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“Well?” Ema said with a wink. “Want to hop on?”
“Me? Really?” Aoi dumbfoundedly replied, she pointed at herself.
“There’s no one else around.” Ema joked. She revved the engine, too.
Smoke billowed out of her exhaust pipe, it made Aoi cough but even so. There was something majestic about her motorcycle. The long, winding pipes that glistened in the sun, the shiny leather of the seat, and more. It was something that was all hers. It was the freedom of the highway, darting and weaving through the cars and traffic without a care in the world.
It was very much not something that Aoi thought she would ever ride on or experience. It was, however, second nature to Ema. She looked so good in her leather, too, it clung to her body in all the right ways as she further coaxed Aoi to join her for a joyride.
“Look, I even have a spare helmet.” Ema said as she reached around.
She unlatched the hood and accessed the small but fair sized storage unit that her bike had. The helmet was similar to the one that Ema usually wore but with the colours inverted: so, a prominent red with black streaks. It caught and reflected the sunbeams well.
“Then looks like I have no choice…” Aoi replied but she couldn’t hide the smile of intrigue on her face.
Ema had very much won.
Aoi reached out in turn and she accepted the helmet. It was heavier than she expected, and the Velcro unfriendlier than she would have liked but she got it over her head and strapped up just fine. Ema, meanwhile, scootched along the seat of her motorcycle and gave Aoi just enough room behind her to sit there but truth be told.
There wasn’t any room at all.
They had to get nice and personal and with no seatbelts, Aoi’s hands buckled in front of Ema’s stomach would have to do. Aoi shuddered as she came so close to Ema. The sleekness of her motorcycle leather, the scents that she exuded: perfume mixed with polluted smoke, it was heady and gross but Aoi kind of liked it when she searched for Ema underneath the notes of sandalwood and gasoline. She snuggled into Ema’s back and her bushy ponytail. She had an athletic, lithe body: she worked out every other day, probably.
Aoi blushed and she held her own hand to keep herself secure. With her legs squeezed tight and her heart already racing a million miles an hour, they were ready for kick off. Ema revved the engine and the motorcycle roared to life.
The city streets came alive in a whole new light – based on what Aoi could eke out from her limited perception. The motorcycle helmet was heavy and the visor tinted everything to a cinematic tone but goodness. It was the most fun ever.
They left the plaza behind them without a second thought. The asphalt of downtown called. Ema drove with precision and Aoi appreciated the finesse, but to her, it was all reckless abandon as it was full of sharp turns and dizzying inertia. They left a plume of smoke behind them as Ema’s indicators lit up in streaks of amber and scarlet, too, becoming a butterfly within the smog.
It was honestly such a thrill, Aoi got lost in it all.
Not just the physical sensation of gliding over the streetscape but what she felt on the inside, too. Such as the crush that she felt towards Ema, too. It had been there for a while, small and eating her from the inside out: the admiration that she had towards Ema was well encompassing. The wild side to her, the nurturing side to her: the way she was the big sister that Aoi never asked for but was thankful that she got as she tried to navigate the shadowy underbelly of the virtual world by her side.
She was a fount of inspiration and Aoi would be thankful for how Ema had helped her time and time again so she could stand on her own two legs. It was embarrassing puppy love and yet, Aoi kind of loved it. Ema was everything that she couldn’t have and yet look at her.
Aoi had her arms wrapped around Ema’s body and buried herself in her back and was in the thrum of adventure with her right now. Ema was toned and well endowed, too. Aoi tried not to think about it but her hands were right there. Every so often Ema piped up, ever so blithe and chatty, about different things they saw. Neon signs, the feel of the balmy weather on their backsides, and more. Aoi had never taken a ride a motorcycle before but it was fast becoming one of her all time favourite things as she experienced it in the same seat as Ema. It was all so exciting and how guilty she felt to be pressed up against Ema’s body.
They shared so much in the plush leather of the motorcycle’s seat and felt it all. The hum of the motorcycle and how it sped along the various motorways of Den City like it owned the place, how Ema controlled it and more but the way Aoi’s heart raced, too. It pounded as hard as jackhammer against her chest but she relished as there was so much to enjoy on their ride together.
From the way the wind whipped around them, to the engine’s purr and the heat that it exuded. It was all so intoxicating and free in ways that Aoi had never considered before. Or at least in meat space.
Motorcycles and D-Boards don’t have anything in common. Not really, not beyond being dangerous modes of transportation but still. Aoi would think that the point would stand apparent. One had wheels, the other had nothing, one had a seat and the other had jet engines. But they were similar in how they commanded attention and symbolised freedom. It was so much fun, Aoi couldn’t help but miss her heyday in the wild, blue and violet gales of the Data Storm but this had its own appeal.
