Chapter Text
Oh My Goddess: The Ladies Retreat
Part One
"All right, so how did I let you talk me into this again?" Megumi Morisato shouted to the others as the bikes rounded another curve, the three riders, two passengers and sidecar all taking the steep curve with skill.
From the lead bike Chihiro Fujimi signaled them to pull over on to the side of the mountain road, stopping beneath the shade of the trees. The leaves gently moved with the breeze, shadows crossing the older woman's face as she climbed off her bike. The past president and power behind the throne of the Auto Club said to them cheerfully, "Well, Keiichi Morisato and the boys of the Motor Club are off on another summer endurance training camp, so I thought that we'd all go on our own little training trip."
"Which still doesn't really explain why I'm here," the third cyclist noted as she removed her helmet, shaking out her long black hair, bangs falling into her eyes. Once she had been known simply as the Queen, the best cyclist in the school, until she was defeated by Megumi. Now she was merely Natsuki Ogami, a cycling enthusiast and regular over at Whirlwind.
"I'm really sorry," Sora bowed as she stiffly got off the back of Natsuki's bike, the smaller woman's glasses gleaming as she explained, "but with the sidecar loaded up with supplies we needed a third bike to haul the two of us."
Urd chuckled softly from where the dusky skinned beauty was still casually perched sideways on the back of Chihiro's sleek motorcycle, "Yeah, when the boss started talking about this little excursion, I just knew I had to come along." Silently she added to herself, 'Especially after Megumi suggested were we should go.'
"All right everyone, mount up," Chihiro clapped her hands, "we should push on, or we won't have any time to unpack before the party really begins!"
"Right," Megumi climbed on to the older cycle she borrowed from Keiichi, taking a moment to check on the fully loaded sidecar. The old girl handled beautifully, as she would expect from a cycle maintained by her big brother, and smoothly fell into step behind the others.
Together they rode up the mountain road, and as they did Megumi took amused note of her companions. Urd had draped herself comfortably on Chihiro's cycle with her mane of white hair flowing out of her helmet, holding on to the other woman with a almost sexy sort of intimacy. Sora, on the other hand, was stiffly uncomfortable holding on to Natsuki, the smaller woman clearly nervous but still game to go on. Natsuki herself was oddly considerate to the younger woman, clearly taking care of the nervous young lady.
They swung past a old sign reading 'Mountain Resort Honda Lodge' and continued on, eventually coming to a stop not far from the old building surrounded by aspen trees, the mountain lake gleaming off in the distance. It was an old, faded hotel, unchanged from long before the war, but it had a graceful charm all it's own.
"Looks like we're here," Megumi said as they coasted to a stop.
"Not bad," Natsuki said as she gracefully dismounted, casually holding the bike steady for Sora to climb off.
"Not bad at all," Chihiro nodded her agreement, gentlemanly offering a hand to help the slightly taller Urd off.
"Thanks," Urd gave her a saucy little grin, casually stretching once she was off of the bike and unconsciously showing off her full body.
Chihiro's gaze lingered just a moment as she sighed to herself, 'God can be cruel, she has such a great body.' She looked away towards Megumi and asked, "So, this place is run by a friend of your grandfather?"
"That's part of why we can all stay so cheap," Megumi agreed as they helped unload the sidecar and the saddlebags on the bikes, eventually accumulating a fair bit of supplies. "You and Urd went up here the last time, what did you think, Sora?"
"Oh," Sora seemed startled to be asked. "Actually I liked it a lot," she admitted, "it's peaceful and the housekeeper was very nice."
"Housekeeper?" Natsuki raised a eyebrow as they each loaded up, carrying the packs of stuff up towards the double doors.
"Chieko Honda," Sora nodded as she grunted with effort under her own heavy bag, "she seemed to be an old fashioned kid of girl, but very likable." She frowned a little as she conceded, "She certainly liked Keiichi, though."
"That's my brother," Megumi shrugged casually as she joked, "I think it's his likable ineptness that gets the girls."
"Here," Natsuki casually relieved the overloaded Sora of a heavier bag, "let me."
"But..." Sora protested.
Natsuki gave Sora a gentle smile, "Hey, I'm getting a cheap vacation out of this, the least I can do is help out."
Megumi tried the door and said in surprise, "It's unlocked."
'Not again,' Urd blinked as she felt an oddly supernatural presence just beyond the doors, 'you have got to be kidding me.'
The doors swung open and a young lady beamed at them, her old fashioned maid's uniform flowing. "Good afternoon," the black haired girl beamed, "and welcome to the Honda Lodge! I'm the housekeeper Chieko Honda, pleased to meet you."
"Eh!" Urd managed incoherently.
