The world is a better place with some Takagaki <3
It’s been so long…
Risa turned her head away from the conversation with Eri, glancing about to survey the area. The environment they spoke in was normal as usual. Sayumi and Koharu were off to the side of the set, practicing the choreography of their new single. The new Chinese members were chatting with each other in their native tongue, seemingly anxious of their debut. Words that had caught her attention returned it to Eri, who seemed a bit upset that Risa spaced out under her interpretations. Panicking and adding a rather trade mark word (Uso!) to her defense, Risa was obligated to look at the taller and listen to her. Eventually, the sub-leader found herself with wandering eyes again, searching the other half of the studio for someone. She saw that the Morning Musume leader was discussing what her portrayal of character should be like for the scenes that have yet to be shot for the promotional video with one of the main staff members.
Ai.
It’s been awhile since she has spoken with her, hasn’t it?
Risa turned her attention back to a pouting Eri, complaining that the sub-leader’s attitude was eerily reminiscent of a certain tall long-haired leader of the past who lacked any skill of dancing whatsoever which earned another “Uso!” accompanied by yet another panic attack. It was troublesome trying to speak with someone and think of another…
It wasn’t that long ago, was it? Maybe a few years back became ‘yesterday’ in Risa’s head. She remembered everything vividly within her mind. She remembered that one day, before a promotion video shoot like the one now, which they nearly twisted their friendship. They were alone, walking along the hallway of props which mostly consisted of archery material in their costumes, heading towards the location of the dance shot. They were conversing normally, until Ai had noticed that Risa’s tie was crooked…
And that’s when the awkward moment came.
They stood in front of each other in silence with Ai focused intently on untying the tie so she could tie it efficiently again. The younger watched the other’s concentrating eyes and grew anxious for some reason. Ai seemed to have caught the change of atmosphere and looked at the other, her hands securing a perfect tie knot.
It was like time ceased to exist in their line of vision.
“Ai-chan…?” Risa had asked, her nervousness toning her cheeks a light crimson.
The older did not reply. Instead, Ai continued her fixated stare at the other, hands still frozen at the younger’s tie. There was something in her eyes that the younger couldn’t exactly describe, but whatever Ai had, it was mesmerizing… It was haunting… It was hypnotizing… And she found herself under that spell, doing nothing to stop herself as Ai tugged lightly at the tie, bringing Risa's head closer to the older’s. Risa’s eyes had become half-lidded, feeling like something heavy weighed down upon them as a side-effect of looking at the other. The eventual leader tilted her head at a slight angle as it progressed ever slowly, causing a yearning anticipation in the younger’s lips. Then it had come to a point where they could taste the breath of the other…
But the moment that was supposed to come afterwards did not come.
“We are going to be late…” Ai had whispered hesitantly before releasing her hold on the tie and turning to walk again, leaving a rather confused and flustered Risa behind.
But that was almost three years ago, and it might have been long forgotten by the other person.
But Risa couldn’t forget it.
She never felt so confused in her life.
“Gaki-san.”
“Eh?!” Risa turned her head away from the conversation she was having with Eri.
“You two are going to be late,” the leader simply said, before walking off to the area where the camera crew were going to record her close-up shot. When Risa and Eri looked around, it seemed that almost everyone went to their designated solo-shot positions, with Aika seemingly waiting for Risa while Reina and Koharu were waiting for Eri. Putting a stop to their ongoing conversation, they took their places and the official start of the promotional video shooting began.
After the first run of the close-up shots were finished, Aika and Risa gathered around the small television, watching the fruit of their labor. Risa’s cheeks became tainted with red at the result.
THAT’S me?! She thought, confused as to why she suddenly gave off this rather…sexy air around her? Since when did she become sexy, huh?! She had always thought of herself as a cutesy person, maybe looking like a little boy and sounding like one at times, but this is definitely not the reaction queen she thought she was…
“Whoooa~! Gaki-san’s sexy! The world’s going to explode~!” Reina threw herself over Risa’s shoulders from behind, careful that her wonky eyes weren’t poked out by the rather tall headdress the sub-leader had.
