The late afternoon was filled up with Chihiro's version of club activities, mostly consisting of all of them riding their motorcycles around the lake in improvised races with Chieko offering snacks and refreshments as needed. Urd picked up on riding a cycle remarkably fast, and despite a few false starts Sora began to show some real signs of improvement. Still, most of the races went to the three aces in the group: Chihiro, Megumi and Natsuki. "You know," Chihiro sounded almost disgusted, "I was a professional motorcycle racer at one time, and I still have a hard time keeping ahead of you two." "Thank you," Natsuki flashed her a grin before adding modestly, "but I think I still have a lot to learn from Megumi." Megumi actually blushed, "Yeah, right." Urd chuckled to herself softly. From what she heard from Belldandy, Megumi had beaten Natsuki and her customized racing bike twice, all while riding her own old, off the lot model. In a final race between Belldandy and Keiichi Natsuki had finally come to understand why Megumi could beat her, and in the end had surrendered the Queen title to Megumi. "I ought to haul you two out onto the racing circuit," Chihiro plotted devilishly, "I bet we'd make a killing." A impish little grin, "And you can all wear the Whirlwind insignia on your uniforms, it'd be great advertising." "You would think of that," Urd joked. "Let's wait till we graduate," Megumi said firmly, Natsuki nodding in agreement. It was Sora who gave Urd and Chieko the opening they needed when the younger woman said thoughtfully, "I almost wish that Keiichi were here with the Brough Superior, it'd make these races even more interesting." "A Brough Superior?" Chihiro's eyes lit up with interest, "That's the Rolls Royce of Motorcycles! I couldn't imagine Keiichi having one." "I think it belonged to the family here or maybe to a former guest," Urd offered smoothly, "Keiichi fixed it up then took Chieko for a ride." "Wow," Natsuki blinked in awe, even the modern young rider having heard about the very expensive classic bike. "D'you think we could see it?" Megumi asked Chieko eagerly. Chieko handed out the drinks as she said, "I don't think it would be a problem. Would you like to go first?" Megumi shook her head, surprising them all as she suggested, "Why doesn't Chihiro go first? Then we can all go have a look." With a bounce in her step Chihiro followed Chieko into the lodge even as Urd looked at Megumi curiously, "Why not you?" Megumi shrugged, "Well, Chihiro was so excited by it...." "Occasionally, you really are a bit too much like Keiichi," a smiling Urd noted, "too kind for your own good." Sora, surprisingly, was giving Megumi a thoughtful look, a faint blush on her cheeks as she said, "I think so, too." Rather surprisingly Chihiro returned a few moment's later, her expression thoughtful. "So what's it like?" Natsuki asked. "It's a beauty," Chihiro nodded, "I was even tempted to take it out for a ride." A pause, "But it so... clearly belonged to someone else, I couldn't do it." "This I gotta see," Natsuki smiled, also following Chieko off. She returned after a short time, her own expression rueful. "You're right," she admitted to Chihiro, "I even tried to climb on it, but it just felt too wrong." "Well, I guess it's my turn," Megumi said, smiling over at Chieko as they walked to the lodge together. "Thank you for letting us impose like this," she added softly. "You're welcome," Chieko felt a prickling of painful emotion as she led Megumi through the house to the room that the bike was stored in. 'The other girls weren't right,' she thought, 'maybe I was wrong about Hotaru's spirit being nearby?' She opened the door and led Megumi down the stairs, into the room where the bike had waited so patiently. "Wow," Megumi breathed out, walking forward to touch the older bike. "An SS100AGS," she murmured, stroking the seat like a lover, "they only built 281 of this model with a J.A.P. engine." She looked up at Chieko, "Could I take her out?" Chieko met her eyes and felt all her worries leave her, recognizing the look in the young woman's eyes. 'Hotaru's spirit lives on in her,' she felt warmly satisfied, 'he has returned to me at last.' Aloud she said, "Of course, but could you take me on a ride around the lake?" "I was going to suggest it," Megumi had the oddest look on her face as they took the bike outside, "it's almost like a promise I needed to keep." "I'll be damned," Chihiro blinked as Megumi rushed by them on the motorcycle, Chieko happily perched behind her, "I guess someone belongs on that bike after all." "Keiichi could ride it too," Urd quickly supplied the information before the three girls could speculate too much, "maybe it's a family thing." Chieko smiled in contentment as they rode, her cheek against the warmth of Megumi's back. "Thank you," she murmured as they drove, swinging around the corners gracefully with the engine throbbing happily beneath them. "We're coming back up on the lodge again," Megumi called back to her passenger, "do you want to do another lap?" "This was enough," Chieko murmured, then she surprised Megumi by leaning forward and pressing her soft lips to Megumi's cheek, "I'll never forget this, ever." Then, softly and silently, Chieko simply seemed to fade away. "Huh?" Megumi blinked in surprise and distress as she came to a stop, realizing that her passenger had disappeared. <OoOoO> As they were packing up to go home on the last day of their retreat Chihiro repeated, "So she really was some kind of ghost?" "Yup," Urd nodded firmly, "she had been haunting the place until her lover returned to give her a ride on that bike. We thought Keiichi doing it the last time was enough, but I guess Megumi needed to reinforce it." "Do you think anyone would mind my taking the Superior?" Megumi asked, standing beside the classic bike. "No, it's clearly yours," Sora said firmly from where she was uncomfortably sitting on Keiichi's bike. With the sidecar attached to it was the easiest of the cycles to ride, so they felt it was safest for her to handle. Sensing the other woman's hesitation Natsuki smiled over at Sora, "You'll be all right." A bit more hesitantly she offered, "I could even give you some more riding lessons when we get home." "I'd like that." Sora blushed. Chihiro tried to hide her wicked grin, finally understanding why the two girls had spent so much time alone over the past week. "All right," she waved after everyone had mounted up on their bikes, "let's move out!" Megumi lingered a moment, looking back at the lodge. "I just wish I had gotten to know Chieko better," she sighed, "it almost felt like I had loved her once, so long ago." She kick started the bike and was off, following the others. Invisibly Chieko smiled and wrapped her insubstantial arms around Megumi as they came up alongside Urd and Chihiro. 'I didn't realize that my spirit had become bound to the bike.' she thought, exchanging a sly wink with Urd. Impishly she smiled, 'I wonder how Megumi is going to react the first time I manifest in her home?' The End...? Notes: This story is based around the story "The Forgotten Promise" from Oh My Goddess Manga #8. I thought that the situation of the spirit Chieko Honda was interesting, and I was a bit disappointed by how quickly she was dealt with. I've been thinking of writing a shoujoai story with Megumi Morisato for a while, so I decided to combine them. "The Queen" is another one-shot character who was introduced in The Secret of Speed from Oh My Goddess Part 10, when she raced against Megumi. I like the obscure characters, huh? Oddly she's never NAMED, so I pretty much had to make something up. I may or may not continue this....
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