"Urd-san, Sora-san," Chieko smiled brightly as she recognized both of the women and continued, "welcome back."
After doing her share of unloading and unpacking Urd finally was able to duck out, pulling Chieko aside to talk to her. "I thought that after Keiichi gave you that ride on the bike," she half accused, "you had moved on to the other world, Chieko."
Chieko Honda, it seemed, was not an ordinary young woman. Nearly seventy years ago she had made a promise to a young man, and when she died young with that promise unfulfilled she had lingered on as a ghost, or more accurately a entity called a shinnentai. Her intense desire have her the ability to interact directly with the mortal world, allowing her to maintain the role of housekeeper while she waited for her young man to finally return.
When Keiichi had arrived at the lodge with the motorclub, bearing such an uncanny resemblance to his grandfather Hotaru, she had assumed he was Hotaru! Refusing to believe he wasn't her beloved she had tried reason, then enchantment to try to bind Keiichi to her, to fulfill their promise. Ultimately Keiichi had agreed to help out of his own good naturedness, and after the ride around the lake Chieko had disappeared.
"I thought that it would," Chieko said a bit sheepishly, "but apparently not." She looked thoughtful, "I think that Keiichi's grandfather Hotaru's spirit is still out in the world, and I can't pass on until I meet him again."
"Damn," Urd blinked. She frowned thoughtfully, "But he could be anywhere in the world..."
"No," Chieko shook her head gently, her expression thoughtful as she explained, "I get the feeling he's somewhere nearby."
Urd thought about that a moment, "Are there any other guests here?" When Chieko shook her head Urd sighed, "Then it has to be Megumi, Natsuki or Chihiro."
"Not you or Sora?" Chieko blinked.
"I'm a Goddess so I was around when Hotaru was alive," Urd shrugged casually, "and Sora was here the last time and you didn't react to her then."
Chieko frowned as she asked, "But how do I narrow down who is carrying Hotaru's spirit? The feeling I have so far is too general to be sure."
Urd looked up towards the ceiling as she considered the problem, "Is that Brough Superior motorcycle that Keiichi fixed up last time still here?"
"Of course," Chieko looked indignant, "it was Hotaru's most precious thing."
"Then let's find an excuse to haul each one of them down there to look at it," Urd suggested, "I bet you'll be able to tell from how they react."
Chieko beamed, "Thank you, Urd-sama!"
"Well then, let's get to work," Urd said with a grin, leading the young woman back to where the others were.
To be continued...
Oh My Goddess: The Ladies Retreat
Part Two
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...
Oh My Goddess: The Ladies Retreat
Three Afterwards
One: Urd
There were certain things that Urd didn't tell her sisters. Not because she was keeping secrets from them, necessarily, but simply because these things were none of their business. Skuld didn't need to know about her still working love charms, Belldandy didn't need to know about her partying with Mara, and she didn't tell either of them about her time spent with Chihiro.
After that memorable trip up to the lake house Urd found a kind of connection had formed between them, different than what they had before. Instead of merely a background person in Keiichi's life Chihiro became a vital, important person to her... and eventually a lover.
Chihiro sighed happily as she wrapped her arms around the taller woman, running a hand through the long, white hair of her lover. "About time," Chihiro purred into her ear, "Keiichi will be off running errands all afternoon."
Urd grinned down at her, "So we have Whirlwind all to ourselves?"
"Exactly," Chihiro agreed as she lay back on her workbench, having thoughtfully remembered to clear it off first.
"Hmm," Urd purred as she nibbled at Chihiro's pale neck, tasting the faint tinge of grease on her skin. While some might be disturbed by it Urd had grown used to her mechanic lover's scent and taste, embracing them whole heartedly.
"Ah," Chihiro gasped as Urd gently squeezed her breasts, her tongue licking at her collar bone. "God!" she moaned as she wrapped pant covered legs around Urd's own thigh, the taller woman just wearing a sexy short skirt and top.
"Goddess," Urd smirked as she sucked on each hard nipple, her tongue fluttering against rigid flesh. "Tasty," she mumbled happily.
Chihiro wrapped her arms around Urd as she excitedly ground their bodies together, already nearly at her peak of excitement. Both of them found themselves dazed by the passion that could overtake them, the pleasures of the flesh that were so wonderfully good.
Urd unzipped the leather jacket that was all Chihiro was wearing as a top, letting her smaller breasts pop free as she licked salty skin and stopped to tease the bellybutton. "Should I continue?" she teased as she stopped, reaching out to gently rub across her clothing covered mound.
"You'd better," Chihiro gasped, trying to force Urd's hand to linger by crossing her legs.
Urd smirked as she kissed that cloth covered mound, then paused as she felt a odd twinge...
