Malice Mizer would decide to hold a concert anywhere near their humble corner of Japan; she really couldn't complain about a couple hours of train riding to get there.

Yoshiko gazed into her bedroom mirror. Her hair looked good, she'd decided to do something other than her usual one-sided space bun. She had it pulled back into something of a french braid updo thing. She was ass at doing her own hair, so begrudgingly, she'd had to ask her mom for help. The results were satisfactory though. She wasn't one to wear makeup outside of datenshi stuff but for the occasion, she'd settled on black lipstick and nail polish, dark blue eye shadow and a bit of mascara. She didn't want to look too fancy, since it was still a goth concert they were attending. So her wardrobe for the evening consisted of a simple crimson skirt, loose navy shirt, and a leather jacket. She wasn't usually too keen on her appearance but… goddamn, she looked pretty good.

She felt the need to remind herself yet again however, that this was absolutely NOT a date. There really wasn't any need to get so dolled up.

But looking herself up and down… she couldn't imagine materializing before to her favorite demon looking anything less than flawless.

Leaning over to get a better look at her makeup, her eyes caught her attention. Despite the excitement they shined with, and the makeup which made their color pop, she still couldn't help but think they looked… dull. Gnawing at her lip, she did another once over of her body. This time, not from the perspective of someone absolutely killing it with their outfit, but from the perspective of someone who barely recognized the girl they saw in the mirror. She looked good, for sure. But… she looked…

Ugh.

Yoshiko pinched the bridge of her nose and grumbled under her breath. Now wasn't the time to sit around hating herself. It was time to attend a concert damn it, and that's what she was gonna do! It was getting about time to meet Riko at the station anyways.

She forced herself away from the dark recesses of her mind eagerly began to pep talk herself. "Yohane, listen here," She whisper-yelled as she made her way to the door. "We shall board Choron's ferry across the river of styx tonight and we will arrive at Magh Meall. We will offer our souls to the music and be lost in the whimsey of the night!" She pumped her fist. "Let us swim across the Peninsula of Xora!"

She grabbed the knob and twisted it with mad enthusiasm. Tonight she was gonna leave behind all the bad thoughts and just focus on having a good time. She threw the door open and stepped out into the cool evening air.

"Yocchan!"

Yoshiko just about leapt out of her skin. Right as she opened the door, there Riko stood. She was just about to knock, if her raised fist were any indication.

"O-Oh!" Yoshiko cleared her throat, and tried to seem as not-surprised as possible to see the gorgeous redhead standing there. "Hey R-Riri."

Holy sh— give me a heart attack why don't you?, The younger girl thought to herself.

Riko offered a gentle smile and a chuckle. "You look lovely tonight, Yoshiko. I love what you did with your hair. And are you wearing lipstick?" She leaned in to get a better look, which brought immediate heat to Yoshiko's pale cheeks. The fallen angel stepped back out of instinct, but there was a door behind her, so she didn't get far. Riko continued to inspect her. "Wow, almost makes me wish I'd dressed up a bit more." Riko giggled nervously and finally took a step back. She rubbed her neck, and continued to take in Yoshiko's thought out ensemble. "You look good in leather."

There was probably a joke to be made there, but Yoshiko was too flustered to say anything but a shakey "Oh… thanks… You look great too."

Riko did, by the way, look great. She had her burgundy hair pulled back in a ponytail. Not extravagant, but Yoshiko liked the way it looked. She had on a black and white striped blouse and black skinny jeans. Riko wasn't often the sort to wear much monochrome, Yoshiko could only assume it was because the band was "gothic" she felt the need to dress darker than usual. Well… by Riko standards anyway. Cutest of all though was the piano hair clip she was wearing to pin back an unruly section of bangs. Makeup wise, she was wearing less than Yoshiko, just some neutral lipstick and maaaaybe a bit of blush.