The concrete jungle melded into suburbia. Aoi had no idea where she was, or how far they had come. She had completely lost track of time as she let Ema take her for this joyride. Or journey that it had apparently become given how little there was to recognise in this section of Den City which Aoi had never had any reason to explore previously.
The buildings got smaller and blockier the further away from the central business district and similar precincts they got. There were even houses with front and back yards scattered through the industrial streets of this part of the city which seemed to stretch onwards and outwards forever until it met the glistening sea. It was beautiful in how raw, cracked, and misshapen it was, Aoi thought as the motorcycle slowed the quieter it got out here.
Ultimately, their joyride culminated when they arrived in the carpark of this segment of the docklands. Here, despite there being bright blue skies overhead, the air was murky with salt and distant smoke. Through the rigid, mostly uniform shapes of the storage units and warehouse facilities, the ocean could be glimpsed in between.
Even though there were cargo ships in the distance, almost in the sky like a fata morgana illusion, it didn’t seem like there was a soul out here except for them as Ema pulled up in a rubbish and graffiti ridden carpark. Grass grew in between shards of fragmented concrete and weeds clung to the chain link fence similar to them as they stopped and paused. Despite being turned off and keys removed, the motorcycle’s engine puttered as they disembarked.
Ema took off her helmet and shook out her hair. Aoi, meanwhile, was not quite as graceful as she took a step or two away from the motorcycle before doing the same. The relatively fresh air hit her skin with a sting as she exhaled contentedly, enthralled by the ride.
She turned around with the biggest smile that Ema had ever seen her wear, “That was so much fun!” she gushed, enthusiastic.
“Glad you enjoyed.” Ema smiled like a cat. She leaned over the handlebars of her motorcycle.
Aoi’s smile became smaller as she became self conscious how childlike it seemed. She toyed with her hair, the fluffy strands had become crinkly underneath her helmet so she tried to flatten them as she looked around.
The shipyard in the distance was interesting. They seemed to be backed onto an office or the like, and then there was all the storage around them, on the other side of the tall, chain link fence that semi-secured the perimeter of the dockyards. It wasn’t doing too good of a job since they had gotten in there, wasn’t even a boomgate nearby from what Aoi could tell. So, it made her curious.
“Why out here?” Aoi asked. “Anything special about it?”
“It’s a little special.” Ema confessed and her voice became frayed but fond. “It’s where my Father took me to learn to ride this thing.” She patted the handlebars.
There was a lot Aoi didn’t know about the situation with Ema’s parents, especially since she was the child of the second wife and the second wife, she was fairly certain, was the mistress. She assumed there would never come a day, any time soon, when Ema would feel it appropriate to share the depth of her family issues and drama therein with her, so even this crumb…
It felt intimate.
Aoi’s heart thumped in her chest. She looked over the languid way that Ema sat in the seat of her motorcycle, how casual it was for her, like it was for her, as though it were an extension of her body. Aoi had never really considered if she would want to learn something like this. Even getting her driver’s licence as beyond an item of identification seemed unnecessary to Aoi and yet. She kind of liked the idea, if only as a means to bond with the woman she admired.
“Well?” Ema prompted her since all she was doing was staring off into space. “Do you want to try?”
Aoi’s eyes went as wide as wheels, “You really want to teach me to ride a motorcycle?” As though the idea was absurd.
“Only if you’re game.” Ema teased.
Aoi’s stomach knotted. Of course she was game. She stepped forward, boldly, and nodded.
“I’d love to.”
“Sweet.”
Ema’s leg flung outwards and she got off the motorcycle. She beckoned Aoi closer and she obliged. Aoi put her helmet back on and irked herself given she had only just re-adjusted her hair after getting a case of helmet head. Nevertheless, she hopped onto the seat and slid to the front of it, where it was way too warm feeling and that made her blush. Ema pretended not to notice in lieu of giving Aoi the low down on what the different things did, what they were. The basics, pretty much, of what a motorcycle even was.
Some of which was necessary to fill in gaps in Aoi’s knowledge. In physics class, she recalled, they touched briefly on combustion and how it worked inside of cars but a boy asked about motorcycles so they discussed that, too. It wasn’t nothing but at the helm, Aoi realised it wasn’t enough at all.
Luckily she had a great teacher right here and now to show her the ropes.
Ema was patient with her, doled out the right amount of information that Aoi needed per part of the motorcycle’s front and went down it systematically. Aoi absorbed it all like a sponge. By the end of it, she felt comfortable to take the first step: start the engine and let it rev.