"Chihiro," Keiichi pushed open the door casually, "They didn't have the parts, so I couldn't fix the engine..." Keiichi trailed off in pure shock, the young man freezing in the doorway.
"Excuse us," Belldandy said politely, dragging him backwards then shutting the door.
"Damn it," Chihiro cursed as she sat up, grabbing for her leather jacket. "Your sister's timing really sucks," she told Urd.
"We'll get back to it later," Urd promised even as she tried to decide what to tell them. She finally decided on the truth, even if it was a bit embarrassing. "You mind if I tell 'em we're dating?" Urd asked as she straightened out her skirt.
"I'd love to," Chihiro answered with a smile.
Two: Sora Hasegawa
After Keiichi stepped down from the presidency of the Motor Club and nominated her as his replacement, Sora found herself saddled with a frightening number of new responsibilities. But Sora gamely faced up to each task before her, supported by her club mates, Chihiro their past president, and also... by Natsuki Ogami.
Natsuki, once known as the Queen among the motorcyclists at school, had become her friend during the lakeside trip, and afterwards had grown into something more in Sora's heart. Of course, Sora's shyness was such that it took months for anything to happen, and in fact it only really started because Natsuki grew tired of waiting.
They were celebrating a motor club win at the regional championships, with booze and snacks flowing as they partied. Keiichi and Belldandy were visiting, Bell singing beautifully when she took her turn at kareoke. Deciding it was too noisy to talk Natsuki and Sora went outside, the two women looking up at a beautiful evening sky.
"Thank you," Sora murmured softly as Natsuki put her arm around her shoulders.
Natsuki looked down at her fondly, "No problem."
"No," Sora shook her head, "you've supported me, coached me, even saved me from a mad robot... you're a good friend."
Natsuki puffed out a breath, looking up at the darkening sky as she muttered, "You've got part of that wrong."
"Huh?" Sora blinked.
Natsuki hadn't intended for Sora to hear that, but... "I've hung around you for so long because I'm in love with you, dimwit," Natsuki confessed.
Sora looked rather like someone smacked her with a fish. "Do you mean that?" she asked, sounding rather stunned.
"No, I often say stuff I don't mean," Natsuki said, feeling rather crushed. 'I guess she just isn't into me that way...,' she thought.
"I'm sorry," Sora surprised Natsuki by hugging her fiercely, "I think I love you, too."
"You mean it?" Natsuki looked at her in surprise.
Sora went up on tiptoes and pulled Natsuki down towards her a bit, their lips meeting as she murmured, "Yes."
Three: Megumi Morisato
Despite what her brother might think, Megumi was not a stupid person. She knew that the three 'sisters' were not normal, and had become more or less aware of all the supernatural stuff going on. But because Keiichi hadn't told her, Megumi didn't feel it was her place to push.
So when a ghost appeared in her home, Megumi took it in stride.
"Welcome home!" the cheery voice called as Megumi opened the door. Chieko Honda smiled warmly as the black haired girl met her, taking Megumi's bad from the tired young woman's hand.
Megumi reluctantly surrendered her bag as she reminded her, "You don't need to do that."
Chieko laughed as the woman dressed as a maid said, "But I want too, Megumi." The black dress was a good combination of maidenly yet sexy, and the white apron brightened things up immensely. Chieko lead the way into the small apartment, setting the bag on the table as Megumi tiredly settled into a seat.
Chieko sat down beside her as she patted her hand, "Long day?"
"Yeah," Megumi admitted with a wry smile. "I was helping out Sora with the club, as well as negotiating with the baseball teams..."
"Are you going to be playing soon?" Chieko asked excitedly. "I'd love to watch," she added.
"I'll bring the bike along so you can come," Megumi promised. Chieko's spirit appeared tied to the motorbike she had watched over so long, and she could only manifest nearby it.
Chieko smiled, "I'll look forward to it." Briskly she walked towards the kitchen, "What would you like for dinner tonight?"
"You don't have to cook for me," Megumi said to her fondly, watching the young woman's hips sway as she walked.
Chieko put her hand on her hip as she gave Megumi a arch look, "Is there something you'd rather do?"
Megumi grinned at her, "I think we can think of... something."
End
Notes: Yes, I'm a compulsive loose end tier upper. LOL Chihiro is a ODD character in the manga. She doesn't date, she turned down two guys interested in her and one of her fondest memories is of a very Belldandy-looking character she knew in school. Which doesn't make her gay, of course, but it leaves things open. Urd, in my humble opinion, would make a good match for her, providing a fun loving side to balance out Chihiro's more serious business woman. Sora/Natsuki and Megumi/Chieko are both TOTALLY from my imagination. Tho in fandom Megumi is sometimes considered to be gay...