"Er… We should get going soon." Yoshiko pointed out. She was bashful and had trouble coming up with an interesting chuuni way to say it, so she simply pointed out the obvious. "Show starts in about three and a half hours, yeah?"

"Oh, yes of course!" Riko nodded. A look of consideration passed over her face, before, oh so gingerly, she extended an arm in invitation. "Uh… sh-shall we?"

Yoshiko looked at the arm and blinked. "Ah… yeah."

She hesitated for a short moment, then looped her arm around Riko's own. Before setting off, she took a second to lock her door and appreciate the feeling of their arms linked together.

As she walked down the stairwell, Riko by her side, Yoshiko cast a glance up at the sky.

The stars were awfully pretty.

Another beautiful day…

The train ride was relatively uneventful. They'd spent the first hour of their commute talking about this and that. Riko would say something about Aqours, to which Yohane would loudly proclaim something about contracts and hellfire, Riko would remind her that they were in public, to which Yoshiko would sheepishly apologize. Their topics of conversation jumped around a bit, from music to dogs, to movies and books and games. By the time two hours had gone by, Riko had nodded off. Yoshiko's blood pressure skyrocketed when the second year's head fell to rest soundly on her shoulder, and she swore she'd ascend when Riko's lips curled into an adorably content smile.

When they finally reached their stop, Yoshiko had nudged Riko gently awake with an accompanying "Riri. Return to the mortal realm, we have a concert to attend."

Thirty minutes of walking to the venue, getting in, finding somewhere to sit, and begging a certain little demon to buy her snacks had finally led Yoshiko to excitedly await the start of the show. The stage sat at the bottom of a rather large hill, with a small standing section up front; the majority of concert goers seated on the hill. As the moon reached higher into the sky it had started to get a little chilly and Yoshiko noted how a decent number of attendees had brought blankets to warm themselves under. She cursed herself for not thinking of that, but figured it wouldn't be the end of the world.

"Still can't believe your parents would pass this up. Then again, never pegged Mrs. Sakurauchi as the goth music type." Yoshiko drummed her fingers against her legs— she was buzzing with energy.

"Ah, yeah…" Riko grinned. "Tell me about it."

A hush fell over the crowd as a subtle noise drifted out from across the stage and through the night air. It was the sound of amps revving to go. People began to chitter as anticipation built. Though at the time, her attention was dead set on the stage, Yoshiko could've sworn she saw Riko looking quite fondly at her.

Suddenly, screams erupted as the vocalist took center stage. He dropped down from the rafters, suspended by cords, dressed in lavish historical wear and painted with dramatic makeup. Everything about his appearance shouted fallen angel, and Yoshiko ate it up. His feet touched the ground, his fist raised in the air, and a spotlight illuminated his figure.

There was silence…

Everyone waited with baited breath, wondering with fierce curiosity what the legend would do next…

Few things can match the energy of a live musical performance.

The tension was unceremoniously broken; snapped like a rubber band by the first notes of Gardenia. The rest of the band was lit up by stage lights, and the audience ferociously cheered.

Beast of Blood, Gekka no Yasoukyoku, au revior, Saikai no Chi to Bara, Bel Air… just one banger after the next.

"Yocchan," Riko poked the younger girl and giggled. "Your cheeks are gonna tear apart if you keep smiling so hard."

"How could I not?" Yoshiko swooned. "Look at them!" She pointed an outstretched finger with mighty vigor down at the band. "Ah… to have their sound. I wonder what devils they sold their souls to in order to be rebirthed as sirens." She clasped her hands together and shook with glee. "Thank you Riri! Thank you for inviting me."

Riko returned Yoshiko's smile. "Don't mention it. I knew you'd like it, and I like seeing you so happy."

"Yeah?"

Riko hummed.

Yoshiko turned her attention back to the band and sighed. What she'd give to make music like this with Aqours. The other girls probably wouldn't go for it though. Even their gentler visual kei/glam rock songs were perhaps too outside the comfort zone of the less corrupt members.

