Back to beautiful
"The next participant is number 6, Miss Riko Sakurauchi. She'll be performing..."
Riko goes out on the stage with firm step and head high, determined. She bows elegantly to the audience, her gaze searching for her friends, especially for a blue haired girl.
As soon as golden and magenta meet, Riko lets out a relieved sigh and proceeds to sit down on the piano bench to play.
She takes a deep breath to calm herself down, her trembling fingers resting on the piano keys briefly before she starts playing.
The first piece goes smoothly, although with some tiny barely noticeable mistakes, but when Riko reaches the second piece, she starts to feel an irrational fear taking over her.
Her hands start to tremble again, hardest this time, and her mind ends going blank, suddenly forgetting the score and the notes she should play next. And then, she abruptly stops playing anything at all, completely paralyzed by fear.
Soon enough, she starts to hear the people in the audience begin to whisper, wondering why she stopped playing until their whispering gets so overwhelming that obliges her to abruptly stand up, rashly bowing to the audience before running away from the stage back to the inside, ignoring the people of the competition she passes by asking her if she's okay.
She can still hear the whispers of the rest of the contestants in her run back to the safety of her dressing room, wanting to protect herself from their whispers and judgmental gazes.
"Why did she stopped?"
"She isn't that good to be here."
"Poor girl, it must be her first contest."
Riko runs faster through the hallways of the building, trying to block their voices, trying to not let their whispering affect her.
As she turns the corner, she crashes into somebody, sending them both to the floor with a loud thud.
- I-I'm sorry, are you- – Riko starts apologizing before she's stopped by a gentle and familiar voice.
- It's okay Riri.
Riri.
That voice, that nickname, that soothing smell…
Riko looks at the girl in front of her and finally releases the tears she had been holding in. She throws herself onto Yoshiko, gripping her shirt hard as she wails everything she's been feeling: the irrational fear, the humiliation, disappointment, anger… and Yoshiko just holds her tightly against her body, looking coldly at everybody around them, scaring away any prying eyes that dare to interrupt this moment of vulnerability from her beloved number one little demon.
With some difficulties, Yoshiko manages to stand up and take a crying Riko into an empty room, locking the door behind her while sliding down it to sit on the floor with Riko still in her arms, wrapped tightly against her body as she continues crying hard.
- I've messed up, Yocchan – Riko says in between sobs and Yoshiko just holds her tighter than before, feeling her own heart breaking at her words.
- You didn't Riri, you just weren't ready yet – Yoshiko says reassuringly, rubbing Riko's back in circles to help her to calm down.
- Yoshiko, you know that's n-
- It's Yohane! – Yoshiko exclaims, interrupting Riko who just looks at her surprised by her outburst, but nevertheless can't help but smile tearfully at her antics.
Yoshiko smiles back at her tenderly and wipes her tears away, caressing her cheeks before she starts kissing her forehead, followed close enough by her nose, cheeks and finally, her lips in a tender and deep kiss.
- You know that's not true Riko. You did it great, you just had a little setback – Yoshiko says, trying to downplay it and reassure Riko.
- But what they all were say-
Riko starts trying to talk about the bad things she heard people whispering, only to be silenced again by her girlfriend's soft lips.
- Like I said, none of that it's true Riri, you were great.
The way Yoshiko smiles at her, so tenderly and sweetly, her eyes staring deeply into hers with nothing but love and care and the soothing feeling her arms makes her feel, it's enough for Riko to believe her and calm down.
Riko smiles back at her softly as a blush starts to form on her cheeks and goes back to rest against her chest, letting Yoshiko wrap her completely in her warmth while her arms surround Yoshiko's waist.
- I look ugly – Riko murmurs childishly.
- You look beautiful, as always – Yoshiko answers to her softly, making Riko blush harder and hide herself more into her chest. Yoshiko always knows how to make her feel better…
- Can we stay like this for a little longer? – Riko whispers timidly against her collarbone, sensing how Yoshiko squeezes her tighter in her arms.
- All you need Riri – Yoshiko says gently, moving slightly to sit more comfortably on the floor, kissing Riko's hair before chuckling – but I don't know where we are.
Riko giggles at her words and smiles more, leaving a soft kiss on Yoshiko's collarbone.
- Who cares…