Maybe she used a bit too much power but the motorcycle jerked to life with a huge noise. Ema stepped backwards, to get out of the danger zone but she whooped and hollered, enthused by the promise that Aoi showed. Even if she was daunted by it.
“Okay, let’s just try and ride in a circle. Get you used to being upright.” Ema called out.
“G-Got it.” Aoi stammered.
Aoi urged the motorcycle forward and despite her uncertainty, she was able to get it to ride in a straight line. Mostly. There was a slight wobble to the motorcycle’s gait but as long as Aoi went slow and did it carefully, she managed to follow Ema’s instruction.
“There we go.” Ema encouraged her. “Try again, get some more practice in.”
Aoi nodded, exaggerated as she could, and tried again. She worked up some more confidence and that helped straighten the path the motorcycle took. Ema looked like she was going to get dizzy as she tracked the circles that Aoi rode but she improved with every loop.
“Excellent, you're a natural, girl!” Ema cheered.
“Heh, thanks.” Aoi said as she pulled up at Ema’s side.
She vibrated slightly with excitement. It was one thing to experience it all from the passenger seat, another thing entirely to be at the handlebars but Aoi loved every second of it. Even if she became all the more heightened to how dangerous driving was: whether a wrong steer would send her too far around the corner, or if she would crash and burn.
Still, the responsibility was good for her. Gave her a thrill from the inside out.
“What do you say?” Ema asked next. “Do you want to give me a test drive?”
“Huh?” Aoi gawked.
Ema laughed at her naivete. Surely, this was the obvious next step in her mentorship with the motorcycle.
“C’mon, let’s hit the streets instead of doing circles here.” Ema continued to poke and prod. “You're not even doing doughnuts – not that I’m encouraging that, but.” She ended her sentence playfully but sharply.
Aoi swallowed her fears, “Sure, let’s go around the block. Maybe?”
“Deal. We’ll end up here again when you're done. Go as far as you feel comfortable, or have the fuel for.” Ema said.
Aoi glanced down at the fuel tank. It was a surprisingly economical vehicle, at least half a tank left based on where the little, white needle was pointed. Still, Aoi wasn’t raring to go that fast nor far.
Especially with Ema in town.
Nervousness swallowed Aoi from the inside out but she felt a jolt within as Ema saddled up behind her: a reversal from their time before. Ema, meanwhile, wasn’t nearly as touchyfeely. She wasn’t scared at all. Her hands were loose around Aoi’s hips, in front of her scrawny belly and she cuddled in. Their helmets clinked against one another as Aoi kicked off.
The engine roared and they were off in a blare of noise and smoke. Aoi white knuckled it as she steered the motorcycle onwards and outwards past the opening in the road and chain link fence they had gone through. This was undoubtedly her best stroke yet. The motorcycle was upright and steady as she zoomed down the streets maybe a little too fast, in the way only a learner could be.
Still, Aoi relished it. The sensation of Ema’s arms around her waist, the feeling of the wind drag over her helmet as she scanned the street left to right, showing all the awareness needed to ride safely. She really was a natural, even if she was nervous.
Together, they wrapped the block twice. Once more than needed but Aoi wanted to prove to herself she could do it: that she was responsible, keen, and learned. This part of the city looked even more different again through the sepia tinted visor and the feeling of deciding where they were going, not just taking the ride.
They passed run down office buildings and holes which probably belonged to the yakuza. It was great. There were dandelions in the concrete and clouds in the sky. She saw them all the same way she did stop signs and the like.
It was good fun even as the mileage dwindled and they came to a halt where they started. Aoi pulled up in amongst the chipped asphalt and cracked concrete in the parking lot from before. She put her foot down on the tar and took the key from the engine.
Aoi reached back to hand the key to Ema. Ema flashed a smile from behind her helmet. Even through the hard plastic, her lips were shiny and sparkly: from a cherry red to a vivid mauve, however.
They both dismounted from the motorcycle but it was Ema who pulled out the kickstand. She gave it a moment and it settled. Aoi took off her helmet and she held in between both her palms as she looked around.
“This afternoon’s been fun, by the way.” Aoi said. “I needed this.”
“Me, too.” Ema admitted.
She rested her body all too casually against her motorcycle. It creaked with her weight but didn’t budge. Though, the hair on the back of Aoi’s neck did raise as she watched cautiously. There was something awfully conspicuous about how nonchalant Ema was trying to seem. Aoi stared at her with her wide, brown eyes and Ema smiled a small smile in response.