Now… musical praise aside, they were a good hour into the concert, and the cold was beginning to get to her. She hadn't known the show would be held outside like this, and the blankets people had seemed more and more appealing by the minute. Even with her jacket, she had started to rub her arms for warmth.

"Cold?" Riko asked just loud enough to be heard over the music.

"Ah… A little." Yoshiko looked over to Riko, and eyed her outfit skeptically. "Are you not?" Though Riri's legs might've had more coverage, her arms were completely bare.

"I guess a little…" Riko shuffled where she sat, quickly breaking eye contact. Yoshiko could see the gears in her head turning as she thought up a solution. Though it was dark out, one could barely see a soft red blush spread throughout Riko's fair cheeks. "Er… hey… Yocchan?"

"Yeah?"

"Could I… try something?"

Yoshiko quirked a brow. "Sure?"

Riko paused for a moment longer. Yoshiko was about to open her mouth and ask what she had in mind, but was soon surprised when Riko scooted sheepishly behind her. "Riko what're yo—?" She was quickly shut up by Riko pulling her closer. She could feel Riko's body heat around her as the two huddled close. Before she knew it, she was being spooned. Riko's arms wrapped around her waist, and her body was used to support the both of them. Yoshiko choked, suddenly unable to think. Her heart raced, it beat against her chest… and she could feel Riko's heart doing the same.

"Is that… better…?" It was mumbled so quietly, Yoshiko almost couldn't hear her.

"Yeah…" Through the mess of butterflies invading her stomach and the hot red blood rushing to her face, Yoshiko forced herself to respond. "T-thanks."

The two continued to watch the show in silence.

The music was loud and the crowd was rowdy. But for some reason Yoshiko couldn't hear anything over Riko's breathing and the steady thumping in her ears. Her favorite little demon was so close, and despite the chilly night air, she felt incredibly warm.

A couple more songs came and went before either girl felt the need to break the silence between them. "Hey Yocchan?" Yoshiko leaned forward and turned around to better make eye contact. Riko grinned shyly. "I'm having a really good time."

The lights of the concert were reflected in the deep golden beauty of Riko's eyes. A soft breeze rustled her pinned back hair and a pink tint painted her face in a wonderful rosy blush. Yoshiko was taken aback by how gorgeous the second year suddenly looked. Her eyes, her smile, her hair… her lips…

Yoshiko nodded slowly. "Uh… Yeah. Same." She tried to swallow down a nervous lump building in her throat as she was drawn in further by the allure of Riko's lips. Never had they looked softer or more inviting than they did in that moment.

Heat crept up Yoshiko's neck into her face, and had she not known better, she'd say her head had begun to steam. Her thoughts began to swim, and she was pulled forward by an unknown force.

She didn't know what was happening, all she knew was that her mind screamed two things simultaneously, each thought trying to overpower the other. Stop you idiot! And God please kiss her.

And before she knew it…

She was.

Fireworks went off in her chest, her heart could have exploded. The moment was a blur and she had no clue what she was doing, but she could feel the light touch of Riko's lips against hers. It ended far too soon, and before she had the chance to comprehend her actions, it had already been done. She leaned back, head swimming and heart racing.

Riko hadn't said a thing, she simply sat there, absolutely stunned.

She didn't get a chance to say anything either, as Yoshiko's mind was quickly and violently overrun.

What the hell was that? Why?
You goddamn moron!
Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid
God how could I?
Shit
I should've asked
I shouldn't have done it at all!
She probably hated it
She probably hates you
Fuck
Fuck
Fuck

Her breathing came out in rapid, shallow breaths. Tears stung her eyes.

"I have to go!" Yoshiko shot up from where she sat. She didn't take the time to dust off or calm her panicking mind. She just ran.

She wasn't sure where she was going. She just needed to leave. She was embarrassed and ashamed.

As she was leaving, she could barely hear Riko calling her name.