“Uso! I’m looking normal, right?! Right?! RIGHT?! I can’t pull off sexy at all! I just look a little emo, that’s all! Yeah! That’s all!” Risa panicked, much to the amusement of the yankii teen. Reina simply laughed and pushed herself off of Risa, rearranging her costume if it had become crooked from colliding with the taller.
“Everyone’s sexiness HAS t’come out sometimes, ya know? Yer a late bloomer!” The younger continued trying to stop herself from laughing at yet another priceless reaction queen appearance, slipping into her yankii tongue of Fukuoka with all the emphasis on the rolling R’s.
“Uso! Uso! Uso! Sexiness has nothing to do with me! I’m being normal there! I tried being emo for the shot, you know?!” Risa waved her arms in a panic.
“Nn… You remind me of Takahashi-san in this shot,” Aika replied, catching Risa’s attention.
“Mm… ‘Bout that, Reina has ta say that she’s right. Gaki-san really reminds her of Leader~!” Reina also slipped into her cutesy talk, not really appealing to anyone in particular, but felt like speaking in it. “Must’a been that aura. You two give off the sexy vibes for this PV I’m tellin’ ya!”
Before Risa could panic any further, crew members notified the three that they were going to shoot the dance shot version soon and that they had ten minutes to get onto location. When questioned about the time, the staff person said that they were going to take awhile to set up the cameras since they wanted the camera angles to be artistic and tasteful like the previous PV had been. Once dismissed, the three went their separate ways to hang around the others. However, Risa did not feel like speaking with Eri this time. It’s been too long since she has spoken with Ai, therefore, she must find her and strike some conversations with her.
It wasn’t that hard finding the leader; Ai’s now short hair made her stood out from the rest. Eventually, she found Ai wandering around the corridors, which made Risa think of a certain situation all over again. She caught up with the older and tried to strike a conversation with her. It turned out that Ai wasn’t really wandering, but had been checking on the other members to make sure they were comfortable and ready for the dance shot that was soon to come. Then they joked about their outfits which seemed to have probably originated from slaughtering creatures of Tsunku’s imagination, which caused the two to laugh at their imagination of the process of making their outfits.
It’s been such a long time since they’ve gotten into a good conversation like this…
“Is your feather boa supposed to trail behind you like that?” Risa suddenly asked, eyeing what looked like a clasp on Ai’s right shoulder strap. The leader raised a brow and looked at what Risa’s eyes were pointing to, and confirmed the information as incorrect. Ai was going fix it too, if it weren’t for Risa’s hands reaching around her, doing her job for her. The leader and sub-leader stood in an absolute silence; though, the only source of noise came from the sound of the clasp hooking onto the corresponding hidden clasp of the feather boa. Well, at least, the clasp trying to hook on, since Risa couldn’t bring the shoulder strap high due to the material it was made of. Ai simply watched the stern look on the taller’s face, trying to act nonchalant despite a familiar shade appearing on her sharp features.
It was like an eternity passing by.
Even when the clasps were hooked, the sub-leader’s left hand remained on the leader’s right shoulder, now fiddling with the feather boa with her index finger and thumb. Ai had this absolutely innocent visage to her, Risa thought. She wanted to smile at the thought of Ai blushing because of what she did, but decided not to do so. But now, something else was drifting around her mind…
Why were her lips so tempting?
Risa paused on that thought. Was this what Ai had thought back then? Was Risa’s lips tempting three years ago? In fact, did Risa look almost mesmerizing to Ai as well? Out of impulse, Risa’s left hand slid around Ai’s shoulder, slithering around her back and up her neck until she had a hold of the back of her head. Was Ai’s skin always this soft? And was the leader seriously that easy to fluster?
“Risa…”
She wanted to hear her say it again, her given name. She made an internal promise to herself to invite herself into Ai’s apartment later, smiling in her mind the methods of making her say her name—or rather, thinking about the things she wanted to do to this innocent Ai to make her say her name… But first, she must invite herself… The sub-leader pulled the leader’s head slowly towards her, wanting to build up the anticipation of touching those lips with her own... The leader’s eyes became half-lidded in a submissive manner, not wanting to stop what was happening now… However, that moment never came…
…Yet.
“I’m sleeping over tonight…” The sub-leader whispered, before claiming the lips of the other, thus confirming her words.
It’s been too long…
Teehee :3