“I’ve missed you.” Ema said with a sigh. The jig was up and Aoi had twigged that they weren’t just hanging out for the sake of hanging out. “In the Link VRAINS, I mean,” she then clarified with a shrug but she clamped her hand over her other elbow and strained, as though it weren’t a casual admission at all like initially intended, “it’s a lot of fun, I promise.”
“I’m just nervous is all…” Aoi replied, melancholic. “I miss my fans and my fans miss me but, am I Blue Angel anymore? And if I’m not, am I Blue Girl? A knock-off of you? I don’t think so, I’m my own person, I don’t need a crutch anymore but as Blue Maiden…”
“You still lost it all.” Ema finished her sentence for her.
Aoi fumed but yes. Ema was correct.
Aoi had seen her brother disappear before her very eyes. The water which had once been so warm and welcoming, had become a tsunami which drowned them both. It was harrowing and she hadn’t really had the urge to log back into the Link VRAINS since.
But people were waiting for her. They wanted her to redebut in the brand new era of the Neo Link VRAINS. She wanted to as well. Whether it was to test new plays with her Trickstar deck or to further learn Marincess, and maybe even create some kind of crossover between the two, would mean a lot to her. Miyu meant so much to her and Aqua… Aoi wanted to believe that Aqua’s data was just beyond her fingertips, that she would be safe again soon.
She just didn’t have the same propensity for the network like the others, like Yusaku or even Ema. So, she couldn’t help the way she wanted. She didn’t feel like she had ever helped, despite her insistence, her perseverance, her heroism. It never paid off in the way she wanted, in beautiful, blue glory. All she got was pittance and heartbreak. It enfeebled her.
But Aoi realised the purpose of this little trip. Ema missed her little protege it seemed. She smiled bittersweet. This was all encouragement to build up her confidence again, wasn’t it?
The realisation was written across Aoi’s face. Truth be told, she didn’t mind and Ema reached out. She caressed Aoi’s face and held her by the chin. She tilted her head back slightly to better meet Aoi’s eyes from underneath her fluffy, brown fringe.
“You are a brilliant duelist, Aoi and no matter what avatar you wear, you are always you and I think that’s beautiful.” Ema consoled her. “But, for what it’s worth, if you can ride a motorcycle, you can ride a D-Board again.”
Aoi laughed hesitantly, “I think you're right.”
“Of course, I’m right.” Ema boasted. “I’m your mentor.”
And my brother’s ex and everything I want but can never have, Aoi stopped herself from saying her inside thoughts out loud. The best she could muster was a bemused expression as Ema studied her lips. Her smile turned all crinkly as she smouldered beneath Ema’s touch, the scant trace of her acrylic nails and her smooth fingertips.
“You ready to go home?” Ema asked.
“Yes, I think so.” Aoi replied.
“Sounds good, I’ll drop you off out the front of your and Akira’s place, yeah?”
Aoi nodded. That was fine by her.
Ema smirked and she tapped Aoi’s skin with her fingertips before letting her go. Aoi exhaled in relief but she felt a shudder through her shoulders and down her spine. Ema, meanwhile, sashayed off. Aoi hid her feelings by putting her helmet on but the damage was done.
Ema knew. She was perceptive and observant, she saw the angel where others saw the moth. That was probably fine. Dumb puppy love. But even so, Aoi relished it as she had the opportunity to once more wrap her arms around Ema and enjoy the luxury of her body. Her musculature, the sleek feel of her biking leathers. It made Aoi’s heart skip a beat.
With a kick off the stand and a whirr of the engine, controlled, incremental, unlike how Aoi had driven it, they were off to the races. They sped off down and into the street, headed for uptown and the late afternoon sunshine heralded their return home to the luxury apartments and skyscrapers Aoi had become more used to associating with Den City.
Amid it all, Aoi held tight. She didn’t need to but she wanted to. Ema’s posture was stern as she faced directly into the wind resistance. Aoi, meanwhile, closed her eyes.
If she compared it, if she contrasted it, if she imagined it: then the wind around them could become the gale of the Data Storm. Deep down, she did miss it. She might have even liked it more than driving a motorcycle, actually: flying through the air atop of a D-Board. The feeling of the wind in her hair, rather than razored off a helmet, how she had to keep her feet hips width apart to maintain balance, and finally, best of all: the roar of a crowd all chanting her username.
Fine.
Blue… Someone might be making a reappearance soon in the Neo Link VRAINS. Just as long as Ghost Girl was there, to catch her when she falls and hold her hand. Surely, that wasn’t asking too much of her mentor nor the illicit love that she felt towards her.